Day 343: The Week In Review February 15-21, 2021.

Chatting Books Online Day 343. The Week In Review February 15-21, 2021.

Thanks for joining us again this week as we tried to bring a book to your attention each day that you may not have read before or perhaps ust not in a while.

This week I started by having our first three book theme day where instead of recommending a book I recommended a theme : winter storms (wonder where I got that idea) , and then made three recommendations within that theme : The Look Alike, The Ice Garden, and Winter Storms.

Then we moved onto Tuesday which you may not have noticed but was actually Mardi Gras Day so I recommended Carnival in Louisiana by Brian Costello.

After that I recommended a fun new children's board book based on a familiar nursery rhyme in the Old MacDonald Had a Farm Finger Puppet Board Book.

Then it was on to a beautifully penned work of fiction with Sarah Blake's The Guest Book.

Late in the week we looked out into the garden (or what is left of it) to recommend Birding for Beginners and looked forward to entertaining again with Living Floral.

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 during or normal hours . See you soon !

Day 342: Living Floral

Chatting Books Online Day 342. Today's recommended book is Living Floral : Entertaining and Decorating with Flowers written by editor-in-chief of Flower magazine Margot Shaw with a forward by Charlotte Moss.

With all this winter around us right now I thought we could use something a little bright and floral. In this beautiful book by Rizzoli Publishers Margot Shaw introduces us to 28 tastemakers and both tells us and shows us how they live with flowers year round through their decorating and entertaining. The book is divided by seasons to give you fresh ideas for every part of the year. Among the fabulous designers and tastemakers included from across the country are two Louisiana natives: Bryan Batt and Rebecca Vizard. Each featured contributor also includes a few "hints" in their section which are great tips on arranging, and living with flowers but also in hosting events and just living in beauty.

And at the back of the book are several gorgeous spreads with how-to instructions on arranging and constructing luscious floral table runners, tulip cachepots, no-fuss nosegays, groupings of three , and spring bouquets.

This beautiful hardcover book is 224 pages and sells for $45 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you .Now Mask Up and live with beauty everyday.

Day 341: Stan Tekiela's Birding for Beginners South:

Chatting Books Online Day 341. I don't now about you but with the white on white backdrop that has been every bit of our landscape this past week I have really been noticing the birds in my yard (through the window while I was inside warm of course) . It got me curious about types, names, etc so today's recommended book is Stan Tekiela's Birding for Beginners South: Your guide to feeders, food and the most common backyard birds.

This very handy little book tells you how to get started bird watching - types of feeders that are best to use, what foods to fill them with (who knew they liked grape jelly?) , what to look for when identifying birds, information on nests and migration patterns , and then of course pictures and descriptions of the most common birds you might see at your feeders in this region. The only thing I would think this book is missing for our region is a section on water birds so let me just tell you they are mainly egrets or some other variety of Heron. But the Cardinals, Robins and Eastern Blue Birds I have been seeing are beautiful and now I know what to feed them while their natural food is all ice covered.

This softcover book sells for $16.95 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you .Now Mask Up and look at the birds!

Day 340: The Guest Book

Chatting Books Online Day 340. Today's recommended book is The Guest Book by Sarah Blake.

This is a beautifully written novel. On its surface it is about three generations of the Milton family and their home, on a private island off the coast of Maine beginning in 1935. But this book is so much more. It is also a compelling story of family, secrets, confessions, betrayals, prejudices, acceptance, and ultimately legacy. And did I mention that it is beautifully written. you will be swept away by the power of this story by a very talented storyteller.

We currently carry this book in paperback , it is 512 pages and sells for $17.99 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you .Now Mask Up and try stay warm and dry in this wet , cold world in which we currently seem to reside.

Day 339 : Old MacDonald had a Farm Finger Puppet Book

Chatting Books Online Day 339. Today's recommended book is a finger puppet book version of Old MacDonald had a Farm.

If you have seen the baby animal finger puppet books we have carried for several years then you know the format of this one. A small but study square board book with an adorable finger puppet through the middle. In this case the finger puppet is naturally a cow and the words in the book follow the words of the cow verse of the Old MacDonald nursery rhyme. Very simple, very entertaining. Babies and Toddlers will love it - I kind of like it myself!

This finger puppet board book sells for just $6.99 a copy and I can promise once they see it you will hear the plea "again, again " a true sign they love it!

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you .Now Mask Up and sing it again, with a Moo-Moo here and a Moo- Moo there ...

Day 338: Carnival in Louisiana

Chatting Books Online Day 338. In honor of today being Mardi Gras Day (sort of anyway) today's recommended book is Carnival in Louisiana : Celebrating Mardi Gras from the French Quarter to the Red River by Brian J. Costello.

While Mardi Gras and Carnival are celebrated throughout the state of Louisiana the celebrations are very different . While some ride on horseback and some ride on floats, while some throw beads and doubloons some collect chickens and other ingredients for cooking up a meal. There are balls, parades and courir (at least in normal years) and this book explains them all.

It is a comprehensive resource for Carnival season throughout the state of Louisiana . This book is in hardcover , it is 189 pages and sells for $29.95 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you .Now Mask Up and have a Happy Mardi Gras Day in this weird world of ours !

Day 337: Books Set During Winter Storms

Chatting Books Online Day 337. Today’s recommendation , in honor of today’s weather , is books set during winter storms.

The first two are previous recommendations : The Ice Garden and The Look-Alike . In The Ice Garden by Moira Crone (See full review from day 19 of this series : http://www.conundrumbooks.com/.../day-19-the-ice-garden... ) in this one two young sisters try to find there way while dealing with a mentally ill mother . It is haunting and beautiful .

In The Look-Alike author Erica Spindler spins a tale of love , betrayal , and mental illness culminating in a blizzard as this fast-paced psychological thriller comes to a close (http://www.conundrumbooks.com/chatting-books-online/day3).

And then there is Winter Storms by Elin Hilderbrand. In the spirit of full disclosure I have not read this one yet but it is an Elin Hilderbrand so I am sure it is an enjoyable read. The reviews say it combines the Holidays , humor, romance, realism and a little family dysfunction thrown in for good measure . This one is hardcover selling for $26 a copy.

Day 336: The week In Review February 8-14, 2021

Chatting Books Online Day 336. The week In Review February 8-14, 2021.

This week my recommendations naturally revolved around our current dual holidays Valentine's Day (today for anyone who needs that hint) and Mardi Gras .

To that end I recommended :

- Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Little Golden Book which is the perfect Galentines gift for a friend.

- Tiny T Rex : a board book fro dinosaur loving littles

- Love Monster and the Last Chocolate : a precious storybook about being unselfish

- Baby Shark Happy Valentine's day: a fun one complete with stickers, valentines to make for your friends and origami

- The Little Float That Could : a storybook about overcoming Mardi Gras obstacles

- and finally Mardi Gras in New Orleans : An Illustrated History for all things Mardi Gras in a beautiful hardcover coffee table book