Confession: I'm a library snob...

This is a recent discovery that I've made in the past few weeks since returning to the small hometown where I grew up. Growing up I loved our small town library. It was the only library I knew and I looked forward to our trips so I could check out as many books as possible (usually 15-20) despite the librarians  disapproval saying I could never finish that many books in 3 weeks (I did). I had a special bag that I kept all of my library books in and I went home and began devouring them one after the other sometimes staying up all night long reading (I wonder if my mom knew).

Then many years later I moved away from my small town and for the last three years my libraries have looked like this:

I've become accustomed to not only being surround by physically beautiful libraries but also having access to millions of books. So when I left these millions of volumes and returned to my small hometown in rural Nevada I have been nothing but disappointed by the library. 

My visits to the library go something like this: I make a list of books, check the computer to see if they're available (most the library computer has never even heard of the books I want), a few times the book is available, I excitedly go and look for the book, it's not where it's suppose to be. I ask and get a response inquiring about my alphabetizing skills, and then I leave disappointed and annoyed. (And many of their audio books are on cassettes). 

I've put in requests for books which takes weeks and the library has no WIFI *gasp* I was shocked with I learned this. Where do you go to work? Where do you go to write in a quiet space? Seemingly I have become accustomed to much grander libraries and my beloved childhood library now serves as a source of disappointment.

Sadly, all of this led to the discovery that I am library snob. 

Flash Back Friday: The O.J. Simpson Trial...

Hosted by Lovely Little Shelf

Yes, you read the title correctly the O.J. Simpson trial. Which I realize is probably not among most peoples childhood reading favorites, but for me it was. My entire life I wanted to be a lawyer (and I'll be honest I still haven't fully given up on that thought) and because of this desire I loved reading about and studying the legal and judicial system (I was a strange kid). The murders happened the Summer before 4th grade for me in 1994, and the trial and verdict took place during my 5th grade year. I actively followed the case and can clearly remember watching the verdict read live on TV.

After the trial and verdict the books surrounding the case began to be published and I eagerly started my collection as I read books by Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden (the D.A.s), a book about O.J. Simpson's "Dream Team" a book written by an investigator, and a book written by the family of Ron Goldman. I also had a book that served as an education tool that had a glossary of terms which I studied and included forms that the jury and the judges and lawyers would have filled out during the trial. 

I even bought O.J. Simpson's first book, although even in the 6th grade this caused me pause and question whether I wanted to own his book. In the end I bought it for two reasons: 1) It was in the bargain bin for $3 and 2) I decided that any good lawyer should be willing to read both sides (I took these things very seriously). 

I also wrote my first research paper on the O.J. Simpson trial in the 6th grade. While all of my classmates browsed the internet and library for resources I simply brought my own collection to school.

I'm not entirely sure what my mom thought of my fascination with the trial and my requests for these books for christmas and birthday presents (I'll have to ask her) or my teachers for that matter, but the trial and these books were very much a part of my childhood reading experience in 5th and 6th grade. 

My O.J. Simpson trial book collection

Musing Mondays: What are you reading?

 This week’s musing is going to be a bit simpler…

What are you currently reading? Would you recommend it to others? Is it part of a series (if so, which one)? What are you thinking about it? What book(s) would you compare it to, if any?

Hosted by Should Be Reading

I'm reading, A Long Walk to Freedom The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. I would without a doubt recommend the book to others. It's an insightful look at a man who dedicated his life working towards justice in South Africa. My knowledge of the apartheid in South Africa is sadly not what it should be and I'm using this book to as a first step to educating myself more about the situation. This is one of those books that I read with a pad of post-it notes next to me so I can mark the pages and passages that have quotes and statements I know I'll want to be able to find. 

In my opinion everyone should read this book, although I know that long autobiographies are not for everyone. 

What I read in June...

1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
2. Wildflower Bride by Mary Connealy
3. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
4. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
5. Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog: The Amazing Adventures of An Ordinary Women by Lisa Scottoline
6. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephanie Meyer
7. The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of A Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx
8. When Chicago Ruled Baseball: The Cubs-White Sox World Series of 1906 by Bernard A. Weisberger
9. March by Geraldine Brooks
10. Orange is the New Black: My Year in A Women's Prison by Piper Kerman
11. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
12. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
13. The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald
14. Snow Apples by Mary Razzell

Musing Mondays: Hype...

