Random Friday, Not a lot of random this week!

Random Thoughts:

• This picture is so going in my header, if I should ever get around to making a new one. I'm also considering having some blank journals printed with it on the cover (from Walgreens) to use as my todo/ library list notebook.
• I am sick of snow. Winter has worn out it's welcome.
• I still need to find a place to live.
• I need to type faster if I'm gonna finish this before the Princess wakes up.

What I Read This Week:

• Bloodfever: The Fever Series (A Mackayla Lane Novel) by Karen Marie Moning. Talk about ending on a cliffhanger!
• Faefever (Fever, Book 3) by Karen Marie Moning. See: cliffhanger, above.
• The Naked Lady Who Stood on Her Head: A Psychiatrist's Stories of His Most Bizarre Cases by Gary Small. Interesting, but going back unfinished. The author is annoying.
• Driven to Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery by Karen E Olson. I really do like this series. About half done.

A Look Back at a slow week:

• A list of things to look for at the thrift store.
• My tiny fundraising effort to save the trees at Toomer's Corner.

Shop Update:
See: Fundraising Effort above. I also almost finished an idea for a teacher's gift that will go in the shop, but it needs pressing and photographed first, so next week. How much do you typically spend on an end of year teachers gift?

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Things to Look for at the Thrift Store Should I Ever Go Back Alone:

Last Friday I got a wild hair and took all three kids to the thrift store here in town. It wasn't completely crazy, we'd been to the post office, where they were perfect, then Dairy Queen, where they were also very well behaved. It was a bit risky, but I didn't think I'd have a better chance, so we went.

In the 2 minutes we were there before Buggy decided that he should play hide and seek under the racks, I think I discovered that there will be lots of treasures to be found. If I ever get to go back alone! I did find the bowl above, and a small blue ball jar like these. I know there were more of both the bowl pattern (am I the only one who loves that bowl?) and some more jars. After getting home with my jar, which I plan to use as a soap dispenser once we have a drill again, I realized that I'd really like several more to use for popcorn and rice and beans. That led me to the inevitable list making, and since this blog is Books. Lists. Life, I'm sharing with you.

Things to Look for at the Thrift Store Should I Ever Go Back Alone:

• A striped knit shirt. I read a lot of fashion blogs of the what-I-wore-today variety (as opposed to the runway fashion variety) and I see a lot of cute layering with striped shirts. I want narrow stripes of a color and white. I need to keep in mind that I can alter a too big one.
• Skirts. I can alter a lot about skirts. I'm not a big wearer of shorts and would like more everyday skirts. I need to keep in mind that I can cut a dress in half and make a new waist if it's cute enough.
• Belts. How often do these bloggers use belts to belt over a cardigan or a dress to make it interesting?
• More mid-sized bowls, maybe serving platters. The bowl above is the size you'd use for a side of peas. We have very few mid-sized bowls.  I love that they wouldn't all match.
• More jars with lids. As previously said, for dry storage.

• Interesting things to use for storage. In my sewing room I have little glass bowls for my buttons, and a little casserole dish holds sewing odds and ends. I need to look for little baskets and bowls and boxes. (Can't seem to move that picture to this bullet point. See the little jars on the left? Second shelf? They stack, buttons are sorted by color.)
• Linens. Sheets, tablecloths, napkins. Both for use as is and to use as fabric for sewing.
• Craft stuff. I noticed this store has a whole wall of hoops and patterns and I don't know what all (I noticed it as a ran past dragging the baby in her car seat and loudly whispering for the Bug to "get back here right now!"

Ok, giant list. You see why I need to go alone? What do you look for at the thrift store?

As a side note, see the troll on the top shelf? That thing was in my grandpa's study my entire life. It used to scare the shit out of me. (Sorry for the language, but crap does not convey the terror.) I would sneak down the stairs past it so it wouldn't get me. When my grandfather died and my grandmother moved, we were asked what we wanted out of the house and that is one of the things I requested. I love it.


I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Tiny Tigers for Toomer's Corner

Recently an act of heartbreaking malice and stupidity happened on the campus of my alma mater- Auburn University. A "fan" of our biggest rival decided to poison the 130 year old oak trees that stand at the gates to the school. One of Auburn's best traditions is to turn out after a winning football game and cover the entire corner with toliet paper-silly, perhaps, but still a tradition. This individual used a lethal amount of tree poison, and it seems that the trees won't likely survive. Despite this, fundraising continues to try and raise enough money to save them, or replace them, or memorialize them in some way.



