Happy Friday! Here’s a cool story to start the weekend.
To book nerds like me, this guy might be the coolest criminal of all time. According to LitHub.com, this week in 1990, the FBI arrested Stephen Blumberg, the “Book Bandit,” for stealing over 23,600 rare books from museums and libraries around North America.
I know what you’re thinking—is it really a big deal for someone to steal a book from a library? Well, yes, considering that the value of his 19-ton haul would be worth $12.5 million today, and Blumberg had to pull some Mission-Impossible stunt work to get into some of the vaults housing these antique manuscripts. 🥷
Even cooler, it wasn’t about the money for Blumberg—he loved the books he stole. He felt that the government kept these treasures away from everyday people. He considered himself a custodian of the books—not a thief. Still, his thievery earned him over four years in prison and a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records—the most prolific book thief ever.
A victimless crime committed with cat-burglar skills and motivated by book love? That’s a cool story (and you won’t believe how the FBI caught him… keep reading).
🌺 Another cool story I finished this week… Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams. A socially challenged florist seeks dating help from the coolest guy around, a playboy bodyguard who has no trouble finding dates. The novel begins with a cringy first date that makes me grateful not to be “out there.” I couldn’t stop reading after that. Of course, their deal leads to romantic trouble. Funny, witty, lighthearted, and sweet, Annie and Will’s story kept me rooting for the oddball couple. So, if you’re doing some spring reading, this is a fun contemporary romance to add to your list.
In Other Book News…
🏡 Yes No Maybe is a week away from its debut on NetGalley, where it will hopefully be snatched up by thousands of hungry ARC reviewers before its official publication on April 30th. It’ll also go out to my trusted Beta Readers this week–I’m sooooooo nervous 🫣 😬. ARCs and Betas read the book first to give me helpful feedback before release day. They’re also the first readers to give reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, and other sites. Want to join my ARC/Beta team? I’m only an email away. Or preorder Yes No Maybe for only $3.99!
☘️ Did you see Yes No Maybe’s cool cover?
🙋🏻♀️ Oh, and here’s a quick link to add it to your Want to Read list over at Goodreads.
👩🏻💻 More Bonus Content for Subscribers is in the works. In anticipation of Every Good Thing, the standalone sequel to One Thing Better I’m releasing by the end of the year, I’m putting the final tweaks on A Little Better, a Dot Story. And a Bonus Epilogue for Yes No Maybe. And, yes, I’m already writing my next book, Every Good Thing. Whew—there’s a lot of fun writing going on. Te-he.
Ah, that looks so delightfully villainous *cue cackling.*
Here’s something villainous to finish the cool story about our prolific Book Bandit. After twenty years of successfully pinching rare books, Stephen Blumberg is caught when a “friend” and former accomplice, Kenneth Rhodes, walked into FBI headquarters, unsolicited, and sold them the information for $56,000. Blumberg wasn’t even on the FBI’s radar. So, while the Book Bandit never profited from his crimes, his “friend” did.
With friends like that…
🤷🏻♀️ Speaking of getting robbed, here’s another great quote from James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits. It’s exactly what I must remember as Yes No Maybe goes up for scrutiny…
“When you tolerate an error, you rob yourself of learning. When you ruminate on an error, you rob yourself of happiness. Notice it, improve it, and move on from it.”
Let’s not let errors (like choosing the wrong friends, Stephen) rob our happiness.
To my fellow book bandits, happy reading! 📚
Your Bookish Nerd Friend,
Jessica.