This week’s musing asks…

What do you think of books that receive a lot of hype?(think of the “Twilight” saga, or “Harry Potter”, or “The Da Vinci Code”). Do you read them? Why, or why not?

Hosted by Should Be Reading

Well, initially I try to resist books that receive a lot of hype. The Harry Potter Books for example I REFUSED to pick up a book, REFUSED to see a movie because it was all just too big and crazy and I wanted no part of that. Then... the summer of 2007 arrived. I had just graduated from college and my husband and I were living with my In-laws until moving east for graduate school. I was bored, my mother-in-law has a ton of books so I tentatively picked up the first Harry Potter and then I was hooked. I proceeded to quickly read the next three and then as my husband and I were driving across the country to move I made him stop in Iowa because I needed to buy book #5. Then I read #6 and #7.  The rest is Harry Potter history. I own all the books, I eagerly await each of the movies. I'm a huge Harry Potter nerd now. I just like to think that by waiting until 2007 to start the books I never had to wait for the next book to be written I could just go get the next one and read one right after the other. 

The same thing happened with Twilight. I was bored one summer (they had all been written) I picked them up and read all of them in a few days. And what can I say I love Dan Brown even without any hype his are books I would read. So I suppose I try to resist but in the end I can't. I'm a lover of books and I suppose I really should just stop trying to resist hype and just go with it. 

Musing Mondays: Favorite Genres...

 This week’s musing asks:

Name your top 2-3 favorite genres (the ones you read most from).

Musing Mondays is hosted by Should be Reading. 

I read a lot of nonfiction. Mostly memoirs and autobiographies. I love reading about the lives of people, the things they've overcome, the lessons they've learned. Most autobiographies give me hope that there really are good people in the world who are trying to do better. (I say most because not all autobiographies or memoirs follow that formula, like the Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx eek...). I also find that memoirs and autobiographies offer a lot of good material for sermons and I'm constantly on the lookout for sermon inspiration.

I also really enjoy legal thrillers like John Grisham and Lisa Scottoline. I spent most of my life wanting to be a lawyer and starting reading these authors in the fifth grade. Now I'm just hooked on these authors and will read anything they write.   

Finally,  I love dystopia and utopian genres but I haven't had much luck in finding large quantities of these books. But Books like 1984, Brave New World, The Giver, The Hunger Games are my personal favorites. If anyone knows of any books that fall into this category please point me in that direction. 

Review: When Chicago Ruled Baseball by Bernard A. Weisberger

The Book: When Chicago Ruled Baseball The Cubs-White Sox World Series of 1906 by Bernard Weisberger. (From Goodreads) In 1906, the baseball world saw something that had never been done. Two teams from the same city squared off against each other in an intracity World Series, pitting the heavily favored Cubs of the National League against the hardscrabble American League champion White Sox. Now, for its centennial anniversary, historian Bernard A. Weisberger tells the tale of a unique time in baseball, a unique time in America, and a time when Chicago was at the center of it all. 


What I Thought: I found this book sitting on a stack of books in my in-laws house and immediately started reading it mostly because I'm a huge Chicago Cubs fan. I loved this book. Weisberger recounts each of the six games in the 1906 series. However, the best part of the book for me were the pieces of history woven throughout the book. Weisberger includes information about the formation of both the Cubs and White Sox teams, information about the owners, uniforms, players, money situations, formation of leagues, and the ways information and play by plays about the games would be transmitted to others. (Did you know at one point it was suggested the uniform colors correspond with the players position i.e. all the catchers would wear blue, pitchers another color etc. So the players on the field would look like the rainbow. This idea was quickly eliminated but I found the suggestion hilarious. Rainbow colored uniforms haha). 


I will say one of the downsides in reading this book is not being familiar with the teams of 1906 (obviously). Weisberger does an amazing job recounting each of the games and he spends a chapter introducing each of the teams but it was still difficult to keep all of the names and players straight while going through the game chapters. However that is just a minor downfall and not a huge deal in the scheme of things, since all of the historical baseball facts more than makes up for it.


My Rating: B+


Overall a really well written, interesting, and fairly quick read. If your a baseball fan at all this book is well worth of the read. I loved learning about the logistics and history of baseball in the early years.