Little Thoughts About Books and Stuff

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. Currently Reading: Title : Windfall Author : Jennifer E. Smith Date Started : December 13 Currently Listening: Title : Atlas Shrugged Author : Ayn Rand Narrator : Christopher Hurt Date Started : August 23 Note : Finished 3 of 7 parts Finished Reading: Title : The Light in Summer Author : Mary McNear Date Finished : November 30 Stars : 4 Title : Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats Author : T.S. Eliot Date Finished : November 28 Stars : 5 Comments : Went to go see Cats on Broadway and had no idea it was based on this book of poems.  So I had to check out the book and just loved it, since its basically the lyrics to the show. Title : We Will Not be Silent : The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler Author : Russell Freedman Date Finished : November 27 Stars : 5 Comments : Must read! Nee...

Ok so it's been about a month, but as you can see it wasn't a huge reading month. But I'm going to try to get back on a weekly schedule. Currently Reading: Title :  We Will Not Be Silent : The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler Author : Russell Freedman Date Started : November 26 Note: In the library catalog this is listed as a Juvenile NonFiction Book. I like reading J NF and Biographies because they aren't as dry as adult books and yet I'm still learning something about a topic or person. Currently Listening: Title :  Atlas Shrugged Author : Any Rand Narrator : Christopher Hurt Date Started : August 31 Note : Finished part 3 of 7 Finished Reading: Title:   The Fade Out: Act Three Author: Ed Burbaker Date Finished:  November 22 Stars:  3 Note:  The ending was a bit of a letdown. Title: The Fade Out : Act Two Author: Ed Burbaker Date Finished:  November 21 Stars:  4 Title: The Fade Ou...

When I was deciding to come back to the blog I was looking through all the blogging memes that the blogs I read follow. I had done Book Beginnings and The Friday 56 a handful of times, but over at  Mixed Book Bag , JC merged them together and I really like that idea.  So borrowing from her I'm going to start linking up to both Book Beginnings on Friday from  Rose City Reader  and The Friday 56 with  Freda's Voice . This week I read I'm Just No Good at Rhyming and Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-ups   by Chris Harris and Illustrated by Lane Smith . It Begins:   On Page 56: So this is from the page numbered 56, but it's not the 'real' page 56 cause this book has some issues with the page numbering.  Poem is called How The Fourth Grader Communicates Verdict: Hilarious and I think I'm going to buy it, because it's one I want to pick up again and again.

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. Currently Reading: Title : Face the Fire (Three Sisters Island #3) Author : Nora Roberts Date Started : October 23 Currently Listening: Title :  Atlas Shrugged Author : Any Rand Narrator : Christopher Hurt Date Started : August 31 Note : On part 3 of 7 Finished Reading: Title : Heaven and Earth (Three Sisters Island #2) Author : Nora Roberts Date Finished : Oct 23 Stars : 4 Comments : This is a re-read. Title : Dance Upon the Air (Three Sisters Island #1) Author : Nora Roberts Date Finished : Oct 21 Stars : 4 Comments : This is a re-read. Title : The Blinds Author : Adam Sternbergh Date Finished : Oct 18 Stars : 4 Comments : October book club selection. Title : Our Bodies, Our Shelves Author : Roz Warren Date Finished : Oct 16 Stars : 2

When I was deciding to come back to the blog I was looking through all the blogging memes that the blogs I read follow. I had done Book Beginnings and The Friday 56 a handful of times, but over at  Mixed Book Bag , JC merged them together and I really like that idea.  So borrowing from her I'm going to start linking up to both Book Beginnings on Friday from  Rose City Reader  and The Friday 56 with  Freda's Voice . I just finished reading The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh. I really enjoyed it but when I got home from my book discussion Wednesday night I wanted a comfort read and not one of the 10 books currently checked out from the library. So I opened up the OverDrive App (great library service) and searched for what Nora Roberts titles were avaliable and ended up seeing that book 1 of the Three Sisters Island trilogy was free. I don't think I've re-read this series so it had to be checked out! This week the book Dance Upon the Air   by Nora Roberts...

