A Creative Bibliophile / August 2021

The month of August got away from me . I've basically spent the whole month dealing with insurance companies etc.. re a house and a car claim.. When it rains, it pours !! But finally, it seems like things are working themselves out and here I am to talk about my August book ..

I have been reading many domestic thrillers and "dark" mysteries and historical fiction lately . The hospital has been getting busy again and I needed to read something "light". Just when I was trying to decide on something, a package arrived in the mail from a dear friend. She must have read my mind because enclosed was my August book review - The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary.

This quirky romance asks the question - "What if your flatmate is your soulmate ?" But the bigger question is "Can this be true if you've never met in person ?"  Tiffy needs a cheap place to live after a bad breakup and Leon needs extra money for a family situation. He works nights, she works days and the arrangement means they will never meet in person. Simple, right ??? They get to know each other through their Post-it note communications . The stories about each of their lives gives us a background into each of these characters and an understanding of what is now drawing them together. I really loved this story and the characters . I highly recommend it if you want a sweet story that will draw you in with its interesting premise and then keep you interested to see what develops .. 

My bookmarks this time were made with a fantastic book-themed stamp set from Unity Stamp Company - Not The End of Your Story . It has 2 book themed images and 10 sentiments .. 

And as always, I put some sort of ledger/lined paper on the backs of my bookmarks . This allows me to keep a book list or take notes while reading  etc... 

Thank you for joining me for my August book review ! A light, quirky romance .. Do you have any books like this that you could recommend to me ?? And thanks to my friend Barb for sending me this sweet book .. There will be something on its way to you soon ..

I'll be back later this month ..

Until then, Stay safe and Read a good book !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

A Creative Bibliophile - July 2021

This has been a month of amazing books for me, but one stands out among the others and I'm excited to tell you about it ... I actually spotted this in the New Book section at my local library and looked at it from just seeing the cover.  Do you ever do this ?? I have found some of my favorite books by being attracted to the cover. That just might be a future blog post topic !! 

My bookmark this month actually has no stamping on it !! I recently purchased a Public Library  kit by October Afternoon from Peachy Cheap. This website has a deal a day - stamps, cardstock, scrapbook kits, etc.... This kit was absolutely made for me and was perfect for my latest bookmark !! The pretty gold letters are from Pink Paislee. 

The Holdout by Graham Moore is my book for July . It's about a reality tv show that is bringing back the jurors from a sensational murder trial after 10 years. There was one holdout on that jury and the rest of the jurors ultimately were persuaded to return a verdict of Not Guilty. The book explores how this decision impacts all of their lives. And to complicate matters, on the eve of the reality show, one of the jurors is found dead in the room of the holdout - who is now a defense attorney herself. The plot thickens as she attempts to prove her innocence. 

The story has many twists and turns and great characters.  And I'm pretty good at  guessing the ending of a book, but this one was a surprise to me.  The author has talked about his own experience on a jury and how it has affected him and in turn, helped shape this book. I had never heard of this author before but learned a great deal about him after finishing this book . He won an Academy Award for screenwriting for the movie The Imitation Game, that I am already planning on watching with Brian.  He is well-known as a historical fiction writer and you can learn more about his books HERE . I highly recommend The Holdout and plan on reading his other books. 

Thank you for visiting me again this month to see what has been on my reading list .. Do you have any recommendations for me ?? What are you currently reading ?? Do you have a favorite bookmark ?? I've been known to use receipts, granola bar wrappers, dollar bills etc... Anything is fair game, except I do NOT ever dog ear pages !! I have so many bookmarks that I usually can find one pretty quickly.. And it helps that I love to make them too !!

See you again next month..

Until then, please stay safe and read a good book !! 

