Summer Reading: The TBR of Intrepid Reader Karen

Intrepid Reader Karen has published her summer reading list, and I think I can speak for all of us when I say, "I approve!" 

As we all can agree, TBR List Approval doesn't matter. We The Readers read what we want, and we support reading freedom for others. 

However, we are inordinately pleased when we see books we recognize — either read or to read — on someone else's summer reading list.

So, without further ado, I present Intrepid Reader Karen's 2019 Summer Reading List:

• The Psychology of Time Travel 
• The Girl With a Pearl Earring
• Relative Fortunes
• The Lost City of Z
• Women of the Bible (selected readings)
• Ruby Red
• Sapphire Blue
• Emerald Green
• Dream a Little Dream trilogy
• Finding Fraser
• The Ghost Studies
• Pirate
• The Iliad
• Stealing Time
• Released by the Highlander
• The Holy Bible (selected readings)

You will notice The Ghost Studies is on her reading list. We hope you will join us for this group read!  Click here for more information.

Personally, I am excited about a couple of books on this list,that have been in my sights for a while. Now that Karen is reading them, perhaps I'll pull them down from the shelf and read them, too. I love getting ideas on what to read from my fellow readers. I hope I can do the same for you in return.

Do you have any of Karen's books on your TBR list? Let us know in the comments below, or drop me a line, and maybe we can read them together!

Happy reading!

Ramp Up Your Summer Reading With The Ghost Studies

Do you want to ramp up your summer reading? Join your fellow book-clubbers in reading a fascinating book selected by Intrepid Reader Karen.

Karen has discovered a phantastic book titled The Ghost Studies: New Perspectives on the Origin of Paranormal Experiences by Brandon Massullo.

The Ghost Studies, according to Google, provides scientific explanations for paranormal occurrences, including:

• New and exciting scientific theories that explain apparitions, hauntings, and communications from the dead
• The latest research on the role of energy and electricity in hauntings
• The role that emotions, bioenergetics, and the environment play in supernatural phenomena
• New research into why some individuals are more prone to ghostly encounters

I am as skeptical as the next person, but I have had some inexplicable experiences that make me wonder what else there is in heaven and earth, and I'm willing to find out what Mr. Massullo has to say on the subject.

Readers, let's begin discussing the tome on September 2.

Oh, and start planning for our Autumn Read: The Iliad, a new translation by Caroline Alexander.

What books would you like to read together? Offer some suggestions in the comments below, or email me and I'll share your ideas with the rest of the group!

2019 Summer Reading Begins — Join the Club!

When Memorial Day comes around, my mind goes to two thoughts: gratitude for those who have given their lives to defend my rights and freedom, and summer reading.

The first book of the summer will combine both: Dogs of War, a graphic novel I discovered at my library.

After that is anybody's guess. Oh, I make a list, check it twice, and read some of the titles — but most summers, I stray from the list because the next new book captivates me, and I lose track of all of the books.

The best part? It's the beginning of the 2019 Summer Reading Club.

The Summer Reading Club lasts from the Friday before Memorial Day to the first day of autumn — so, this year, from May 24 through September 23.

To join the club, just send me a message or comment below, then read as much as you wish. Spend long summer days lounging with a book and a cold drink. I want you to be so immersed in your books that you forget about lunch. The club member who reads the most will receive a book from me. You get a book you like, I get to give it to you: that's a win-win!

In return, I ask that you give back. For every book read, I want you to pledge time or money: donate to the public or school library, little free library, or literacy program of your choice. Choose cash (a buck a book, or the cost of all books read, or even a copy of the books themselves) — or find out how your library or literacy program prefers its donations. Remember: volunteer hours are an excellent way to give back, whether it's to the library or another organization of your choice.

So, back to the matter at hand: books. Right now, I foresee a Summer of Sequels, which includes (in no particular order): 

• Of Blood and Bone
• The Map of Days
• Waking Gods
• Wolf Hall
• Lady Cop Makes Trouble
• Time's Convert
• The Bear and the Nightingale
• As Chimney Sweepers Turn to Dust
• The Map of Time (re-read)
• After the End of the World
• The Storm of Locusts
• Mary Poppins Opens the Door
• Peril in Paperback: A Bibliophile Mystery
• Probable Paws: A Mystic Notch Cozy Mystery

Oddly enough, I am not really a fan of book series. Under most circumstances, I rarely continue beyond the third or fourth book, especially if there seems to be no end to the series or there are large gaps between the installments. I will pretend I waited until now to start the Cromwell series because Hilary Mantel has a publication date for the final book of the trilogy; thank you for playing along.

