Thursday, August 13, 2015

Where Are All My Books? [+ Game]


This topic came to me while I was writing up my TTT post of most read authors. Since I relied on Goodreads statistics, I noticed that up to high school, there is no evidence of me reading. But it's not because I haven't been reading (that would be a huge lie), but mostly because I was a youngun' at the time, and even now I don't remember the books I've read. Or when I read them.

All throughout elementary school, I was constantly reading. I used to order a ton of books from those book orders (Does anyone else remember those? Best days of the year.) But other than that, I didn't have a need for physical books. My sources of books came from:
  • The school library: Every school has a library, with a diverse collection of books. In my elementary school the books were divided up into Young Readers, Picture Books, and Middle Grade. This doesn't even include the autobiographies and non-fiction.
  • The regular library: I often visited the libraries in town to borrow books. I'm sure I got my first library card in first grade. It was very official.
  • The classroom library: Did anyone else have this? Books in baskets around the classroom rug? I would always pick books up from there to read during class. Though I distinctly remember avoiding Sarah, Plain and Tall, because it just sounded oh so boring.  
Did you know I do not own one single Harry Potter book? I actually ended up borrowing them all from the library instead of buying them. Fun story, my mom actually hid Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix because she came to the conclusion that it was getting in the way of my education and ruining my life (It was, and it did). But anyways.


 Why I Didn't Add These Books To GR
It's true, I've read the Harry Potter series, and most of the Magic Tree House series, and tons of Meg Cabot books that I won't even bother listing out. But the reason they aren't on my GR shelf is because book amnesia. I rather reread all the Tamora Pierce books I've read, because I loved them so much as a child, and then add them on Goodreads. Plus, how am I even supposed to rate these books if I don't remember what happened in them?

As someone who hates clutter, I've opted to not add books I read a long, long time ago to my shelf. What about you? Do you just add away without a rating? Or are you waiting to reread the book as well?


Even Now I Have Maybe 60 Books Total
And that seems so little compared to everyone else! I mean, even before BEA, which was only a couple months ago, I had around 30 physical books. Though I used to have a ton of books as a kid, those have now been donated and given away to others.

As of now, most of the books read are from the library and Netgalley or Edelweiss. I've only gone on a couple of book buying sprees (which usually amounted to $20 at a time), and remember one of my 2015 New Year's Resolution was to preorder one book every month? That stopped around April. Oops. 

But anyways, onto the minigame!  

The Game
So this game is more of a help to me than to you. You see, I remember distinct parts from books I read when I was younger. But I'm not so certain where I read it. SO the objective of the game is to guess the title of the book for each plot line (in the comments below)! Let's see whether you're brushed up on MG and Children's books!

Disclaimer: I don't know which books they are for certain, but if I look up the title I might be able to recognize the cover. ALSO, each participant gets one imaginary cookie.

1. The main character fell from the boat but ended up being saved by a dolphin.
2. Mitochondria was involved.
3. This woman disguised herself as a man to enlist in the way (Civil War, I think). When she was found out, she was told to present herself in a dress to be glorified and praised.
4. One sister had the plague, and the other went on an adventure to find a cure to save her.
5. A worm who could eat words

Did you get any of them? Or do you have absolutely no idea? Can you think of any plots that you remember reading about but not the book title?

Comments (24)

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This seems so fun!
1. The Island of Blue Dolphins by Scott O"Dell (I think that's the title)
2. ?
3. ?
4. ?
5. ?
6. THE WORLD EATER?? Loved that!

Alex @ The Book's Buzz
1 reply · active 503 weeks ago
So I think that may be it for number one? Either way I have to look at all the dolphin books again.

AND OMG YES IT WAS THE WORD EATER. THAT'S THE ONE YOU MEANT RIGHT. That book has stuck with me for ages and I don't even know why hahahah. it was just so weird.
I am SO JEALOUS of your school library. Ours only has those older, mainstream YA books that I've either a) already read, b) already own, or c) have no plans of reading. :/ We only had a "class library" in... 7th grade? And it probably had 30-40 books--some of those were kids' books and magazines. D:

I only know The Island of the Blue Dolphins (#1) since I had to read it for school a few years back. xD
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1 reply · active 503 weeks ago
WELL now I only use the town library because the college library mostly only has research materials. BUT MY SCHOOL SCHOOL LIBRARIES WERE GREAT. And boo that sucks.

I DON'T THINK THAT ONE IS IT. Actually I don't remember there really being any dolphins in that novel. Gah I gotta reread that one.
Well I have no idea on what books they are because I myself have book amnesia when it comes to most things. But I also have some books before I started my GR that aren't on there. I also noticed it during this week's TTT. I kept visiting other blogs and seeing an author and being like "Hey, I read there 23 book series! They should be on my list!!" So I kept adding people at the bottom. Ooops!
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1 reply · active 503 weeks ago
Yeah same here! Like I noticed that I've read A TON of books by Tamora Pierce, but I just never ended up putting them down on my list. Hahahah oh well!
The first one sounds like The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse if it's not The Island of Blue Dolphins like the above comments indicate. I think for sure 3. is Girl In Blue by Ann Rinaldi. Hope that helps!
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1 reply · active 503 weeks ago
Yes I think it is The Music of the Dolphins also! Because she was basically saved and lived with the dolphins (now that I think back on this, how??? Hahah).

Oooo Girl in Blue. I'm looking it up, and IT DOES sound like it! Especially since I remember you worked as a nurse first. But I'm wondering HOW did I finish reading this 310 page book in elementary school hahah! Maybe I was in 4th or 5th grade then though but still. Thanks!!!
Great post, Val. I love that your mom hid your HP books. Lol! In the meantime, I've been trying to shove them to my children because in my experience, HP readers become life-long readers. Unfortunately, I didn't grow up in a place where they prosper raising readers, so I didn't actually become an avid reader until I was a teenager. I wish I can help you with your search, but I know nothing about the books you mentioned. Lol.
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1 reply · active 503 weeks ago
Hahah glad you were entertained by that. And yes your children should read ALL the HP books. And all the books in general. I mean they have a pretty big library to choose from HA.

Hey at least you're reading now!!!
Oh man, I am not sure I can even answer any of them!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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1 reply · active 502 weeks ago
Hahah that's okay! :D :D
I've got nothing!

When I first got my Goodreads, I made it my mission to add all those childhood books, but I think it was kind of pointless. I suffer from book amnesia in the way that I can't remember the plots, but I can usually remember how the book made me feel (i.e. if I liked it or not).

Also, I got all the HP books from the library too, then slowly I've accumulated the whole series way after I read them.

Fun post!
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1 reply · active 502 weeks ago
I need to accumulate the HP series so that I can reread them ALL AGAIN. Hahah I don't remember if I liked a book or not, or my feelings to it, and I like to have reviews to all my books, so yep.
Wow Val. You had me at book orders. They are amazing (they still exist, and I wonder if when Lena goes to school, her teacher will frown upon all the YA books I inevitably order...)

ONTO THE GAME.
1. Flipper
2. Your biology textbook.
3. Mulan of the Midwest
4. The Baby-Sitters Club #135: Claudia and the Bubonic Baby
5. Harry Potter and the Wizarding Word Worm

There, that should help you out.
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2 replies · active 502 weeks ago
YOU ORDER YA BOOKS FROM HER BOOK ORDERS? SHANNON.

You are so helpful Shannon.
You're welcome. Also, NO, she isn't in school yet! But when she IS... I am all over it.
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SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDERS! I used to love those in school. :) Aw, you got your first library card in the first grade, that's so adorable. We had books in baskets in the middle of our desks (when we'd have our desks in a group of four) sometimes. Then we'd have little class libraries in home rooms for middle school.

Haha, this post reminds me of how last September I purchased like 70 books in a month, haha (there were a lot of sales, okay?).

Val, if you want, I'll totally let you pre-order books for me every month. ;)

1. A Ring of Endless Light?
2. What even?
3. MULAN. Yeah, I know it's not a book and I know it wasn't the Civil War but let's pretend.
4. I don't know!
5. You're making these up!
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1 reply · active 502 weeks ago
Oh we used to have desks in groups of four too hahahha. We stopped having class libraries in middle school, sadly.

70 books a month??????? 70????? I PURCHASE LIKE 5. Ok this month I bought 6. So ha. Wow that sounds like a wonderful proposal, what do I get out of it :/

I AM NOT MAKING ANY OF THEM UP I SWEAR.
Oh I love this game!! I didn't know any of them except The Music of The Dolphins, which I see someone already guessed! That's the one where it's like a journal from the girls perspective and in the beginning she writes really big and not in complete sentences, but as she learns english better her writing improves in the journal. Ring a bell? I LOVED that book when I was a kid!

The rest of your books don't sound even remotely familiar BAHAHA. I also have pretty bad book amnesia... When I started the blog, I started a separate GR account for it because I didn't want to mix it with my personal GR account that had all my old books and I just guessed at the ratings (which were mostly good because if I still remembered the book, it must be good right? hehe). I still sometimes refer to my personal GR account when looking for something specific because, despite still missing many books, it is my best attempt at recording all the books I've ever read. I have links to both on my TTT if you want to see my personal account with all the books I read growing up!
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1 reply · active 502 weeks ago
You have two Goodreads accounts? HOW DO YOU MANAGE. No but that makes sense. And yes I loved The Music of the Dolphins! I am still baffled at how the girl survived out in the ocean for that long. And I thought it was so weird that the sentences were so big in the beginning.
Is #2 "A Wind in the Door" by Madeleine L'Engle? It's the sequel to "A Wrinkle in Time," but even better, in my opinion! And it definitely involves mitochondria.
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1 reply · active 501 weeks ago
OH I didn't even know that A Wrinkle in Time had a sequel??? But I never read A Wind in the Door! Just A Wrinkle in Time!
OH MY GOODNESS YOU HAVE READ TAMORA PIERCE I LOVE YOU ALREADY!!!!!! (You are pretty much the only person I know of - online or otherwise - that has read her!! She is and will forever be one of my favourite authors!!!!! 😁😁😁

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