tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84814068595874935852024-03-13T07:20:55.062-04:00Avid Reader's MusingsBookish thoughts on everything from literary fiction to classics to nonfiction.Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.comBlogger1542125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-79741016303930947262023-12-21T13:57:00.001-05:002024-01-03T11:51:59.807-05:002023 End of the Year Book Survey<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Y8X21xIIH0y5-SNB2-5viNGetNQlipSIzO7ofw4Ry0WpgBweclShvSn5vNuE7e6q8Pwjve3Ep5Die1HvyqAtjA1u1miP7_Vp1D5W5PPZAzGZGBG15Ue1dI9yilN-owYdXSEkn6vjHbVrP42fuUMzeH42uvjvCoTMcjcWE1XBPzRCjR71c4rkCVYcz3M/s1280/1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Y8X21xIIH0y5-SNB2-5viNGetNQlipSIzO7ofw4Ry0WpgBweclShvSn5vNuE7e6q8Pwjve3Ep5Die1HvyqAtjA1u1miP7_Vp1D5W5PPZAzGZGBG15Ue1dI9yilN-owYdXSEkn6vjHbVrP42fuUMzeH42uvjvCoTMcjcWE1XBPzRCjR71c4rkCVYcz3M/w640-h640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />I was
such a mood reader this year. Instead of sticking to a list I read whatever
sounded good or was available at the library. I ran one read along on Litsy for
The Once and Future King, but other than that I didn’t tackle nearly as many
classics as I normally do. I reread things when I felt like it. I read lots of
fantasy novels and books based in areas we traveled to, especially Maine.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>Number
of Books You Read: </b>143</span></span></p>
<div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">Number of Rereads:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"> So many! To Kill a Mockingbird in honor of our new pup, Scout. Midnight in the Garden of
Good and Evil, Bel Canto, Matilda, Station Eleven, and Our Town were all
memorable.</span> </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>1.
Best Books You Read In 2023</b><br /></span></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;">Classics
—</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"> The Once and Future King, Silmarillion, and Jayber Crow <br /></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;">Mystery
—</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"> The Late Mrs. Willoughby, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It<br /></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;">Literary
Fiction —</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"> Go As a River, Tom Lake, Hello Beautiful, and Shark Heart<br /></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;">Nonfiction
— </span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">A Book of Bees, A Fever in the Heartland, You Could
Make This Place Beautiful, Do Nothing, and Notes on Grief<br /></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;">Fantasy
—</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"> Starling House, Divine Rivals, Fourth Wing, Throne of
Glass series, Ten Thousand Doors of January, and Legends & Lattes<br /></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;">Play/Essay
—</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"> Our Town, The Book of Delights, The Wickhams<br /></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;">YA —</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"> Where
the Rhythm Takes You<br /></span><b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Children’s
—</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Hello Lighthouse and All-of-a-Kind Family</span></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOs1hbQTJzXqpD_UtwcInewVZLzJCH6pwmgCsNg2NVIEMJ9_1j7tRziOPSD8M3VP5xmodhyphenhyphenktvHT-s2Af1iO5UKQH3uRd5qYSK9C1538EdKsvjKZxQjiE1EuvR9iVM0YZHr3cWBhUYEoM/s1600/best.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="1600" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOs1hbQTJzXqpD_UtwcInewVZLzJCH6pwmgCsNg2NVIEMJ9_1j7tRziOPSD8M3VP5xmodhyphenhyphenktvHT-s2Af1iO5UKQH3uRd5qYSK9C1538EdKsvjKZxQjiE1EuvR9iVM0YZHr3cWBhUYEoM/s640/best.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>2.
Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going to Love More But
Didn’t?</b><br /></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Somebody’s
Fool, The Last Ranger, and The Daughter of Time</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>3. Most surprising (in a good way) book you read?<br /></b></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;">Legends & Lattes and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;">The 7 ½ Deaths
of Evelyn Hardcastle</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><b>4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?<br /></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say?<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><br /><b>5. Best series you started in 2023?<br /></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Throne of Glass and Empyrean <br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b style="color: #333333;">6.
Favorite new author you discovered in 2023?</b><span style="color: #333333;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Alix E. Harrow, I read both The Ten Thousand Doors of
January and Starling House<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="color: #333333;"><b>7.
Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">The
Book of Delights, I don’t often read essay collections, but I loved this one so
much I just bought his new collection.<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>8.
Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Fourth
Wing and The Lioness<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>9.
Book You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Tom
Lake, I’d love to listen to the audio the second time around.<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>10.
Favorite cover of a book you read in 2023?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">The Measure, Fairy Tale, The Ladies of Grace Adieu </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77SMLQ1prkwvpyYnLvUbMv_O7VYMjueE4YrrlEcYJFktZPzOFetRRtlDtlcZ2SGhmOGGSm1tnb26shyphenhyphen2xXyiApnshr08tyHDOV4qmO88jZaef161IHvH0abz5HH_O3W3UVcKQs2rA6LkYRdriIYNfur9a2HcSofGI-KoXX4D_DBjSKgCzTGeqqyzcbUA/s704/grace.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="474" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77SMLQ1prkwvpyYnLvUbMv_O7VYMjueE4YrrlEcYJFktZPzOFetRRtlDtlcZ2SGhmOGGSm1tnb26shyphenhyphen2xXyiApnshr08tyHDOV4qmO88jZaef161IHvH0abz5HH_O3W3UVcKQs2rA6LkYRdriIYNfur9a2HcSofGI-KoXX4D_DBjSKgCzTGeqqyzcbUA/w134-h200/grace.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNI10k38Bc9Ljf_Vr4wYnM2DF8FGSx7-umvN6lVBhuYiviQk9Gp9OsznMqZgKrWkV63bQ3AhvZsnPiwyikPdwm9Q5n58XARJuSiPZcSLhli5sVADevo3a6-Qn_ikfMNtpesE4AsDrSZZiMI5mW5blPXAvAnV1eBwEN9jkKZ2JJLP1MK6eWQieJAyq2kcY/s2128/fairy-tale-stephen-king.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNI10k38Bc9Ljf_Vr4wYnM2DF8FGSx7-umvN6lVBhuYiviQk9Gp9OsznMqZgKrWkV63bQ3AhvZsnPiwyikPdwm9Q5n58XARJuSiPZcSLhli5sVADevo3a6-Qn_ikfMNtpesE4AsDrSZZiMI5mW5blPXAvAnV1eBwEN9jkKZ2JJLP1MK6eWQieJAyq2kcY/s2128/fairy-tale-stephen-king.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2128" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNI10k38Bc9Ljf_Vr4wYnM2DF8FGSx7-umvN6lVBhuYiviQk9Gp9OsznMqZgKrWkV63bQ3AhvZsnPiwyikPdwm9Q5n58XARJuSiPZcSLhli5sVADevo3a6-Qn_ikfMNtpesE4AsDrSZZiMI5mW5blPXAvAnV1eBwEN9jkKZ2JJLP1MK6eWQieJAyq2kcY/w132-h200/fairy-tale-stephen-king.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXr25OyKyjbF-3GDRktmIHau8JayHNAWtrrVMOKJyF7hTU06T5Bv7aHOzvALoU3bH75GnqHTyop9pB0tReNvh0cTrz13dIxxO8rH4D-18lyIkt5rYbGlAD5qQjz3EfN0wE6i1ses-7FABG49J_A7svM_91minda85rm3evj5KbdZvJLSMi7AJQ75Ddvs/s1500/measure.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXr25OyKyjbF-3GDRktmIHau8JayHNAWtrrVMOKJyF7hTU06T5Bv7aHOzvALoU3bH75GnqHTyop9pB0tReNvh0cTrz13dIxxO8rH4D-18lyIkt5rYbGlAD5qQjz3EfN0wE6i1ses-7FABG49J_A7svM_91minda85rm3evj5KbdZvJLSMi7AJQ75Ddvs/w200-h200/measure.png" width="200" /></a></div></div></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>11.
Most memorable character of 2023?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Manon
in the Throne of Glass series and Satchel from Bookshops & Bonedust<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>12.
Most beautifully written book read in 2023? <br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Go as a River<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>13.
Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2023? <br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Do Nothing, Chain Gang All Stars<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>14.
Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2023 to finally read?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Silmarillion<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b style="color: #333333;">15. Best
memoir?</b><span style="color: #333333;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;">Patrick
Stewart’s Making It So<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333;"><b>16.
Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2023?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">The Greatest Gift - 65 pages<br /></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">The Running
Grave - 960 pages <br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>17.
Book That Shocked You The Most?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Mad Honey and A Fever in the Heartland<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>18.
Favorite Couple?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Iris
and Roman Divine Rivals; William and Sylvie in Hello Beautiful<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>19.
Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of The Year?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Violet
and Tairn in Fourth Wing; Polly and Agnes’ friendship in Fellowship Point<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>20.
Favorite Book You Read in 2023 From an Author You’ve Read Previously?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Tom
Lake<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>21.
Best Book You Read In 2023 That You Read Based SOLELY On A </b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>Recommendation
From Somebody Else?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Foster<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>22.
Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2023?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Xaden<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>23.
Best debut you read?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Go As
A River<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>24.
Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Fourth Wing and Piranesi<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>25.
Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">A
Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting and The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North
America<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>26.
Book That Made You Cry in 2023?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">A
Heart That Works<br /></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b>27.
Hidden Gem Of The Year?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">A Book
of Bees<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b style="color: #333333;">28.
Book That Crushed Your Soul?</b><span style="color: #333333;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #111111;">Women Talking<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #111111;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333;"><b>29.
Most Unique Book You Read In 2023?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">The
Shark Heart and Leave the World Behind<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>30.
Book That Made You the Maddest?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Marmee
& Louisa, Bronson Alcott was just such a selfish jerk. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">It
Ends with Us, I wanted to know what the hype was about, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>31.
Best Audiobook?<br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Congratulations, The Best Is Over! I will listen to anything R. Eric Thomas reads!
Spare was excellent on audio as well.<br /></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><br /><b>32. Best Book to Film Adaptation?<br /></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Women Talking<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><b>33.
Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2023?</b></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"In
the end, it's not the changes that will break your heart; it's that tug of
familiarity." - The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“The laughing snort: among the most emphatic
evidences of delight.” - The Book of Delights</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">"At Auschwitz dying was so easy. Surviving
was a full-time job." - Surviving the Angel of Death</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“Perhaps a series of small satisfaction
scattered like sequins over the texture of everyday life was of greater worth
than the academic satisfaction of owning a collection of fine objects at the
back of a drawer.” - The Daughter of Time</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“I want my life to be like making pottery. I
want to enjoy it while it’s happening, not just for where it might get me
eventually.” - Happy Place</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“I love to watch how the day, tired as it is,
lags away reluctantly and hates to be called yesterday so soon.” -</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The House of the Seven Gables</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“The idea is not that everything should be
slower, but that not everything needs to be fast.” - Do Nothing</span><br />
<br />
</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">“Grief is a cruel kind of education. You learn
how ungentle mourning can be, how full of anger. You learn how glib condolences
can feel. You learn how much grief is about language, the failure of language
and the grasping for language” - Notes on Grief</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="color: #333333;">Thanks
to Perpetual Page Turner for originating this survey! It’s
always so much fun to look at everything I read throughout the year and think
about what I loved/hated. </span></span></p></div><div class="sr-sig" style="text-align: right;">
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-63028632244015826512022-12-16T12:22:00.004-05:002023-12-09T12:26:05.596-05:002022 End of the Year Book Survey<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5n6uzl_GMzPjs-1skJXGld_oXwtrbAg_rO-fP8_rzY1VQncAzRy14lKhak-9rCvYVeEJV2PRTvUESxc7KGm5fV5cDeu817Bgte2eajJRHzWxR3QuQVIrNGuJTj-AOX3-37mw3jcRppDKVEgNjHRigLr4B4oQddbg7QWaDSK5vNBB-5OXngpRlMk-G/s640/IMG_6394.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5n6uzl_GMzPjs-1skJXGld_oXwtrbAg_rO-fP8_rzY1VQncAzRy14lKhak-9rCvYVeEJV2PRTvUESxc7KGm5fV5cDeu817Bgte2eajJRHzWxR3QuQVIrNGuJTj-AOX3-37mw3jcRppDKVEgNjHRigLr4B4oQddbg7QWaDSK5vNBB-5OXngpRlMk-G/w400-h400/IMG_6394.JPG" width="400" /><br /><br /></a></div></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJxhH4totOVYETSSMzag2cw4d6xyQohk7AdvvoSeKFCuhZ_FYvRXV-JhtkW84J2v0DVDDUcr6Omb9xICzT0pAlcxBihcKV2WYMJ0XKoY7FZ5d_RW-TOTsYP28Jc9Oe6Mw1xFycb5ExMCnv6bAthRSltyNxiwYg-gPXj6_I7y-9zpiwTL3QVM-_4b1e" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJxhH4totOVYETSSMzag2cw4d6xyQohk7AdvvoSeKFCuhZ_FYvRXV-JhtkW84J2v0DVDDUcr6Omb9xICzT0pAlcxBihcKV2WYMJ0XKoY7FZ5d_RW-TOTsYP28Jc9Oe6Mw1xFycb5ExMCnv6bAthRSltyNxiwYg-gPXj6_I7y-9zpiwTL3QVM-_4b1e" width="240" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This year was interesting because we spent a lot of it doing major house projects, house hunting, and then moving! After 13 years in our house, it felt like a big undertaking. I found myself drawn to rereading some of my favorites in the midst of the chaos.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Number of Books You Read: </b>148</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Number of Rere</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana;">ads:</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> LOTS! I reread almost all of Neil Gaiman's books before seeing him speak in May. I also reread a few of my favorites like Lord of the Rings and The Count of Monte Cristo. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOs1hbQTJzXqpD_UtwcInewVZLzJCH6pwmgCsNg2NVIEMJ9_1j7tRziOPSD8M3VP5xmodhyphenhyphenktvHT-s2Af1iO5UKQH3uRd5qYSK9C1538EdKsvjKZxQjiE1EuvR9iVM0YZHr3cWBhUYEoM/s1600/best.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="1600" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOs1hbQTJzXqpD_UtwcInewVZLzJCH6pwmgCsNg2NVIEMJ9_1j7tRziOPSD8M3VP5xmodhyphenhyphenktvHT-s2Af1iO5UKQH3uRd5qYSK9C1538EdKsvjKZxQjiE1EuvR9iVM0YZHr3cWBhUYEoM/s640/best.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>1. Best Books You Read In 2022</b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Classics —</b> The Count of Monte Cristo (reread)</span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Historical Fiction —</b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> The Rose Code, Lessons in Chemistry, and </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Love & Saffron</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mystery —</b> The Maid, The Club, The Murder of Mr. Wickham<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Literary Fiction —</b> The Shell Seekers and Oh William!</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nonfiction — </b>Essentialism, These Precious Days, The Johnstown Flood, The Good Nurse</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Fantasy —</b> Lord of the Rings (reread)</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Play —</b> I and You, Poor Clare<br /><b>Detective Story </b></span></span><b style="font-family: verdana;">—</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Maisie Dobbs series, Ink Black Heart and A World of Curiosities</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Science Fiction </b></span></span><b style="font-family: verdana;">—</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Sea of Tranquility, Annihilation</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>YA —</b> A Place to Hang the Moon</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Romance —</b> Book Lovers</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?</b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Upgrade, I loved his previous two books, but this one was just meh. <br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /><b>3. Most surprising (in a good way) book you read?</b></span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgtvMLPBp7x2bBf2ChrjxhJ2CHXkA2Uham7a4f0sywugakj1emLqqhiMqGi6y0TF5hY3BN3J4GEBjPMZWa_FQXNdb79OUqjsOj10uUP2VwlNyRGJJgrEd-kRluAPRuOPL8AV3N0UX0l53ACmpgwOfsbJZsI9pT3BMsfPEWYux60G4j42tQXLISdlfN" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgtvMLPBp7x2bBf2ChrjxhJ2CHXkA2Uham7a4f0sywugakj1emLqqhiMqGi6y0TF5hY3BN3J4GEBjPMZWa_FQXNdb79OUqjsOj10uUP2VwlNyRGJJgrEd-kRluAPRuOPL8AV3N0UX0l53ACmpgwOfsbJZsI9pT3BMsfPEWYux60G4j42tQXLISdlfN" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A Christmas ornament of my fav 2022 books from my bestie.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Remarkably Bright Creatures, one of the main POV characters is an octopus, and it was wonderful. <br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><b>4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?</b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Snow Child (one of my favorites last year)<br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>5. Best series you started in 2022?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Maisie Dobbs series, I read the first seven books this year and they are excellent! </span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2022?</b><o:p></o:p></span><br />Rosamund Pilcher, I read both The Shell Seekers and Coming Home and loved them both.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgapW-W8wxcPYnsjR9MhiIhwVYdcR1AhLhamb5of9jiTg-QdFGh0CpfK8DwZJAlwTI4WRhH8BxTQpexuIPBpMxOI5H8sP-pBs-JEStN8dPl90r8H3O5hygGOACU829c57TbdaGkm58B_oVY20OM6z-PY7AVCvMbv8gOZEaCm2JKVJK3eM0_6KZz3xSv" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="185" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgapW-W8wxcPYnsjR9MhiIhwVYdcR1AhLhamb5of9jiTg-QdFGh0CpfK8DwZJAlwTI4WRhH8BxTQpexuIPBpMxOI5H8sP-pBs-JEStN8dPl90r8H3O5hygGOACU829c57TbdaGkm58B_oVY20OM6z-PY7AVCvMbv8gOZEaCm2JKVJK3eM0_6KZz3xSv" width="163" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Laundry Love, it's literally about doing your laundry, and I enjoyed every second of it! </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A World of Curiosities, it had me on the edge of my seat. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>9. Book You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Essentialism, so many great tips for prioritizing and learning how to say no. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2022?</b><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3zTLQmKnTXAIaj3-9hEOzdRA1tZ5aG1S9MbXKAtDij50c-1OPwrtg5UiagHSzsgokAu6NIyGgY9cQ90DAaDVRcbhlcnv6RlqDe_sy6osYMWmHDAjaLKDAS5jz-Yu3FGYTu7OLHJJPpaIu2YZYKQD1m-aidARf5Qk0TSSpGwaPYinjKxnsI5AFQh3T" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The Cartographers and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>11. Most memorable character of 2022?