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

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

Happy New Year!

I don't know about all of you, but I started 2019 with a massive to be read pile. It gets worse by the day. To help all of us with our piles, January's Online Book Club book won't be dictated.

Pick any book from your To Be Read pile and read it for the book club (this also will help with the Take It or Leave It challenge).

Comment here with which book you pick!

I'm going to be reading the Grisha trilogy (or the Shadow and Bone trilogy) by Leigh Bardugo. This has been sitting on my floor for months and what's even worse is that they are library books. I'm going to finally buckle down and read them!

January's Take It or Leave It challenges are below. Do one, do all, do none! It's totally up to you.

1. It's Popular - Book that’s been on the New York Times Bestseller list for more than 10 weeks

2. Young Achievers - Book written by an author under 30

3. Knock Down that Stack - Read one book from your To Be Read pile

4. True People - Read a biography

5. Nostalgia - Read a childhood favorite

Post which challenges you do here in this thread! Happy reading.

Many of you may remember two years ago when Jennifer did her "Take It or Leave It" challenge. It was such a fun challenge that I've decided to bring it back.

A quick refresher before we get started...

1. Each month there will be several Take It or Leave It challenges to choose from
2. Each challenge will have a description with how you can complete that challenge for the month
3. Choose one, all, or none of the challenges for that month to participate in (hence the Take It or Leave It name)
4. Read books that fit the challenges or see if books you have already begun reading fit into an challenge
5. Post which challenges you have completed and the book you read to finish that challenge
6. You cannot use the same book for more than one challenge

To shape this challenge into something a little more interesting – for every challenge you complete each month you will get a point. Sometime at the beginning of the next month I will post the scores from the previous month.

There will be a prize. The person who earns the most points by the end of the year will receive a special prize (to be determined).

It's here - a brand new year! And with a brand new year comes the start of our brand new challenge!

Welcome to Book Quest: The Challenge 2019.

While there is a name change, this program remains the same: challenge yourself to read 52 books in one year.

In addition to the reading challenge, participate in the Online Book Club where we read a themed book every month (except January, January is special). And back due to popularity... Take It or Leave it. This fun mini challenge provides random categories and you read a book that fits.

One housekeeping item... the website is almost ready and should go live sometime before Friday. Instructions on how to use the site will be posted here on Goodreads.

Has anyone already started their reading for the new year? I decided to start the year off right with The Silmarillion and the first book in the Grisha trilogy, Shadow and Bone. I didn't do so well last year with the challenge, but I'm determined to do better this year.

Tell us what book you are kicking the new year off with!

Here's to a great 2019 challenge!

Ingrid wrote: "I’m sick w/ the flu so lots of reading when I feel up to it. Finished Nora Roberts Blood & Bone. It was good. Now reading Yule Log Murder. Not a fan of this book, but will finish it."

Oh, no!! I hope you have a speedy recovery. I know being sick during the holidays is no fun.

How did you like A Wrinkle in Time? Love it? Like it? Hate it? What did you think of the journey Meg went on in the book?

Tell us your thoughts!

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying this festive season. For those who celebrated Christmas, did you get any bookish gifts? I got a new Poirot novel (I'm working on collecting them all) and some manga. My family knows me well.

Tell us what you got!

What is everyone reading this week? I'm in that weird "right before a new year" slump where I have no motivation to read anything. I may start Empress of All Seasons but I may also save it for 2019.

Prize Update: For the participation prize, you have until January 14th to pick one up.

What do you think are the most important lessons Meg learns over the course of the novel? How do they shape her and change her?

What is everyone reading this week?

I picked up Suitors and Sabotage for a light, quick read. It's been pretty cute so far. I always enjoy Anstey's books as they are light and fluffy, but with fun twists. I have a number of books checked out that I still need to read but not sure which one will be next. I've had Star Wars Thrawn: Alliances out since July; I probably need to read that one.

As the holidays come along, it's good to make sure you take time to relax. And of course there is no better way to relax than to pick up a good book!

What is everyone reading this week? I just read the most wonderful book. It's called The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The book talks about the worst library fire in US history - the Los Angeles Central Library fire of 1986. More than just a recounting, though, Orlean also looks at the history of the LA Public Library and the colorful cast of characters (both past and present) that makes it what it is today. She also touches on what makes libraries so important; how they are more than just a depository for books.

