Bookish and Other Thoughts

Just a few musings for this Tuesday...

1. We leave for a sixteen-day international trip this coming week. And I'm not ready! I keep thinking of things I might need and have spent $$$ on items I might need/want. The last batch of ordered items are set to arrive tomorrow, then I think there is no more time to order anything else. Still expecting: two microfiber travel towels, a portable neck fan (tee-hee), an ultra-thin portable phone charger, new Keen sandals, and a lightweight top. Egads, I'll have so much stuff there will be no room for clothes.

2. I've been on a bit of reading slump lately, or at least it feels that way. I blame it all on Middlemarch! What with the packing and travel scheming, reading is taking a back-burner. Since I have to read a chapter a day of Middlemarch it often the only thing I read. I'm over page 500, so it's not like I'm not reading, just making awfully slow progress. BTW-- I will not be able to keep up on the read-along project since I am NOT taking this tome of a book with me on the trip. 

3. Let's see, what have I read/listened to so far in September, not counting Middlemarch?

• They Called Us Enemy by George Takei. About his experiences as a Japanese-American during WWII, being interned with his family by the government. A graphic novel. Complete.
• Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson. Set in London in the Roaring Twenties about a crime family and other oddities of the time. I love this author and enjoyed the book. Audiobook. Complete.
• The Carrying: Poems by Ada Limon. I found this small and thoughtful book of poems at the library. Complete.
• Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. Sort of based on the Little Women story, four sisters and their relationships over the decades. I ended up liking it but wasn't sure mid-book. Audiobook. Book Club Choice. Complete.
• Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams. The 3rd book in the Hitchhiker's series. Need I say more? Very silly. Audiobook. Complete.
• Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas Kristof. Nonfiction about the state of people's lives in America today. Depressing and hopeful at the same time. Audiobook. Book Club Choice. 50% complete.
• Maame by Jessica George. Another book set in London. This one in modern times a Nigerian-Brit woman navigates life and career. Print. 33% complete.
• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. Another book club selection by a favorite author. I just started this one on my Audible account. Audiobook. 16% complete.

4. Speaking of travel, I keep juggling books trying for the best selections(s) to take with me. I own a copy of  The Aleph and Other Stories by Jorge Luis Borges and have planned to carry it in my purse. I like reading short stories when I'm on the road but I wonder if these stories will seem like too much work? I have another short story collection by Alice Munro, so I may throw that in my bag, too. I found a copy of My Brilliant Friend at the library sale shelf and bought it for $.50, but have decided it weighs too much to lug around with me. It is a very heavy paperback. Just today, I borrowed two additional audiobooks from my library, using the Libby app. We will be in the air for over six hours, so I might enjoy listening to books for a while. I borrowed Maame (so I can finish it) and Mister Impossible. I know I won't read/listen to all four books while we are gone, but I want to have options! When we traveled in Europe several years ago we would utilize the free loan libraries in many hotels. I'm not sure if we can plan on this on our trip to South America. We'll see.

5. Book club sad thought. I have been in the same book club for over 28 years. It won't be many more years until we age ourselves out of a club. Many of the members are in their 80s. I guess we can't keep going forever. It is a sad thought but I know we still have several years a head of us before any decision to disband  is imminent. 

-Anne

Bookish and Other Thoughts

Just a few musings for this Saturday...

Middlemarch -- I started the Middlemarch by George Eliot read-along on July 27th. The goal is to read a chapter a day which means we'll (me and the other participants) finish the book toward the end of October. I lost my way almost immediately while on the family reunion vacation. But after reading two chapters a day for a week I am back on track. Two observations so far: The book isn't as daunting as my mind had it made up to be and yet reading two chapters/day is too much. So I will slowly creep along reading a chapter a day until its completion. I am not even sure why I wanted to read the book in the first place. It is as if I think in order to pass the life test I must prove I've read all the great classics before I die.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest -- I have an original paperback of this famous novel, a 1962 version. I think I've owned it since I was in college in the mid-1970s, probably purchasing it at the bookstore where I worked parttime while in school. Clearly I have carried the thing around with me long enough, I should have read it by now. Oddly somewhere along the way I bought another copy, forgetting about the first. This past week I finally decided it was time and began reading it. Man, the print is small. I wish I'd read it when my eyes were better. Ha!

Book club selections -- one of my book clubs meets this week. We will be making selections for the next three or four months. Our rather long list of options will likely stymie us. Can you offer any details on any of these books which will help us move the book up or down on the list? (The number in the parenthesis reflect how many members have expressed interest. There are eight members but one person hasn't weighed in.)

