Sunday, February 28, 2021

Spring, hobbies, and things to look forward to :)

 Hello my fellow bookworms!

Spring is almost upon us! The birds are back singing, the sun is staying out longer, the days are sunnier, it is a nice time to start reading outside again (with a hot cup of coffee or tea, of course).

(c) Race Point Publishing, Kate Macdonald
It feels nice to not be stuck inside as much all day, though there are quite a few hobbies you can do if you are stuck inside. I have been quite fond of baking lately, especially tarts! There is a book based on the recipes from Anne of Green Gables that you can buy (or borrow from your local library), called The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook: Charming Recipes from Anne and Her Friends in Avonlea. Written by the granddaughter of L.M. Montgomery herself, Kate Macdonald shares with us the recipes that Anne created and also her own grandmother! I can't wait to try them!

You can also listen to free audiobooks from Amazon Prime for a new fairy tale collection called Faraway: Fairy tales for the here and now. These are quick, 35 - 50 minute reads, written by popular YA authors. The collection includes: The Prince and the Troll by Rainbow Rowell, Hazel and Gray by Nic Stone, The Princess Game by Soman Chainani, The Cleaners by Ken Liu, and The Wickeds by Gayle Forman. 

If you feel in the mood for writing, there are also a number of works from 1925 that are in the public domain, that you can adapt in a new way. As an article from NPR, by Neda Ulaby, states: each year on January 1st, a new list of published works with expired copyrights are released. Besides being the start of a new year, it is also Public Domain Day! The newly released from copyright novels include, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald,  The Trial (in German) by Franz Kafka, The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie, A Daughter of the Samurai by Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto, The Writing of Fiction by Edith Wharton, and more.

There are also quite a few virtual events to look forward to. On June 8th to 9th, Edelweiss BookFest will be hosted by Edelweiss Above the Treeline. They are still accepting applications for those interested in booth space or sponsorships, so more information will be released on the event closer to the days. 

Barnes and Noble has been great at keeping up author/reader events, catering to all ages. Many events are hosted by Zoom, and some are ticketed, which means you will have to purchase an entry into the Zoom chat. But, there are quite a few virtual events on B&N Facebook live, which means it is a live showing and free! 

If you are itching to get out of the house and outside, Litographs has a list of indie bookstores (some that even I did not know of yet!) that you can go visit. 

What have you guys been up to lately? Any good book recommendations? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time! :)