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

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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?  

Summer Reading & Our Library Bag #7

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It's summer reading season!  I love that "summer reading" is such a powerful phenomenon.  Last night while organizing digital photos I listened to a Libromania podcast simply titled "The Summer Reading Episode".  It was quite delightful, and in it a question was posed that I'm curious how other book loving people would answer: 

Is your summer reading different from your regular reading?

I don't think my summer reading is different from my spring, fall, or winter reading in any remarkable way.  I have added quite a few more titles to my Want To Read list due to so many favorite bloggers publishing summer reading lists . . . but I think that I work through that list pretty equally throughout the year.  (Of course, there are times when I read more than other times.  I'm currently in a book heavy period of time and loving it.)

With all this talk about books, I think that it might be time for another episode of "Our Library Bag"!

1.   I finished The Shadow Throne.  It's the third book in Jennifer A. Nielsen's Ascendance Trilogy.  It's really good!  Having said that, it might be the most predictable and least exciting of the series making it the weakest of the trilogy.  I think The False Prince was the best, it just seemed the most clever.  By the third book the "twists" weren't surprises.  Definitely recommend this series and I'm very sad to say goodbye to these characters. (The Shadow Throne is free right now with an Audible trial.)

2. & 3. I really enjoyed Renegades.  Marissa Meyer just knows how to tell a story.  The pages flew by and I eagerly dug into the second book, Archenemies.  The conclusion to the trilogy, Supernova, doesn't come out until November and I can hardly wait!  At this point, I give these a qualified recommendation.  It's targeted to a YA audience, but some of the themes are a little more on the mature side.  The first two books read very much as "part 1" and "part 2" of a larger whole, so while I enjoyed reading both books, a part of me wishes I hadn't begun until all three were available.

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#books #whatimreading #marissameyer #archenemies #renegades #YA #summerreading #library

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4. I checked out every single National Geographic Reader that is in our library system for the kids.  These readers are super simple, and vary in the quality of writing, but most have great pictures and some basic factoids.  My middle child loves the "Stump Your Parents" section.

5.  My daughter read Princess Academy and now I'm reading it.  This morning I set the kids up with play-doh and managed to read about 150 pages.  (Play-doh for the win!)  I discovered this positively delightful book via Read Aloud Revival's book list for girls 8-12.  I think both my daughter and I will devour the entirety of this list. 

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6.  Once I finish Princess Academy I am going to start The Accident.  I added this to my list courtesy of The Modern Mrs. Darcy.

7.  This one isn't a library book, but since it is currently the most read book in the house it deserves honorable mention: Barnyard Dance.  As far as toddler books that are read on repeat ad nauseam, it's rather enjoyable.  It has a pleasant rhythm and watching the various dancing antics of the toddler are pretty adorable.

That's all for now, everyone!  I'm going to go read. Do tell me about your summer reading plans and habits!  I'm really curious. 

I'm going to link this little blog post of mine around the blogosphere. Some places that I like to link include: 

This Ain't the Lyceum

This is my Review of the Month for the review collection on LovelyAudiobooks.info

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!

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!