1. I Have Some Questions for You by Makkai (3)
2. Birnam Wood by Catton  (2)
3. Maame by George  (5)
4. Lady Tan's Circle of Women by See  (5)
5. The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger (4)
6. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett  (3)
7. The Covenant of Water by Verghese (6)
8. Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by McBride (6)
9. The Rabbit Hutch by Gunty (3)
10. Erotic Stories of Pujabi Widows by Jaswal (4)
11. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Dugoni (3)
12. Our Missing Hearts by Ng (3)
• Note, book club met on this past Wednesday and selected Tom Lake, The Covenant of Water, Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, and The Rabbit Hutch as our next four choices. All of us wanted most of the books and will hang on to the list for our next selection session but by then who knows what other books will shove their way onto it. I've read #1 and 12. That leaves me with only six I'll have to read on my own.

Big book season -- I read a headline the other day "We Are Entering Big Books Season". Of course, I didn't save the link but the headline gave me moment to pause and think. Is there a big book season? I participate in a yearly challenge during the summer months to read books over 400 pages (See Book by Book Big Book Summer Challenge.) I bet most people think that late fall or winter months are the best time to read long/big books, not summer when we should all be rollicking outside all the time. Well, this summer has turned into a 'big book summer' for me. I have spent more time inside escaping the heat than ever before. So far I have completed seven 400+page books since the challenge began on Memorial Day. While searching for the above mentioned headline I stumbled upon this blog post about 10 fantastic big books. Of the ten, I've read six and I loved them all. Guess I'm a big book gal after all!

A moment of community -- In this day and age it is rare to feel a sense of community very often. Yesterday Don and I were out for a drive in his little convertible. We were driving along a shaded road alongside a small lake when up ahead we noticed a car stopped with its flashers on. As we crept forward we saw the reason why. A tree had just fallen across the road. The man in the first car was attempting to clear what he could. My husband got out to help. One by one, two by two, so did people from the other cars. Soon 10+ people were working together on a common cause. The mess was cleared in no time. "Many hands make light work." As each person/couple wandered back to their cars, I couldn't help but think this is the way things are supposed to be -- all of us working on a similar project, pulling in the same direction.

Maui -- So many of my thoughts are turning to Maui after the disaster of this past week. We visited Lahaina for the first time this past February and have such fond memories of it. Our hearts are broken for all Hawaiians for the loss of a sacred space.

I purchased this beautiful signed print at the gift shop of the museum store near the magnificent banyan tree. Now it is a priced possession.

-Anne

Bookish [and not so bookish] thoughts

In an effort to wrap up 2018, today I spent a bit of time cleaning up my Goodreads list by adding tags I'd forgotten to add when I read the books and going back and adding a new tag, "reviewed" to all the books that I wrote reviews for sometime during the year. It took a little time since I had to cross check Goodreads with my blogpost list. Sometimes I don't title my reviews with the name of the book, so that meant I had to open up different reviews to search for titles. It wasn't a tedious process. In fact, I had fun rereading some of my posts.

Here is the shocking (to me anyway) thing I discovered: I wrote 90 reviews last year. 90. Whoa. If you had asked me how I did at reviewing books last year, I don't think I would have said I wrote that many reviews. Breaking the stats down---I read 150 books, 27 of them I didn't finish (Cybils books mostly). Since it is very unlikely I would not write a review for an unfinished book, I am going to back those out of my list. This leaves 123 books that were review-worthy. I reviewed 90 of them, leaving only 33 books I didn't review. That is 73% reviewed, to 27% not reviewed. Woot woot. I am even impressed myself.

I had set myself a reviewing plan for 2018 to take a little heat off the pressure the "need" to review all books. The plan was to write reviews for: a. ALL book club selections; b. any books I thought were potential Printz Award books (YA); and c. all YA/Junior nonfiction books. Other books could be reviewed but I didn't need to feel pressure if I decided to pass on them. Based on this plan I still have several reviews to write before I can close the door on 2018.

• Book Club selections:
• Before We Were Yours (for book club this month, but read in 2018)
• An American Marriage
• Educated
• Possible Printz Award books:
• Darius the Great is Not Okay
• The Astonishing Color of After
• JH/SH Nonfiction titles:
• Forget it, too many and most I didn't finish. I did review all but three of the finalists, though, so I might go back and attempt reviews on those three.
• Just because books:
• The Soul of America
• The Wisdom of Sundays

I know it isn't necessary but it helps me, so I am challenging myself to write these seven reviews by the end of the month and I'll keep track on a little counter. Today I start with The Soul of America since I've had the physical library book sitting here for weeks and I have to return it soon.

