Hannah’s Comments (group member since Mar 22, 2023)

Hannah’s comments from the Albany Public Library group.

Spencer wrote: "I finished 2 more before the end (Our Wives Under the Sea and Wild Milk) but came up short with 8 total I think. it was fun though, I'll try again next time. Thanks for organizing this! I hope to s..."

You're welcome! You did amazing for reaching 8, Spencer! 😎😎
Hope to see you again next year

You're welcome!

Also, heads up, we are getting low on our shirt supplies! It's first come, first serve time!

We are now in the Shirt War 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Hello everyone!

You may have heard about our Community Survey going around. If you haven't found it, I have the link below.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LNYF2FQ

We would greatly appreciate it if you completed one. It will help us in the future! Tell us how we are doing. How can we improve? What kind of program you would like to see?

Thank you everyone for joining and completing the Summer Reading Challenge!
I know it was quite the task to complete. But woohoo, you did it!
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

I'm so sorry, everyone! I forgot it was my turn to post last week! Chaos was brewing and executed. So, you will be getting two posts this week. The second will be up in the afternoon. You have your choice to post.

Here is the post you should have seen:

This (last) week’s theme is Giggle Central. Here is a reminder not to take yourself too seriously and take a break to laugh at the little things. A few comedies we are recommending are:



Here is a reminder that once you complete your challenge, (reading 10 books or 1,500 pages) we ask that you send the following information to our email, albanyreads@albanypubliclibrary.org:
- First and last name
- Library Branch to pick up your shirt AND a Stewart’s Ice Cream Coupon AND the pride that you have read all those pages!
- Your shirt size

Humorous Reading!

You are all amazing! I see we have a few completers or are just around the corner 😁

Don't worry if you are not close, we have 3 more weeks left! 🎉

Please email at albanyreads@albanypubliclibrary.org if you have completed, and we will get the branches to have your shirts ready for pickup!

Ahoy! And welcome to week…FIVE. This week's theme is Exploring the Seven Seas. The ocean is bigger, deeper and wider than the selection of Reading recommendations we have for you this week. Hopefully you survived Shark week because this week is Ocean Week!

These might not be beach reads, but do you know how much about eels we don’t know?



My favorite of this list is Tress of the Emerald Sea. It's a very cozy read with an unusual sea, but you don’t need to go far to find strange things in our seas. Please tell us more about how your summer challenge is going so far!

Adventurous Reading!

I'm glad everyone has been adding in suggestion or having finished up some titles!

Mirkat wrote: "Does a book that I finished yesterday (6/27) "count" for this challenge, or does it have to be today (6/28) forward?"

Counted!

Spencer wrote: "For me, 10 books in 8 weeks will be a challenging challenge.
I'm starting with Miranda July's latest - All Fours."

We believe in you, Spencer!

Erin wrote: "Is this all I need to do to sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge?"
Hi, Erin! Have you sent an email with the information we need?
If not, this is what I need to send to albanyreads@albanypubliclibrary.org:
- Name
- Preferred form of contact: email/phone
- Branch to send your shirt and size

Hello everyone! It's been busy on Thursday and Friday. But I have gotten to everyone's email who has sent them since last week. We are all set with registrations.
Finally, I know!

Abby wrote: "The website lists the dates as June 26 to Aug 24."
😂😂😂😂

Hello Everyone!

Welcome and thank you for joining us for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge!

If you would like to register, or still haven’t registered, please email us at: albanyreads@albanypubliclibrary.org

We need the following information:
- First and Last Name (So we can match names to prizes.)
- Your preferred library branch for pick up (We also haven’t mastered quantum teleportation yet)
- Your preferred contact info by email and/or phone (we will contact you when shirts are ready for pickup!)

Please introduce yourselves in the comments! Mention your favorite book so far or something cool about yourselves! We will introduce ourselves to you as well.

- Hannah, the North Albany’s Branch Manager. I am an avid manga/manhwa reader. I’m obsessing over this series called Solo Leveling. I am a cat lady in progress! I have two boys (who are cats): Major Cuteness and Smokey the Bandit.

- I’m Grace, I work at the Delaware Branch. Two of my favorite books are Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten. My cat's name is Toast, and her brother is called Beans. (I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast when I named my cats.)

- Emily, I work at the Howe branch. I like horror and fantasy novels, but I’ll branch out into other genres if someone recommends something great! One book that I have been really enjoying recently is Starling House by Alix E. Harrow. And, I have a fluffy white cat named Elroy.

