Double Library Loot

I am reading farily slow atm, but I need to step up my game because those library books don't wait ;) here is a double batch from December and January.

Books I got in December are: Zoet als zure kersen (sweet like sour cherries) from Claudia Schreiber, a German author, but I read the Dutch translation. I enjoyed the book and I will review it eventually ;)
The middle book is Grenzeloos by Kim Moelands. It is non-fiction about a woman who has a lung disease. I read the frist book a few years back and this is how she went on after that. I am reading it for the Dutch reading challenge, but I haven't started yet.
The bottom one is The Future of Us by Jay Asher. I already returned it and it is one of my DNF books, unfortunately.

And here is my loot for January.
Margot by Sophie Zijlstra. We all know Anne Frank, from the 2nd world war, but this book is from the perspective of her sister Margot. Also for the Dutch reading challenge.
Paaz from Myrthe v/d Meer is another non-fiction book about a woman who has to stay at a psychiatrist ward and her experiences. I heard good things about it, so I picked it up. Also for the Dutch reading challenge.
And the last one I finished last night. It is Thirteen reasons why by Jay Asher. And unlike the Future of Us, I liked this book very much. It is about peer pressure in high school and how seemingly small actions can have a snowball effect on the life of students. A very well written book. I read it for my wishlist challenge.

And because I am reading slow and the library books have a due date, I haven't hardly used my e-reader yet :(

Have you picked up any books from the library lately?

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Library Loot November 2012

All though at the moment I try to keep my library books in check, I can't help checking out a few books that I really want to read. Sometimes I come across a review from another blogger and I just have to see if they have that book (and that is a harder task than one might think in a Dutch library, if you like to check out a brand new USA released book ;) ). Anyway, here is my small loot post.

All three books are in Dutch language but the upper two are translations, so let's see what we have here:

First up is Shelter by Frances Greenslade. This was the monthly read from the boekgrrls. They moved it up to April because it was hard to find in the library. But I already paid money for it to have it shipped from the other side of the country. So I read it now. I am glad I did, because it was beautiful.

The second book is Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi. This book came to my attention through the website of the Dutch publisher Blossom Books. I recently read more of their books, so I checked out what else they had published. I also finished this book already and I enjoyed the book. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
I am still reading faster than I can review but the reviews will get there eventually. In fact, I am planning to write and schedule reviews this weekend for the whole of December.

The last book is a Dutch book on Apple Pie. I like to borrow cookbooks from the library because buying Dutch cookbooks, is often too expensive. But because my BF really loves apple pie, I really wanted to try out this book. So far I like what I see, but due to illness I haven't been able to cook from the book yet.

Well this was it for now. In fact I have a few more books on hold ;) But don't tell anyone, because of the pile of books I still need to read ;)

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Library Loot

This is my last batch of library books for now. I did put many books on hold and they all kept coming in fairly quickly, so I didn't put any new books on hold for now. I have to say that I read a lot at the moment so I am keeping up quite nicely. I only need to read one more book from this batch and about 3 more from previous batches.

These are:
The Age of Miracles by Thompson Walker, which I read during the readathon.
The Murderer's Daughters by R S Meyers, which I also read during the readathon
Firelight by Sophie Jordan

I haven't written the reviews yet, but they will come eventually. I am reading so fast that I have about 15 reviews to write atm. But they will come.

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Library Loot

I got more books in from the library. I am really on a roll ;) I am the kind of person that seems to read more if it are library books because of the time limit. I can read personal copies whenever, that is why I am so bad with reading the books I own, I guess ;) Anyway, I had 4 more books coming in.

I finally got Chocolat by Joanne Harris. Not that the book is hard to come by, but I needed more foodie books to complete my Foodies Reading Challenge and this one can double for my wishlist challenge too, because it has been on there for a while now.
Alice Bliss was a book that I heard about a few months ago, and I decided to pick it up now. It is the only English book in this batch.
And I got Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green because I really enjoyed reading Ruby Red and I want to continue the series :)

Q: Did you check out anything from the library recently?

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Library Loot

Even before I had chance to finish everything from my last library loot, new books were coming in. I put a lot on hold this time and normally the books come dripping in one by one. This time however, they came all at once within a few days.

This is only a pile of three books but combined with that pile from last time, I had quite a lot to read ;)

These are all Dutch translations from the following books:
Sisters in Sanity - Gayle Forman
Divergent - Veronica Roth
Starters - Lissa Price

I actually finished them all already, but then you know what you can expect for upcoming reviews within the next weeks ;)

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Library Loot

Because I checked out a lot at the library, I thought it is time for another Library Loot post.
The thing is, I almost never check out books on the go, but I always put titles I want to read on hold and them pick them up when they have arrived. Because I didn't read a lot in August, I put some books on hold to read this autumn. Sometimes it can take months for a book to become available, so I usually put a number of books on hold at the same time. Normally they don't all come at once but this time they did and I now have a huge pile of books to read ;) Luckily I go on vacation tomorrow, so I hope to make a dent ;)

A lot of Dutch covers this time. Unfortunately, I have to say, because I rather read in English. But I have to make due what is available and a lot of them I can only get in the Dutch translation.