On non-bookish topics---

• We finally got our health insurance switched over but it involves lots of hassles. Ugh. The good thing though, once all the hassles are dealt with it will save a ton of money each month, especially on prescriptions. In the meantime I still don't have a flu shot and I need to get one!
• Bingley, our male puppy, has finally figured out how to lift his leg to pee, well, sort of. He still sprays his underside quite often which requires frequent little baths. I just got done bathing him so now I smell like pet shampoo.
• Don and I are stuck in the middle of four TV series: Poldark (PBS); Outlander (Starz); Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime); and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Hulu). It takes work just remembering how to find them.
• We've put away all of the indoor Christmas decorations from the main rooms, but the guest room is still a junk pile of decorations that need to be tucked away.  Out of sight, out of mind?

My goals for today:

• Shower...ha-ha, I shouldn't even have to mention it. Guess who isn't dressed yet?
• Drop by the library to pick up the books on hold
• Read 100 pages of Beartown. Without daily page goals, I'll never finish the book.
• Start review of The Soul of America
• Drop by the guest room and survey the scope of the task at putting away the last of the Christmas decorations, maybe even put a few things away.
• DOABLE!

Bookish (and not so bookish) thoughts

1. I have been wondering why I am so resistant to writing book reviews lately. Every New Year's resolution I make has something to do with writing book reviews for the books I've read. This year I started off with a bang---writing a review for the first six books I read in the new year and then I fell off from there. I've only written on 33 reviews for the 70 books read. I keep making lists of books I want to review, then I read another book and the original list starts to become overwhelming so I don't write anything. Sigh.

2. Along the lines of #1, I attended a bookish workshop this past February and three of the presenters were authors whose books I had read for book club. I was psyched to meet them and enjoyed their presentations. When I got home, I ran to my blog to see what I written in my reviews about the books. I hadn't written reviews for any of them. I resolved at that moment I would at least write reviews for my book club books, and attempt to do so before the club meeting to help me crystallize my thoughts. Well...I haven't done so well on that score.  I've only reviewed half of the club books read so far this year. (Which is actually more than I thought when I started writing.)

3. Sticking with the review theme of #1 and #2, I wonder what the sticking point is? Do I resist writing reviews because I know that it will require some thought and perhaps a bit of research? Do I doubt my own thoughts and opinions? Of all my blog posts, it is my reviews that generate the least amount of traffic but are the posts for which I feel the most pride. Often I find that as I write a review, I end up liking the book more or less than when I was reflecting on it before I started the writing process. Oddly, that may be the biggest obstacle. When I write a review I have to hold an opinion and not be all wishy-washy about thoughts... writing the review forces me to decide how I feel about the book and to defend that decision.

Recipe: Gingerbread scones. Two notes. One from October 1997 in my handwriting, the other from 2017 in my daughter's script.

4. Enough on reviews. I was digging around in my cupboard a few months ago and found this tiny scone cookbook which I've had since the mid-1990s. At that time I would write notes to myself in the margins for future reference. Those notes and the small cookbook have been a joy this summer, as have the scones I've made. Yesterday's scones, mocha chip, were a little dry and the texture a little off, but very delicious.

Eating banana cake with two fists full

5. Ian, my 10-month grandson, has finally decided that eating is good. He really wasn't interested in food until about a month ago, which seemed really late to me. Yesterday, he and his mom were hanging out at my house around lunch time and his mom gave him a small piece of banana cake, which is like banana bread with frosting, and he crammed it all in his mouth at once. Such joy!

Bingley, five weeks old.

6. My sister is visiting my puppy right now and sending me photos. I chose him from a litter of pups from one of her friends. He can come home to us next month. We are all getting pretty excited for him to join our family. I've already named him after an Austen character, Bingley. Since he is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, he needed a British name.

7. This meme is hosted at Bookishly Boisterous. I'm feeling so much better about my reviews...since I got all my feelings off my chest, I think I will close this post down and go write up a review.  SHould I write one for the Bear and the Nightingale or Eleanor Oliphant first?  Bye!

PS...I just wrote myself a list of the books I've read this year that I still want to review.: 13. My plan is to write at least two reviews a week of past books and attempt to stay current as finish up books. It will take me into September, but I think that is a workable plan.

Bookish (and not so bookish) thoughts

This coming week I turn 61. Let's pretend that I live to the life expectancy of an American woman which is 81.1 years. Give or take a month, that means I have a likely twenty more years to live. Now let's also say that I keep to a rather rigorous reading level of 100 books per year on the average. That means I have only, hang on while I do the math, 2010 more books to read in my lifetime. 2010. That is all.

