Library Inspiration. The A to Z Bookish Survey. I’m excited to announce that I’ve finished the first draft of a new story set in the Love Lies Bleeding universe and inspired by true events! Details and cover reveal to come–make sure to follow or subscribe so you won’t miss out… In the meantime, it’s always fun to take part in a book tag, and this one found its way to me via A.M. Molvik’s Ramblings… Author You’ve Read The Most From: Isabel Allende. Love her work. Best Sequel Ever: I’ll go with Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Currently Reading: The Library of Greek Mythology by Apollodorus (I’m trying to read more Classical Lit). Drink Of Choice While Reading: Water or tea, I guess, which are my drinks of choice most of the time anyway. [Update: I was trying to cut out coffee when I wrote this. E-Reader Or Physical Book?
Mainly physical books, but an e-reader is perfect for travel or commuting (or school–I wish I’d had one when I was lugging around textbooks every day). Glad You Gave This Book A Chance: Hidden Gem Book: Just Finished: The A to Z Bookish Survey. The Ultimate Book Tag. As we head into the holiday season, it seems like a good time to post something fun. I snagged this from A.M. Molvik’s Ramblings. Feel free to share on your own blog (leave me a comment to let me know if you do).
Enjoy… 1. Do you get sick while reading in the car? Unfortunately, yes. 2. James Joyce. 3. This is a bizarre question, like asking someone to choose between ice cream or a painting of Elvis on black velvet. I’m going with Harry Potter, but since HP needs no defending, here are 3 reasons why everyone should forget about Twilight already: 1. 2. 3. UPDATE: My opinion on Twilight hasn’t changed, but my opinion of Harry Potter sure has, thanks to JK Rowling’s horrible anti-trans rantings. 4. If I bring a book along, I usually just hold it (unless it’s small enough to fit in my purse). 5.
Not really; I think I’m immune to book smell. UPDATE: I finally get book smell! 6. Illustrations are always fun, but not necessary. 7. A lot of books I read as a kid. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. English. 5 Famous Authors' Drafts. Although readers are generally interested in a writer’s final product, it can be interesting to see the early process. Drafts can be funny, surprising, and illuminating. For example… Joseph Conrad’s preface to Victory: Conrad had trouble deciding on the right wording to convey his meaning in this preface.
He was hesitant about using the word “victory” in relation to World War 1, and he couldn’t decide whether he was worried about “misleading,” “deceiving” or another word I can’t make out (any guesses?) The public. Sylvia Plath’s outline for The Bell Jar: This outline was written two years before The Bell Jar was published. Marcel Proust’s draft of Remembrance of Things Past: Shirley Hazzard’s draft for The Great Fire: Both Proust and Hazzard show that, no matter the time period, the first draft is never the final draft. Mark Twain’s notebook: My early drafts aren’t this interesting, but the final products are worth a read! Would you want to see your favourite author’s early drafts and notes? 5 Famous Authors' Drafts. 5 Famous Authors' Drafts.
When a Book Series Leaves You Feeling Betrayed. Almost three months ago I started reading a book series that I’d been meaning to get to for a while. I’d read the first book in the series years ago, but decided to re-read before (finally) continuing with the rest of the books. Although I remembered liking it at the time, I noticed a lot of issues while reading it again. A lot. Still, the main character was a good one, the story was compelling and had promise, and I already had the rest of the books. I was going to read this series. You may have noticed I’m not mentioning the author’s name, series name, or book titles. That’s because I do not recommend them. I am bothered. What do you do when something you despise gets stuck in your head? I’m still not really sure. My books might not be famous, but they’re good (and don’t leave readers insulted!) How about you? Love Lies Bleeding Bleeding Heart *Blood Magic *Tooth & Claw (Links take you to all available stores.
Cheers, Aspasía S. Writer and Dogs. Last year I posted about Writers and Cats, a combination that seems as natural as pen and paper. But just because cats and writers are inextricably linked in most people’s minds, doesn’t mean that dogs aren’t equally ideal writing partners. Judging from all the books about dogs out there, they’re just as inspiring as cats.
Poems have also been written about dogs, including this one by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. And no one can dispute that dogs are excellent companions, keeping writers company in their lonely work and getting them out of the house once in a while. “When an eighty-five pound mammal licks your tears away, then tries to sit on your lap, it’s hard to feel sad.” ―Kristan Higgins Here are a few dog-loving writers and their pups… Cuddling pets and reading is the perfect combination ♥ Download my books now (links follow)! What do you think?
Cheers, Aspasía S. Love Lies Bleeding Bleeding Heart *Blood Magic *Tooth & Claw (Links take you to all available stores. Further Reading. §. Sometimes a book’s charms are more subtle than what you find on the cover or between the pages. If you’re not familiar with fore-edge painting, prepare to be delighted. Fore-edge paintings are hidden scenes or designs on the edges of books; you can see them only if you fan out the pages. Fore-edge paintings date back to the 1600s but now there’s only one commercial painter left (Martin Frost). I hope someone else takes up this profession because it would be a shame if this art form is lost. Watch this short video featuring Martin Frost: Learn more about fore-edge painting: A Centuries-Old Art Form Hides Within the Gilded Pages of Antique Books Fore-Edge Paintings Online Collection Wikipedia: Fore-Edge Painting 40 Hidden Artworks Painted on the Edges of Books Don’t forget to download my books!
