Author: Rachelle

Down the TBR Hole #60

Published on by Rachelle
Image: hjl

Down the TBR Hole was started by Lia over at Lost in a Story.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

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?

I will be repeating this process until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.

My TBR pile went down one to 687 books.  I finished reading Smash! by Ian Winwood and started Cinderella’s Big Score by Maria Raha. I also started reading Day After Night by Anita Diamant.

This week’s books:

Halfway Dead by Terry Maggert – KEEP.  “Come for the waffles. Stay for the magic.”  That’s the first sentence of the synopsis on Goodreads.  Yes, please!

The Space Between by Diana Gabaldon – KEEP. This one is a no-brainer, considering my love for all things “Outlander.”

Shadow of the Sun by Laura Kreitzer – GO.  This book sounded like it might be vaguely interesting until the last couple of sentences in the synopsis.  At that point it sounded like the author had tried to put too many elements into the story and the plot would wind up being ridiculous.  No, thanks.

Sora’s Quest by T.L. Shreffler – GO.  I have the feeling that even though the synopsis doesn’t mention any romance, this is going to basically be a Paranormal Romance.  Not interested.

Everflame by Dylan Lee Peters – GO. “…an epic battle of good versus evil.”  What is it with these free ebooks and their generic story lines?!

My TBR mountain is down to 685 books.  It would be lower if I hadn’t added a couple of books to my wish list, but it could have been higher had I not finished a book and started two others.  The one good thing, for my wallet anyway, is that I haven’t bought any more books this week.  Instead, I checked out Day After Night from my local public library.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for March 8th – 14th.
  • The Sun is out, my mood has improved greatly, and I successfully made it through an entire week without being sick and missing work.  Now I just have to get back to working on my fitness.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Workouts: 1/5
  • Steps: 22,511
  • Miles: 9.26
  • Total Miles: 138.55
  • Active Minutes: 27

Monday's Minutes

Published on by Rachelle1 Comment

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
Currently Reading:

  • To Visit the Queen by Diane Duane
  • Smash! by Ian Winwood
  • Women in Texas by Ann Fears Crawford and Crystal Sasse Ragsdale

 
Total pages read this week: 296
Total books for the year: 12 of 50. I thought I would finish Smash! this week, but I got sucked in to Women in Texas, which nearly the first half is all about some of the women who lived before Texas became a state on up to the Civil War.  I will finish both books before the end of the month, though, and hopefully all three.
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #59

Published on by Rachelle
Image: hjl

Down the TBR Hole was started by Lia over at Lost in a Story.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

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?

I will be repeating this process until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.

My TBR pile went up again to 688 books.  After I finished reading Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein, I immediately added the next books in the series to my wish list.

This week’s books:

Heap House by Edward Carey – GO.  The synopsis is a little confusing and what I thought was a book done in the style of Edward Gorey, or at least in his “mood,” just seems to be a book about an unhappy child that can “hear” inanimate objects talking to him about weird things.  On the surface that sort of sounds interesting, but…I don’t know…I’m just not feeling it.

Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien – KEEP. I’ve read this one before, but it’s been well over a decade.  It’s one of my fave non-Hobbit-related tales by Tolkien and it’s also one of my favorite titles!  I love saying it 🙂

Double Booked for Death by Ali Brandon – KEEP.  This is the first book in one of the many book-related Mystery series I would love to try out.  I’m trying to get through a couple of other series before I pick this one up, though, so it’s still on my wish list.

Tommy Black and the Coat of Invincibility by Jake Kerr – KEEP.  I absolutely LOVED Tommy Black and the Staff of Light, so there is no way I won’t be reading this at some point.  I’m in no hurry, though, since the 3rd book in the series was supposed to have been released in 2016, but is still not available as far as I can tell.

Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier – KEEP. I’ve been wanting to read this one for a long time now, but it’s long, and I’m afraid my few bits of time to read during the week will make it difficult for me to stay in the story.  Marillier writes stories you really have to immerse yourself in and only stop reading to come up for tea, food, and bathroom breaks every once in awhile.  I need a long weekend with nothing to do and nowhere to go when I’m also not sick.

My TBR mountain is down one to 687 books.  I’ve proven to myself that not adding any more books is nearly impossible, especially when I start a new-to-me Middle-Grade series.  I’m perfectly fine with adding more books to my TBR if it means I’m loving what I read!

Monday's Minutes

Published on by Rachelle

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
Currently Reading:

  • To Visit the Queen by Diane Duane
  • Smash! by Ian Winwood
  • Women in Texas by Ann Fears Crawford and Crystal Sasse Ragsdale

 
Finished:

  • Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein


Total pages read this week: 264
Total books for the year: 12 of 50. I went to get a massage this weekend and had plenty of time to read on the bus there.  I also read while I ate dinner and was so into Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library that I stayed at my table in the restaurant to finish it. 
What are you reading this week?

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for February 22nd – 28th.
  • It’s been a very busy week, even though I feel like I haven’t gotten much accomplished.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Workouts: 4/5
  • Steps: 35,160
  • Miles: 14.67
  • Total Miles: 109.14
  • Active Minutes: 214

Monday's Minutes

Published on by Rachelle

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
Currently Reading:

  • To Visit the Queen by Diane Duane
  • Smash! by Ian Winwood
  • Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

 
Finished:

  • The Happiness Equation by Neil Pasricha


Total pages read this week: 398
Total books for the year: 11 of 50. This past week was rough.  I read a lot more than I thought I would have time for, and I’m pretty sure that was me doing the right thing and practicing self-care by making time for reading.  I also really love the books I’m reading right now, which always makes a difference in how many pages I turn.
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #58

Published on by Rachelle
Image: hjl

Down the TBR Hole was started by Lia over at Lost in a Story.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

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?

I will be repeating this process until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.

My TBR pile shot up to 686 books, mostly because I finally got around to adding the books I’ve bought in the past few months, and partly because I added some books to my wish list.

This week’s books:

Rest Haven by Erik Therme – KEEP.  This book sounds like the perfect kind of Horror for me to read during the Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon in October.

The Reader by Traci Chee – KEEP. I found out about this book during a panel at the Texas Book Festival several years ago.  The story is set in a world where no one reads or even knows what books are, and that is terrifying to me.  I must read it!

Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina – KEEP.  I found out about this one during the very same panel.  It’s YA Historical Fiction about a time I know very little about, 1977 in New York when a serial killer known as Son of Sam was out killing people on the streets.

Curse of the Boggin by D.J. MacHale – KEEP.  I found out about this book at a different panel that day at that Texas Book Festival.  It’s written by the creator of the show “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”  This book also involves a mysterious library.  I’m hoping to finally pick this one up during the 24-Hour Readathon.

The Forever King by Molly Cochran – KEEP. I bought this book when I realized that I already had the 2nd book in the series, The Broken Sword.  I started it quite awhile back, but got sidetracked by another book and never picked it back up.  I think reading it sometime this Spring is a good idea.

My TBR mountain is still at 686 books.  I’m only a couple of posts away from getting into the books I added in 2017 and the halfway point of the mountain, assuming I don’t add any more books.  I wonder if that’s even possible?!

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for February 15th – 21st.
  • I was sick over the weekend, but managed to get well enough to go back to to work on Tuesday. The rest of week was ridiculously busy and I left feeling exhausted at the end of every day.
  • I was too tired yesterday to post anything.  Instead, the Boyfriend and I ordered dinner and watched “Parks and Recreation” before going to bed extremely early.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Workouts: 2/5
  • Steps: 24,521
  • Miles: 10.12
  • Total Miles: 94.47
  • Active Minutes: 82