What better way to enter a shiny new year than by welcoming a new reviewer to Reading Our Shelves! Tory has been a friend of mine for over a decade, and you can see her official bio here.
Look for some reviews by her in the coming months… but for now, let’s learn a little about what she loves to read!
Favorite classic: “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
Favorite author you’ve discovered in the past 3 years?: Gail Carriger and Alison Weir
Well, another year gone, and another year to obliterate some Goodreads goals. I finished 67 books in 2021, according to Goodreads. But, I wanted to delve a little deeper than that:
Not too terrible on reading some of the books I own! But that is one I want to do a little better at in the coming year.
Do you set reading goals? What are some of yours for 2022?
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Just a short celebratory post here – it’s my one year anniversary of contributing to this blog! So far, I’ve covered a lot of biographies, Advanced Reader Copies, and sci-fi.
I have one more #DiverseSFF review to post next month, and it’s a classic by a queen of the genre: Octavia Butler. And, while I’ve enjoyed my last two “missions,” I want to step back from assigning myself a specific genre for the next six months.
My new goal is going to be to tackle things that are on my TBR list, or books already in my (ever-expanding) inventory. My goal is to tackle at least two a month, although I probably won’t review every read.
I’m also going to read another #SummerClassic this year – or possibly even two, as the one I’m considering is rather short.
How are you tackling your TBR these days? Have you read any classics this year, or are you planning to? Stay tuned to this space, or follow us on Instagram to keep tabs on what we’re reading!
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Today I’m excited to share with you an Exclusive Excerpt from one of my newest favorite authors, Penelope Douglas. Her newest book “Tryst Six Venom” comes out June 3rd.
Marymount girls are good girls. We’re chaste, we’re untouched, and even if we weren’t, no one would know, because we keep our mouths shut.
Not that I have anything to share anyway. I never let guys go too far. I’m behaved.
Beautiful, smart, talented, popular, my skirt’s always pressed, and I never have a hair out of place. I own the hallways, walking tall on Monday and dropping to my knees like the good Catholic girl I am on Sunday.
That’s me. Always in control.
Or so they think. The truth is that it’s easy for me to resist them, because what I truly want, they can never be. Something soft and smooth. Someone dangerous and wild.
Unfortunately, what I want I have to hide. In the locker room after hours. In the bathroom stall between classes. In the showers after practice. 𝑀𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑠𝑤𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑀𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑝 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑟𝑡.
For me, life is a web of secrets. No one can find out mine.
𝙊𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙄𝘼
I cross the tracks every day for one reason—to graduate from this school and get into the Ivy League. I’m not ashamed of where I come from, my family, or how everyone at Marymount thinks my skirts are too short and my lipstick is too red.
Clay Collins and her friends have always turned up their noses at me. The witch with her beautiful skin, clean shoes, and rich parents who torments me daily and thinks I won’t fight back.
At least not until I get her alone and find out she’s hiding so much more than just what’s underneath those pretty clothes.
The princess thinks I’ll scratch her itch. She thinks she’s still pure as long as it’s not a guy touching her.
I told her to stay on her side of town. I told her not to cross the tracks.
But one night, she did. And when I’m done with her, she’ll never be pure again.
*TRYST SIX VENOM is a standalone, new adult, bully romance suitable for readers 18+. It will release directly into Kindle Unlimited!
I know social media gets a bad rep sometimes – it can definitely be a drain on our brain power, right? But somedays, I am amazed at the wonderfulness I randomly come across! Such is the case with Libi’s Library, which came to my attention through Instagram.
Elizabeth “Libi” Jane Upshaw died on March 21, 2020 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Libi loved playing piano, snuggling her pomeranians, growing plants, drinking coffee, phone calls with her daughter, relaxing on the back porch with her husband and most of all, cutting hair. When it came to hair styling, Libi was one of the best in the business for over 40 years.
Libi also loved reading books! Her favorites were mystery and thriller. Over the years, she collected hundreds of books and enjoyed sharing them with others. She even kept a “library” in the back of her salon for her friends to check out.
