Friday, May 16, 2025

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop Today's Featured Book: Bring Up the Bodies: A Novel by Hilary Mantel Genre: Historical Fiction Published: May 8, 2012 Page Count: 434 pages Summary: Though he battled for seven years to marry her, Henry is disenchanted with Anne Boleyn. She has failed to give him a son and her sharp intelligence and audacious will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. When the discarded Katherine dies in exile from the court, Anne stands starkly exposed, the focus of gossip and malice. At a word from Henry, Thomas Cromwell is ready to bring her down. Over three terrifying weeks, Anne is ensnared in a web of conspiracy, while the demure Jane Seymour stands waiting her turn for the poisoned wedding ring. But Anne and her powerful family will not yield without a ferocious struggle. Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies follows the dramatic trial of the queen and her suitors for adultery and treason. To defeat the Boleyns, Cromwell must ally with his natural enemies, the papist aristocracy. What price will he pay for Anne's head? 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. His children are falling from the sky. Mantel, Hilary. Bring Up the Bodies: A Novel (Wolf Hall Series Book 2). Kindle Edition. 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. The penalty for drawing a blade within the precincts of the royal court is amputation of the offending hand. Mantel, Hilary. Bring Up the Bodies: A Novel (Wolf Hall Series Book 2) (p. 56). Kindle Edition. I've decided to read all three volumes of the Wolf Hall series by Hilary Mantel before watching the final part of the series on PBS. It's comforting to watching the extreme political and religious devilry of the time of Henry VIII in light of the extreme political and religious devilry of our own times here in America. 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. March 28th - 3rd - Do you judge an author's works based on their political stances? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) Yes. But with good cause. I base that judgment on the lies and the self-serving actions taken over and over and over right now by members of one of the American politcal parties.





Today's Featured Book: 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

by Mark Twain

Genre: Fiction

Published: 1884

Page Count: 327 pages

Summary: 

Mark Twain's tale of a boy's picaresque journey down the Mississippi on a raft conveyed the voice and experience of the American frontier as no other work had done before. When Huck escapes from his drunken father and the 'sivilizing' Widow Douglas with the runaway slave Jim, he embarks on a series of adventures that draw him to feuding families and the trickery of the unscrupulous 'Duke' and 'Dauphin'. Beneath the exploits, however, are more serious undercurrents - of slavery, adult control and, above all, of Huck's struggle between his instinctive goodness and the corrupt values of society, which threaten his deep and enduring friendship with Jim.




 


BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City ReaderWhat 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.

You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain’t no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth. That is nothing. I never seen anybody but lied one time or another, without it was Aunt Polly, or the widow, or maybe Mary. Aunt Polly – Tom’s Aunt Polly , she is – and Mary, and the Widow Douglas is all told about in that book, which is mostly a true book, with some stretchers, as I said before.

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Tom Sawyer's Comrade (p. 1). Kindle Edition. 






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. 

"Hello, what's up? Don't cry, bub. What's the trouble?" 

I says: "Pap, and mam, and sis, and—" 

Then I broke down.


Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Tom Sawyer's Comrade (p. 56). Kindle Edition. 







I was assigned to lead our book club discussion on James by Percival Everett in July. I decided to start by rereading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, a book I last read when I was in eighth grade in 1969. 








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   

May 16th - 22nd - What are some of your favorite books to re-read? (submitted by Nicole @ The Christian Fiction Girl)

Great question! I am about to reread this book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, followed by a reread of James by Percival Everett.

This year I have reread The Backyard Bird Chronicles; Wolf Hall; Big Magic; The Forgotten Door; The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store; The Enchanted April; The Westing Game; The Color of Magic; Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver; and 1984. 

But you asked what are some of my favorite books to reread. I've reread most often A Wrinkle in Time; The Good Earth; Gilead; The House on Mango Street; Don Quixote; The Great Gatsby; The Grapes of Wrath; Because of Winn-Dixie; and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.


Wednesday, May 14, 2025

The Houston Bookstore Crawl 2025: Mossrose Bookshop


I was delighted to participate in the Second Annual Houston Bookstore Crawl #HTXBookCrawl25 in April. Here is a map I made of the twenty-five indie bookstores in the Houston area.



How it worked: I picked up a crawl card at Then & Now Bookstore in Galveston, one of the 25 participating stores. I got my card stamped or signed by each of the stores I visited through the end of April. Once I visited 10, I submitted my card to any of the participating bookstores to be entered into a raffle for gifts. Every store I hit after the first 10 counts as an additional entry. The cards had to be turned in by the end of business on April 30.


April 26 was Indie Bookstore Day, and indie bookstores all over the US hosted events. Take a look at the map here to see what events were held in April.
Mossrose Bookshop is a Latina-owned romance bookshop in Houston. The shop specializes in a variety of romance sub-genres, and it is housed in the old Cameron Ironworks building on the east side of the city. Andrea Sifuentes-Echavarria, the founder of the store, hosted her first pop-up in May of 2024, with only twenty books. Sifuentes-Echavarria began the bookstore when she was unable to find diverse books she wanted to read at other stores. In addition, she tries to include as many Spanish translations of novels as possible. 

