Library Loot

Library Loot – Smiles All Around

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It’s been weeks, looong weeks, since I’ve been to the library. I made a promise that I would read all the books that I’ve recently bought, received as gifts, and wantonly ordered with the abundance of holiday gift cards we had on hand. Well, I’ve succeeded. OK, so not entirely, but I’m down to two books, or some silly nonsense like that, and decided that I would test out my luck with a few library holds.

Here are my goodies…

In Great Waters by Kit Whitfield. I’ve had this book on hold since February. I was so excited (No, really you have no idea how excited I was.) when the library sent me a note saying it was ready for pick up. Alternate reality with mermaids! I can’t wait. I almost started this one on the train home but for once it was running on time…

Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I saw that my library has this one and I put my name in for it and, wow, did it arrive fast. I thought I’d be in line behind 20 people for this one but no, library luck was with me. I’ve read a lot of good reviews of this one and really hope it holds up.

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart. After I finished Hollick’s Pendragon’s Banner series, I went into Arthur withdrawal. I decided to take a look at a few older books and found this one circa 1970. It’s more about Merlin than Arthur but that’s what was so appealing for me. I also love the very 70s cover design as well.

The Conquest by Elizabeth Chadwick. Even though I have decided this summer with be a renewal with my love of the fantasy genre, I decided on a whim to see if the library had any Chadwick on the shelves. My library doesn’t have many of her books and they always seem to be checked out but today I found The Conquest waiting on the shelf just for me.

I was also hoping for two more books but no luck but I’m so pleased with my haul this week. Ah, smiling…

In Great Waters

Graceling

The Crystal Cave

The Conquest

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Library Loot

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It’s been a few weeks since my last library loot so I thought I’d share what I picked up this week. I have a few books on hold and these are the two that came in.

The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley. I recently read The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman by Nancy Marie Brown and liked it so much that I did a quick search at my library to see what other Viking inspired books it had lurking on the shelves. I came across The Greenlanders and added it my hold list. It’s a long book and rather dense but I can’t wait to get into this one. Hunts, feasts, feuds, and love affairs in the 14th Century with Vikings — it’s everything I was looking for.

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick. I read The Wild Hunt by Chadwick earlier this year and enjoyed it. I wanted to pick up a few other books of hers but it seems my library only has The Greatest Knight which is fine because this one has been on my list for a while so in the end it worked out.

The Greenlanders

The Greatests Knight

I’ve been reading a lot of historical fiction lately so I think I’m going to have to put a few contemporary books on hold too so I don’t over do it on the Middle Ages.

Pick up anything interesting at the library this week?

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

The Sunday Salon – Not Reading

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Yes, the title does seem out of place since I’m telling you what I read but it will make sense later in the post. The round-up this week. I read:

The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

I’m still reading The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien although I haven’t picked the book up since last week so I’m still on chapter five. I’m planning to spend some time in Middle Earth today and then start The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen later this week.

Library Loot. I picked up a few books from the library this week — The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, Disquiet by Julia Leigh, and White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi. I planned to a Library Loot post this week but lost track of time so I’m just going to include it here today.

As promised, this is where the title of my post will begin to make sense. While reading the book section of The Guardian last week I came across this article — A week without books by Bibi van der Zee. She gave up books for a week and talks about how it went, side effects and all. It got me wondering. I read everyday but do have days when I don’t read more than five pages and others when I don’t read at all. Non reading days are few and far between but they happen. But I’ve never not read for more than one day or so and wondered if I could do it. The days I don’t read I have a really good reason — an illness is usually involved— but I don’t ever try not to read. I can’t imagine crawling into bed without a book. What would I do at breakfast and lunch? Withdrawal would be involved I’m sure. I would be a highly unpleasant person to be around. Needless to say, I won’t be trying this out myself but it did make me wonder about reading too much.

My husband and I don’t have children or pets so I have a lot of time to spend with my books. The hour or so I have to myself before my husband gets home from work is sacred reading time for me. It’s a way to decompress from work, relieve stress, and forget about my day. Saturday and Sunday morning I can be found curled up on the couch lost in a book. But do I read too much? I don’t think so but I also consider reading a part of my life and fit it in when I have a few hours to slip into another world. I don’t fit my life around my books. Anyway, I just thought it was an interesting article and wanted to share.

I’m now off to buy the third book in Helen Hollick’s Pendragon series. The Kingmaking and Pendragon’s Banner were gifts and I need to buy the third book, Shadow of the King now that it’s out. I loved The Kingmaking this week and I’m now hooked on the series, sucker that am for Arthurian legend.

Have a good Sunday.

Library Loot

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It’s a small bit of loot compared to a regular library visit. My trip this week was only to pick up my holds that came in. I’ve got several books at the house waiting for me and didn’t want to check out a lot but I was very excited when my books arrived since I’m really looking forward to reading two of them.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I broke with tradition and read the inside flap on this one. I’m not sure this sequel sounds as exciting as The Hunger Games but since I found The Hunger Games to be so addicting (as soon as I finished I put this one on hold at the library), I knew had to read it. Katniss and Peeta are back and I’m ready for more.

