Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Library Love [1]

Library Love is a new feature I'm starting here on the blog! I wanted a way to highlight all of the books I borrow from my library, and this seemed like a fun way to do it. My library allows books to be checked out for three weeks, so it would make sense for this meme to also happen every three weeks. It really depends on how quickly I'm able to read through the books!

If you decide to participate in this, feel free to post as often as you like. I know some of you can read multiple books in a day, which means you probably visit your libraries more frequently. There will be a linkup on my posts, so just add your URLs whenever it's convenient. Library visits are random, so I'll leave the linkups open for three weeks, too.

I don't know about you guys, but most of my books come from the library. Yes, I do receive some ARCs and review copies, but the bulk of my reading is borrowed. I mostly listen to audiobooks these days, and all of those come from the library. I can't afford to buy every single book that I want to read, so I like to test the waters first. If I really love a book I borrowed from the library, it's very likely that I will purchase a copy for myself.

Physical copies:
Words We Don't Say by K.J. Reilly
Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin
Love & Other Carnivorous Plants by Florence Gonsalves

Audiobooks:
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1) by Ilona Andrews
Furyborn (Empirium, #1) by Claire Legrand
Roomies by Christina Lauren

They do Story Time for the kids on Tuesday mornings, so that's usually when we go to the library. The kids can check out 50 books each, so we always leave with more than we can carry. Between the three kids, our library books don't last very long, and we end up making more than one trip during the week.

This morning a local fireman read books to the kids instead of the usual librarian. They also had someone dressed up as Sparky (the fireman's dog) that the children were allowed to interact with. They gave out hats and coloring books, too. The children learned how to stop, drop, and roll, which my son loved volunteering for. Afterwards everyone got to make their own Sparky with premade craft materials, and then we made our way to the children's section of the library.

We're fortunate that our local library is very kid-friendly. They have tons of books, puzzles, and games to entertain the kids while we're there. There are also a few iPads attached to a table that have preset games on them. (We try to avoid those as much as possible, so my kids focus more on the books.)

All of the physical copies I snagged are books I've wanted to read for awhile now. I'm going to read Where the Watermelons Grow to my son once we finish Nightmares!. I haven't seen any reviews for Love & Other Carnivorous Plants, so let me know if you've read it! You can also leave a link to your review and I'll check it out.

All three audiobooks hit my phone at the same time, and they're books I've been waiting forever to read. Hopefully I'm able to listen to all of them before they expire!

What are your library reads this week?

*Share your Library Love post! Please leave the direct link to your Library Love post and not just your blog's URL. Thank you for participating and happy reading!

32 comments:

  1. I used to always use the library but then ended up buying a lot of books. Now I use overdrive all the time so I sort of made it full circle. I still own tons of books that still need read but I love audiobooks and I’m not paying for those.

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    1. Audiobooks are insanely expensive. There's no way I could afford those! I love that I can borrow them from my library, because sometimes it's easier to listen than it is to read.

      I still buy books, but I only buy books from authors I love, or to continue a series I've enjoyed. I rarely take chances on books anymore, because I can't afford to buy something I don't like or want to keep. I have kids to feed! ;)

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  2. I love the idea of this post and really should use my library more frequently than I do currently (aka not at all). You've inspired me to check out the one like .25 miles from my house on my way home today!

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    1. Haha! We have a library right down the road, but we also have one that's about 5 minutes away. One has a playground and is smaller, and the other has more activities for kids. We have a slime night coming up, and they often do Lego nights, too. I love having options!

      Let me know if you find anything to read at your library! I never have time to look at everything, so I just grab watch catches my attention fist. :)

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  3. Where the Watermelons Grow sounds so good. I have that on my TBR. I bought Roomies, and will probably be doing a CLo binge soon.

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    1. I love the idea of a Christina Lauren binge! There are still quite a few of their books I haven't read. I cannot wait to start Where the Watermelons Grow! I've been sick all week and lost my voice, so I haven't been able to read to my son before bed. Jacob has been reading something else to him (a book about dragons), but I think I'll be able to read to him tonight! I really want to finish Nightmares!.

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  4. Most of my books come from the library, too - I don't buy too many anymore. I'm usually there once a week! Right now I'm reading Crazy Rich Asians, and I'm trying to finish it up because I know there's a huge wait list!

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    1. That's the only downside to libraries -- wait lists! I hate having to wait weeks to read something, but it's okay. There's always something else to read, and plenty of books on my TBR. Are you enjoying Crazy Rich Asians?

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  5. This sounds awesome, I'll have to do this! It may be like once a month though...

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    1. That's totally fine! We go to the library at least once a week, but it's mostly for the kiddos to replace their books. I try to finish everything I have before grabbing more. :)

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    2. Same, I only have so much time to do errands so I get like six or more books for the month (because I can always renew them online).

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    3. Truth! I'll get a notification from the library that my books are due in three days, so I just pop online and renew them. Hopefully no one else has requested them! If they have, I have to take them back and wait before I can check them out again.

