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

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

Ann and Rekesha- a dessert item or some sort of snack item would be perfect. It does not have to be something substantial. :)

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone!

Important: Monday, December 7th at 6:00 is our end of the year 52 Book PickUp Potluck party! We are asking that people register in advance. Registration opens up next Monday (November 23rd) at 10:00 am. In addition to registering, I believe it will ask you what dish you will be bringing. Here is the link to the registration page:
http://host5.evanced.info/chesapeake/...

I look forward to seeing you all there! If you have any questions, please let me know.

What is everyone reading this week? I just finished Six of Crows, which was wonderful. Now I'm working on some Doctor Who graphic novels as well as Yes, My Accent is Real and Career of Evil.

Chris wrote: "I'm almost half way through it, and I'm still trying to discover what the point of all the tales is. It seems to be full of frivolous detail, that adds little to the story for me. I'm hoping as I k..."

I am right there with you. It has been hard for me to get into this book, which is strange for me as I've loved all the other Gaiman books I've read. As for the extraneous details, I have a feeling that some of that is meant to just showcase how the gods of the Old World made it to the New World. I'm not sure if the individual stories will be relevant to the overall story. But hopefully it will all come together somehow.

And Jennifer, we will definitely let you know if the book finally brings all those details together! :)

This week we celebrate Veterans Day. It's a time to honor all of those who have served in our armed forces. To anyone in this group who has served, thank you.

In honor of Veterans Day, has anyone read any good books, either fiction or non-fiction, about war, the military, veterans? Last year, I read a well-written book called Tolkien and the Great War. It detailed J.R.R. Tolkien's World War I experience and how it later shaped his writings. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Tolkien and/or the Battle of the Somme and the experiences of individual soldiers during the war as the book also goes into detail about the experiences of his friends, most of whom sadly didn't survive.

Jennifer wrote: "I like the title Monkeys, Myths, and Molecules - I may have to try that one.

It's been interesting so far. Not quite what I thought it would be- more about dispelling food myths than anything else. But I'm only about 50 pages into it so I'm sure the topics will become more diverse.

Justine wrote: "I dislike it. :-/ I didn't go far - it was too creepy for me."

I'm sorry you disliked it. I do understand about the creepiness, though. Out of curiosity, was there a particular scene or character that put it over the top for you?

Important: The first discussion thread for our group book is now open! Go check it out and let us know how reading American Gods is going so far. Feel free to also create your own discussion threads about the book.

Only two months left of 2015's 52 Book Pickup. How are you all doing on your goals, both program-wise and personal? I wanted to commend everyone for participating in this program and encourage you, whether you reach the goals or not, that just by picking up a single book to read this year, you have already succeeded. It's been a fantastic ten months getting to know you all and hearing about your reading. Let's finish strong!

As always, what are you reading this week? I'm still working on Lost Stars and American Gods plus Monkeys, Myths, and Molecules.

Welcome to our first open discussion thread for American Gods! How is everyone progressing with the book? Are you liking it? Disliking it? Has anything stood out to you? Do you have a favorite character? A least favorite character?

Post your thoughts and feelings about the book so far. Feel free to also create your own discussion threads for the book!

Thank you all for sharing your favorite fall beverages! Hopefully this wacky weather will settle down and we'll be able to enjoy them. :)

The weather seems to have finally turned and with that comes a strong desire to curl up on the couch with a blanket, a hot beverage, and a good book. Do you have a go-to drink once the cooler weather hits? Or even a go-to cold weather book? Share them with us!

As always, what are you reading this week? I am currently working on Tomorrowland: Our Journey from Science Fiction to Science Fact and Star Wars: Lost Stars. The latter is making me extremely excited for the new movie in December!

I've really been into YA horror/supernatural books over the last few months. Obviously not as scary or nightmare-inducing as the adult books, but still pretty decent chills. I will admit, though, I had a hard time turning off the lights after reading The Girl from the Well. I highly recommend it. I just picked up the sequel from the library and hoping it's just as frightening as the first. Thirteen Chairs was also good with a fun format- horror stories within a ghost story.

