Library Checkout September 2016

This move at least forced me to not hoard my library books because I was so afraid of losing them!  However, instead I’ve lost my kindle which is really a terrifying feeling.  I have such good ebooks checked out and I can’t get to them!  

Checked Out and Currently Lost Ebooks

• Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West
• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (yes this is because I also can’t find the hardcover I preordered.  Shut up)

Checked Out Currently Reading

• The Traitor’s Wife: The Woman Behind Benedict Arnold and the Plan to Betray America by Alison Pataki (meh)
• The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis. The kid is up and down on this so far. I will make her love it! 
• The Cartel by Don Winslow – I’m not reading this but my husband is. He’s obsessed and in love. So if Mexican cartels are your thing this is apparently highly recommended!  I don’t think I can do the violence he’s describing personally though it sounds excellent.

Checked Out Read – These are August too

• The Sight by Chloe Neill 
• Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty by Ramona Ausubel – Check out this review at the Gilmore Guide to Books but I really enjoyed this! 
• Apprentice in Death by JD Robb (perfect post move read)

Holds

• Love Loss and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi  (Thanks Sarah for the reminder!)
• Overruled by Emma Chase
• My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews
• Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (I’m 17th in line and might not be able to handle this wait! But if I buy it will I just lose this too?)
• The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
• The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton – this has been in transit since May. I’m slightly worried that the kid will never get to read about the pony that toots too much again. 
• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Returned Unread – Too many good things to list. It’s kind of sad. I’ll just put them back on my list and pretend August/September never happened! 

Thanks Shannon at River City Reading for this check-in! What’s on your library shelf this month?

Library Checkout: July

Just as I decide I need to pause my library holds to get ready to move next month I get a deluge of books!  I’m going to be reading everything I can so I can return these beauties before I have to pack them!  I have 5 books waiting to be picked up and 2 more in transit.  I think I might need days off to read.

Read:

• The Witch Hunter by Virgina Boecker
• Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
• Lumberjanes Volume 2 by Noelle Stevenson -”holy bell hooks” this is so fun to read!

Watched

• Grantchester Season One -and I’m hooked

Checked out to read:

• The Girls by Emma Cline
• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
• Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley – I’ve started this but oh dear lord it’s going to make me cry on the train. So I had to stop until I have the weekend to read at home.
• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• Franklin’s Big Dreams by David Teague – We love this bedtime book! You should look for it!
• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

On Hold:

• Rich & Pretty by Rumaan Alam
• Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty by Ramona Ausubel
• Nil on Fire by Lynne Matson – YAY for the CPL for buying this at my request!!
• The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America by Ann Neuman
• Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site – another reread request.
• Lumberjanes Volume 3 by Noelle Stevenson
• Fargo Season 1
• Tangled by Emma Chase
• The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman
• Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West
• Homegoing: A Novel by Yaa Gyasi

Returned Unread:

• Tuesday Nights in 1980. Total fail. I have to put this back on hold when we’re moved.

Thanks Shannon for this check-in! What did you read from the library this month?

June Library Loves

Seriously, the CPL is killing me with my holds coming in.  Thanks Shannon for this check-in! I hope your library mojo picks up soon.    I’m starting with two books that I just finished that you should get on your library list too!

Dear Fang, With Love by Rufi Thorpe – This book definitely got me over the minor slump I was in after reading Girls on Fire.  Vera was delightful even as she broke my heart.  I thought the look at a non-traditional family dealing with mental illness was so well done.  

Roses & Rot by Kat Howard – This was dark and delicious and I was done in a day. Two sisters with a dark past and bright futures. Fairy tales and broken hearts – I loved it. The kindle edition is only $2! I might have to buy it.

Also read:

• The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
• Breaking Bad – The Final Season – Holy Intense!  We’re still talking about it!
• Troublemaker by Lea Remini
• A Gathering of Shadows (OMG so good) by V.E. Schwab
• Charlotte Bronte: A Fiery Heart by Claire Harman
• Nil by Lynne Matson (It only took 13 renewals!  Really enjoyed it)

Currently reading:

• Flappers: 6 Women of a Dangerous Generation by Judith Mackrell – so fascinating!

