Author: Rachelle

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:

  • The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien – for #FanspeakTheRing
  • Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
  • The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier
  • A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
  • Written in my Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon

towers starlight seven-gables
shadows darker written
Finished:

  • Murder on the Half Shelf by Lorna Barrett

half-shelf

Challenges:

Total pages read: 658

Total # of books for the year: 76.  I put aside A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly.  I’m not DNFing it, but I just can’t seem to get into it right now, so I’ll try again sometime next year.  I’ve also put aside The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley, but I’m going to try to pick it back up next month.  I’m trying to stick to my “rule” of only having six books going at one time, and the other books I’m reading have been getting much more of my attention than these two.

What are you reading this week?

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
FitReaders2016
  • This check-in is for November 4th – 10th.
  • The Texas Book Festival was over the weekend.  I was only able to go on Saturday, but, WOW, did I get a lot of steps racked up!  I walked over 12K steps, and I definitely felt it the next day.
  • I’m having a really difficult time getting my butt out of bed early enough to get a workout in, shower, and make it to work on time.  If you have any ideas to help me get motivated, please share them in the comments.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Steps: 32,617/49,000
  • Miles: 11.76/17.5
  • Active Minutes: 162/150
  • Days I Tracked My Food: 2/7
  • Days I Drank 64 ounces of Water: 1/7
  • Total Money Donated: $24.20/$25.00

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:

  • The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien – for #FanspeakTheRing
  • Murder on the Half Shelf by Lorna Barrett
  • Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
  • The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
  • A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly
  • The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

towers half-shelf starlight
haunted free seven-gables
Finished:

  • Shelf Life by Suzanne Strempek Shea

shelf

Challenges:

Total pages read: 447

Total # of books for the year: 75.   This weekend was the Texas Book Festival.  I was only able to attend on Saturday, but I ended up bringing home six books and two coloring books despite planning to get only two books.  The authors on the panels I went to made their books sound so wonderful that I couldn’t help but scoop them up from the buying tables and get in line to get them signed.  It was a fabulous and exhausting Saturday and I have absolutely no regrets 🙂

What are you reading this week?

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
FitReaders2016
  • This check-in is for October 28th – November 3rd.
  • Mandatory overtime is finally over!  Now I just have to get my butt out of bed to go workout in the mornings.
  • My new FitBit is much more accurate than my old one, and it turns out, I haven’t been getting nearly as many steps or burning as many calories as my old one was counting 🙁  No wonder I haven’t been losing any weight.
  • I wrote up a new plan, which means some new goals, but I haven’t implemented it yet, so I’m going to wait until the next check-in to list them below.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Steps: 24,093/49,000
  • Miles: 8.45/17.5
  • Active Minutes: 108/150
  • Days I Tracked My Food: 0/7
  • Days I Drank 64 ounces of Water: 0/7
  • Total Money Donated: $23.82/$25.00

Review: Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye

Published on by Rachelle

warren

  • Author: Tania del Rio
  • Pages: 224
  • Publisher: Quirk Books
  • Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy

 
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye was good, but not quite what I was expecting.  While it could be put in the Gothic category, there is a Steam Punk element that surprised me.  I’m not sure if that’s a good thing; at least for me.  Middle-Grade readers will probably love it.
Perhaps my problem is that I was expecting a story that was a bit darker like Lemony Snicket’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events” books.  It’s close to that kind of darkness, but not quite.  Also, the story is rather simple.  There isn’t much complexity at all, and that leads me to think that perhaps this book was written for the youngest Middle-Grade reader.
Overall, it’s still an excellent choice for young readers, especially if they’ve just graduated from Children’s books.  Adult readers will likely enjoy reading it aloud to their kids as well.
black3

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 Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly
  • The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien – for #FanspeakTheRing
  • The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley

free towers haunted
shelf
DNF:

  • The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

exorcist
Finished:

  • The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

winter

Challenges:

Total pages read: 499

Total # of books for the year: 74.  The Exorcist is good.  However, it’s just not scary.  Maybe it’s the narrator, or maybe it’s that I was listening to it rather than reading it, but I suspect it’s because I don’t believe in demonic possession.  The Winter People, on the other hand, had me freaked out enough that I didn’t want to go into my closet for any reason, or upstairs without the light on.  Ghosts, the dead coming back to life, the girl from “The Ring”…there is a small part of me that believes in all of that and is, therefore, terrifying.  I’m not saying any of those things, or anything similar, are in The Winter People, but before I got to the part of the story where I knew for sure what was going on, the possibilities of what “it” was had me creeped out.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

What are you reading this week?