Mossrose Bookshop

711 Milby Street #27, Houston, Texas

Inside Ironworks Studios

Open Saturday and Sunday, 10-6


The old Cameron Ironworks building was bustling with customers on the Sunday afternoon of my visit. The building is filled with shops with crafts and delicious foods and drinks. 


It's wonderful to find a cozy bookshop in the building.


It's a small space, but it's filled with books. 


The owner.


What I bought!

Saturday, May 10, 2025

The Sunday Salon: New York!

  




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. 





I'm off in New York City with my friend, Rae, if all has gone well. Rae has always wanted to visit NYC, her favorite city in the world, but somehow things have never worked out until now. We are doing the two things Rae has on her NY bucket list: (1) go to the Strand Bookstore and (2) see a Broadway play. In addition, we are doing one thing I've always wanted to do: (1) stay at the Library Hotel. Wish us luck!




What I Read Last Week:

How to Listen by Thich Nhat Hanh






What I'm Reading Now:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Classics Club)

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (Reread)

Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide by Tony Horwitz (Nonfiction)







What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:





Taken in 2017 from my hotel window
when I last visited NYC for BookExpo




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 (recent) Good Things:


Good Thing #1:

Birders at Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary


Good Thing #2:

Ah, a mystery I might enjoy...
setting is near me 
with characters that are birders.


Good Thing #3:

Enjoying a slice of pie
at House of Pies
with a friend,
along with some House of Pies wisdom. 



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.

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

The 2025 Houston Bookstore Crawl: Then & Now Bookshop in Galveston


I was delighted to participate in the Second Annual Houston Bookstore Crawl #HTXBookCrawl25 in April. Here is a map I made of the twenty-five indie bookstores in the Houston area.


How it worked: I picked up a crawl card at Then & Now Bookstore in Galveston, one of the 25 participating stores. I got my card stamped or signed by each of the stores I visited through the end of April. Once I visited 10, I submitted my card to any of the participating bookstores to be entered into a raffle for gifts. Every store I hit after the first 10 counts as an additional entry. The cards had to be turned in by the end of business on April 30.


April 26 was Indie Bookstore Day, and indie bookstores all over the US hosted events. Take a look at the map here to see what events were held in April.

Here is my first bookstore: 

Then & Now Bookshop began life as a pop-up bookstore in Galveston. It was always Lori's dream to own a bookshop. After working for thirty years as a preschool teacher and librarian, Lori, with a nudge from her daughter did just that.

Then & Now Bookshop

2118 Postoffice St.

Galveston, Texas 

(409) 502-2234

The owner, Lori.

What I bought there.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Texas Authors I've Met in Real Life



I have found great happiness in meeting authors and photographing them, 

like some folks enjoy seeing birds and taking photos of them.

All of these authors at one time were Texans.

Pinterest Page of Authors I Have Met and Photographed


What these authors have written...Katherine Center (Things You Save in a Fire, The Bodyguard, The Rom-Commers, and Happiness for Beginners)...John R. Erickson (Hank the Cowdog series)...Austin Kleon (Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work)...Mary Karr (The Liar's Club, Cherry, Lit)...Rick Riordan (The Lightning Thief series)...Elizabeth McCracken (The Giant's House, Here's Your Hat What's Your Hurry, and Bowlaway)...Kinky Friedman (Elvis, Jesus & Coca-Cola, and Armadillos & Old Lace)...Stephen Harrigan (The Gates of the Alamo, Remember Ben Clayton, and Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas)...Naomi Shihab Nye (Everything Comes Next and There is No Long Distance Now)...Chris Barton (Shark vs. Train and What Do You Do With a Voice Like That?)...Don Tate (It Jes' Happened, Ron's Big Mission, and Carter Reads the Newspaper)...Christina Soontornvat (The Last Mapmaker, All Thirteen, and A Wish in the Dark)...Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Mistress of Spices, Sister of My Heart, and One Amazing Thing)...Sandra Cisneros (The House on Mango Street, Woman Hollering Creek, and Caramelo)...Aaron Reynolds (Creepy Carrots and Nerdy Birdy).




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.    



Saturday, May 3, 2025

The Sunday Salon: Prepping for NYC

  




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. 






I am delighted to have met and spent time with Mae of Mae's Food Blog this week. What a lovely person she is, and how fortunate I am to have gotten to talk with her in real life!






What I Read Last Week:

New York Melody by Hélène Druvert

Going into Town by Roz Chast

New York: 365 Days by James Barron






What I'm Reading Now:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Classics Club)

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (Reread)

Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide by Tony Horwitz (Nonfiction)






My friend Cindy and I visited two bookstores this week to conclude my 2025 Houston Bookstore Crawl. We stopped at two of the oldest independent bookstores in Houston, Murder by the Book and Brazos Bookstore. I'll be featuring a bit about my visits to twelve independent bookstores over the next three months on my blog. 




What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:











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:

First harvest from our garden this year.



Good Thing #2:

I brought home a
Painted Lady butterfly-to-be
from Migration Celebration.


Good Thing #3:

A 700-day streak,
learning Spanish, French, and Italian
on Duolingo.



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.