A Variety of Stuff, Including Another Milestone for Page Views

Here is a bunch of stuff: 1.  I've already told you that Kerry Lonsdale is our RBC author for September with her book Everything We Keep.  And I've already told you that her 2nd book in the series, Everything We Left Behind, came out July 4.  And I've also told you that the 3rd book in the series, Everything We Give, will be hitting the bookshelves summer of 2018.  What I have NOT told you is that we will be getting a standalone from Kerry in the summer of 2019.  Keep 'em comin', Kerry. 2.  The Readers Perch (thereadersperch.blogspot.com) is a YA blog written, not surprisingly, by a YA.  If you're looking at books for (pre)teenagers, visit her blog.  But what I wanted to mention here is that in her last post, she talks about 2 websites that you can go on and subscribe for YA book boxes.  They are FairyLoot and OwlCrate.  Take a gander.  They are very cool.

3.  Why am I giving you all of these facts about chocolate?  I have a good reason.  On National Chocolate Day, Meg Waite Clayton, local author extraordinaire, listed these facts on her blog.  That's enough of a literary connection for me.  (Plus, it's really interesting info.)  

1. Cocoa beans are seeds of the Theobroma Cacao tree. As you might imagine, it means “food of the gods.”

2. In WWII, chocolate rations were packaged to be poison-gas proof. Because that's when you REALLY need chocolate. (Alas, a fact I discovered after The Race for Paris was published, so not used.) It was also fortified with flour, to keep it from melting too much, which you probably know if you read my latest. :-)

3. The French celebrate April Fool’s Day with Poisson d’Avril--chocolate-shaped fish. (Or maybe I'm pulling your leg.)

4. The smell of chocolate in a bookstore makes folks 22% more likely to buy books, and 40% more likely to buy romance or cook books.

5. There was a Nazi plot to assassinate Winston Churchill with exploding chocolate. No, really...

6. Hershey's Kisses are named for the sound the machine makes dropping the chocolate onto the conveyor belt.

7. Thank the ancient Maya -- they started the whole eating-chocolate thing.

4.  This week I hit 150,000 total page views on my blog.  Thank you for your continued support.  I really appreciate it.

5.  Recycle Books celebrated it's 50th anniversary 2 Sundays ago.  Sal Pizarro ran a story in his column on July 8.  If you can't click on the link, then go online to the Mercury News and find the article.  It's very cool.

Fifty years of books, memories and cats at Recycle Bookstore

www.mercurynews.com