my books. my life.

The mini-reviews continue today with a pair of books that took me across the Atlantic.

Apart from all of the things I am thankful for in life – my friends, my family, my job, and this new little person growing inside me – I am thankful for all of the things reading as brought into my life.

• Books. They’ve always been there for me. Even when I haven’t been there for them. Like right now.
• Book Blogging. I am so thankful to be part of this community. I’ve met so many wonderful people as a result: other bloggers, authors, publishers, and plain-old-readers.
• You. My readers mean the world to me. I know I can be inconsistent (and a bit whiny) so I appreciate that you continue to come back. One of my favorite things in life is when someone tells me they bought a book as a result of my blog and loved it.

On Tuesday I shared the books I would be reading if I still read books. Obviously I’m exaggerating a bit when I say I’m not reading at all. In fact, I’m in the middle of a bunch of books, including these ones:

I am so excited that I am far enough along that I can finally share my news with you. Baby Appleseed (so nicknamed for it’s size when we found out) is slated to make his/her appearance sometime around May 28. Ben and I are beyond thrilled (and a bit terrified).

Did I surprise you? Or have all of my tweets about being exhausted given me away? (at least two people figured it out on twitter despite my best efforts to hide it from you)

As for me, I was feeling pretty awful there for a few weeks but that appears to be nearing its end (which is good since I was growing desperately tired of ginger ale and saltines as a “meal”). Now I am just waiting to get my energy back so I can stop sleeping 10 hours a night and hopefully my reading/blogging mojo will come back with it. Who knew growing a baby was such hard work?

So…any advice for me? Any books I need to add to that pile?

I can’t seem to be bothered to blog much about books these days. So until the book blogging bug chooses to return to me, I leave you with pictures of my cats. Because I think that’s what the rest of the internet is for.

Daisy

Gatsby

And Daisy again (because she’s the most photogenic)

I took all of these with my new iPhone 4s. Pretty nice, yeah?

Book blogging has definitely changed the way I read. I’ve always been a reader. Once my parents taught me how to read, I devoured any book that crossed my path. As an adult reader, I was generally drawn to classics, from Jane Austen to the Russian greats. I only read contemporary novels when people I trusted sent them my way.

In 2006, I started hanging out on the Rory’s Book Club message boards and created the first version of this blog on vox.com.  This shifted my reading a little.  The RBC members were still pretty heavy on the classics but they were also discussing what the original Rory’s Book Club list called “smart contemporary” books. Since I was now a part of that community, I started reading more of those books.

But once I took my blog to the greater book blogging community in the fall of 2009, my reading shifted drastically. People were reading the books that were out now, and I was even introduced to ARCs which allowed me to read a book BEFORE it was released. I also started reading many more young adult novels. Book blogging has given me some insider information into the world of writing and publishing. I know when books are coming out and my ever-growing TBR pile has reached impossible heights.

Just the other day I mentioned to a friend that I was a little sad that book blogging has taken me away from the classics. I am currently reading North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, a book I am sure I would have adored five years ago. It’s become something of a chore to get through it because of all the shiny new books that are vying for my attention. No matter how much I vow to read some older literature, or even just the backlist of contemporary authors, I know I will never be the same reader I was before blogging.

I am thankful for book blogging every day. I’ve found a wonderful community and made some amazing friends. I’ve been exposed to fantastic books and been given opportunities that the normal reader doesn’t have. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But sometimes I feel just a bit of nostalgia for those simpler days.

If you are a book blogger, has it changed you as a reader? If you aren’t a book blogger, what kind of reader are you?

Today is BBAW Interview Swap day.  Please welcome Cialina from Muggle-Born to the blog. I am going to jump right in. Enjoy.

1. I love the Harry Potter theme running through your blog? Is Harry Potter the reason you started book blogging?

Harry Potter is actually not the reason I started book blogging, though it plays a big role in my life. I was an intern at Scholastic for a while and I really wanted to be more involved in the book community. I wanted a place to share what books I read, but also my experiences in the publishing industry. At the time, I just so happened to already own the domain Muggle-Born, and since it was bookish, I decided to use it as the home of what eventually came my book blog.

2. What kind of reader were you as a child?

When I first discovered chapter books, I devoured them. I loved the Junie B. Jones series and I couldn’t get enough of the books. As I got older, I became one of those kids that the librarians gossiped about because I was one of the few who’d stop by every week during the summer to borrow 10 books.

I don’t have a particular place to read, but I do love reading outside in general. I love reading in natural light. But I did learn my lesson earlier this year: don’t forget to put on sunblock.

There’s nothing like meeting another person, whether it be online or in real life, who shares the same passion for books. You feel an instant connection with someone who fan girls over the same characters, pairings, quotes, etc. Blogging has definitely led me to meet some people that I would not have otherwise met.

I read it way back in January, but it still has to be ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins. No other book has left me fan-girlying as hard.

Title: Faith
Author: Jennifer Haigh
Narrators: Therese Plummer
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 336
Audio: 10.1 hours
Year: 2011
Publisher: Harper Audio
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

It is 2002 when Sheila’s brother, Art, a Catholic priest, becomes caught in the fury of child molestation accusations flying through the Boston Archdiocese. Their brother Mike is furious, quick to assume Art is guilty. Their mother never doubts his innocence for a minute.  Sheila, quick to jump to Art’s defense at first, begins to doubt him. Art himself is lost without his church and heartbroken over the end of his relationship with the boy and his mother who have become his accusers. The family must look deep into their past and finally learn to communicate to get through this difficult time.

My Thoughts:

Faith shows that Haigh is not afraid to take a Big Issue and dissect it from every angle. We all remember 2002 (at least if “we” means all of us Catholics). Priests were being accused left and right of molesting children, and the Boston Archdiocese was the center of those accusations. It was a horrific time for so many people. But what was it like to be a priest accused of such a terrible crime? And what was it like to be his family? And what could have possibly happened in that man’s life to get him to that situation? These are the things Haigh shows us. And she does not shy away from anything.

There was really some masterful storytelling here. The truth comes together slowly, but in such a way that makes you keep going to find it. The characters are complex and full of flaws, even as they grow and develop throughout the novel.

Having been raised in an Irish-Catholic family with Boston roots, there was so much about this book that was familiar. From the big things, like the feelings the characters have toward the church and the beliefs they struggle to reconcile, to the little things, like the Mary-on-the-Half-Shell statue every  family had in their yard (including mine). It made the book very personal. When Mike’s wife criticizes practically everything about being Catholic, I got defensive, despite the fact that I haven’t been to mass since Easter. I think Haigh grasped what exactly it is to be Catholic and what exactly it is that makes others fail to understand it.

But I don’t think you need to have any ties to the Catholic Church to enjoy (this seems like the wrong word here) this book. I think the basic struggles, however dissimilar the details are to our own lives, are relatable. Family and faith and how to deal with those two things are struggles that we all face.

The audio production was phenomenal. Therese Plummer did a wonderful job narrating (and actually managed to find a Boston accent that didn’t make me want to scream). I HIGHLY recommend reading this one in audio.

Others’ Thoughts: Stephanie’s Written Word; Devourer of Books; Literate Housewife; That’s What She Read; Jenn’s Bookshelves

Buy It Now: Amazon; IndieBound

I didn’t post my monthly update last Sunday because I thought, “Hey, it’s only July 31, I could still finish another book today.” Then on Monday, when I very predictably had not finished another book, I remembered that I don’t really read much these days and that was very silly logic on my part.

So what did I read in July? I finished seven books: 5 print and 2 audio.

1. Flawless by Sara Shephard (Pretty Little Liars #2)
2. The Heroine’s Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore
3. 13, rue Therese by Elena Mauli Shapiro
4. Feed by Mira Grant (audio)
5. Blood Work by Holly Tucker
6. The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
7. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (audio)(reread)

My favorite book this month was Feed. My least favorite was probably my Mockingjay reread.

Psst…at this time next week, I will have a husband again. I am so excited, I can barely concentrate on anything else. I think I might be getting too old for this whole living apart thing. I used to handle it fine (we lived apart for an ENTIRE year four years ago), but I really miss him this time (well I always miss him but this time is different). Perhaps I’m in need of a little more stability these days. But it doesn’t matter now because I will see him in FIVE DAYS. *jumps with joy*

What are you up to this Sunday?

The pile of half-read books is slowly dwindling. Which, of course, meant I rewarded myself by starting a new book. This week I finished Blood Work (which I’d been “reading” since May). I also finished Feed in audio (and posted the review on Friday).

So now I am reading The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson as my reward book before tackling the remaining half-read books. I am also finishing up my reread of Mockingjay as my audiobook.

Did you all read a lot while you were hiding from the heat this week (and did you enjoy the taste of my world)? Read anything good?