Betsy Snow White Bibliophile

Category: bibliophile

  • Pinball Wizard (Or Something Like it)

    Pinball Wizard (Or Something Like it)

    Today I got a chance to play on my favorite pinball machine for the first time in years. It is this machine:

    This is a machine based off of the Broadway Musical version of The Who’s Tommy.

    First you need to know that when I was eleven or twelve my older sister, Krystie, bought us tickets to the Broadway in Columbus production of The Who’s Tommy. I had never even heard the music and I was blown away by the production, the music, everything was just amazing.

    Later that year we went as a family to Cedar Point. My cousin, Lynsi, and I were given some money (I was given $40) and we were sent off to the arcade to play for an hour. As we walked in I saw it, a The Who’s Tommy Pinball Machine.

    Immediately I walked over and as soon as I could exchange cash for coin I began to play. I am not a pinball wizard, but I love to play and this machine played just the way I liked. And as you played and your score rose the machine would play snippets of songs from the musical.

    Before I knew it I had spent all $40 of my dollars on this machine. My mom came to find us and when she realized what had happened she forbade me from setting foot in an arcade again.

    Now, for most people they would understand that she meant I should never spend money on a game like that again, but my probably neurodivergent ass took it literally. So when my friends would go into the arcade in our local mall I would wait outside for them and read a book or something (I am an elder millenial so there were no smart phones then).

    When my mom found this out when I was 18 or so, she was horrified. She of course did not intend for me to literally never set foot in an arcade again. But, regardless of intention that is what I took from it.

    The Who’s Tommy is still my favorite machine ( The Addams Family is a close second) in spite of all the weirdness. I remain not great at pinball, but I still love it. And I can still sing the whole soundtrack to the musical. ❤️

    This machine was at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library on loan from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. My husband took me to play it today for my birthday. It was also the Big Book Sale at the Library so I bought a bunch of books too. A good day!

  • Betsy’s Book Report: Untethering Dark by Desiree M. Niccoli

    Betsy’s Book Report: Untethering Dark by Desiree M. Niccoli

    Set in the Black Forest (der Schwarzwald) in Germany we are introduced to Astrid a Hexe, a witch with aspirations to become a hag like her adopted mother, Mutter Perchta. Every Night for years Astrid has left out an offering to Altes Geweih, Old Antlers, an ancient forest protector who lives with her in the forest.

    Then one night a group of hikers come to Astrid’s home causing chaos, releasing her goats, and destroying her nightly offering to Altes Geweih. Realizing he has come and accepting her fate she brings a plate of cookies, and comes face to face with the monster in the woods. Expecting to be eaten, instead he allows her to live and accepts her offer of cookies.

    Soon she is flirting with him, and he is flirting back? He reveals his true name to her, Gudariks. And, Astrid begins to feel true attraction and affection for her unlikely new friend. The two of them have a burgeoning relationship that develops alongside the two also working together to attempt to rid the forest of a group of poachers who seem to be plaguing the forest.

    The characters in the book may be monsters, but they are beautifully developed and nuanced. The relationships also feel so real, including those between Astrid and her human friends. The inclusion of lore, history, and traditions of the area just adds to the richness of the story. I can believe that in this world there are mysteries in the dark woods that we cannot comprehend, set to protect the natural world from human corruption. In fact, I want to believe.

    I gave the book five stars and would recommend highly to monster romance lovers, and to those curious about the genre. I will warn you, though, that you may come out the other side with a longing for German Christmas Cookies.

    Untethering Dark by Desiree M. Niccoli is the first Monster Romance to be released by Harlequin books, a publisher every romance reader probably knows, and I was lucky enough to get approved to receive an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy). The book will be available February 4, 2025 as an ebook only at https://shop2.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780369762214_untethering-dark.html

  • 2024 Reading Recap

    2024 Reading Recap

    I read 575 books in 2024 according to goodreads, though I suspect a couple of ARCs and audiobooks may have been missed, and some of these books just blew me away with how well written they were, how immersive they were, how entertaining they were, how smutty they were, and occasionally how truly unhinged they were (looking at you Nicole Parker and Unfortunate Reads). Below is a collage of books I truly loved reading in 2024.

    Each of these books left an indelible mark on my mind and I would recommend them to anyone, well some of them I would recommend to anyone with a super open mind, but still…get into these.

    What were your favorite books of 2024?

  • Back and Bookish

    Hi! It has been a minute (or you know over a year) but I am back and, as mentioned in the title and blog rebrand, bookish.

    In the past two years (2023 and 2024) I read 947 books, novellas, ebooks, ARCs/ALCs and audiobooks. I have joined several street teams. I have attended several bookish events, boughts lots of book boxes, special editions, signed books, and so much more.

    What I am saying is that I am in my bookish era and I am taking this blog with me. I will post about events, review books, talk about authors, post unboxings, and anything else I can think of. Very bookish. Can you tell it is bookish?

    Also I am setting a goal to finish my own book in the first quarter of 2025, so I will post sneak peaks, and walk through the editing and publishing process.

    So…stick around.

    Welcome to 2025.

    Let’s read some books.

  • 2023 So Far…

    2023 So Far…

    I have read 178 books. I have seen 13 movies in the theatre. I have attended several parties, roller derby, a belly dance show, a burlesque show, a concert, and much more. My dad died. I reconnected with my half sister, Chelli. My dog died. I gained 5 pounds. I met several of my favorite authors. I made a ridiculous tiara out of Barbie heads. I turned 42. I drank mead, wine and cocktails. I learned how to drink water. I applied for a job I really wanted and I didn’t get it. I started a book club. I got sick and then got better. I bought a wonderful turquoise hat. I got compliments from people about my hat, my 80s jingle charm necklace, my hair tinsel, my boots, my general sense of style. A friend told another friend that she loved how brave and creative I was with my style. I didn’t write very much, because I wasn’t hearing the stories in my mind. There was too much static. But it is starting to clear and I am hearing words again. So…here I am.