My age: 61

Average life expectancy of US females: 81.1

Average number of books I read per year: 100

Doing the math: 81.1-61=20.1 number of years expected to live

20.1 x 100= 2010 books left to read

With that thought in mind it is time I get really picky about the books I choose to spend time reading:
Boring? Ditch it.  

Poorly written? Forget it. 

A classic but super long? Consider the abridged version. 

Everyone is reading it but it is not my style? Who cares? Don't read it.

I mean it folks. The number of books I have time left to read is finite. I will be choosing wisely as I move forward.

Protecting a library with book curses found in medieval documents

Highlighted from this article

"May the sword of anathema slay
If anyone steals this book away." 

“If anyone take away this book, let him die the death; let him be fried in a pan; let the falling sickness and fever size him; let him be broken on the wheel, and hanged. Amen.”

“May whoever steals or alienates this book, or mutilates it, be cut off from the body of the church and held as a thing accursed.”

Pretty serious stuff.  Think again if you plan on stealing a book! Ha!

Bookish (and not so bookish) thoughts

Bookish (and not so bookish) thoughts is hosted by Bookishly Boisterous.

1. Right now, this very minute, we are experiencing a thunderstorm. This may not be a big deal to some folks, but to those of us living in the Pacific NW, thunderstorms are rare. For this reason, they are noteworthy. The weather this spring has been cold and rainy until a few days ago when it warmed up around twenty degrees over night. Hilariously we all went from complaining about the cold, damp weather to whining about the heat and humidity. But the storm, which just dropped a ton of rain all at once, is signaling a return to colder weather, I presume.

2. I am retiring from teaching at the end of this school year. I've been in education for 37 years and it is time. This week I've been sorting through papers stuck away in my file cabinet. Many I should have tossed years ago but I also bumped into some old treasures that caused me to pause and reflect. Among the things I saved was a notice of a fine for a student. She owed the library 99 trillion dollars for a lost calculator. It was an obvious error but one that makes me giggle whenever I think of it. I had inadvertently assigned the barcode number on the calculator onto the 'amount' line. Barcodes are fourteen digit numbers, hence the trillion dollar fine. She owed more than the national debt. Tee-hee. I fixed it, of course, but not before I made a copy of the fine sheet. I think I will bequeath it to my library clerk on my last day.

3. I am currently reading five books and with one exception I have read less than ten percent of any of them. It is a very inefficient way to read books---a few pages here, a few pages there. And so I told myself today I would bear down and finish the one book I am further along on than the others, and, of course, I can't read it because I left it at school. I left abruptly this afternoon because the storm was heading our way and I didn't wear a coat this morning, so I wanted to get to the car before it started raining. Sigh. Which book should I spent a few minutes on now?

4. I've been thinking about the Harry Potter series lately, wondering if there will ever be another reading phenomenon like the one created by JK Rowling and Harry Potter. I doubt it. For one thing, there are so few bookstores left. Think about all the midnight parties that bookstores threw when we would line up to be the first to buy the latest book in the series. There would be hardly any place left to host those parties.  And getting an e-book just isn't the same. Guess you can tell why it is time for me to retire.

5. I've discovered a new poet---Hafiz. Here is an incredible thought for the day from Hafiz, via me, to you...

"I wish I could show you,
When you are lonely or in darkness,
The Astonishing Light
Of your own Being!"

Bookish (and not so bookish) thoughts, March 16th

1. To retire or not to retire? That is the question. At the beginning of the school year I thought I would retire this year, then I decided I would go one more year. Now I am leaning toward retiring. People tell me I will "know" when it is time. What if "knowing" changes every day? Yes. No. Maybe.

2. Jane Austen week. For the past eight or nine years I have hosted a Jane Austen week in the library. I highlight her books, show one of the movies based on her books, play trivia, hand out prizes, decorate the display case with everything Austen. This year, I am not feeling it. For one thing only one student has asked about it. For another, Jane Austen readers have diminished over the years. The only book they know is Pride and Prejudice and that is because of the movie, I'm sure. I am pretty sure this is a sign. Refer to #1.

3. So who knew that there were such different types of book-cover laminates? I opened a new roll today to cover a larger book I just purchased for the library and I struggled, really struggled to get it on the book without adhering to itself and then there were a million tiny air bubbles I couldn't get out. Gah!

4. We found out we are going to be grandparents in September. Yay! And this week I received my first grandma gift, a board book, Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton. It was a favorite when my kids were little. Thanks, Grace!

