A Creative Bibliophile - February 2021

I loved the wonderful response to my first Creative Bibliophile post !! I've learned that there are many lovers of books AND bookmarks out there . Thank you to those who have come here to share my creativity with me .. I hope that you are inspired to get creative and maybe to also pick up one of the books I've reviewed. You also just might become the recipient of one of my bookmarks .. For my first Creative Bibliophile post, I used a Mini Stampin Bug made by my friend Robin Hill of the Etsy Store - Creations By Coco . The winner of the bookmark and Mini Stamping Bug from that  post is Brianna J for her comment  -- "  These are awesome!! I like to make bookmarks, too. Thank you for sharing! I'm always looking for something new to read and looking forward to seeing your reading journey this year!! " 

The bookmarks I've created this month  were fun to stamp and color.. They are also from a Unity Stamp Company stamp set - I love BIG books .I stamped the images on watercolor paper, colored with my COPICS, then trimmed them to make the bookmark. I then cut a slightly larger piece of Toned Mixed Media paper to back the bookmark. A piece of lined ledger paper was adhered to the back of the Mixed Media paper in order for you to write your book list or To-Read list etc..

I like BIG books and I cannot lie

The books I am reviewing today are in the true-crime genre. I am a pretty normal person, love to read and create with paper, but I am also a lover of true crime. I think in the back of my mind, I had an idea once of becoming an FBI agent . Instead I became an RN, mainly working in Critical Care. But the interest in true crime never went away. I always remember that at the heart of the stories I read, there  are many victims and their families. They are looking for justice for their loved ones.. The books I am reviewing are amazing stories, amazingly written and tell the stories of 2 cases solved and 1 still hoping to be solved many years later.

The ultimate book about serial-killer Ted Bundy is this book by Ann Rule. His murders in the 1970's have been written about many times and there has even been a movie starring Zac Efron. But this book is a chilling account of his life and crimes and was written by someone who knew him, was a friend of his. She was covering the story as a local crime reporter and also worked with Bundy at a suicide hotline. I have reread this book many times since it was written in 1980, as recently as last year. I highly recommend it to all readers, not just those interested in true crime. On a personal note, I corresponded with Ann Rule for a few years, sending notes and holiday cards - she responded after I reached out to her after reading this book. 

When I first started reading about this book, I felt like the Golden State Killer was Michelle McNamara's Ted Bundy. She researched him for many years and hoped to assist investigators in identifying him. She lived and breathed this story, these cases, these victims .. And the sad part is that she did not live to see the book published or the arrest a few years later of the Golden State Killer himself !! I hung on every word in this book and could not put it down - but will admit that it scared me so much sometimes that I couldn't read it before bed. All those interested in true crime should read this book and see how modern technology was finally able to crack this case after many long years .

In the late 1980s, there were 8 murders in the Tidewater region of Virginia ( where I live ), 2 of which occurred on the Colonial Parkway. They have been unsolved since then and this book attempts to figure out who could have been responsible and why these murders stopped. Since living here in Virginia Beach since 1987, I have always been interested in these cases and had hoped that one day there would be a resolution for the families. Lately, there has been renewed interest in the cases. with the airing of The Lover's Lane Murders on Oxygen. These father -daughter true crime authors interview many key players and provide a very complete look at these murders. 

I hope that you like today's bookmarks and reviews. I know that this genre is not for everyone, but would love if you would comment on this post. I will randomly choose 1 person to get one of my handmade bookmarks. Thank you for stopping by .. What are your latest reads ?? I have an entire TBR list and it keeps growing !! Let me know your latest favorite and I just might read and review it !!  See you next month .. 

Debra Davison/Meticulosity

A Creative Bibliophile