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Book Fact: Don’t Believe Everything You Hear
Many people believe that Charles Dickens was paid by the word, which is why many of his books are so lengthy. The statement is a myth; Charles Dickens was not paid by the word, but rather by installment as his novels were serialized His writing was often lengthy because serial publication required him to provide enough…
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Book Fact: Definitions Take Time
Noah Webster’s famous work, the two-volume An American Dictionary of the English Language, was a huge undertaking. He began work on this comprehensive dictionary in 1807 (the year after the first one was published) and worked on it for approximately 20 to 22 years, publishing it in 1828 at the age of 70. Aome Some say it…
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Book Fact: Her Wrist Was so Tired
Tolstoy’s handwriting was notoriously difficult to read, making his manuscript a tangled mess of drafts. Sofia Tolstaya undertook the laborious task of rewriting the manuscript by hand, turning his chaotic scribbles into a readable text.. She completed the full, seven-time-hand-copied manuscript before Tolstoy considered it ready for publication. This demanding work often took place late…
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Book Fact: Length Doesn’t Matter
Les Misérables contains a sentence that is widely cited as being 823 words long in English translation. This exceptionally long sentence appears in Volume 2, Book 1, Chapter 3, within a detailed description of the Battle of Waterloo. It is known for its sprawling, detailed prose, characteristic of Hugo’s writing style, and has been cited in past editions…
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Book Fact: Americans are not on Top
Book fact #12 Iceland tops the world in per capita book publishing. The claim that Iceland tops the world in per capita book reading is true, supported by its high rates of book publication and consumption, a strong literary tradition rooted in sagas and poetry, and a culture where reading is a celebrated pastime. A…
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Book Fact : Gross I‘d Still Read That
Book Fact #11 Harvard University Library has four books bound in human skin. I would wear gloves and try not to think about it.
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Book Fact: Books for Miles
I can’t even imagine! Book Fact #10 If all the books in the New York Public Library were lined up, they would stretch 8 miles. Love & Light, Lori
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Book Fact: Books Can Shorten your Stay
In Brazil, reading books can reduce a prisoner’s sentence. Under the program “Remission for Reading,” a prisoner can reduce their sentence by four days for each book they read and write a report on, up to a maximum of 12 books per year. This allows inmates to potentially reduce their sentence by up to 48…
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Book Fact: Chess is Fun
And I don’t know how to play chess. Book fact #7 there are over 20,000 books written about chess. Love & Light, Lori
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Book Fact: Reading Feeds your Brain
One of my fears is being afflicted with dementia or Alzheimer’s. I have a family history. Learning that reading helps keep those two monsters away. Read more books! Book Fact #6 People who read books are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Love & Light, Lori
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Book Fact: Children are better than Books
Book Fact #5 Roosevelt read an average of one book per day. Here are President Roosevelts rules for reading. 1. “The room for choice is so limitless that to my mind it seems absurd to try to make catalogues which shall be supposed to appeal to all the best thinkers. This is why I have…
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Book Fact: Librarians have Dirty Little Secrets
I have a confession. I don’t like Harry Potter. I’m an anomaly. Most librarians I know love Harry Potter. Most of my children love Harry Potter. No offense Ms. Rowling. Book Fact # 4 J.K. Rowling is the first billionaire author, thanks to the success of the Harry Potter series. Love & Light, Lori
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Book Fact: China Did It First
The first book printed using Johannes Gutenberg’s movable-type printing press in the West was the Gutenberg Bible, completed around 1455. Although the Gutenberg Bible is recognized as the first large book of its kind in Europe, it’s important to remember that movable type itself was invented centuries before Gutenberg in China and Korea. The Jikji,…
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New Blog Series: Book Facts
Hello friend, I’m going to start a new series today called Book Facts. This will be a series of random facts about a book, reading, writing, libraries, or any other interesting book related subject. I plan to post every day. However life happens. If I miss a day, don’t hold it against me. I will…
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I am Done
I am done with hateful people. I am done with social media chaos. I am done with an app for everything. I am done being a slave to money. I am done with complicated things. I am done worrying about what you think of me. I am done doubting myself. I am done changing myself…
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Who Cares?
