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

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

Has everyone been enjoying this lovely weather? I've managed to get outside and read which has been delightful.

Except last week, I got caught in the thunderstorm. Thankfully I was under shelter but it rained so hard so fast my little picnic bench became an island in a lake, lol. And have no worries- no books were harmed in the rain (I brought my rain jacket and a bag because I knew storms were possible so I tucked the books in those).

Do you have any outside adventure stories?

What is everyone reading this week? I'm still working on The Shaping of Middle-Earth and my coworker loaned me Mine Till Midnight to read. I also read the most adorable manga called With a Dog and a Cat, Every Day is Fun. It's about the mangaka's life with her two pets. Every bit as cute as you think; she even includes pictures of her pets. Even if you're not a manga person, but like cats and dogs, you'd still probably enjoy this.

Suzanne wrote: "Joanna wrote: "Happy Monday! Hope everyone has a great start to their week.

A quick reminder that we're almost done with the first quarter of our challenge! If you're participating in the Take It ..."

I'm sorry I didn't respond to this last week! I start my reread on March 25th because it's the date of the Fall of Sauron. It's also Tolkien Read Day. I like to theme my reading days, lol.

This is an open thread for the Quarter 2 Take It or Leave It challenges.

Quarter 2 runs from April 1st to June 30th.

Feel free to talk about books you used for the challenges or to ask any questions you might have.

Please note, listing books you read here does not count toward the points- all books must be listed under their correct badges in Beanstack.

Happy Monday! Hope everyone has a great start to their week.

A quick reminder that we're almost done with the first quarter of our challenge! If you're participating in the Take It or Leave It activity, please note that all your entries for this quarter's challenges must be submitted before end of day on March 31. On April 1, the next quarter challenges will go live and the past ones will no longer be available.

What is everyone reading this week? Over the weekend, I managed to finish The Lays of Beleriand which means I'm on track to finish the History Middle-Earth volumes by December (there's 12 so it's one a month). I also started Capturing the Devil which means I'll finally finish a series I started (if you know me, I habitually start series and never finish them). I'm also working on my annual Tolkien reread which I always start on March 25. So it's a good reading week.

What are you all reading?

Cassandra wrote: "1. Hello. I am Cassandra Freeman. I am a speaker, author, and never give up coach. I am a proud participant in the Quest Program.
2. Favorite Authors: Still discovering but maybe Oprah Winfrey
3. F..."

That is such a great idea! I may have to borrow it. There's nothing better than sharing your favorite books with others.

Happy Spring! There are some new faces around here (welcome!) so I thought it might be fun to do a "Get to Know You" post. Feel free to answer the following questions or write up your own.

1. Name: Hello! I'm Joanna. I'm a librarian for Chesapeake Public Library and Book Quest is my program. :)

2. Favorite Authors: J.R.R. Tolkien, Agatha Christie, Roshani Chokshi, Jane Austen

3. Favorite Books: The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, Pride and Prejudice, Crown Duel

4. Favorite Genre: Fantasy

5. Last Book You Read that You Think Everyone Should Read: Concrete Rose and World of Wonders

6. Currently Reading: Capturing the Devil and The Lays of Beleriand

7. Random Fact About Yourself: I love Disney! I've interned there twice and I try to go down every year. There is nothing so magical to me as wandering around the Parks. If I had my way, if I ever retire, I want to move down there and work.

Come say "hi" and introduce yourself! We're so happy to have you here.

Happy Ides of March! Or should it be "beware the Ides of March?" Hm. Either way, I hope you all are having a better day than poor Julius Caesar did. I feel like every post I write starts with a reference to time but in fairness, we're already halfway through March. I have no idea where time is going, lol.

What is everyone reading this week? Over the weekend, I finished Concrete Rose which I loved. If you've read The Hate U Give, this is a prequel, giving us Big Mav's story (he's Starr's father). It was great getting to see his character be fleshed out and developed. Now I'm working on an arc I grabbed off Netgalley (I promised myself I'd avoid that site but I failed - sigh) and will also probably be reading Capturing the Devil.

Have a great week, everyone!

What is everyone reading this week? Did you do any reading over the weekend? I managed to finish The Book of Lost Tales Bk.2 and World of Wonders over the weekend. World of Wonders was actually rather delightful as the author wove personal narrative with her encounters of nature. It was also a short book and therefore a quick read. This week, I'm not 100% sure what I'm reading. I have some manga I need to read and then maybe either Capturing the Devil or Concrete Rose. Or possibly one of the other hundred books I have to read, lol.