Her daughter, Mallory, says that what most people don’t realize about her mom is “how incredibly brave, strong, and selfless she was. She was diagnosed with small-cell carcinoma in July 2018. We suspect she had been sick for some time prior to that but she had spent the last several years caring for her dad who lived in a nursing facility with Alzheimer’s. She rarely missed a day to visit him… She continued to work as much as she could until about a month before she died. In fact, she was on hospice and very frustrated with me because I ‘wouldn’t let her work.’ “
After her death, Libi’s husband kept her hardcover books. Mallory inherited the paperbacks – to the tune of 1,147 books. She says, “I was devastated about the idea of them sitting in a box in my garage. However, I also knew that it wasn’t realistic space-wise for me to unpack and keep them.” So Mallory and her friends came up with Libi’s Library, as a way to share Libi’s love of reading.
People who hear about the books can contact Mallory through the website, or on social media. She ships books to them, with the understanding that the books will be distributed to local Little Free Libraries in the area. She usually sends about 10-20 books in a shipment and has books currently in 21 states. She hopes to have sent books to all 50 states by the end of the year. She has also received permission to start a Little Free Library at a local bakery near her house, so she’ll have her own location to keep stocked.
All the books have stickers on them telling Libi’s story. Libi’s books also have a gold star sticker. Mallory explains: “I would love to be able to continue to collect and share books in her memory even after all of her books are distributed, but I wanted a way to identify which ones were actually hers.”
Be sure to follow along with Libi’s Library on Instagram and Facebook, so you can see all the places her books travel! If you find a book of Libi’s in your local Little Free Library, post about it and share the story. And if you’re around Nashville, keep an eye out for the books I’m dropping off in the area.
February has a lot going on: Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, the Super Bowl. Among the many causes to stop and reflect, February is also a time to celebrate a place dear to most readers: the library!
A local library in Nashville.
For many of us, the library has been a great place to find new books, or learn new things. I know that my library system has been closed to the public since March of last year, though. They offer curbside service only, which still allows me to get books and movies – but no browsing.
I asked two of my librarian friends what these past months have been like for them and their libraries.
Missy works for the Memphis Public Library, as a Librarian Assistant specializing in tween programming.
Q: Is your library currently open, closed, or something in between?:
A: We are open with limited capacity, shortened hours, rotating schedule, no in person programming or meetings.
One of Missy’s take-home crafts!
Q: How has your specific job been affected by the changes your library has had to institute this past year?:
A: I implemented a successful take home craft program across the library system with grant money that may continue post-COVID.
Q: What (job-related) thing are you most looking forward to when things return to being fully open?:
A: I am most looking forward to hopefully hosting my big Harry Potter Halloween bash that got cancelled. Other programs are special too, but I really want this one to happen this year.
Q: What’s something you’ve read this past year that you’d recommend?:
A: “Know My Name” by Chanel Miller and “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei. My recommendations aren’t entirely reflective of what I usually read, but I’d also like to shout out anything under the “Rick Riordan presents” banner.
Theresa works as an Adult Programming Clerk for a countywide library system in Ohio.
Q: Is your library currently open, closed, or something in between?:
A: Currently open–depending on whether or not our county has a stay-at-home order in place. No meetings or in person programming. When the buildings are closed to the public, we still have staff answering the phones, providing reference assistance, offering curbside or drive through pick ups, and we recently added individual laptop reservations–because so much of what the library provides now is computer and internet access, so someone could reserve a block of time to use a laptop in an enclosed meeting room for school work, job searches, meetings, etc.
Q: How has your specific job been affected by the changes your library has had to institute this past year?:
A: Because my department plans programming and author events for the entire county library system, it’s been a big shift from in-person programs to virtual. Last year there were several months of different teams trying to figure out the best platforms for different kinds of programming. Looking ahead, we’re planning to have a full schedule of programming for our spring season–but everything will be virtual for now. But it’s raised questions about how to provide equity and access for people who don’t have internet at home to participate. So many people use the library primarily as their sole source of computer and internet access. I think most libraries have worked on boosting their wi-fi signal so that when buildings are closed, people can at least access the internet from the parking lots any time of day.
Q: What (job-related) thing are you most looking forward to when things return to being fully open?:
A: I think it will be great to be able to host in-person programming again–there are some limitations to virtual that you’re never going to be able to overcome without being in the same room. But I also think virtual programming is here to stay in some form–although it limits some people, it opens opportunities up for others. There was one instance with someone who has a hearing disability and was not going to do a workshop any longer, but then realized that the virtual version of the workshop actually made the program more accessible because it was easier to hear the group conversation through speakers or earbuds. Everything we can’t do right now is frustrating, but I really think that what we’ve learned from adapting to COVID is going to bring more options to life in a post-COVID world.