With the recent move and baby and months of unemployment, I am in no position to send money to help.  Here's what I did instead- I made a small number of the cutest tiny tigers you've ever seen. These little fellows are tiny, maybe 3.5 inches tall. They aren't perfect, but they are fun and cute, and fit in your pocket.  Each one is made of fleece and has no loose parts, so are completely safe for a baby to hold. I've listed them in the Etsy shop for $14. Of that $14, $12.50 will go to the tree fund. The remaining $1.50 will go to pay Etsy and Paypal fees. Shipping is $2 each. Each tiger is made with the generous permission of Care at Obsessively Stitching who created the tutorial.

If you're interested in helping me help the trees, click on through and get a tiger of your own.

And War Eagle!

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Random Friday, February 18th

Random Thoughts:

• I am officially back to my pre-pregnancy weight! Now to lose the 5lbs I was trying to lose then. And maybe a few crunches would help me get back to my pre-pregnancy body. Funny how losing the weight doesn't put you back the way you were. This summer I really want to get into running or biking or something active. Remind me about that, ok?
• You know how sometimes your kid is so mad at you all they do is cry and scream for the other parent? "I want my daddy, I want my daddy, I want my daddy!" And all you can think is, "DUDE, if only your daddy were home!" Yeah. Me too. For the record, I'd love to make him a peanut butter sandwich, but we do. not. have. any. bread.
• We very briefly checked out the thrift store here this morning.  It looks promising, but I'm not certain since I only got to see it as I ran after my child, who thought it was a good place for hide and seek.
• The weather has been terrific here all week, mid-50s and sunny. Now that it's the weekend we're supposed to get snow.
• The Pirate had his parent teacher conference today, she really didn't have a ton to say, other than that he's doing well, keep it up! Yay!

What I Read This Week:

• Bloodfever: The Fever Series (A Mackayla Lane Novel) by Karen Marie Moning. Almost done!
• This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson. Only barely started, I've been reading it in the car line at school and we only had 3 days of school this week. Not impressed yet.
• The Escape Artists: True Stories of People Who Turned Their Obsessions Into Professions by Joshua Piven. Gonna take this one back unread, too many books too little time for something that is just taking up time.

What did you read this week?

A Look Back at the week:

• I posted about the new eReader information page at the Rapid City Public Library.
• I participated in a TLC Book Tour of Devotion by Dani Shapiro.
• I blogged a song for my Valentine (who hasn't even noticed yet!)
• I said goodbye to one of my kitty girls.

Shop Update:

Nothing new listed in the shop this week, but I did sent out one more custom name banner, and worked up this crazy tulle covered shrug as a custom item.  I can't wait to see how the new owner wears it! And if you're not a fan of the shop on Facebook, you should be! I just learned about coupon codes and that's the first place I'll be listing them. Plus, being a fan lets you see fun stuff I don't post here, like favorite Etsy items and treasuries.

 

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

More information about the various eReaders!

I'm not really in the market for an eReader right now, I mean, I'd love to have one, but then I'd just want to buy books to put on it!   So the trend of libraries offering eBooks for free or little cost really makes buying an eReader move up my wishful thinking list. Yesterday I got an email from a staff member at my old library, asking me if I'd seen their new page about the different types of eReaders. Of course I hadn't, I mean, I miss the library, let's not rub salt in wounds, right? But I clicked through and took a look, and it seems to be a very comprehensive guide comparing things like battery life, screen size, file format and the ability to make notes.  I encourage you to check it out for yourself!

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Devotion by Dani Shapiro

 
As mid-life approaches for Dani Shapiro, she starts to struggle with anxiety about her faith and her life. Is this all there is? Clean house, do work, send email? What is the bigger picture, or is there a bigger picture? Having been raised in a devout Jewish household but no longer practicing, Shapiro dedicates herself to finding what she really believes.

 "The whole world is a lesson in what's true," she said. "Everyone is struggling. Life is difficult for everybody. And we all die in the end. So how to deal with it?" -p35

Devotion: A Memoir  is written in a very free flowing style. There are chapter breaks, if you can call them that, of only a page at times. Shapiro weaves together bits from her daily life, her struggle with her parents before their deaths, her son's life-threatening illness as an infant, and her quest to find her place spiritually.   The comparison to Eat, Pray, Love  would not have been lost on me, even if Shapiro herself did not bring it up. What keeps this from being the same book (other than the obvious of a different author) is that Shapiro does her quest from home. She doesn't take a year off her life to search for meaning, she looks as she lives.

I believe that I have mentioned in the past that I am not a religious person, but I really enjoy reading about religion and other people's search for faith and meaning. I believe that I am a spiritual person, and that there are a lot of things to gain from the ritual (there's that ritual I love again!) of regular religious practice. I find little bits of a lot of religions appeal to me quite a bit and I suspect that were I to take upon a quest like Shapiro's that I might find something meaningful to myself.  Just in reading this book I found something that really appeals to me- Shapiro attends a local retreat and learns a short mantra to think during meditation. This is taught to her by Sylvia Boorstein and begins as such (p.36):

May I feel protected and safe.
May I feel contented and pleased.
May my physical body support me with strength.
May my life unfold smoothly with ease.

The idea was to silently repeat the phrases again and again, at first focusing on ourselves, but then eventually directing the phrases to others.

Eventually, Shapiro and Boorsteing with both shorten this to be:

May I be safe
May I be happy
May I be strong
May I live with ease

That is what I'll be taking from Devotion. A bit of a rhythm to help find some calm in my mind. My situation isn't Shapiro's. I'm not full of anxiety and despair, but my life is full of chaos and stress. If I could learn to sit for even 15 minutes a day (yeah, I'm laughing too) and blank out everything else? Well, the very idea is appealing to me.

I'm not sure if Shapiro finds what she is looking for, but I enjoyed reading about her journey. She's honest about her struggle and the causes of it, and the inability to fully relax.  It's a very personal story, one that opens what's in her heart up to all of us. Shapiro doesn't claim to know the answers and she's honest about the questions she's asking.  The book has definitely made my TBR list grow as I added most of her recommended reading to my list. (I even own a couple of them, packed away in the garage.)

This is the kind of memoir that I like best, and I'm thankful to Trish of TLC book tours for sending it to me. For more information you can find the author online:

* website
* blog, Moments of Being
* Facebook
* Twitter: @DanijShapiro

The author is also available to talk to your book club via Skype. (Oh that I had a book club!)

You can see more reviews of this one on the following blog stops:

Tuesday, February 8th: Chefdruck Musings
Wednesday, February 9th: Kelly’s Lucky You!
Thursday, February 10th: Book Club Classics!
Monday, February 14th: {Mis}Adventures of an Army Wife
Tuesday, February 15th: Books Lists Life
Wednesday, February 16th: nomadreader
Tuesday, February 22nd: Coffee and a Book Chick
Wednesday, February 23rd: Colloquium
Thursday, February 24th: The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness
Friday, February 25th: Books in the City
Monday, February 28th: English Major’s Junk Food
Tuesday, March 1st: she reads and reads
Tuesday, March 1st: The House of the Seven Tails
Wednesday, March 2nd: Boarding in My Forties
Thursday, March 3rd: Man of La Book

 



I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

To my Valentine

 The last year has been the craziest year. A new baby, a new house, a new job for both of us.  A year ago we were in Hawaii. Today we're in Pierre, SD and there is still snow in the yard and ice in the driveway. Tonight we're going to the school board meeting* instead of a romantic dinner.  I still think I'm lucky.



I love you, Mike.


*The Pirate's class is saying the Pledge, it's not like we picked it. Doesn't really matter, who wants to babysit on Valentine's!

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Kieran

1996-2011

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Random Friday, how does Friday get here so often?

Random Thoughts:

• The Bug made me make oatmeal on the stove this morning, even though he hates oatmeal. Then he ate it.
• On Wednesday, he had mac and cheese for breakfast. I cooked mac and cheese for breakfast. I couldn't think of a reason why not.
• The house that we are living in has sold. We will be moving again soon- once we find a new place.
• Our house has not sold.
• The Bug does not take naps. He does, however, fairly regularly collapse in this spot.
• How does one go about invited other Kindergarteners to their home when they have not met the parents? The Pirate and I wrote a note to another little boy and his mom, each of us writing half. I'm not sure how that will work but I couldn't think of another way. If there were a class directory, we did not get it.
• The Princess has two teeth, but don't think you'll ever get to see them.
• What kind of cellphone do you have? Is it a smartphone?

Books I Read This Week:

• Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1) by Karen Marie Moning. Loved it! Thoughts here.
• Bloodfever: The Fever Series (A Mackayla Lane Novel) by Karen Marie Moning. Cause Darkfever ends on a cliffhanger.
• Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. Still not far into this one.

A Look Back:

• I read Darkfever!
• We're going green.
• I participate in a Bloggy Craft Party.

Shop Update: Hahaha. Sew?  Ok, that's not completely true. I've been working on a secret project. Question: Do you think anyone would be interested in buying washable Swiffer rags on Etsy? Nothing fancy, just squares of flannel hemmed with the serger. Cheap? 

How was your week? Got big plans for the weekend? Got big plans for Valentine's Day? (we will be going to the school board meeting as the Pirate's class is doing the Pledge and a song at the meeting. SO romantic!)



I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Karen Marie Moning, you have made me neglect all other reading obligations and focus on you, good job! Darkfever is yet another first in a paranormal/urban fantasy series, which I needed like I needed a hole in my head, and yet I am hooked.

MacKayla Lane is your average pretty Southern girl- right up until her sister is horribly murdered while at college in Dublin. Mac can't stand the thought that no one is even investigating her sister's death so she hops on a plane to go investigate. It only takes a few hours before Mac realizes that all is not human and only a few days before she realizes that she, Mac, is in the middle of something really big, and really bad. There is a war coming between the Fae and the humans and Mac has a starring role.

So maybe you think you read enough paranormal series, that there are too many of them anyway and you don't need to be sucked into one more- I think you should give this one a shot.  It has a different voice from the others, very casual and friendly. At times it's annoying ("Mom says..") and at times it's just fun. There are a lot of mysteries left unsolved in this one (Who is Jericho Barrons, anyway?) and it is in no way a stand alone novel.  When you reach the end of it you'll either love it and want more more more or walk away with an unfinished story.

The copy I checked out of the library was Large Print (LOVE Large Print!) and had a cover more in line with the romance world. Despite these things, Mike picked it up and read it in an evening and then demanded I go back to the library and bring him the next four in the series. Unfortunately for him, books four and five were (and still are) checked out, but he blew through two and three in as many days. I'm a bit slower, my reading time has been taken up with my new job, but I am definitely in the camp of reading the next one immediately to see what happens. A big thank you goes to Christine for hooking us on these!


Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1)
by Karen Marie Moning
Thomson Gale
2006
444 pages
Source: Library



I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Going Green: Napkins, Swiffering, Baby food and Diaper wipes!

So often it seems that making the green or environmental choice also means making the more expensive choice or the choice that requires a lot more work on your part or the choice that is a lot messier on your part. Composting? Messy. Recycling (at least in my town) is not done curbside.  The energy efficient appliances often cost more up front, and my things always need replaced when we have the least amount of disposable cash.

With our recent move our budget has been restructured in such a way that I've been looking for ways to cut unavoidable costs. With two kids in diapers it is a given that we have to buy diaper and wipes. I could certainly go all cloth, and perhaps  that would end up cheaper or greener, but I am not willing to do that.  I did discover that for the baby at least, that flannel squares will work much better at wiping her little tush than store bought wipes of the cheaper variety. (For the Bug we still buy store bought ones.) I mixed a little baby soap, a little squirt of baby oil, and some water in a plastic wipes box, and I quick hemmed some flannel and now we have reusable wipes. I toss them in a little plastic basket in the laundry room after each use and when I'm down to one or two I do a small load of laundry, just the wipes,  on hot water with some bleach and that's it. And if you want to know the real details, the flannel was a couple old receiving blankets we no longer use, in a distinctive print so no one accidentally wipes their nose with one.

Baby food has been  more expensive with each child and I'm much more confident and relaxed with my third child, so we plan to make a small bit of food, and then mostly feed her what we're eating. I have a stick blender and I'm not afraid to use it! Plus, no more little jars into the garbage and landfill!

I hemmed a bunch of blue receiving blankets into Swiffer sized squares and bought floor cleaner of the spray and wipe variety instead of buying pre-moistened disposable Swiffer cloths. Works just as well and the Bug gets to help me with the spray, which he loves. He knows the blue rags are for the floor and often does it all on his own (minus the Swiffer itself.)

We've been using cloth napkins for years now and I don't buy paper towels for general use. We do keep a roll or two around for specific things like cat puke and cleaning toilets, but they aren't kept in a location that tempts you into drying your hands on them or wiping up milk with them. The cloth napkins are make from regular cotton fabric that I hemmed with my serger. We have little kid sized ones and adult sized ones. The Pirate even takes a Pirate printed one in his lunch.

