Author: Rachelle

Down the TBR Hole #178

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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 several books to 1122. I finished a couple of books and bought a couple of books, but I also removed a few books from my wish list after DNF’ing the first book in a series.
This week’s books:

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine – KEEP. I’ve been enjoying Caine’s other series, “The Great Library”, so when I found this paperback at Half Price Books and saw that it’s the first book in a series about vampires set in Texas, I decided to buy it.

Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater – KEEP. I’ve loved nearly every book Stiefvater has written, and I loved “Brave.” I also have a weakness for stories set in Scotland, so this was a no-brainer, auto-buy.

Stranger and Stranger by Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner – KEEP. This is the second book in the “Emily the Strange” series, and I thought I would certainly read it this year. However, there were so many other books I wanted to read during #RIP, and I didn’t get around to this one. Hopefully, I’ll get to it next year.

Novel Advice by Jay Bushman- KEEP. Fictional characters write to Aunt Antigone, the “agony aunt for the fictional” for advice. What could be more fun?!

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas – KEEP.  Here’s yet another pick for the Fantastic Strangelings book club. I will get to it at some point.
My want-to-read shelf is staying at 1122 books for now. Unless I finish some books, I don’t think it will be going down anytime soon.

#FitReaders Check-In

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  • This check-in is for November 10th – 16th.
  • I’m sick AGAIN, but this time it seems to be a stomach bug. Whatever it is, I need to be over it well before Thanksgiving because I’m not sticking to the BRAT diet during the holidays.
  • Active Days: 1/5
  • Steps: 33,497
  • Miles: 13.50/15.34
  • Total Miles: 716.96/850
  • Zone Minutes: 6/150

#YuletideSpirit Reading Challenge & Readathon!

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On the event announcement post (click on the image above) over at Seasons of Reading, there is a list of the three ways to participate in the Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge:

  • Challenge – Pick a level
  • Readathon – read as much (or as little) as you want
  • Participate in both!

Reading Challenge Levels:

  • Candy Cane: read 1 book
  • Mistletoe: read 2-4 books
  • Christmas Tree: read 5 or more books

I’m going to try for the “Mistletoe” level, as I’m not sure I’ll be able to finish 5 books. It’s always a busy time of year visiting and spending time with family. However, I do have a decent-sized list of books I want to read in December that are all Christmas-related.

A few of those books will qualify for the Bingo card that I’ll also be trying to complete:

Will you be participating in the Yuletide Spirit reading challenge? Let me know in the comments and be sure to sign up over at Seasons of Reading!

Building the Book Fort

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“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
  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Betrayal by Lydia Sherrer
  • If Books Could Kill by Kate Carlisle
  • The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass

DNF:

  • Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams

Finished:

  • The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly

Total pages read this week: 993

Total books read: 104 of 110

TBR: -18 (Goal is -36)

I was at the Ironton Wizard Fest last weekend with my bestie, and while I had an amazing time, the Wifi in the hotel we stayed at didn’t work at all and I wasn’t able to post anything from my tablet. I also hadn’t read much during the week, so decided to skip my normal reading update.

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

Down the TBR Hole #177

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 shelf is up one book to 1131. I didn’t have much time to read this past week. I also added a book to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate – KEEP. This is a cozy mystery involving a library, and I have a weakness for those kind of books.

Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt – KEEP.  Hex was a great Horror novel, so I’m interested to see if this one will be just as good.

When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo – KEEP. This was one of the books for the Fantastic Strangelings book club, and as with all of the other books picked, I have faith that it will be amazing and possibly bizarre.

IRebel in the Library of Ever by Zeno Alexander- KEEP. I loved the first book in the series, The Library of Ever, and I will probably have to order this one online since I haven’t been able to find it in any bookstores.

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa – KEEP.  Doesn’t the title say enough?
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1131 books. I didn’t think I would let go of any books this week, but I’m not sure about one of the books that will be in the next post.