Love Lies Bleeding Bleeding Heart *Blood Magic *Tooth & Claw (Links take you to all available stores. Cheers, Aspasía S. The Edgy Art of Books – Aspasía S. Bissas. The Edgy Art of Books. The Edgy Art of Books. The Edgy Art of Books. The Edgy Art of Books. The Edgy Art of Books. The Edgy Art of Books. Hay-on-Wye, Wales; 5 Book Towns to Visit. Book lovers are dreamers. We dream of other worlds and other lives. We dream of what we just finished reading and what we’re going to read next. We dream of homes crammed with our book collections, libraries that never close, and cozy local bookshops where we can spend massive quantities of both time and money.
And some book lovers dream of entire towns devoted to books and then make them a reality. Hay-on-Wye, Wales Probably the best known of all the book towns, and credited with inventing the concept, Hay-on-Wye is home to numerous book and antiques shops. St. A Medieval village, St. Paju Book City, South Korea Located next to the North Korean border, this literal city of books was built to symbolize the importance of the common good. Featherston, New Zealand One of the newer book towns, Featherston already has a yearly book fair (featuring a fish ‘n’ chip supper), held in May. Hobart, USA Located in the Catskills (New York), Hobart was essentially a ghost town not too long ago. Cheers, 5 Book Towns to Visit. 5 Awesome Fictional Librarians.
Librarians are awesome. They’re not only keepers of the world’s knowledge, but they’re also highly trained information scientists and invaluable resources, both in the library and in the community. They can help you find a rare book, an obscure fact, your distant ancestors, or even a job–and if you’d rather just google it, well, they can help you with that too (find out more about what librarians do).
They work hard helping people of all ages and backgrounds, while not-very-bright politicians try to save a few bucks in the budget by claiming libraries are obsolete (hint: no, they’re not). Luckily, there are many people who still appreciate libraries and librarians–some have even immortalized them in books and TV shows. (Fair warning: spoilers ahead) Barbara Gordon AKA Batgirl/Oracle Among all the related comic books, TV shows, movies, and reboots, one of Batgirl’s incarnations is as head librarian at the Gotham City Public Library. Rupert Giles, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Mr. The Librarians. Considering pretty much everyone has handled a book at least once, it’s funny that most of us aren’t fully versed in the names for their various parts. While you can probably confidently point out a cover or a page, did you know there’s a word for the blank space between pages? What do you call that doodle on a book’s spine? And how does a book have a spine, anyway?
Today we get an lesson on the anatomy of books… Do you have other words about books to share? Let me know in the comments. Find out more about the history of these words here. Now that you’ve read about books, you can read one of my books! Love Lies Bleeding Bleeding Heart *Blood Magic *Tooth & Claw (Links take you to all available stores. Cheers, Aspasía S. 7 Words About Books.
I always find it strange that people need to be convinced to read. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love books. For me, books have always been magic, gateways to other worlds, other lives. They’re adventures and dreams, knowledge and potential, all packed into conveniently portable packages. Forget apps–no matter what you want or need at any given moment in life, there’s a book for it. How could anyone not instantly see the value in that?
And yet… According to the Pew Research Center, 26% of American adults have admitted to not reading even part of a book in the last year (and I’m sure the numbers are similar in Canada). If magic, knowledge, and adventure aren’t enough to get you interested, maybe I should also mention that: Yale researchers found that people who read books for 30 minutes a day live longer than those who read magazines or who don’t read at all. Successful people read (and they share some of their favourite books here). Need a short story to get you started? Cheers, Why You Need to Read Books. For those of you who don’t know, I love decorating. At one point I was seriously considering it as a career (then I found out how much drawing is involved and, well, let’s just say writing is my real calling).
As a book lover, a lot of your decorating ends up revolving around an ever-expanding collection, so it’s great to get inspiration. BuzzFeed posted photos of 17 amazing home libraries–the ones I’m sharing here are my favourites (did I also mention I’m not a minimalist?) Which ones from the article do you like best? Are there other great home libraries you want to share? Add to your own library– get my books now (links below)! Love Lies Bleeding Bleeding Heart *Blood Magic *Tooth & Claw (Links take you to all available stores. Cheers, Aspasía S. Happy World Dracula Day! Today we celebrate the anniversary of the first publication of Bram Stoker’s vampire standard Dracula. And how better to celebrate than by sharing some of my favourite versions of the classic character?
I have to start with the original, Stoker’s Count. Although Stoker wasn’t the first to write about vampires, his character (and book) started an ongoing obsession with vampires, inspiring countless variations over the decades, including dozens of versions of Dracula alone. Many of what we now consider essential characteristics of vampires: aversion to sunlight and garlic, lack of reflection, supernatural powers, vulnerable to a stake through the heart–all came from Dracula. A few have been discarded over the years too–how many modern vampires have hairy palms or need to keep the soil of their homeland handy? If you’re a vampire fan and you haven’t read Dracula yet–drop everything and get yourself a copy. Here’s the entire scene if you want some context: Cheers,