Goodreads Goodness (aka 'I'm not the only one')

In a moment of boredom, I decided to long onto Goodreads to organize my shelves. Shelves are a way to classify books on the Goodreads database, and from those shelves you can get more specific recommendations catered to your reading tastes... and while I was perusing a shelf title 'piece-of-shit' (for books I thought were absolutely horrible and don't want to read anything like them because life is too short for awful books) ... I noticed at the bottom of the page that there was a link saying 'More books shelved as piece-of shit' ... I thought that there would be major lulz to be had, so I clicked it, and was delighted by what I saw thereafter. 

Here's a screencap, so you guys know I'm NOT joking. 

This is legit... from millions of other Goodreads users...

.... I thought 'LOL, piece-of-shit is a genre! I wonder what else is out there!'
(this list is spot on, btw. I've unfortunately read 6 of the 10 books shown, and they deserve being called POS)

So, today I present what else I found there ... 

... and for those of you who aren't horrible people like me reveling in the fact that what you consider awful literature is considered awful literature worldwide, here are some more uplifting and academic screen captures of goodness I found lurking on Goodreads ...

Swick and the No-Read Family Blues (part 5)

... to having people actually read my blog on a regular basis. 

Then I remember the only articles that get read are the ones I post on Facebook.

I fail at blog.

But anyway, onto the madness that is PART 5 of the No-Read Family Blues, and today I am picking on my other sister M. M is a can of worms, really. I don't know what to expect from that one sometimes. She reads things I don't expect her to read, and the stuff I do expect her to have read, I hear years later that she bullshitted her way through that conversation with me. Makes me wonder exactly how many of those have actually happened. Let's just say that when it comes to ridicule, nothing is safe from M even the stuff you think she likes gets subjected to the 'that's totally lame and for weirdos and because you like it, you should be ashamed of yourself' treatment. So basically my entire relationship with M is...

.... and that can basically be said about these book recommendations....

Books My Sister Should Read If
My Theories About Her Are Correct

Things You Should Know About My Sister
- draws... A LOT -
- speaks a little Korean and a little Japanese -
- plays Animal Crossing... A LOT -
- watches South Park and crime documentaries -
- likes ocean invertebrates -
- not sure is serious or sarcastic -

.... kind of weirdly specific, but there you go. That's all I know, I swear.

1. Calculus for Cats by Ken Amdahl

2. Axe Cop by Malachai Nicolle

3. Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka

4. A Modest Proposal by Johnathan Swift

5. Love Curse of the Rumbaughs by Jack Gantos

.... and that's all I have to say.

Swick and the No-Read Family Blues (part 4)

I didn't have any other family members ask for book recommendations, so I'm back here again lamenting.

There's only one thing worse than the family members who don't read and ignore your "YOU SHOULD TOTALLY READ THIS!" and that's the ones who listen to your recommendation and say "sounds great; I'll read it sometimes" and then immediately proceed to completely forget about what you recommended so that a month later when you ask them about whether or not they read the book and if they liked it, they look at you like you're crazy or give you the "when do you make time to read?" excuse 

.... this is the perfect example of my youngest sister A.

A. reads sometimes, but slowly, and only very specific things...

otherwise, she prefers to fill her time by flooding her Twitter with Korean boys and nonsense.

Today, I present...

Books My Sister A Would Enjoy Reading
If She Stopped Tweeting So Much

Things You Should Know About My Sister A:

- boy-crazy -

- exaggerates and dramatizes a lot -

- likes anime and manga (especially sci-fi and Attack on Titan) -

- sarcastic sense of humor -

- won't stop talking about John Marco when it comes to books -

1. The Demon King (Seven Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima

2. A Game of Thrones by George R. Martin

3. Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki

4.Divergent by Veronica Roth

5. Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro

So, if the description of my sister sounds like you, then you should pick up these books too.

Swick and the No-Read Family Blues (part 3)

I'm, like, so confused right now.

My mom posted something about commenting earlier - not sure if referencing that she saw post and didn't say anything or if she was legit asking for book recommendations after 'Swick and the No-Read Family Blues' (part 1) 

Wait, whattttt?

I'm going to roll with it though! Youth Library Assistant Summer cranking out more book recommendations!

This is going to be a little bit of an eclectic mix, haha!

