Synchronized Readings are a semi-regular feature Nicole and I run together every few months.
This month Nicole and I read Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot.
Here’s a rundown of all the posts I wrote up for the Synchronized Reading:
You can also head over to Nicole’s blog to see her posts:
Synchronized Readings are a semi-regular feature Nicole and I run together every few months.
Our current Synchronized Reading is Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot.
Charlotte, the narrator of Even in Paradise, spend a lot of the novel collecting mementos to mark important moments and things she wants to remember. All of her items go into a big toolbox that she calls her memory box.
When Nicole and I started thinking about something to talk about for our Sync Read of the book, we decided that it only made sense to mention mementos of our own.
Although I’m trying to get better about it, I save a lot of things. Sometimes things that I shouldn’t and sometimes things that are personally significant. I have a booklet I made to store tickets to movies, shows and concerts. I collect postcards.
I have a large box filled with cards I received over the years from my mom and various family members including aunts and uncles who have since died. These in particular have become very special to me in recent years as they are one of the few tangible memories I have for relatives I’ll never see again.
When I was younger I acquired quite a few seashells and precious stone nuggets during trips to South Street Seaport as well as sea glass from a beach trip. One of my prized possessions remains an actual mother of pearl shell that I found myself at the beach.
I also collect keychains and decks of playing cards from places I have been (and from places friends have been too!). Nicole gave me an “I *heart* Darcy” keychain from her trip to London and I haven’t taken it off my keys since. Another special one is a wooden kokeshi style doll from my mom that I’ve kept on my keys at all times since 2009.
The last thing I really actively try to save from special places is pressed pennies. Places like Disney World have lots of machines with different designs you can press into a penny as it flattens. Sometimes you’ll also come across them at random places–a souvenir shop in Times Square, a Rainforest Cafe in New Jersey, the Sanrio Store. This is the hardest memento to get because it requires forward planning in the form of a penny and some quarters on your person (pressed pennies usually cost fifty cents) but it’s also something I really enjoy saving. I have pennies from Disney World, Los Angeles, and some New York specific ones among others.
No matter what the item, I’m able to look at these things fondly–with a little bit of joy even–as I remember when I acquired them and what they meant to me.
What are some special mementos that you have saved over the years?
Synchronized Reading returns! This time Nicole and I will be reading Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot.
Be sure to check here this week and also check out Nicole’s blog to get the full reading picture! In addition to posts about the book and review we will also both be interviewing Chelsey Philpot this week.
Nicole and I were both super excited to get this book at BEA last year even though it wound up sitting on both of our shelves for quite some time. When we were thinking about our next Synchronized reading it felt like the perfect time to pick up this one.
In summary: Nicole and I will be reading Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot. We will be blogging about it. It will be awesome.
You, too, can read Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot as it is now.
Synchronized Readings are a semi-regular feature The Book Bandit and I will be running together every few months.
This month Nicole and I read Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst.
Here’s a rundown of all the posts I wrote up for the Synchronized Reading:
You can also head over to Nicole’s blog to see her posts:
Synchronized Readings are a semi-regular feature The Book Bandit and I will be running together every few months.
Our current Synchronized Reading is Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst.
Once we knew that Chasing Power was about a girl with telekinesis and a teleporting boy, Nicole and I knew we wanted to talk about what power we would want for ourselves.
I don’t know if it’s because I am a big fan of fantasy, but I spend a lot of time thinking about which super power I want. Flying is out because I’m afraid of heights. Teleporting could be cool because it would make traveling a lot easier but at the same time I sometimes like the chance to meander or read on my commute (though recently my commute has been getting me down so I have to say this one has become more and more appealing).
But one I come back to more often than most is the ability to control time. I don’t mean time travel because that would be a mess. I don’t really want to stop time on a global scale because that’s just asking for trouble and could lead to being kidnapped by a super villain.
What I really want to do is be able to step out of time. Just leave and be in my own little bubble where I could get stuff done whether that means reading a book or making Christmas gifts or whatever. I’d really like to just take a step back and have time stop for me so no one would notice me missing (and maybe I’d only be gone for a minute or two even if I really step away for a few hours?) so I could get more stuff done.
Thinking about it now I realize this power could lead to problems where I would age prematurely. Perhaps I could just use this power really responsibly? Or maybe as a secondary power I would also not age while stepping out of time?
Obviously there are still a lot things to work if this power ever becomes a reality. For now maybe I should just settle on the power of speed reading?
Actually, forget everything I just said. I recently did a guest post for Andi’s Parallel Time Loop about Pivot Point. And I have to say thinking about Addie’s ability to see how different decisions will change her future, I’m pretty tempted to make that choice. I feel like it could be just as dangerous as controlling time or time travel but I really like the idea of always knowing what’s coming.
What power would you want to have?
Synchronized Reading is back! This time Nicole and I will be reading Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst.
Be sure to check here this week and also check out Nicole’s blog to get the full reading picture! In addition to posts about the book and review we will also both be interviewing Sarah Beth Durst this week.
Nicole and I were both super excited to chat with Sarah a bit at BEA this year and also to get shiny ARCs of her newest book so of course it was an obvious choice for our next Synchronized Reading.
As is tradition now I also had a manicure to match the cover:
In summary: Nicole and I will be reading Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst. We will be blogging about it. It will be awesome. You, too, can read Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst as it is now.
Synchronized Readings are a semi-regular feature The Book Bandit and I will be running together every few months.
This month Nicole and I read Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma.
Here’s a rundown of all the posts I wrote up for the Synchronized Reading:
You can also head over to Nicole’s blog to see her posts:
I’m also giving away a copy of Imaginary Girls. Details here!
Synchronized Readings are a semi-regular feature The Book Bandit and I will be running together every few months.
Our current Synchronized Reading is Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma.
Since the mythical town of Olive plays such a big role in Imaginary Girls, we decided a fun post for this Synchronized Reading would be one on local legends.
Now, you would think I would have a lot since New York City is filled with cool and historically significant places.
What I do have instead of a pile of urban legends, are building that I am constantly drawn to.
One of them is my local library: Jefferson Market. This branch is where my library career started when I was in high school. It’s where I got my first library card. It’s where I spent many a summer day picking up books for me and (mystery) books for my mom.
I also have some fun facts about this building including that, contrary to popular belief, the building was never a church. Instead it was a courthouse where Mae West infamously appeared during the “lady on the swing” court case. The garden next to the library used to be a women’s house of detention as featured in David Duchovny’s film “House of D.”
There aren’t a lot of rumors about the library being haunted. But with that kind of energy, you do wonder. In a fit of peer induced hysteria myself and two fellow pages managed to convince ourselves that we saw a ghost or some kind of unnatural presences in the reference room in the basement. Now, years later, I’m comfortable saying that probably wasn’t true. But I also still don’t like being in the references room. So you can draw your own conclusions.
The other building that I refer more than any other is the Flatiron Building. It is my mom’s favorite building (possibly mine as well although I also quite like the Chrysler Building). It is probably the building I photograph most when I am wandering the city.
The building has a unique shape (reminiscent of an old-time flatiron) thanks in part to the nature of real estate in New York City. It was one of the city’s first skyscrapers and even created a wind tunnel when it was first built.
As far as I know there aren’t any ghosts in residences but with so many occupants coming and going, who can really say?
Speaking of spooky stories in libraries, I recently learned that my new place of employ, Brooklyn’s Central Library, has a local legend of its own. (True story, this was the second thing I learned on my first day at the new job. It’s that important!)
Let me direct you now to the story of Agatha Cunningham who disappeared on her school’s trip to the library in 1977: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSO946WWjSY
You may be thinking, surely this can’t be real. And, being the age of the Internet, you might find articles online debunking this story. Then again, you might also find people disputing the reality of the tree octopus.
I’ll leave you all to draw your own conclusions (as long as that conclusion is that Brooklyn Public Library did not in fact lose a child in the lower decks and instead helped some very talented teens make a documentary about it).
Synchronized Reading is back! This time Nicole and I will be reading Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma.
Be sure to check here this week and also check out Nicole’s blog to get the full reading picture! I’ll also be running an interview with Nova. And you might want to check her blog out since this week also marked the third anniversary of the publication of Imaginary Girls.
I can’t remember everyone on the panel, but I saw Nova talking about Imaginary Girls shortly after its release at Books of Wonder during one of the first book events I attended (with Nicole obvs) so it feels a bit like coming full circle to be talking about the book here.
As is tradition now I also had a manicure to match the cover:
In summary: Nicole and I will be reading Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma together. We will be blogging about it. It will be awesome. You, too, can read Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma as it is now out in both hardcover and paperback.
I’m also giving away a copy of Imaginary Girls. Details here!
Synchronized Readings are a semi-regular feature The Book Bandit and I will be running together every few months.
This month Nicole and I read Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando.
Here’s a rundown of all the posts I wrote up for the Synchronized Reading:
You can also head over to Nicole’s blog to see her posts:
Miss Print 