My 500th Book

Good day friends!

I’ve been using Goodreads for a long time now. Since 2014 according to my profile. And while I’m well aware that many of the books I read when I was a kid aren’t on there, nearly everything I’ve read in my adult life is. And today. Well. Today I hit a milestone.

I’ve read my 500th book.

To those of you who regularly read 200 books a year that might not seem like such a big deal. But whatever, I’m in to numbers and this is a fun one.

So what was it? The 500th book? I’m glad you asked. Drumroll please!!!

I’m a Library Cheater

It’s time to come clean with you guys. I’m doing something that’s so terrible, so horrible that I might have to have my librarian status revoked. Seriously, you will not be able to believe what a terrible person I am. So prepare yourself. Take a deep break. Okay.

I’m cheating on my local library. *gasp*

I know! I know!!! What kind of monster am I?

It gets worse. I’m using a serious loophole in the system to use multiple libraries. Eek.

So here’s the deal. We moved back to my hometown in March, literally in the first week of the Covid outbreak here in Texas. We’re in a major metropolitan area, but the suburb I’m living in operates its own library. Its own small library. Much, MUCH smaller than the big city library my previous town was in a consortium with. What can I say? I’m a spoiled brat.

Discussion: Staying Positive

I had another discussion post, but I deleted it. Because you know what the world doesn’t need? More negativity. More ranting. More soapboxes.

It’s been a rough year. COVID. Race relations. LGBTQ rights. There have been some great things, some celebrations, but overall I think we can all agree the last few months have been HARD. We’ve been lonely, afraid, hurting. There’s been so much, how could you even summarize it in a sentence? 2020 has been a total dumpster fire.

But life keeps going. We keep living. And to make it through, we HAVE to stay positive. We have to focus on those victories. So here are a few of mine from the last few months:

• I finished my last grad school class with a 4.0.
• I passed my librarian certification exam.
• We moved to a beautiful new house in the city I work in.
• No commute!
• I read some FABULOUS middle grade books that are reminding me of the goodness of humanity.
• Speaking of books, re-reading the Daevabad books, and THEY ARE SO GOOD!!!!
• I was brave enough to talk to my brother about my religion, and he doesn’t hate me.
• My kids are beautiful and getting smarter every day. They love Narwhal and Jelly.
• My husband and I re-discovered The New Girl and aaaalllll of the amazingness that is Nick.

What’s keeping you going? What joys and celebrations have you had the last few months? Let’s talk about it in the comments.

Love you guys.

Summer Reading: Goodbye Genre-Rotation!

Summer is almost here! I can literally smell it when I go outside. More to the point, when my kids go outside and come in all stinky, lol. As always, I’m very much looking forward to summer vacation. While I can’t say I’ll have more time to read than I do now (gee, thanks COVID), at the very least I won’t have the stress of trying to work from home.

Typically during summer vacation I try to read at least 100 pages every day. That’s a goal I would like to set for myself this year as well. I usually read a YA series that is beloved by I never got around to. I was planning on reading Cinder by Marissa Meyer, but I don’t know, I’m just not really feeling it. Maybe once summer kicks in I’ll feel more motivated, lol. I also usually try to tackle a couple of the longer books on my tbr. Last year I’d planned to read both Dune and Lonesome Dove, but found myself overwhelmed by taking three classes (because I’m an idiot). I tackled Dune in April, but Lonesome Dove is definitely on the docket for this summer. Also maybe The Rise and Fall of the D.O.D.O?

Since this is my first summer as a librarian I’ve also got a LONG list of middle-grade books to read. I’m thinking of set a one MG book a week goal? I don’t know, then I won’t get to them all. We’ll see where it goes. I live in Texas, so I’ll be reading my way through this year’s Bluebonnet Nominees. I’m really excited about A Wolf Called Wander and Charlie Hernandez & the League of Shadows. Also, children’s librarians, can you BELIEVE that The Strangers will be my first ever Margaret Pearson Haddix book??? I know, I KNOW.

But I think what I’m really looking forward to this summer is throwing my genre rotation out the window. Life is so ridiculous right now, things are so stressful, it just makes picking a book even harder. I’m a libra, I can barely make a decision on a good day, y’all. Add COVID in and I just can’t. Forcing myself to read in a particular genre only makes that harder.

3 Year Blogoversary!

Happy (late) Blogoversary to me!

I missed by Blog Birthday completely because someone May is already halfway effing over. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but the first six weeks of stay-at-home issues dragged by, so I’m not sure where the last two weeks went. How did they blow by so fast? Anyway, thankfully The Orangutan Librarian (who I adore, btw) mentioned in her blogoversary post that we are blog birthday buddies and reminded me that it is, in fact, halfway through the month. Thanks friend!