I laughed. I cried. I reflected. I got angry. I felt a renewed sense of purpose for my job as a librarian. Maybe it's because I work in a library that this book touched me so much. It really made me think. And I realized, more than ever, that the world of the library is where I belong.

Tell us about a book that you read that touched you in some way.

A Wrinkle in Time is a childhood classic that many of us read when we were younger. If you read it before, do you remember your first impression of it? Did you like it? Hate it?

Reading books as an adult, we bring a whole new perspective to the experience. As you begin reading, do you notice anything new? Do you feel differently about the book?

Happy beginning of December!

Prize announcement time! There are a couple of different ones this year.

First, anyone who reads 52 books can come into the Central Library (298 Cedar Road) and pick up a bag with a random book inside of it starting December 17th.

The grand prize is an Amazon Fire tablet. In addition, we received a 6 month membership package from the Chrysler Museum of Art that will be added to this prize.

A secondary prize will also be given. This will be a Book Lover's pack which will include a mug, a book journal, and socks.

All books must be entered by 11:59 pm on December 31st. The prizes will be drawn on January 7th and the winner notified via email.

What is everyone reading this week? Any fun holiday-themed books? I hit a reading slump over the last week so I'm not really sure what I want to read. Got any good suggestions?

What did you think of The Importance of Being Earnest? Did you love it? Hate it? Think it hilarious? Tell us your final thoughts as we close the curtain on this play.

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? I hope you had a wonderful holiday.

We're starting the final run to 2019 and with the end of a year, comes changes for the new one.

The biggest is going to be that 52 Book Pickup will be rebranded and have a brand new website. Our new name will be Book Quest: The Challenge.

Why "Book Quest?" With the addition of the Online Book Club this year, we've realized that there is a lot more we can do with our online book programs. We can connect them to other things, add extra challenges, make them be part of something larger. While it probably won't all happen next year, we're laying groundwork for exciting things to come.

The new website is still in construction but I am so excited to announce that we're moving to Beanstack! This is what our Summer Reading program was on. It's easy to use, intuitive, and best part- one log in for everything. Instructions will go up once the website is live (which should be closer to the end of December).

Despite the changes, this is still going to be our challenge. We're still going to try to read 52 books in 1 year. Goodreads will remain for weekly posts, mini challenges, access to the Online Book Club, and more.

Feel free to ask me any questions or let me know your thoughts!

I've already had some inquiries about the grand prize for 2018. Be on the lookout for next week's thread as prize announcements will be there.

Phew. Lots of housekeeping this week. Now books! Tell us what you are reading this week!

Lyn wrote: "this year I'm struggling to get my 52 books read,hopefully I make it.
I'm reading mostly Christmas themed books.Just finished The Noel Stranger by Richard Paul Evans"

You can do it! And it's the perfect season for Christmas books.

The Importance of Being Earnest is a witty comedy play. Is there a difference between being funny and being witty? What makes the play funny/witty? Is it the character interactions? Or the set of circumstances? Both? Or something else?

Tell us if you think the play is funny and why!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! No matter your plans, I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Are you planning on doing any reading during the holiday? If so, what are you reading?

I'm hoping to get through Fawkes, The Witness, Batman and the Justice League, and potentially How to Speak Science.

Enjoy your holiday!

Algernon and Jack are the best of friends. Of course, that doesn't mean that they know everything about each other. Act I has them revealing their "secret" identities; the ones they use with other people (or to get out of seeing other people).

What are ways you can tell that these two are close friends? How does their dialogue indicate their closeness? Have you ever had similar exchanges with a good friend? How do you think their friendship influences the events of the play, outside the obvious one?

What would you do if your friend revealed they were using different identities with different people?

At the risk of celebrating prematurely (because you have until the end of the 15th to vote), we have our final 2018 Online Book Club book - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Pick up your copy today!

We're now one week away from Thanksgiving. Do you all have any fun plans? I'll be joining my roommate's family for day of celebrations (and food) but the rest of the days I am going to try and conquer my to be read pile. It keeps growing, despite my best efforts.

Do your piles of books do that?

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful so I am thankful that I have the ability to even collect a to be read pile. I'm thankful I have an apartment to house it in. And I'm thankful my job affords me the ability to have down time to read. Of course, I am always grateful for the wide variety of authors and genres they write in. The world would be less without their words.

What are you thankful for this season? Let us know! It doesn't have to be book related.

At the risk of celebrating prematurely (the poll is up for one more day at the time of this writing), we have our final 2018 Online Book Club Book!

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Pick up your copy today!.