SOOO miss the library, and I too have recently succumbed to buying books from Amazon. Some of my favorites over the last few months: Disappearing Earth, The Warmth of Other Suns, and Olive, Again. The Warmth of Others Suns was the best — so well written and historically informative.
My library system reopens Monday - more or less - though not yet to the public. Limited staff will keep regular hours as they ready for the next step. I know they plan to put clear barriers between the checkout staff and public - like in grocery stores. Sometime in mid-May, you can pick up holds as they come in. You’ll call when you get to the library and staff will bring the book to a table set outside. You’ll pick it up from there. All returned books will be wiped with a sanitizer and then “quarantined” for 72 hours before either hitting the shelves or being sent out again. All face-to-face programs are suspended indefinitely as are fines for “late” books. Online presence is increasing.
Not bad for a start.
I use the on line library a lot more now. I used to look for a specific book but now I cruise a little on Libby to see what’s available instead of going on wait list.
With my Kindle and my phone I can borrow tons of books from our library even though the building is closed. I believe Audible is also making more things available, but I prefer to read my books with my eyes.
@NJSue I had the very same reaction to the actor who plays Bosch in the series. Did you know Michael Connelly is the executive producer of the series and has written some of the individual episodes? I was curious if Connelly was involved in the casting of the tv series. Here’s what I found:
I have started to read Connelly’s Renee Ballard series last year. The female protaganist is an LA cop who’s given a deadend assignment because she complained about sexual harrassment. She ends up working with Bosch. There are three books in the series.
I’ve never read the books, so for me Titus Welliver is absolutely perfect for the role. My DH who has read the books will occasionally tell me about things that are different in the books, but I don’t read as fast as he does, so it will probably be a long time before I read any of them. It’s pretty rare that I’ll like the filmed version as much if I read the book first, but in a general way I still prefer to read books first because it’s hard not to make all the characters look like however they were cast in the books.
Catching up on older posts here. I agree with Polygamist’s Daughter. Same subject matter and much better was The Sound of Gravel, which was published a few years ago but I just read this last year.
Our local library has a fairly modest collection of ebooks, but for $50/year anyone can get online access to the Brooklyn Public Library’s huge collection. They get a number of copies of bestsellers so the wait time isn’t too bad.
I’m not an audio book person because I read at different speeds with pauses to consider; they’re just too linear for me (not a criticism; it’s just how my mind works). And I don’t like reading e-books (again, it’s me, not them).
Soooo, my terrible habit of buying books I don’t have time to read is finally paying off, lol! Loads of books I have at home that i haven’t read yet, though I still terribly miss perusing the library shelves.
I just finished Unorthodox. Couldn’t put it down. I started it yesterday afternoon and finished it this afternoon.
Next up is my cousin’s memoir which was just published… I’m hoping for some juicy family tidbits.
Then I bought a book (novel) which is based on the tennis tour by a women who was a communications director for the WTA from the mid 90 to mid 2000’s. Everybody is trying to figure out who is who in the book. It’ll make good sitting on the deck reading material.
@emilybee Exciting about your cousin’s memoir! I remember years ago when a staff member at a library where I was volunteering wrote a novel and I recognized another staff member as a minor character. Hope you get your tidbits!
Hoop by Brian Doyle. Collection of essays about basketball. A must for anyone who grew up playing pick up games and high school ball.
^I will have to look for that. Not a particular basketball fan, but I adore anything that Brian Doyle wrote. He died tragically too young.
I’m sure there will a fair bit of my family’s “modern” history in this book from the description. She is the granddaughter of my great grandfather’s oldest child - and I am the youngest grandchild of my GG’s youngest child. We are 25 years apart in age, so her memories are much different than mine. She is only 10 years younger than my mom, so they have much more in common.
A bunch of my cousins (or their spouses) have written books. They aren’t writers by profession, though. Several held high positions in Presidential administrations, so their books are non fiction and/or historical and about policy decisions, etc. They are not tell all book.
My favorite one is this book by my cousin’s wife. I could not put it down.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/leslie-maitland/crossing-borders-time/
^ That looks great! Put it on my TBR list. Thanks!
We just discussed the Dutch House in our zoom book group on Friday night. Everyone had a similar opinion - good writing, but the story lost its way towards the end. Enjoyable and easy to read, but not very satisfying.
I really enjoyed Say Nothing (audio), Really worth a listen if you can put aside your own whatboutism, and I especially appreciated the plastic paddy/noraid/ 9/11 as tiny acerbic bites of irony. So much to unpack.
And I also finished American dirt on audio, this was a great listen. I would ignore the furor and just appreciate the book, the narrator is very good IMO.
A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight. I could not put the book down, who done it, entertaining.
I have just started Maid (Stephanie Land? ) and boy the author is doing a great job of making herself thoroughly unlikeable and unsympathetic.
Here’s a run down of my recent reads:
A Thousand Splendid Suns – this is a fairly old book now. Same author as Kite Runner. Loved it! Read it in 2 or 3 days – captivating story, amazing portrayal of life in Afghanistan from the 70s through early 2000s. Beautifully written. Hard story but such a great book. Highly recommend.
Dear Edward – well written but sad. Not the kind of book I’d normally read b/c of the premise (lone survivor of a plane crash). Still, I found myself reading it quickly and was satisfied by the end.
Olive Again – not quite as good as Olive Kittredge, but I was still so happy to be back in her world. It was compelling read and had that feel of authenticity that Stout is so good at. Where it faltered a little bit for me is that the book is filled with so many people who are unhappy it started to feel a little false. Most people know folks who have some joy in their lives at least sometimes, right? It’s a good read for these times b/c it emphasizes the importance of perseverance.
One Day in December – fun Bridget Jones Diary type read but with a little more substance. Great beach read! (Please note I’m not recommending going to beach right now unless you can be socially distant. 
)
Normal People – Really good. If you liked Daisy Jones & the Six I think you’d like this book, though it’s not as much ‘fun.’ In depth character and relationship exploration of an Irish couple. Two people finding themselves and trying to find each other. Interesting exploration of mental health challenges in a way I haven’t typically seen in novels, esp. a love story.