Author: Rachelle

Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle

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

Currently Reading:

  • Nothing Much Happens by Kathryn Nicolai
  • Dracula by Bram Stoker
  • Washington’s Spies by Alexander Rose
  • Life, the Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams
  • The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Finished:

  • In The Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken

Total pages read this week: 324

TBR Mountain: -6

Total books read: 55 of 80

Sci-Fi Summer: 7 of 7

I decided to switch to a different edition of The Hobbit. As much as I love the annotations in The Annotated Hobbit, they were slowing down my progress and I’m already way behind the read-along on Litsy.

I’ve completed my reading goal for #SciFiSummer and am now a Browncoat! I will, of course, keep reading Science Fiction through the rest of the Summer, and I’ll make it to Time Lord if I can finish three more books.

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

Down the TBR Hole #118

Published on by Rachelle
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 shelf is back up to 1130 books.  I finished a book this week, but I also added a few books to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

Alice in Deadland by Mainak Dhar – GO.  The synopsis seems okay, minus the sensationalist headline about the author’s ability to sell large quantities of books on Amazon.  That wasn’t the only tip-off that the book might be a waste of time, though.  His author bio is mostly about his non-book-related corporate career working for a big-shot company before becoming a CEO, and then the only good reviews are 5 stars and so few and far between the many 1-star reviews that it’s a bit obvious they were written by friends.  No thanks.

Silence in the Woods by J.P. Choquette – GO.  I didn’t realize this book is about the Big Foot myths, one of the few myths I have next to no interest in reading about.  I’ll pass.

Nevermore by Keith R.A. DeCandido- KEEP.  As ridiculous as the show “Supernatural” could be at times, I still love it, and I want more.  Luckily, there are books!

The Nature Fix by Florence Williams – KEEP.  I started reading this a few years ago but got distracted by another book and never got around to finishing it.  I will pick it back up at some point.

A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill – KEEP.  One of the reviews said this book is perfect for fans of “Supernatural” and several reviews mentioned Lovecraft, so I’m definitely going to be reading this one.
My want-to-read shelf is back down to 1128 books. The next post will be made up of Horror books I own.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for July 23rd – 29th.
  • I’ve had the house to myself all weekend and didn’t have to work on Friday.  I haven’t done much but binge shows on Netflix, play video games, read, and snuggle with my cats.
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 1/5
  • Steps: 29,988
  • Miles: 12.20/17.26
  • Total Miles: 439.74/900
  • Active Minutes: 19/150

Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle

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

Currently Reading:

  • Nothing Much Happens by Kathryn Nicolai
  • Dracula by Bram Stoker
  • Washington’s Spies by Alexander Rose
  • Life, the Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams
  • The Annotated Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, ed. by Douglas A. Anderson
  • Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
  • In The Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken

Finished:

  • The Jade Pyramid by Martin Day

Total pages read this week: 455

TBR Mountain: -7

Total books read: 54 of 80

Sci-Fi Summer: 6 of 7

To help myself finish some books this weekend, I joined the #20in4 readathon on Litsy with the goal of reading for 20 hours. So far, I’ve only read for 2 hours and 51 minutes, and most of that has been the audiobook of In The Afterlight while I’ve been doing stuff around the house. I’ve also been trying to finish Washington’s Spies, but it’s slow going. It’s not nearly as riveting as the TV adaptation, “Turn.” It’s rare for me to think the show or movie is better than the book.

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

Down the TBR Hole #117

Published on by Rachelle
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 shelf is down two books to 1128.  I finished a few books this week, but also added a book to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan – KEEP.  I loved the show on Netflix, and I would like to see how different the book is from the adaptation.

Legend by Marie Lu – KEEP.  This was my first “Mini” edition book, and I bought it because I wanted an easier way to carry a book with me around San Franciso while also lightening the amount of stuff in my bag.  I unfortunately never got around to reading it, though I think I did start it on the bus one day.  I probably got distracted by another book, so I’ll give this one a chance at some point; maybe even during this year’s #SciFiSummer.

The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson- KEEP.  According to GoodReads, a lot of people who read this also enjoyed books by Grady Hendrix.  Since he’s become an “auto-buy” author to me, I’m more than willing to give this book a shot.

Confession of a Buddhist Atheist by Stephen Batchelor – KEEP.  I don’t know if I’m an Atheist, but I do consider myself to be a Buddhist.  Maybe I’m more of a Buddhist Agnostic?  Regardless, I’m very interested in reading this book.