Recently I have been reading and following a few people on personal transformative journeys. My first thought was who cares what other people are doing when it is intensely personal and often difficult? It seemed to me at the time to be attention seeking and unhealthy. It was also like a train wreck. I could…
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What Would Happen….
I have seen several posts on social media that say things like “What would happen if you dissappeared and worked on yourself for a year?” I posted a version of that to see what response I would get. I was disappointted. Few people responded. A year is a long time. Humans have a natural aversion…
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Old Hurts
Just when you aren’t looking an old hurt, a forgiven hurt, pops up. You have forgiven the person and the thing they did to hurt you. You even forgot about it. Then there it is. Trying to get in your heart and scratch the scar. Tell it No. Hand it to Gods. Do not give…
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Dedicated Time
Describe one habit that brings you joy. At the risk of sounding smitten, my husband and I devote the first hour of the day to each other. We sometimes talk about what the day holds. Sometimes we don’t talk at all. We made this commitment on day one when we decided to cohabitate. Nothing barring…
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Audiobooks are Real Books
What do you listen to while you work? I listen to audiobooks when I am working on something mundane. Audiobooks are my go to when driving and doing housework. Don’t let anyone shame you for the format you choose to read or the content you enjoy to read! Love & Light, Lori
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Both!
Dogs or cats? All my life I’ve been a cat person and a dog person. However I preferred cats. They are easier to train, easier to take care of and cleaner as house pets. Then somehow over time and a few dogs later, I became so enamored with dogs that I can’t imagine how my…
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Reading
Which activities make you lose track of time? My favorite way to lose time is by reading. There is nothing like falling into a story so deep that you don’t feel time pass and you question what year it is when you put the book down. If you know, you know! Love & Light, Lori
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Just About Anything
What could you let go of, for the sake of harmony? I could let go of most any possession if it meant harmony for me and my husband. Just give me an excuse to let go of social media! It’s easier to say what I would never let go of. I would never let go…
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Digital Dependency
What are you most worried about for the future? What happens if it all stops working? There are damning ramifications for depending on digital assets rather than real world skills. What happens to the human who can’t grocery shop or cook because they are dependent on prepackaged food delivery? What happens to the person who…
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Release Announcement
Available for purchase July 1 2025 Music of the BonesSome songs aren’t heard with the ears—they echo in the soul. Johan never asked to be a hero. A former dockhand with a haunted past, he only wanted to survive. But when he’s thrown into the company of a quiet paladin, a runaway sorcerer, and a…
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Not for Sharing
What are your daily habits? Some of our daily habits are not for sharing for various reasons. Safety concerns about over sharing online comes to mind. However sharing in real life can be dangerous too. Humans can be evil on many levels. On the flip side, sharing daily habits that are productive or beneficial can…
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A Good Life
What are the most important things needed to live a good life? Security and peace. Knowing you are safe. Knowing your needs are met. Knowing you are loved. Everything else that is good is a bonus. Love & Light Lori
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They are Not Stupid
We are going through a season of change in our family. Our daughters are leaving home. Daughter 2 moved in with a roommate. Daughter 3 sophomore and daughter 4 freshman are college bound. As we listen to their plans and goals we have to remember they are inexperienced young adults. They are not stupid. Yes…
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Who are you no longer willing to be?
