My New Year Resolution: 2019

Today isn’t a book review, because my new year resolution this year has to do with reading. What better place to announce it then on my blog?

I have too many books.

This statement won’t surprise anybody, but the breakdown migh intrigue you. It’s not that I have too many books just sitting around that I’ve read and refuse to give up. I am very good at passing books on – my TBR (to be read) pile is approximately five times the size of the shelves of books that I have decided to keep. My general guidelines for keeping books include autographed books that I have a memory around (not just autographed books for the sake of having a signed copy); books that have moved me, either by surprise or not; and books that I would like for my son to read in the future. I have specific displays for these, and once they are full, I make myself go through and decide once again which ones to keep and which ones to get away. 

So now we come down to my TBR pile. Or, more specifically, shelves. As you can see in the photo below, I have some books to read. That’s four shelves of books — the top is TBR trade books, and the second from the top consists mostly of books I’ve read and want to keep. 

The next two shelves are full of TBR books, And the bottom shelf that you see has books double stacked. Oh wait – I’m not done. You will also notice another picture below, which consists of a stack of books in my closet. 

So in 2019, my goal is to read enough books that my TBR shelves are knocked down to two - the top, with trade paperbacks, and the third from the top shelf, which are other books. One of my resolutions for 2018 was to get rid of more books that I brought in, which I achieved at 72 bucks in and 79 books out. One thing that will help is not attending book expo this year. While I’m sad about it, I just can’t afford to go to Los Angeles for it this year. 

Happy reading everyone!

We Made It SEVEN Years!

It never fails to excite me to realize that I've been running this blog for as long as I have. It's still fun, and it's still important to me, so here we are. 2018 and still reading like a fiend. Hopefully by this time next year I will have completed my doctorate and will be on to less stressful things. 

This year has been fun. A baby, my dissertation proposal, and an extra Master's degree (an M.Phil., in Educational Psychology, in case you were wondering).

I think my count goes something like this: 87 posts this month covering 86 books with 12 of those being guest posts -- a huge thank you to Charlotte for taking over while I recovered from having my wonderful baby boy. I am a little bogged down right now with some papers and my dissertation, so I am keeping this short today. Mostly, though, I just want to thank you all for sticking around and reading the books. 

Some of my favorites:

Novels


You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

The Power by Naomi Alderman

Heartshire High by Charlotte Leonetti

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny

Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips

Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

Non-Fiction 

The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives by William Stixrud, Ph.D. and Ned Johnson


Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara

The Gardner and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children by Alison Gopnik

Birds + Bees + Your Kids: A Guide to Sharing Your Beliefs About Sexuality, Love, and Relationships by Amy Lang

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat

I Can't Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street by Matt Taibbi

Lactivism: How Feminists and Fundamentalists, Hippies and Yuppies, and Physicians and Politicians Made Breastfeeding Big Business and Bad Policy by Courtney Jung

The Importance of Being Little: What Preschoolers Really Need From Grownups by Erika Christakis

Children's

Max and Bird by Ed Vere

BookExpo 2018: A Recap

It was a great Book Expo this year. I am always surprised at how many books I manage to take home even when I am being consciously choosey. It’s a talent, I tell you. 

One of the remarkable things I found from this year was a new genre for me. I had picked up several children’s books over the years, but this time I found myself actively seeking out elementary and middle grade books in addition to children’s books to start building my son’s library. I got some magical pieces too, and I’m excited to share them with you over the next few months. 

Wednesday was a calmer day; most of the floor wasn’t open and it was panels galore. The Adult Buzz panel happened this day, so the rush to pick up Haley’s after was particularly insane since it was the focus of the show that day. I managed to get what I wanted, and I wish I could sit down and read them all right now. 

Thursday was the busiest day, and I was shocked midday when my shoulders started aching from my bag. I looked through all of my selections to see if I could lose any, but I wanted them all. 

Yeah. Nuts. I was able to get the new Ruth Ware and I’m dying to read it! Andre Dubus III was so kind and chatty, and Jill Lenore was so feisty and sweet. It was also incredible to (briefly) meet Gary Shteyngart. 

Friday was back to quiet, with more YA and fantasy drops. A nice chunk of these books are for my son. 