5. Feast or famine with audiobooks. I place holds on audiobooks at the library and they all come available at the same time. Why do I keep doing this to myself? It happens every time. Currently I have four (or is it five?) audiobooks checked out to me and they all have three week circulation dates. The problem, of course, is that a person can only listen to one audiobook at a time, unlike juggling two or three print books. Therefore more than half will go back without me listening to a minute of them. I will finish one audiobook today, LaRose by Erdrich, and restart another I had set aside, Homegoing by Gyassi. Other than that I am not sure I will get to any of the others. Back in line, to start the whole process again.

6. The JROTC program just gave the library a ginormous book called Long May She Wave, all about the American flag. Although extra big books are hard to store in a library, I am going to keep it and place it on display. It is so cool. (See photo.)

7. On an unrelated and non-bookish note, our dog's tumor started bleeding last night. I had just taken her to the vet the day before and it wasn't that bad. It grew that much overnight. Ugh. Really gross. Time to start making hard decisions. Sigh.

This meme is hosted by BookishlyBoisterous

Anne

Bookish (and Not So Bookish) Thoughts Oct.21

I am sad.  Just sad. Here's why:

1. Less students than ever (in eleven years) are reading and checking out books in my high school library. In September alone my numbers were down 500 books from the previous year.

2. I had a conversation with an ELA (English Language Arts) teacher after school and she told me she wasn't planning on bringing her classes to the library because she doesn't want to ask them to read a book unless she plans on grading something they do with the book and she doesn't want to grade anything else. I can appreciate that. I remember being swamped with grading when I was in the classroom. But when I suggested that she bring classes in for book talks to select free choice books she didn't go for that either.  Sigh.

3. This sad feeling could also be a malaise brought on by the book I am currently listening to: The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr. Argh. It is so depressing to think about what the world will be like when there is no one left willing to read a full-sized book.

On the good side of things:

1. Last week I shared a diagram of my wayward reading habits. I am happy to report I've finished three of the six books I had started but not finished as of that post and I am around half way finished with two of the others.  That leaves only one book of the six I've made no progress on and it is because I loaned it out!

2. Over thirty students have signed up as readers for my Mock Printz team at the library. In case you don't know what it is, the Mock Printz team attempts to read as many YA books published this year to determine which book should win the coveted Printz Award (similar to the Caldecott and Newbery Awards.) It is a lot of fun and generates a lot of energy among readers in the library.

3. Next week are conferences at my school and I don't have to do any unless I am called in on one, since I only have a very few students, TAs and advisory students.  Yea! I get to use my time working on the plethora of projects in the library which all feel half done right now.

4. The hubby and I got out and worked in the yard last week-end and got the roses cut down, the flower boxes cleaned out of the dead or dying flowers, and beautiful huge chrysanthemums planted to replace them.  Just in time, too.  It is raining this week.

5. Today, October 21, 2015, is the day that Marty McFly came back from the future. (Back to the Future II.)

Thanks to Christine at Bookishly Boisterous for hosting this meme.

Bookish (and Not So Bookish) Thoughts, Oct. 7

Canada geese flying in a V-formation. Credit: Ted (bobosh_t)

Just a little of this and a little of that...

1. Today I paused for a moment to watch a formation of geese flying over the parking lot where I stood. At first the formation was in disarray but as I watched the geese in the messy middle got themselves organized into the famous v-formation. I was struck that there was a life lesson for me here...it is possible and preferable to get my act together when I am in the messy middle of some project!

2. I've been re-reading my book reviews lately. Some of them are so inspired it is really obvious that I loved the book and did my homework and took my time to get things right. Other reviews are so uninspired. It is pretty obvious that I just knocked the review off without too much thought. Then I started noticing something. many of my uninspired book reviews are for audiobooks I listened to. Whether I liked the book or not it was just more difficult to write the review if I didn't have a print edition of the book in front of me to inspire me with quotes or for review purposes.

3. Speaking of audiobooks, I am listening to the book Being Mortal by Atul Gwande. It is about end-of-life decisions we make about health care that frankly may actually shorten our lives and definitely lowers the quality of that life in the end days. This book is dominating my thoughts these days.

4. My dog is on the mend. I came home from work today and was shocked to find her in the closet. She must have scooted in there because she can still barely walk. I took it as a sign she is feeling better.

5. I got into a tiff today with a colleague over miscommunication. Why is it that I am willing to give someone the power to make me feel bad? I hate that.

Thanks to Christine over at Bookishly Boisterous for hosting Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts.

Bookish (and not so bookish) thoughts---April 1st.

1. I've been contemplating closing my blog----*April Fools!
There, now I can say I pulled a prank on someone. I am definitely not closing my blog.

2. My goal is to read four books this Spring Break and I may or may not make this goal, depending on how you look at it.

• All the Bright Places by Jennifer Nevin---I finished this book last Saturday morning, so technically I finished it during Spring Break but I only had about thirty pages to go. (.10)
• Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan---I started this book Saturday and finished it this morning, so this is a full book. (1)
• Strong is Your Hand by Galway Kinnell---a small volume of poetry, only 66 pages. Can I count this as a full book? Why not? (1)
• The Martian by Andy Weir---audiobook. My husband and I listened to about 60% of this audiobook on our vacation. He is back to work so it makes sense to let him finish the book as he commutes to and from his job each day. (.60)
• It makes sense to me, to reach my goal all I have to do is read 30% of another book. But that isn't my goal to FINISH four books. Sigh.

3. I've watched two fantastic movies this week, The Book Thief and Mrs. Henderson Presents. I loved The Book Thief book so it doesn't surprise me that I would love the movie. Judy Dench starred in the other film. She is just something else. So talented.

4. I bought this little gadget yesterday, an egg topper, or egg scissors, designed to cut the top off of soft boiled eggs so the eggs can be eaten without burning your fingers. I haven't used it yet.

5. The weather has been stormy today after a glorious day yesterday at the tulip fields two hours north of here. Can you believe how gorgeous the flowers are?

6. Easter is this week-end and I just invited family and friends for dinner today. Gulp. Talk about last minute planning.

Bookish (and not so bookish) thoughts

 This meme is hosted by Bookishly Boisterous.

 1. I am currently compiling a list of my favorite 50-60 books for a very bookish gift that I want for my birthday. Cheryl Sorg creates thumbprint portraits.  Oh, they are so wonderful (check out the link to see what I mean.) Anyway, after sending her a sample of my thumb print, I have to give her a list of 50-60 books to include in the "portrait". I thought it would be easy.  It is not easy, in fact it is hard to narrow the list down to 60 books. In addition each book I am putting through a mental screening process in which I try to figure out if  I will actually like this book in ten or twenty years from now.  Some books are easy:  To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice, Gone with the Wind have already passed the "stood the test of time" test. But what about others that are favorites today but haven't been on the list that long?  I don't know if they will stand the test of time. What if I put them on my list and end up feeling ambivalent about the books later? Argh! I am trapped in a mental mess of my own making.

2. By the way, I thought I would add lots of young adult books to my list of 60 books but actually most haven't passed the "stood the test of time" test and so very few are on my most recent list. Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia; The Book Thief; and Where the Red Fern Grows are the only ones on the list right now. YA lit seem much more "in the moment" than their adult counterparts, for obvious reasons. Just today I was looking at the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It was published in 1999 and has never been out-of-popularity in my library.  Some books just seem to have a universal message that can stand up to the ticking clock, but not many.

3. Our school has adopted a new English curriculum and the administration wants the teachers to teach it with fidelity. This leaves no time for them to bring their classes to the library to check out free-choice reading books. Circulation is way down this year.  Last year after four months of school we had checked out 6643 books. This year, in the same period, the number is substantially lower, 3980. Isn't that SAD?  The district wants kids to do better on the standardized tests but they are sacrificing reading for it.  And how do they expect children to develop a love of reading if they rarely encourage them to read a whole book from start to finish? SIGH***

4. Speaking of reading a book from start to finish, will I ever finish The Goldfinch? It is 770 pages long, I've been reading it for over a week pretty much whenever I have a moment of time and I only on page 300. It's a good one, though, very well done.

 

Bookish (and not so bookish) thoughts, August 27

These are my bookish thoughts ...

1. Books in a series.

So, this week I spent a few hours in the car with my daughter. She was listening to the audiobook of The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I read it in 2011, the year it was published. After enjoying it immensely I had to wait for each of the sequels, Days of Blood and Starlight (2012) and Dreams of Gods and Monsters (2014.)   With the start of each sequel I'd struggle to remember the characters and the plot lines from the previous book(s). It was so frustrating. As I listened to the book as a captive audience with my daughter, I realized that I had forgotten so many of the details from the first book that would have helped me in understanding subsequent action in later books. It made me think that I should have reread the first book before starting the second, and so on. Who has time for that?

This is not an isolated case. With the popularity of books in a series, I find this to be true with just about everyone I attempt to read. Carly, my daughter, refuses to read books UNTIL the series is complete. That is why she is starting The Daughter of Smoke and Bone now. The third book in the trilogy came out this Spring so now she can safely read one book after the next, if she likes the first book.

I don't know what to do. I want to read the "hot" YA titles so I can be a "hip" librarian, but I don't want to spend all my time reading and then rereading them before I move on.

What do you do about books in a series?

2. Book Challenges

Summer is rapidly coming to an end and with it comes the end of my own 30 Books Summer Challenge.
I am currently reading and listening to three different books which means I'm working on books 25-27 toward the challenge. Not that it matters, but I do like to accomplish what I set out to do and it sure doesn't seem like this one is going to get done.

I'm just barely working on any of my other challenges, too. Why do I sign up for them (or start them myself) when I know how much stress they put on my life?

How about you? How do you handle book challenges? Do you participate in them. Any secret tips you've got for me that will help me avoid them in the future?

3. Can you tell that I am gearing up for school to start next week? You'll notice that my blogging rate goes way down in September, it has already started.

This meme is hosted by Bookishly Boisterous.

Bookish (and not so bookish) thoughts, August 20

Lots of bookish things to talk about this week.
Bookishly Boisterous is the host of this meme.

1. Both my book clubs met this week. The SOTH book club discussed MY STROKE OF INSIGHT written by a young woman with a PhD in brain anatomy, Jill Bolte Taylor, who has a stroke at age 37. We had a gal in our church who is still recovering from a stroke and she is 35. She joined us for our club and the brought a lot of examples and life experiences to the fascinating topic and discussion. We all got something out of the book and will recommend it to others.

2. My second club, RAM LADIES, discussed Fannie Flagg's The All-Girl Filling Station's Reunion here at my house earlier today. I served lemon poppy seed cake, lemonade, and limoncello liqueur. Catch the theme? (I bought, but forgot to serve lemon gelato.) I found the information about the W.A.S.P. (Women Airforce Service Pilots) of WWII to be the most interesting part of the book. Over 1000 women flew planes in service to the country during WWII but were not granted veteran status until 1977. In fact, most people don't even know about their service because the records were sealed for 35 years after 1944.

3. I've started listening to another audiobook about WWII, this one is a nonfiction account of the early days of Hitler, In the Garden of Beasts: Love Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson. I seem to have an insatiable appetite for books about WWII. This book covers the time period of 1933-8 about American Ambassador Dodd and his family.

The William Dodd family

4. I finished listening to The Golem and the Jinni, which took over 20 hours but I LOVED the book...it is sort of a fairy tale, Arabian Nights, historical fiction.

5. I watched the movie Napoleon Dynamite today while I was making the lemon cake. That has to be the quirkiest movie ever. "Napoleon, give me some of your tots." I love tater tots, so I always laugh at that line the hardest.



6. My daughter has been watching Dr. Who on BBC America. This part of the series started in 2005 but before that it was on TV from 1963-1989. The 12th doctor will be revealed on Saturday. I admit that the show is rather addicting.

7. The GKHS library is a lovely, sunny spot in the school. I have several large plants that love it there and grow and grow. I pruned one of the plants way back earlier this summer because the weight of the leaves, hanging over the side of the shelf, were actually pulling the pot over. Several other plants have gotten to the point of just being ugly, scraggy things. With that in mind I dropped by a local nursery yesterday and purchased a few new plants to replace the ugly ones. Now I have to haul some dirt up to school to repot them. Often, when students catch me watering the plants, they exclaim that they thought the plants were fake because they are so big.

Plants ready for transport: croton, dragon plant, dieffenbachia

Bookish (and not so bookish) thoughts, August 14

BOOKISH (AND NOT SO BOOKISH) THOUGHTS

1. I have 19 days to finish 13 books toward my 30 book summer challenge. I seriously don't think I have it in me. Especially since I am in the middle of a VERY long audiobook, The Golem and the Jinni, so I can't double up by doing an audio and a print book at the same time. I'm ready to move on to another book but I want to know how this one turns out.

2. I went back to my school library today fully intending to actually WORK. We have received over 2000 books from the district this summer that need to be "accepted" into the system check and tucked away until students check them out with their classes. I got essentially nothing done before the custodian was locking up the school. Guess I'll have to start earlier in the day tomorrow.

3. I am currently reading a YA novel about sexual abuse in the Catholic church. It is not a cheery topic, needless to say. I know that books have to have some sort of problem or issue to be resolved but sometimes I wish I could just read something much less serious. If I was a kid I wouldn't touch a book like this with a ten foot pole. Just sayin'...

4. I'm pretty trashed about the death of Robin Williams. I think some pretty good stuff has been published about the situation, though. I do worry that others who are just hanging on by a thread will use this as an excuse to kill themselves. Sigh. There is such sadness in our world.