Two recent adult horror novels I've enjoyed have been The Night Sister and, a personal favorite, The Boy Who Drew Monsters. I still haven't gotten over the twist at the end.

I've read 26 of the top 100 listed on Goodreads. There are definitely some on that list, though, that I have been meaning to get around to reading. Maybe some day.

I'm so excited to be reading American Gods. :)

As for current readings... I jumped on the bandwagon and read The Martian. The first few chapters didn't impress me, but once the viewpoint switched to Earth, I was hooked. It ended up being a great book (as everyone here has stated). Now excited to see what they do with the movie.

I also read the new Star Wars book, Aftermath. It is supposed to help set the scene for "The Force Awakens" which comes out in December. Mainly, it sets up new characters and new plot lines for other books. It was still pretty good, if you can handle present tense.

This week, I'm working on Evanovich's The Scam and How to Read the Solar System.

I've never read American Gods so that's my vote.

I've actually finished the 52 goal but of course I'm still going to keep on reading. A) Books are my oxygen and B) I have a personal goal I like to meet each year. :)

For this week, I'm trying to read Bad Science and The Stars Never Rise. I also have the new Thor and Batgirl graphic novels (Thor: The Goddess of Thunder and Batgirl: The Batgirl of Burnside).

And Travelling Sunny... one Martin book should definitely count as multiple books. They are huge! Congrats on finishing A Feast for Crows.

Liz wrote: "Joanna, I am currently listening to her book. I had NO IDEA that she was a child prodigy in so many areas, especially after barely going to school and not even getting a high school diploma. I have..."

I know! I mean, I knew she played the violin and had a math degree but I did not realize that she was a prodigy in those areas. Her life story is really amazing. And she does really make you want to embrace what is geeky/nerdy about yourself and not be afraid to let it shine.

(So, is the audiobook really good? She narrates, right? I love the way she talks so I'm seriously tempted to buy the audiobook and listen to it even though I just read the book. Lol)

I haven't really been keeping up with my reading over the last few weeks. Some days it's just nice to curl up with Netflix. Lol. I did, however, blaze through Felicia Day's memoir You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost). Such a good book.

This week my goal is to finish books! Currently working on The Buried Giant, The Hunt for the Golden Mole, and The Demon Trapper's Daughter .

I tend to avoid uncompleted series like the plague- I'm incredibly impatient and prone to forgetting what happened in the previous books. It's one of the reasons I have not read The Kingkiller Chronicles . I want the last book out so I can read it all in one go.

That being said, there are a couple series that I am in the middle of and anxiously awaiting the next book. Of course one is A Song of Ice and Fire (come on, Martin, we're not getting any younger). Also, Rowling/Galbraith's Comoran Strike series, which is surprisingly good and addictive. A book I read a couple months ago, An Ember in the Ashes, is the first in its series and so good that I really need the second book to come out. And then there is The Rook by Daniel O'Malley. It came out in 2012 and theoretically was supposed to have a sequel. No sound has been heard from the author since; he hasn't even written any other books. So I've sort of given up hope on that
one.

Edit: Just found out that the sequel to The Rook is scheduled for release in 2016!!!!! *happy dance*

Liz wrote: "Joanna, you always manage to find such interesting books! I want to learn how to make a zombie, so long as it doesn't involve anything totally icky!"

Thank. It's because my reading habits are totally eclectic. Lol.

I do recommend How to Make a Zombie . It is an intriguing look at the history of trying to make zombies, bring people back from the dead, etc. I have come to the conclusion, though, that the best way to make a zombie will be to figure out how some wasps, parasites, and viruses usurp their host's body and then apply that to humans. But some viruses are already great contenders for zombieism- like rabies. Rabies somehow takes control of the host and compels them to bite people as this is how the rabies virus survives. If that's not a form of zombieism, I don't know what is. Fascinating stuff.

And if this post is too gruesome, let me know and I'll delete it. Lol

Welcome back, Liz! Hope you had a good trip.

Just finished Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid . It was definitely an interesting read but I was mildly disappointed as it was less about the natural history of squid and more about their research applications.

Now working on How to Make a Zombie and Girl of Nightmares .