  • About Me…Meme edition

    About Me…Meme edition

    Tara Wine-Queen on Facebook reached a milestone number of followers and decided to introduce herself to her new and old followers using memes. I loved this idea so much that I have been seeking out memes to replicate for myself, lol. Here is what I came up with:

    I am sure there is more, but I feel like this is a good representation of who I am.

    So, I read 27 books in January. And I have read 4 already for February. I am considering starting a book club where we just get together and talk about what we are reading a couple of times a month. I love the idea of a book club but being forced to read specific books makes it feel more like homework than reading for fun, so…create a literary society where we just talk about the books we are currently reading. Any genre. Plotting commences.

    Here is what I have read so far in 2023:

  • Bibliophilia and the Book Wyrm

    Bibliophilia and the Book Wyrm

    I saw this tweet the other day from SketchesbyBoze on twitter that said:

    Immediately I decided that this is my current situation…I am in my year of reading frivolously. 📚  I have been in school for so long that I have rarely read just for myself in the last 10 years. Now, since my masters degree is complete I am free to read just for the pure joy of reading. As on January first I have already read or listened to 10 books. I feel more like myself than I have in a very long time.

    I am also in a place with my writing where I feel like some writing will help me feel inspired. So I am reading, a lot. I reset my book goal for the year to 72 books, or six a month, with the possibility to change again if my current speed keeps up. I am reading like I am running out of time, or perhaps making up for lost time.

    I have loved everything I have read so far. And I have found several authors who I am eager to work through their other works. Other than A.K. Mulford and T.J. Klune whom I already acknowledged I also enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue which was absolutely lovely and bittersweet and the first two books of the Paper Magician series by Charlie N Holmberg. I am getting lost in these wonderful worlds and highly recommend the books and authors.

    More books to come, lol.

  • 2023…

    2023…

    Here we are. It is January. The start to a new year is upon us. I have some simple goals for the year: read more 📚, write more ✒️, skate more 🛼, travel more🗺, play more 🎉, laugh more 😂, love more ❤,  witch more 🕯, and be more myself than ever before.

    My 2023 word of the year is:

    To me this means to believe in myself, believe in others, believe in the unbelievable, and just generally believe. I want to try to reconnect with the feeling of truly believing I had as a child. The witch in me is ready for this as well.

    I have already read two books this year to get my reading goals off to a good start. I am participating in the Girlxoxo 2023 Monthly Keyword Challenge. The idea is that you pick a book with one of these words in the title, or a related word to the keywords. The keywords for January are: crown, girl, whisper, black, heart, guide, all, and ever. They also have a group on Goodreads to keep up with others in the group.

    My first two books of the year were The Rogue Crown by A.K. Mulford and Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune. I highly enjoyed both books and I feel like I am off to a very strong start this year. I set a super conservative goal of reading 24 books for 2023, but I am planning to revisit that after this month.

    What are you reading? Do you have any goals? I am also doing this crazy bingo that I found on pinterest. I will keep you updated on how that goes.

  • October 25- 27: October Bucket List, TBR and Book Bingo Check In!

    October 25- 27: October Bucket List, TBR and Book Bingo Check In!

    It has been a couple of days so, let’s check in on my October Bucket List, TBR and Book Bingo. I have already blogged about some of these events, but here we go:

    • Witch Walk 2022
    • Dark Market 2022
    • Carve a Pumpkin
    • Go to a Halloween Party
    • Celebrate our 10th anniversary
    • Attend Ren Faire at least once a weekend – It is the final weekend and once I hit October I have gone at least once a weekend.
    • Tales from the Crypt at Green Lawn Abbey – This is tomorrow night.
    • Finish and upgrade Mothman Costume for Faire – Got the final pieces on the way. Debuts on Sunday.
    • Read 4 books – I have read The Last Graduate, Pumpkin Pie, When Life Gives You Vampires and The Kiss Curse
    • Create a great basket for my spooky basket buddy
    • Have a fire and make smores
    • Send out Halloween Cards – Probably Hand delivering at this point. Shrug.
    • Complete the Lionarts Tarot Challenge for October

    So where am I at bookish Bingo:

    I got a Bingo thanks to The Kiss Curse! It put me over with people wearing disguises or costumes! This was genuinely fun.

    And the master video of Halloween Countdown for the 25th thru the 27th:

  • October 21-22: Witch Walk 2022

    On Saturday, at noon, several witches met at the gazebo in Goodale Park in Columbus, Ohio. We took a few pictures and then set forth to take a walk through the Short North.

    We proceeded to promenade until we reached The Eagle where we grab brunch and cocktails.

    My delicious Sandwich.

    After brunch we walked up to Prologue where I picked up two books:Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor and High Times in the Low Parlinent by Kelly Robson. I also got a cute bookmark and a whole bunch of stickers.

    Then my sister and I headed to Dark Market. They had amazing vendors, and Sacred Shimmy performed. Here is a video of Sacred Shimmy performing.

    I bought a bunch of different things. Several crystals, a spell frog, caramel apple body scrub made by my friend Heather, peacock quills, Mothman Earrings, and a big red hair flower with an anatomical heart. I could have bought so much more.

    Here is the extended cut of Halloween Countdown for 21 – 22: