Day 207: All the Devils are Here

Chatting Books Online Day 207 . Today’s recommended book is All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny . So we know I like a good mystery- thriller , that fact has already been established . You may, or may not, also know That I like to travel and have been missing that aspect of life throughout the current weirdness. Well, then I was bound to like this book as it is a really fast moving mystery-thriller and is set largely in Paris. The descriptions and accents are so perfect that I felt like I was there again and had to keep stopping and reminiscing with my husband Rob about every place mentioned (ask me to tell you my favorite funny story about visiting The Musee Rodin next time you come in . several scenes in the book take place there , and I included a picture of Rob and I in their garden with this post - just because I could ) .

Once again, I listened to this one on audiobook through my libro membership , and could not wait to get back in the car to hear what happened next.

We sell this book in hardcover ( $28.99) , or you can order as an audiobook through our partnership with libro.fm/conundrumbooks. For more information on our audiobook memberships just message me and I can send you info and a link to check it out!

To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:00am and 4pm, and Sundays between Noon and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy directly to you. Take Care.

Day 206: Bunheads by Misty Copeland

Chatting Books Online Day 206. Today's recommended book is a brand new children's storybook for aspiring ballerinas called "Bunheads" written by Mosty Copeland , the first black woman to be promoted to principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre.

In this story a young Misty attends her first ever ballet lesson and discovers a love of dance through the ballet Coppelia. The book encourages all young ballerinas to dance their dance and live their dreams!

This lovely new hardcover storybook sells for $17.99 a copy.

To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:00am and 4pm, and Sundays between Noon and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy directly to you. Take Care , Mask Up and Dance On !

Day 205: Birds of Louisiana : A Guide to Common and Notable Species

Chatting Books Online Day 205. Now that we have been doing this over 200 days one interesting turn of events is that people have started coming in to suggest books to recommend. I Love That ! That said the recommendation today started with a debate. Today's recommended "book" is Birds of Louisiana : A Guide to Common and Notable Species with photos and text by Greg R. Homel. If you are wondering why I put "book" in quotation marks that is also the reason that I said it started with a debate. My friend Janice came in to suggest this item and we first had to debate if it is actually a Book. After all, I call this series "Chatting BOOKS Online " and until now they have all been in book form. This item is actually a laminated plastic brochure. Of course you can fold it and hold it like a book. Janice says that these are the most useful "books" and that she loves to give them as gifts to people new to the area, so... Anyway, these are incredibly helpful. In this one you get pictures and descriptions of over 125 species of birds common to Louisiana. It gives information on their habitats, what seasons they are here , tips for easy field identification, and if you get some goop on it (maybe you dropped it in the mud while outside, maybe you used it as an emergency rain hat, maybe a bird pooped on it - I don't know but whatever the goop ) it is laminated so you can just wipe it off ! Another use for those Clorox wipes you have stocked up on! This foldout laminated bird guide currently sells for $7.95 a copy.To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:00am and 4pm, and Sundays between Noon and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy directly to you. Take Care , Mask Up and listen to the Birdies!

Day 204: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Chatting Books Online Day 204. Today's recommended book teaches us a way to have loads of fun while learning the alphabet. In Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr & John Archambault the letters of the alphabet decide to race each other to the top of the coconut tree to disastrous result. Why they decide to do this is unclear. The result is more clear, they have a ton of fun but then as you might expect all 26 letters up one single tree is too much weight for said tree so they all fall down scraping knees, getting black eyes, even losing a tooth! And yet, as soon as the adults are no longer looking someone shouts "Dare Double Dare" and up they go again this time in the moonlight. Silly Letters! At least the song is fun.

This is a storybook sized board book that currently sells for $ 12.99 a copy.

To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:00am and 4pm, and Sundays between Noon and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy directly to you. Take Care , Mask Up and head on over to the coconut tree!

Day 203 : The Week in Review Sept 28 - Oct 4, 2020

Chatting Books Online Day 203.  The Week in Review Sept 28 - Oct 4, 2020.

Another week gone by, and a week's worth of book recommendations just for you!

This week I told you about:

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

Garden Miscellany:An Illustrated Guide to the Elements of the Garden by Suzanne Staubach

See You in the PIazza by Frances Mayes

1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List by James Mustich

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams , and

Furious Hours by Casey Cep

I hope you enjoyed reading about my recommendations, and maybe have come in to pick up a book to add to your TBR (To Be Read) pile.  Next week brings another assortments of recommendations to get ready!

If you missed any of these reviews and want to read what I had to say about them you can see all of our Chatting Books Online picks by visiting our website at: http://www.conundrumbooks.com/chatting-books-online . 