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. Currently Reading: Title : Our Bodies, Our Shelves: A Collection of Library Humor Author : Roz Warren Date Started : October 16 Currently Listening: Title :  Atlas Shrugged Author : Any Rand Narrator : Christopher Hurt Date Started : August 31 Note : On part 3 of 7 Finished Reading: Title : Hidden Figures : The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race Author : Margot Lee Shetterly Date Finished : October 3 Stars : 5 Comments : This was a case when I loved both and the movie. The book was so full of detail and was a great read of the true timeline about things and giving names to so many more women. Title : Dragonworn (Dark-Hunter #28) Author : Sherrilyn Kenyon Date Finished : October 7 Stars : 3 Comments : I'm still enjoying this series, but it's c...

When I was deciding to come back to the blog I was looking through all the blogging memes that the blogs I read follow. I had done Book Beginnings and The Friday 56 a handful of times, but over at  Mixed Book Bag , JC merged them together and I really like that idea.  So borrowing from her I'm going to start linking up to both Book Beginnings on Friday from  Rose City Reader  and The Friday 56 with  Freda's Voice . This week the book Origin  by Dan Brown  caught my eye. It Begins:   As the ancient cogwheel train clawed its way up the dizzying incline, Edmond Kirsch surveyed the jagged mountaintop above him. In the distance, built into the face of a sheer cliff, the massive stone monastery seemed to hang in space, as if magically fused to the vertical precipice.  On Page 56: "You sat in that monastery's sacrosanct library and told a bishop that his entire belief system is delusional!" Langdon exclaimed. "Did you expect ...

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. So apparently I haven't posted since like the middle of September. I also haven't read a whole lot, but here's what I've read in the last month or so. Currently Reading: Title : Hidden Figures Author : Margot Lee Shetterly Date Started : September 20 Currently Listening: Title : Atlas Shrugged Author : Any Rand Narrator : Christopher Hurt Date Started : August 31 Note : On part 3 of 7 Finished Reading: Title : No Man's Guns Author : Elmore Leonard Narrator : LeVar Burton Date Finished : September 12 Stars : 3 Comments : Episode 12 of LeVar Burton Reads Title : The Cookbook Collector Author : Allegra Goodman Date Finished : September 13 Stars : 3 Comments : Jane Austen Reading Group Title : Alex & Eliza Author : Melissa de la Cruz Date Finished : September 17 Stars : 4 Title : Better...

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. Currently Reading: Title : The Cookbook Collector Author : Allegra Goodman Date Started : September 11 Note : CNJ JASNA Reading Group Currently Listening: Title : Atlas Shrugged Author : Ayn Rand Narrator : Christopher Hurt Date Started : August 31 Note : Listening to Part 2 of 7 Finished Reading: Title : On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century Author : Timothy Snyder Date Finished : August 30 Stars : 5 Comments : Short read. Must read. Title : The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue Author : Mackenzi Lee Date Finished : September 1 Stars : 2 1/2 Comments : It was okay, a bit over the top for my tastes. Title : The Paper Menagerie Author : Ken Liu Narrator : LeVar Burton Date Finished : September 1 Stars : 5 Comments : LeVar Burton Reads Title : Devil's Cut (The Bourbon Kings #3) Auth...

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. This was a slooooow reading period for me. So my last post was on the 15th and as you can see below, I finished the book I was reading 2 weeks ago and 1 other book. Currently Reading: Title : Necessary Trouble : Americans in Revolt Author : Sarah Jaffe Date Started : Aug. 15 Note : Book 3 for the 2017 NYPL Reading Challenge Title : The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue Author : Mackenzi Lee Date Started : Aug. 27 Currently Listening: Title : Atlas Shrugged Author : Ayn Rand Narrator : Christopher Hurt Date Started : Aug. 23 Note : I tried to listen to this a few years ago and it was dragging. I've started again and found that it's a great listen when I'm playing World of Warcraft. Finished Reading: Title : Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen Author : Fay Weldon Date Finished : Aug. 21 Star...

