My TBR list runners over!
In April every year, the Independent Booksellers in my area host a book crawl and it is one of the most fun things my husband and I do all year. This year 19 independent bookstores are on the list which spans 7 counties and 2 states. It is a daunting challenge, but you have the entire month to visit each store and collect a stamp on a passport or printed page. The bookstores are also collecting children’s books for the non-profit organization Promising Pages, which distributes books to children who may not be able to afford to purchase their own books.
Yesterday, my husband and I left home at 10AM, and proceeded to drive to all of the bookstores north of our home. It took us to areas around our home we never visit. Most of the bookstores sell used books, and it was a great chance to stock up on the titles we are missing in our collections, as well as browsing through many we have never seen before — you never know when you may find a gem you never knew you wanted to read. I was able to find several books by Kate Morton that I haven’t gotten around to reading yet, as well as picking up many books from my Goodreads TBR list. As we traveled, we met many other people also participating in the book crawl and collecting stamps for their pages. At the end, there is a gift tote bag, and a drawing for gift cards for the stores.
At the end of the day, I had added 18 books to my collection, and my husband added 8 to his.
So — what am I reading now?
Yesterday I started The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. It is my book club’s choice for June, and a daunting 643 pages and currently enjoys a 4.01 rating on Goodreads.com. (My book club shys away from books with ratings lower than 4.0) My plan is to finish it in the next two weeks, so that I can get started on my new stack of books — and maybe even read a title or two collected during the book crawl of 2023!
Happy reading!
Mrs. Hudson Reads 