Down the TBR Hole #189

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment
Image: hjl

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads want-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?
My want-to-read shelf jumped up again to 1178 books. I finished several books this past week, but I added several Cozy books to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher – KEEP. This book keeps coming up in Fantasy recommendation lists of all kinds. My hope is to get to it sooner rather than later.

Live Your Best Life by Dr. Stuart Farrimond – GO. I tried listening to this audiobook during my morning commute as part of my Miracle Morning routine, but I just couldn’t get into it, and I stopped listening. I meant to come back to it and give it another chance at some point, but every time I see it in the Chirp app, I’m reminded of how boring I thought it was.

A Book of Bosh by Edward Lear – GO. I don’t remember where I learned about this “book of nonsense”, but it’s been on my wishlist for two years, is out of print, and I haven’t bothered to try finding a copy.

Miss Peregrine’s Museum of Wonders by Ransom Riggs- KEEP. I love this world and want to read more about it.

Murder at the Bookstore by Sue Minix – KEEP.  I wonder how many Cozy Mystery books have this exact same title? I also wonder how many other Cozy Mystery books have a main character who inherits a bookstore after the owner is murdered. Will this book be predictable? Oh, most certainly, but I need more predictableness in my life right now.
My want-to-read shelf is down a little bit to 1176 books. These posts are a reminder of how many great books I already have waiting for me to pick up while allowing me the chance to weed out the ones that I’m no longer interested in reading. Though I’ve been checking out a lot of books from the library lately, I have been mixing those in with the books I own so I can get my “new” book fix while slowly chipping away at my TBR. It may not look like it, but that system is working, even if the number of books on my want-to-read shelf expands more than it contracts.

#FitReaders Check-In

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  • This check-in is for February 9th – 15th.
  • The weather has been rainy, icy, and bleh all week. Combined with everything else in my life, I’ve been spending more time under a blanket with a book, a hot cuppa, and at least one cat than doing anything else.
  • Active Days: 1/5
  • Steps: 39,734
  • Miles: 16.09/16.31
  • Total Miles: 84.51/850
  • Zone Minutes: 56/150

Building the Book Fort

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
  • The House Witch by Delemhach
  • Harry Potter’s Bookshelf by John Granger
  • Night Shift by Stephen King

Finished:

  • Hunted by Meagan Spooner
  • The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
  • Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
  • The Colossus and Other Poems by Sylvia Plath

Total pages read this week: 925

Total books read: 20 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): -9

#ShelfLove Challenge: 13 of 51

I’ve been checking out a lot of books from the library, and five of them are going to be due over the next week. I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish all of them, so I’ve prioritized reading the one I checked out for a reading challenge on Litsy, Night Shift. It’s one of the few King books I’ve never read, and since it’s one of his older short story collections, I’m really looking forward to diving in (I’ve only read the Forward so far). While it’s definitely not a Cozy read, it does bring up a lot of fond memories of me checking out and devouring his books during my teen years.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Down the TBR Hole #188

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment
Image: hjl

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads want-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?
My want-to-read shelf jumped up to 1175 books. While I finished a few books this past week, only one of them was from my TBR. The rest were library books that hadn’t been on my want-to-read shelf, and I added several more books to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat by Sofie Kelly – KEEP. A Cozy Mystery in which the main character is a librarian and she has cats? Yes, please!

Dodger by Terry Pratchett – KEEP. I’m keeping this book on my wishlist because it’s by Sir Terry Pratchett, but I’m not going to buy it until after I finally get around to reading Oliver Twist.

Monster’s Bones by David K. Randall – KEEP. Anyone who knows me knows that I love Dinosaurs! On my Birthday, I visited COSI and got to see their exhibit dedicated to T. Rex. I learned a little bit about the man who discovered the first T. Rex, and this book goes more into the details about that story as well as the other people involved.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett- KEEP. Not only is this one of the books Jenny Lawson selected for the Fantastic Strangelings book club, but it also shows up on every Cozy Fantasy book recommendation list I’ve come across.

The Binding by Bridget Collins – KEEP.  A book-related Fantasy set in an alternate 19th century England? I’m intrigued.
My want-to-read shelf is staying at 1175 books. If you’ve read my most recent “Building the Book Fort” post, you’ll know that times have been rough for me. Through all of it, I’ve been sticking to my #ShelfLove goal of limiting how many books I buy. Instead of binging on new books from the bookstore, I’ve been soothing myself with books from the library and taking any Cozy book recommendations sent my way. While I know my want-to-read shelf will eventually go down, for now, I’m more concerned with how I’m coping than the number of books I own or have on my wishlist.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

  • This check-in is for February 2nd – 8th.
  • While I will try to get as many miles as I can this month to hopefully get caught up on my mileage goal for the year, I won’t be completing the Taji 100. It’s simply too much for me to handle physically.
  • Active Days: 2/5
  • Steps: 40,275
  • Miles: 16.25/16.31
  • Total Miles: 68.42/850
  • Zone Minutes: 78/150

Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle1 Comment

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • Hunted by Meagan Spooner
  • The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
  • The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
  • Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
  • The Colossus and Other Poems by Sylvia Plath
  • The House Witch by Delemhach

Finished:

  • Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
  • The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill
  • Goblin Mode by McKayla Coyle
  • Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon

Total pages read this week: 808

Total books read: 16 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): -6

#ShelfLove Challenge: 10 of 51

TL;DR: You’ll be seeing me reading a lot of cozy books for a while. Please give me your cozy recommendations!

