Bookish Weekly Wrap-Up: 4/6 – 4/19/20

Happy Sunday bookworms!

It’s been a while since I’ve done an update on what I’ve been reading and getting into lately, so let’s chat!

*Bookish Weekly Wrap-Up is a weekly post where I feature what books I’ve been reading, which books are on my upcoming TBR, what posts were published on the blog for the past week, any bookish news I came across, and noteworthy posts from around the bookish community.

Each day in April has literally felt like I’m in Groundhog Day…

*For all you Gen Zs, Groundhog Day was a 90s movie where Bill Murray relived the same day over and over again.

I had a birthday in April.. the big 33.  Aside from celebrating at home with my family, I was surprised with TWO drive-by parties – one by my friends & the other by my extended family.  It was wonderful to “see” my friends and family that I hadn’t seen in weeks.  I’m looking forward to when I’ll be able to be within 6 feet of them.

Like I mentioned in my March wrap-up, I’m currently off work as my library is closed down, which is fortunate since my kids are home from school as well.  I live in Ohio, and we are on a stay-at-home order until May 1st.  We have not heard exactly which businesses or institutions will be allowed to reopen on May 1st yet.  I have a feeling that my children are out of school for the remainder of the year.    As far as work goes, I imagine we will be allowed to reopen sometime in May, but assume we will have to limit the number of patrons in our small branch at one time.  It also appears that our summer reading programming is going to look very different this year… While I was looking forward to my first summer season as a librarian, I look forward to rising to the challenge and getting creative.

My library system is putting together a video of at-home pictures of all our library staff to share on our social media pages next week during National Library Week.   We miss our patrons!

Recently Finished Reading:

» Keeper of Lost Cities (Keeper of the Lost Cities #1) by Shannon Messenger

An awesome MG fantasy!  I cannot wait to continue on with this series.  I’d recommend this to fans of Harry Potter.

» Separation Anxiety by Laura Zigman

I read this for one of my book clubs.   I think the author was attempting to write a book that would charm readers with eccentric characters & a humorous plotline, but don’t think it delivered.  Instead of being funny, the story felt odd & forced.

» A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry

I think the author did a tremendous job writing a book from a wolf’s perspective.  You can tell the author did extensive research into wolves & their behaviors.  While I think this animal perspective was very well done, I didn’t think the plotline was all that entertaining.

» The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz #1) by L. Frank Baum

I’ve decided to challenge myself to read more children’s classics in 2020.   To kick start this challenge, I started with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  This was a delightful read!  I was surprised to learn that the slippers were actually silver instead of ruby red… mind blown!

» SHOUT by Laurie Halse Anderson

This is a must read for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak.  While you don’t HAVE to read Speak to read SHOUT, I feel like it makes a bigger impact if you read Speak prior to this.  If you didn’t know, SHOUT is Anderson’s memoir told in verse.

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Currently Reading:

» Exile (Keeper of the Lost Cities #2) by Shannon Messenger

Status: 10%

» Loveboat, Taipei (Loveboat, Taipei #1) by Abigail Hing Wen

Status: 60%

» Sideways Stories from Wayside School (Wayside School #1) by Louis Sachar

Status: 50%

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What Am I Reading Next?:

» The Penderwicks (The Penderwicks #1) by Jeanne Birdsall

The Penderwick sisters busily discover the summertime magic of Arundel estate’s sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. Best of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel’s owner, the perfect companion for their adventures. Icy-hearted Mrs. Tifton is less pleased with the Penderwicks than Jeffrey, and warns the new friends to stay out of trouble. Is that any fun? For sure the summer will be unforgettable.

March 2020 Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up

April 2020 TBR

Childhood Classics 2020: TBR

Have you read any of the books included in this post?  If so, what did you think?

What are you currently reading?

What will you read next?

Have a wonderful week & happy reading