Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books That Need a Sequel

 

The Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is hosted by Long and Short Reviews. They offer this blog hop as a weekly prompt to help you gain new friends and visitors. You don't have to participate every week, but if you decide to post and join the blog hop for a week, Long and Short Reviews asks that you share your link on their weekly post on their website (it will be the top post on the home page each Wednesday morning). The link list remains open for new links for 48 hours. Visit the other bloggers participating to see what they discuss that week. Comments are appreciated. 

This week's topic is such a rabbit hole through which to travel. There are so many great choices. Since time is limited, I will stick with my top three.

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough spands sixty years, so one could argue what else is there left to say? For me, I always felt Justine got the short end of the stick. A sequel told from her point of view or taking her from the end of this book through her own life would be interesting.

Admittedly, I haven't fully read Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy yet, for no other reason than lack of time. What I think would be a great sequel for McCoy to tackle is a story about Matthew Cuthbert. He tends to be the forgotten one, but I feel he could be a fascinating character in his own right. 

The Rocky Bluff P.D. books by F. M. Meredith are already a series. Though I know it won't happen, I would love to see a Gordon Butler spinoff. Gordon has long been my favorite character, and it would be wonderful to see his story continue. 

Looking forward to seeing what you shared. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - May 26

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome, everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Photo credit: freepik.com

Welcome back to Monday! I am grateful you stopped by. In the States, we are honoring and remembering those lost in service to our country. Originally called Decoration Day, the first remembrance took place in 1868 to honor and remember those lost during the Civil War. It became known as Memorial Day in 1971. You can read some Memorial Day facts here.

Life has been incredibly busy, which is expected this time of year. The Lil' Diva's wedding is quickly approaching. I visited the Lil' Princess at the beginning of last week. And I am in the middle of continuing education for three states, one of which needs to be done before the end of this month. 

Here are some photos from the last couple of weeks:

The Lil' Princess and I sitting in the lifeguard's shack

Sunrise on Wrightsville Beach

Stony Hill Landscaping updated our front gardens

 Walk through the woods this weekend

My cousins celebrated their 50th anniversary this weekend, so they were looking at family photos. This is me (front with the short hair) with my two older sisters and our uncle. 

Not a ton of reading going on, but I did review this one at The Children's and Teen's Book Connection. 

I've been listening to this one while driving back and forth from appointments. 

Started this one on Saturday. 

These are next. 

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

I grabbed these earlier in the month at the library book sale.

Upcoming Events

• Cayman Conundrum by Stacy Wilder - June 11 (First Chapter Review)
• Freedom Drop & Calypso Blue by Brian Silverman - June 18 (Showcase)
• Freedom Drop by Brian Silverman - June 21 (First Chapter Review)
• Calypso Blue by Brian Silverman - June 22 (First Chapter Review)
• Soul Stirrings by Anita Hackley Lambert - June 25 (Book Spotlight)
• To Murder a Marquis by Arabella Sheraton - June 27 - (Review)

Christmas Year Round has two new posts:

• Three Things to Do in May to Prepare for Next Christmas
• Christmas ... in the News

My review of My Grandma and Grandpa Rock! appears at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection. You can read it here.  

Check out my latest post at  Laura's Little Houses - Is It Time to Stop Saying Michael Landon Strayed Too Far from the Books? This is my summary after comparing the books to the television series. Read it here.

That's it for me today. Looking forward to visiting you and seeing what you're reading. 

Taking a Break from This Week's Meme's

Greetings from Wilmington, North Carolina! I planned to put together weekly posts before I flew out on Sunday, but...

1. I ran out of time,
2. My eyes are bugging out because I'm editing, and 
3. I really wanted to focus on seeing our daughter and getting the Airbnb ready for summer.

You can check out It's Monday! What Are You Reading?, Mailbox Monday, Top Ten Tuesday, and the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge by clicking on the hyperlinks below each icon. 

I will have some books from the library book sale to share with you next week. Might even have some photos from my visit to Wilmington. Enjoy your week!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Mailbox Monday

Top Ten Tuesday

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books I Love That Became Films or TV Shows

 

The Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is hosted by Long and Short Reviews. They offer this blog hop as a weekly prompt to help you gain new friends and visitors. You don't have to participate every week, but if you decide to post and join the blog hop for a week, Long and Short Reviews asks that you share your link on their weekly post on their website (it will be the top post on the home page each Wednesday morning). The link list remains open for new links for 48 hours. Visit the other bloggers participating to see what they are talking about that week. Comments are appreciated. 

How is it Wednesday again? I still haven't caught up on Tuesday's blog visits, but I hope today is an easier day. Today, we are talking about favorite books that became films or TV Shows. Since I spoke about Little House on the Prairie, I won't go there. I won't even mention Anne of Green Gables. Here are a few others worth sharing. 

The 1993 movie, Gettysburg, was based on the novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, which tells a fictionalized version of the three days of fighting at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War. This novel is part of a series that Sharra wrote with his father. 

Before Nicholas Cage starred as Rayford Steele in Left Behind, based upon the Left Behind novels by Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins, that role was played by the late Brad Johnson, with Kirk Cameron playing another major character, Buck Williams. This is the last series I recall eagerly awaiting the arrival of each new book. 

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough was brought to the small screen in the early 80s, with Richard Chamberlain playing ambitious priest Ralph de Bricassart alongside Rachel Ward's Meggie Cleary. 

In 1994, The Stand by Stephen King was brought to television as a mini-series starring many well-known actors like Richard Thomas, Molly Ringwald, Gary Sinise, and Rob Lowe. 

