I am doing well with my summer reading project to read my shelves. I have read a few backlists and am now reading a new release that was my recent BOTM selection. I am adding titles I want to read but am not purchasing anything, which is feeling good. I just pick a book at random and trusting my old self who bought them, ha.
Way to go Linda! Now that I have my shelves organized I've been thinking of other fun ways to pick books off of them to read. Outside of the first sentences, I think closing my eyes and picking at random sounds fun:) And I loved how you put that- trusting our old selves who bought them!
I love reading first lines to help decide whether or not I'll read something. Whenever my husband and I go to the bookstore and leave with books we always take turns reading the first lines to each other when we get home and saying which sounds most interesting. It's a fun little habit we have ◡̈
Hi Michelle! A great first sentence can be so exciting and set the tone for what's to come. I love that you and your husband share first lines together. Do you think you tend to have better luck with books with first lines that pull you in right away? I want to start tracking this in some way, I think it would be fun to see my "success" rate with great first sentence books
I think about this often. How freeing it would be to return to just pulling a random book off my shelves and reading it. Maybe when I retire..but why wait?
I love this! I've fallen into the habit of acquiring books but then reading almost exclusively from the library. While that's not a problem, I do hope to prioritize my shelves this summer and only put in a few library holds in for buzzy new releases.
I tried your exercise of randomly pulling books and reading the first sentence (so fun!), here were my standouts:
"He wakes to find himself splayed like a starfish across the bed, his mind running at full tilt." - from The Distance Between us, Maggie O'Farrell
"I seem to have trouble dying." - from Someone Knows My Name, Lawrence Hill
"Death has a way of leaving breadcrumbs, little particles of the past that catch and settle and stain." - from A History of Wild Places, Shea Ernshaw
I love that you gave some of your books the first sentence test:) And those are great first sentences - I want to immediately know more about Someone Knows My Name. I've never heard of that one and that's a compelling first sentence
I love this exploration into your bookish thought process, Renee! Your distinction between the rush of a buzzy new book and the 'quiet nudge' of others is so relatable, and as a massive mood reader I've found it helpful to honor whichever I'm feeling as much as possible. It looks like you have an excellent summer of reading ahead of you! :-)
Thanks Christi! I'm such a mood reader too but this summer I'm trying to be a smidge more organized. But for me that means still have a large variety of books to choose from depending on my mood. Hope you have some great book possibilities you're looking forward to this summer:)
My summer project is to read Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It has been on my TBR list for ages. The book is 40 hours long in audio and 950 pages in print. It has been adapted to screen on Apple TV+. It has mobsters and romance and is set in Bombay India. I also recently read THE MADSTONE which sparked my interest in reading westerns. I came across a book called MR. TEXAS BY LAUREN WRIGHT which sounds like a romance but it is not that I would like to read. It is a western and is supposed to be humorous. this is where I scanned today. No doubt I will change my mind with the exception of my summer project. I am bound and determined to get through that book. k
I've eyed your summer project book so many times as it's been on my tbr for some time. The length has always made me hesitate. I want to hear what you think, I love the idea of a summer project book!
Keep meaning to ask you if you have any good book recommendations for books published in the year 2019. I haven’t seen the list yet as it will come out tomorrow but I always have difficulty in finding books from the list because I’ve read a majority of the ones on the list. If I have not read them, it is because they did not interest me then and probably won’t now.
I really liked it a lot. I think I gave it four. Five stars. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the book because I don’t typically read westerns. But it did inspire me to pick up the book that I think I mentioned above called Mr. Texas. That two is a western and it’s supposed to be humorous. Also my TBR has Lonesome Dove sitting on it that I would like to try and read. All inspired by that book.
Good to know. I started lonesome Dove but was having a little difficulty keeping character straight in the very beginning. I’m doing audio so I figured I would try Shantara him which was easy to get pulled into and figured I would go back and read lonesome Dove later.
