Book Haul

Now that we're into February, I had better start sharing some of the posts I drafted at the beginning of the year. Yikes, the days are going by far too quickly!

I received the above books for Christmas. Three were purchased with a gift card and the other three were under the tree. Let's hope they don't sit on my top shelf for the entire year!

Which should I read first? I'm leaning toward Theo of Golden since it's been getting such rave reviews. Bel Canto will be a re-read, but this time I'll have Patchett's annotation, which should be enlightening. 

BIG Books

“Many people have lost the ability to really immerse themselves,” she said. “We have developed a cognitive impatience about our reading.” (Dr. Maryanne Wolf, New York Times)

2023 is the year I will read more from my stack of BIG books (aka "chunksters"). I don't know why I avoid them; so many of my favorites fall into this category. The books in the photo are all over 500 pages, and while some may take weeks to read, I have a feeling that I'll zip through a few of them. I'm already on a roll, as I'm currently reading Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher (936 pages). I'm also rereading A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (603 pages). Both stories are holding my interest and I know that I'll be sorry to say goodbye to the main characters once I finish. Now to decide which one to read next. I'm leaning toward Stones from the River since it's been in my bookcase the longest.

New Books!

I rarely buy books for myself, unless we're traveling. Whenever we're on a road trip, I love to seek out new-to-me independent bookstores and buy at least one or two books that have been on my list. I love to support those stores! With that said, I rarely receive books for my birthday or Christmas, probably because people don't know what I've read, or what's on my TBR list. This year, I lucked out! My mom not only gave me three books, but she also gave me a gift card. Rather than let that money sit and possibly get spent on other things, I immediately ordered six books on my list. I now have this lovely stack to add to my already-toppling stack of books to read this year. How lucky am I?! Now to decide which to begin with once I finish my current reads.

Thanks, Mom! 💖

20 Books of Summer - 2022

It's time for Cathy's 20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge! Click here for all the details.

I had so much fun putting together this summer's reading list! Last year I had more nonfiction in the mix, but since I enjoy participating in Nonfiction November, I decided to spend the summer focusing on nothing but fiction. Let's break it down.

In this first slide I've included three mysteries by Deborah Crombie. I've been working my way through her books and each month I try to read one installment in the series. It's pretty much a guarantee that I'll have no trouble reading those this summer. Next, there are four books set in Paris, which will work well with the Paris in July reading challenge. I've had these books for quite some time, so I'm eager to finally get to them. Lastly, I have chosen two books that are on my book group reading list. I must miss a few meetings this summer, but I'd like to get a jump start on a couple of the books that we plan to discuss later in the year. 

For this next selection, I decided to go with all the pretty covers. Most of these are my mom's books, which she has kindly shared with me. Don't they look lovely?

Of course, audiobooks are always part of my monthly reading, but we have a lot of family coming to visit this summer, which means fewer afternoon walks (which is when I typically listen to my books). I plan to give these two a try, as well as one of my Paris in July selections and another book listed above.

 

I know many of you have read (and raved about) several of these. Which would you start with? 

Rejected

I have a vivid memory of the first time I saw a friend's TBR shelf. It was sometime in the early 90s and we were talking about books, and she was telling me about Willa Cather. As she pulled a book from her bookcase, I noticed a few more that sounded appealing. I asked her if she liked them, and she told me that she hadn't yet read them. What?! Why not? Apparently, she had several that she was planning to read, but had others to read first. Up until then, I either bought a book and read it or checked a few out from the library and read them before getting more. I had no idea about TBR shelves. Fast forward a few years and not only had I started a small face-to-face book club, but I joined a couple of Yahoo book groups. Suddenly, book recommendations were coming in faster than I could read. I participated in book box mailings lists (from those online groups), eagerly attended library book sales, perused used bookstores, and swapped books with friends and relatives. As if that weren't enough, I got a job at Borders Books and Music, followed by Barnes & Noble, and was the lucky recipient of numerous comp copies and ARCs. Blogging added to the flow of ARCs, as did giveaways on Goodreads. Before I knew it, I had a bookcase overflowing with unread books. I was all set for a blizzard!