The two books on top of the pile are The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. I both read and reviewed those already on the blog. Click the names to go to the reviews, if you are interested.

Then we have a book I borrowed for my studies. It is about the effect of colors in daily life and art.

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin, I finished two days ago, but I have yet to write a review. And the two books I have yet to read are The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey and Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier.

Actually, the day after I took this picture, three more books came in. But I save those for the next Library Loot.

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Library Loot

At last something bookish! Well it is still not a review, but at least this is a sign I am still reading!

I checked out the following:
Before I fall by Lauren Oliver
Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

I already read three of those books and only need to read Dreams of Joy. All three books are around 500 pages too. So I have been reading a lot. Will I review them, probably. When? I don't know. I am just not motivated at all at this moment. I have a backlog of 9 books for review. And more will be piling up. Either way I either need a review-a-thon or write mini reviews of some sort. I don't know. But some of those reviews do have to be written because the books are part of challenges. For now all I can say is that I am not really happy with myself for sitting in this review slump.

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Library Loot

I have been browsing the website from the library again and in the past week this is what came in :)

I have 3 books coming in:
First up is the Legacy by Gemma Malley. This last one in a trilogy and because I enjoyed the former two I want to read on and see how it all will end :)
I read a lot about Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and when I saw it at the new arrivals page, I knew I had to read it.
Lastly the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I watched the trailer of the movie but I still haven't seen it. So I thought I would try the book instead. This is normally not really a genre that I read, so I am curious if I will like it.

Q: Have you visited your local library lately?

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Library Loot

I had some books coming in from the library today. I am not able to go there often myself, so I just put some books on hold, wait till I get an e-mail notification that they are ready to be picked up and ask my boyfriend to collect them for me after he is done with work :) Anyway, I had three titles coming in at once :)

Excuse the partial Dutch covers ;) I always try to get as much in English as possible but yeah, a lot of times they only have a Dutch translation so I have to settle for that even though I rather read the original language.

Incoming titles are:
The Declaration by Gemma Malley
The Potential Hazards of Hester Day by Mercedes Helnwein
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

I am a bit in a doubt about the last one if it will be for me or not, but I guess I will know soon enough. The other two sound like books I will enjoy for sure :) So now you know which reviews you can expect from me in the next month ;)

Have you read any of these books? And if so what did you think?

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It's Monday! What are you reading? (3)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Last week I finished Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess (review will follow in June near the release date) and the Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon. (review here) Currently I am reading the Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen, which I borrowed from the library. So I have library loot this week too! If you looted the library as well don't forget to hook up there as well, and check out what other people brought home from the library!

Other books that entered my house this week are:
Het Negerboek (the book of Negroes) by Lawrence Hill which I won in a giveaway from boekhandel Westerhof.
Veggie burgers every which way by Lukas Volger
The Tribe by McCarty Griffin given to me by the author for review. 

I am planning to start on Skyward by Mary Alice Monroe this week since the release date is coming up. After that I am not sure yet. I also need to do something Mysterious for the Hello Japan Challenge.

On another note, I tried my first recipe form the vegetarian student cookbook last weekend. I made Veggie Burgers from scratch for the first time.

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It's Monday! What are you reading?

There hasn't been a lot of activity on the book department in the past week because I was out of town. Therefore I didn't read as much as I did in the past months. I also didn't have the time to produce much creativity wise. However somehow a lot of books have entered my house in the past week! Mostly cookbooks, I have to admit since it seems I am in the mood for cooking again, and I was lucky to be able to redeem some gift certificates :)

This week I will switch meme's. I have been doing the "In my Mailbox" meme for a few weeks, but it is too huge for me and I don't really have found a connection. So from now on I will be trying It's Monday! What are you reading? The thing is that I am not very good in posting on a set day of the week. But I want to try :)

I only read Moonface by Angela Balcita this week. I won this in a giveaway from Judith at Leeswammes during the readathon :) It took me over a week, but that was purely because I was out of town of half of the week and I didn't bring it with me and choose to bring e-books instead on my iPhone. Which was a good choice because I didn't read at all until I got home last night ;) A review will follow soon.

