Author: Rachelle

Down the TBR Hole #208

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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 want-to-read shelf is up one to 1193 books. I finished a couple of books, but added a few more to my wishlist.

This week’s books:

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler – KEEP. This one sounds like it will be a lot of fun!

How to Relax by Thich Nhat Hanh – KEEP. This is a short book on a subject I’ve been reading a bit about lately

Roar by Stacy T. Sims – GO. I didn’t realize that this book on women’s fitness was geared towards athletes, something I have never been and don’t plan to ever be.

Liar Temptress Soldier Spy by Karen Abbott – KEEP. I’ve heard nothing but praise for this book. Even the woman at the checkout when I bought it said it was amazing.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix – KEEP.  Hendrix has become an auto-buy author for me. I love his brand of Horror!

My want-to-read shelf is back down one to 1192 books. I spent most of Saturday reading because I made sure I had no other plans for the day and I also went tech-free for 24 hours starting fairly early that morning. It felt great, though I did have a few moments of thinking I should be doing something more productive with my time. I told that voice in my head to shush and got back into the book I was reading. It’s still going to take quite a bit of time to catch up on all the library books, so I might make Saturdays my do-nothing days for a while.

#FitReaders Check-In

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  • This check-in is for June 22nd – 28th.
  • This week was much better than last week. Life has calmed down considerably, and I chose to rest as much as possible while I had the space and time to do so.
  • Exercise Days: 0/7
  • Steps: 37,798
  • Miles: 15.31/16.31
  • Total Miles: 386.15/850
  • Zone Minutes: 45/150

Building the Book Fort

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

Currently Reading:

  • The Dead Zone by Stephen King
  • Mind Your Body by Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW
  • The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
  • The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
  • God’s Hammer by Eric Schumacher

Finished:

  • Between Jobs by W.R. Gingell

Total pages read this week: 359

Total books read: 65 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): -13

#ShelfLove Challenge: 36 of 51

This week has been a lot easier than the previous one. I only had a couple of rough days in regards to lingering side effects from the medication I was on, and I was able to get back into my normal routines for the most part. My plan for this weekend is to do another tech-free 24 hours (starting in about an hour) and use that time to read as much as I want. I have a lot of library books that I want to read before they’re due back, and I would also like to finish the physical books I’m currently reading. Frankly, I just need a low-key, laid back weekend, and I’m determined to give that to myself.

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

Down the TBR Hole #207

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 is still holding at 1193 books. I finished a book, but added two more to my wishlist.

This week’s books:

Navy SEAL Mental Toughness by Christ Lambertsen – GO. One of the biggest struggles I’ve had as a Veteran is feeling like I couldn’t “hang.” I’ve beat myself up for years for not feeling strong or tough enough to remain in the Army, and while that wasn’t the sole reason I chose not to reenlist, it was a major contributor to that decision. During one particular moment of feeling like I just needed to kick myself in the rear and toughen up, I bought this ebook. I’m sure this book is the right one for someone, but that someone is not me.

Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton – KEEP. I had no clue that the movie “The 13th Warrior” was based on this book. I want to read it solely to see how it compares to the movie.

You Like It Darker by Stephen King- KEEP. I’m going to keep this one on my wishlist for now because I know I’m going to read it someday. However, I’m participating in a Stephen King reading challenge on Litsy, and it’s going to be a good long while before we finally get to this book.

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes – KEEP. How does anyone pass up a book with a title like that?! I couldn’t.

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Joanna Nylund – KEEP.  This was one of Jenny Lawson’s picks for her “Nightmares From Nowhere” book club, and frankly, I would have bought it even if it hadn’t been. It sounds exactly like the Horror I love.

My want-to-read shelf is down one to 1192 books. With my life having been a bit crazy this past week, I wasn’t in a place mentally to be able to relax into a good story. I had a couple of my library holds come in, bringing me up to nine books, and only two of those will qualify for #SciFiSummer. As much as I want to get through those books, and so many others this Summer, I’m giving myself the space to be ok with not reading much for a while. Forcing myself to read is not relaxing, and I can always check out those books again at some other time.

#FitReaders Check-In

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  • This check-in is for June 15th – 21st.
  • This past week has felt like being stuck in the middle of a whirlwind. It wasn’t tornado-level chaos, but it was definitely stressful, difficult, and exhausting. My boyfriend was out of town, one of the short-term medications I was on to help get my nerve pain under control was causing a bunch of unpleasant side effects, and one of my two cats got sick with some kind of stomach thing.
  • One of the biggest things that helped me get through the week was breathing exercises. I still felt on edge and had all of my usual stress responses, but making myself stop periodically to breathe deeply for a few moments kept me from going over that edge into a breakdown. My body is still feeling some side effects from the medication (feeling tense, jumpy, and agitated regardless of what’s going on), but the deliberate, slow breathing is letting my body know that I am not in fact being chased by a wild animal.
  • The other thing that helped a lot was the decision to go to a day-long meditation retreat yesterday, even though I thought to myself that I couldn’t possibly take the time to do that with so many other things that needed doing. When I realized I was trying to talk myself out of going to the retreat because of busyness, I knew, barring any real emergency, I HAD to go to the retreat.
  • Exercise Days: 0/7
  • Steps: 41,258
  • Miles: 16.72/16.31
  • Total Miles: 370.84/850
  • Zone Minutes: 77/150

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 Dead Zone by Stephen King
  • Mind Your Body by Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW
  • The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
  • The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
  • Between Jobs by W.R. Gingell

Finished:

  • Cat About Town by Cate Conte

Total pages read this week: 335

Total books read: 64 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): -11

#ShelfLove Challenge: 35 of 51

One of the medications I’ve been on (and am happily done with now) has caused quite a few unpleasant side effects. I have been pain free most of the time, though, so I’m glad it did it’s job. I’ve also had an extremely stressful week thanks to one of my two fur babies getting sick while my boyfriend had been out of town and I had to handle all of that on my own along with the side effects of the medication. Since I wasn’t 100% sure which of the cats was actually sick, I had to wrangle both of them to the vet and back, which was not fun for any of us to say the least. It turns out Raith (my younger fur child) was the one who was sick, but we still don’t know what it was. He’s on a special diet and taking probiotics, and seems to be back to his normal self now (He’s not a snuggler by nature). But, yes, it’s been a rough week.