Doris Kearns Goodwin told me to say hello to my husband for her (heart melts!) and the small red book toward the bottom is about a mouse who makes it on Broadway. Love. 

It was a great three days, and surprisingly calm as compared to years past. I kept a low social media profile because I just wanted to experience it in full and not be focused on others. I went to some great panels and generally enjoyed myself. 

Happy 6th Birthday, SPR!

As of my "maternity leave," here are the stats of the past year:

• 74 books reviewed
• 9 guest posts
• 4 independent bookstores
• 3 days of Book Expo America
• 1 baby

That's right -- 1 baby. He's a doll, you guys. This is the craziest, off-the-wall, most insane thing I have ever done, having a baby. It's incredibly emotional.

Looking over the past year, I read a ton of amazing books. This may be my best compilation yet. Here we are, in no particular order except by genre, the best books I read this year. As usual, not all were published in the past year; these are just what I read this year.

Non-Fiction

The Prize: Who's in Charge of America's Schools by Dale Russakoff

Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opioid Epidemic by Sam Quinones

Not My Mother's Kitchen: Rediscovering Italian-American Cooking Through Stories and Recipes by Rob Chirico

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli

Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools by Jonathan Kozol

Obedience to Authority: The Experiment that Challenged Human Nature by Dr. Stanley Milgram

Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America by Patrick Phillips

Memoir

The Fortress by Danielle Trussoni

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer

Fiction

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Children's

Max at Night by Ed Vere

Ada Twist, Scientist and the series, links found in post by Andrea Beaty

I'm Out! Maternity Leave and My TBR Pile

A Saturday post? WHAT?!?

I may mentioned this, but I'm pregnant! Yay! (You are now saying to yourself, "So that's why she's posted on the birthing books as of late!") I'm also due tomorrow. Now, in all fairness, I do tend to save up posts, so I am unsure right now if I have actually given birth or not, but I will take the time to let you all know when that happens. I am, after all, a proud mama of a future reader. 

Don't worry, I have my amazing guest blogger, Charlotte, taking over while I'm gone. The goal is to come back in October after I've spent the summer with my bundle of joy and gotten the semester started up again in September. I just need some time to adjust to my new role as working mom. I also hope to pop back in for Sassy Peach's sixth birthday in July. 

Thankfully I have the greatest husband a girl could ask for, and I have more than enough books to get me through the first three months of breast feeding.

Behold, my TBR pile. I would like you to know that this picture was taken from my breastfeeding glider. So when I finish one book, my husband can bring me another. As you do. 

Also note, this is before BEA 2017, so I am sure I will have added 20-30 books to the pile by then. 

Happy reading everyone, and I'll see you in the fall! 

Book Expo 2017 Round Up

I had fully intended to blog each day of Book Expo -- hence why there were no book reviews this week -- but plans changed pretty quickly. First, they shortened the show floor hours to two days (as opposed to 2.5 in the past), and then my full scale exhaustion from being almost 38 weeks pregnant and a lunatic for trying to do the door full out led to me pretty much not moving when I got home both afternoons.

That being said, it was a really great two days on the floor. I severely limited myself this year to titles that I either planned ahead for or that I desperately wanted after talking to publicists about. I still ended up with more than my self-imposed limit, but I can rest easy knowing that I will read them all, and fairly quickly at that. 

This is what Thursday looked like: 

 

   

As you can imagine, I was beside myself to get the newest Max book and the new Jesmyn Ward novel. To be able to tell her for a second time what Men We Reaped meant to me was everything. She told me it was the hardest book she ever had to write, and I told her it was beautiful and necessary. That book should be required reading for anyone in high school. I hope to find a way to add it to my own curriculum someday. In fact, in the entry line on Friday I met a librarian with whom I was gushing about Jesmyn (she was also a huge fan), and she commented on how Men was an unsung piece that was Between the World and Me before that one was ever released. I had never thought of that, but it was a great descriptor. 

The Mo Willems book brought me to tears, as it was the perfect book for this moment as we are just days away from welcoming our own little one home. 

I had to leave at 3pm. I was in so much pain and could barely hobble out the door. I pushed way too hard, but I don't regret a thing. The final pic from Thursday: 

I'm excited about Unraveling Oliver and The  Immortalists as well. Like I said -- a great haul overall. 