Things are a little different here on Never Not Reading than when I started. Boy, how my life has changed. I’m at my fourth job since I started the blog, and starting a new career as a librarian. I am NOT reading anyone else’s blogs, which I hate but will hopefully change in the next week or so. I’m reading a lot more variety.

And, let’s be honest, I’m running out of blogging steam.

Moving Week!

Short life update!

I am not here with my usual discussion post this week because the time has come. We are FINALLY moving!

As I’m scheduling my posts for the week, it is Sunday night. We are all healthy at this time, and moving day is scheduled for Wednesday. Due to potential bad weather we don’t know for sure what day moving day will be. I’m so excited. Those of you that know me this has been in progress since September. Yes, September. I’m so excited to finally be moving just down the street from my dream job which, by the way, I am loving. I’m moving back to my hometown, for the first time in three years I don’t have a commute, and I am over the moon.

But packing has been a lot, especially since my husband and I both work in places affected by Covid-19. So my mental energy isn’t here for my usual discussion post. Stay healthy my friends, and stay calm.

New Year, Back to Blogging

(I hope…)

It’s 2020!!!!!!

Oh my gosh, you guys, I am SO EXCITED for this year. Good things are coming, I can just feel it. I’ve still got a lot of things going on, but the end is in sight, and good things are already happening for me.

So. I haven’t been around much. As I was making my 2019 in Review post, I had to go through and look at what I’ve actually written since August, and it is literally nothing but reviews. Which is fine, reviews are why I got into blogging in the first place! But I think we can all agree that there are lots more fun posts out there that we want to write and read.

In addition, I have NOT been reading y’all’s posts. It breaks my heart. Truly. My tbr has also suffered. It’s down below 80, if you can believe it. Unheard of. Unfortunately that is likely to continue at least for five more months as I finish my last semester of classes. But starting this summer I fully intend to be BACK! I want to read, comment, like, subscribe, ALL THE THINGS! Find new blogging friends that I’ve been missing because I have my head in the sand. It’s going to be so fun!

2019 in Review

I think I speak for everyone when I say THANK GOD 2019 IS OVER. Golly, this has been a stressful and difficult year for me, to say nothing of the state of the social internet. But I’m so excited about 2020 and what it’s going to bring for me professionally, personally, and as a blogger.

It’s been an interesting year for me here at my third year at Never Not Reading. I set an all-time personal record, reading 74 books this year (mostly thanks to my children’s and young adult literature class). I “discovered” graphic novels and non-fiction. But I haven’t been blogging much. Non-review posts have basically dropped off my blog altogether this semester, and my bookstagram has come to a screeching halt a whopping three times this year. So the blog has had its ups and downs.

So thanks, y’all, for reading. This community is so amazing and supportive, and I love every one of y’all.

So! Let’s get to wrapping this year up!

Top 10 of 2019

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See full post here.

My Decade in Books

As I think back on the last 10 years my life looks SO different. Things have *not* gone according to plan (when do they ever?), and I don’t think the person I was in 2010 would recognize me. But the one thing that has remained a constant? Books. Books books books. Though my reading tastes and styles have changed, my love of books stays the same.

Before I jump into the books though, can I give you some personals? Since January 1, 2010 I have:

• Gotten engaged, then married
• Graduated college
• Worked in retail, as a barista, bookseller, substitute teacher, band director, 4th/5th grade teacher, and am now starting as a librarian
• Had two kids
• Bought two houses
• Started graduate school
• Buried a kitten
• Adopted a cat and a dog
• Joined, fell in love with, then mourned Pottermore
• Started a book blog

Man, to think that in 2010 I was only a junior in college. How life has changed!

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Okay, I haven’t changed *that* much…

FINALLY a Librarian!

FRIENDS!!!!!

So I mentioned about a month ago that back in September I was offered my dream job as a librarian at my elementary school. However, as a teacher I am under contract, and was waiting for my school district to hire someone to replace me (IF they could find someone…). Well! This past week they finally released me from my contract.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday is my last day! Then on Friday I get to have a get-to-know-you day at my new school. My official first day won’t be until after Christmas, but I get to go to a sing-along and a club day and meet the kids and the teachers.

I. AM. SO. EXCITED.

I’m also so nervous. I got this job mainly on passion, but I’ve never actually worked in a library, and the library and information science degree gives you shockingly little preparation for practical things like, you know, software. Thankfully there are a ton of other librarians in the district, and I think one of them might show me around on the first day and help with with POs and things like that. But still. NERVOUS.