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Smiling Shelves

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

4/12/2015

10 Comments

 
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Normally this weekly meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Because of a family tragedy, Sheila is taking a blogging break. I don't know if someone else will host the link-up, but I'm planning to continue writing It's Monday posts. My prayers go out to Sheila and her family.
This past week was spring break, which meant lots of reading. In fact, I spent Tuesday curled up in my chair in my library and read an entire book. It was glorious. My husband and I also took a weekend trip to Chicago (I'll post some of our pictures on Saturday). All in all, I couldn't have asked for a much more relaxing spring break!

My Recent Posts


Top Ten Tuesday - Characters You Would Like to Check In With
The Bookshelf Tag
The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton - Review

What I Read Last Week

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Arcadia by Lauren Groff (Haven't read many books about hippies. This was interesting, while not entirely what I was expecting.)
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (Amazing! This was my first book by Kate Morton, and I will definitely be tracking down the other books she's written.)
Symphony by Jude Morgan (Among my many areas of geekness, music history is high on the list. So a novel about Hector Berlioz was a really interesting read!)

What I'm Reading Now

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Autobiography of Anthony Trollope by Anthony Trollope (I have really enjoyed the few Trollope novels I've read, so I'm looking forward to getting to know the man behind the books.)

What's Coming Up Next

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The Guardians by Ana Castillo (I'm slowly chipping away at the Pick-a-Shelf challenge I set for myself back in January. Just three books to go, and I'll have the whole shelf read!)
10 Comments

The Wednesday Sisters [Review]

4/11/2015

4 Comments

 
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What is there not to love about The Wednesday Sisters?  Five friends, there for each other no matter what, who start a writing group on Wednesday mornings. The friendship is the center of this book. Frankie, Ally, Brett, Linda, and Kath come to know each other at the neighborhood park while their children play. It’s the late 1960s, and life for a woman at that time doesn’t hold nearly as many opportunities as it should. So they decide to make their own opportunities. They provide a support group for each other that everyone wishes they had – there through thick and thin, doing whatever needs to be done. This is a friendship that you only come across a few times in a lifetime. And reading this book made it feel like you were one of them.

I loved the historical setting of this book – the late 1960s and early 1970s. Not so long ago, but it is a time I never lived through, and one that historical fiction doesn’t often cover. I learned a lot about the events of the time through the eyes of these women. There were the obvious events, such as Robert Kennedy being shot and man’s first walk on the moon. Then there were other events I had never heard of, like rioting outside the Miss America pageant and the Black Power salute at the 1968 Olympics. Learning about them in The Wednesday Sisters was less like a history lesson and more like living them.

And I loved how these five women formed a writing society, critiquing and encouraging each other. Spurring each other onto success. Writing as catharsis and healing and discovery. It made me want to get my old notebooks out and start writing again.

The only complaint that I have about this book was that it was over too soon. Frankie, Ally, Linda, Kath, and Brett have an enduring friendship and more life to live. I want to continue looking through my window into their lives for a very long time.

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Characters
Voice
Find it on: Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Better World Books
4 Comments

The Bookshelf Tag

4/9/2015

8 Comments

 
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I discovered this tag through Lois from You, Me, and a Cup of Tea. It was originally created by Raindrops on Roses. And since I love bookshelves (who doesn't?), I thought I'd answer the questions too!

I actually have nine bookshelves, so I thought I would narrow down the focus a bit to my bookshelf full of my favorites!
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Do you have any special or different way of organizing your books?
I try to put books by the same author together. That's about as organized as I get.
What's the thickest (most amount of pages) book on your shelf?
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (846 pages)
What's the thinnest (least amount of pages) book on your shelf?
Smith of Wootton Major by J.R.R. Tolkien (62 pages)
Is there a book you received as a birthday gift?
The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde
What's the smallest (height and width wise) book on your shelf?
Smith of Wootton Major by J.R.R. Tolkien
What's the biggest (height and width wise) book on your shelf?
Depths of Glory by Irving Stone
Is there a book from a friend on your shelf?
I don't think so.
Most expensive book?
You're talking to the queen of used book sales. . . Probably Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen because I actually bought it hardcover at full price (Gasp!).
The last book you read on your shelf?
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
Of all the books on your shelf, which was the first you read?
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (My mom introduced me to Narnia when I was 6 or 7!)
Do you have more than one copy of a book?
On this shelf, no. In my house, yes. I started my Jane Austen addiction with a three-in-one volume from Barnes & Noble. Since that copy now has pages falling out, I've been gradually buying new copies of those books.
Do you have the complete series of any book series?
Just a few. . .
Anne of Green Gables series & Emily of New Moon series by L.M. Montgomery
All Creatures Great & Small series by James Herriot
Big Stone Gap series by Adriana Trigiani
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
What's the newest addition to your shelf?
The fourth shelf from the top. :) There was enough space, so I bought an extra shelf so I could add even more books!
What book has been on your shelf FOREVER?
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (although not this actual copy)
What's the most recently published book on your shelf?
Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
The oldest book on your shelf (as in, the actual copy is old)? 
Tom Sawyer by Samuel Clemens (Yup, it actually says Samuel Clemens!) There's no publication date listed in the book, but what I can find online says it was published somewhere in the 1910s or 1920s.
A book you won?
Nope, not on this shelf!
A book you'd hate to let out of your sight (aka a book you never let someone borrow)?
Eight Cousins and Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott, purely for sentimental reasons
Most beat up book?
Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott (It was originally owned by my grandmother, and the cover of the spine is missing.)
Most pristine book?
Probably Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen, since it's brand new and has only been read once - unlike most of the books on this shelf.
A book from your childhood?
Chronicles of Narnia and Anne of Green Gables!
A book that's not actually your book?
Nope. I own everything on this bookshelf.
A book with a special/different cover (e.g. leather bound, soft fuzzy cover etc.)?
My copy of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott resides in a fancy box!
A book that is your favorite color?
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott (It's purple!)
Book that's been on your shelf the longest that you STILL haven't read?
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (My dad read bits and pieces of it to me when I was a kid, but I've never sat down and read the whole thing.)
Any signed books?
I don't actually own any signed books at all. . .
8 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday - Characters You'd Like to Check In With

