February TBRCat - A Borrowed Book

This month it is time to read that book you borrowed and haven't read. Someone owns that book, it isn't yours; you really ought to read it so you can return it and get it off your shelf.



My library lets me borrow a book for 3 weeks at a time, and renew this book up to 20 times, as long as no-one else has it reserved. This means I can have a borrowed book out for over a year if I'm being particularly slow. But even if you've not got a library book that's been hanging around for ages, you may have borrowed a book from a family member or friend. Sometimes they force them on you, at others you've "acquired" them off the shelf meaning to get around to it. In all cases they're overdue reading.

The borrowed book could be in any format, they don't need to be physical. If you have to discard an e-book or audio book from electronic media because you have a limit, that could be considered a form of borrowing.

Books don't need to be this long overdue to count, 63 years overdue book returned

My first time hosting so please let me know if I've missed or forgotten anything.

I really should read The Passage for this challenge since I borrowed this book back in 2011 from a friend and have yet to finish reading it. Think I've tried a couple of times and never quite got into it. However, my plan is to read The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen 83 1/4 Years Old by Hendrik Groen. A friend loaned it to me last year and I really should give it back to her.

For this challenge I read The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors, by Dan Jones. I borrowed it from the library shortly after it came out, but ran out of time with it and had to return it unread. My mum then ended up buying a copy, so I borrowed that copy over Christmas :) Just returned it to her this past weekend!

What I should read is The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. I borrowed it from my BIL, eventually returning it unread once the shame of having kept it for over a year without reading past their first chapter overcame me.

I'm going to be reading The Lathe of Heaven, finally. A good friend loaned it to me ages (translation--cringe--years), and it's still waiting. I'm just horrible about getting to borrowed books. I don't like borrowing them because I'm always terrified I'll spill coffee or wine on them while reading, or forget it doesn't belong to me and dog-ear a page... it literally takes a friend pushing a book into my hands for me to borrow it. It's time, though...

A coworker forced Mrs. Craddock on me and I have it on my shelf. I guess I can read it? He also gave me a James Ellroy book, the title of which escapes me at the moment. Clandestine rings a bell. Just think if I read them both, return them and then he doesn't remember I had them?

He retires in about two years, maybe I should make an effort!

I borrowed A Light in the Window from tututhefirst in 2010. I guess maybe I should get to it. It also fits into the AlphaKit so maybe a twofer will be enough to get me moving on it.

Like Kay, I borrowed a book from my sister-in-law which I was sure I'd like and only read a few chapters over many months and then returned it. So I think I'll get it from the library and finish it. oh yeah - the book is The Town That Food Saved by Ben Hewitt.

I don't have a borrowed book from a person right now but I'm behind reading a book from NetGalley that I really do want to read. It's The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason.

One of my sister-in-laws insisted that I would love the Mitford Series and left me with couple of the books quite some time ago. I stubbornly have refused to read them, but last year I did notice that Lori (Ikernaugh) enjoyed the series so I think it's time I stopped making up excuses and give the first book a try. So I will be reading At Home In Mitford by Jan Karon.

>10 DeltaQueen50: I have been meaning to read this series for ages too!

>5 whitewavedarling: Oh, I LOVED that one - I hope you do, too!

I borrow lots of books from the library but am very diligent in reading them as a priority. I don't tend to borrow books off people except when the "push" them on me. For this challenge I had identified a couple of books passed on to me by my MIL which aren't borrowed per se as she doesn't want them back. One of them I'm currently reading so the one I'll be reading for February will be The Golden Son.

I spied a book from my TBR on my DIL's counter last Fall. She had finished it and urged me to take it home. I've yet to get to it. It's always the one in the wings, never the main star. So I am looking forward to reading The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry. I really loved The Lace Reader so I am expecting a good read. Thanks for the nudge!

I don't have any borrowed books but I do have a few NetGalley books that I should get to.

I plan to read The Children of Willesden Lane. I tried to get to it several times last year but never managed it.

>10 DeltaQueen50: mine is the second book in the series.

I get the majority of my books via the library, but what I want to read for this one is one (or both) of two books I currently have borrowed from friends. The titles are currently escaping me, but I will check and post later.

>17 cyderry: Cheli, have you read - and if so, did you like the first book?

>19 DeltaQueen50: I did read it, and I enjoyed it. I gave it

>20 cyderry: Thanks, I actually do think I am going to like this series, I just get stubborn sometimes when people insist that I read a certain book.

>10 DeltaQueen50: - One of my sister-in-laws insisted that I would love the Mitford Series and left me with couple of the books quite some time ago. Oh dear... fingers crossed you like quaint small town folk with a reverend trying to keep his flock together. As you have noted, I did enjoy the series. ;-)

>6 lsh63: I doubt I can drum up even more enthusiasm for Mrs. Craddock than you're obviously already feeling, but it's a great book. And it's pretty short! So there's that.

