Laurel County Public Library discussion

QOTD: Who is your favorite author, and why?

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: Who is your favorite author, and why?"

stephen graham jones. i've read 8 books by him at this point and i've only given one of the below a 4 star and even that was still a 3.5. there's just something about his writing and ideas that really works for me

My favorite author is V. E. Schwab (Victoria Schwab). The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is my favorite book and her writing is sooooo good! I've read other books by her and enjoyed them all. I will pick up anything she writes.

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: Who is your favorite author, and why?"

Akwaeke Emezi. I think the only books I haven't read from them are Pet and Bitter. I've pretty much loved everything by them. The way they view themselves and discuss certain topics is just fascinating. I don't see writing like theirs, so I just have a much bigger appreciation for it when they release new stories.

I don’t have just one favorite author. There are a number of whom I think are fantastic writers and I’ve read and enjoyed multiple books by, including Jim Butcher, Sebastien de Castell, and T. Kingfisher.

QOTD: What's a book that you wish you could experience for the first time again, and why?

There are a lot, but I’ll go with The Yellow Wallpaper. I know that I loved it, but I just don’t think I appreciated it enough. I kinda rushed through, and I want to just experience it for the first time so I can give it the attention it deserves.

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: What's a book that you wish you could experience for the first time again, and why?"

house of leaves by mark z danielewski. although i'm excited to re-read it at some point probably soon

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: What's a book that you wish you could experience for the first time again, and why?"

Two books:
- House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
- The Devourers by Indra Das

I enjoyed both books so very much. They were strange and different in a good way.

QOTD: What's a book that you think has a stunning cover design?

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: What's a book that you think has a stunning cover design?"

i love the cover of chlorine by jade song

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: What's a book that you wish you could experience for the first time again, and why?"

I wish I could experience The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue again for the first time. I would love to be able to go in completely blind to that story and fall in love with it all over again. I definitely need to re-read it.

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: What's a book that you think has a stunning cover design?"

I love beautiful book covers. I could list so many, but one of the most stunning cover designs that I've seen is When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker.

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: What's a book that you think has a stunning cover design?"

Here is an old one, but I have always liked it,
Eragon by Christopher Paolini

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: What's a book that you think has a stunning cover design?"

Never Whistle at Night edited by Shane Hawk has such a pretty cover.

QOTD: How is your reading most influenced? (Social media, recommendations from friends, book covers as you're browsing, etc.)

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: How is your reading most influenced? (Social media, recommendations from friends, book covers as you're browsing, etc.)"

some social media, some friend recommendations, and a lot of me just going down rabbit holes and finding random books i've never heard anyone talk about lol

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: How is your reading most influenced? (Social media, recommendations from friends, book covers as you're browsing, etc.)"

I'd say social media is where I get most of my recommendations from. My friends and I don't really read the same things lol.

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: How is your reading most influenced? (Social media, recommendations from friends, book covers as you're browsing, etc.)"

I think mainly just through browsing, or other rec's from goodreads based off of what I've already read.

QOTD: What's on your March TBR?

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: How is your reading most influenced? (Social media, recommendations from friends, book covers as you're browsing, etc.)"

Social media quite a bit (Goodreads, bookstagram, booktube, booktok), but I also hear about upcoming releases from NetGalley and emails from publishers. I found out some of my friends have recently got into reading and they read a lot of the same books as me, so we share book recs pretty frequently now.

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: What's on your March TBR?"

way too many books for me to reasonably get to lol

don't fear the reaper by stephen graham jones (re-read)
moon of the turning leaves by waubgeshig rice
the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde
zami: a new spelling of my name by audre lorde
negative space by b.r. yeager
another country by james baldwin
wandering stars by tommy orange
brainwyrms by alison rumfitt

also, as much as i'd love to start the angel of indian lake by stephen graham jones i don't know if i'll be able to get my hands on it because it comes out the last week of the month

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: What's on your March TBR?"

Finishing from last month:
When the Moon Hatched
The Writing Retreat
The Never King
The Sweetest Oblivion

Planning on starting:
A Court of Mist and Fury
Skin of a Sinner
Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 1
Where Hope Comes From: Poems of Resilience, Healing and Light
Pucking Wild

*Note: This is a list of hopefuls. My toxic trait as a mood reader is that I can't stick to a TBR...ever.