I can't tell you how many of those books have been with me for over 20 years, but I do know that many have moved with me from Nebraska to Texas, back to Nebraska, and ultimately winding up in my office in Oregon. Each year I try to read from my own shelves, but the new and shiny releases are hard to ignore. This past year I read over 50 books from my stacks, which felt like a great accomplishment. Eager to keep that trend going, this past week I've pulled well over a dozen books from the shelves only to discover they no longer appeal. I gave each a chapter or two before moving on to the next. I don't know if I'll ever be happy without a TBR stack, but there's something liberating about weeding out the deadwood while discovering a gem in the rough.

20 Books of Summer - 2021

 

It's that time again for Cathy's (746 Books) 20 Books of Summer reading challenge. I don't expect to read all of these books by September, but I'm certainly going to give it a try. The first selection are the newest additions to my shelves and I've heard nothing but good things about all of them. The second group is comprised of books that I've owned for a long time and I'm looking forward to finally reading some of them. The final set of books is my "assigned" reading. The mysteries are part of my on-going "Deborah Crombie" marathon and the others are book club selections for June, July and August. These six books have priority over all the others, but I'm hoping to read at least 15 of the 20 that I've chosen. Wish me luck! 

Have you read any of these? Which would you skip?

Click here for more details about this annual event.

20 Books of Summer

Cathy at 746 Books is hosting a summer reading challenge (read more here) and I've decided to use this as motivation to read more from my stacks. I pulled 20 books off my shelves for a variety of reasons (book club picks, rereads, books with summer in the title, books I received for Christmas, BLM books, and a few that I've had for a long time but haven't made the time to read) and am going to attempt to read from this collection over the course of the summer, ending on Labor Day. Since I typically read 2-3 books in print (and 2-3 books on audio) each month, I'm setting the bar fairly high. Which would you recommend that I start with (or skip altogether)?

Wordless Wednesday

RV Reading Material

Montesano, WA

June, 2019

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Mailbox Monday

Wow. I don't think I've shared a Mailbox Monday post since the summer of 2016. I guess I'm making up for lost time! Check out this great stack of new books that arrived last week. I splurged and did a little online shopping with some birthday and Christmas money and found several books that I've been eager to read. I also downloaded a few e-books, but I'll save those for another post.

When I was working at Barnes and Noble, I got A LOT of ARCs and rarely ever bought any books for myself. I can't make a habit of this, but it sure was fun to get the packages and stack these gems on my nightstand. It's going to be tough to figure out which to read first!

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool - This came recommended to me by my sister-in-law. She compares it to Fried Green Tomatoes.

Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks by Annie Spence - I listened to the audio and once I finished, I knew I had to own a copy. I can't wait to go back and read it again!

Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say by Kelly Corrigan - I have bought and read everything by Corrigan. I know she'll make me cry, but she makes me laugh, too. I love her writing.

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter - I never tire of this time period or subject matter and this book has been on a lot of Best Of lists. Sold.

The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood - I've recently read two books by Hood and I'm eager to read more. This is one of her earlier works, which was recommended to me many years ago.

The Cancer Chronicles: A Story of Transformation and Triumph by Alan Luber - I have actually read this already. Sort of. It's a compilation of emails to friends and family members by Alan Luber (a writer that my husband used to work with), which has now been published by his daughter, Mallory Luber Fannon. I'm looking forward to once again reading these wise and witty letters.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate - This was another recommendation from my sister-in-law. She knows how much I love historical fiction.

The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1 by Robert Lacey - I loved watching this program and can hardly wait until Season 3 is released. Until then, this book is definitely going to satisfy my thirst for royal history.

So, which would you start with?

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, a meme started by Marcia and now hosted on its own blog.

TBR Triple Dog Dare

Working at Barnes & Noble, I find it very difficult to resist all the shiny new books as I put them out on display, but I am determined to read from my own stacks, at least for the first three months of 2016. Thanks, Bellezza, for pointing me in the direction of James' Triple Dog Dare. I'm in!