I'm planning to read Eden's Outcasts. I borrowed it from a friend an embarrassing number of years ago - or more accurately she lent it to me after I expressed interest. I think we've both learned our lessons and returning all of her books is a goal for the year.

I don't really borrow books, but my hair stylist gave me a copy of The Help and said pass it on, so maybe that counts?

>24 LisaMorr: I would count it.

So, my two options are:
- The Hidden Bones / Nicola Ford
- The Cat and Shakespeare / Raja Rao

Is there an easy way to look at my book list in order of when I added them to LT? I've been clicking around but haven't found anything yet. I'm ready to start another book today, and thought I would find a long neglected TBR.

>27 Roro8: Do you have a collection of to read? if you go to your books and use that collection if you have it, you just need to change the style to one that includes the entry date and sort by that field. Hope that helps.

>27 Roro8: Yes, there is, and someone just turned me onto it for the TBR challenge of reading one of the oldest books in the tbr pile. Go to Your Books. At the top, to the right of Authors, is a box that says Style with the letters ABCDE next to it. Click on Style, then on Settings (at the right end of that row). On the page that comes up, go over to the right and click Miscellaneous, then drag and drop Entry Date onto the style of your choice. Go back to Your Books and click on the style that you chose, and the Entry Date for every book will be listed and you can sort by that field to find your oldest ones.

>24 LisaMorr: I agree, a transient ownership seems to fit the bill. As would a bookcrosssing book that you'd captured a little while ago and should release back into the wild.

>30 Helenliz: - Oh - a bookcrossing book. That's a good thought. I'll have to see what I have on my TBR that might work.

>25 LibraryCin:, >30 Helenliz: Cool - I'll count it; thanks.

I've borrowed from the library The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin for my f2f book club February selection.

>29 ronincats:, thanks for that. I managed to work it out thanks to your advice, only to then realise how hopeless I am about adding books "to be read" to my list.

Seeing we're a day or two into February, how's everyone getting on? Hope you've got an idea for a book to fit the challenge, even if you've not read it.

I'm hoping to get through 2, The Italian Teacher which I checked out of the library 01Jun last year (after being winged by a book bullet by someone). I'm also hoping to get to Belinda which I've had on loan since November. I was going to read it, but then a group read was suggested, so I've held of reading it until now.

I've had The Second Man checked out since May 2018. This month's theme will get me to pick it up.

I'm not much in the habit of borrowing books, but I've got one of my sister's lying around the house: Sire. I can't even remember why it sparked my interest...

I've had Evolution from the library for months. It's an uncataloged paperback that they don't keep track of but I really should read it and return it!

I have a book my uncle lent me without being asked to, because he liked it, and he said he wanted it back if I didn't want to keep it, which I probably don't. But it would be rude to just not read it at all. It is Spoiled Brats by Simon Rich. It says it is a collection of humorous millennial surrealist short stories, apparently out of the New Yorker (or by an author who writes for it). Has anyone here read it? Humor is so subjective.

I read a book from NetGalley, Something Read, Something Dead.

I have just finished reading The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty, loaned to me by my friend and neighbour (fairly recently but it is the only borrowed book I had).

I hate to do it, with all the true TBRs on my shelf, but I don't have a physical book community around here and no books borrowed from anywhere other than the library. That said, I finished The Fated Sky, the second of the Lady Astronaut novels, yesterday. It was due at the library on the 31st but I didn't get to it last month. Excellent read! (I DO have books GIVEN to me by others.)

I finished Embers of War today and I'm counting it because it's the third time I've had it home from the library. I really enjoyed it - I have no idea why I didn't get to it before!

ETA: The next book in the trilogy, Fleet of Knives is out later this month.

>30 Helenliz: >31 dudes22: I'm glad that Bookcrossing books would count for this challenge, as I have a few that's been sitting on my shelves a long time!

Finished The Lathe of Heaven, which a friend thrust into my hands and insisted I borrow ages ago--I'm not even sure how long I've had it, though we joke about it each time we chat. Truthfully, I HATE borrowing books because I'm always terrified I'll spill wine or coffee on them, or else forget they're borrowed and accidentally dog-ear pages, carry them into the bath and potentially leave water marks, or carry them out in the rain by accident. So, I am glad this challenge finally pushed me to read it. It will be going back to my friend's hands ASAP!

I read The Second Man by Edward Grierson, which I have had on loan from the library since last Spring. This mystery centers on a British trial for murder, told by one of the barristers representing the defendant. Four stars.

