Laurel County Public Library discussion
Bookish
>
Question of the Day

I read a wide variety now. Before, it was mostly sci-fi. I also read nonfiction now. Before, I never read nonfiction.

Yes and no, there are books and series I loved as a kid and young teen I still love today, AOGG, Little Women, Nancy Drew, Jane Austen. But there are also series I loved as a teen and young adult that I wouldn't go near today. So my taste has matured and refined. I remember thinking once, "I will never look for a book outside of the YA section." and now thats the section I visit the least.
QOTD: What's a book that you've read that you think would make for a great book club discussion? Why?

night of the living rez by morgan talty. i think it has the potential to be appreciated by a lot of different types of readers and immediately after i finished it i thought about how it would be a great book to discuss in a classroom setting. i definitely feel like it would work for a book club too.

They both handle topics that aren't often discussed everyday. We Spread is about aging and what it's like to lose your memory.
Nightcrawling follows a young black girl who lives in poverty. She's trying to survive while taking care of a young boy who also has a dead beat mom. She gets involved in some rough situations. It's incredibly heartbreaking. Great for a book club.
QOTD: What's a book that you've read that has beautiful or lyrical prose? Can you share a passage that stood out to you?
QOTD: What book(s) would you recommend to someone who is going through a tough time and needs a little bit of comfort or inspiration?

- The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
- The Martian by Andy Weir
QOTD: What book(s) have you read that have been banned or challenged, and what was your opinion on the book's content?

probably a lot but the first one that comes to mind is the catcher in the rye. while i didn't love the book personally, i think it was a really good exploration of mental health struggles in young boys and how they tend to be written off as a problem that has no root to be addressed. i feel like banning or challenging the book just kind of proves the book's point lol

.
Probably a lot of books for me too. These two stand out.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. I enjoyed this book. Was surprised that part of the reason it was banned, was because of the sexuality it it. I expected people to fuss about about the religion in it. I did not see any reason to ban it.
Harry Potter Series Box Set by J.K. Rowling. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole series. I am floored that anyone felt the need to ban it.

I've apparently read many.
The Kite Runner -- Loved it. One of my all-time favorite books. I want to read it again, soon.
The Grapes of Wrath -- I didn't hate it. I even watched the movie.
Their Eyes Were Watching God -- Another favorite.
Of Mice and Men -- This book made me cry.
I don't think any of them deserved to be banned/challenged. They're about real situations during incredibly tough times. It's reality and I think that's why they are challenged and banned.
QOTD: In honor of National Poetry Month, what is your favorite poetry collection and/or who is your favorite poet?

my favorite poet is warsan shire. her collection teaching my mother how to give birth is probably my favorite poetry collection i've ever read. and time is a mother by ocean vuong became a new favorite of mine last year. i've also always really loved mary oliver's work. she was the one that got me into poetry in the first place

I don't read poetry lol. I don't think I even have a favorite poetry collection.

I'm a big Tennyson fan, my favorite by him I think has to be Ulysses, it's such a grand, beautiful and inspiring passage. I can read it over and over again and never cease to feel moved by it.

I picked it up because it was quite popular. I loved the writing and how different all the characters were. I haven't enjoyed anything else by Ng though.

No way I could pick just one. And I am sure there are many more.
- The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
Read in my younger days when I was heavy into sci-fi. And the author was one my Dad read.
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
At one time, there was a lot of hype about this so I thought I would try it.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
My Dad read this book, then passed it on to me. (Don't know why he picked it up.)
Loved all these books.
Edit:
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Read because of the hype. Loved it!!!

an unkindness of ghosts by rivers solomon. i just picked it up because it sounded interesting, and i was looking to get into sci-fi at the time.

I don't really listen to podcasts anymore.
I do miss Jenna Marble's podcast that she did with her husband, Julien. It was incredibly funny, and a great way to escape.

i don't listen to podcasts. i've always had trouble concentrating on them and i end up missing 90% of what's being said lol

The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar
I've read so much female driven historical fiction at this point I can usually tell from looking at the cover whats gonna be a good book or not, the summary confirmed my decision, and I was genuinely blown away after I finished it. I bought a copy for my book shelf at home.

