The Armchair Librarians: Hit us with your best shot

Jana and I are going to record an interactive episode next week that includes questions from you about books, reading, or anything else you've heard us talk about when we go off the rails. If you have a question or topic you'd like us to spend a few minutes on, please leave it in the comments below. 

Yesterday's episode was us talking about movie adaptations of books. Next week we'll be discussing Side Effects May Vary and a little of Dumplin' by Julie Murphy. 

Interspersed between general topics, we will have episodes that focus on particular books. If you like to read along, in a few weeks we'll be discussing How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz and sometime this summer we'll be discussing The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney and Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

The Armchair Librarians Podcast with Jana of Jana Says & me...episodes release most Thursdays

Visit our website for episodes:
The Armchair Librarian

Searchable on iTunes or click here: 
http://thearmchairlibrarians.libsyn.com/podcast

Can you be a podcaster and not listen to podcasts?

If you're me, you can. I listened to Serial because who could resist the siren song of Adnan's story, but other than that I've turned most podcasts off after a while. Frankly, I'd rather write or read than listen in my spare time. 

I have never done a video blog (vlog for those not in the biz) and am never planning to do a video blog because 1) I don't really like videos and 2) I am not really video friendly. I'm not a fashionista, I never blowdry my hair, and I might wear makeup once or twice a week if the world is lucky. I'm not knocking myself, but my appearance is honestly not at the top of things I think about unless I am unfortunate enough to see someone I haven't seen in a while when I am out in public looking like I just crawled out of the sewer where I was living for 37 days. 

I also never even considered doing a podcast because 1) I hate the sound of my voice when it's recorded and 2) What the hell would I even talk about and 3) I have no interest in working the technology and 4) I use like like a crutch and am pretty unapologetic about it. 

But I guess this podcast thing is a case of never say never, because here I am doing The Armchair Librarians with Jana. This is her baby, and she asked me to join her on it. I am pleasantly surprised at how much fun it is to record once a week, to just have 30 minutes to an hour to discuss one of my favorite things: books, reading, and all the things in between...we're not professionals and staying on course is not really our strong suit. Sometimes I forget we're recording. So thanks, Jana, for this. 

If you like reading and books and hearing friends talk about it, give The Armchair Librarians a go. I haven't listened, but I imagine it's like eavesdropping on a conversation, which let's be real all of us like to do. Jana and I met in college in 1995, lost touch for a while, were reunited through facebook, and happily found out that we both blog and read like our lives depended on it. 

How do you find this podcast? If you have a podcast app on your phone, it's searchable on iTunes. You can also find all the episodes on our website by clicking here. Jana usually puts a new episode up on Thursdays, which means one dropped yesterday. 

Before you listen ... the first four (five?) episodes have some hinky audio issues. And honestly, the audio will never be perfect. We're not in a studio. We're two women leading full lives approaching 40. Ain't nobody got time for a background perfectly devoid of noise. 

The Armchair Librarians Podcast with me & Jana of Jana Says...episodes release most Thursdays

Visit our website for episodes:
The Armchair Librarian

Searchable on iTunes or click here: 
http://thearmchairlibrarians.libsyn.com/podcast

If you already listen, thank you! Is there any general topic related to books or reading that you'd like us to cover, or a book you'd like us to read and discuss?

Not a podcast listener? Join us for book talk the second Tuesday of every month when we co-host Show Us Your Books. Do you like neither and want in on this in some way? We need a designer for a logo - the one we use now is not doing it for us. 

That'll do it for the week. 

LYLAS. 

Thursday Thoughts on April eve

1. Covenant House PA made that $100,000 goal I mentioned. Thank you again to those of you who pushed for that! We all have a no money down opportunity to help this week! Covenant House has been chosen as a finalist in the IKEA Life Improvement Challenge, which gives IKEA US co-workers the opportunity to nominate a local charity to win an IKEA makeover of a space that helps to improve the lives of others in the local community. Co-workers and customers vote for their favorite charity, and the winner receives an IKEA makeover to help them in the important work they do to improve the lives of others in the local community.  You have the opportunity to vote for a makeover of Covenant House's common space...I've been in it. It could use it. These kids deserve more. To vote, click here, then when prompted, choose to see the PA - Conshohocken Store Projects and vote for Covenant House PA. I mean, really...who better to win a Life Improvement Challenge than a place committed to improving the lives of kids that have been forgotten by others? Covenant House helps these kids build a future that includes self love and respect, honesty, and trust; productivity in school and in the workplace; and permanent housing that is not on the street. This is the space as it exists now:

2. So Operation Purge and Reconfigure the basement is moving along. Tuesday night I got a wild hair up my ass and rolled up the rug and moved a couch from one room to another by myself. Then MFD got home and started working with me and witnessed two to three hissy fits about the fucking TV from the land before time that is being removed by Sunday or...else. The wood tables are going too. Sorry for the shitty, dark photos, and it's not remotely done, but it's in progress and progress feels good. Top two when I started and bottom two when we called it a night.

3. Two places that have killed it for me customer service-wise recently: Zulily and Wayfair. Both have credited my account and advised me to donate the items that were not working for me, and they did it with a lot of niceness.

4. Last day of my birthday month. I still haven't gotten to Abe Fisher. I'm coming for you, delicious foods. I swear.

5. Heeeee.

6. Seen on the train platform this week:

7. Since we're on the subject of reading, I finished Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly and My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga this week. One about women tortured in the Ravensbruck camp in WWII and one about teenage suicide partners. Just a little light spring reading. Please pass the book with photos of baby animals and no words. Show Us Your Books is on Tuesday, April 12.

8. TGIAF.

9. Wear bracelets on weekdays and take picture proof, one of my spring goals, is on track...aside from Day 1, of course. I always fail on day 1 of something like this or a spending freeze. LOL. Instead of sharing all at once, I'll probably throw the pics for the past week in a Thursday Thoughts post like so.

10. E-card of the week...Tuesday morning a woman on the train was telling anyone who would listen that she had to come into work even though she has the flu...you are not that important, but you are now much hated by your fellow commuters. Stay home!

Linking up with Kristen and Gretch for What's New With You?

Show Us Your Books - What I Read in February

Seven days until my birthday and an entire day today devoted to reading about what you've been reading and going over my to be read list and requesting books from the library? Sounds like a perfectly crafted sandwich of joy to me. Except this week is the first Show Us Your Books that one of my favorite authors is no longer with us. Pat Conroy passed away on Friday. Lucky for us, he left behind a lot of treasures. 

Today would also be my Mom Mom's birthday. She's now been dead for longer than I had with her on earth, but she's such an intrinsic part of who I am that it feels like she's never left me. Probably because she hasn't. Fitting that her birthday is on International Women's Day. She's probably the strongest and most independent woman I have ever known.

And remember that podcast Jana dreamed up, The Armchair Librarians? Here's one of them. The first one. We're clearly not professionals, we're just friends talking about books. And while I had a cold, my voice always sucks on recording devices so I'm afraid it won't get much better. lolol 

Linkup Guidelines:

This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month.

The next one is Tuesday, April 12, 2016. 

1. Please visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me
2. Please display the button (need it? let me know) or link back to us on your blog post
2. Please visit a few other blogs who've linked up and get some book talk going!

Here's what I read since the last linkup. 

Engrossing Reads

Dodgers by Bill Beverly - I loved this book from beginning to end. It gave a glimpse into a life that's totally foreign to me - the criminal drug element and hierarchy of the streets. Beverly didn't go deep enough to overload you with info, but just far enough to make you realize it is a life with totally different rules that you can't even imagine. I loved the main character. I got an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Silent Girls by Eric Rickstad - I was hoping this was a series. I liked the police force and PI characters a lot. The story was twisted and there was a big ass twist at the end that I didn't see coming. Eric Rickstad, you should make a series around Frank Rath.

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver - I found this read emotional and moving. I was a little ragged and achy inside when I finished this. I don't know if it hit me at a good time or what, but the entire reading experience with the story and the words and all of it was beautiful. This is one of the things I really love about reading - the after feeling.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy - I read this beginning to end in less than 24 hours. I loved the story and messages in this book. I thought Willowdean was just the right combination of kickass and vulnerable and enjoyed the blossoming of her misfit friends. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Brutality (Fina Ludlow #3) by Ingrid Thoft - The third book in the Fina Ludlow series did not disappoint. I had to stay up until 1 a.m. on a work night to finish it. I think Fina is a kickass female lead character and if you like mystery thrillers, you might enjoy the Fina books.

Passed the Time Just Fine

My American Unhappiness by Dean Bakopoulos - Good writing, a little bit of skimming, and characters that interested me...even the ones I didn't like. The problem with going through the books of a newly discovered author close to each other is the comparison issue. I think I liked this story more than Summerlong, but the writing in Summerlong better.

Hard No

The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud - I read this whole book waiting for things to happen. Nothing did. It was good writing on misdirected anger and uselessness feeling and obsession...but if that was what it was going to be about, it didn't need to take that long.

Leaving Shangrila: The True Story of a Girl, Her Transformation and Her Eventual Escape by Isabelle Gecils - One of my problems with reading non fiction is that when I talk about it and things I don't like, I feel like I'm judging someone's life. I think when you write about your life, it's quite hard to see what might not be necessary to the story - you want to lay it all out there. Even if the reader doesn't need it all.

Non-bloggers, what have you read recently? Let me know what you recommend and what to stay away from. Bloggers, link up your posts below.

An InLinkz Link-up