Just an update......

why yes, I am a bit grouchy......

 I know I usually post book reviews, and photos on wednesdays, and sometimes a brunch here and there....   and have not really posted much lately.

Yes, this is a personal post ... so if this isn't what you'd like to read, please come back on wednesday to see a photo of Verona, Italy.

Anyway ....  just wanted to say that I am trying to get back on track, and I am reading .... I'm just feeling a bit grumpy and out of sorts.  What I'm reading I then don't feel like writing about (even though the books have been great).  I guess I'm just not feeling super-inspired.   And, I'm feeling a bit thick in parts, so cutting down on the food and upping the exercise to deal with that.  ugh.    And, frankly, in addition to not feeling inspired about blogging, I'm feeling like Cranky Librarian after 2 straight work days of grouchy patrons.  And, coming to the work-filled ending of an online class.   see?  grump, grump, grump.

So.  What I am doing is reading, and reading what's on everyone else's blogs, even if I'm not commenting.  I will be making more of an effort to pull up my socks and find some inspiration.  Getting a new HVAC system in the house on Wednesday (oh yes, the awesome fun of being a grown-up and a homeowner), so maybe will go for a short walk in the woods and re-set my attitude.  And hopefully, will have a book post by the end of the week.  

Thanks for your patience.  And, if you have any words of advice on what inspires you, I'm all ears!

2012 Challenge -- selected!

After some deliberation, I have chosen my one challenge for 2012:  The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Challenge from Booking in Heels. 

Here's the skinny about the challenge:  For those who don't know, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was a film released in 2003 based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore (of Watchmen fame). The movie features various classic book characters who all form a League to stop various classic villians from taking over the world. 

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read the original book featuring each of the main characters and post a review of each between 1st January 2012 and the 31st December. 

I think I can definitely do this.  I've seen the movie (yes, it's not the best movie in the world, but I do love me some Sean Connery.....).   I've updated my Challenges Page accordingly, so stay tuned for reviews!!

Wordless Wednesday -- peacock on Isola Bella, Italy

Library Lagniappe .... being thankful

I am not a huge fan of Thanksgiving.  I'm not anti-Thanksgiving, but I tend to see it more as just a "food holiday."  I usually work the day before and the day after, and while I like turkey, I have it when I want it, not just on Thanksgiving.

But I digress.  What I do like about Thanksgiving, other than the amazing pumpkin pie crunch I'm making to bring on Thursday, is that it is a good opportunity to take a bit of time and reflect on what I'm thankful for.  So, I thought I'd work that into a Library Lagniappe post.

I am thankful for the fact that I changed careers to become a Librarian, because even though it meant taking a pay cut from my previous career, it means that I am in a position where I can help people and make a difference (instead of working through in-bins of paperwork every day and feeling like it made no difference at all). 

I am also thankful for the patrons who come in, and return my smile, even if they don't stop at the desk.  I'm one of those people who smile at everyone, and I will tell you --- not everyone smiles back.  In fact, many people don't smile back.   So, when someone does, it just makes your day.  Extra points go to one of my favorite patrons, a man I call "Tall, Dark and Handsome" -- he is not only one of the nicest people to look at, but he has an amazing smile.   Yes, I know I'm married .... so is he, and it's perfectly okay if we smile at one another.

I am thankful for the people who say "thank you" because they make up for the ones who don't.  Simple, really, but it can give you quite the lift when one person says thank you.

I am thankful for these kinds of interactions, because now that I work with the public, I am much more aware of how I am when I interact with people.  I make sure I say please, and thank you, and smile.  Even if I'm grumpy --- because I know how it feels to be on the receiving end.

And, I'm thankful to be where I work, with people I like, in a nice work environment.  Even on the worst day, I can always count on a smile from a co-worker ---- or, at the very least, a stroll down an aisle to find some great reading material.

Thanks to everyone who visits their library, and supports us!   I didn't want to leave that out.    Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Book Challenges and me .... the truth comes out...

Well, now that we're nearly to the end of 2011, I am looking back at the Challenges page on this blog and have come to some conclusions: Yes, I signed up.  Yes, I read books.  No, I really didn't participate.  So, started with a clean page.