I finished listening to the audiobook version of The Secret Place by Tana French. I borrowed this book 4 times from my local library before finally getting around to reading it this month.

I have finished It comes with the territory: Handling problem situations in libraries by Anne M. Turner, which I got out of the library in December. (It had a two-month checkout, didn't need to renew!) Still haven't touched my uncle's book.

The Hidden Bones / Nicola Ford
3.5 stars

Claire has just lost her husband and is invited by a university friend to come help on an archaeological dig. Claire is an archaeologist and welcomes the chance to get away and try to forget things for a while. They are taking over a site that was excavated in the early 70s, but nothing was written about it; the archaeologist in charge (and the man who owns the land) has just passed away. Initially, Claire and David find that an artifact has gone missing. It’s not long after that that they discover that there also seems to have been a murder somewhere along the way!

It was good, but a bit slow to get started. I guess the author was trying to get all the background information in before bringing in the mystery. I enjoyed the characters and, as this is meant to be the first in a series featuring Claire, I’m interested in continuing.

I have finished Sire by Jean Raspail which I can now return to my sister. One of those books that are quite irritating in some respects and highly interesting in others. I mean, a young man travelling to Reims with a few companions to be anointed king of France? Without anybody noticing? Just strange.

How are we getting on with returning those pesky books that aren't actually ours? I'm reading 2, but have not yet finished either.

I finished one! I might be able to get to a 2nd soon, as well.

I finished At Home In Mitford by Jan Karon and my sister-in-law was right, I did enjoy the book and I fully intend on visiting Mitford again.

I am reading a MnLink library loan book which if I can finish will count for a borrowed book. It is long tho so maybe won't get it done. The book is Auto-da-fé

I skimmed one of the stories in Spoiled Brats by Simon Rich, which my uncle lent me, and as I feared, I did not like it. I will try skimming some of the others later, but I doubt I will read the book cover to cover. I have read several library books though!

>53 DeltaQueen50: I really liked those books too, I read them years ago on the recommendation of someone from my then-church. They looked to me as if they would be boring, because I usually don't read that type of fiction, but they turned out not to be boring at all.

I borrowed A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths from the library. I love this series!

>55 amaranthe: I enjoyed the book much more that I thought I would, the author did a great job of pulling the reader into the fictional town of Mitford, and she fills the book with many varied and interesting characters and allows plenty of humor to keep the stories lively.

I managed to read a few different borrowed books this month.

Borrowed from work library - Becoming by Michelle Obama
Borrowed from my dad - Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
Borrowed from a friend - The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen by Hendrik Groen

All were quite enjoyable.

The Cat and Shakespeare / Raja Rao
1.5 stars

What the *bleep* was that!!!? Is there such a thing as “philosophical fiction”? That may have been this. I don’t think there was any kind of plot. From what I could gather there as a man with a wife and a mistress (one, I’m not sure which, was “woman”… not “a woman”, just “woman”). He has a daughter (“child”, not “a child”, just “child”). He works. A boy child got sick, a cat appeared somewhere along the way, a boss died, the mistress was pregnant (and I think had a baby). I think. The book gets the extra half star for what I think I actually followed in the book (since I was surprised that I managed to follow anything – at least I think I did!). Sorry if any of what I mentioned as a spoiler – my apologies if I’ve ruined the book for anyone!

I finished A room full of bones by Elly Griffiths. I gave it 4 stars, but it was not my favourite Ruth Galloway tale - not enough archaeology, too many relationship threads. However, the colourful characters, suggestions of spells and wizardry keep this series vibrant. Griffiths gets a pat on the back for keeping the issue alive in support of repatriating Aboriginal bones held in museums.

I finished The Golden Son with a few days to spare.

I finished a great historical novel, The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason.

Can't get the touchstone to go to the right book!

I had such a glut of library books that all 7 of the books I've finished so far this month have been library books!

Lies Sleeping
The Fated Sky
Darkness on his Bones
Stars Uncharted
Wundersmith
Beyond the Empire
Last Friends

I read A Dog Named Slugger by Leigh Brill about a service dog. A co-worker gave me this book back in 2010 and she also belonged to BookCrossing which is how I decided to read this. When I opened the book, there was a bookmark in it from the publisher which had “LibraryThing winner” written on it so she must have gotten it from Early Reviwers. I’ll be leaving it on the library shelf at the resort we’re at in Mexico for it to travel on.

I finished Belinda Which I've had out of the library since November. It got saved for a gorup read, which was very useful.

One last borrowed book for the month, this time from the library - Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After by Heather Harpham.

I borrowed the Silent Patient which is a psychological thriller. Just the sort of mystery/thriller I enjoy.

I finished a BookCrossing book, Well-Schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George and will soon release it to another reader.