Month: August 2017

Down the TBR Hole #9

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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 every week until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  I currently have 566 books on my to-read shelf.  I culled several books towards the bottom of the list while I was looking through them for something to read after a somewhat bad day.

This week’s five books:


Foreign Correspondences by Lesley Krueger – KEEP.  I love travel writing and I already own this in ebook format.

The Thickety: A Path Begins by J.A. White – KEEP.  I already own this one too, and there’s no way I would get rid of what sounds like an awesome Middle-Grade Fantasy story.

How to Catch a Bogle by Catherine Jinks – KEEP.  This is another Middle-Grade book I already own and don’t have plans of getting rid of anytime soon.

Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines – KEEP.  I own this in paperback, and I’ve heard nothing but great things about it and the author.  I might take it off the shelf to read next month.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige – GO.  This seemed so interesting before there was a ridiculous number of other stories which turn the supposedly “good guys” into bad.  No thanks.
 
My to-read shelf is down to 565 books.  I’ll start off next week with book #81.

#FitReaders Check-In

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fitreaders-2017-1

  • This check-in is for August 11th – 17th.
  • I realized that I haven’t mentioned my progress on the virtual Appalachian Trail at Walking4Fun.  I’m currently on my way through Stage 6 (of 89) and have walked over more than 120 miles of the Trail.  I’m just over the Georgia – North Carolina border 🙂  Here is a picture from where I was at yesterday before I went to bed:

Trail Location

  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Steps: 18,833/70,000
  • Miles: 7.73/35
  • Total Miles: 317.31
  • Active Minutes: 40/210
  • Days I Drank 80 ounces of Water: 7/7
  • Virtual 5Ks: 0/10
  • Total Money Donated: $4.10/$10.00

Thursday's Things: Back to School!

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1001 Things
Original Image: Viktor Hertz

“Thursday’s Things” is a roundup of book related links I’ve come across while wandering down the rabbit hole that is the internet.
Students are headed back to school for another year of learning, and I’m just a wee bit jealous!  The #SciFiSummer reading challenge is still going strong with roughly a month left, so I mixed in a few Science Fiction related links with the more “scholarly” ones.

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:

  • Allegiant by Veronica Roth
  • The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
  • Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – for #LengthyLit
  • Jack the Bodiless by Julian May
  • The Once and Future King by T.H. White
  • Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker
  • The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore

  
   
Challenges:

Total pages read this week: 571
Total # of books for the year: 58 of 85.  I was really hoping I would finish Allegiant this weekend, but I fell asleep on the couch.  I’m about 150 pages away from finishing, so I’ll definitely be done some time this week.
What are you reading this week?

Bout of Books 20!

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Bout of Books

The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long readathon that begins 12:01 am Monday, August 21st and runs through Sunday, August 27th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 20 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

I have to work during this Bout of Books, unfortunately, but I’m planning on getting some extra reading time in with audiobooks.

My Goals

  • Read.  Read.  Read.
  • Finish the books I’m currently reading.
  • Finish at least one more book from my TBR.

Books to Read

One or two of these might already be finished by the 21st.

  • Allegiant by Veronica Roth
  • The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
  • Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
  • Jack the Bodiless by Julian May
  • Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker
  • The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore

Updates

I will be posting an update each day with the amount of time I read, the number of pages read that day and the titles of any of the books I’ve finished.

Down the TBR Hole #8

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 every week until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  I currently have 576 books on my to-read shelf.  I cleared out a few books towards the end of the list that I was no longer interested in reading.

This week’s ten books:


Seraphina by Rachel Hartman – KEEP.  Why have I not read this book yet?!  A friend of mine gave it to me as a Birthday present a couple years ago, and it’s still sitting on the shelf.  I need to fix that.

The Shelf by Phyllis Rose – KEEP.  I bought this about a year ago, and haven’t managed to get to it yet, despite how much I love reading books about books.

The Library Book by various authors – KEEP.  This is a collection of essays and has been on my wishlist for what feels like forever.  I’ve never found a physical copy of it, and I don’t want to settle for the ebook.

The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell – KEEP.  This is another book that has been on my wishlist for a long time because I haven’t been able to find a physical copy of it.