Friday was also great, and o paced myself more. A LOT more sitting, even while in line. I was still hurting when I got home, but it wasn't as bad. 

This book excited me because I am a SCOTUS junkie and one of my nearest and dearest is a SCOTUS scholar. I got it to read then pass on to him. I may actually just send him a fresh copy. 

   

You may recall my deep and abiding love of Gwenda Bond's Lois Lane series, and I almost peed myself when I spoke with the lovely people at Capstone who told me they would be doing a giveaway. I was the second person in line. I was also pumped about the examination of emojis as language in The Emoji Code, and Celeste Ng's new book was a no brainier. I was willing to sacrifice one other book drop to get her new one. I think it will be worth it. The Rapunzel book was inscribed to this little boy of ours:

 

How sweet is that? 

See this? I told John Grisham that I have read almost his while cannon so I'm going to need him to type faster. He laughed and said he has two books coming out this year -- this one and a legal thriller in the fall. 

 

I also saw a conversation with Senator Al Franken. It was funny and smart and wonderful. 

 

The final count. So much for it being a slow day on Friday:

 

Sassy Peach Goes to Kindergarten: Happy 5th Birthday!

Wow! We made it! Half a decade! That's crazy talk. I said to a friend the other day how much I couldn't believe how far I've come. Especially in such a hard year, the fact that I could make it this far is really amazing to me.

I haven't done a half-decade round up, so I'm not quite sure the exact number of books I've read and reviewed in 5 years, but it's definitely been a ton. Since starting this blog I have made it most of the way through a PhD program, been on more dates than a girl should ever have to go on, fell in love with my best friend, and moved three times in one year. 2016 was rough; I had a hard time reading at all, let alone reading and putting up reviews. Thank you for your loyalty through my silence. I promised myself that when blogging here that I would only do it as long as I was having fun. I'm still having fun -- so on to another year!

Total stats for my fifth year: 81 books reviewed, 7 of those guest posts from Charlotte. (Thank you, Charlotte!)

Now for my list of Best of 2016. As usual, my disclaimer is that not ALL of these were published in the past year, but I did read them all this year. The list is shorter in past years due to my early 2016 sabbatical, but I am still pretty happy with the list. It's a mishmash of non-fiction, fiction, thrillers, and memoirs. Enjoy!

So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn J. Edin & H. Luke Shaefer

Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola

The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick

Approval Junkie by Faith Salie

The Killing Lessons by Saul Black

The Best of Youth by Michael Dahlie

This is Water by David Foster Wallace

In a Dar, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

The Girls by Emma Cline

While the City Slept by Eli Sanders

Book Expo America 2015

Wow, has it really been two entire months since Book Expo America?!? Time flies when you are having fun, huh? So much to report. 

I picked up some great books and met some fabulous authors and publishers this year. I was most excited about Jenny Lawson's new book, Furiously Happy, coming out this September. That would be me on the left with one of the promo fans. #winningatlife

I was also ridiculously pumped to pick up DK Publishing's new Big Ideas Simply Explained series, The Sociology Book. You may remember how much I loved The Science Book, The Psychology Book, and Heads Up Psychology, so I raced to get this one when I knew it was dropping.

The picture on the right was Day 1 haul. It was a little frustrating having the Blogger's Conference on the same day as the show opening, so I had to miss most of the sessions in order to get the books I knew I wanted. You can't see super well, but I scored The Sociology Book, Illuminae, Road Trip, Girl Waits With Gun, and The Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist.

My nerdiness came out when I saw that Diary of a Wimpy Kid was published in Latin. Be still my heart. I picked that up for some light reading this fall. 

Then I saw that Brian Selznick was releasing a new book in August. I almost died. You may remember my unceasing love for Hugo Cabret. It's the number one gift I love to purchase for the small humans in my life, and the release of another beautiful Selznick book was exactly what my heart desired. And it is as gorgeous as you would think. I can't wait to crack it open later this month.

You may also recall (if not, click on the link) how much I adore Sloane Crosley. I feel as though we are spirit animals and are meant to be best friends. So I asked her, and she was like, for sure. She even signed my book, "To the best friend a stranger could have." I almost died I was so excited. This is her first novel, and the review will be coming in October.

