tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46166930929879980712024-02-26T02:02:11.695-05:00Love.Life.Read.Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.comBlogger494125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-11284550688318095532021-06-02T05:30:00.012-04:002021-06-02T05:30:00.230-04:00Review: Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzalez<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MxtBz-1ctpA/YLaqkAphu3I/AAAAAAAALgo/TMbWWH4m5GAZ4HnCK3p3OEeXimtxPM03wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Perfect%2Bon%2BPaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MxtBz-1ctpA/YLaqkAphu3I/AAAAAAAALgo/TMbWWH4m5GAZ4HnCK3p3OEeXimtxPM03wCLcBGAsYHQ/w129-h200/Perfect%2Bon%2BPaper.jpg" width="129" /></i></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /><i>Perfect on Paper</i></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Sophie Gonzalez<br />My Rating: 3.5 Stars </b><br /><br /><br />Darcy and Brougham are two main characters, they both drove me batty at times, but with that, they are both typical teenagers with their lack of good decisions. I had issues with this book overall, mainly with its feeling like the characters acted more mature than teenagers do--I work with them all day after all--and with other inconsistencies. <br /><br />This book was one of those I could take or leave at times...I put it down for a while but when I picked it back up I really ended up liking it again. I did not miss it while I was not reading it, but once I started reading it again I enjoyed it. It was definitely funny in that regard. The other thing that bothered me is that even with the main character really hooking into self-help/relationship stuff, I find that she almost sounded too sophisticated at times for her age. <br /><br />What I did like about this book is the positive bisexual representation. I know I have students in my building that need this book. It is a great book for that alone because they have great discussions on how misunderstood being bisexual is and how that feels--whether it comes from another LGBTQ member or a straight friend/ally. I also appreciated the self-help letter that addressed the asexual and aromance spectrum too, because that is something that is not really addressed in many fiction books. </span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-24217765248131808932021-04-18T05:30:00.009-04:002021-04-18T05:30:00.212-04:00Review: The Dry by Jane Harper<div><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: verdana;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0zI7B_Ol2v8/YHrZL93oOZI/AAAAAAAALXc/KgVrLdMMXRQ_C2bt_AHLKY2Ay4zrRIScQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/the%2BDry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0zI7B_Ol2v8/YHrZL93oOZI/AAAAAAAALXc/KgVrLdMMXRQ_C2bt_AHLKY2Ay4zrRIScQCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/the%2BDry.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><br />The Dry</i></b></div><div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Jane Harper</b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>My Rating 4 Stars</b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;">Jane Harper has been on my Authors I Want To Try list for a while now and I am glad I picked this up. I am still learning what I enjoy as a reader in adult mysteries--this one happens to be set in Australia and centers on a flashback mystery interwoven with a detective sorting out what happened to his childhood best friend--was he and his family murdered or did he do the unthinkable like everyone believes he did? </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;">What I particularly loved about this is the setting--I could feel the heat permeating off the pages. The hometown/Australia is in a particularly rough period of drought and that is at the backbone of whether Luke, a farmer that relies on the weather to keep his farm afloat, finally decided it was too much. While it seems cruel to say, I loved the dilemma that Harper set Aaron up to face: face the demons of the past while sorting out the death of his childhood best friend. Begged by Luke's mother, federal investigator Aaron Faulk is thrust back into a hometown that he left long ago due to shaky circumstances from when he and Luke were teenagers. While Aaron sorts out Luke and his family's deaths he is also seeking out the answers to that long ago mysterious death of his girlfriend. Lastly, I appreciated the pacing--there were times it lagged and I wished it moved a bit faster (hence the four-star rating)--but for me, this is an engaging read set in an environment that came alive through the author's words. That ending too! I want to know what happens afterward--always a good sign in my eyes. </span></span></div></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-36701971889135181192021-04-04T06:00:00.008-04:002021-04-04T06:00:00.416-04:00Mini Reviews: Lakewood by Megan Giddings and Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson<div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkTROyGzJED7WSyBd4-0-qqd7jE1c8YSUS6BZ0mmgoLgFxQ-5xAcL51opc12piAZwniIa8bJvtXtNv7MBMuWdpDVSdggwPk_sZPtnyngkOXj1eADcI7yFqX4fYpZ3oSpUTWPKapAA-54/s400/Lakewood.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkTROyGzJED7WSyBd4-0-qqd7jE1c8YSUS6BZ0mmgoLgFxQ-5xAcL51opc12piAZwniIa8bJvtXtNv7MBMuWdpDVSdggwPk_sZPtnyngkOXj1eADcI7yFqX4fYpZ3oSpUTWPKapAA-54/w131-h200/Lakewood.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br />Lakewood </i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Megan Giddings</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>My Rating: 4 Stars</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Overall this was a pleasant surprise for a debut thriller I found on the NPR best books for book group's list. I am happy I selected for my IRL book group to read this month. I liked the engaging writing style--she has a way of giving details without being bogged down in it so much that I get bored or frustrated. Given this is a thriller I wanted some things to be left up to my imagination. I liked Lena, our main character as I could relate to her needing to do what was best for her family, though I cringed when she gave up so much control over the company (deliberately being vague so I do not spoil it for you). There were a few moments when I felt there things that could have been cleaned up or threads left undone, but I do not know if that was deliberate on the author's part or unforeseen plot holes. Overall this is a relatively quick read, so I recommend it if you are looking for a psychological thriller with body/medical thriller components as well.</span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wcffSj9NaeA/YGhHchFaL2I/AAAAAAAALUA/PMKuNHM6Zhcr3MFIqeFyzH-yhud5dB9kgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Beyond%2Bthe%2BPoint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wcffSj9NaeA/YGhHchFaL2I/AAAAAAAALUA/PMKuNHM6Zhcr3MFIqeFyzH-yhud5dB9kgCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Beyond%2Bthe%2BPoint.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><br />Beyond the Point</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Claire Gibson</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>My Rating: 4 Stars</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is first and foremost about female friendship--which if you are looking for, this is a great title to pick up. Dani, Hannah, and Avery all meet at West Point, as members of the college basketball team and freshman trying to navigate a male-dominated world. They are also there when September 11, 2001, happens--the day that alters the pathway of the United States forever. This book rotates between each girl's point-of-view, of their time at West Point as well as after they graduate to their careers. Each takes a different pathway but when a tragedy strikes, their friendship holds strong and it brings them back together. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">At points this book dipped into a slower pace for me, wanting me to put it down, but ultimately I wanted to know what happens with each character's turning point. There are elements of hazing and harassment so please be aware of this will cause you distress, however at the core of this story is the strength and resiliency of female friendship and power. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-50135705218028017582021-03-28T06:00:00.005-04:002021-03-28T12:28:09.759-04:00Review: The Project by Courtney Summers<div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TY8lPjay74U/YGCtdoljocI/AAAAAAAALSk/TfsvjwGOvLAe_qJvWD1F5SU1_SJzBDZswCLcBGAsYHQ/s218/The%2BProject.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="141" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TY8lPjay74U/YGCtdoljocI/AAAAAAAALSk/TfsvjwGOvLAe_qJvWD1F5SU1_SJzBDZswCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/The%2BProject.jpg" /></a></div><br />The Project</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Courtney Summers</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>My Rating: 4 Stars</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I adore Courtney Summers, but I am a biased audience because I was the chair of the Odyssey Committee that selected <i>Sadie</i> as our winner for the best audiobook production for that year. I am impartial to her writing in other words, however, it also means I can be seriously let down. <br /><br />This story premise of a religious cult fascinated me from the time I read the synopsis a while back because I knew she could do a lot with it in a way that only she could. I like this story-- with the story jumping back and forth between Bea, the older sister making the decision to join The Project, and Lo, in present-day trying to reconnect and see her sister. Lo is now 19 and has not seen her sister since she was in a nearly fatal car accident. I like both sisters equally--Summers balances the empathy card so I actually did not ever end up disliking the decision Bea made to leave her sister to join The Project--some may disagree with me on this. <br /><br />This is very introspective and not as much action-based. This is a lot of Lo in her head, sorting feelings and trying to make sense of everything she is learning about herself, The Project, and Bea's history. This story is painful--as Courtney Summer's books usually are--it is the story of seeking out acceptance and redemption and the ways we go about doing that. While some may put up breaks with giving this to young adults, I would say it walks that line of being appropriate for the upper end because acceptance is a universal theme that all students experience at some point in their lives--whether adults are ready to admit it or not.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I listened to this audiobook and I would say this is such a different book than <i>Sadie</i>, do not go into it expecting a similar audiobook production like it. The narrators do a great job of bringing the two girls to fruition and convey the appropriate emotion as needed. While it is not my favorite audiobook of the year, it is still a good one.<br /></span><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" /></div>Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-78253457092878250672021-02-14T05:00:00.001-05:002021-02-14T05:00:01.011-05:00January Wrap Up--It's A Bit Late I Know<div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4LzzIFrqm4/YCf7qJNrtqI/AAAAAAAALJc/YDzLCvKc-RAyduws-rMPqep66MDLShbFACLcBGAsYHQ/s398/Book%2BStack.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="398" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4LzzIFrqm4/YCf7qJNrtqI/AAAAAAAALJc/YDzLCvKc-RAyduws-rMPqep66MDLShbFACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/Book%2BStack.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />I know, I know I am already at the halfway mark and I am just now posting my monthly wrap up but this month is getting away from me. I have just been scrambling because I started my graduate school class in January and it is keeping me extremely busy needless to say. I am glad I was able to read so many books in January!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Books I Read in January:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am pleased with my reading in January, as I ended up reading 15 books for a total of 5,240 pages!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VH1ktl9BbjU/YChGC_EtBfI/AAAAAAAALJs/7yyI9Vs9qUggDpsnbc6UmjTlo9QJ4Fs6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1616/January%2B2021%2BReads.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="267" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VH1ktl9BbjU/YChGC_EtBfI/AAAAAAAALJs/7yyI9Vs9qUggDpsnbc6UmjTlo9QJ4Fs6ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h267/January%2B2021%2BReads.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sadly not every book is pictured here as I had to return some to the Library (the same will happen for my February picture too) and with multiple books being on my Kindle or audiobooks, I do not have the physical copies of those either. I did not elect to put in a placeholder book in this photo--perhaps in February. I know I will not hit that page mark in February unless the second half of the month goes differently than the first, but with the extra reading I am doing with my graduate school class, I am trying to be realistic with working fulltime too. We need to be kind to ourselves and know it is okay to take a step back as needed!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"> I read:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Head Over Heels </i>by Hannah Orenstein</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>See Me</i> by Wendy Higgins</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Verity </i>by Colleen Hoover</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Strange the Dreamer</i> by Laini Taylor</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The Wife Upstairs</i> by Rachel Hawkins</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>A Long Petal to the Sea</i> by Isabel Allende</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>All Thirteen</i> by Christina Soontornvat</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>First We Were IV</i> by Alexandra Sirowy</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>How We Got to the Moon</i> by John Rocco</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Stone Cold Touch</i> by Jennifer L. Armentrout</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Every Last Breathe</i> by Jennifer L. Armentrout</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Plasticus Maritimus</i> by Ana Pego</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>There's Someone in My House</i> by Stephanie Perkins</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Brain Rules </i>by John Medina</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;">My favorite of the bunch above would either be <i>All Thirteen </i>or <i>Strange the Dreamer. All Thirteen</i> is the middle grade nonfiction book about the Thai boys soccer team that got trapped underground in the cave system and the rescue operation that got out <i>All Thirteen</i> of them alive. The story captivated the world. It is a stunning, high interest nonfiction book that recently received a lot of love at the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards day this past month. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Strange the Dreamer</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> I feel like everyone is familiar with this book--for more on my thoughts about it, I linked my review of it below. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Readathons in January:</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I actively participated in Bout of Books 30 in January. For those of you who followed along, you may not have seen me updating because I was updating my blog post I put in December: <a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2020/12/bout-of-books-30-kicking-off-2021-with.html" target="_blank">Bout of Books 30: Kicking Of 2021--Are You Participating</a>? During this week I finished four books--I am very happy with this progress as this sadly this was the week when our country took a turn that I believe I thought was possible, but it did. I sit here writing this update while our representatives are working on sorting it out...though I cannot say I have confidence that they will sit party aside for the good of the country. Did you participate in Bout of Books 30? If so, please leave me your link below so I can see how you did or share the details below.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I also participated in a fun Murder Mystery TBR game in a Facebook group I am in--it was such a fun way of deciding what I want to read. This was a monthly readathon, so a couple of the books overlapped with Bout of Books, but I read seven books specifically for this readathon! Luckily I managed to guess the killer too! Score!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Posts from January:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">In case you missed it, I kicked off my Project Unhaul in January. I am working on thinning down my physical TBR collection. I have not actually started tackling the books I have read and still have--that will happen at some point--this is soley aimed at making me focus on those books that I have had that have sat languishing on my bookcases.</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/getting-my-bookcases-undercontrol-3.html" target="_blank">Getting My Bookcases Under Control: a 3 Step Process</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/21-in-2021-these-books-will-shelf.html" target="_blank">21 in 2021: These Books Will Shelf Destruct</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/making-progress-on-series-21-series-in.html" target="_blank">Making Progress on Series: 21 Series in 2021</a></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you are so inclined, those of you keeping track might spot a book or two in the picture above on the lists posted from the lists in my Project Unhaul, or at least the attempts to reduce my physical TBR count. </span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;">Reviews Posted:</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Head Over Heels</i> by Hannah Orenstein (<a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/answering-2020-reading-survey-from.html" target="_blank">link</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The Wife Upstairs</i> by Rachel Hawkins (<a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/review-wife-upstairs-by-rachel-hawkins.html" target="_blank">link</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Strange the Dreamer</i> by Laini Taylor (<a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-meant-to-read.html" target="_blank">link</a>)</span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Additional Posts that Might Be of Interest:</b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/answering-2020-reading-survey-from.html" target="_blank">Perpetual Page Turner's Annual Survey 2020 Edition</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/top-ten-tuesday-bookish-resolutions-for.html" target="_blank">Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Resolutions for 2021</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-meant-to-read.html" target="_blank">Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Meant to Read in 2021</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/top-ten-tuesday-2020s-new-to-me-authors.html" target="_blank">Top Ten Tuesday: 2020's New to Me Authors</a></span></li></ul></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>In Other News: CYBILS</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">CYBILS has also been underway since the fall. As Category Chair I managed Round 1 panelists and then I am a Judge as well in Round 2 so I cannot discuss the books in so far as what I think about them individually. Some I have already posted thoughts on prior to them being revealed as shortlist. Head over to the <a href="http://www.cybils.com" target="_blank">CYBILS website</a> on February 14th to see this cycle's winners and join us on <a href="https://twitter.com/CybilsAwards" target="_blank">Twitter</a> beginning at 12:00 p.m. EST for our Twitter parade!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Check back in February to see if I succeed in making my Winter 30 in 3 Months Challenge I am participating in with Rachael over on Instagram. We have until the end of February to read 30 books. January's 15 books was a huge help in it! I hope you all are having a great start to 2021. In the meantime, please let me know what books you read in January and or what your favorite book was in January!</span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-1597376632909191432021-02-13T05:30:00.024-05:002021-02-13T08:31:35.141-05:00Review: Happy Singles Day by Anne Marie Walker<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-taMANOcRv00/YCfOr2o_hwI/AAAAAAAALJQ/c9SQqygt8KMLrd8lsGBJhG4CtmL5C1jhACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Happy%2BSingles%2BDay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-taMANOcRv00/YCfOr2o_hwI/AAAAAAAALJQ/c9SQqygt8KMLrd8lsGBJhG4CtmL5C1jhACLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Happy%2BSingles%2BDay.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><br />Happy Singles Day</i><br />By Anne Marie Walker</b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars</b><br /><br />This is the the story of two people who have to learn to love again, but for different reasons. Paige spontaneously decides to take a vacation to the ocean in North Carolina after seeing an ad online--something she would never normally do as a professional organizer. After catching her former boss and fiancé cheating, she has not looked back former her successfully business. The pictures look great, what could go wrong?<br /><br />Enter Lucas and his meddling sister reactivating the ad for his bed and breakfast on the coast of North Carolina--the one he ran with deceased wife--and the one he has let the upkeep get away little less than picture perfect and public ready. When Paige shows up, it is not a match made in heaven needless to say. However, when a storm and puppies have other plans for them these two seemingly opposites will have to prove whether the saying opposites attract is really a thing or not.<br /> <br />This is a closed door romance that is a cute, fast read--and that really is it. It is not earth shattering--I was not expecting it to be though honestly. I like Paige and I like Lucas. They both have their own issues that they need to work through and they do their best to do it without taking it out on the other person. Lucas has a delightful four year old daughter too--she is adorable. As with many romances, the resolution is arrived at rather quickly in my opinion, but I was not looking for anything that needed to be a in-depth exploration of overcoming the mental blocks both characters had to be able to love again. Though with this particular one, I do appreciate there was more time spent in the final location then I expected--it was not the couple is back together and The End as some romances do so that was a nice change. <br /><br />Overall, I recommend this read if you are looking for closed door romance that is predictable in nature and is a quick read. A note about my rating: you may think it is low because I generally do not have anything negative to say about this book, but it is pretty standard rating for romance/chick lit (I dislike that term) book because it needs to offer a bit more to earn that four star ultimately. </span><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" /></div>Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-76060440765794280442021-01-26T05:00:00.005-05:002021-01-26T10:51:31.852-05:00Top Ten Tuesday: 2020's New to Me Authors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cuWak1NMC2E/X_TO3EEwlVI/AAAAAAAAKyo/zxIrxJjxMXYuxNRE67XSI27K3d-CAYfjwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="130" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cuWak1NMC2E/X_TO3EEwlVI/AAAAAAAAKyo/zxIrxJjxMXYuxNRE67XSI27K3d-CAYfjwCPcBGAYYCw/s0/image.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at Jana's blog </span><a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" style="background-color: white; color: #51dd51; font-family: verdana; font-size: small; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I LOVE keeping my Reading Spreadsheet--it makes these type of Top Ten Tuesday posts easier for me to figure out because I can quickly go down the list of books I read or I can filter it by new-to-me authors. These are the new to me authors from 2020, with the specific books I read in 2020 by them. I have divided these authors into three groups: 2020 Debut Authors, Authors I Read One Book, and Authors I Read More Than One Book From in 2020.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>2020 Debut Authors:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">These authors had debuts in 2020. I sadly did not read as many as I should have, but I honestly did not focus on them as much as I probably should have when planning my by reading lists. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EjvL2fAOSvw/YA9gir7orAI/AAAAAAAALDQ/WL0za-jQi9IhkGUbd0aQhbSnh2FCbfkfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s318/A%2BGood%2BGirl%2527s%2BGuide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EjvL2fAOSvw/YA9gir7orAI/AAAAAAAALDQ/WL0za-jQi9IhkGUbd0aQhbSnh2FCbfkfgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/A%2BGood%2BGirl%2527s%2BGuide.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7S65RyD7xTw/YA9gq3YNGjI/AAAAAAAALDU/Hbp5nXBo0pwp83xbionbnVPAnKxSc36ywCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Tweet%2BCute.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7S65RyD7xTw/YA9gq3YNGjI/AAAAAAAALDU/Hbp5nXBo0pwp83xbionbnVPAnKxSc36ywCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Tweet%2BCute.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o_xBQNTU6Xo/YA9gzhtNGlI/AAAAAAAALDY/7E1kit0dsB4r6LFGtSGdFClzTQ0nJlhYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Such%2Ba%2BFun%2BAge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o_xBQNTU6Xo/YA9gzhtNGlI/AAAAAAAALDY/7E1kit0dsB4r6LFGtSGdFClzTQ0nJlhYgCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Such%2Ba%2BFun%2BAge.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tlRt4cZ-EVc/YA9g6Ut5HEI/AAAAAAAALDg/5i3af4eyBq4wUEcxVlxTklW50J_jbN-dACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/One%2Bto%2Bwatch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tlRt4cZ-EVc/YA9g6Ut5HEI/AAAAAAAALDg/5i3af4eyBq4wUEcxVlxTklW50J_jbN-dACLcBGAsYHQ/w129-h200/One%2Bto%2Bwatch.jpg" width="129" /></a><br /><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Holly Jackson: </b><i>A Good Girl's Guide to Murder</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Emma Lord: </b><i>Tweet Cute</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Kiley Reid: </b><i>Such a Fun Age</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Kate Stayman-London: </b><i>One to Watch</i></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">Authors I Read One Book:</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>These authors have more than one book, but this is the first book I have read by them. Four I definitely plan on reading more of in 2021--at least that is the plan at this point! If you are curious, three of these authors have already made other Top Ten Tuesday lists this year.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXON4-4ipmu2VgkKuhhe4z0jPq2o1sUUPUBC0TbRfLmW8H2E9uIwZEZYvuBn0ThUzLabIZXl2WN6_Oxd9tlpjDnuj6_6qP0bP2m6dD7g0u8hmrI_rkujSilteMUtXPJaP9JUcmcF2GAU/s475/Gown.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXON4-4ipmu2VgkKuhhe4z0jPq2o1sUUPUBC0TbRfLmW8H2E9uIwZEZYvuBn0ThUzLabIZXl2WN6_Oxd9tlpjDnuj6_6qP0bP2m6dD7g0u8hmrI_rkujSilteMUtXPJaP9JUcmcF2GAU/w133-h200/Gown.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pVmD9oY1okk/YA9iK_YwmwI/AAAAAAAALD0/YfsG7gPC_SYKHrxEsOUwzJKtWRqIe9jCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Fifth%2BSeason.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pVmD9oY1okk/YA9iK_YwmwI/AAAAAAAALD0/YfsG7gPC_SYKHrxEsOUwzJKtWRqIe9jCwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Fifth%2BSeason.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oONwpoxoYFI/YA9idWqBBqI/AAAAAAAALEA/VO03YF8UmngMfgMx7DYI21sIRiTKIMg0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Stories%2Bof%2BYour%2BLife.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="262" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oONwpoxoYFI/YA9idWqBBqI/AAAAAAAALEA/VO03YF8UmngMfgMx7DYI21sIRiTKIMg0gCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Stories%2Bof%2BYour%2BLife.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3jw2FJ2CLkw/YA9irkfY8xI/AAAAAAAALEE/lGaM-7Yi8hYwOE3F44dsayJ2kocKouOnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Alice%2BNetwork.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3jw2FJ2CLkw/YA9irkfY8xI/AAAAAAAALEE/lGaM-7Yi8hYwOE3F44dsayJ2kocKouOnQCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Alice%2BNetwork.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hBqmq0TLAGw/YA9jBepU6bI/AAAAAAAALEQ/03zEKl5P7ZgDIj3AZOTeluh3iz6uB6oqACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/One%2Bby%2BOne.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hBqmq0TLAGw/YA9jBepU6bI/AAAAAAAALEQ/03zEKl5P7ZgDIj3AZOTeluh3iz6uB6oqACLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/One%2Bby%2BOne.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q7cMflU7AUE/YA9jKxqOS5I/AAAAAAAALEU/0tD1mrm1foMaM8qrr7mpGDj1hpZke_iwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Stillhouse%2BLake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q7cMflU7AUE/YA9jKxqOS5I/AAAAAAAALEU/0tD1mrm1foMaM8qrr7mpGDj1hpZke_iwgCLcBGAsYHQ/w125-h200/Stillhouse%2BLake.jpg" width="125" /></a><br /><br /></div></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jennifer Robson: </b><i>The Gown</i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>N.K. Jemison: </b><i>The Fifth Season</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ted Chiang: </b><i>The Stories of Your Life and Others</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Kate Quinn: </b><i>The Alice Network</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ruth Ware: </b><i>One By One</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Rachel Caine: </b><i>Stillhouse Lake</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #800180;">Authors I Read More Than One Book:</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>The cover shown is the first book I read by the author in 2020, but I mention all the books I read in 2020 by them below the covers. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HKb_ubN_NQ8/YA9lE3vk9GI/AAAAAAAALEk/Q9jAlu7RHUUff9EjwhEmNud7_mW3WsVSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s240/Trials%2Bof%2BMorrigan%2BCrow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="180" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HKb_ubN_NQ8/YA9lE3vk9GI/AAAAAAAALEk/Q9jAlu7RHUUff9EjwhEmNud7_mW3WsVSwCLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/Trials%2Bof%2BMorrigan%2BCrow.jpg" width="150" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eE4tDP-WzRs/YA9lL1xNvZI/AAAAAAAALEo/KhcGpYEaxlo6M9wwSjUcJhnkuvvw1nGnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Physick.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eE4tDP-WzRs/YA9lL1xNvZI/AAAAAAAALEo/KhcGpYEaxlo6M9wwSjUcJhnkuvvw1nGnwCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/Physick.jpg" width="132" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gyJqcOID7OM/YA9lRWScNBI/AAAAAAAALEs/h9yCp478UwwzMzTc0E7snUGxnxNoKxBfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Diviners.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gyJqcOID7OM/YA9lRWScNBI/AAAAAAAALEs/h9yCp478UwwzMzTc0E7snUGxnxNoKxBfwCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Diviners.jpg" width="134" /></a><br /><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Jessica Townsend: </b><i>Nevermoor: The Trial of Morrigan Crowe </i>and <i>Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crowe</i></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Katherine Howe: </b><i>The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane</i> and <i>The Daughters of Temperance Hobb</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Libba Bray: </b><i>The Diviners, Lair of Dreams, Before of the Devil Breaks You,</i> and <i>The King of Crows</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have to find time to listen to <i>Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crowe</i> with at least my husband this year--we enjoyed listening to the first two together when we could leave our state. Hopefully we will be able to go on a longer road trip in 2021. I plan to read another book by Libba Bray this year too. I am waiting (not so) patiently for Katherine Howe to release the next book in the series I have been reading from her, but with the baby and such, I would think it is several years out. Perhaps I will try a different book, but I am less certain on that.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I know it is more than ten but I could not justify leaving any of these authors off--they are all standouts in my mind when I think of new to me authors, especially as I was scrolling through my spreadsheet to confirm what I was thinking. What about you--did you have an abundance of new authors in 2020 or did you struggle filling out your list? Who was your favorite new to you author? Which author are you looking forward to trying this year? I look forward to reading your comments below!</span></div><div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" /></div>Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-12915060963243920012021-01-25T20:00:00.001-05:002021-01-25T20:17:19.317-05:00Review: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor <div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X0C98ssHg9M/YA9oY90_0YI/AAAAAAAALE8/FX_ppDZk-xUx6GZzAPJEnWBIRxWvS9j4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Strange%2Bthe%2BDreamer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X0C98ssHg9M/YA9oY90_0YI/AAAAAAAALE8/FX_ppDZk-xUx6GZzAPJEnWBIRxWvS9j4ACLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Strange%2Bthe%2BDreamer.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><br />Strange the Dreamer</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Laini Taylor</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is one of those books I have had on my shelf for awhile now--it needed to be read--so I am grateful that the Buzzword Readathon in January gave me the extra push I needed to finally pick this one up. If you are not aware, this is a 2018 Printz Honor book so it has some literary merit shout outs along with being penned by one of the young adult literature world's (and BookTube's) darlings: Laini Taylor. Needless to say, you can see how I built up a wall around this book: it intimidated me. The size, the prestige, and the fact that I have actually not read a book by Laini Taylor yet on top of everything with knowing how much everyone seems to LOVE her writing. But what would I think?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am glad this is the first book I elected to pick up by her. I can easily see that her writing is lyrical, and at times breathtaking. As I am a reader that usually gets invested in characters, I love finding authors that take the time to develop characters--both the main and secondary characters. Taylor's characters are complex and unfold slowly over the course of this book. As someone who usually needs to invest in a character to really hook into a book, this was challenging to hook into the story as I needed to first want to get to know Lazzlo than some of the other characters. He is the character that intrigued me the most so I was invested and care about his story arc the most by the end, however. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I elected to experience this book through its audiobook, as with books I find intimidating their audiobooks are an excellent gateway into them. With this audiobook in particular, the voices at times are too similar--you have to be following the story to know who is speaking at times, but even with this I am glad I experienced this as an audiobook. This is a slower paced book at times and therefore at times, a slower paced audiobook. It is a long one, at over 18 hours long, however, I am not one to speed up audiobooks as I choose to listen to the production as it is recorded, this is one I could have easily done so but I would probably have had more issues with the subtlety in them if I had sped it up. I would not recommend it to those who are impatient audiobook listeners—you might get frustrated. </span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Overall, I found this is an excellent entry into Laini Taylor's writing. I am few days out from completing it and I find that it is sticking with me--that I am thinking about the characters and the ending. I will eventually continue on and finish the second book in the duology, <i>Muse of Nightmares</i>. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to give a high fantasy book a try who is nervous--this is one that while may initially seem intimidating, is not so bad once you start it. Take it from me--I know from experience now. </span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-22870224463229573642021-01-19T05:30:00.019-05:002021-01-26T10:51:56.502-05:00Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Meant to Read In 2020 but Didn’t Get To<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gxWpMqhbhtI/Xv4tc-keqGI/AAAAAAAAJO4/tI9FhmW1AxQQSlMLUBT6-RrEjbTiqSkAgCPcBGAYYCw/s500/TTT-NEW.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gxWpMqhbhtI/Xv4tc-keqGI/AAAAAAAAJO4/tI9FhmW1AxQQSlMLUBT6-RrEjbTiqSkAgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/TTT-NEW.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at Jana's blog </span><a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" style="background-color: white; color: #51dd51; font-family: verdana; font-size: small; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I love to participate in readathons and reading challenges each year and each month. I also really learned this past year that I am not good at setting a restrictive TBR for the month--I liked to have some flexibility when I am not on my award committees or studying for my classes. While I have both going at the moment, I am working on balancing a lower key award committee reading that fluctuates, CYBILS reading for my category I am category chair, as well as work for my graduate certificate program at Harvard. With my class beginning at the end of January (first assignments have opened up), I am sure that is going to be taking more time away from my reading time, but CYBILS will be winding down soon for this season. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Both of these instances--participating in readathons/reading challenges as well as learning I do not like to have a restrictive TBR when not working on award committee/class reading lists--</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">inevitably leaves me with titles I do not get finished each month. I stopped setting restrictive TBRs partway through 2020, but even with this, I still have some titles I wanted to read last year, but sadly did not get to read. Here are some of those titles below:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dy6Pz8LIOU/YAS7olT8suI/AAAAAAAAK_0/HlAqljG2yQ07jgU9yzpG7oIxJm1ECRCOACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Ninth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dy6Pz8LIOU/YAS7olT8suI/AAAAAAAAK_0/HlAqljG2yQ07jgU9yzpG7oIxJm1ECRCOACLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Ninth.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NDkCMlBxC1g/YAS7_XOSXZI/AAAAAAAAK_8/76rngct9FYgeDAA5egIn3euL1IJr7m07gCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/11-22-63.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NDkCMlBxC1g/YAS7_XOSXZI/AAAAAAAAK_8/76rngct9FYgeDAA5egIn3euL1IJr7m07gCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/11-22-63.jpg" width="132" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l9Z7ohcd-tE/YAS8WXClFqI/AAAAAAAALAE/k_wf9g7_yPAnpPjPXePs8E1KiQ1jEfKSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Book%2BWoman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l9Z7ohcd-tE/YAS8WXClFqI/AAAAAAAALAE/k_wf9g7_yPAnpPjPXePs8E1KiQ1jEfKSQCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Book%2BWoman.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ORwi2aqNapg/YAS8rH-oQGI/AAAAAAAALAM/hBo8ES6vKTY6YQwTN9Sr7QsMcCqd5D_PACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Sense%2Band%2BSensibilty.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="293" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ORwi2aqNapg/YAS8rH-oQGI/AAAAAAAALAM/hBo8ES6vKTY6YQwTN9Sr7QsMcCqd5D_PACLcBGAsYHQ/w123-h200/Sense%2Band%2BSensibilty.jpg" width="123" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>1. Ninth House </b>by Leigh Bardugo: I received this for Christmas 2020 and still have not read it yet. I have a coworker who keeps asking me about it--I think that is part of the reason why I have not yet. I am thinking about getting it read this month so I can answer her question at our next book group meeting in February. :)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2. 11/22/63</b> by Stephen King: I still have not picked up this tome toppler--I am debating on listening to it since I hear that the audio is fantastic. If you have read it, let me know. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>3. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>by Kim Michele Richardson: I know this one gets mixed reviews, but I am intrigued by it--I am a librarian afterall.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>4. Sense and Sensibility</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>by Jane Austen: This was one of my favorite movies growing up and I have yet to read the novel that inspired. Again, I have been enjoying listening to classics so I will probably listen to this one as well at some point this year (maybe February).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_GjG2-eJfpA/YAS-UiZmpOI/AAAAAAAALAY/_E-Ro-hM8441jTBdH9fW-ThJR75UEccoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Flatshare.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_GjG2-eJfpA/YAS-UiZmpOI/AAAAAAAALAY/_E-Ro-hM8441jTBdH9fW-ThJR75UEccoQCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/Flatshare.jpg" width="132" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8R5hv51vCJ9C3fvWoNXCJTmF7KWVmcMhRNO-P1uHf7m49W8VlH3Pl43eiUX02a8QVbteYIl3RqSNOVgPRU_6Bki3eL3CHkJvxVV8m4GEMjec6g7BVLuOT7ZFhQX4cOVCWaCDDTMyB6kM/s475/The+Girls.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8R5hv51vCJ9C3fvWoNXCJTmF7KWVmcMhRNO-P1uHf7m49W8VlH3Pl43eiUX02a8QVbteYIl3RqSNOVgPRU_6Bki3eL3CHkJvxVV8m4GEMjec6g7BVLuOT7ZFhQX4cOVCWaCDDTMyB6kM/w133-h200/The+Girls.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DH6iwxP0w6d_a3Eeq2JREWsj-vpZOvTSEnSTG_sBPmA-uFdsrH7wu0qUsahJVYnWH-ORJXMCz_m4WunhFhlgi-f87rVURAkSf04kJVgB_TYKtk4M_-7e-ofu3S5ADT8TcLChGL1LBCA/s400/Guernsey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="258" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DH6iwxP0w6d_a3Eeq2JREWsj-vpZOvTSEnSTG_sBPmA-uFdsrH7wu0qUsahJVYnWH-ORJXMCz_m4WunhFhlgi-f87rVURAkSf04kJVgB_TYKtk4M_-7e-ofu3S5ADT8TcLChGL1LBCA/w129-h200/Guernsey.jpg" width="129" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3zwh5yukFMU/YATAE4-jeWI/AAAAAAAALA0/4l_DzF5Zosw2DZ-6w_raKiuh_YGyDaq4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Two%2BLives%2Bof%2BLydia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3zwh5yukFMU/YATAE4-jeWI/AAAAAAAALA0/4l_DzF5Zosw2DZ-6w_raKiuh_YGyDaq4QCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Two%2BLives%2Bof%2BLydia.jpg" width="131" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>5. Flatshare</b> by Beth O'Leary: This has been on my TBR list for awhile now. I read <i>The Switch</i> this last year and liked it (I know I am in the minority it seems with that opinion) that I really do want to read this one even more so now.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>6. The Girls</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>by Abigail Pesta: This books has been on my radar since I read about it in the publisher's prepublication notice. I love watching gymnastics and have followed in horror the shocking Nassar cover up and trial. I watched the Netflix documentary <i>Athlete A</i> this summer and have wanted to pick up this book since.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>7. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</b> by Mary Ann Shaffer: Again, another that has been recommended as an audiobook to me but I did not make it a priority. I hope to fix that this year. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>8. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird</b> by Josie Silver<i>: </i>Another one that has gotten shifted to the bottom after the lackluster feedback, I want to read it as it was gifted to me and appreciate that they would send it to me from my wishlist.<span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tt4lLnSgEDk/YATEAPuly4I/AAAAAAAALBA/rU2u9HbyI-whfBoGjN2XNoI9UlBcY_CCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/House%2Bof%2BEarth%2Band%2BBlood.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tt4lLnSgEDk/YATEAPuly4I/AAAAAAAALBA/rU2u9HbyI-whfBoGjN2XNoI9UlBcY_CCQCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/House%2Bof%2BEarth%2Band%2BBlood.jpg" width="132" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x3OvRaEWM9U/YATEAJmZyiI/AAAAAAAALBE/5o8ujqL75hg2PZXO8izWTFjb5SDs4EUTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s463/Secret%2BHistory.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x3OvRaEWM9U/YATEAJmZyiI/AAAAAAAALBE/5o8ujqL75hg2PZXO8izWTFjb5SDs4EUTwCLcBGAsYHQ/w129-h200/Secret%2BHistory.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>9. The House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) </b>by Sarah Maas: Obviously a darling of last year, this is one that has been on my list as one to try. I do have a confession in that I did not really like <i>Throne of Glass</i>--I know, you probably dislike me now and will never come back. It just did not work for me. BUT I want to give this one a shot to see if I like this one more.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>10. The Secret History</b> by Donna Tartt: One last book that seems to be decisive either you love it or dislike it. Where do you sit with this one if you have read it? Also did you read it or listen to it? I am debating on listening to it. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>--Final Thoughts--</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I went back and counted, five out of ten of these books I have plans to listen to this year as oppose to physically reading them. I hope that means I can knock these off this year. Of course I have plans to read <a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/21-in-2021-these-books-will-shelf.html" target="_blank">21 Books for 2021</a>, along with <a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/making-progress-on-series-21-series-in.html" target="_blank">making progress on 21 series</a> as well. This year is shaping up to be a busy reading year</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I would love to know your opinions on any of the titles above you are familiar with--have you read and loved them or read and think they are not worth my reading/listening time? Please do let me know in the comments below. If you are participating please do also drop your link below so I can visit you this week. Have a great week!</span></div></div></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-44942641204605829162021-01-18T05:30:00.014-05:002021-01-18T05:30:02.992-05:00Review: The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins<div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2IfJRaleViE/YASwNPFTp3I/AAAAAAAAK_o/VHIYXtjeWRExFgGf4L9r-F747NrzH_3eQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Wife%2BUpstairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2IfJRaleViE/YASwNPFTp3I/AAAAAAAAK_o/VHIYXtjeWRExFgGf4L9r-F747NrzH_3eQCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Wife%2BUpstairs.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br />The Wife Upstairs</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Rachel Hawkins</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>My Rating 3 out of 5 Stars</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jane is living a lie: having fled Arizona, she is seeking a better life under an alias in Alabama. She is working as a dog walker, living with someone she knew from one of her stints in foster care, despite him being creepy. She knows that this is just a temporary stepping stone to a better spot. Enter Eddie, a grieving widower, having lost his wife in a tragic boating accident some months back. He and Jane are instantly attracted to each other, and soon they are involved in a whirlwind romance. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">His first wife was Bea, they met on vacation in Hawaii. She had a less than ideal childhood, but she made something of herself becoming a successful business owner. She and Eddie along with her best friend and her husband Tripp lived in Thornfield Estates, an exclusive gated community with custom built homes. From the outside, everything seemed perfect, but as readers we are quick to learn that looks are deceptive.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This book is told through multiple points-of-view, including Jane, Bea, and Eddie. It jumps back and forth leading readers to the ending, which may or may not feel ambiguous to some. If you are not fan of these type of endings, then you may want stir clear of this one, but if you are fan of these type of ambiguous endings then you would probably like this one--especially if you are a fan of multiple points-of-view. As far as the characters go, I cannot say I like any of them, but again, this feel intentional on the author’s part—I was not sure who I wanted to ultimately “succeed” at the end of the story. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">For those of you like who are school librarians, this is not overly graphic in sexual content--it is there, but not explicit. There is some violence, drinking (again all adults in this one), and frank conversations dealing with mature content--murder for instance--but even with all this, I am leaning towards putting this in my high school collection as I have some adult fiction in it and I do have teachers who check books out from my collection frequently at the minimum. If one of my middle school students happen upon it (I am in a 7th-12th grade building), I would let them know that it is only adult characters, slower pace, deals with marriage troubles--just so they know what they are taking out. Overall, this is one of those books that I liked, but it was not a home run for me--but who knows, it may be for you. </span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Do you agree or disagree? Let me know your thoughts below. </span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-57492008946787544892021-01-12T05:30:00.025-05:002021-01-26T10:52:21.165-05:00Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Resolutions for 2021<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gxWpMqhbhtI/Xv4tc-keqGI/AAAAAAAAJO4/tI9FhmW1AxQQSlMLUBT6-RrEjbTiqSkAgCPcBGAYYCw/s500/TTT-NEW.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gxWpMqhbhtI/Xv4tc-keqGI/AAAAAAAAJO4/tI9FhmW1AxQQSlMLUBT6-RrEjbTiqSkAgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/TTT-NEW.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at Jana's blog </span><a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" style="background-color: white; color: #51dd51; font-family: verdana; font-size: small; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rIyLrphvROs/X-n7gWe-yjI/AAAAAAAAKq0/v368qbF-L5si1oabR5AabFI_2TE5pWj2gCPcBGAYYCw/s398/2021.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="398" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rIyLrphvROs/X-n7gWe-yjI/AAAAAAAAKq0/v368qbF-L5si1oabR5AabFI_2TE5pWj2gCPcBGAYYCw/w200-h200/2021.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />We are starting week two of 2021 and after 2020, I am sure like many of you I know I am relieved to be moving onto a new year. I am not naïve enough to know that when the clock magically struck midnight on 1-1-2021, our world would be in a better spot. If anything, I think we can all agree (at least in the United States), that does not seem to be the case. But I have hope that it will slowly improve--it will not go as fast as I would like I am sure, because I am impatient especially during the colder months of the year. </span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week we are discussing our resolutions/hopes for 2021--bookish or not. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I always start with my GoodReads Reading Goal at 100 books. It is usually always attainable for me, as long as I remember to update it. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> For the rest I listed below, I have some specific ones, those I guess are what I would refer to as my resolutions. Then, I have some goals that I striving to meet--these are ambitions and may or may not happen, but they are more like guideposts. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>-Resolutions-</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Resolution #1: Get a handle on my bookcases</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of my main goals this year reading wise is to get my bookcases under control. I am to a point that I want to start slimming down what I own. I wrote a blog post about this recently: <a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/getting-my-bookcases-undercontrol-3.html" target="_blank">Getting My Bookcases Under Control: A 3 Step Process (Unshelf Project, 21 in 2021, and 21 Series in 2021)</a>. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Part of this includes my plan to be sure to focus on books I have had for over three years and also series that I need to make decisions on: do I continue reading them or am I done, or am I even interested in reading them? I will have one more post about this resolution about my participating in the Unshelf Project Reading Challenge.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Resolution #2: Diversify my reading</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Diversify my reading is such an important goal--I know so many of us are focusing on this. I started keeping a more detailed reading spreadsheet last year, after having kept loose statistics the previous years. I want to make sure I am reading more broadly, including BIPOC and countries of origins and settings. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Resolution #3: Read everyday</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I managed this last year so I am making it a priority again this year. I have it as a goal to make sure I read or listen to a book at least every day. I shoot for at least 15 minutes and usually what I find, is once I hit 15 minutes I find that it is easy to stretch it beyond the 15 minutes to at least 30 minutes. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>-Goals-</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Goals #1: Read 12 Classics</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I want to read (or listen) to 12 classics--this can be modern classics or they can be traditional classics.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Goal #2: Listen to 36 Audiobooks</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Obviously this averages out to 3 a month, seems obtainable to me but unless I am on Odyssey, there are times when this does not happen. This year I want to focus on being consistent with my audiobooks as well.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Goal #3: Read 24 Nonfiction Titles</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I love nonfiction when I read it and I want to prioritize reading nonfiction more this year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">After the resolutions and goals above, I have these additional ones that I am working on meeting as well this year. Some of these are habits, that are easily met each year (spreadsheets and bullet journal for instance) and others take work--reading challenges and blogging.<span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>-Additional Goals-</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Additional Goal: Reading Challenges:</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">After my resolutions and goals, I am also working on participating in several reading challenges: GoodReads' group Around the Year, Popsugar Reading Challenge, BookRiot's Read Harder Challenge, Modern Mrs. Darcy, and as previously mentioned Unshelf Project. I would like to loosely try to meet most of these prompts, as many as I can. I have set the following as the goals for them as follows:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Around the Year: 40</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Popsugar: 40</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">BookRiot's Read Harder: 30</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Modern Mrs. Darcy: 24</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Unshelf Project: 24</span></li></ul></div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am counting overlaps--any book that can do double duty is just fine with me. :)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Additional Goal: Reading Journals and Spreadsheets</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">After the reading challenges, the only other reading related things I have to say I would like to accomplish this year is to keep up with my reading journals: both my bullet journal that I track all of reading challenges, stats, etc. in each month and yearly type spreads. I also am keeping a written journal for my notes. There is something soothing about writing out notes--even though I have messy handwriting. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Along with my journals, I also keep a thorough Reading Spreadsheet--two actually. One is my Reading Log and Stats sheet. By logging in all my book information, it creates statistics and charts from the data. It is great for me to be able to quickly check to see if I am meeting my other resolutions and goals listed above.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The second spreadsheet is one where I compile the books that I know fit my Reading Challenge prompts. I take the first five books I know hat fit the prompts, record them under each prompt. I transfer the titles into a spreadsheet, then sort them by title. This allows me to see which books are duplicated across the challenges, essentially letting me see quickly which books will serve as a double (or triple) duty in some cases. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Additional Goal: Blogging</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lastly, the final thing I want to keep working on this year is continuing to blog. I have to make a conscious effort to remember to do it because I got out of practice and even with starting again last year, I have ebbs and flows with it. I want to work on being more consistent. I want to try to post full length reviews, I want to post more collective mini reviews, and also bibliography style posts. I do not mind doing tags as well every so often. I am not going to participate in any blog hops or such. I would like to also like to work on including school librarian content.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Wow this turned out to be a much longer post than I intended. Thank you for hanging in there and reading or skimming it if you did. If you answered this post, please do leave me your link below so I can pop over and see what you listed as your resolutions and goals for 2021. I hope you have an amazing reading year! Happy New Year!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" /></div>Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-86949335885919224682021-01-11T05:30:00.021-05:002021-01-11T05:30:01.975-05:00Making Progress on Series: 21 Series in 2021 (Unhaul Project)<div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzWiLSkRpGEs6Yf-jNBTSwonJMojZ69GiZCK_tUHvj6lyU3Icbc-c6dHFQT9j_vb9J6fj5A3Lgg8Vx4Z15rY-R_g5fjnaYFRrDCP7SFhgfTNMO-5u0Zv1XVBLmIcslBsNhu-AdgHboDQ/s900/Series+Challenge+2021.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzWiLSkRpGEs6Yf-jNBTSwonJMojZ69GiZCK_tUHvj6lyU3Icbc-c6dHFQT9j_vb9J6fj5A3Lgg8Vx4Z15rY-R_g5fjnaYFRrDCP7SFhgfTNMO-5u0Zv1XVBLmIcslBsNhu-AdgHboDQ/w200-h200/Series+Challenge+2021.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Saturday this past weekend, I <a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/getting-my-bookcases-undercontrol-3.html" target="_blank">posted my bookish confession</a>: I own a lot of unread books. I know it is probably not an earth shattering confession--many bookish people--bloggers, bookstagrammers, and BookTubers can all relate. On Sunday, I gave you my <a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/21-in-2021-these-books-will-shelf.html" target="_blank">21 Books for 2021: These Books will Shelf Destruct</a>, the first part of my plan to get my bookcases and owned TBR under control this year. I am back today with with the second part of how I plan on meeting 2021 plan/goal/resolution of getting my owned TBR/bookcases under control is by tackling some of my outstanding series. Surely I am not alone in not finishing series or having many other series I want to start, only to not to pick them up--despite them sitting on my bookcase. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Since I am trying hard to get my bookcases under control this year, I counted out 21 series I would like to make progress on this year. I am not doing a penalty with them as I am with my 21 Books in 2021, though if by the end of June I may have to institute some type of penalty if I am not making progress. I have it on my radar to do a midyear goals check in so I will take some time to check in with all of them, and make adjustments as appropriate. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Clicking on the photos will take you to the GoodReads page for the book shown, then you navigate to the series outline. Under the cover image lineup, I list the series name and in parenthesis, I give any relevant notes. I will continue to make notes as needed. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>21 Series I Want to Make Progress On This Year:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24807186-wolf-by-wolf" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nGjHJ-cpSmA/X_Yvy04y3dI/AAAAAAAAK1A/1ugabZUKmrsnv_4Si1YVl5mxtF0fUj1ugCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Wolf%2Bby%2BWolf.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/256683.City_of_Bones" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EBc3R7mvVGM/X_YwJZGtRwI/AAAAAAAAK1I/3KCOmOQv6e8V1OYsTFwZmzvdP3rouOYIgCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/City%2Bof%2BBones.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20643052-ink-and-bone" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EyezGmZG_p0/X_YwfRYelsI/AAAAAAAAK1Q/X9mu-I8zrdIy6WVtX_C1flqHVIQgkaN3gCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Ink%2Band%2BBone.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22522202-until-friday-night" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2W2b2cm_L7g/X_Y1kFcBcrI/AAAAAAAAK1w/SoakgRxWOtoknI87Z4OZSD3Tgof3hvd6QCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Until%2BFriday%2Bnight.jpg" width="133" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>1. Wolf by Wolf</i> by Ryan Graudin</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>2. Mortal Instruments </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">by Cassandra Clare</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>City of Bones</i> (re-read it so I can decide if I want to finish the series or unhaul it this year)</span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>3. The Great Library</i> by Rachel Caine</b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Ink and Bone</i></span></li></ul><div><b><i style="font-family: verdana;">4. The Field Party </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">by Abbi Glines</span></b></div></div><div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Until Friday Night</i></span></li></ul></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17134589-the-conspiracy-of-us" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0lNW7uZ9sas/X_Y06_8_rhI/AAAAAAAAK1g/agUkRRDn9QoVvFTHPsryhgCCQxVdBU_dQCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Conspiracy%2Bof%2BUs.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43744300-american-royals" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JvprKTT4_YQ/X_Y1XToEIPI/AAAAAAAAK1s/m8dCT9pI6b8Dn7rxSCpVKJOV6bsLKi3XwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/American%2BRoyals.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17455815-stone-cold-touch" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cph_hNjtR_4/X_Y24DupCII/AAAAAAAAK2A/2aX_a2r9oLACXGORdMgoXOUYc9yL5ArNgCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Stone%2BCold%2BTouch.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34323570-furyborn" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eLZOleFBlGw/X_Y3WF6nPrI/AAAAAAAAK2I/t2k7lbBqjSYj6e7r8w_It6QZ0vCPgHUcwCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Furyborn.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>5. <i>The Conspiracy of Us</i> by Maggie Hall</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>6. <i>American Royals</i> by Katharine McGee</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>7. <i>The Dark Elements</i> by Jennifer L Armentrout</b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Stone Cold Touch </i>(book #2)</span></li></ul></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">8. <i>Empirium </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">by Claire Legrand</span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Furyborn</i> </span></li></ul></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45892228-crave" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mXfqdN-AUaY/X_Y4A6QAjFI/AAAAAAAAK2U/S0OuPqNimW8zPbNq4x47Lo9RLOMwntreQCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Crave.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6304335-beautiful-creatures" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMEgXMbAu-rUKd-sP2tdFVZj9nDThU_B0yAnRCPu7ZWqk5Hx1ElElkjULix5kcTzpIwX17tVIVthD0MTbCdXF8mTwt6J7h0fLqxwC-Cj-Q8kRJ7FRzYT7UoKiigR2qEjYZKPZjRBOjBA/w133-h200/Beautiful+Creatures.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16045315-jesse-s-girl" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3BEIKn7CYU/X_Y6-elbcDI/AAAAAAAAK2s/VgJDXkbjmu061o5GJ6fRoqo5zFoaL7zIwCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Jesse%2527s%2BGirl.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21416690-the-invisible-library" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CkwIdxUPm4g/X_Y7WUJX9SI/AAAAAAAAK20/lXu_n6oHinAldtYB4GwP4_k3-IDC8PrlgCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/Invisible%2BLibrary.jpg" width="132" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>9. <i>Crave</i> by Tracy Wolff</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">10. <i>Caster Chronicles</i> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl</span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Beautiful Creatures</i> </span></li></ul></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">11. <i>Hundred Oaks </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">by Miranda Kenneally</span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jesse's Girl (book 6) </span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>12. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25365584-the-graces" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kLTaDV-tyj4/X_Y72vp4JcI/AAAAAAAAK3A/fhjCZM6koQYhC6aKSiazRl6pic19_EeFgCLcBGAsYHQ/w130-h200/The%2BGraces.jpg" width="130" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34221193-the-darkest-star" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="196" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wF1TNKdOWDI/X_Y8vYa7HBI/AAAAAAAAK3M/GzS28g4w92UmfIe5GBAtO4c9_pvg24MugCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Darkest%2BStar.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40882262-the-jewel" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MrQ1hoPxGLk/X_Y9w33cPFI/AAAAAAAAK3Y/m-QgSubAZKsWH6F2poe96OgwGxReBkKqwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Jewel.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42952728-a-heart-so-fierce-and-broken" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iSDIbIJmefM/X_Y-EbKmvaI/AAAAAAAAK3g/JSnXJf9Qhkcn_HBryY9No0EIu_LDwCOmACLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Heart%2BSo%2BFierce.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">13. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Graces</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> by Laure Eve</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">14. <i>Origin </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">by Jennifer L. Armentrout</span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The Darkest Star</i> </span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>15. <i>The Lone City</i> by Amy Ewing</b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The Jewel</i></span></li></ul></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">16. <i>Cursebreakers </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">by Brigid Kemmerer</span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">A Heart So Fierce and Broken </span></li></ul></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43661348-deadly-little-scandals" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="501" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenJuilIwYw7HnJlOtR9gk9ZmNAf6stzEHUZBcuGg_oHt5J-dII2cOgW8s0ZFclz7WKYAY4D42moE2yGoYXHhGJtWI439FFAGePXNfG-l48rifvjB_wawnT2lldOIgFB4TlXSB6xevo1k/w134-h200/Deadly+Little+Scandals.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51852191-rage-and-ruin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EClCLk4lz44/X_Y_okAbvGI/AAAAAAAAK30/PG1TQmrQ0OMEq1n4V4QDbdUhCxOI05XNACLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Rage%2Band%2BRuin.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39080472-the-everlasting-rose" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sKCJTEiahkQ/X_ZAD79CvqI/AAAAAAAAK4A/WLDMMA5kv9kXeEpBYZ71CQ9TX9cLwfexgCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Everlasting%2BRose.jpg" width="133" /></a> <br /><br /><br /><br /></div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">17. <i>Debutantes </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">by Jennifer Lynn Barnes</span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Deadly Little Scandals</i> (book 2)</span></li></ul></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">18. <i>The Harbinger </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">by Jennifer L. Armentrout</span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Rage and Ruin</i> (book 2)</span></li></ul></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">19. <i>The Belles </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">by Dhonielle Clayton</span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The Everlasting Rose </i>(book 2)</span></li></ul></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42265183-the-beautiful" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-px2xtxBamyA/X_ZA0NaP2BI/AAAAAAAAK4I/nNQwRfdaRlczgAcGQpfTR0Pc463qk1VowCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Beautiful.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43908878-in-the-hall-with-the-knife" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NzwXO4_igUE/X_ZEkJpyL-I/AAAAAAAAK4U/-8AIAVmk0Ho9rsuzeV-6UcMiG4nmw5VZACLcBGAsYHQ/w136-h200/In%2Bthe%2BHall%2Bwith%2Ba%2BKnife.jpg" width="136" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>20. <i>The Beautiful</i> by Renee Ahdieh</b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">21. <i>Clue Mystery</i> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">by Diana Peterfreund</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>In the Hall With the Knife</i> </span></li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">These are all books I have on my shelves so I would love your input. Which of these do you love and recommend I bump up to the top of my list? Please keep in mind, these are not in any specific order--just how I pulled them off my bookcases, then up on one specific shelf. Which one(s) do you recommend I skip? I look forward to chatting with you in the comments!</span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-74341203774681644292021-01-10T05:30:00.005-05:002021-01-10T05:30:00.526-05:0021 in 2021: These Books Will Shelf Destruct (Unhaul Project)<div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OuGnGr9jaJo/X_YhjpwIEGI/AAAAAAAAK0w/Suu2ugIDmAoFvPEGv0i399f0edY8V4kbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/21%2Bfor%2B2021.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OuGnGr9jaJo/X_YhjpwIEGI/AAAAAAAAK0w/Suu2ugIDmAoFvPEGv0i399f0edY8V4kbwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/21%2Bfor%2B2021.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />If you <a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/getting-my-bookcases-undercontrol-3.html" target="_blank">read this post</a>, you will know that one of my main goals this year is to help cull my bookcases to be filled with books I truly want to read or ones that I love and want to keep to possibly re-read again. </div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The following list of books I have on my bookcases for over three years. These books have languishing, not being picked up since I put them onto it, many being moved halfway across the country since I moved from Michigan almost five years ago. It is so easy to get caught up reading the books that are recently published--especially when I have been on award committees, but I was not last year and this year is not a high demand one. Yet I still have not picked up these books--so I have to think that maybe their time has past and they would be better suited to someone else. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I went through picked titles that stuck out to me when I saw them, I pulled them off my shelves, not second guessing myself. Then, I sorted that pile down to these 21. If they are not picked up this year, then I am going to unhaul them in January 2022--no negotiating, no doubts. I have given myself 4 substitutions as well, but my hope is either not to use them or to put them into mix too. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Rules:</b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The book must be started before 11:59 p.m. December 31, 2021. Started is being defined as at least one chapter into the book for this challenge.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">At any point, I can substitute one of the 4 substitutes in for one of the 21 books. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Any DNF book counts as a decision, the point is to make a decision on the book--whether it is read completely, stopped partway through, or even ultimately decided that the book is not for me</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>21 Books:</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xfoUlI4OtrE/X_m4Q5A-eiI/AAAAAAAAK54/vwjpl6E0l3EI1-1QMx5hnEXA3RtYm5sBACLcBGAsYHQ/s439/Landline.