Category: Conversations with Kav

The start of the year is the perfect time to cozy up for a nice bookish chat, don’t you think? Okay, I know some of you are way farther south than I am, or in another hemisphere entirely and are experiencing record heat levels, but, for today, let’s pretend you’re up here with me in the chilly, very snowy North. That way we can gather around an enchanting fire and sip some hot cocoa (or lemon ginger tea with a splash of honey if you prefer) and talk bookish hot topics.

Books vs Audio Books

Who knew that my social media feed would be rampant with controversial bookish chats in January? It started with the heated debate over whether audio books should count as reading. I’m still gobsmacked that there is a very opinionated faction among the larger reading community who are adamantly opposed to considering audiobooks as actual reads! I mean…whhaaaattttt?

I was encouraged by the pushback these naysayers received and moved by the myriad of heartfelt stories about the difference listening to audiobooks made in readers’ lives. I know first hand how audio books have provided distraction and encouragement in my battle with chronic pain. And isn’t listening to a book while engaged in other activities a mood boost? I’ll never do housework without audio accompaniment again! Or tedious garden tasks like weeding! Don’t know how I survived before audio books!

So, what do you think? Audio books – yay or nay? And do you think they should be counted as books read in a Good Reads Challenge?

Category Romances don’t count

Think Love Inspired or Love Inspired Suspense or Harlequin Heartwarming. Again, there are well, literature snobs I guess, who don’t consider these novels to be legitimate reading material. Critics can be quite scornful not only of the books, but of their readers. I’m like, seriously, aren’t there more important things in this world to worry about than whether folks are spending their time reading a category romance as opposed to a 600 page literary tome?!

Opinions? I know my Love Inspired Suspense giveaways aren’t as popular as other books but I’m hoping just because this genre niche isn’t your cup of tea that you don’t look down on those of us who do enjoy them?

Books under 400 pages don’t count either

Seriously, the same literature snobs think that longer somehow makes a book more valid! Most of the books I read are in the 300 – 400 page range. I find that’s the perfect pacing for me, though, of course, I’ll read longer books if the story warrants those extra words. I don’t have patience for authors who extend their word count with excessive flowery descriptions, or copious unnecessary scenes that don’t propel the plot forward. Maybe it’s because I mostly read romance and I figure if a hero and heroine can’t get their act together within 400 pages then they need to go to therapy and try again later! Bwahahaha!

How about you? Do you worry about word count? Make specific goals to read very looonnnggggg books? (That’s a thing on booktube.)

If you read over a hundred books in a year, you aren’t a serious reader!?

Seriously, I had no idea reading could be so controversial! But yes, those same literature snobs maintain that people who read over one hundred books in a year can’t possibly comprehend, retain or appreciate what they read. I can only speak to my experiences so here we go:

I read a lot (and I include audiobooks in my book count) and I feel that it’s been reading time well spent. Do I remember every detail of every story? Not always…but, hey, that’s what rereads are for, right? And I’d challenge any reader to give a detailed accurate recall of a book they read ten years ago.

Plus, I think we have to look at lifestyle as well. I live alone and have a medical condition that restricts how much I can do. I have a three hour daily activity threshold before my pain levels spike to a point that will take hours to bring back down, so I spend a lot of time at home. Alone. Not a huge TV or movie fan (though I am dedicated to some British murder mystery series) so what’s a reader to do but read? 🙂 Then I share what I read on this blog (or Good Reads if it’s a cozy mystery) so in away, my reading is my job too. Love the motivation blogging gives me and the readerly fellowship here so that’s a huge mood booster for this not-quite-shut-in. Talk about appreciating books and reading!

Any thoughts on this controversial subject (at least, I think it’s controversial!)

