Down the TBR Hole #172

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 shelf is down two books to 1130. I finished a couple of books and went to the library instead of a bookstore.
This week’s books:

Real Change by Sharon Salzberg – GO. I’ve read several of Salzberg’s books and they’re all pretty much the same.

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw – KEEP.  This is another book picked for the Fantastic Strangelings book club, and I’m very much looking forward to reading it.

How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety by Zachary Auburn – KEEP. Comedic satire involving cats? I’ll gladly give this one a try.

The First Free Women by Matty Weingast- GO. I thought this was a book of poetry by women inspired by the work of early Buddhist nuns, but it’s a book by one male author. That’s not bad in itself, but the title and the subtitle are a bit misleading. Since I’ve never been a big fan of poetry, I’m no longer interested.

Tears of Amber by Sofia Segovia – KEEP.  I’ve read nothing but amazing reviews about this book and the author’s other work, and since this is another story involving a part of WWII history that I haven’t read much about, I will be reading this one at some point.
My want-to-read shelf is down to 1128 books. I was surprised again by my decision to let go of a couple of books, but I don’t think I’ll be getting rid of any in the next post.

#FitReaders Check-In

  • This check-in is for September 29th – October 5th.
  • My boyfriend and I went apple-picking early on Saturday and this morning I sliced up a couple of the apples, coated them in melted butter and cinnamon, and put them in the air fryer for a few minutes while I cooked up some oatmeal. It was the perfect breakfast for a cool Autumn morning.
  • My plan today is to get the Halloween decorations up. I don’t know if I’ll have enough energy to finish everything, but I’m trying not to think about it too much and do what I can.
  • Active Days: 1/5
  • Steps: 45,740
  • Miles: 18.33/15.34
  • Total Miles: 627.03/850
  • Zone Minutes: 42/150

Building the Book Fort

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

Currently Reading:

  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • Fairy Tale by Stephen King
  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Penny Dreadful Vol. 7 by various authors
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
  • Tales from the Gas Station: Volume One by Jack Townsend

DNF:

  • Ink and Shadows by Ellery Adams

Finished:

  • The September House by Carissa Orlando
  • Ghoulia by Barbara Cantini

Total pages read this week: 506

Total books read: 84 of 90

TBR: -17 (Goal is -36)

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril:

  • Peril of the Fiction – 12
  • Peril of the Listen – 0
  • Peril of the Short Story – 6
  • Peril of the Screen – 4 episodes of “Ghost Hunter,” 2 episodes of “Creeped Out,” “Bird Box,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” 4 episodes of “Cabinet of Curiosities,” “Nightmare Castle”, “Jamaica Inn”, and “Hitchcock Presents: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”

The Boyfriend and I went apple picking today. I’m glad I had the energy to go and enjoy it because I’ve been feeling nothing but exhausted and down this week. Yesterday, in an attempt to feel better, I went to the library after work and checked out several books that have been on my wishlist for a while. I did temporarily feel a little more energized, but that quickly faded once I got home and I felt so depleted that I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to go to the orchard today. I didn’t even have the energy to read.

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

Down the TBR Hole #171

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 shelf is up a few books to 1133. While I finished several books this week, I also bought a couple of books and added a couple more to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

Bold Spirit by Linda Lawrence Hunt – KEEP. Not only do I want to read about Helga Estby’s trek across the United States, I want to know why her story was almost lost.

Book Towns by Alex Johnson – GO.  I wouldn’t usually decide to remove a book about books (or in this case, a book about book towns) from my To Be Read list, but this one has been sitting on my wish list for several years, and I still haven’t bothered to buy it or even to see if the library has it.

Still Life by Sarah Winman – KEEP. This was the book picked for the Fantastic Strangelings book club for November 2021. That’s the only reason I’m keeping it. I have faith in Jenny Lawson’s choice of books.

The Book Lovers’ Anthology ed. by Bodleian Library- KEEP. This is a book about books written by a wide variety of authors. Of course, I want to read it!

The Resurrectionist by E.B. Hudspeth – KEEP.  This book was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for 2013 in the category of Horror. I love the cover, and the book itself is full of illustrations, so I’m looking forward to taking my time with it at some point.
My want-to-read shelf is down one book to 1132. I was a little surprised by my decisions for this week’s books. I might be surprised again in the next post.