We still (and always will going forward) offer shipping if you cannot make it to the store.   Or just stop by the shop Monday - Saturday between 10:00am and 4pm  and between noon and 4pm on Sundays. 

Day 202: Furious Hours

Chatting Books Online Day 202.  Today's recommended book is Furious Hours by Casey Cep.  This book is such an intriguing mix of biography  , true crime and the story of a missing manuscript.  It is about Harper Lee , author of To Kill a Mockingbird.  As you may know Harper Lee was childhood friends with Truman Capote and worked with him for years  to research In Cold Blood when he wrote that True Crime story.  What you probably don't know is that she then became intrigued by another true crime story, moved to a small town to research it  where she spent years but then never published the novel.  This book gives the full story, including a telling of the crime narrative wound throughout the book.  I learned more interesting facts about Harper Lee than I would have believed were still to be learned.

An absolutely fascinating read, just this week released in paperback (previously hardcover only) This 314 page paperback sells for $16.95 a copy.

To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:00am and 4pm, and Sundays between Noon and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy directly to you.  Take Care , Mask Up and find the truth!

Day 201: See You In The Piazza

Chatting Books Online Day 201. Today's recommended book is See You in the Piazza by Frances Mayes. If that name sounds familiar it should. Frances Mayes is the author who brought us Under the Tuscan Sun , Bella Tusacany , A Year in the World and others.

In this book Frances Mayes delights us with some of the lessor known towns she has come to know and love in Italy. The book is arranged geographically as if you jumped in a car in the Piemonte region of Northern Italy and drove south stopping in the towns she suggests along the way and ending the trip in Catania in Sicilia. Sounds like a good idea to me!

Along the way she not only tells us what to see in each town, but she also gives reference notes to websites and books that might be helpful along the way, and The book also has a lots of recipes thrown in here and there of wonderful foods from each area. The book really reads almost more like a travel log or memoir , mixed with a cookbook, so it is thoroughly readable as entertainment even if you never make it to visit - though that would be a shame! One of my favorite things about the book is that it does indeed point you in the direction of lessor known towns that are really worth seeing. For instance, I am a huge fan of the Ligoria region of Italy and having visited several times. I thought I knew the best little known places to visit ( and touristy areas to avoid) , but she does not mention my favorite little town at all but instead mentions Genova. Now I have been through Genova ( train station closest to my fave town) multiple times but never took the time to explore. She waxes absolutely poetic about the beauty of this ancient town for 9 pages! I can assure you I will certainly explore Genova on my next visit once the current weirdness is over and we are again allowed to travel freely.

The book is Hardcover, 412 pages plus two (recipes and general) fabulous indexes ! (Now where was that Risotto with Asparagus and Prosecco recipe I read, you may ask yourself - and Voila, easily found!). The book sells for $27.00 a copy.

To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:00am and 4pm, and Sundays between Noon and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy directly to you. Take Care , Mask Up and I hope to See You in the Piazza (at least in our dreams!).

Day 200: 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die

Chatting Books Online Day 200. First, let's take a deep breath and realize that I have been sending these recommendations out into the world for 200 consecutive days now...and you are still reading them! Thank you for that.

To mark this momentous occasion I choose a book that I consider a Book Lover's Bucket List. Today's recommended book is 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die : A Life- Changing List by James Mustich.

Don't know what to read next? Flip to any page - randomly, I find that's more fn, kind of like closing your eyes , spinning a globe and placing your finger on the place you will travel (you remember when we were allowed to travel in the before-times , don't you?). Actually, though the book is organized alphabetically by author the introduction actually ends with the directive: "Read at Whim! Read at Whim!" and I couldn't agree more. Besides if they had arranged it in any sort of preferential order we would be too busy arguing about each book's placement to actually enjoy the books!

As you get to each new author (some will have only one book listed, others (think Dickens, Austen etc will have multiple ) there is first a short biography of the author and their writings then the lucky book(s) that made the 1,000and a short book-review type description of the book(s). I have to say I am thinking that this book may become a crutch to me on days when I don't know what to write about for the next day - just flip open a page and I am sure to hit a winner! And just think, even if you never actually get around to reading all 1,000 books there is enough detailed info on each book in here that you could sound pretty darn knowledgeable when talking about any of them (I won't tell, your secret is safe with me!),

The book even comes with a check list in the back so you can mark off the books as you read them. I am seriously thinking I may need to start doing that, I wonder how many I could check off today....

Hardcover, 948 pages . currently sells for $35.00 a copy.

To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:00am and 4pm, and Sundays between Noon and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy