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Smiling Shelves

Revisiting My 2018 Bookish Goals

1/8/2019

2 Comments

 
Last January, I posted about my personal goals for my reading in 2018. It's time to look back and see how I did.

Finish My Classics Club List - Complete!

My five-year deadline was the end of August 2018. I was really hoping to finish my list before my daughter arrived in June. With planning and persistence, I finished my last book (Daniel Deronda by George Eliot) on May 3!! I wrote a post about my Classics Club journey with plenty of fun stats, if you'd like to read more about it.

Finish my TBR Bingo - Still in Progress

I created my TBR Bingo card in August 2017. At the beginning of 2018, I still had 19 books to read. I made great progress during the year, and I'm now down to 6. Maybe by the end of this year?

Read My Own Books - Success!

I made a goal that 50% of the books I read would be books I own. I (just barely) succeeded in reaching this goal in 2017, so I knew it was possible. This year, I didn't count audiobooks and ebooks, since the only way I could access those was through my library and that seemed to unfairly tip my number towards library books. So just counting physical books, 52% of the books I read this year were books I owned. Yay!
2 Comments

Reading Challenges Complete - Round Two

1/5/2019

2 Comments

 
Since we're five days into a new year, I figure I should probably post my wrap-up of my remaining 2018 reading challenges. I was a little disappointed that I didn't quite complete my Mount TBR Challenge. However, the rules of that challenge state that it only includes books bought before January 1, 2018. I read more than my goal of 36 books that I own last year, if I include the ones that I bought during the year. I was pretty pleased that I read 9 books that I bought. It sounds small, but that's a better number for me than normal! So even though I didn't technically complete the Mount TBR Challenge, I think I'm satisfied.
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Hosted by My Reader's Block
Goal: Mt. Vancouver (36 books)
1.  Mail Obsession by Mark Mason
2. Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
3. Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race by Chris Grabenstein
4. Torrent by Lisa Tawn Bergren
5. Love Comes Calling by Siri Mitchell
6. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
7. A Devil to Play by Jasper Rees
8. A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes
9. The Interrupted Tale by Maryrose Wood
​10. A Flight of Fancy by Laurie Alice Eakes
11. The Maiden's Bequest by George MacDonald
12. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
13. Edward Trencom's Nose by Giles Minton
14. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
​15. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
16. It Happened at the Fair by Deeanne Gist
17. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
18. Birth of the Chess Queen by Marilyn Yalom
19. The Pirates! in an Adventure with Communists by Gideon Defoe
​20. A Reluctant Courtship by Laurie Alice Eakes
21. Drenched in Light by Lisa Wingate
22. Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg
23. An Alphabetical Life by Wendy Werris
24. The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure
25. Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
26. The Unmapped Sea by Maryrose Wood
27. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
28. Love on Assignment by Cara Lynn James
29. The Journey that Saved Curious George by Louise Borden
30. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
31.  An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
32. The Further Adventures of Ebenezer Scrooge by Charlie Lovett

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Hosted by Doing Dewey
Goal: 15 nonfiction books
1. Mail Obsession:​ A Journey Round Britain by Postcode by Mark Mason
2. A Devil to Play:​ One Man's Year-Long Quest to Master the Orchestra's Most Difficult Instrument by Jasper Rees
3. Efronia: An Armenian Love Story by Stina Katchadourian
4. Full Moon Over Noah's Ark:​ An Odyssey to Mount Ararat and Beyond by Rick Antonson
5. Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber
6. Travels with Charley:​ In Search of America by John Steinbeck
7. Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink by Gail Carson Levine
8. Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmond O'Hanlon
9. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
10. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost
11.  Birth of the Chess Queen: A History by Marilyn Yalom
12. Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software by Scott Rosenberg
13. How To Talk So Little Kids Will Listen by Joanna Faber
14. The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie
​15. The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure
16. An Alphabetical Life by Wendy Werris
17. Me, Myself & Bob by Phil Vischer
​18. Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
19. West with the Night by Beryl Markham
20. I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel

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Hosted by Becky's Book Reviews
Goal: As many of the 104 categories as I can complete
1. Title beginning with A
2. Author beginning with A
3. Title beginning with B
4. Author beginning with B
5. Title beginning with C
6. Author beginning with C
7. Title beginning with D
8. Author beginning with D
9. Title beginning with E
10. Author beginning with E
11. Title beginning with F
12. Author beginning with F
13. Title beginning with G
14. Author beginning with G
15. Title beginning with H
16. Author beginning with H
17. Title beginning with I
18. Author beginning with I
19. Title beginning with J
20. Author beginning with J
21. Title beginning with K
22. Author beginning with K
23. Title beginning with L
24. Author beginning with L
25. Title beginning with M
26. Author beginning with M
27. Title beginning with N
28. Author beginning with N
29. Title beginning with O
30. Author beginning with O
31. Title beginning with P
32. Author beginning with P
33. Title or Author beginning with Q
34. Title beginning with R
35. Author beginning with R
36. Title beginning with S
37. Author beginning with S
38. Title beginning with T
39. Author beginning with T
40. Title or Author beginning with U
41. Title or Author beginning with V or W
42. Title or Author beginning with X or “Ex”
43. Title beginning with Y
44. Author beginning with Y
45. Title or Author beginning with Z
46. 2018 Newbery Winner or Honor
47. Newbery Winner or Honor from 2010-2017
48. Newbery Winner or Honor from 2000-2009
49. Newbery Winner or Honor from 1990-1999
50. Newbery Winner or Honor from 1980-1989
51. Newbery Winner or Honor from 1970-1979
52. Newbery Winner or Honor from 1960-1969
53. Newbery Winner or Honor from 1950-1959
54. Newbery Winner or Honor from 1940-1949
55. Newbery Winner or Honor from 1932-1939
56. Newbery Winner or Honor from 1922-1931
57. Notable Children's Book from 2018 or 2017 
58. Any book by a Wilder Award author
59. verse novel
60. graphic novel
61. biography or memoir
62. nonfiction 
63. poetry
64. audio book
65. first in a series
66. any book in a series
67. last book in a series
68. favorite author
69. new to you author
70. British author
71. Australian author
72. Canadian author
73. translated into English from another language
74. American author
75. set in the state you live
76. set in a place you'd like to visit
77. set in an imaginary place you'd like to visit
78. picture book for older readers 
79. book about a pet
80. animal fantasy
81. fantasy
82. alternate reality
83. science fiction
84. adventure
85. action/suspense
86. mystery/detective
87. realistic fiction
88. school setting
89. multiple points of view
90. historical fiction -- world war I
91. historical fiction -- world war II
92. historical fiction, your choice
93. historical fiction, mystery or suspense
94. oh the sads
95. happy, happy ending
96. laugh until you cry
97. coming of age
98. "diary" or "notebook"
99. classic, your choice
100. out of print
101. library book
102. impulse pick
103. published in 2018
104. YOUR pick for Newbery 2019
1.
2. Sounder by William Armstrong
3. Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
4. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
5.
6. The Grey King by Susan Cooper
7. The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui Sutherland
8.
9.
10.
11.  Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
12. The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
13. Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
14. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
15.
16. M.C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton
17. The Interrupted Tale by Maryrose Wood
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23. The Losers Club by Andrew Clements
24.
25. The Messengers: Discovered by Lisa M. Clark
26.
27.
28.
29.
30. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
31.  Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson
32. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
33.
34. Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
35. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
36. The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
37. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
38. There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar
39. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
40. The Unbreakable Code by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
41. Paperboy by Vince Vawter
42.
43.
44.
45.
46. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
47. Doll Bones by Holly Black
48. Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson
49. Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
50. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
51. The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
52. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
53.
54.
55.
56.
57. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
58. M.C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton
59. Rebound by Kwame Alexander
60. Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
61.
62.
63. Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson
64. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
65. The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler
66. The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson
67. The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall
68. The Interrupted Tale by Maryrose Wood
69. One Came Home by Amy Timberlake
70. Greenwitch by Susan Cooper
71.
72. The Door in the Alley by Adrienne Kress
73. The Griffin's Feather by Cornelia Funke
74. Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race by Chris Grabenstein
75.
76. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
77. The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson
78. Crown:​ An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes
79. Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
80. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
81. Greenwitch by Susan Cooper
82. The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler
83.
84. The Door in the Alley by Adrienne Kress
85. Doll Bones by Holly Black
86. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
87. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
88. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
89. Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
90.
91. Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
92. One Came Home by Amy Timberlake
93.
94. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
95. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
96. Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race by Chris Grabenstein
97. Paperboy by Vince Vawter
98.
99. More About Paddington by Michael Bond
100.
101. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
102. The Story Collector by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
103. The Story Collector by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
104. Rebound by Kwame Alexander
70 out of 104 categories complete
(It helped that you could count one book for two categories,
​but I was still pleasantly surprised by this number!)
2 Comments

Reading Challenges Complete - Round One

12/17/2018

3 Comments

 
Reading challenges are definitely one of the areas where I can overcommit myself. With a new baby arriving in June, I knew when I started this year that I needed to limit the number of reading challenges that I signed up for. It sort of worked. I only signed up for 6, instead of my usual 10+. And I'm happy to report that I did fairly decently! I'm still working on a couple, so here are the first three reading challenges that I completed this year.
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Passport Litsy
​Hosted by @maximoffs on the Litsy app
Goal: 6 countries
Armenia: Efronia: An Armenian Love Story by Stina Katchadourian
   - Full Moon Over Noah's Ark: An Odyssey to Mount Ararat and Beyond by Rick Antonson
Benin: Thread of Gold Beads by Nike Campbell-Fatoki
Brunei:​​ Tribute to Brunei and Other Poems by John Onu Odihi
   - Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmond O'Hanlon

Ireland: Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Kiribati: The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost
Tokelau: A Deviation from the Norm:​ A Pilot's Story by Norm Sanson

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Hosted by Me!
Goal: Avi level (45-59 points)
​1. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (3 points)
2. The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes (2 points)
3. Doll Bones by Holly Black (2 points)
4. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (3 points)
​5. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (3 points)
6. Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (3 points)
7. One Came Home by Amy Timberlake (2 points)
​8. Paperboy by Vince Vawter (2 points)
9. M.C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton (3 points)
​10. The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox (3 points)
11.  Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (3 points)
12. Sounder by William Armstrong (3 points)
​13. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (2 points)
14. Crown:​ An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes (2 points)
​15. The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (3 points)
16. Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary (2 points)
17. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary (2 points)
18. The Grey King by Susan Cooper (3 points)
​19. Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson (2 points)
20. Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson (2 points)
​21. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (3 points)
Points: 53

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Hosted by Becky's Book Reviews
Goal: All 104 categories!
1. Title beginning with A
2. Author beginning with A
3. Title beginning with B
4. Author beginning with B
5. Title beginning with C
6. Author beginning with C
7. Title beginning with D
8. Author beginning with D
9. Title beginning with E
10. Author beginning with E
11. Title beginning with F
12. Author beginning with F
13. Title beginning with G
14. Author beginning with G
15. Title beginning with H
16. Author beginning with H
17. Title beginning with I
18. Author beginning with I
19. Title beginning with J
20. Author beginning with J
21. Title beginning with K
22. Author beginning with K
23. Title beginning with L
24. Author beginning with L
25. Title beginning with M
26. Author beginning with M
27. Title beginning with N
28. Author beginning with N
29. Title beginning with O
30. Author beginning with O
31. Title beginning with P
32. Author beginning with P
33. Title or Author beginning with Q
34. Title beginning with R
35. Author beginning with R
36. Title beginning with S
37. Author beginning with S
38. Title beginning with T
39. Author beginning with T
40. Title or Author beginning with U
41. Title or Author beginning with V or W
42. Title or Author beginning with X or “Ex”
43. Title beginning with Y
44. Author beginning with Y
45. Title or Author beginning with Z
46. An alphabet book
47. A counting book
48. A color word in the title
49. A number word in the title
50. Concept book of your choice— picture book
51. Concept book of your choice — board book
52. bedtime book —board book
53. bedtime book — picture book
54. book that rhymes —picture book
55. book that rhymes — early reader OR board book
56. holiday of your choice — board book or early reader
57. holiday of your choice — picture book
58. wordless picture book
59. new to you author
60. new to you illustrator
61. favorite author
62. favorite illustrator
63. free choice
64. fairy or folk tale adaptation
65. fairy or folk tale traditional
66. a title with the word “first” in it 
67. a book set in the state you live
68. a book set in a place you’d like to visit
69. a book set in an imaginary place
70. a book set in the past — fiction or nonfiction
71. a book set in the present
72. picture book for older readers — fiction
73. picture book for older readers — nonfiction
74. early reader — fiction
75. early reader — nonfiction
76. picture book with photographs
77. one word title
78. long title (four or more words)
79. oversized book
80. tiny book
81. a book about playing (hide and seek, tag, or peekaboo, etc.)
82. a book about school
83. a book about hobbies (art, dance, music, crafts, sports)
84. a title that is a question
85. a title that is an exclamation
86. an award winner or an honor book
87. a collection (of poems OR stories)
88. a book with animals (fiction)
89. a book with animals (nonfiction)
90. a book about books or reading
91. a book celebrating family
92. first book in a series
93. any book in a series
94. book with an adventure or misadventure
95. a book about a pet
96. A title with the word “yes” or “no” in it
97. A title with the word “big” or “little” in it
98. a classic published before 1968
99. a book you think should be considered a classic
100. Out of print
101. Library book
102. Impulse pick
103. Board book published in 2018
104. Picture book published in 2018 ​
1. All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir by Bill Staines
2. Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch
3. The Baseball Player and the Walrus by Ben Loory
4. The Wolf, the Duck & the Mouse by Mac Barnett
5. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
6. Moonstruck by Gennifer Choldenko
7. Dino-Baby by Mark Sperring
8. A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson
9. The Easter Egg by Jan Brett
10. Wake Up, It's Spring! by Lisa Campbell Ernst
11. Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig
12. Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer
13. Great Day for Up by Dr. Seuss
14. My Pillow Keeps Moving! by Laura Gehl
15. How to Babysit a Grandma by Jean Reagan
16. When Lions Roar by Robie H. Harris
17. If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff
18. Specs for Rex by Yasmeen Ismail
19. Jam & Jelly by Holly & Nellie by Gloria Whelan
20. Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers
21. Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
22. Purplicious by Victoria Kann
23. Let's Have a Tree Party! by David Martin
24. A Truck Goes Rattley-Bumpa by Jonathan London
25. Machines Go to Work by William Low
26. Charlotte and the Rock by Stephen W. Martin
27. The Nonsense Show by Eric Carle
28. If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff
29. Outfoxed by Mike Twohy
30. Fancy Nancy:​ Bonjour Butterfly by Jane O'Connor
31. Penguin Cha-Cha by Kristi Valiant
32. Hedgehog's Magic Tricks by Ruth Paul
33. Quiet! There's a Canary in the Library by Don Freeman
34. Railroad Hank by Lisa Moser
35. How to Surprise a Dad by Jean Reagan
36. Sheep Out to Eat by Nancy Shaw
37. Dinner with Olivia by Emily Sollinger
38. Thump, Quack, Moo by Doreen Cronin
39. Accident by Andrea Tsurumi
40. Up Above and Down Below by Paloma Valdivia
41. I Want That Nut! by Madeline Valentine
42. An Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni
43. Yaks Yak by Linda Sue Park
44. Dog Loves Drawing by Louise Yates
45. A Most Mysterious Mouse by Giovanna Zoboli
46. Kay Kay's Alphabet Safari by Dana Sullivan
47. Dog Loves Counting by Louise Yates
48. Have You Seen My New Blue Socks? by Eve Bunting
49. Fire Engine No. 9 by Mike Austin
50. One by Kathryn Otoshi
51.  Red Apple, Green Pear
52. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
53. A Bedtime for Bear by Bonny Becker
54. "Fire! Fire!" said Mrs. McGuire by Bill Martin Jr.
55. Tough Trucks by Tony Mitton
56. Little Blue Truck's Christmas by Alice Schertle
57. The Legend of the Easter Egg by Lori Walburg
58. Time Flies by Eric Rohmann
59. Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie H. Harris
60. Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt
61. Little Quack's New Friend by Lauren Thompson
62 Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tom Lichtenheld.
63. The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt
64. Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf by Judy Sierra
65. The Three Little Pigs by Bernadette Watts
66. First Day at Zoo School by Sarah Dillard
67. M Is For Mitten by Annie Appleford
68. Hattie & Hudson by Chris van Dusen
69. The Maestro Plays by Bill Martin Jr.
70. Engelbert the Elephant by Tom Paxton
71. Pinkalicious by Victorian Kann
72. Eloise by Kay Thompson
73. Alabama Spitfire by Bethany Hegedus
74. Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr
75. Big Machines by Karen Wallace
76. Hooray for Kids! by Suzanne Lang
77. Olivia by Ian Falconer
78. If All the Animals Came Inside by Eric Pinder
79. The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey
80. The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter
81. Jazzy in the Jungle by Lucy Cousins
82. If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don't! by Elise Parsley
83. Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae
84. How Many Sleeps 'Til My Birthday? by Mark Sperring; illustrated by Sebastien Braun
85. Wake Up, Rupert! by Mike Twohy
86. Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper
87. Sylvia Long's Mother Goose by Sylvia Long
88. Lion Lion by Miriam Busch
89. Crafty Crocodiles by Rebecca Johnson
90. Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates
91. How to Babysit a Grandpa by Jean Reagan
92. Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor
93. Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping by Eileen Christelow
94. Daisy Gets Lost by Chris Raschka
95. Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers
96. Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
97. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by Jerry Pinkney
98. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
99. The Giant Jumperee by Julia Donaldson
100. Beware of the Frog by William Bee
101. If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff
102. I Took the Moon for a Walk by Carolyn Curtis
103. Find Colors by Tamara Shopsin & Jason Fulford
104. Lola Dutch by Kenneth & Sarah Jane Wright
104 out of 104 categories complete
3 Comments

Book Club Reads from 2018

12/11/2018

2 Comments

 
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Even though I've been pretty much MIA here since June, I have still been participating in my real-life book club. It's been so nice to have one night a month to escape the craziness of my house and talk to adults for a while. These are the books that we read this year.
January - Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin
February - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
April - A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
May - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
June - A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
July - The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
September - Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
October - News of the World by Paulette Jiles
November - Circling the Sun by Paul McLain
Our Favorite Books: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. A couple of our members were reading it for the first time, and the rest of us loved revisiting this classic. Also The Nightingale. Such a powerful and well-written story.
Not-So-Favorite Book:​ News of the World wasn't quite what we were expecting. It was very well-written, but maybe not as gripping as we thought it would be.
Best Food Served: This is one of the best parts! We always have good food, but at our November meeting, we had warm, fudgy brownies for dessert, topped with peppermint ice cream and chocolate peppermint sauce. We all decided that we could easily eat that every time!
2 Comments

Introducing the 2019 Newbery Challenge!

12/3/2018

12 Comments

 
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Welcome to another year of the Newbery Reading Challenge! Newbery and Caldecott books are fun to read - whether it's our first time experiencing them, or we're revisiting them from our childhood. If you want to challenge yourself to read more Newbery and Caldecott books this year, then you have found the right place!

Here are the rules:​
Each book you read is worth points. You get:
  • 3 points for a Newbery Medal Winner
  • 2 points for a Newbery Honor Book
  • 1 point for a Caldecott Book (Both Medal winners and Honor books are worth a point.)

In addition to that, you pick a level to aim for:
  • L'Engle: 15 - 29 points
  • Spinelli: 30 - 44 points
  • Avi: 45 - 59 points
  • Lowry: 60 - 74 points
  • Konigsburg: 75+ points

You can get to this level with any combination of points you want. You can read all Newbery Medal winners. You can throw in a few Honor Books. If you want, you can even read 75 Caldecott Medal winners! How you get to your point level is totally up to you. 

Also, anywhere in the point range for your level counts as completing that level. So for example, if you signed up for the Avi level and read 46 points' worth of books, then you have completed that level!

List of Newbery Medal Winners & Honor Books
List of Caldecott Medal Winners & Honor Books

Challenge Guidelines:
  • Rereads count (because you were probably a kid when you read it last, and your perspective on the story just might have changed since then).
  • Audiobooks and ebooks count.
  • And paper books count, too. :)
  • All books must be read between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019. Books begun before January 1 don’t count.
  • Books can be used for other challenges as well.
  • Reviews are encouraged, but not necessary.
  • Choose your point level. You can always aim for a higher point level, but you can't move to a lower one.
To join the Newbery Reading Challenge:
  • Write a post (or a comment) stating your intention to join. Choose your point level. You can find the challenge image above to use in your post.
  • Add your link to the Linky at the bottom of this post. Make sure you include the link to your sign-up post, not just your homepage.

Sign Up for the 2019 Newbery Reading Challenge!

12 Comments

I'm Still Around!

12/3/2018

7 Comments

 
Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything! My daughter arrived in June, and blogging has taken a backseat to figuring out this whole two-kid thing. I hope to start posting occasionally again, and I have some end-of-the-year reading lists and stats coming. And the Newbery Reading Challenge will continue! I'll be getting that post up soon.

In the meantime, I post fairly frequently on the Litsy app with all sorts of bookishness. My name is smilingshelves, and I'd love to connect with you there.