Here are a few other titles on my nightstand I'll add to the mix:

• Severance
• No Visible Bruises
• Children of Blood and Bone
• Where the Crawdads Sing
• Small Great Things
• Empire of the Ants
• Gingerbread
• I was Anastasia
• One Day in December
• The Book of the Unknown
• The Lilac Girls
• We Were Eight Years in Power
• Behind the Scenes at the Museum
• The Keeper of Lost Things
• 4 3 2 1
  
• Anything is Possible
• Norse Mythology
• The Power
• Hamilton: The Revolution
• The Intuitionist
• Ready Player One
• The Book of Harlan
• The Lost City of Z
• The Gun Seller
• The Lowland
• And the Mountains Echoed
• Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter 
• The Sixth Extinction
• Bellman and Black
• Just Mercy
  

Warning: my "finished" list will most likely look very different than the list above. That's fine. Your list probably will, too. If you share your STBR (Summer To Be Read) list with me, I am glad to share it with your fellow clubbers — or you may post it in the comments below.

We are all friends here. We do not judge each other's reading choices or media. Enjoy your E.L. James or your Encyclopedia Brown. Listen, or look at a page or pixel. Your fellow readers may ask questions, maybe offer suggestions for other similar reads or good book resources, and we always appreciate reviews or feedback. Reader to reader, we can have fun. 

Best of all, no pressure! No matter how many books you read (or don't), you are still a reader and we're glad you're in the club.

So, who's in? Let me know!

Summer Reading: Karen Had a Blast!

Intrepid Reader Karen had a great summer reading.

How great? Well, it looks like she consumed the entire Outlander series and immersed herself in cozy mysteries. 

Did you know "cozy mysteries" is a thing? I have been reading them for ages and just thought that was my author's pet name for her series. 

"Cozy mysteries" apparently involve cats saving humans from their own foolishness. (Maybe it's just me....) Well, I know my cats are exhausted each night after they keep me out of danger every day, even when I am at work — thanks to the Cat Networks.

At any rate, here is what Karen read this summer:

1. Troublemaker 
2. Outlander 
3. Dragonfly in Amber 
4. Voyager 
5. Drums of Autumn 
6. The Fiery Cross
7. A Breath of Snow and Ashes 
8. An Echo in the Bone
9. Written in my Own Heart’s Blood 
10. Murder in the Art Gallery 
11. A Sip of Murder:A Japanese Tea Garden Mystery 
12. Cream Puff Murder
13. Gone with the Ghost 
14. You’ve Got Tail
15. The Secret of Seaside 
16. Cruel Candy 
17. Marigolds and Murder
18. Wicked for Hire 
19. Sweets and a Stabbing 
20. Bakeries and Bones
21. Horribly Haunted in Hillbilly Hollow 
22. A Shot in the Bark
    

What an ambitious summer! Intrepid Reader Karen knows how to get some good books under her belt.

As a reward for a summer well-spent, Karen received a copy of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore — which you all might want to put on your holiday gift list. Just saying.

What did you read this summer? Did you discover a new author or genre? Let us know: comment below, or send me an email.

Have you plotted out your Winter Reads, or are you winging it and banking on a book bonanza for the holidays? Discuss!


And a special shout-out to the artist of this year's Summer Reading graphic: Beth Wilson and her DoodleCats!

Summer Reading: The TBR Stack Edition, or What Karen is Reading This Summer

I hope your summer reading is coming along swimmingly. 

If you are in the areas on the globe experiencing record rains and/or record heat, hopefully you can spend extra time indoors and get more reading done.

Intrepid Reader Karen has planned her summer reading carefully, and I see at least one or two books from her list that dovetail with titles I find interesting. Who among us has not salivated over adventure tales or time-travel stories? I rest my case.