On Strike for Christmas was the first book I ever read by Sheila Roberts. It's how I came to love her work. In 2010, Lifetime Television brought it to the small screen. I've never seen it, but I really want to one day. 

What can anyone say about the Harry Potter series except that it is amazing? I held off on reading it for years because I don't read overly popular books. Once I indulged myself, I was hooked, though I don't think I've seen a single movie all the way through. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Ways in Which My Blogging/Review Style Has Changed Over Time

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.    

Welcome back to Tuesday. Hope you are having a nice week. This week's topic, suggested by Susan at Bloggin' 'bout Books, asks us to share ways our blogging/review style has changed over time. I'm not quite sure I can think of ten, but I will give it a whirl. If not, I will add in some ways that it has stayed the same throughout the years.

Top Eight Ways in Which My Blogging/Review

Style Has Changed Over Time

I am okay with not finishing a book.

Initially, I read every book I accepted, even if I didn't really enjoy it. With such limited reading time now, I'm okay with saying a book was not for me and donating it. 

I started a spreadsheet to organize my TBR pile.

When requests poured in faster than I could read, I had to find a way to keep track of incoming books and review dates. My handy Excel spreadsheet has been keeping me organized since 2009.

I turn down requests to review. 

While I still struggle with this, I have to be realistic. There are so many requests, and not all of them can be accommodated. 

Adding the First Chapter Review made spreading the book love easier.

Especially when I piled up Kindle freebies, the guilt in owning hundreds of books I wasn't reading gnawed at me. That's why I started the First Chapter Review feature. I read the first chapter, share my thoughts on the cover, share what the first chapter is about, and discuss why I would keep reading or not keep reading. This also allowed me to eliminate books from the TBR pile if they didn't capture me in the first chapter. 

I stopped participating in most reading challenges. 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I just don't follow crowds very well. The only reading challenge I can seem to come close to winning or win regularly is the Goodreads challenge, and I think that's because I don't have to read specific books for it. I just plain old read. Can't tell you how much I admire all of you who can complete book challenges, but it is not for me. 

I stopped checking my stats. 

When I started The Book Connection, it was to gain followers. I stressed over not having enough followers. My goal was to create a following for myself while sharing books by others. Would I like more followers? Sure. Who wouldn't? I just don't focus on it anymore. 

Short reviews are okay.

Only so many hours in the day. A shorter review is better than no review. 

Checking in with other bloggers is much more fun these days.

Because I've been at this for so long, I've virtually connected with a lot of bloggers. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the readers here, and some of you I feel like I've really gotten to know as a result of checking in with you weekly. Because I was so focused on building a following in those early days, it seemed more like work. Now, it's simply a joy to see what you all have been up to lately. 

Two Ways in Which My Blogging/Review Style

Has Stayed the Same Over Time

I search for at least something good to say, even if I don't enjoy a book. 

While my reviews are always reader-focused and honest, it rarely happens that I can't find one good thing to say about every book I read. 

I strive to expand my reading horizons.

Every year, I promise to read at least one book in a genre I don't regularly read. I've discovered a love for some dystopian fiction and young adult fantasy as a result. While my overall tastes haven't changed much, I still like stretching beyond my comfort zone to read outside of my typical genres. 

Not too bad of a list. How did you do? I look forward to visiting your blogs today. Thanks for your loyal readership. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - May 12

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.   

Welcome back to Monday! Hope all you mothers and mother figures who celebrated Mother's Day yesterday had a nice day. My hearts go out to all of those missing their moms and other special people on that day. 

I was blessed with a lovely weekend. My sister and I attended The SpongeBob Musical at Exit 7 Players over the weekend. We were supposed to go the previous weekend, but when things developed with the cat, we delayed our outing. It was another amazing show. The actors captured the characters in Bikini Bottom so well. 

On Sunday, four of us got together for brunch. I plan to head to North Carolina this coming Sunday to see the Lil' Princess.

Brunch at Evan's Egg House: Husband, Lil' Diva, and John Boy

Spinach and feta scramble with home fries and toast

With so much real estate work happening, it's been impossible to read. I also have a manuscript I am beta reading, and a manuscript I am editing for a client. The only thing I accomplished is to read this NetGalley download. So much fun!

Haven't touched this one in weeks, but it is on my list. 

These are next, along with a few First Chapter Reviews coming up. You can see upcoming events below. 

I would also love it if you would answer this short survey for bloggers. You can find it here.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

This has not been published yet, but I downloaded it from NetGalley. Look for my review coming soon. 

A book for the coolest grandpas and grandmas everywhere!

Grandparents love to rock every way they can—whether it's by singing out loud, dancing to a song in their hearts, or just living their best lives! 

From the musical team of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo comes a lyrical read-aloud that celebrates all kinds of grandparents from all walks of life—from plumbers to yoga instructors to…rock stars!

Upcoming Events

• Cayman Conundrum by Stacy Wilder - June 11 (First Chapter Review)
• Freedom Drop & Calypso Blue by Brian Silverman - June 18 (Showcase)
• Freedom Drop by Brian Silverman - June 21 (First Chapter Review)
• Calypso Blue by Brian Silverman - June 22 (First Chapter Review)
• To Murder a Marquis by Arabella Sheraton - June 27 - (Review)

Nothing new at Christmas Year Round, because I took the weekend off. 

Nothing new at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection. Hope to post there this week.  

Check out my analysis of On the Banks of Plum Creek versus Season 1 of Little House on the Prairie at Laura's Little Houses. You will find it here. 

Looking forward to visiting your blogs today. Might not be until later since I am heading out on the road today, and then I have a media interview. Enjoy your day!