Checked Out:

• The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker (read and reviewed but need a refresher so I can read…
• The King Slayer by Virginia Boecker
• The Lorax
• Mary Poppins (requested by the kid!)
• The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America by Ann Neumann
• Samantha’s Surprise by Maxine Schur
• Hedgehugs by Steve Wilson
• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
• The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

Going back unread:

• Samantha Learns a Lesson (I’m passing down the library hoarding to Babycakes)
• Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss.  Back on hold this goes.
• Court of Fives by Kate Elliott – DNF

Holds:

• Lumberjanes Volume 2
• The Night Gardener
• The Princess and The Pony (Again! Babycakes can’t wait!)
• Grantchester Season One
• Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
• Eligible
• Tangled by Emma Chase
• Rich and Pretty
• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
• Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty
• The Girls (woot! Down to 70 on 48 copies)
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (don’t tell my husband I’m getting the ebook rather than read my own 500 lb hardcover)

Library Checkout: May

Unlike Shannon this month, I’ve totally over extended my library usage for May.  I can’t update my kindle or the books I haven’t finished yet will disappear.  This is too much stress!  I’m trying to hold back for June – kind of…  Ok so I have smutty light reading on hold for summer!

Read

• The Wife, The Maid and The Mistress by Ariel Lawhon
• The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins
• The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips
• The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee

Checked Out To Read

• Charlotte Bronte: A Fiery Heart by Claire Harman – so LONG but so good!
• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
• Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss
• The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
• Breaking Bad – The Final Season – still watching! Holy Intense!
• Troublemaker by Lea Remini
• A Gathering of Shadows (OMG so good) by V.E. Schwab
• Court of Fives by Kate Elliott
• Nil by Lynne Matson (Yes still.  I’m ashamed)

Returned Unread

• You: A Novel by Caroline Kepnes
• The Swans of 5th Avenue by Melanie Benjamin
• The  Queen of the Night  by Alexander Chee – Hardcover is too BIG!
• The Queen of the Night – Audio – wasn’t fitting my mood for a long drive
• What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman – I’m also not in the mood for sexual violence against kids and this seemed headed there
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness- need to reread!

On Hold

• Roses & Rot by Kat Howard
• The Queen of the Night for kindle – Third Time’s the Charm?
• Grantchester Season One
• The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America – Ann Neumann
• Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
• The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton (Babycakes can’t get enough)
• Tangled by Emma Chase
• Appealed by Emma Chase
• Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris

How was your library reading this month?

Library Checkout: April

Thanks Shannon for this check-in!

I have issues.  When walking past the library last Friday with my daughter I stopped to check the awesome Chicago Public Library app to see if I had anything in.  She asked me if she could get a book too -I started to say “You don’t need a library book, you have enough at home…”  Can you believe those words came out of my mouth?  Followed by: “Sweet! I have holds in, let’s go inside.”  And yes, she got 2 books too.

Read

• The Radiant Road by Katherine Catmull
• We are All Completely Beside Ourselves (Thanks Chrissy!) by Karen Joy Fowler
• Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
• The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton (5 year-old found this hilarious! See Miss Print’s review )
• Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk – GET THIS IF YOU HAVE KIDS. We love it. I need to buy it.
• Hedgehugs by Steve Wilson – also adorable!

Checked Out To Read

• Breaking Bad Season Five  – OMG Walter White I hate you! Almost done with this
• Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems (HA HA HA HA) Never going to happen Dr. Ferber. She’s trying to torture me.
• The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck by Sarah Knight.  (Soon I won’t give a f*ck about anything because I will be so tired)
• The Expatriates by Janice Lee
• The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips
• Charlotte Bronte: A Fiery Heart by Claire Harman
• Nil by Lynne Matson. I’ve renewed this 10 times – when do I admit I might never read it?
• Samantha Learns a Lesson and Samantha’s Surprise – American Girl Doll books to read with Babycakes

On Hold

• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
• Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss
• The Wife, The Maid and The Mistress by Ariel Lawhon
• Breaking Bad: The Final Season
• The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
• The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins
• The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
• A Gathering of Shadows by Victoria Schwab
• You by Caroline Kepnes
• The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin
• Troublemaker by Leah Remini (I’m judging myself for this a bit)
• The Beast by JR Ward (don’t judge me more)
• Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Returned Unread:

• The Widow by Fiona Barton
• After the Crash by Michael Bussi
• My Name is  Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

How was your library reading this month?

Library Checkout: January 2016

Seriously, I have library issues.  Thanks Shannon for starting this check-in and making me face my addiction!

Two December books worth noting!

• Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger  (great ending to this series! and I am totally going to miss the covers. Still not sure about steampunk)
• Fates & Furies by Lauren Groff – WOW.  Definitely a book I’m still thinking about

January

Checked out and Read:

• Blood Kiss by JR Ward
• A Monstrous Regiment of Women (Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes #2) by Laurie King
• Lumberjanes Volume #1 Beware the Holy Kitten by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A. Allen
• The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
• Hedgehugs by Steve Wilson (If you have kids get this for Valentine’s! Hedgehogs who hug – could it be cuter?!)
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• Breaking Bad Season 3 (Holy S&%T.  We’re only halfway through. There’s a library fine in my future)
• Concealed in Death JD Robb (I’m all out of order and its messing me up!)

