Mondays With Megan-Summer Reading Week 8: The Last Basket! 7/27

Happy Monday! (Sorry, I forgot to actually hit publish yesterday!) I had an exciting weekend. My loyal old car finally gave up the ghost. My mourning period was exactly 1 day. Then I got a new car, complete with new car smell. It’s been more than 10 years since I have had a new-new car. It’s exhilarating and nerve-wrecking all at once. My dog, Kevin, seems right at home, but he is still getting used to the hatchback. I think he resents not being allowed on the clean, light colored seats! Too bad for him.

Can you believe you have gotten to the LAST week of Summer Reading? I can’t! I think I saved my favorite basket for last. It has an awesome t-shirt and ninja swords!

What’s in Basket # 8? (Swords! It has swords!)

• Books!
  • The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
  • Four by Veronica Roth
• Candy!
  • Spree
  • Sour Patch Kids
  • Jolly Ranchers
  • Blow Pops
• T-shirt
  • pixelated shark and surfer
• Mini Oreos
• Silly string
• Minecraft mini-figure
• Foam ninja swords
• 1 Cleveland Gladiators ticket
• $10 Dollar Tree gift card

Speaking of summer coming to an end (I know, I know, you don’t want to hear about that)…I changed my bulletin board in the teen room to get ready for back to school. Much thanks to my teen volunteers for creating this display and Krista for helping me hang it. I can’t wait to see what favorite titles get added throughout the year.

I might have to add some of my current reads to the tree!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.

Finished:

• Life in Motion by Misty Copeland-♥♥♥. Misty Copeland is an unlikely ballerina. She is muscular and a bit busty and her skin is brown. She discovered ballet at a late age and did not have the money that is often required to pursue ballet. Despite the hardships, she is now the principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre. I really enjoyed Misty’s story, but I did not care for the audiobook reader. I will be adding this to my YA collection for sure.
• Armada by Ernest Cline-♥♥♥♥♥. The action of a video game becomes reality as humans are in a race to protect themselves from an alien invasion. Man, I LOVE Ernest Cline! Wil Wheaton reads the audio again and it is brilliant!
• Finders Keepers by Stephen King-♥♥♥♥. The second book in the Bill Hodges trilogy centers around the stolen unpublished works of a fictional iconic author. Bill, Holly, and Jerome are back on the case! This one does not have as much cat-and-mouse action as the first, but it’s just as good (if not better).

Current Audio:

Currently Reading:

On Deck:

Happy Reading!

~Megan

Mondays with Megan-Summer Reading Week 7!-7/20/15

Happy Monday! We still have a couple more weeks of Summer Reading, so be sure to register and start reading. Don’t forget, you can register and submit entries online.

What’s in Basket # 7?

• Books!
  • Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
  • Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender
• Candy!
  • Skittles
  • Swedish Fish
  • Jolly Ranchers
  • Blow Pop/Tootsie Pop
  • GIANT TUBE OF NERDS!
• Mini Oreos
• Hair chalk
• Selfie lens
• X-Men DVD
• Silly String
• Goofy pen
• 1 Cleveland Gladiators ticket
• $10 Dollar Tree Gift Card

I bought myself a hammock this weekend! I can’t wait to finish my grueling yard projects so that I can finally chill in the hammock with a stack of books! In the meantime, I am still doing a bunch of listening while I garden.

Be sure to check out more It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? lists at Teach Mentor Texts!

Finished:

• Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee-♥♥♥♥. Jean Louise Finch is a twenty-six year-old woman when she returns to her childhood home of Macomb, Alabama to visit her aging father, Atticus. It’s the 1950’s and civil rights issues are creating political and racial tensions throughout the South. It is during this trip that Jean Louise learns of the disturbing truth about her family. This book was never intended to be a To Kill a Mockingbird sequel, and thus, should not be read as one. I enjoyed Jean Louise’s memories of her childhood. I loved her uncle and I admired the grown Scout as she tried to come to terms with how reality did not match up with her memory.
• Isabel Spellman’s Guide to Etiquette by Lisa Lutz-♥♥♥. Quirky Isabel Spellman offers her opinion on Etiquette. This was a cute e-book.
• Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz-♥♥♥♥. This is the second book in the Spellman Files series. All the Spellmans are in crisis and keeping secrets and Isabel can’t seem to stop getting arrested. This was a reread for me and I enjoyed it as much as I did when I read it for the first time in 2008 (!).
• The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins-♥♥♥♥♥. Carolyn was a normal American girl until she and eleven other children were adopted by a man simply called Father, “adopted” them. The children were each assigned an area of study. Carolyn studies languages. All of the languages. Another studied war, another learned healing. None of the librarians, as they were called, were permitted to study any other collections. Much time has passed since they began their studies and Father is missing. Carolyn has the status of God in her sites and she has the tools to win. This book was nothing like what I was expecting and one it was certainly one of the weirdest things I have read! This contemporary fantasy may not be for everyone, but I loved this bizarre book!

Current Audio:

Currently Reading:

On Deck:

I am still working on the show The 4400 and enjoying a number of podcasts, including Mortified, Undisclosed, Strangers, Criminal, and All the Books!.

Happy Summer Reading!

~Megan

Top Ten Tuesday-My Most Recently Acquired Books-7/14/15

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is pretty self explanatory. All my recent acquisitions have been library books or ARCs. I haven’t bought myself any books in a while!

1. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. I was pleasantly surprised to discover I was in the first waves of holds for this controversial “new” book! I downloaded the audio and immediately got going. The story is read by Reese Witherspoon, who does a fantastic job. It’s a short listen and I had the morning off and a ton of yard work so I am almost finished. Finished! I like grown-up Scout.

2. This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp. I just downloaded this one this morning. It’s a 2016 debut release about a school shooting told from different POVs. I have about 10 e-galleys to read before I get to this one.

3. Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland. I ordered this audiobook through our interlibrary loan program. I am looking forward to listening to the autobiography of the woman who was just named the first African-American principle dancer in the American Ballet Theatre Company.

4. Lists of Note: an Eclectic Collection by Shaun Usher. I love lists!

5. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I am SO excited for this one!

6. Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson. I have heard such great things about this graphic novel. I need to have graphic novel binge reading day and read this as well as get caught up with Fables, The Walking Dead, and Ms. Marvel. I am so behind!

7. These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly. I am currently reading this e-galley. So far, so good!

8. The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness. I love Patrick Ness and am really excited to read his newest book!

9. Ink and Ashes by Valynne Maetani. This debut just came across my desk and after reading the first page I decided to take it home.

10. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman. This is another e-galley. I have heard good things.

I think this is a pretty diverse reading list, if I do say so myself!

Happy Reading!

~Megan

Mondays with Megan-Summer Reading Week 6! 7/13/15

Hello dear readers! I am little late with my Monday post, but better late than never, I suppose! We have 3 more fantastic gift baskets to give away to summer reading participants. Be sure to sign up and get reading!

What’s in Basket # 6?

• Books!
  • Perfected by Kate Jarvik Birch (signed!)
  • I Know What You Did Last Summer/Killing Mr. Griffin/Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan
• Candy!
  • Haribo Gummy Bears
  • Swedish Fish
  • Sour Patch Kids
  • Tootsie Pops
  • Jolly Ranchers
• Goldfish crackers
• Mini Oreos
• Goofy Pen
• Salt Water Spider Kit
• 1 Cleveland Gladiators ticket
• $10 Mitchell’s gift card

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts. Be sure to stop over there for more!

Finished: I had a fantastic reading week!

• Uprooted by Naomi Novik-♥♥♥♥♥. Agnieszka loves the little valley she calls home, despite the constant threat from the Woods. The valley is protected by a wizard, commonly known as the dragon. His price for this protection is a young maiden to serve him for ten years. Agnieszka fears her best friend will be taken. It turns out that is the last thing she should be worried about. I loved this gorgeous fantasy! Magic, folk-lore, a dragon’s tower, and a deadly forest come to life.
• So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson-♥♥♥♥♥. The author of The Psychopath Test spent three years researching high-profile public shaming victims. This is a fascinating and disturbing look at how people treat each other in this age of social media.
• Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon-♥♥♥♥♥. Madeleine has spent her life inside because she is literally allergic to the outdoors. Her mother and nurse have made her life as full as possible and she is content. Until Olly moves in next door. Soon she finds herself longing for a life she cannot have. Told in short chapters with illustrations, diary entries and illustrations, this debut novel is full of heart.
• Hand Drawn Jokes for Smart Attractive People by Matthew Diffee-♥♥♥. A collection of old and new comics and illustrated one-liners from New Yorker cartoonists. With chapters dedicated to smart attractive people in a variety of professions, there is a little something for everyone!
• Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg-♥♥♥♥. Mazie Philips is the kindhearted ticket seller of at Venice theater located in the heart of the Bowery. When the stock market crashes and plunges the nation into the Depression, Mazie takes it upon herself to help the homeless men of the neighborhood. Mazie’s life unfolds through diary entries and interviews. Inspired by as real-life New Yorker, Saint Mazie is is a story full of heart and heartbreak, hope and history.
• Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight-♥♥♥. When the body of an infant is discovered in the quiet town of Ridgedale, New Jersey, long-buried secrets come to the surface. This is suspenseful mystery with a pretty shocking twist!
• Splintered by A.G. Howard-♥♥♥♥. Alyssa is a direct descendant Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alice Liddell is also the source of a family curse that plunges the women in her family into madness. When Alyssa starts exhibiting symptoms of madness and her mother’s condition worsens, she decides to search for a way to end the curse. Her search leads her straight to Wonderland. I am so glad I finally picked this one up! It’s a fun retelling, full of familiar characters playing new roles. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series.