Since I know that I can't afford the big environmental changes, it makes me feel good to know that I'm keeping stuff out of the landfill and saving myself money all in one go. I know there is some debate about washing all that extra stuff and the water usage,  but since the financial considerations are just as important to us right now, this is working. I admit I feel a bit crunchy when my in-laws come to dinner and I hand them a cloth napkin or pull out one of little miss's Christmas tree print wipes, but I also feel incredibly frugal to be reusing things in new ways, instead of just looking at them on the closet shelf. What things do you do that both saves your family money and helps the environment? What else could I be using those blankets for?



I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Sew Darn Crafty- Blog Party!

Karen, over at Sew Many Ways, is hosting a Blog Party! She didn't ask that we all blog about it, but it's such a great idea that I couldn't help but tell you. Do you sew? Knit? Crochet? She's set up a Mr. Linky to let us showcase any craft we want! I linked up to one of my knitting needle rolls, but I really wish I'd taken a moment to blog about the crazy fun scrappy project I'm working on right now so I could have added it instead. Go take a look, there are already a lot of cute things linked up!


I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Random Friday, new Saturday edition!

Random Thoughts:

• Sadly, the Pirate was not home for that excellent photo taking moment.
• It's Saturday,  not Friday. I had a crazy busy week for someone who doesn't work outside the home.
• Little miss has a brand spankin' new tooth!
• I brought the crib in from the garage (she's been sleeping in one of these- best invention EVER. Seriously, you need one if you are having a baby, cheap too) and the Bug insists that it's his bed. So it's still sitting in the living room in parts.
• It is 7:49am and already my children are fighting. Mike is at work all day. This is gonna be a great day.
• Anyone having a Superbowl Party? We are not and it seems we are not attending one either.
• The perfect job dropped out of heaven and into my lap this week. Seriously ya'll, perfect. More on that later.

Books I Read This Week:

• Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1) by Karen Marie Moning. Whoa. LOVE this. Mike loved it too and read a book a day for three days. Books 4 and 5 were already checked out though.
• Devotion: A Memoir (P.S.) by Dani Shapiro. Finished for a blog tour. I really enjoyed this.
• Ulysses by James Joyce. I, uh, read the forward.

A Look Back at Last Week:

• The house, it is for sale.
• A list of books.
• A rambling post on a snowy day.

Shop Update:

Very little shop sewing this week. There is one name banner underway, and another left the door this morning (or will), but that's really it. I've been squandering my sewing time on a highly creative (for me) project

How's your weekend shaping up?

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Anyone looking for a house? It's finally on the market.

After way too many delays and challenges, our house is finally on the market. You can see the listing here, and I encourage you to share it with anyone you know who is looking for a house in that area.

Now the waiting starts.

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Joyce is already cramping my style! A list of books.

I recently signed up for Jill's Jousting with Joyce read-a-long of Ulysses, which started yesterday. On Monday night I hauled out my library copy (New Random House Edition from 1961) and flipped through it to mark the non-existent chapter breaks. I finished up reading Devotion: A Memoir (P.S.) by Dani Shapiro, which I read for a book tour later this month. Then, for whatever reason, I read a few pages of Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1) by Karen Marie Moning. "Oh!," my brain thought, "this is way more interesting that Ulysses!" Then I started to think about all the other great books that I have check out from my library, my library where I was so worried wouldn't have any good books!  I thought you might like to see a list of the terrible, uninteresting, uninspiring, not-at-ALL-tempting books that I have checked out right now. Yes?

• Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1) by Karen Marie Moning, already started, as noted.
• Bloodfever: The Fever Series (A Mackayla Lane Novel) by Moning, always good to have the second in a series on hand
• Matched by Ally Condie, recommended, oh, everywhere
• Endless Summer: The Boys Next Door; Endless Summer (Simon Romantic Comedies) by Jennifer Echols
• Can't Stand The Heat (A Recipe for Love) by Louisa Edwards, food and romance, always good.
• One Day (Vintage Contemporaries Original) by David Nicholls
• Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, for the Printz
• The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers: A Novel by Thomas Mullen
• The Magicians: A Novel by Lev Grossman, for a buddy read

People! This is more books that I read in two months, even if I don't consider Ulysses in there! I think the new library and I will get along juuuuust fine.  And Mr. Joyce, you better be worth it this time!

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.