Author: Rachelle

Thursday's Things: The October Country Edition

Published on by Rachelle

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Image: blablover5

I named this month’s Thursday’s Things after Ray Bradbury’s short story collection “The October Country” because it sums up all the weird and spooky bookish links I discovered during my wanderings around the internet.

The Classics Club Spin Number

Published on by Rachelle

classicsclub
The Classics Club announced the Spin number today:

1

Which means I’ll be reading Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe? by Edward Albee.  I’ll take a look at the book later today and figure out if I want to do a read along.  I might just decide to buckle down and finish it so I can get back to my #FrightFall TBR.  It’s a fairly short book, so we’ll see.

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:

  • Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
  • A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly
  • The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien – for #FanspeakTheRing
  • Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

queen free towers
night-vale
Finished: 

  • Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
  • Slave of My Thirst by Tom Holland

Peculiar wallflower thirst

Challenges:

  • Show Your Shelves Some Love: 48 out of 51
  • RIP XI: 4 of 4 books, at least 60 short stories – I’m completely caught up on Drabblecast, and now I’m getting caught up on Pseudopod, a Horror short story podcast.  I highly recommend both.

Total pages read: 723

Total # of books for the year: 67.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower was amazing, and I’ll be writing a review of it, along with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Slave of My Thirst, soon.

What are you reading this week?

#FrightFall Readathon

Published on by Rachelle

frightfall-rat-2016
The FrightFall readathon starts tomorrow and runs through the 9th.
There’s only one “rule” and that is at least one scary book (thriller, mystery, Gothic, etc.) has to be read during the readathon.  Since that’s pretty much the only kind of books I read during October, I’m good to go.
Below is my TBR stack, which also happens to be my remaining TBR for R.I.P. XI.  Whatever I don’t finish this week will make up part of my TBR for Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon on Oct. 22nd.

  • The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
  • A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly
  • October Country by Ray Bradbury
  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  • Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio
  • The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
  • The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton

 

The Classics Club Spin #14

Published on by Rachelle

classicsclub

It’s time for another Classics Club Spin!  Below is my Spin list, and since I failed miserably at the last Spin (I didn’t even start Lord of the Flies) , I will probably do a read-along.  While I’m interested in reading all of the books on this and my master list, I’m really hoping it will be one of the books below in particular.  I’m not saying which one though because I don’t want to jinx it.  Regardless of whether or not it ends up being my Spin book, I will be reading it before the end of the year, so you’ll know which one I’m referring to soon enough.

  1. Albee, Edward: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
  2. Lawrence, D.H.: Lady Chatterley’s Lover
  3. Atwood, Margaret: A Handmaid’s Tale
  4. Du Maurier, Daphne: Rebecca
  5. Beckett, Samuel: Waiting for Godot
  6. Dumas, Alexandre: The Count of Monte Cristo
  7. Remarque: All Quiet on the Western Front
  8. Bronte, Anne: Agnes Grey
  9. Flaubert, Gustav: Madame Bovary
  10. Milton, John: Paradise Lost
  11. Hawthorne, Nathaniel: The House of the Seven Gables
  12. Proust, Marcel: Swann’s Way
  13. Goethe, Johann: Faust
  14. Eliot, George: Middlemarch
  15. Golding, William: Lord of the Flies
  16. Hawthorne, Nathaniel: The Scarlet Letter
  17. Hemingway, Ernest: A Farewell to Arms
  18. Cooper, James Fenimore: The Last of the Mohicans
  19. Crane, Stephen: Red Badge of Courage
  20. Irving, Washington: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Spin number will be chosen on Monday, and then those of us participating will have until December 1st to read the book that corresponds to that number.
Are you participating in the Classics Club Spin?  Whether or not you’re participating, would you be interested in doing a read-along of any of the books on my list?  Let me know in the comments!

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
FitReaders2016
  • This check-in is for September 23rd – 29th.
  • I’m still only able to walk during my morning break at work, but for one day this week, I was able to walk during part of my lunch break.
  • This week, I’m continuing with a daily calorie goal and tracking all of my food and exercise, but I’m also tracking how much water I drink each day.  My goal is to drink at least 64 ounces per day.  I’ve also changed my Active Minutes goal to 150 minutes a week, and once I’m consistent with that, I’ll increase it back to 175.
  • I didn’t lose any weight this week thanks to making a few food choices that I thought were healthy but then found out they were nearly half of my daily calories.
  • If you’d like to add me as a friend on FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Steps: 34,682/49,000
  • Miles: 14.26/17.5
  • Active Minutes: 90/150
  • Days I Tracked My Food: 7/7
  • Days I Drank 64 ounces of Water: 0/7 – WOW! I really suck at drinking enough water!  I’m going to have to be more vigilant about this.
  • Monthly 5K Races Completed: 3/10
  • Monthly 1 Mile Fun “Runs” Completed: 2/10
  • Total Money Donated: $22.62/$25.00

The Classics Club: The Fellowship of the Ring

Published on by Rachelle

Fellowship

  • Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
  • Pages: 407
  • Genre: Fantasy

 
 
I have the audiobook version of The Lord of the Rings, but since I haven’t read it since I was 12, I decided to borrow the Boyfriend’s copy instead of listening to the audio for #FanspeakTheRing.
Did you know that The Lord of the Rings is not actually a trilogy?  Though it’s usually broken down into three books (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King), it’s actually six books broken down into three parts/volumes.  Did you also know that, as a whole, they’re on the banned and challenged books list?  According to the ALA, it was burned in Alamogordo, New Mexico for being “satanic.”  My guess is that the people behind such a horrible act have never actually read The Lord of the Rings or know anything about its author.
Since I’m following the schedule for #FanspeakTheRing, I’ve only just started the second part.  So, I don’t yet have an opinion about it or the third part.  However, so far, it’s much better than I remember it being.  The Hobbit has always been my favorite book by Tolkien, and even though I love the movies based on The Lord of the Rings, I remember feeling as if the books dragged on a bit and were easily confusing when I read them all those years ago.  I never felt that way during this re-read, and if the rest is as wonderful, I’m fairly certain it will be joining the ranks of The Hobbit on my all-time favorites list.
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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:

  • Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs – for Castle Macabre’s Gothic September read-along.
  • Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
  • A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly
  • Slave of My Thirst by Tom Holland
  • The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien – for #FanspeakTheRing
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – for Banned Books Week

Peculiar queen free
thirst towers wallflower
Finished: 

  • Plain Kate by Erin Bow

plain

Challenges:

  • Show Your Shelves Some Love: 46 out of 51
  • RIP XI: 2 of 4 books, at least 35 short stories – I’ve been catching up on episodes of Drabblecast, which is a short story podcast dedicated to weird tales.  I highly recommend it.

Total pages read: 381

Total # of books for the year: 64.  Most of my reading was finishing the audiobook of Plain Kate.  Even then, I think I listened to more short story podcasts than anything else.  This week, I’ll be listening to the audiobook of The Perks of Being a Wallflower for Banned Books Week.  I’ve also updated my Banned Books page, so be sure to check that out.

What are you reading this week?

#ShelfLove – Dear Author…

Published on by Rachelle

Shelf Love Challenge 2016
This month’s discussion for the Show Your Shelves Some Love challenge is all about giving some love to the writers of our favorite books.  So, without further ado, here is my “Dear Author” letter/thank you note:
Dear…
Suzanne Collins, thank you for Mockingjay and giving me the ability to heal.
Diana Gabaldon, thank you for writing historical fiction about an intelligent woman’s romantic relationship that isn’t just a trope-filled bodice ripper.
J.R.R. Tolkien, thank you for giving the world the true history of the Hobbits and Middle Earth and making me a fanatic for the Fantasy genre.
Dr. Seuss, thank you for writing the best books a kid could learn to read.  If it weren’t for you, this introvert wouldn’t have discovered her love of words and her ability to escape to other worlds whenever needed.
world-of-books
C.S. Lewis, thank you for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.  I have never looked at wardrobes or armoires the same since.
Stephen King, thank you for writing the scariest book I have ever read, IT, and one of my all-time favorite Fantasy novels, The Eyes of the Dragon.  Also, thank you for showing me how evil can twist seemingly innocent things into something horrible and corrupt in Needful Things.
L.M. Montgomery, thank you for Anne of Green Gables.  Anne is my spirit animal and without her, I would have never learned that I am perfect just the way I am.
Katherine Paterson, thank you for Bridge to Terabithia, the first book to make me ugly cry.
Roald Dahl, thank you for Matilda and giving me the dream of one day escaping the family I was born into but never belonged.
John Lenahan, thank you for writing Shadowmagic and offering it for free on podiobooks.com. Without you, I wouldn’t have discovered how much I enjoy listening to audiobooks.
Ann M. Martin, thank you for “The Babysitter’s Club” series.  I never enjoyed babysitting, but I loved every moment of reading your books during hot Summer days when no one but myself seemed to realize that being outside was over-rated.
stay-inside
Jenny Lawson, thank you for Let’s Pretend this Never Happened and Furiously Happy.  I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hysterically while reading.  Also, thank you for the phrase “Depression lies”.
Rainbow Rowell,  thank you for Eleanor and Park, the first book, not counting anything by Dr. Seuss, that I immediately re-read as soon as I finished it for the first time.
Anne Rice, thank you for Interview with the Vampire, the book that started me on my vampire obsession.
Brontë sisters, thank you for getting me hooked on Gothic literature and the Classics.
Laura Ingalls Wilder, thank you for making me fall in love with historical fiction and giving me my childhood go-to books to read when I was sick.
Edgar Allen Poe, thank you for making my Freshman study hall periods more interesting and giving me a much-needed distraction from my Algebra homework.
Love with all my heart,
 
Rachelle, The Girl in the Book Fort
 
P.S. Thank you to all the authors I haven’t mentioned who have written books that made me clutch them to my chest, sigh, and wish there was more.  You make it worth getting out of bed in the morning, even after staying up all night to read.
sleeping-disorder

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
FitReaders2016
  • This check-in is for September 16th – 22nd.
  • I’m still only able to walk during my morning break at work.  Now that it’s officially Fall, I’m hoping Texas will get the hint and cool down enough for me to go out during my lunch and afternoon break as well.
  • My second meeting with my “coach” was about continuing with a daily calorie goal and tracking all of my food, but now I have to track my exercise as well.  I’ve already been doing that, so I’m working on finding little ways to get more steps.
  • Though I won’t be tracking my weight in these check-ins, I have to mention that I lost two more pounds when I weighed in this week.  It’s nice seeing that I’m making some kind of progress.
  • My work schedule did not change, and I’m more than unhappy about that.  I and my coworkers were promised several different, more flexible schedules to choose from and then we were unceremoniously told the Friday before the switch that, no, it wasn’t happening.  I’m so ticked off that I’m actively looking for a new job.
  • If you’d like to add me as a friend on FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Steps: 33,174/49,000
  • Miles: 13.62/17.5
  • Active Minutes: 143/175
  • Days I Tracked My Food: 7/7
  • Monthly 5K Races Completed: 3/10
  • Monthly 1 Mile Fun “Runs” Completed: 2/10
  • Total Money Donated: $22.36/$25.00