New Year, New Reads Giveaway

Share a thought or two in the comments below and you’ll be entered in a draw to win a:

US – $10 Baker Book House ecard

Canada – $10 Amazon ecard

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 17, 2026

I belonged to a tight-knit group of school librarians and we always gathered together for a little festive party close to Christmas. We were an eclectic group with rather bookish ideas about what made a great party entertainment. Things like gathering at someone’s house and watching a book adaptation, reading snippets of Christmas scenes from favourite books, sharing holiday picture books and sourcing all kinds of word games to bring out our competitive natures. Two industrious librarians even created a kid’s lit trivial pursuit game. Oh…and I can’t forget the year we played Family Feud with the participants acting as fictional families from actual novels. Sigh. I can’t believe I am admitting all this in public. So yes, we were all book nerds and proud of it. 🙂

So, today I thought it would be fun to share one of those word games. It’s a simple matter of identifying the Christmas Carol / Song by the rather unorthodox wordy clue. Some are pretty easy and others are head scratchers. Of course, there will be a giveaway, so check for details at the end of this post. 🙂

If you’d like to play – note the number and your translation in a comment below. As people guess correctly, I’ll add those answers to this list so we will all be enlightened by the end of the day (hopefully)

GUESS THE CHRISTMAS CAROLS!

1. Approach Everyone Who Is Steadfast – O Come All Ye Faithful
2. Ecstasy Toward the Orb – Joy to the World
3. Listen, the Foretelling Spirits Harmonize – Hark the Herald Angels Sing
4. Hey, Minuscule Urban Area Southwest of Jerusalem – O Little Town of Bethlehem
5. Quiescent Nocturnal Period – Silent Night
6. The Autocratic Troika Originating Near the Accent of Apollo – We Three Kings of Orient Are
7. The Primary Carol – The First Noel
8. Embellish the Corridors – Deck the Halls
9. I Apprehended My Maternal Parent Osculating with a Corpulen, Unshaven Male in Crimson Disguise – I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
10. I’m Fantasizing Concerning a Blanched Yuletide – I‘m Dreaming of a White Christmas
11. My Singular Desire For the Impending Yuletide Season is Receipt of a Pair of Central Incisors – All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth
12. During the Time Ovine Caretakers Supervised Their Charges Past Twilight – While Shepherds Watch Their Flock by Night
13. Celestial Messengers From Splendid Empires – Angels from the Realms of Glory
14. The Event Occurred at One Minute aFter 11:59 – Visibility Unlimited – It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
15. The Coniferous Nativity – O Christmas Tree
16. What Offspring Abides Thus? – What Child is This?
17. Removed in a Bovine Feeding Trough – Away in a Manger
18. Creator Cool It Ya Kooky Cats – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
19. Seraphim We Aurally Detect in the Stratosphere – Angels We Have Heart On High
20. Valentino, the Roseate Proboscissed Wapati – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
21. Father Christmas Approaches the Metropolis – Santa Claus is Coming to Town
22. Ag Glockenspiels – Silver Bells
23. The Slight Percussionist Lad – The Little Drummer Boy
24. Ornament the Enclosure With Large Sprigs of a Berry Bearing Evergreen – Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly
25. Anticipation of this Noel’s Memento’s; Nil – I’m Getting nothin’ for Christmas
26. The Approach of the Holiday Commemorating the Birth of Christ is Becoming Evident – It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
27. A Meterological Melody is Manifest – There’s a Song in the Air
28. The Yuletide’s Diurnal Dozen – The 12 Days of Christmas
29. Please Permit Pristine Precipitation – Let it Snow
30. ‘Rimey’, the Mannequin of Crystalline H2O – Frosty the Snowman
31. Our Desire is Your Yuletide Cheer – We Wish You a Merry Christmas
32. Aged Matriarch Plowed Under by Precipitous Darlings – Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
33. Are You Experiencing Parallel Auditory Input? – Do You Hear What I Hear?
34. Endeavor to personally experience singular, minuscule Yule! – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY

Participate in the name the Christmas Carol game OR share a Christma tradition you enjoy during this festive season in a comment and you’ll be entered in a draw for a:

$15 gift card – Baker Book House for US winner, Amazon or Indigo for Canadian winner

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday December 20 2025

We all know that I am a self-confessed cover snob, but did you know that I am just as opinionated about book titles? It makes sense, in a way, since both title and cover make up a reader’s first impression. Some titles entice me immediately, while others leave me indifferent, confused, even cringing. So I thought it would be fun to chat about our title preferences because I’m sure I’m not the only reader with opinions! 🙂 And stick around to the end for the giveaway announcement.

