Thanks for the great links, I especially loved the train station-hotel article and the WaPO tennis article! I think summer reading is tough, we all put so much emphasis on "summer reading", as if it should be a different experience than the other 9 months of the year. Yes, the days are longer - more daylight hours means more reading hours for me - but I don't expect the books to be any different. Yesterday, I was glued to the couch with "The Whispers"...it's not exceptional writing, but the story was addictive and the pages turned very quickly from beginning to end! Happy weekend, happy reading!
For me, I think I put a lot of expectations on my reading life and then I feel let down because I didn't get out of it what I was hoping to. Thanks for reading and you have a great weekend too!
Unfortunately, each library has it's own budget for ebooks/audiobooks and that is what determines the availability through a library card. I have many different library cards and only the very "new" books I have problems getting.
I thought you had to live in the city/county to get a library card for that library system? Maybe I'll have a easier time finding books using your method of multiple cards.
Not necessarily, depends on the library. I pay $30 a year for one of mine, one is my local library and the others are all out of state locations. Some of the out of state cards are no longer being offered to out of state patrons anymore, but so far I still can use those. There are several that you can pay for and if the ebook catalog is large enough, it is worth it. Especially if your local library's catalog is small.
I had a few days on holiday at the end of June and DEVOURED 'Yellowface', which I thought was excellent. Also enjoyed (but trashy fun) was 'The Club', by Ellery Lloyd (the team who wrote 'People Like Her'). It's a thinly veiled behind-the-scenes at Soho House WITH MURDER and a lot of fun. I inhaled it on the flight out.
I have Yellowface on my TBR and I'll get to it eventually, I hope. Trashy fun can sometimes be just what the doctor ordered for a fun read! Life changes are going o.k., some days better than others, but all is good. Thanks for reading!
The train stations! It might be time for a trip to Spain.
As for books, I picked up a copy of a Claire Mackintosh book in Lucky (a grocery store) while I was out of town. It's called Hostage. I wish more grocery stores still sold books! Enjoying it.
Also rereading The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy for about the fifth time in the last two years.
I haven't heard of either of those books; I'll have to check them out. I shop at Kroger and they still have a small selection of books, but not a lot anymore.
It's so impressive, the way you find and introduce readers to such a diversity and variety of useful and/or interesting topics and links. It must be a great deal of work. It's much appreciated!
Thanks Susan, and thanks for reading. I read so many different newsletters and other media and I'm always on the lookout for something I find interesting to share with others. My favorite emails every week are "links" and I save them to savor for my weekend reading. :)
Is it Station Square that you visited? I googled it and this is what popped up. Lots of mixed reviews but those review are back a few years. Maybe it's improved since then.
I’ve been using Libby and I haven’t noticed much difference. The only thing that annoys me is that in Overdrive when you requested a book you would be put on the holds list automatically. With the Libby notify me system, I need to put it on hold but if I don’t see the notification in a timely manner many readers can get ahead of me! 😱
Another blogger and I were just discussing today the small number of standout books we’ve read this year and how few 5 star reads we’ve had. Maybe we’re getting pickier?!?!
I agree Marg, I love a well-constructed thriller that takes me on a ride. I find that I look for the same thing in a character driven novel and that "ride" isn't there. It doesn't mean it's not a great book, it just leaves me with a diffferent feeling.
I have a hard time translating the feeling from a character driven read as a 5 start book. I think I need to do a little work on my own star rating system so I can articulate what each star means to me in the different types of books I read. A retirement project for sure. :)
That sounds like a good retirement project but also quite hard. For me, a five star character driven novel is one that I just can’t stop thinking about, and recommending. Sometimes I even find myself wondering how the characters are faring and what they are doing now.
I find I think about what I've read very seldom and when I do, I know it must have been a good read. I can't wait until the next book that makes me think about it long after I finish. :)
That seems to be the biggest complaint about Libby from loyal Overdrive users. They want it to work like it did on Overdrive. Maybe the Overdrive programmers will eventually add that function to Libby.
I absolutely agree we are getting pickier and when we do find a 5 start book, we want every book we read to be a 5 start book. Sadly, they all can't be 5 start reads.
My reading has been all over the shop the past few months as I’ve been culling a bunch of books (maybe 200+) in preparation for our overseas move. So I’ve been ruthlessly starting and discarding anything that isn’t catching my attention and trying to read books I bought years ago. Because of that I’ve been in such a slump but I’m hoping now we’re into the final stage of actually flying out I’ll be able to sink into some good fiction
I can see how this would be causing havoc in your reading life. Instead of being able to sit back and enjoy the experience, you are having to almost immediately determine if you even want to read a book for it's experience.
I think now that you're almost past this stage and once you get settled in your new location, your reading life will improve. Thinking good thoughts for you until then.