I’ve heard the saying, “Life happens when you’re busy making plans,” and I thought I understood that. Nope. As with so many other bits of wisdom, you don’t really know what they mean until you learn them through first-hand experience. I had planned to step down from full-time work, hoping it would help me with my mental and physical health. I calculated, planned, cut as many unnecessary expenses as I felt comfortable doing, discussed it with my boyfriend on multiple occasions, and squirrelled away as much money as I could in preparation for this huge change. Everything was falling into place. I updated my resume, applied for several part-time jobs, and got an interview to one of them. I was feeling pretty good about my life and was looking forward to when I could put in my two-week notice.

Then, wham!, my situation changed enough that working part-time would no longer be sustainable financially. On top of that, there has been a whole lot of upheaval at my job that has destroyed my chances of advancing my career for several years and might result in me getting laid off. I’m not happy at all with what has been going on, but the stability my job provides (if I can keep it) would be nearly impossible to find anywhere else right now. I feel stuck, and like I now have to do everything I can to keep a job I didn’t want to stay at in the first place. I’ve been trying to feel grateful about the fact that I have a job at all and about so much else in my life, but I’ve been feeling so angry and disappointed that I’ve retreated into coziness whenever possible.

While there are a couple of books I’m trying to get through for book challenges before the end of the month, everything else I’m reading is pure Cozy with a capital ‘C’. I’ve already binged a couple of books that I checked out from the library, and I have a lot of Cozy books on my shelves that I will be reading sooner rather than later. I know that I will get through this and that things will eventually get better. However, if you have any Cozy book, podcast, show, or movie recommendations please leave a comment.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Down the TBR Hole #187

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment
Image: hjl

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads want-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?
My want-to-read shelf still at 1163 books. I finished a couple of books this past week, but I got a couple of free audiobooks. I’m ok with breaking even for now.
This week’s books:

Lute by Jennifer Thorne – KEEP. All of this week’s books are picks for the Fantastic Strangelings book club. I’m looking forward to reading this #RIP worthy book.

The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh – GO. While I generally have a lot of faith in the books Jenny Lawson selects for her book club, I’m really not into Contemporary Fiction. I also think that if I were to read this book, I would need it to be in audiobook format. Otherwise, I would constantly be stumbling over names, which would take me out of the story.

Florida Woman by Deb Rogers – KEEP. I have a feeling this one is going to be extremely strange and I will find myself saying, “WTF did I just read?!” by the end of it. I am totally onboard with that.

Hurricane Girl by Marcy Dermansky- KEEP. I think this might end up being just as mind-bending as Florida Woman. I’ll give it a chance.

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel – KEEP.  I’m not sure I will enjoy this one, but it is a Fantasy novel, so I’m going to give it a try.
My want-to-read shelf is down one book to 1162. It’s been quite a while since I’ve let go of a book. If I can get myself to read or get rid of more books than I add to my wishlist, I just might be able to keep my want-to-read shelf moving in a downward direction. We shall see.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

  • This check-in is for January 26th – February 1st.
  • I did fairly well this week up until Friday.
  • The weather has warmed up a bit, but thanks to my back and a stomach bug, I’m already behind on my miles for the Taji 100.
  • Active Days: 3/5
  • Steps: 39,220
  • Miles: 15.84/16.31
  • Total Miles: 52.17/850
  • Zone Minutes: 98/150

Building the Book Fort

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • Hunted by Meagan Spooner
  • Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
  • Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon
  • The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

Finished:

  • Cold Days by Jim Butcher
  • A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons by Cressida Cowell

Total pages read this week: 963

Total books read: 12 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): -6

#ShelfLove Challenge: 9 of 51

Winter and my back do not get along. There’s also been some kind of a stomach bug going around, and between that and major changes happening at my job, I haven’t been in a good mood. I’m grateful to have so many wonderful books to escape into, along with my Bad Day box, which is full of comfort when I need it most. That was especially helpful yesterday, the anniversary of my Dad’s passing.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Down the TBR Hole #186

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment
Image: hjl

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads want-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?
My want-to-read shelf has skyrocketed up to 1163 books. I finished several books this week, but I discovered Meg’s Tea Room on Instagram and she has tons of Cozy Fantasy recommendations that I added to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon – KEEP. Here is another first book in a Cozy Mystery series involving the owner of a bookstore. It seems to be quite popular with 16 books, multiple short stories, and the 17th book expected to be published sometime this year.

Mortal Monarchs by Suzie Edge – KEEP. I think this might have been a recommendation by Jenny Lawson, but my memory is fuzzy on that. Regardless, it sounds like a morbidly fun read.

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean – KEEP. Now this one I know is one of Jenny Lawson’s recommendations since it’s one of her picks for the Fantastic Strangelings book club. It is one of my goals this year to get caught up with the book club, even though I recently canceled my membership to cut down on expenses.

Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman- KEEP. This is another of the books picked for the Fantastic Strangelings book club, and though I don’t think it’s going to be my thing, I’m going to give it a try.

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth – KEEP.  Here is another book pick for the Fantastic Strangelings book club. Again, I’m not sure it’s going to be my thing, but it is Horror, and I trust Jenny Lawson’s recommendations 99% of the time.
My want-to-read shelf is staying at 1163 books. I said in the last post that I probably need to stay off of social media for awhile because I keep seeing books that I then add to my wishlist. I added more than 20 books in the past week alone, mostly thanks to Bookstagram. Last month, I began limiting my scrolling to 15 minutes a day, and while that is certainly keeping me from wasting hours of time, it apparently isn’t helping me keep my want-to-read shelf under control. I might do a month-long social media ban in February, but I’m not sure about that yet.