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xfoUlI4OtrE/X_m4Q5A-eiI/AAAAAAAAK54/vwjpl6E0l3EI1-1QMx5hnEXA3RtYm5sBACLcBGAsYHQ/w137-h200/Landline.jpg" width="137" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3s_yM47ykKyNSHuMNqqSmMYwLppGnoOGri-XQFi9PhQnlqOHpYrhH6mQfm93PqJS55jQOK_vli6U8rNNg4yK8hcJ87hp2ftXfsOrtoY87z5WEFvFBAnmo-M1I3zcS_3_IH5ET80a4Yzo/s475/Start+of+You+and+Me.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3s_yM47ykKyNSHuMNqqSmMYwLppGnoOGri-XQFi9PhQnlqOHpYrhH6mQfm93PqJS55jQOK_vli6U8rNNg4yK8hcJ87hp2ftXfsOrtoY87z5WEFvFBAnmo-M1I3zcS_3_IH5ET80a4Yzo/w133-h200/Start+of+You+and+Me.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pPvE73s3rLU/X_m5NanvqlI/AAAAAAAAK6I/jUcAL_xDaKcQoGep1rWPi2DR_sE3C17PACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/American%2BStreet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pPvE73s3rLU/X_m5NanvqlI/AAAAAAAAK6I/jUcAL_xDaKcQoGep1rWPi2DR_sE3C17PACLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/American%2BStreet.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pF3nZQOh6f8/X_m5bl891BI/AAAAAAAAK6M/FiSBowA6iDEyELGPUuuxzwn0d4CZkmzEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Everything%2BEverything.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pF3nZQOh6f8/X_m5bl891BI/AAAAAAAAK6M/FiSBowA6iDEyELGPUuuxzwn0d4CZkmzEwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Everything%2BEverything.jpg" width="133" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">1. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18081809-landline?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=sBgfrDbtRw&rank=1" target="_blank">Landline</a></i> by Rainbow Rowell</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">2. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22429350-the-start-of-me-and-you?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=IvGOf25fm8&rank=1" target="_blank">The Start of You and Me</a></i> by Emery Lord</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">3. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30256109-american-street?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=gsEmV6JeYx&rank=1" target="_blank">American Street</a></i> by Ibi Zoboi</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">4. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30256109-american-street?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=gsEmV6JeYx&rank=1" target="_blank"><i>Everything Everything</i></a> by Nicola Yoon</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s5eOZwDm09k/X_m53tqUrNI/AAAAAAAAK6Y/Pu03VppOW2EGGkC36zRCJZN9Dy78hyV0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/First%2Bwe%2Bwere%2B4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s5eOZwDm09k/X_m53tqUrNI/AAAAAAAAK6Y/Pu03VppOW2EGGkC36zRCJZN9Dy78hyV0gCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/First%2Bwe%2Bwere%2B4.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31gqiOh7KA_w2DZd2_NFOROMC5WvAPsVHe2bwWDhMD5iWzC8nrp2Q4h9ObKJJSqptq6lawUBnW_hYIDCgLoHfhA5VHZg0rSauA_SOd6tWKBWjeViPyrJw7wpv0j0tUQGT-D8rqHZrd5U/s475/Girl+in+the+Blue+coat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31gqiOh7KA_w2DZd2_NFOROMC5WvAPsVHe2bwWDhMD5iWzC8nrp2Q4h9ObKJJSqptq6lawUBnW_hYIDCgLoHfhA5VHZg0rSauA_SOd6tWKBWjeViPyrJw7wpv0j0tUQGT-D8rqHZrd5U/w133-h200/Girl+in+the+Blue+coat.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gaJwQEYTfvA/X_m6WJ3nWrI/AAAAAAAAK6o/_mtptgzOkYszYf3r4OE3FhhpKjSzeJzQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Devoted.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gaJwQEYTfvA/X_m6WJ3nWrI/AAAAAAAAK6o/_mtptgzOkYszYf3r4OE3FhhpKjSzeJzQwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Devoted.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d_RTjYwHgPM/X_m6lAG4siI/AAAAAAAAK6s/wRWrrJ33p0kErnswbGo606W2bti_1cTwACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Holding%2Bup%2Bthe%2Buniverse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d_RTjYwHgPM/X_m6lAG4siI/AAAAAAAAK6s/wRWrrJ33p0kErnswbGo606W2bti_1cTwACLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Holding%2Bup%2Bthe%2Buniverse.jpg" width="133" /></a><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">5. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32259911-first-we-were-iv?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=rKkrLkV6RX&rank=1" target="_blank">First We Were IV</a></i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> by Alexandra Sirowy</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">6. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40726583-girl-in-the-blue-coat?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=KfSLTNigq3&rank=1" target="_blank">Girl in the Blue Coat</a></i> by Monica Hesse</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">7. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22718682-devoted?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=hnDQMAWcVC&rank=8" target="_blank">Devoted</a></i> by Jennifer Mathieu</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">8. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28686840-holding-up-the-universe?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=QotkYugT8h&rank=1" target="_blank"><i>Holding Up the Universe</i></a> by Jennifer Niven</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IPSzKL3k_S4/X_m9dd8H74I/AAAAAAAAK68/wbAHevMuFMc2QjDYT9nz2JIk0mpDZZBtACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/A%2Blist%2Bof%2Bcages.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IPSzKL3k_S4/X_m9dd8H74I/AAAAAAAAK68/wbAHevMuFMc2QjDYT9nz2JIk0mpDZZBtACLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/A%2Blist%2Bof%2Bcages.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28372019-the-bookshop-on-the-corner?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=hZkej7vXgS&rank=1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56LQqkOA6G4/X_m9w582_iI/AAAAAAAAK7E/b_3a5laZGzwbT1jqSI6oMyihRsFCc9E2QCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Bookshop%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bcorner.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28372019-the-bookshop-on-the-corner?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=hZkej7vXgS&rank=1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FfnDIGz9Uq0/X_m-CCEh6iI/AAAAAAAAK7M/kcjOu2oBLPkG0WmMARYU3FOCgfHjp6pCQCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/There%2527s%2Bsomeone%2Binside%2Byour%2Bhouse.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31684925-chemistry?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=0CpC6zZZFS&rank=3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bg-OziOwSB0/X_m-2RQFgEI/AAAAAAAAK7Y/clZqFYSp11cr_DWWZkohq48yhByTBAKmwCLcBGAsYHQ/w125-h200/Chemistry.jpg" width="125" /></a><br /><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">9. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25613472-a-list-of-cages?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Pno0umUlCN&rank=1" target="_blank">A List of Cages</a></i> by Robin Roe</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">10. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28372019-the-bookshop-on-the-corner?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=hZkej7vXgS&rank=1" target="_blank">The Bookshop on the Corner</a></i> by Jenny Colgan</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">11. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28372019-the-bookshop-on-the-corner?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=hZkej7vXgS&rank=1" target="_blank">There's Someone Inside Your House</a></i> by Stephanie Perkins</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">12. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31684925-chemistry?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=0CpC6zZZFS&rank=3" target="_blank"><i>Chemistry</i></a> by Weike Wang</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ry7SffB096w/X_m_LWNm7qI/AAAAAAAAK7g/cLVXWdxibvcBHkC97VHi1oF4x7QccAhnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Wildalone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ry7SffB096w/X_m_LWNm7qI/AAAAAAAAK7g/cLVXWdxibvcBHkC97VHi1oF4x7QccAhnwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Wildalone.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-1jAZwvzok/X_m_fP0JmqI/AAAAAAAAK7o/y0x70adYfr01mHtPQA0U2WJ3NsgStz1-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/We%2BWere%2BOn%2Ba%2BBreak.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-1jAZwvzok/X_m_fP0JmqI/AAAAAAAAK7o/y0x70adYfr01mHtPQA0U2WJ3NsgStz1-QCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/We%2BWere%2BOn%2Ba%2BBreak.jpg" width="132" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4DEHEgzqsHuho62JIr-dT19ide9A02eOPdPM89JYhHJxWTsgQdIPLMNuxqTthJUwD6kOgQlJssKnohLcKHufhEGoGYWoXd9cYGkBoz_2ARaBv09QZKfHROXg3ChlkIrRumbpBdzoVvc/s475/Pulp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4DEHEgzqsHuho62JIr-dT19ide9A02eOPdPM89JYhHJxWTsgQdIPLMNuxqTthJUwD6kOgQlJssKnohLcKHufhEGoGYWoXd9cYGkBoz_2ARaBv09QZKfHROXg3ChlkIrRumbpBdzoVvc/w133-h200/Pulp.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tCSdJwDgz5s/X_noUtFS0kI/AAAAAAAAK8A/l65_Vt5phJ8kzIO0Fk3WXIFiAswVWamvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Bad%2BRomance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tCSdJwDgz5s/X_noUtFS0kI/AAAAAAAAK8A/l65_Vt5phJ8kzIO0Fk3WXIFiAswVWamvwCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/Bad%2BRomance.jpg" width="132" /></a><br /><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">13. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20483100-wildalone?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=7STjx87Twm&rank=1" target="_blank">Wildalone</a></i> by Krassi Zourkova </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">14. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30813401-we-were-on-a-break?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=fQcHXNZPE8&rank=1" target="_blank"><i>We Were on a Break</i></a> by Lindsey Kelk</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">15. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32970644-pulp?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=hIKvOvddSf&rank=2" target="_blank">Pulp</a></i> by Robin Talley</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">16. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29102896-bad-romance?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=XmG1LMskyY&rank=1" target="_blank">Bad Romance</a></i> by Heather Demetrios</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpMNmP-pCqQ/X_no1GrSZNI/AAAAAAAAK8M/lKq4nteypmgH-d4VkBG-NHdBZ2yWkD-VgCLcBGAsYHQ/s467/Time%2BTraveler%2527s%2BWife.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpMNmP-pCqQ/X_no1GrSZNI/AAAAAAAAK8M/lKq4nteypmgH-d4VkBG-NHdBZ2yWkD-VgCLcBGAsYHQ/w136-h200/Time%2BTraveler%2527s%2BWife.jpg" width="136" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b2M0vFMaKiY/X_npJrOB-7I/AAAAAAAAK8U/m7ll4puLdRE0BuMbVMHS_gm3C488wPzRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/That%2BInevitable%2BVictorian%2BThing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b2M0vFMaKiY/X_npJrOB-7I/AAAAAAAAK8U/m7ll4puLdRE0BuMbVMHS_gm3C488wPzRQCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/That%2BInevitable%2BVictorian%2BThing.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pFhw7xG8Yv0/X_npZfLJ-8I/AAAAAAAAK8c/2JubRAjlzV0s2APXRaXvRD82MWH48WGSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Julie%2B%2526%2BJulia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pFhw7xG8Yv0/X_npZfLJ-8I/AAAAAAAAK8c/2JubRAjlzV0s2APXRaXvRD82MWH48WGSQCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Julie%2B%2526%2BJulia.jpg" width="134" /></a><br /><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">17. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18619684-the-time-traveler-s-wife?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Y2F0a0rtlL&rank=1" target="_blank">The Time Traveler's Wife</a></i> by Audrey Niffenegger</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">18. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25528808-that-inevitable-victorian-thing?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=EJeueFpaQu&rank=1" target="_blank">That Inevitable Victorian Thing</a></i> by E.K. Johnston</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">19. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13746.Julie_and_Julia" target="_blank"><i>Julie and Julia</i></a> by Julie Powell</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8vqBc2KIVbw/X_nqBuAgPeI/AAAAAAAAK8k/U5y9Rn97E_IG1A987lsJBbhOhfAsyQfGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Library%2Bat%2Bthe%2BEdge%2Bof%2Bthe%2BWorld.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8vqBc2KIVbw/X_nqBuAgPeI/AAAAAAAAK8k/U5y9Rn97E_IG1A987lsJBbhOhfAsyQfGgCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Library%2Bat%2Bthe%2BEdge%2Bof%2Bthe%2BWorld.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-noq4qTsJoX4/X_nqRSPJAKI/AAAAAAAAK8s/ISlQh1k10ac6cDwr5FGII1lLwNEoXL40wCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/When%2BWe%2Bcollided.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-noq4qTsJoX4/X_nqRSPJAKI/AAAAAAAAK8s/ISlQh1k10ac6cDwr5FGII1lLwNEoXL40wCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/When%2BWe%2Bcollided.jpg" width="133" /></a><br /><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">20. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33640775-the-library-at-the-edge-of-the-world" target="_blank">The Library at the Edge of the World</a></i> by Felicity Hayes-McCoy </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">21. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25663637-when-we-collided?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=t73hgvLJKJ&rank=1" target="_blank">When We Collided</a></i> by Emery Lord</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>4 Substitutions:</b></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn2H7EEe7fg/X_nqngt23BI/AAAAAAAAK80/qWwPoKC-rUwQJBtA0AM8ajP6WyU0u9FQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Eliza%2Band%2BHer%2BMonsters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn2H7EEe7fg/X_nqngt23BI/AAAAAAAAK80/qWwPoKC-rUwQJBtA0AM8ajP6WyU0u9FQQCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Eliza%2Band%2BHer%2BMonsters.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eDgm43G1hng/X_nq972krpI/AAAAAAAAK88/zCOxXbN3j5YTaqBq4pQuC813MHnLHDVyACLcBGAsYHQ/s470/Little%2BMonsters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eDgm43G1hng/X_nq972krpI/AAAAAAAAK88/zCOxXbN3j5YTaqBq4pQuC813MHnLHDVyACLcBGAsYHQ/w136-h200/Little%2BMonsters.jpg" width="136" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VIo3rOgsFxs/X_nrPlXuqyI/AAAAAAAAK9E/m8OMJiS5DAIP4lgt9RQdPNAhKyy_Hft2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Love%2B%2526%2BGelato.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VIo3rOgsFxs/X_nrPlXuqyI/AAAAAAAAK9E/m8OMJiS5DAIP4lgt9RQdPNAhKyy_Hft2QCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Love%2B%2526%2BGelato.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fsQgB6FWNPs/X_nrkvnfQeI/AAAAAAAAK9M/TvAM2rKGhp0vVQAteAnme4WmUjfGVXaywCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/How%2Bto%2BLove.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fsQgB6FWNPs/X_nrkvnfQeI/AAAAAAAAK9M/TvAM2rKGhp0vVQAteAnme4WmUjfGVXaywCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/How%2Bto%2BLove.jpg" width="134" /></a><br /><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">1. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31931941-eliza-and-her-monsters?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=pOWnhVLk0a&rank=1" target="_blank">Eliza and Her Monsters</a></i> by Francesca Zappia</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32320750-little-monsters" target="_blank"><i>Little Monsters</i></a> by Kara Thomas</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">3. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25756328-love-gelato?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=qrb8OhIBIv&rank=1" target="_blank">Love & Gelato</a></i> by Jenna Welch</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">4. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22693175-how-to-love" target="_blank">How to Love</a></i> by Kate Cotugno</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">So these are the books I have highlighted as ones I have held on my shelves now for three years or longer. Are there any that you highly recommend I read? Or are the ones that you think I should say goodbye or bump down to the very bottom of my list? Be sure to let me know your thoughts below! Come back on Monday for the second part of my plan: Making Progress on Series: 21 Series in 2021.</span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-24712645796029024732021-01-09T05:30:00.003-05:002021-01-11T21:25:56.147-05:00Getting My Bookcases Under Control: A 3 Step Process (Unread Shelf Project, 21 in 2021, and 21 Series Project)<div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is a chatty post about a particular reading goal of mine this year: the state of my bookshelves. I am sure I am not alone when I make this confession. Are you ready for it? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I owe quite a few unread books.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PL8iQdRZmHc/X_XAIH4zDqI/AAAAAAAAKzU/8tcNNEY9V44IiiQk9zYwbS-Ye-xnYvMOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s498/Andy%2BSurprised%2B%2528Parks%2Band%2BRec%2529.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="498" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PL8iQdRZmHc/X_XAIH4zDqI/AAAAAAAAKzU/8tcNNEY9V44IiiQk9zYwbS-Ye-xnYvMOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Andy%2BSurprised%2B%2528Parks%2Band%2BRec%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">I know I know, nothing earth shattering in that confession. I used to want to keep a substantial library around me at all times. I used to want to keep all the books I loved around me physically: 5 stars, high 4 stars basically those that I could not get out of of my mind. Even if I first enjoyed the book as an audiobook, I would at some point purchase the book as a physical book to put on my shelf too. I know that does not make much sense, but I grew up in a household that did not have </span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">much money and books were a treasured item because I did not have access to them until I started working in libraries in high school. But I digress... <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rWJSJe8aviw/X_XTC_hAVaI/AAAAAAAAK0A/KGLLWvaBpcoUDoaVPxnz4CdS64wy7-FSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s398/Crazy.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="398" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rWJSJe8aviw/X_XTC_hAVaI/AAAAAAAAK0A/KGLLWvaBpcoUDoaVPxnz4CdS64wy7-FSgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/Crazy.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />I turned the big 4-0 in December (!!!!!) and if anything I have realized at this point in my life, I have realized that I do not need or really want to keep every book I have loved in my household any longer. I truly love books--that is obvious. I do not need my house to reflect this--it does not need to be an outward reflection of this. My daughter is in high school at this point (equally !!!!!) and I am starting to contemplate the changes it will bring to our life once she graduates. I want to downsize and move closer to the ocean. Where that will be, I have no idea. Once the pandemic is under control (please let that happen this year), hopefully we can start exploring and considering where this might mean. Books are heavy and I do not want to move 1,000+ books again--seriously. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />The other factor in my life: we LOVE to travel. I still 100% love to read a physical book. I also always have an audiobook selected too. When we are traveling, I always have my e-reader with me--at this point in my life it is usually my Kindle Paperwhite. I do use my iPad to read on too, with the Nook and Kindle apps, as well as Overdrive, Hoopla, and Cloud Library through my libraries. Some eBooks just do not work as well on a Paperwhite--cookbooks, graphic novels, and some nonfiction/textbooks for instance. I usually pack a physical book but I am not at the point where I pack several (five) physical books when I go on vacation any longer. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of my big goals in mind this year is to get my physical books under control this year. I have been fortunate and blessed to participate in professional committees multiple times in the last several years. I have holdouts from them. I pick up books from my local bookstores, local sales, and when my daughter's schools do book fairs. Then, of course, there are the various subscription boxes I have participated in over the years. I still have books from those I am still needing to read. With all of those instances, I am really striving to work on culling my collection to keeping the ones that are important, that I want to read again, or that I legitimately want to read again. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Knowing this was going to be a big goal of mine this year, I started working in December by going through my bookcases and GoodReads To Be Read shelf. I went through and removed books on GoodReads I really did not have interest in reading any longer--it was out of control. I also went through and pulled books off my bookcase that did not seem to hold much interest initially any longer. I looked over them, read the synopsis and did a couple page check on some of them. If my interest was peaked, I kept it, if not, I filtered it into two piles: one to take to work if it was in good condition. I will either put the book into my school's collection or I will put it into my box to hold until I put them out on tables for students to take from during School Library Month in April. The other set will go to my local used bookstore to see if they will take any for store credit. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">With all of this laid out in front of you, I am implementing three different initiatives this year to help me this year:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Unread Shelf Project--You may have seen this over on Instagram and it is also available at <a href="https://www.theunreadshelf.com/blog/project2021" target="_blank">her website</a>. I will be participating in this challenge this year. I picked my Top 10 books I want to finish this year for this challenge. I also have the 24 challenge prompts: 12 Reading Challenge Prompts then the 12 Bonus Challenge Prompts. I will update you monthly on my progress. You can also see how I am doing on Unread Shelf Project 2021 Reading Challenge tracking page as well.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/21-in-2021-these-books-will-shelf.html" target="_blank">21 Books in 2021: These Books Will Shelf Destruct</a>--A play on words of course, but I have picked out 21 books that if I have owned on my bookcase for a minimum of three years now. If I do not make an effort to read them this year, then they are obviously not a priority and they should be in the hands of someone else. I have a separate post going up that will list every book, plus a few bonus books I am eyeing for substitutions. I will be looking for feedback on books that are not worth my time.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/making-progress-on-series-21-series-in.html" target="_blank">21 Series in 2021</a>: These are series I want to make progress on or begin. Some of these are ones that have been living on my shelf for years (again, an ongoing theme) or are ones that I want to make progress with this year. I have a habit of not continuing with series. I have one that I need to start over with because I read the first book over seven years ago. I will post about them and I will be curious about your feedback on those.</span></li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-as-VxScDRGU/X_XybE1OpgI/AAAAAAAAK0U/YoICPHcS3ukKqHrOw-2RE23ItSLhxltZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s398/Wait%2BFor%2BIt.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="398" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-as-VxScDRGU/X_XybE1OpgI/AAAAAAAAK0U/YoICPHcS3ukKqHrOw-2RE23ItSLhxltZgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/Wait%2BFor%2BIt.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Those are the three ways I am working on gaining control of my bookcases this year. Of course I will still have books coming into my house--I participate in Book of the Month and another subscription service My Book Box, but I may be stopping it soon. With being a school librarian, I bring home books fairly often from my school library and when I can visit my public library I do that too. Needless to say, I always have books around but I do really want to work on culling my backlist of titles. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am starting 2021 with 372 unread books on my bookcases. I have my reading bullet journal--it is not anything fancy, but I have a spread in it that I will be keeping track of that number over the course of the year. My ultimate goal is the hope with these three initiatives is that by the end of the year--even with taking in new books this year--that my unread books at the end of the year is lower than 371. And if I could dare to say it...it be under 300 but that would be aggressive. Over the next few days, I will go into each of these three initiatives more specifically, but I wanted to give you my plans, to put it out there, so I can make myself accountable. </span></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-75104223258061064462021-01-05T05:30:00.001-05:002021-01-05T15:44:12.400-05:00Top Ten Tuesday: 2021 Releases First Quarter of the Year<div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gxWpMqhbhtI/Xv4tc-keqGI/AAAAAAAAJO4/tI9FhmW1AxQQSlMLUBT6-RrEjbTiqSkAgCPcBGAYYCw/s500/TTT-NEW.