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

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

Lyn wrote: "February's find is Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman"

Oh! I read the description and it sounds like a great book. I may have to read it, though maybe not for this challenge.

Jennifer wrote: "Not sure what I will pick for this month - but it will probably have to do with Supernatural or Dreams and Mysteries :)"

I'm still trying to decide as well. There are a lot of good subdivisions in this class!

Jennifer wrote: "I will be reading a Nicholas Sparks book for another challenge I'm working on - read a book from the New York Times from the 2010's - and since Sparks books are usually full of love I assume this o..."

Oh, I think Sparks' books definitely count. They may have sad endings, but there is a lot of love between the pages. :)

Thank you also for the list! I still need to find a book and now I know where to look.

Ingrid wrote: "Great list of authors! Thanks!"

Thank you!! Feel free to let me know if there are other authors you would like me to add or a romance genre that you would like authors for.

The site for logging your books is now live!! Thank you so much for your patience with us as we got it ready. Click here to begin logging your books.



Thank you to everyone who voted in our January poll! As can be seen, the suspense of not knowing what will happen came out on top as the best part of a new book, followed closely by the characters.

For those who didn't vote, what is the best part of a new book for you?

For those who did vote, why did you pick what you picked?

The best part of a new book for me is the new characters. I love meeting them and becoming invested in their lives. Their stories are compelling and they are what sweep me off my feet into their worlds. I would rather a poorly written book with interesting characters than a well written book with dull ones.

February's poll is now live! Come help us decide who the most iconic couple in literature is and come back the first week of March for the final results.

February has arrived and with it, we move to a new main class- 100. This encompasses books from 100 to 199 and is referred to as the “Philosophy and Psychology” class. In other words, it is the class of the mind!

Interesting subdivisions include:
110- Metaphysics
114- Space
115- Time
127- The unconscious and subconscious
128- Humankind
133- Supernatural
135- Dreams and mysteries
140- Specific philosophical schools
150- Psychology
153- Mental processes and intelligence
160- Logic
170- Ethics
180- Ancient, medieval & eastern philosophy
183- Socratic & related philosophies
184- Platonic philosophy
185- Aristotelian philosophy
190- Modern western philosophy

Come to any library to find books from class 100! If you are stumped, speak to a friendly librarian for suggestions.

Happy hunting!

February is the month of Romance! And with Valentine’s Day just a few short weeks away, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a romantic novel. The best part is there are a ton of wonderful authors to choose from!

Want paranormal romance? Try Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, or Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Contemporary romance? Tami Hoag, Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Debbie Macomber, or Jennifer Crusie might be for you.

Want to be swept away to a historical period? Take a spin with Diana Gabaldon, Jo Beverley, Stephanie Laurens, or Mary Jo Putney.

Like chick lit? Indulge with Sophia Kinsella, Helen Fielding, or Jane Green.

Need more like Fifty Shades of Grey? Sylvia Day, Zane, Shayla Black, or Sylvain Reynard have got you covered.

Urban fiction more your speed? Go with Brenda Jackson, Eric Jerome Dickey, or Carl Weber.

Love the old style? Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Elizabeth Gaskell, or Anne Bronte are some of the best.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. It’s just a place to start! There are many more authors in each genre, genres we didn’t even touch, and authors who write in more than one genre.

If you still need help deciding, click here for a handy guide from the Douglas County Library System in Oregon. Or stop by any Chesapeake Library to speak with a helpful librarian!

Happy romancing!

Edit: The website for logging books is live!!! Woo hoo!! Click on this link (https://virginia.evanced.info/infopea...), sign up, and start logging your books. For a sneak peak at some of the coming challenges, check out this link: http://infopeake.org/52-book-pickup-2016 (small typo: March's Genre challenge is Manga and Foreign books). Thank you again, everyone, for your patience!

Did everyone survive our weekend of snow, ice, wind, and cold? Hopefully you all stayed safe and warm and were able to get some good reading in.

Thanks to the weather, the site for logging in books did not go live as planned. We are in the process of preparing the site and hope to have it up by the end of the week. Thank you all for your understanding and patience.

For everyone who participated in the "Time to Read" event, whether from home or the library, thank you! We hope you had a wonderful few hours reading.

And finally, be sure to go vote in January's poll (found here: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...). Next week's discussion will center around that topic.

What is everyone reading this week? I'm hoping to start on my genre challenge book- The Monuments Men- as well as finish Animal Madness and The Force Awakens.

Lyn wrote: "I finally got my hands on my selection for this challenge
Been there,Done that by Al Roker and his wife Deborah Roberts"

A great choice for this challenge! Let us know how you liked it when you are done.

Ann wrote: "I have checked out two Dummies books in the 000s for this challenge: Microsoft Surface for Dummies and Twitter for Dummies. Hopefully I'll learn all of the cool tricks the Surface can do, and set u..."

Maybe I should have read the Twitter book for this challenge, too. Lol. I also really need to learn how to set up my own Twitter.

Ingrid wrote: "I am keeping track of all my books on Goodreads. I listed them all under "Currently Reading" so it looks like I am reading 7 books at one time. Ha ha."

