National Library Week

This is the Grande Bibliotheque in Montreal. It is 33,000 square feet and is the National Library and Archives of Quebec. It is one of 67 libraries in the area. It is an amazing building, and the picture does it no justice. It even has a gift shop!

This week is National Library Week. I have always loved libraries, ever since I was little. There is just something about them that makes me happy. I love to walk around looking at all the shelves. I love the smell of books (my husband thinks that is really weird). I am starting graduate school in the fall to get my master's in library science at McGill University in Montreal. I am really excited and nervous. It has been a while since I've gone to a library to check out books, mostly because I previously lived in a small town with a tiny library. Also, for the last year I have been trying to read the books that I already own. I am hoping to start going to libraries soon, especially since there are many in Montreal. I am also really excited to become a librarian.

In honor of National Library Week, Kate from The Neverending Shelf is issuing a challenge. There are two parts to this challenge:
Part 1:
For every comment that this post receives, I will be donating a 1/4 of a book to my local library. This means that for every 4 comments, my library will be getting a book off my shelves. Please limit the comments to something relevant to this post. You can give us tips on how you can support your local library... Tell us what makes your library special... Etc.

Part 2:
Create a post about the challenge. You can telling us about your local library, tips on how you can make your library, etc. and then pass this challenge along to your readers. You can keep the stakes the same, make them less, or even up them.. the choice is yours. Once you have done this, please link your post in Mr. Linky so that others can see what you can done. Additionally, I will be selecting one lucky winner to select 5 books from my shelves or $25 to spend on Book Depository. If you are international, I will give you $25 to spend on Book Depository. You are more than welcome to read the books before you donate... I just ask that you actually donate the books.

I am going to participate in this challenge. For every comment I get, I will donate 1 book to my local library. I might donate more, because I'm a new blogger and don't get that many comments yet. So comment here and go visit Kate's blog and comment there!

Read-a-thon wrap ups

So I'm a bit late to write a wrap up post for the read-a-thons. But I figured I'd do it anyway. I participated in both the Clear Away the Clutter read-a-thon sponsored by Kate at The Neverending Shelf and Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon.

I did a pretty good job of devoting some time to read every day. From Monday to Friday I managed to finish 5 books, which is pretty good for me.
The Sea of Monsters
The Canterbury Tales
Maus v. 2
The Titans Curse
A Dirty Job
On Saturday, I got up fairly late and didn't really feel like reading much. I think it was probably because I had read so much in the last week. That on top of the homework I had been doing made me a little burnt out. I forced myself to read a bit and managed to finish 3 books.
Schindler's List
The Rescue- Nicolas Sparks
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Overall, I am pretty pleased. I read 8 books in a week, which is a lot more than I can usually do. Hopefully this summer I'll be able to read more when I don't have school and homework to do.

Read-a-thon Mid event Meme

1. What are you reading right now? Schindler's List, Outlander, The Rescue

2. How many books have you read so far? 1

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Finishing The Rescue

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? I finished my homework due next week.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I got tired about 3 and took a short nap.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? How many people are participating. It's wonderful!

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? No.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? Next time, I'm going to read shorter books.

9. Are you getting tired yet? Nope.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? Lots of caffeine! I am switching books after 50 pages or so to mix things up.

Read-a-thon Mini Challenge: If the Cover Fits

Moving

Scary

Vibrant

Disturbing

Beautiful

Book Blogger Hop

I love finding new book blogs and getting inspiration from them. I am a very new blogger, so I am excited about the Book Blogger Hop. I get excited every time I log in and see I have a new follower.

ABOUT THE HOP:

This is a weekly event, hosted at Crazy For Books, where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read. It’s a great way to network with other bloggers and make new friends! In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start Hopping!!
Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

Read-a-thon week: Day #4

Day 4 of the Read-a-thon is about TBR piles and keeping it in check. Today's questions are brought to us by Teens Read and Write.

1.) Is there at least one book on your growing TBR that has been there forever and (if you were honest) you could give up without to much trauma?
I consider my TBR to be the books I currently own. I am trying to not buy any new books and only read the books I already own. However, I also have many books starred in my GoogleReader from other blogs, as well as on my paperbackswap wish list. Of the books I have, I would like to at least try to read them all, because I already own them. The one book that comes to mind is The Green Mile by Stephen King. I have never read anything by him and I don't think I would like his books.

2.) What is your latest "Gotta Have It" book? (that you can get once you've given up that one in question #1)

Several books come to mind. I am waiting for the latest Sookie Stackhouse book by Charlaine Harris to be released in May. I am also looking forward to the last Hunger Games book by Suzanne Collins. As for books already out, I am trying to get all of Margaret Atwood's books. I have a few of hers and am looking forward to reading the rest.