The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman by Nancy Marie Brown. This was a Friday Find for me. I couldn’t remember at the time of my post where I heard about it but Eva from A Striped Armchair did a review this week so now I know it was her. Thanks Eva! She gushed about the book and I’m pretty sure I will like it too. I love anything Viking and this one sounds absolutely fascinating.

Isis: A Tale of the Supernatural by Douglas Clegg. I like to browse the new arrivals section when I’m at the library and this one was sitting on the shelf looking very pretty. I love the graphic cover in red, black, and white, and I’ll be honest here, I picked this book up because of the cover. I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up but decided on the spot it was to come home with me. We’ll see how it goes.

Catching Fire

The Far Travelver: Voyages of a Viking Woman

Isis: A Tale of the Supernatural

Bring anything interesting home from the library this week?

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Library Loot – Small Loot

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Small loot this week. Actually, it’s a combination of two weeks worth of loot. I’ve still got a few books out from my last post and I’m trying to get through those before taking anymore out which is the reason for this short stack.

The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming – I was walking by the new arrivals shelf at the library and saw this just sitting there and I had to take it.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – I think I’m probably the last person to read this book. I saw my library had it and put in a hold which finally came in this week.

The Kingdom of Ohio

The Hunger Games

Well, that’s it for me. Anything interesting for you this week?

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Library Loot

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A few more books this week. My holds came in faster than I thought they would.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I’ve been wanting to read this one for a long time.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Another one that has spent a long time on my TBR list.

The Midnight Guardian: A Millennial Novel by Sarah Jane Stratford. I don’t remember where I first heard about this book but when I saw it on the library’s new arrivals shelf, I had to take it.

The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott. I’ve read some good and bad reviews of this one but I still wanted to give a shot.

Anything interesting for you this week?

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

The Thirteenth Tale

The Midnight Guardian

The Coral Thief

Library Loot

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Finally, a LIBRARY LOOT! With the holidays and a crazy travel schedule, I decided to hold off on making any library trips until after the holidays since I knew I wouldn’t get a chance to read any of the books I brought home anyway. Yesterday, I made a trip and came home with a lot of good stuff. 🙂

Okay, so ignore the strange placement of book covers this morning.  Apparently, WordPress and I are having a difference of opinion on where and how my covers should be posted.  I don’t feel like fighting, so all are at the bottom of the page.  You win this round WordPress…

The House on Tradd Street by Karen White. I started this one on the train home yesterday and will finish it this morning.

Versailles by Kathryn Davis. I always enjoy reading about Marie Antoinette.

The Wild Hunt by Elizabeth Chadwick. I’ve been wanting to read The Greatest Knight but the library didn’t have it so I picked up this one.

Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy. I haven’t read a Binchy novel in a few years and thought it would be a good way to start out the new year. Her books are so comforting for some reason.

Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell. I think I might be subconsciously trying to read everything by Cornwell my library has…

The Black Tower by Louis Baynard. It’s a mystery, which I’m trying to read more of, and this one caught my eye.

Foxmask by Juliet Marillier. I was hoping to get Heart’s Blood but it was checked out. I picked up this one but it’s the second book in the Children of Light Isles series so it may go back unread since I don’t like to read books out of order in a series.

That’s it for this week. I have a few books on hold too so I’m hoping my next library run will be sooner rather than later.

The House on Tradd Street

Versailles

The Wild Hunt

Heart and Soul

Stonehenge

The Black Tower

Foxmask

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Library Loot

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Library LootSome good finds at the library today.

 

 

 

 

The Haunting of Hill House

 

 

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. It’s Halloween today and it seemed a very appropriate read.

 

 

 

 

Cleopatra's Daughter

 

 

Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran. I’ve been wanting to read this one for a long time. I loved The Heretic Queen and have high hopes for this one too.  She’s got a great writing style.

 

 

 

 

The White Queen

 

 

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory.

 

 

 

 

Shiver

 

 

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

 

 

 

 

Heretic

 

 

Heretic by Bernard Cornwell. Lately it seems I’ve been on a Cornwell kick. I like his writing a lot and decided to peruse the stacks to see what other books of his the library has. I picked up Heretic and now after taking a closer look at it — it’s book 3 in a series. I don’t like to read books in a series out of order so I may have to make a trip back to the library next week to see if they have 1 and 2.

 

 

Kristin Lavransdatter II: The Mistress of Husaby

 

 

Kristin Lavransdatter: II the Mistress of Husaby by Sigrid Undset. Eva at A Striped Armchair reviewed this series recently and it sounded wonderful. I put a hold on it and the library gave me book 2. So when I go back to pick up the other Cornwell books, I’ll have to see if they have book 1.

 

 

 

 

I have a long trip for work coming up and, with the addition of a few more books, should have enough to see me through a long work trip.

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!