Returned Unread

• The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
• Concussion by Jeanne Marie Laskas

Still on my Bookshelf

• Ms. Marvel Volume 1 by  G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona
• Nil by Lynne Matson
• Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
• Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt (Next up for sure!)
• DVD of This Is Where I Leave You (I loved this book!)
• Festive in Death by JD Robb
• Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Sussan
• Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber, MD.  (Sigh.)
• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (any opinions on these books?  Babycakes loves the movies. Debating requesting a book)
• Jurassic World DVD
• The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
• Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood (2016 TBR I will own you!)
• Art Institute of Chicago pass – (my favorite museum in the world!)

On Hold

• Lady French Toast and Sir Pancake by Josh Funk
• Breaking Bad Season 4
• The Radiant Road by Katherine Catmull
• After the Crash by Michel Bussi
• Obsession in Death JD Robb
• Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed – I think Holly and Eva have convinced me to take this off the list and just buy the damn book already
• My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
• My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
• The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
• Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

What do you have from the library this month?  What should I put on hold when I break down and buy Tiny Beautiful Things?

Library Checkout: October

I love this idea of Shannon’s so much!  I’ll take any excuse to spread the library love!  My daughter read her first chapter book with me this month thanks to the library! Please pardon me for crying over this milestone.

Library Books Read (and rereading and rereading with Babycakes)

• The Sandman Volume I by Neil Gaiman – (My review)
• The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt
• Nancy Clancy: Soccer Mania by Jane O’Connor
• Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
• I am a Witch’s Cat by Harriet Muncaster
• I am Malala
• China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan

Checked Out to Read

• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
• Nil by Lynne Matson
• Sekret (still renewing this one sigh) by Lindsay Smith
• Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Treehouse #1)  by Mary Pope Osborne

Returned Read

• Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews

On Hold

• Breaking Bad Season 1 (so excited)
• Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich
• The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie R. King
• The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
• Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (119# on 39 copies bah)
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Illustrated Edition
• Laurie Berkner Band Favorite Kids Classic Songs
• Soundless by Richelle Mead
• The Veil by Chloe Neill
• The Witches by Stacy Schiff
• Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich

Returned unread:

• Cinderella Ate My Daughter
• Interstella Cinderella by Deborah Underwood (Babycakes)
• Slaughterhouse 90210: Where Great Books Meet Pop Culture  by Maris Kreizman – didn’t even make it to the checkout – but this looks awesome! I had too many books at that trip if there is such a thing.

Museums!  Because the Chicago Public Library is the coolest I lucked out this month and checked out

• Shedd Aquarium Pass
• Adler Planetarium Pass – sadly returned unused.  Stupid weekend cold.

How did you do at the library this month?  Any recommendations of what to read first?

Library Checkout

I am utterly addicted to the Chicago Public Library so I love this check-in posted by Shannon at River City Reading talking about how you use your library.  It is not an exaggeration to say I am on the site or the app or swinging by a branch of the library nearly daily.  Due to a rather sad situation involving a cd my husband borrowed I am the current library card holder for my whole family.  Looking at this all in one list I’m a little embarrassed – I feel like such a book hoarder! 

Checked out To Be Read:

The Sandman Volume One by Neil Gaiman.  2015 TBR Challenge here I come!  

I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein  

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card – the Husband

The Graveyard Book also by Neil Gaiman – The Husband

Checked Out and Currently Being Read:

China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan

Aqualicious by Victoria Kann – for Babycakes

Pete the Cat, Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin

10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle

Being repeatedly renewed:

Sekret by Lindsay Smith -Seriously I can’t admit how many times I’ve renewed this.

Read and Returned:

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal

Euphoria by Lily King

Returned Unread:

The Drifters by Kim Harrison

Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski

Holds:

Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich

The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie R. King

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Martian by Andy Weir (this might go off the list because I am 383 for 78 copies)

Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews

Nil by Lynne Matson

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Dewalt (Babycakes but totally for me too)

Interstella Cinderella by Deborah Underwood (Babycakes)

Fancy Nancy: Soccer Mania by Jane O’Connor (Babycakes)

Don’t judge me for being a library hoarder! The CPL is that great that I have to get all the books!

