Author: Rachelle

Down the TBR Hole #122

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 by one book to 1127.  I finished a few books this week.
This week’s books:

The Dalai Lama’s Cat by David Michie – KEEP.  Cat meditations?!  Yes, please!

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. – KEEP.  I’ve read several reviews from other bloggers that this book is awesome, so it will stay on my wish list until I get around to buying it or checking it out from the library.

Peace Talks by Jim Butcher – KEEP.  I absolutely love “The Dresden Files” series.  This is the 16th book, and I’m on book 12, so it will be a while before I get to this one.

Bookshop Memories by George Orwell – KEEP.  I don’t know where I will find a copy of this book, but I will hopefully find it someday.

The Faceless Old Woman Who Lives In Your Home by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor – KEEP.  Even though it’s not necessary to keep up with the “Welcome to Night Vale” podcast to read the books, I prefer to do that.  Unfortunately, I got really bad about listening to any podcasts thanks to all of the audiobooks I have, but I’m now catching up on “Welcome to Night Vale” in the hopes that I’ll get to this book before the end of the year.
My want-to-read shelf remains at 1127 books. The next post will have a couple of books that at first glance I’m not sure I’ll be keeping.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for August 20th – 26th.
  • I twisted my ankle and haven’t been doing much this weekend.
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 2/5
  • Steps: 33,233
  • Miles: 15.66/17.26
  • Total Miles: 490.98/900
  • Active Minutes: 73/150

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
  • Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
  • In the End by Demitria Lunetta
  • The Reader by Traci Chee

DNF:

  • Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin

Finished:

  • Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
  • The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • Death and the Queen by James Goss

Total pages read this week: 345

TBR Mountain: -9

Total books read: 61 of 80

Sci-Fi Summer: 12 of 7

I really wanted to like Tuf Voyaging. So many people told me it was a great book, and since it involves cats, I was looking forward to a fun Sci-Fi adventure, but the writing kept me from enjoying it. I managed to get through 50 pages, hoping it would get better, but I just couldn’t keep going after that. I gave it to the Boyfriend to keep in case I ever want to give it another try.

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

Down the TBR Hole #121

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 by one book to 1130.  I finished a book this week, but added a couple of books to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern – KEEP.  I absolutely loved The Night Circus, and even though I’ve heard this isn’t as good, I’m still going to give it a chance.

Bone Key by Keith R.A. DeCandido – KEEP.  This is the 3rd book in the “Supernatural” series, and I found it in a Half-Price Books store at some point.  The first book, Nevermore, is still on my wish list, and I’m probably going to have to cave to ordering it online since I may never get lucky enough to find it in a store.

Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg – KEEP.  This might be my next Holmberg book to read since I’ve been wanting to read it for a while but didn’t want to start another series while I was still reading “The Paper Magician” series.

Ulysses by James Joyce – KEEP.  Everyone is supposed to try (and probably fail) to read this brick of a novel at least once, right?  I think it’s some kind of literary rite of passage or something.  If I ever do get around to reading and finishing it, I will display it on one of my bookshelves like a trophy.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe – KEEP.  I’ve been struggling through the past couple of Classics I’ve read on the Serial Reader app, but I’m hoping this one won’t be as tedious.
My want-to-read shelf remains at 1130 books. The next post will be a mix of books that I own or that are on my wishlist.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for August 13th – 19th.
  • I harvested about $30 worth of tomatoes from my garden yesterday!  The Boyfriend and I made Caprese salad with a few of them, and they are the brightest red and tastiest tomatoes I’ve ever seen or eaten.  I don’t know how I will return to store-bought tomatoes after the season is over.
  • I also cut a huge 15 lb. watermelon from the vine yesterday.  We will probably be cutting and eating it today.
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 1/5
  • Steps: 29,474
  • Miles: 12.00/17.26
  • Total Miles: 475.32/900
  • Active Minutes: 34/150

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
  • The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
  • Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Finished:

  • Life, the Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams

Total pages read this week: 581

TBR Mountain: -7

Total books read: 58 of 80

Sci-Fi Summer: 10 of 7

I’m officially a Time Lord in the #SciFiSummer reading challenge! I’ll continue reading Science Fiction until the end of the Summer, but September 1st is the start of #RIP, so I’ll start shifting toward darker Sci-Fi. I inadvertently did that already by reading Boneshaker, which I didn’t realize has zombies in it. It’s a really good read and I’ll probably finish it this weekend, maybe even today.

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

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.