When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning – KEEP.  A book about books and WWII?  Yes, please!

The Uncanny Valley by Gregory Miller – KEEP.  I’m putting this towards the top of the list of books I want to read in October.

Turn of the Tide by Margaret Skea – KEEP.  If I judged this book solely on the cover, I probably would have gotten rid of it.  However, the story is based on real life events in Scotland during the 16th century, so there’s no way I’m getting rid of it.

Ren of Atikala by David Adams – KEEP.  This one sounds too fun to get rid of and I got it for free.

The Princess of Dhagabad by Anna Kashina – GO.  A story about a Princess who seduces her slave?  No thanks, even if it is supposed to be based on The Arabian Nights.

The Librarian: Little Boy Lost by Alexandra Bracken – KEEP.  I would never get rid of a book about a magical library.
My to-read shelf is down to 575 books.  I’ll start off next week with book #76 and I might do ten books yet again since it looks like I’ll probably be keeping most of them.

#FitReaders Check-In

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fitreaders-2017-1

  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Steps: 23,570/70,000
  • Miles: 9.69/35
  • Total Miles: 309.58
  • Active Minutes: 31/210
  • Days I Drank 80 ounces of Water: 7/7
  • Virtual 5Ks: 0/10
  • Total Money Donated: $3.38/$10.00

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:

  • Allegiant by Veronica Roth
  • The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
  • Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – for #LengthyLit
  • The Once and Future King by T.H. White
  • Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker
  • The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore

  
  
Finished:

  • The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
  • The Road by Cormac McCarthy

  
Challenges:

Total pages read this week: 537
Total # of books for the year: 58 of 85.
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #7

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 every week until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  I currently have 579 books on my to-read shelf.  I took a box of books to Half Price Books to sell and, of course, I ended up buying several books with the money I got.  I decided to do 10 books again this week since all but one of them are keepers.

This week’s ten books:


The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket – KEEP.  This one is still on my wishlist, but I will eventually have it as part of my Lemony Snicket collection.

The Unauthorized Autobiography by Lemony Snicket – KEEP.  I already own this one.

Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier – KEEP.  So far I’ve loved every book Marillier has written so this one is staying on my TBR.

Beauty by Robin McKinley – KEEP.  “Beauty and the Beast” is my all-time favorite fairy tale, and I’ve heard nothing but great things about this retelling.

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley – KEEP.  Even though this is the 1st in the “Damar” series, I was told I should read the 2nd book, The Hero and the Crown, first.  I did and really enjoyed it, so I’m keeping this one.

Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley – KEEP.  Another re-telling of “Beauty and the Beast” by the same author that I’ve heard great things about.

Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley – KEEP.  This is a retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” and it’s been on my wishlist for what feels like forever.  I haven’t bought a copy yet because I wanted to read the other books by McKinley that I already own and “Sleeping Beauty” might be my least fave fairy tale.

Sunshine by Robin McKinley – KEEP.  I don’t know if this is a fairy tale retelling or not, but it involves vampires and I got it in a Humble Bundle so it’s not going anywhere until I read it.

The Magician’s Book: A Skeptic’s Adventures in Narnia by Laura Miller – GO.  I added this to my wishlist years ago when I was still interested in getting a different perspective on “The Chronicles of Narnia” series by C.S. Lewis.  The synopsis makes it seem that this book is more about C.S. Lewis than about the series, and I’m just not interested anymore.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken – KEEP.  I get the impression from the synopsis that this is at least partly a darker version of the X-Men, and I’m always down for that.
My to-read shelf is down to 578 books.  I’ll start off next week with book #66 and I might do ten books again since it looks like I’ll probably be keeping most of them.

#FitReaders Check-In

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fitreaders-2017-1

  • This check-in is for July 28th – August 3rd.
  • This was not a great week, and I’ve been reading for comfort more than I’ve exercised, but I’m only about 4 miles away from finishing the Maurader’s Marathon.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Steps: 19,151/70,000
  • Miles: 7.87/35
  • Total Miles: 299.89
  • Active Minutes: 9/210
  • Days I Drank 80 ounces of Water: 6/7
  • Virtual 5Ks: 0/10
  • Total Money Donated: $2.92/$10.00