The books she sent were both books that have been on my to-read list for far too long: The Life of Pi and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Both of these books are ones my mom recommended to me forever ago and which I’m very excited to read! The Life of Pi is also particularly appropriate since I’m c0-hosting a Book to Movie Challenge this year. I’m also really loving that they have the UK covers, which is fun and different for me. She also sent some truly beautiful post-it notes and matching pens which I’m already loving using. The notebook and clip will also be super useful for shopping lists and bookish notes. Thanks Ellie!

I’m looking forward to participating in a non-bookish swap, the Mug o’ Comfort Swap hosted by Chaotic Goddess Swaps. I was particularly happy to see that you can specify what hot beverages you like, since I actually don’t like coffee. On the other hand, tea, cider, and hot chocolate are all things I can get excited about! I think it will be a lot of fun to find something local to send and to sip on whatever warm beverage I receive while curled up with a good book.

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Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I just got back from celebrating in a somewhat literary fashion by watching The Tempest with the boy. It’s not my favorite play (way too much instalove, not enough plot!) but the actors were great and we had a good time anyway. This week on the blog we’ve been celebrating lots of literary love with the following posts:

• 5 Reasons Everyone Should Pick Up a Book
• Love In France
• Bookish Things I Love
• Bookish Blogging Events I Love

Although this is officially the last day of the event, the link-up will be open for you to add any of your posts about Literary Love through Monday night. I hope you all had a great holiday!

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Today, as part of Literary Love 2014, I’d like to share some of the upcoming bookish events I’m looking forward to, as well as some of the recurring events I’ve loved in the past.

I always love read-a-thons. They’re both a great way to interact with other bloggers and a little push to read instead of watching TV in the evenings. The Love For Books Read-a-thon this weekend will include at least one mini-challenge and a giveaway. I’m excited to get started! I’d also like to mention Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon which is a ton of fun and takes place every April and October. There’s also an Ides of March read-a-thon coming up that I plan to jump into.

I also really love read-alongs. One of the best parts of blogging is getting to discuss books you’ve read with other people and a read-along is a great way to find other people reading the same book. Cornethia of The CORN-versation is currently running a The House Girl read-along which I’d love to get caught up on if I have the time this week. A great place to find read-alongs is the Book Buddies group started by Anya at On Starships and Dragonwings.

Finally, there are random, fun themed events that I’m looking forward to or have enjoyed in the past. In April, Cayce of Fighting Dreamer will be running a month long LGBT reading event, which I might join. Although I’m trying to read more LGBT books, I’m not sure if I’ll be reading enough for a month long event! I’m also looking forward to reading at least one book by Stephen King as part of an event that Rory at Fourth Street Review and Wendy at Wensend have in the works. In the past, I’ve also enjoyed Non-Fiction November, hosted by Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness and of course, Bloggiesta.

What are some of your favorite bookish blogging events? Anything fun coming up? Feel free to share your answer or other bookish love related posts below in the #LiteraryLove14 link-up!

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For the longest time, I didn’t own any bookish clothes or knick-knacks, but with Christmas and a recent birthday they’ve started going on my wishlist. I’ve also been participating in some book swaps and they’re getting to be one of my favorite bookish events. It’s so much fun to get to pick books out for someone else! And it’s equally exciting to get a surprise package from someone else with books and gifts. Today, as part of Literary Love 2014, I’m going to share with you of some of my favorite bookish gifts I’ve gotten.First I’d like to offer a huge thank you to my Books n’ Bloggers Swap partner, Victoria from My Thoughts for Thoughts. For the Books n’ Bloggers Swap, hosted by Chaotic Goddess Swaps, each person sent their partner a book from their partner’s wishlist, a book they loved in a genre their partner enjoys, and a book they’d love to read. Victoria thoughtfully picked out Ender’s Game as the book she loved, perfect for my Book to Movie challenge! She also sent Unwind from my wishlist and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which is actually a book I’ve been wanting to read for a while too even though it wasn’t on my list. I can’t wait to get started with all of them! She was also nice enough to include a really cute book mark and some post-it notes I’m looking forward to using.

I also owe my sister a thank you for an incredibly thoughtful Christmas present. Not only did she get me a Dewey Decimal ring, she also requested a call number in genetics! I have much more fun wearing the ring because it’s related to a subject that interests me.

I also received these fantastic shirts for Christmas from my parents and I love them a lot! They’re very comfy and I think they’re precisely the right amount of geeky for me. The Harry Potter reference is one only other fans will get; the Hunger Games reference is something most people will probably get because of the movie; and the Tolkien quote is labeled for those who wouldn’t get it otherwise. If you like them, you might check out Look Human. It’s one of the few sites I’ve found with lots of bookish shirts I like

Last but not least, Allison of The Book Wheel had a giveaway of these really cool posters called Litographs. Each has a picture that relates to a book and is made out of words from that book. I adored Anna Karenina, so when I won, I couldn’t say no to this beautiful print!

