Another month, another Library Checkout! Visit Charleen @ It’s a Portable Magic for the full story!
Well as you all know, my reading wasn’t strong in April. And while I found that I had a hard time finding time to read, that my focus was lacking when I did read, a funny thing happened when I was at the library: I got excited about the books I was finding.
For a hardcore booknerd this might not seem that noteworthy. But I was struggling, you guys. Instead of seeing possibilities when I looked at the books I had to read, I saw one other thing I had to do. When I looked at my TBR stacks, I didn’t see stories, I saw chores.
But the trips I took to the library had me leaving with a smile. I got that feeling you get when you know you’ve found exactly the books you were looking for.
I didn’t read a lot this month but I feel like everything will be better in May. So here’s what the month with the library looked like:
Read
Sisi: Empress On Her Own by Alison Pataki (the first book was better)
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (so fun)
The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante
Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford by Donald Spoto
Returned Unread
The Lights of Paris by Eleanor Brown
Currently Out
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield (for the second time)
The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel (currently reading)
Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
The Girl Who Walked Home Alone: Bette Davis, a Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler
Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud by Shaun Considine (can you tell that I have a new obsession?)
On Hold
Nothing right now. See list above!
What about you? What did you find at the library? Link up with It’s a Portable Magic!
The Paperback Princess 
I just blogged about Shanthi Sekaran’s “Lucky Boy.” It’s an amazing novel, but heavier than a beach read. Immigration issues, infertility, adoption, class, etc. I highly recommend it! If you want more details take a look at my review. We hosted a literary dinner for her, so we got to hear her read and then discuss the book. Fabulous evening!
I actually read that earlier this year – my review is somewhere around these parts! It was a much heavier read – beautifully written though!
Oooh – Roanoke Girls..interested to hear what you think! I found it kind of addictive even though it’s the kind of book I was a little embarrassed to admit I liked!
I can’t decide if I liked it or not. It was pretty transparent. I felt for Lane and Allegra and all the other girls but it was also kind of grotesque!
Glad you’ve got your borrower’s mojo back. I’m still trying to methodically work through two year’s worth of holds on my library account, so it feels a litlte more like a “chore” at the time, but when I bring them home, I’m not allowed to look at them, just have to keep reading from the top of the stack, so when I do get to pulling one of the “new” ones off the stack, they are exciting books again, it’s just the idea of having let the list get so long and messy that is tedious. (I’m not halfway yet, but soon, I think!)
Ugh, reading feeling like a chore is the worst. Glad you’re finding some of that serendipitous joy again.
I’m so glad you found some Joan and Bette reading at the library! I’ll have to look for your reviews to see what you thought. Wasn’t Feud fabulous?!
I get the whole chore aspect of reading. If it makes you feel that way, then dump your TBR. There is nothing better than the organicness of perusing library shelves.
My April library reading was pretty good. I loved both Desperation Road and Mistress of the Sun. May is going to be different, though. Too many new releases. I don’t have any checkouts planned!