We're on YouTube!!!

Hello For the Love of Dewey Readers!

Jillian and I have some exciting news!  We've decided to jump into the world of YouTube! That's right! We're now bookish YouTubers. (If you can really call us that.)  Really, we had no idea what we were doing, or how to make / edit a Youtube video, but I think we did okay for our first try. 

Our first video talks about listening to audiobooks while driving.  Since my commute has increased to about a 40 minute drive over the past two years, I have been listening to more audiobooks.  Sometimes I just get sick of singing to myself in the car, and I welcome the time to add books to my GoodReads Reading Challenge goals. As for Jillian, well, she isn't a fan of audiobooks.  

So, take a look at what we have to say in the video below.  Like, comment, subscribe, and tell us what kind of videos you would like to see. (We filmed the clips to these videos independently with our iphones, and I put them all together using iMovie on my MacBook.  Since we both work, and Jillian is in grad school we tried to be as simple and time efficient as possible.

Thanks for reading / watching!

~Jessica

All the Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio - Resehlved Books

Hello Dewey Readers! 

My next book club pick is Sarah Jio's latest novel All the Flowers in Paris, which I just finished last night.  All I can say is wow.  

The novel follows two parallel story lines set in Paris, one in the present day and one during WWII.

Present Day: Caroline is riding a bike when a truck is coming towards her with no intention of stopping.  She has to make a quick decision to either run into the truck or run

into a mother and young child.  She chooses the truck and wakes up in a hospital with her memory as to who she is completely erased.  As she begins to search for who she is, in the back of her apartment she find letters written by a woman dating back to WWII. 

The Past: Celine's husband passed away before she was able to tell him that she was expecting their first child. He was hit by a truck while riding his bike home to her.  As the Nazis begin to occupy Paris, her family is singled out. The yellow star of David is painted on her father's florist shop, and the man she has now fallen in love with has gone away as a resitance officer.  One day he sends a note with a hidden message warning of danger.  Things then begin to unravel as evil creeps in and disrupts their once quiet lives.    

While I've read books that flip between the present day and the past, I haven't read a book where they story lines were so close and parallel, yet distinctly their own.  I think a lot of historical fiction novels seem total place during WWII, and because of this they came become overdone.  However, Jio's take is fresh and exciting, which leads me to give it a For the Love of Dewey rating of 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.

Until the next read!

~Jessica 

Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!

You know that Jillian and I love books and that we both have careers working in public libraries!  That's why I was super excited when I found a copy of Pamela Morsi's book Love Overdue quite by accident while wandering the shelves looking for something else at work.

Love Overdue is a romance novel that takes place in a library.  Yes, I know what you're all thinking, Jessica, it sounds like a book full of library stereotypes and fetishes.  It's not.  It's actually really cute.

The novel follows the story of a young librarian who moves to a small town to become a director.  She is hired by the library board in a kind of strange way, and is even given housing... inside the library board member's home.  Okay, this wouldn't happen in one of our city libraries but who's to say it's never happened anywhere?  Apparently, the librarian had a one night stand with the board member's son many years ago, causing her to actively avoid him while his mother actively tries to push them together.  This is the romance.

This book is your perfect cute little romance novel made better by how each chapter starts with corresponding Dewey Decimal Numbers! In fact, I think that's the part I love the most about it.

So if you're looking for a light and fluffy bookish romance, why not give this one a try? I give it 4 out of 5 Coffee Beans.

Until the next read!

~Jessica

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill - Reshevled Books

Can we take a moment to talk about how perfect The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman is? This book was MADE for bibliophiles everywhere.  

The Bookish Life of of Nina Hill follows the life of, you guessed it, Nina Hill.  Nina is a self

proclaimed bookworm who works inside a book shop.  She is an introvert, and as long as she has her planner, book clubs, and time alone with her reading material she avoids panic attacks and has a happy and comfortable life. That is until Nina discovers that the father she never knew has passed away, leaving her with siblings, uncertainty, and change.  More than just a celebration of the bookish lifestyle it's a novel about family, accepting change, and finding comfort in being yourself.  

For those who love books, making lists, and getting things done, you WILL ADORE this book.  For those who don't, I bet you'll find something inside Nina's quirky character that you'll adore as well.  I give this book a For the Love of Dewey rating of 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.   

Until the next read!
~Jessica 

Cover Judgment

Hello Dewey Readers!

Today I would like to ask you all a very serious question.  Do you judge books by their covers?  

While I was scrolling through the #Bookstagram (follow @fortheloveofdewey !!) I came across a #bookstagrammer who posted a photo of a book, claiming it was the first time she ever read a book because she fell in love with the cover.  This made me pause.  I nearly ALWAYS choose my books by their covers.  I know what you're all thinking.  But Jessica, you're a librarian.  How dare you!  Isn't that book blasphemy!?  It is and it isn't. 

I love my books.  I love lining them up, I love carrying them with me, I love staring at them on my book shelves, and I absolutely adore wandering the aisles of book stores and libraries.  I'm a book addict who can't go on a vacation without visiting all the local libraries.  But I also feel like just as much as I want to love what's inside the pages, I wan't to enjoy looking at, touching, and carrying my books with me.    

Do I always love the books who's covers I'm attracted to?  Not always.  Do I ever regret giving a book a try no way.  If I have a choice between two different editions of the same book, I'll always go for the one who's cover I like better.  Life is too short to not enjoy being with books you love.  But will I read books who's covers I do love based on recommendations and merit?  You bet I will, I just might not go out of my way and choose them on my own.  

So Dewey Readers please tell us, do you judge books by their covers!? 

~Jessica 

When You Read This by Mary Adkins - Reshelved Books

Hey there Dewey Readers!

I recently finished Mary Adkins' book When You Read This.  This book is a piece of expository writing written in the form of e-mail correspondence. 

This novel is a bout a young professional woman named Iris Massey who finds out she is dying from cancer.  A heavy topic, made lighter by the form in which it is written, and especially by the junk e-mails that randomly pop up and give the reader a little bit more insight into the personal nuances of the characters.  For comfort during this time, she turns to writing her emotions out on a blog, who's posts also are included within the book as well.

This book is about the end of life, and about how those who were touched by that life are forever affected.  It is about learning to come to peace with tragedy and also learning to be grateful for the moment.  It is also a quick read that is excellently written and one that I give 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.

Until the next read!
~Jessica