Showing posts with label Quick Read. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quick Read. Show all posts

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Happy Leap Year Day!

Hello fellow bookworms!

What is new with you? (Seriously, let me know in the comments!)  Here is some book news that I thought was interesting, just for you:

  • The Smithsonian just released 2.8 million images for the public to use as they please. So many high resolution photos from their many collections that you could post, print, put on a t-shirt - be as creative as you want! The best part? More are coming, so stay tuned. Visit the open archive here.  Share with me the best book related images you can find via #currentlyreadingblog.
#SmithsonianOpenAccess - Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Henry Ward Ranger through the National Academy of Design, 1897
  • More Americans went to the library than the movies in 2019! Good for us, libraries are a great source of free information, education, and fun. See CNN's report here. 
  • My favorite detective Nancy Drew is turning 90 this year! To celebrate, the Hardy Boys are investigating...her death?? What? I'm not exactly pleased to hear this new story line, but I will give it a read to see what really happened. Read the New York Times article here.
  • The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is going to have a television adaptation! 
  • Penguin Random House has an email list that you can sign up for to receive tips on how to better read yourself to sleep (not that you guys need help with this, but the tips are fun to read!)
  • For those of you with kids of your own, here are some tips from NBC on how to encourage your child to read more.
  • BBC has created a list of the 100 Novels That Shaped Our World. How many have you read? (While I have heard of many of the novels listed, I myself have only read 6, including a few series.)
  • Are you a Young Adult author who would like the chance to be published? Swoon Reads is a great opportunity for that! Check out the submission requirements here. Also, if you are a reader who likes to read books before they become the next big thing, you can also vote on your favorite books for publishing (read your share of new books here)!
  • Looking for a quick read during your commute or break? The Short Story Project has stories for you! 
  • More libraries are exploring in renting out items that help shape our curiosity and help us learn, fix things, etc. The San Mateo County libraries in California are letting visitors now rent out bikes! Additional accessories available to rent out include a GoPro mount, bike lock, bike basket, bike light, and first aid kit. What a good way to go from reading books to taking in the scenery. Sounds like a great day to me!
  • Speaking of other services libraries now offer, certain libraries in the states now offer mental health and social work resources. Libraries in New York offer mental health screenings, invite social work agencies to visit to help provide assistance, and of course, offer relevant books. Libraries in San Fransisco hired a psychiatric social work to help with their homeless visitors. The Pima County Public Library in Arizona was the first library to hire and offer a public health nurse to patrons. It is nice to see and hear that libraries can be such a great resource for the public. Go visit your library today! (Well, tomorrow, it's probably closed by the time this posts.)
Happy end of February! I will leave you with this beautiful book slip case from the Smithsonian archives. Until next time!
#SmithsonianOpenAccess - Transferred from Cooper Union Library, 19th Century


Friday, July 26, 2019

Blog Tour: The CatNapped Lover by Rue Allyn

Good Morning Bookworms! 

Today is a purrrrfectly good day to let you all know that I am hosting a book that is on tour this week: The CatNapped Lover by Rue Allyn. Ms. Allyn has teamed up with Babs Hightower of Babs Book Bistro to showcase her latest release, now out at Amazon.com! Read on for a quick blurb and a bonus excerpt!

(c) Rue Allyn 2019
A woman, a man, and a cat. What could possibly go wrong? 
What does a bet between best friends have to do with a kidnapped cat and a tumbled-down animal shelter? Nothing, unless you are Adam Talcott and you want to prove to your best-buddy that you can survive without access to your wealth and family connections. Adam would have succeeded too, if it hadn't been for Dierdre Clancy and that blasted cat.

Adam Talcott
Adam Talcott was born rich. He went into business with his best friend from college and made even more millions. His methods may be unorthodox, but he nearly always succeeds. Now hes been challenged to live for two months without any of the privileges and resources hes known all his life. Adam is confident that he can conquer this challenge as he has all others. But he didnt count on Dierdre Clancy and that danged cat.

Dierdre Clancy
Dierdre Clancy grew up in a family of givers. Her parents were missionaries and often too busy saving other, less privileged people to realize how lonely and abandoned Dierdre felt. When she reached her teen years, she was shipped back to the USA to live with her Aunt Shea on Sheas rundown farm and animal shelter. Finally she was in a stable environment with an adult she could count on. Dierdre went on to gain a degree in social work and took up the Clancy family tradition of helping others. Most of the time helping others was easy. But Adam Talcott broke that mold and every other box she tried to put him into. How could one man be so difficult to manage?

~ * ~              =^._.^=              ~ * ~ 
Excerpt:
          Balancing an armload of mail, an overloaded briefcase, and a gym bag with two yogurt cups teetering on top, Dierdre Clancy rushed to her cubicle. For the fourth time this week, and the umpteenth time this month, she was late. Once again, a power outage in the decrepit apartment building where she lived had caused her alarm clock to fail.
          Please, Lord, don’t let my chauvinist pig of a boss realize I’ve been missing.
        The yogurt cups threatened to topple off the gym bag. Dierdre wasn’t about to let her lunch decorate the linoleum. The mail showered to the floor. The briefcase hit her foot. With her free hand, she plastered the cups to her side. The gym bag slid down her arm. The webbed strap twisted, tourniquet style, around her wrist.
          She managed a couple of sideways hops that brought her to the edge of her desk. The gym bag swung wildly. Leaning against the arm weighed down by the bag’s stranglehold, she managed to dump the yogurt cups onto the desk without mishap. She pulled herself upright and reached for the strap at her wrist.
          Somehow, during all the hopping, the bag had swung around her legs and gotten wedged in the narrow space between her desk and file cabinet. The same strap that cut off circulation to her hand pressed into the backs of her knees, pinning her neatly to the desk. Only an act of extreme dexterity could save her from her own folly. Imbecile, why didn’t you make two trips?
Because I didn’t want to risk having the boss see me coming in late.
          "Clancy! You’re late.
          Dierdre’s heart hit the ceiling. She knew the shout—a cross between an operatic tenor and a pig at slaughter. Still, she hadn’t been prepared to hear her boss’s screeching quite so soon. 
~ * ~              =^._.^=              ~ * ~

A cute, quick read of a romantic comedy, The Catnapped Lover will sure to bring a smile to your face! Ms. Allyn has a way with words that sucks you right into the story. This book is for adults - it is not the usual YA fluff I also love to read. It deals with real-life challenges and scenarios that would not appeal to the younger crowd. But, for those twenty-somethings and older, it is a perfect fit. What I found that is a nice touch, is that the book touches on the topic of animal shelters and rescues, and is even dedicated to animal rescue workers. Which brings me to the topic of our story. How did the two main characters meet? Well it all started with a bet and a cat...
 /\_/\''
 >^,^< 
 / \'''
'(__)_

Rue Allyn (c) 2019
About the Author (see her website for more information here):
Rue Allyn writes heart melting romance novels. Books about characters and adventures in which love triumphs at the darkest moment. The kind of hopeful, steal-your-breath romance that melts a reader's heart. The type of book she likes to read and hopes you will, too.

Also, just for you fellow bookworm fans, you can get a FREE download of Ms. Allyn's May 2019 novel, Forever Hold My Heart - a Scottish historical novella - by signing up for her newsletter here!

You can also find Ms. Allyn on social media: Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Twitter.


Note: As a fellow romance novel fan, do check out her Pinterest - there are many pins that showcase the regency era and beautiful vintage clothing! Until next time! :)