Our Library Bag: October 2020

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Library days are always good days.  

Our library bag, as always, is overflowing with books.  This month we also borrowed some movies.  After reading all of the Hunger Games books last month I was curious to re-watch/watch them.  The ever-present bibliophile complaint, that the movies can't even begin to compare to the books, holds true--but overall I thought that they were done fairly well. 

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927 pages. 7 day loan. No renewals. Challenge accepted. #library #librarybooks #troubledblood #robertgailbraith #cormoranstrike #letsread #maketimeforbooks

A post shared by Rachel Furlong (@philwife) on Sep 28, 2020 at 5:42am PDT

 

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith

I intensely dislike when authors let you inside the characters' heads until they make the final deduction.  After 850 pages of being privy to so very many of Robin and Strikes' private thoughts, being excluded for the denouement is just . . . irritating and insulting.  Also, enough with the "will they/won't they" relationship!  That being said, Galbraith knows how to tell a story and I am already looking forward to the next book.     

If you're curious, I totally finished in time. 

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Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

I had a little bit of difficulty immersing myself into this book at first.  Last year I read, and really enjoyed, the Renegades Trilogy.  (It made my Top Five Books of 2019.)  This book felt oddly similar early on.  (In fairness, Steelheart came first.)  I did get into it eventually and am now looking forward to continuing the series.

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The kids and I are enjoying all of our old fall favorites while discovering some new ones!  Sarah Mackenzie's September and October picture book lists are fantastic.  Based on how many holds are placed on these books once Sarah's list hits my email, I know that there are other RAR devotees local to me.  I'm tempted to put little notes into the books saying something to the effect of, "We like the same books, let's be friends!" But I worry that it might be too bizarre . . . 

What is in your library bag this month?

Our Library Bag: August 2020

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Summer reading is about to give way to autumn reading. I've been busy preparing for the school year, but since so many things are cancelled (like our Disney Annual Passes), I've been able to squeeze in some extra reading time.  My last Library Bag post was June, but never fear, we've been keeping our dear librarians busy. 

I'm curious: how is your library currently operating? Are things "back to normal"? Is your library even open yet? Can you place holds?  Inter-library Loans?  Pay fines?  We have reduced hours, a three day holding period for returns, most (but not all) branches are open, limited resources, and large sections of the library are blocked off from patrons.  However, I did just get an email that fines will be re-instated for overdue books starting Monday, so I wonder if other things will be returning to normal operations. 

Skyward and Starsight

My husband recently introduced me to the writings of Brandon Sanderson.  As soon as he finished reading Skyward he told me that he thought it might be one that I would enjoy.  Thirty-six hours and over 500 pages later . . . well, he was right.  Of course, I devoured the squeal, Starsight immediately afterwards.  I was more than a little disappointed to learn that the third book isn't due to come out until Spring of 2021.  

The Guest List

Lucy Foley's telling of this tale is masterful.  I saw someone say it was better as a retelling of "Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie than the original story.  I was dubious, because Christie is in a league of her own; however, I must say, it is very good.  It's a twisting whodunit, while also being a who's-going-to-get-it.  It's an incredibly entertaining thriller.  (It's definitely a grown up book though, with very adult themes and probably could use some trigger warning labels.)

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I picked this book up because it's the Mama Book Club pick over at @readaloudrevival. It's really good. (I think Fall of Merigolds was better, but this one is really solid.) #secretsofacharmedlife #susanmeissner #summerreading #yesthatsafrozenbook

A post shared by Rachel Furlong (@philwife) on Aug 12, 2020 at 9:19am PDT

Secrets of a Charmed Life and A Fall of Marigolds

With its vivid characters and gripping story this is an engaging read.  A modern day American scholar interviews an elderly woman about her WWII memories.  Most of the book is the story of Emmy trying to find her place in a torn apart world. (I may have geeked out a bit when Susan Meissner commented on my Instagram post!)  