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  6. Your library sounds wonderful Linds! Some of my fondest childhood memories took place either reading or visiting the library, I'm so glad your local is so child friendly. I can't wait to see what you think of Furyborn, I have a physical review copy of that one but most readers I've spoken to have said it was disappointing. I'm thinking of starting it soon as well. I really must join my local library. I used to be a member but when we moved I just didn't bother with my new local. I've been past and the building is magnificent and over two massive floors as well. You've inspired me to go check it out! ♡♡♡

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    1. Our local library isn't quite that big, but they have study rooms and a game center. The children's area is pretty impressive, plus a room in the back for activities. There are a lot of lovely libraries in our area, so we bounce around a lot. We always do story time at the same place, though. Most of the libraries are connected, too. I can borrow a book from one and return it another. It's fabulous!

      I have very few memories of visiting a library as a child. I think I was always with someone else. Now, school libraries... I lived in those.

      Hmm, I hate that people have been disappointed with Furyborn. I've only seen a few reviews, but they've seemed pretty positive overall. Hopefully you and I have better luck with it!

      I hope your library is wonderful! <3

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  7. Libraries are the absolute best!!! I would love to hear what you think of Furyborn since I want to read that as well. I usually only take out one book at a time since I am a slow reader. I may or may not have returned a couple books late before... so having one book at a time helps me greatly :)

    Elle Inked @ Keep on Reading

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    1. Haha -- I haven't returned any books after they were due, but I do often go online and check them out again. Sometimes I need an additional three weeks to get through them all! If I'm lucky, no one else is waiting for one, because if they are, I have to return it and go back on wait list myself. Usually, the books I check out can be renewed until I've had a chance to finish them.

      Magic Bites expires before Furyborn, so I'm going to start with it! It's also a little shorter than the others, so I'll hopefully be able to get through it more quickly.

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  8. Love libraries :) I tend to use the electronic library though. And I HATE when all the books come in at the same time. It always happens to me!

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    1. I definitely use my library for audiobooks and children's books more than anything else! Like you, the audiobooks always land on my phone at exactly the same time. I have to try and squeeze them all in before they expire, or go back on a wait list and start the process over again. At least I always have something to listen to! <3

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  9. I'm ashamed to admit I never utilized out library until a few years ago and now we love it! For both books and movies, you really can't go wrong, plus, our library has a whole teen section just for teens with games and music and video games, it is always busy, I love it!

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    1. Same! I didn't start utilizing libraries until I had kids. I wanted them to be able to enjoy the environment and choose their own books. We can spend an hour or two in a library before someone loses interest. They're young, so it's expected. :)

      We love using our library for movies! It's free and you get to keep them longer. There's usually a wait list for the newer releases, but that's fine. I've been using my library to catch up on old TV shows I used to watch, or anime that's hard to find. I'm happy you love your library, too!

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  10. What a fun feature. I love my local libraries and I do like to check out books when I read, and use the e-library a lot too! That's awesome your library is really kid-friendly, the ones around me are too and I love bringing my nieces and nephews. I'm turning them into library lovers. :)

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I mostly use their online library for audiobooks. Occasionally, I'll check out an e-book, but I prefer physical copies to electronic ones. I love holding books in my hand! They're usually lighter than the iPad, too. ;)

      We're know as the Book Givers! Our family always gives books as gifts -- birthdays, Christmas, random whatevers. It's just expected now, haha. It's great that your encouraging your nieces and nephews to read and go to the library. I wish I'd had that when I was younger.

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  11. Curious what you end up thinking about Handsome Girl and Beautiful Boy. It was strange but interesting.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. I vaguely remember your review from a few weeks ago, right? I think yours is the only review I've seen for it. I believe it was your review that initially piqued my interest in the book. :)

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  12. I have Where the Watermelons Grow out from my library right now too. Now I just have to read it before it's due...

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I know the feeling! I hope we both enjoy it! :)

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  13. I love the library! Sometimes when I feel the need to shop I just go to the library and "shop" there. I do most of my checkouts online anymore but when my kids were younger we were there several times a week.

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    1. Sometimes it's easier to look up the books I want and have them waiting for me, but I love to let my kids look around. They pull random books from the shelves, and I'm always curious to see what they'll be interested in. It changes every day! I love the idea of "shopping" at the library. :)

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  14. This is awesome!! I love this idea! :)

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    1. Thanks! I wanted a way to highlight my library books, because I feel like they don't get as much attention! It's weird, because I read more library books than anything else.

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  15. I wish I had a library close by to visit often. But I don't and I would definitely look for the reviews of the ones you have posted. Great link up idea.

    Gayathri @ Elgee Writes

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    1. That's too bad! I love local libraries! I enjoy being able to take my kids with me. We'll read a lot of books while we're there, but we also bring 50 or more home with us. It takes us about a week to get through them all, and then we repeat the process.

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