How does this keep happening?  Before each trip to my local library branches in the Prince George's County Memorial Library System and Anne Arundel County Public Library my mantra: “Return the borrowed items, greet the friendly librarians, then leave. Do not look at the enticing displays. Do not approach the shelves of new arrivals. Resist the temptation to borrow more books when there's still a stack of unread library books at home, my TBR list is encyclopedic, my phone and tablet are loaded with ebooks. Exercise some restraint.”  It never works.  A Court of Wanderers (Silver Under Nightfall #2) by Rin Chupeco  speculative, fantasy, romantasy   S&S/Saga Press, April 2024  Competing interests, court intrigues, assorted monsters, shocking revelations, and a nuanced polyamorous romance that weaves all of these elements together to deliver drama, supernatural thrills, and emotional hits.  And You Know This: Lessons on Living From Young Fol...

  Creative Sparks: 21 Affirmations and Inspiration for Creativity at Midlife by Sharon J.  Burton non-fiction, SJB Ventures, LLC, May 14, 2024   There's a shift happening. From #grayhairdontcare to Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn and other bestselling fiction titles featuring women (and all kinds of people) who're over 50, a popular home shopping network’s Over 50 & Fabulous programming, and advertising campaigns that present “seasoned" people as vibrant, engaging, and interested in pursuing assorted new challenges, attitudes toward midlife are moving from doom and gloom to excitement about what comes next. Creative Sparks … supports that endeavor in pursuit of the arts. As stated in the introduction, “In this book you'll not only learn how to use affirmations to gain more confidence with your creative life, but you'll discover how to use affirmations to overcome creative blocks and create your own that are tailored to your specific needs and goals...

[a collage of 4 photos, from left to right, top then bottom: a standing chalkboard sign with "Girls' Night Out Guest Authors: Nora Roberts/JD Robb Lucy Score Madison Score Carla Vergot Lisa Proulx Sherianne Nemby; 3 stacks of paperback copies of Iktome by Sherianne Newby and 1 stack of Nomad Through Time: A Poetic Collection by Sherianne Newby; 1 stack of Lily Barlow: The Mystery of Jane Dough and 2 stacks of Lily Barlow: The Mystery in the Mangroves; a canvas tote bag with "Turn the Page Bookstore Boonsboro, Maryland"]     [a collage of 2 photos from left to right: a tall street light post with an attached banner reading "LOVE your Local Boonsboro, Md Gifts Inn Boonsboro; a standing chalkboard sign with "GNO Thur May 9th 5-9PM curiouser & curiouser Town Wide Event" leaning against the outer wall of a boutique that sells a variety of new and vintage merchandise]   [a collage of 2 photos from left to right: smiling author Lucy Score seated at a tabl...

  [bookstack of 5 books: Finders Keepers by Sandra Kitt, That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming, The Rule Book by Sarah Adams, The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong]  [two packaged "Golden Bowl fortune cookie" next to a set of decorative chopsticks and a stainless steel dinner fork arranged against a crinkled sheet of tissue paper - image inspired by Sandra Kitt's book]  It's been a lovely start to the month of May with celebrating workers and the labor movement, a cultural phenomenon of a decades-long movie franchise, and Mexico's 1862 victory over France.  And no, I'm not ignoring the civil unrest and protests across the United States and around the world. We're at a crossroads as a society that's deciding if we are sincere in our claims of liberty and justice for all [people].  For clarity: I am pro-freedom, pro-equal justice, pro-people, anti...