In My Library Bag

In My Library Bag is something I've been doing for a while but is now an official feature where I show you what I hauled home from the library recently! 

I've written before about how the neighborhood library branch by my apartment is quite small and with a not-so-wide selection. It gets the job done when I'm in a pinch for a new book, but sometimes I actually crave trips to the Harold Washington Library which is one of the largest in the country. It's easy to get lost and turned around in, and the amount of books can be overwhelming. But they literally have everything, which is why I usually take a taxi home after a trip there because my bag is a million pounds. Here's what I got on my last trip!

1. The Arrivals by Meg Mitchell Moore : I just finished reading The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta and I was looking for another family-type drama. It sounds like this will deliver! Two parents have another chance at parenthood when their adult children all flock home, their lives in different states of disaster.

2. The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson : I'm currently reading this book about two performance artist parents and their two children. When the children were little, they were used as stars in their parent's elaborate public performance art pieces. Now that they are grown up, they are trying to step out of their parents shadow's, but really have no idea where to start. It's very quirk, and reminds me a little of The Royal Tenenbaums.

3. Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage by Hugh Brewster : Fun fact - I used to be obsessed with the Titanic. I probably know more than the average person about it. Fun fact- this obsession was born when I watched the movie in 2nd grade (eep!) and the encyclopedia told me it sank on my birthday. This book is about the first class passengers on board will surely keep my flame burning.

4. Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (#1) and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (#2) by Bryan Lee O'Malley : I breezed through these and loved them! They had me laughing out loud, and I was sad I only got the first two!

5. Jemima J by Jane Green : I ended up in a summer reads/chick lit mood half way through my visit to the library, and this book is on all the Goodreads lists! Jemima Jones is very much overweight, and is constantly stepped on by her friends. She meets a hot guy from California online, and of course she tweaks her body measurements. Then he wants to meet, and she has to find a way to become the woman she's portrayed online.

6. Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown : I read Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown and I've been wanting to read more of her books. Kendra feels like the only way she can stand out next to her brother who struggles with OCD is to be perfect. Then a cheating scandal threatens to shatter her reputation, and she takes off with her brother to run away from it all. Sounds delightfully dramatic, and like it will tackle some tough issues like Thousand Words did.

7. Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill : A trip to London? A secret romance? Personal enemies working together? Adventure? Yes, please! This was another result of my chick-lit impulses.

8. One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper : Did anyone else see the flawless trailer for the adaptation of This Is Where I Leave You? I thoroughly enjoyed that book, and the movie trailer was a reminder to read more of his work. A man's ex-wife is about to get married to a guy that he can't even hate because he's so nice, and his daughter just admitted she is pregnant. Another dysfunctional family drama that will surely be AWESOME.

9. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella : Another beach read/chick-lit impulse pick up.

10. 52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody : This seems to play into my love of celebrity culture and the summer reads. Lexington is an heiress who is following the same destructive path as many heiresses before her. So when she crashes her Mercedes into a store on Sunset Boulevard, her tycoon father decides that enough is enough. On her 18th birthday, he says that in order to receive her trust fund, she must work a different low-paying job every week for a year. Sounds like this will be hilarious!

11. Stay by Deb Caletti : I've only read one other Caletti book and really enjoyed it. This one about a relationship that turns abusive and unhealthy and the girl's attempts to get away sounds dark and gripping.

I would say that I have a library problem, but you guys already know that :) After I read The Family Fang, which book should I go with?