Author: Rachelle

Down the TBR Hole #18

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 has gone up, again, to 724 books thanks to my fave book blogs providing amazing reviews and recommendations.

This week’s five books:


So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane – KEEP.  I loved Duane’s The Book of Night with Moon and I already own this one.

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks – KEEP.  If I’m ever going to get around to watching the TV adaptation, I need to read this classic Fantasy first.

The Year of Shadows by Claire Legrand – KEEP. Gothic Middle Grade Fantasy?  Yes, please and thank you!

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde – KEEP.  I don’t remember why I initially added this one to my wish list, but I wouldn’t doubt it had something to do with the VW Bug on what is obviously part of a dragon.  How could this not be an awesome story with that cover?!  The synopsis backs up my theory, too, so I’m keeping this one on my wish list.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones – KEEP.  Why have I not read this yet?! I have it on my “Readathon Maybes” list, so I’m going to move it to the top of the stack for the 24-Hour Readathon in April.
My to-read shelf is stuck at 724 books.  See you next Saturday when I start with book #131.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle

  • This check-in is for March 16th – 22nd.
  • I’m having some difficulty getting my steps, but I’m going above and beyond my active minutes goal without much trouble.  I’m not going to adjust any of my goals yet, though, since I’m still in the process of unpacking, putting together furniture, rearranging things, and organizing all the stuff.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Steps: 36,114/56,000
  • Miles: 14.90/25
  • Total Miles: 172.97
  • Active Minutes: 245/210
  • Total Money Donated: $0.49/$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:

  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • The Kindness Handbook by Sharon Salzberg
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
  • Of Books and Bagpipes by Paige Shelton

    
Finished:

  • Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
  • A Philosophy of Walking by Frédéric Gros

 
Total pages read this week: 481
Total books for the year: 18 of 90.  I’m doing my best to finish up my current reads now that my reading slump has passed.
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #17

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 is up to 720 books thanks to a small reading slump coupled with adding quite a few books to my wish list.

This week’s five books:


Wizards of Water and Wood by P.J. Owen – KEEP.  I’ve already read the first 2 books in this Middle Grade Fantasy series, and I really need to get around to reading this one since I already own it, and it’s only 104 pages.

Sages, Swordsmen, and Scoundrels by P.J. Owen – KEEP.  This one is on my wish list since I haven’t read the 3rd book yet.  I think it’s the final book in the series.

Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky – KEEP.  This was written by a Ukrainian-born Jew prior to her death at Auschwitz.  She was also a well-known author in France.  There is no way I’m not going to give this book a chance.

The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom – KEEP.  I adore cozy mysteries set in libraries and bookstores or having to do with books.  I prefer them on audiobook, but I couldn’t find this one in that format so I settled for the ebook instead.

Voracious by Cara Nicoletti – GO.  Normally, I love to get my hands on any cookbook about food mentioned in books.  However, I’m often disappointed by the recipes which tend to be too difficult for my limited cooking skills, require too many strange ingredients or an entire kitchen’s worth of pots and pans, or sound like nothing I would ever want to eat (my “foodiness” is much more about comfort than exploration).  Adding all that up and considering that I already have two amazing book-related cookbooks with more than enough recipes for me to try (Outlander Kitchen and An Unexpected Cookbook), I’m taking this one off my wish list.
My to-read shelf is down to 719 books.  See you next Saturday when I start with book #126.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle

  • This check-in is for March 9th – 15th.
  • While I didn’t reach my current step goal for the week, I did much better than last week, thanks to getting out of the house on several days.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Steps: 40,185/56,000
  • Miles: 16.67/25
  • Total Miles: 158.07
  • Active Minutes: 260/210
  • Total Money Donated: $0.45/$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:

  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • The Kindness Handbook by Sharon Salzberg
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • A Philosophy of Walking by Frédéric Gros
  • Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
  • Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

     
Finished:

  • These is My Words by Nancy Turner


Challenges:
Total pages read this week: 392
Total books for the year: 16 of 90.  I’m finally back to listening to audiobooks while I do stuff around the apartment.  I’ve got most of the boxes unpacked, and a couple of the rugs we ordered arrived but there was a major screwup with the furniture so I’m still waiting on that.  Once it arrives, I’ll be spending the majority of my time putting it all together.  I foresee lots of audiobook listening over the next week or so.
What are you reading this week?

And the Winner is…

Published on by Rachelle

classicsclub

The Classics Club announced the Spin number yesterday:

3

Which means I’ll be reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.  I’ve been wanting to read it for awhile, but I’ve been putting it off in the hopes of reading it for RIP.  I honestly don’t know if I will finish it since I’ve been an extremely moody reader lately.  I’m also in the middle of several other books.  I’ll try though because I have just a little more than a year to finish the 50 book challenge.

  1. Kafka, Franz: The Trial
  2. Lawrence, D.H.: Lady Chatterley’s Lover
  3. Du Maurier, Daphne: Rebecca
  4. Barrie, J.M.: Peter Pan
  5. Beckett, Samuel: Waiting for Godot
  6. Remarque: All Quiet on the Western Front
  7.  Melville, Herman: Moby Dick
  8. Bronte, Anne: Agnes Grey
  9. Proust, Marcel: Swann’s Way
  10. Gogol, Nikolay: Dead Souls
  11. Eliot, George: Middlemarch
  12. Hawthorne, Nathaniel: The Scarlet Letter
  13. Heller, Joseph: Catch-22
  14. Hemingway, Ernest: A Farewell to Arms
  15. Cooper, James Fenimore: The Last of the Mohicans
  16. Crane, Stephen: Red Badge of Courage
  17. Hugo, Victor: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
  18. Irving, Washington: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
  19. Hugo, Victor: Les Misérables
  20. Tolstoy, Leo: War and Peace

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle

  • This check-in is for March 2nd – 8th.
  • Though I’ve been unpacking, organizing, and hauling stuff around all week, it did not show up on my FitBit as active minutes or a huge number of steps.  My body sure feels it though *sigh* At least the apartment is looking much more like a home than a storage unit.
  • I’m finally on the Tennessee-Virgina border section of the Appalachian Trail on Walking 4 Fun.  I’m hoping I’ll be able to read the next section of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson soon.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Steps: 27,844/56,000
  • Miles: 11.44/25
  • Total Miles: 141.40
  • Active Minutes: 15?!!!/210
  • Total Money Donated: $0.40/$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:

  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • The Kindness Handbook by Sharon Salzberg
  • A Philosophy of Walking by Frédéric Gros
  • Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
  • These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner

     
Challenges:

  • COYER: 1 of 30 from The List, 8 for “The One With The Twist”, 0 for “The Strict”

Total pages read this week: 236
Total books for the year: 15 of 90.  I’m in the process of unpacking and organizing all of our stuff in the new apartment and, for reasons unknown, I haven’t been in the mood to listen to any audiobooks.  Instead, I’ve been listening to music and catching up on podcasts, mostly Lore.  When I have taken reading breaks, I’ve only wanted to read These is My Words, which I found in a little book shop and art gallery in Tubac, Arizona.  I put aside The Portable Dorothy Parker for the 2nd time, but at least I got further than I did the last time I tried to read it.  I will try it again some other time, but I’m thinking it just might not be my thing.
What are you reading this week?

The Classics Club Spin #17

Published on by Rachelle

classicsclub

It’s time for another Classics Club Spin!  Below is my Spin list.  I only have 18 books remaining on my master list, so I added the two I’m already reading that weren’t on the list to get the full 20.  I’ll have to start repeating titles for future spins as I get closer to finishing the challenge 🙂

  1. Kafka, Franz: The Trial
  2. Lawrence, D.H.: Lady Chatterley’s Lover
  3. Du Maurier, Daphne: Rebecca
  4. Barrie, J.M.: Peter Pan
  5. Beckett, Samuel: Waiting for Godot
  6. Remarque: All Quiet on the Western Front
  7.  Melville, Herman: Moby Dick
  8. Bronte, Anne: Agnes Grey
  9. Proust, Marcel: Swann’s Way
  10. Gogol, Nikolay: Dead Souls
  11. Eliot, George: Middlemarch
  12. Hawthorne, Nathaniel: The Scarlet Letter
  13. Heller, Joseph: Catch-22
  14. Hemingway, Ernest: A Farewell to Arms
  15. Cooper, James Fenimore: The Last of the Mohicans
  16. Crane, Stephen: Red Badge of Courage
  17. Hugo, Victor: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
  18. Irving, Washington: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
  19. Hugo, Victor: Les Misérables
  20. Tolstoy, Leo: War and Peace