2017

The Library of Light and Shadow

2017, Books in Bed, Fiction, Women /

Huh. Y’all know how I feel about reading series out of order … so why did I read the second book in the Daughters of La Lune series and not come back and read the rest? So weird. And now I’ve done it again with book 3, The Library of Light and Shadow. (Oh, I see why. I liked it but didn’t love it and wasn’t in dire need of reading the first one. Whatever.)

I feel pretty much the same way about this book. I liked it. I didn’t love it. Part of my problem was trying to remember more about the earlier book (about the sister whose power is tied to stones.) I also always seem to find myself being more interested in the secondary characters than in the main characters. Let’s see if that happens when I read the others.

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Reading in 2017

1 Comment / 2017, Books in Bed, Reading /

Well, I think my decision to NOT do the Cybils shortlist challenge backfired. I’d hoped it would free me up to read a wider variety of books but instead I found myself at the library without a list, without any holds to pick up, with no direction at all so there were weeks at a time when there wasn’t anything really compelling on the library cart so I didn’t feel compelled to read. (On top of some pretty hectic months and a lot of Disney World.)

I’m not sure I really want to go back to focusing on the shortlist but I am going to regroup and recommit to reserving books I’m really interested in reading – every single week.

Here’s the breakdown for the year.

124. I think that’s my lowest total in about 15 years. Ugh. (OK It wasn’t, 2016’s total was 118… so yay! for improving?)

29 YA (Not bad, all things considered.)
12 Middle-grade/Children’s (I’m not unhappy with this, either.)
3 Graphic Novels (OUCH)
30 Non-fiction (Oy)
11 Audio (We need to do better, here. We spend a lot of time in the car…)
21 Cybils (I’m not unhappy with this.)

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Gainesville Punk: A History of Bands & Music

2017, Books in Bed, Non-Fiction /

I kind of like that the last book I’ll finish in 2017 is Gainesville Punk: A History of Bands & Music. Seems fitting somehow, after having Michelle home and Chris here, too.

We always do a lot of reminiscing about the old GNV, even if the old GNV isn’t all that old to most of the people we know here.

It was interesting to learn more about the history of punk in GNV. While it didn’t really touch the time Michelle spent immersed in GNV punk, the end of the book touched on the years when we moved here and Chris was trying to find his people. He spent a lot of nights at Common Grounds. (Yay for all ages shows!)

It was also fitting to read this book right after Wild Iris closed her doors. So many places have gone away but Hardback Cafe has re-opened, so there’s always hope, right?

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Manners & Mutiny

2017, Books in Bed, Favorites, Steampunk, Young Adult /

When I laughed at TW for picking up Manners & Mutiny, I was very sure we’d already read it. I have no idea how we hadn’t read it. SO WEIRD, I used to be obsessive about watching for new books in some key series. Weird. I’m glad she picked it up!

The Finishing School series has not been my favorite of Carriger’s books so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Last book in the series, it played it as it should have. I particularly loved Mademoiselle Geraldine’s role in the story.

Now I’m off to the library website to see if I’ve missed any other books in the other series… maybe in the Custard Protocol. It’s been awhile since we’ve read one of those.

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Kiss Carlo

2017, Books in Bed, Fiction /

When I think I don’t have a lot of time to read but want to read something light but not TOO light or when I’ve had about all I can take with YA problem books I turn to authors like Adriana Trigiani. Luckily, I stumbled across Kiss Carlo at exactly the time when I was done with YA problem books.

It was as you’d expect, if you’ve ever read any of her books (particularly those not in the Big Stone Gap series.)

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