So, without further ado, here is Karen's reading list (also fondly referred to as TBR, or to be read, stack):

1. Pope Francis’ Little Book of Compassion
2. Troublemaker 
3. Never Broken: Songs are Only Half the Story 
4. Outlander series books 1-8
5. The Case of the Green-Dressed Ghost 
6. Beyond the Fortune Teller’s Tent
7. Legend of the Jade Dragon 
8. The Pocket Watch
9. Holy Bible 
10. Morna’s Legacy 
11. The Ruby Red Trilogy 
12. Dragon Bones
13. Lost City of Z
14. The Source 
15. The Secret Scroll
16. Man & Horse: The Long Ride Across America 
17. Elixir: A Teen-Genius Medical Thriller 

I adored the Ruby Red Trilogy, and I have been meaning to read The Lost City of Z for ages. I read only the first Outlander novel, so maybe it's time to see what's up with Claire and Jaimie. And, frankly, who doesn't love Jewel?

So, what's in your TBR pile? Join the club, and win a chance at a new book! Post your list in the comments below, or send it to me and I'll share with the class!

Summer Reading: Read More — Yes, You Can!

Summer is the perfect time to read. Even though summer days remain 24 hours, they feel longer, which is a delicious situation for readers. 

School is out, work very well could slow down, and summer vacations away from the distractions of life present ample opportunities to bury yourself in a book.

We can create opportunities to increase the amount of time we read with a few tweaks to our habits.

(By the way, feel free to apply these practices appropriately to other activities you'd like to spend more time doing.)

• Put down the social media. Take the summer off of your personal social media use. Trust me, it will still be there when you get back — and chances are, it will be easier to use, less intrusive, and maybe even a little more civil. 

• Can't step away from personal  social media use? First, see a professional about this issue, then set limits for social media use:
• set a timer for only a few minutes, then stop when the timer goes off
• only read social media in certain situations that limit your time
• X number of stops on your train commute
• on the potty (to which you needn't admit)
• on your 15-minute breaks at work
• via certain electronic devices only (when you can access your desktop computer, for example, or at home on your tablet)

• For the record, "setting limits" includes this blog. Check in to see what's up and enjoy my delightful and entertaining posts, then get back to reading.

• Turn off the television — or whatever you use for "screen time," including You Tube, Netflix, and Hulu. 
• Too radical? Then try Appointment Television, watching it "live" on the broadcast channel, or on a schedule (The Crown at 7 p.m. only on Thursdays, for example).

• Read aloud with a buddy, alternating chapters or voicing characters. This increases the time you spend with friends (in person or virtually) and you get your reading in!

• Get your family in on this deal: listen to audiobooks on road trips — or be like my friend Carole who reads aloud as her family motors down the road together. (She is hardcore.)

• Get a single copy of a book you want to read, and set a deadline to share it with a reading buddy.

• Join your library summer reading program, so you double the incentive for reading a lot. And if your library doesn't offer incentives for adults, talk to your librarians to change that.

• Visit your library regularly. Make a weekly date, or spend time there instead of at work when avoiding rush hour. Yes, this way is fraught with peril, snatching books to stack on your TBR pile, but how else can you find your next read if not at the library?

• Talk you your friendly neighborhood librarian and get introduced to books you will willingly put before other forms of entertainment.

These are just a few ideas, and no doubt you know of others that have worked for you. So, tell us: how do you make ample time for reading? Post your suggestions below, or contact me directly and I'll share with the rest of the class!

Summer Reading: What's on my TBR List?

Summer reading is fraught with peril.

Choose the wrong books and you've wasted your summer reading bad books. Choose nothing at all, and you may read nothing.

Choose too many books and you could be paralyzed with fear at the tide of books you face, and the possibility that you may not finish. Choose only a handful of books and so many are left unread.

Choose books, then risk not reading those particular tomes because you stumbled across other books.

Okay, "peril" is a strong word — but you get my drift. With choice comes limitation, or responsibility, or paralysis. Or, in my case, failure.

Last year, I listed 45 books I wanted to read. Of the 26 books I read last summer, eight were on the original list. Some books have been on the list for years. Some books are pies in the sky. Some books will always be on my TBR shelf.

However, this year, I decided to take a different approach. Instead of rustling up gobs of books from my bookshelves, scouring my library and my wish lists, I simply looked at what was on my nightstand.

