The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

Today's Featured Book: 

The Art Thief:

A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

by Michael Finkel

Genre: Nonfiction

Published: May 8, 2012

Page Count: 242 pages

Summary: 

Stéphane Bréitwieser is the most prolific art thief of all time.

He pulled off more than 200 heists, often in crowded museums in broad daylight.

His girlfriend served as his accomplice.

His collection was worth an estimated $2 billion.

He never sold a piece, displaying his stolen art in his attic bedroom.

He felt like a king.

Until everything came to a shocking end.

In this spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, Michael Finkel gives us one of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of our times, a riveting story of art, theft, love, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost.

 

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.

Approaching the museum, ready to hunt, Stéphane Bréitwieser clasps hands with his girlfriend, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus, and together they stroll to the front desk and say hello, a cute couple. Then they purchase two tickets with cash and walk in.

It's lunchtime, stealing time, on a busy Sunday in Antwerp, Belgium, in February 1997.

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. 

Maintaining his strict back-to-the-camera position, he stiffly shuffles a few steps to his left, sliding the work horizontally along the wall until he's out of range of the lens. 

The Art Thief is our book club read for this month. We will be discussing it in two weeks. It also has only 242 pages, perfect for Shorty September.

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.   

Which book do you think deserves more love but flies under the radar? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer

Many of my favorite books fly under the radar. Have you read any of these books? I feel pretty sure that they are not commonly on people's lists of favorite books.

Working by Studs Terkel; Civility by Stephen L. Carter; My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim PotokT; Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli; I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen; The Common Good by Robert Reich; The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim; The Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers; Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell. 

  

All-Things French: Ten Books about the Best French Things

Confessions of a French Baker

Introduction to French Poetry

A Very French Christmas

The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese

Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style for Everyday Living

Anna and the French Kiss

Simple French Food

F is for France: A Curious Cabinet of French Wonders

A Breath of French Air

The French Art of Living Well

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: Shorty September Starts Soon! (I Know, I Know, It's Short Notice)

Welcome! I am delighted 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. 

Stillmeadow Daybook by Gladys Taber

I handed this off to a friend---I feel certain

she will love it as much as I did.

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham 

Hurray! I've already read my Spin book,

and we watched the (very different) movie.

What I Read Last Week:

What I'm Reading Now:

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig

A Book of Luminous Things: An International Anthology of Poetry

Jinjer put me onto Shorty September, and off I went. I love a fun challenge, and what kind of books do I love more than any others? Short ones!

Here's a little info about the month-long challenge: Shorty September is a month long booktube readathon to read short books. It was originally created by Bert and Sian at Pastorytime. And while they put a pause on their booktube channel for now, this is year six and Shorty September is being carried on by @gormodoheathers (Too Many Heathers), @roving_reader (Karen) and Marcella (@marcellainthemargins) all over on Booktube. Follow them on YouTube, make your own Shorty September videos, comment and be merry! Everyone is invited!

From the 1st to the 30th of September, we read “shorty” books all month. Shorties are maybe about 200 pages (or up to 250 pages) or less, it's also defined by some as any book you can read in a day. Whatever is short for you, you define your own shorty length! Read shorties throughout the month - and it's Shorty September, easy as that. You could just pick any "shorty" books. Read one short book, read through a  a stack you’ve saved up (as I know many of us have!) or follow this year's prompts.

Okay, I'm not making a video and I don't really know what Booktube is, but I'm going to find a way to join in, even if it's in my own little blogging way. Here's a list I keep of One-Night Reads that you might find helpful.

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: The Joy of Blue Polka-Dotted Piggy Squeak Toys

Bookish Places I’ve Visited

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

One yearly challenge to go!

Summer challenges are complete!

Big books. A lot of people like to take on a big book for summer. 

And fortunately for all of us who enjoy big books, Sue Jackson of Book by Book hosts a Big Book Summer Reading Challenge. 

Here's a little about the challenge.

The idea behind this reading challenge is simple: Use the ease of summer to tackle a Big Book (400+ pages) or two or ... however many you want! You set your own goals. And if it is the start of winter where you live, then it's your Big Book Winter Challenge. Everyone is welcome to participate. 

The Details:
Hey, it's summer, so we'll keep this low-key and easy!

• Anything 400 pages or more qualifies as a big book.
• The challenge runs from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend (May 22 this year) through Labor Day (September 7 this year).
  
