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Find out how many schools I went to as a kid and book news about ‘Sisters of the Resistance’ by Jina Bacarr

August 11, 2024 by Jina Bacarr in category historical, Jina’s Book Chat, Paris, sexual assault, sexual violence, World War 2, Writing tagged as #sexual assault, historcal, Library, Paris, sequel, sexual violence, sisters, Translation, women, World War 2

Fifteen.

Yep. From first grade through high school, I went to 15 schools, sometimes for weeks only. I learned to be resilient but I’m still shy.

And I still remember my best ‘friends’.

Books.

I got a library card in every town, big or small, and boy, did I use it. I want to give a shout out to the librarians I met along the way who never failed to give a shy little girl who didn’t know then she was dyslexic the kind words & encouragement she needed to keep reading.

When you’re left-handed, it ain’t easy… transposing words, letters, etc. Lost because you can’t figure out directions (I remember when I got totally lost in the big ole vintage library in Lexington KY). No one talked about it then, but several librarians took time with me, finding books and helping me believe in myself.

Thank you!!

BOOK NEWS!

Sisters of the Resistance will be featured soon on NetGalley on the Boldwood Books page! If you’re a member, check it out and dowload a copy. I’d love to hear your tyoughts about the sequel to Sisters at War about sexual violence against women during wartime!

Writing the sequel to ‘Sisters At War’ (Paris WW2 — the story of two sisters and how sexual assault on a sister by the SS affects both their lives),

It’s also the story of the women of the French Resistance.

LINK to more info on Sisters At War and Sisters of the Resistance

SISTERS OF THE RESISTANCE is available for Pre-Order **Amazon:**

Sisters At War:

US https://a.co/d/eZ25gZb

UK https://amzn.eu/d/0LEWy2z

Who are the Beaufort Sisters?

They’re beautiful

They’re smart

They’re dangerous

They’re at war with the Nazis… and each other.

BONUS The Orphans of Berlin in French

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Photo Journal of The New York City Library

April 12, 2023 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as Library, Photo Journal, Travel

On my recent trip to New York City, I made a purposeful stop at the main New York City Library. I’ve heard great things about this library and it did not disappoint. As I walked around all three floors, I found myself trying to soak up all the rich history within the walls as quickly as possible. From the high ceilings and stone steps, to the large paintings in the walls, there was a lot to marvel over.

Beautiful Infrastructure

Astor Hall in the New York City Public Library — Entrance – Astor Hall

Ceiling artwork within the NYC Public Library — Entrance – Astor Hall

Public Rooms

The NYC Library hosts the famous Reading Room. The Reading room was only open to those working at the time (and thus we couldn’t see in person). But the room across the hall was open and you could sit at the large tables or walk around the perimeter and look at all the paintings.

Denise M. Colby inside the New York City Library Salomon Room — The Salomon Room within the New York City Library is full of historic paintings

The Salomon Room within the New York City Library is full of historic paintings

I now see that the Bill Glass Public Catalog Room is in front of the Rose Main Reading Room. Below is a picture of the Reading Room for reference (which I will have to make another trip back to see). Also included below are photos of the entrance to the Public Catalog Room, which was as far as we were allowed to go near.

Picture hanging in the hall of the famous NYC Library Reading Room

Entrance to the Public Catalog Room at the NYC Library

Other highlights you will see as you walk around the 3rd floor include the Gutenberg Bible, large floor-to-ceiling paintings, and private room exhibits.

Collection room in the NYC Library — One of the rooms you could glance in

Gutenberg Bible at the New York City Library — One of the rooms you could glance in

Outside the New York City Library

Built in 1906, this building is massive. From the Lion statues and the courtyard, to the park in the backside of the building, it’s quite a sight. If you want to learn more about how this building came to be, check out the history of the New York Public Library.

Denise Colby in front of the New York City Library — Denise M. Colby standing in front of the NYC Library

Front courtyard of the NYC Library — Denise M. Colby standing in front of the NYC Library

I thoroughly enjoyed our quick visit to this library. And I look forward to making a return trip some day. Thirty minutes is not enough time for anyone who is a bookworm to visit any library, let alone one as famous as the New York City Library.

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My ‘Good Day’ Post about a scare in the air: a podcast series from Ulverscroft UK by Jina Bacarr

January 11, 2021 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat tagged as Good Day, historical fiction, Library, Memories, podcast, podcasts, Ulverscroft, women's fiction, writing

My #AGoodDay #podcast is up today re: a scare I had up in the air years ago.

Thanks to @uLibraryDigital for producing these stories!

You can listen below and on the Ulverscroft page on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/episode/07cHfvk7h59dfewTRVxNO7?si=u26TNw4XQVWqZEDq-dW1jA

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My Endless Summer of Reading by Jina Bacarr

May 11, 2018 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as author, books, friend, Library, May, prom, promposal, reading, Summer

It’s the reading month of May!

In case you didn’t know it, May is #GetCaughtReadingMonth, so I decided to challenge myself to do “a graphic a day with someone reading a book.”

I’m a third of my way through the month, and I’m hanging in there. So for this month’s blog, I’m going to post some of them for your viewing and reading pleasure.

First, here’s a graphic I really love because it says so much about how lucky we are to choose what we read.

Which brings me to my own version of the Endless Summer

When I was thirteen, I spent my free time in the old library by the beach with its dusty shelves and cracked, wooden floor. It was the summer I discovered boys and surfing.

And the library’s adult section.

Reading everything I could find there. Romance sagas in hardback, mysteries with provocative covers. Adventure stories girls weren’t supposed to read.