Current Audio:

Currently Reading:

Watching:

Happy Reading!

~Megan

Top Ten Tuesday-10 Hyped Books I Have Never Read-7/7/15

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish is all about those books that seem to get all the love, but we still have and/or won’t read. Many of these are fairly recent titles and most are on my TBR list, but realistically I probably won’t get to all of them.

1. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen. I think I have read two Sarah Dessen books and they were fine, but this one is getting so much hype I thought I would give it a try.

2. Young Elites by Marie Lu. I started this book when it first came out and it didn’t click immediately like I had expected. I really loved her Legend series and I wanted to love this one. So, I set it aside before it was ruined for me before it even had a chance. I will try it again soon!

3. The Winner’s Curse by Maria Rutkoski. I feel very “meh” about this one. I think I am okay with passing on it.

4. The Wrath and Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. I feel pretty confident that this one lives up to the hype. I will definitely be reading this one.

5. The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I am worried this will be another Young Elites. I keep putting it off. I can’t unhear the reviews that call it a let down. Sigh.

6. An Ember in the Ash by Sabaa Tahir. I have an ARC of this and STILL haven’t read it. Looking back over my list so far I am noticing I have listed quiet a few fantasies. Maybe I am just not in the mood for fantasy right now?

7. The Heir by Kiera Cass. It took my reading all three books in The Selection trilogy to realize I truly loathed everything about them. This one is not for me.

8. The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I am just not interested.

9. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. I just never got into this series. I tried the first one, but didn’t get very far before giving up.

10. Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Nope.

A few more that I won’t read:

Happy Reading!

~Megan

Mondays with Megan-Summer Reading Week 5-7/5/15

Happy Monday! I gave away summer reading prize basket this morning. If you want a chance to win the week 5 basket be sure to register online or in person and them get reading! What’s in Basket 5?

• Books!
  • Peak by Roland Smith
  • My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald
• Candy!
  • Sour Skittles
  • Buncha Crunch
  • Sour Punch straws
  • Blow Pop/Tootsie Pop
  • Jolly Ranchers
• Mini Oreos
• Silly string
• The Princess Bride DVD
• Rechargeable power bank
• Colored pencils
• Sharpies
• 1 Cleveland Gladiators ticket
• $10 Target gift card

Finished:

• None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio-♥♥♥♥. Kristen Lattimer, is the homecoming queen and track star. She has a great boyfriend and two best friends. Kristen knows something is wrong after she and her boyfriend attempt to have a more physical relationship, but she is not prepared for what she learns from the doctor. Kristen is intersex, which means she is outwardly female, but she also has a male chromosome and some male part. Dealing with this new reality is challenging enough, but when news of her diagnosis spreads through school things get even worse. This is a fascinating and fantastic story!
• Nimona by Noelle Stevenson-♥♥♥♥♥. Based on a popular webcomic, Nimona has something for everyone-knights, villains, dragons, and a nefarious “institute.” Ballister Blackheart his the villain of the story and Nimona is a young girl who shows up to be is evil sidekick. Nimona is relentless in her enthusiasm and reveals a very useful skill. My description doesn’t do this book true justice. There is fantastic back story about the hero and the villain. Nimona’s true identity is revealed in bits and pieces and her friendship with Blackheart is so sweet. The art is gorgeous. There are dragons and all the feelings! I loved this one and want more.

Current Audio:

Currently Reading:

Other media adventures:

Happy Summer Reading!

~Megan