Books My Mom Would Probably
Like If She Decided She Wanted Book Recommendations

Things You Should Know About My Mom
- loves holidays (especially Halloween) -
- specializes in abstract art -
- always trying out new recipes -
- spontaneous -
- spiritual -

1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

2. The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

3. Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

4. Chianti Souls by Karen Ross

(I haven't actually read this one, but I've heard lots of good things)

5. Stiff by Mary Roach

(Some morbid Halloweenish nonfiction with a humorist author is always a plus)

Nostalgi-orama

I had a huge wave of nostalgia hit me last night while I was surfing aimlessly on the web (YouTube to be more exact; I can spend hours looking at ridiculous videos on YouTube. My browsing history is full of Pokemon related videos and baby animals sneezing or doing stupidly adorable things.) The video that got the nostalgia high tide coming in was this one ...

(FYI, this is the opening for the Animorphs TV series
that broadcasted on Nickelodeon from 1998 - 2000;
based on the popular book series by K.A. Applegate
and coauthored by Michael Grant of Gone and BZRK)

My friend Elyse has steadily been going through the Animorphs series to revisit her childhood as well as see whether the series can stand up to the test of time, and while I haven't asked a lot on her opinion so far (I think she's re-read through like Book 35?) ... I'm tempted to find out for myself if the series has, because that's when it suddenly hit me - I enjoy book series from my childhood MUCH more now that I'm grown-up than I ever did as a kid. I don't know if I just wasn't reading as cognitively or as closely as a child, or what. After re-reading several of the Redwall novels, I'm only further proving my point and I'm wondering what else might be fun to revisit or what I missed out on when I was a kid.

In addition to re-reading Redwall and Animorphs, I would definitely have to revisit these ...

( Aw yeah, Goosebumps )

... I read a bunch of these as a kids (and they are STILL just as popular now as they were then). I definitely don't think they'll be as scary or creepy as they were when I was young, but it'll be fun just to flip through them, and it takes no time to read them since they are so short.

Other series that are probably worth re-reads too that remind me of my childhood ...

(Aw yeah, Nancy Drew and Choose-Your-Own-Adventure!)

Two more series that have aged relatively well, and continue to remain popular with kids. 

Another series I should note is the Harry Potter series that I didn't really discover until the third book Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released, but every year thereafter I was eagerly awaiting each new publication and reveled in the adventures that Harry Potter had. I'd say I need to revisit this series too, but I've already read them over and over several times ;) - another series that meets this criteria (which I totally appreciate more now than I ever did as a child) is Tolkien's immortal Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Those are the series that I distinctly remember reading. Singular titles, sadly, I'm a little vague on. I was also very interested in fairy tales and folklore from around the world which I ended up doing a lot of study on while getting my Bachelor's degree. I still have several of those collections; they are dear to me.

What series do you remember reading as a kid?
 If you were to revisit them, do you think they'd live up to your standards? :)

Swick and the No-Read Family Blues (part 2)

This was going to be another post about how painful it is to be part of a family who doesn't read as much as I do... but then my aunt actually ASKED for book recommendations!

So, I thought long and hard about it, and I came up with some titles that I think (I hope) she might like...

Books My Aunt Would Like If She Decided To Pick Them Up

Things You Need To Know About My Aunt:
- kind of goofy -
- prefers happy endings -
- LOVES the ocean -
- likes to sing -
- worked with children as a nurse assistant -

1. Waluk by Emilio Ruiz

2. Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime by Ellen J. Prager

3. Stardust by Neil Gaiman

4. Learning to Play With A Lion's Testicles: Unexpected Gifts from the Animals of Africa
by Melissa Haynes 

(yes, I know it's a weird title, but it is really a great memoir! Promise!)

5. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
 

If you are anything like my aunt, you will likely enjoy these titles too.

Swick and the No-Read Family Blues (part 1)

I suffer a major problem in my family. I am the only person who consistently reads. 

So whenever I come across a book I really really really think one of them will enjoy, I can't do a damn thing about it because even if I do suggest it to them and hype it up with a super-amazing-special book talk, they still won't read it. Then I still have all this pent-up excitement that I can't do anything about.

Thankfully, I work in a library, so I have people who understand me, and I can still recommend books to...

... but nobody understands quite fully how or why you are excited like your family, because goddamnit they put up with your shenanigans 24/7 for years.

Today, I present to you .....

Books My Brother Would Enjoy If He Ever Decided To Read

Things You Need To Understand About My Brother:

- avid video-gamer (especially strategy games) -
- computer geek -
- kind-of a history buff-
- strong sense of justice -
- sarcastic sense of humor -

1. The Martian by Andy Weir

2. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

3. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

4. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

5. The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel

If you fit the description of my brother, I guarantee you will love these books too.