Month: January 2016

Review: Greenglass House

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

Greenglass

  • Author: Kate Milford
  • ISBN: 9780544052703
  • Genre: Middle-Grade Mystery

It’s wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler’s inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers’ adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon Milo’s home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook’s daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House-and themselves. – Goodreads synopsis

Greenglass House was one of my many book purchases last year when I had a couple of gift cards and a long wishlist.  Though I had wanted to read it for quite some time, I saved it for the Winter because just look at that cover!  I have to admit, while the synopsis is what sold me on this book, the cover art is what initially caught my interest.  I was not disappointed.

This is the perfect book for curling up under a blanket with an endless mug of hot chocolate, especially if you have a fireplace, and I’m not sure there’s a better book out there to read during the Winter.  I read it over the Holidays since the story takes place over Milo’s Winter break from school, and I would have finished it much more quickly if life hadn’t gotten in the way.

I will definitely be checking out Kate Milford’s other books.  If you’re looking for a fun Winter read, give Greenglass House a try.  After you finish, head on over to Nagspeake Online for more wintry fun.

Monday’s Minutes

Published on by Rachelle5 Comments

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

  •  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling – for the HP re-read.
  •  An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
  • The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson

Deathly Hallows Echo Paris Winter

Finished:

  • My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
  • The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
  • Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

Life Storied Moll Flanders

Challenges:

Total pages read: 884

Total # of books for the year: 5.  Now that the 24 in 48 readathon is over I’ll be catching up on reviews.  I’m also determined to finish The Paris Winter this week.

My Top Commenter: Felicia @ The Geeky Blogger’s Book Blog

What are you reading this week?

#24in48 Readathon Final Update

Published on by Rachelle1 Comment

The 24 in 48 readathon is over 🙁  Luckily, Monday is a holiday.

Final Update

I’m so glad to be finished with Moll Flanders.  It has to be the most boring Classic I’ve ever read.  I had a Boca burger, fries, and a Coke for dinner, and I had pretzels and jalapeño cheese dip, one of my Primal Strips, and some Fig Newmans for snacks.  I didn’t read for a total of 24 hours, but I was only shy of it by two hours and fifteen minutes, and that was time spent with the Boyfriend, so I’m more than ok with it.

Books Read:

  • The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson

Paris Winter

Books Finished:

  • The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
  • Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

Storied Moll Flanders

Pages Read: 209

Total Pages Read: 739

Time Read: 3 hours 45 minutes

Total Time Read: 21 hours 45 minutes

The next 24 in 48 readathon is July 23 and 24th, and I will definitely be joining in!

#24in48 Update

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

Only 6 hours left of the 24 in 48 readathon!

Update #5

I’m still listening to The Paris Winter, but I’ll soon be switching back to Moll Flanders.  I’m hoping I’ll finish one of them before midnight.

Current Reads:

  • Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
  • The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson

Moll Flanders Paris Winter

Books Finished: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Storied

Pages Read: 142

Total Pages Read: 530

Time Read: 6 hours

Total Time Read: 18 hours

My final update will be at midnight.  Happy reading!

#24in48 Update

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

Only 12 hours left of the 24 in 48 readathon!  Below is my update.

Update #4

I let myself sleep in this morning and then didn’t get out of bed until I felt like it.  This time of year makes it difficult to remove myself from the comfort and warmth of my blankets.  I had oatmeal with some raisins and a yogurt along with my usual large cup of tea for breakfast, and I’ve been listening to The Paris Winter.

Current Reads:

  • Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe – I’m not planning to continue reading this until later this afternoon, or maybe early evening.
  • The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson

Moll Flanders Paris Winter

Books Finished: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Storied

Pages Read: 69

Total Pages Read: 388

Time Read: 45 minutes

Total Time Read: 12 hours

My next update will be at 6 pm Central time (7 pm EST).  Happy reading!

#24in48 Update

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

We’re now a whole day into the 24 in 48 readathon.  I’m off to bed, but below is my update.

Update #3

Instead of having the spinach feta pizza pocket, the Boyfriend brought me Chinese food 🙂

Current Reads:

  • Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe – I’m almost done with this, with less than 100 pages left to go, but it’s slow going.
  • The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson – I listened to this a little bit after my eyes started getting heavy.

Moll Flanders Paris Winter

Books Finished: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Storied

Pages Read: 133

Total Pages Read: 319

Time Read: 5 hours

Total Time Read: 11 hours 15 minutes

My next update will be at noon tomorrow.  Goodnight!

#24in48 Update

Published on by Rachelle1 Comment

We’re now 18 hours into the 24 in 48 readathon.  Below is my update.

Update #2

So far, I’ve been mostly snacking.  Instead of lunch, I’ve grazed on cheese and crackers, jalepeño poppers, and bean and cheese “nacho” bites.  I’m going to eat a “normal” dinner, though, but I don’t know what exactly.  Probably the spinach feta pizza pocket I got for the sole reason that it’s healthier than a Hot Pocket.