#FitReaders Check-In

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  • This check-in is for November 3rd – 9th.
  • I was out of town this weekend and couldn’t post anything (the hotel’s wi-fi wasn’t good at all). I had a blast at the Ironton Wizard Festival and then went to the Moth Man Museum in Point Pleasant, WV before finally returning home yesterday afternoon. It was a fantastic and fun trip, but I was exhausted when I got home.
  • I’ve passed the 700-mile marker for the Charity Challenge! While I won’t be reaching 1k miles this year, I’ll still be able to hit my goal of 850 miles with a bit of work.
  • Active Days: 1/5
  • Steps: 48,226
  • Miles: 19.38/15.34
  • Total Miles: 703.46/850
  • Zone Minutes: 54/150

Down the TBR Hole #176

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 shelf is up down a couple of books to 1130. While I finished several books, I also added several to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

If Books Could Kill by Kate Carlisle – KEEP. This is the second book in the “Bibliophile Mystery” series, and I enjoyed Homicide in Hardcover enough to keep reading. I’m going to try to get to it before the end of the year.

Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón – KEEP.  I love “The Cemetery of Forgotten Books” series, and this stand-alone novel sounds like it will be just as wonderfully atmospheric.

Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal – KEEP. The synopsis sounds like this book will be very good, but I’m not expecting anything as amazing as Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus.

In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant- KEEP. So far, I’ve loved Grant’s books, and this one looks like it will be Lovecraftian. Hopefully, I can get to it next year.

Friends with Bunny Feets by Andrew Seiple – KEEP.  I love the “Threadbare” series! Stuff and Nonsense wasn’t my first LitRPG novel, but it might be my favorite.
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1130 books. I didn’t think I would let go of any books this week, but I’m not sure about one of the books that will be in the next post.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment
  • This check-in is for October 27th – November 2nd.
  • I was sick most of the week with a sinus infection that turned into bronchitis, so I haven’t been doing much beyond reading and eating a lot of soup.
  • Active Days: 1/5
  • Steps: 19,226
  • Miles: 7.77/15.34
  • Total Miles: 684.08/850
  • Zone Minutes: 54/150

#FrightFall, #SomethingWickedFall, and #RIPXIX Wrap-Up

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September and October are my favorite reading months of the year. The best reading challenges and readathons occur over these two months, and while some of them are only in October, others cover both. Instead of trying to do a wrap-up post for all of them, here’s one post for three of the challenges I participated in this spooky season.

Peril of the Fiction – 30 books

If it weren’t for the two 24-hour readathons in October (FrightFall and Dewey’s), I wouldn’t have finished nearly as many books as I did. I also got sick the last week of the month and finished nearly a book a day.

Peril of the Short Story – 6

I had these 6 short stories sitting on my TBR from last year so I decided to take a day early on and get them read. I enjoyed them, but none of them were the kind of Horror stories that would stick with me for years in the way that some of Stephen King’s stories have.

Peril of the Screen

Even though I was more focused on reading as many books as possible, I also watched quite a lot of TV and movies. Some of them are old favorites, a couple of them were new to me but great, and a lot of the TV shows fell short as I tried to find new stuff to watch on Netflix. I had a whole stack of DVDs that I wanted to watch as well but didn’t get around to, so I’ll probably watch those next year.

  • 4 episodes of “Ghost Hunter”
  • 2 episodes of “Creeped Out”
  • “Bird Box”
  • “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
  • 4 episodes of “Cabinet of Curiosities”
  • “Nightmare Castle”
  • “Jamaica Inn”
  • “Hitchcock Presents The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”
  • All episodes of “October Faction”
  • 8 episodes of “Evil”
  • “Practical Magic”
  • 2 episodes of “Goosebumps”
  • “Beetlejuice”
  • “Halloweentown”
  • “The Addams Family”

Overall, I would say this was my best spooky season in a long time, and I bought a lot of books to read next year as well. Tomorrow I take down the Halloween decorations, put the remaining books of my TBR back on the shelf, and get ready for all things cozy.

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:

  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
  • Strange Tricks by Syd Moore
  • The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

Finished:

  • How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
  • Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs
  • In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz
  • Haunted Cemeteries of Ohio by E.R. Cutright
  • From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury
  • The Elementals by Michael McDowell
  • In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey
  • Monsterland by Michael Okon

Total pages read this week: 1,292

Total books read: 102 of 105

TBR: -17 (Goal is -36)

I got sick last weekend and was stuck at home for most of this week, so I did A LOT of reading. While I’ve surpassed my original reading goal, I won’t even try to reach my TBR goal for the year. Trying to finish nearly 20 books without buying a single book in two months would cause a lot of unnecessary stress. Instead, I will read what I want to read and as much or as little as I want to read for the rest of the year and try again next year.

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