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gxWpMqhbhtI/Xv4tc-keqGI/AAAAAAAAJO4/tI9FhmW1AxQQSlMLUBT6-RrEjbTiqSkAgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/TTT-NEW.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: small;">Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at Jana's blog </span><a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" style="background-color: white; color: #51dd51; font-size: small; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here are some of the ten books I am looking forward to reading that are being published the first quarter of 2021:</span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>January:</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigeaZjJTIVDvHOsWWCafoICpVivQ__0vxx71qTfM6Dfzo1VsnOSmpN5mLvcIa31hDTVmj8O7A8sn2SN2ROroJPeU1EGx0MwtCUc1faIfJkg2vHve776jE5HjJhDZnEPtCbXTCjCBAWT7M/s987/Vow+so+Bold+and+Deadly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="654" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigeaZjJTIVDvHOsWWCafoICpVivQ__0vxx71qTfM6Dfzo1VsnOSmpN5mLvcIa31hDTVmj8O7A8sn2SN2ROroJPeU1EGx0MwtCUc1faIfJkg2vHve776jE5HjJhDZnEPtCbXTCjCBAWT7M/w133-h200/Vow+so+Bold+and+Deadly.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nHNiwiWQ1-8/X_Os2yipW_I/AAAAAAAAKxU/wTgoQBBF6eMcCo9s0Aa14IQ6yOrXhrHPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s218/You%2BHave%2Ba%2BMatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="141" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nHNiwiWQ1-8/X_Os2yipW_I/AAAAAAAAKxU/wTgoQBBF6eMcCo9s0Aa14IQ6yOrXhrHPgCLcBGAsYHQ/w129-h200/You%2BHave%2Ba%2BMatch.jpg" width="129" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tP6HXyBe9-Q/X_OukiPP12I/AAAAAAAAKx8/9KxHvFpLPtARQaqLCFv9B2Oa1eOgGYEAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s218/Concrete%2BRose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="144" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tP6HXyBe9-Q/X_OukiPP12I/AAAAAAAAKx8/9KxHvFpLPtARQaqLCFv9B2Oa1eOgGYEAgCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/Concrete%2BRose.jpg" width="132" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r4MpdF52DeU/X_OvQwlnZnI/AAAAAAAAKyE/Uuyk5b38DuouTcvwFgpNwbdQchYAzYwNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s218/Our%2BDarkest%2BNight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="145" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r4MpdF52DeU/X_OvQwlnZnI/AAAAAAAAKyE/Uuyk5b38DuouTcvwFgpNwbdQchYAzYwNQCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Our%2BDarkest%2BNight.jpg" width="133" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>February </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f2fFbH1HDcY/X_OtOGD2kqI/AAAAAAAAKxc/UtD_CZDXp8slxeCpxfXzr1YOrWwk4pT2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s218/The%2BProject.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="141" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f2fFbH1HDcY/X_OtOGD2kqI/AAAAAAAAKxc/UtD_CZDXp8slxeCpxfXzr1YOrWwk4pT2ACLcBGAsYHQ/w129-h200/The%2BProject.jpg" width="129" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w0AKAJAjIos/X_OtZdMa-lI/AAAAAAAAKxg/2jh109hCWPQuJMKF1APYB9N-WXbQ3vVpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s218/Gilded%2BOnes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="144" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w0AKAJAjIos/X_OtZdMa-lI/AAAAAAAAKxg/2jh109hCWPQuJMKF1APYB9N-WXbQ3vVpQCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/Gilded%2BOnes.jpg" width="132" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EGmUBJl0Mag/X_Otp5kbnXI/AAAAAAAAKxw/2RSn7KiE1LwSgHX89wjZJfrzynUvfg5cQCLcBGAsYHQ/s218/Game%2BChanger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="144" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EGmUBJl0Mag/X_Otp5kbnXI/AAAAAAAAKxw/2RSn7KiE1LwSgHX89wjZJfrzynUvfg5cQCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/Game%2BChanger.jpg" width="132" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>March:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #800180; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBigSd4Wr3DJQE9qYTIqqLaV8Lp9VoVVm4ApQXZukPDgm681odCNI9aR_sJVYMCXEBbiDAzaquM01rbTh-FfI8gVhJmzocuLXijJy1fd3tkY_HkEHirgkRS4g1auW4R9KpfOTinmBJTg/s475/Good+Girl+Bad+Blood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBigSd4Wr3DJQE9qYTIqqLaV8Lp9VoVVm4ApQXZukPDgm681odCNI9aR_sJVYMCXEBbiDAzaquM01rbTh-FfI8gVhJmzocuLXijJy1fd3tkY_HkEHirgkRS4g1auW4R9KpfOTinmBJTg/w130-h200/Good+Girl+Bad+Blood.jpg" width="130" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JfilpTB4qbU/X_OvevQIVDI/AAAAAAAAKyI/asXG7Q2d6nUijHMQ0nJnIj4t63v8p6IpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s218/Rose%2BCode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="145" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JfilpTB4qbU/X_OvevQIVDI/AAAAAAAAKyI/asXG7Q2d6nUijHMQ0nJnIj4t63v8p6IpQCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Rose%2BCode.jpg" width="133" /></a><br /><br /></div>Without a doubt there are so many more that could have gone on this list, but these are the first ten that popped into mind. With publication dates still in fluctuation, I am sure there will be even more popping into the year that we do not even know about yet. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Which ones did I miss that are your favorites that are coming out this first quarter? Be sure to tell me below. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-75232714382358095282021-01-04T05:30:00.181-05:002021-01-04T16:13:54.701-05:00Answering the 2020 Reading Survey from Perpetual Page <span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rIyLrphvROs/X-n7gWe-yjI/AAAAAAAAKqw/Zva8PBtKDBAAHoqUHo5cgQ20w8P9W2IbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s398/2021.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="398" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rIyLrphvROs/X-n7gWe-yjI/AAAAAAAAKqw/Zva8PBtKDBAAHoqUHo5cgQ20w8P9W2IbgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h320/2021.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />I am sure I am not alone in expressing this sentiment: I am THRILLED, ESTACTIC, HAPPY, RELIEVED, and so many other emotions to be saying goodbye to 2020. I have to say it is definitely not a year I would care to repeat anytime soon. I know I am very fortunate and blessed because I am have been able to keep my job the entire pandemic as has my husband. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Even with being happy to say goodbye to 2020, I do like to reflect back on the year. This yearly Reading Survey is done at <a href="https://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2019-end-of-year-book-survey/" target="_blank">Perpetual Page Turner</a> and has been updated for 2020. If you are interested, I would love for you to participate and share your answers with me below in the comments. I did not answer every question as is quite robust and some of the questions, I simply did not have an answer for it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I plan to do another post unpacking my reading a bit more as I kept a detailed reading spreadsheet with stats and charts, so I am going to post about it separately. So as far as specifics about numbers and such, that will be coming in an upcoming post so stayed tuned for that.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.perpetualpageturner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/best-YA-books-2014.jpg"><img height="109" src="https://www.perpetualpageturner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/best-YA-books-2014-1024x278.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #800180;">Best Books You Read In 2020?</span></b></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PBJOJZHwkII/X-5L9fxTINI/AAAAAAAAKsY/nz-Lde_mAE0NYNJwtoj0cBXw-ZvSSNUiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Alice%2BNetwork.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PBJOJZHwkII/X-5L9fxTINI/AAAAAAAAKsY/nz-Lde_mAE0NYNJwtoj0cBXw-ZvSSNUiQCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Alice%2BNetwork.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-loZFKikeJgY/X-5MTgmgtpI/AAAAAAAAKsg/gMmXffMD2u44gOhB0jrjdQZ0GMbbIqszACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Becoming.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-loZFKikeJgY/X-5MTgmgtpI/AAAAAAAAKsg/gMmXffMD2u44gOhB0jrjdQZ0GMbbIqszACLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Becoming.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cPf_-Ze3SL8/X-5Mi5l_ggI/AAAAAAAAKsk/94sgvE5d2S0yFr54bzk2L2TZ3ts0WYBNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s240/Trials%2Bof%2BMorrigan%2BCrow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="180" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cPf_-Ze3SL8/X-5Mi5l_ggI/AAAAAAAAKsk/94sgvE5d2S0yFr54bzk2L2TZ3ts0WYBNQCLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/Trials%2Bof%2BMorrigan%2BCrow.jpg" width="150" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SaVLUiN6niM/X-5Mi_cqwWI/AAAAAAAAKso/UrrppAv5O7g2PPLE1Du7h9fpK99RTBoYACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Diviners.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SaVLUiN6niM/X-5Mi_cqwWI/AAAAAAAAKso/UrrppAv5O7g2PPLE1Du7h9fpK99RTBoYACLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Diviners.jpg" width="134" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Favorite Adult Fiction: <i>The Alice Network</i> by Kate Quinn</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Favorite Nonfiction: <i>Becoming</i> by Michelle Obama</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Favorite Middle Grade: <i>The Trials of Morrigan Crowe</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Favorite Audiobook series: <i>The Diviners</i> by Libba Bray</span></div></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b><span style="color: #800180;">Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Reborn Yesterday</i> is the one that leaps into my mind as it was one that so many raved about, but I was not hooked into it as much as others. I like some of Tessa Bailey's other titles, but this one left me feeling meh. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /><span style="color: #800180;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvsYSunD3LI/X-s2X6nQa1I/AAAAAAAAKrg/S0GSqxy4IPQvp9CSWTwfpLGh69bPMvGyQCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/On%2Bthe%2BHorizon.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvsYSunD3LI/X-s2X6nQa1I/AAAAAAAAKrg/S0GSqxy4IPQvp9CSWTwfpLGh69bPMvGyQCPcBGAYYCw/w133-h200/On%2Bthe%2BHorizon.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br />Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?</span></b> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>On the Horizon</i> by Lois Lowry was one of the most surprising reads--it was one of the last reads of the year for me and it was one of the ones that surprised me the most. It should not have since I generally like Lowry's writing but it did.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b><span style="color: #800180;">Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Becoming</i> by Michelle Obama as an audiobook and also, <i>Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crowe </i>by Jessica Townsend<i> </i>is the book I recommend to my students constantly. <br /><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #800180;">Best series in 2020?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOTy0hr3fhMIIPyEgNZgwB7h39r7BECWjCVCNYNESgOEugJeBKhxjebwLt6kxCXjUSPc517ApAi4SCq90cTCfm8LqxaxJt3jb5WbU6QOacphq3A3R9wuXKMh9Bz8nRqFaosNIgiQr0lQ/s460/Truly+Devious.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOTy0hr3fhMIIPyEgNZgwB7h39r7BECWjCVCNYNESgOEugJeBKhxjebwLt6kxCXjUSPc517ApAi4SCq90cTCfm8LqxaxJt3jb5WbU6QOacphq3A3R9wuXKMh9Bz8nRqFaosNIgiQr0lQ/w138-h200/Truly+Devious.jpg" width="138" /></a></div><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I ended up reading more series in 2020 than I feel like I have been lately I devoured </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Diviners</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> by Libba Bray and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Truly Devious</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> by Maureen Johnson this year. They were my my favorite series this year. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Favorite new author you discovered in 2020?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Adult: Kate Quinn</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Middle Grade: Jessica Townsend</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Young Adult: Emma Lord with a close runner up Libba Bray</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I really started to get into adult mysteries and thrillers this year. I still do not like the gore or overly violent ones so I am not up to handling Karin Slaughter yet (not sure if I every will be truth be told), but I did read some more gruesome ones than I expected. So I am going to leave this as a whole genre answer. Ones I enjoyed this year include: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7pDBVtXg0ys/X_HBUID8MuI/AAAAAAAAKt0/-D2_ifLhDc02AwVSaY3ODhdQ293F51B-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Guest%2BList.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7pDBVtXg0ys/X_HBUID8MuI/AAAAAAAAKt0/-D2_ifLhDc02AwVSaY3ODhdQ293F51B-wCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Guest%2BList.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AS0IpDsgK-k/X_HBUN-D3fI/AAAAAAAAKt4/yJg9WbgJpMIHtRnAa3wv9AWvC35CBPWBACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Marsh%2BKing%2527s%2BDaughter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AS0IpDsgK-k/X_HBUN-D3fI/AAAAAAAAKt4/yJg9WbgJpMIHtRnAa3wv9AWvC35CBPWBACLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Marsh%2BKing%2527s%2BDaughter.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sw8oZdhToeA/X_HBUNdOAfI/AAAAAAAAKtw/7PCCWoPWL88_FTAFwefe_kvs-wEC8e31QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Night%2BSwim.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sw8oZdhToeA/X_HBUNdOAfI/AAAAAAAAKtw/7PCCWoPWL88_FTAFwefe_kvs-wEC8e31QCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Night%2BSwim.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b><span style="color: #800180;">Most beautifully written book read in 2020?</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">For this one I am going to have to say that Lois Lowry's <i>On the Horizon</i> is so poignant and staggering the amount of emotion she packed into the sparse verse, it is breathtaking. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2020? </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of the books that pops back into my mind consistently is <i>Becoming </i>by Michelle Obama. This is one I listened to right off the back and it was such a beautiful way to start 2020. I plan on listening to Barack Obama's <i>A Promised Land</i> this year at some point. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b><span style="color: #800180;">Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2020 to finally read? </span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">So many answers to this one: <i>The Diviners</i>, <i>Becoming</i>, and I picked up some classics again finally in 2020: <i>Jane Eyre, Emma, </i>and <i>Rebecca</i> to name a few. I plan on continuing to revisit and read some that have been on my long term reading lists. </span></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #800180;">Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2020?</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #800180;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #800180;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-3IAcV6lTaYRWOglvDqDq9q3aRcNCZgcXaD71_Ipk_4i2pcWfKkmM1qyZGCBvn7KuhyWiWJ01A6npLVwQMCvQJstgxCdoK1B4SwpnvzdBixhQQ7K98XyO6UgAVojL1Za5twNDR8HbP4/s453/In+Conclusion.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-3IAcV6lTaYRWOglvDqDq9q3aRcNCZgcXaD71_Ipk_4i2pcWfKkmM1qyZGCBvn7KuhyWiWJ01A6npLVwQMCvQJstgxCdoK1B4SwpnvzdBixhQQ7K98XyO6UgAVojL1Za5twNDR8HbP4/w141-h200/In+Conclusion.jpg" width="141" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EcLF0_gTVvI/X_HFqYEPy8I/AAAAAAAAKuY/0PJbZG__NhgD8u-QZPa6RDhZwfuVu8j7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s346/Lair%2Bof%2BDreams.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="228" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EcLF0_gTVvI/X_HFqYEPy8I/AAAAAAAAKuY/0PJbZG__NhgD8u-QZPa6RDhZwfuVu8j7gCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/Lair%2Bof%2BDreams.jpg" width="132" /></a><br /><br /></div></span><br />My shortest book (excluding picture books) is Lauren Graham's <i>In Conclusion Don't Worry About It</i>, which is a whopping 52 pages long. It is an expansion of a commencement speech she gave. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">My longest books surprised me: <i>Lair of Dreams</i> at 613 pages. I adored <i>The Diviners</i> series audiobooks this past year and HIGHLY recommend them. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Both of these books I experienced as audiobooks and it really shows how much I treasure and value audiobooks--no matter the style. If you have not given audiobooks a chance, I really do recommend them.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #800180;">Best 2020 debut you read?</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kYXFc6OEXZc/XuJc5clBCTI/AAAAAAAAI2E/J9jtI1YHrDM9RtjO_Z40tUcVES4g18oHwCPcBGAYYCw/s475/Tweet%2BCute.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kYXFc6OEXZc/XuJc5clBCTI/AAAAAAAAI2E/J9jtI1YHrDM9RtjO_Z40tUcVES4g18oHwCPcBGAYYCw/w131-h200/Tweet%2BCute.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br />The best debut I read last year that is popping into mind immediately is <i>Tweet Cute</i>, which actually came out in 2020. I adored it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The books that had the most vivid setting for me would be the <i>The Diviners</i> series. Those books are so amazing, I cannot stop raving about them (can you tell). I cannot believe I waited so long to read them. I know the last book just came out last year, but the others have been out for awhile.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I would also add that the <i>Shadow of Night</i>, book two in the <i>All Souls Trilogy</i> by Deborah Harkness has a rich setting. The author is a historian and this particular book in the series goes back in time and you can see her using her historical research skills on full display in this book.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lastly, <i>The Guest List</i> by Lucy Foley is another book that has a vivid setting. It is such an isolated setting, but it is unforgiving and unforgettable. This is another one that I listened to and I think it really helps bring out the richness of the setting because you can here the Irish lit in the production.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /><span style="color: #800180;">Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Tweet Cute</i> again leaped into my mind and it was one that I could not help but laugh out loud during it. <i>Emma</i> at times made me laugh as well, which might be an odd choice to some too, but I found it quite funny at times.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGvwnTjTTq4JHH_lY7DGRBXRij4eZR7H3heKrto0ZLP-1EwOL6eIDjxFovn3Fvv0SzBH_pcB68PcxQ8qQ-6lN7CfKRz2YnzpYGiKcLXvQXRfIrREuUKk_7sT9Mksk9zyYRZxR6fBdYhg/s475/Before+the+Devil+Breaks+You.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGvwnTjTTq4JHH_lY7DGRBXRij4eZR7H3heKrto0ZLP-1EwOL6eIDjxFovn3Fvv0SzBH_pcB68PcxQ8qQ-6lN7CfKRz2YnzpYGiKcLXvQXRfIrREuUKk_7sT9Mksk9zyYRZxR6fBdYhg/w134-h200/Before+the+Devil+Breaks+You.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2020?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Without divulging why, <i>Before the Devil Breaks You,</i> which is book three in <i>The Diviners</i> series, had me in tears or very closely. Another one that also had me tearing up a couple times this past year was <i>The Alice Network. </i> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b><span style="color: #800180;">Hidden Gems Of The Year?</span></b><br /><br />I always feel that nonfiction does not get as much love as I would like so I think I am going to wrap up this tour of books I have read this year with spotlighting some of the amazing nonfiction titles I have read this year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z85DSJ4Uwpw/X_HcshK4V2I/AAAAAAAAKu0/EENwBRTm5Z80eSTeqrAfabA9EOSgt4scQCLcBGAsYHQ/s454/A%2BSporting%2BChance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z85DSJ4Uwpw/X_HcshK4V2I/AAAAAAAAKu0/EENwBRTm5Z80eSTeqrAfabA9EOSgt4scQCLcBGAsYHQ/w140-h200/A%2BSporting%2BChance.jpg" width="140" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MFwfdEEY0oo/X_HcssgSOoI/AAAAAAAAKuw/dNpjkX-32HIOhLTTR1UPddBrS2uskWOcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Between%2Bthe%2BWorld.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MFwfdEEY0oo/X_HcssgSOoI/AAAAAAAAKuw/dNpjkX-32HIOhLTTR1UPddBrS2uskWOcwCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Between%2Bthe%2BWorld.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1FCq9SHPHTwfRVoC5JnhVSQSGoF4EFAGtgoX0bSePN3WIZQfjBgbwJQm191lsU-q2mqpbMMohOaExmVommBhMFTOknqwUuQIXERTllmlZP77lJCbmYMu34uKh_lNcguhFGNGXr9QstM/s318/Next+President.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="318" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1FCq9SHPHTwfRVoC5JnhVSQSGoF4EFAGtgoX0bSePN3WIZQfjBgbwJQm191lsU-q2mqpbMMohOaExmVommBhMFTOknqwUuQIXERTllmlZP77lJCbmYMu34uKh_lNcguhFGNGXr9QstM/w200-h161/Next+President.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L8tu8CX2CfI/X_HctYpHiYI/AAAAAAAAKvA/-yUDcWeIBd85haB7aVDqK9-W27NnmqWRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s391/Only%2BWoman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L8tu8CX2CfI/X_HctYpHiYI/AAAAAAAAKvA/-yUDcWeIBd85haB7aVDqK9-W27NnmqWRQCLcBGAsYHQ/w163-h200/Only%2BWoman.jpg" width="163" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZhzkgxCNB7aCqsiXXdSX0icROEl4IBGa3LLd5OaxzmeHDAFE9zjcSjgDWec8zNdl1jM-0hsbzCsEqz2yM74TMrErlBsj7gYT_LRI9rTKgJOF0-8JAI_bVduE9ffRLN1UTFnjXXsY-64/s475/US+Constitution.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZhzkgxCNB7aCqsiXXdSX0icROEl4IBGa3LLd5OaxzmeHDAFE9zjcSjgDWec8zNdl1jM-0hsbzCsEqz2yM74TMrErlBsj7gYT_LRI9rTKgJOF0-8JAI_bVduE9ffRLN1UTFnjXXsY-64/w134-h200/US+Constitution.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4XDv3A31n-E/X_HdBbbDUHI/AAAAAAAAKvk/edPGhqTgTOoYJZ-ReK7EdD_jN6YicfoQACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/So%2BYou%2BWant%2Bto%2BTalk%2BAbout%2BRace.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4XDv3A31n-E/X_HdBbbDUHI/AAAAAAAAKvk/edPGhqTgTOoYJZ-ReK7EdD_jN6YicfoQACLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/So%2BYou%2BWant%2Bto%2BTalk%2BAbout%2BRace.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />These are just a few more of the nonfiction titles that I read this year. Did you read any nonfiction that you loved? If so, please do share those titles with me below. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.perpetualpageturner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/book-blogging.jpg"><img height="109" src="https://www.perpetualpageturner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/book-blogging-1024x278.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With serving on various award committees, upon accepting those positions, I promised not to post about books publicly during that time period, at least about the books that would be eligible for those awards. It also became a time commitment issue as well, with needing to be able to balance everything--my personal a.k.a my family life, professional committees, and then my work responsibilities--blogging was an easier thing to stop doing. With all of those appointments wrapping up, I am happy to be able to come back to blogging more regularly in 2020. It is my hope that I can continue the momentum that I built in 2021. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">New favorite book blog/Bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2020?</span></b></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">During my time away, I have been keeping up with YouTube, Bookstagram, and still reading blogs though I admit the blogs have not been near as much as they used to be. This year my focus has been making sure I have been diversifying my feeds, as I know many have been doing. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">My favorite new person I have subscribed to this year is Rachael Fryman--she has both a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbuLOFL7Ki7P1FAEX1egWJQ" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rachaelfryman/?hl=en" target="_blank">Bookstagram</a>. She is another school librarian so we have a lot in common and can relate both with our reading interests and our jobs. She hosts a fabulous readathon--Golden Girls readathon typically in June if you want to check it out. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b><span style="color: #800180;">Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2020?