On the right is the hottest fall release you could ever imagine. It's Garth Risk Hallberg's City on Fire. It was everywhere, and I jumped on line to get it. Signed, of course. It's going to be my beach reading over the next couple of weeks. Not that I'm taking it to the beach, but I will read a little bit every night when we are showered and curled up on the couch. I take my trade paperbacks to the beach. Duh.

This kid gets it.

On the right is Day 2 haul. I scored Saint Mazie, City on Fire, Lois Lane: Fallout, new Stella Batz books, The Clasp, and The Marvels among others. It was quite a day, I will tell you that much. Remember, Book Expo is a marathon, not a sprint. It's crazy, really. Every year I say that I'm only going to take what I can read, and it's the truth. I will read 90% of these before next BEA. But there are so many, and so many good ones, that it's hard to walk away. When you love doing this as much as I do, you will fight tooth and nail for the good ones.

Which brings us to our final show day. This was a big one, guys. John Grisham, which, come on, you have to know by now is my book candy, was signing at 9am sharp. Not a full book, mind you, but an excerpt of his new one coming out this fall. Whatever. I love him, so sign me up. That's my copy on the right.

But even bigger than that, in my eyes, was Furiously Happy dropping at 2pm sharp. That's me with the taxidermied racoon on the left. Well, a cardboard cutout of it anyway. I am not even joking when I tell you that I continuously stalked the book starting at 1:15pm to make sure I got it.

It was worth it. I stood triumphantly as the first person in line to get an ARC, and the picture on the left if my victorious arm salute to my advanced review copy. Jenny wasn't there, of course. This thing is so insane that there is no way she would come, but Jenny, on some off chance you are reading this humble little book blog, know that you were sorely missed.

Other crazy books dropped included a limited edition anniversary copy of Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, which I scored. I haven't actually read it yet, but so many people are in love with it that I knew it would be worth it. I loved Landline, so I already knew I was a Rowell fan, and this has been on my list for so long it seemed silly not to fight wait in line for it.

The picture on the left are the people who got in line up to an hour before me. No joke. I was excited, and I was still in line an hour before the signing, but wow. You go gurl, Rainbow Rowell. Everyone loves you.

This is the insanity surrounding Mindy Kaling's signing of an excerpt from her new book. I love her, but I ran the other direction. That was just a tad too crazy for my taste. She looked gorgeous, though. Also, it have the security guards a lot to do by yelling at people to move. You have to hand it to BEA for giving the guys a very important job. (Can you sense my sarcasm?) Actually, it was one of the more frustrating times of the show since you can see how everyone was crowded around. I was in line for another book, so I can honestly say I'm not part of the madness. [Insert smiley face here.]

On the left below was how I felt about the whole show in the last hour. It was awesome and so very exhausting. That is a beer in my hand along with my water and popcorn. A huge thanks to Hachette for the beer. You have no idea how amazing it was.

On the right is my Day 3 haul. Including, but not limited to, Furiously Happy, Fangirl, This is Where It Ends, Another Day, and Brad Meltzer's new novel. Whew.

Finally, my last picture is almost my whole BEA15 haul. I had left some books at a friend's house, so this picture is missing about 15 books. Crazy, huh?

More like amazing.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I am Four Years Old!

Can you believe it?!? Four years! I am floored and amazed that I still get to do this. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Don't think for a moment I could do this without you actually reading it.

There were some hard times and some great additions on Sassy Peach Reads this year. Things got crazy in my third year of grad school and I had to cut down posts in order to not lose my mind. I came back with a vengeance, instituted Stephen King Fridays, and added my favorite part to this blog -- my guest blogger, Charlotte. Isn't she fantastic?

125 posts, 120 books, 7 posts from Charlotte, and so many readers. We hit 500 posts (on my favorite book of the year, no less!), and we survived. Thank you for another great year.

Now for your favorite part of my birthday post--a round up of the best books I read this year. A reminder that not all of these were released this year, although many of them were; these were all read this year. In no particular order, voila!

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes*

The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbes

The Yeti Files by Kevin Sherry

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty 

The New "I Do" by Susan Pease Gadoua and Vicki Larson 

Landline by Rainbow Rowell 

To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Jonathan Ferris

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Fire Shut Up in My Bones by Charles M. Blow

Ghettoside by Jill Leovy

*One of my favorites of all time.

