Tag Archives: Bookish Stuff

August 24, 2022 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Bookmark, Scrap Paper, or Dog-Ear?

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Coloured tabs of paper sticking out of a book that’s opened and lying on a wooden table. The vast majority of the books I read are ebooks, so my place is always marked in them automatically unless there’s a technological glitch. That doesn’t make for a very fun answer to this week’s prompt, so I’ll keep talking.

Back when I read paper books regularly, I did not have a strong opinion about bookmarks.

A pretty, traditional bookmark? Great!

A scrap of paper? Great!

An old receipt I didn’t need for anything else? Great!

A $1 bill? Great!

A clean, dry piece of toilet paper in an emergency? That was okay, too, although I found it tore easily and would try to replace it with some other paper product as soon as possible.

I will admit to dog-earing a few pages of books I owned when I was a kid, but I soon learned to dislike the way that damaged books and stopped doing it. (What other people do with their own books is of no concern to me).

I know that conversations like these can be more interesting when people have strong opinions about them, but I do not have any strong opinions on this topic. All I care about is that a bookmark keeps my place in a story so that I can quickly jump back into it when I have more spare time.

Although I am always interested in seeing other people’s fancy bookmarks and asking them questions about where they got them and what personal significance the artwork might hold for them if they’re willing to share.

 

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August 10, 2022 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Thoughts on Fan Fiction

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

A woman dressed in chainmail, leather, and wool. She’s holding a funky wooden staff and appears to be dressed as a fantasy character. When I was a teenager, I wrote a little bit of fan fiction for a couple of my favourite worlds (Narnia and the prehistoric world set in Jean M. Auel’s Earth’s Children series that I’ve talked about here so often, if you’re curious).  I never finished any of it and it doesn’t exist anymore so far as I know, but I had a wonderful time playing around with characters and settings I knew so well.

I’ve read far more fan fiction than I’ve written. The quality of it varied depending on the skill of the person writing it, of course, but that’s true for any form of storytelling. I’m interested in experiencing fabulous stories no matter where they come from: fan fiction, self-published books, hybrid-published books, traditionally-published books, tv shows, films, music, or spooky stories told around a campfire.

To me, fan fiction is a hobby that may sharpen your writing, communication, and critical thinking skills if you write and/or read high quality material. I’d compare it to cosplay or role playing a character for Dungeons and Dragons in that you get what you put into it and there are so many different ways to enjoy it.

Some people adore it and do it regularly. Other folks are like me and have dabbled in it. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who have zero interest in this stuff, and that’s perfectly okay, too.

Hobbies make life more enjoyable. Of course I encourage everyone to follow their interests no matter how young or old you are. Life is too short to be serious all of the time or to worry what others think about what makes you happy.  For some folks, chasing happiness includes doing things like dressing up in fun costumes or making up stories about your favourite characters. I say more power to them!

 

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July 27, 2022 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: My Ideal Bookcase

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

This week’s topic was “show us your bookcases.” While I do technically own one bookcase, it’s filled with clothes, random knickknacks, spare charging cords for our various electronic devices, and tic tacs because my spouse loves that candy.

In order to stick to the spirit of the prompt, I’m going to tweak it just a little so I can share my dream bookcase with you all.

A nook in a house that contains a while bookshelf built into the wall. The doorway has a nice wooden frame with some leaves carved into it. Many bookcases out there are quite tall. I’m a little shorter than average, so it always makes me a tad nervous to stand on my tiptoes and try to grab a book on the top shelf. This is even more true if the book is oddly shaped or heavier than usual as I have scary thoughts of one of them falling onto my face and scratching my cornea or cracking  my glasses. (Yes, my fears are quite specific sometimes. Ha!)

Therefore, my ideal bookcase would be one that I could reach every shelf comfortably.

The thought of it existing in a little nook of a house that might otherwise be hard to make full use of delights me, too.

I love the wooden frame over the doorway of this bookcase. Wood is such a warm and cheerful material. I’d want to have rabbits carved into my frame because they’re my favourite animal.

Ideally, my bookcase and the nook it was placed in would be somewhat larger than this one. I would like to have a soft, comfortable chair in that little room or maybe right outside of it in the hallway or next room as well if I could. It would make such a cozy spot to sit and read.

There you have it. Something like this would be a perfect bookcase to me.

 

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April 19, 2022 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Merchandise I’d Love to Own


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

My answers to this week’s prompt might be a little unorthodox.

I have enough bookmarks, ereaders, tea mugs, and cozy socks to last for many years to come.

I do not have enough chocolate to nibble on while reading, but that’s because I have a sweet tooth and chocolate is hard to resist. Perhaps some of you who do not like sweets so much have never had this problem. Ha!

These are the bookish things I wish I had.

A cozy little home library in a the corner of a room. There is a red rug on the wooden floor and a light shining on the books and rug from a nearby shelf.

A Spare Room to Turn Into a Personal Library.

There are many things I love about living in a cozy apartment in a city, but one of the few downsides of it is that housing here in Toronto is too expensive to devote an entire room to reading. If only that were different!

A man using a laptop while sitting on a couch. A woman has stretched out next to him on the cough and has her legs by his thighs as she listens to something.

A Big, Comfortable Couch

I want to gently flop over the sides of the couch and find every position comfortable while still leaving space for someone else to sit there, too.