If you follow me on IG, then you might have seen another Meissner book, A Fall of Marigolds.  This book had me in tears.  For whatever reason, this book was hard to pick up, but once I did I couldn't put it down.  It also had a modern and a historical story line: one character from 1911 who lost a loved one in the tragic Triangle Park fire; the second character is from modern times and lost someone in the horrific 9/11 attacks.  It's all tied together by a marigold scarf.  While I thought both books were good, I think Marigolds is a bit better: the intertwining stories were more developed.

That's all for now, the children are going to go wild if we don't go swimming right this minute.  Ah, summer!  (And spring, and fall, and even winter . . . we live in Florida.)  

What have you been reading lately?

My Library Bag #6

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We read.  We read a lot.  I haven't done one of these Our Library Bag posts in a while, but it is time for another! As of this moment I have 77 books, and one DVD, checked out on my library card.  Here's a sampling of what is in our bag this week!

100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson
This is one of current read alouds.  I'm not sure who's enjoying this book more, Catherine or me.  Mysterious.  Intriguing.  Engaging.  It's really well written and I'm absolutely loving it.

Since I am enjoying this book so much I decided that it would be the focus of my questions for the "What Are You Reading Wednesday" link up.

Why did you decide to pick up this book - cover or content?  Well, I'm going to be un-original here.  Remember last week, when I said I was reading The False Prince based on a Read Aloud Revival recommendation?  Well . . . this was another one of Sarah's picks.  I suppose that means content?

Who is your favorite character so far, and why?  I'm going for the obvious answer here, Henry.  At this point, it is his story and everyone else just isn't fleshed out enough.  (Uncle Frank gives me some pause though, he seems like he's a lot deeper than we might expect.  I'm really hoping to see that developed!)  However, Catherine says that Henrietta is her favorite because she's a girl and in on the action.

Will you finish this one?  Of course.  And judging from what we've read so far, we will also pick up the rest of the series.

Finish the sentence: This book reminds me of... Right now?  I am seeing echoes of Narnia: the mystery behind closed doors.

What type of read is this one? A great read aloud!

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Such a great read.  I really enjoyed this one.  I can't wait to get my hands on the next book! (This is the book I mentioned in WIPS: Yarn and Books.)  I have a feeling this series will get a blog post all of its own once I'm finished!

17th Suspect by James Patterson
Well, there's not much to say here.  It's the next book in a long line of unoriginal-just-barely-interesting enough crime mysteries.  But for some reason I keep picking them up.  I liken these books to the multitude of CSI: Name Your City available on TV these days: mildly entertaining and easily accessible.  There's also the fact that these are page turners.  I mean, quite literally, page turners.  With huge margins, extremely short chapters, and generous spacing there are barely any words on a page!

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (And Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham
What can I say?  I'm a Gilmore Girls fan.  Haven't finished it yet . . . however, thus far the overall feel of the book is exactly as it should be, or at least what I want as a GG fan girl.  It just feels like Lorelai.

The Ultimate Dick and Jane Storybook Collection
Dominic has enthusiastically been reading this book aloud to anyone who will listen for the past week or two.  He has read every page on his own.  I'm so proud of him!

General Relativity for Babies (etc.) by Chris Ferrie
When I stumbled across the books, not just this one, but ALL of them, quite by accident, at the library I was super excited.  I don't generally borrow board books from the library but these quickly made their way into my bag.  (Although, they seem brand new, we might be the first people to check them out.) In a nutshell, they are totally awesome.  I highly recommend them!

Lea Dives In by Lisa Yee
Catherine wanted to include this book as a notable read for this week.  She really enjoyed it.  I knew she did, since it was started and finished in less than 24 hours.

Mr. Popper's Penguins Richard Atwater
Technically, this isn't a library bag book.  I picked this up (for FREE!) from a homeschool curriculum swap.  It's a hilarious classic and I'm happy to add it to our shelves.  And again, Catherine devoured it.  I loved that she would read the amusing bits aloud to the family.