I don't do podcasts, as hard as I've tried to enjoy them, they feel too intrusive to me, like if I was walking down the street with a complete stranger speaking loudly directly into my ears about a story I don't care about lol
QOTD: What is your favorite graphic novel/manga (it can be a standalone or a series)? Who would you recommend it to and why?

I have never read GN or Manga lol

I have probably read a total of 3 graphic novel/manga. Of those 3, my favorite was My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf. It was a nonfiction story about Jeffrey Dahmer in high school. Written by someone who spent a little time with him then. It was informative and interesting.

uzumaki by junji ito. i'd recommend it to anyone that likes horror of the gross variety lol

I’m not really sure who I’d recommend it to. Just anyone who loves rom-coms. It’s cute, funny, kinda spicy, and a bit odd.

It was either Little Fires Everywhere of This Tender Land. I love a good lit fic.

Not sure. Maybe, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Love sci-fi.

I'm not totally sure, but I think probably The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham. I thought it was so amazing that someone could see the potential to create a story focusing on this historical figure and fill the gaps in her timeline with fiction. Like doing genealogy research on someone's family and when the paper trail runs out, you create a fictional story surrounding it using everything you'd gathered to fill in the blanks. To make someone that lived so long ago and seems so mythical and humanize them, give them problems that are modern and relatable. It blew my mind and made me really love historical fiction.

the troop by nick cutter. horror has always been my favorite genre of movie, but i never really read horror until i picked that one up and loved it so much

Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger, for his positive, go-get-em attitude. It is amazing how much he has done with his life. This is a truly inspirational book.

assata by assata shakur. she has so much knowledge to offer up about so many different things she experienced/is experiencing at different points in her life: segregation, the civil rights movement, and political asylum. i really love her way of thinking and the ideas she has about the world. i highly recommend it.


I guess the Popsugar Reading Challenge. It's really the only reading challenge I've participated in, other than the GR reading challenge. I think it's a great way to step out of your reading comfort zone with the PS Reading Challenge.

There have been many. One of my favorites was to pick a word and read books that somehow tie into that word. My word was coffee. Here are some of the books and connections I made:
✔ 1. Shōgun by James Clavell - story is set in Japan in the 17th century, coffee was introduced in Japan in the 17th century
✔ 5. Russians Among Us: Sleeper Cells, Ghost Stories, and the Hunt for Putin's Spies by Gordon Corera - Spies use Starbucks coffee shops to meet their handlers
✔ 6. Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline - Ready Player One Series, a business called Player One Coffee, actually created by gamers who wanted better coffee
I absolutely loved searching for coffee connections. Some of the connections were way out there. Others were easy for example, the main character had coffee-colored eyes. Or one book was simply all about coffee, were it grows, how it is made, etc.

honestly, it's probably stephen graham jones now. he has a really extensive knowledge of the horror genre, and it shows, but he's always able to put a unique spin on it. i really enjoy his visuals a lot; i think they stick with you long after you close the book. i've seen people say his writing is dense, but i think that works well in his favor. it makes for a style of writing that's completely recognizable as his alone.

Goodreads is the only reading challenge I've participated in, and I like it, I get a real sense of satisfaction by seeing the number go up and up, especially if i'm ahead of schedule.

I know I only read one book by Rachel Kadish, but the one I read was absolutely incredible. It's amazing that a human could research and write all of that. I know it's a Jewish historical fiction (which could come off as boring to some) but it blew my mind.

If I had to pick one, Kim Michele Richardson. There's something very lyrical and expressive in her writing, even as she uses the simple vernacular and accents of the rural appalachian area, it's still almost poetic.
Books mentioned in this topic
The Notebook (other topics)One Golden Summer (other topics)
Practical Magic (other topics)
Fifty Fifty (other topics)
I Am Ozzy (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Nicholas Sparks (other topics)Carley Fortune (other topics)
Alice Hoffman (other topics)
James Patterson (other topics)
Candice Fox (other topics)
More...
I went from only reading YA to pretty much never picking that genre up. I read more literary fiction now and manga is creeping its way up the ladder.