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Smiling Shelves

To Kill a Mockingbird Sequel!!!

2/10/2015

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Unless you've been living under a rock, you have probably heard the news that has set the book world on fire. There is going to be another book by Harper Lee published. And not only that, but it is the sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird! Does bookish life get any better than this?

I somehow missed reading To Kill a Mockingbird in high school, where it is often assigned. I picked it up for the first time a couple of summers ago, and was completely drawn in. I wrote a gushing post about it, which you can read here. I immediately wanted to read more books by Harper Lee - except there weren't any.

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Now it turns out that there actually has been one for quite awhile. Go Set a Watchman was actually written before To Kill a Mockingbird. It follows Scout, all grown up, as she comes home to visit her father. Parts of Scout's childhood are mentioned in flashbacks, and Lee's editor thought it would be better to just straight out tell the story of Scout as a child. And thus, To Kill a Mockingbird was born, and Go Set a Watchman was relegated to the closet.

Now we will finally get a chance to read that first work, and see Scout and Jem and Atticus twenty years on.
Are you excited to read this book? Incredibly impatient for its publication date in July?
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2/9/2015

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This weekly chance to add to your reading list is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.
We finally had our first snow day of the school year this past Monday! It was a wonderfully relaxing day, complete with a walk in the snow, hot chocolate, and lots and lots of reading. An unexpected day off is always a nice surprise (especially when it includes reading).

My Recent Posts

2015 Newbery Award Winners! (These were announced on Tuesday. Looks like they made some good choices!)
Signing Up For - Nonfiction, Newbery, and Reading Challenge Addict
Why I Love Sarah Addison Allen's Books

What I Read Last Week

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The Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (Long enough title for you?)
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (Loved this book, as always!)
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott (I've read Little Women several times, but this is the first time I've ventured into the sequels. What a delightful book!)

What I'm Reading Now

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Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (Since Dickens' birthday was on Saturday, it seemed a good time to read this book.)

What's Coming Up Next

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The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey (I haven't quite decided on my next read, but this one seems likely.)
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Signing Up For - Nonfiction, Newbery & Reading Challenge Addict

2/7/2015

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I will fully admit that I am mainly a fiction reader. But I love nonfiction, too, because I always love learning new things. And what better way to learn than by reading? So I am happy to join the Nonfiction Reading Challenge, hosted by The Introverted Reader, again this year. Last year I went a bit overboard - I actually made up by own level, higher than the ones offered. This year, I'm setting my sights a bit more realistically. I am signing up for the Master level, which means I need to read 16-20 nonfiction books this year. I've got one down, just fifteen to go!

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This challenge is hosted by me! I've always wanted to read all of the Newbery winners, and this challenge is helping me to do so. I'm signing up for the Spinelli level, which means I need to get between 30 and 44 points. (You can check out the original post to see the rules and the explanation of points.) Time to raid my library for some Newbery books!

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I think I may actually be done signing up for reading challenges. Which means I need to do one last thing - admit that I am a Reading Challenge Addict! I am attempting the In Flight level, which means I need to complete 11 - 15 reading challenges. I've signed up for 15. Here's a list of them:

 - Mount TBR
 - I Love Library Books
 - Birthday Month
 - Hard Core Re-reading
 - What's in a Name?
 - Color Coded
 - Victorian Bingo
 - Reading England
 - Around the World in 12 Books
 - European
 - Chunkster
 - Alphabet Soup
 - Authors A-Z
 - Nonfiction
 - Newbery

You can check out my progress on my Reading Challenges 2015 page. Here's hoping I get all of them done!
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Why I Love Sarah Addison Allen's Books

2/5/2015

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I just finished reading Lost Lake, which makes the fifth book I’ve read by Sarah Addison Allen. (I’ve read – and own – all of hers except for First Frost, her newest, which I’m dying to get my hands on.) I loved Lost Lake, and it’s got me thinking of all of the reasons why I love Sarah Addison Allen’s books. There are many, so I decided to make a list:

1. My discovery of Allen is a library browsing success story. I picked The Girl Who Chased the Moon off the shelf because I loved the title. And I quickly became hooked on the author.

2. She was my introduction to magical realism, which I can now claim as one of my favorite genres. Magical realism basically means that the story could happen – except for that hint of magic that makes almost anything possible. The possibilities are so intriguing, and Allen handles them so well.

3. Her stories are about relationships, but not necessarily the romantic kind. Yes, romance is often part of the story. But more importantly, her books are about families. Building and repairing the connections that mean the most.

4. Her characters are quirky. I think Devin from Lost Lake may be my favorite character of hers yet. But everyone has a little quirkiness. Sometimes that’s because of the magic, and sometimes that’s because the character is just weird.

5. Her characters have real heartaches. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one or a difficult childhood, her characters have lived through some real challenges and are coming out stronger on the other side.

6. The locations sometimes provide the magic in and of themselves, and I want to visit them all!

7. Allen’s writing is delicate. That’s the best word I could find to describe it. It’s gentle, with just the right phrase on every page. It’s never crude or harsh. It creates the atmosphere that pervades each of her books.

I could probably keep going on, but I think I’ll rein myself in here. I have thoroughly enjoyed every book I’ve read by Sarah Addison Allen, and I hope you have – and will – enjoy them as well!
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2015 Newbery Award Winners!

2/3/2015

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The Newbery Award winner and Honor books for 2015 were announced yesterday! Without further ado, here they are:
2015 Newbery Award Winner
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The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
2015 Newbery Honor Books
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El Deafo by Cece Bell
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Now I just need to track down copies to read! I hope you enjoy them, too!
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2/2/2015

12 Comments

 
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This weekly chance to add to your reading list is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.
As I write this on Sunday afternoon, I am happy to report that it is SNOWING! Finally! The predictions of how much snow we are supposed to get vary widely. I would be okay if it resulted in a snow day, but right now I'm just enjoying the beautiful view from my library window.

My Recent Posts

Signing Up For - Alphabet Soup, Author A-Z & Chunkster Reading Challenges
Smiling Shelves Soapbox - Stickers on Borrowed Books
My Wrap-Up Post for the L.M. Montgomery Challenge - Thoughts on Anne of the Island, Pat of Silver Bush, and Mistress Pat

What I Read Last Week

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Balance: A Story of Faith, Family, and Life on the Line by Nik Wallenda (Did you know this guy just did a tightrope walk between two towers in Chicago blindfolded??)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Always a fun reread.)

What I'm Reading Now

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The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (Cause I'm a geek and I love books like this. :)

What's Coming Up Next

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Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (I'm rereading a Narnia book each month, and since it is now February, I'm on to the next one!)
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    My name is Julie, and I own a lot of books. As in, they are stacked on the floor because I've run out of room on the shelves. And those shelves? There are so many books on them that they smile -- not sag; smile. This blog will cover book reviews and all manner of other bookish things.

    You can contact me at julie@smilingshelves.com.

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