Happy reading, everyone!

Happy March! We had a first brush of spring but now it looks like winter is back for a couple more days. So let's talk about favorite reading places! What are your ideal reading places? Bed? Couch? The park? The beach? The floor? Doesn't matter?

Lately, I've been a floor person. I grab a blanket and pillow and just stretch out with a book. It's not the best position for my back but until I try to get up, it's incredibly comfortable. I also like to read in bed before I go to bed.

I want to read more outside this year, though. Our apartment complex has these nice little pavilions with picnic benches which are perfect for an afternoon of reading. I actually went out on Sunday when it was so nice but after a couple hours, the mosquitos appeared. Ah, the joy of rain and then nice weather, lol.

What are your favorite reading places?

Happy last week of February! Yes, I know. I can't believe it's the end of the month either. Time really does fly!

What books will you be ending the month with? Mine haven't changed since last week unfortunately. Over the weekend, I ended up watching tv and movies instead of reading. But that's okay. Sometimes it's good to take a break and do mindless activities.

Reading goals for this week are to finish The Governess Game and either Happily Ever Afters or Black Canary: Breaking Silence. I'm not sure I can finish both so keeping the goals low.

Brr. I knew today was going to be cold but boy, not that cold. And especially after we had such a nice day yesterday. I hope everyone is staying warm and dry!

What is everyone reading this week? I've somehow gotten myself stuck in the middle of four books so I'm going to try and finish at least two of them this week - The Duchess Deal and Happily Ever Afters. The other two books I'm in the middle of are The Book of Lost Tales Bk.2 and Black Canary: Breaking Silence. I'm also going to work on some manga.

Happy reading!

This week's post is made possible by Ingrid!

Did you know Beanstack, the host site for Book Quest and our other online reading programs, has an app? I didn't until Ingrid asked about it. Now there's a quick and easy way for you to log your books for the challenges.

Go to your app store and search "Beanstack." The app is called Beanstack Tracker and its creator is Zoobean, Inc.

Download the app.

When you open it, it'll ask for your organization type- we're the first option "School, Library, or Bookstore."

Click "Find a Site."

Search for Chesapeake Public Library. When it pops up, click it.

Log in with your Beanstack log in information.

And there you go! You can see your stats, recent titles, current challenges, and more on the home page. The red button in the middle with a plus sign is where you can log books or find an activity badge to log. You can also click your current challenge to log through there.

Thank you again, Ingrid!

Ingrid wrote: "I am still reading the same romance as last week. I need to think of a way to increase my reading time. Usually I plow through books, but it has slowed since Covid. You would think it would have in..."

I've actually seen a lot of people comment on this, how their productivity (both with reading and other things) has plummeted during the pandemic. The anxiety, uncertainty, and stress combines in ways that cause us to not be able to focus or concentrate. Even when we think we should be able to.

All that to say, don't put pressure on yourself. I know this is a reading challenge and we all want to make our goals, but this is still an unusual time. Let yourself go at the pace you need to.

Happy February!!! Here's to a wonderful start of a new month!

What is everyone reading this week? I managed to read a couple things over the weekend - Here the Whole Time and the Fence graphic novels. Now I'm working on Fence: Striking Distance, Black Canary: Breaking Silence, and The Book of Lost Tales Bk.1.

Tell us your current reads!

You may have already seen this in your email but the library had to make an adjustment of services due to the rising covid cases and lack of staffing for some of our buildings.

The short version is that the buildings are closed but curbside is available for hold pick up and appointments can be made for computer usage (appointments are 50 minutes from the top of the hour).

The full version:

"In response to continuing concerns over exposure to the COVID-19 virus, the Chesapeake Public Libraries will be further modifying their operations, effective on Friday, January 22. The Library remains committed to serving the public in as safe and effective a manner as possible, and we appreciate your understanding of these changes.
- Operating hours will remain at 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., with the following services adjustments:
- There will be no public access permitted in any Library branch for browsing, reading, or selecting of materials.
- The Library website, ChesapeakeLibrary.org, will be available 24/7 with a wide array of digital services and materials.
- Curbside services will be available for picking up and returning materials placed on hold, using the Library website.
- Patrons needing access to computers can call their nearest branch to schedule an appointment (50 minute block, beginning at the top of the hour). Walk-up appointments will be permitted on an as-available basis.
- Library staff will be available by telephone to provide assistance, during regular hours.
- Tutoring services will be offered using the ZOOM virtual platform. Please call the Library for additional information."

Please let me know if you have any questions.

