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

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

Due to the icy road conditions, the library is not open today (January 8th). As you all know, this was the day we were supposed to draw the grand prize winner.

The drawing as been moved to tomorrow, January 9th.

Thank you for your understanding!

"It’s as hard to have a favorite sequence of myths as it is to have a favorite style of cooking (some nights you might want Thai food, some nights sushi, other nights you crave the plain home cooking you grew up on).” Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman, pg. 11

Welcome to the world of Norse Mythology! Is this your first foray into the world of Odin, Thor, Asgard, the Vanir, and the Aesir? Or have you been here before?

If you’ve been here before, do you have a favorite myth you’re hoping to see in Gaiman’s Norse Mythology?

Norse mythology is only one set of myths in the world that attempts to explain such thing as how we came to be, why the world works the way it does, and who to blame when things go wrong (answer: it’s always Loki). Norse mythology was born out of a world where darkness or twilight reigns for half the year; where conditions were harsh; the people hardy.

But like I said, it’s only one set of myths in the world. There are numerous others from countless civilizations and cultures.

Discuss what set of myths you are most familiar with and how they compare with the Norse set.

I am definitely more familiar with Ancient Greek mythology. I’m part Greek, so I thought it essential to my heritage to be familiar with their stories. It was also fun to imagine a world where everything can and was a being of some sort.

When I read Norse myths for the first time, I was struck by the difference in motivation for the gods. Greek gods are all about lust: they want this person, they sleep with this person, chaos descends. This role is given mainly to the giants in Norse mythology. The Norse gods are still all about the physical but it’s more well-rounded: they want food, they want violence, they want sex. If one dominates, it’s the violence. But they come from a violent world and they are heading to a violent end.

(Side note: I’m still working on the format for these discussions. Feedback on what you think works or doesn’t work is appreciated. Thanks!)

Welcome to Week 1 of 2018's 52 Book Pickup!! Are you excited for another year of reading 52 books? I know I am!

Couple bits of housekeeping...

Participation prizes for 2017 are still available until January 20th here at the Central Library. We all need more bags and books in our lives so come pick up yours today.

2017 books can be entered until January 5th. The grand prize winner will be drawn, announced, and contacted on January 8th.

January 8th, the current website will go down as I begin the process of setting up 2018's site. I've never used this software before so please bare with me. My goal is to have 2018's site up and ready by January 22nd.

Online Book Club... who has their copy of Norse Mythology? I picked up mine and have already started. Look to see discussion posts in the coming days.

February's theme is Romance. You can vote for which book you want us to read here. Voting is open until January 14th. Make sure you get your friends involved, too!

Phew. I think that was all the housekeeping! Now on to the fun stuff...

What is everyone reading this first week of 2018?

I had two days off so I got a bit done (so proud of myself for starting the new year off right!). Started Norse Mythology, finished Ouran and Beasts Made of Night. Also reread a childhood favorite- Dinotopia.

It's going to be a great year!

Ingrid wrote: "Thanks so much for running the program! It brings me a lot of happiness! Merry Christmas to you as well!"

Thank you, Ingrid! I really love doing it and I'm glad it's gotten such a positive response. Looking forward to 2018! :)

Merry Christmas, everyone!! I hope everyone is having a nice holiday.

This is the final week for the 2017 52 Book Pickup. We made it through another year of reading a book a week. Congratulations, everyone!

A couple of things...

You will have until January 5th to log your 2017 books. The grand prize winner will be drawn on January 8th.

The 2018 site will not be available until around the last week of January. You will see an announcement and link here when it is ready. Please keep track of your books to add them when the site is ready.

Everyone who has read 52 books or more in 2017 is eligible for a participation prize! These will be available at the Central Library, 298 Cedar Road beginning December 27th. You will most likely be seeing an email from me if you have read the 52.

Comments? Questions? Please post them here or feel free to email me at jherlan@infopeake.org

Thank you, everyone, for another successful year of 52 Book Pickup!!

Happy Holidays!

Did you hear? Our first online book club book has been chosen! It was a tie but a trusted coworker drew a title out of a hat.

January 2018's book: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Pick up your copy today! The book club will officially begin in January. Look forward to discussing this retelling of Norse myths with everyone!

Twas the week before Christmas and how many of us are running around like crazy? I know I am! So much to do so little time to do it. But I got all my Christmas shopping done... wait, no, I didn't. *sigh* Now I know what I'm doing when I get off work.

Does anyone have any fun Christmas plans?

