Author: Rachelle

Down the TBR Hole #120

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 still holding steady at 1129 books.  I finished a couple of books this week but added a couple of books to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

The Thief Knot by Kate Milford – KEEP.  I absolutely love the “Greenglass House” series.  This is the 4th book in the series, and I’m looking forward to reading it this Winter.

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater – KEEP.  Stiefvater is an auto-buy author for me, especially anything related to “The Raven Cycle” series.

The Brightfount Diaries by Brian W. Aldiss – KEEP.  I’m not sure I’ll enjoy this as much as I hope, but it’s about life working in a bookshop, which is in my wheelhouse house so I’ll keep it on my wishlist for now.

A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit – KEEP.  I have a couple of Solnit’s other books that I also haven’t read yet, so I’m not sure why I bought this one beyond the title piquing my interest.  I’ll keep it for now.

I Am a Cat by Sōseki Natsume – KEEP.  I will try this one again at some point, but it’s less about the cat than about Japanese society.  I didn’t pay attention to that part of the book blurb when I bought it, which is not surprising, given the title and my love of cats.
My want-to-read shelf remains at 1129 books. The next post will again be mostly books I already own.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for August 6th – 12th.
  • I’ve been sick so I haven’t been doing much of anything.
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 1/5
  • Steps: 28,876
  • Miles: 11.30/17.26
  • Total Miles: 463.32/900
  • Active Minutes: 61/150

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 Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Finished:

  • Roman Holiday by Jodi Taylor
  • Time Reaver by Jenny T. Colgan

Total pages read this week: 252

TBR Mountain: -6

Total books read: 57 of 80

Sci-Fi Summer: 9 of 7

I only need to finish one more book for #SciFiSummer to become a Time Lord! I might be able to do that this weekend by finishing Life, the Universe, and Everything.

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

Down the TBR Hole #119

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 1 book to 1129.  I finished a book this week, but I also added a couple of books to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver – KEEP.  The synopsis had me at “a large manor house” and “gothic.”

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon – KEEP.  Another haunted house ghost story that might be right up my alley.  

The Plague Stones and The Hollow Tree by James Brogden – KEEP.  I usually don’t buy a second book by an author I’ve never read before until I’ve finished the first one, but these were both a bit of a “cover buy,” and the synopses for both sound like Brogden might quickly become a favorite.  I hope that turns out to be true.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix – KEEP.  I’m looking forward to finally reading this one for this year’s #RIP.

Soon by Lois Murphy – KEEP.  I’m going to give this one a try, but the reviews give me the impression that I’ll either love it or hate it.  I think a 50/50 chance is worth the 50-page test.
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1129 books. The next post will be mostly physical books I own.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for July 30th – August 5th.
  • My tomato plant isn’t doing well, and I was reading that a lot of gardeners are having trouble, too.  Apparently, even though tomatoes are heat-tolerant, it’s been too hot for too long, and tomatoes and other plants like green beans and peppers aren’t growing as much as they normally would and are taking much longer to ripen.  I thought it was something I was doing wrong, and I’m glad to know that’s not the reason.
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 3/5
  • Steps: 30,145
  • Miles: 12.28/17.26
  • Total Miles: 452.02/900
  • Active Minutes: 96/150

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 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.