My Title Dislikes

(Titles used as examples are made up by me, any similarities to real titles of published works is completely coincidental)

Titles that list every trope in the book:

The Billionaire’s Second Chance at Love : Fake Dating His Secret Baby’s Mama

I get that the author/publisher is trying to grab a reader’s attention to make a sale BUT surely they understand that we know how to read a synopsis on the back of the book or online? If you want to emphasize tropes, make them a tag line at the beginning or end of the synopsis and get more creative with the title!

Titles that read like a review:

Millicent Finally Gets Her Man : a well-written, emotionally gripping love story featuring an enemies to more romance guaranteed to stir your heart and curl your toes.

Talk about oversell! If an author has to 5 star review a book in the title, it’s immediately downgraded in my mind. I’m assuming the intention is to make a sale, but it has the opposite effect on me. I wouldn’t even give the back book blurb a chance! ( I know, I’m such a title snob!)

Titles that read like a synopsis:

Lad, a stray dog searches for a family all his own and along the way helps a mother cat find her lost kitten only to discover that her humans might be the right furever family for him as well.

Bwahahaha! My example is a bit (!) extreme, but I’m sure you’ve all seen titles that tell way too much. This would be an automatic no go for me even though I love dogs and the premise of the story is appealing…just not as a title!

Series that have books will similar titles.

Book One: Heat, Book Two: Scorch, Book Three: Burn

I can totally accept that this is unique to Kav issue, but when a series has similar titles, especially when paired with similar cover art, I always get confused and can’t remember which one I’ve read. So, when I’m browsing online or at the library I’ll often bypass these books, promising myself I’ll check my records later but I usually forget. 🙂

My Title Likes

Pun-y titles

Owl’s Well That Ends Well (actual title in the Meg Langslow series)

One of the delights of cozy mystery reading are all the pun-y titles. So many wonderful options and I’m amazed that authors/publishers are still creating new ones!

Along that line – titles that play on words, especially when they are a twist on classic literature

Sense and Suitability (actual title!)

So clever! It immediately draws me in and I start to wonder how the author is going to reimagine elements from a well-loved story.

A title that’s intriguing on it’s own but once you’ve read the book, you realize how aptly it suits the story.

Hearts in Circulation (actual title!)

Librarian heroine with a bookmobile finds romance on the road. 🙂 This is one of my favourite titles because it matches the story perfectly and there’s hidden layers that fit too!

A title that sparks my imagination

Forgotten

When I read a book with a title like this my mind goes all over the place. What is forgotten? Does the heroine feel forgotten? Does a main character have amnesia? Is there a mystery around something that has been forgotten? A character with dementia? A family history that needs to be uncovered? So many directions the story could take and I want to be in at the very start!

Giveaway Opportunity:

US – paperback or ebook

Canada – paperback, ebook or audible (if available)

International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

Time to put your thinking caps on and share your title likes and dislikes in a comment or email (kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca) but this time, add in the intriguing title of a book you would like to win if your name is drawn. Books must be Christian Fiction and already published.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday December 6 2025

We have something special coming up this week and it got me thinking about authors and book signings and conferences and all that great ‘seeing an author out in the wild’ stuff that never happens way up here where I live. But I know many of you have met authors at various events and I thought it would be super fun to hear some of your stories. That way I can live vicariously through your author meet-ups! It’ll be the next best thing to actually being there! So won’t you indulge me, please? 🙂

Oh — and that something special? I’m featuring a new author’s debut book on Tuesday. I haven’t even read it yet (waiting for the paperback to come out here in Canada) but I was so excited when Mark contacted me about his niece, Stephanie Sanders, publishing her first book in December. He’s as proud as proud can be (and rightfully so) and “Hooked” is even endorsed by Colleen Coble! How cool is that? So now I’m all fangirling over authors in general and left with a craving for all the author meet stories you can send my way! Please share. Please. Please. Please. 🙂

First the Catch Up:

Just a reminder that we are closing in on the last day to get Bingo entries in. The closing date is Thursday November 27 – American Thanksgiving (sorry, I said Friday in previous posts but your Thanksgiving is always Thursday, for some strange reason. Can someone explain why? It would make more sense to have it on the Friday so you’d get a long weekend.)