3.) What are your classics - you're 'comfort books' that you never want to give up?
Most of the time, after I read a book, I get rid of it. However, there are a few books that I keep. Margaret Atwood's books, Night by Elie Wiesel, and Little Women are ones that are on my keep shelf.

4.) What are your best tips for keeping that TBR in check?
I don't really have any tips. One thing I try to do is to not buy many books. I will buy some if they are on sale or at used book stores or if they are by one of my favorite authors.

Read-a-thon week: Day #3

I have been participating in the Read-a-thon this week, but I haven't had time to participate in the daily activities. Also, my blog is not old enough to organize it. I decided to participate in day #3 because I really liked the idea.

To complete today's activity you must:

•Create a post sharing with us 3 blogs that you love. They can be new, old, or just underappreciated.

•Your post should include the blog's title, url link, and a small blurb about why you enjoy this blog so much.

I follow a TON of blogs, most of them book blogs.

Booking With Bingo- I think this was one of the first book blogs that I found. She is a fellow Floridian, and a fan of the college I went to Florida State University. Her posts are always cheerful and happy, and I love the graphics she uses. She has giveaways regularly and I have won several books from her.

Lit Lists- This blog gives a new list every day of books in a specific topic. I really like this one because if I like a topic, I usually want to read more books about it.

Book Lovers Never Go To Bed Alone- This blog is a little different. It is pictures of bookshelves and libraries from around the world. I love looking at the beautiful shelves and imagining my future library in my future house.

Read-a-thon progress:
The Sea of Monsters- finished 4/5
The Canterbury Tales- finished 4/6
Maus- finished 4/7
The Titan's Curse- finished 4/7
Outlander- reading- page 50
A Dirty Job- reading

Book Review: Case Histories

To be perfectly honest, I have been putting off writing a book review because I am intimidated by all of the amazing book bloggers out there who write wonderful and insightful reviews. I decided that I couldn't put it off forever, because this is supposed to be a book blog. So I decided to just take the plunge.

I got Case Histories from paperbackswap.com probably about a year ago. I can't remember who recommended this book to me, but it's been sitting on my shelf for a long time. I finally decided to read it because the author Kate Atkinson has a new book out that sounds really good. Also, I won a prize pack that had FOUR of her books in it.

Here is the synopsis from Amazon.com:

In this ambitious fourth novel from Whitbread winner Atkinson (Behind the Scenes at the Museum), private detective Jackson Brodie—ex-cop, ex-husband and weekend dad—takes on three cases involving past crimes that occurred in and around London. The first case introduces two middle-aged sisters who, after the death of their vile, distant father, look again into the disappearance of their beloved sister Olivia, last seen at three years old, while they were camping under the stars during an oppressive heat wave. A retired lawyer who lives only on the fumes of possible justice next enlists Jackson's aid in solving the brutal killing of his grown daughter 10 years earlier. In the third dog-eared case file, the sibling of an infamous ax-bludgeoner seeks a reunion with her niece, who as a baby was a witness to murder. Jackson's reluctant persistence heats up these cold cases and by happenstance leads him to reassess his own painful history. The humility of the extraordinary, unabashed characters is skillfully revealed with humor and surprise. Atkinson contrasts the inevitable results of family dysfunction with random fate, gracefully weaving the three stories into a denouement that taps into collective wishful thinking and suggests that warmth and safety may be found in the aftermath of blood and abandonment. Atkinson's meaty, satisfying prose will attract many eager readers.

I really liked this book. At first it was confusing how the three stories were connected, but it became clear a little bit in. It was a little sad because most of the book deals with death and searching for closure, but it's not one that will make you cry. One of the stories became predictable about half way in, but it didn't detract from the story at all. Overall, this was a really enjoyable book and I will definitely be reading the rest of Atkinson's books.

Amazing book giveaway!

From time to time I am going to post links to contests on other blogs, because I love to win new books and I like blogs that introduce me to new blogs.

Linna at 21 Pages is having an amazing book giveaway with over 30 books. I know there are several that I want! Check it out.

http://21pages.x10hosting.com/?p=203

Dewey's Read-a-thon

Along with the Clear Away the Clutter Read-a-thon, I am also participating in Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon. This will be my second time participating and I had a lot of fun during the first one. For those of you who haven't heard about this event, it is a day where you try to read for 24 hours straight. This event takes place on Saturday, April 10th. My goal this year for both read-a-thons is to finish 10 books. Here is the list I have so far.

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson #3)
Maus vol. 2
Flying Changes- Sara Gruen
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams
The Major Plays- Anton Chekhov
The Rescue- Nicholas Sparks
Shanghai Girls- Lisa See
Hound of the Baskervilles- Arthur Conan Doyle
A Dirty Job- Christopher Moore
Kim- Rudyard Kipling
Gap Creek- Robert Morgan
Around the World in 80 Days- Jules Verne
The Canterbury Tales