• Choose one or two or however many big books you want as your goal. Wait, did you get that?  You only need to read 1 book with 400+ pages this summer to participate! (though you are welcome to read more, if you want).
• No sign-ups are necessary! All readers are welcome to participate.

What kind of books "count"? All kinds! Middle-grade, YA, graphic novels, classics, all genres, all types--as long as they are at least 400 pages. Yes, e-books and audio books count, too--just check online for the number of pages in the print edition. 

My reads (7):

• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 475 pages 

•  The Wide, Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides - 408 pages 

• My Friends by Frederik Bachman - 448 pages 

•  The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor - 400 pages

• Beyond Words by Carl Safina - 482 pages  

•  Buckeye by Patrick Ryan - 464 pages

• The Earth by Émile Zola - 512 pages

 

 

 

But maybe you are not a person who enjoys reading big books. Maybe you like to read in quantity over the summer. In that case...

When Cathy of 746 books announced in 2025 that she would not host 20 Books of Summer this year after ten successful years, Emma of Words and Peace and Annabel of AnnaBookBel both volunteered to take it on. This year, Annabel will run the challenge alone.

• The 20 Books of Summer2026 (#20BOS26) challenge runs from Sunday June 1st to Sunday August 31st
• The first rule of 20 Books is that there are no real rules, other than signing up for 10, 15, or 20 books and trying to read from your TBR.
• Pick your list in advance, or nominate a bookcase to read from, or pick at whim from your TBR.
• If you do pick a list, you can change it at any time – swap books in/out.
• Don’t get panicked at not reaching your target.
• Just enjoy a summer of great reading and make a bit of space on your shelves!

Annabel will have monthly summary posts where you can add progress reports and recommendations. The final one at the at the beginning of September will stay open for a while to catch all the last reviews.

If you’re planning to join in please do add your blog / planning post link to the Mr Linky here.

Here are my (planned, but subject to change) 20 Books of Summer:

20 / 20

 

*Lost Horizon by James Hilton.    

*The Solitary Summer by Elizabeth von Arnim   

*Beyond Words by Carl Safina.   

*The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss by Robert Mcfarlane.     

*The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout.  

*Make Life Happier by Mark Williamson.       

*The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

*Autumn Journal by Louis MacNeice

*Annie Knows Everything by Rachel Wood

*The Earth by Émile Zola     

*Candide by Voltaire

*Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes by Robert Louis Stevenson

*The War of the Buttons by Louis Pergaud     

*A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

*My Friends by Frederik Bachman.       

*The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham

*The Lark and the Laurel by Barbara Willard   

*The Shippers by Katherine Center.    

*The Memoir Project by Marion Roach Smith

*Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See

  

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:

Blueberry French Toast

Good Thing #2:

The Mississippi Kite is 

still hanging around.

Good Thing #3:

My first ukulele class 

starts 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. 

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

Today's Featured Book: 

The Midnight Train

by Matt Haig

Genre: Cozy Fantasy

Published: May 26, 2026

Page Count: 255 pages

Summary: 

No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there. The chance to re-live the moments that meant most.To see what kind of person you really were.

For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice.

Before he gave it all away.

He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything... . .

 

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. 

NOTE: Gillion of Rose City Reader is retiring soon from hosting Book Beginnings on Friday. Please contact her if you are interested in hosting.

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.

As the water taxi sped across the lagoon, the two young honeymooners gazed ahead in awe.

Wilbur squeezed Maggie's hand and leaned into her as they sat at the back of the small boat, the sun glittering on the water in front of them.

"I love you, Mr. Budd," she told him, her words as natural as breath.

"I love you too, Mrs. Budd."

Maggie laughed, softly, at how funny and official that sounded...

"We'll always be like this, won't we?" Maggie asked him.

He smiled reassuringly. "Of course. Why wouldn't we?"

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. 

Mr. Bagdale reached for the hip flask in his pocket. Took a swig. "Well, this boy is not a customer. He is a browser. That is why I got rid of the chairs, Mother. We don't want people just sitting there, reading..."

"Oh yes, wouldn't that be terrible," she said with a wheeze. "A bookshop with readers."

The Midnight Library was my favorite book of the year. Probably not the most literary. Probably not the most perfect. But the wisest book I read that year, a book can't help itself from helping everyone who reads it. 

So I felt compelled to read The Midnight Train. I am certain that, like most sequels, it won't come close to being the book The Midnight Library was for me. Nevertheless, I can't resist reading it, a new book from an author who dares to write about mental health in genuine and healing ways. 

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.    

What grabs you and keeps you hooked in a book? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

Fascinating characters!