Well, "nightstand" isn't quite accurate: In March, my husband David installed the floating shelves my stepson Phil gave me for Christmas (left). That has lightened the load on the nightstand itself, but I keep a few there anyway so I can reach them for reading in bed.

More importantly, it gave me the opportunity to prune the books teetering on my nightstand. There are two ways to look at TBR stacks: opportunity or oppression. By thinning the stack awaiting me for nighttime reading, I could see them as the former, and enjoy them more.

So, here are my Upstairs TBR Bedroom books, in no particular order:

• Less
• Small Great Things
• The Divine Comedy
• A Man Called Ove

• Hamilton
• The Book of the Unknown
• The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu
• Being Mortal
• Reading Dante
• Standard Deviation
• The Bear and the Nightingale
• The Lilac Girls
• The Fall of the House of Cabal
• March (books 1, 2, 3)
• Educated
• We Were Eight Years in Power
• The Keeper of Lost Things
• 4 3 2 1
• The Art of War Visualized

I have a few more books in the home library that I will include on this list — but only once I clear these books from my upstairs shelves.

This does not include the multitude of books on my Kindle and in Audible, which often (but not always) duplicate what I have on my shelves. Among those is:

• Norse Mythology
• Lady Cop Makes Trouble
• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
• Differently Morphous
• The Power
• Welcome to Night Vale

Some of these books intersect with those to be featured this autumn at Fall for the Book, and the serendipity makes me smile. Others that have not yet been read will be, if not this summer, then at least before the October festival.

Those sentiments — home library, multiple books on multiple platforms, attending a major book festival — are steeped in privilege, and trust me, I know full well the privilege of purchasing and reading books. I share my good fortune when I can, and I hope those folks whose share my good fortune also spread the love of books and reading.

So, in a nutshell, that is what I hope to read this summer. I have heard from another reader, Karen,  whose reading list we will see in the coming days  — and yes, for ideas as well as for support.

What's on your nightstand or bookshelves that you plan to read this summer? Share your summer reading list in the comments below, or send it to me and I will share it with our fellow book lovers!

Summer Reading: Get With the Program

Summer reading means hot days and humid nights reading any book you darn well please.

Reading with friends makes it even better — so get with the Program!

That's the whole reason for the Summer Reading Program: to gather friends, make new friends, and READ.

The Summer Reading Program lasts from the Friday before Memorial Day and the first weekend in autumn. In 2018, that is Friday, May 25 through Sunday, September 23. 

If you read the most of anyone in our program, I will give you a book. (I know, right?)

So, to get in on this sweet deal, what do you have to do? Not much. Contact me directly or leave a comment below. 

We programmers can tell each other what we are reading, what we plan to read, what we actually read, and what we would read if we had way more time.

What kind of books count? All kinds! Mix a few graphic novels in with non-graphic novels, catch up on your comics, toss in some audiobooks, and front-load the e-reader of your choice. (We are equal opportunity here at the Summer Reading Program: Nooks, Kindles, tablets, phablets — all are welcome.)

Kickstart your reading with a treat: go to your favorite book source and pick up that book you have been promising yourself you will read. 

Is it trashy? Good. 
Is it short? Excellent. 
Is the cover bright? Perfect! 
Is it the next in your beloved series? Go for it!

Once I figure out how to easily put my photos on my computer (long story), I will share my reading list — which consists of books that are literally hanging around my nightstand.

Even if you don't join the reading program, I still would love to know: what's on your summer reading list? Tell me!chattingwithchris@gmail.com

And a special shout-out to the artists of this year's Summer Reading graphic: Beth Wilson and her DoodleCats!

August Reading, Had Me a Blast!

August was my month away from most social media (and a few other distractions), so I finished quite a few books.

I got into a groove with a few graphic novels. I laughed, I cried, I coveted the skill of illustration. (My stick figures frighten children, so I don't doodle. I take copious notes. Seriously, people, even my less than stellar handwriting is better than my doodles.)

I met a few characters I never knew, including relatives of daring adventurers pressed into service in a steampunk world and an impetuous man-child who really needed the very role model he lost.

I indulged my new interest in mystery novels with a couple of ridiculously fun novels that featured smart women and their cats. (I could have done without the romance, but at least one of the series isn't too sappy about it.)