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Maisie Dobbs, Six Thirty the dog from Lessons in Chemistry, and Lucy from Oh William! and Lucy by the Sea</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9NlcDUyQ8qmCPxGarxaxFGeUmoDp7m3x25wRtiOkKQys5sLanrMA5wfsuNwpCgUU1b4npyziOcdhI7iWUBjRygMW3FZbbTIlyej89p2vmcyY1gOJLm8PJtdCcapJd_ESckyP4qd_woJ2bDCc55HHIJn-PcQH_RVwFYzk5vqcet9RxXnxlBUpgkoFs" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9NlcDUyQ8qmCPxGarxaxFGeUmoDp7m3x25wRtiOkKQys5sLanrMA5wfsuNwpCgUU1b4npyziOcdhI7iWUBjRygMW3FZbbTIlyej89p2vmcyY1gOJLm8PJtdCcapJd_ESckyP4qd_woJ2bDCc55HHIJn-PcQH_RVwFYzk5vqcet9RxXnxlBUpgkoFs" width="159" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>12. Most beautifully written book read in 2022? </b></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The Sea of Tranquility, I loved it so much I read it twice. </span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2022? </b></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">24/6 made me infinitely more aware of our dependence on being available at any moment and our obsession with our phones.</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2022 to finally read?</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Shell Seekers </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2022?</b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="background-color: #f6f7fa; color: #111111; font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;"><i>“I believe that calling myself a Christian means living up to Christ’s example of brave, sometimes shocking love.” - Shauna Niequist</i></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="background-color: #f6f7fa; color: #111111; font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: #fffbd3;"><i>“This had often broken my heart, to realize that you never know the last time you pick up a child.” - Lucy by the Sea</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111;">"One must always have adventure in life, or the promise of it, at least." - Last Christmas in Paris</span></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111;">“The work is the pleasure but then always the judgment that can strip the pleasure like turpentine.” - Madly, Deeply</span></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111;">"This is a strange lesson of living in a pandemic: life can be tranquil in the face of death." - Sea of Tranquility </span></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111;">“It’s really something to return home after a month away. It would seem that the world should have changed in someway, as it to say, out of courtesy, we understand your journey was illuminating insignificant, and because it affected you so, the universe, two, is making a slight but noticeable shift.” - Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life</span></span></p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2022?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A Short Guide to a Happy Life - 64 pages</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Count of Monte Cristo - 1,276 pages </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>17. Book That Shocked You The Most?</b><br />A World of Curiosities and Sea of Tranquility </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>18. Favorite Couple?</b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache and Fern and "Wally" from The Good Sister</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of The Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott (do they count as romantic or non-romantic?) and Alice and her father from This Time Tomorrow<br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>20. Favorite Book You Read in 2022 From an Author You’ve Read Previously?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Troy by Stephen Fry and These Precious Days by Ann Patchett</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>21. Best Book You Read In 2022 That You Read Based SOLELY On A<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Recommendation From Somebody Else?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Swimmers, it was lovely. Fair Play was packed with tips for balancing the workload in a marriage. <br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2022?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Charlie from Book Lovers</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>23. Best debut you read?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Becoming Duchess Goldblatt, was just lovely and Lessons in Chemistry was excellent. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Annihilation</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Shit, Actually (pardon the title), this was a hilarious review of classic movies. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>26. Book That Made You Cry in 2022?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Joan and Imogen's friendship in Love and Saffron <br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dear Fahrenheit 451, a librarian wrote letters to her favorite and least favorite books and the result was too funny. </span></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;">The Rose Code</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2022?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comfort Me with Apples, this story is inspired by a well-known story, but you don't know that until the end. It was so strange, but I'm still thinking about it. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">30. Book That Made You the Maddest?</span><o:p></o:p></b></span><br /></span><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif">99 Days, every character made such stupid selfish choices. Ugh. </span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>31. Best Audiobook?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Happy-Go-Lucky, no one can make me laugh out loud like Sedaris reading his own work. <br /><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>32. Best Book to Film Adaptation?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Where the Crawdads Sing, the set of that film was just incredible!</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks to Perpetual Page Turner for originating this survey! It’s always so much fun to look at everything I read throughout the year and think about what I loved/hated. </span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><br /></span><div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Photos by me.</span></i></span></div><div class="sr-sig" style="text-align: right;"></div></div><div class="sr-sig" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/XvZxW1p.png" /></span></div>
Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-7144468476871423242021-12-30T19:26:00.005-05:002022-01-19T14:11:20.982-05:002021 End of the Year Book Survey<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDBVUVrkH4BQ0beF5VvpkGJG7RXyr7ZFbBZwvcBpwi-uXf_tNKnJRt51DupQrxFsi5Q1kW2Tt8CSr94wPWQPwIyO0w5u12z68YaSN-u3JsKOpUzZs7qnkLlfaTuHEwBlM6lInCVRNnjN7NvRjymkhYMZzN9LHq0kJlpNf9muAPfH-DAbrOV0h3ly9g=s1888" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1888" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDBVUVrkH4BQ0beF5VvpkGJG7RXyr7ZFbBZwvcBpwi-uXf_tNKnJRt51DupQrxFsi5Q1kW2Tt8CSr94wPWQPwIyO0w5u12z68YaSN-u3JsKOpUzZs7qnkLlfaTuHEwBlM6lInCVRNnjN7NvRjymkhYMZzN9LHq0kJlpNf9muAPfH-DAbrOV0h3ly9g=w640-h512" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Number of Books You Read: </b>162</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Number of Rere</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana;">ads:</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> 19</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Fiction: </b>125</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nonfiction: </b>37</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOs1hbQTJzXqpD_UtwcInewVZLzJCH6pwmgCsNg2NVIEMJ9_1j7tRziOPSD8M3VP5xmodhyphenhyphenktvHT-s2Af1iO5UKQH3uRd5qYSK9C1538EdKsvjKZxQjiE1EuvR9iVM0YZHr3cWBhUYEoM/s1600/best.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="1600" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOs1hbQTJzXqpD_UtwcInewVZLzJCH6pwmgCsNg2NVIEMJ9_1j7tRziOPSD8M3VP5xmodhyphenhyphenktvHT-s2Af1iO5UKQH3uRd5qYSK9C1538EdKsvjKZxQjiE1EuvR9iVM0YZHr3cWBhUYEoM/s640/best.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>1. Best Books You Read In 2021</b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Classics —</b> Passing, Address Unknown, and Anna Karenina </span>(reread)<br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Historical Fiction —</b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Code Name </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Hélène</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mystery —</b> Double Indemnity, Rock Paper Scissors, and Eight Perfect Murders<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Literary Fiction —</b> The Madness of Crowds, Beartown</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nonfiction — </b>The Anthropocene Reviewed, Taste, The Lazy Genius Way, Much Ado, These Precious Days</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Fantasy —</b> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Stormlight Archive</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Play —</b> The Book of Will, I Love to Eat, Outside Mullingar<br /><b>Science Fiction </b></span></span><b style="font-family: verdana;">—</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Before the Coffee Gets Cold</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>YA —</b> Instructions for Dancing </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Children’s —</b> The 13 Clocks and The Magician's Nephew (reread), Look Up!</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?</b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Early Morning Riser, I just kept expecting the characters to do something to change their circumstances, but they never did. <br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /><b>3. Most surprising (in a good way) book you read?</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The American Royals series, just fun and with a bit more politics than just fluff, which I liked!<br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><b>4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?</b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Anthropocene Reviewed <br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>5. Best series you started in 2021?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVIV9rqYUE777D_lsNXy95MFTqZ92NvmP5cIviOFaZHhF8Ad09JVKpTy2fIjq1dy3lISfBfgyCeSsZ2XeT4Y0pEin15HXlObo31N_MgXSA9M1gA75Bhpg3bgWrQo5JmKMVdX1Sfavlm0/s1544/IMG_2777.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1544" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVIV9rqYUE777D_lsNXy95MFTqZ92NvmP5cIviOFaZHhF8Ad09JVKpTy2fIjq1dy3lISfBfgyCeSsZ2XeT4Y0pEin15HXlObo31N_MgXSA9M1gA75Bhpg3bgWrQo5JmKMVdX1Sfavlm0/s320/IMG_2777.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2021?</b><o:p></o:p></span><br />Emily Henry is just delightful! I read two of her books, Beach Read and People You Meet on Vacation. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">French Kids Eat Everything, such helpful tips in teaching your children to eat slowly and diversely. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Annapurna: A Woman's Place</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>9. Book You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Anthropocene Reviewed</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2021? <br /></b>Good Company and Elevation</span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>11. Most memorable character of 2021?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The cast of the Stormlight Archives, especially Kaladin and Shallan</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>12. Most beautifully written book read in 2021? </b></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The Snow Child </span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2021? </b></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Everybody Fights by Kim and Penn Holderness, great tips for the inevitable fights that happen in marriage. I also liked Our Souls at Night, a quiet, short book that made me think about how we live with our past mistakes and how family or societal expectations can often dictate our choices. </span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2021 to finally read?</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Parable of the Sower, it felt like it was written for what we're going through right now! </span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2021?</b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">“In my old age, I see that life itself is often more fantastic and terrible than the stories we believed as children, and that perhaps there is no harm in finding magic among the trees.” - The Snow Child</span><br style="color: #222222;" /><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">“Being a parent makes you feel like a blanket that’s always too small. No matter how hard you try to cover everyone, there’s always someone who’s freezing.” - Beartown</span><br style="color: #222222;" /><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">“The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but open arms.” - Gentle and Lowly</span><br style="color: #222222;" /><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">"There’s something about the absence of light mixed with near exhaustion that loosens tongues and strengthens relationships." - Amelia Unabridged</span><br style="color: #222222;" /><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">"Mine is a level of fury that requires two coats of lipstick and a fully loaded revolver." Code Name Hélène</span><br style="color: #222222;" /><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">“Too much self-sufficiency was sort of mean to the people who loved you,” Kit thought. “You robbed them of how good it feels to give, of their sense of value.” - Malibu Rising</span><span class="sewo4a3mb34x27i" style="color: #222222;"></span><span class="sewo4a3mb34x27i" style="color: #222222;"></span><br style="color: #222222;" /><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">“Jasnah had once defined a fool as a person who ignored the information because it </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">disagreed with desired results.” - Words of Radiance</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">“Food is one of the best
things about being alive. Not just food. Good food. There is a chasm between
sustenance and satisfaction, and while she spent the better part of three
hundred years eating to stay off the pains of hunger, she has spent the last
fifty delighting in the discovery of flavor. So much of life becomes routine,
but food is like music, art, replete with the promise of something new.” - The
Invisible Life of Addie LaRue<br /><br /></span></p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2021?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - 32 pages</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Stormlight Archive - 4,574 pages </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>17. Book That Shocked You The Most?</b><br />Passing by Nella Larsen and the true events in Across that Bridge by John Lewis <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>18. Favorite Couple?</b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Vivian and Malcolm in Royal Holiday and X's grandparents in Instructions for Dancing</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of The Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Evelyn Couch and Ruth in The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop and Shallan and her two other personalities, Radiant and Veil, in the Stormlight Archives<br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>20. Favorite Book You Read in 2021 From an Author You’ve Read Previously?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Survivors by Jane Harper and Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (Rowling)</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>21. Best Book You Read In 2021 That You Read Based SOLELY On A<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Recommendation From Somebody Else?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> The Murderbot Diaries, so entertaining! <br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2021?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The husband from The Code Name </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hélène</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>23. Best 2021 debut you read?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Definitely the Stormlight Archives</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal, I've never felt so connected to a community of readers! </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>26. Book That Made You Cry in 2021?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Beartown</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Amelia Unabridged and Much Ado (a behind the scenes look at my favorite theatre)</span></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> The Snow Child, it just broke my heart! </span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2021?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Before the Coffee Gets Cold, between the time travel and the translation from Japanese, it's such a unique book. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">30. Book That Made You the Maddest?</span><o:p></o:p></b></span><br /></span><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif">Beartown and In Defense of Food (It's insane that our food industry has gotten to the point where we are undernourished and overfed.)</span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>31. Best Audiobook?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Taste read by the author Stanley Tucci, what a delight! <br /><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>32. Best Book to Film Adaptation?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">In the Heights, technically the book is about the making of the musical, but I loved seeing it become a film this year! </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks to Perpetual Page Turner for originating this survey! It’s always so much fun to look at everything I read throughout the year and think about what I loved/hated. </span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><br /></span><div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Photo by me.</span></i></span></div><div class="sr-sig" style="text-align: right;"></div></div><div class="sr-sig" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/XvZxW1p.png" /></span></div>
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-68311266178420928372021-10-21T13:47:00.007-04:002021-10-23T20:25:30.259-04:00My 20th Dewey 24-Hour Readathon!<div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">******** UPDATED HOUR 13********</b><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I can't believe this my 20th readathon (see links below). My 20th!!! I'm doing things differently this year. I'll be at a lake house all weekend and I'm tackling some cleaning projects and chasing kids, so in the true spirit of the readathon I'll be attempting to fit in lots of reading, but I'll be spreading it out over 48 hours instead of 24. </div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75kGHgOJENUmyISiNhKgnyDB_NMMtOzWPyJjZMvn4dqSakq1EXGNqXzvt23AqGV7PeOYy-YDW3bnx_rNEZT5NClt-gWb23CWwe4rVKJLt2fCmhm4y6NSc401cTFvxaQC0nsWRLSrRQS4/s2724/2021-09-18+18.22.15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2724" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75kGHgOJENUmyISiNhKgnyDB_NMMtOzWPyJjZMvn4dqSakq1EXGNqXzvt23AqGV7PeOYy-YDW3bnx_rNEZT5NClt-gWb23CWwe4rVKJLt2fCmhm4y6NSc401cTFvxaQC0nsWRLSrRQS4/w625-h266/2021-09-18+18.22.15.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Here's a link for more info about the </span><a href="https://deweysreadathon.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Dewey Readathon</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">. Today you can find me posting on Litsy and Instagram as @avidreader25 as well as here. I love being able to participate, even in an unconventional way. </span></div></div></div><div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLOyNNyd2Nu6W0aeVWq8zSErnR8oAiUhcABz0L7hokHEv_t5XTUfZDyRCNCmbk4XbQJ0Rz3Rz6HdUK89sp4bZVFeDU0YUWE3ZvmW8F3DBnnKsCZWZpQD0kELMdeFWtw7VWkP_mzSp2Gw/s640/IMG_9445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLOyNNyd2Nu6W0aeVWq8zSErnR8oAiUhcABz0L7hokHEv_t5XTUfZDyRCNCmbk4XbQJ0Rz3Rz6HdUK89sp4bZVFeDU0YUWE3ZvmW8F3DBnnKsCZWZpQD0kELMdeFWtw7VWkP_mzSp2Gw/w400-h400/IMG_9445.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Reading Stats</span></h2><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Pages Read</b>: 367<br /><b>Currently Reading</b>: Address Unknown <br /><b>Books Finished</b>: 3, Elevation, The Book of Will, Nathan<br /><br />Introduction Quiz:<br />1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? A lake house in Southern Indiana<br /><br />2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Address Unknown <br /><br />3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Coconut cashews<br /><br />4) Tell us a little something about yourself! We just got back from a trip to Texas. We've had a fun week enjoying fall break with lots of reading, a zoo trip, and building forts. <br /><br />5) If you participated in the last readathon, what’s one thing you’ll<br />do differently today? I'm spreading my reading out over the weekend since much of the day on Saturday I will be cleaning and spending time with family. </span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: black;">PAST READATHON POSTS:</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2011/04/deweys-24-hour-read-thon-part-3.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2011/10/dewey-update-mini-challenge-1.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2011 / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/04/dewey-24-hour-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/10/dewey-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2012 / </span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/04/dewey-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/10/dewey-24-hour-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2013 <span style="color: black;">/ <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2014/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> 2014 / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2015/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2015/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October </span></a>2015 </span></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: black;">/<a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2016/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April</a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2016/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2016</a></span></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"> / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April</a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2017</a> / <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April</a> and <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2018</a>. <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2019/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April </a>and <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2019/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2019</a>. <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2020/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">April </a>and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2020/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">October </a>2020. <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2021/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">April</a> 2021. </span></span></div>
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-58824129175806097052021-04-27T15:44:00.002-04:002021-04-27T15:44:53.317-04:00The Green Mile Readalong Wrap Up<div class="sr-sig" style="text-align: right;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJK67PLAYL4u4bja7q8kWKFZGTNI0ZhPiNF_amf0uy2yH3aaNdRXSWLCVPQSQlxqpzONVQ8OX4JSlLWOCILDI554gb7_O_4xiWgtFX5mwoV1Ylo0brqMWjVv_CZeYXYZHGqVwOPHK9fQQ/s1512/IMG_4310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJK67PLAYL4u4bja7q8kWKFZGTNI0ZhPiNF_amf0uy2yH3aaNdRXSWLCVPQSQlxqpzONVQ8OX4JSlLWOCILDI554gb7_O_4xiWgtFX5mwoV1Ylo0brqMWjVv_CZeYXYZHGqVwOPHK9fQQ/w400-h400/IMG_4310.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We may it down the long mile! <a href="https://bkclubcare.wordpress.com/">Care </a>and I had so much fun reading this together with you guys. Thanks to Care for her check-in posts for each section and fun part favors she sent out! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well, the ending certainly made me cry, even though I read it years ago and knew what was coming. I was struck this time by the guilt that Paul must have struggled with for the rest of his long life. I wonder if it's similar to people who must kill someone in a war. You are taking a life, regardless of whether it is sanctioned and justified. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I also wondered about the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_Negro">Magical Negro</a>" trope in reference to this book. I think the story would have been just as powerful if Coffey was white. The only major thing I could think of that would be changed by that are the argument about an appeal being unlikely for Coffey, despite new evidence, because of his race. I didn't think about it the first time I read it, but I'll be honest that the past year has changed my lens for processing some things like that. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One thing that really blew me away was the patience required to read just one section a month when it was first realized. The serialized novel used to be so common, but nowadays we throw a fit if we can't binge a show as soon as it's released. I loved reading this with a group and trying to stop at the end of each section. There are cliffhangers, so it wasn't easy! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>What did you guys think? Anything stand out to you about the plot that you weren't expecting or loved?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here's my full review from the first time I read it:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111;">There are books that put you into reading slumps and there are those that get you out of them. This is the latter. I couldn’t put it down, I didn’t want it to end and I was thinking about the characters long after I was done with it. There’s not much more you can ask from a book.</span><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111;">Our narrator Paul Edgecombe introduces us to the green mile and its 1932 residents. The “Green Mile” is a death row penitentiary, nicknamed for its long hallway paved with green linoleum. It’s full of the worst dredges of humanity and some of the kindest. Paul runs the mile with his fellow guards, keeping the prisoners in check and running an occasional execution via electric chair whenever someone’s time is up.</span><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111;">The convicts include William "Billy the Kid" Wharton, one of the most twisted individuals I’ve encountered in a novel. Then there’s Eduard Delacroix, who has made his mistakes, but now spends his time training his sweet pet mouse, Mr. Jingles, to do tricks. John Coffey is the other notable inmate. He’s a huge black man with a gentle spirit and an odd gift.</span><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111;">In addition to the criminals, there are a handful of guards, only one of which truly instills fear in the reader. Percy Wetmore is the nephew of a high-up politician and has wormed his way into this job. I don’t think I’ve ever despised a character more than I did with Percy. He is a cruel coward. Paul is reflecting on this eventful year decades later and he sees Percy’s malice mirrored in Brad Dolan, an employee of the nursing home where he now lives. It’s such a powerful reminder that those kinds of people are everywhere, in all works of life. They thrive on manipulation and intimidation.</span><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111;">One interesting aspect of this novel is the format in which it was written. King decided to try writing a serialized novel. This is how many books were written during the 19th century (Dickens, Thackeray, etc.) and so King split the book into six sections. Each one was published as a paperback with a different title. He published one each month for six months in 1996. The only drawback to this method is that some elements feel repetitive when read as one consecutive novel. King reiterates some plot points as reminders of what happened in the last installment, but it’s not too distracting when taking in context of the original format.</span><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111;">BOTTOM LINE: If The Stand made me second guess my preconceived notions about King’s talent as a writer, this novel solidified him as a brilliant storyteller in my mind. I was so invested in the story and it broke my heart over and over again. I loved reading this and I highly recommend the audiobook version read by Frank Mueller.</span><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111;">“What I didn’t realize was how many doors the act of writing unlocks, as if my Dad’s old fountain pen wasn’t really a pen at all, but some strange variety of skeleton key.”</span><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: #fffbd3; color: #111111;">"Although I know that no one under the age of, say, fifty would believe this, sometimes the embers are better than the campfire."</span></span></div>
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<br />Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-28284795600786128362021-04-24T07:00:00.013-04:002021-04-25T00:28:26.773-04:00 Dewey 24 Hour Readathon!<div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">******** UPDATED HOUR 17********</b></div><div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 15.4px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBjXa7D97bE_PNkPHALeIMbD0rtY-S9lApdZ9GQKdf8_rFGbrVBaAl6CDUG953NjgqWUFi0ZvkLA1_GZNcgxBowdEq94mxyjfnHVyvURtwTHozUPGQNOmT_OWA8gJsBTTC69jMU4LKtM/s2048/IMG_3884.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBjXa7D97bE_PNkPHALeIMbD0rtY-S9lApdZ9GQKdf8_rFGbrVBaAl6CDUG953NjgqWUFi0ZvkLA1_GZNcgxBowdEq94mxyjfnHVyvURtwTHozUPGQNOmT_OWA8gJsBTTC69jMU4LKtM/w300-h400/IMG_3884.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;">*Taking a break to go to Viking fest during House 7!*</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;">This is my 19th <a href="https://deweysreadathon.wordpress.com/" style="color: #3fb8c3; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">readathon </a>(see links below). </span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;">Today you can find me posting on Litsy and as @avidreader25.</span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;">After the strangeness of the past year, it's a joy to return to something familiar. Dewey Readathons have been a staple in my house for a decade now! Now I always make sure I have a selection of shorter books, plays, and graphic novels to choose from each April and October. Here's to a day spent reading and snacking! </div></span><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Reading Stats:<br /></span>Pages Read:</b><span face="verdana, sans-serif"> 706</span><br /><b>Currently Reading:</b> </span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana;">A Pocketful of Hope for Mothers </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Books Finished: </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: verdana;">Our Souls at Night, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: verdana;">The Bear, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Shortcomings and I Love to Eat</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><div><div><div style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgforV9jYeLuE6zGEo16-Aj2HzNkUGe_TsQ7aNXqnldoOecYv92uM6ZB5pHHNUMrBhauNq2CAbpR5zJJaSurehSAIobBLShBDNgdcW8Y1Te0Yx8bnSwX02BGu1oG6OVMION5H-SwapByVs/s1280/IMG_4518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgforV9jYeLuE6zGEo16-Aj2HzNkUGe_TsQ7aNXqnldoOecYv92uM6ZB5pHHNUMrBhauNq2CAbpR5zJJaSurehSAIobBLShBDNgdcW8Y1Te0Yx8bnSwX02BGu1oG6OVMION5H-SwapByVs/w400-h400/IMG_4518.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Mid-Event Survey:</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15.4px;">1. What are you reading right now?</span></b><span style="font-size: 15.4px;"> Our Souls at Night</span></span></span></div><div><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></span><b style="font-size: 15.4px;">2. How many books have you read so far? </b><span style="font-size: 15.4px;">3</span><br /><b style="font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="font-size: 15.4px;">3. What book are you most looking forward to?</b><span style="font-size: 15.4px;"> The Book of Will</span><br /><b style="font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="font-size: 15.4px;">4. Have you had many interruptions? </b><span style="font-size: 15.4px;">I took a break to attend a fun Viking Fest event for a few hours. Other than that (and my kids) it has been a good reading day! </span><br /><b style="font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="font-size: 15.4px;">5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? </b><span style="font-size: 15.4px;">My book selection. So many good ones this time! </span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><b>Introduction Quiz:<br />1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?</b> </span><br /><span face="verdana, sans-serif">Indianapolis<br /><br /><b>2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?</b> </span><br /><span face="verdana, sans-serif">Shortcomings</span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /><b>3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?</b> </span><br /><span face="verdana, sans-serif">Chips and guacamole! <br /><br /><b>4) Tell us a little something about yourself! </b>I've read all the works of Shakespeare. My pup Ollie has participated in every Dewey readathon with me. And we just had a Dragons Love Tacos party to celebrate my youngest kiddo's birthday!<br /><br /><b>5) If you participated in the last readathon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? </b>I might read with my kids a little more this time. My kids are 2 and 5 and it will be fun to read to them and get them excited about the readathon too! We're also going to swing by a fun local Viking Fest later. It's always entertaining. </span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: black;">PAST READATHON POSTS:</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2011/04/deweys-24-hour-read-thon-part-3.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2011/10/dewey-update-mini-challenge-1.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2011 / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/04/dewey-24-hour-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/10/dewey-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2012 / </span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/04/dewey-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/10/dewey-24-hour-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2013 <span style="color: black;">/ <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2014/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> 2014 / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2015/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2015/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October </span></a>2015 </span></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: black;">/<a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2016/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April</a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2016/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2016</a></span></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"> / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April</a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2017</a> / <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April</a> and <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2018</a>. <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2019/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April </a>and <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2019/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2019</a>. <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2020/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">April </a>and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2020/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">October </a>2020. </span></span></div></div></div>
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</div>Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-69522688811722654262021-04-16T17:17:00.005-04:002021-04-16T17:27:34.635-04:00 The Green Mile Readalong Halfway Point<div class="sr-sig" style="text-align: right;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4zDTeFzAo6lxva10zEbBkBOcmwTBy01RWvNCYbC6x3SCk7K4JfBQ_2UjgjgEBi9APlfyD399yZDfLOme0oUzo8DMbmlFAojNyGlEQ9qlPSVq4WS05P_Pe62hbNOdgD-DV3Cdb1QHqfk/s828/IMG_4055.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="828" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4zDTeFzAo6lxva10zEbBkBOcmwTBy01RWvNCYbC6x3SCk7K4JfBQ_2UjgjgEBi9APlfyD399yZDfLOme0oUzo8DMbmlFAojNyGlEQ9qlPSVq4WS05P_Pe62hbNOdgD-DV3Cdb1QHqfk/w400-h391/IMG_4055.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Welcome to the halfway point in our Green Mile readalong! <a href="https://bkclubcare.wordpress.com/">Care </a>and have been having a blast reading all your thoughts and theories on the book so far. King's tone can be cheesy at times, but it's his characters that pull me in. Even the side stories are powerful. Paul's time in the nursing home making him feel weak and helpless, the warden's raw grief over his wife's diagnosis, the reporter's cold reaction to the realities of the world after his dog turns on his children, each moment stays with you. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I also loved this quote. It's from a moment when Paul is pouring out his memories in a journal in the nursing home and realizing how powerful the act of writing is. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="gs" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; width: 1120px;"><div><div class="ii gt" id=":pc" style="direction: ltr; margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="a3s aiL" id=":p9" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; overflow: hidden;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>“What I didn’t realize was how many doors the act of writing unlocks, </b></span></div><div class="a3s aiL" id=":p9" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; overflow: hidden;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>as if my Dad’s old fountain pen wasn’t really a pen at all, but some </b></span></div><div class="a3s aiL" id=":p9" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; overflow: hidden;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>strange variety of skeleton key.”</b></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What are your thoughts so far? Feel free to post here, on <a href="https://bkclubcare.wordpress.com/">Care's blog</a> or on Litsy or </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Twitter or Instagram, wherever you prefer! The hashtag is #GreenMileAlong and you can find both of us at the following spots:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Litsy: @BKClubCare and @Avidreader25</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Instagram: @BKClubCare and @Avidreader25</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Twitter: @BKClubCare and @MelissaAvidLife</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;" /></div></div>
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<br />Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-48722626815222600912021-03-23T11:15:00.000-04:002021-03-23T11:15:11.554-04:00The Green Mile Readalong<div class="sr-sig" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vI8xw6iTk9HoxL83lZa8BnV9bQMOGj9A6WmZGV3qkMVpLGrGf00c6rCySAATvD61_C64vqo5m4Qbv948RVRuL1Ie6j8xtzs_d5Iu2yaJLeXmgzPt10alq87tZgi2UFN_smAbqc_XZbY/s828/BF4860D0-E61E-4F62-9C40-A62A1E737C34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="828" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vI8xw6iTk9HoxL83lZa8BnV9bQMOGj9A6WmZGV3qkMVpLGrGf00c6rCySAATvD61_C64vqo5m4Qbv948RVRuL1Ie6j8xtzs_d5Iu2yaJLeXmgzPt10alq87tZgi2UFN_smAbqc_XZbY/w400-h376/BF4860D0-E61E-4F62-9C40-A62A1E737C34.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's been <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-green-mile-and-domealong.html">years </a>since I read The Green Mile. It was one of the first Stephen King books I ever read and it made me realize the depth of his stories. <a href="https://bkclubcare.wordpress.com/2021/03/23/announcing-april-greenmilealong-readalong/">Care of Care's Books & Pie </a>and I decided to host a little readalong of The Green Mile for anyone who is interested. Join us in April as we delve into this story.</span> </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8JZIgvcRcozHvaPV9bhsYCahzQse1FHSg0dCBSVvnzxi-3f-OhGelWJP8RZHKiAIetMF_q-yFE4RYLnaY3op3vAbPDgdO-xtR8hWyJDLYgi0FpsJ3bpPTQa7HIdpkm7n6qU80tWmbF0/s300/greenmilebutton-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8JZIgvcRcozHvaPV9bhsYCahzQse1FHSg0dCBSVvnzxi-3f-OhGelWJP8RZHKiAIetMF_q-yFE4RYLnaY3op3vAbPDgdO-xtR8hWyJDLYgi0FpsJ3bpPTQa7HIdpkm7n6qU80tWmbF0/s0/greenmilebutton-1.png" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">No need to create big posts or anything else. Just post on my blog or her blog. Or on Litsy or Twitter or Instagram, wherever you prefer! The hashtag is #GreenMileAlong and you can find both of us at the following spots:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Litsy: @BKClubCare and @Avidreader25</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Instagram: @BKClubCare and @Avidreader25</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Twitter: @BKClubCare and @MelissaAvidLife</span></div><div><br /></div>Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-58509914242429466392020-12-30T20:33:00.002-05:002021-03-23T11:26:39.056-04:00 2020 End of the Year Book Survey<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HEbd8Qb19QBIMSCrTfP08uNrvUXkJJ51iic8oZJQzcBK_E3rOkS8unNkv8rg4RuCgYaf8FRBwZNKJyJYjLTNkfJfmN3QHJJYiwTX8Qfa3igpTgdwrmVLmmZkvY4R__sl0Eze3qEx-fs/s828/IMG_0367.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="828" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HEbd8Qb19QBIMSCrTfP08uNrvUXkJJ51iic8oZJQzcBK_E3rOkS8unNkv8rg4RuCgYaf8FRBwZNKJyJYjLTNkfJfmN3QHJJYiwTX8Qfa3igpTgdwrmVLmmZkvY4R__sl0Eze3qEx-fs/w640-h540/IMG_0367.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Quarantine is the perfect time to reorganize your bookshelves! </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This year was surreal for a lot of reasons. All of the
exterior circumstances had a huge impact on my choices in reading material. I
read Biden and Harris’ memoirs before the election. I read many books on
social justice to push myself to a deeper understanding of diversity issues. I started a virtual book club, Pandemic Pages, with a few
of my closest friends and we had a blast connecting on zoom. </span>And
then, when it all became too much, I signed up for Audible Escapes for a month
and sunk into some mindless clean YA romances to give my brain a break. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Quarantine for me meant life at home with two kids (ages
1 and 4) while trying to work. It’s been hard. It also included a LOT of books!
