Susan's 2016 Reading Blog: A Love Letter to Libraries Quarterly Challenge

A Love Letter to Libraries Quarterly Challenge

December 15, 2015 through March 14, 2016

I take advantage of my libraries' resources all the time, and I bet a lot of you do too! So let's celebrate Libraries, and all of the great books we find there!

Levels to choose from-

Level 1- 5 books- I own a library card

Level 2- 10 books- I use it occasionally

Level 3- 15 books- I use it often

Level 4- 20 books- I use it constantly

Level 5- 20 books plus Bonus- I'm on first name basis with my librarian

Categories for the Library Quarterly Challenge-

1. The largest library in the world is The Library of Congress, with more than 158 million items on approximately 838 miles of bookshelves. The collections include more than 36 million books and other print materials, 3.5 million recordings, 13.7 million photographs, 5.5 million maps, 6.7 million pieces of sheet music and 69 million manuscripts.

Read a large book (over 350 pages) or a book with book(s)s or any other reading material on the cover.

2. The smallest library in the world has appeared on the streets of New York City – and it has space for just one reader at a time.The bright yellow plastic structure houses 40 books and aims to help city-dwellers take a break from the pace of life in the metropolis by chilling out with a good story. The Little Free Library was designed by a pair of innovative architects using recycled materials to protect the books inside from the elements.

Read a short book (under 150 pages) or a book with a yellow cover

3. The highest library according to Guinness World Records is the library on the 60th floor of the JW Marriott Hotel at Tomorrow Square in Shanghai, China, is situated at 230.9 m (757 ft 6 in) above street level. Membership is available to members of the public and the 103 shelves in the library contains an ever-expanding collection of Chinese and English books. The library measures 57 m² (614 ft²). To walk to the library from the lobby would entail climbing around 1,435 steps.

Read a book set in Asia or a book with stairs or a building on the cover.

4. The world´s largest fine for an overdue library book is $345.14 (£203.29), the amount owed at two cents a day for the poetry book Days and Deeds checked out of Kewanee Public Library, Illinois, USA in April 1955 by Emily Canellos-Simms. Although the book was due back 19 April 1955, Emily found it in her mother´s house 47 years later and presented the library with a check for overdue fines.

Read a book with 'poetry' on its main page or a book with the number 4 or 7 in the page count.

5. The most stolen library book is probably the Bible, followed by the Guinness World Records book.

Read a book where religion plays a part in the story or a book with a character that does something special or unique or a book with a thief or where a robbery plays a part in the story

6. Academic librarians will answer 56.1 million reference questions each year- reaching almost 10 million more than attend college football games

Read a book with a '?' in the title or a sports romance or a book with a librarian character

7. There are more public libraries than McDonald's in the U.S.- a total of 16,604 including branches

Read a book with a chef, or someone who works in the food industry or a book with food on the cover

8. Ben Franklin founded The Library Company of Philadelphia in 1731, the nation's first lending library

Read a book you have borrowed (from a friend, library, Amazon Prime, etc.) or a book set in Pennsylvania

9. 1 in 3 public libraries across the U.S.A. have Facebook accounts

-Read a book with a face on the cover or a book that is #1 or #3 in a series

10. In ancient Egypt, all ships visiting the city were obliged to surrender their books to the library of Alexandria and be copied. The original would be kept in the library and the copy given back to the owner.

Read a book set in Egypt, or a book set on a boat or a book with a boat on the cover

11. A high-ranking FBI agent filed a sensitive internal manual detailing the bureau’s secret interrogation procedures with the Library of Congress, where anyone with a library card can read it.

Read a Romantic Suspense book or a book with a character who has a secret or a book with 'secret' or 'spy' in the title

12. There are libraries around the world where you can check-out humans as a living book and listen to their stories. There are 150 such libraries around the world.

Listen to an audiobook or read a book with lips or a mouth on the cover

13. Some German cities have public “art libraries” where you pay up to five Euros to borrow paintings and sculptures from local artists to put into your own home for several months.

Read a book with a character who is artistic, or read a book with a colorful cover or a book with a house on the cover

14. When you get a book published in Norway, the Norwegian Government will buy 1000 copies of your book and distributes them throughout the libraries of the country.

Read a book set in Norway or a book set in the publishing world or a book that has more than 1000 reviews on Goodreads

15. Haskell Free Library is built on the US/Canadian border. Exiting the library through the opposite entrance requires one to report to the country’s customs thereafter.

Read a book set in Canada, or a book where a character travels or a book with a door on the cover

16. Some libraries allow you to check out seeds with the intention that you will replace the seeds when your crop is harvested.

Read a book set on a farm or ranch, or a book with a farmer or rancher character, or a book with flowers on the cover

17. The Harvard University library houses a collection of books bound in human skin.

Read a pnr, or sci-fi,or horror, or a creepy book or a book with the word 'bound' or 'skin' in the title

18. A 124,500 square foot abandoned Walmart in McAllen, Texas, has been turned into the largest single-floor public library in the United States.

Read a book set in Texas, or a book with a character from Texas, or a book with a character that is single, or a book that is a stand-alone.

19. Authors get paid every time UK or Irish libraries lend their books.

Read a book set in the UK or Ireland or a book written by an author from the UK or Ireland or a book with a wealthy character.

20. The Oakland Library in California maintains a “tool lending library” of 3500 tools to lend out to the community.

Read a book with a blue collar worker (i.e. construction worker, house painter, delivery guy) or a book with a character that is a real 'tool' (i.e. obnoxious, arrogant, a liar).

Bonus-

What is a Little Free Library and what’s so special about it?

A Little Free Library is a “take a book, return a book” free book exchange. In its most basic form, it’s a wooden box of books where anyone may pick up a book or two, or bring a book to share. If this were just about providing free books on a shelf, the whole idea might disappear after a few months. Little Free Library book exchanges have a unique, personal touch and there is an understanding that real people are sharing their favorite books with their community. These aren’t just any old books, this is a carefully curated collection. The Library itself is a piece of neighborhood art that functions like a mini-town square.)

How many Little Free Libraries are there?

As of July 2015, there are over 30,000 registered Little Free Library book exchanges in all 50 U.S. states and over 70 countries around the world.)

**Using the letters from the words 'LITTLE', 'FREE', OR 'LIBRARY', you may read a book by an author whose first or last name starts with that letter or you may read a book whose title or series title starts with that letter. Feel free to disregard articles: a, an, the, etc. If you use the series title, please make sure to include that in your book list.

1. Evergreen Springs - RaeAnne Thayne (HQN - Oct 2015) (378 pages) - Dec 22
2. Surprising Lord Jack - Sally MacKenzie (Zebra - Mar 2013) (yellow cover) - Feb 12
3. Becoming a Cavanaugh - Marie Ferrarella (SRS #1575 - Sept 2009) (building) - Dec 30
4. A Very Crimson Christmas - Michelle Major (HSE #2441 - Nov 2015) (217 pages) - Dec 24
5. Hunter Moon - Jenna Kernan (HI #1615 - Jan 2016) (Apache tracker) - Jan 11

6. Soldier, Hero ... Husband? - Cara Colter (HR #4491 - Oct 2015) - Jan 17
7. The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap - Donna Kauffman, Kate Angell, Kimberly Kincaid (Kensington - Sept 2013) (chefs/bakers) - Jan 4
8. An Amish Miracle - Beth Wiseman, Ruth Reid, Mary Ellis (Thomas Nelson - Dec 2013) (Paradise, PA) - Dec 27

9. At the Rancher's Request - Sara Orwig (HD #2361 - Mar 2015) (book #3 in series) - Dec 21

10. Arresting Developments - Lena Diaz (HI #1614 - Jan 2016) (rowboat) - Jan 12
11. Special Forces Savior - Janie Crouch (HI #1613 - Jan 2016) (romantic suspense) - Dec 17
12. A SEAL's Kiss - Tawny Weber (HB #791 - Aug 2014) (mouths) - Jan 6

13. The Cowboy and the Cossack - Merline Lovelace (SIM #657 - Aug 1995 (fashion designer) - Jan 2
14. Back in the Game - Lori Wilde (Avon - Feb 2015) (writer) - Jan 28
15. Smoke River Family - Lynna Banning (HH #1256 - Oct 2015) (travels) - Dec 17
16. Breaking Bailey's Rules - Brenda Jackson (HD #2407 - Nov 2015) (ranch) - Dec 29

17. The Highlander Next Door - Janet Chapman (Jove - Sept 2014) (paranormal) - Dec 16
18. Courting the Cowboy Boss - Janice Maynard (HD #2409 - Nov 2015) (Texas) - Jan 14