I read a new novel by an old favorite author — and hated it.

I read a book I read once before, a few years ago, and all the while kept wondering why it was so familiar.


And, just hours before August began, I finished listening to what I think may have become one of my favorite books. A second Desert Island Book. What a treat!

Of course, many of the books on my TBR pile remain there, but I am okay with that. I enjoyed what I have read, and I can't wait to tell you more about my summer reading.

What have you been reading? Where did you get your books? Would you recommend any of them to others? Do tell!

July Update: Summer Reading

My summer reading is progressing deliciously. I continue to savor the wonderful Pride and Prejudice, days after the final words were spoken to me by the lovely Rosamund Pike.

I loved that book not just because the audio version was wonderful, but the book itself was amazing. I knew the story from various resources, but each different performance could nowhere nearly match the magic of the original. I suspect I shall re-read this classic more than once in the coming years.

In "News of the Obvious," I think I found another Desert Island Book.

But Darcy Love aside (and I mean Elizabeth), I am enjoying the summer. I stay up much later than I should and choose books based on my whim.

To date, I have finished the following:

1. Ruined
2. The Burning Page
3. Speaking from Among the Bones
4. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
5. Big Little Lies
6. Anna Karenina
7. The Lies that Bind
8. My Best Everything
9. Forgotten Bones
10. The Handmaid's Tale
11. Pride and Prejudice

I am currently reading:

1. Star Wars: Jedi Academy
2. The Miniaturist
3. The Clockwork Scarab
4. The Fall of the House of Cabal
5. The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Yes, I really am reading five books at a time. I will need to restart (again!) my final Cabal book because it's a little slower-moving than the previous ones. 

Jedi Academy is way too cute to postpone.

I am not sure how much I appreciate steampunk London, especially with all of the steam they use for everything. (At least I understand "steam" punk better.)

I read the first two chapters of #6 as soon as it arrived in the mail, and I can't wait to return.

I do not expect to break any reading records this summer, but I am fine with that. What I want to do is enjoy a few books, and I have been able to do so thus far.

How goes your summer reading?

Summer Reading Meets Book Ennui

Entire weekends of reading! Long nights of nothing but book time! It's summer! Woo hoo!

Well, don't spill your lemonade, but this year's summer reading is starting off very slowly for me.

You'd think that I'd have more than three book under my belt after three weeks of summer reading.

Nope, just three. A whopping 839 completed pages. A fabulous 839 pages that includes a Pulitzer Prize-winning play, but still a paltry sum of pages and books (including one book I began reading literally months ago).

Oh, don't get me wrong: I'm reading. My nightstand reading stack is dwindling, somewhat. I am nearly halfway through Anna Karenina, and I picked up the latest by Arundhati Roy, hot off the press.

I'm just not tossing back the books at a breakneck speed as intended.

I will continue to plug along, and pick up interesting books along the way. I won't break down, but I will limp along a little slower than anticipated. Wish me luck!

What do you do when you experience book ennui? Do you dial back the reading to give your psyche a rest, break on through to the other side no matter what, or wallow the ennui until it dissipates?

Summer Reading: Karen's List

Summer reading has begun! Are you as excited as I am? 

The Summer Reading Club is in full swing. It means days full of reading books: hopefully good ones, of course, but take a risk from time to time. Go out on a limb and reach for a book that may be different from your usual fare. Try a different media: try recorded books, or print, for a change of pace.

Ambitious Reader Karen has shared her reading list with us, and I'm very pleased to see a couple of books she and I both own. I will have to make sure she and I synchronize our Kindles to activate extra fun reading!

Here are her summer reading books, in no particular order:

• A Second Daniel
  
• The Haunting of Ashburn House
• Stirrings in the Black House
• The Miniaturist
• The House
• Little Red
• Switching Hour
• Darcy's Ultimatum
• The Templar's Cross
• Georgianna Darcy's Diary
• Secrets and Sensibilities
• Indiana Belle
• Crossings
• Nothing to Croak About
• The Chocolate Cure
• Evil Librarian
  
• Rising Sun
• Wobble to Death
• Servant of the Crown Mysteries: Lost Innocents, Season of the Raven, Season of the Fox
• Tempest at Dawn
• Glorieta Pass
• Collide
• Tequila and Tea Bags
• The Passage
• Chocolate Shop in Paris
• Freedom's Sword
• A Spell of Trouble
• The Bees
• Troublemaker
• Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story
• A Night Without Armor: Poems
  
  
• Chasing Down the Dawn: Stories From the Road
• A Strange Beginning
  
  
• Beautiful Storm

Do you see any books that look good to you? Check them out from the library, or see if they're in your Kindle Prime or Unlimited reading bank.

