Bookish and not so Bookish Thoughts!
It’s been a while since I’ve done a Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts post and I am obviously procrastinating in my 20 Books of Summer reviews so here are some of the bookish and not so bookish things that have been going on chez 746 Books! Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts is hosted by Christine at Bookishly Boisterous
• I was extremely excited in work last week to meet the amazing Bernard MacLaverty! I have long been a fan of his work – particularly the beautiful Grace Notes and his wonderful short stories, and the good news is that he is the nicest, funniest man in ‘real life’!
He read to a sold out audience of 200 from his new book Midwinter Break, signed books for almost 2 hours and was a general delight.
I have just put the finishing touches onto my autumn programme for HomePlace and am very excited about a few authors who will be visiting. I will of course, keep you updated!
• This week I treated myself to a rather lovely Out of Print tee-shirt! We Have Always Lived at the Castle is one of my favourite books and I couldn’t resist this gorgeous design. I got hit with a Customs charge I wasn’t expecting for ordering from the US, but it was still worth it!
• Despite having almost half my 20 Books of Summer left to read, myself and the hubbie are relishing Season 2 of the brilliant Preacher. Based on the comic books of the same name, Preacher is irreverent, funny and sometimes scary and one of the most enjoyable shows on TV. Plus Ruth Negga has the best costumes as the sassy Tulip O’Hare. Last month we watched The Handmaids Tale, which was fantastic but heavy-going, so Preacher is a little bit of light relief. If you haven’t seen it yet, this opening scene of Season 2 should give you an idea of what you are missing!
• I’m also on a bit of a movie binge this summer, particularly of the creepier kind. I’ve loved Get Out, Hell or High Water, Free Fire and The Invitation.
• Finally I’ve noticed that I am starting a LOT of books, but not actually finishing anything! I am currently ‘reading’ 9 books. That can’t be good, can it? I have actual books, books on my ipad and books on my phone, all in different states of read-ness. And the worst thing? Most of them aren’t even from my 20 Books list! I keep getting sent proof copies and getting excited and starting them before I’ve finished anything else!
How do you all feel about having a lot of books on the go at once? Are you a one book reader?
So, basically this summer, when I’m not working, reading or watching movies, the only other thing I’m doing is bouncing. On the twins’ new trampoline. It’s been a big hit and if anything, is giving me a bit of a work out!
I hope you are all having a great summer!
Cathy746books View All →
I am a 40 something book buying addict trying to reduce the backlog one book at a time!
746books.com 
I just finished Midwinter Break last night and it was lovely. I’d never read anything by MacLaverty before (or even heard of him, really). It’s so neat that you get to see what all these authors are like in person!
I’m in the minority, I think, by almost always having 10-15 books on the go. It’s only fewer than that if I’m travelling. I try to plug away at them all but inevitably end up favouring two or three and reading them more quickly.
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I’ve yet to read Midwinter Break. Grace Notes is a beautiful book though. I do love meeting authors and for the most part they are all lovely.
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I couldn’t possibly have nine books on the go at one time. I’m definitely a one book gal.
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I think I’ve pushed it to far this time. I’m getting confused!
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hope you can get a few books finished soon! Don’t think I’ve ever had 9 on the go at one time! I think 3 or 4 is my limit – and then I have to make sure they are different genres and take notes so I don’t get confused lol!
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9 is crazy. I’ve managed to finish a few now, so I’m getting there!
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I haven’t done update for my 20 Books of Summer for ages and there’s no way I’m going to read them in the next 2 weeks. I totally understand having lots of books on the go in all formats and getting distracted by arcs in the post! 😁
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See I need a real book for when tge kids are playing on my ipad and a book on my phone (kindle) in case I have no book in my bag!
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😀
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I’m a multiple reader too, but usually only two or three at a time. I love the inadvertant dialogues this creates, the connections made, the parallels brought up or divergences accentuated.
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I know what you mean. I generally never have just one on the go, but I think 9 is pushing it a bit.
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I’m definitely a one-book reader. I will occasionally have one fiction and one non-fiction book on the go but that’s it. My aunt has different books in different places of the house, like one she reads in bed, one she reads in the living room, etc.
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I’m becoming a bit like that Geoff, wee half read books lying all over the place!