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

A Creative Bibliophile - January 2021

I have been a lover of books my whole life.. I'm sure I got it from my father who was also a book lover. Even before I could read, I would either sit next to him on the couch or in my own little chair and "read" my Little Golden Books or whatever else was handy. As I got older, there were weekly trips to the library in my hometown of Mahanoy City, PA.It was only several blocks from our house. The head librarian - Thelma Faust - was a friend of our family . After I devoured the entire Children's section,  I was allowed to take out any books that I wanted . There was even a note in my file so the other librarians were aware of this. I remember reading many books from the Encyclopedia Britannica - I might even have read them all from A-Z. Each year, I would impatiently wait for the yearbook to be released. I can't remember a time when I didn't carry a book with me - just in case.  I couldn't imagine being somewhere without a book to read if I had an extra few minutes. Fast forward to 2021 and I am just as much a bookworm as I ever was ! I also am a lover of bookmarks. I am not one to dog-ear pages ( the thought makes me cringe ) but I have been known to use the occasional receipt or piece of junk mail. But only when there is NOT a bookmark handy. Because as much as I love books, I am also a lover of bookmarks. So when I decided to start a monthly blog post about books, I instantly knew that bookmarks would play a part also. Each month I will review a book or 2 and also make a bookmark for the post. And that is how "A Creative Bibliophile" was born. 

My logo will be the gorgeous gal from a fabulous stamp set by Unity Stamp Company - Part of the Story . I made 2 bookmarks with these stamps and some washi tape.  I used Strathmore Watercolor Paper , Gina K Jet Black Amalgam Ink and my COPICs. The stamped images were adhered to a thick mixed-media paper and then lined ledger paper was placed on the back. You can keep track of books you're reading or keep a To-Be-Read list.  I sometimes use it to keep track of characters in a book. While making these bookmarks, I used a cool new tool - a Mini Stamping Bug . It glides across the MISTI that I use when I stamp,in order to apply pressure and get a clean crisp image. You hold it in  your hand and move it across the stamp platform  - takes the pressure off of your hand and wrist. There is also a larger original version of this Stamping Bug but this smaller one was perfect for my bookmark images. And to celebrate my new blog post, I will be giving away one of these Mini Stamping Bugs that Robin Hill - their creator - was kind enough to send me !! All you have to do is comment on this blog post if you would like one of your very own.. I will choose 1 person at random  and send them a Mini and also a bookmark !!

The Struggle is Part of the Story

The 2 books I'm reviewing today were the first 2 I read in 2021. Without knowing hardly anything about either book, I was pleasantly surprised that I absolutely loved both of them and their overall messages. 

Photo from Red Nose Studio

All I knew about this book  - The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune - was that it was about an orphanage with an odd bunch of orphans . And truth be told, I chose to read this book because I fell in love with the cover !!  In this wonderful book, a  man named Linus is sent to investigate to make sure the caretaker, Arthur is providing a safe home for the strange group of orphans . What Linus discovers about Arthur, the orphans and also himself creates a magical story about putting aside our ideas about people being "different" and also letting people into our lives that we really never would have dreamed of. I fell in love with every character in this book . There are gnomes and sprites and other surprising characters in this book . I do highly recommend it !! 

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you had done something different, made different choices ?? I think that we all have had these  thoughts  about one decision or another. From the big decisions like your career, a big move or who you married to the smaller ones like which route you would drive or store you'd go into , The Midnight Library by Matthew Haig introduces us to Nora, who is terribly depressed and decides to end it all. But that is not the end of the story, it is just the beginning. She finds herself in the Midnight Library, where every regret she's ever had lives and the bookshelves are filled with books about how her life would have been different if she had made another choice at that time.  Having had some of those regrets myself and wondering what things would be like if I'd made other choices, this book intrigued me and I wasn't disappointed.  I think that I also chose this book initially because of the cover. Have you ever done that ?? 

Thank you for joining me for my first book-themed blog post .. I am definitely "A Creative Bibliophile" and look forward to sharing more books and also bookmarks with you .. Is there a particular book you would like to recommend to me ?? Next time I will talk a bit about my To-Be-Read list and my favorite types of books. Don't forget to comment if you would like a chance at some blog candy -- a fun Mini Stamping Bug along with a bookmark. Thank you to Robin Hill for sending me an extra Mini Stamping Bug  to share with someone !!

Mini Stamping Bugs

Until next time, Read a Book & Stay Creative !!