Yes, sometimes I’d probably sit on the “proper” way, too. But not every time.

Pink clouds floating through the sky near a full moon at either sunrise or sunset.

Peace and Quiet 

I want a few hours of peace and quiet in which to read.

It’s okay if a truck rumbles by or a bird sings outside of my window, but I would rather not have conversation, music, blaring horns, or anything else that might be distracting.

Quiet reading sessions are the best if you ask me.

A little white dog sleeping on a chair.

A Leash and Soft Place to Sleep for My (Hypothetical) Dog or Dogs

Yes, I know that’s worded a little oddly, but let me explain. I don’t think of pets as objects to be owned. They’re members of a family instead.

If I weren’t allergic to dogs and if my home were large enough to accommodate one, I’d also want to have a canine companion or two. (Let’s also assume that my spouse agrees to this plan!)

Ideally, they’d sleep or play quietly for a couple of hours while I read and then let me know that they were ready to go for a walk.

There’s something about taking a walk that makes reading even better. It  gives you time to think about what you’ve read and wonder what might happen next in the story.

Dogs are also good listeners from what I’ve surmised from people who can live with them, so I’d probably talk to them while we exercised together.

It wouldn’t matter to me what the dog looked like. I simply included the picture above because the dog in it looked so peaceful.

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December 7, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Wintry Gifs and Photos

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

A snow-covered bench in a snow-covered park. I’m going to be achingly honest with all of you here. The winter holiday season is hard for me for a few different reasons.

One, I have seasonal depression that usually kicks in by early November when Ontario’s days grow short and our sunlight is weak and brief at best.

Two, I live thousands of miles away from the safe and loving relatives that I’d otherwise get to see during the various winter holidays we celebrate.  That homesickness is tough, especially since I haven’t been able to see those family members in a few years now thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Three, I used to work in an industry that was extremely busy in November and December and have some bad memories of those stressful months that felt like they’d never end.

When you combine all of these factors together, I basically begin counting down the days until January 1 arrives as soon as the leaves begin to change colour. In the meantime, I am happy for all of you who enjoy this time of year and hope it’s wonderful for you.

What I really want to do for the next few weeks is curl up and think happy bookish thoughts as winter approaches. Maybe some bookish wintry gifs and photos will suffice? I will be including brief alt-text descriptions of everything in this post for readers who are sight-impaired or who can’t see the photos and gifs for some other reason.

 

Person reading a book while sitting next to a crackling fireplace.

Reading by a fireplace sounds nice.

 

Olaf making a snow angel.

So does making a snow angel. That always feels like it should be the beginning of a story to me. Maybe it’s because you leave behind such pretty imprints in the snow when you’re done.

 

Snoopy characters caroling.

I went carolling a few times with friends as a teenager. I might be too shy to do it now, although I’d happy listen to others do it or help pick out the songs! Once again, this sounds like the opening scene of a book. I’m sure the closing scene would involve the main character performing a solo or something similar.

 

A weeping willow tree covered in icicles and snow.

There is a certain beauty to seeing trees covered in ice and snow. It’s almost like seeing a poem come to life.

 

Stock photo of a gigantic stone statue covered in snow and ice. It’s sitting in a valley next to a small cabin that has smoke coming out of its chimney and one light glowing from a window.

And some of the winter stock images of fantasy scenes are delightful.

 

Person wearing a heavy winter coat and scarf carrying a mug of hot chocolate.

It’s also nice to be entering the tea, hot chocolate, and other beverages time of year. There’s nothing like sipping a cup of something warm and soothing while you read.

 

Snoopy blowing a streamer and saying Happy New Year.

I’ll end this post with a question. Is it too soon to start thinking about what to read in 2022? The new year will be here sooner than we might think!

What do you all think of the winter holiday season?

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June 1, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Gifs

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

My creative muscles weren’t as strong as usual for this freebie post. I decided to go with something lighthearted and fun: bookish gifs.

 

Captain Picard sitting in a lounge chair in the sun. He says "All I require is the sit in the sune and read my book. Alone."

Honestly, I can’t blame Captain Picard for this one bit. I’d do the same thing in the Holodeck!

 

Homer Simpson holding his head and screaming. Caption says "that moment when you drop your book in the bath."

 

It’s been years since I did this, but I still shudder at the memory. I hope all of you have kept your books safe, too.

 

Animated character reading a book that says "pretending to be normal"

I have no idea where this one is from, but I love it.

 

Donald Duck reading a book. As he looks away, black claws emerge from the book to grab him.

I loved Donald Duck as a kid, but this scene would have scared me if I’d seen this particular episode.

 

Kitten pouncing when person tries to turn page. Caption says "Stop! I Haven't Finished Reading Yet!"

Ignore the typo in this gif and listen to a funny story. I once tried reading a book with a friend when we were in middle school. We read at different speeds, so I’d get bored and she’d get frustrated. It was a short-lived experiment.

 

Man saying "I'm going to be a big-time blogger."

May we all get there someday.

 

Gif of baby crying when the last page of a book is closed.

This poor baby doesn’t want story time to end. Can you blame him?

 

Woman smiling as she puts a book down

There’s nothing like finishing an immensely satisfying story.

 

I can’t stop giggling at this. I am more forgiving of the occasional typo than Bert apparently is, though.

What are your favourite bookish gifs or memes? 

 

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