5. On a lighthearted note. Last Saturday I rode along while my husband and brother-in-law played 18 holes of golf. It wasn't a good day for either of them, especially my husband. When I saw this clip where Robin Williams is explaining how the Scots invented golf I shared it with them (and now you.)


6. I'm thinking I should get off the computer and get back to reading. See #1.

Have a good week.

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts, August 7

Bookish (and not so bookish) thoughts hosted at Bookishly Boisterous

I'll keep this short since I am on vacation so I haven't had a lot of bookish moments this week.

1. I went in a used books store in Sisters, Oregon this afternoon and I didn't see a single book that I wanted to buy. Granted I didn't spend a lot of time in it but on my quick perusal through the store all I found myself interested in were the old-fashioned prints they offer for sale. I think this is a first.

2. So far we've traveled 15 hours by car on our trip and only managed to listen to 10 of 14 discs of our audiobook, One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson. I am enjoying it a lot but think we should be further along. Don't you?

3. I managed to write a blog post this morning while my husband was off golfing. The topic: Print or E-reader. I'd sure appreciate if you would visit that page and make a comment.  I also suggest that you click the link I've provided on that post to read about some of the research on reading materials in the digital format on comprehension. It is rather disturbing.

4. My dear mother, who is 85 years old and as sharp as a tack, is part of book club and reads something everyday.  She is a tremendous testimony to power of reading on brain health. Stay sharp---read something every day!

5. I'm off to bed with my latest book, The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg. I'm hoping I finish the book tomorrow. I am ready to be done with it. Ever feel that way?

BOOKISH (AND NOT SO BOOKISH) THOUGHTS---July 30

BOOKISH (AND NOT SO BOOKISH) THOUGHTS

(Hosted  by Bookishly Boisterous)

1. We are heading out for a week-long vacation/family reunion. There should be some good sun-n-book time. Here are the books I am taking along:

• One Summer: 1927 by Bill Bryson...audiobook for the car ride there and back
• The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg...an upcoming book club selection
• The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely...YA novel
• A Matter of Souls by Denise Patrick...a short story collection
• The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer...another YA novel

2. I don't honestly think I will finish five books in one week, but what if I did? I don't want to have nothing to read.

3. I've been rather obsessed with the book Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith this past week. It is a fabulous book that is so raunchy I am afraid it will be challenged or banned.  Here is my review, in case you are curious. As a school librarian I worry about that kind of thing.  I keep thinking about the scene in the movie The Music Man where the women's auxiliary is going after Marion the Librarian for pushing smutty books. Ha.

4. I challenged myself to read 30 books this summer (until Labor Day). I am currently reading book #15. Eek. Can I read 15 books in one month? The challenge is on.

5. I have never requested an ARC but I really, really want to read the new A.S. KING book that is coming out in October, Glory O'Brien's History of the Future. Does anyone know how to go about getting an Advanced Reader Copy of a book without getting on some list where I get boxes of books I don't want to read and review. I just want this book early.

6. To see the movie If I Stay or not, that is the question. Have you read this sweet, tear-jerker book? If not, read it quick before seeing the movie. I still haven't decided if I feel like going to movie where I know I will cry during the whole thing. Sigh.

Have a very good week.

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

(Hosted at Bookishly Boisterous)

Apparently this meme encourages bloggers to talk about bookish things that are happening in our lives this week.  Here goes. Let's see...

1. I placed eleven books on hold at the public library today. They are already causing me anxiety and pressure.  How will I actually read them all if they arrive at once? What was I thinking?

2. I am currently reading my thirteenth book of the summer toward my goal of 30 books. I've written reviews for all but one of them. I've started to notice that I get very few or no comments on my reviews but I get comments when I participate in memes. I wonder why my reviews are NOT comment-worthy?

3. My favorite way of consuming books is in the audio format but I've noticed a disturbing thing...most YA books published this year that I want to read do not have audiobooks or my library hasn't purchased them yet. I contemplated purchasing a few of them myself which I usually don't do but I am getting desperate.

4. I am reading a strange looking book right now. The text block of the book Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith is yellow, bright yellow. Weird.

5. I am currently obsessed with the Bronte sisters. I finished Always Emily yesterday and instantly started looking up information about the Bronte family. I've never really read much about them before.

6. Speaking of obsessed, I also can't get enough of the new Weird Al music videos from his new album, Mandatory Fun. My favorite is Word Crimes. Check it out. 

7. I've decided it is time for me to attempt homemade Naan. My sister-in-law makes it and it is so yummy. I found this recipe and it doesn't sound too hard.