This weekend I downloaded three contemporary romances from OverDrive. Two I read in about 24 hours each; the third I DNF at the 9% mark. I think I got my reading mojo back. Today I went to volunteer at the library (something I haven't done all March because of adult taskings); after, I decided to browse the fiction side for a change. 

I came home with 12 books (8 adult fiction titles, 1 middle grade that will fill a PS prompt, 1 graphic novel) plus I still have four books coming to me via ILL. In my defense, I was left unsupervised in a library.

Here's what I brought home:

1. George by Alex Gino (the MG for PS prompt)

2. Paper Girls (Book One) by Brian K. Vaughn et al (collects the first 10 issues)

3. Death on Tap (Sloan Krause Mystery #1) by Ellie Alexander

4. Once Upon a Spine (A Bibliophile Mystery) by Kate Carlisle

5. A Perfect Proposal by Katie Ffjorde

6. Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

7. Dark Harbor (Stone Barrington Novel) by Stuart Woods

8. The Miner's Lady (Land of Shining Water #3) by Tracie Peterson

9. One Wish (A Thunder Point Novel) by Robyn Carr

10. Island Girls by Nancy Thayer

11. Family Tree by Susan Wiggs

12. Night Road by Kristin Hannah

All additions this week come from the library:

1. No Fear Shakespeare: Othello by William Shakespeare/Sparks Publishing

    I needed a book to read that would fill in the "Dead Author" square on the Summer Bingo Card. Can't get more dead than Shakespeare. This is the one Shakespearean tragedy I have wanted to read, but was never assigned in either high school or college (yet I had to read Hamlet 3 different times!! GRRRRR).

2. Brave Like My Brother by Marc Tyler Nobleman

    I needed a book to read that would fill in the "Published in June/July/August 2016" square. For the record, this MG novella was published June 28, 2016. I can't tell you how many display tables/shelves I went through in two different libraries just to find a book published in this time frame.

3. Hell on Earth: The Wildfire Pandemic by David L. Porter with Lee Reeder

    I have been on a real natural disaster kick lately. I think I miss being an emergency manager.

4. Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Hurricane Katrina by Phyllis Montana-Leblanc

    I wanted a few books on Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy to read during September (which is National Emergency Preparedness Month in the US). My library had this book (portions which was turned into a movie by Spike Lee, who wrote the forward to the book) and I thought it would be good jumping off point. I put a hold on OverDrive for two more books, but both of those are from journalists.

5. Not Left Behind: Rescuing the Pets of New Orleans by Best Friends Animal Society

    It was near book #4 and I could not resist the dog on the cover. Besides, I really think pet safety/evacuations are so important yet so overlooked aspect of emergency preparedness and response.

*bookish meme created by Moonlight Reader

About a month has passed since I've done one of these.  Before going on vacation to visit my family I took all of my books back to the library.  Some had been sitting there a while and I thought best to get a clean start.  When I got back I put a lot a few things on hold.  Originally I thought they would sort of stagger in since some had just been arrived and others I was pretty low on the waiting list.  I, apparently, thought wrong when eighteen of my holds came in between Saturday and Tuesday.   EIGHTEEN!

THE HAUL!

Though, to be honest it, sort worked in my favor.  Tomorrow is Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-Thon.  So I guess I'll use these stacks as my TBR as sort, despite my never stacks of books in my office.  Not sure where I'll start, but I've got a lot of good things so I don't think I can bad a choice.

On a random side note.  I didn't realize how small Devil You Know was until I picked up.  I do love KJ Parker, which is what drew me toward the book first.  For some reason I thought it would be a little bigger.  I don't generally look at page counts when I add things to my TBR since I don't honestly care.  Still, it threw me for a second.

Is there something I should add to the top of the reading pile?  Any favorites you've read?

I had an hour to kill before my writing group meeting, and being without the kids, I could indulge in browsing the stacks.

I should definitely keep the kids close to me while at the library, as they get bored and whiny by the time I get to three books, so I never go overboard.

I seriously went overboard yesterday.

New books:

1. AIDS in America by Susan Hunter

         Weird pairing - Alan Cumming wrote the preface, Donald Trump wrote the forward. I think Americans today see AIDS as a chronic condition and not the epidemic it was in the 80s and early 90s. This book discusses just how wrong those assumptions are and the public health crisis brewing again.

2. High Stakes: The Rising Cost of America's Gambling Addiction by Sam Skolnik.

          A different take on my new interest in exploring addictions.

3. High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health by Elizabeth Grossman

           This book called to me from a table top display promoting Earth week. Considering my husband and I are modest gadget people, this is a concern of mine.

4. Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez

            A woman with a humanitarian group goes to Afghanistan after the war starts in 2001. This is a memoir of her time there and the stories from the Afghani women she befriended.

5. Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America by Eugene Robinson

          I know of Robinson due to his constant presence on Keith Oberman's "Countdown" show back in the early and mid 00s. I really liked to hear Robinson speak and his ideas, even when I disagreed with him.

6. Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism by Kevin Phillips

          I am reading the updated version (2009). It is on the financial meltdown of 2006-2008 and the beginnings of President Obama's tenure. The blurb by Bill Moyers sealed my decision to pick this up.

7. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer

           Finally getting around to reading this! the original.

8. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

           Finally getting around to reading this! the sequel.

9. Badass: A Hard-Earned Guide to Living Life with Style and (the right) Attitude by Shannen Doherty

             I admit to being a fan of the original Beverly Hills, 90210, although none of the "heart throbs" from that show was a crush of mine. I loved Doherty on that show and the seasons she portrayed Pru on Charmed. So when I came across this book, I had to pick it up.

10. Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis

            Because Overdrive is still showing The Big Short as unavailable/checked out, I decided to pick up something else by Lewis. Call it the movie effect, but I want to read all the books by Lewis. This books deals with electronic micro-day trading (aka flash trading) that has had more than a few hiccups that affected the stock markets.

11. Caffinated: How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts, and Hooks Us by Murray Carpenter

             Finally getting around to reading this! the trilogy.

Happy Reading.