Happy November! Wow, I can't believe it's November already. How did that happen? 

I started October with no plans to read a bookish book, but I somehow ended up reading four of them. All of them were enjoyable overall, although I can't say I really loved any of them. Here's what I read:

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer—This contemporary romance is about a Jewish novelist with a secret passion for the most Christian of holidays. Very few people know that she is the bestselling author of a bunch of popular Christmas romances. When her editor suggests she write a Hanukah story instead, she finds herself desperately trying to embrace a holiday that seems dull and magic-less. When she's thrust into a holiday partnership with a man who once broke her heart, her life becomes even more complicated.

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch—Have you ever dreamed of opening a bookstore? Then, you need to read this memoir about a married couple who decide on a whim to buy a dilapidated historic home in an economically-advantaged area and turn it into a used bookstore. The book details how they stumbled their way into success against all odds.

The Audacity of Sara Grayson by Joani Elliott—Sara Grayson is a writing teacher who pens greeting cards in her spare time. She hasn't delved into fiction since a famous editor ridiculed a draft of what was supposed to be her debut novel. So, when her mother—a bestselling mystery author—dies without completing the last book in her most popular series and leaves a request for it to be written by Sara, Sara is stunned. Now is her chance to make her fondest dream come true. Is she up to the task?

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict—This historical mystery is based on the real 11-day disappearance of iconic mystery writer Agatha Christie in 1926. No one knows why exactly she vanished, but Benedict's imagining of the events seem plausible. 

Have you read any of these bookish books? What did you think of them? Are you planning to read any bookish books in November? My reading for the rest of the year will be focused on books I need to finish in order to complete my reading challenges as well as the ones I need to read for the Cybils Awards. None of them are bookish as far as I know. The November selection for my book club is a bookish one, though:

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan—I've been meaning to read this historical novel ever since it came out. It's about a 17-year-old girl whose beloved younger brother is obsessed with C.S. Lewis' Chronicle of Narnia series. Bedridden because of illness, the child fixates on Narnia, so much so that his sister decides to seek out Lewis and ask him all of her brother's insistent questions about the books he loves. What ensues changes her strict, logical view on life.

I haven't started Once Upon a Wardrobe yet, but I'm looking forward to finally reading it. It seems like a magical holiday read. We'll see. 

How are you all this fine Tuesday morning? I'm worn out and my ears are still ringing a little bit from the fun Sting concert I went to last night. He's 72 and can still rock it. I'm 47 and I'm...really tired! Sting might not need a nap this afternoon, but I'm definitely going to. 

Today's TTT topic—Top Ten Bookish Jobs I Would Do For Free—is an excellent one, if I do say so myself. I thought it up and submitted it to Jana (our lovely TTT host) because I thought it would be an enjoyable one to explore. It only occurred to me later that it may feel a tad offensive to people who actually work in bookish fields. Let me be clear: This topic is not meant to imply that those who work with books in a professional capacity do not deserve to be paid for what they do. No matter how much a person loves their job, few people can afford to work for nothing. Nor should they, especially considering how valuable their time, education, experience, and expertise are. My hope with this topic was just that we could all have fun with it, get creative, let our imaginations go wild, etc. Maybe I should have worded the prompt more like this: Top Ten Bookish Jobs I Would Do For Free (if money, education, experience, actual skills, reality, etc. were no object). 

That being said, here is my list. The first five are "jobs" I currently do for free(ish) and the last five are those I would do for free (theoretically, anyway) given the opportunity.

Top Ten Bookish Jobs I Would Do For Free (if money/education/experience/actual skills/reality, etc. were no object)

1. Book Blogging—It's not a job for me and I do get "paid" in books, but blogging is something I would do no matter what. I love it it so much that it doesn't (usually) feel like work. 

2. Book Reviewing—Over the years, I've written reviews for several different magazines. One of them does pay their reviewers, but the other reviews were published in exchange for free books and blog publicity. 

3. Book Hoarding Collecting—I work at this like it's a full-time job, so I'm counting it!

4. Beta Reading/Editing—It's been a hot minute since I actually did any beta reading/editing for friends and other authors, but I've enjoyed doing it in the past simply because reading and giving feedback on a developing manuscript is a good ole time for me. Plus, I generally get "paid" in chocolate for these types of gigs. What's not to love?

5. Nurturing Young Readers—I don't have a teaching certificate or any kind of actual training in this field, but I always (okay, most of the time) enjoyed reading to my own children and making frequent trips to the library so they could pick out new reading material. Volunteering in classrooms and in the library at my children's elementary school was something I also really enjoyed.