Hopefully you all will have some time to read over the holidays. I'm just working on easy reads (aka manga series). And of course, I'm grabbing Norse Mythology to read so I can start working on our discussion questions.

Have a great week, everyone!

January's Online Book Club book is... well, it was a tie!

We had 6 votes each for Borne by Jeff VanderMeer and Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. To break the tie, a trusty coworker pulled a slip of paper out of a jar.

January's Online Book Club book: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

We have a number of copies here at the Chesapeake Public Library, so put yours on hold today! Our book club will officially begin in January 2018.

Borne and Norse Mythology are still neck and neck! Which one will reign supreme as January's Online Book Club book? Make sure you go cast your vote! Voting will be open until end of day on December 14th.

You can vote here.

The holidays are almost upon us! What is everyone reading in the weeks leading up to them? I've resigned myself to not making a dent in my pile. I've just become too busy! Hoping I can still make it through Beasts Made of Night and some more My Hero Academia.

Let us know what you are reading and please don't forget to vote!

We've almost reached our 100 books. Did you enjoy reading through the classics- both past and modern? I wish I had the time to read all of them; there were definitely a lot of good ones on this list.

Our final grouping are:

1. Moby Dick by Herman Melville

2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

3. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

4. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

5. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

6. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

7. Ulysses by James Joyce

8. The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

I've read two on this list: Oliver Twist and The Secret Garden. I really enjoy the The Secret Garden. I've actually read it a few times. Oliver Twist was alright. Dickens' books are hit or miss with me; and this one was mainly a miss.

I've always wanted to read Moby Dick but every time I started, I could never finish. That's probably because I always want it to be more about whales and it's not.

Have you read any of the books? If so, what were you thoughts? Let us know!

We have successfully made it to the West Coast! Congratulations! I hope you all had fun cruising across the United States with reads from every state. Our last four states are...

Washington

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Books Set in Washington State
Novels Set in Washington State

Oregon

Wild by Cheryl Strayed
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

Book Set in Oregon
50 Books Set in Oregon

Alaska

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Books Set in Alaska
17 Best Books Set in Alaska

Hawaii

The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings
Blu's Hanging by Lois-Ann Yamanaka

Books Set in Hawaii
Novels Set in Hawaii

Happy traveling!

Ingrid wrote: "Yay for a participation prize!
I am reading Artemis, Andy Weir’s new book. It isn’t as good as The Martian, but I am only 1/3 through so maybe it will end up getting better."

I'm with Marialyce- I enjoyed Artemis but not nearly as much as The Martian. You'll have to let us know your final thoughts when you are done with it.

Marialyce wrote: "How exactly do we log our books, Joanna? "

Please let me know if you have any questions about the site or logging your books!

Kayzee wrote: "Curious, are there any December mini challenges?"

Ack. I've been so consumed with prizes and beginning finalization of the end that I forgot about December's challenges. Oops. Sorry! I'll try to get them up by the end of the weekend. Thank you for the reminder!!!

Thank you also for helping Marialyce!

Kayzee wrote: "Does anyone know how to delete a book? I accidentally entered one twice"

Hi, Kayzee. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the site, we are unable to delete or modify entries. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Thank you to everyone who has voted so far for our first Online Book Club book! Right now, we have a tie between Norse Mythology by Gaiman and Borne by VanderMeer. Make your voice heard! Voting is open until December 14th.

Vote here.

Only 4 full weeks left of our 52 Book Pickup Challenge and I'm sure everyone wants to know... prizes!!

The grand prize is a Kindle Fire. The drawing will be January 8th. You will have until January 5th to log your books.

And I'm pleased to announce that everyone who completes 52 books will be eligible for a participation prize! We will be giving out bags with a book or two in them. Participation prizes will be available beginning December 27th at the Central Library (298 Cedar Road).

Phew. That was a lot of housekeeping! But I'm excited for our prize set up this year and I hope you all are, too.

What is everyone reading this week? I finally finished Star Wars: Phasma. Took me a month. I also discovered the manga My Hero Academia so slowly working my way through that and the light novels for Durarara!!. I also have Beasts Made of Night and Modern Ethics in 77 Arguments.

Happy reading and voting, everyone!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled thread to bring you some exciting news....

Ever wanted to join a book club but can never find the time? Join CPL's first ever online book club, coming January 2018!

In conjunction with 52 Book Pickup, we will be hosting a monthly book club as one of the monthly challenges here on Goodreads!

