It may be the end of July, but the reading never stops. For your browsing pleasure, please check out the lists below. You'll probably find plenty to add to your TBR (to-be-read) virtual or paper-based stacks of books for the rest of summer and beyond. The Booklist Reader has a list of authors and books to tackle for various July events, including Canada Day, the Fourth of July, P.T. Barnum's birthday, and Bastille Day. (Note: the list is nine years old, but hey, some authors never go out of date.) BookBrowse lists their Best book for July 2019 . You'll find all kinds and flavors here. Click on a cover to learn more about a particular book. For the Fourth of July, the Cincinnati Public Library has recommendations for all ages and tastes. To stretch the timeframe a bit, Listopia's Best Children's Books about Summer provides plenty for small fry to devour—251 books in all. Now, to mysteries, because that's my favorite genre.  The Cozy Mystery List Blog ...

The post last week by Linda, Independent Writer? Team Player? Can you be Both? really resonated with me. Photo by Maryann Miller Since I was born on the Fourth of July there has been a strong independent streak down my back a mile wide, and it did take me a bit longer than some others to appreciate the benefits of joining a team. Whether that be a critique group, or even later joining with other authors in a group blog, such as this one, or banding together for marketing and promotions. In some ways, marketing was a little simpler for the author before the advent of the Internet - thank you Al Gore, LOL - and all the social media outlets. If we were lucky enough to have a book accepted for publication, often the publishing house would do the marketing, and we were encouraged to make a few bookstore appearances, but that was all. Of course we all know how different that was for big name authors. For us in the mid-list, we were encouraged to write the next book, respond to fan ...

Today is my birthday. It is also the day we in the United States celebrate Independence Day, marking the end of British rule in the colonies. We hope none of our friends in the U.K. hold that against us. We're happy to remain friends. When I was a kid, I naturally thought all the hullabaloo - parades, fireworks, picnics, excitement - was meant to celebrate me. Imagine my disappointment when I found out it wasn't. My sister, however, was delighted. She had always resented the fact that my birthday had parades and hers didn't. It was one of those classic "nana, nana, nana," moments between siblings.  The year I found out the horrible truth was the year it became my turn to refuse to come out from under the bed and go to the corner for the parade. Still, this holiday always stirs my patriotic spirit. I love the parades and the fireworks, and the general air of excitement and fun that surrounds us as we picnic. I've been known to spend the entire day singing ...

Crash! Bang! Kerpow! Either it's the Fourth of July again, or all the aerosol cans in my garage are exploding. The Fourth of July brings a multitude of fond memories to me, not only in a patriotic sense, but also because it happens to be my birthday as well. Even having to bear with such comments as, "You must be a real firecracker," I'm glad I share my day with such a prestigious holiday. At least I'm not easily forgotten. A birthday on January sixteenth can• slip by unnoticed, but who can forget the Fourth of July? (Besides my mother's maiden aunt who also forgets to send me Christmas cards). When I was a kid, I naturally assumed that all the fanfare from parades to fireworks was all done in my honor, and it was a big shock to me at about age eight to realize that 15 of us were celebrating my birthday and the rest of the world could care less. My sister, likewise, thought all the hullabaloo was in my honor and it really bugged her. After all, on her birthday...