I think that's enough for now!  I hope that you find some time to cuddle up with a good book this week!

Sale on The Read Aloud Family (Time Sensitive)

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The Read-Aloud Family is on sale this weekend! The Kindle version is $2.99, regular price is $16.99. 

I've been a big fan of the author, Sarah Mackenzie, since the first time I stumbled upon her blog, Read Aloud Revival.  Reading is a way of life in our house.  We've personally loved her book lists, her podcasts, and her author interviews so while I haven't read this book . . . yet . . . I can only imagine that it will be filled with good things. 

Our Library Bag #5

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This is the catch up Our Library Bag post.  We've read a lot since the last post; here are some books from the past six months or so:

For the kids:

ABC Animals is the new Freight Train for Dominic.  This means that we read this book approximately 27 million times a day when it was checked out.

The Book With No Pictures made my "big" kids laugh hysterically.  I think this will be one of those books that you either love or hate, so just be warned.  (Did you see that this book was written by B.J. Novak?  I've actually met him in real life!)

The Magic Tree House books are immensely popular with my seven year old.  I think she's read about thirty-five of them so far.


For me:

Mortal Engines  "It was a dark, blustery afternoon in spring, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-out bed of the old North Sea."
That's the first sentence of the book.  Quite a fascinating visual image, isn't it?  A city, quite literally, chasing another city?  This is a fairly quick read, and it was enjoyable.  I haven't decided if I will read the rest of the Predator Cities Series, but I have added them to my list, just in case.  

Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle)  Once I started this book I couldn't put it down.  There's just something about this series that draws me in.  It's a bit grittier than a lot of the other YA that I read.  It does read as a "middle" book -- it's neither the beginning nor the end of the tale.

Maybe in Another Life Have you heard of Modern Mrs Darcy?  It's fast becoming one of my favorite blogs.  This was one of her "Unputdownable: 17 books I read in 24 hours or less (because they were just that good)" picks.  I totally understand why it made the list.

The Blue Castle L.M. Montgomery wrote more than just Anne of Green Gables.  This is just such a sweet little romance.  I laughed.  I cried.  I loved it.  (I might have been a tad hormonal since I read it while pregnant.)

I'm going to stop there for today!  It's my hope that this will be a weekly post . . . but we'll have to see how things go!

Book Review: The Charming Life of Izzy Malone by Jenny Lundquist

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Book: The Charming Life of Izzy Malone
Author: Jenny Lundquist
Recommended Age Range: 8 - 12

Charm school?  At first Izzy isn't too excited about the prospect.  Combat boots, rowing, and shooting basketball with the neighbor doesn't exactly mesh with Izzy's idea of Charm School: walking in high heels and minding your pinky while drinking tea.  She's all spunk while her idea of charm school would better suit her sister (who clearly doesn't need it).  Luckily, Mrs. Whippie's charm school is different.  Izzy must complete tasks and earn actual charms, as in, charms for a charm bracelet.  While earning her charms she earns a prize "unlike any other".

Sound interesting, but not quite ready to buy the book?  Check out Jenny's blog, she has an excerpt available to read online.

Obviously I'm a bit older than the intended audience for this book, in fact it's much closer to being a book for my daughter, however, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Charming Life of Izza Malone.  In fact, I finished it in less than 24 hours.  All 280-ish pages of it. There are a few themes that are hugely important for the recommended age range, such as self esteem, bullying, crushes, and family relationships.  I give this book a thumbs up!

There are lots of ways to keep up with Jenny.  Here are a few:

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Random Notes

I do have one gripe.  Grey doesn't have to be boring.  During the 24 hours that I was reading through this book I was also working on painting my living room, kitchen, dining area, and library.  I'm doing it two tone -- and one of the colors is a lovely grey.  Of course, I'm pairing it with a vibrant blue and having lots of splashes of color . . . so maybe it really isn't the same thing . . . but grey does not necessarily mean boring!  (I do have to admit, grey throughout an entire school would be a bit much.  It might even be enough to make me "beautify" a wall or two as myself, just like Izzy.)

I was curious if people really do race pumpkins-turned-into-boats, and yes that is a real thing.  Don't believe me, check the internet!

{Spoiler alert} Can I just say?  I love that Izzy had a crush and made the conscious decision to not do anything about it.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a little romance, but let's see more about forming friendships and adventure (especially for this age group)!

For my header photo for this post, that's the top one, I wanted to evoke Izzy's personality through my own stuff.  I have my favorite jacket -- a lightweight army green blazer.  My version of a charm bracelet -- my Origami Owl necklace.  A fun, but somewhat funky, hat -- my Sterling Unicorn Hat.  Of course, I also had to include the book itself!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

The Charming Life of Izzy Malone Book & Amazon Gift Card Giveaway (Ends 12/12/16) US Only

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To celebrate the release of The Charming Life of Izzy Malone Jenny Lundquist is sponsoring a giveaway!  I was given the opportunity to read a copy of this book before it's release and I have to say it was a delightful read.  (See more of my thoughts in my review.)  This book would make a great gift for a daughter, or niece, or a neighbor girl, or . . . . the list goes on.

One winner will receive a copy of The Charming Life of Izzy Malone and a $50 Amazon Gift Code.

Must be 18+ to enter.  US only.  Void where prohibited.  Winner will be randomly chosen using Rafflecopter.  Winner will have 48 hour to respond to my email; after 48 hours a new winner will be chosen.  The Philosopher's Wife is not responsible for prize fulfilment or shipment. Entries will be verified.

Please Note: I have tried my best to give you a variety of entry methods.  You can complete one method of entry or all of them.  I know not everyone is on Facebook.  Many people aren't on Instagram.  So on and so forth.  I have included multiple entries that are blog comments -- which you can do if you can see this post.  There are some daily entries, so be sure to come back each day for those.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I See Me! Christmas Sing-A-Long Book & CD Giveaway (Ends 11/23) US

Here's another giveaway for you that might help make your Christmas just a little bit merrier!

Welcome to the I See Me! Christmas Sing-A-Long Giveaway!

Sponsored by: I See Me!

Hosted by: Tyrneathem

If you follow my blog super closely you might remember Catherine reviewing a book from I See Me over a year ago.  (And of course, she's modeling a hat I made for her.)  Since Catherine still enjoys her I See Me! book I jumped at the chance to join some other bloggers to bring this giveaway to my readers. 

From the host:

"What can I say? I See Me! has blown me away once again! They have a knack for creating beautifully illustrated books. Each page is full of little details that leave something new for your child to discover each time they look."

Read more of Tyrneathem’s review here.

One lucky reader will win a personalized I See Me! Christmas Sing-A-Long Book & CD!

$39.99 total value. Open to US residents ages 18+ only. Giveaway will begin 11/10/2016 at 6:00 am CST and end 11/23/2016 at 11:59 pm CST.

Giveaways are in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, or any other social media network. No purchase necessary to enter. One entrant per household. Void where prohibited by law. Entrants must only enter with either one email address, IP address and/or Facebook account, anyone found violating these rules will be disqualified. It is at the sole discretion of the admin of the giveaway if the winner has met the rules or not. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received. Winners chosen at random. Confirmed winner(s) will be contacted by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email notification with shipping info (no PO Boxes, please) and claim prize – if no response, another winner will be chosen. It is recommended that you add tonya@tyrneathem.com to your safe sender list. The bloggers associated with this giveaway, including The Philosopher's Wife, are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment. We reserve the right to make revisions, to cancel, or suspend this contest for any reason.

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The Defy Trilogy: My Two Cents

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I'm totally a sucker for a good Young Adult novel.  One of my all time favorite bloggers, Marissa over at Rae Gun Ramblings, has very similar tastes when it comes to books, so I've added about ninety percent of her recommendations to my library list over the years.  Last summer she shared books to bring to the pool and I just finished one of the series mentioned there.  (I have a long list, so sometimes it takes a while to check something off!)

