Karen’s Book Nook

This week’s Weekly Geek assignment is to post photos. Inspired by this badge, I’m posting my ever growing TBR pile(s). These are just the books that I have in my possession right now, not the audio books that I’ve downloaded that are in the queue, the books on order at the library, magazines yet to be read, or the books that I just want to read but don’t physically have. Never enough hours, never enough!

In the first picture, my books are separated out (L-R) non-fiction (mine), fiction (mine), fiction (borrowed from friends), and library books. These are all the books that I haven’t read yet. I always have a few current books going as well (home fiction and non-fiction, bag, car, work) The second picture is just a random pile. Judging by the looks of it, I’d best get reading! Finally, my favorite spot at home to read (and where I am right now.

Check out some fellow Weekly Geekers… Here’s Terri’s solution to a tempting TBR pile! Allesandra posts some nice photos of beautiful bookshelves, and Katherine has a huge alphabetically arranged bookshelf! The more I look, the more I know that I need to find some bookshelf space in my life. (These piles are just my TBR… I’ve got tons of books that I’ve already read which are piled under my bed and where ever I can find space, not to mention the fact that I’m a prolific library user!)

And Now.. I’m unplugging so I can open a book!

I actually read quite a bit this month, thanks to NOT having to spend every waking hour on the assessment for work and also because I listened to some audio books (instead of just podcasts) while getting things done around the house.

This post is also is part of the Weekly Geek assignment, Catching Up, for Week 6. Since I don’t post reviews on my site, rather just give a few anecdotal notes with each entry in my Now Reading Library, I’m wrapping up my reading list for the month here and catching up. This is what I read in May: (Best part is… school’s almost out so there will be even more time for reading coming up!!)

• The Messenger by Lois Lowry
• Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
  
• The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
• Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
• A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel
• Making Autism A Gift by Robert Evert Cimera
• The Elements of Organic Gardening by HRH Prince Charles of Wales
• Mac OS X Leopard for Dummies
• A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
• Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
• Wicked by Gregory Maguire
• Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen
• The 6th Target by James Patterson
• Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
• The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve

The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve is one of Oprah’s Book Club selections that has been in my TBR pile for awhile. I just finished Bud, Not Buddy and The 6th Target this week but with the end of the school year just around the corner, I’ve got TONS of paperwork, meetings and commitments taking up my time. I hope to get more reading done but it may be slow going for the next few weeks.

This is the first book that I’m reading for the Heard it Through the Grapevine Challenge. It’s Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen, the author of Water for Elephants (which I read this winter and enjoyed.)  It’s currently past due at the library and was a hold so I’m hoping to blow through it in record time so I can return it.

I found this one, A Girl Named Zippy: Growing up in Mooreland, Indiana while browsing through the online audio books and the cover caught my eye. I’ve never read Haven Kimmel before so I’m giving it a try. This memoir is read by the author.

Lynne’s decided to change the start date for the challenge to May 1st instead of June 1st. (Sounds good to me!) She also set up a separate blog just for the challenge which can be found here.

I’ve listed my book choices on my original post.

I’m participating in the Heard it Through the Grapevine Challenge that I heard about (a few times removed) on Lynne’s Little Corner of the World. I believe I originally found Lynne through Mary on the Weight Watcher’s Booklovers board after visiting Mary’s book blog. I’ve got tons of books on my TBR (to be read list)… WAY more than I’ve even listed in my Reading Now library at this point. (So many books, so little time!) Since the goal is to read 3 books between June 1 and November 30 that have been recommended to you by others, and my summer vacation falls between those dates, this is an easy one for me! I’ve got plenty of books to read in the meantime so I can save these so that I get to them during the right timeframe as well.

Extra special thanks goes out to Natasha of Mawbooks for helping me out and answering all of my questions about Now Reading. I don’t know her and found her through links on Mary and Lynn’s blogs. I searched for someone using wordpress with the plug-in and took a chance emailing her with a question. She graciously offered to help me in any way that I needed and it feels like we’ve known each other all along! Thanks so much!!

The first book for my challenge is Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan. It was recommended by fellow dog lover and my co-teacher Sydney.

I’m also going to read Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen. I read Water for Elephants and didn’t even realize that this one was out. It was recommended by Mary (Bookfan) a fellow WW Booklovers Board member.

I purchased this one to read with Oprah’s Book Club but life (work!) got in the way…. I’m looking forward to reading this one on my summer vacation. Oprah raved about it! So, Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet is my final choice for the challenge.