Now on to the new books:
From NetGalley I got:
Desserts 4 today - a cookbook on desserts that use only 4 ingredients.
How to Squeeze a Lemon - on cooking techniques.
Homemade Soda - speaks for itself really ;)
Skyward by Mary Alice Monroe

I bought (or choose with gift certificates):
Kobato by CLAMP (a manga which I bought on the convention last weekend)
500 breakfasts & brunches
The vegetarian Student Cookbook

From the library:
If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I will probably read this first because it is a library book. If I manage to read more books this week, I might choose either: Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess or The Summer of the Bear by Bella Pollen.

This post is also part of the Library Loot meme! See what other people have checked out from their local libraries :) What have you all been reading?

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New book arrivals!

I got some new book arrivals this week :)

The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan through bookcrossing
"Moederen met Autisme" (about autism and motherhood) for my Autism Awareness Reading Challenge and because it is an interesting topic for me in the future.
I shall have some peace there by Margaret Roach, a gift from Iris @ Iris On Books

I am currently reading: Tiny Sunbirds Far Away by Christie Watson 

Don't forget to see what others got new in their mailbox this week. At In My Mailbox and Library Loot.

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New book arrivals!

I don't do this as regular as I have seen others do, but this is mainly because I read slowly ;) So I don't have that many new arrivals each week, and making a post with just one book in it, that's just not as much fun!

I got some books from the library and I also got a book through bookcrossing and today a manga arrived!

This manga I bought for the Hello Japan Challenge. I have read loads of manga in the past and even have one bookcase filled with just manga. So the challenge was just a good excuse to buy a manga that I had on my wishlist for a while :) 

From bookcrossing I got the middle book. It is a book filled with stories about special dogs and cats all over the world.
From the library I got Dewey and Norwegian Wood :) I also got Daddy's Little Girl, not shown here which I already read and reviewed. Lastly I have borrowed a Dutch book on how to draw flowers in mandalas. (I used the book as example for a school assignment and I intend to do more with the book and I might even buy it myself).

From NetGalley I also got lots of new books:
The Girl's Guide to Homelessness by Brianna Karp
Your Voice in my Head by Emma Forrest (review scheduled for May)
Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away by Christie Watson
F**k It by John C. Parkin
Ravenous by Diana Macy (currently reading)
Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
Cinderella: Ninja Warrior by Maureen McGowan (review scheduled for April)
The Gift of Jobloss by Michael Froehls
Fresh & Fast Vegetarian by Marie Simmons
All Different Kinds of Free by Jessica McCann

As you can see, I have plenty to read for the next..... months? Hopefully I can keep up ;) And I might need an E-Reader.... I am using my iPhone for it now, but it is a bit on the small side....
If you are interested in what other people looted from their library or got in their mailbox, check out Library Loot and In My Mailbox :)

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Library Loot and in My Mailbox

I decided to blog about the books I got in the past week, since I don't know if I can read them all on short notice and I wanted to share them anyway :) I will be doing this through 2 events that are going around: Library Loot and in My Mailbox. In my Mailbox can also include library books but I prefer to separate it myself. The library can use some more attention anyway since the libraries might disappear all together, if it would be up to the Dutch government. Or at least the smaller ones, which would mean for me that I won't be able to get library books any more. Anyway enough about that, lets continue to the books I got :)

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!
My Library Loot is mostly Dutch, since those books are easier to come by in my small local library.

These are: A blue butterfly bids farewell by Sophie van der Stap. A Dutch author but translated in English too. It is the book that comes after The girl with nine wigs, where Sophie fought against cancer and this book is about what you do when you suddenly got your life back.
The middle book is in Dutch only. It is a book about someone who lives with ME/CFS. It is interesting for me because I have CFS myself and I never read a book on the subject before. This book probably only will be mentioned here now because it isn't much use to review it if it is only in Dutch. I have started in this book, but have put it aside for now. Not because I don't like it, but because it can be rather confronting.
The last book I got is My life with George by Judith Summers. I am currently reading this for the animal related reading challenge.

I also got some books in my mailbox :)

In my Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by the Story Siren.

I bought a used copy of the power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Someone from my class recommended this to me. She had it in Dutch but the English version was more within my budget. Besides I actually prefer to read in English. I also got Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir as a gift from Miertje on Bookcrossing.

I also got some ebooks through netGalley. I joined last week and I got some instant downloads. This is great because I can read those books on my iPhone. I got the following books:
A dog named Slugger by Leigh Brill
I am Tama, Lucky Cat by Wendy Henrichs
Life from Scratch by Melissa Ford
Sweetie by Kathryn Magendie
Vegan Family Meals by Ann Gentry

At least I won't be bored ;) But I am a slow reader, so it will probably take me a good while ;) Luckily I can keep my library books for up to 4 weeks ;)

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