I always have the best of intentions.   I see new, shiny book challenges on everyone else's blogs, and I think: yes, of course, I read so much, yes, it will be fun and awesome .... and I start off on the right foot, I really do.  And then.....  I read other things, not for the challenges.  And when I do read challenge-fulfilling books, I forget to link them to the challenge.

I am now accepting that it tends to all be for naught, as I reach the end of another year and have yet to complete a challenge.   So, I have decided, that in 2012..... I will choose one challenge.  Just one.   I have found a simple one that sounds good, so I will do my bit and post about it soon.

I do admire everyone who keeps up with their challenges, and if I can get through the one I chose for 2012, without mishap, I might be brave enough to tackle a second one.

this should be a stack of books....

Re-set from previous Brunch ......

So, yes ..... apparently, I was whipping along and landed on the wrong date.    It was very nicely pointed out to me that the previous Brunch giveaway is STILL OPEN--  it's meant to last until dec. 15, 2011.

So, please keep commenting, if you like.   And please visit today's Brunch, where there is another giveaway!

Bookie Brunch and giveaway

 Bookie Brunch is a weekly meet-up, held every Sunday, where book bloggers can have a cup of tea and chat about a particular bookie question of interest. The discussion is open from Sunday through Wednesday, and you’re welcome to drop by any time to add your opinion or read what other people have to say. This discussion is open as well to general readers or bloggers in a different field, authors, 
publishers and publicists.

Courtesy guidelines: Thank you for coming! All thoughtful comments will be considered and probably get a response from fellow bloggers. In fact, you’re encouraged to talk about it and share viewpoints or include links to relevant materials. We’d like everyone to have a nice time. Differing viewpoints are just fine, even if strongly expressed, but inflammatory or off-topic comments will be removed.  

***   ***   ***  ***  ***  ***  ***  ***  ***  *** *** *** ***    *** *** ***

This Brunch, my guests are: Amanda-Lee, who blogs at StoryWings, Jenny at Let Them Read Books,  Tiffany from About to Read, and Brenda from Reading Fairy Tales.

Our discussion question is: How do you discover new books?  Do you look for recommendations on book blogs, ask your friends, go to the library?  All of the above?  None of the above?  Have you ever received a book recommendation from a completely unexpected source?

 First up is Tiffany, who said:

I discover new books from other bloggers, publisher catalogs, and Goodreads. Bloggers typically get me really excited for a title--especially if a lot of people are raving about it. I also get recommendations from friends, and will read a book they suggest if they loved it themselves or think it is something I would enjoy.

I have a few close friends who love to read, and whenever we find a book that is to-die-for, we share it with each other. While we were in college, it was a bit like an informal book club (miss those days!).

 

Jenny added her thoughts: 

Hey ya'll! Thanks for having me today! This morning I'm sipping on my hazelnut coffee with Almond Joy creamer . . . mmmm!

 

I discover new books just about every day! I find most of them on blogs and on Goodreads, but I also find them at the library and *gasp!* at the bookstore! I follow many bloggers who have the same tastes in reading as myself. Last week I added my 1000th book on Goodreads and I've created a series of shelves to help me keep track of how I find books to read. So far, "Saw it on a blog" has the most books with 96. I know book bloggers work hard and I believe they are instrumental in helping books find an audience, and I wanted to prove it by keeping track of the books I add to my reading list because of a blog. Goodreads comes in a close second. I love the daily emails that tell me what my friends are reading and I end up adding many books to my list and also striking up great book conversations. My Goodreads friends recommend books to me all the time, and I have three fantastic reading gal pals in real life who also share their favorite books with me.

 

I find new books from other online sources, too, like NetGalley, Shelf Awareness, Amazon Vine, and publisher newsletters. My library sends out an email every week with all of the new titles they've acquired, and mostly I find books I already wanted to read and add them to my check-out list, but occasionally I find a new one to add to the list. And lastly, I don't visit physical bookstores very often, but when I do I usually walk out with twice as many books as I'd intended to buy going in. I'm usually shopping the sale tables, and though I'm looking for books from my wishlist, I usually pick out one book that's new to me. I don't know that I've gotten a recommendation from an unexpected source, but I have been amazed at how wonderful Twitter is for readers, writers, and publishers. I put off signing up for ages, and in the four months I've been tweeting I continue to marvel at what a fantastic networking tool it is. And yes, I do have a "Saw it on Twitter" shelf! Thirteen books and counting . . .

 

 Amanda Lee, sipping on a skim mint hot chocolate, had this to say:

Most of my new books come from other bloggers. Whether I just happen to be checking out what they're doing and see a cover I like or if it's a reviewer I regularly read giving a rave review on a certain book. It all depends if I like the cover though, I never read a book that I don't like the cover of.

That's why I like going into book stores, because if any covers jump out at me, I will pick the book up to see if it interests me. I haven't actually discovered many "new to me" books recently, I am currently trying to catch up on all of my series books and working through my Shelfari wish list. I also regularly check my favourite author websites - particularly those that write stand alone novels such as Jennifer Echols - to see what they are currently doing.

I don't have any friends who read, so I don't get any new books from that kind of source. Probably the most surprising book rec I got was from a publisher I am on good terms with, they sent me their current release (Embrace by Jessica Shirvington) for review. I had never heard of it but I thought the cover was nice. When I picked it up...I couldn't put it down, it's become one of my top series.

And me?   Well, I get almost all of my books from the library, with a smaller number of them coming from publishers or authors who ask for a review.  Since I'm a librarian, I'm always ordering new books for the collection, and I'm always reading reviews (professional journals, newspapers, online sources, book blogs) ----  and it's easy for me to place holds on things that are coming in to the library.   I'm also surrounded by reading material, both old and new, so I never run out of books to take home with me.    There's no way I could buy all the books I read, or have room in my house for them -- and I probably wouldn't want to buy everything I read, anyway.   Getting books from the library lets me try before I buy.   And if my library doesn't have something?  No problem --- I look for it through interlibrary loan.  

The blogging community has been both a wonderful thing and a bad thing, as far as alerting me to new books.   It's wonderful, because I learn about books from other bloggers, read reviews, and see beautiful cover art.   The bad thing is ....   my tbr list is out of control.   Seriously -- it's like that demon plant, Audrey, from Little Shop of Horrors.   However, is that such a bad thing? 

A HUGE thank you to all of my guests!!!    And, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's comments, as well!!
 __________________________________________________________________
And now, we have the details on the giveaway, courtesy of Sasha Soren!  

Now you won't have to wonder if the movie is as good as the book or not - win this classic novel and matching movie version. This set features a paperback edition of The Age of Innocence with  a new, beautifully designed cover and a DVD of the feature film, nestled together in a sturdy case. This could be a nice treat to keep for a rainy weekend.  
About the book: Edith Wharton's novel is a masterful portrait of desire and betrayal set during the sumptuous Gilded Age of Old New York, a time when society dreaded scandal more than death. This is Newland Archer's milieu as he prepares to marry conventional socialite May Welland. But when the mysterious Countess Ellen Olenska returns to New York, Archer falls deeply in love with her. Torn between duty and passion, Archer struggles to make a decision that will either courageously define his life - or mercilessly destroy it. (Publisher desc.)

I have been having issues with Blogger and embedding videos --- so to see something quite cool, please click HERE.   
note: Music track is Un día llegará (Amazon MP3)

About the DVD: Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer star in this luminous adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel about heartache and hypocrisy among the high society of Old New York's Gilded Age. Day-Lewis plays Newland Archer, the upstanding attorney who is engaged to lovely but ordinary socialite May Welland, but who secretly longs for the more passionate life represented by Countess Ellen Olenska. The psychologically astute and powerfully romantic film was nominated for five Academy Awards. (Publisher  desc.)

Details: To win this charming book-and-DVD set, please leave email info and thoughtful or interesting comment below. A winner will be picked at random. If host and guests agree that a specific visitor comment is substantial, outstanding, or in some other way has particular merit, they can override random.org pick at their discretion.  Please note - open internationally, but DVD manufactured for Region 1 only. Check your region . Through December 31, 2011, 12 midnight EDT.

Brought by: Sasha Soren (Random Magic).More about Random Magic can be found below - feel free to browse:  Find Random Magic: Print | Kindle
Explore Random Magic: YouTube 
  | Tumblr  |
Twitter




****  **** ****  ****  ****  ****  ****  ****  ****  ****  ****  ****  ****  ****

Be a guest at an upcoming brunch: @StoryWings

Bring goodies for a giveaway: @StoryWings

Suggest a question: @LiederMadchen

Browse Bookie Brunch discussions (after July 2011, archive): The Fluidity of Time