Let me know what you think. I combined audio and physical copy. The audio was fantastic. I also read it with Novel Pairings the podcast and it was a great experience.
I haven't read them yet, but I also have Sheepdogs and Lost on Me on my (digital) self. Those first lines have prompted me to move them up on my TBR list.
I'm so glad they're getting a bump up:) We should compare thoughts on these when we each read them- I may have to read Sheepdogs soon, I think it's one I'm going to enjoy
Well, I feel like we have so much in common! My books are much less today than yours though. I definitely am due for a deep reorganization. I have my books in two narrow shelves on either side of a dresser. Those are the contained ones, lol. Then they spill over into other parts of my bedroom. Atop yet another dresser (my mother’s) are BOTM books. Those are also stacked under a bedside table. Then on the other side of the bed, on a small desk also serving as a bedside table are more stacks. The worst are the ones growing on a divider between bedroom and bathroom with poles(house built in 1975). I am aware things are out of control, so I feel like that is something. Our local library system has undergone some sort of cyber attack/I don’t fully understand what that means; but, because of this, we have not received new books in months. So like you, I have been turning to my shelves. Also like you, I had a fair amount of advanced reader copies (I won on Goodreads!). So I have taken this break from obsessively going for new releases and gotten caught up on those. I think I still have 4 in the wings. My daughter and I are reading the Neapolitan series by Ferrante (Italian soap opera vibes) and some others I got around to finally reading are: Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting Of Hill House, with the opening paragraph ending in “whatever walked there, walked alone.” A classic! J. Courtney Sullivan’s Maine, in this case the last words got me. I will not put them here, as they may be a spoiler. Some others off my shelf recently are: Looking For Mr. Goodbar by Judith Rossner. Rossner now deceased was at one time all the rage. The book was made into a movie with Diane Keaton and Richard Gere (in their 20s!). M.L. Stedman’s The Light Between Oceans, which I read just before my library book club read The Berry Pickers. Purely coincidental, but similarly themed books. I am always thrilled by what I find in Little Free Libraries. I have 3 good ones nearby. I met one of the owners the other day, who asked me to come back in 15 minutes because she was going to fully swap out and restock. I came back to find nice copies of Me And Sister Bobbie (Willie Nelson), Sea Of Tranquility (Emily St. John Mandel), Dear Edward (Ann Napolitano), and Finlay Donovan Is Killing It (Ellie Cosimano). Dear Edward was a synchronicity bc I had just told my husband about the book as we were talking about the recent India plane crash. And lastly from another Little Free Library all 4 Thursday Murder Club books, nicely kept together with rubber bands. Sorry, I have totally diverted from the first line topic. Feel free to read this and not post it, since it is so long. I could just so relate to your post! Obtaining books never gets old for me. I have been having quite a struggle with anxiety lately and books are so comforting. Your post was a reminder that I do need to get organized. Although the extras sure do make great currency for the Little Free Libraries! I always make a point to replace as many as I take.
Hi Ann, thanks for commenting, I enjoyed reading about your book stacks - if you do decide to organize I'd love to hear how you go about doing it. I find how others organize their books to be so interesting. Especially the why behind our organization. For me, I just have to see my books lined up evenly by height. I know others like rainbow shelves, alphabetical, etc. Sorry to hear about your library's cyber attack:( I hope it gets straightened out soon. I've head off Looking for Mr Goodbar but never watched the movie. Also, you reminded me I've wanted to read Dear Edward! It sounds like you have access to some great little free libraries, and you're right the extras we have in our homes make for great little free library drop offs. I have a little free library I donated to our local park and I put all the books I no longer want there which always makes me feel great that someone else might come along and grab a book they'll end up loving. I'm glad books are able to bring you comfort lately. I find that when I'm feeling anxious if I can escape into a good story for awhile it helps.