American Library Association Midwinter Recap

This last weekend I ventured to McCormick Place to the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting. This was heaven for a book lover even if not a librarian.  For $50 I was able to buy a ticket to the exhibit floor only where I was able to walk from publisher to publisher and see the most anticipated titles coming out in 2015.  I’m still kind of book drunk as my friend Christina put it. I honestly have no idea where to start!  I am so thankful I had this chance and that I received so many awesome sounding publisher recommendations. I have some AMAZING looking books sitting in my house just begging to be read.

Some highlights for me: A God in Ruins, A Court of Thorns and Roses, An Ember in the Ashes, The Wrath and the Dawn, A Touch of Stardust, Black Dove, White Raven, Re Jane, and Hold Me Like A Breath. Basically I’m all over the place from YA to Adult fiction and from fantasy to contemporary!

I even got some books to try out on the 4 year-old.  She told me “This is the best day ever!”

Did you go to ALA or are you planning to attend another book conference this year?

What are you most looking forward to reading in 2015?  Any opinions on where to start?  Also, keep an eye out for giveaways because I have more books than I have shelf space right now!

ALA Midwinter moves from city to city-next year its in Boston, maybe I can convince Holly to road trip with me!

10 Ways to Up Your Reading Intake

 

Though I don’t go through books as quickly as my sister, I have definitely increased the amount of time I spend reading over the past year. Sometimes I get asked how I find time to read so much, so I thought about ways that I made more room for reading in my life. Here’s my 10-step plan for more reading.

1. Keep a running list of what you want to read. Some people love to track details about everything they’ve read and find patterns. I just update my Goodreads with what I want to read, what I’m currently reading, and what I’ve read, which helps me remember what to pick up next.
2. Vary your genres. My reading choices are all over the place – from historical fiction to young adult dystopias to civil war non-fiction. I’m currently reading about politics, which I’ll probably follow up with a YA zombie book. Whatever floats your boat, yo.
3. Read like-books together. Sometimes I like to make myself short (2-4 book) reading lists of books that are semi-related to read together. Like that time I decided to read books about marriage in preparation for mine. Or these book pairing posts about books that just naturally complement each other.
4. Spread out a series. Sometimes it’s daunting to think about picking up a long series, even when the first one looks really good! I love the Pink for All Seasons readalong that Amanda and I are participating in – one book a month for 12 books to complete the series.
5. Watch for deals! In addition to my Goodreads shelves, I keep an Amazon wish list with books I want to read, and I check it regularly to see if anything becomes a Kindle deal. Of course, you know what’s always a deal? The library.
6. Make time for reading. Perhaps this is the most obvious or the most difficult step, but I’ve started to deliberately make time to read. I spend less time on Facebook. I’ll read a chapter in the morning before work if I find myself with 15 minutes to spare. I’ll sit for 20 minutes with coffee and a book on a weekend morning before doing whatever else I have planned (and if I have no plans, that 20 minutes becomes 40, becomes…)
7. Read with a buddy! You don’t have to have a book club or a be a blogger to make this work. The reason I got through all the Game of Thrones books earlier this year is because J was reading them and I wanted to keep up! And of course, I love all the books that Amanda and I have read together this year. We live 800 miles apart, but we can (and do) text constantly while reading the same book!
8. Share your books. I swear more books will come back to you! I know not everyone feels this way, but I’m all about lending or passing on books. Whenever I give a book away, it seems like 3 more end up on my bookshelf, at least temporarily.
9. Carry a book with you! If I end up waiting around somewhere without a book, I will usually find myself scrolling through my phone – reading articles, texting my sister, or scanning Twitter. If I remember to bring a book with me, that time is much better spent!
10. Finish a chapter. I didn’t used to be such a die-hard chapter-finisher, but my husband has converted me here. Even if I get interrupted while reading, I go back and finish the chapter asap, before the end of the day. That keeps me moving along in a book, lest I get distracted and completely forget what I was reading and what was going on. Repeat.
11. Honorable mention by Amanda:  If you have an author that you really love see if you can follow them in some way on social media.  Do they blog? Are they on twitter/facebook/tumblr?  Do they have a newsletter?  I like to hear about what the authors I obsess over are working on.  Authors love to talk books and even about books that they didn’t write.  Lauren Willig has a weekly round-up on her blog talking about what she’s reading and interacting with her reader if you like historical romance.  If you like paranormal or urban fantasy Sookie Stackhouse creator Charlaine Harris reads a lot and shares her thoughts.  I’m amazed at the author reader interaction on twitter-and if you’re on twitter make sure you’re following us too 🙂