Until a lady wagged her finger at me and told me to go back to the kids’ section.

I didn’t.

Even then I knew I wanted to write, and to write what was in my heart, I needed the freedom to discover all kinds of writing.

Enjoy the freedom to choose what you want to read!

By the way, I didn’t listen to her and kept sticking my Irish nose wherever I smelled a good story…

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So for #GetCaughtReadingMonth, here are some of the graphics I’ve posted so far:

You can find all the #GetCaughtReadingMonth graphics I’ve done so far and check them out all this month of May on Twitter and my Facebook pages:

And finally, since it’s prom month:

Ever wanted to be Prom Queen?

Kaylee is tired of being bullied by the Duchess in Crystal Girl and sells her soul to get thin

Here’s the story of Kaylee and her promposal . . . from a hottie devil!

CRYSTAL GIRL: Kindle & KU: http://a.co/ipzidx8

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Listen Up….

February 25, 2013 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as audio books, eBooks, Library, Overddrive

I’m not a techno maven, so please forgive my self-congratulation and delight at having figured out how to download digital audio titles (and eBooks) to my iPhone…from the Public Library.

Is that great, or what?

I don’t have a tablet at the moment (lost my Kindle & am obsessing about alternatives. Thinking Galaxy Notebook? Mostly an Apple family, so wanted to try something else). So I am mostly focused on audio right now. Love the idea of downloading from the library for several reasons:

1. Very inexpensive (free). You do have to get a library card, though. (also free)

2. You aren’t stuck with a physical product that sits around, cluttering things up–as if you’re going to listen to it again, which is unlikely. And if you want to, why just take it out of the library again!

3. OK, yes, I worked for publishers, who often had an uneasy relationship with libraries due to their free-ness when you’re trying to make a living selling books. But libraries have always been magical and wonderful places for me. They are an amazing repository for information, help, knowledge and access. Via their remarkable “free sampling” program, they introduce people to new things–like digital content–that often create new consumers and enrich our lives. So I believe in & support libraries–by using them as well as giving.

4. OMG when you download digital content, it is never late! It just disappears when your time is up. No need to keep track or be nearby to hand it in. Poof.

5. With a WiFi connection, you can download a book from anywhere, anytime. Finish something in the middle of the night on a business trip or vacation? Just browse the shelves and download something new at 1:00am.

Audio is an interesting format, with incredible advantages and some challenges. It is a genuinely different vehicle for “consuming” content, and it can take a bit of personal exploration and experimentation to find your sweet spot. What are this issues? you may well ask…

A. Sound. It’s pretty basic. You have to have earphones (comfy earphones) if you’re in company (unless it’s a shared experience), and the environment has to be quiet enough so you can hear. For example, New York is a really loud city. It’s hard to hear as you walk on the street, ride the subway or sit in a cab. Not impossible, but I find myself turning the volume up & down a lot.

B. Someone is reading to you–often a delightful asset, but sometimes a liability. If good, the voice can significantly enhance the experience. I’ve been listening to several P.G. Wodehouse Bertie & Jeeves titles & they’re a delight. All the upper crust characters, ridiculous expressions, outrageous situations come alive with the accents & tones of voice.

James Joyce’s reader is a Joyce expert, delivering wonderful Irish accents, even singing when the story required. And it’s a comfort to feel the stream of consciousness is flowing by with an approved cadence and pace.

Life of Pi’s Indian accented reader turns out not to even be Indian, but really enhanced and enriched the story for me.

But if the reader is bad, it can make the listening experience unbearable.

C. Also, with audio, they read every word. I skim when I get bored reading, or if there are long lists, or it feel repetitive. You don’t really have that option with audio.

You can skip forward, but it’s not the same as glancing down a page to confirm they’re still yammering about battle details or lush descriptions.

This can be a good thing if the writing is good–forcing you to slow down and savor the words and images. But if you’re listening to some little known Victorian novel, you may discover why it is not well known when you find yourself subjected to what seems like hours of exquisitely described detail of an emotional or physical landscape.

D. Some people just lose traction listening & feel they have to keep going back to remember who said what to whom & when & thus find audio frustrating, as it doesn’t offer the visual cues of flipping back a page, or looking in the middle of that long paragraph.

In this case, they need to listen to stuff they don’t care about so much (avoid ‘How To’ or non-fiction or complex fiction). Consider plays, or poetry, where listing & responding is perhaps more important than keeping track of everything.

E. Why bother? Well, I love storytelling, and audio can slip in through the cracks and deliver a great reading experience when actual reading is impossible. I can listen and look out the window of the train or plane or bus. I can listen and knit or sew or mend. I can sit with the gang as they watch TV and listen to my story. Grocery shop. Walk the dog. If I’m alone, I can be read to sleep, with a built in timer that will shut off after 15, 30, 60 minutes. Though if being read to makes you fall asleep, perhaps listen to the radio when you’re driving!

Downloading audio books from your public library:

General info Overdrive Media Console or Overdrive for iStuff

Load the app onto your iPhone, Android, Blackberry, etc.

Locate your library (hopefully) on their very long Add A Library list.

Put in your library card number & password. Search. Browse. Create a Wish List & fill it with titles you’re interested in. Ask for a eHold on a title that isn’t available right now–you’ll get an email when it becomes available & you can download it. If you finish before your book is due, return and delete it.

Select and download titles–you’ll get a sense for how long they are by the number of packages of data.

Plug yourself in…and listen up!

Isabel Swift

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