Category: Library Checkout

My Library Checkout July/August 2018

library-checkout-feature-imageHave you been using your library over the past month? What did you read? What didn’t you read? What are you waiting on? These are the questions of a meme called Library Checkout, led by Rebecca Foster of the blog Bookish Beck. Becca skipped July for personal reasons and wasn’t using her local library, but I am including July too because I was using my libraries for both months.

Library Books Read

Five:

  1. Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
  2. The Cruelest Month, the third Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, by Louise Penny
  3.  Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
  4. Rebound by Kwame Alexander
  5. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

On Hold

Five:

  1. The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
  2. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson
  3. Flat Broke with Two Goats by Jennifer McGaha
  4. The Good Son by Youn-Jeong Jeong
  5. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Returned Unread

Seven:

  1. Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of An American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt
  2. Booked by Kwame Alexander
  3. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
  4. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
  5. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
  6. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
  7. Wonder Valley by Ivy Pochoda

Most of the books I read and returned unread were part of two back-to-back readathons in late July: the 24in48 Readathon and Dewey’s Reverse Summer Readathon. The best books of the past two months were Behold the Dreamers and The Poet X, the latter of which I listened to on audio on loan on the Hoopla app from the Free Library of Philadelphia.

What did you check out from the library this past month, put on hold, return unread, did not finish? Or if you don’t use the library, what was the best book you read from this past month? Share in the comments.

Since talking about libraries, I would be remiss in mentioning my recent post about a fundraiser to rebuild the library in the small town where I grew up. Read the post and if you are able, click through to contribute. Thank you.

My Library Checkout June 2018

Have you been using your library over the past month? What did you read? What didn’t you read? What are you waiting on? These are the questions of a meme called Library Checkout, led by Rebecca Foster of the blog Bookish Beck.

35721120Read

  • Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason
  • American by Day by Derek B. Miller

The best of the pair was American by Day, a sequel of sorts to Miller’s Norwegian by Night. I say, of sorts, because I don’t think it’s necessary to read the first one to understand this one. But I would recommend reading the first one anyway, if you haven’t, because it’s just that good. This second one might be one of my favorites of the year. Of course, I’ve only read 15 books this year, so not too hard to say that.

Returned Unread

  1. Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia by Steven Soll
  2. Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy by Anne Lamott
  3. Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers: A retirement and aging roadmap for single adults and childless adults by Sarah Geber
  4. Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
  5. Wonder Valley by Ivy Pochoda

I actually did start Ramp Hollow and Wonder Valley, with the former not catching my interest and the latter catching my interest but not holding my interest at this time. I’ll have to try it another time. It looks like a good one, but one that requires more attention than I had this past week.

For next month, I’ve decided to start with a clean slate. I emptied out my holds shelves and don’t have anything on them yet. I’ll have to see here in the next few days or next week what catches my eye. Once I do, I’ll let you know.

What did you check out from the library this past month, put on hold, return unread, did not finish? Or if you don’t use the library, what was the best book you read from this past month? Share in the comments.

My Library Checkout for May 2018

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Have you been using your library over the past month? What did you read? What didn’t you read? What are you waiting on? These are the questions of a meme called Library Checkout, led by Rebecca Foster of the blog Bookish Beck. I’m joining in for this past month of May.

Read

  1. Pago Pago Tango by John Enright
  2. Pines, the first in the Wayward Pines series, by Blake Crouch
  3. Still Life, the first Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, by Louise Penny.

The first two were from Amazon: Pago Pago Tango, a Prime read, and Pines, a Kindle Daily Deal.

Returned Unread

  1. The Sinner by Petra Hammesfehr
  2. Inspector Maigret Omnibus, Volume 1: Pietr the Latvian; The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien; The Carter of ‘La Providence’; The Grand Banks Cafe by Georges Simenon
  3. The Gunners by Rebecca Kauffman

DNF

  1. Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama
  2. Dove Season by Johnny Shaw
  3. The Echo Killing by Christi Daugherty
  4. A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes

With Six Four, I got bogged down with Yokoyama’s focus on the bureaucracy within Japanese police departments. With Dove Season, the story didn’t develop quick enough for my tastes, and with The Echo Killing, I couldn’t get past the premise of a small-town newspaper having extra staff to assign to one story. I worked for weekly newspapers for more than 15 years and I know that staffing is always being cut, even at larger dailies, with usually one person ending up doing several jobs so I just didn’t find that aspect of the story believable.

Currently Out

  1. Death at La Fenice, the first Commissario Brunetti mystery, by Donna Leon

On Hold

  1. Inspector Maigret Omnibus, Volume 1: Pietr the Latvian; The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien; The Carter of ‘La Providence’; The Grand Banks Cafe by Georges Simenon
  2. The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
  3. Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers: A retirement and aging roadmap for single adults and childless adults by Sarah Geber
  4. Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
  5. Wonder Valley by Ivy Pochoda

Many of these haven’t changed from last month, but I hope by next month to say that I have gotten a few of them.

What did you check out from the library this past month, put on hold, return unread, did not finish? Or if you don’t use the library, what was the best book you read from this past month? Share in the comments.

To see what I have been up to this weekend, check out The Four-Day Memorial Day Weekend Post 2.

My Library Checkout for April 2018

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Have you been using your library over the past month? What did you read? What didn’t you read? What are you waiting on? These were the questions of a meme called Library Checkout, originally started by Shannon of River City Reading, continued first by Charleen of the blog It’s a Portable Magic, and now by Rebecca Foster of the blog Bookish Beck. I’m joining in for this past month of April.

Read

  1. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
  2. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
  3. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
  4. Tangerine by Christine Mangan Friends by Carl Dennis
  5. Wade in the Water: Poems by Tracy K. Smith
  6. Colosseum by Katie Ford

The best of the lot was All Creatures Great and Small and Tangerine also was really good.

Returned Unread

  1. Macbeth by Jo Nesbo
  2. Sending Christmas Cards to Huck & Hamlet by Joseph Mills
  3. Unknown Friends by Carl Dennis
  4. Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen

I had four all of my list for last month’s Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon, but I just never made it to them and I don’t know if I ever will, although maybe with the two books of poetry listed in the middle because they’re short.

Currently Out

  1. The Sinner by Petra Hammesfehr
  2. Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama

To be honest, I forgot I had these checked out from the Free Library of Philadelphia on ebook and I’ll see now if I get to them.

On Hold

  1. Inspector Maigret Omnibus, Volume 1: Pietr the Latvian; The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien; The Carter of ‘La Providence’; The Grand Banks Cafe by Georges Simenon
  2. The Gunners by Rebecca Kauffman
  3. Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers: A retirement and aging roadmap for single adults and childless adults by Sarah Geber
  4. Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
  5. Wonder Valley by Ivy Pochoda

All five are on hold at FLP too, with the latter two being on hold the longest, the Locke since March and the Pochoda since February! Both must be really good, I’m thinking, so I’ll wait them out.

In other non-bookish related news, I continued our What We’re Watching Wednesday this past week and started a new feature Friday Finds for music.

What did you check out from the library this past month, put on hold, return unread, did not finish? Share in the comments.