Books I’d Recommend This Week
This post is short because well…it’s a been a rough week.
The book community has always battled banned books. There’s banned books week, which took place in September this year and will take place in October next year (hopefully). And plenty of bookstores and libraries have banned book displays highlighting some of the most challenged titles such as To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, The Great Gatsby and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
October Wrap-up
Now that November is here, I can officially say the bookstore opened last month! It’s pretty surreal to think about and I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact I actually own a bookstore.
There were many things I learned within the last few weeks and still so much I don’t know. I had no idea how to track any analytics or how long a book might take to arrive once it’s ordered. I discovered that promoting an online store is hard, but that I’ve gotten a good response and I know I’m on the right track. I’m currently taking a masterclass on content creation with the hope of bringing more awareness to the website without paying for additional advertising and I’m earning an SEO certificate (if I ever find time to sit down and complete the course).
Honing My Sixth Sense for Great Books
I have a sixth sense when it comes to snuffing out story plots.
It’s true!
Most times when my husband and I sit down to watch a television show or a movie, I can predict exactly what will happen, even if it’s far-fetched. For instance, in Only Murders in the Building, I’ve been able to predict the murderer in the last few episodes of each season before they do the reveal. I can almost always tell when a character is pregnant and they haven’t announced it yet, and I know which characters are going to end up together from the beginning (think Nick and Jess).
Some might say that it’s lazy writing if I’m able to figure things out so easily, but it’s actually the opposite. I’ve studied creative writing and storytelling for over ten years at this point so my eye is trained for the formulas writers use and how to detect plot lines. This means I can tell if a book is going to be a good book within the first three chapters of reading it, which is a skill I use for choosing titles for the bookstore. It took time to hone this sixth sense so let’s start at the beginning:
Introducing The Reading Chamber
Welcome to The Reading Chamber’s blog! Now that the website has officially launched, it’s time for the blog to as well! Though you can read a bit about me (and Chandler) on the About page of the website, I wanted to go more in-depth about the bookstore’s background here.
My name is Jess Taylor. I grew up outside of Philadelphia, though I now live in Virginia with my husband and Chandler, our mini Bernedoodle. I have loved books since I was a baby. In fact, my first word was duck! It happened while my mom was reading me a farm book and ever since, I’ve absorbed books and stories like a sponge.