What are some of your favorite bookish things you own? Feel free to answer in the comments or share your answer, along with any other posts on bookish love, in the link-up for #LiteraryLove14 below!

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Lately, I’ve been in love with all things France, so this week is the perfect time for me to share with you some of my favorite books set in France. Whether you like historical fiction or non-fiction, translated fiction or chick lit or steamy romance, there’s a book set in France that’ll be perfect for you

Chick Lit/Memoir - Paris Letters
Although technically non-fiction, this sweet little confection of a book reads just like a light and fluffy romance. Nothing too serious here plus lots of beautiful paintings by the author (like the cover) are included! Full review here.

Historical Fiction - Somewhere In France
I just have so many good things to say about this book! It was a perfect historical romance. The love story is very sweet and is completely integrated into the era in which it takes places. The way the romance progresses is determined in part by factors unique to the time period, which makes the romance less cliche and is a great way to give the reader a feel for the era. Full review here.

Steamy Romance - The Dark Queen
The Dark Queen is another historical romance, with a plot so good that it’s not overwhelmed by the steamy sex. I also loved this book because I’m a sucker for a happy ending! Full review here.

Non-Fiction - How The French Invented Love
This was a fascinating bit of non-fiction! I’ve always assumed that the idea that the French view love differently than anyone else is just a stereotype. This book convinced me otherwise with lots of fascinating anecdotes and fun facts! Full review here.

Translated Women’s Fiction - The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles
This was a very character driven book and made for a fascinating look at many types of love. My favorite story was that of Josephine, who is really in need of some self-love and who grows in very believable ways throughout the book. Yet another fantastic experience with translated fiction. Full review here.

What are your favorites books about France or romance? If you have any other posts about literary love, be sure to add them to #LiteraryLove2014 link-up below!

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This is a nonfiction blog so while this is a bit of a geeky reason, it’s true for most of the books I read. I love fun facts, science, and history in particular. I’m equally likely to learn about history from fiction and I love that too

Although I definitely have favorite genres, I like to push my boundaries too. Reading books outside my comfort zone is a great way to find new genres and authors I love.

I used to hate books that made me cry and while I still avoid them  sometimes, The Book Thief has completely convinced me that books that make you feel deeply can be spectacular. Even in less sob-inducing stories, my favorite books are usually the ones in which I empathize with the characters.

I certainly don’t want to only experience the world through books, but I think its fantastic that I can visit other countries, experience historic events, and try out other careers by reading books. In some cases, books can be inspiration for experiences of my own. In other cases, they’re the only way to experience things I never can (historical fiction) or never want to (Orange is the New Black).

So, I lied to you in the title. This isn’t really a list of the top five reasons everyone should read – it’s all part of this one reason. A friend once presented to me the following hypothetical scenario: You’re in a burning building and you can save either the last copies of the works of Shakespeare or a person. Which do you save? For me, the answer is obviously the person, but I agree completely with most of his argument for why you’d save the works of Shakespeare. Books change lives and have shaped history. I don’t believe that the increasing literacy and the increasing inclusiveness of our society are unrelated. Books teach us things and in the best cases, they push us out of our comfort zone and teach us something about people we didn’t understand before. They make us empathize with people different from us, in race or gender, nationality or religion, sexual orientation or life experiences. There are very few problems in the world today that couldn’t be solved by increased empathy for our fellow human beings, which is why I think books can change the world. Pick one up today.

(Don’t believe me? Check out this fascinating study from PLoS One on how reading fiction can increase empathy)

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Non-Fiction Friday is a link-up where you can find all of the awesome non-fiction happenings of the week. Be sure to link-up your non-fiction posts too!

Non-Fiction News and Resources

• I loved this bookriot piece by Swapna Krishna on why she’s cheating on fiction (spoiler alert – because nonfiction is awesome!)
• If you want some February themed reading check out this list of non-fiction books for black history month or join Cinde at Nonfictionado for her President’s Day Reading Challenge
• The Poisoner’s Handbook  has inspired a TV show! Interested? Check out this author interview
• New releases this week include:
  • Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words
  • The News: A User’s Manual
  • Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes
  • The Caregivers: A Support Group’s Stories of Slow Loss, Courage, and Love
  • Wondrous Beauty: The Life and Adventures of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte

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1. Both Kabsal and Jasnah have spoken to Shallan about stealing the Soulcaster, and both have done so in a pretty lighthearted manner, considering how serious it would actually be to steal it. Do you think Kabsal was telling the truth when he brushed off Shallan’s questions about his plan to steal the Soulcaster? Is he still interested in stealing it? Does he have other, deeper motives??
I’m not sure. Kabsal seems to really like Shallan, so it’s possible he’s really there for the soulcaster and really wouldn’t have asked her about it. I do think he must have some ulterior motive for sticking around Jasnah for so long. I suppose he could be a spy for the king, since he’s shown up in that story too, but I think it’s most likely he was telling Shallan the truth.