By the way, did you know that Kindle Prime readers have some great options open to them for free reading? Check out the list, which includes modern classics 1984, Animal Farm, and The Handmaid's Tale.

If you don't want to make a list, that's cool, too. Just start reading — and feel free to drop me a line to let me know what pages you are turning.

Summer Reading: Making a List!

Summer means reading — and summer reading club! 

Remember back in the day, when reading came with rewards? In my local library, readers would have their names posted with the number of titles read during the summer. One year, I read 4o books. My librarian was skeptical — then she remembered how I sat in the library for hours at a time, reading. Forty it was.

Getting a shout-out on Hedgehog Lover may not be as cool as having your name posted on the Norwalk Library children's section activity board, but it's still not bad. 

Visit your library (public or private), your local bookstores and thrift shops, yard sales and online book suppliers, friends and family, and choose what books look like they need to be read this summer.

So here's what I hope to consume this summer between the Memorial Day weekend and the first weekend in autumn. This year, that date is Friday, May 26 through Sunday, September 24.

First of all, please take a moment to think about Memorial Day, and understand what it really means, 149 years after it began as Decoration Day in an Illinois town. May we strive for peace, and love, and the things that bring us together.  

In that vein, we may want to add a book to our list that reflects Memorial Day, and an article published by the Los Angeles Times may be a good place to start. 

My list is more a "wish" than carved in stone, but here it is, in no particular order:

1. Hamilton: The Revolution
2. Evicted
3. Anna Karenina
4. Lady Cop Makes Trouble
5. The Burning Pages
6. Dark Money
7. Map of the Sky
8. The Intuitionist
9. Ready Player One
10. The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books
11. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu
12. Me Before You
13. Yesternight
14. The Fall of the House of Cabal
15. The Descent
    
16. The Book of Harlan
17. At the Water's Edge
18. Thank You for Your Service
19. The Glass Sentence
20. The Keeper of Lost Things
21. The Lost City of Z
22. Wicked
23. Bone Season
24. The Gun Seller
25. Wolf Hall
26. The Lowland
27. And the Mountains Echoed
28. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter 
29. The Sixth Extinction
    
30. Revival
31. Bellman and Black
32. Just Mercy
33. Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits
34. Redeployment
35. The Handmaid's Tale
36. The Case Against Sugar
37. The Magicians
38. The Unbanking of America
39. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
40. Welcome to Night Vale
41. Hidden Figures
42. Speaking from Among the Bones
    
43. Ruined
44. The Bear and the Nightingale
45. Uprooted

I suspect this list will change. As soon as something looks or sounds good, it will be on the list. I can't help it!

Join the Summer Reading Club and put yourself in the running for a new book. Read as much as you wish from Friday, May 26 through Sunday, September 24, and if you read the most books, you will win a book of your own.

To join the club, just send me an e-mail or leave a message below. Then, at the end of the summer reading period, send me a message or include your reading list in a blog comment. If you read the most, congratulations! If not, you still are a winner because you spent your summer reading.

I've already had a few e-mails from eager readers, and I can't wait to read your list!

I make sure summer reading is beneficial to my community. As I have done in years past, I will  donate $5 per book I read to Main Street Child Development Center (minimum $150) (I know, no sweat, right?), and I will buy three new books for the Fairfax County Public Library from its Amazon Wish List. 

Hopefully, reading club members also will find a way to help their communities through their reading, or to help share the love of reading with their communities. It's not a requirement, of course, but it certainly is a worthy effort. It doesn't have to be financial support, either — think of what the community wants and needs. Every reader can determine what is within her or his power to bestow.

Even if you don't join the reading club, I still would love to know: what's on your summer reading list? Tell me!