We already have 8 Bingo Blackouts and lots more that are pretty close so woohoo, lots of great reading this autumn! And I’m getting lots of great books to add to my TBR because it clearly wasn’t long enough before! 🙂

Remember that interesting discussion we had about AI and the publishing industry a few months ago? Well, I’ve recently noticed a new disclaimer being added at the end of my audio books now. It says something to the effect of: “No part of this audio book may be used or reproduced for training artificial intelligence technologies or systems.” And I’ve also heard the phrase ‘text data-mining’ which I think refers to using an author’s work to train a AI to write books! Ack! This whole topic gets my dander up and I’m inwardly fuming that publishers need to add this kind of disclaimer at the end of any creative work. It should be obvious – don’t steal anyone’s intellectual property! Gah! But I guess these disclaimers make it easier to pursue legal action if necessary.

Price of ebooks: I was listening to an author chat (cozy mystery) about a month ago. Apparently bestseller lists are only compiled from sales of physical books in brick and mortar stores. So the theory is that publishers match the ebook price to the paperback price for the first few weeks in order to encourage people to buy the print book so that sale can be counted for the bestseller lists. They were talking about how that criteria needs to change and that ebook sales should also be counted but that’s not happening yet. I’d say audiobooks should be counted as well. A sale is a sale no matter the format, right? Anyway, that explains why the ebook price will go down after a couple of weeks to where it should be.

End of the Year Book Tag

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

This is the book I am reading with a church non-fiction group. We cover a chapter every two weeks so I’m not sure if I’ll finish by the end of the year. But this is the only book unfinished at this time from my TBR. I choose a book, read it all the way through or DNF it and move on. No fictional malingering for me!

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

This is the second book in the Hometown Hardware Mystery series which has an autumn setting. I keep pushing it aside for Christmas reads but I really need to read this one because the author has just released #3 which is a Christmas book!

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

Eeeeppp!!! I have this one on preorder and I’m anxiously awaiting the call from the bookstore to say it’s finally arrived! Just a couple of weeks to go.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

Argh! I have way more than three but here we go…these ones are on my TBR right now:

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become a favourite of the year?

This one grabbed my attention the second Cindy mentioned it on our Hello November day. Thankfully it came out in paperback closer to the release date and I might have ordered it right away. The tagline is: “Blizzard Outside. Banter Inside. Sparks Inevitable.” Blizzard. City girl with a pampered pet in force proximity with a brooding cowboy. I have high hopes for this one!

Now it’s your turn. Feel like answering one or more of these questions? If so, share in a comment, along with the title and author, of one of the Christian Fiction books you would like to end the year with (that you don’t already have.) If your name is drawn, that is the book you will win! Easy Peasy!

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday November 15 2025

I’ve always dreamed about owning a bookstore. I think every reader has a variation of that bookish fantasy…at least I hope so, otherwise this is going to be me being weird again. 🙂 I came upon this book tag on Chautona Havig’s Youtube page and thought it was too fun to pass up.

So, today, let’s chat about bookshops…specifically the kind we’d own. Money’s no limit, and, of course all our bookshops will be mega successful so let your imagination run wild. (And remember to check out the giveaway details at the end of this post.)

If I Owned a Bookshop…

Well, of course, I’d be over the moon and I would never want to take a day off! I’d order books and shelve books and make pretty display books ! Oh and I’d get to talk books all day long! Happy sigh. Of course, I’d have to be practical too and that’s where this book tag comes in.

Oh, and I should say what kind of bookstore. I have two dream ideas and they are exact opposites. One is a huge multi-storied bookstore with lots of reading nooks and craft corners and large spaces for book signings. The Hudson’s Bay Company (Canadian department store) has recently gone out of business and whenever I go to the mall and see that huge three storied empty space at one end of the mall I think, “that would make an amazing bookstore!” So that’s one of my bookshop dreams.

But the one I’m going to use to answer the questions for this book tag is my other dream — making over an old school bus into a travelling bookstore that I could take to out of the way places where people are hours away from a bricks and mortar bookstore. So, here we go!