I read plays for the American Theatre Critics Association’s new play award. I
listened to tons of audiobooks to keep my sanity while at home. I reread many
old favorites and returned to authors I hadn’t read in years. And I curled up
with my kindle or a real book when I needed a moment's respite from the stress
of this year. Here are some of my favorites from 2020. <br /><br /></span></p>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Number of Books You Read: </b>212</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Number of Re-Reads:</b> 12<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Fiction: </b><span style="font-family: verdana;">115 </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Nonfiction: </b><span style="font-family: verdana;">48</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Plays: </b><span style="font-family: verdana;">33</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Graphic Novels: </b>4</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOs1hbQTJzXqpD_UtwcInewVZLzJCH6pwmgCsNg2NVIEMJ9_1j7tRziOPSD8M3VP5xmodhyphenhyphenktvHT-s2Af1iO5UKQH3uRd5qYSK9C1538EdKsvjKZxQjiE1EuvR9iVM0YZHr3cWBhUYEoM/s1600/best.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="1600" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOs1hbQTJzXqpD_UtwcInewVZLzJCH6pwmgCsNg2NVIEMJ9_1j7tRziOPSD8M3VP5xmodhyphenhyphenktvHT-s2Af1iO5UKQH3uRd5qYSK9C1538EdKsvjKZxQjiE1EuvR9iVM0YZHr3cWBhUYEoM/s640/best.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>1. Best Books You Read In 2020</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Classics —</b> If Beale Street Could Talk, Death on the Nile, and Go Tell It on The Mountain </span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Historical Fiction —</b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Lovely War </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mystery —</b> A Madness of Sunshine, Little Secrets, The Guest List <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Literary Fiction —</b> Anxious People, Nothing to See Here</span></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nonfiction — </b>Talking to Strangers, The Body, Furious Hours, The Hiding Place, and I'm Still Here </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Fantasy —</b> The City We Became </span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Play —</b> Every Brilliant Thing, Silent Sky, and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>YA —</b> Clap When You Land and Piecing Me Together</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Science Fiction —</b> This Is How You Lose the Time War </span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Children’s —</b> Ramona Quimby series and Gooseberry Park</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Graphic Novel —</b> Pumpkinheads</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif">The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and The Glass Hotel </span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /><b>3. Most surprising (in a good way) book you read?</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I Love You, But I Hate Your Politics <br />
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<b>4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">Clap When You Land and The Hiding Place </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>5. Best series you started in 2020?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">To All the Boys I've Loved Before </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2020?</b><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Elizabeth Acevedo and Georgette Heyer </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Untamed, I'm not a big self-help fan, but I got a lot out of this one! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Wylding Hall, an unputdownable, gothic gem for sure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>9. Book You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Kitchen Counter Cooking School, I learned so much. I know I'll return to it to refresh my cooking skills in the future. </span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2020?</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">With the Fire on High, Shadow and Light, Twisted, and The Vanishing Half </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>11. Most memorable character of 2020?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">Sheba from South of Broad, Emoni from With the Fire on Hire</span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7cwEorX2U62tt9sYJLVyGxiwJ98A0OoIe75msBjxHF0QdJKVHjULSKoF2UswJ99HGzSdBlxR5XHNHWXNOKXPAyBncLD7f65wKzR8l3fTZYu38WRX3FnmwNzp_OZFao86CCInl1dLrpA/s594/bookpic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="594" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7cwEorX2U62tt9sYJLVyGxiwJ98A0OoIe75msBjxHF0QdJKVHjULSKoF2UswJ99HGzSdBlxR5XHNHWXNOKXPAyBncLD7f65wKzR8l3fTZYu38WRX3FnmwNzp_OZFao86CCInl1dLrpA/w640-h322/bookpic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Scenes from a quarantine life of reading in 2020.</i></div><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>12. Most beautifully written book read in 2020? </b></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">This Is How You Lose the Time War and If Beale Street Could Talk </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2020? </b></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">So You Want to Talk About Race and I'm Still Here</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2020 to finally read?</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; line-height: 16.8667px;">Go Tell It On the Mountain and The Hiding Place</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2020?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText"><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“The world changes, the ground shifts. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">We still make plans. We still find gifts.” </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">- Gmorning, Gnight!</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“I think that control might actually be the opposite of
love because control leaves no room for trust. And love without trust is not
love at all.” - Untamed</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“It’s true that we haven’t done very much recently other
than keep two small people alive.” - The Guest List<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Traveling changes you. It open to up to in ways you
never imagined and makes you appreciate home.” - Piecing Me Together</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“One of the benefits of being a journalist is that I get
to be nosy for a living.” - The Year of Living Danishly</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person
you wish to become.” - Atomic Habits</span> <br /><br /></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2020?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Silent Sky - 64 pages </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Angle of Repose - 569 pages </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>17. Book That Shocked You The Most?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Talking to Strangers, the way he unfolds how the training of police officers has led to our current situation was enlightening and heartbreaking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>18. Favorite Couple?</b></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dash and Lily</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of The Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">Everyone in Anxious People and Hig and his dog Jasper in The Dog Stars</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>20. Favorite Book You Read in 2020 From an Author You’ve Read Previously?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">How the Light Gets In and the rest of the Inspector Gamache novels </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText">
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>21. Best Book You Read In 2020 That You Read Based SOLELY On A<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Recommendation From Somebody Else?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">The Soul of the Octopus <br /><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2020?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">Peter Kavinsky and Dash</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>23. Best 2020 debut you read?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Jane Austen Society </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The City We Became, The Searcher, and House of Salt and Sorrows</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif">The House in the Cerulean Sea</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">and the Christy Miller marriage and baby series. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>26. Book That Made You Cry in 2020?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lovely War</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I loved Mythos and Heroes by Stephen Fry, but I've heard almost nothing about them. They retell the Greek myths with famous art, illustrations, and Fry's clever commentary. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If Beale Street Could Talk and Every Brilliant Thing</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2020?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Endurance, a nonfiction book that is set in space! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">30. Book That Made You the Maddest?</span><o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif">The Great Alone, that ending, ugh. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>31. Best Audiobook?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Arabian Nights and the Inspector Gamache series </span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>32. Best Book to Film Adaptation?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Dash and Lily </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks to <a href="https://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2019-end-of-year-book-survey/" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;">Perpetual Page Turner</a> for once again hosting this survey! It’s always so much fun to look at everything I read throughout the year and think about what I loved/hated. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Photo by me.</span></i></span></div>
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-24714870226160506632020-10-24T13:08:00.006-04:002020-10-27T09:19:37.791-04:00Dewey 24 Hour Readathon!<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>******** UPDATED HOUR 8********</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XMjov6lNQQh106mpXpAV4aS_FKVVModLsfXCLQ77ZJO3JJtsIb5o0ckowgSVrF-nYzaN7vRPUl2BagcE5SCElQeDqUQTe7QkfiNcdnN3z-H8uODpCMn6Pzt3xUhhxPem4D_aaOgF6Sc/s1544/IMG_8243.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1544" data-original-width="1158" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XMjov6lNQQh106mpXpAV4aS_FKVVModLsfXCLQ77ZJO3JJtsIb5o0ckowgSVrF-nYzaN7vRPUl2BagcE5SCElQeDqUQTe7QkfiNcdnN3z-H8uODpCMn6Pzt3xUhhxPem4D_aaOgF6Sc/w300-h400/IMG_8243.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>This is my 18th <a href="https://deweysreadathon.wordpress.com/">readathon </a>(see links below). </span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;">Today you can find me posting on Litsy and as @avidreader25.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><br />My first readathon was in April 2011, when my dog Ollie (pictured) was just a tiny pup. I wasn't planning on reading today, because we've been going through a hard health situation with him for the past month. After nine vet visits, a trip to an orthopedic surgeon, a neurologist, and a CT scan, we still didn't have an answer about what was wrong. Last night we got the results and it looks like an infection possibly caused by a tick or spider bite. It's been a crazy stressful process and honestly, I couldn't face a readathon without my favorite reading buddy. </span></span><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">I'll be reading just a bit today. I couldn't miss out on one of my favorite events!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Reading Stats:<br /></span>Pages Read:</b><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"> 413</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;">Currently Reading:</b><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"> The Book of Will </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;">Books Finished: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;">The Great Gatsby graphic novel, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;">A Promise is Forever</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;">Snacks Eaten: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;">Lots of coffee</span></span><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><b>Introduction Quiz:<br />1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?</b> </span><br /><span face="verdana, sans-serif">Indianapolis<br /><br /><b>2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?</b> </span><br /><span face="verdana, sans-serif">The Great Gatsby graphic novel</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /><b>3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?</b> </span><br /><span face="verdana, sans-serif">S'mores tonight while we have a fire pit and the kids paint pumpkins. <br /><br /><b>4) Tell us a little something about yourself! </b>Quarantine with two kiddos and an introvert husband has been HARD! Looking forward to a week at a beach house in Alabama next month. <br /><br /><b>5) If you participated in the last readathon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? </b>We have a full day planned to celebrate Halloween with our kids and friends. I'll be reading less because of that. </span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><b><span style="color: black;">PAST READATHON POSTS:</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></span><span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2011/04/deweys-24-hour-read-thon-part-3.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2011/10/dewey-update-mini-challenge-1.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2011 / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/04/dewey-24-hour-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/10/dewey-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2012 / </span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/04/dewey-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/10/dewey-24-hour-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2013 <span style="color: black;">/ <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2014/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> 2014 / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2015/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2015/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October </span></a>2015 </span></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: black;">/<a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2016/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April</a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2016/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2016</a></span></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"> / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April</a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2017</a> / <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April</a> and <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2018</a>. <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2019/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April </a>and <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2019/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2019</a>. <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2020/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">April 2020</a>. </span></span></div></div>
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</div></div></div></div>Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-59241871362777989962020-04-25T01:00:00.000-04:002020-04-25T23:18:05.121-04:00Dewey 24 Hour Readathon!<div dir="ltr">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe55YfKP645hUF_YEhGUTs5ExEZhdw_3CvEoJc8e64P0EYLuUBtFKnasGBs_pIkR8q-XjYco5Yv0V7nCVOc94tYsyZbrdN3ZjRYbQ5DUN6CVzulALUdkWHStBDCTHdPYd5iL3kz0w37O8/s1600/IMG_3547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe55YfKP645hUF_YEhGUTs5ExEZhdw_3CvEoJc8e64P0EYLuUBtFKnasGBs_pIkR8q-XjYco5Yv0V7nCVOc94tYsyZbrdN3ZjRYbQ5DUN6CVzulALUdkWHStBDCTHdPYd5iL3kz0w37O8/s640/IMG_3547.JPG" width="480" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is my 17th readathon (see links below). Here's a link for more info about the <a href="http://www.24hourreadathon.com/">Dewey Readathon</a>. Today you can find me posting on Litsy and Instagram as @avidreader25 as well as here. For years Heather and Andi have hosted this amazing event. <a href="http://www.24hourreadathon.com/its-so-hard-to-say-goodbye/">This is their very last time as the hosts.</a> The readathon will continue, but they will be missed! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My first readathon was in April 2011, when my dog Ollie (pictured) was just a tiny pup! Since then I've met friends and read thousands of pages during the readathons. I've read while hugely pregnant, while sitting next to someone I love in a hospital room, on road trips, and more. It's become something I look forward to. Throughout the year I set aside books I know would be perfect for the readathon. In short, it is a community that I love and means the world to me.<br /><b><br />Reading Stats:<br />Pages Read:</b> 683<br /><b>Currently Reading:</b> Farewell Summer and Everything, Everything <br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><b>Books Finished: </b>Every Brilliant Thing, <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How to Be a Good Creature, Fox 8, </span>The Princess Diarist<b><br />Snacks Eaten: </b>Spinach eggs, mint chocolate almonds, pickles, chips & salsa</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Mini-Challenge</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B_akYAyAO6R1Du-KoGx9CZXv6OF43W2IsBZkyI0/">My Readathon Memories</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>Introduction Quiz:<br />1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Indianapolis<br /><br /><b>2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Every Brilliant Thing<br /><br /><b>3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dark chocolate mint almonds<br /><br /><b>4) Tell us a little something about yourself! </b>My second kiddo just celebrated her 1st birthday this week! I also love to travel and see live theatre.<br /><br /><b>5) If you participated in the last readathon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? </b>I usually leave the house to get a cup of coffee and read somewhere else for awhile. Since we are still quarantined I will be at home the whole time. We'll see how that goes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: black;">PAST READATHON POSTS:</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2011/04/deweys-24-hour-read-thon-part-3.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2011/10/dewey-update-mini-challenge-1.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2011 / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/04/dewey-24-hour-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/10/dewey-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2012 / </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/04/dewey-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/10/dewey-24-hour-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2013 <span style="color: black;">/ <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2014/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> 2014 / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2015/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2015/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">October </span></a>2015 </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: black;">/<a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2016/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">April</a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2016/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2016</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"> / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;">April</a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2017</a> / <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;">April</a> and <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;">October 2018</a>. <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2019/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">April </a>and <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2019/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">October 2019</a>.</span></div>
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-79272431954308439232019-12-19T10:39:00.000-05:002019-12-30T12:48:07.125-05:00 2019 End of the Year Book Survey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInmfgKTUvj3O2Eo562Vb5Jq8uGDRYeNbCnvfRlhuGM5xsS5yPqvBda26fW8YtsKl_EQ1GswpdDJlgUZrqWZFKJ6FvUsMPRhCTs8w_euKRl-S2NhxSFXE2II0nPxTpsrQAW-0qvhSC_Ho/s1600/IMG_1625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1600" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInmfgKTUvj3O2Eo562Vb5Jq8uGDRYeNbCnvfRlhuGM5xsS5yPqvBda26fW8YtsKl_EQ1GswpdDJlgUZrqWZFKJ6FvUsMPRhCTs8w_euKRl-S2NhxSFXE2II0nPxTpsrQAW-0qvhSC_Ho/s640/IMG_1625.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Such a weird reading year. For the first time, I took part in a committee which selects a new play to win a big grant. That added about 30 new plays to my regular reading list. Plus, I had a baby in April, which had a big impact on my choice of books. I read a lot fewer classics and a lot more YA, "chick lit", and mysteries. I also tried to binge through more new releases than normal because of the <a href="https://www.acrl.ala.org/acrlinsider/archives/18254">publisher rules with libraries that might be changing and restricting</a> use of ebooks soon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All that being said, it was a good reading year. I made a goal to read more from my shelves (at least 30 books) and to quit reading books that weren't working for me. I did both! I also FINALLY completed the last two Shakespeare plays I hadn't read. Now I just need to see more of them performed live. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Any books I reread this year are not eligible for this list. I also didn’t count the piles upon piles of children’s books I read, except to list a couple new favorites. I also don’t limit myself to one book per answer if there are two or three that are a perfect fit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Number of Books You Read: </b>187</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Number of Re-Reads:</b> 13<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre You Read The Most From:</b> Literary fiction and mysteries</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOs1hbQTJzXqpD_UtwcInewVZLzJCH6pwmgCsNg2NVIEMJ9_1j7tRziOPSD8M3VP5xmodhyphenhyphenktvHT-s2Af1iO5UKQH3uRd5qYSK9C1538EdKsvjKZxQjiE1EuvR9iVM0YZHr3cWBhUYEoM/s1600/best.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="1600" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOs1hbQTJzXqpD_UtwcInewVZLzJCH6pwmgCsNg2NVIEMJ9_1j7tRziOPSD8M3VP5xmodhyphenhyphenktvHT-s2Af1iO5UKQH3uRd5qYSK9C1538EdKsvjKZxQjiE1EuvR9iVM0YZHr3cWBhUYEoM/s640/best.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1. Best Books You Read In 2019?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Classics —</b> North and South</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Historical Fiction —</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Daisy Jones and the Six and </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Where the Crawdads Sing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Mystery —</b> The ABC Murders and The Inspector Gamache series <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Literary Fiction —</b> Once Upon a River, </span><span style="color: #222222;">The Dutch House, and The River</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Nonfiction — </b>Educated, I'd Rather Be Reading, Just Mercy, From Scratch, Becoming, <o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: #222222;">Garlic and Sapphires, and Being Mortal </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Fantasy —</b> The Starless Sea <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Play —</b> Pericles, </span>Witch, and Cambodian Rock Band </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>YA —</b> Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, The Royal We, The Sun is Also a Star <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Science Fiction —</b> Recursion and <o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: #222222;">The Testaments</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Children’s —</b> The Little House on the Prairie series, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Graphic Novel —</b> Kid Gloves, Here and March<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here and Now and Then and A Court of Thorns and Roses, Chances Are...