Joanna’s Comments (group member since Dec 27, 2013)

Joanna’s comments from the CPL's Book a Week Challenge group.

Ingrid wrote: "I like to reread certain classics periodically. Count of Monte Cristo, Jane Eyre, Phantom of the Opera & a few more.
Currently I am reading The Witch Elm. I thought it had to do with witches. Nope..."

I love the Phantom of the Opera and Jane Eyre! They're on my list of classics I need to reread in the next year or two.

How is The Witch Elm coming along? It's always interesting when you read a book and you thought it would be about one thing but it turns out to be another. I read a book once that had graveyards on it and based on the description, I thought it would be about ghosts. Nope. Ended up being a relationship drama book. Not my usual read but it wasn't too bad.

Hm. I know sometimes Overdrive will do that if you don't create an actual account with them (if you're just using your library card number and pin as the log in). Maybe that is it?

Our February Online Book Club book is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

Check out your copy today!

Thank you to everyone who voted in our February Online Book Club poll. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is what we will be reading. Check out your copy today and join us next month for weekly discussions!

What is everyone reading this week? I'm still trying to work my way through the Grisha trilogy and am on book 2, Siege and Storm. I'm also still reading Fellowship of the Ring. I was talking with someone about favorite subplots from The Count of Monte Cristo and realized it's been forever since I have read it. So now I'm rereading it. Does that ever happen to you? You talk with someone about a book and then you suddenly need to read it?

Melissa wrote: "I love to read on the couch with a blanket and a cup of tea by the fire. However, the weather this year has not been cooperative, so I've had to enjoy my books and tea without the fire."

You'll have to tell me how Illuminae is! I've seen a few people on other social media mention it and I've been wondering if it's good.

Stacy wrote: "I prefer to read anywhere I can without distractions or background noise. I've found the 30 minutes I take in the morning for coffee and breakfast at the kitchen table, quiet and alone, before work..."

That time right before bed is always one of my favorites, too.

Ashley wrote: "Joanna- The book and movie The Shape of Water follow each other pretty closely. The book just gave me more input into the villain, Strickland’s mind."

It's sometimes nice to learn more about the villain and what their motivation in. I've heard that the best villains are ones we can sympathize with because they are coming from someplace we understand.

Jodie wrote: "In bed, of course, with a favorite blanket and a cup of coffee. Also, in a waiting room, although I do get distracted at times by magazines they have lying around!"

I always end up people watching in waiting rooms. I've been getting better about bringing headphones with me, though, to keep the distractions at bay.

Ingrid wrote: "When I was young I used to climb up in a tree and read. My favorite was to go in my uncle’s raft out on his lake & read.
Now I like to read in my La-Z-Boy with the fireplace going or I’ll sit out ..."

I've always thought a tree would be the perfect place to read. Hidden among the branches, just you and the book. A raft on a lake sounds nice, too, though I'd be afraid I'd drop my book in the water (I'm clumsy).

Hopefully The Witch Elm continues to absorb you! Those are always the best books.

Nichelle wrote: "Sorry, Joanna, no recipes but the chefs he interviews do have interesting restaurants that I may want to visit one day. So it's worth the read."

That's too bad. But I am always up for finding new places to eat! I love food. Lol.

Voting is now open until the 25th for our Online Book Club book for February. Our theme is "Let's Start a Series." We're going to be reading the first book in a series. Vote now!

Brrrr. Winter is here! Or at least for the moment it is (I think it's supposed to be in the 60s today). Cold weather, though, is perfect for cuddling up on the couch with a blanket, a warm drink, and a good book. Which begs the question, what is the perfect place to read a book? Bed? Couch? Outside? Inside? Tell us your perfect place to read a book!

What is everyone reading this week? I finished The Gilded Wolves over the weekend and oh, man. I'm still living in that world and it's been hard to come out. I'm sad I have to wait probably at least a year for the sequel. Hoping to start Fellowship of the Ring and Siege and Storm.

Ingrid wrote: "Okay I finished Whiskey in a Teacup so count that one for me.
I really enjoyed it too! Not necessarily for the recipes, but for reading about being a southern lady. Although O never really conside..."

It's odd what is considered the "South," right? But I can see why Tennessee would be considered south.

Everyone is reading such interesting books!

Nichelle- Yum. Food. Does the book have recipes?

Ashley- you'll have to let us know how the book version is. I know del Toro did both so I'm curious if it's basically the same or if he added more detail.

Ingrid- Hahaha. That's great. I'll have to add Dry to my list to read. But I'll make sure to have a large glass of water with me!

Last week, we talked about which book has been in your to be read pile the longest. Now, let's talk about what's in your to be read pile!

Favorite authors? Christmas/birthday presents? Random buys at book sales?