Raith resting with his Mommy

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

Down the TBR Hole #206

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 is up to 1193 books. I finished a couple of books, but added a few more to my wishlist.

This week’s books:

Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan – KEEP. I’m really looking forward to reading this Vampire book set in Texas that was one of the picks for Jenny Lawson’s “Nightmares from Nowhere” book club.

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry – KEEP. I bought this book from an Indy bookstore during Independent Bookstore Day last year, which also happened to be on the same Saturday as the Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon.

Cabinet of Curiosities by Aaron Mahnke- KEEP. I love Mahnke’s “Lore” podcast and book series, so I had to get this audiobook as soon as it came out. I hope I’ll get to it during this year’s #RIP.

Forever Strong by Gabrielle Lyon – KEEP. I know I need to get more exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise, and yet I still continue to struggle with it. I’ll start a program that is easy, not overly demanding for my physical ability, doesn’t have exercises I’m simply not capable of doing, and doesn’t take up a lot of my time, but finding the motivation is still a struggle. I bought this ebook hoping that it will help with that. I might finally read it once I’m through physical therapy and am healthy enough to do more.

Sisu: The Finish Art of Courage by Joanna Nylund – KEEP.  This is the second book about Sisu that I’ve bought, forgetting I already had one, but I’m going to keep it for now in case I don’t like the other one.

My want-to-read shelf is staying at 1193 books. I’ve finished one book from my TBR, but I still have seven books checked out from the library. We’re only halfway through the month, so I think I will still be able to finish most of the library books, and at least one more book from my TBR before July 1st. The stretch will be finishing all of my current reads before June 20th, when #SciFiSummer begins.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

  • This check-in is for June 8th – 14th.
  • I’ve been nearly pain free all weekend thanks to the new medications I’m on. I also don’t deal with as much stress on the weekends (as long as I stay away from the news), so I’m sure relaxing, finally getting better sleep (again, thanks to the meds), and taking some much needed time for self-care have all gone a long way towards helping me manage my pain.
  • Someone recently told me that our mental health (and really all parts of us, but he was speaking specifically about mental health) is no different than keeping a car. You would never get one oil change in your car and expect it to run well forever more. Cars, just like our mental health, need regular maintenance. I knew that on an intellectual level, but until those words were said, I didn’t truly understand the connection between my struggles with my mental health and my frequent neglect of it. Over the years, any time I started feeling good again, I would stop meditating, journaling, going to therapy, etc., not getting that I was feeling good because I was taking care of myself and not because I was “cured.”
  • I take the time and effort to care for my car, my plants, my pets, and anything/anyone else I love, and now I know I deserve and NEED the same level of care for the rest of my life, not just when I’m sick or hurting. That is such a simple truth, and it only took me a couple of decades to learn it.
  • Exercise Days: 4/7
  • Steps: 39,506
  • Miles: 15.95/16.31
  • Total Miles: 354.12/850
  • Zone Minutes: 53/150

Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle2 Comments

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

Currently Reading:

  • The Dead Zone by Stephen King
  • Mind Your Body by Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW
  • Cat About Town by Cate Conte
  • The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
  • The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Finished:

  • The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate
  • Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire

Total pages read this week: 565

Total books read: 63 of 75

TBR (goal is -24): -10

#ShelfLove Challenge: 34 of 51

I had appointments with my Primary Care Doctor and a Neurosurgeon this week, and I have a lot of hope now that I will be ok. There is a lot of damage in my neck, but there are a lot of non-surgical options to help me with managing my pain, and possibly getting rid of it entirely, as long as I’m willing to do the work. I’ll be going to physical therapy, and I’m on a couple of short-term medications to get me through the worst of it. If those don’t work, we’ll try some other treatments. So far, the medications do seem to be working, and I’ll also be continuing to try out the things I’m learning from Mind Your Body as well as the author’s podcast, “The Cure for Chronic Pain.”

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

#SciFiSummer Reading Challenge 2025

Published on by Rachelle1 Comment
SCI-FI SUMMERReading Challenge

Summer is the best time of year to read Science Fiction. So, I’ll be reading as much Sci-Fi as possible from June 20th, the Summer Solstice, to the 21st of September (the day before the Autumnal Equinox). I’ve got a lot of it on my TBR, and I’m inviting all of you to join me!

Here are the challenge levels:

  • Red Shirt – 1 to 3 books
  • Viper Pilot – 4 to 6 books
  • Browncoat – 7 to 9 books
  • Time Lord – 10 or more books

This year, I’ll be trying for “Time Lord.” In addition to my TBR, I have a lot of Science Fiction books I want to check out from the library, and since I’m also participating in my library’s Summer Reading Challenge, I’ll be focusing on Sci-Fi books that will fit the prompts and/or bingo board for that as well.

Any book of at least 100 pages that is classified as Science Fiction, including any Sci-Fi subgenres, qualifies for this challenge.  That means audiobooks, physical books, ebooks, library books, free books, other borrowed books, anthologies, and graphic novels are all acceptable options.  You may also count any Sci-Fi book that counts towards another reading challenge.

Are you up to the #SciFiSummer challenge? Sign up by leaving a comment! (Links to reviews or TBR lists are welcome, too!)