Every month, my list is too full and filled with hopefuls. Nothing is etched in stone. I will create and post my March list later today.

I just wanna get through what I’ve been reading for a month. February was not a good reading month for me.

Babel by RF Kuang
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
Grasshands by Kyle Winkler

TBR March

Continuing from February
- Out of Love by Hazel Hayes
- The Women by Kristin Hannah
- This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Planned
- The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
- The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok
- Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger
- A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
- Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
- Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon
- Into the Forest by Mark Z. Danielewski
- The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
- A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon
- Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
- The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict

..

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: What's on your March TBR?"

Still Life by Louise Penny

Murder Under Her Skin by Stephen Spotswood

The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller

QOTD: How many books did you read/finish in February? What was your favorite and least favorite reads of the month?

I finished 4 books, and almost a 5th but didn't actually finish it until March 1st. Out of the 4 I finished, my favorite was Spinning Silver and my least favorite was Cottagecore Simplified: A Guide to Countryside Charm, Comfort and Happiness.

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: How many books did you read/finish in February? What was your favorite and least favorite reads of the month?"

i read 5. and i loved every single one of them so it's really hard to say. i think im gonna go with rifqa by mohammed el-kurd as my favorite though

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: How many books did you read/finish in February? What was your favorite and least favorite reads of the month?"

February: Read 15 books
Favorites: After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell and The Magician by Colm Tóibín
Least favorite: Claus: Legend of the Fat Man by Tony Bertauski (but it was still 3 stars)

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: How many books did you read/finish in February? What was your favorite and least favorite reads of the month?"

I read 3 in February. My favorite was definitely How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue.
My least favorite was As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh. I still gave it three stars though, so it wasn't terrible.

QOTD: Are there any March releases you're excited for?

In no particular order, here are some of my March anticipated releases:
Murder Road by Simone St. James
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang
The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: Are there any March releases you're excited for?"

there's probably a few but the angel of indian lake by stephen graham jones comes out at the end of the month and that's all i care about right now lol

One I got in the mail today: Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff. Been looking forward to this one for 2.5 years!

Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: Are there any March releases you're excited for?"

- Murder Road by Simone St. James
- James by Percival Everett

QOTD: Do you have any goals for this month?

I'd like to read a bunch, maybe start some Spring cleaning, plan a vacation, post consistently on socials & be more engaged with the book community, get caught up on penpal letters, and figure out a tattoo.

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: Do you have any goals for this month?"

i wanna get back into running but that's about it

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: Do you have any goals for this month?"

Finish a 2000-piece puzzle I'm working on. Finish at least 1 book lol. Maybe get outside and go for more walks/move my body more in general.

QOTD: It's almost Spring and that means more outdoor activities. You're packing for a picnic, what are you putting in your basket?

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: It's almost Spring and that means more outdoor activities. You're packing for a picnic, what are you putting in your basket?"

I would make my own little PB&J uncrustable sandwiches, some chips, maybe a meat/cheese assortment, fruit, and some water or lemonade.

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: It's almost Spring and that means more outdoor activities. You're packing for a picnic, what are you putting in your basket?"

Definitely a meat/cheese/fruit trio, with some hummus, crackers, dark chocolate, water.

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: Do you have any goals for this month?"

Some spring cleaning, get my garden planted and fix up the landscaping around the house. Just generally spend some more time outside.

QOTD: Have you ever done a blind date with a book? If so, how was that experience? If not, would you ever do it?

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: Have you ever done a blind date with a book? If so, how was that experience? If not, would you ever do it?"

No, I haven't. I want to but most of the time it's romance books because that's super popular right now. I need to find some that aren't. I'm also hesitant about them because what if I've read the book before lol.

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: Have you ever done a blind date with a book? If so, how was that experience? If not, would you ever do it?"

i've never done it and i probably never would given how often i'm uninterested the books that get a lot of attention nowadays

LCPL wrote: "QOTD: Have you ever done a blind date with a book? If so, how was that experience? If not, would you ever do it?"

Kind of, I've subscribed to a book club box where I didn't know what title I'd get, just that it was an adult fiction book, and it came with little gifts to open as I read. I kinda enjoyed it, it made me read more out of my comfort zone.

Once Upon A Book Club box for anyone interested.