It’s National Book Lovers Day. What are you doing today?
So far I’ve visited my indie bookstore to buy a favorite picture book (Big Enough by Regina Linke), stopped at my local public library to pick up books for my son and me (he had a hold list of about twenty-five manga titles that he’s taking camping next week), and read (Slither: How Nature’s Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World by Stephen S. Hall).
I’ll also squeeze in time to stare at my bookshelves.
Whether I’ve been in the queue for months or just a few days, the notification that my audiobook has arrived makes me super happy.
Yesterday morning the audiobook of James by Percival Everett popped up.
And yesterday afternoon I picked up volume 13 of Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo.
I am happy.
In recent weeks, I’ve been able to get uninterrupted audiobook time during projects at work (the day after Onyx Storm hit shelves and my months-long hold for the audiobook queued that morning) and activities at home that only require movement and not necessarily brainwork. It’s always a bonus complimenting the traditional audiobook times like daily dog-walking that includes the audiobook, driving to and from work, folding laundry or doing dishes.
I have at least two audiobooks on my Libby and endless holds waiting to come in. Plus, I have a favorites list on Hoopla to pull from. They’re stacked just like my physical TBR.
Having a stretch of uninterrupted time in addition to the daily opportunities is a treat especially if my loans have become unruly or the task seems daunting without the extra distraction of being able to have my audiobook on.
Here is my last, current, and next audiobook queued.
Finally, the caboose to this best-of train are books written for adults. A treat and indulgence for a high school librarian like myself. It’s evident that I lean heavily into nonfiction but have been known to get sucked into a vivid fiction too. Oh, and comics.
At a recent fortieth birthday party, the conversation turned to audiobooks while we sat down to eat. This particular conversation included my husband, my cousin’s husband, my dad and myself.
If you had told me as a teenager that I’d be talking to my dad about audiobooks when I was an adult, I’d call you crazy. But here he is, a semi-retired technician who was gifted a pair of Shokz bone conduction headphones by my husband and me recently and all I hear from my mom is that he loves his headphones and that he’s basically always listening to an audiobook now. What someone can do with a little extra time and a good pair of headphones– listen to audiobooks of course.
My cousin’s husband is an avid reader and a collector of presidential biographies and autobiographies. He’s an audiobook listener now more than ever and that’s because of his audiobook subscription. What someone can do with a specialized interest and a subscription– listen to audiobooks of course.
My husband, a casual reader more of magazines and avid consumer of YouTube videos and podcasts about food, health, and fitness, is now incorporating audiobooks into his routine, generally on his drives each day for work. Yes, he still has his radio programs that he has to listen to, but when those aren’t on, he’s got an audiobook on deck. The last few he’s read included one that our sons are reading for English class and a series of books written by a commentator he’s regularly listened to for years. What someone can do with wanting to learn deeply about a topic (or connect with another person reading the same book) and a free library card– listen to audiobooks of course.
And here I am. A high school librarian who thought I’d never listen to an audiobook while working out and now almost exclusively listen to an audiobook on walks and runs, who listens to most books at 1.5x speed, who will listen to just about anything as an audiobook EXCEPT a book originally formatted as a comic or graphic novel, who uses audiobooks as a way to squeeze in more reading especially if it’s in the car, folding laundry, or baking. What someone can do with an endless TBR pile– listen to audiobooks of course.
Long live the audiobook.
It’s fitting to end this week of posts with books that feature a friendship. We all need friends in this world and these are some of my favorites.
My wish is that you enjoyed the collection of lists over the past month to find and use in your own classrooms, libraries, personal collections, and TBR piles. Happy summer!
Young adult can get downright dark and middle grade weaves in and out of serious topics, so where’s the funny? Here are a few favorites:
Dogs are the best. As mentioned in a previous post about books with animal companions, I promised I’d do a post specifically about dog companions because dogs are the best.
Pictured here is Baxter, our American Great Dane rescue who we’ve had for a little less than a year. Have I said it already? Dogs are the best.
Here are some favorites with dog companions.
Monday was the Youth Media Awards presentation in Baltimore, Maryland at the American Library Association’s LibLearnX (midwinter) conference. It is the yearly celebration of literature for children and teens. Committees work for a year or more to choose award winners in categories from the Sibert to Giesel to Odyssey to Alex. Don’t know what each of them is about? You can learn more on the website including watching the award ceremony or reading the press release for all of the honorees and winners.
I had the honor of being on the Alex Award through YALSA this year which meant we were reading loads of adult titles to find the best titles that have teen appeal. We create a top ten and will have a long list of an additional twenty titles. The long list will be published shortly. This meant that the ALA conference was extra special in being able to bond in person with most of the committee members (including sharing a meal while we made author calls followed by a champagne toast). Yet it’s also about learning. Over three days of programming, I learned a tremendous amount from librarians across the country whether it was in conversations, presentations, or in line. And there were the unique and inspiring speeches of the recipients of the I Love My Librarian award that kickstarted the event on Friday night amid a Baltimore surprise– snow!
While the librarian awards began the conference, the book awards ended the conference with the best bookends anyone could ask for. Sitting in the seats reserved for the committee, you’re surrounded by the other committees with their fun accessories (looking at you Odyssey with your matching white headphones) and cool slogans (read: “For the weird ones” on the back of the Printz tshirts) but I thought our Alex shirts, designed by a committee member and executed by another, were a cut above. Switching out the laurel for hot peppers, the tag line was “is this too spicy?” *chef’s kiss*
Whether watchers or listeners were in the room or across the country watching online, you could feels the vibrations of cheers near and far. It’s a special moment for the creators of these amazing stories. Without them, there would be no celebration. There’s a cacophony of excitement from their publishers and editors, their family, and anyone who read and loved their work.
It’s a magical, magical event. If you have the chance to be there live, do it. Or, you can be like one of my favorite colleagues and rally your elementary school in the gymnasium with their socks, and shirts, and posters rooting on their favorites several states away. Either way, cheers were heard near and far.
I love the week between Christmas and New Year not only because I have it off since I work in education, but because I get to read because it’s vacation. Plenty of audiobook listening when cleaning and organizing plus plenty of tea sipping print book time. So when I saw a blogger @epiblogue’s Instagram post:
I felt seen. It’s a fun series of ladies lounging and reading their books. This one was my favorite and yes, this is exactly what “that week between Christmas & NYE” looks like for me minus the extra thick frock and fan, however I do have a chaise and a book. Endless books. This week has included Duel by the Bagleys, Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession, and the Birth of the Lie Detector by Katwala, Ruptured by Rossmassler Fritz, Mascot by Waters and Sorrel, Crazy Food Truck by Ogaki, All the Fighting Parts by Sawyerr, Home Made: A Story of Grief, Groceries, Showing Up- and What We Make When We Make Dinner by Hauck, New Year’s Kiss by Matthews, The Shadow Prince by Durham, and 100 Unforgettable Dresses by Rubenstein.
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Readers Be Advised 