Author: Rachelle

Monday’s Minutes

Published on by Rachelle

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan
  • Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Finished:

  • We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
  • Consultation with a Vampire by Patrick E. McLean
  • Strange Sight by Syd Moore

Challenges:

#RIPXVI – Peril of the Fiction: 5; Peril of the Short Story: 0; Peril of the Listen: 1; Peril on the Screen: 30

#ShelfLove – 41 of 51 books from my TBR.

Total pages read this week: 792

Total books for the year: 63 of 90.

It’s the 3rd week of #RIPXVI and I’m still flying through pages. I’ve finished 5 books, started two others (one physical, one audio), and I’m just over halfway through the 13th season of “Supernatural.” It might be my last season, though, because it’s starting to get a bit ridiculous, and major stuff that would’ve taken them two or three episodes in earlier seasons now takes them less than half an episode to do. I’m also getting really tired of the overarching storyline and really miss the back-to-back good old-fashioned monster hunting and killing episodes. I’m going to try to at least finish the season before I move on to something else. I just have to figure out what to read for “Peril of the Real” so I can get my first Bingo.

Down the TBR Hole #92

Published on by Rachelle
Image: hjl

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads 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 TBR pile decreased a bit to 1094, thanks to finishing several books over the past couple of weeks since my last post.

This week’s books:

On Beauty by Zadie Smith – GO.  I remember getting this book years ago in one of the first subscription boxes I ever signed up for, but I don’t remember what it was called.  I do know that I cancelled that subscription not too long into it because all of the books were Literary Fiction.  I’ve rarely ever enjoyed that genre, and as much as I would love to be the kind of person who reads Zadie Smith and discuss it intelligently, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am just not that person.

 

Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower by Stephen King – KEEP.  Considering it is my goal to eventually (finally) finish this series, there is no way I will be getting rid of these books until they’ve been read.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey – KEEP.  This is a “must read” series for lovers of Fantasy, so I will at the very least read the first book to see if it’s a series I want to continue.

The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller- KEEP. This is yet another book I got for free from a friend getting rid of a bunch of his old books.  The synopsis is a little vague, but I’m going to give it a try.

The Diviners by Libba Bray – KEEP.  I’ve enjoyed Bray’s “Gemma Doyle” series so far, so I picked this book up several years back when I was at the Texas Book Festival.  It’s a 1920’s New York Supernatural Murder Mystery and that appeals to me.
My TBR pile is down one to 1093 books. The next post will be yet more physical books I own, but there’s a random ebook in there, so we’ll see if anything shakes loose.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for September 10th – 16th.
  • I’ve been in a slump this past week and haven’t done hardly anything other than play videogames, read, and watch stuff on Netflix.  I need to get back into a routine.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 1/5
  • Steps: 17,232
  • Miles: 9.24
  • Total Miles: 460.99/1,000
  • Active Minutes: 28/150

Monday’s Minutes

Published on by Rachelle

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
  • Strange Sight by Syd Moore

Finished:

  • Night Shift by Charlaine Harris
  • Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

Challenges:

#RIPXVI – Peril of the Fiction: 3; Peril of the Short Story: 0; Peril of the Listen: 0; Peril on the Screen: 18

#ShelfLove – 40 of 51 books from my TBR.

Total pages read this week: 809

Total books for the year: 60 of 90.

It’s the 2nd week of #RIPXVI and I’m flying through pages. I’ve finished 3 books, started another, and I’m into the 13th season of “Supernatural.” I plan on finishing We Are Legion (We Are Bob) today so I can start a RIP-worthy audiobook. Then, I’ll only have to read something for “Peril of the Real” to get my first Bingo.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for September 3rd – 9th.
  • The yard is under control for now, so I moved on to tackling the garage and going through boxes of books trying to find as many of my Gothic, Mystery, and Horror books as I could for #RIPXVI.  While the renovation on the house is almost complete, we’re still waiting to get carpet installed upstairs before I start putting together furniture and moving stuff into the house.  Because of that, the books I wasn’t able to fit onto my two little bookshelves in the guest house are stacked up on the floor in my temporary office.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 4/5
  • Steps: 35,286
  • Miles: 16.02
  • Total Miles: 451.75/1,000
  • Active Minutes: 269/150

Monday’s Minutes

Published on by Rachelle

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
  • Night Shift by Charlaine Harris

Finished:

  • Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
  • The Year of Cozy by Adrianna Adarme
  • Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Challenges:

#RIPXVI – Peril of the Fiction: 1; Peril of the Short Story: 0; Peril of the Listen: 0; Peril on the Screen: 6

#ShelfLove – 38 of 51 books from my TBR.