Our starting theme this week is Staff Picks. Here are some of the books that library workers are and have been reading to give you a little inspiration for your summer reading. And yes, the many forms that books come in all count; physical books, audiobooks, and e-books! Libby and Hoopla are great sources for electronic access!

Now for some title recommendations:



Tell us about what books you are currently reading! I, Grace, a library worker, have read none of these but at the time of writing this my current read is Pockets by Hannah Carson.

Our theme is Choose Your Own Adventure. 😁

Get your reading selves ready for the Summer!

Welcome to all you first timers who are starting with us this Summer! Goodreads veterans, welcome back!

A little ‘how does this work’ for our new members:
- Starting the week of June 24th, we will have 8 weeks of Summer Reading where each week has a different theme and title recommendations.
- Everyone is open to talking about book titles and making their own recommendations.
- Last and certainly not least, having fun and making new book friends along the way!

Summer Reading Challenge is from Friday, June 28th to Friday, August 16th. The challenge is reading 10 books or 1,500 pages. The prizes are a T-shirt AND a Stewart’s Ice Cream Coupon! 😁

At the beginning and once you complete your challenge, we ask that you send the following information to our email, albanyreads@albanypubliclibrary.org.

In the email heading, you can type Goodreads SRC 2024
- First and last name (so staff can verify it is you!)
- Library Branch to pick up your shirt
- When you complete your challenge, we will ask for your size you would like

Please do not feel obligated to remember all this information. We will have reminders in the discussions as we are reaching the end of the challenge. Plus, we have all Summer! There's plenty of time!

We will see you all here again on the 26th.

Not all those who wander through the Summer Reading Challenge are lost. (A little spin from a Lord of the Rings quote 😎)

As we have reached the end of the Summer Reading Challenge this week, we hope that you all had fun and enjoyed your Summer! We will have an additional week for anyone who is away this week and will have the chance to pick up their shirts then. A reminder if you have finished, email us at albanyreads@albanypubliclibrary.org your shirt size and branch pick up.

I will have to say, it has been great to see everyone’s reading choices and your conversations! Side note: I do apologize for missing some questions. It’s my first time using Goodreads, and I am prepared for next year! I hope to see you all again!

What has been your favorite book you have read thus far? Mine would be Summertime Rendering. It’s a sci-fi thriller manga series where the male protagonist is stuck on a loop where when he dies he starts all over on the boat entering his home island. He is then trying to solve what the shadow things and figuring out who to trust. It’s great in my opinion! It’s also got an anime adaptation on Hulu.

Susan wrote: "This isn't really my genre, but I have a friend who teaches Folklore at West Virginia University, and she gets to read student research papers on all the creatures? beings? that are featured in the..."

Mothman is my favorite, too
I find myself sometimes buying little Cryptid pins or stickers 😂😂

Hello! I have returned! I have been away for two weeks of vacation! (I suggest everyone try it, it was great)

Now, we are almost at the end of the Summer Reading Challenge! Three more weeks!

First things first: Congratulations to those of you who have finished!! Elise and I will be reaching out to your chosen branches for your shirts this week. If you have yet to mention your pick up branch, please mention your branch preference in the comments or email us at albanyreads@albanypubliclibrary.org. Otherwise, I will email about your shirt’s readiness!

Shout out to Paul, Alicia, Ashley, Jody, Susan and Jaybee for completing the challenge! You have all the bragging rights! Woohoo!

I believe in everyone else to complete as well! If you have finished, don’t forget to comment below or email us!


Now back to this week’s topic!

This week is Heroes and Villains. I love this topic! It is a good action theme. We have the classics of Batman vs Joker, Clarice vs Hannibal, and Mario vs Bowser. The list could go on forever! What is your favorite hero and villain duo? I mean I read a lot of manga with that theme. There are tons of titles within this topic. My favorite duo are Ganta vs Shiro from this series called Deadman Wonderland, Vol. 1. It’s a horror/mystery vibe. I was about to go in deep to explain the series, but I decided to not do that to you all!

So yeah, who are your favorite characters?

Here’s this week’s recommendation:
The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History
Grim Vol. 1: Don't Fear The Reaper
West of Sundown Vol. 1: Out Beyond the Dust N' Dark (1)
Cryptid Club
The Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 1
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr
Squire
A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance, Vol. 1

ED wrote: "Today, I finished reading the book, Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey."

Marked your log, ED!