1. Operating Hours – They would vary depending on my destination so I’d have to be very flexible. And the season would play a part as well. Tough to be on the road in the middle of winter (mind you being stranded in a mobile bookshop in a the blizzard might be cozy!)
2. Music Playing – I don’t think I’d do music but it would fun to play ambient sounds to suit the location and time of day. So waves crashing on the beach for a seaside town, a crackling fire and night owls hooting for an evening opening in the mountains…that kind of thing.
3. Coffee and alcohol? – Definite no to the alcohol. Maybe I could have an awning across one side of the bus with a few cafe tables and chairs and I could serve simple coffee or juice. It would depend on how much room I’d be willing to sacrifice from my books!
4. Set up of store – I’ve kind of described this already. A bus outfitted with shelves and a couple of cozy reading nooks. I’d have some clever storage set up so I could pull out a bookshelf and set it up outside on good weather days. OH – just had a brilliant afterthought. A double decker bus bookstore!!!
5. Live entertainment and community events – welllll, that’s kinda hard, though I could partner with small towns and we could host something together. I’d bring the books and they could supply a meeting place for a book club or crafting event. That kind of thing.
6. Store Location: Wherever the road takes me!
7. External appearance: I’d definitely want to paint it with books and characters — kind of like the Magic School bus only book themed. 🙂
8. What kind of books would you sell? – Everything. It would be fun to tailor my collection to the different communities. People could send it requests and interests beforehand so I could stock up. That means I’d need a warehouse in my home base….oh wow, a whole warehouse full of books! Thud!
9. Name of the store:Novel Journeys.

The Giveaway

Now it’s your turn. Share a bit about the kind of bookstore you would like to own in a comment below and I’ll enter you in a draw to win:

US – $10 Baker Book House gift certificate

Canada – $10 Amazon or Indigo gift certificate

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday November 15 2025.

I thought it would be fun to talk about our favourite genres and how they came to be our favourite. Have your reading tastes changed over the years or have you always been a stalwart *insert genre here* fan?

For some strange reason, I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Maybe because I’ve been shifting books and bookshelves again (I swear my bookshelves are shrinking! Like a shelf or two vanish with alarming regularity. Where do they go? It’s a mystery!) Anyway, I always get nostalgic and a tad contemplative when I’m organizing my shelves. Every book I touch has a story beyond the one inside – the history of how it came into my house, an author’s signature, the way just touching it can bring on the emotions I felt during the read. Okay, that sounds kinda strange, but I’m sure fellow bibliophiles will understand what I mean. 🙂

Anyway, then I got to thinking about genres and which one I’m most drawn to (hint: it’s a multiple tie) and how my preferences really haven’t changed a ton since childhood. Does that make me boring? Dependable sounds better, I am a dependable genre reader…with the exception of one. Stay tuned to find out which one.

So, I thought I would share my first ever (as far as I can remember) genre read in childhood and then when I discovered Christian Fiction….which was around 2009. If you feel like sharing your thoughts on genre preferences and first books read, I’d love to hear all about it. Bookish talk delights me! And be sure to check out the giveaway instructions at the end of this blog – it’s uniquely genre specific.

I’m thinking that my first ever historical novel has to be The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Followed closely by The Little Princess and then all of Louisa May Alcott’s books! My first Historical Romance was Mrs. Mike by Benedict Freedman. I remember my first swoon and toe-curls fondly. I was fourteen. The book is about a woman who falls in love with a Mountie and the challenges of following him to his postings in Northern Canada. Set in the 1800s. I remember feeling soooo grown up reading it!

My first ever Christian Fiction Historical novel was The Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen. Such exquisite storytelling. I was charmed and have read almost all of Julie’s books since. Just have the latest two Sea view Sisters books to read and I’ll be all caught up.

My first contemporary novel was Junket by Anne H. White. Of course, it was about a dog! And now it would be considered historical fiction because it was published sometime in the 1940s! I always loved dogs but this book brought me to a whole other level. I was officially dog crazy from the age of eight and always looked for dogs in my fiction since I never had my own until I was in my late twenties.

I’m finding it harder to exactly remember what my first Christian Fiction Contemporary novel was but one that sticks out is The Cubicle Next Door by Siri Mitchell. Humorous, great witty sarcasm but lots of emotion too. Borderline rom/com, but goes deeper.