How will this work?

Every month, a book will be selected for the group to read. Read the book and join in moderated discussions on the thread.

And don't panic about having time- the title of the next book will be released the 15th of the previous month.

You can even get in on the action! Vote for the book you want to read in the Polls.

January's theme- Best of 2017.

Poll opens December 1st and will be active until December 14th. On December 15th, we will announce our first book. You can find the poll here.

We're so excited to be expanding what we do here on Goodreads and know it will be a success with your help!

Happy Thanksgiving!! Do you all have fun plans? Does any of them include reading? I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

For this week's poll, comment with one of the books you are most grateful for! You can add your book here. Tell us in this thread why you picked the book you did.

I picked Pride and Prejudice. Not just because it is a wonderful book, full of wit, charm, and romance, but because it also helped me get over my prejudice of the classics. Up until reading it, I dreaded every attempt made to read a classic. They were boring. Pride and Prejudice set me on the path to enjoying classics.

Enjoy your holiday!! Tune in Monday the 27th for an exciting announcement regarding one of the challenges for 2018!

Truman Capote was a childhood neighbor and friend of Harper Lee.

Weekly Book Trivia is on hiatus this week. Enjoy giving those tiny little grey cells a rest.

Speaking of tiny little grey cells... I went and saw the new movie version of Murder on the Orient Express. I've never seen any of the others so all I had to compare with is the book. I thought they did a good job of turning what is largely an explanatory novel into a movie with action. Did anyone else see it?

What is everyone reading this week? I managed to get through a small chunk of books this weekend- Why Dinosaurs Matter, The Norse Myths, Mistress of All Evil, and volume 3 of Ouran. This week, hoping to finish Phasma and The Accidental Dictionary.

Happy Reading!

We have 18 books left in our quest to read some of the best of the best. The first half are:

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

3. Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

6. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

7. Les Miserables Victor Hugo

8. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

9. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Marquez

I've read two on this list: The Hobbit and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Both were excellent. I've always been interested in Anna Karenina, for its tragedy, but I might attempt Les Miserables because I have had a copy of that on my to-read shelf since the movie version came out in 2012!! I need to get cracking on that.

Have you read any of these? Are they worthy of inclusion on this list?

Let us know!

The West Coast is in sight! Travel there with these reads:

Montana

The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans

Fools Crow by James Welch

Best Montana Books
The Greatest Books Ever Written about Montana

Idaho

The Blacker the Berry by Wallace Thurman

Monster by Frank Peretti

Books Set in Idaho
Novels Set in Idaho

Arizona

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Novels Set in Arizona
Mystery Books that Take Place in Arizona

Nevada

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson

Beautiful Children by Charles Bock

Books Set in Nevada
Bucket List Nevada Books Nevada Authors

California

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus

Novels Set in California
27 Books to Read if You're California Dreamin'

Happy travels!

There was no fooling any of you! The term, "The Jazz Age," was popularized by F. Scott Fitzgerald. While some claim he coined the term, it actually seems to have appeared in articles predating The Great Gatsby.

This author was a childhood neighbor and friend of Harper Lee. Take a guess here.

It's November!!! How did that happen? November challenges should be up before the end of the week.

How is everyone doing? We are in the final run toward the end of the year. Are you on track with your goals? Ahead? Behind? No matter where you are, let's finish strong!

Of course, we can't finish strong without our current reads! What are you all reading this week? I picked up The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue on Friday and binged my way through it this weekend. I greatly enjoyed it and I needed a fun historical romp to dispel the gloom. Probably going to work on The Language of Thorns and The Norse Myths (I saw Ragnarok this weekend, lol) now; maybe something else if I focus.

All right, everyone! Let's do this!! 8 weeks to go!

Stephen Chbosky, author of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," wrote the screenplays for Rent and the live action Beauty and the Beast.

The term, "The Jazz Age," was popularized by which author? Take a guess here.

Happy Halloween!! Is anyone dressing up? Are you going as a literary character? Or something else? I hope everyone has a spook-tacular holiday.

Are your books this week appropriately themed? Mine aren't. Lol. I enjoy a mild horror novel but I've never touched the masters of horror such as King. Maybe someday. Until that time, I'm going to stick with the pile of books I have on my floor.

Currently working on Star Wars: Knight Errant and Why Dinosaurs Matter. Hoping to get them done by the weekend so I can work on Beren and Lúthien and Jane Austen at Home.

Let us know what you are reading this week!