</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_px7GOxUe5Q/Xq6yVfRVpUI/AAAAAAAAIa4/6jKrsZLzBh0K_byDFSnYzb0496ZbZVL0gCPcBGAYYCw/s1616/April%2BWrap%2BUp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_px7GOxUe5Q/Xq6yVfRVpUI/AAAAAAAAIa4/6jKrsZLzBh0K_byDFSnYzb0496ZbZVL0gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/April%2BWrap%2BUp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Simple, but represents me coming back to blogging again--one of the best reading months I had last year too.</span></div><br /><br /></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2020?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Just taking the plunge and coming back again. I know blogging is not popular any longer, but for me it has never been about it. I like the exercise in writing again. I hope that I can continue expanding my writing in 2021. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b><span style="color: #800180;">6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is not surprising as so many people experienced it in 2020, but it was emotionally taxing on everyone and I am sitting in a place of privilege compared to many. I still struggled with motivation, depression, and anxiety. Truth be told, I am still battling that everyday even though I am forced to go to my school building every day Monday-Friday. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b><span style="color: #800180;">Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am going to break down my goals in another post, so come back and check in for more information on stats, reading goals check in, and what I am hoping to achieve in my next Let's Talk About It Post. <br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div><br /><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4bjSmmcLx3E/X-n6g7hKg_I/AAAAAAAAKqg/fSB4OZldKp8_Ra9RAzvucMiNfQcp2WHbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/looking-ahead-books-2015-900x244__Perpetual%2BPageturner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="244" data-original-width="900" height="87" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4bjSmmcLx3E/X-n6g7hKg_I/AAAAAAAAKqg/fSB4OZldKp8_Ra9RAzvucMiNfQcp2WHbQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h87/looking-ahead-books-2015-900x244__Perpetual%2BPageturner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2020 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2021?</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is so difficult to answer but I do know I am planning on answering the Top Ten Tuesday post coming up on January 19th highlighting titles I meant to read in 2020 that I did not get to. So you will have to check back to see what I put onto that list. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2021 (non-debut)?</span></b></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zx43MwX7d4U/X_H913s-wmI/AAAAAAAAKv4/3D9J_pNoSOAZXALTXsLFQWV5SqCoAawlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Good%2BGirl%2BBad%2BBlood.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zx43MwX7d4U/X_H913s-wmI/AAAAAAAAKv4/3D9J_pNoSOAZXALTXsLFQWV5SqCoAawlgCLcBGAsYHQ/w130-h200/Good%2BGirl%2BBad%2BBlood.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I bought this physical book from The Book Depository because it was out in the UK, but I enjoyed the audiobook of it so much I have not read it yet: Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson. I ADORED the audiobook. I have the audio preordered from <a href="http://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm91053">Libro.fm</a> (disclaimer referral link) that I am waiting on patiently (not so patiently actually) for March 2.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am thinking of writing a separate Let's Talk About It post highlighting the titles I have down of the books I am looking forward to for the first quarter to half of the year since there are many books that are unknown still. This will include series books and those debuts that I have my eye on already too and I also know there is an upcoming Top Ten Tuesday post coming up about titles we are looking forward too. So in the hopes of not duplicating too much information this month, I am going to reframe from answer it here.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;">One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2021?</b></div><div><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="wait for it" class="bitmoji-image" data-downloadurl="image/png:20079.png:https://sdk.bitmoji.com/render/panel/3e32d9b0-ba46-42a9-b9b6-0b29e079dca4-f507e7f7-06f2-4112-a0e0-cdb8c114ea4f-v1.png?transparent=1&palette=1" data-src="https://sdk.bitmoji.com/render/panel/3e32d9b0-ba46-42a9-b9b6-0b29e079dca4-%s-v1.png?transparent=1&palette=1" height="200" loading="lazy" src="https://sdk.bitmoji.com/render/panel/3e32d9b0-ba46-42a9-b9b6-0b29e079dca4-f507e7f7-06f2-4112-a0e0-cdb8c114ea4f-v1.png?transparent=1&palette=1" width="200" /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am working on a huge Unhaul Project this year because I am a decluttering phase again in my house overall. I will write up a post about it, which will include my 21 Books for 2021, books I have to read this year that I have had for at least three years unread. If I do not finish them this year, then they are being unhauled.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I want to work on posting consistently--which for me means one time a week. That is not a lot I know, but that is consistently. I also want to post a minimum of 52 full length reviews. I do shorter reviews, where I will put two or three books together in one post, with highlighting each, but I want to do more in-depth reviews this year--with averaging at least one a week.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />--</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Whew, such a long post but it is always worth undertaking answering some or all these questions as a reflective practice. Linked at the very top is the link to the original post on Perpetual Page Turner's page so you can see all the questions. There may be some I did not answer that are a better fit for you to answer, but I did not have the best answer for so I did not include. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is worth repeating so here it is again, if you do decide to answer any, all, or more of these questions, OR if you have some version of a 2020 reflective post (or series), I would love to see it/them. Please include a link below. I would love to read/view and comment.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy New Year! May 2021 be everything you hope for and more. <br /></span><br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" /></div></div>Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-8023138353930098512021-01-03T05:30:00.001-05:002021-01-03T05:30:00.155-05:00Review: Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein<div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pP5om38cLTc/X_D0CTPsltI/AAAAAAAAKtQ/ElptjuqSY6IMcQuZiBkvosT8vO5dXUQuACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Head%2BOver%2BHeels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1345" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pP5om38cLTc/X_D0CTPsltI/AAAAAAAAKtQ/ElptjuqSY6IMcQuZiBkvosT8vO5dXUQuACLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Head%2BOver%2BHeels.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br /><b><i>Head Over Heels</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Hannah Orenstein</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>My Rating 3 out of 5 Stars</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Avery had a dream ending injury at the Olympic Trials and after, she was left lost, unsure of how to continue on with her life. When she and her longtime boyfriend breakup, she finds herself moving back home to her parents’ house, and unexpectedly back at her old gym coaching by her former crush Ryan to try out to coach his Olympic hopeful Hailee on her once specialty event--the floor routine. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">While working with Hailee, Avery has to battle out of the depression the void gymnastics left in her life--if she was not a gymnast, what and who is she? As the book unfolds, we also learn how abusive her old coach, Dimitri, was and how that has effected her life. The ultimate betrayal comes when her former best friend Jasmine not only steps into the spotlight to win Olympic glory but then ends up marrying their former coach Dimitri. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Through her coaching with Hailee, Avery is able to move forward, healing, moving out of her depression, and she is able to come to realization that there is more she can do than coaching to help the next generation of gymnasts. During a chance opportunity to reconnect with Jasmine, a spark is ignited to do more for the sport Avery once loved. Channeling her renewed passion into forming a foundation that helps with the whole gymnast--especially those that cannot help themselves or have been hurt by the sport they love--Avery has a way to give her life purpose.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Overall, I like this book though I was a bit disappointed as I felt it wrapped up a bit too cleanly and quickly. Avery was my favorite character overall, but that could be that she is the only character I feel like did any sort of character growth over the course of the novel--the others stayed firmly in the secondary character slot. Even Hailee, we watch her grow as a gymnast and battle her emotions as she works through an unfortunate situation that is never fully explored. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I recommend it to anyone with an interest in gymnastics or contemporary fiction in general, though this one does not break the mold. Those more interested in exploring the Nassar abuse through fiction might want to seek another title such as <a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2020/08/review-break-fall-by-jennifer-iacopelli.html" target="_blank"><i>Break the Fall</i> by Jennifer Iacopelli</a> or nonfiction titles such as Rachael Denhollander's <i>What Is a Girl Worth</i> or<i> The Girls</i> by Abigail Pesta or the training regime of Olympic gymnasts in <i>Little Girls in Pretty Boxes </i>by Joan Ryan.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-38956625382579860722020-12-30T05:30:00.000-05:002020-12-30T05:30:00.383-05:00CYBILS Nominee: On the Horizon by Lois Lowry<div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvsYSunD3LI/X-s2X6nQa1I/AAAAAAAAKrc/ZBlZk6Ffvqs6bwuWpO4NJEfM-BhFpppWwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/On%2Bthe%2BHorizon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvsYSunD3LI/X-s2X6nQa1I/AAAAAAAAKrc/ZBlZk6Ffvqs6bwuWpO4NJEfM-BhFpppWwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/On%2Bthe%2BHorizon.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br />On the Horizon</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Lois Lowry</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>CYBILS Category: Middle Grade Nonfiction</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This verse autobiography tells readers of Lowry's early childhood of growing up in Hawaii and also of the time she lived in Japan with her family. Divided into three parts and finishing with an author's note, Part One is Lowry's reflections of being a young child playing on the beach in Hawaii and seeing the navy ship <i>USS Arizona</i> in the background on the horizon. She did not realize this while as a child, but seeing home movies as an adult in the 1980s, she reflected on the fate of the <i>Arizona </i>and continued to contemplate the fate of the 1,133 soldiers who lost their life when bombs dropped sinking the <i>USS Arizona </i>in minutes. Her reflections are revealed in her brilliant, sparse, and at times emotional verse as she gives a voice to the soldiers who lost their life as well as some that survived that day.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The second part switches to Japan as Hiroshima and the surrounding area struggles to overcome the United State's bombing of Hiroshima, which happened on August 6, 1945. The bombing killed over eighty thousand people that day and many more died of radiation poisonings for years after. We are introduced to Koichi Seii, a Japanese boy who felt the bomb miles away in his village. Just as she does in the first part, Lowry brings an event that seems so far removed from present day middle grade reader's lives by tell personal stories of those who lost their lives that day and of those that survived such as their love of riding their bikes, playing with friends, and having to go to school.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOZI9XVhi20/X7gF_chsEfI/AAAAAAAAKaY/G2jxQVSym_47kpWwiYHmITHnRWSKdlYpQCPcBGAYYCw/s600/Category%2BChair%2BLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="504" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOZI9XVhi20/X7gF_chsEfI/AAAAAAAAKaY/G2jxQVSym_47kpWwiYHmITHnRWSKdlYpQCPcBGAYYCw/w168-h200/Category%2BChair%2BLogo.png" width="168" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Part Three has Lowry and her family moving to Japan and in the beauty of Lowry's writing, the two proceeding parts merge together in this part as Seii and Lowry cross paths while Lowry lives in Japan. While in Japan, both countries are still healing from the wrongdoings each have done to other and the pain and uncertainty can be felt in Lowry's sparse verse. Each cannot seem to trust the other and Lowry wants to be able to be friends with other Japanese children, but neither knows how to bridge the gap or cross that bridge to each other. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This verse autobiography is just beautiful and is Lowry's writing at her best. The final triolet on page 67 is my favorite passage in the the book:</span></div><blockquote><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">"We could not be friends. Not then. Not yet.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Until the cloud dispersed and cleared,</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">we needed time to mend, forget.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">We could not be friends. Not then. Not yet.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till years had passed, until we met</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">and understood the things we'd feared,</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">we could not be friends. Not then. Not yet.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Until the cloud dispersed and cleared."</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">An absolutely poignant verse autobiography, this is an excellent way to introduce an unit on World War II that is not Germany focused. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Along with the beautiful writing, there are some illustrations (expertly drawn by Kennard Pak) that are not only appropriate they help convey the emotions and give meaning to the words. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I highly recommend this book and t</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">his is clearly a standout for me this year for me, I am thrilled I picked it up. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-51857551422351100312020-12-29T05:30:00.001-05:002020-12-29T08:21:31.127-05:00CYBILS Nominees: The Only Woman in the Photo and The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read<div class="separator"><center><br /></center></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KiWhwJyXS1g/X-nrQbBX2rI/AAAAAAAAKp8/-grzvLeCfSA8XZVRBD0e4TnQHhl0MPmgACLcBGAsYHQ/s391/Only%2BWoman.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KiWhwJyXS1g/X-nrQbBX2rI/AAAAAAAAKp8/-grzvLeCfSA8XZVRBD0e4TnQHhl0MPmgACLcBGAsYHQ/w163-h200/Only%2BWoman.jpg" width="163" /></b></a></div><br /><b><i>The Only Woman in the Photo</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Kathleen Krull</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>CYBILS Category: Elementary Nonfiction</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am not proud to admit this, but I did not recognize Frances Perkins' name before I picked up this book. I realized as I was reading this book I had heard of some of the things she advocated for but I did not truly understand the impact of her work until finishing this book. Krull did an excellent job highlighting the importance of this woman, one who seldom wanted to be in the limelight, yet whos policies we still to this day are thankful to have. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The typography for the important quotes is phenomenal--I love the impact these quotes have. The illustrations overall are approachable and I appreciate the way they set the tone and historical time period in this book--it helps bring further understanding to it for younger readers. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PyqTZENd-eQ/X-skgOYHhfI/AAAAAAAAKrQ/CdzHvXJS6gsWlMnda1TcBd2hxl_s14uuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s389/Oldest%2Bstudent.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PyqTZENd-eQ/X-skgOYHhfI/AAAAAAAAKrQ/CdzHvXJS6gsWlMnda1TcBd2hxl_s14uuQCLcBGAsYHQ/w164-h200/Oldest%2Bstudent.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><br />The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Rita Lorraine Hubbard</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>CYBILS Category: Elementary Nonfiction</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Imagine living over 100 years without learning to read, write, or do basic math. That is the life Mary Walker lived as she was born a slave, was freed as a teen, married twice, had a family, but yet never got had a chance to go to school until she buried her three sons and both her husbands. After her last son dies, she finally decides now is the time for her to be able to learn.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">She becomes the oldest student in Chattanooga Area Literacy Movement in 1963 at 114 years old becomes an inspiration to all as she dedicates her time to <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOZI9XVhi20/X7gF_chsEfI/AAAAAAAAKaY/G2jxQVSym_47kpWwiYHmITHnRWSKdlYpQCPcBGAYYCw/s600/Category%2BChair%2BLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="504" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOZI9XVhi20/X7gF_chsEfI/AAAAAAAAKaY/G2jxQVSym_47kpWwiYHmITHnRWSKdlYpQCPcBGAYYCw/w168-h200/Category%2BChair%2BLogo.png" width="168" /></a></div><br />learning how to read and write. She inspires all those around her to take on challenges and as she always said "you're never too old to learn."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Along with the inspiration life, the artwork in this book is just lovely done in a collage style by Oga Mora. The end papers have black and white photographs of Mary Walker celebrating moments of her life as well. The bibliography used to write the book is given on the title page verso, an unusual placement, but at least it is included as it is important in nonfiction works to include reference sources. The book ends with the author's note, tell readers more about Walker's life and in that note it tells readers that the author had to imagine parts of Walker's life since there is no written account of the time she is freed by the Emancipation Proclamation at fifteen until she learned to read in 1963. While this is not ideal, in my opinion, for nonfiction it is understandable when you want to bring to life these inspirational stories when there is no documentation left especially with marginalized communities. Overall, this is a great book to read to our younger students to show that even when it is hard, we should not give up--you are never too old to learn. </span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-19971179996289022632020-12-28T14:09:00.012-05:002021-01-11T16:25:05.569-05:00Bout of Books 30: Kicking Off 2021 with It--Are You Participating?<div><br /><div class="bout-of-books-button" style="margin: 0px auto; width: 200px;">
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</div></div><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 4th and runs through Sunday, January 10th in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 30 information and updates, be sure to visit the <a href="http://boutofbooks.blogspot.com/">Bout of Books</a> blog. - From the Bout of Books team</span></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNCiyiF9zsw/X_OgQkbPcbI/AAAAAAAAKw8/OlYg96QKuZ8TxCBHCDFIVbwDl94L6GjogCLcBGAsYHQ/s398/Book%2BStack.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="398" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNCiyiF9zsw/X_OgQkbPcbI/AAAAAAAAKw8/OlYg96QKuZ8TxCBHCDFIVbwDl94L6GjogCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/Book%2BStack.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />I am going to try to begin 2021 with Bout of Books 30. I am not sure how much reading I will actually be able to get done, but any reading is something. I am still organizing my Unhaul Project and with that my 21 Books for 2021 project (more that upcoming) and of course I am participating in other yearlong reading challenges and monthly reading challenges that I will incorporate into this. Lastly, I am CYBILS Category Chair and Round 2 Judge for Nonfiction so I will be reading several of them over the course of the week without sharing specific reviews of them. All of that to say, I do not at this point, I have not figured out my exact reading plans for the first of January. Once I do, I will post it below and also up on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stephanie_happy.librarian/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>TBR for Bout of Books 30:</b></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U76hNCUzi4Q/X_OJMQpI48I/AAAAAAAAKwg/0LPiUReqIMwzmkXsU1PTy3szzYLy2TVWACPcBGAYYCw/s475/Strange%2Bthe%2BDreamer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U76hNCUzi4Q/X_OJMQpI48I/AAAAAAAAKwg/0LPiUReqIMwzmkXsU1PTy3szzYLy2TVWACPcBGAYYCw/w134-h200/Strange%2Bthe%2BDreamer.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qe-gJdUXwK8/X_OJMWKFcKI/AAAAAAAAKwc/zwH9zwj5x7YxYmiKu9FoaBRxrAL6lyHqgCPcBGAYYCw/s475/Verity.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qe-gJdUXwK8/X_OJMWKFcKI/AAAAAAAAKwc/zwH9zwj5x7YxYmiKu9FoaBRxrAL6lyHqgCPcBGAYYCw/w133-h200/Verity.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4tHCLEQTwdI/X_Ob3mwMznI/AAAAAAAAKwo/TxO-eTmuU94q4dCMqd9o2AeKjY-bxDFtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Wife%2BUpstairs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4tHCLEQTwdI/X_Ob3mwMznI/AAAAAAAAKwo/TxO-eTmuU94q4dCMqd9o2AeKjY-bxDFtgCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Wife%2BUpstairs.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RNwF6h8FJIs/X_OcePGA3CI/AAAAAAAAKww/2ylL1RSTpHEcqXrLSJUjxBy8-Zm7rT0gQCLcBGAsYHQ/s388/A%2BLong%2BPetal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="255" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RNwF6h8FJIs/X_OcePGA3CI/AAAAAAAAKww/2ylL1RSTpHEcqXrLSJUjxBy8-Zm7rT0gQCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/A%2BLong%2BPetal.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">These four are my initial plans, though I am not certain if I will actually finish them all this week--especially <i>Strange the Dreamer </i>since it is my audiobook right now and it is a longer one. </span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Daily Updates:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Instead of new post daily, I will continue to update this post. While it means the date of this post will not change, I have done it this way in the past, and would like to continue doing it this way (since the guidelines permit it still). I will keep linking the post to the daily post updates on Bout of Books of course. </span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>-Monday, January 4th-</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U76hNCUzi4Q/X_OJMQpI48I/AAAAAAAAKwY/gKjWQ763BjUTMUbhBfePB3BZnCzjpL2_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Strange%2Bthe%2BDreamer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U76hNCUzi4Q/X_OJMQpI48I/AAAAAAAAKwY/gKjWQ763BjUTMUbhBfePB3BZnCzjpL2_QCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Strange%2Bthe%2BDreamer.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ve4RFNnDgA4zWA2S7MJD4sLsb05Hl2xTQoyeyUFPKA9CQuAU1JCxHc-CjGFrrTFC-syEmsoD1PVDBisVghMOsxniXtx88AIBq5OTzjMdBzTWNvgGDh-LYQQopz-h3L4G5-2VxwO5vXE/s475/Verity.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ve4RFNnDgA4zWA2S7MJD4sLsb05Hl2xTQoyeyUFPKA9CQuAU1JCxHc-CjGFrrTFC-syEmsoD1PVDBisVghMOsxniXtx88AIBq5OTzjMdBzTWNvgGDh-LYQQopz-h3L4G5-2VxwO5vXE/w133-h200/Verity.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /></div><b>Read: </b></span><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Verity</i> by Colleen Hoover-- page 61 to 324 (finished it)</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Time Listen:</b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Strange the Dreamer</i> by Laini Taylor-- Chapters 1 and 2 (approximately 30 minutes, 26 pages) </span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Books Completed: </b>1</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Pages Completed: </b>290 </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b>Instagram Challenge: </b><br /><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CJo4HbqAC2w/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CJo4HbqAC2w/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CJo4HbqAC2w/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Stephanie (@stephanie_happy.librarian)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Thoughts from Monday:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Today was the first day back in my school library after winter break--I woke up early enough to read for a bit before I had to get up to get ready but I am fading quickly. I hope I will be able to stay up to read this evening some. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I put up my <a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/answering-2020-reading-survey-from.html" target="_blank">Perpetual Page Turner Reading Survey Response</a> today as well. If you want to check out my thoughts on 2020 reading highlights, feel free to read it. On another note, I have been watching <i>The Wilds</i> on Prime. Have you seen it? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;">-Tuesday, January 5th-</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xo637cX4i6k/X_TUmXXHL6I/AAAAAAAAKy0/OYIE4hKc7noM5DG4XUikPgXq9_EGcZG7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Stamped.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xo637cX4i6k/X_TUmXXHL6I/AAAAAAAAKy0/OYIE4hKc7noM5DG4XUikPgXq9_EGcZG7QCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Stamped.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OQTxz_sivi0/X_TUmVa4zvI/AAAAAAAAKyw/pGVRI_CcrsgGU9wp93X8I8R47MMyquTKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Strange%2Bthe%2BDreamer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OQTxz_sivi0/X_TUmVa4zvI/AAAAAAAAKyw/pGVRI_CcrsgGU9wp93X8I8R47MMyquTKQCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Strange%2Bthe%2BDreamer.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uM9t-G8YSJE/X_TUmd6g6ZI/AAAAAAAAKy4/N2_Y3B5vxR08HevMu55lh_MkQnPqtlutACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Wife%2BUpstairs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uM9t-G8YSJE/X_TUmd6g6ZI/AAAAAAAAKy4/N2_Y3B5vxR08HevMu55lh_MkQnPqtlutACLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Wife%2BUpstairs.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D-ZK30zTPXE/X_jqa-Vku-I/AAAAAAAAK5k/kCHXOF6YFggLPqK-DWflxGpzy2XlYeo2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s388/A%2BLong%2BPetal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="255" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D-ZK30zTPXE/X_jqa-Vku-I/AAAAAAAAK5k/kCHXOF6YFggLPqK-DWflxGpzy2XlYeo2QCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/A%2BLong%2BPetal.jpg" width="131" /></a><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Read: </b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The Wife Upstairs</i> by Rachel Hawkins--25 (I fell asleep early as predicted)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Stamped</i> by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi--50</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>A Long Petal of the Sea</i> by Isabel Allende<i>--</i>85 pages</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Time Listen: </b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Strange the Dreamer</i> by Laini Taylor-- Chapter 3 (approximately 20 minutes, 12 pages approximately) </span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Books Completed: </b>1<br /><b>Pages Completed: </b>462 pages<br /><b>Instagram Challenge: </b>I did not get a chance to do it, but I may try to make it up on Wednesday.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Thoughts from Tuesday:</b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I put up my <a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/top-ten-tuesday-2021-releases-first.html" target="_blank">Top Ten Tuesday post</a> today featuring books I am looking forward to this first quarter of 2021. If you have a moment, I would love you pop over and let me know which books you are most looking forward to reading this first quarter of the year. Of course you can leave me which titles you are looking forward to this second quarter of the year too. :)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am not sure how much reading I am going to get finished up this afternoon/evening. With staying up too late last night with finishing <i>Verity</i>, I have a migraine that is setting in that I am having problems shaking. This means I am going to have to succumb to going to be bed early this evening so I can have a productive day at work tomorrow because I desperately need it. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;">-Wednesday, January 6th and Thursday, January 7th-</b></div><div><span style="color: #800180;"><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I did do some reading on both these days, but I am not really sure how much simply because I have it as a goal this year to read or listen to a book everyday again this year, as I did last year, and it is a comfort to me. Though my heart and head was distracted, I still did managed to finish my book group's discussion book over these days.</span></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;">-Friday, January 8th-</b></div><div><b style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-weight: 400;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OQTxz_sivi0/X_TUmVa4zvI/AAAAAAAAKyw/pGVRI_CcrsgGU9wp93X8I8R47MMyquTKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Strange%2Bthe%2BDreamer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OQTxz_sivi0/X_TUmVa4zvI/AAAAAAAAKyw/pGVRI_CcrsgGU9wp93X8I8R47MMyquTKQCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Strange%2Bthe%2BDreamer.jpg" width="134" /></a> </div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Read: </b></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><ul style="font-weight: 400;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The Wife Upstairs</i> by Rachel Hawkins--none</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Stamped</i> by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi--none</span></li></ul><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Time Listen: </b></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Strange the Dreamer</i> by Laini Taylor--152 pages (I am on Chapter 23)</span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Books Completed:</b><b style="font-weight: 400;"> </b>2<br /><b>Pages Completed:</b><b style="font-weight: 400;"> 695</b> pages<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Thoughts on Today:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fridays are my district's day for full remote instruction so I am able to listen to an audiobook for part of the day, which is why I made headway in it this morning. I had meetings all afternoon, then book group this afternoon after work. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have so much work to do this weekend I do not know how much reading I will actually get done unfortunately. I am going to finish up some work for my classes on Monday and Tuesday this evening I did not get finished up before my meetings, so hopefully I can get some time to read tonight then tomorrow will be lighter. Crossing my fingers that my plan works out for me. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I hope you are all safe and having a better day.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;">-Saturday, January 9th-</b></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4tHCLEQTwdI/X_Ob3mwMznI/AAAAAAAAKws/I6VhMe2BrOEoIl2Tb8hjbuqaWsXhEWmVwCPcBGAYYCw/s475/Wife%2BUpstairs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4tHCLEQTwdI/X_Ob3mwMznI/AAAAAAAAKws/I6VhMe2BrOEoIl2Tb8hjbuqaWsXhEWmVwCPcBGAYYCw/w131-h200/Wife%2BUpstairs.jpg" width="131" /></a></div></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Read: </b></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The Wife Upstairs</i> by Rachel Hawkins--finished it 279 pages</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Stamped</i> by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi--none</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Time Listen: </b></span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Strange the Dreamer</i> by Laini Taylor--none</span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Books Completed:</b><span> 3</span><br /><b>Pages Completed:</b><span> 954</span> pages<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Thoughts on Today:</b></span></div></div></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I hope I will get some time to read after I finish working this morning. This morning I posted my <a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/getting-my-bookcases-undercontrol-3.html" target="_blank">Getting My Bookcases Under Control blog post</a> if you want to go check that out. I have not finished writing out my actual full blog post on my reading goals yet--anyone else feel like this month is getting away from them already? There are three sub-goals I am working on towards helping reach this overall goal, and those individual blog posts will be coming over the next next week too. I will link them into the main post once they are live too.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Otherwise, I will be working and hopefully getting some reading done today--around housework of course because that is what I need to do around my house. Oh and my conference presentation that I am giving on Wednesday. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I stayed up way too late finishing <i>The Wife Upstairs</i>. I am still conflicted on what I think about it. It was not what I expected--I listened to <i>Jane Eyre</i> last year so I had some sense of the story before reading it. I just wasn't sure where it was going. I have to think on it to really figure out what I feel about it overall yet.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;">-Sunday, January 10th-</b></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7rkGsV6uN4/X_zAqv3FVII/AAAAAAAAK-A/8NwR-jzI2G8YlAFltZPE-wREuMd0nBPAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/All%2BThirteen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="301" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7rkGsV6uN4/X_zAqv3FVII/AAAAAAAAK-A/8NwR-jzI2G8YlAFltZPE-wREuMd0nBPAwCLcBGAsYHQ/w151-h200/All%2BThirteen.jpg" width="151" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OQTxz_sivi0/X_TUmVa4zvI/AAAAAAAAKy8/ayAO2FrANMYy6uA-BYXQoqL58SyUQxeGwCPcBGAYYCw/s475/Strange%2Bthe%2BDreamer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OQTxz_sivi0/X_TUmVa4zvI/AAAAAAAAKy8/ayAO2FrANMYy6uA-BYXQoqL58SyUQxeGwCPcBGAYYCw/w134-h200/Strange%2Bthe%2BDreamer.jpg" width="134" /></a><br /> </div></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Read: </b></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><ul><li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Stamped</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi-- none</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>First We Were IV</i> by Alexandra Sirowy-- none</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>All Thirteen </i>by Christina Soontornvat-- finished the full book, 288 pages</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Time Listen: </b></span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Strange the Dreamer</i> by Laini Taylor-- 2 more chapters, 17 pages</span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Books Completed:</b><span> 4</span><br /><b>Pages Completed:</b><span> 1,259</span> pages<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Thoughts on Today:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">My post <a href="http://www.loveliferead.com/2021/01/21-in-2021-these-books-will-shelf.html" target="_blank">21 Books in 2021: These Books Will Shelf Destruct</a> went live this morning. I would LOVE your feedback on the titles I posted to this list. Which of these books are worth my time this year and which one of these I should I bump to the bottom? If you have the time to pop over and look at it, I would appreciate it!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Plans today include continuing to work on my conference presentation. I sound like a broken record with that one--but I make changes, let them sit then, go back and see if I like the flow and adjust more to it. With it being on a current topic, I keep adding and adjusting it as new information unfolds. I need to prepare for the work week ahead. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I plan to read some nonfiction books today--make some progress in <i>Stamped</i> as well as read some if not all of <i>All Thirteen</i>, the book about the Thai cave rescue. I hope I can make real progress on all of those books listed above. </span></div></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;">-Final Thoughts-</b></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am so incredibly happy that I was able to read to four full books--that is more than I expected this week, because they were not tiny picture books or graphic novels--which is completely fine if that is what you read this week! I have a few that I could have moved into the rotation but I may read them this week, because this is going to be a LONG week! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I LOVE Bout of Books--I love the no pressure enjoyment of just a community of readers of reading and supporting each other. I tried to get out and visit some of you--I did a few each day. I hope to do more next time. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I hope you had a successful Bout of Books! I hope to see you next time. :)</span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" /></div>Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-22471965063690299022020-12-27T05:30:00.019-05:002020-12-27T05:30:02.019-05:0012 Days of Christmas Book Tag<div><span style="font-family: verdana;">First seen on Heather's (Bookables) Channel, this struck me this morning as a fun way to think about my reading during this seasonal time of the year. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>A Partridge in a Pear Tree: Favorite Standalone</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IP4xCBItrF0/X-dI3Xj9faI/AAAAAAAAKmc/dAmsAFpMiDc-Ze91FdcqDvZrAhpyppUsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Clap%2BWhen%2BYou%2BLand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IP4xCBItrF0/X-dI3Xj9faI/AAAAAAAAKmc/dAmsAFpMiDc-Ze91FdcqDvZrAhpyppUsgCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Clap%2BWhen%2BYou%2BLand.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br />So I am going to answer this as my favorite standalone for this year. I have not compiled my favorites of the year, still have not decided if I am going to do an overall recap of that. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">For this I decided I am going to give you two because they are for different reasons: <i>Clap When You Land</i> by Elizabeth Acevedo and <i>Tweet Cute</i> by Emma Lord. I loved Acevedo's <i>Clap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kYXFc6OEXZc/XuJc5clBCTI/AAAAAAAAI2E/J9jtI1YHrDM9RtjO_Z40tUcVES4g18oHwCPcBGAYYCw/s475/Tweet%2BCute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kYXFc6OEXZc/XuJc5clBCTI/AAAAAAAAI2E/J9jtI1YHrDM9RtjO_Z40tUcVES4g18oHwCPcBGAYYCw/w131-h200/Tweet%2BCute.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br /> When You Land</i> and this one in particular was another return to her lyrical novel in verse writing, which I enjoyed as an audiobook. The other, <i>Tweet Cute</i>, is just adorable. It is not anything earth shattering but when I read it in April this year it was a perfect escapism delightful read. I look forward to reading Lord's next book in 2021 to see if her writing holds the same appeal.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Two Turtledoves: Favorite OTP/Favorite 'Ship</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This was a harder one for me as I do not want to keep answering the same books over and over during this tag. As I scroll back through my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/19390867" target="_blank">GoodReads Reading Challenge</a> page, without selecting some re-reads, I realized that of all the books I read this year, the book that has the my favorite OTP of the year is without a doubt <i>Becoming </i>by Michelle Obama. I am not sure if this is cheating because the Obamas are obviously a real life couple but I love the frankness of her book and how she was willing to discuss their marriage and as all marriages take work to make them successful. I see the two of them together and they just inspire me--not because I inspire to have either of their roles, or lives, but the way they support each other is obvious.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Three French Hens: Favorite Trilogy</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hzCm9GJu-GI/XrHea_tLyVI/AAAAAAAAIck/Y41dxd5ePeciaFTRzrtmzinEIht-i3hXACPcBGAYYCw/s475/ADOW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hzCm9GJu-GI/XrHea_tLyVI/AAAAAAAAIck/Y41dxd5ePeciaFTRzrtmzinEIht-i3hXACPcBGAYYCw/w131-h200/ADOW.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wrIL28wLDBg/X-dFtkhkDzI/AAAAAAAAKmQ/STFvLqUUz3Q0leB1nJrLYOaoVKJZcGdIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s180/Shadow%2Bof%2BNight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="120" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wrIL28wLDBg/X-dFtkhkDzI/AAAAAAAAKmQ/STFvLqUUz3Q0leB1nJrLYOaoVKJZcGdIwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Shadow%2Bof%2BNight.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I0Gy40p2fXE/X-dFtQOTskI/AAAAAAAAKmM/qMEl_-MdAhQlPGnkqz-jodT271uRhpBDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s180/Book%2Bof%2BLife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="119" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I0Gy40p2fXE/X-dFtQOTskI/AAAAAAAAKmM/qMEl_-MdAhQlPGnkqz-jodT271uRhpBDQCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/Book%2Bof%2BLife.jpg" width="132" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness has been my favorite books and series since I read them for the first time several years ago and it is one of the few books I will re-read. I like to read it physically and I also enjoy the audiobooks. There are so many hidden "Easter" eggs inside of it for further exploration, that each time I re-read, I find something else that makes me thing of something new to explore or consider.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Four Calling Birds: Favorite fictional beast</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had to think about this question because what defines a "beast?" This year I read (well listened to) <i>The Trials of Morrigan Crowe</i> and <i>Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crowe</i> books one and two of the "Nevermoor" series by Jessica Townsend. This series is filled with wonderous beasts. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Five Golden Rings: Five Golden Books</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">From my TBR:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88tEdK-2-ow/X-d2wGmamjI/AAAAAAAAKnE/7d1JkLM8Z3ouZj03wgc12JZ3gjnqzRKCACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Deadly%2BEducation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88tEdK-2-ow/X-d2wGmamjI/AAAAAAAAKnE/7d1JkLM8Z3ouZj03wgc12JZ3gjnqzRKCACLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Deadly%2BEducation.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ekx_IgRqCns/X-d2wI5OHUI/AAAAAAAAKnI/ooKV5gbhJM4ISiF2b17XpiwGUnu9ZTxZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Magic%2BLessons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1375" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ekx_IgRqCns/X-d2wI5OHUI/AAAAAAAAKnI/ooKV5gbhJM4ISiF2b17XpiwGUnu9ZTxZwCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Magic%2BLessons.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rRo_DDORzlY/X-d3KYbUCqI/AAAAAAAAKnU/Jr7ciliigRkRwhRMJ4myA_kCSFYVy0RCACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Graces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rRo_DDORzlY/X-d3KYbUCqI/AAAAAAAAKnU/Jr7ciliigRkRwhRMJ4myA_kCSFYVy0RCACLcBGAsYHQ/w130-h200/Graces.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iP2rtIOA7Ys/X-d4YXPhY6I/AAAAAAAAKng/Nkejs-A9Hws4MPhiuf7bkgZT-rWBrWeMACLcBGAsYHQ/s429/Hollowpox2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iP2rtIOA7Ys/X-d4YXPhY6I/AAAAAAAAKng/Nkejs-A9Hws4MPhiuf7bkgZT-rWBrWeMACLcBGAsYHQ/w148-h200/Hollowpox2.jpg" width="148" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nSZP-2OZOno/X-d4YbG5tKI/AAAAAAAAKnk/Dm6oaXs9NeE1NjyvaicYMXwQW98KoCoKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Windfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nSZP-2OZOno/X-d4YbG5tKI/AAAAAAAAKnk/Dm6oaXs9NeE1NjyvaicYMXwQW98KoCoKgCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Windfall.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">Six Geese a Laying: Rotten egg--What's your least favorite book?</span></b></span></div></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My least favorite book this year has been the <i>The Wives</i> by Tarryn Fisher. There have been a few others that were close but when I weighed them, this is the one that came out on top. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Seven Swans a Swimming: Show a Book with Water on the Cover</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I took a look at my GoodRead's Reading Challenge for this year, these are all the book covers with water on them (excluding snow and frost):</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V1nOATgYS6A/X-d7dr07p8I/AAAAAAAAKoA/COdXdWKHMvkjHwIt9SK_1XUf5YCyiTKvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Hideaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1347" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V1nOATgYS6A/X-d7dr07p8I/AAAAAAAAKoA/COdXdWKHMvkjHwIt9SK_1XUf5YCyiTKvwCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Hideaway.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X4srwP1L3JI/X-d7dbbBnjI/AAAAAAAAKn8/5oAzlH-3480Hy5D1N_3hndBNJnhro9T7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Night%2BSwim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X4srwP1L3JI/X-d7dbbBnjI/AAAAAAAAKn8/5oAzlH-3480Hy5D1N_3hndBNJnhro9T7wCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/Night%2BSwim.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8C_5bJO3DPc/XwDSlBF3jHI/AAAAAAAAJe8/YjmaYsp7NgcgA1IAoLXNi5i_XSIO16wggCPcBGAYYCw/s404/Walk%2Bthe%2BEdge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="268" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8C_5bJO3DPc/XwDSlBF3jHI/AAAAAAAAJe8/YjmaYsp7NgcgA1IAoLXNi5i_XSIO16wggCPcBGAYYCw/w133-h200/Walk%2Bthe%2BEdge.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FtuCEEBr11Q/X-d8NZHyIWI/AAAAAAAAKoQ/gEAKpj4TevMfJRCHQ_Y-Yp4E5RlWb5GxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/on%2Bthe%2Bisland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FtuCEEBr11Q/X-d8NZHyIWI/AAAAAAAAKoQ/gEAKpj4TevMfJRCHQ_Y-Yp4E5RlWb5GxgCLcBGAsYHQ/w129-h200/on%2Bthe%2Bisland.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z3RJ3Di8BAQ/X-d9U-rkEFI/AAAAAAAAKoc/a5xeJbmLY88pMHiHariuBZzKQ1JdavMcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Of%2BPoseidon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z3RJ3Di8BAQ/X-d9U-rkEFI/AAAAAAAAKoc/a5xeJbmLY88pMHiHariuBZzKQ1JdavMcgCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Of%2BPoseidon.jpg" width="134" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rlZd1CGaSwc/X-d9Xs6MngI/AAAAAAAAKog/IqB4PgAIVxMvnTjcKz-N9bT9t_Aa1t-7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s473/Of%2BTriton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rlZd1CGaSwc/X-d9Xs6MngI/AAAAAAAAKog/IqB4PgAIVxMvnTjcKz-N9bT9t_Aa1t-7gCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Of%2BTriton.jpg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WqkXeVTDL8w/X-d9i61zMxI/AAAAAAAAKok/6sjRRnfGaeYP1CS45T0RdafO25HrTkrfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s448/Of%2Bneptune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WqkXeVTDL8w/X-d9i61zMxI/AAAAAAAAKok/6sjRRnfGaeYP1CS45T0RdafO25HrTkrfwCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Of%2Bneptune.jpg" width="134" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nVodE79DqSA/X-d-Go-xFlI/AAAAAAAAKo4/mNWHcvDmUfEnCYYbErZOhwgLR436_lYwACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/When%2BWe%2BLeft%2BCuba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nVodE79DqSA/X-d-Go-xFlI/AAAAAAAAKo4/mNWHcvDmUfEnCYYbErZOhwgLR436_lYwACLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/When%2BWe%2BLeft%2BCuba.