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>3. Most surprising (in a good way) book you read?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Amy & Roger's Epic Detour </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From Scratch and The River </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Best series you started in 2019?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Little House on the Prairie and the Inspector Gamache series</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2019?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Peter Heller and Ruth Reichl, I read two books from each author this year and loved them all! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Royal We </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Recursion, The River, and The Turn of the Key<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>9. Book You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Starless Sea, without a doubt!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhZO38MLA8weraHsNSlTYRPEjkeSHsFEwkvZHfZQp-BuufAIx9plLPA011eA111Mdr0cuJe6XgYPERgLCRXf2fNNbKtY1uUWI5QGFO1IMaNKeGZH2J60tZb5fJ_T9CG2t2BjAbkfHRJo/s1600/IMG_1535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="1372" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhZO38MLA8weraHsNSlTYRPEjkeSHsFEwkvZHfZQp-BuufAIx9plLPA011eA111Mdr0cuJe6XgYPERgLCRXf2fNNbKtY1uUWI5QGFO1IMaNKeGZH2J60tZb5fJ_T9CG2t2BjAbkfHRJo/s320/IMG_1535.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2019?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Lager Queen of Minnesota, The Immortalists, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Time After Time, and </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Dutch House</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>11. Most memorable character of 2019?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Inspector Gamache <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Maeve from The Dutch House <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Kaz from Six of Crows<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Kya from Where the Crawdads Sing </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Sunja from Pachinko</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKlGAksln5cP9wheHDoGlXCGlkBam8P7379b_hW_UEh0rYbz-8Aa-yG2sbdeTy0woqejfHdmVVVzu0CqGIwK5OIT-FqBjqCQlDh8waKaTgJr-TzM-6Qyj-mV9r_nR2uyvfvZH3a-MOiE/s1600/IMG_1536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1129" data-original-width="1368" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKlGAksln5cP9wheHDoGlXCGlkBam8P7379b_hW_UEh0rYbz-8Aa-yG2sbdeTy0woqejfHdmVVVzu0CqGIwK5OIT-FqBjqCQlDh8waKaTgJr-TzM-6Qyj-mV9r_nR2uyvfvZH3a-MOiE/s320/IMG_1536.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>12. Most beautifully written book read in 2019? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Starless Sea</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2019? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Being Mortal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2019 to finally read?</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Earthsea books by Ursula LeGuin</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2019?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“The day had stretched her thin, to the point where she
felt the boundary of herself dissolving into the atmosphere.” – Once Upon a
River</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“The last time always seems sad, but it isn’t really. The
end of one thing is only the beginning of another.” – These Happy Golden Years <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Married love is in the details — The purloined plums,
the casual kiss on the way out the door, the midday phone call just to say hi,
the arm wrapped around your shoulders through a winter’s night. It’s not
exactly happily ever after, but it’s the only place I know to find fireflies in
March.” – Pitching My Tent <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Humility is a most excellent barometer,” he said, “and
ought to be looked for in all those we are made to look up to.” – The Golden
Tresses of the Dead <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever
done.” – Just Mercy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Singing a new song is like making the audience eat their
spinach.” - A Dream About Lightning Bugs</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2019?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Short
Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics & Pesky Poltergeist: 64 pgs <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
- <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Unexpected
Everything: 560 pgs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>17. Book That Shocked You The Most?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Lost Man (the ending) and Just Mercy (our broken legal system) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>18. Favorite Couple?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Leon and Tiffy in The Flatshare </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Inspector Gamache and his wife</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Celine and her husband in Celine </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of The Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Meredith and her step-grandpa in
The Honey Bus<o:p></o:p></span></div>
- <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Holling and his teacher in The
Wednesday Wars</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>20. Favorite Book You Read in 2019 From an Author You’ve Read Previously?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once Upon a River and The Lager Queen of Minnesota <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>21. Best Book You Read In 2019 That You Read Based SOLELY On A<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Recommendation From Somebody Else?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Unhoneymooners</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2019?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sam from One True Loves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>23. Best 2019 debut you read?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Silent Patient </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Starless Sea </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">#IMomSoHard </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>26. Book That Made You Cry in 2019?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lift, a letter from a mother to her two daughters... can you blame me?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Honey Bus and Dear Mrs. Bird</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Big Burn, two pieces of that book really got to me. First, that Teddy Roosevelt's</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> mother and wife died within a few hours of each other. Second, that <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pulaski, a man who worked for the forest service and saved many during a forest fire, was treated horribly by the government and left destitute and dying. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2019?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My Lady Jane </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">30. Book That Made You the Maddest?</span><o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One Day in December and Normal
People </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>31. Best Audiobook?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Daisy Jones and The Six</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>32. Best Book to Film Adaptation?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Sun is Also a Star and Little Women</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thanks to <a href="https://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2019-end-of-year-book-survey/" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;">Perpetual Page Turner</a> for once again hosting this survey! It’s always so much fun to look at everything I read throughout the year and think about what I loved/hated. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Photo by me.</span></i></span></div>
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<img src="https://i.imgur.com/XvZxW1p.png" />
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-79532822001417567632019-12-12T11:37:00.002-05:002019-12-12T11:37:56.152-05:00Little Free Library<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefVfnggmPxOlXuBBN6oonCEclDvr00aV3gWXKnQYtMqO-7K_rJNot9Ph-g2TEnoWXTRCqlMsL3XC9IsrpH6el7pJaUqM8V7kClIop6XJxKJOp2I_Z6hDVa0YwbjM1Xen3rmIw2t2VPDo/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefVfnggmPxOlXuBBN6oonCEclDvr00aV3gWXKnQYtMqO-7K_rJNot9Ph-g2TEnoWXTRCqlMsL3XC9IsrpH6el7pJaUqM8V7kClIop6XJxKJOp2I_Z6hDVa0YwbjM1Xen3rmIw2t2VPDo/s400/1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For my birthday this year my best friend and husband
surprised me with my very own Little Free Library. I was over the moon! I’ve
always loved them and I was so excited to be able to share books with our
community in this way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was such an incredible gift and one that will continue to bless others with books for years to come! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqwWWCMUJU_ezpRa5lGI-UwnoVU004l7cd3oCweNw5mulXNDQazFTkJ9f3eVQ197PwUFkA4PN4It13cljzJbMviFonx25AVo4-mZ6J50vKxexrGx82rOG5bRN223n-qfZIp6uY3S3_2U/s1600/library1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="594" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqwWWCMUJU_ezpRa5lGI-UwnoVU004l7cd3oCweNw5mulXNDQazFTkJ9f3eVQ197PwUFkA4PN4It13cljzJbMviFonx25AVo4-mZ6J50vKxexrGx82rOG5bRN223n-qfZIp6uY3S3_2U/s640/library1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>My library and my kiddos and best friend's kids. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>He took the very first book (The Giver)!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After ton of phone calls and even a parks meeting where I was asked to bring the actual little library, I finally got approval to install it in a local park. My husband dug a post hole and together we set it up. My best friend and her kiddos were there, along with my two kids, to commemorate the occasion.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1HLzRDo7dFX9IqVAiBGW6f0HS_sOfoQ27fOKGcHj4Dmm_IBKSeqUkGn_benNkjJvPKqNHynUpfOwJMGG-oCA1fTdPVfWjRMo2Md-AG9qin6H41AEp_oPGXmFd2pPgJ8B5ys5YrYduL8/s1600/library2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="562" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1HLzRDo7dFX9IqVAiBGW6f0HS_sOfoQ27fOKGcHj4Dmm_IBKSeqUkGn_benNkjJvPKqNHynUpfOwJMGG-oCA1fTdPVfWjRMo2Md-AG9qin6H41AEp_oPGXmFd2pPgJ8B5ys5YrYduL8/s640/library2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I filled the library with some of my favorite books. I wanted a mix of classics, YA, children's books, nonfiction, and literary fiction. In the month since we installed it I've already restocked it and it seems popular despite the cold! I love the location, right near the town hall and the water on a well-used walking path. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfUcyro49e7h1L2bdF86uSF8MHweETAQtKM88idKNTEBTgNd4T15h6KDesbp2FgPE-l5JGZDzObr8j-867-oEd6-EcVvZWKTxs49YSzAp-oNV-J_0nh7LhCRtsu8ib1ACLRfBLoOahss/s1600/library3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="591" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfUcyro49e7h1L2bdF86uSF8MHweETAQtKM88idKNTEBTgNd4T15h6KDesbp2FgPE-l5JGZDzObr8j-867-oEd6-EcVvZWKTxs49YSzAp-oNV-J_0nh7LhCRtsu8ib1ACLRfBLoOahss/s640/library3.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My best friend wrapped the present in paper and covered the paper with beautiful quotes about reading (above left). It was just perfect. My husband engraved a brass plaque for the library dedicating it to my mom. She passed away from Leukemia when I was a teenager, but throughout her life, she never tired of reading. </span><br />
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<img src="https://i.imgur.com/XvZxW1p.png" />
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-4494691779343867752019-10-26T05:00:00.000-04:002019-10-26T23:00:10.724-04:00 Dewey 24 Hour Readathon!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>******** UPDATED HOUR 16********<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNDEaVmtv0lYii4khFQTynIZOVgNf5f9keWAfq4GmlH5cNMY4Ln-Ju381coXKFa6veSCtTMXvpwImNw6V_QBOquo2u3Fu1xC-jM7hssJnO2LoeG3UXANCyWVnjb8EQ3rFrYX8goHxsGI/s1600/IMG_9496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNDEaVmtv0lYii4khFQTynIZOVgNf5f9keWAfq4GmlH5cNMY4Ln-Ju381coXKFa6veSCtTMXvpwImNw6V_QBOquo2u3Fu1xC-jM7hssJnO2LoeG3UXANCyWVnjb8EQ3rFrYX8goHxsGI/s640/IMG_9496.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This will be my very first readathon with two kiddos. My infant was born in April and I have a toddler, so this should be interesting. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is my 16th readathon (see links below). </span><a href="http://www.24hourreadathon.com/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a link for more info about the Dewey Readathon</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. Today you can find me posting on Litsy and Instagram as @avidreader25 as well as here.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrGBXM4ryBsQG45DtNuk32D3si529p6Ur6yBIBt204iMPy1zFDroSpXn7XO3GdlRVXGLzeZKgUha9EVhfUyGcbRI8z9Bz5EDFcp5sF7IsFjmlpKrM-Ta33yxUKEOd6iCjcAp6FoKK7s0/s1600/LastShareCollage+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrGBXM4ryBsQG45DtNuk32D3si529p6Ur6yBIBt204iMPy1zFDroSpXn7XO3GdlRVXGLzeZKgUha9EVhfUyGcbRI8z9Bz5EDFcp5sF7IsFjmlpKrM-Ta33yxUKEOd6iCjcAp6FoKK7s0/s400/LastShareCollage+%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Reading Stats</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages Read:</b> 1,147<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Currently Reading:</b> At Large and At Small, The Bookshop, James Herriot's Treasures for Children</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Books Finished: </b>5, Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jack of Fables Vol. 1, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cat & Nat's Mom Truths, Red at the Bone, and </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Sandman Vol. 6</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Snacks:</b> Blueberry scone, yogurt pretzels, mushroom tarte (thanks Trader Joe's!), baked potato, chips and salsa<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Introduction:</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1) What part of the world are you reading from?</b> Indianapolis, IN<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?</b> The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?</b> Dark chocolate almonds and yogurt covered pretzels and maybe a Starbucks flat white. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>4) Tell us a little something about yourself!</b> I've got a six-month-old baby, so I'm running on very little sleep. I'm also a Director of Communications and an editor of a magazine in my day job. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>5) If you participated in the last readathon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?</b> Last readathon I was pregnant and had a baby just a couple weeks later, so this readathon will feel very different. Less waddling around! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Mid-Event Survey:<br />1. What are you reading right now?</b> Red at the Bone<br /><b>2. How many books have you read so far?</b> 3<br /><b>3. What book are you most looking forward to? </b>Finishing Sandman<br /><b>4. Have you had many interruptions?</b> I have two little kids... so yes.<br /><b>5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? </b>That I was able to get away to a coffee shop by myself this morning. Perfect way to start the readathon! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: black;">PAST READATHON POSTS:</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2011/04/deweys-24-hour-read-thon-part-3.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2011/10/dewey-update-mini-challenge-1.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2011 / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/04/dewey-24-hour-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/10/dewey-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2012 / </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/04/dewey-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/10/dewey-24-hour-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2013 <span style="color: black;">/ <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2014/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> 2014 / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2015/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2015/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">October </span></a>2015 </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: black;">/<a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2016/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;">April</a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2016/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html"><span style="color: #1c0500;">October </span>2016</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"> / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">April</a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">October 2017</a> / <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">April</a> and <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">October 2018</a>. <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2019/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">April 2019</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11.5px;">Photos by me.</span></div>
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-68103921486768700382019-09-17T05:00:00.000-04:002019-09-17T05:00:12.743-04:00The Little House on the Prairie Series<div class="MsoPlainText">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNJsEFWNcLK3ACE75bhIx5YC2wPfOMJh_NdrN57suDk46_cF2uQ1pOkmJ__3JImCgxp9ehW7xn_V7MXrzP3RX3KXXonPMG_xnjz044hakgcHz5z7CrUg3bVLcLFKdVvtw37vQd67ky6M/s1600/IMG_8555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="848" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNJsEFWNcLK3ACE75bhIx5YC2wPfOMJh_NdrN57suDk46_cF2uQ1pOkmJ__3JImCgxp9ehW7xn_V7MXrzP3RX3KXXonPMG_xnjz044hakgcHz5z7CrUg3bVLcLFKdVvtw37vQd67ky6M/s640/IMG_8555.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This year I decided to read the Little House on the
Prairie series for the first time. My three-year-old daughter and I listened to
all nine books over the course of the last seven months. I've loved every
minute of it and I know we will both miss the series. Each day she asks if I
can "Turn Laura on." while we drive or clean the house. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For some reason I thought the books would be boring. I
have no idea why. Frontier life was incredibly hard and the Ingalls family was
brave and determined. We follow them on their travels west from Wisconsin to
Kansas to Minnesota to South Dakota. The forge rivers, survive blizzards and
locust, and exist on almost nothing at times. Throughout all of it they have
hope and faith and encourage each other. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This will be a reading experience I won't ever forget. This
was the first series I read with my daughter and it was a wonderful one. I
can't wait to read them again when my youngest daughter is old enough. Below
are my brief thoughts on each of the books in the series.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsUdAUwbm8SxREu9DwTV2wnCJJlhxfJdadHsQ2tWei2vwP9RHXYQxxDMgsy27P2h4JqNB4Z_U4L-p8V13D4_iX6ytnUMns8Emd31a4W-Amj5LNhXbBAuw3quwWPRfZaHPXzAYjsFcnuE/s1600/IMG_8556.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsUdAUwbm8SxREu9DwTV2wnCJJlhxfJdadHsQ2tWei2vwP9RHXYQxxDMgsy27P2h4JqNB4Z_U4L-p8V13D4_iX6ytnUMns8Emd31a4W-Amj5LNhXbBAuw3quwWPRfZaHPXzAYjsFcnuE/s400/IMG_8556.PNG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Little House in the Big Woods</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love the detailed descriptions of their life in
Wisconsin. Hunting, household chores, dangerous animals in the woods, all told
from a child’s point of view. Even simple life becomes fascinating. Cherry
Jones narrates the books and she’s just perfect!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Farmer Boy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In this book we meet Almanzo and hear about his time as a
child on his family’s farm. They raised sheep, planted crops, and learned about
life. Each chapter covers a fun vignette, from a prize-winning pumpkin to a
week without their parents at home, the adventures are sweet. I loved the scene
where his father gives him money and encourages him to make a smart decision
about how to spend it. It showed trust and gave Almanzo a responsibility that
he did not squander. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Little House on the Prairie</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This series is such a delight. Each of their adventures
and struggles is seen through the eyes of young Laura. I love the honesty and
innocence that comes from that. I love her Pa's strength and character. Laura's
parents are a team and despite their hardships, they never stop supporting and
loving each other. This book covers their time in Indian country. There's a
scene where they cross the river in their covered wagon that was particularly
harrowing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>On the Banks of Plum Creek</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Each book in the series is a blend of sweet moments and
heartbreak. For every Christmas morning filled with joy, there is a blizzard, or
leeches, wild fires, or a plague of grasshoppers. The things they survived are
incredible. Yet despite the traumatic events in their lives, it’s often the
relatable moments that are the most memorable. Going to school for the first
time, longing for a fur cape on the church Christmas tree, snobby Nellie who
picks on Laura, a small child who takes Laura‘s doll Charlotte, etc. You feel
like you are experiencing each moment alongside the Ingalls family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>By the Shores of Silver Lake</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This might be my favorite of the series so far. From the
start of the book we know this is a time of change. Mary has gone blind from
scarlet fever, the family rides a train for the first time, they move into a
shanty in a railroad town, etc. I love Laura's adventurous spirit. Even when
her path crosses with wolves, she's almost more concerned with their welfare
than her own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are some intense parts in this book as well
(SPOILERS). The death of their sweet dog Jack, the confrontation of Pa on
payday by angry workers, the moment when the youngest Ingalls daughter, Grace,
goes missing, and a scuffle when Pa fights to place his claim for their
homestead plot. Life on the prairie was not for the faint of heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm continually impressed with Pa's moral compass and the
way he treated his wife and daughters. Even though Ma is quiet, he looks to her
before making big decisions. They do not allow themselves to go into debt or
take charity, but when an opportunity presents itself, like the chance to stay
in the surveyor's house for the winter, they aren't too prideful to take it. I've
grown to love the Ingalls family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Long Winter</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This one was intense! The small community where the
Ingalls live is stranded in a seven month blizzard. No trains with supplies are
coming and everyone is beginning to starve. I know I’ll remember the vivid
picture of Pa twisting hay to make logs for the fire and the girls using the
coffee grinder on the wheat. The scene where the students head from school into
town in the midst of a blizzard was terrifying. I loved getting to know Almanzo
better and seeing his braver.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Little Town on the Prairie</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A lot of this book focused on Laura’s time in school.
Thanks to Nellie, who somehow ended up moving to the same town as Laura, the
teacher hates Laura. Luckily she has sweet friends who stand by her. Laura also
gets her first job, sewing shirts in town. She and her parents are saving money
to send Mary to college and she is thrilled to be able to do her part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s important to note that Ma’s hatred of the Indians
and a black face musical show are unfortunate parts of the book. I know that
those things were accepted in that time. I’ve use them to open conversations
about prejudice with my kiddo. No matter when it’s written, it’s still not ok.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>These Happy Golden Years</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Laura is now working as a teacher and making money for
her family. It’s been such a joy to watch her grow up and it’s hard to believe
she’s a woman now. Almanzo courts her with buggy rides and I loved watching her
show her strength and fearless nature as she becomes more comfortable around
him. Definitely one of my favorites in the series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>“The last time always seems sad, but it isn’t really. The
end of one thing is only the beginning of another.”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The First Four Years</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The final book in the series is very short and covers
only a brief glimpse into Laura’s new life with Manly and her daughter Rose.
Their struggles to get a successful crop, avoid storms, and survive blizzards
makes this book a bit bleaker than the others. I missed scenes with Pa and Ma.
The pace also felt rushed, like she was skimming over their lives. There were
memorable scenes, like Rose’s birth, a visit from a group a Indians, etc. As
always, her simple descriptions of their life were my favorite parts. The book
feels a bit like an afterthought and I almost wish the series had ended with
These Happy Golden Years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*After doing a bit of research, I found that this final
book was published almost 30 years after the rest of the series.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>*Photos by me</i></span><br />
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-31211295310677882062019-09-10T12:04:00.000-04:002019-09-10T13:46:46.771-04:00Madeline Miller Talk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvMcPErQjGjpnydKTcEFMSR5FqnCb7eZMkV-7SnNyqrsjgD2fjsDuzJXw8VwKa85HcDqRrvjfhAoUwNU9p2JqxB8xQThnifdI1t9m82_D0IKkdZoURJ5wlfKEQehFUTEF2Ofb0Rkgnbc/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1600" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvMcPErQjGjpnydKTcEFMSR5FqnCb7eZMkV-7SnNyqrsjgD2fjsDuzJXw8VwKa85HcDqRrvjfhAoUwNU9p2JqxB8xQThnifdI1t9m82_D0IKkdZoURJ5wlfKEQehFUTEF2Ofb0Rkgnbc/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> This week I attended an author event and got a chance to
meet Madeline Miller. She was brilliant. Funny, clever, engaging, the best-selling
author knew how to speak to a crowd with ease. You could tell she’d taught for
years and had the ability to make complicated discussions about women in Greek
mythology feel relevant and accessible. I adored both of her books, <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/04/circe.html">Circe </a>and
<a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/03/greek-week-song-of-achilles.html">The Song of Achilles</a>, and can’t wait to see what she writes next. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxvNsaaZalhdaGLHEvwf9CIDkq4nHu0WxxxJ4CUeZh0BPQR-3GgZmj_nZWihsoEabvEhZsRFEotBarcsTjBXLIM2U02I8pOLiI6LBUpPe-YFtu3N7MsZFTRNw-Tidg162ZYTnW45fTWs/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="700" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxvNsaaZalhdaGLHEvwf9CIDkq4nHu0WxxxJ4CUeZh0BPQR-3GgZmj_nZWihsoEabvEhZsRFEotBarcsTjBXLIM2U02I8pOLiI6LBUpPe-YFtu3N7MsZFTRNw-Tidg162ZYTnW45fTWs/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> I loved that she
answered questions about her writing process and provided details about her
research. She talked about how women are frequently made small in mythology and
just used to further men’s stories. They are either the wife/mother/daughter of
someone or they are a villain. It’s rare to find more meat to a female’s story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She mentioned two poems, <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45392/ulysses">Ulysses by Tennyson</a> and Penelope by Dorothy Parker (below) showing two very different views of their story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the pathway of the sun,<br />In the footsteps of the breeze,<br />Where the world and sky are one,<br />He shall ride the silver seas,<br />He shall cut the glittering wave.<br />I shall sit at home, and rock;<br />Rise, to heed a neighbor's knock;<br />Brew my tea, and snip my thread;<br />Bleach the linen for my bed.<br />They will call him brave.</span></div>
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<div class="poet" itemprop="author" style="background-color: white; margin: 22px 0px 25px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Dorothy Parker</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Circe she gave
voice to a character that was skated over in The Odyssey. She allowed her a
messy life with complicated family relationships and a deep empathy toward
humans. Miller shared that she directed Shakespeare’s plays in her free time
and it took her five years to find each of her main characters’ voices while
writing her novels. It was an incredible talk and one that gave an added depth
to her work. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCIDqSwQ-rBOyBFD0TJ7wzmwoApkFCAakf13OsS2NE-2Rz4y73vmCP7na43TRiRlulxMlg5A2yeWI7hSNXG7Z854-IDJZ8dbxD3D6NPqlMtd-RcjQ7UdIxVB1NHNAw4-IOy_vizLT1ec/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCIDqSwQ-rBOyBFD0TJ7wzmwoApkFCAakf13OsS2NE-2Rz4y73vmCP7na43TRiRlulxMlg5A2yeWI7hSNXG7Z854-IDJZ8dbxD3D6NPqlMtd-RcjQ7UdIxVB1NHNAw4-IOy_vizLT1ec/s640/3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One side note:
this was my first night out after having my second kiddo. I wasn’t sure I’d
even be able to make it. Sitting there in that beautiful amphitheater and
feeling my brain hum as I listened to her fascinating talk gave me so much
satisfaction. After you have kids you can often feel like you are missing a
piece of yourself. You are exhausted and rarely have time for intellectually
stimulating pursuits. I just want to say that it does get better. Making time
for the things that are important to you is just crucial. It is NOT easy, but
it is so rewarding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>*Photos property of Avid Reader's Musings</i></span><br />
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-18458682168843419962019-05-15T09:01:00.000-04:002019-06-28T15:18:38.540-04:00If I Should Have TWO Daughters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0wdVKpVP0NJOFujQETYzm0wBzJQ5PdXfdNhqTTS1RLGf8SStxa5tPwlmcdLbXE9_75fqPKxlYiw6EMvfP4CMnKfQGt0IWLkhASdGVDBrY2IDuu1GpNuX0pPgL7hU-JzzNXTx85rwWb8/s1600/DSC_9971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0wdVKpVP0NJOFujQETYzm0wBzJQ5PdXfdNhqTTS1RLGf8SStxa5tPwlmcdLbXE9_75fqPKxlYiw6EMvfP4CMnKfQGt0IWLkhASdGVDBrY2IDuu1GpNuX0pPgL7hU-JzzNXTx85rwWb8/s640/DSC_9971.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In April we welcomed our second daughter into the world. Grace Josephine was tiny, but strong! The name Josephine is in honor of Jo March. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are so happy and so sleep-deprived.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>If I Should Have a Daughter<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By Sarah Kay<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If I should have a daughter, instead of Mom, she's gonna call me Point B,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">because that way she knows that no matter what happens,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">at least she can always find her way to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And I'm going to paint solar systems on the backs of her hands,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">so she has to learn the entire universe before she can say,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Oh, I know that like the back of my hand."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And she's going to learn that this life will hit you hard in the face,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">wait for you to get back up just so it can kick you in the stomach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is hurt here that cannot be fixed by Band-Aids or poetry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So the first time she realizes that Wonder Woman isn't coming,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'll make sure she knows she doesn't have to wear the cape all by herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Because no matter how wide you stretch your fingers,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">your hands will always be too small to catch all the pain you want to heal. Believe me, I've tried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"And, baby," I'll tell her, "don't keep your nose up in the air like that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I know that trick; I've done it a million times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You're just smelling for smoke so you can follow the trail back to a burning house,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">so you can find the boy who lost everything in the fire to see if you can save him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or else find the boy who lit the fire in the first place,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to see if you can change him."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But I know she will anyway, so instead I'll always keep an extra supply of chocolate and rain boots nearby,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">because there is no heartbreak that chocolate can't fix.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Okay, there's a few heartbreaks that chocolate can't fix.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But that's what the rain boots are for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Because rain will wash away everything, if you let it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I want her to look at the world through the underside of a glass-bottom boat, to look through a microscope at the galaxies that exist on the pinpoint of a human mind, because that's the way my mom taught me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That there'll be days like this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">♫ There'll be days like this, my momma said. ♫<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When you open your hands to catch and wind up with only blisters and bruises;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">when you step out of the phone booth and try to fly and the very people you want to save are the ones standing on your cape;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">when your boots will fill with rain,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and you'll be up to your knees in disappointment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And those are the very days you have all the more reason to say thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Because there's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it's sent away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You will put the wind in winsome, lose some.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You will put the star in starting over, and over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And no matter how many land mines erupt in a minute, be sure your mind lands on the beauty of this funny place called life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And yes, on a scale from one to over-trusting, I am pretty damn naive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But I want her to know that this world is made out of sugar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It can crumble so easily,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">but don't be afraid to stick your tongue out and taste it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Baby," I'll tell her, "remember, your momma is a worrier, and your poppa is a warrior, and you are the girl with small hands and big eyes who never stops asking for more."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Remember that good things come in threes and so do bad things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And always apologize when you've done something wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But don't you ever apologize for the way your eyes refuse to stop shining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Your voice is small, but don't ever stop singing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And when they finally hand you heartache,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">when they slip war and hatred under your door and offer you handouts on street-corners of cynicism and defeat,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">you tell them that they really ought to meet your mother.</span><br />
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-7635035876586108452019-04-06T06:00:00.000-04:002019-04-07T08:02:04.882-04:00 Dewey 24 Hour Readathon!<div class="MsoPlainText">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>******** UPDATED
HOUR 23 ********<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I made it to hour 16 and then fell asleep. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I'm up reading a little more before the readathon ends. </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw3hOPYpEu2ZPNLR3FJKC94-SuFAbh-RpDRsA3TqGD8afWlIVG50ZJBpQ-9if5o6xpA9WGntu3ZKZflLBHhn-ofrk-lQV3vU-fYSTM6y-DMfScydPsLHCht39LXJe648JlttQGTu_K9g/s1600/IMG_4023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="1600" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw3hOPYpEu2ZPNLR3FJKC94-SuFAbh-RpDRsA3TqGD8afWlIVG50ZJBpQ-9if5o6xpA9WGntu3ZKZflLBHhn-ofrk-lQV3vU-fYSTM6y-DMfScydPsLHCht39LXJe648JlttQGTu_K9g/s640/IMG_4023.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This will be my very last readathon while pregnant. Yay! Unfortunately I'm on bedrest this weekend. I'm 35 weeks pregnant and have had a
few preterm labor scares so far. I will be putting my feet up and reading
today, but might not be updating as frequently as I normally do. I'll also be
helping my husband with my 3-year-old, so we'll see how this goes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is my 15th readathon (see links below). <a href="http://www.24hourreadathon.com/">Here's a link for more info about the Dewey Readathon</a>. Today you can find me posting on
Litsy and Instagram as @avidreader25 as well as here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Reading Stats</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pages Read: 885<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Currently Reading: #IMomSoHard </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Books Finished: 6: Lift, The Night of the Iguana, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If This Isn't Nice, What Is?, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Handmaid's Tale (graphic novel), Leaf by Niggle, and A Delicate Balance</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Snacks Eaten: Cinnamon raisin English muffin, ice cream bar, chicken tacos<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GVsIvLLt_5hhhXbliLj-qUCsM9Xvol33iUqWNmEnmBYe5pkFhZuJfAyCQGYBD7I2HsK9lhyphenhyphenGHb3zn1GLWZ2pEUmZnchyphenhyphenfGW2fjwpHGeY7Jj81NmFaWSytuFQ-0URVOVS5Nz1nCEQQK0/s1600/IMG_4291.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GVsIvLLt_5hhhXbliLj-qUCsM9Xvol33iUqWNmEnmBYe5pkFhZuJfAyCQGYBD7I2HsK9lhyphenhyphenGHb3zn1GLWZ2pEUmZnchyphenhyphenfGW2fjwpHGeY7Jj81NmFaWSytuFQ-0URVOVS5Nz1nCEQQK0/s400/IMG_4291.PNG" width="400" /></a><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Introduction:</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1) What fine part of the world are you reading from
today?</b> Indianapolis, IN<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward
to?</b> The brand new graphic novel of The Handmaid's Tale and Lift by Kelly Corrigan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?</b> I'm
pregnant... so all of them! Definitely dark chocolate pretzels and maybe a Starbucks flat white. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>4) Tell us a little something about yourself!</b> My second
kiddo is due in exactly one month! I also love to travel, have been to 16 countries, and I review live theatre in the Midwest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>5) If you participated in the last readathon, what’s one
thing you’ll do different today?</b> I will be resting a lot more. Being pregnant
means my energy level is a lot lower than normal. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOPR_ef6RZDYxftZzTguETkXHbaNRWris8se1ZNDUTPmcTAgPGakh1kM7OTri-fZ9FlKA93Mmz1Qr11I1Ctm6POs5_noW5SMwWy4hU0xcS4rmAoJqr5-vg_ae_0rZ0-Lnx9IQIPU9Rjo/s1600/IMG_4270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOPR_ef6RZDYxftZzTguETkXHbaNRWris8se1ZNDUTPmcTAgPGakh1kM7OTri-fZ9FlKA93Mmz1Qr11I1Ctm6POs5_noW5SMwWy4hU0xcS4rmAoJqr5-vg_ae_0rZ0-Lnx9IQIPU9Rjo/s320/IMG_4270.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Mini Challenges: </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1) Book and a Snack at </span><a href="https://thebookmonsters.com/deweys-readathon-challenge-a-book-and-a-snack-4-2/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Book Monsters.</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2) <a href="https://creatingmeblog.blogspot.com/2019/04/readathon-mini-challenge-literary-clue.html">Literary Clue</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3) <a href="http://www.mochagirlsread.com/24-hour-read-a-thon-mini-challenge/">Book Cover Puzzle</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mid-Event Survey:</span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b>1) What are you reading right now? </b>#IMomSoHard, I love the authors' web series and so I knew this one would be hilarious! </span><b style="color: #222222;"><br />2) How many books have you read so far?</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> Finished 4</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br />3) What book are you most looking forward to? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I'm rereading the Harry Potter series right now and I'm on book 6. I'll dive back in that if I finish my current read.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><b>4) Have you had many interruptions?</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> I have a toddler... so yes. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>5) What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? </b>How beautiful the weather had been! Lots of outdoor reading. </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: black;">PAST READATHON POSTS:</span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2011/04/deweys-24-hour-read-thon-part-3.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2011/10/dewey-update-mini-challenge-1.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2011 / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/04/dewey-24-hour-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/10/dewey-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2012 / </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/04/dewey-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2013/10/dewey-24-hour-read-thon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">October</span></a> 2013 <span style="color: black;">/ <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2014/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> 2014 / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2015/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">April</span></a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2015/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">October </span></a>2015 </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: black;">/<a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2016/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px;">April</a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2016/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html"><span style="color: #1c0500;">October </span>2016</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"> / <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">April</a> and <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">October 2017</a> / <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/04/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">April</a> and <a href="https://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/10/dewey-24-hour-readathon.html">October 2018</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11.5px;">Photos by me.</span></div>
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-24328349786610778642019-03-28T12:01:00.002-04:002019-03-30T11:43:35.986-04:002019 First Quarter Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsy3HZQyitXTieKeGuWBYHjr1KFA9_8-3KuoLOmx8cV0nKqPrLasPC8TvliNTFEZfr493gJhXNO08TNwHpgkuwoKO2hJQ1XALWv9k9XIEHbGz2qayY0PlOYL6SGl5HCldZG0c8lghyphenhyphenFw/s1600/IMG_3721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsy3HZQyitXTieKeGuWBYHjr1KFA9_8-3KuoLOmx8cV0nKqPrLasPC8TvliNTFEZfr493gJhXNO08TNwHpgkuwoKO2hJQ1XALWv9k9XIEHbGz2qayY0PlOYL6SGl5HCldZG0c8lghyphenhyphenFw/s640/IMG_3721.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first three months of 2019 have been unusual for me for a couple reasons. I was asked to join a national committee that selects new plays to receive $40,000 in award money. As part of my role of the committee I read 26 plays, way more than I would normally read in a few months. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The other thing that affected my reading is pregnancy. I'm pregnant with my second kiddo and a few preterm labor scares have led to partial bedrest, which has led to more reading. Fatigue, because of said pregnancy, has led me to reread old favorites instead of new books for most of the past month. Sometimes you just need comfort reads, so Jane Austen's Persuasion, The Night Circus, and the Harry Potter series have all made their way into my hands recently. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I also managed to reorganize and streamline my home library (see above) before getting too far into this pregnancy. That was a huge goal of mine since the room also doubles as a play room. We got rid of a big bookcase (and lots of books!) and I'm continuing to prioritize reading and getting rid of my own books this year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Total Read:</b> 62</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Fiction:</b> 27<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Nonfiction:</b> 9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Plays:</b> 23<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Graphic Novels:</b> 3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Favorites So Far:</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Where the Crawdads Sing</b>: Loved this one. Set in the marshland of North
Carolina, the story is part coming-of-age, part murder mystery, and part
romance. From the age of 6, Kya raises herself almost completely alone in the
marshes. Her love of nature and fear of the often cruel towns people isolated
her. The writing is beautiful and characters like Jumpin’ and Tate give an
added richness. The book is less about plot and more about Kya's journey. It
reminded me of The Girl of the Limberlost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Once Upon a River:</b> An English pub, a bedraggled man, a storyteller, a
photographer, a village nurse, a parson’s housekeeper, a couple whose toddler
was kidnapped, a farmer with clever pigs, and a river; layer upon layer is
added as the story unfolds. Though there seemed like a lot of disconnected
threads at first, the author brings them together in the end. The characters
are so well drawn. Armstrong the farmer and the nurse Rita were two of my
favorites. I’d highly recommend taking time to sink in and enjoy this one. Its
beautifully crafted and a wonderful yarn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“The day had stretched her thin, to the point where she
felt the boundary of herself dissolving into the atmosphere.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Educated:</b> This memoir has been so hyped over the past year, but it
lived up to everything I heard. It reminded me of The Glass Castle, but the
author's story is a unique one. She was raised by Mormon survivalists on a
mountain in Idaho. I was so impressed with the way she tells her story. Despite
shocking details and abuse, she's able to unfold a story that felt so visceral
and real. It's easy to lose the humanity of the oppressors in a telling like
that, but as a reader, I always felt that she didn't hate and resent her family
in a way that would have been understandable. It's a heartbreaking story, but
one that is beautifully written and so compelling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“My life was narrated for me by others. Their voices were
forceful, emphatic, absolute. It had never occurred to me that my voice might
be as strong as theirs.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Everything I had worked for, all my years of study, had
been to purchase for myself this one privilege: to see and experience more
truths than those given to me by my father, and to use those truths to
construct my own mind."</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I'd Rather Be Reading:</b> I adored this! It was just like chatting with a good friend
about our mutual love of books. Almost everything she said reminded me of my
own bookish habits and struggles. She talks about falling in love with the
library, rereading old favorites, and not pushing books on others just because
you think they SHOULD read them. So many of the books she cites are my
favorites as well. It was short and sweet and I know I’ll read it again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“If my real life reminds me of something I’ve read in a
book, I’m reading well and I’m probably living well.”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Kid Gloves: </b>I’ve loved following Knisley’s career in her wonderful
graphic memoirs. Since I’m currently pregnant, this one was particularly
perfect timing. She blends historical facts about pregnancy and childbirth with
her own difficult experience. She’s honest and open about her pain and doubt.
