Month: March 2018

Down the TBR Hole #19

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Image: hjl

Down the TBR Hole was started by Lia over at Lost in a Story.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

I will be repeating this process until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  My TBR pile is down one to 723 books.  I recently started Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

This week’s five books:


The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones – KEEP.  I bought a used copy of this book after reading something about it somewhere during my ramblings around the net.  Like Howl’s Moving Castle, it’s been lingering on my TBR just waiting for me to pick it up.

A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones – KEEP.  Here’s another one by Jones, but this one is on my wish list.  The story sounds too good to pass up.

Unexpected Magic by Diana Wynne Jones – KEEP.  The first story in this collection is described as, “A cat tells how the kindhearted wizard she owns is suddenly called upon to defeat a horrific Beast.”  Yep, that’s right, a cat who owns a wizard.  There’s no way I’m taking that off of my wish list.

The Travels of Daniel Ascher by Déborah Lévy-Bertherat – GO.  I was tempted to keep this since it was supposedly widely popular in France, but something about the synopsis rubbed me the wrong way.  I don’t know why, but I’m taking this off of the list.  If it’s meant to be, it will find its way back.

A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway – KEEP.  I already own the ebook, but even if I didn’t, I would keep it on my TBR because of 3 things; not only is it a spin off of Sherlock Holmes but it also involves Steam Punk and magic.  How could I pass that up?
My to-read shelf is down to 722 books.  See you next Saturday when I start with book #136.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

  • This check-in is for March 23rd – 29th.
  • I’m at a standstill with putting together furniture thanks to an Ikea dresser having a wrong piece in one of the boxes it came in.  Once I get the replacement part, I’ll be able to finish it, put the bed frame together, and then most of the apartment will finally be done.  The rest will be just odds and ends to make it cozier.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Steps: 30,966/56,000
  • Miles: 12.77/25
  • Total Miles: 185.74
  • Active Minutes: 159/210
  • Total Money Donated: $0.52/$5.00

Monday's Minutes

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
Currently Reading:

  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
  • Of Books and Bagpipes by Paige Shelton
  • The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart

    
Finished:

  • The Kindness Handbook by Sharon Salzberg
  • Bilbo’s Last Song by J.R.R. Tolkien

 
Total pages read this week: 358
Total books for the year: 20 of 90.  Yesterday was Tolkien Reading Day and I chose to celebrate by reading Bilbo’s Last Song.  I’m still trying to catch up on Les Misérables, but I found The Piano Shop on the Left Bank on the free book cart at the VA and immediately started reading it.  I’m loving it so far and it made me spend far too much time searching and considering buying a piano for which I have absolutely no room in my tiny one-bedroom apartment.  I also added quite a few pieces of sheet music to my wish list on Amazon and ordered a copy of The Road Goes Ever On, a book of poems and songs from Middle Earth put to music for guitar and piano.  I only have a 5 octave keyboard, but I’ll do what I can with it until I find the room and money for a full-sized weighted-key digital piano with pedals.  It’s probably a good thing I don’t have one right now anyway since my synovitis has been acting up again.
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #18

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

Image: hjl

Down the TBR Hole was started by Lia over at Lost in a Story.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

I will be repeating this process until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  My TBR has gone up, again, to 724 books thanks to my fave book blogs providing amazing reviews and recommendations.

This week’s five books:


So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane – KEEP.  I loved Duane’s The Book of Night with Moon and I already own this one.

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks – KEEP.  If I’m ever going to get around to watching the TV adaptation, I need to read this classic Fantasy first.

The Year of Shadows by Claire Legrand – KEEP. Gothic Middle Grade Fantasy?  Yes, please and thank you!

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde – KEEP.  I don’t remember why I initially added this one to my wish list, but I wouldn’t doubt it had something to do with the VW Bug on what is obviously part of a dragon.  How could this not be an awesome story with that cover?!  The synopsis backs up my theory, too, so I’m keeping this one on my wish list.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones – KEEP.  Why have I not read this yet?! I have it on my “Readathon Maybes” list, so I’m going to move it to the top of the stack for the 24-Hour Readathon in April.
My to-read shelf is stuck at 724 books.  See you next Saturday when I start with book #131.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

  • This check-in is for March 16th – 22nd.
  • I’m having some difficulty getting my steps, but I’m going above and beyond my active minutes goal without much trouble.  I’m not going to adjust any of my goals yet, though, since I’m still in the process of unpacking, putting together furniture, rearranging things, and organizing all the stuff.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Steps: 36,114/56,000
  • Miles: 14.90/25
  • Total Miles: 172.97
  • Active Minutes: 245/210
  • Total Money Donated: $0.49/$5.00