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i love that Shirley Jackson tee-shirt – it’s just my type of thing.
Sometimes I have a collection of short stories on the go alongside my main book (usually a novel) as it can be good to space them out a bit – any more than that and I start to lose track of what’s happening in each book. 🙂
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Yes, I do like to read a short story now and again. I think I’m starting everything because I’ve made so many commitments but now I’m getting overwhelmed!
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I generally read more than one book at once. I’m not sure I’ve ever been up to nine, but definitely five or six (usually because of the “excited about new release/ARC” problem you mention). Two or three is a better balance for me! I like to have different books for different moods or attention spans – fiction, nonfiction, heavy, light etc.
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I think I’m just aware of how much I need to get read so I’m trying to read it all at once.
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If only we could actually read more than one book simultaneously – I suppose we would need multiple brains though!
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I’m not so great with reading that many books at once – I can usually manage a couple but even then I suddenly get to the point where I have to *finish* at least one so the rest go by the board!!
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Yes, I think I have overloaded myself this time!
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Oh I read Grace Notes long ago and really enjoyed it. I’ll have to look for Midwinter Break – I see it will be released here next week so it’s now on the wish list.
I also love your t-shirt and Googled, found, and bookmarked it. Now I’ll have to order it when I get home to California – for Halloween! 🙂
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I do love Out of Print t-shirts Becky, I could have ordered loads but restrained myself!
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Right now I have five going, two of which are Colum McCann’s “Letters to a Young Writer” and the very long novel, “1Q84”, by Haruki Murakami. In the mix is a book on Tarot and one called “Switchwords” for self-motivation and a book of essays on writers and books, “Browsings”, by Michael Dirda. Plus I am doing some background reading on John Ford and “Stagecoach” for work. Just writing this is making me tired. Gonna have to finish something real soon.
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Letters to a Young Writer is one of my 9 too Don. It’s easier to dip in and out of.
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I read a piece a day for encouragement.
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Grace Notes is wonderful – it’s great to hear the author is such a nice person!
Love the t-shirt 🙂
No-one I know watches Preacher & I can’t persuade any of them to join me, so I’ve no-one to talk about it with! It’s great, isn’t it?
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I love Preacher! It is such good fun but also really smart and well acted. Joseph Gilgun is wonderful in it.
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I always have at least two books on the go – I think it’s one way to get a lot of books read! Once I get above three or four, however, I find it slows me down, so I try to put some of them aside.
I absolutely adore the Shirley Jackson t shirt.
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Yes, I think trying to read so many is actually being counter productive!
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no way could I cope with that number of books on the go. I would get hopelessly lost about al the characters. The most I can manage is 2
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I need to calm down and not start anymore!
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That trampoline sounds like a lot of fun! And that t-shirt is awesome!
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Isn’t it?
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How lovely to meet someone you are such a fan of, so exciting. I am definitely a one book at a time reader. Good luck with the rest of your summer list.
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Thanks Ali x
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I’m incredibly jealous – I’ve always wanted a trampoline! They really ought to set up a child rental scheme for those of us who don’t have any but still want an excuse to play with toys… 😉
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It’s a serious work out FF, but great fun!
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I’m enjoying the Midwinter Break serialisation on Radio 4. It’s so sensitive and the voices of the characters to distinctive – works really well on Radio.
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I’ve heard that it’s very well done.
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Grace Notes is the only book that completely stumped our book group. It was so pitch perfect that there really wasn’t anything to say about it. Midwinter Break is definitely on the ‘must read’ pile. And this is the second post I’ve read today which mentions We Have Always Lived in the Castle. How come I’ve missed that?
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Oh, We Have Always Lived at the Castle is AMAZING. I envy someone getting to read it again for the first time.
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Hell or High Water was soooo good. I just watched it a couple of weeks ago.
I can do about 3 books at a time – as long as they’re different types (audio, nonfiction, fiction.) Any more than that and it stresses me out.
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I was really surprised by Hell or High Water, I loved it!
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My book club just read Handmaid’s Tale! Such a fascinating read with many layers. I’m interested to watch the show, especially as i really like Elizabeth Moss and the show did so well at the Emmys.
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The show is really great – Elizabeth Moss is amazing in it.
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