Albany Public Library discussion

Hi everyone, and welcome to Theme Week 6 of the Albany Public Library Summer Reading Challenge!

This week's theme is "Space Savers". Remember to comment with any books you have finished this week! We will keep track of them for you, and let you know if you have reached a prize level!

Here's a list of some slim "Space Savers" recommended reading curated by your local APL librarians! Happy reading!

Friday Black- Nana Kwame
Uncommon type : some stories- Tom Hanks
Fox 8: A story- George Saunders
Days of Awe- A.M. Homes
Sweet & Low- Nick White
Your Duck Is My Duck- Deborah Eisenberg
Heads of the Colored People- Nafissa Thompson-Spires
Her Body and Other Parties- Carmen Maria Machado
Sour Heart- Jenny Zhang
The Refugees- Viet Thanh Nguyen
You Think It, I'll Say It: Stories- Curtis Sittenfeld
Sharp Objects- Gillian Flynn

As I think I mentioned in the first week, the first book on this list Friday Black, is written by a UAlbany grad. It is short, but dense and sometimes gruesome, so may not be that quick of a read!

Because I did not post in previous weeks, I'm posting the books I've read between June 17 and today here, if that's okay. Please tell me if I should go back and post week by week instead.

6/29: The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
7/6: City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
7/20: The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
7/21: The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
7/21: Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo
7/22: The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion
7/28: Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance

Jaybee wrote: "Because I did not post in previous weeks, I'm posting the books I've read between June 17 and today here, if that's okay. Please tell me if I should go back and post week by week instead.

6/29: Th..."

I have added your books!
You have a Level 1 and Level 2 prize to pick up at your local APL branch

I was surprised that the digital copy of Eisenberg's was available so it's downloaded! I'll read it with a myriad of other titles this weekend when I do the Dewey Reverse Readathon. Anyone else doing it?

For space savers, I read

Fox 8: A story by George Saunders

This was such a perfect little story. I loved it.

I finished two fun novels that I thought would be on hold forever and both came in at the same time!

8. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
9. Normal People by Sally Rooney

Christine wrote: "I finished two fun novels that I thought would be on hold forever and both came in at the same time!

8. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
9. Normal People by Sally..."

I added your books!
You have a Level 3 prize to pick up at your APL branch.

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve updated my summer reads, but here’s what I’ve been up to:

The Overstory by Richard Powers. This is as excellent a story on human relationships and the interconnected web we all weave between each other as it is a story about the miracle of trees and the complex fragility and strength of nature (despite human indifference much of the time).

The City of Brass by S.A. Charkraborty. This otherworldly tale has many conventional elements that you’d see in western fantasy (almost Game of Thrones lite), but told through the lens of Middle Eastern mythology. A light read, but very entertaining.

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan. A quick, deep dive into how we’ve reshaped the hydrological nature of the Great Lakes, putting it into extreme peril with the slow takeover of native ecology by several invasive species.

For my "space saver," I've read Those Left Behind .

I added your books!

@ Mirkat you have a Level 1, 2 and 3 prize to pick up at your APL branch.

@Rich you have a Level 1 prize to pick up at your APL branch.

Hello. I have finished Love and Gelato By Jenna Welsh, Son by Lois Lowry, and American Sniper

This week I have read
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Talking to the Dead by Sylvia Watanabe
More Lesbian Etiquette by Gail Sausser
IN the Mecca by Gwendolyn Brooks

Finished In my mind’s eye by Jan Morris

Finished The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, a sweet, upbeat book. A good one to pull out after reading a number of gruesome and depressing books in a row.

I am not sure if I am doing this right.
I am listing books, I have read this summer so far.
State Secrets by Linda Lael Miller
Tall Dark ... Westmoreland by Brenda Jackson
Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen by Sarah Bird
Forged in Desire by Brenda Jackson
Greed by Victoria Christopher Murray
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Desperate Measures by Stuart Woods
How Long 'til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin
Dead by Nightfall by Beverly Barton
Dead by Morning by Beverly Barton
Dead by Midnight by Beverly Barton

Just finished Lent. Walton is one of my favorite authors, but this one left me curiously empty.

this week I took “space savers” seriously, so after I finished Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay on Monday, I leapt into comic & manga mode and read:

- Giant Days volume 7
- Giant Days volume 8
- Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon vol. 1
- Fullmetal Alchemist vol. 1
- Fullmetal Alchemist vol. 2
- Fullmetal Alchemist vol. 3

The Fullmetal Alchemist volumes were a 3-in-1 book, so I’m not sure whether they’d count as 3 books or 1.

I finished Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. It was interesting, a little disappointing at the end but I still enjoyed it!

Good evening. I finished two "space savers" this week by Kenna Shaw Reed I read Have You Met… Kram? and Have You Met… Robert? on her website. Free for anyone to read. They were interesting romantic suspense. I finished Naughty BIts by Joey W. Hill. I finally finished Half Empty: First Wives Series by Catherine Bybee - no excuse, I just got distracted with other audiobooks. It is an interesting romantic suspense series of wives for a period of preset time, Enjoyed them.

This week I finished The Breakdown by B. A. Paris and The Other Woman by Sandie Jones.

Great job everyone. I have added your books!

@ Mayra you have a Level 1 and 2 prize to pick up at your APL branch.

@Emily T you have a Level 1, 2, 3, and 4 prize to pick up at your APL branch.

@Jacqueline you have a Level 1, 2 and 3 prize to pick up at your APL branch.

@Diana H you have a Level 1, 2 and 3 prize to pick up at your APL branch.

@Abi you have a Level 2, 3 and 4 prize to pick up at your APL branch.

@Kelly you have a Level 2, 3 and 4 prize to pick up at your APL branch.

@Paul you have a Level 3, 4 and summer reading t-shirt prize to pick up at your APL branch.

@Jane you have a Level 1and 2 prize to pick up at your APL branch.

Jacqueline wrote: "I am not sure if I am doing this right.
I am listing books, I have read this summer so far.
State Secrets by Linda Lael Miller
Tall Dark ... Westmoreland by Brenda Jackson
Daughter of a Daughter of..."

Perfect. You can post books you read all at once or weekly. Whatever works best for you.

Abi wrote: "this week I took “space savers” seriously, so after I finished Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay on Monday, I leapt into comic & manga mode and read:

- Giant Days volume 7
- Giant Days volume 8
-..."
Abi, I counted the volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist seperately like you listed them.

Kate wrote: "I added your books!

@ Mirkat you have a Level 1, 2 and 3 prize to pick up at your APL branch.

@Rich you have a Level 1 prize to pick up at your APL branch."

Thanks, Kate--picked up my Level 2 and 3 today (had already picked up the Level 1). :)

Read Sharp Objects for my Space Saver. Read it very quickly, but can't say I thought it was that great!

Kate wrote: "Abi wrote: "this week I took “space savers” seriously, so after I finished Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay on Monday, I leapt into comic & manga mode and read:

- Giant Days volume 7
- Giant Day..."

Thanks!!

Susan wrote: "Read Sharp Objects for my Space Saver. Read it very quickly, but can't say I thought it was that great!"

I have add your book!

Finally finished Your Duck is My Duck-- I'm a sometimes fan of short stories and these ones didn't necessarily speak to me, but not all short stories in a collection do anyway.

I just finished American Spy

I have added your books!