For What It's Worth

Monday, August 10, 2020

My Monday Musings…

I’ve been trying to buy my books at indie stores instead of Amazon these days and stumbled upon Libro.fm. It’s an alternative to Audible and when you purchase an audiobook you can choose your favorite indie bookstore they split the profits.

You can find out more here and get one free audiobook. (FYI: this is referral link and I would receive one free audiobook if you subscribe for one month - but feel free to check it out from the home page if you'd like).

I was asking Amber from Du Livre if it was better than Audible and she loves the app (as do I!) more than Audible’s and informed me about their Audiobook Listening Copy (ALC) program for educators, librarians, booksellers, reviewers and influencers. Available in US and Canada.

Each month you get to choose form a mix of new and upcoming audiobook releases. You download which books you would like to listen to during that month but can listen whenever you want once it is downloaded. They don’t really ask anything in return but provide all the links for cover photos, press info and hashtags so you can share on your blog or social media.

I love the variety of books they offer. For example in July they had Boyfriend Material, The Voting Booth, Wandering in Strange Lands, The Pull of Stars, The Only Good Indians, Notes on a Silencing, His & Hers, and All Along You Were Blooming.

This months picks are

You have to apply (it’s a very easy/quick form) & you can do that here. I found out that I was accepted by the end of the day. It’s totally worth a shot if you love audiobooks, like a little variety and want to help out indie bookstores in the process. And yay for the no deadlines (other than downloading your picks by the end of the month) or pressure to review.

I think I’m going to spotlight the books each month along with an indie bookstore.

I chose my local bookstore – Vault Books and Brew in Castle Rock, WA for my Libro.fm purchases. I’ve posted a few pictures of this place before but it’s been a while so I’ll post them again. Vault Books and Brew used to a bank before becoming a bookstore and coffee shop and they converted the old safe room into a fun Narnia like play area for kids!

They just posted about new bookish masks and socks that arrived so I see a shopping trip in my future.

If you prefer print books – check out Bookshop. Like Libro.fm, you can order online through Bookshop and select an indie bookstore to support. They are currently US only. I’ll be sharing some of the stores I’ve supported through them soon.

Do you have a favorite indie bookstore?

What August audiobooks should I download?

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Whatever Wednesday

I wish had more bookish content to post right now but sadly that is so slow going for me right now.
But here’s a song that I have been listening to non stop for a few weeks.

It’s so catchy and dark but fun! And I like this simple video. What do you think?

LEMONS by Brye

Monday, August 3, 2020

My Monday Musings

How is it August already??? Time is moving both slow and hurtling past me. It makes no sense but that’s the way it feels.

I had a staycation 2 weeks ago and it was great. We went to Cannon Beach in OR. It’s one of my favorite places out here and I haven’t been since Christmas time last year. It’s not really a lay out or swim kind of beach so it’s easy to go walking around and stay socially distanced. We took Kai and Ripley and they did great.

My farmers market is in full swing so I’m getting all the berries and veggies I can eat right now.

It’s been HOT though – almost 100 a few days, which is rare out here, but thankfully we get breaks of cooler days in between.

The puppies are growing fast! I FINALLY got them housebroken. They were the toughest dogs I have ever housebroken so it’s a huge relief and now I don’t have to invest in a paper towel company.

JULY READING WRAP-UP

Reading was slooooow in July. I read 6 books. 2 stand outs, 3 I was looking forward to but were just meh and one dud.

A Sweet Mess by Jaci Lee – was just a mess and not a sweet one for me lol DNF

Finding joy by Adriana Herrera – Sweet story/romance between two men (a humanitarian aid worker and his driver) against the backdrop of Ethiopia.

The author's passion for the country, food and its people shines through on every page and she touches on the difficulties of being LGBQT there.

This was a way more low key story than I'm used to from the author and if you're looking for a gentle romance - this is it.

My one issue is that I thought Elias's (who lives as a closeted gay man in Ethiopia) story was far more interesting than Desta's (which was good - don't get me wrong) but we never got his POV.

Tiny House by Olivia Dade - The characters were super sweet, romance slow burn and the tiny home reality show search funny but I didn't love this one as much as I usually like dates Dade's books.

It was maybe too slow burn and despite the couple being life long friends, there was so much they didn't seem to know about each other.

A cute, fast read though if you like slow burn romances.

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall – This started off so fun but by hour 3 (on audio) I could barely stand listening to Luc whine anymore. Sticking with the British theme for the book – he was a wanker to everyone around him. How they managed to put up with him is beyond me.

However, his love interest Oliver, and the opposites attract/fake boyfriend part was done so well that I stuck it out. The romance itself was A+ even if I had other issues – including every supporting character being over-the-top quirky.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates - Excellent and powerful (quick thoughts)

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson – Loved! Favorite read of the month. (quick thoughts)

R&R

Here are a few pictures from Cannon Beach (it just got rated the #6 beach in the US!)

It’s the first time the tide has been so low and we could go exploring all the tide pools and check out the critters. And of course, we still had to wear masks and stay safe!