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. Again I missed Monday, so here is my post on Tuesday.  It was a slow reading week for me! Currently Reading: Title : Letter to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen Author : Fay Weldon Date Started : August 3 Finished Reading: Title : To Wed a Wicked Prince (Cavendish Square #2) Author : Jane Feather Date Finished : August 13 Stars : 3 Comments : This was technically a reread but first time tracking on Goodreads. I consider this series  comfort read books. Title : A Wicked Gentleman (Cavendish Square #1) Author : Jane Feather Date Finished : August 12 Stars : 4 Comments : This was technically a reread but first time tracking on Goodreads. I consider this series  comfort read books. Title : The House on Mango Street Date Finished : August 8 Stars : 5

It's been like 2 weeks since I posted one, so this week's post is going to be a bit longer. Currently Reading: Title : The House on Mango Street Author : Sandra Cisneros Date Started : August 7 Title : Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen Author : Fay Weldon Date Started : August 3 Note : Austen in August hosted by Roof Beam Reader, Jane Austen Challenge Finished Reading: Title : Have You Seen Marie? Author : Sandra Cisneros Date Finished : August 7 Stars : 4 Title : Wired Author : Julie Garwood Date Finished : August 7 Stars : 3 Comments : Buchanan-Renard #13 Title : The Godfather Author : Mario Puzo Date Finished : August 6 Stars : 5 Comments : Honestly this book and movie are one of the only times you'll hear me say that I love both equally. The movie is such a good representation of the book and the story is just great. Title : The Second Bakery Attack Author : Haruki Murakami Date Finished : August 3 Stars : 2 Comments : ...

When I was deciding to come back to the blog I was looking through all the blogging memes that the blogs I read follow. I had done Book Beginnings and The Friday 56 a handful of times, but over at  Mixed Book Bag , JC merged them together and I really like that idea.  So borrowing from her I'm going to start linking up to both Book Beginnings on Friday from  Rose City Reader  and The Friday 56 with  Freda's Voice . So Adam over at Roof Beam Reader is hosting year 5 of Austen in August. So this month I'll be feature books I'm either reading or want to feature for Austen in August. This week the book Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen   by Jane Austen  caught my eye. It Begins:   Letter One The City of Invention Cairns, Australia, October My dear Alice,  It was good to get your letter. I am a long way from home here; almost in exile. And you ask me for advice, which is warming, and makes me believe I mu...

When I was deciding to come back to the blog I was looking through all the blogging memes that the blogs I read follow. I had done Book Beginnings and The Friday 56 a handful of times, but over at  Mixed Book Bag , JC merged them together and I really like that idea.  So borrowing from her I'm going to start linking up to both Book Beginnings on Friday from  Rose City Reader  and The Friday 56 with  Freda's Voice . About a month ago I got into a Twitter discussion about The Godfather. We were discussing how great both the book and the movie were. This conversation revealed that one of the participants hadn't read the novel.  It has been a number of years since I read the novel and here I was saying how great it was. I wanted to reread it to make sure I had my suggestions right. This week the book  The Godfather  by Mario Puzo  caught my eye. It Begins:   Amerigo Bonasera sat in New York Criminal Court Number 3 and w...

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. Currently Reading: Title : Silver Silence (Psy-Changeling Trinity #1) Author : Nalini Singh Date Started : July 24 Title : The Godfather Author : Mario Puzo Date Started : July 24 Currently Listening : Title : Stories of Your Life and Others Author : Ted Chiang Date Started : July 18 Note : NYPL Summer Reading Challenge Finished Reading : Title : Rodeo Rancher (Rodeo, Montana #2) Author : Mary Sullivan Date Finished : July 23 Stars : 4 Comments : Really enjoyed this novel. Liked that they were older (mid 30-early 40s) with kids. Want to go back and read the first book in the series. Title : The Rancher's Baby Proposal Author : Barbara White Daille Date   Finished : July 23 Stars : 3 Comments : Cute romance but so much seemed forced. Title : Love Me Again (Hope #7) Author : Jaci Burton Date   Finish...

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. Currently Reading: Title : Love Me Again (Hope #7) Author : Jaci Burton Date Started : July 16, 2017 Currently Listening: Title : Eats, Shoots & Leaves Author : Lynne Truss Date Started : July 12, 2017 Finished Reading: Title : One Summer: America, 1927 Author : Bill Bryson Date Finished : July 11 Stars : 4 Title : All He Needs Author : Shirley Hailstock Date Finished : July 11 Stars : 2 Title : What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky (short story) Author : Lesley Nneka Arimah Date Finished : July 12 Stars : 4 Comments : Listened to the titled short story on LeVar Burton Reads. I have picked up the whole book and will be reading it to finish the full collection. Title : Princes at War : The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII Author : Deborah Cadbury Date Finished ...