#FitReaders Check-In

  • This check-in is for September 22nd – 28th.
  • I was sick with a stomach bug for most of the week and did more reading than anything else.
  • Active Days: 1/5
  • Steps: 29,308
  • Miles: 11.82/15.34
  • Total Miles: 608.70/850
  • Zone Minutes: 45/150

Building the Book Fort

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

Currently Reading:

  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • Fairy Tale by Stephen King
  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Penny Dreadful Vol. 7 by various authors
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
  • The September House by Carissa Orlando

Finished:

  • The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
  • Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
  • The Spite House by Johnny Compton
  • Alice in Zombieland by Nickolas Cook

Total pages read this week: 1,292

Total books read: 82 of 90

TBR: -15 (Goal is -36)

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril:

  • Peril of the Fiction – 10
  • Peril of the Listen – 0
  • Peril of the Short Story – 6
  • Peril of the Screen – 4 episodes of “Ghost Hunter,” 2 episodes of “Creeped Out,” “Bird Box,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” 3 episodes of “Cabinet of Curiosities,” “Nightmare Castle”, “Jamaica Inn”, and “Hitchcock Presents: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”

I’ve been sick for the past few days with a stomach bug, so I’ve had a lot of time to read. I’ve also started watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie collection I’ve owned for years but never got around to watching until now along with a couple of black and white horror films I have on DVD.

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

Down the TBR Hole #170

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 shelf is down a couple of books to 1130. I finished a couple of books this past week.
This week’s books:

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward – KEEP. I don’t know if I’ll get to this one this year, but I’m intrigued by the mention of a cat who reads the Bible.

Melmoth by Sarah Perry – KEEP.  I enjoyed The Essex Serpent and wouldn’t be surprised if this book is even better.

Sistersong by Lucy Holland – KEEP. This is the next book picked for the Fantastic Strangelings book club after Mrs. March by Virginia Feito, which I finished a couple of weeks ago. I plan to read it in November.

The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder- KEEP. I recently checked this one out from my local public library and it’s due back at the end of the month. I hope to finish it before then, but I might need to renew it.

The Madman’s Library by Edward Brooke-Hitching – KEEP.  A book about books that has a lot to do with the history of literature? Yes, please, and thank you!
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1130 books for now. While I was sure I wouldn’t be letting go of any books in this post, I’m not certain about a couple of the books in the next post.

#FitReaders Check-In

  • This check-in is for September 15th – 21st.
  • I’ve been a little more active this week thanks to a clothes decluttering and organizing project I couldn’t put off any longer. I’ve lost enough weight that many of the clothes in my closet were a little too big, so I had the Boyfriend pull out the three large plastic tubs of clothes I’ve been keeping in the hopes that I could wear them again someday. I went through everything in the tubs and my closet and put everything too big for me aside for donation. I put everything that fits back in my closet, and the stuff that is still a little too small back into the tubs. I was able to fit everything into two of the tubs, leaving a tub empty for storing something else if need be.
  • The great thing about managing to summon the energy for this project is that I now don’t have to come up with the energy to go shopping. I have more than enough clothes that fit, which also means I’m saving a significant amount of money, especially on clothes for work. That’s a big deal since I’ll be leaving my full-time job within the next six months or so and I won’t need all those business casual clothes anymore.
  • Active Days: 2/5
  • Steps: 40,575
  • Miles: 16.34/15.34
  • Total Miles: 596.88/850
  • Zone Minutes: 73/150

#FrightFall Readathon!

The FrightFall readathon starts on October 1st and runs through the end of October, alongside #SomethingWickedFall, which started on September 1st.

There’s only one “rule” for #FrightFall, and that is at least one scary book (thriller, mystery, Gothic, etc.) has to be read during the readathon.  Since that’s pretty much the only kind of book I read during this time of year, I’m good to go.

The read-along for this year’s #SomethingWickedFall is Stephen King’s Fairy Tale, which I’m loving so far. In addition to Fairy Tale, I have a ridiculous number of books I want to read for not only #FrightFall, but also #RIP, #TrappedInASpookyHouse, and #HauntedShelf. To make it easier, I created the list below for the October #BookSpin and #CastTheDie.

I won’t get to all of these books, but I’m going to try.

Are you participating in #FrightFall or #SomethingWickedFall? Leave a comment below!

Building the Book Fort

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

Currently Reading:

  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • Fairy Tale by Stephen King
  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
  • Penny Dreadful Vol. 7 by various authors

Finished:

  • The Art of Frugal Hedonism by Annie Raser-Rowland
  • Come Join Us By the Fire: Season 2 by various authors

Total pages read this week: 599

Total books read: 78 of 85

TBR: -16 (Goal is -36)

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril:

  • Peril of the Fiction – 6
  • Peril of the Listen – 0
  • Peril of the Short Story – 6
  • Peril of the Screen – 4 episodes of “Ghost Hunter,” 2 episodes of “Creeped Out,” “Bird Box,” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”

I’ve enjoyed about half of what I’ve read for #RIP this past week. Short story collections have never been my thing, but I’ve gotten quite a few of them for free over the years and I figured they would be easier to read when I have some time during the day (during my lunch break for example). I considered counting them towards “Peril of the Short Story”, but decided to count them as “Peril of the Fiction” if I finished the entire book.

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