I had great intentions of prioritizing backlist books I’ve accumulated this year over the summer and I failed spectacularly! There have been SO many new releases I’ve been excited about and all my holds/BOTM/Aardvark books have poured in. Maybe one day? 🫣
There ‘s a blast from the past…Sidney Sheldon. I remember those times by the pool-so many mass market paperbacks and copies of Sidney Sheldon and Danielle Steele!
I love the first sentence test! I remember you doing this on the podcast and I always enjoyed it. I have many books to go through. Once I get my physical shelves organized I’m going to look at my Kindle shelves.
This year I started tracking the first sentence of the books I've read. I have this idea of printing them out at the end of the year, and putting them in my reading journal. I am kinda jumping off the book ALPHABETICAL DIARIES, by Sheila Heti which is a book of her journal entries, with the sentences sorted alphabetically.
It's interesting scanning back at my entries now, to see if I recognize the book by its first sentence, and whether it feels like it captures the book. Some that resonated are "The animals are dying" (MIGRATIONS, Charlotte McConaghy), "While twelve-year-old Ajay sat trembling in a jail cell, his parents were enjoying themselves at a dinner party" (A GREAT COUNTRY, Shilpi Somaya Gowda), "Dear Husband, I lost our children today" (A GOLDEN AGE, Tahmima Anam).
One of the things I remember about one of my favorite books of last year, BROTHERLESS NIGHT by V. V. Ganeshananthan, is its first line "I recently sent a letter to a terrorist I used to know".
I tend to pick my next read by which library hold has arrived! but other than that its more by subject area/theme; at least in terms of my print reading, which is my more literary leanings. My audio listening is what is easy to follow in the background as i do my gardening or chores. I have never gotten into eReading. I sat in front of a computer all day for work, so I have historically wanted to put the screen behind me.
I am doing well with my summer reading project to read my shelves. I have read a few backlists and am now reading a new release that was my recent BOTM selection. I am adding titles I want to read but am not purchasing anything, which is feeling good. I just pick a book at random and trusting my old self who bought them, ha.
Way to go Linda! Now that I have my shelves organized I've been thinking of other fun ways to pick books off of them to read. Outside of the first sentences, I think closing my eyes and picking at random sounds fun:) And I loved how you put that- trusting our old selves who bought them!
I love reading first lines to help decide whether or not I'll read something. Whenever my husband and I go to the bookstore and leave with books we always take turns reading the first lines to each other when we get home and saying which sounds most interesting. It's a fun little habit we have ◡̈
Hi Michelle! A great first sentence can be so exciting and set the tone for what's to come. I love that you and your husband share first lines together. Do you think you tend to have better luck with books with first lines that pull you in right away? I want to start tracking this in some way, I think it would be fun to see my "success" rate with great first sentence books
I think about this often. How freeing it would be to return to just pulling a random book off my shelves and reading it. Maybe when I retire..but why wait?
Katie you can do it now! That's one new book goal for you- pick a book at random off your shelf and just jump right in. I'm book bossing you😅
I love this! I've fallen into the habit of acquiring books but then reading almost exclusively from the library. While that's not a problem, I do hope to prioritize my shelves this summer and only put in a few library holds in for buzzy new releases.
I tried your exercise of randomly pulling books and reading the first sentence (so fun!), here were my standouts:
"He wakes to find himself splayed like a starfish across the bed, his mind running at full tilt." - from The Distance Between us, Maggie O'Farrell
"I seem to have trouble dying." - from Someone Knows My Name, Lawrence Hill
"Death has a way of leaving breadcrumbs, little particles of the past that catch and settle and stain." - from A History of Wild Places, Shea Ernshaw
I love that you gave some of your books the first sentence test:) And those are great first sentences - I want to immediately know more about Someone Knows My Name. I've never heard of that one and that's a compelling first sentence
Its backlist from 2015, I think I grabbed it from my parent’s house and then forgot about it 🤷♀️ very curious!
