April Overview/ Month Ahead

I have been on a blogger lull of late. Mainly because I have been doing course work and exams. All of which are over now and I think I have passed. I've also been running about doing other things. I did manage a visit to the library though. Had to renew One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and my order of Lamb had just come in. Couldn't leave without checking out a few others.

So here is my reading month;

1. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (re-read)
2. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
3. John Dies @ The End - David Wong
4. Afterwards - Rosamun Lupton.

Yep, not a lot and I can't just blame the exams. I have been reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for about a month now and I just can't get into it. I thought I had lost my reading mojo again but since putting this aside for the moment I have read a book and a half. So it's not me it's my relationship with the book. I am going to get back to it though because I feel I should love it and so far nothing much has happened. I loved the film so I should love this.

My favourite of the bunch is Cold Comfort Farm without a doubt. I loved this book and I am thinking of picking up a copy of my own. John Dies @ The End was one of the oddest books I have ever read. The most disappointing was Afterwards. I loved Sister and this one just didn't live up to it. Having said that I still enjoyed it.

For this month I plan on working my way through this small pile of library books. I am back on placement as of next week but I am Monday-Friday short shifts so I should still get reading done. Even with course work. I picked up the Michael Connelly book because I had just read my first one. I quite liked it. It wasn't an exciting read but I felt that I wasn't done with these characters and so picked The Reversal up when I saw it on the shelf. I picked up the Jo Nesbo because so many people have raved about it but I'm not sure I am willing to splurge on the books just yet. The woes of being a student mean I have to be careful with book buying these days. Tend to feel a little guilty when it's not a nursing book. I've never read a Sebastian Faulks but I remember when I saw A Week In December on the shelves in the book shop. Someone put me off it at the time but seeing it in the library rekindled my interest.

So that's what my upcoming month looks like. Hope everyone else had a good month and got lots of good reading in. Going to leave you with a recent book purchase. I haven't completely stopped buying books and I saw this one in a sale. Haven't read On The Road by Jack Kerouac but I love this cover. All about the cover love.

Visit to the Library!

After doing the rounds on the It's Monday meme I decided to take a visit to the library. I had in my head that I wanted to get a copy of one of Kate Morton's books. I have seen over the last few weeks a large number reading her books and I thought it was about time I gave her a go. I see that The Forgotten Garden isn't her first book so I have a question for any Morton fans out there. Do I need to read The House at Riverton first? The library did recommend I read Forgotten Garden before Distant Hours but didn't mention anything about Riverton.

The second book I picked out was Ian McEwan's Amsterdam. Again I went in with the intention of picking out a McEwan. Someone on the meme was reading one of his books and it reminded me that I hadn't read one in a while even though I enjoy his writing. I just picked out the only one that was available which just happened to be Amsterdam. The Cormac McCarthy was a total whim. Looking forward to that. The Road is the only other book I have read by him.

The last book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is one that I had reserved. I reserved a couple of books over a month ago and my place in the queue didn't seem to be changing. I then spotted one of the books that I was waiting for on the shelf. Although I was still far behind in the queue I was able to get it out because I happened to find it (they were clearly unaware that it was sitting there). I feel a little guilty for skipping ahead but I did read it in a day and have since returned it. So that's someone getting their copy sooner than they would have since it would probably still be sitting there. I'm afraid it will be a while before I review it as I am about five reviews behind.

I may even watch the film so that I can do a comparison.

July Book Purchases!

I seem to stick to buying four books a month. I think I can keep up with that and still get my tbr pile down. Here are this months book purchases.

11.22.63 - Stephen King
The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Manhattan In Reverse - Peter F. Hamilton
A Walk In The Woods - Bill Bryson

The King book is one that I have heard a lot of good things about. It has to be better than Under the Dome. So I am very much looking forward to that. I saw a review of The Scarlet Letter on FBT's blog, Kill Me If I Stop (a great blog, especially if you like classics). It sounded right up my street so this is going to be my choice for next months classic challenge. The Hamilton book is again one I have been looking forward to. As for the Bryson, I have enjoyed his autobiography and thought it is about time I tried some of his travel. I am keeping it though for the travel category in the Mixing It Up challenge.

On a whim I also took a wee trip to the library and got out these books. I'll be reading them next.

In Which I Have Fallen In Love With My Library Again!

I always plan these non-review, non-meme posts but somehow never manage it. I think the last one was way in the early beginnings of my blog and it was a debate over e-readers (still undecided on that one by the way). Since I have the time and the inspiration I'm going to do one now.

I am sure I have mentioned already that I have recently begun visiting my local library again. I think most people who have been big readers from childhood would say that the library was a big part of their lives growing up. It certainly was for me. Again I am positive this isn't something I haven't said here before. I loved my library. I can't even remember getting my first library ticket I was so young. I remember visits with just my mum and sister. I remember visits with the whole family. My sister and I would be at the children's side looking through books. If we saw one we liked the first thing we would do is run across to the adults books to hunt out our parents and show them. It always seemed like a long hunt because of course then the library was ginormous. I remember going home as a family and sitting reading with no TV on until it was bed time (although my sister who could barely stand the quiet would wonder off before then).

Whilst I don't remember getting my first library card I do remember getting my grown up card. I was so excited about that because it meant more books. Of course my mum was already loaning out my excess books for me but I now didn't have to rely on her being there. Plus I liked the fact that my card was no longer pink. I think it was from then on that I had many visits to the library myself or with my best friend. I even started taking trips to other libraries. I probably wouldn't have read most of Stephen Kings backlist by now if it hadn't been for those libraries.

I didn't actually intend to stop going but I got my first job and the first thing I started buying was my own books. We all know how addictive book buying is. Especially when previously getting a book of your own was a treat. Of course I bought more books than I can read (and still do). After my degree I began working full time in a book shop and of course that also meant discount and my book buying increased. I was an advocate for our libraries. More than once I expressed my outrage at the threat of closures. Yet somehow not finding the time to go back (yep, my BF has admonished me over and over for this).

I am a student again and on a budget and even though I somehow have less time I have made my way back to my library. Except it's not my library anymore. My old library has moved into an architecture winning building. It's all modern, concrete and metal. You no longer have to be quiet. There is a cafe in there. Also the local swimming pool, college and arts center are all under the same roof. I expected to be horrified by this but whilst I still feel nostalgia for the old building (I can only find images of the outside which is an ugly building) I like this modern new look.

I was there a few weeks ago with my sister and I was impressed by the selection of new fiction books. I was back there again today with my mum this time. My mum has gotten out of the habit of visits too thanks to my staff discount over the years. She has been encouraged by my successful visit to go back. There are no hushed tones and the tables are filled with college students. Gone are the old men in the corner who are there every week, every year, sleeping. The coffee shop even sells alcohol. Why that should surprise me I don't know but it did. We stuck to the coffee though which was quite nice. I like the idea of having online access to my library account and being able to request books that way too. I've already borrowed a few books that I probably wouldn't have bought myself. I can see many visits in the future, especially now there is coffee on the offer.

Oh, and funnily enough these images aren't mine. They actually came from architecture websites.