Current Read: Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

Moll Flanders

Books Finished: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry – I’m saving my words for the review, but I will say that this was the perfect choice for my first book of the readathon.  The hours flew past.

Storied

Pages Read: 276

Total Pages Read: 319

Time Read: 5 hours 30 minutes

Total Time Read: 6 hours 15 minutes

My next update will be at midnight.  Happy reading! 🙂

#24in48 Survey, Reading Nook, and Update

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment
2016-01-16 11.06.02
Where I will be spending most of the weekend.

It’s hour 12 of the 24 in 48 readathon!  Below are my responses to Rachel’s survey, and then a short update about what I’ve been up to since I got up this morning.

  1. Where in the world are you reading from this weekend?  Austin, Texas
  2. Have you done the 24in48 readathon before? I participated in one 24in48 readathon in April 2014, when I started this blog 🙂
  3. Where did you hear about the readathon? I heard about the readathon through Rachel’s posts at 24 in 48.
  4. What book are you most excited about reading this weekend? The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin.
  5. Tell us something about yourself. Hmmm….I own seven adult coloring books.  Yeah, I’ve become a bit obsessed with collecting the coloring books of my fave fandoms.  I can’t wait until the Doctor Who one is finally released in February!  I will probably be doing some coloring this weekend while I listen to The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson.
  6. Remind us where to find you online this weekend. I’ll be here and on Twitter this weekend, but I can also be found on Facebook.

Update #1

I always know just how tired I was by how many hours I sleep when I don’t have to get up by a certain time.  I slept for 10 hours, and it.was.awesome.  For breakfast, I had a Boca Breakfast Scrambler “burger” on an English muffin, a yogurt, and a large cup of tea.  I haven’t decided on lunch yet, but I probably will just snack on something and have lunch a bit late since I plan to stay up late tonight.  My goal for today is at least 12 hours of reading.

Current Read: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Storied

Pages Read: 43

Time Read: 45 minutes

My next update will be at 6 pm central time (7 pm EST).  See you then!

#24in48 – Let the Reading Begin…In the Morning!

Published on by Rachelle3 Comments

You Can't Read All Day

Though I won’t start reading until I get up in the morning, the readathon officially started at midnight EST.  So, I figured I’d post this now before I go to bed.  I’ll be posting updates throughout the weekend, but I haven’t decided how often yet.  I’m considering every 12 hours, but we’ll see.

For every readathon I’ve ever participated in, I always buy lots of snacks and easy to cook and eat one-handed meals.  This 24 in 48 readathon is no different.  While some of the noms I got are healthy, or healthy-ish, readathons are when I splurge on the not so healthy snacks I love but don’t allow myself to eat at any other time; not just because they’re unhealthy, but they’re also not cheap.

Gilmore Girls

In addition to the stuff below, I’ve got some Chex Mix, cheese, crackers, grapes, and my secret stash of chocolate (Shhh! Don’t tell the Boyfriend.  I believe every woman should have a secret stash of chocolate.)  I’ve also got some mac and cheese, Boca burgers and fries, and my regular breakfast foods.  Oh, and lots and lots of tea, but there’s always plenty of that.  It’s probably way more food than I need, but I don’t want to have to make another trip to the store this weekend or waste money ordering take-out.

2016-01-15 17.38.27

My TBR pile has changed slightly since I finished My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem on Tuesday:

  • The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
  • Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
  • An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
  • The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson

Storied Moll Flanders Deathly Hallows

Echo Paris Winter

I’ve had a long week of submitting resumes, filling out applications, and going to job interviews in addition to getting trained for my new part-time job.  So, I’ll be sitting or laying on the couch in my pajamas for most of the readathon.  It’s also cold and Dresden the cat doesn’t like to be budged once he’s gotten comfortable on my lap, especially if I’ve got a blanket.  However, I also intend on going for a short walk each day as well as taking breaks to move around and do other things while I listen to the audiobook of The Paris Winter.

For now, though, I’m going to sleep.  See you in the morning! 🙂

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle3 Comments
FitReaders2016
  • This check-in is for January 8th – 14th.
  • I’ve still got knee pain, and I wasn’t able to do any yoga this week.  I still met my other goals, however, so I’ll be working towards an average of 3K steps per day.
  • If you’d like to add me as a friend on FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Yoga Workouts: 0/5
  • Steps: 31,482/14,000
  • Miles: 13/5.25
  • Flights of stairs: 34/14
  • Active Minutes: 147/100
  • Monthly 5K Races Completed: 1/10
  • Monthly 1 Mile Fun “Runs” Completed: 1/10
  • Total Money Donated: $2.53/$100.00 – I’ll keep this the same for now, but I may adjust it down to $75 if my progress is slower than I anticipate.