What books currently make up your pile? I won't bore you with a full list of my pile because I think it's at about 100 items (I know, I know). I have a couple Agatha Christie books, volumes 10-12 of the Histories of Middle Earth, a random fantasy trilogy I picked up a couple months ago, not to mention the library books I have checked out.

I don't know if I'm ever going to finish this pile. Lol

January is moving right along; hard to believe we are already halfway through the month! This week is going to be a short post.

What is everyone reading this week? I'm working on The Hobbit and hoping to start Siege and Storm. I also have a couple manga volumes I need to read before their due date.

Tell us your current reads!

Ingrid wrote: "How do we know how long a book has been on the best seller list?
I am reading Whiskey in a Teacup by Reece Witherspoon & it’s been on the bestseller list."

So I thought it would be something easy to find, but turns out not so much. I would say, as long as it's been on the bestseller list, it can count toward the challenge.

Ashley wrote: "Thank you for the removing info! I accidentally added a book twice and freaked out before reading all the way down this."

You're welcome! That was one of the biggest challenges on the last platform we used; you couldn't delete anything!

Let me know if you have any other questions! Good luck with the challenge!

Lonna wrote: "I am going to try and complete all of the take it or leave it challenges for the year.... wish me luck.

3. A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean"

Good luck! You can do it!

Ingrid wrote: "I’m not sure my memory goes back far enough to know how long the books have been on my shelves. Ha ha.
I’ll pick up a bunch of paper bucks at the Goodwill and think I will read these, but instead ..."

Haha. I completely understand. Goodwill has such good book bargains! I keep promising myself that I'll read books I already own but then I'll walk past a new book shelf at work and snag five books off it.

Our website is now live! If you participated in the Summer Reading Challenge 2018, you can use your log in information from that. If not, you can create a new account.

Instructions for creating your log in and logging books can be found here.

Click here to access the website

Note: Currently, the website's banner is for the Summer Reading Challenge. Don't be alarmed. This is the correct site for Book Quest.

Our winners have been drawn for the 2018 52 Book Pick Up challenge!! Congratulations to Stacy Blausey who won the Kindle and to Chloe Grimstead who won the Book Lovers pack.

Heading into the second week of the challenge, what is everyone reading? I ended up not doing as much reading this weekend as I wanted. I am still working on Shadow and Bone and The Silmarillion.

To be read piles are always so much fun to dive into, especially the larger they are. I always find myself surprised by discoveries. The other day, I unearthed my copy of Les Miserables that I bought back in 2012 when the movie came out. Have I read it yet? Nope. It was buried at the bottom of my pile.

For the book you chose to read for the book club, do you know how long you've had it in your pile? What's the book that's been in your pile longest?

Les Miserables has probably been in my pile the longest (though I'm not looking at the any of to be read lists). Shadow and Bone, which I'm reading for this, has probably been in my pile for 6 months. I keep checking it in/checking it back out from the library.

Ingrid wrote: "I haven’t done the challenges in the past.
Do I just post that I read The Darkest Secret as a Knock Down the Stack book? Is that how I get a point?
Thanks!"

Yep! :) Congrats on finishing a book in your to be read pile!!

Book Quest 2019 site is now live!

We are using Beanstack this year, which is the same site we used for the Summer Reading Challenge 2018. This means that if you participated during summer reading, you just need to use your log in information from that to access the site.

Don't have a log in? Follow the steps bellow to create your account.

Access the Beanstack website here

1. Click the "Sign in" icon in the top right hand corner. Then click on "Sign up for free"


2. 2. Click "I am registering myself."

3. Fill in the required information. (Note: Under "Grade Level," select "Adult." You do not need to put in a school).

4. You do not have to add another adult or child to the account; select "No" and then click "Continue" on the final page.

5. This is your home page! Click on "Register for Program" under Book Quest


6. Select your home branch (this is for statistical purposes)

7. Congrats! You are now registered. Click on "Return to this program" to see the program page.

8. To log your reading, select "Log Reading" on the top of the page


9. It will ask you what you are logging, your only option will be books. Click the book

10. Add your title and author (feel free to leave a review but you don't have to). Beanstack is intuitive and may give you options as you type in the title.

11. Hit "Log" to log the book.

12. The badge you earn will appear! Hit "Close" to exit out of the badge

13. To exit the logging screen, hit the X in the top right corner

14. Once you've logged your first book, a new tab will appear called "Program Log." This will show you all the books you have logged for the program.


Accidentally added a book? Hit the "Program Log" tab. Click the cover of the book you want to remove. There will be a link under the book information to "Remove."

There you have it! If you have any questions, feel free to write me here or email me at jherlan@infopeake.org

Happy book logging!