I love reading challenges, even though I never really seem to complete them.  It's just fun to think about what I could read this year and then track my progress (on the right sidebar of my blog).  If I don't complete them, I don't.  No stress.  Here are the ones I'm joining this year:



2019 Literary Escapes Challenge
Hosted By:  Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book
Goal:  Read books set in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C.  You get bonus points for each different country as well.  I got 38 states and 10 countries in 2018.  Let's see if I can beat that in 2019!
List:  I'm not going to make a list for this one, at least not until the middle of the year when I need to be more focused about finishing the challenge.


Pioneer Books Reading Challenge
Hosted By:  Pioneer Books in Provo, Utah
Goal:  Read from a list of prompts.  Complete all 44 prompts by the end of the year and you get a $50 gift certificate to the store.
List:  I can't find a printable version of the prompt list, but you can see it by going to the bookstore's Facebook page.  I'll post the prompts on my sidebar.


2019 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge
Hosted By:  Girl X0X0
Goal:  Read a book from a monthly prompt selected by the host.
List:  Here's what I'm thinking:

January—New to You Author:  The Gown by Jennifer Robson
February—Cover Love:  Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
March—Royalty, Kingdoms, Empires, Governments:   The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner
April—Crack the Case:  A Batter of Life and Death by Ellie Alexander
May—One Sitting Reads:  Because of the Rabbit by Cynthia Lord
June—Diversify Your Reading:  All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung
July—Through the Years:  The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
August—Mode of Transportation:  The Ocean Liner by Marius Gabriel
September—Animal, Number, Color, Name:  Woman 99 by Greer Macallister
October—Tricks and Trades—The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palombo
November—Seasons, Elements, and Weather—The Summer of Secrets by Barbara Hannay
December—Last Chance—Life Without Limits by Nic Vujicic


2019 Reading Challenge
Hosted By:  Linz the Bookworm
Goal:  Read as many books as you can from a selected set of categories in increasingly more challenging levels, although you don't have to read in any order.
List:  Again, I'm not going to pre-plan this one, at least not yet.  I'll keep track of categories I finish on my sidebar.

Happy New Year!  I always love the freshness of January 1, even when the previous year has been good to me, like 2018 was.  Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to a new year full of promise and potential.  I'm not going to make any blogging resolutions except that I'm going to try to read 200 books, which is a goal I would really like to fulfill one of these days.  Wish me luck!  What are your blogging/reading resolutions for 2019?  I'd love to know.

As far as my reading for 2018 went, I didn't discover a lot of really amazing books.  I read some good ones and I found several new authors to love, but 2018 still felt like kind of a humdrum reading year. Here's hoping 2019 brings some better reads my way.

2018 broke down this way:

Number of books by male authors:  12 (8%)
Number of books by multiple authors, female and male:  9 (6%)
Number of books by Latter-day Saint authors:  38 (26%)
Number of books read, personal collection:  41 (26%)
Number of books read, review copies:  63 (42%)
Number of books read, borrowed from library:  45 (30%)
Number of reading challenges joined:  3
Number of reading challenges completed:  0 (although I got closer than I ever have on reading a book from every state + Washington, D.C.)

Speaking of tracking where the books I read are set, here are the Top 3 states and the Top 3 countries I "visited" this year:

1.  New York (9)
2.  California (7)
3.  Massachusetts (5)

1.  The United States (85 + some that were in U.S. but didn't specify a state)
2.  England (21)
3.  Canada (4), Italy (4)

Observations:

- I'm reading fewer and fewer YA books every year.  I read mostly adult books in 2018, with a sprinkling of YA and more MG than usual.

- I'm doing better about reading books from the library, even though I feel like I spent A LOT more on books this year than I have in the past.  It's an addiction!

- I need to read more books by male authors.

How did your reading year turn out?

Thanks for making 2018 another great blogging year for me!  I truly appreciate you taking the time out of your busy lives to visit my little corner of the book blogosphere, leave comments, and give me reading recommendations.  Chatting with like-minded people about my love of books/reading just makes me happy.  I hope you'll come by BBB even more often in 2019.  Here's to an awesome reading year ahead!

Just for my records, here are the books I read in 2018:

• 149. THE BOOK OF MORMON BY VARIOUS AUTHORS* (DEC)
• 148. HOPE WAS HERE BY JOAN BAUER (DEC)
• 147. THE LIBRARY BOOK BY SUSAN ORLEAN (DEC)
• 146. FREEFALL BY JESSICA BARRY (DEC)
• 145. THE MIDWIFE OF HOPE RIVER BY PATRICIA HARMAN (DEC)
• 144. THE PINT OF NO RETURN BY ELLIE ALEXANDER (DEC)
• 143. THE INVITED BY JENNIFER MCMAHON (DEC)
• 142. CARRIED BY MICHELLE SCHMIDT (NOV)
• 141. THE GOOD LIAR BY CATHERINE MCKENZIE (NOV)
• 140. CHRISTMAS BY ACCIDENT BY CAMRON WRIGHT (NOV)
• 139. HEART LAND BY KIMBERLY STUART (NOV)
• 138. NINE PERFECT STRANGERS BY LIANE MORIARTY (NOV)
• 137. I REMEMBER YOU BY HOLLY SCHINDLER (NOV)
• 136. LITTLE PRETTY THINGS BY LORI RADER-DAY (NOV)
• 135. THE DAY I DIED BY LORI RADER-DAY (NOV)
• 134. THE POACHER'S SON BY PAUL DOIRON (NOV)
• 133. THE TRUTH ABOUT MISS ASHBOURNE BY JOANNA BARKER* (NOV)
• 132. UNDER A DARK SKY BY LORI RADER-DAY (NOV)
• 131. WEDDING BELLES BY MELANIE JACOBSON, BECCA WILHITE, BRITTANY LARSON, AND JENNY PROCTOR (NOV)
• 130. A BORROWING OF BONES BY PAULA MUNIER (NOV)
• 129. THE RUIN BY DERVLA MCTIERNAN* (NOV)
• 128. THE GLASS OCEAN BY BEATRIZ WILLIAMS, LAUREN WILLIG, AND KAREN WHITE* (OCT)
• 127. FRONT DESK BY KELLY YANG (OCT)
• 126. BURYING THE HONEYSUCKLE GIRLS BY EMILY CARPENTER (OCT)
• 125. A CHRISTMAS COURTING BY VARIOUS AUTHORS (OCT)
• 124. SOLD ON A MONDAY BY KRISTINA MCMORRIS* (OCT)
• 123. THE STABLE MASTER'S DAUGHTER BY SARA CARDON (OCT)
• 122. THE WITCH OF WILLOW HALL BY HESTER FOX* (OCT)
• 121. THE COLLECTOR'S APPRENTICE BY B.A. SHAPIRO (OCT)
• 120. SQUINT BY CHAD MORRIS AND SHELLY BROWN (OCT)
• 119. THE GIRL WITH SEVEN NAMES: ESCAPE FROM NORTH KOREA BY HYEONSEO LEE (OCT)
• 118. SEVEN DAYS OF US BY FRANCESCA HORNAK (OCT)
• 117. I AM STILL ALIVE BY KATE ALICE MARSHALL (OCT)
• 116. LEAVE NO TRACE BY MINDY MEJIA* (SEP)
• 115. PROMISES AND PRIMROSES BY JOSI S. KILPACK (SEP)
• 114. LOVE UNSCRIPTED BY TIFFANY ODEKIRK (SEP)
• 113. RAPTURE OF THE DEEP BY L.A. MEYER* (SEP)
• 112. THE WEIGHT OF LIES BY EMILY CARPENTER (SEP)
• 111. EVERY SINGLE SECRET BY EMILY CARPENTER (SEP)
• 110. PROMISE TO RETURN BY ELIZABETH BYLER YOUNTS (SEP)
• 109. IN THE SHADOW OF LAKECREST BY ELIZABETH BLACKWELL (SEP)
• 108. SAINTS BY VARIOUS AUTHORS* (SEP)
• 107. RESISTANCE BY JENNIFER A. NIELSEN (SEP)
• 106. THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE BY LAURIE R. KING (SEP)
• 105. SLAVE STEALERS BY TIMOTHY BALLARD (SEP)
• 104. MURDER ON ASTOR PLACE BY VICTORIA THOMPSON (SEP)
• 103. SADIE BY COURTNEY SUMMERS (AUG)
• 102. THE LOST GIRLS BY HEATHER YOUNG (AUG)
• 101. THE HOUSE ON PRIMROSE POND BY YONA ZELDIS MCDONOUGH (AUG)
• 100. PLAIN GIRL BY VIRGINIA SORENSEN (AUG)
• 99. A STRANGER IN THE HOUSE BY SHARI LAPENA (AUG)
• 98. THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR BY SHARI LAPENA (AUG)
• 97. I KNOW YOU KNOW BY GILLY MACMILLAN (AUG)
• 96. WOMEN OF THE BLUE & GRAY BY MARIANNE MONSON (AUG)
• 95. TILT-A-WHIRL BY CHRIS GRABENSTEIN (AUG)
• 94. FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER BY E.L. KONIGSBURG (AUG)
• 93. FIND NAMES FOR THE TEMPLE BY NICOLE DYER (JUL)
• 92. SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE BY LAURA BATES (JUL)
• 91. THE SOLACE OF WATER BY ELIZABETH BYLER YOUNTS* (JUL)
• 90. ON A COLD DARK SEA BY ELIZABETH BLACKWELL* (JUL)
• 89. THE GIRL WHO CAME HOME BY HAZEL GAYNOR (JUL)
• 88. AND SHE WAS BY ALISON GAYLIN (JUL)
• 87. THE FRENCH GIRL BY LEXIE ELLIOTT (JUL)
• 86. IF I DIE TONIGHT BY ALISON GAYLIN (JUL)
• 85. WITH YOU ALWAYS BY JODY HEDLUND (JUL)
• 84. THE WITCH ELM BY TANA FRENCH (JUL)
• 83. THE WINTER OVER BY MATTHEW IDEN (JUL)
• 82. THE CRAFTSMAN BY SHARON BOLTON* (JUN)
• 81. THE BOOK OF ESSIE BY MEGHAN MACLEAN WEIR (JUN)
• 80. OUR HOUSE BY LOUISE CANDLISH (JUN)
• 79. UNSHATTERED CAROL J. DECKER (JUN)
• 78. MISSING BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG (JUN)
• 77. DREAMS OF FALLING BY KAREN WHITE (JUN)
• 76. AFTERMATH BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG (JUN)
• 75. THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY BY RUTH WARE* (JUN)
• 74. THE BOOK OF UNKNOWN AMERICANS BY CRISTINA HENRIQUEZ (JUN)
• 73. THE ELIZAS BY SARA SHEPARD (JUN)
• 72. LITTLE BLOG ON THE PRAIRIE BY CATHLEEN DAVITT BELL (JUN)
• 71. LOVING LIEUTENANT LANCASTER BY SARAH M. EDEN (JUN)
• 70. SCANDAL ABOVE STAIRS BY JENNIFER ASHLEY (MAY)
• 69. DEVILS UNTO DUST BY EMMA BERQUIST* (MAY)
• 68. THE CLOCKMAKER'S DAUGHTER BY KATE MORTON (MAY)
• 67. PERFECT SET BY MELANIE JACOBSON (MAY)
• 66. BETWEEN EARTH AND SKY BY AMANDA SKENANDORE (MAY)
• 65. BONE ON BONE BY JULIA KELLER (MAY)
• 64. UNFORGETTABLE BY RONDA GIBB HINRICHSEN (MAY)
• 63. THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD BY DAVID LASKIN (MAY)
• 62. IF YOU FIND ME BY EMILY MURDOCH (MAY)
• 61. ABSOLUTE DARKNESS BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG (MAY)
• 60. BEYOND THE GREEN BY SHARLEE GLENN (MAY)
• 59. AL CAPONE THROWS ME A CURVE BY GENNIFER CHOLDENKO* (MAY)
• 58. CITY OF THE LOST BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG (MAY)
• 57. SCARLET BY JEN GEIGLE JOHNSON (MAY)
• 56. BLAME BY JEFF ABBOTT (MAY)
• 55. SUBMERGED BY DANI PETTREY (MAY)
• 54. A DEATH OF NO IMPORTANCE BY MARIA FREDERICKS (APR)
• 53. THE PATCHWORK BRIDE BY SANDRA DALLAS (APR)
• 52. STILL MINE BY AMY STUART (APR)
• 51. I LIKED MY LIFE BY ABBY FABIASCHI (APR)
• 50. THE SILVER SIX BY A.J. LIEBERMAN AND DARREN RAWLINGS (APR)
• 49. CLOSE TO HOME BY CARA HUNTER (APR)
• 48. NEVER THAT FAR BY CAROL LYNCH WILLIAMS (APR)
• 47. MY DEAREST ENEMY BY JENNIFER MOORE (APR)
• 46. THE DOLL FUNERAL BY KATE HAMER (APR)
• 45. THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT BY KATE HAMER (APR)
• 44. WORTH BY WENDY ELLISON (APR)
• 43. FLIGHT PATTERNS BY KAREN WHITE (APR)
• 42. THE WHOLE WORLD BY EMILY WINSLOW (MAR)
• 41. FINGERPRINTS OF PREVIOUS OWNERS BY REBECCA ENTEL (MAR)
• 40. THE OTHER MOTHER BY CAROL GOODMAN (MAR)
• 39. DREAD NATION BY JUSTINA IRELAND* (MAR)
• 38. OUTSHINE BY NICHOLE VAN (MAR)
• 37. BRUSH WITH LOVE BY LISA MCKENDRICK (MAR)
• 36. LIES JANE AUSTEN TOLD ME BY JULIE WRIGHT (MAR)
• 35. MY SISTER'S BONES BY NUALA ELLWOOD (MAR)
• 34. MEET YOUR BAKER BY ELLIE ALEXANDER (MAR)