I love this exploration into your bookish thought process, Renee! Your distinction between the rush of a buzzy new book and the 'quiet nudge' of others is so relatable, and as a massive mood reader I've found it helpful to honor whichever I'm feeling as much as possible. It looks like you have an excellent summer of reading ahead of you! :-)
Thanks Christi! I'm such a mood reader too but this summer I'm trying to be a smidge more organized. But for me that means still have a large variety of books to choose from depending on my mood. Hope you have some great book possibilities you're looking forward to this summer:)
My summer project is to read Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It has been on my TBR list for ages. The book is 40 hours long in audio and 950 pages in print. It has been adapted to screen on Apple TV+. It has mobsters and romance and is set in Bombay India. I also recently read THE MADSTONE which sparked my interest in reading westerns. I came across a book called MR. TEXAS BY LAUREN WRIGHT which sounds like a romance but it is not that I would like to read. It is a western and is supposed to be humorous. this is where I scanned today. No doubt I will change my mind with the exception of my summer project. I am bound and determined to get through that book. k
I've eyed your summer project book so many times as it's been on my tbr for some time. The length has always made me hesitate. I want to hear what you think, I love the idea of a summer project book!
Keep meaning to ask you if you have any good book recommendations for books published in the year 2019. I haven’t seen the list yet as it will come out tomorrow but I always have difficulty in finding books from the list because I’ve read a majority of the ones on the list. If I have not read them, it is because they did not interest me then and probably won’t now.
Hi Kathy. What did you think of The Madstone? It is in my shelves and have not picked it up yet.
I really liked it a lot. I think I gave it four. Five stars. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the book because I don’t typically read westerns. But it did inspire me to pick up the book that I think I mentioned above called Mr. Texas. That two is a western and it’s supposed to be humorous. Also my TBR has Lonesome Dove sitting on it that I would like to try and read. All inspired by that book.
Interestingly enough I picked The Madstone after reading Lonesome Dove (which I Loved). I’m going to prioritize it now! Thank you.
Good to know. I started lonesome Dove but was having a little difficulty keeping character straight in the very beginning. I’m doing audio so I figured I would try Shantara him which was easy to get pulled into and figured I would go back and read lonesome Dove later.
Let me know what you think. I combined audio and physical copy. The audio was fantastic. I also read it with Novel Pairings the podcast and it was a great experience.
I haven't read them yet, but I also have Sheepdogs and Lost on Me on my (digital) self. Those first lines have prompted me to move them up on my TBR list.
I'm so glad they're getting a bump up:) We should compare thoughts on these when we each read them- I may have to read Sheepdogs soon, I think it's one I'm going to enjoy
Well, I feel like we have so much in common! My books are much less today than yours though. I definitely am due for a deep reorganization. I have my books in two narrow shelves on either side of a dresser. Those are the contained ones, lol. Then they spill over into other parts of my bedroom. Atop yet another dresser (my mother’s) are BOTM books. Those are also stacked under a bedside table. Then on the other side of the bed, on a small desk also serving as a bedside table are more stacks. The worst are the ones growing on a divider between bedroom and bathroom with poles(house built in 1975). I am aware things are out of control, so I feel like that is something. Our local library system has undergone some sort of cyber attack/I don’t fully understand what that means; but, because of this, we have not received new books in months. So like you, I have been turning to my shelves. Also like you, I had a fair amount of advanced reader copies (I won on Goodreads!). So I have taken this break from obsessively going for new releases and gotten caught up on those. I think I still have 4 in the wings. My daughter and I are reading the Neapolitan series by Ferrante (Italian soap opera vibes) and some others I got around to finally reading are: Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting Of Hill House, with the opening paragraph ending in “whatever walked there, walked alone.” A classic! J. Courtney Sullivan’s Maine, in this case the last words got me. I will not put them here, as they may be a spoiler. Some others off my shelf recently are: Looking For Mr. Goodbar by Judith Rossner. Rossner now deceased was at one time all the rage. The book was made into a movie with Diane Keaton and Richard Gere (in their 20s!). M.L. Stedman’s The Light Between Oceans, which I read just before my library book club read The Berry Pickers. Purely coincidental, but similarly themed books. I am always thrilled by what I find in Little Free Libraries. I have 3 good ones nearby. I met one of the owners the other day, who asked me to come back in 15 minutes because she was going to fully swap out and restock. I came back to find nice copies of Me And Sister Bobbie (Willie Nelson), Sea Of Tranquility (Emily St. John Mandel), Dear Edward (Ann Napolitano), and Finlay Donovan Is Killing It (Ellie Cosimano). Dear Edward was a synchronicity bc I had just told my husband about the book as we were talking about the recent India plane crash. And lastly from another Little Free Library all 4 Thursday Murder Club books, nicely kept together with rubber bands. Sorry, I have totally diverted from the first line topic. Feel free to read this and not post it, since it is so long. I could just so relate to your post! Obtaining books never gets old for me. I have been having quite a struggle with anxiety lately and books are so comforting. Your post was a reminder that I do need to get organized. Although the extras sure do make great currency for the Little Free Libraries! I always make a point to replace as many as I take.