Goodreads is great for keeping track of all those books. And as Julie said, there's nothing wrong with reading seven books at a time. :)

Julie wrote: "There's nothing wrong with reading seven books at a time, just saying! Also I picked up my prize on Saturday, thanks for another book to read, I'm excited!"

You are welcome! May I ask what book you picked?

Lyn wrote: "oh,I thought ot was all automated,similiar to the Wowbrary,that shows up every Saturday morning."

Sadly, this particular aspect of the website is not automated; it requires an "administrator's" input. But, be assured that we are working on getting it up and ready.

Winter Storm Jonas has packed quite a wallop, dumping feet of snow all across the East Coast. While we seemed to have survived with just a light dusting, staff has still been on high alert, preparing in case of unscheduled closings and other weather related issues. Because of this, our 2016 52 Book Pickup website for logging books did not go live as planned yesterday. For that, we offer our most sincere apologies.

But fear not intrepid readers! The site shall go live once all weather craziness has ceased. The goal is by the end of this week. And then, wonderful readers, you can log all those books you read while waiting out the snow and ice.

Until then, stay safe and carry on with your reading!

And thank you so much for your patience as we deal with this unexpected development.

Ann wrote: "It's a dangerous business going out your front door.
J.R.R. Tolkien (The Fellowship of the Ring)"

Ah, Tolkien. He certainly had an amazing way with words. You can find so much inspiration from his books.

Ingrid wrote: "There were some surprises at the end. It's not going to be for everyone, but growing up on Stephen King, I enjoyed his son's book. "

I didn't realize King's son wrote Horns! Hm. Now I might have to read it. :)

Louis wrote: "I thought the 2016 would be available today (January 23, 2016). I haven't been able to find it."

It should have been available today and I apologize; I am unsure what happened (issues with the weather are a distinct possibility). Unfortunately, I do not have access to the website but I will let the responsible parties know and hopefully they will be able to get it up and running soon! But I will keep you updated. Thank you for your patience.

"I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream."



Today we celebrate and honor Martin Luther King Jr. His “I Have a Dream” speech is still inspiring today.

In thinking of motivating words, is there a speech or quote from a book that continues to inspire you today?

I have always found "The Road Goes Ever On" from The Fellowship of the Ring motivating: "The Road goes ever on and on/ Down from the door where it began/ Now far ahead the Road has gone,/ And I must follow, if I can."

As a reminder, this Saturday is the Time to Read event! Join us from 12:00 to 4:00 at any library or from the comfort of your home as we celebrate the joys of reading. More information can be found here- http://host5.evanced.info/chesapeake/...

Ingrid wrote: "Well, I came down w/ pneumonia, along w/ my daughter & husband so that has put me behind about a week. No getting to the library or trying an Aidan cookbook yet. I just finished Felicia Day's You'r..."

I'm so sorry to hear that you are sick! I hope you and your family feel better soon.

Ann wrote: "Would you know when about you can put up the page for this year's program? Just curious. Thanks."

The official start date for the 2016 52 Book Pick Up is next Saturday, January 23rd, which is also the Time to Read event. The page for logging in your books should be up that day. :)

As this has come up in our weekly threads, I just wanted to let everyone know...

If you read and logged your 52 books with the library for 2015, you are eligible for a participation prize- a free book, kindly donated by the Friends of the Library!

You can pick up a book at any branch until January 23rd.

The grand prize and runner up winners were drawn over the weekend. There will be announcement regarding them soon.

Thank you to everyone who participated and read in 2015! We look forward to reading with you in 2016.

Dawn wrote: "My number one goal this year is to read War and Peace. But since I always read multiple books at the same time, the sky's the limit! Coming up for the Regent University Library Book club..."

Welcome, Dawn! It looks like you have some wonderful goals for this coming year and some great books on your list. Good luck with War and Peace. I know you will be able to finish it! :)

Lyn wrote: "when I went to Russell to pick up my participation prize,around the 10 of Dec.I was told they didn't have them yet,check back next week,I kept checking all the way till the 30th and the lady said s..."

I apologize for the issues you have had picking up the participation prize. I was informed by all branches that of the last week of December, they had the books to give out to all participants. I am unsure what happened and I apologize for the inconvenience.

As for those who won, I am waiting on approval from my supervisor to post an announcement. Hopefully soon. :)

Julie wrote: "So, can we still pick up our participation prize, or did I miss that too? ..."

You are not too late! Participation prizes can be picked up until January 23rd!

Julie wrote: "I am curious though, when is the drawing for the 2015 52 book challenge?"

Julie, I apologize for the lack of communication about the drawing. The 2015 drawing happened over the past weekend and the winners were contacted. Again, I'm sorry for the lack of information on it.

Happy 2nd full week of January!!

The January poll is up! Take a few seconds to go vote for your favorite part of a new book. It can be found here- https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Make sure you also check out Jennifer's great post on how to insert a picture into your post.

What is everyone reading this week? I'm still working on Wendy Darling, Whoniverse, and Mirrored, but I hope to be done with them soon.