4/7/2015

12 Comments

 
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This weekly listing frenzy is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
What a fun topic this week! Some characters seem so alive that it feels like their lives continue once the book is over. Wouldn't it be amazing if their lives really did continue, and we could check in with them later to see what they're doing?? Here's my list of characters I'd like to catch up with someday.
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Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (How would your adult life be different if you were once a king or queen of Narnia?)
Thursday Next from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde (I could check in with her if Fforde would ever publish the last book in the series!)
Eleanor and Park from Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (I so want to see how their lives and relationship turned out!)
Jonathan Strange from Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (But only if I get to go to this magical England that he lives in, because that's really what I want to experience again!)
Mackenzie and Delancey from Pretense by Lori Wick (I have read this book probably ten times since I first discovered it in high school. And it always ends right at the good part!)
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Pretty much every character ever written by Jane Austen, but especially Elizabeth and Darcy from Pride & Prejudice and Catherine and Tilney from Northanger Abbey
Harry, Ron, and Hermione from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (I know Rowling has published other short stories about them, and I honestly haven't been that interested in reading those. I'd rather check in on Harry, Ron, and Hermione in person. ;)
Auggie from Wonder by R.J. Palacio (I'd love to know how sixth grade went for him - or high school or college, for that matter.)
Scout and Atticus from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Oh, wait - I get to do that in July!!)
12 Comments

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

4/6/2015

2 Comments

 
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This weekly chance to add to your reading list is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, celebrating Christ's triumph over sin, death, and the devil! It was a full day for me, with three church services and time spent with my husband's family and my own. It was a great way to spend my favorite day of the year. And now this week is spring break! Time to sleep in and read. Definitely read. Lots of reading. :)

My Recent Posts

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Recently Added to My TBR List
First Quarter Wrap-Up

What I Read Last Week

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The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (A fun, satirical read for anyone who loves books.)
Never A City So Real: A Walk in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz (Not at all about the touristy, sightseeing part of Chicago, but an interesting book nonetheless.)
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (Always wonderful!)
Keys to the Castle by Donna Ball (A book about a castle in France is the perfect spring break read!)

What I'm Reading Now

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Arcadia by Lauren Groff

What's Coming Up Next

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The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (This will be my first book by Kate Morton. I've heard such good things about her. I'm excited to finally read one of her books!)
2 Comments

Happy Easter!

4/4/2015

6 Comments

 
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Happy Easter to you and your families! I hope you are able to take time this weekend to celebrate Christ's sacrifice and His miraculous resurrection. Remember that His death on the cross took away your sins, and that He went through all of that because He loves you. Have a blessed and joyous Easter!
6 Comments

2015 First Quarter Wrap-Up

4/2/2015

2 Comments

 
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Here we are, three months through the year already! Time to see how the reading is going with a delightful array of stats! :)
Books read: 27
Pages read: 8,307
Fiction: 81%
Nonfiction: 19%
Male authors: 48%
Female authors: 52%

Favorite book(s) this quarter: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, combined with I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora (A fun revisit and a new take on one of my favorite books.)
Reading Challenge Progress
Mount TBR: 13/36       36%
I Love Library Books: 5/36       14%
Birthday Month: 3/12       25%
Hard Core Re-Reading: 6/10       60%
What's In a Name?: 3/6       50%
Color Coded: 2/9       22%
Victorian Bingo: 1/5       20%
Reading England: 3/6       50%
Around the World in 12 Books: 3/12       25%
European: 3/5       60%
Chunkster: 2/5       40%
Alphabet Soup: 12/26       46%
Authors A to Z: 10/26       38%
Nonfiction: 4/16       25%
Newbery: 0/30 points       0%
Well, I'm doing better on some of those challenges than others. . . I haven't even read anything for my own Newbery challenge yet! Good thing spring break is coming up next week!
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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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