Hi Ann, thanks for commenting, I enjoyed reading about your book stacks - if you do decide to organize I'd love to hear how you go about doing it. I find how others organize their books to be so interesting. Especially the why behind our organization. For me, I just have to see my books lined up evenly by height. I know others like rainbow shelves, alphabetical, etc. Sorry to hear about your library's cyber attack:( I hope it gets straightened out soon. I've head off Looking for Mr Goodbar but never watched the movie. Also, you reminded me I've wanted to read Dear Edward! It sounds like you have access to some great little free libraries, and you're right the extras we have in our homes make for great little free library drop offs. I have a little free library I donated to our local park and I put all the books I no longer want there which always makes me feel great that someone else might come along and grab a book they'll end up loving. I'm glad books are able to bring you comfort lately. I find that when I'm feeling anxious if I can escape into a good story for awhile it helps.
Of these I’ve only read, or really heard of is Liar’s Beach. I liked it.
I think it sounds like a fun read
I had great intentions of prioritizing backlist books I’ve accumulated this year over the summer and I failed spectacularly! There have been SO many new releases I’ve been excited about and all my holds/BOTM/Aardvark books have poured in. Maybe one day? 🫣
There ‘s a blast from the past…Sidney Sheldon. I remember those times by the pool-so many mass market paperbacks and copies of Sidney Sheldon and Danielle Steele!
I love the first sentence test! I remember you doing this on the podcast and I always enjoyed it. I have many books to go through. Once I get my physical shelves organized I’m going to look at my Kindle shelves.
This year I started tracking the first sentence of the books I've read. I have this idea of printing them out at the end of the year, and putting them in my reading journal. I am kinda jumping off the book ALPHABETICAL DIARIES, by Sheila Heti which is a book of her journal entries, with the sentences sorted alphabetically.
It's interesting scanning back at my entries now, to see if I recognize the book by its first sentence, and whether it feels like it captures the book. Some that resonated are "The animals are dying" (MIGRATIONS, Charlotte McConaghy), "While twelve-year-old Ajay sat trembling in a jail cell, his parents were enjoying themselves at a dinner party" (A GREAT COUNTRY, Shilpi Somaya Gowda), "Dear Husband, I lost our children today" (A GOLDEN AGE, Tahmima Anam).
One of the things I remember about one of my favorite books of last year, BROTHERLESS NIGHT by V. V. Ganeshananthan, is its first line "I recently sent a letter to a terrorist I used to know".
I tend to pick my next read by which library hold has arrived! but other than that its more by subject area/theme; at least in terms of my print reading, which is my more literary leanings. My audio listening is what is easy to follow in the background as i do my gardening or chores. I have never gotten into eReading. I sat in front of a computer all day for work, so I have historically wanted to put the screen behind me.