June 2015 Mini Bloggiesta

It's that time again!

This summer's Mini Bloggiesta is all about playing catch up. Which is funny, because my list is a little on the long side thanks to the Blogger's Conference at Book Expo America this year. 

Here we go, guys. Let's catch up.

I will be using this post to go back and cross off as I go.


To do:

• Create a Pinterest button
• Back pin reviews
• Create a Sassy Peach Tumblr
• Change Netgalley contact to my SPR email
• Find a way to cross pollinate content (fellow bloggers, I'm coming for you!)
• Put my SPR email on my phone 
• Look at creating a SPR YouTube channel
• Explore a once-a-month podcast
• Back post reviews (I believe I have about six of them to catch up on)
• Apply to a specific advertising company

Other things I'm considering:

• Create a mailing list
• Poll readers
• Possibly look at giveaways

Happy Bloggiesting, fellow bloggers!

Introducing...Guest Blogger Charlotte!

I am beyond excited to introduce you all to Charlotte, the newest (and first!) guest blogger on Sassy Peach Reads. She is a fabulous lady who will add a lot to the blog. She will be posting the first Wednesday of every month. Please welcome her to the fold!

Hi there!

I am Charlotte, 

I read to escape reality because let's face it, me going to high school everyday doesn’t begin to compare with what my favorite characters are doing. For example, I'm in math class, but Katniss is leading a revolution and while I'm in biology, Hazel Grace is in Amsterdam with Augustus Waters… my life just can't measure up! So I guess its sort of like I’m reading my way through life. 

Anyways, I am so excited to guest blog on Sassy Peach! I’ve been reading this blog for a little while now and I’m so happy to be here! I’m looking forward to sending great books your way and to hearing from you. 

POGS, 

Char

Sassy Peach Reads Announcement!

No, I am not pregnant, and no, I am not shutting down my blog. Far from it, in fact. 

As I have mentioned before in several posts, I am pursuing my doctorate. This has been an amazing experience, and continues to be so. I am about halfway through, and the more time that goes by the more opportunities I have been receiving to do amazing work and the crazier I get. As someone who has always worked at least five jobs and six days a week, for me to say I am overwhelmed most of the semester would shock most people I know.

I love absolutely everything I do--teaching, researching, and this blog. Therefore, I have come to a decision that really isn't that big of a deal in the scheme of things but was hard for me to realize needed to happen. I love posting three days a week and telling you all about my reading adventures. I am amazed and humbled by the response this blog has gotten over the years and I couldn't do this awesome love-child of a project without you, the readers.

Starting next week I will only be posting two times a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. This will definitely be through December, and possibly through May. It was a hard decision, but I have found that I am struggling to keep up with posts on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. This will give me some lead time to give my all to reviews and still be consistent.

Please know that nothing thrills me more than to have your presence here on this blog whether you click on my link through a search engine, you follow in your RSS feed, or you subscribe by email. Thank you for your love of books, and keep on reading!

Happy Third Birthday, Sassy Peach!

I am a toddler, you guys. It's like I am learning to walk and speak in full sentences. Except, you know, I'm a grown woman in grad school running a book blog.

This, my third year blogging, saw 164 book reviews, averaging out to one book every 2 and half days. I am a maniac.

I survived my second year of Book Expo America and it was amazing (and exhausting). I wish I could say that more milestones were coming to me, but it was a regular glorious year for me. I finished up my second year in my PhD program, and I only have one semester of classes left before I begin dissertating. (EEEK!)

As usual, my compilation of the best books I have read over the past year. Most were released in the past year, but a few were not--I just happened to love them and want to make sure you know it. Each post contains a link to purchase the book if you are interested, so click away, kids.

Countdown City by Ben H. Winters

Unremarried Widow by Artis Henderson

Tampa by Alissa Nutting

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

You Are One of Them by Elliott Holt

Necessary Errors by Caleb Crain

Radiance of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah

The Storied Life of A.J. Firky by Gabrielle Zevin

Sleep Donation by Karen Russell

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

To Be a Friend is Fatal by Kirk W. Johnson

Eleven Days by Lea Carpenter

Unremarried Widow by Artis Henderson

Radiance of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah

The Professor by Robert Bailey 

Kidding Ourselves by Joseph T. Hallinan

The UnAmericans by Molly Antopol

Book Expo America 2014

Hi kids! So... Last week was Book Expo America, otherwise fondly known as Bookapalooza. It is something I now look forward to every year while dreading the aches and pains and exhaustion that comes with it. That being said, it is truly an amazing thing that I get to do--three days of books. Highlights are below!