2. By the end of the section, Shallan has found out that she’ll be able to return home in one week, but she’s torn between wanting to continue her studies, and being able to take the stolen Soulcaster home. So far it looks like her theft hasn’t been detected, but do you think she’ll be found out before that time? Do you think she should leave, or might decide on her own to stay? Could something else happen to make her stay?
I think Jasnah must know her Soulcaster is missing already, given how often she seems to use it. I’m still hoping Shallan will return the Soulcaster, find some other solution for her family, and stay to learn, mostly because she seems to be enjoying it so much. I think for her to stay, she’d have to find a solution for her family’s problems no matter what else happens.

3. How much do you think Jasnah actually knows about the theft of her Soulcaster? Is it even remotely possible that Jasnah is still in the dark about it? If she knows, did she in fact dupe Shallan with a fake, as Shallan theorizes? Or did Jasnah let her steal it? Why??
I don’t think there’s any way Jasnah doesn’t know her Soulcaster has been taken. It’s possible she’s testing Shallan. I think it’s more likely that Shallan is just unable to use the Soulcaster then that Jasnah gave her a fake though. It sounds to me as though someone can get to know a Soulcaster after using it more, so perhaps it will just take Shallan time. Perhaps Jasnah wants to see what Shallan will do? Or if she can figure out how to use is?

4. During the Highstorm, Kaladin experiences a lull during which the wind and rain stop, he feels no more pain, and he sees an enormous “face of blackness, yet faintly traced in the dark”. The face is described as, “Inhuman. Smiling.” Was Kaladin just hallucinating? If not, do you think this being had something to do with recharging the sphere? With Kaladin somehow feeling better before the storm kicked up again? Or could this being be malevolent? Thoughts/theories??
This is a great question, but I’ve got no idea. I don’t think he was just hallucinating – that would be too irrelevant to the story to spend time on – but I’m not sure what other explanation there is. I think the storm simply recharged the sphere and Kaladin took power from the storm as well.

5. Before Kaladin is forced to endure the Highstorm, he tells his men to come out after the storm is over; he says he’ll open his eyes and look back at them, and they’ll know that he survived. Kaladin obviously survives, and everyone in Bridge Four is really glad about that. But we haven’t yet seen a reaction from anyone other than Kal’s men. Do you think Kaladin’s survival could have a wider impact than just giving his own group of bridgemen hope?
 I think Kaladin’s story will eventually intersect with Dalinar’s (I hope so anyway!) and he’ll have a large role to play in the entire epic story. I’m hoping that his survival will lead to him finding out about his ability to use stormlight. Other than that, I’m not sure that the actual event of his survival will have any other effect.

6. We learn quite a bit about Teft in this section… kind of. But pretty much everything we learn just leads to more questions. What do you think about these “Envisagers” Teft mentions? How much do you think Teft knows about Kaladin’s ability to use Stormlight? It seemed like Teft became wary of Kaladin after he recovered – why? Do you think he’ll tell Kaladin about what he knows?
I’m not sure who the Envisagers are, but it seems as though they might have been a group devoted to protecting, hunting, helping… people with abilities like Kaladin’s. I think Teft might have become wary of Kaladin because he has some idea of his powers, perhaps is even aware they can be weaponized as in Zeth’s case. I hope once he gets an opportunity he’ll tell Kaladin what he knows, but I think it’s possible that what actually happens will be more complicated.

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This week is the last week of The Monuments Men read-along I’m co-hosting with Jennifer at Bookalicious Mama. If you’ve been reading along or have already finished the book and would like to join in, you can leave your answers to the discussion questions or a link to a post with your answers in the comments below.

1. If you were in Germany at the end of the war, do you think you would visit the liberated concentration camps to bear witness like Eisenhower or avoid them to avoid hating the German people like monuments man Hancock?
2. What do you think of this statement from page 332, beginning of chapter 43, about Adolf Hitler – “perhaps the one thing that made hum human and therefore truly terrifying – was his love of art”?
3. How did you like the book? Is there anything you particularly loved or hated about it?

Thank everyone for joining us in this fun read-along! I really enjoyed the book and am excited for more book-to-movie read-a-longs in the future. If you’re looking for another read-along, be sure to check out the Divergent read-along Jennifer is hosting next month. The first discussion isn’t until February 10th, so there’s still plenty of time to get the book.

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