If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen one of my lame attempts at taking an artistic photo of these books.  Of course, reading this post means you'll see more!  By the way, I am a huge fan of the cover art.

The Defy trilogy (Defy, Ignite, and Endure) follows a strong female protagonist as she battles her way through one misfortune after another.  While it is set in a somewhat fantasy world (magic and sorcerers exist) and there are plenty of adventures I would say this is primarily a romance novel, with it's rather predictable love triangle.  (Tiny spoiler: I was totally rooting for the other guy!)  While this is YA fiction, and overall this is a fairly clean cut trilogy, there are certainly some more grown up themes.  The evil guys do some particularly evil things, including rape.  

I'll admit, it is fairly predictable.  There are some rather gaping plot holes.  It's not entirely original.  I would love deeper character development.  Despite all of that it was a fun read.  I read all three books in the course of a week, and once one was finished I was eager to start the next one.  It's fluffy fun reading.  Great for the last bit of summer vacation!

Finally, maybe I'm just seeing Disney in everything lately, but it's certainly reminiscent of Mulan.  Of course the whole girl-is-actually-a-boy-thing also immediately brings to mind Twelfth Night.  But again, maybe that's just me.


Linking up here, here, and here.

I See Me: Sweet Dreams, Fairy Personalized Book Review

This is a sponsored post.  Everything you read is my own honest opinion.

Catherine is a voracious (almost) reader.  One of the highlights of her week, and mine as well, is our weekly trip to the library.  We both have to limit ourselves.  So when I See Me asked if I was interested in reviewing a book for them my answer was "Of course!"

Yes, I made the Yellow Hat!  Check out the blog post about it.

The book that I received was the Sweet Dreams, Fairy Personalized Book.  

Overall it is a very cute book.  The main character, which is modeled after your own little girl, is a busy forest fairy who tends to her garden, eats dinner with her family, gets ready for bed, and lets a magical bedtime story float her off to sleep.

I do have one critique.  During the personalization phase it asked for the names of two friends.  Catherine gave me two names, one was a friend and the other one was her brother.  I didn't think anything of it, because it did not specify that the friends had to be girls.  "Dominic" is a clearly a girl fairy.  (If only I had gone with his nickname, "Porcupine"!)

In my humble opinion there really aren't many (perhaps any?) children's books worth $34.99.  So I highly recommend taking advantage of I See Me's special offer running through 3/31/15: Enter code FAIRY at checkout at ISeeMe.com and they will take $10 off orders $50+. And, any orders $75 or more will ship free. 

Connect with I See Me on social media:

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This was a sponsored post, written by me on behalf of I See Me.  All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Confessions of a Murder Suspect

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Confessions of a Murder Suspect
By: James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Like all of Patterson's works, this is a quick read.  Big type, large margins, tiny chapters, all help to make this a fast page turner.  Of course, the premise is intriguing, and that's what got me hooked.

Although I did find myself compelled to read the story, it felt a bit like some of his other works, i.e., there's the lead character who seems to be something more than normal, parents are gone, there's a bigger conspiracy than first thought, etc.   We've seen this from Patterson before.

While the level of writing certainly is aimed to a young adult crowd, maybe even middle school to some extent, there are adult themes: murder, crazy parents, suicide, affairs (nothing graphic or anything, they're simply there), etc..  Maybe I'm getting more sensitive as my baby gets closer to the target audience, but I'm not sure when I'd want her reading this too soon.  However, it's a bit juvenile to be an adult mystery.

The conclusion is rather anti-climactic, and it certainly leaves the reader with a lot of questions.  (I think to get you to read the next book in the series, Confessions: The Private School Murders.)

I rate this book as okay.  I spent two afternoons an it, and that's about what it deserved.  Borrow it from the library, but don't buy it.

That's my two cents.

My Review of "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West"

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Book: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Author: Gregory Maguire

I loved all the Oz books as a kid, and have enjoyed re-reading many of them as an adult.