Total pages read this week: 835

Total books for the year: 58 of 90.

#RIPXVI is getting off to a great start! I’ve already finished one book, started another, and binge-watched some “Supernatural.” As soon as I finish We Are Legion (We Are Bob) I’ll start a RIP-worthy audiobook or maybe even a podcast.

Down the TBR Hole #91

Published on by Rachelle
Image: hjl

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads 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 TBR pile went up a few books to 1101, thanks to finding a couple of books I own that somehow never got added to Goodreads.  I also added a couple of books to my wishlist.

This week’s books:

All the Other Things I Really Need to Know I Learned from Watching Star Trek: The Next Generation by Dave Marinaccio – KEEP.  This is yet another book I got from a friend who was getting rid of a bunch of books and let me dig through them.

Tompkin’s School for the Extraordinarily Talented by Tabi Slick – GO.  This book was given to me as a random gift, but I’m really not interested in reading it.

Ralph: Coffee, Jazz & Poetry by Ralph Alfonso – KEEP.  I don’t remember where I found this one, but I got it because I used to be obsessed with anything related to the Beatniks.  I’m not obsessed anymore, but I’m still interested.

To the Last Man I Slept with and All the Jerks Just Like Him by Gwendolyn Zepeda- GO. The synopsis doesn’t match up with what I thought this book was.  I was expecting Fiction, maybe short stories, and definitely humor, but it’s more like a mix of personal essays and poetry with some bits of short fiction thrown in.

Memory Mambo by Achy Obejas – GO.  I used to read anything and everything I could find about what it’s like growing up as a Cuban-American, since I’m part Cuban; however, it wasn’t long before I figured out that none of those books ever came close to my experience and just made me feel even more like an outsider than the characters often feel.
My TBR pile is down to 1098 books. The next post will be more physical books I own, and if I get rid of any of them, I’ll be surprised.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for August 27th – September 2nd.
  • Now that it’s finally cooling off outside and not raining all the time, I’m back to being out in the yard trying to get it back under control and get rid of the weeds.  I wouldn’t say it’s fun, but it is a considerable amount of exercise.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 3/5
  • Steps: 21,271
  • Miles: 8.69
  • Total Miles: 435.73/1,000
  • Active Minutes: 144/150

Monday’s Minutes

Published on by Rachelle

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
  • Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

Finished:

  • Cannonbridge by Jonathan Barnes
  • The Cuckoo’s Cry by Caroline Overington
  • The Angel’s Kiss by Justin Richards

Challenges:

#ShelfLove – 35 of 51 books from my TBR.

Total pages read this week: 728

Total books for the year: 55 of 90.

Doomsday Book is so good that I’ve been deliberately cooking the easiest dinners I can and then going to bed earlier than usual so I can keep reading. However, I’m really glad I didn’t decide to read it sooner, but I can’t say why because *spoilers*. I had no idea what I was in for when I started reading it since the book blurb only mentions a “crisis, ” and really, that could be anything, especially when it involves time travel.

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XVI

Published on by Rachelle4 Comments


The R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril challenge, otherwise known as R.I.P. takes place every September 1st through October 31st.


The purpose of the R.I.P. Challenge is to enjoy books that could be classified as Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Dark Fantasy, Gothic, Horror, or Supernatural.


There are multiple levels of participation (Perils):

  • Peril of the Fiction – Read books of any length that fit the definition of R.I.P. literature.
  • Peril of the Short Story – Read short stories any time during the challenge.
  • Peril of the Real – Read any true tales of horror.
  • Peril of the Listen – Listen to RIP-related audiobooks, podcasts, and music.
  • Peril on the Screen – This is for those of us who like to watch suitably scary, eerie, mysterious, Gothic fare during this time of year. It may be something on the small screen or large.
  • Peril of the Group Read – During the month of October, there will be a group read of Shirley Jackson’s The Sundial.
  • Readers Imbibing Peril Bingo:

This year, I’ll be doing Peril of the Fiction, Peril of the Listen, Peril on the Screen, Peril of the Group Read, and trying to get a Bingo. I might also add in a bit of Peril of the Short Story if I decide to pick up one of the short story collections on my TBR. I’ve got a huge list of books on Goodreads for me to choose from for this event, the Something Wicked Fall challenge, the month-long FrightFall Readathon, and the 24-Hour Readathon happening in October.

Are you participating in #RIPXVI or reading any spooky reads over the next couple of months? Leave a comment!