New York: My Top 10 List

I'm participating in the New York City Reading Challenge hosted by Jill at Fizzy Thoughts. For February we're asked to share ten things about NYC. This is good prep for May's BEA and Book Blogger Convention (which I'll miss by two weeks).

One of my favorite islands is Manhattan. The best part of my life in Pennsylvania was driving into the city for long weekends. Now that I'm living on Kauai, my trips to NYC happen every other year. While the city can be expensive it also offers deals if you know where to look.

(1) visit the website Free NYC for a daily list of what's happening in the Big Apple at little or no cost...(2) stretch your legs with a joyous walk across the Brooklyn Bridge...(3) museums have days/times when no admission is charged; my favorite is the Frick Collection on the Upper East Side; on Sunday you pay what you want between 11am and 1pm...(4) favorite lunch spot is Tiffin Wallah in Flatiron with their all-you-can-eat Southern Indian vegetarian lunch buffet  priced at 7 bucks...(5) stop at Barnes and Noble near Lincoln Center for theater and book events; on my last trip I met the entire cast of Gypsy and Ms. Patti LuPone in person.

How's the list so far? I need five more items so let's go...

(6) TKTS never works for me because I hate to waste valuable time standing in line; I usually buy discounted Broadway tickets before I go using sites like Playbill Club or look at the Off-Broadway scene...(7) when I pass through Grand Central I stop at their fabulous food market and pick up pastries at Zaro's; on the Upper West Side it's H and H Bagels for me; I also love the farmer's markets scattered around the city.

Three more left....

(8) United Nations has beautiful art and offers a chance to leave U.S. soil (it's an International zone); plan ahead and have a VIP lunch at the Delegate's Dining Room. (9) skip the Empire State Building if the line is long. On my last trip it took over 3 hours for a short 10 minute stay on the top. (10) Central Park has a great website for planning your visit.

You're going to love the bookstores too. Strand is Mecca but also consider the Drama Book Shop off Times Square.

If this makes you want to visit NYC and experience the Big Apple, let me know. Where are your favorite places in the City? You can also read the lists of other book bloggers by visiting Fizzy Thoughts.

A Week In Sydney: My Favorite Bookstores

Here's my bookshop review from my recent trip to Sydney. With new paperbacks priced at $20 dollars (Australian) I went in search of used bookstores with the goal of finding Australian authors.

Vinnies thrift shops throughout Sydney were a bonus find. My budget pick from one of them was, "Modern Men Don't Shift Fridges," by Australian author Meg Stewart. The title caught my attention and the $2.50 price. Look for a review in January.

I heard there were good bookstores in Glebe so I took the light rail from Darling Harbor and was not disappointed. Gleebooks Antiquarian had lots of great titles and I took home, "30 Days in Sydney," by Peter Carey for $10.00 (hardback). Across the street was another popular used seller called, The Cornstalk.

I also liked Berkelouw Books in Paddington. It's mostly new books but if you venture to the third floor you'll find a wonderful used selection. Across the street we stopped for coffee and book hunting at Ampersand.

My favorite which I'll save for last was Gertude and Alice Cafe Bookstore near Bondi Beach. The store also sells coffee and healthy food which can be enjoyed at many tables throughout the bookshop. It's a 5 minute walk from the beach and a nice place to relax.

My book find there was a signed copy of, "A Deadly Business," by Lenny Bartulin. When I saw that it was a mystery involving a used bookseller in Sydney, I had to take it home. The price was right at $8.00. My review will be coming out this week.

By the way, the Australian dollar is comparable to ours, so I'd go broke buying new books if I lived in Sydney.

If you have any tips on Sydney bookstores, be sure to leave a comment.

 
Thanks for reading Books Are Like Candy Corn. Look for more posts soon.

Sydney, Here I Come

For the next week I'll be in Sydney, Australia. It's been almost 3 years since my last visit. We're packing food today for the 10 hour flight from Honolulu.

I have a list of bookstores to visit (which I'll report on later) and plan to take in the museums, Sydney Fish Market, beaches and Opera House. The tickets for shows are so expensive that we're going to see if anything last minute becomes available.

With 20 hours spent in the air over the next week, I've packed some books to read and report on later.

First up is The Lost Dog by Michelle de Krester which was first printed in Australia. After that I'm switching to Dragon House by John Shors from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program. I owe them a review before I get kicked out of the program. The last book, Spinners by Anthony McCarten, comes from New Zealand and is described as a, "kiwi-flavored Garrison Keillor."

I'm almost finished with the book Molokai by Alan Brennert. This will be my first book review and I had planned to release it today. Unfortunately, it's going to have to wait until I return.

A few weeks ago we hiked down to Kalaupapa on Molokai and toured the settlement where the book takes place. I'll share photos with my book review. Having been there recently, the story come alive with each page I read.

G'day for now and look for my first book reviews in about a week (plus a report on Sydney bookstores).