Month: April 2016

This Week in Books: HPB Half Pint Library

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I’ve already written about HPB’s Half Pint Library donations on here once, but now we’re down to the wire. The Half Pint Library is a month long period of donations. The company asks customers to donate kids and young adult books to help build libraries in the community. And HPB matches the donations, but in reality the company donates a a great many more books than customers will.

The month of donations ends tomorrow! So if you have any kids or young adult books just collecting dust on your shelf, then get those books over to your local HPB! And do it fast!

Top Five Wednesday: Favorite Mothers

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Welcome back to the latest edition of Top Five Wednesday. Today’s topic is favorite mothers. And yes, I realize it’s Thursday. But I had some important business to tend to yesterday.

I’ll start with very easy choices who need no explanation.

Lily Potter

She wasn’t alive in any of the books and still had a huge impact on so many things. Most notably, doing everything possible to keep Harry alive.

Molly Weasley

Another one who doesn’t really need an explanation. She’s great. And funny when she’s upset.

Mrs. Everdeen

I’m just now realizing that her name is actually never mentioned in the books. I couldn’t remember off the top of my head and tried searching, but nope. My reasoning behind picking her is that she shapes Katniss into who she is in the years leading up to the Reaping in which Katniss volunteers to compete in the Games for her sister. We know immediately that she hasn’t been the best parent, and to me that’s part of what makes Katniss so strong.

Marjorie Lowe

She’s the mother of Harry Bosch. And like Lily above, she was never alive during any of the books in the series. She was killed when Harry was young, but her death shapes him into the no nonsense LAPD detective he becomes. Her death’s impact on his life simply cannot be understated.

Nana Mama

She’s Alex Cross’s grandma. She’s living with him as soon as we’re first introduced to the Cross family. She isn’t afraid to put him in his place when she disagrees with him, but also reminds him that he’s got an entire family counting on him just like he’s got a department and city counting on him. She’s witty, smart, and motherly. And you never forget that she loves every member of the Cross household.

That’s all I have for y’all today. Five great mothers from some of the series I’ve read. Who are YOUR favorite mothers from books?

I’m Backkkk

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I took most of last week off from the blog for no other reason besides needing a break. I hadn’t taken a break since 2014, and I needed it. I can’t possibly count the number of notifications I’ve gotten over the past two years, but at some point it just becomes a bit much. So I took a break. And now it’s over.

Back tomorrow with a regular post.

NYC Schools to Get E-Books From Amazon

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Finally. I imagine other large districts have already done the same, but Amazon just secured a $30 million deal to provide textbooks in digital format to NYC schools.

The new deal won’t include Amazon devices, but the company will create a platform specifically for the district to purchase the textbooks and use on the devices the district already has.

When I was in school I never carried around my textbooks. Because there were too many and they were much too heavy to lug around all day. This makes perfect sense to me. And it’ll save plenty of trees in the process. Win-win.

What do you think of Amazon and the NYC schools reaching this agreement?

Top Five Wednesday: Books That Intimidate Me

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Guys, this is a topic I believe I’ve addressed on here before. Books that intimidate me. It’s definitely a topic I feel strongly about and one that baffles me at times. I won’t take up any more of your time with this mini introduction. But I will say that this is certainly not your typical Top Five Wednesday video. Now watch, please!

PS: I added something to the end. Tell me what you think if you get that far?

Also, are there any books that YOU are intimidated by?

On Strangers

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Have you ever been in a public place and a random person just feels the need to chat you up about something completely random? We all have been, right?

Well today it happened to me at the store. A customer was talking to a coworker of mine about something entirely unrelated to a bookstore. And then proceeded to do the same with me. She probably spent 10-15 minutes talking to us about random things we weren’t interested in. It was odd. And then it made me wonder if I’ve ever done that. Just gone on and on with someone who was trying to find the quickest way out. I hope not.

Ever been chatted up by a stranger in a bookstore?

This Week in Books: More “Killing”

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It was announced this week that Bill O’Reilly will be releasing a new book later this year in his bestselling series. The new book will not focus on the death or assassination attempt of a prominent figure, but rather WWII between the US and Japan.

I love history. But am I the only person who can do without any more of Bill O’Reilly anything? His view of things is so skewed that I can’t imagine these books coming from a neutral viewpoint.

I haven’t read any of his books, and have no desire to do so. Have you read any in the series?

On Kindle

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The Kindle has come a long way since it first debuted nearly a decade ago. And Amazon keeps making it better. But seeing is believing, not just reading about it.

Recently I happened upon a co-worker reading in the break room at work. I saw him reading on a new Kindle. I asked which model it was because it looked nice. He said the $79 one, which is the regular Kindle. Now I know I’ve said I’m trading mine back in because I just don’t use it, but his device was great. I mean, I didn’t expect the base model to appear so advanced. The text is so much more clear than mine. The screen is much easier on the eyes. And it appeared about as thin as a strand of hair.

And of course Amazon just announced their newest edition. All this is simply to say that the “regular” Kindle is a great device, so I can’t imagine how superb the more advanced models are.

PS: Still not using mine or buying a new one.

Top Five Wednesday: Hard Topics

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Yay for another Top Five Wednesday. This week’s topic is books that deal with hard topics. This was another good one for me because I once again broke the rules. I came up with six books instead of the five EVERYONE else does. Whoops.

But as we all know, books can be avenues to address just about any topic we can think of. And the books I mention today (in my opinion) all do a great job of hitting on some really important topics. Sex. Drug use. War. Racism. Mental illness. Family. Faith. Religious persecution.

All topics addressed by the handful of books (+1) I talk about today.

What are some books you’ve read that address “hard” topics?

Happy Birthday, Beverly Cleary

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I think today may have been Beverly Cleary’s 100th birthday. So let’s all say happy birthday.

I’ve actually not read any of her books. But I know they’re tiny. And I think they’re young adult. I think she wrote the Ramona ones, right? Eh. I guess I’m just too cool for her books. Ha!

Have you read any of her books? And do you think she has a ghost or anything at 100? 😂