Oh, my, there are so many and I really don’t know which book came first. I’m definitely a born mystery reader! I read a lot of Phyllis A Whitney’s mysteries for kids which led me to her gothic adult novels when I was in my teens. And of course, I read, reread and reread again all my Trixie Beldens! And yes, while I did read Nancy Drew and even some of the Hardy Boys and Dana Girls too, I will always choose Trixie as the best girl sleuth ever!

Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series was my introduction to Christian Fiction Suspense and I never looked back. This is truly my favourite genre, I think, since a lot of my Historical novels have elements of mystery in them as well.

I discovered Plain Girl by Virginia Sorensen in my school library when I was in grade five and I was utterly fascinated by the story of an Amish girl forced to attend public school and the challenges she faced. It was first published in the 1950s before the Amish were able to create their own school system.

I actually read quite a few Beverly Lewis Amish novels before I even realized there was such a thing as Christian Fiction. I’m pretty sure The Shunning was the first one I read. This is now my least read genre. I still enjoy a good Amish story and my library is great about getting all the big name authors’ books but I don’t reach for them as often as other genres.

When I was a kid, Fantasy was my most read genre! Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis kicked things off, then I discovered E. Nesbitt and Five Children and It etc, and all of Edward Eager’s magic books starting with Half Magic and Canadian author Catherine Anthony Clark wrote a series of books featuring every day children entering a magical world of uniquely Canadian Indigenous myths and legends. The Golden Pine Cone was the first one. Oh and Pierre Berton’s campy, tongue-in-cheek children’s fantasy The Secret World of Og, about a group of children who tunnel their way into a secret world underneath their playhouse. Sigh, I’m getting quite nostalgic. Oh — Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series with it’s Arthurian legends. Oh — Oh — Carbonel and The Kingdom of Carbonel by Barbara Sleigh about a girl who finds a witch’s broom and a talking cat. 🙂 I could go on…but clearly, I was fantasy driven in my childhood.

But now…it’s not a genre I gravitate to anymore and that makes me sad. I think I need to find my fantasy groove again. I don’t have many Christian Fiction fantasy books on my shelves. Lisa T. Bergren’s River of Time series might be the first I read.

Time for a chat and a giveaway!

Share your thoughts about fave genres, past and present and include one title (and author) of a book from your favourite genre that you would like to win. Your name will be added to the Random Wheel of Names and if the spinner chooses you, that’s the book you will win. Of Note: Books should already be published.

Giveaway options:

US – paperback or ebook – winner’s choice

Canada – paperback or ebook – winner’s choice

International – ebooks if you have a US Kindle account

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 25 2025

True Confession: I have a library problem. A BIG problem! Like a 44 Books Checked Out problem. Partly because it seems to just happen that a bunch of holds come in at the same time, but largely because I can’t resist browsing the bookshelves and adding to my growing collection.

Then I get home and I add them to my mountain of a TBR pile and promptly start to feel overwhelmed. Then, when it’s time for a new read I cautiously approach the pile and spend an hour browsing through all the books trying to decide what to read next. I like to read and rate the first sentence of all the books and choose the one that intrigues me the most.

It can take ages to narrow it down to the ‘winning’ book. I look for a first sentence that beguiles me, leaves me with a question or sparks intrigue. A sentence that makes me want to read more. So I did that today after I came home from my third library visit this week (I just can’t stay away!) And I spent way too long winnowing down my first sentence hopefuls only to become stymied by indecision when I pared the pile down to seven books. Groan! (And, yes, I could have read a whole book with the time I’ve spent trying make this monumental decision!)

So, I had a brilliant idea! Why don’t I let YOU choose my next read for me? Just read the seven first sentences below and and vote for the one you find most appealing in a comment. I’ll tally the answers up and the sentence with the most votes will be the book I read next. And I’ll be able to return at least one book to the library next week! Yay! 🙂

Nine PM and time for me to head to bed…with a book, of course! So I thought I’d update these first sentences with their matching titles in case some of you won’t be able to sleep tonight for not knowing! Bwahahaha!

This Great Water will be my sepulcher.

Tempest at Annabel’s Lighthouse by Jaime Jo Wright

It was a strangely calm morning in March, with no wind off the dales, when the woman I assumed to be my mother slipped into the shop.

The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House by Joanna Politano

So this is how it feels to be near death and utterly alone.

Indigo Isle by T.I. Lowe

Bleak. The weather, her mood, her life.