What is everyone reading this week? I'm working on The Book of Lost Tales Bk.1 and Black Canary: Breaking Silence in addition to some manga.

Have a great week, everyone!

Congratulations to our 2020 Book Quest Winners!

Grand Prize: Matthew
Take It or Leave It Challenge: Kolleen
Prize Pack: Myra, Mirjam, Deborah, Venessa, Harriette

Please check your email and let me know which library branch I should send your prizes to.

Thank you again to everyone who participated in 2020!!

A quick bit of housekeeping- I was asked about the general completion prize and realized I had forgotten to talk about that here. Because of everything going on, we made the decision not to do a general completion prize this year. Instead, we created the extra prize pack prizes. I'm hopeful to bring that back for 2021 as I think everyone who reads 52 books deserves recognition for that achievement! So stay turned.

What is everyone reading this week?

New year. New books! It’s always exciting to see what up and coming books the new year will grace us with. Are there any books you are looking forward to reading this year? Are there books already out that you’re going to try and get to?

This year, three series I’m in the middle of will publish their concluding volumes: Gods & Monsters (Serpent & Dove #3 by Shelby Mahurin), untitled Gilded Wolves #3 (Roshani Chokshi), and untitled Aurora Cycle #3 (Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff). I admit, I’ve held off on book 2 for both Serpent and Dove and the Aurora Cycle because I heard rumors that the cliffhangers were… rough, lol. I’m just going to binge my way through both series when the final book arrives.

Angie Thomas’ new book, Concrete Rose, is out next week; it’s a prequel to The Hate U Give. Really looking forward to that one. Also, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is high on my list. I adore Red, White, and Royal Blue and all the pre-release buzz about her new book is nothing but high praise. There’s also a new Tolkein book that contains some previously unseen essays he wrote regarding Middle-Earth called The Nature of Middle-Earth which I need asap please.

I always have a thousand and one books that are already sitting on my to be read pile that I mean to get to in any given year. I am looking forward to finishing The Queen’s Thief series (I’m halfway done) and hopefully reading Percy Jackson. I’ve only ever read the first five books and have been in a mythology mood.

What books are you looking forward to?

This is an open thread for the Quarter 1 Take It or Leave It challenges.

Quarter 1 runs from January 1st to March 31st.

Feel free to talk about books you used for the challenges or to ask any questions you might have.

Please note, listing books you read here does not count toward the points- all books must be listed under their correct badges in Beanstack.

Take It or Leave It has moved!

To help me keep all the stats in one place, Take It or Leave It is now a part of the Book Quest program in Beanstack. You can find the challenges under the "Activity Badges" section for Book Quest.

In addition, instead of doing challenges per month, challenges will be released by quarter. Do make sure to keep an eye on the challenges; we might add new ones throughout the quarter.

The rules are still the same for them- do one, do all, do some, do none! It's completely up to you. To log the activity badge, simply click the badge, answer the prompt to complete the challenge, and submit. At the end of the year, a prize will be awarded to the one who has completed the most.

I am going to keep threads open here so we can talk about the books or if anyone has any questions.

Happy New Year!! And we're off!

Some quick highlights...

1. Book Quest 2021 is live!!! You do not need to create a new account; you just need to sign in and click “Register for this Challenge.” You can then start logging your books.

2. Take It or Leave It has moved! To help me keep all the stats in one place, Take It or Leave It is now a part of the Book Quest program in Beanstack. You can find the challenges under "Activity Badges." In addition, instead of doing challenges by month, challenges will be released by quarter. Do make sure to keep an eye on the challenges; we might add new ones throughout the quarter.

Note- I will keep threads open under "Take It or Leave It 2021" here so that way we can talk about the books or if anyone has any questions!

3. If you participated in the 2020 challenge, the grand prize and other prize drawings will be on Tuesday, January 19 (I forgot Monday was a holiday, oops) and winners will be contacted via the email provided on Beanstack.

4. Make sure to go join all the fun over at the Online Book Club. January's book is The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama.

With the start of the new year, what are your reading goals? We’re all trying for 52 but are you looking to do more? Are you hoping to branch out and read books outside your genre? Are you looking to finally conquer your to be read pile?

I'm keeping my goal the same as last year- 100 regular books and 100 graphic novels/manga. Over the holiday, I managed to read 2 for each so I’m on my way. I also still need to trim down my to be read pile. Somehow, I ended up buying more books during the pandemic than I did in 2019. Did I read any of them? Nope. So I need to work on the balance between library books and the books I own.

Tell us your goals for the new year!