Exactly! But it’s been cathartic to pass on books that have been on my shelves, unread, for years. So there’s a bright side too! I have picked up a Kate Morton book to re-read and I’m totally into it.
Thanks for the excellent links, Gayla! So much to explore. Just started a terrific book by Anne Berest called “The Postcard.” Translated from the French, it’s based on a true story of four of the author’s relatives who died in the Holocaust. It’s captivating from the first line.
I have the Postcard, but I haven't started it yet. It is one of our summer reads in the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club. So many people that have read it are saying that it will be in their top 5 books for the year. It seems like a heavy read and I'm just not into that right now. I can't concentrate well enough with everything else going on for me right now. I may have to save this after I move and retire, maybe it will be a winter book for me. I'm glad you are enjoying it and I'm looking forward to enjoying it at some point too. :)
I know what you mean, Gayla! We're traveling in the American West right now and I'm hoping to pick up something lighter to alternate with this. It's awful hot and my brain needs to chill!
As you know I retired a few years ago and it was extremely stressful for me getting through the process, especially the uncertainty of it all. I would say it was about a month afterwards that I finally relaxed and felt confident in my decision to be retired! I can't wait for you to be there as well.
It's funny, I started off Summer reading in a big way - 4 books in June (which is good for me) but then July hit and I can't get focused enough to start a book.
The train station article was interesting, what a good use of historical sites. I also liked the "20 ways to Store books" - when I was young I thought it would be so cool to have a "library" in my house. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, I remember when you retired Covid locked down the world 2 weeks later. I can't imagine what you went through with both of those things happening at the same time. I can't wait to be past all of this too. Looking forward to dinner with you in a couple of days. :)
I had a book hangover after reading Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs. I was so immersed in that world I didn't want to start anything else. But now I am reading The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni, always a favorite.
This whole year is kind of reading meh, I totally agree! Let’s blame El Niño or something :)
Oh, I've got lots of things to blame. lol
Thanks for the great links, I especially loved the train station-hotel article and the WaPO tennis article! I think summer reading is tough, we all put so much emphasis on "summer reading", as if it should be a different experience than the other 9 months of the year. Yes, the days are longer - more daylight hours means more reading hours for me - but I don't expect the books to be any different. Yesterday, I was glued to the couch with "The Whispers"...it's not exceptional writing, but the story was addictive and the pages turned very quickly from beginning to end! Happy weekend, happy reading!
For me, I think I put a lot of expectations on my reading life and then I feel let down because I didn't get out of it what I was hoping to. Thanks for reading and you have a great weekend too!
Hi Gayla! This was lovely to read!! Can we chat about tags? I have no idea how to use that!! Maybe offline? Xoxo
Sure. my email is sonovelicious@gmail.com.
Libby works well for me although sometimes I can't find the book I want.
Unfortunately, each library has it's own budget for ebooks/audiobooks and that is what determines the availability through a library card. I have many different library cards and only the very "new" books I have problems getting.
I thought you had to live in the city/county to get a library card for that library system? Maybe I'll have a easier time finding books using your method of multiple cards.
Not necessarily, depends on the library. I pay $30 a year for one of mine, one is my local library and the others are all out of state locations. Some of the out of state cards are no longer being offered to out of state patrons anymore, but so far I still can use those. There are several that you can pay for and if the ebook catalog is large enough, it is worth it. Especially if your local library's catalog is small.
Ps. My library has a recommendation for purchase feature which I just used for the first time recently. We'll see if they get the book I want.
I had a few days on holiday at the end of June and DEVOURED 'Yellowface', which I thought was excellent. Also enjoyed (but trashy fun) was 'The Club', by Ellery Lloyd (the team who wrote 'People Like Her'). It's a thinly veiled behind-the-scenes at Soho House WITH MURDER and a lot of fun. I inhaled it on the flight out.
Hope the big life changes are going well!
I have Yellowface on my TBR and I'll get to it eventually, I hope. Trashy fun can sometimes be just what the doctor ordered for a fun read! Life changes are going o.k., some days better than others, but all is good. Thanks for reading!
The train stations! It might be time for a trip to Spain.
As for books, I picked up a copy of a Claire Mackintosh book in Lucky (a grocery store) while I was out of town. It's called Hostage. I wish more grocery stores still sold books! Enjoying it.
Also rereading The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy for about the fifth time in the last two years.
I haven't heard of either of those books; I'll have to check them out. I shop at Kroger and they still have a small selection of books, but not a lot anymore.
This was just a big table with remaindered books in a pile.
It's so impressive, the way you find and introduce readers to such a diversity and variety of useful and/or interesting topics and links. It must be a great deal of work. It's much appreciated!