Wednesday brought me to the Blogger's Conference where I met some super cool book bloggers and heard from the YA author Maureen Johnson. She was hilarious and smart and fun in general. I learned a ridiculous amount at this conference, and you should look out for a new Sassy Peach logo coming your way this summer. [Finger's crossed, anyway.]

Then the floor opened at 9 AM on Thursday. Holy cow, this was something else. If you recall, I only went on Saturday last year due to the horrible internship I took on for the summer. [Seriously, I am over 30--what was I thinking taking on an "internship"???] This year was madness of the best kind. My journey started off with a signing from Neil Patrick Harris on an excerpt from his upcoming memoir. Yes, you read that right. See above. Creeper shot.

I made out with so many books I had been looking forward to. The 11 AM and 2 PM hours were crazy--at one point on Thursday I had five books I wanted in the span of an hour; I got four of them. I missed the last signing by a few minutes, but I was at least able to tell Jesmyn Ward how much her book, Men We Reaped, moved me. One of the books I did get was Anjelica Huston's A Story Lately Told, and she was so gracious and kind to everyone in line. I was so impressed and I like her even more than I did before her autograph.

This year was the year of my idols. I met R. L. Stine (-->) and got the first Fear Street book in over a decade. Remember the series? My love of crime may have come out of his books as well as Mary Higgins Clark's books. I also met her by the way. Yeah. Like I said. Crazy town. Anyway, I told Mr. R. L. Stine that he was a staple of my childhood, and he replied, "A staple? I have never been told I was a staple before." He totally was. The cheerleader series had such a big effect on me that I won't shower in a locker room. I have an irrational fear of being locked in by a sinister force that will then turn up the heat on the water and melt my skin off. Like it goes.

I scored what was arguably one of the buzziest books this season at BEA, Terry Hayes' I Am Pilgrim. It's not signed as it was in that darned 11 AM block, but as I was getting my Colm Toibin book signed (CAN YOU SEE WHY I AM SO GIDDY?!?), they had just a handful left at the booth and I got my grubby little mitts on it. I am not saying I am whipping through it, but I am whipping through it. I am seriously in heaven with my books. Final count below.

Here I am rocking my "I Love NYPL" button. I am a proud library user and supporter, and I urge you to be as well. The New York Public Library has kept me reading even when I have been brokey mcbrokester, and their programming is exceptional. Support your own local library--every dollar helps.

Ok, so now let's talk about one of my favorite books of all time, This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. I read it a few years before this bad boy blog started and have raved about it since. In fact, it's the first book I recommend when someone asks what I have to offer in the way of recommendations. It has always gone over well (I am four for four!), and I have re-read it. And I don't re-read books. So that should tell you something. When BEA announced that they were going to open BookCon (the open-to-the-public Saturday extravaganza at BEA) with a panel and sneak peek of the upcoming September film, I jumped on the ticket. There was the added bonus of Tina Fey and Jason Bateman being on the panel. Don't get me wrong, I love both of

them, but I was most excited about the book being transformed into a film.The panel is above and a shot of the screen of the stars is to the right. I would have loved a better shot but the panel was super packed and I only had my phone. So there you go. It was really interesting and the clips I saw were great. I have a feeling I am going to love the movie as much as the book. I also managed to get a copy of the book signed by Jonathan Tropper, so I am happy as a clam. This is really heaven for me.

Ah yes, another childhood idol. That, my friends, is Ann M. Martin of The Babysitter's Club fame. These books were also such a staple of my childhood that I can't imagine the reader I would be without them. She was so gracious and kind, which only makes me want to go dig out my books and read them again all the more. 

Let me ask you this--why wouldn't you want to participate in the make-your-own-romance-cover-photo?

Then this happened. Which is just amazing.(I have a sick sense of humor. Always have.)

Ta da! Final haul: 62 books, 5 excerpts, and a bajillion bags. Which I need for moving at the end of the month. Isn't this picture beautiful? That's what 62 books looks like.