• 33. SOMEONE ELSE'S LOVE STORY BY JOSHILYN JACKSON (MAR)
• 32. ISLAND OF SWEET PIES AND SOLDIERS BY SARA ACKERMAN (MAR)
• 31. IN A BLINK BY KIKI THORPE (MAR)
• 30. A SOUND AMONG THE TREES BY SUSAN MEISSNER (MAR)
• 29. THE BROKEN GIRLS BY SIMONE ST. JAMES (MAR)
• 28. FORCE OF NATURE BY JANE HARPER (FEB)
• 27. STARS OVER SUNSET BOULEVARD BY SUSAN MEISSNER (FEB)
• 26. CHECK ME OUT BY BECCA WILHITE* (FEB)
• 25. THE MEMORY THIEF BY BRYCE MOORE (FEB)
• 24. WRATH OF THE STORM BY JENNIFER A. NIELSEN (FEB)
• 23. RISE OF THE WOLF BY JENNIFER A. NIELSEN (FEB)
• 22. MARK OF THE THIEF BY JENNIFER A. NIELSEN (FEB)
• 21. THE QUEEN OF HEARTS BY KIMMERY MARTIN (FEB)
• 20. A GROWN-UP KIND OF PRETTY BY JOSHILYN JACKSON (FEB)
• 19. MUTANT BUNNY ISLAND BY OBERT SKYE (FEB)
• 18. UNDER LOCKER AND KEY BY ALLISON K. HYMAS (FEB)
• 17. MUSTACHES FOR MADDIE BY CHAD MORRIS AND SHELLY BROWN* (FEB)
• 16. TRULY DEVIOUS BY MAUREEN JOHNSON* (FEB)
• 15. THE DUMBEST IDEA EVER BY JIMMY GOWNLEY (FEB)
• 14. DEATH ON TAP BY ELLIE ALEXANDER (FEB)
• 13. THE FISHERMAN'S DAUGHTER BY MELINDA SUE SANCHEZ (JAN)
• 12. THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL BY SHANNON AND DEAN HALE (JAN)
• 11. JUST BETWEEN US BY REBECCA DRAKE (JAN)
• 10. I SHALL BE NEAR TO YOU BY ERIN LINDSAY MCCABE (JAN)
• 9. KILLER LIBRARIAN BY MARY LOU KIRWIN (JAN)
• 8. THE EMPEROR'S OSTRICH BY JULIE BERRY (JAN)
• 7. PAPER CHAINS BY ELAINE VICKERS (JAN)
• 6. A PIECE OF THE WORLD BY CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE (JAN)
• 5. THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW BY A.J. FINN* (JAN)
• 4. HEART OF THE WEST BY CAROLYN TWEDE FRANK (JAN)
• 3. THE WOLVES OF WINTER BY TYRELL JOHNSON (JAN)
• 2. DEATH BELOW STAIRS BY JENNIFER ASHLEY* (JAN)
• 1. THE HOUSE BETWEEN TIDES BY SARAH MAINE* (JAN)

On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who?

Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.

In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.

Along the way, Orlean introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and present—from Mary Foy, who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the head of the Los Angeles Public Library at a time when men still dominated the role, to Dr. C.J.K. Jones, a pastor, citrus farmer, and polymath known as “The Human Encyclopedia” who roamed the library dispensing information; from Charles Lummis, a wildly eccentric journalist and adventurer who was determined to make the L.A. library one of the best in the world, to the current staff, who do heroic work every day to ensure that their institution remains a vital part of the city it serves.


I love libraries and books about libraries and books about books, so naturally I was excited to read this one.  Orleans' examination of the devastating fire and her ruminations about books/reading in general are fascinating, but The Library Book still got dull for me in places.  It made for such slow reading that I actually put the volume down several times.  In the end, I enjoyed the read overall, but I didn't love it like I thought I would.  Bummer.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated: