Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Library Loot XLII

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader 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! This week's Library Loot is at Marg's.

I didn't expect to borrow more books from the library so soon after coming home with a decent stash just last week, but my daughter was reading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle in her free reading period on Fridays at school and came home last Friday about to bust at the seams because she just had to keep reading it but couldn't bring the teacher's copy home with her. I could completely understand the trauma this would cause to have to wait until the following Friday to pick up where she left off, so of course we zipped to the library to borrow a copy for home. I thought we had our own copy, but couldn't find it. While we were there, I picked up a book that was on hold for me:

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Cathreynne M. Valente.

It's a middle grade or young adult book that captured a ton of buzz earlier this year. I read the first few pages and found it quite endearing. I'm looking forward to reading more, but I need to prioritize my pile of library books and read in the order they are due back, so this one will have to wait a bit. Maybe I can get my daughter to read this one, too.

I also couldn't resist and borrowed two cookbooks:

  

Weekend Baking by Sarah Randell and Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts. 

I always seem to catch the baking bug when autumn rolls around, although it's still been pretty warm and humid around here all September. I think the temperatures are finally supposed to dip into the 60s F this weekend, which will hopefully inspire me to try a recipe or two from these gorgeous cookbooks.

I think we were home all of an hour or so from the library with these books, when my daughter announced that she finished A Wrinkle in Time and asked about a sequel. I really should have just borrowed the whole series when we were at the library. I know better. So the next day we took a trip to another library [my town's library is closed on Sunday's] and borrowed A Wind in the Door, which she is reading right now. This particular library is also the only one in my area who has a copy of September's book for the Women of Fantasy Book Club, so I picked it up while we were there.


Firebird by Mercedes Lackey.

I'm not going to read it in time for this month's discussion, which coincidentally was the same situation for the other three books I actually read from the book club list. Which explains why I unfortunately never participated in any of this book club's discussion posts. At least I still plan on reading it and I'm okay with that because my biggest motive for joining this book club was to be inspired to read more fantasy fiction, which I'm doing.

Finally, I browsed the fiction section under the 'I' authors. Not my usual method for searching for books at the library, but I am considering taking over hosting the Authors by the Alphabet Book Club since Paula, who is the founder and original hostess of the book club needed to give up some of her blogging commitments because she just has a ton of other things on her plate right now ---like her  daughter's wedding! So exciting! :) In the meantime, I picked up a book that I think I'm going to use for reviving the book club. More on that later. i.e., I'm going to try to rope you into joining the Authors by the Alphabet Book Club in an upcoming post. ha! :P

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Never Let Me Go was first published in 2005 and was a Man Booker Prize finalist the same year. It is a dystopian novel "that subtly reimagines our world and time in a haunting story of friendship and love."  [Partial quote from goodreads.]







That's it from me this week. Now my stack of library books is really tall, so I'm going to do my best to refrain from going back for more until I finish these. 

What are you reading now? 

15 comments:

  1. Ooh, I like to bake too and those two cookbooks look pretty good. I hope you share some recipes and review them here on your blog? I'd love to see those.

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  2. I never seem able to refrain from going back for more!
    Love the cover of Firebird.
    The Book Club is something I'd probably be interested in.

    Enjoy your loot!

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  3. I love the title of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. Enjoy your loot!

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  4. You made me crave pie with those books...
    mmm. pie...

    The girl who ... sounds like a really cute book, I hope it turns to be just so. Can't wait for your review!

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  5. Looks like you found some good loot! I've been wanting to join in on a book group but I'm not the best at participating :) I'll have to watch for your post on this!

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  6. I liked never let me go :)

    waoh @ that fairyland title! i just looked for it in my library catalogue but can't find it :(

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  7. I don't think I could resist those cookbook covers either. I just checked out a Robin Miller, Easy Dinner cookbook. Hope it helps us!

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  8. I so know the feeling of having to wait to read a book. Such trauma should not be experienced if it can be avoided, so YAH for going to the library :)

    And those cookbooks look....yummy *grin*

    I'm currently reading the third book in the Jaida Jones & Danielle Bennett HaveMercy series (or at least I think that's what it is called :)

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  9. I bake more in the Fall and Winter months, too. Those cookbooks look like they'll have delicious recipes! (I've never been able to make a good pie crust, may have to see if my library has that book.)
    Mercedes Lackey! Love her books!
    I picked up The Bad Always Die Twice by Cheryl Crane yesterday (from hold). I'm hoping it's good. *g*

    Have a great day!

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  10. You're such a good mother to make emergency library trips to supply your daughter with Madeleine L'Engle! And how fortunate to have a daughter who wants to read so much! I hope you both enjoy your loot (and your baking)!

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  11. Baking bug...yummm... Please take pics and show us your yummy creations! :D I shall eat it with my eyes. X_x

    Great lists of books. Please do take your time in reading and reviewing when possible. Just happy to hear what you think.

    Plus, I love following your exercise and all the -thons. :D

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  12. Rowena...
    I feel funny about posting recipes on my blog that are not my own.. .but I suppose if I did it out of the express interest of reviewing the cookbook, I could rationalize that. lol

    Cat...
    I'm SO excited about your interest in the book club! Excellent!!!

    Linda...
    I know! I love that title, too!
    *too lazy to type it all out again* lol

    Alex...
    I love pie, too. mmmm. All kinds. I'm not even picky.

    samantha...
    I understand about how tough it is to stick it out with a book club. I'll have to make it easy on you and come up with some really effective threats! I mean IDEAS! ;p

    Book Worm Rebel...
    Glad to hear you liked Never Let Me Go! I'm looking forward to reading it.

    Isn't that title mag? Can you try interlibrary loan for it?

    Michelle...
    I hope the Easy Dinner cookbook helps you, too! I remember how crazy hard it was to get dinner on the table when my girls were your little boy's age.

    orannia...
    I know! I totally understood the urgency of needing to get that book. But you know.. it's not like my arm had to be twisted to go to the library two days in a row. Hope you're enjoying your book!

    Brandy...
    Did you know Trader Joe's has ready made pie crusts in the freezer section? All you have to do is defrost and unfold the dough, maybe give it a roll or two with a rolling pin and voilá! Hope you're enjoying your library book!

    thecaptivereader...
    haha! I guess I am a good mom to make emergency trips to the library. Of course, it helps that it's one of my favorite places to go!

    little_alys...
    Another vote for me to bake and show something from one of those cookbooks! I'll see what I can do.

    Thanks for taking in interest in my books and fitness adventures. :)

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  13. Mmmmm, baking! Now that my oven if fixed (kind of) I can do some of that if I get motivated!

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  14. Yum yum, the two cookbooks look good enough to eat LOL.

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  15. Marg, a finally (kind of) fixed oven is definitely motivation to bake! Hope you found some time over the weekend?

    nath, the photos in those cookbooks will have anyone salivating even if you don't have a sweet tooth. Everything looks PERFECT and delicious.

    I didn't bake anything yet from either book yet. YET.

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