Her birth experience might have been extreme, but her pregnancy and
miscarriages are all too relatable. I loved it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“I don’t feel good. Can I have some nachos, please?”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've also had a few really good books that haven't quite been "favorites" but were excellent. Those include: The Word is Murder, The Dreamers, Belles on Their Toes, The Sun Is Also a Star and The Golden Tresses of the Dead (Flavia de Luce forever!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm guessing the rest of the year will have a big dip in reading. That tends to happen when you have a newborn and are sleep deprived. So I'm pretty happy that this first quarter contained so many great books! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photos by me. </i></span><br />
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-42883881544119090082019-02-13T11:24:00.001-05:002019-02-13T11:24:24.222-05:00New Orleans Literary Tourism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNEDVq9ZoVFF5qJEzOyRgsKzv7kgRxhBGYiwXcRkUM-pWU43kyKV6n-PDjw0SpancibCj8kYImQKgcVfcrujDfo_tAmW610-94fptF0KSd9Q7FwPXeWYBEPwJ2fuZhcvoigJkgc1phys/s1600/NOLA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="1355" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNEDVq9ZoVFF5qJEzOyRgsKzv7kgRxhBGYiwXcRkUM-pWU43kyKV6n-PDjw0SpancibCj8kYImQKgcVfcrujDfo_tAmW610-94fptF0KSd9Q7FwPXeWYBEPwJ2fuZhcvoigJkgc1phys/s640/NOLA.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In May 2018 I finally got to visit New Orleans. I'd been dying to explore it for years and was thrilled to get to take a short girls trip there. The city's literary history is rich and I had a few must see spots on my list. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://faulknerhouse.net/">Faulkner Books</a> was the one I was the most excited about. It's a perfect little bookstore located down a quiet side street near Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter. William Faulkner lived in the home in 1925 and it is filled with gems from his life. After exploring the stacks for awhile I purchased a copy of Faulkner's "New Orleans Sketches" and the short story, "A Pair of Silk Stockings" by Kate Chopin for myself and </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mary Poppins for my daughter</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Books are always my favorite souvenirs from a trip. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In addition to an excellent selection of books, there are framed letters from famous writers like Hemingway, Flannery O'Connor, and Tennessee Williams. There were first editions of Faulkner's books (including the ones above). They were locked in a glass case, but the man working there let me look at them. They were worth thousands! The bookstore was completely charming and I'm so glad we made it there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The other literary highlight of the trip was the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone. It's literally a carousel that rotates very slowly in the hotel lobby. It was a popular hangout for authors like Truman Capote, Fitzgerald, Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams, and others. We got there early enough to grab a seat on the carousel and I sipped on my sazerac while we slowly turned. I loved it! There's a display in the lobby featuring books and photos of the famous authors who have been guests at the hotel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">All-in-all New Orleans was wonderful. Filled to the brim with delicious food, great music, a cemetery tour, and time to wander the unique streets. Highly recommended!</span></div>
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-29990954789535486802019-02-05T10:46:00.004-05:002019-02-05T10:49:27.606-05:00Henry VIII and Pericles<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdIyFdxibRacc8nodEgJl4c4K8TzGfCEKzsbjo6l3e_7MNNf-SiwfmHC7p4yE4AQ9YtuwkehpBPpqNkUxfXr7aXf3lvXqIFQINYQDV4RJOHORrn1KQXaMDFOxoSWC89o2ZZh8iqNcTtY/s1600/HenryVIIICover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdIyFdxibRacc8nodEgJl4c4K8TzGfCEKzsbjo6l3e_7MNNf-SiwfmHC7p4yE4AQ9YtuwkehpBPpqNkUxfXr7aXf3lvXqIFQINYQDV4RJOHORrn1KQXaMDFOxoSWC89o2ZZh8iqNcTtY/s320/HenryVIIICover.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Henry VIII</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">by William Shakespeare</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; text-align: justify;">★★★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">☆</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Henry VIII is the final play in the histories series. Although
it’s frequently challenged as being written solely by Shakespeare, I'm
accepting it as part of the canon. The
histories begin, chronologically, with Richard II and take us all the way
through the Wars of the Roses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The plot covers the execution of Buckingham, the rise and
fall of Cardinal Wolsey, the divorce of Henry VIII and Queen Katherine, his
marriage to Anne Boleyn, the birth of Elizabeth, and more. The play itself is
rarely produces and not well known, but pieces of it will be familiar to anyone who
has read Wolf Hall or The Other Boleyn Girl. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There's a lot crammed into this one, but a few of the
characters truly shine. Your heart breaks for the neglected Katherine. She’s
tossed aside by her husband of 20 years when someone younger catches his eye.
She has some fantastic moments when she challenges Cardinal Wolsey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>“Y’ are meek and humble-mouth’d,<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>You sign your place and calling, in full seeming, with
meekness and humility;<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>but your heart is cramm’d with arrogance, spleen, and
pride.”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Buckingham is also a sympathetic character with some
great speeches. Overall the play doesn't flow as well as many of his others.
It's too scattered, too many moving pieces, but it's still got some beautiful
language. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>“Yet I am richer than my base accusers,<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>That never knew what truth meant.”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>“Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>That it do singe yourself.”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>“Love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee;<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Corruption wins not more than honesty.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace,<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not:<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's,<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Thy God's, and truth's.”</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDoK4rlTWkUOwc769nmUU9AyKxRQTVdZVBdj2qRWCqXNE4pZm9YMAZse25rUg23P-GxX5zY2oeAScrt_rtzcrmMDlxvK3zak2NNv6KNEo0U-XYT2qygjtiwRLGbYoGeI7UQgPd7cjWSY/s1600/98e4e8ceb62389258df22bfcfd75c789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDoK4rlTWkUOwc769nmUU9AyKxRQTVdZVBdj2qRWCqXNE4pZm9YMAZse25rUg23P-GxX5zY2oeAScrt_rtzcrmMDlxvK3zak2NNv6KNEo0U-XYT2qygjtiwRLGbYoGeI7UQgPd7cjWSY/s400/98e4e8ceb62389258df22bfcfd75c789.jpg" width="251" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pericles, Prince of Tyre </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">by William Shakespeare</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; text-align: justify;">★★★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">☆</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In only a few minutes we’re in the midst of incest and
attempted murder. There’s soap opera level drama from the start. There’s a
storm at sea, shipwreck, a lost infant, lost wife, prostitutes, pirates, and so
much more. Pericles escapes a dangerous situation, on the run for his
life. He ends up in a new kingdom and falls in love with a princess there. In a
plot straight out of The Tempest, Shakespeare has the princess’ father pretends
to be against the pairing to encourage the two to fall even faster in love.
There is a narrator who helps the reader navigate the many location and time
changes in each act. Pericles’ lost wife plot is reminiscent of Winter’s Tale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is one of Shakespeare’s “romance” plays. Though the
ending might be happy, the story is full of tragedy. Redemption doesn’t come
until the characters are heartbroken by loss. The play is interesting, but it
does feel like a pieced together effort that combines some of his better work.
It was the very last of his plays that I read and I feel a huge sense of
accomplishment that I've finally read ALL of his plays! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>“Few love to hear the sins they love to act.”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>“Tis time to fear when tyrants seem to kiss.”</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/XvZxW1p.png" /></span>
</div>
Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-32372888490498490412018-12-27T13:50:00.001-05:002019-02-05T10:23:14.647-05:00 2018 End of the Year Book Survey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQDSuY7Dg1FmktMdizZVgMXxNFbLl_5mowlvfi7d2Ro2OZ_M6UXIqxAJx78UiOD0U3njka3XOKSqXOEnGBv_iIIPEp08Z6tR19FqfuWX6J0apM3TUJ06Ksc1fM-qQDj8FByDGBhKrCzA/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="1581" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQDSuY7Dg1FmktMdizZVgMXxNFbLl_5mowlvfi7d2Ro2OZ_M6UXIqxAJx78UiOD0U3njka3XOKSqXOEnGBv_iIIPEp08Z6tR19FqfuWX6J0apM3TUJ06Ksc1fM-qQDj8FByDGBhKrCzA/s640/1.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was an interesting year for reading for me. I found some absolute gems, but read some forgettable ones too. For the first time in quite a while I was lacking in the classics department, though I did finally conquer Ulysses! This was also a banner year for new releases from favorite authors of mine. Some were beautiful (Bridge of Clay), some were disappointing (Nine Perfect Strangers and The Clockmaker’s Daughter), and The Labyrinth of Spirits provided closure to one of my favorite series (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Audiobooks have continued to be a lifesaver for me as I balance life with a toddler. We’re expecting a new kiddo in the Spring and so I’m sure that side of things will be even trickier next year. I maintain that even when life is crazy and you’re exhausted by work/kids/pregnancy/life you can still find time to read if it’s important to you. During my most hectic times I’ve learned that sometimes a comfort reread is just what I need. Other times it’s a brainless fiction story that won’t ask me to think too much. That’s ok! As long as I’m still reading, I’m happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Any books I reread this year are not eligible for this list. I also didn’t count the piles upon piles of children’s books I read, except to list a couple favorites. I also don’t limit myself to one book per answer if there are two or three that are a perfect fit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Number of Books You Read: </b>142</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Number of Re-Reads:</b> 9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre You Read The Most From:</b> Total mix of genres this year: classics, YA, fantasy, nonfiction, etc.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOs1hbQTJzXqpD_UtwcInewVZLzJCH6pwmgCsNg2NVIEMJ9_1j7tRziOPSD8M3VP5xmodhyphenhyphenktvHT-s2Af1iO5UKQH3uRd5qYSK9C1538EdKsvjKZxQjiE1EuvR9iVM0YZHr3cWBhUYEoM/s1600/best.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="1600" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOs1hbQTJzXqpD_UtwcInewVZLzJCH6pwmgCsNg2NVIEMJ9_1j7tRziOPSD8M3VP5xmodhyphenhyphenktvHT-s2Af1iO5UKQH3uRd5qYSK9C1538EdKsvjKZxQjiE1EuvR9iVM0YZHr3cWBhUYEoM/s640/best.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1. Best Books You Read In 2018?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Classics —</b> The Mayor of Casterbridge, The Island of Dr.
