Happy Birthday Alexander!

So, September is closing up, bringing a cartload of birthdays -- Happy Birthday FirstBorn! and Happy Birthday, Youngest Brother!

I've also completed my Cybils Reading Challenge, and they haven't even opened up nominations for next year. This is a personal record for me. Reading the longest books first definitely makes this easier. Now I just have to go through and vote my slate and then see how far apart I am from all the Cybils judges.

I've settled into a new library routine based off the river library rather than the hill library, and I've even restarted my Reading-the-Library Quest. My kids are in school (they are enrolled in the Seattle School District, so this is a fairly new development) and all is right with the world.

This week I finished

Dory Fantasmagory, by Abby Hanlon -- Cybils Finalist
Sword of Rhiannon, Leigh Bracket - Sword & Laser bookclub
The Sackett Brand, Louis L'Amour - Tuesday bookclub
Ice Cream Shop, Jennifer Morris -- Cybils Finalist

I started:

Dead Ice, Laurell K Hamilton -- from my TBR list
Stone Mattress, Margaret Atwood -- Part of my Reading-My-Library Quest
Plague of Doves, Louise Erdrich -- For my 50 States challenge. Finally reading a book I own!

Bookjourney's "It's Monday" posts are still on hiatus (although she's back to reading and blogging, hooray to her!) but I'll check in with Teach Mentor Texts since I have a few kidlit books.

2015 Challenge Progress:

1. Cybils 2014: Complete! I bought the last one as the libraries didn't seem to have it. WOOT!
2. Where Am I Reading?: 34/51.  I already had a South Carolina, but I definitely need the North Dakota book I started this week. I've got a Maine book on deck.
3. Reading My Library: Woot -- my library reopened! Finished the first audio book and started the second. Also started reading the Large Print book by Margaret Atwood.
4. Award Winning Book Challenge: I have apparently stopped reviewing books. But I've ticked off many awards. 
5. Book Riot Read Harder: 22/24. I still need an African author and a book of short stories.
6. Alphabetically Inclined:  I V X  Z still missing. 22/26
7. Best of the Best 2012: 52/25.  I am stalled. Maybe time to go back?

Library Reopens! River Runs Under It Is Back!

My favorite downtown Renton library has finally reopened! Now the river flows under the stacks of books once again!

I'm not sure how I feel about all the changes. My instinct is to resist all change, so it takes me a while to get used to anything new. So I'm still sniffing around, deciding if I like the new reading area (lots of magazines, but maybe not enough Quick Picks?), children's section (good view of the river, but maybe too open for larger families with many kids to chase after), and shelves (are there enough of them? Would there ever be enough?). But at least I can restart my Library Quest -- to read a book from every shelf.  I've got a bunch of Large Print books ready to go, and I'm even grabbing the audio books which are the first section after the children's area.

It's actually been a few weeks, so I'm back to my more usual pattern of book picking. This week I got a small haul, the books from the hold shelf and then some music to houseclean to:

1. The Sackett Brand, Louis L'Amour, for my Tuesday night book club.
2. The Way Into Chaos, Harry Connolly. He's one of my favorite authors and I own this on NOOK but I prefer paper copies sometimes.
3. She Looks So Perfect
4. Les Miserables 
5. The Very Best of Harry Belafonte

I've currently got 41 things out from the library, including ebooks, music, books for me, and books for the kids. That's not too bad, right? Only one unfinished book is due next week, so maybe I'll keep on top of things...

I'll go sign in to Library Loot which is at The Captive Reader  this week to see what everyone else is getting.  Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief 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. 

Summer Reading List (Backwards, of course)

Well, the good news is that I got a lot of reading done this summer. The bad news is that I never went near this blog. I'm sure you all were bereft without hearing what books I've paged through. Fear not -- I kept a summer reading log!

My summer goal of reading a book each day ends tomorrow. I made it, but I counted everything I read, which included picture books. I've starred children's books, and double starred books I think of as picture books (which range from actual picture books to easy chapter books) because I don't count those in my reading totals for the year.

This week I read a pile of easy reads:

• Book Clubbed, Lorna Barrett. Cosy murder mystery set in New Hampshire. I really liked the relationship between the two sisters.
• Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones. A reread for family book club. I love this book.
• The Meaning of Maggie, Megan Jean Sovern. Cybils middle grade fiction.
• The Family Fortune, Laure Horowitz. For my Friday book club -- an interesting take on Jane Austin's Persuasion, but felt rather distant.
• A Bride's Story Vol 3, Kaoru Mori. Now my older son is also into these.
• The Perfect Match, Kristan Higgins. Contemporary romance with arranged marriage, which is a trope I find I enjoy. The baby-hunger was annoying portrayed through chattering ovaries.
• The Freedom Summer Murders, Don Mitchell. Cybils nonfiction about murders and racism.
• The Port Chicago 50, Steve Sheinkin. Cybils nonfiction about negligence and racism.
• Obsession in Death, J.D. Robb. Solid entry in the Eve & Roarke saga.

Bookjourney's "It's Monday" posts are still on hiatus (although she's back to reading and blogging, hooray to her!) but I'll check in with Teach Mentor Texts since I have a pile of kidlit books.

2015 Challenge Progress:

1. Cybils 2014: 76/81. I'm waiting on the hot books of the year to appear on my hold shelf, and there's one book my libraries don't have. Hmm.
2. Where Am I Reading?: 34/51.  Knocked off New Hampshire, am reading a South Carolina, and have requested what I hope is a Delaware book.
3. Award Winning Book Challenge: I have apparently stopped reviewing books. But I've ticked off many awards. 
4. Book Riot Read Harder: 22/24. I still need an African author and a book of short stories.
5. Alphabetically Inclined:  I V X  Z still missing. 22/26
6. Best of the Best 2012: 52/25.  I am stalled. Maybe time to go back?
7. Reading My Library: Woot -- my library reopened! I'm currently reading an audio book, since with the new construction that's the first thing after children's books. I think I'll pick up the next text book, although I'm trying to decide if I can skip Big Print books, since I find them unpleasant to read.

Summer Reading:

June:

19: Hunt For the Hydra *
20: MaddAddam
21: Forged in Blood 1
22: About that Night
23: A Matter for Men
24: Yonder Comes the Other End of Time
25: Bless Her Dead Little Heart
26: Chasing Cheetahs **
27: Feathers: Not Just for Flying **
28: When Lunch Fights Back **
29: The Case of the Vanishing Little Brown Bats: A Scientific Mystery **
30: Angel Island: Gateway to Gold Mountain **

July

1: Handle With Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey **
2: Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation **
3: Wyrd Sisters
4: Dragon Prince
5: Hex Hall
6: Big Nate Strikes Again **
7: The Return of Santa Paws *
8: Santa Paws to the Rescue *
9: Mouse Called Wolf  *
10: Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood *
11: Avatar: The Last Airbender: 6 **
12: Bird Lake Moon *
13: The Winner's Curse
14: Avatar: The Lost Scrolls: Earth **
15: Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights
16: Bone 1: Out From Boneville *
17: The Last Holiday Concert *
18: Code Talker
19: Sea Without a Shore
20: Curtsies and Conspiracies
21: All Four Stars *
22: His At Night
23: Popular
24: Half a Life
25: Strange Fruit
26: Castle Hangnail *
27: In Real Life 
28: Rapunzel's Revenge *
29: Codex Born
30: LumberJanes 
31: The Luck Uglies *

August

1: Beyond Magenta
2: To This Day **
3: End of Days
4: Peacemaker
5: Brimsby's Hats **
6: Shh! We have a Plan **
7: The Easter Cat **
8: Royal Airs 
9: Girl and the Bicycle **
10: Knight-napped *
11: Shadow Hero 
12: Through the Woods
13: Over Sea Under Stone *
14: Waistcoats and Weaponry
15: Bride's Story Vol 2 
16: The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage
17: Too Dangerous For a Lady
18: The Harlem Hellfighters
19: Bird and Squirrel On Ice **
20: Hidden **
21: Gaijin: American Prisoner of War **
22: Nickel Bay Nick *
23: Ballad **
24: Half/Life: Jew-ish Tales From Interfaith Homes
25: My Friend Dahmer
26: Being Mortal
27: Paddington At Large *
28: Wrong Way Around Magic *
29: Big Nate on a Roll *
30: Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist
31: Jinx's Fire *

September
1: Dumbest Idea Ever
2: The Just City
3: Ice Dogs *
4: The Martian
5: Lulu and the Rabbit Next Door **
6:  Violet Mackerel's Possible Friend **
7: Extraordinary Warren: A Superchicken **
8: Okay, Andy! **

Extras: Lulu's Mysterious Mission **, Clara and Clem Under the Sea **, Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey**, My New Friend Is So Fun**, Inch and Roly and the Sunny Day Scare **, The Chicken Squad: The First Misadventure**, Shadowshaper, Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake **, The Lion Who Stole My Arm**, Family Romanov, Obsession in Death, Port Chicago 50, Freedom Summer Murders, Perfect Match, Bride's Story 3, The Family Fortune, The Meaning of Maggie *, Howl's Moving Castle, Book Clubbed, Mrs Pollifax Unveiled, Penric's Demon, Year of Reading Dangerously, El Deafo*