Monday's Minutes

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
Currently Reading:

  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • The Kindness Handbook by Sharon Salzberg
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
  • Of Books and Bagpipes by Paige Shelton

    
Finished:

  • Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
  • A Philosophy of Walking by Frédéric Gros

 
Total pages read this week: 481
Total books for the year: 18 of 90.  I’m doing my best to finish up my current reads now that my reading slump has passed.
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #17

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

Image: hjl

Down the TBR Hole was started by Lia over at Lost in a Story.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

I will be repeating this process until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  My TBR is up to 720 books thanks to a small reading slump coupled with adding quite a few books to my wish list.

This week’s five books:


Wizards of Water and Wood by P.J. Owen – KEEP.  I’ve already read the first 2 books in this Middle Grade Fantasy series, and I really need to get around to reading this one since I already own it, and it’s only 104 pages.

Sages, Swordsmen, and Scoundrels by P.J. Owen – KEEP.  This one is on my wish list since I haven’t read the 3rd book yet.  I think it’s the final book in the series.

Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky – KEEP.  This was written by a Ukrainian-born Jew prior to her death at Auschwitz.  She was also a well-known author in France.  There is no way I’m not going to give this book a chance.

The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom – KEEP.  I adore cozy mysteries set in libraries and bookstores or having to do with books.  I prefer them on audiobook, but I couldn’t find this one in that format so I settled for the ebook instead.

Voracious by Cara Nicoletti – GO.  Normally, I love to get my hands on any cookbook about food mentioned in books.  However, I’m often disappointed by the recipes which tend to be too difficult for my limited cooking skills, require too many strange ingredients or an entire kitchen’s worth of pots and pans, or sound like nothing I would ever want to eat (my “foodiness” is much more about comfort than exploration).  Adding all that up and considering that I already have two amazing book-related cookbooks with more than enough recipes for me to try (Outlander Kitchen and An Unexpected Cookbook), I’m taking this one off my wish list.
My to-read shelf is down to 719 books.  See you next Saturday when I start with book #126.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

  • This check-in is for March 9th – 15th.
  • While I didn’t reach my current step goal for the week, I did much better than last week, thanks to getting out of the house on several days.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Steps: 40,185/56,000
  • Miles: 16.67/25
  • Total Miles: 158.07
  • Active Minutes: 260/210
  • Total Money Donated: $0.45/$5.00

Monday's Minutes

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
Currently Reading:

  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • The Kindness Handbook by Sharon Salzberg
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • A Philosophy of Walking by Frédéric Gros
  • Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
  • Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

     
Finished:

  • These is My Words by Nancy Turner


Challenges:
Total pages read this week: 392
Total books for the year: 16 of 90.  I’m finally back to listening to audiobooks while I do stuff around the apartment.  I’ve got most of the boxes unpacked, and a couple of the rugs we ordered arrived but there was a major screwup with the furniture so I’m still waiting on that.  Once it arrives, I’ll be spending the majority of my time putting it all together.  I foresee lots of audiobook listening over the next week or so.
What are you reading this week?

And the Winner is…

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

classicsclub

The Classics Club announced the Spin number yesterday:

3

Which means I’ll be reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.  I’ve been wanting to read it for awhile, but I’ve been putting it off in the hopes of reading it for RIP.  I honestly don’t know if I will finish it since I’ve been an extremely moody reader lately.  I’m also in the middle of several other books.  I’ll try though because I have just a little more than a year to finish the 50 book challenge.

  1. Kafka, Franz: The Trial
  2. Lawrence, D.H.: Lady Chatterley’s Lover
  3. Du Maurier, Daphne: Rebecca
  4. Barrie, J.M.: Peter Pan
  5. Beckett, Samuel: Waiting for Godot
  6. Remarque: All Quiet on the Western Front
  7.  Melville, Herman: Moby Dick
  8. Bronte, Anne: Agnes Grey
  9. Proust, Marcel: Swann’s Way
  10. Gogol, Nikolay: Dead Souls
  11. Eliot, George: Middlemarch
  12. Hawthorne, Nathaniel: The Scarlet Letter
  13. Heller, Joseph: Catch-22
  14. Hemingway, Ernest: A Farewell to Arms
  15. Cooper, James Fenimore: The Last of the Mohicans
  16. Crane, Stephen: Red Badge of Courage
  17. Hugo, Victor: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
  18. Irving, Washington: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
  19. Hugo, Victor: Les Misérables
  20. Tolstoy, Leo: War and Peace