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
FitReaders2016
  • This check-in is for October 21st – 27th.
  • I’m still working mandatory overtime, but starting next week that should be ending *fingers crossed*
  • I removed the Monthly 1 mile and 5K goals since there’s no way I’ll be able to get a total of 10 of either before the end of the year.
  • I got a new FitBit, thanks to the Boyfriend 🙂 It’s the Blaze, and I LOVE IT!
  • The Boyfriend has started school and has to get up at 5am every morning.  I’ve adjusted my schedule to better fit his and since I now have more time in the morning than I do in the evening, I’m planning on exercising before I go to work.  I’ve got to write up a plan this weekend so I know what I’ll do on the days that I’m not doing cardio, but I already know I’m going to concentrate on my core strength and keeping my ITBS in check.  So, I’ll probably have some new goals listed below for the next check-in.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Steps: 31,900/49,000
  • Miles: 12.36/17.5
  • Active Minutes: 176/150
  • Days I Tracked My Food: 0/7
  • Days I Drank 64 ounces of Water: 0/7
  • Total Money Donated: $23.64/$25.00

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 Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly
  • The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien – for #FanspeakTheRing
  • The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
  • The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
  • Demons ed. by John Skipp

free towers haunted
exorcist demons
Finished:

  • In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  • Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio
  • The Sandman, Vol. 2 by Neil Gaiman

wood graveyard warren
sandman2

Challenges:

Total pages read: 1037

Total # of books for the year: 73.  I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish most of this week’s reading if it wasn’t for Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon.  I’m pretty sure I appreciate the readathon more than before thanks to the overtime I’ve been working along with all the other things that have been taking up my time.  Before, it was just another excuse to read.  Now, it’s the only way I’m able to relax and truly enjoy a book without interruption or having to put it down to get back to work or go to sleep just when I get to the really good part.  I can’t wait until April 29th!

What are you reading this week?

Dewey's 24 Hour #Readathon – Final Update

Published on by Rachelle

Dewey's Readathon_Pocketwatch_Bellezza
I’ve survived another Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon!

  • Total Pages Read: 856
  • Mini-Challenges Completed: Beverage and a Book
  • Snacks Consumed: pumpkin scones with Earl Grey tea
  1. Which hour was most daunting for you? 2 am when the book I was reading stopped making any sense and the page kept blurring.  I stopped reading at that point and got on Twitter for a bit before taking a nap with my cat on the couch.
  2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  3. Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the Readathon next year?  Nope, the readathon keeps getting better and better!
  4. What do you think worked well in this year’s Readathon? I like the new way of cheerleading.
  5. How many books did you read? 3, but I also listened to part of The Exorcist by Anne Rice, and read a bit of The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley.
  6. What were the names of the books you read? The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio, and The Sandman, Vol. 2 by Neil Gaiman.
  7. Which book did you enjoy most? The Graveyard Book.
  8. Which did you enjoy least? The Sandman, Vol. 2
  9. How likely are you to participate in the Readathon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  I will definitely be participating again, and I will probably be a cheerleader again as well.

I’m going to bed now…

Dewey's 24 Hour #Readathon – Second Update

Published on by Rachelle

Dewey's Readathon_Pocketwatch_Bellezza
I’ve survived 16 hours of Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon!

I think I’ve done more of the mini-challenges during this readathon than any other readathon so far.  I was really looking forward to reading Amphigorey until I realized I’ve already read it!  As much as I would be ok with re-reading it, I’m trying to knock as many of my never read books off my TBR.
Until my final update and wrap up, at 7 am, I’ll continue reading the remaining books on my list:

  • The October Country by Ray Bradbury
  • The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
  • The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton
  • Amphigorey Too by Edward Gorey
  • The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket

Whether you’re participating in the readathon or not, what book(s) are you currently reading?