Moreau<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Historical Fiction —</b> Love and Ruin <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Mystery —</b> Lethal White (A Cormoran Strike Novel)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Literary Fiction —</b> Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine,
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Nonfiction — </b>All the President's Men, American Wolf, The Day
the World Came to Town, I'll Be Gone in the Dark, Lots of Candles, Plenty of
Cake <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Fantasy —</b> Circe, the Grisha trilogy <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Play —</b> Henry IV, Part 1 and Birthday Candles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Poetry —</b> Milk and Honey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>YA —</b> If You Come Softly, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Science Fiction —</b> Sleeping Giants (The Themis Files), the
Red Rising series<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Children’s —</b> Anatole, Where Is the Green Sheep? and
Little Owl's Night<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Graphic Novel —</b> Displacement, Bones<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were
Going To Love More But Didn’t?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How to Stop Time, Nine Perfect Strangers, and Crazy Rich
Asians (loved the movie version of this one though!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>3. Most surprising (in a good way) book you
read?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Rules of Magic, I had very low expectations for this
Practical Magic prequel, but I was pleasantly surprised to find wonderfully
drawn characters. </span><br />
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They
Did)?</b></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sleeping Giants <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Best series you started in 2018?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grisha Trilogy and Red Rising<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2018?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Leigh Bardugo <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was
out of your comfort zone?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Reading People, a fascinating look at how personality
types can impact the way we approach things. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the
year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bird Box and the Red Rising Trilogy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>9. Book You Are Most Likely To
Re-Read Next Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Red Rising trilogy (are you seeing a trend? It
was SO good!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwoVXOHzKYK59bfUDcktTyn0REziTgMtn6J7abhp7TSPs-9SfMP9CTse8ICji7wDbwIwY2cJok86pGsCSyaExeIKgieIO1Jzwx0fFgGbGlwzDelEgP-kBOrkfhNXyRq35CcfB5DGDWq0A/s1600/51wfDsq20sL._SX361_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="363" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwoVXOHzKYK59bfUDcktTyn0REziTgMtn6J7abhp7TSPs-9SfMP9CTse8ICji7wDbwIwY2cJok86pGsCSyaExeIKgieIO1Jzwx0fFgGbGlwzDelEgP-kBOrkfhNXyRq35CcfB5DGDWq0A/s200/51wfDsq20sL._SX361_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="145" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeFKP1bkJNc290mnb7m6_hCjjFC6368Utisj3KDYILCFeKtavJDhqkXFZ2Dxbamvd_9LO5qlMZZw2rUKhCyjgW4pibfQT2QFseJQ3O0M7-Xd0ydkwP6KOpJYUaDbOKVo5ckW4rd2BgOg/s1600/41vmOa58%252BjL._SL500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeFKP1bkJNc290mnb7m6_hCjjFC6368Utisj3KDYILCFeKtavJDhqkXFZ2Dxbamvd_9LO5qlMZZw2rUKhCyjgW4pibfQT2QFseJQ3O0M7-Xd0ydkwP6KOpJYUaDbOKVo5ckW4rd2BgOg/s200/41vmOa58%252BjL._SL500_.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2018?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Uncommon Type and Loving vs. Virginia</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>11. Most memorable character of 2018?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sevro from the Red Rising trilogy and Uncle Hal in
The Witch Elm <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>12. Most beautifully written book read in 2018?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Circe and Bridge of Clay<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2018?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, so many incredible
women that I hadn’t heard of! I had so much fun reading it to my daughter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ulysses, this one was a struggle for me. But I got a lot
out of it and I loved seeing the impact it had on censorship and literature. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2018 to
finally read?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Wizard of Earthsea, planning to continue reading this
quartet in 2019. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2018?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“I still find a long walk through an unfamiliar
neighborhood teaches me more about what’s new and exciting than any number of
hours of television can.” -Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“Really, every time a person said good-bye to another
person, they should pay attention, just in case it was the last time.”- When
Will There Be Good News?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMaOhAnXZFJvZUBzEzIy5K9fMcq31vLMFSCLhIw_qYMPMmCK44kmywAs6bSNrMkY-AraDLGjBMtndrNsntRESFwg-KPOmZTUQ2_bTfsM_-_pHgDVHBq_W4sjz3znkiPGPijj0VeCQ1lM/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMaOhAnXZFJvZUBzEzIy5K9fMcq31vLMFSCLhIw_qYMPMmCK44kmywAs6bSNrMkY-AraDLGjBMtndrNsntRESFwg-KPOmZTUQ2_bTfsM_-_pHgDVHBq_W4sjz3znkiPGPijj0VeCQ1lM/s320/1.jpg" width="290" /></a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“What I really love about travel is that it takes us
outside ourselves... it unhomes you. And allows you to see possibilities for
change, growth, a new life.”- An Age of License<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“At the time I was just a kid and life was still a few
sizes too big for me.” The Labyrinth of Spirits<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“It’s silence was something awesome—an enormous
playground for the guilt to wreak havoc, to work him over.” - Bridge of Clay<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. That’s
why there are so few good conversations: due to scarcity, two intelligent
talkers seldom meet.” - Music for Chameleons<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“I don’t believe that blood makes a family; kin is the
circle you create, hands held tight.” - An American Marriage <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“I suppose that is what every man must tell himself in
war. That there will be an end, and when it is done, enough of himself will
remain. Enough to be a father. A brother. A lover. But we know it isn’t true.
Don’t we, Darrow? War eats the victors last.” - Iron Gold <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2018?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kindred Spirits: 41 pages & Ulysses: 816 pages<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>17. Book That Shocked You The Most?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bridge of Clay and Morning Sun <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>18. Favorite Couple? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Nate and Bronwyn in One of Us Is Lying <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Max and Ory in The Book of M <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of The Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Auggie and Jake in Wonder <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Flavia and Dogger in The Grave's a Fine and Private Place<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Fermin and Daniel in The Labyrinth of Spirits <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>20. Favorite Book You Read in 2018 From an Author You’ve
Read Previously?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Force of Nature and Circe <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>21. Best Book You Read In 2018 That You Read Based SOLELY
On A<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Recommendation From Somebody Else?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If You Come Softly and The Music Shop <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2018?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jesse from Out of the Easy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>23. Best 2018 debut you read?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Book of M<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This
Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Circe <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN
To Read?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Smile:</b> The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander,
Newfoundland. This one just gave me hope. On such a dark day, the world was
still full of selfless people willing to help complete strangers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Most Fun: </b>The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay &
Diaries, Emma Thompson is hilarious and I wish we were friends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>26. Book That Made You Cry in 2018?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- American Wolf, I don’t handle animal deaths in books very
well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- One True Thing, a Mom dying of cancer hits a bit close to home for me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I Am, I Am, I Am <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Under the Banner of Heaven, the book is well written, but
the real events are just awful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2018?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sleeping Giants, loved this one! Even the way the author
approached the story telling was unique. We see it all happen through
interviews conducted by a nameless man. I would highly recommend the audio
version of this one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>30. Book That Made You the Maddest?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All the President’s Men, excellent book, just a little
too close to our current situation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thanks to <a href="https://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2018/11/8th-annual-end-of-year-survey-2017-edition-2.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;">Perpetual Page Turner</a> for once again hosting this survey! It’s
always so much fun to look at everything I read throughout the year and think
about what I loved/hated. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Photo by me.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/XvZxW1p.png" /></span>
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-41132358802940968502018-12-18T11:45:00.001-05:002018-12-18T11:45:19.290-05:00 The Classics Club Challenge Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLYD8OWRQNjZZ3RRsJO778xy2l-cbnd0xfoTQ9SBRcYyNDJf0fTAP2tbDvr-SZzpa8Qy538BeURDRxeCUIOmFhXTD6Z4wvsoUhoSX_LgL-9KfG0sZID3BdUi3RcuNMpl2tPymd5BiW1g/s1600/classicsclub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLYD8OWRQNjZZ3RRsJO778xy2l-cbnd0xfoTQ9SBRcYyNDJf0fTAP2tbDvr-SZzpa8Qy538BeURDRxeCUIOmFhXTD6Z4wvsoUhoSX_LgL-9KfG0sZID3BdUi3RcuNMpl2tPymd5BiW1g/s1600/classicsclub.jpg" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I had so much fun completing my <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2012/03/classics-club.html">original list </a>of 100 books for <a href="https://theclassicsclubblog.wordpress.com/">The Classics Club</a> that I've decided to dive in again. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Though I finished my list last year, I obviously never stopped reading classics, so </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I'm making my "start" date April 2017, since I </span><a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-classics-club-challenge-complete.html" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">completed my first list in March 2017</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I am giving myself a little grace here and instead of reviewing each one with a post, I may just mark it as complete when I am done. I am also allowed to swap books on or off if I find something else I'd prefer to read.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><br />I will be tracking my progress on my <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/p/httptheclassicsclubblog.html">original list page here</a>. </span>For more information or to join the fun, you can visit <a href="https://theclassicsclubblog.wordpress.com/">The Classics Club here</a>. </span><br />
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">1) Little Men by Louisa May Alcott<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">2) The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">3) Foundation by Isaac Asimov<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">4) Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">5) Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">6) The Professor by Charlotte Bronte<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">7) Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs </span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">8) The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">9) Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">10) Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">11) Hard Times by Charles Dickens<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">12) Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">13) The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">14) The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">15) Juneteenth by Ralph Ellison<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">16) Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">17) The Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">18) The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">19) North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">20) Neuromancer by William Gibson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">21) The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">22) Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy </span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">23) The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy</span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">24) Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">25) <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/03/ulysses-final-post.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;">Ulysses</a> by James Joyce </span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">26) Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">27) Independent People by Halldor Laxness </span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">28) The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula K. Le Guin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">29) Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">30) Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">31) Love by Toni Morrison<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">32) Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">33) The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">34) Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35) The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">36) Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">37) <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/08/henry-iv-part-1-and-2-and-king-john.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;">Henry IV part 1 & 2</a> by William Shakespeare </span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText">
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">38) <a href="http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2018/08/henry-iv-part-1-and-2-and-king-john.html" style="color: #1c0500; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;">King John</a> by William Shakespeare </span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText">
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">39) Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">40) Sophie's Choice by William Clark Styron<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">41) The Death of Ivan Ilych and other Stories by Leo Tolstoy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">42) A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">43) God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">44) The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">45) The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells </span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText">
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">46) The Once and Future King by T. H. White<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">47) Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">48) Black Boy by Richard Wright<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">49) The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">50) We by Yevgeny Zamyatin</span></div>
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-53644504932153266402018-12-13T10:44:00.000-05:002018-12-18T11:42:08.199-05:00The Mark Twain House & Museum <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmdVWayD9or42fMabkz5ZcM5NYqh4d3V6TwK9r9AEpYuFi9QROoqw2piHRyGVceKZobUkRBVL0AMpXCqWjsSMsFunb5K9f3jtLnWO0PJn5dyvBlnDuZ5HwEja5-xLb5X1qy5NjKGUuqw/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmdVWayD9or42fMabkz5ZcM5NYqh4d3V6TwK9r9AEpYuFi9QROoqw2piHRyGVceKZobUkRBVL0AMpXCqWjsSMsFunb5K9f3jtLnWO0PJn5dyvBlnDuZ5HwEja5-xLb5X1qy5NjKGUuqw/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As you might have guessed, I love visiting literary spots while traveling. A recent work trip took me to Massachusetts via the airport in Hartford, Connecticut and I couldn't resist taking a quick side trip to the <a href="https://marktwainhouse.org/">Mark Twain House & Museum</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The gorgeous home is huge! No pictures are allowed inside, but an extensive guided tour gives you time to enjoy everything while learning about the famed author's life. I loved hearing more about his family life. There's also a separate museum with exhibits and a gift shop. You can see things like his desk (pictured above) and artifacts from his travels. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I always assumed he build this home after becoming famous and wealthy, but it was his wife's family fortune that funded the home. He loved to entertain and the place is clearly designed for that. There are so many gorgeous details that have been preserved in the three-story mansion. Honestly, it's worth visiting for the home alone, even if you aren't a fan of the author! There's a little garden conservatory, a carriage house, huge winding staircases, and the author's study which has so many detailed elements dripping with his personality. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4YqdrJPwV61tlIOL7VakQ69Fki28bjuSSOQ1phyl9nwy7eI7zYnxP9aIVr_fMwRGIZEF2lGxWD_vkJaV6AMuvb7gBmfSbQaMtFr3C66Yad-0kgu20FV22b5u3k2y94aU7I-p9EjaOz0/s1600/13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="1600" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4YqdrJPwV61tlIOL7VakQ69Fki28bjuSSOQ1phyl9nwy7eI7zYnxP9aIVr_fMwRGIZEF2lGxWD_vkJaV6AMuvb7gBmfSbQaMtFr3C66Yad-0kgu20FV22b5u3k2y94aU7I-p9EjaOz0/s640/13.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just across the lawn is the <a href="https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/">Harriet Beecher Stowe Center</a> (pictured above). Although Twain is the more famous of the two now, at the time, the author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was a household name. Make sure to save time to visit both places if you can. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you fly into the Hartford airport you can also check out the impressive Lego creation of Twain's home (above). It was amazing! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photos by me.</i></span><br />
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<img src="https://i.imgur.com/XvZxW1p.png" />
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481406859587493585.post-28148250729154884022018-12-05T11:08:00.000-05:002018-12-18T11:42:21.111-05:00The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZFOGicIddmh6zIy5PI9wtZwr9mFRhNPbJntn7_ZH19pm3FniojXZnb3_IgMDenVWMpM9M0RSftuy5dID_2jDH9PylX85uMUNvQ14MtHgswMcewprOZNMUcJHf7XB08LkYN-HqZurY98/s1600/IMG_5732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZFOGicIddmh6zIy5PI9wtZwr9mFRhNPbJntn7_ZH19pm3FniojXZnb3_IgMDenVWMpM9M0RSftuy5dID_2jDH9PylX85uMUNvQ14MtHgswMcewprOZNMUcJHf7XB08LkYN-HqZurY98/s320/IMG_5732.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOD5ialy58OwSBuAMJmJ3l8CY_B9pNsluNSyNWO-CBALxLAqEK54-AuFnIEbDfBIx9IW5xRKQuNDFwUl7MWRjH4auawd-Q_A4E0QUOL_YMVYdimqHKAkqLKamJUx1YbcYQqDW2eLUSBk/s1600/IMG_5733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOD5ialy58OwSBuAMJmJ3l8CY_B9pNsluNSyNWO-CBALxLAqEK54-AuFnIEbDfBIx9IW5xRKQuNDFwUl7MWRjH4auawd-Q_A4E0QUOL_YMVYdimqHKAkqLKamJUx1YbcYQqDW2eLUSBk/s320/IMG_5733.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This year I found myself in Springfield, Massachusetts for a work conference. I knew nothing about he town before visiting, but quickly discovered it was the proud hometown of Dr. Seuss! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5CS5tZljl74f19mScMcrslXZoi1S4ZZcWi0ZaLMpPrep-2l6WNKF8B6VY0cuXRhreJ6FJbd2jw_IfwJ-WJynldhJqUlIVW24yCWS9DYmfd5q9xSM-h7cXJsAM_F2q5FaSRzYklfPzek/s1600/IMG_5737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5CS5tZljl74f19mScMcrslXZoi1S4ZZcWi0ZaLMpPrep-2l6WNKF8B6VY0cuXRhreJ6FJbd2jw_IfwJ-WJynldhJqUlIVW24yCWS9DYmfd5q9xSM-h7cXJsAM_F2q5FaSRzYklfPzek/s320/IMG_5737.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4h99EAiztP9EQf1U8-xaiHpEQeftdWJl_5UR244CzVZEs5VUkRdpFcVeZ3ja-6Svg_zgCfju_-IIzoilT3FfN5NDTUjata4a4lHR1JL_TdEAbPvwkkW0PsM8ukWnO9qPwe_2oarJ5ZA/s1600/IMG_5744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4h99EAiztP9EQf1U8-xaiHpEQeftdWJl_5UR244CzVZEs5VUkRdpFcVeZ3ja-6Svg_zgCfju_-IIzoilT3FfN5NDTUjata4a4lHR1JL_TdEAbPvwkkW0PsM8ukWnO9qPwe_2oarJ5ZA/s320/IMG_5744.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Obviously I had to visit <a href="https://springfieldmuseums.org/about/dr-seuss-museum/">The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum</a> while I was there. The fun little spot includes outdoor statues and that are perfect for photo ops and a multi-level museum to wander through. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Theodor Geisel's history is outlined in a series of exhibits. Everything from his famous bow ties to his drawing desk are preserved there. I loved seeing random cards he sent to family with sketches of creatures drawn in his familiar style. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0txZ0DB4ZW63c6DiS0UDf3RZ8ftg0fEiGtzJn1GgtjdterbCHCD7oxnxz5YXsqbu947amALozjg4ex0T6_Hgt-mmVMfQF_TUtdAVdvsGMPlGwh8HWa4tkiZNm_w1jP-4N3heOu6Yh1g/s1600/IMG_5746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0txZ0DB4ZW63c6DiS0UDf3RZ8ftg0fEiGtzJn1GgtjdterbCHCD7oxnxz5YXsqbu947amALozjg4ex0T6_Hgt-mmVMfQF_TUtdAVdvsGMPlGwh8HWa4tkiZNm_w1jP-4N3heOu6Yh1g/s320/IMG_5746.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UnK-lZiKK3hHJoGwH9NjLMAdthd00cG2yHMEuv2WaFsxrUAckDUFPpcpbJpSsh6-kt_Z-UjMFCTAnpWO9gWOntvufmUnQFdpPYrx4-Jfk6R0-BFbjecfKkQJgRg1H33d9BDa0NRwsxY/s1600/IMG_5748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UnK-lZiKK3hHJoGwH9NjLMAdthd00cG2yHMEuv2WaFsxrUAckDUFPpcpbJpSsh6-kt_Z-UjMFCTAnpWO9gWOntvufmUnQFdpPYrx4-Jfk6R0-BFbjecfKkQJgRg1H33d9BDa0NRwsxY/s320/IMG_5748.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Although I was there alone, my daughter would have loved to explore all of the kid-friendly sections of the museum. I'd say it's definitely a delight for any age group! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFDe6GY8vYQPS4r5dR9FJJ0WRdkDHAa4R6Bc7PTY2tLLU4xwLlsgflggSmOgt51XMD7NuXFILSi2WaLevce5wjuoAEtmIJQGhzsN89x5lwbAOLt5swSiqaZ9miCBfkomKB9g-IRIuA8U/s1600/IMG_5731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFDe6GY8vYQPS4r5dR9FJJ0WRdkDHAa4R6Bc7PTY2tLLU4xwLlsgflggSmOgt51XMD7NuXFILSi2WaLevce5wjuoAEtmIJQGhzsN89x5lwbAOLt5swSiqaZ9miCBfkomKB9g-IRIuA8U/s320/IMG_5731.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Photos by me. </span></i><br />
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<img src="https://i.imgur.com/XvZxW1p.png" />
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Melissa (Avid Reader)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02119628715475021774noreply@blogger.com4