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: March 2020

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My library closed!  This bothers me more than most of the closures happening right now.  There are a lot of amazing online resources available now though, with more popping up every day!

What I've been reading:

Mistress of the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin
This was my book club book of the month.  (Of course, book club was also canceled.) Mistress of the Ritz is a novel based on a real life couple set mostly during the German occupation of Paris during World War II.  The glamorous Ritz, with all of the rich and famous, became the stomping ground of the Germans.  The story revolves around the marriage of the hotel propriety and his wife.  (SPOILER ALERT.) It's not exactly a very good marriage. But, oh, the ending!  What a punch in the gut!

Lucky in Love and Listen to Your Heart both by Kasie West
I read both of these while cuddling a sick child.  Both books were delightfully sweet YA romances.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
(This accidentally tied into our current homeschool studies about Africa, which was rather awesome.  Here's a running list of some of the picture books about Africa.)

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
This thriller had me furiously turning the pages.  So many lies.  So much mystery.  Deeply flawed characters.  Unreliable narrator.  Who can you trust?  Yourself?  Your memories?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
This wasn't actually a library book--we own multiple copies--however, since I just finished a re-reading I feel compelled to share it here.  Every single time I read this book I love it a little more.  It's just so good. I mean really, really, really good.

A few notable picture books from this month:

Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker
We all loved this book!  Katherine Johnson was an African-American mathematician who worked for NASA during the space race.  Guess who was pivotal in getting Apollo 13 home?  You guessed it, Katherine!

Out of School and into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story by Suzanne Slade
As it's name implies, this is a picture book biography about naturalist and artist Anna Comstock. She was a pioneer in encouraging nature study as a part of a child's education. 

Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner
This picture book is an adorable look at the ecosystem of a mountain pond.  It's super sweet, very informative, and just an all around great picture book. (I'm adding this book to my Amazon Nature Book List!)

Let's talk!

Do you have some extra time to read this month?  What's on your list?  Is your library open?  How long will it be closed?  

Our Library Bag #3

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Too Many Pumpkins was yet another enjoyable book I added to the library list based on Sarah's October Picture Book List.  I've been trying to get my hands on lots of fall picture books for the kids.  Living in Florida is awesome (swimming in October!) but I do miss the traditional fall details -- changing leaves, sweaters, boots, jeans, and the like.

It's a classic.  The illustrations and the story are sweet.  Dominic, appropriately, calls it the "blue book".

We haven't read Scrambled States of America just yet,  It came highly recommended by another homeschool family, so I'm going in with great expectations.  We shall see!

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World was such a fun read that we had to get How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the USA.  

Yes, I borrow books from the juvenile section for myself.  I am loving The Mysterious Benedict Society.  Quirky?  Check.  Odd secrets and a sense of mystery?  Check.  

I've also picked up my first Stephen King book.  My husband really enjoys much of King's writing and I asked him to pick one for me.  He gave me a variety of choices but I think I will start with Hearts in Atlantis.  

I currently have 44 items checked out on my card, with 12 books waiting for pick up tomorrow!  What's in your library bag this week?

Our Library Bag

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We love books.  Library cards are just as important as driver's licenses.  At least one of us stops in at the library once a week.  I constantly have multiple books on hold (often the maximum number of 20).  Currently I have 31 books checked out on my card.  Here's a peek into our library bag this week:  

Interstellar Cinderella

I really enjoy fairytale retellings.  There's a ball, there's a prince, there's a rocket, and there's Cinderella.  What more do you need?  (This is totally a kid's version of Cinder, which is a really fun young adult book.)

Night of the Ninjas

We only recently started the Magic Tree House series.  I think we like it.  We typically finish each book in a day, and have read the first five in less than two weeks.  (I didn't check them all out at once either, I wasn't sure how well they would be received.)  We are waiting, none too patiently, for #6 -- all copies at the library are currently checked out.  Don't worry though, we are next on the holds list.

Redwall

I've lost count how many times this series has been recommended to me.  I finally added it to my list and we brought it home Friday.  I think we're going to try to read this as a family starting this weekend.

Magic School Bus and the Electric Field Trip

Catherine was asking some pretty hard hitting questions about electricity the other day so I did what every good homeschooling mom does: I checked out just about every age appropriate book on the topic that I could find.  This particular Magic School Bus book is fantastic.  I learned so much!

Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection 

I have some huge issues with some of the recurring themes in Thomas, especially in the newer books, but Dominic loves trains and it's easy enough to edit a story on the fly for a two year old.  (Because I know someone is going to ask: my biggest beef with the Thomas stories is that I hate the idea that someone's worth is directly tied to how "useful" they are.)

I'm putting Journey, Quest, and Return together because they are a trilogy.  A wordless trilogy.  They literally are picture books.  But wow!  The books are beautiful and tell a lovely story, each one is truly a work of art.  We've "read" them multiple times now and each time we gleam a little more.  These books are immensely satisfying and enjoyable for the whole family.  I highly recommend all three.  

I'm, shockingly, only reading one grown up book at the moment.  I finally got my hands on a copy of A is for Alibi.  I love a good mystery and this series has been recommended to me numerous times, but I refuse to start a series anywhere but the beginning -- and our last three libraries didn't have a copy of A!

Oh wait, I lied, I'm also reading Confessions: The Murder of an Angel.  It's rather blah at best, so it barely counts.

What's in your library bag this week?