When I was deciding to come back to the blog I was looking through all the blogging memes that the blogs I read follow. I had done Book Beginnings and The Friday 56 a handful of times, but over at  Mixed Book Bag , JC merged them together and I really like that idea.  So borrowing from her I'm going to start linking up to both Book Beginnings on Friday from  Rose City Reader  and The Friday 56 with  Freda's Voice . This week the book  Come Sundown  by Nora Roberts  is my current read. It Begins:   Prologue - Western Montana, 1991 - Alice Bodine relieved herself behind a thin screen of lodgepole pines.  On Page 56: He had the novices on a couple of reliable hacks - though the bay they called Biff could be as lazy as a teenage boy on a summer morning. He plodded along under the man while the nervous giggle rode the cooperative Maybelle. Verdict: This novel is broken down into four parts. I'm about ha...

This was a slow reading week. I'm plodding along with Princes at War  and hoping to finish it up soon. I had a week off from listening to One Summer  because my digital checkout through the library expired and I had to wait for another copy to become available so I could pick it back up. Currently Reading: Title : Princes at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal FAmily in the Darkest Days of WWII Author : Deborah Cadbury Date Started : June 22, 2017 Note : Reading this on my lunch breaks so it's slow going. Title : All He Needs Author : Shirley Hailstock Date Started : July 9, 2017 Currently Listening: Title : One Summer: America, 1927 Author : Bill Bryson Date Started : June 18, 2017 Finished Reading: Title :  Empty Places Author : Richard Parks Date Finished : July 5, 2017 Note:  LeVar Burton Reads Podcast. 2 parts Title : Audubon, On The Wings Of The World Author : Fabien Grolleau Date Finished : July 8, 2017 Note:  ...

When I was deciding to come back to the blog I was looking through all the blogging memes that the blogs I read follow. I had done Book Beginnings and The Friday 56 a handful of times, but over at  Mixed Book Bag , JC merged them together and I really like that idea.  So borrowing from her I'm going to start linking up to both Book Beginnings on Friday from  Rose City Reader  and The Friday 56 with  Freda's Voice . My little twist to this; I work in a library IT department. We have two offices separated by a section of the fiction stacks.  Books are always catching my eye and I've gotten pretty good at ignoring them, otherwise, my TBR list would be HUGE.  But these weekly memes give them the chance to see if the book would be worth checking out. This week the book beachcombers   by Nancy Thayer  caught my eye. It was on a display with a sign that was a picture of a beach with the world 'escape' on it. Nancy Thayer is like the queen o...

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. Currently Reading: Title :  Princes at War : The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII Author : Deborah Cadbury Date Started : June 22, 2017 Currently Listening : Title :  One Summer: America, 1927 Author : Bill Bryson Date Started : June 18, 2017 Title :  Empty Places Author : Richard Parks Date Started : June 27, 2017 Note: LeVar Burton Reads Podcast. Part 1 was released this past week and Part 2 will be released later this week. Finished Reading : Title :  The Best We Could Do Author : Thi Bui Date Finished : June 26, 2017 Stars : 5 Note : Book 1 for  #ReadersUnite: NYPL's Summer Reading Challenge For Adults Title : The Lighthouse Keeper Author : Daisy Johnson Date Finished : June 26, 2017 Stars : 4 Note : LeVar Burton Reads Podcast Title : When Dimple Met ...

When I was deciding to come back to the blog I was looking through all the blogging memes that the blogs I read follow. I had done Book Beginnings and The Friday 56 a handful of times, but over at  Mixed Book Bag , JC merged them together and I really like that idea.  So borrowing from her I'm going to start linking up to both Book Beginnings on Friday from  Rose City Reader  and The Friday 56 with  Freda's Voice . This week the book Price at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWI I  by Deborah Cadbury  caught my eye. It Begins:   Prologue 20 May 1910. The Streets below Windsor Castle were filled with crowds waiting for a sight of the gun carriage. Every window, roof top and ledge was commandeered to watch King Edward VII's coffin complete the final stage of its journey. On Page 56: ...papers across the world with pictures showing Wallis resplendent, all Gloriana, her adoring ex-...

