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
  • My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
  • The Master Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
  • The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
  • The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

Finished:

  • The Chronicles of Narmo by Caitlin Moran
  • How to Be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell
  • The Return of the Indian by Lynne Reid Banks
  • Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
  • The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection by Neil Gaiman
  • M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman

Total pages read this week: 1126

TBR Mountain: -14

Total books read: 32 of 80

Dewey’s 24-Hour #Readathon helped me out with my goals quite a bit. I’ve read or gotten rid of enough books to keep me on track through July and I only have to finish one book this month to catch up with my reading goal, which shouldn’t be a problem at all.

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

Down the TBR Hole #105

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 several books to 1138.  I finished 5 books during the readathon on Saturday.
This week’s books:

The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss – KEEP.  I’ve been putting off reading this because there is still no sign of when the 3rd book in the “King Killer Chronicle” series will be published.

Terminal Alliance by Jim C. Hines – KEEP.  I love the “Magic Ex Libris” series, and this book, the first book in the “Janitors of the Post-Apocolypse” series sounds like it will be just as fun.

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway – KEEP.  This is all about the Ex-pat Writer’s experience in Paris during the 1920s, and I’m very interested in reading it.

Veins of Gold by Charlie N. Holmberg – KEEP. There isn’t a single book yet by Holmberg that I haven’t enjoyed.

Smoke and Summons by Charlie N. Holmberg – KEEP.  See above.  I haven’t read this one yet mostly because it’s the first in a trilogy, and I want to finish the “Paper Magician” series first.
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1138 books. The next post will be mostly physical books I own and I highly doubt that I’ll be getting rid of any of them.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for April 23rd – 29th.
  • I haven’t lost any weight this week, which isn’t surprising after all the snacking I did during yesterday’s readathon.
  • Something dug up my entire garden!  On top of that, I haven’t been able to do anything about fixing it because it’s either been raining or too windy to be outside long enough to get anything done.
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 2/5
  • Steps: 35,620
  • Miles: 14.46/17.26
  • Total Miles: 243.54/900
  • Active Minutes: 77/150

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
  • My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
  • The Master Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
  • M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman
  • How to Be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell

Finished:

  • Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
  • The Wisdom of the Shire by Noble Smith
  • Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Legends by Lydia Sherrer
  • 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Total pages read this week: 624

TBR Mountain: -10

Total books read: 26 of 80

Today is Dewey’s 24-Hour #Readathon, so I’m posting this while I’m listening to How to Be a Pirate. I won’t be posting anything else during the readathon, but I will be on Litsy.

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

Down the TBR Hole #104

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 up again to 1144.  I finished a book, but I added a couple more to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

The League of Beastly Dreadfuls by Holly Grant – KEEP.  I love darker Middle-Grade Fantasy.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins – KEEP.  I think I started this book several years ago, but never finished it.  I probably got distracted by other books.  I will attempt to read this one again at some point.

A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer – KEEP.  I’m a little skeptical of this one, despite my love of Middle-Grade Fantasy, because the character and place names seem ridiculous and like the author is trying too hard to be original.  I’m willing to give it a chance, though.

Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis – KEEP. This one looks too cute to not be worth keeping.

The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo – GO.  The synopsis sounds far too depressing for this book to remain on my wishlist.
My want-to-read shelf is back down to 1143 books. The next post will be mostly ebooks I own and I don’t have a clue from first glance if I’ll want to keep them or not.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for April 16th – 22nd.
  • I haven’t lost any weight this week.
  • I got a few plants into the raised bed and started some more seeds last weekend, and this weekend I’ll be doing some more transplanting.  The weather has been so wonky, though, that I’m really not sure if anything is going to grow right.
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 4/5
  • Steps: 35,050
  • Miles: 14.18/17.26
  • Total Miles: 229.08/900
  • Active Minutes: 139/150

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
  • Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
  • The Wisdom of the Shire by Noble Smith
  • Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Legends by Lydia Sherrer
  • My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Finished:

  • The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

Total pages read this week: 399

TBR Mountain: -9

Total books read: 22 of 80

I’ve been in a comfort reads kind of mood lately, but I finally discovered Serial Reader! I had no idea it was free! I’m starting with My Man Jeeves, and then we’ll see where I end up. I used to hate reading off of my phone or a tablet, but most apps have dark mode nowadays, so it’s much easier, especially if I’m wearing my blue light-blocking glasses.

My TBR mountain has grown a little (though I’m still ahead for the month) because I went to a bookstore yesterday with the intention of using a gift card I had gotten for Christmas. I found 3 books from my wishlist, but completely forgot about the gift card in my wallet!

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

Down the TBR Hole #103

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 1144.  I decided to remove a couple of books in a series from my wishlist.
This week’s books:

Chase Tinker and the House of Magic by Malia Ann Haberman – KEEP.  The synopsis on Goodreads seems like it’s trying too hard, but I’m willing to give it a chance.

The Lucky Dime by Patrick E. McLean – KEEP.  I have loved everything I’ve read by McLean, starting with the free “podiobook,” The Merchant Adventurer.

Walking by Henry David Thoreau – KEEP.  I enjoy reading about walking, probably because I love The Hobbit so much, and this is an essay mostly about the joys of walking and Nature.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys – KEEP. This is going to be a heartbreaking novel, but I need and want to read it.

Sourdough by Robin Sloan – GO.  I only bought this because I enjoyed Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore; however, after having lived in the Bay Area for several years and hating it about 75% of the time, there is no way I will want to read a story set there that isn’t even about books.  It’s probably good, but no, thank you.
My want-to-read shelf is down to 1143 books. The next post will be a mixture of ebooks and physical books that I own or are on my wishlist, and I don’t think I’ll be getting rid of any of them, but we’ll see!

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for April 9th – 15th.
  • I haven’t lost any weight this week.
  • I finished filling one of my raised garden beds, and I got it fenced in to keep out the critters (hopefully).  However, I won’t be putting together the 2nd raised bed like I originally wanted to, at least not this year. I discovered that the ground is very uneven and is also slightly sloped, so I would have to do some landscaping that I just don’t have the time or physical capacity to handle right now.
  • I earned another $5 towards something on my wishlist!
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 3/5
  • Steps: 45,979
  • Miles: 18.75/17.26
  • Total Miles: 214.90/900
  • Active Minutes: 105/150

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
  • The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
  • Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
  • The Wisdom of the Shire by Noble Smith

DNF:

  • The Bookshop That Floated Away by Sarah Henshaw
  • Foreign Correspondenses by Lesley Krueger

Total pages read this week: 176

TBR Mountain: -12

Total books read: 21 of 80

I keep striking out in the book choice department, with the exception of my re-reads. Hopefully, the trend will change sooner rather than later. What’s annoying is the time I’ve wasted starting books that are really good for the first few chapters but aren’t good enough to keep reading to the end. I need to finish at least 6 books before the end of the month to catch up with my reading goal for the year, and I won’t be able to do that if I continue to pick duds.

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