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jG5e2EsyNYQ/X-d910BfwvI/AAAAAAAAKo0/mjhavKl1hmQ2WOJ6oJmnMvGOClVZaAIIgCPcBGAYYCw/s475/Refugee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jG5e2EsyNYQ/X-d910BfwvI/AAAAAAAAKo0/mjhavKl1hmQ2WOJ6oJmnMvGOClVZaAIIgCPcBGAYYCw/w132-h200/Refugee.jpg" width="132" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MtdV4E6YejU/X-d-rf-10DI/AAAAAAAAKpE/L2pbD2anhCs3S8DMagLEBiAGsQXKiB0UwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Marsh%2BKing%2527s%2BDaughter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MtdV4E6YejU/X-d-rf-10DI/AAAAAAAAKpE/L2pbD2anhCs3S8DMagLEBiAGsQXKiB0UwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Marsh%2BKing%2527s%2BDaughter.jpg" width="133" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I cannot say I realized I had read quite as many books with covers with bodies of water on them until I compiled them all here--there are quite a few here. </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">Eight Maids a Milking: What fictional food do you wish you could taste? <br /></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br /></div>There are some delicious wines and foods mentioned throughout the All Souls Trilogy that I would love to try as I long to travel to the United Kingdom. We were <br />supposed to go there this past summer, but obviously due to COVID, we were not allowed to travel. We had hoped this upcoming summer would be the year, but we have decided that things are not looking like it is quite going to be ready. Instead, I am going to have to wait now until April 2022--a spring back trip. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5g4sczeQ2sk/X-eVTJ-nweI/AAAAAAAAKpQ/IS0hzZCX1LMDwrsNjntZlCBqDunQpw00ACPcBGAYYCw/s375/Harry%2BPotter_Illustrated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5g4sczeQ2sk/X-eVTJ-nweI/AAAAAAAAKpQ/IS0hzZCX1LMDwrsNjntZlCBqDunQpw00ACPcBGAYYCw/w169-h200/Harry%2BPotter_Illustrated.jpg" width="169" /></a></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">One other book series that leaps into my mind is of course Harry Potter because food plays such a pivotal role at times throughout the series. When I was a teen services librarian, I did a Year of Harry Potter with monthly and bimonthly Harry Potter events. Throughout those events, I made various Harry Potter treats include chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties, and of course butterbeer. I would love to venture inside that world to try authentic snacks. Having gone to Universal Studios, I have had a sneak peak at some of them, so that is better than nothing. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Nine Ladies Dancing: Favorite dance between two characters?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-giNJl0cHSDc/X6vof4ra-SI/AAAAAAAAKWo/dSWPH0sf16YpTTDVWBWbKTjwnDpNQ0iaACPcBGAYYCw/s450/Pumpkinheads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-giNJl0cHSDc/X6vof4ra-SI/AAAAAAAAKWo/dSWPH0sf16YpTTDVWBWbKTjwnDpNQ0iaACPcBGAYYCw/w141-h200/Pumpkinheads.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><br />So you could take this literally--a dance between them, or figuratively as in them trying to get together. For this one I am going to select another season's favorite: <i>Pumpkinheads </i>by Rainbow Rowell. This was such a cute read this fall and I highly recommend reading this during the fall if you have yet to do it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Ten Lords a Leaping: Favorite Book to Movie Adaptation?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have come to realize that I have to accept that movies have to be changed in order to be made from their book counterpoints. When I started to figure out the answer to this questions, I had a harder time coming up with this answer though--at least when it came to movies. I, of course, have a soft spot for the Harry Potter movies. It has become tradition that we watch them around Mother's Day. I know many watch them around Christmas, but we have never been one of those families. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I cannot think specifically of a favorite movie adaptation but my favorite TV adaptation is <i>A Discovery of Witches</i>. I think they did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of the book without having to make too many drastic changes. I am so excited for Season 2 to debut in January. I will have to start my subscription to Sundance Now again so I can watch it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana;"><b>Eleven Pipers Piping: Favorite Book to Movie Adaptation Soundtrack?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I could stick to <i>A Discovery of Witches </i>for a more recent one because that sticks out in my mind. I also go back to my teenage years to <i>Twilight</i> because "Supermissive Black Hole" is so quintessential takes me right back to that baseball scene. I also will listen to the Harry Potter soundtrack--just classical/instrumental music--at night when I am trying to fall asleep and I cannot get my mind to stop racing. It soothes me and I can calm down. The first and the latter will feature in my routine listening. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gseTBJhqsG8/X-dyxCQ-ljI/AAAAAAAAKms/K0FcfGFSHbsXtzFOfHlLJWhvT0w3Ym3nwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Sadie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="306" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gseTBJhqsG8/X-dyxCQ-ljI/AAAAAAAAKms/K0FcfGFSHbsXtzFOfHlLJWhvT0w3Ym3nwCLcBGAsYHQ/w129-h200/Sadie.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">Twelve Drummers Drumming: It's the end of the song, what's your favorite book ending?</span></b><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is another question I had to stop and think about for some time. I cannot say I had a immediate answer. I am not necessarily a fan of an ambiguous ending, though I do like them when used appropriately such as </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Sadie. </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">I do not want to spoil the ending for those of you who have not read it, but t</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">his ending seemed so perfect for this particular book. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Probably my favorite ending that just genuinely made me happy this year from a first time read this year is <i>Pumpkinheads</i> by Rainbow Rowell. I just loved it and it is such a cute, perfectly seasonal read. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YxTj9sFvnlM/X-d0xfvynyI/AAAAAAAAKm4/FSUoHIV5HMM5hair2w5kPUlHVvg2gG4OQCLcBGAsYHQ/s398/IMG_7464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="398" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YxTj9sFvnlM/X-d0xfvynyI/AAAAAAAAKm4/FSUoHIV5HMM5hair2w5kPUlHVvg2gG4OQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_7464.JPG" /></a></div><br />So there you have my answers to the 12 Days of Christmas Book Tag. If you have the desire to answer these questions, I would love to read or watch your answers. If you do, please share the link with me so I can come over. Otherwise, I hope you had a great holiday season!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-15705606617876238232020-12-19T05:30:00.001-05:002020-12-19T17:31:09.942-05:00CYBILS Nominees: A Sporting Chance by Lori Alexander<div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TWFg7tZH-MQ/X90q8pNc97I/AAAAAAAAKkQ/bKshluqooa82fUVy8NzKk7DO2fom13XyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s454/A%2BSporting%2BChance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TWFg7tZH-MQ/X90q8pNc97I/AAAAAAAAKkQ/bKshluqooa82fUVy8NzKk7DO2fom13XyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w140-h200/A%2BSporting%2BChance.jpg" width="140" /></a></div><br />A Sporting Chance</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Lori Alexander</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>CYBILS Category: Middle Grade Nonfiction</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is a part biography of Ludwig Guttmann and part introduction to how the Paralympic Games were created. The first part of the book introduces to Guttman and how he became a world renowned neurosurgeon focusing on spinal injuries. Growing up in Germany as a Jewish man, he had to flee Germany, leaving everything behind to begin again in England. Eventually allowed to treat patients returning from the warfront deemed "incurable," Doctor Guttmann knew there was more that could be done for them. This book walks middle grade readers through the process he created on how to treat these patients, many of these techniques are still used today--he pioneered the treatment of spinal cord injuries. </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOZI9XVhi20/X7gF_chsEfI/AAAAAAAAKaY/G2jxQVSym_47kpWwiYHmITHnRWSKdlYpQCPcBGAYYCw/s600/Category%2BChair%2BLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOZI9XVhi20/X7gF_chsEfI/AAAAAAAAKaY/G2jxQVSym_47kpWwiYHmITHnRWSKdlYpQCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Category%2BChair%2BLogo.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Despite this lasting contribution to medicine, when asked about his contribution he said he is most proud of introducing sports to paralyzed patients. He believed that his wounded soldiers still could be active and were not destined to spend the rest of their in bed. He believed they could relearn life skills and occupational skills through physical and occupational therapies. He made sure they had wheelchairs that would allow them to become more mobile and allow them to be able to get outside. He helped modify sports such as basketball so they could participate. He started a competition games that evolved into the Paralympic Games that we know about now. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This book is a great introduction to someone who is pivotal to helping to make those who disabilities visible in our society. It is accessible and I appreciated the writing style and tone of it. The breakout boxes sometimes seemed disjointed at times--for younger readers they sometimes struggle with the placement of those boxes with how to read the main text and when to pause and read the breakout boxes. I do appreciate that the boxes were usually a different color so it helped, but it did break up sentences and paragraphs onto the next pages. Overall, I highly recommend this book as an leap into chapter nonfiction that would not be quite as intimidating as some because the sentences and writing style are approachable and the spacing on the page is suitable for this younger age. </span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-45069704371349295852020-12-07T05:30:00.001-05:002020-12-07T05:30:04.628-05:00CYBILS Nominees: Cityscape and All the Way to the Top<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOZI9XVhi20/X7gF_chsEfI/AAAAAAAAKaY/G2jxQVSym_47kpWwiYHmITHnRWSKdlYpQCPcBGAYYCw/s600/Category%2BChair%2BLogo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOZI9XVhi20/X7gF_chsEfI/AAAAAAAAKaY/G2jxQVSym_47kpWwiYHmITHnRWSKdlYpQCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Category%2BChair%2BLogo.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /><br /></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Cityscape: Where Science and Art Meet</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By April Pulley Sayre</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>CYBILS Category: Elementary Nonfiction</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j4UqXlY3Jmc/X72_kWxx0II/AAAAAAAAKdk/RcAwu-naapUcf4tx5pel-AfG3k4RPdlqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s318/cityscape.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="318" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j4UqXlY3Jmc/X72_kWxx0II/AAAAAAAAKdk/RcAwu-naapUcf4tx5pel-AfG3k4RPdlqwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h181/cityscape.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is an interesting nonfiction book for me as I love photography and I especially love photographing details of places we visit. Bright, visually appealing photos engaging viewers into this book as simple texts walk you through how the photos across the page (and sometimes spread) are linked together. At the end of the book, there is additional back matter including how information on exploring cities and how students can look further when they are next out and about. I also appreciated the Question to Ponder as You Wander as it is quite extensive. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As far as age appeal goes, this one of those challenging books. It is visually stunning and I would not hesitate to pull this out if I was talking about different shapes and how they appear in our every day lives. It would not necessarily engage students to sit down and flip through unless they are necessarily drawn to realistic images of our world around us. Some students are some are not. It just depends on what type of unit or what type of students you are doing with them at any given moment. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /><i>All the Way to the Top</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Annette Bay Pimentel</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>CYBILS Category: Elementary Nonfiction</b><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOqaOk_GbVY/X81VS-X48lI/AAAAAAAAKhI/_zf6AA_EnAU5xXRt6ajYWD2ic9i1lda4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s318/All%2Bthe%2BWay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOqaOk_GbVY/X81VS-X48lI/AAAAAAAAKhI/_zf6AA_EnAU5xXRt6ajYWD2ic9i1lda4ACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/All%2Bthe%2BWay.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>This picture book biography tells the story of young girl's fight to be treated like the rest of her classmates as an activist for the Americans with Disabilities Act passage. Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins is in a wheelchair due to having cerebral palsy and as with any child, she just wants to be treated the same. This book centers on the Crawl-In Protest thousands of Americans staged while fighting with Congress to take the ADA's passage seriously. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The book opens with a note from Jennifer herself then it moves into brief memoir of her becoming an activist to the passing of the ADA in 1990. As with most nonfiction, it ends with backmatter about the subject including explaining some of the concepts such as disability, cerebral palsy, more about the Capital Crawl, a timeline of the ADA's passage, life before and after the ADA, and a bibliography for further reading. Along with the content, the pictures done by Nabi H. Ali is engaging, drawing eyes towards the pictures helping to tell the story too. Overall this is a brief but effective introduction to disability rights' activism for younger readers. </span></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-40913959161107756142020-11-25T09:30:00.001-05:002020-11-25T09:30:00.377-05:00Mini Reviews: Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Five Total Strangers by Natalie Richards<div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-giNJl0cHSDc/X6vof4ra-SI/AAAAAAAAKWk/CwveYhuykPAYOVGGQz0mYOQJaBIA-VjuACLcBGAsYHQ/s450/Pumpkinheads.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-giNJl0cHSDc/X6vof4ra-SI/AAAAAAAAKWk/CwveYhuykPAYOVGGQz0mYOQJaBIA-VjuACLcBGAsYHQ/w141-h200/Pumpkinheads.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><br />Pumpkinheads</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Rainbow Rowell and Faith Hicks</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is such a perfect graphic novel for this time of year. I love the color palate--it is quintessential fall. It evokes the season and makes me long for October. Reading it right now during the pandemic, it also has me longing for a return to the time when we can be out doing some of these activities without fear of spreading the pandemic further in our communities.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I loved the acceptance that the characters have for each other--Deja is bisexual and it is apparent to readers that she has crush on Josiah (Josie for short), but he is oblivious focus on Vanilla Fudge girl, Marcy. As an adult, I can see that is completely true--I remember back to my own teen years with this exact situation playing out in my own life. I can see it now as an adult, in my students' lives as they relate to each other, as they work through what we call life. As I tell them, figuring out how to have healthy relationships is such an important part of life, that reading great books that has relationships as themes, is great. Who does not want to feel loved--whether platonic or romantic?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Overall, this is a great seasonal read, but it is also a great graphic just to look at supportive friendships. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ciVUVj_Styk/X75ka2bb_II/AAAAAAAAKd4/P-zsw5yMhL4nhT5mMzzOdbP9nLVVZXlJACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Five%2BTotal%2BStrangers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ciVUVj_Styk/X75ka2bb_II/AAAAAAAAKd4/P-zsw5yMhL4nhT5mMzzOdbP9nLVVZXlJACLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/Five%2BTotal%2BStrangers.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><br />Five Total Strangers</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Natalie Richards</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div>Natalie Richards has a way of crafting YA Thrillers that keep teen readers engaged and hooked into her books. I think it is because her characters are relatable and authentic--as an adult reader I cannot help but cringe at decisions made because I would not make them, but I am not a teen any longer. As an adult reading a YA book, we have to remember to take a step back and put ourselves back into a teen's mindset--do you remember how impulsive you were? Do you remember making bad decisions? Do you remember what it was like to crush on a guy or miss obvious signs of bad behavior when you can take a step back and observe from a safe distance away? Sure you can, because you have the life experiences to do so. That's what reading great books do for us--they help put us in situations without having to actually LIVE these situations to learn and grow from them. Richards is a master at doing that and it is because of this her characters always ring true and authentic even when I wish they would not make those choices!</div><div><br /></div><div>Her latest features her trademark style of engaging writing style coupled with authentic believable characters that create a highly readable and enjoyable YA Thriller. I would not hesitate to put this in the hands of any of my students (grades 7-12th). Content warnings for drug use, drinking, and violence. </div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616693092987998071.post-88814800230447560702020-11-22T05:30:00.069-05:002020-11-22T05:30:05.202-05:00CYBILS Nominees: Elementary Nonfiction Roundups: The Next President and The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOZI9XVhi20/X7gF_chsEfI/AAAAAAAAKaU/YAaKdZZ4qAwXcw2r01IcHeaUYhaqgbYAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Category%2BChair%2BLogo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="504" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOZI9XVhi20/X7gF_chsEfI/AAAAAAAAKaU/YAaKdZZ4qAwXcw2r01IcHeaUYhaqgbYAwCLcBGAsYHQ/w168-h200/Category%2BChair%2BLogo.png" width="168" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am fortunate to be continuing my participation with CYBILS this year again--this is my tenth cycle this year! I cannot believe it. I am currently in my second year serving as President, and with everything 2020, we had some tough decisions. We made the <a href="https://www.cybils.com/2020/08/cybils-and-covid-19-some-changes.html" target="_blank">decision over the summer</a> to reduce the number of categories by pausing or combining some to ease the amount of participants as well as to help publishers and participants needing access to books. It was a tough decision, but we felt it was the best decision we could make for the health of CYBILS.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This year along with this role, I am also serving as Nonfiction Chair. Nonfiction is one of the categories we decided to combine into one category. So as Chair, my amazing group of participants will be reviewing nonfiction books of all ages, with the goal of building three shortlists in Round 1 then Round 2 will take over with picking three overall winners: one each from elementary, middle grade, and high school. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This will be the first post in a series of reviews I will be posting to collate my thoughts on books as I look at them with the two key components in mind: literary quality and age appeal our two criteria of CYBILS. I will of course not be referencing whether I think the book should be considered for the shortlist for the age group (I am a Round 2 judge anyway) or if I would rate this high on my overall winner probability list. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aCnPX8Cw2DM/X7kSJxB43OI/AAAAAAAAKbc/u608Aq5KhPcyG1sreoBnHdW3cBLqT4lOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s318/Next%2BPresident.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="318" height="161" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aCnPX8Cw2DM/X7kSJxB43OI/AAAAAAAAKbc/u608Aq5KhPcyG1sreoBnHdW3cBLqT4lOgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h161/Next%2BPresident.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The Next President</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">By Kate Messener</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>CYBILS Category: Elementary Nonfiction</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is an engaging look at our nation's presidential past and how each president has started where our students' have: as regular people growing up much like our students are doing. Messener starts at the beginning with George Washington and walks us through four snapshots in our country's history and sees where each of our presidents were in their own lives during these timestamps. Some are children, growing up on their family's farm while others are in law school, or some are even adults earning a living. Interspersed between these snapshots is different presidential snapshots, highlighting one specific president in a two page spreads, giving a more detailed look into the lives of presidents of Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, unusual presidential pets, and Theodore Roosevelt. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Throughout the book, Rex's illustrations link the presidents together with a rope/link like image that traces us through the book, guiding the reader through to each president. For having to represent real men, Rex's illustrations capture the essence of these men (and at the back of the book Hilary Clinton's) portrayal authentically that children (and adults) will recognize these historically significant people. I also appreciate the diversity of the children represented in the front and back of the book and also the spread with the inclusion of slaves do not feature have them smiling in the background as Messener's text does not fail to mention our presidents enslaved people on their plantations.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Overall, this was a fascinating and brief look at forty five people who shaped the direction of our country. I the back matter information about what the Constitution says about who is eligible about becoming president, presidential birthplaces, recommended presidential reads as well as the author's bibliography as all of these are important to high quality nonfiction works. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoytukqKZF1epQZlxrY7vNbNGr84j_FXPJZZDliftoE0aZmX3LxPfC0iKDrcJTteIC_jkZ1bSPuKYSXMa_us35T4X-fOSEBfv_Xzlt96jMhyphenhyphenC4J4TSzqfOPWrX-dYXVc4RXIOGb3vBzhA/s400/Secret+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoytukqKZF1epQZlxrY7vNbNGr84j_FXPJZZDliftoE0aZmX3LxPfC0iKDrcJTteIC_jkZ1bSPuKYSXMa_us35T4X-fOSEBfv_Xzlt96jMhyphenhyphenC4J4TSzqfOPWrX-dYXVc4RXIOGb3vBzhA/w154-h200/Secret+Garden.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><br /><br /></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Gene Barretta</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>CYBILS Category: Elementary Nonfiction</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is a short biography about environmentalist and educator George Washington Carver. Carver was a Black boy right at the cusp of the slavery being outlawed in the United States, but still had to fight against segregation laws and a country that still did not value his life. What Carver grew up to appreciate was nature and sharing his knowledge with others. Barretta shares with us Carver's unquenchable thirst for knowledge and his understanding of nature, and it is brought to life by the gorgeous illustrations done by Frank Morrison. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This book covers snippets of information about him leaving home at twelve to pursue education, not being allowed to attend the first school he was accepted at because he was Black, earning his degree Iowa Agricultural College, then being hired by Booker T. Washington at the Tuskegee Institute and so forth. The garden is the main focus of the book, with the rest of Carver's life briefly mentioned in smaller vignettes afterward letting younger readers know how Carver did end up to speak in front of Congress (the book's opening). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I appreciate the timeline given in the back of the book so readers could see how everything mentioned ties together and they can see how long it took Carver to leave his secret garden to get his education to address Congress. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1Wk9xsKDatg/Usmls0IS5QI/AAAAAAAACQ8/z1lY08j9Nmg/w432-h225-no/Signature.png" width="200" />Stephanie @ Love. Life. Read http://www.blogger.com/profile/16261814341420616191noreply@blogger.com0