I saw this question on an advertisement for a journal called Dig Deeper. I tend to think those sorts of self help journals are a bit predatory. They cash in on the insecurities of people to make a profit. However the question stuck with me. Who is it that I no longer want to be?…
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The Day After
Yesterday was Mother’s Day. It was a beautiful day. My husband and I went to church then to the movies. We have six children, one very adult daughter, three newly adult daughters and two teen sons. Did any of the children spend time with me? Did I receive any gifts? One daughter was home and…
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It’s been awhile
I know you’re probably thinking, “I haven’t seen a post from those O’Garas in a bit.” Life has a way of distracting and taking over. We have been avoiding the chaos of media in general. It’s depressing. What we have been doing is writing. Music of the Bones (Necromancer’s Song Book 2) is in the…
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Happy, Happy, Happy
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness? 1. Coffee in my favorite cup 2. Colorful post it notes 3. My lamp 4. Throw pillows 5. Soap that smells good Light & Love, Lori
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I just Called
Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you. When a family member calls me to chat, that always makes me happy. People depend so much on texting and social media that hearing someone’s voice is special. No really! That small box in your hand is a verbal communication device. You should try…
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Little Eve
My next book to read from my library is Little Eve by Catriona Ward Happy Reading! Light & Love, Lori
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Sh*t Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby Review
The Greek goddess Cassandra has the gift of prophesy but no one believed her visions of the future, only because she refused to have sex with him. The stories in this collection focus on women supposedly from Cassandra’s perspective – those from history and those from today’s time and age full of feminism and the…
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Easter
Easter. Jesus lives. He went to the darkest of places for three days. He returned to his disciples. He said to them, “Why are you startled? Why are doubts arising in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet. It’s really me! Touch me and see, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones…
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It’s Friday
This is Good Friday. For me it’s a day to reflect on faith. To be honest, our Christian faith must seem insane to the average non believer. We believe that God almighty sent his son to one small place on the planet to convince the world he is the best chance we have of salvation…
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Sh*t Cassandra Saw by Gwen E Kirby
Incase you want to read my bookcase right along with me, I am starting way out of my comfort zone with Shit Cassandra Saw. I don’t even remember how I acquired this book. Maybe it was the cover. Here we go.
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Today is my Day!
Today is my birthday! As tradition, I make a resolution to myself. Last year I decided to take a social media fast for a year. The year of no social media was not easy at first. It got easy fairly quickly. I spent significantly less time scrolling. I allowed myself to go directly to my…
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Let’s Unplug
From sunset 1March to sunset 2 March is the day of unplugging. The idea behind the day was to challenge people to keep their electronic devices unplugged and unused for 24 hours. People are encouraged to give themselves the chance to take a break and spend time relaxing with family, friends, or alone. That means…
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Yes! I ❤️ my job.
Do you enjoy your job? I don’t call being a super cool librarian, library director, and author a job. All of those things are a part of who I am. I love talking about books, reading books, writing books and being around people who also love books. I also like people. My “job” involves helping…
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Okay…
If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why? I would ban the word “okay” and while I’m at it I will ban the tone that is used with it. Instead of using that lazy word use the word that means the same thing, “Yes”. My teenagers use…
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It’s Almost Time
Every year on my birthday in March I make a resolution to myself. Last year I decided to take a social media fast for a year. I’ll tell you about that later. For this year I’m considering only reading books from our home library. That would mean an entire year of not buying new books,…
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The Results are in!
We did doggy DNA for Harley Quinn and Leo Spartacus. Yes, my husband gave Leo a middle name. We used Embark. Here are the results Harley as expected, but Leo! What the heckin heck is an American Village Dog? 100% love on paws, y’all! Light & Love, Lori
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Come see us!
Brendan and I will be participating at the Books By the Bay Festival on March 23, 2024 We will be on a discussion panel talking about the implications of AI and the publishing world. More info here https://www.facebook.com/BooksByTheBayFestival
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How to end a fantastic weekend?
Spent the weekend reading, playing games with friends, spending time with family, and resting. Now I’m ending the weekend with banana bread. That’s how you end a fantastic weekend. Light & Love, Lori
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Live Simply
What would you do if you won the lottery? Pay off my house and all my debts. Then retire from my job. Get the knee replacement that I want not what the insurance company says I can get. Buy a world tour travel package and travel for a year or two, writing every day. Crossing…
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Happy Candlemas Day
If Candlemas be fair and bright,Come, Winter, have another flight;If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,Go Winter, and come not again. According to German lore, if the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a “Second Winter” or 6 more weeks of bad weather. Leave it to us crazy Americans to see a…
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Brendan & Lori O'Gara 