6. Book Picker-Outer—Once upon a time, my mother-in-law was hired to be the librarian at a brand-new elementary school. She had a great time hand-picking and buying all the books that would fill its library shelves (on their dime, natch). That part at least sounds like a dream job (not so much handling all the volumes later desecrated by sticky, booger-y, kid germs). I'd volunteer to do deck out a school library!

7. Personal Librarian—On a similar note, I'd dig being a personal librarian at someone's big, beautiful home library. Think Belle and her prince are hiring?

8. Bookstore Owner—Remember how money is no object for this prompt? In this particular dream, I run a cozy bookshop in some quaint little town. I have stimulating book chats with cheerful, always satisfied customers. When the shop is quiet, I relax in a comfy armchair with an engaging book and a mug of cocoa, surrounded on all sides by shelves bursting with potentially amazing reads. Sigh...

I think all book lovers have dreamed this particular dream. Not to burst your bubble, but before getting too carried away with this fantasy, you might want to read The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch. It's eye-opening. Welch—who opened a used bookstore with her husband on a whim without having any idea how to actually operate such a business—says the job is less about reading and more about dusting, dealing with customers, and constantly restocking shelves. Hmm. That doesn't sound nearly as charming as my version. Good thing reality is nothing we need to worry about today. 

9. Hogwarts Librarian—Sure, there are some dangerous books and sneaky students to contend with, but c'mon, this job sounds like pure awesomeness! I'd do it just for a chance to live in the castle and hang with Hagrid, Dumbledore, Hermione, and Co. 

10. Book Organizer—My favorite part about moving last year was organizing my books. Even though it took forever, I loved sifting through them, sorting them by genre, deciding which volumes to keep and which to donate, unpacking them, organizing and reorganizing them on my shelves, etc. Bookish tasks like these make me happy. I'd be willing to do something similar for other people or organizations. Although, to be fair, there's a local non-profit that could probably use my help doing just that and I haven't hit them up yet...

My list isn't very imaginative, but there you go. Do you do an actual bookish job? What do you love/hate about it? What bookish jobs would you do if you money, imagination, etc. were no object? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

It's hard to believe the first month of 2023 has already passed us by. How did your January go? Did you read any bookish books? I read these four:

I enjoyed all of them, with Dead and Gondola being my favorite of the bunch. It has a fun mountaintop setting, complete with a gondola and a charming bookstore. The mystery is entertaining, too. Of these four, I only managed to review The Blackout Book Club here at BBB, but you can see my quick reviews of each on Goodreads. Hopefully, I'll get at least a couple of these reviewed here in the next few weeks. We'll see.

My goal is to read 2-3 bookish books a month. I rocked it in January. Here's what I'm thinking of reading in February:

I don't know about you, but I love me a good quote.  Funny?  Inspiring?  Beautifully crafted?  Astute?  I'll take them all.  When I come across passages I love in a book I'm reading, I usually just sigh over their awesomeness rather than actually writing them down because I'm just lazy like that.  So, when it comes to TTT topics like today's—Top Ten Book Quotes That Fit X Theme—I have to rely a lot on Google.  The ones I do tend to write down have to do with books and reading, because, books.  What more do I need to say?  Naturally, then, I decided to feature those today.  Oh, and apparently, I really like book quotes because I posted a very similar TTT list to this one back in September.  

If you want to join in the TTT fun, click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

Top Ten Book Quotes About Books and Reading 

"After my bedroom, this [the library] was my favorite place in the world.  It was carpeted, and had heavy bookcases and ticking clocks and velvet chairs, just like someone's living room.  It smelled of unturned pages and unseen adventures, and on every shelf were people I had yet to meet, and places I had yet to visit.  Each time, I lost myself in the corridors of books and the polished, wooden rooms, deciding which journey to go on next."

---from The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon

"One of my strongest held beliefs is that no one should ever finish a book that they're not enjoying, no matter how popular or well reviewed the book is.  Believe me, nobody is going to get any points in heaven by slogging their way through a book they aren't enjoying but think they ought to read."

---from Book Lust by Nancy Pearl

"Storytelling was the most honored of all talents, for it benefitted everyone."

---from The Host by Stephenie Meyer

"When in doubt, go to the library."

---from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

"They had only ever discussed books but what, in this life, is more personal than books?"

---from The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

"...bookshops are magic, and books are the road maps by which misfits find each other."

---from The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch

"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read.  One does not love breathing."

---from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

"Take some books and read; that's an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort."

---from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid."

---from Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

---from Coraline by Neil Gaiman

There you go, ten quotes about books and reading that I happen to love.  Which is your favorite?  What other quotes do you adore that fit this topic?  I'd love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will return the favor on your blog.