Hope all is going well for all of you in the blogosphere! Happy reading!
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Recent Middle Grade Highlights

6/14/2018

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I'm participating in Becky's Book Reviews' Middle Grade Reading Challenge this year, but I hadn't actually updated my progress at all this year. Last week, I sat down with the list of middle grade books I had read so far, and was surprised to see that I had read 27! I knew I loved middle grade books, but I didn't expect that they would account for over a third of my reading so far this year. I decided to share some of the awesome books I've read in hopes that someone else might be inspired to try some of these great middle grade titles!

Best Newbery Read

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Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
This is one of this year's Newbery Honor books. It is incredibly powerful.

Best Bookish Adventure

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Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
​This was just pure bookish, problem-solving, code-breaking fun!

Best Book Published in 2018

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Rebound by Kwame Alexander
​Okay, I haven't read that many books published this year, but I needed some category to get this book on my list, because it is awesome.

Best Start to a Series

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The Door in the Alley by Adrienne Kress
I've read seven books this year that are the first book in a series. Many of them were good, but this one definitely has me hooked.

Most Heart-Warming

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The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
​This book was just delightful. Can the Vanderbeekers adopt me, please?
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

6/11/2018

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This weekly chance to add to your reading list is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.
I actually went to a bookstore last week and walked out without buying anything!! This is not a common occurrence for sure. It's a really nice used bookstore, but there were at least ten books filed in the Fiction section that were actually nonfiction (like Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt). It was really starting to bug me, but I didn't quite have the courage to say anything to the person at the desk. Sadly, I wasn't really in the mood to buy any books after noticing that. Hopefully the next time I visit will be different, because I've certainly walked out of there with stacks of books before!

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To DNF or Not? Help!

What I Read Last Week

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The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan (Georgette Heyer and James Herriot references?? Yes, please! This book is pure delight for any book lover.)

What I'm Reading Now

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Birth of the Chess Queen by Marilyn Yalom (I haven't been in the mood to read nonfiction for a long time, so I'm taking advantage of the feeling while it lasts.)
The Pirates! in an Adventure with Communists by Gideon Defoe (This was a library book sale find. It's small and short, so I decided to read it and check it off my list of books to read. It is hilariously satirical so far!)
​The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall (Continuing my audio reread of this series!)

What's Coming Up Next

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The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley (I love Lucinda Riley's books, and I'm so excited to dive into this fourth book in her Seven Sisters series!)
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To DNF or Not? Help!

6/7/2018

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I rarely stop reading a book before I've finished it. I'm someone who likes to finish what I've started, even if I'm not totally enjoying the experience. I know this is kind of silly, because there are so many amazing books out there. Why would I waste my time reading something I didn't like?

But what if I've read other books I've loved by that author? What if everyone raves about the book? That's what I'm running across at this moment, and I can't decide whether to bail or not.
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The book I'm reading is Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Her Grisha trilogy was five-star reads for me. I enjoyed The Language of Thorns, her collection of folk tales. Six of Crows takes place in the same world, although with completely different characters than the Grisha trilogy. Well, the world she created was one of the things I loved, so why wouldn't I like another book set in that same world? Not to mention that everyone seems to love this book. It has a 4.46 rating on Goodreads. That's crazy high. I've read many raving reviews. It seems like this would be a surefire win for me.

All of those are reasons why I'm struggling to give up on this one. I'm 150 pages in, and I just don't care about the characters. I knew it was a book about criminals and a heist going in, but I'm not finding enough redeeming qualities to make me feel attached to any of the characters. And I like heist stories (I've watched Ocean's 11 several times), but this one is just not hooking me.

So do I walk away from the book? There are still 300+ pages to go, and even though it's a fast read, I'm having trouble forcing myself to even pick the book up.

I'm curious about how everyone else makes this decision. What criteria do you use when you decide to DNF a book?

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

6/4/2018

2 Comments

 
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This weekly chance to add to your reading list is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.
My wonderful husband took care of our two-year-old on Saturday so that I could have one last day to myself before the baby arrives. I read a book and a half and went out to lunch. It was glorious!

Recent Post

Author Love & Cover Love - Robin Hobb

What I Read Last Week

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A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler (Our book club book for June. I've never read one of our selections so far in advance, but I wanted to make sure I had it done before baby arrived!)
Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman (This was the book that I read in entirety on Saturday. It was so good and so much fun!!)

What I'm Reading Now

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It Happened at the Fair by Deeanne Gist (Christian fiction set at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. There's original photographs and everything, so I'm learning a lot!)
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall (I'm loving revisiting this series through audio!)

What's Coming Up Next

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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (I loved her Grisha trilogy, so I'm excited to try this series.)
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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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