Siege and Sacrifice by Charlie N. Holmberg – KEEP.  This is the third book in the “Numina” trilogy, which I haven’t started yet, so I’ll keep this one on my wishlist until I have a better idea of whether or not I want to continue past the first book, Smoke and Summons.
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1128 books. The next post will be mostly ebooks I already own.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for July 16th – 22nd.
  • I found out that I can plant a few things over the next couple of months for a Fall harvest!  I lost my broccoli, basil, spinach, and carrots during my first planting, but now I’ve got a chance to try again.  I’m also going to grow another head of lettuce and some more radishes.
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 2/5
  • Steps: 36,293
  • Miles: 14.73/17.26
  • Total Miles: 427.54/900
  • Active Minutes: 81/150

Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle

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

Currently Reading:

  • Nothing Much Happens by Kathryn Nicolai
  • Dracula by Bram Stoker
  • Washington’s Spies by Alexander Rose
  • Life, the Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams
  • The Annotated Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, ed. by Douglas A. Anderson
  • Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
  • The Jade Pyramid by Martin Day

Finished:

  • Excuse Me While I Disappear by Laurie Notaro
  • The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
  • A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor

Total pages read this week: 335

TBR Mountain: -8

Total books read: 53 of 80

Sci-Fi Summer: 5 of 7

While I’m having no trouble finishing books, I haven’t been finishing physical books, and I’m now very behind on my TBR goal for the year. Part of the problem is that I keep starting new books! Another factor is that I keep buying new books. On top of that, I’ve gotten into the habit of only reading physical books before I go to sleep. I think this weekend, I’m going to try to focus on my physical current reads and see if I can finish at least one of them.

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

Down the TBR Hole #116

Published on by Rachelle
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 shelf went up one book to 1130.  Though I finished a few books this week, I also bought several books at the Columbus Book Festival.
This week’s books:

The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón – KEEP.  I love “The Cemetery of Forgotten Books” series, and I hope to get to this 4th book during this year’s #RIP.

We Sold Our Souls and Satan Loves You by Grady Hendrix – KEEP.  Hendrix’s books are pretty much an auto-buy for me now, so I have several of them that I haven’t read yet.  These are a couple of his older books.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck- KEEP.  I’m going to try to read this book at some point, but if I end up not enjoying it, I’ll be perfectly fine with saying so.  I’ve hated several of the books that are always on the “Must-Read” and “Greatest-of-All-Time” lists, and this book tends to show up on many of those lists.

Packing for Mars by Mary Roach – KEEP.  For some reason, I got this author confused with Caitlin Doughty, the author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes; maybe because Roach also wrote Stiff, a book about cadavers.  Regardless, I still want to read this, and I have the urge to read it during #SciFiSummer, even though it’s Non-Fiction.

Miniatures by John Scalzi – KEEP.  This is a book of Scalzi’s short stories.  I enjoyed Red Shirts, so I’ll give this one a shot.
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1130 books. The next post will be more of the physical books I already own.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for July 8th – 15th.
  • My tomato and watermelon plants are still growing at an alarming rate!  My onions should be coming out of the ground next weekend, and I might be harvesting my spinach and green beans soon as well.  Sadly, I won’t have any pumpkins this year.  The seedlings died, and there isn’t enough time to try growing another.  I’ll have to try again next year.
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 5/5
  • Steps: 41,118
  • Miles: 16.62/17.26
  • Total Miles: 412.81/900
  • Active Minutes: 183/150

Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle

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

Currently Reading:

  • Nothing Much Happens by Kathryn Nicolai
  • Dracula by Bram Stoker
  • Excuse Me While I Disappear by Laurie Notaro
  • The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
  • Washington’s Spies by Alexander Rose
  • Life, the Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams
  • A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor

Finished:

  • Gardens in the Dunes by Leslie Marmon Silko
  • First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
  • The Resurrection Casket by Justin Richards

Total pages read this week: 883

TBR Mountain: -11

Total books read: 50 of 80

Sci-Fi Summer: 3 of 7

This week’s “Building the Book Fort” is later than usual because I attended the first Columbus Book Festival! I had a good time until it started raining. I bought several books, a bookmark, and a tote bag to carry everything around while I was there. I also splurged on a handmade leather-covered edition of The Hobbit from Studio 42 Designs. The picture doesn’t do it justice!

The Columbus Metropolitan Library

It was totally worth it, but now I’m behind on my TBR goal for the year. I’ve had no problem finishing books lately (I’m 3 books ahead of my reading goal), but they were audiobooks. I will need to finish or get rid of 3 physical books by the end of the month to catch back up.

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