Library Books Mid-March 2017

This month's library piles see the clear influence of award lists, because it is the season indeed!

The Mindfulness Diaries: How I Survived My First Nine-Day Silent Meditation Retreat by Jennifer Howd

Charm City: A Walk through Baltimore by Madison Smartt Bell
Light Box by K.J. Orr
Cain by Luke Kennard
The Beautiful Struggle by Ta Nehisi Coates
Everfair by Nisi Shawl
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion by Meghan Daum
The Iguana Tree by Michel Stone
Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair
The Barn at the End of the World by Mary Rose O'Reilly
Moonglow by Michael Chabon
One Child: the Story of China's Most Radical Experiment by Mei Fong
Version Control by Dexter Palmer
The Nix by Nathan Hill

The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
Judas by Amos Oz
Sex Object by Jessica Valenti
Midwinter by Fiona Melrose

I'm going on my first silent retreat in April, so I wanted to read the Howd and O'Reilly in preparation. I'm headed to Baltimore soon and snagged the Bell and Coates for that purpose, but it turns out that the Chabon is also set there. I read the Orr for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, checked out the Kennard and Sinclair for the Dylan Thomas Prize list, the Barnhill and Shawl for the Nebula, the Chabon & Palmer & Hill for the Tournament of Books, the Melrose for the Baileys, and the Oz for the Man Booker International Prize.

The Fong is the April book for my in-person book club; the rest were just books I was interested in.

I review every book I read on Goodreads, and a hefty chunk of these are already done!

These piles are an eternal tribute to the library where I work, because all but one book comes from their collection or through the statewide consortium, or infrequently, an interlibrary loan.

Library Books Mid-July 2016

This post is going live a little later than mid-July. I spent just over a week in Oregon and mailed my books back to myself, and since they went media mail they just got home. I put my library books in there since I had finished them, along with the books I bought at (where else) Powells. The newly purchased books will be included in my monthly new books in post at the end of July.

Disinformation by Frances Leviston
Physical by Andrew McMillan
Walking on Trampolines by Frances Whiting
The Patron Saint of Ugly by Marie Manilla
Apex by Ramez Naam
Available Dark by Elizabeth Hand
Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue
The Tusk that did the Damage by Tania James
My Own Cape Cod by Gladys Taber
Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death by Jane Halifax
Kaiseki by Yoshihiro Murata

I heard about the Murata from an eGalley of Super Sushi Ramen Express, so of course I had to read more about this fascinating cuisine.

I wish I could remember where I heard about the Halifax. I requested it immediately from interlibrary loan and devoured it before my trip home. I discuss it further on Episode 063 of the Reading Envy Podcast: Desolation Road.

The Leviston, McMillan, and James are all on my stack because they were finalists for the Dylan Thomas Prize, and I had already read the other two nominees. I figured, why not?

The Whiting and Manilla were total impulse checkouts when I was looking for light reads for my trip, the Taber was recommended by a Litsy friend, and the Enrigue was the July pick for one of my Goodreads groups.

The Hand and Naam are books in series I have started and liked, and want to keep reading. The Naam will finish a trilogy, and I hope to dig into it this weekend if not sooner.