Thanks Susan, and thanks for reading. I read so many different newsletters and other media and I'm always on the lookout for something I find interesting to share with others. My favorite emails every week are "links" and I save them to savor for my weekend reading. :)
I once visited a train station in Pittsburgh, PA, that had made an indoor mall via a converted train station.
Is it Station Square that you visited? I googled it and this is what popped up. Lots of mixed reviews but those review are back a few years. Maybe it's improved since then.
It must have been Station Square because we also rode the Incline (scary!). I was there more than thirty years ago, but I liked it.
I’ve been using Libby and I haven’t noticed much difference. The only thing that annoys me is that in Overdrive when you requested a book you would be put on the holds list automatically. With the Libby notify me system, I need to put it on hold but if I don’t see the notification in a timely manner many readers can get ahead of me! 😱
Another blogger and I were just discussing today the small number of standout books we’ve read this year and how few 5 star reads we’ve had. Maybe we’re getting pickier?!?!
I’m definitely getting pickier, but I still get sucked in by well-constructed thrillers.
I agree Marg, I love a well-constructed thriller that takes me on a ride. I find that I look for the same thing in a character driven novel and that "ride" isn't there. It doesn't mean it's not a great book, it just leaves me with a diffferent feeling.
I have a hard time translating the feeling from a character driven read as a 5 start book. I think I need to do a little work on my own star rating system so I can articulate what each star means to me in the different types of books I read. A retirement project for sure. :)
That sounds like a good retirement project but also quite hard. For me, a five star character driven novel is one that I just can’t stop thinking about, and recommending. Sometimes I even find myself wondering how the characters are faring and what they are doing now.
I find I think about what I've read very seldom and when I do, I know it must have been a good read. I can't wait until the next book that makes me think about it long after I finish. :)
That seems to be the biggest complaint about Libby from loyal Overdrive users. They want it to work like it did on Overdrive. Maybe the Overdrive programmers will eventually add that function to Libby.
I absolutely agree we are getting pickier and when we do find a 5 start book, we want every book we read to be a 5 start book. Sadly, they all can't be 5 start reads.
That’s what makes 5 star books special! #bookproblems 😂
We readers have all kinds of wonderful book problems. :)
My reading has been all over the shop the past few months as I’ve been culling a bunch of books (maybe 200+) in preparation for our overseas move. So I’ve been ruthlessly starting and discarding anything that isn’t catching my attention and trying to read books I bought years ago. Because of that I’ve been in such a slump but I’m hoping now we’re into the final stage of actually flying out I’ll be able to sink into some good fiction
I can see how this would be causing havoc in your reading life. Instead of being able to sit back and enjoy the experience, you are having to almost immediately determine if you even want to read a book for it's experience.
I think now that you're almost past this stage and once you get settled in your new location, your reading life will improve. Thinking good thoughts for you until then.
Exactly! But it’s been cathartic to pass on books that have been on my shelves, unread, for years. So there’s a bright side too! I have picked up a Kate Morton book to re-read and I’m totally into it.
Thanks for the excellent links, Gayla! So much to explore. Just started a terrific book by Anne Berest called “The Postcard.” Translated from the French, it’s based on a true story of four of the author’s relatives who died in the Holocaust. It’s captivating from the first line.
I have the Postcard, but I haven't started it yet. It is one of our summer reads in the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club. So many people that have read it are saying that it will be in their top 5 books for the year. It seems like a heavy read and I'm just not into that right now. I can't concentrate well enough with everything else going on for me right now. I may have to save this after I move and retire, maybe it will be a winter book for me. I'm glad you are enjoying it and I'm looking forward to enjoying it at some point too. :)
I know what you mean, Gayla! We're traveling in the American West right now and I'm hoping to pick up something lighter to alternate with this. It's awful hot and my brain needs to chill!
I hope you have a wonderful trip and it cools down a little for you. :)
As you know I retired a few years ago and it was extremely stressful for me getting through the process, especially the uncertainty of it all. I would say it was about a month afterwards that I finally relaxed and felt confident in my decision to be retired! I can't wait for you to be there as well.
It's funny, I started off Summer reading in a big way - 4 books in June (which is good for me) but then July hit and I can't get focused enough to start a book.
The train station article was interesting, what a good use of historical sites. I also liked the "20 ways to Store books" - when I was young I thought it would be so cool to have a "library" in my house. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, I remember when you retired Covid locked down the world 2 weeks later. I can't imagine what you went through with both of those things happening at the same time. I can't wait to be past all of this too. Looking forward to dinner with you in a couple of days. :)
I had a book hangover after reading Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs. I was so immersed in that world I didn't want to start anything else. But now I am reading The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni, always a favorite.
I haven't heard of either of those. I haven't had a book hangover in a long time. I can't wait until I read a book that gives me my next hangover. :)
I hadn't had one for a long time, either!