The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen

What had I done?

The Vanished by Cara Putman

Strange how an empty room could be haunted by sound, especially a sound as whispery and distant as the shiff of sand between the bowls of an hourglass.

The Atlas of Untold Stories by Sara Brunsvold

I was only eight years old when my aunts cursed me.

Truth Cursed by Angie Dickinson

Questions, I Have Questions (and a Giveaway)

• I’m curious: are you a library user? How many books do you have checked out at time?
• How do you choose what will be your next read?
• Do you pay attention to the lure (or not) of first sentences?

And, of course there’s a giveaway.

Leave your vote (#1-#7) in a comment below and join in the conversation to be entered in a draw for:

• US – $10 Baker Bookhouse e-gift card
• Canada – $10 Amazon or Indigo e-gift card

Draw will be held and winner announced on

Saturday October 18 2025.

I enjoyed our Summer Bingo Readathon so much, I thought it might be fun to try my hand at a Holiday version. It’s a mix of Autumn/Thanksgiving and Winter/Christmas prompts and fits nicely between the Canadian and American Thanksgivings.

And this time there will be TWO WINNERS! The Prize? $20 gift certificates: Baker Book House for US winners Indigo or Amazon for Canadian winners.

Once again, I conquered Canva and managed to create a Bingo card, only I have one typo. Can you spot it? Extra point if you do!

How to play (and have a chance to win):

• Bingo runs from Monday October 13 2025 Friday November 27 2025
• Read a book that fits a prompt (or prompts) to fill in a square (or squares)
• So yes, that means, one book could fit multiple prompts. Example: if you read a book featuring a heroine traveling home to spend Christmas with her family and the cover has a snowy scene including a night sky on the cover, you could mark off 5 squares (Christmas activity, snow on the cover, star or night sky on the cover, book set in the winter and family centered story)
• 10 chances at a Bingo – 4 rows across, 4 rows down, 2 diagonal rows
• Your name will be entered into a draw every time you get a Bingo (so the potential for 10 times)
• Bonus round: Fill your entire card to have your name entered 5 more times 
• Once you’ve achieved a Bingo, submit the prompts and corresponding books to me at kavluvstoread@yahoo.ca. using BINGO in the subject field
• Technically, you have until midnight EST November 27 to submit all your entries, but it would be easier on me to have them trickling in throughout October and November.
• Winner will be announced on Saturday November 28 2025

More About the Prompts

• Gold or Brown on the Cover : self-explanatory
• Christmas Activity in the Story : at least one significant scene where the hero and/or heroine participate in some kind of Christmas activity. Could be church related, family oriented, community focused etc.
• Atmospheric Read : this is going to mean different things to different people. Basically it’s a story that evokes strong emotions and a distinctive mood. The kind of story a reader becomes immersed in.
• Book Set in the Winter: self-explanatory
• Story with a Dinner Scene: this should be a significant type of dinner. Maybe a Thanksgiving feast or a Christmas brunch but it could also be a restaurant date, or friends grabbing dinner after a day of shopping. The scene should move the story forward somehow, so like in a mystery, they might be discussing clues, or a couple on a date could be getting to know each other better or working out a problem. Should be more substantial than “They grabbed a bite to eat and headed over to the movie theatre.” 🙂
• Travelling home – Either the hero or heroine travel home for a holiday, some sort of celebration, to help an ailing relative/friend, attend a funeral, accept an inheritance…etc, you get the idea.
• Giving thanks for good friends – a story with a strong friendship in the plot or subplot
• Star of night sky on the cover – self-explanatory
• Book by an author you are thankful for – read a book by a fave author
• Family centered story – any sort of family makeup – siblings, extended family even found family. These characters play an important role in the story.
• Red AND green on the cover – both colours need to be represented on the front cover.
• Book set in Autumn – self-explanatory
• Gift giving is featured in the story – any kind of gift, doesn’t have to be Christmas, could even be the gift of service.
• Snow on the cover – self-explanatory
• Thankful for Christian Fiction – read a Christian Fiction novel
• Cozy Read – whatever you think of as a cozy, comfort read. For me that’s usually a cozy mystery or a reread.

Phew! I think that’s everything. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments. And let the holiday reading begin!