The Astral Library by Kate Quinn: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

       

      

Today's Featured Book: 

The Astral Library

by Kate Quinn

Genre: Speculative Fiction

Published: February 17, 2026

Page Count: 304 pages

Summary: 

Alexandria “Alix” Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: unlike people, books will never let you down. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands. Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives...inside their favorite books.

The Librarian takes a dazzled Alix under her wing, but before she can escape into the pages of her new life, a shadowy enemy emerges to threaten everyone the Astral Library has ever helped protect. Aided by a dashing costume-shop owner, Alix and the Librarian flee through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen to the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes and the champagne-soaked parties of The Great Gatsby as danger draws inexorably closer. But who does their enemy really wish to destroy—Alix, the Librarian, or the Library itself?

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

I was doing poverty math the day my life fell apart. 

THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Anne of Head Full of Books. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up on Head Full of Books and visit others in the linky. 

...I was almost relieved to look up and see the Librarian standing there with her tablet and her glasses and her cardigan, not looking at all like the semi-ageless guardian of an astral-plane book sanctuary.

I'm halfway through the book, and it's all I hoped for. I like this speculative-fiction Kate Quinn better than historical-fiction Kate Quinn; the characters are jaunty and seriously flawed and fun in Astral Library, and I keep thinking of people I know to recommend it to.

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.    

If you had to, would you pass your book collection on to someone special? If not, what would you prefer your family or friends do with your books after you’re gone? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

When Grandpap Frankeny died, we grandkids were all allowed to choose three books from his collection. That's a nice tradition. 

My Favorite Speculative Fiction Books

When I was eighteen, I discovered science fiction, and I read almost nothing else. 

This went on for about ten years. Scifi, scifi, scifi. Lots and lots of science fiction.

And then I stopped. 

I discovered literary fiction and nonfiction that reads like fiction, and I never went back.

But now, forty years later, I want to read the books I've missed. Science fiction. Fantasy. Speculative fiction.

Could you suggest some titles?

Here are some of my favorite science fiction and fantasy books. Maybe this will give you a good idea about what I have loved in the past.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Color of Magic (Discworld #1) by Terry Pratchett

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Animal Farm by George Orwell

1984 by George Orwell

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Babel by R. F. Kuang

A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

What speculative fiction have you loved?

What would you recommend to me?

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. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.      

The Sunday Salon: Drop Everything and Read on Monday

 

Welcome! We are happy that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. 

What is the Sunday Salon? 

The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Three books of genre fiction? And three different genres! 

What I Read Last Week:

Caraval by Stephanie Garber (Fantasy)

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn (Book Club; Historical Fiction)

The Time It Never Rained by Elmer Kelton (Western; Book Club)

The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Classic)

Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations by Frederick Buechner (Spirituality)

The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley (Classic)

Twist by Colum McCann (Novel)

A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration by Kenn Kaufman (Nature)

Join the Virtual SBC Read-In

The Silent Reading Club is kicking off Read Across America Day with a special virtual edition. Come for the book recommendations, stay for the quiet camaraderie... and a chance to win a free copy of LAWS OF LOVE AND LOGIC, by Debra Curtis.

When: Monday, March 2nd
Time: 8:00-8:30 am PT / 11:00-11:30 am ET
Where: RSVP to receive a link via email to join

RSVP

RSVP to receive a link via email to join the Virtual SBC Read-In. Don’t forget to Bring Your Own Book… we can’t wait to see what you’re reading!

#DEARacrossAmerica

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, Early Voting, The Great Backyard Bird Count, and More

A Few Quotes from Books about Books and Libraries and Reading that I Like

Caraval by Stephanie Garber: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

Duolingo!

Good Thing #2:

We naturalists are learning about water today.

Good Thing #3:

Our group of friends enjoyed hearing

author George Saunders speak in Houston

this week. 

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

       

Today's Featured Book: 

Caraval

by Stephanie Garber

Genre: Fantasy

Published: January 31, 2017

Page Count: 450 pages

Summary: 

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful and cruel father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett's long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to attend. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season's Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, and her sister disappears forever.

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

It took seven years to get the letter right.

THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Anne of Head Full of Books. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up on Head Full of Books and visit others in the linky. 

"Where's my sister?

Scarlett and her sister, Tella, live with their cruel and controlling father. For years, Scarlett has tried to obtain an invitation to join the game at Caraval, and, finally, this year, just before she is to be married off by her father to a man she has never met, finally, Scarlett receives an invitation.

And thus begins the game. But what is illusion and what is real? What will carry over into real life after the game ends? Will Scarlett win the game? Will she get her wish?

I had fun reading this book, seeing buildings transform and change, seeing people transform and change, magic everywhere, the unexpected everywhere.

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.    

When you spot giveaways, do you enter just for fun—even if you’re unsure you’ll read the book—or only when you truly want the title? (submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)

I don't enter giveaways these days. I never entered giveaways in the past unless I was sure I wanted to read the book.

A Few Quotes from Books about Books and Libraries and Reading that I Like

Portrait of Maria Zambaco by Edward Byrne-Jones (1870)

“We are rare and we are weird…there is nothing you can do to change us…Really, don’t try. We are so happy, in our own way…Be glad of all the benefits it will bring, rather than lamenting all the fresh air avoided, the friendships not made, the exercise not taken, the body of rewarding and potentially lucrative activities, hobbies, and skills not developed. Leave us be. We’re fine. More than fine. Reading’s our thing.”― Lucy Mangan, Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading

The Station of Saint-Lazar by Edouard Manet (1873)

“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul.”― Joyce Carol Oates

John Keats by Joseph Severn (1821)

“We read to know we're not alone.”― William Nicholson, Shadowlands: A Play

Portrait of Duranty by Edgar Degas (1879)

“It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.” ― James Baldwin

Bookworm by Karl Spitzweg (1850)

“I still find libraries astonishing; I still think they speak to our better instincts. The library remains one of the few places in the world where you don’t have to buy anything, know anyone, or believe anything to enter in.”― Katherine Rundell

In the Bookshop by Viktor Vasnetsov (1876)

“There's always a story. It's all stories, really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything's got a story in it. Change the story, change the world.”― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

Reading Girl by Gustav Adolph Hennig (1828)

“It's the secret we never, ever tell our children. No adult ever read a book because it's good for us. We read because it is fun.”― Jacqueline French

The Girl Reading a Book by Jean Honoré Fragonard (1776)

“The main effort of arranging your life should be to progressively reduce the amount of time required to decently maintain yourself so that you can have all the time you want for reading.”― Norman Rush

Reading a Storybook by James Tissot (1878-79)

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. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.