I wanted to like Wicked.  I thought that I would.

I didn't though.

It just wasn't . . . good.

To be perfectly fair, I started and stopped this book over the course of a year.  (Which I don't think I've done with any other work of fiction that I've read.)  I tried to read it while in the throes of morning sickness, all nine months of it.  That alone doesn't bode well, I suppose.  It was a real struggle to finish the book.

The basic idea of the plot I like, and there's so much potential!  I would like to know the back story of The Wicked Witch.  I would like to know what drives her.  I would like to empathize with her.  I would like to see another side of Oz.

I was even fine with The Land of Oz losing some of it's innocence.  Although, I did not appreciate all the sexual innuendo, or sex, it just came off as crass and unnecessary.  (Side note: this is an adult book, Baum's books are safe for all ages.)  Maybe I'm a bit of a prude, but I can live with that.

The writing style was a bit irksome at times.  Maguire, rather excessively, shows off his wide vocabulary.  It often felt pretentious rather than natural.  Phrases that were meant to be poetic (I think) were simply awkward and burdensome.

The plot development was rather disjointed. It was annoying that each section ended rather abruptly -- lots of build-up without real resolution.  Characters finally started to develop and then we moved on to new people.

Maguire seemingly attempts to struggle with the concepts of good, evil, religion, and god but he never really gets anywhere.  I got the impression that the book wanted to be deep and thought provoking, but instead it simply wasn't.

In my humble opinion, this was a case of good idea, bad execution.

What did you think?  Did you find the book to be a worthwhile read?  Did you enjoy the musical more or less?


PS: Despite my dislike for the book, I do want to see the musical.

You also might like My Two Cents on "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.

Stella & Dot Sardinia Bracelet - Blue

My Two Cents on "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

It certainly is a popular book.   I was on the hold list for a couple of weeks at the local library and it has been out for a while.  (I LOVE the fact that you can set up a hold, receive an email that your book is ready, check-out, download and begin reading an e-book from the comfort of home!)  As I write this The Help" is #5 on The New York Times Combined Print and E-book Best Sellers List.  Amazon has over five thousand reviews on this book alone (5,285 to be exact), and more than four thousand of those rank it as Five Stars.  It does have 174 one star reviews, and if my math is right--which is probably isn't--is just over 3%.  Now, I am not the type of person that loves everything that is popular.  I have to admit though, when something is such a hit I do become curious. 

While I was happy when the book became available for checkout I hadn't been antsy with anticipation like I am with other books for which I'm waiting.  However, once I started reading I enthralled.  I found it difficult to put down.  The writing was clear and easy to read.  The story was touching and poignant.  I found it extremely easy to picture the characters.  Despite following multiple characters each one was well defined and each storyline was well told.  I felt carried into these women's lives.  When I was finished I wanted more.


I certainly have some criticisms.  The vernacular in which the "Help" spoke was a bit simple.  Plus, it seemed that they were the only ones with anything of a Southern style of speaking, ie, the white people spoke perfectly unaffected Yankee English.  Maybe this was simply to convey how great the class distinction really was--it was two separate cultures--but it seemed inadequate and some believe racist.  Mark Twain, a master of the vernacular, had most of his characters speak in a way fitting with their locale.  He intimately knew the South and was able to capture it in the way he wrote dialogue.  I got the feeling that Stockett is a Northerner writing about the South.  Some of the characters are a bit stereotypical: the sassy black maid, the woman who married into money, the mother who ignores her children, etc.


While it is a work of fiction, and as such doesn't portray a completely accurate picture, I do feel that it captured an attitude of the times.  Trying to put into words the complexity of the relationships between the white and black women of the southern town during the early 1960's is a daunting task.  "The Help" manages to give us a small glimpse into that world.


That's just my two cents.


Anyone else read this book and have anything to say about it?  Did you like it?  Dislike it?  I'd love to hear what you have to say!