Hello, lovely readers. I hope you are enjoying the day. I have a bunch of randomness to share with you today, and what better place to do it than the Sunday Salon?
First things first, the readalong of Wolf Hall, hosted by me and Suey, ends today. Unfortunately, I am still in Part IV of VI. I have really been struggling to get through this book. While I have really enjoyed it, and particularly the view of Thomas Cromwell, it has been easy for me to put down. I find the writing style a bit off-putting, and the plotting is definitely slow. But I’m still plugging through though. I very much enjoyed the Twitter chats and check-ins with everyone. Speaking of check-ins, the final one is up over at It’s All About Books.
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Next up, is TOON Books. You probably know that I am a HUGE fan of TOON Books, which are graphic novels for early readers. I’ve loved almost every book in the line and have given several of them to my niece. They are great for avid and reluctant readers alike.
And the best news is that TOON Books is releasing paperback versions, which makes them even more affordable! In celebration, they sent me two paperbacks to check out. One, Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking, I’ve already reviewed. The other is Silly Lilly and The Four Seasons.
Silly Lilly explores each of the four seasons (not the hotel). She starts out in spring at the park, with her teddy bear. She takes to the beach for summer. She picks apples in the fall and plays in the snow in the winter. The illustrations are cute, and the writing is appropriate for the earliest readers.
The paperback versions are well-made and have heavy covers that seem like they will last a long time. I recommend you check them out! And check out TOON-Books.com for a great interactive experience and more information about the line. Head here for my most recent TOON reviews and a list of all of my prior TOON reviews.
Finally, I’d like to report on a little project I’ve been working on. Project Organize and Catalog ALL of the Books in My House. That’s a working title. It’s a huge project, as I have a bit of a book buying problem, and all of the inhabitants of my house (the dog notwithstanding) adore books. But I have been making progress. My front room used to be a danger to everyone, with about a dozen teetering towers of books. I have added a bookshelf to the room and cataloged everything in it. There are 759 books in that room alone! And I still have to catalog the books in the living room, my room, my daughter’s room, the guest room, and the 18 boxes of book still stored in my basement. Eek.
I’m using LibraryThing and a CueCat for my cataloging efforts. I love both items, as they make the process extremely easy. My collection is public on LibraryThing, so feel free to browse. And, if you’re on LibraryThing too, I’d love to be friends!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I suspect Wolf Hall would be too dense for me since I’m not much for history, so I admire you for working your way through it. The new bookshelf looks fabulous!
WOLF HALL is definitely dense, but I am appreciating the historical perspective. And thanks!
Holy crapolla! And I thought I had a lot of books! Did I miss the picture of the books pre-organized?
Jenny! I didn’t take very good before pictures. I had to move things about in the room a few days prior and forgot. I do have a few though. I’ll post them soon. :)
You have a piano in the middle of your library!!! :) Love seeing the shelves. Good luck with the project!
I do have a piano in the middle of the library. :) Thanks.
I love seeing photos of people’s book collections/bookcases! I have the same problem as you, Jessica, though shipping about 2000 of them home in anticipation of our big move back to Tassie later this year has helped clear some space! (Didn’t last long, they’re already piling up again on any available space!) I initially joined LibraryThing back in 2006, and after 200 books had to pay to add the rest, but I didn’t like the format at all and when a friend told me about Goodreads I switched and haven’t been back to LibraryThing since. But it’s good to have options isn’t it, for different tastes and uses.
I haven’t heard of these TOON books before, I’ll have to check them out. What’s the age range for them?
Wow. Shipping 2000 books could NOT have been cheap. After our last move about four years ago, my brother said he would not help me move again unless I got rid of the books!
I use Goodreads extensively to track my reading (read, currently reading, and to be read), but I don’t love it for tracking my collection. So, I use LibraryThing exclusively for tracking what I own. The two systems (and keeping them separate) really work for me so far.
TOON Books are great. They are geared toward early readers, and, depending on the book, they are marked as for preschoolers through third grade.