Author: Rachelle

Thursday's Things: #SciFiSummer

Published on by Rachelle
Image: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • 19 Science-Fiction And Fantasy Novels By Women Of Color – As the title suggests, not all of the books on this list are Sci-Fi.  Also, I’ve only read the first book, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, but it was an excellent book.  It terrified me and made me think, which is exactly what I want in my Speculative Fiction.
  • Making Lists: Mindblowing SF by Women and People of Color – Here’s another much longer list of diverse books and authors, but this one is all Sci-Fi.  If you’re looking for ideas of books to try out for the Sci-Fi Summer challenge, definitely check this out.
  • Postcards from Space – Looking for some Sci-Fi postcards to write to all of your friends about the great fictional totally real places you’ve visited this Summer?  Look no further.
  • 8 Struggles All Science Fiction Fans Know Are Real – I do have to say that the real-life e-readers we have are far better than what was portrayed in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

Monday's Minutes

Published on by Rachelle

“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:

  • Angel’s Ink by Jocelynn Drake
  • The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
  • Walden by Henry David Thoreau
  • How to Make Disease Disappear by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee

     
Finished:

  • Beauty by Robin McKinley
  • The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe


Challenges:

Total pages read this week: 795
Total books for the year: 48 of 90.  While putting together a “Thursday’s Things” post for this week, I came across a way to convert ebooks from one format to another.  It took some time, patience, and a couple of do-overs, but I’m completely free of my 1st gen Nook now.  While I’m *supposed* to be reading from my COYER list, I’ve been celebrating my new found digital freedom by reading whatever strikes my fancy just because I can!  Seriously, y’all, I’m so excited about this I want to run around shaking my butt and waving some books in the air!
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #29

Published on by Rachelle

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 until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.
My TBR pile is up to 721 books.  Though I finished a couple of books on my Nook over the past week I added several more to my wish list.

This week’s five books:


The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir – KEEP.  I will tackle this beast of a book some day.

The Complete Stories by Franz Kafka – KEEP.  I enjoyed “The Metamorphosis” and was interested enough in Kafka’s life to want to read his other work.  I also own copies of his novels, Amerika and The Trial.

Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi – KEEP.  I’m skeptical but intrigued, and since I already own a physical copy, I’ll go ahead and keep it for now.

The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens- KEEP.  I love Dickens, especially during the Winter.  There’s no way I’m getting rid of this one.

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory – KEEP.  I know a lot about Henry VIII, but other than Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, I don’t know much about his various wives.  I’m willing to keep this one for that reason.
My to-read shelf is stuck at 721 books, but that will hopefully change as I continue to clear out my Nook.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle

  • This check-in is for June 15th – 21st.
  • I’ve decided to no longer track how much money my activity is accruing for donation through Plus3.  It’s such a tiny amount that I no longer feel it’s worth my time to check every week.  I’m keeping my FitBit connected so that my activity continues to go towards charity, but I won’t be including the amount in my check-ins anymore.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Steps: 29,148/56,000
  • Miles: 12.07/25
  • Total Miles: 351.11
  • Active Minutes: 186/210

Review: The Wanderer

Published on by Rachelle

Thirteen-year-old Sophie hears the sea calling, promising adventure and a chance for discovery as she sets sail for England with her three uncles and two cousins. Sophie’s cousin Cody isn’t sure he has the strength to prove himself to the crew and to his father. Through Sophie’s and Cody’s travel logs, we hear stories of the past and the daily challenges of surviving at sea as The Wanderer sails toward its destination — and its passengers search for their places in the world. – Goodreads Synopsis

I don’t remember when or why I purchased this ebook, but I’m glad I did.  I’m also happy to have finally read The Wanderer and discovered how talented Sharon Creech is at writing Middle Grade fiction.
My reason for saying Creech is talented is because I’m not remotely interested in sailing, and yet this story of a family sailing trip to England from the East Coast of the United States pulled me in from the first line.  I remember thinking, “OK, this grabbed my interest, but I’m sure it will quickly disappear as I get further into the book.”  Nope, not even close.  I was irritated whenever I had to put my Nook down to do anything else.  I stayed up well past my bedtime when I got to the climax of the story because I HAD to know what would happen.  Creech managed this by keeping Sophie’s back story a mystery and doling out bits and pieces that led to more questions throughout the book.  She also made sure that my assumptions about the other characters were called into question.  It wasn’t until after I finished reading it that I realized this is a Hero’s Journey, with a rhythm that matched the ocean they sailed on.
While I still have no interest in sailing (I prefer relaxing while I travel), I became extremely interested in reading more of Creech’s work.  I’ll be reviewing another of her books, Ruby Holler, later this week, but just know you definitely have to read The Wanderer.  It might not make you want to go sailing, but you could find yourself viewing the meaning of family in a new light.
This book qualifies for the COYER Scavenger Hunt item #29 (a book with no magical or futuristic elements).

Monday's Minutes

Published on by Rachelle

“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:

  • Angel’s Ink by Jocelynn Drake
  • Beauty by Robin McKinley
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
  • Walden by Henry David Thoreau
  • The Evolution of God by Robert Wright

     
Finished:

  • The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
  • 30 Rock and Philosophy ed. by William Irwin
  • You Are Not Your Fault and Other Revelations by Wes Nisker
  • Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
  • Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

  
 
Challenges:

Total pages read this week: 925
Total books for the year: 46 of 90.  The #COYER Fairy Tale retelling readathon started yesterday, so I’ll be concentrating on reading Beauty.  It’s the only fairy tale retelling I have on my Nook, so if I finish it with plenty of time to read another one, I’ll have to choose something from my Kindle or physical TBR.  This week, the Sci-Fi Summer reading challenge starts, so be sure to get signed up!
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #28

Published on by Rachelle

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 until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.
My TBR pile is down to 718 books.  I finished 3 more books on my Nook over the past week and removed several others that were complete garbage I had downloaded for free, probably without even reading the synopsis.  I’m so glad I don’t do that anymore.  Just because it’s free and an ebook doesn’t mean it’s worth having in my collection and bloating my TBR.

This week’s five books:


Gardens in the Dunes by Leslie Marmon Silko – KEEP.  This in another book I found in the gift shop at the Indian Pueblo Culture Center.

Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko – KEEP.  The Boyfriend got this for me years ago as part of a Birthday present.

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis – KEEP.  This was recommended to me by the Boyfriend’s Aunt, along with the 1st book, Doomsday Book.

The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory- KEEP.  Though this one is set during the reign of Elizabeth I, it’s not centered around her but a fictional character.  I’m much more likely to be able to handle that, unlike The Virgin’s Lover, which I tossed out last week.

Ethan Frome and Selected Stories by Edith Wharton – KEEP.  I’m keeping this one for the Classics Club since it’s fairly short and I only have a little over a year to finish my list.
My to-read shelf is holding steady  718 books, but I’m sure it will only be decreasing over the Summer as I clear out my Nook for COYER, Sci-Fi Summer, and the NEWTs reading challenge.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle

  • This check-in is for June 8th – 14th.
  • I’m back to taking every opportunity I can to walk and it feels great.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Steps: 33,587/56,000
  • Miles: 13.79/25
  • Total Miles: 339.04
  • Active Minutes: 209/210
  • Total Money Donated: $0.93/$5.00

Monday's Minutes

Published on by Rachelle

“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:

  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
  • You Are Not Your Fault and Other Revelations by Wes Nisker
  • 30 Rock and Philosophy ed. by William Irwin
  • Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
  • The Wanderer by Sharon Creech

  
  
Finished:

  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
  • Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield

 
Challenges:

Total pages read this week: 949
Total books for the year: 41 of 90.  I got an email from Barnes and Noble that my 1st gen Nook will no longer be supported after June 29th.  After that, I won’t be able to download my books unless I buy a new Nook or use my phone.  I hate reading ebooks on my phone, and I can’t afford a new Nook right now so I made sure I have all of my Nook books downloaded.  I also created a shelf on Goodreads.  Until I finish all of them, I’ll be focusing on reading only my Nook books.  I’ve got 66 books remaining on my Nook.  If I can finish those by the end of the year, I will be so much closer to reaching the summit of my TBR mountain (548 books)!
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #27

Published on by Rachelle

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 until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  My TBR pile is down to 723 books.  I finished Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield, a book that I’ve owned since 2011!  I also decided to remove books from my TBR that are purely cookbooks or instructional craft books since I don’t read them in the same way as most other books.

This week’s five books:


The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon – KEEP.  “Books, libraries, and newspapers have at last become things of the past.” WHOA!  I need to read this!

Around the World with Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis – KEEP.  Auntie Mame kind of annoys me and I cringe when a certain someone I know says she aspires to be like this iconic character.  However, I find myself wanting to find out what antics she gets up to in this sequel.  It’s also a fairly short book and I already own it, so why not?

The Virgin’s Lover by Philippa Gregory – GO.  The English History course I took in college ruined this for me.  I know too much about Queen Elizabeth I to not roll my eyes at every non-factual bit in this book.

Poisoned Pens ed. by Gary Dexter – KEEP.  The idea of a book full of authors insulting each other sounds too fun to pass up.  The only fear I have is that I will come across an insult about a favorite author by another favorite author.

What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund – KEEP.  The subject of this book fascinates me, so there’s no way I’m getting rid of it.
My to-read shelf is down one to 722 books.  COYER started today and Sci-Fi Summer starts in less than 2 weeks, so I’m hoping that number will continue to decrease.