The Five Books I Want to Read This Winter

I have high hopes of reading from my shelves in 2016. Yes, the shiny new titles often call for attention, but I want to read some of those books that called out to me five or ten years ago. I think I'll wind up with a mix of old and new, but I hope to focus on what I actually own. These are the five that are currently on my nightstand (or on my Nano). What do you think? Which should be the first for 2016? I'm leaning toward Like Family.

I've had an ARC of this one for a couple of years now, but I didn't want to read it too close to reading All the Light We Cannot See. I think enough time has passed so I won't get the two mixed up.

This one has been on several of my "soon to be read" lists on this blog. I say it's high time, don't you?

I've wanted to listen to the audio production of this book for at least a year. My library still doesn't have it available to download, but I was given a subscription to Audible.com for Christmas and it's the first thing I purchased. Can. Not. Wait!
 

My dear friend, Bellezza, sent me this gorgeous novel for my birthday earlier this month. Don't you love the cover art? We fly home from Oregon on New Year's Day and I have the following two days off before returning to work. I think I'll spend next Saturday curled up on my couch with a cup of hot tea and this lovely book.

I've read a lot of books by Rosamunde Pilcher, but for some reason I've let this one languish for far too long on my shelves. I loved the way she described everyday life in The Shell Seekers and look forward to visiting Cornwall once again through her eyes.

How about you? Do you have a list of books you'd like to read this winter or do you just grab whatever catches your eye? Do you know what will be your first book of 2016?

Loot from Mom!

As some of you are already aware, my mom loves to read as much as I do. I can remember coming home from school and finding her curled up with a book, sometimes a mystery from the library or a novel that her sister or brother (both of whom are also avid readers) had sent when they were finished reading it. For many years, she worked at the library in Lincoln City (Oregon) -- mainly, I think, for the joy of being around all those wonderful books, but also to get first dibs on the books that are donated to the Friends of the Library for resale. ;) She's no longer a volunteer at the library, nor is she active in a face-to-face book club anymore, but she does have a blog in which she shares her thoughts on the books she's read, photos of her travels with my stepdad, and various posts about life on the Oregon Coast.

Mom has always been very generous with her books, sending me boxes of those she's finished with, or packing them up to bring when she and Bill make their annual trek out to Nebraska, as they did a little over a week ago. As promised, here is the list of books she brought for me:

As Always, Julia by Joan Reardon

Two Rivers by T. Greenwood

Blood Harvest by S. J. Bolton

Borkmann's Point by Hakan Nesser

Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons

Necessary As Blood by Deborah Crombie

Forward From Here by Reeve Lindbergh

Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas

The last two are actually from my stepdad for my husband, but I might give the Larson book a try. I've heard excellent things about it.

So, any recommendations as to which I should read first? I just finished a book by Anne Rivers Siddons, so I may wait a bit before reading Burnt Mountain.

TBR Stacks!

I'm nosy. I admit it. I love to peek inside other people's homes. (Nan's is probably my most favorite to visit via the gorgeous photos on her blog.) In addition to kitchens and gardens, I especially love to see pictures of my blogmates' book stacks and was recently inspired by Bellezza's Mount TBR to take some photos of my own.

Good grief! Seriously? When will I ever get all of these books read?! And these are just the ones upstairs. I have a couple of shelves in the living room bookcase, as well.

If you spot anything you've read, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Are there any I should move to the front of the line?

As always, click on the photo for a larger view. (Guess I got a little carried away and re-sized these a bit smaller than usual. You may not be able to read all the titles. Sorry!)

Master Bedroom TV Stand/Dresser

Master Bedroom Nightstand

Master Bedroom Built-In Nightstand

Master Bedroom Nightstand (Borrowed Books)

Master Bedroom Built-In Nightstand Shelf

Guest Room Nightstand

Guest Room Bookcase

Office Bookcase

Office Nightstand

Office ARCs and Must-Read-Soon Stack

My husband says it's no contest; I have by far more books to read than he ever will. This wouldn't be a problem if I could only read half as fast as he does!