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. Currently Reading: Title : Princes at War : The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII Author : Deborah Cadbury Date Started : June 22, 2017 Title :  The Best We Could Do Author : Thi Bui Date Started : June 25, 2017 Note : Book 1 for  #ReadersUnite: NYPL's Summer Reading Challenge For Adults Currently Listening : Title :  One Summer: America, 1927 Author : Bill Bryson Date Started : June 18, 2017 Finished Reading : Title :  Bound Together (Sea Haven/Sisters of the Heart #6) Author : Christine Feehan Date Finished : June 19 Stars : 4 Title :  T he Things About Love Author : Julie James Date Finished : June 22, 2017 Stars : 4 Title :  Spill Zone (The Spill Zone #1) Author : Scott Westerfeld Date Finished : June 25, 2017 Stars : 3

Our librarians put together a Summer Reading challenge to broaden your reading horizons: https://t.co/kwsuv3kGF1 #ReadersUnite pic.twitter.com/u5t1EuABCJ — NY Public Library (@nypl) June 16, 2017 Challenge Accepted! This year's summer reading theme is Build a Better World. For this challenge NYPL has come up with 3 categories and a few suggestions for each category.  They say, "If you read one book from each suggested category below in June, July, and August, you'll have knocked out three great new-to-you books before the fall." First up is to try a book about immigrants or refugees . I'm going with their suggestion of The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui The author describes her experiences as a young Vietnamese immigrant, highlighting her family's move from their war-torn home to the United States in graphic novel format. Next is to try a book about an unlikely friendship. Again I went with a NYPL suggestion of Arrival by Ted Chiang. This i...

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. Currently Reading: Title : Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy Author : Sheryl Sandberg and Adam M. Grant Date Started : June 12, 2017 Title : Bound Together (Sea Haven/Sisters of the Heart #6) Author : Christine Feehan Date Started : June 18, 2017 Currently Listening : Title : One Summer: America, 1927 Author : Bill Bryson Date Started : June 18, 2017 Finished Reading : Title : Animal Attraction (Buckhorn Brothers #5.5) Author : Lori Foster Date Finished : June 13, 2017 Stars : 3 Comments : Read for Buckhorn Ever After (Buckhorn Brothers #5.5) but reading all the cute animal focused romances. Title : Kin Author : Bruce McAllister Date Finished : June 15, 2017 Stars : 4 Comments: Short story read by LeVar Burton on his new podcast LeVar Burton Reads . Title :  The Unbeatable Squi...

When I was deciding to come back to the blog I was looking through all the blogging memes that the blogs I read follow. I had done Book Beginnings and The Friday 56 a handful of times, but over at  Mixed Book Bag , JC merged them together and I really like that idea.  So borrowing from her I'm going to start linking up to both Book Beginnings on Friday from  Rose City Reader  and The Friday 56 with  Freda's Voice . This week the book is  Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy  by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant. It Begins:   Introduction The last thing I ever said to him was, "I'm falling asleep." On Page 56: {prior to this she describes the poem " Footprints in the Sand "} I used to think there was one set of footprints because my friends were carrying me through the worst days of my life. But now it means something else to me. When I saw one set of footprints, it was because they were followin...

It's been a crazy few weeks. I closed on a house and I'm slowing moving into it. I'm moving from my childhood home so it's been a process to go through 30 some years of stuff and decide what can fit into my new home and what can be trashed or sold.  So reading has been slow, but I'm slowly picking up steam. Currently Reading: Title :  Animal Attraction Author : Megan Miranda Date Started : June 9 Note : Reading for Buckhorn Ever After (Buckhorn Brothers #5.5) but reading all the cute animal focused romances. Finished Reading : Title :  The Library Policeman Author : Stephen King Date  Finished : June 10 Stars : 2 Note :  Would have been more stars if not for the graphic description of the sexual abuse of a young child. Title :  Winning the Wallflower  (Fairy Tales #2.5) Author : Eloisa James Date Finished : June 9 Stars: 4 Note : June book club selection Title :  Storming the Castle  (Fairy Tales #1.5) Author : Elo...