Q: What’s something you’ve read this past year that you’d recommend?:
Read more N.K. Jemisin
A: NK Jemisin’s “How Long ‘Til Black Future Month” is a vivid collection of short stories that really shows her range–hard sci-fi, fantasy, magical realism, historical, and a couple stories I can only describe as “culinary fantasy” (yeah, it’s gonna make you hungry).
And I’m in the middle of “The Overstory“by Richard Powers right now. I feel like I was a little late to this one–everyone was talking about it 2 years ago, but no one could really describe it beyond saying something like, “It’s a novel about trees. I can’t explain it but it’s amazing.” It’s gut-punchingly emotional, and at the same time, makes me want to do everything I can in my little corner to save the world.
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January is a time for making resolutions, and often those involve cleaning and organizing our spaces. If you’re a reader, your resolutions may have also involved setting a reading goal for 2021. Book swapping may just be a fun way to help you with both of those goals!
Late in 2020, I was introduced to a site called Bookpo.st. The man who started the site, Julian Baker, had the idea many years ago. Staying at home during quarantine finally gave him the time to sit down and work on the idea of a book-swap website. Being at home more meant that some people were also reading more, so it was the perfect time to bring the idea to life.
The site launched in June, and already has a few hundred members. Most of the active members are English-speaking right now – in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Members list books they want to swap, and can peruse books posted by other members. You can look based on your tastes, or just look at books in your country (for cheaper shipping!).
The site is free to use, and the shipping costs of sending someone a book is the only cost you would incur from making a swap.
Baker says of the site:
“We connect people who share a taste for particular books, authors and genres. We want people to be able to take a gamble when picking a book, because they trust and understand the other person’s taste. We want to link people and expand their reading worlds.
I know of two friendships now that have started because of us, actual meet for coffee type friendships, not just online. So gratifying!”
I did one swap before the holidays, and the cost of sending a (pretty thick) book via US media mail was $3.30. So, if you do find a book you want, it could be a pretty cheap way to get your hands on it!
Right now the site is available on desktop or mobile, but an app is in the works. You can also see the newest books added via the site’s instagram account.
Welcome to 2021! (And it couldn’t come too soon, right?)
For the last half year, I had set myself a challenge of reading a biography a month. I did a little more than that, as I actually reviewed eight of them for this blog.
But, I did like the idea of working through one theme at a time – even if I still do read other books at the same time. So, I have set myself a new goal for January – June of this year: Diverse Sci-Fi.
Science Fiction was one of my first loves, and I read quite a bit when I was a teen. In recent years, I’ve heard a lot about various authors writing within the Afrofuturism sphere – admittedly, I heard about a lot of them through listening to the Levar Burton Reads podcast.
(Momentary break to recognize what a legend he is, in both reading and sci-fi.)
So my list of authors to read from this subgenre has grown. Time to tackle that list!
I have not decided which books I’ll be reading every month yet, but I do know that I’ll be starting with “Binti,” by Nnedi Okorafor. I’m also reading this one along with some friends, which may provide me with some good conversations and thoughts beyond my own. Also, I will probably tag these entries as “diverse sff” because, having not picked the titles, I am not ruling out some fantasy titles.
Have you read any great Sci-Fi or Fantasy titles lately? Any favorite authors within those genres? Are any of them minorities, or authors from other countries? Let us know in the comments!
A realistic and heartfelt comedy, French Exit is bound to draw you in. Written by Patrick Dewitt, this novel will make you laugh and cry and gain a new perspective on both wealth and mortality.
Witty yet dark, humorous yet sobering, Patrick Dewitt’s French Exit is a must-read that shows the ups, downs, and oddities of a certain mother-son relationship. Aptly named, French Exit is the tale of what happens when mother Frances and son Malcolm become bankrupt and escape to Paris. Right with them is a character who later becomes my favorite, Frances’ independent cat, whom she swears is a reincarnation of her husband. With Frances’ egotistical attitude and Malcolm’s childish ways, this book is a rollercoaster from start to finish. I enjoyed the insight into what it would be like to flaunt the last of my money marching around Paris, taking in the sights and later becoming engrossed in life after money. The character developments, even that of the cat’s, are ones to be praised as well. Heralded as a classic dark comedy, Dewitt creates an exciting, hilarious, and of course, a sometimes sad situation out of something anyone could experience- poverty.
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