Category: The Book Fort

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

• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan – for the read-along.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling – for the HP re-read.
• The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
• Bird Box by Josh Malerman

    

Finished: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, Sandman, Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Night of the Living Dummy by R.L. Stine, and The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood.

    

Challenges:

• RIP X: 7 out of 4
• Show Your Shelves Some Love: 45 out of 51.
• Outdo Yourself: 72 out of 66.
• Netgalley/Edelweiss: 15 out of 50.
• SF/F Bingo: 

Total pages read: 789

Total # of books for the year: 73.  I had a semi-meltdown after an exam last week.  The Boyfriend and Dewey’s Readathon allowed me to recover, but I’ve finally admitted to myself that I’m trying to do too much.  After this month until at least mid-December, I’ll be stepping back a bit from the blog.  What that means is I won’t be writing any more monthly “features” except Thursday’s Things, and the only reviews I’ll be writing will be for the ARCs I’ve already agreed to read/review.  Everything else will stay mostly the same, but just that will be a bit of a breather and give me the chance to focus more on other things.

What are you reading this week?

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

• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan – for the read-along.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling – for the HP re-read.
• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
• The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

    

Finished: Doll Bones by Holly Black and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  I’ll review both of these before the end of the month.

 

DNF: The Magic Shop by Justin Swapp.  I tried.  I did.  I’ll write a DNF review before the end of the month.

Challenges:

• RIP X: 4 out of 4
• Show Your Shelves Some Love: 42 out of 51.
• Outdo Yourself: 68 out of 66.
• Netgalley/Edelweiss: 15 out of 50.
• SF/F Bingo: 

Total pages read: 644

Total # of books for the year: 69. Though I’m not counting it towards any of my reading challenges, or even my total number of books read for the year, I’m reading the short story, “The Wendigo” by Algernon Blackwood.  I found out about the story from Litha Nelle’s Mini Macabre Review Monday post.  I knew that Wendigos originated from Native American folklore, and I’ve seen the episode about the frightening creature on “Supernatural”, but I had no idea there was also a Classic short story about it.  I’m also adding Pet Sematary by Stephen King to my wishlist since the creature shows up in the one famous King book I’ve never read.  I doubt I’ll get to it this year, but I hope to read it next October.

What are you reading this week?

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

• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan – for the read-along.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling – for the HP re-read.
• Doll Bones by Holly Black
• The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
• The Magic Shop by Justin Swapp – a review book.
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

     

Finished: Human Cargo by Caroline Moorehead, which I read for one of my classes.  I had to write a detailed critical review of it, so I might post it at some point.  I also finished Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers.  I’ll do a Classics Club review for it before the end of the month.  Awhile back I reviewed Onyx Webb: Episode 1.  The authors, Richards Fenton and Andrea Waltz, re-released the first six episodes in two books and asked me to review Book 1.  I’ll be posting it sometime next week.

  

Challenges:

• RIP X: 2 out of 4
• Show Your Shelves Some Love Progress: 41 out of 51.
• Outdo Yourself Progress: 66 out of 66.
• Netgalley/Edelweiss Progress: 15 out of 50.
• SF/F Bingo: 

Total pages read: 1,262

Total # of books for the year: 67.  I’ve finally broken my audiobook slump!  First, I listened to Mary Poppins, and now I’m making my way through Doll Bones, both of which I checked out from my university’s library.  I removed The Portable Dorothy Parker from my current reads because I know I’m not going to get back to reading it until January at the earliest, and I haven’t touched it in over a month.

What are you reading this week?

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

• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan – for the read-along.
• The Portable Dorothy Parker
• Human Cargo by Caroline Moorehead
• The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

    

Finished: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling.  The discussion post and link-up will be up on the 30th.

DNF: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness.  I gave it 120 pages before I gave up, which is far more than I usually give a book, so I feel like I gave it more than a fair chance.  All I will say is that if I wanted to read a story about a woman willingly giving up her agency to a domineering, “alpha male” vampire, I’d re-read Twilight.  At least Bella had the excuse of being a teenager instead of a grown extremely well-educated woman.

Challenges:

• RIP X: 1 out of 4
• Show Your Shelves Some Love Progress: 39 out of 51.
• Outdo Yourself Progress: 63 out of 66.
• Netgalley/Edelweiss Progress: 15 out of 50.
• SF/F Bingo: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban counts for “Time Travel”.

Total pages read: 704

Total # of books for the year: 64.  I still haven’t found the next audiobook to keep me company on my commute to and from school.  Either the story doesn’t appeal to me, or the narration is horrible for every audiobook I’ve tried.  I’ve been listening to music and podcasts, one of which is Drabblecast.  I highly recommend it if you love weird tales, and it’s perfect if you’re participating in RIP X.

What are you reading this week?

• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan – for the read-along.
• Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
• The Portable Dorothy Parker
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling – for the HP re-read.
• The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

    

Finished: Armada by Ernest Cline, Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee, and Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, all of which I’ll be reviewing sometime this week.

  

Challenges:

• RIP X: 1 out of 4
• Show Your Shelves Some Love Progress: 39 out of 51.
• Outdo Yourself Progress: 62 out of 66.
• Netgalley/Edelweiss Progress: 15 out of 50.
• SF/F Bingo:

Total pages read: 725

Total # of books for the year: 63.  Since I finished Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy on Thursday, I’ve been striking out when it comes to audiobooks.  Either the story doesn’t appeal to me, or the narration is horrible.  I renewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole so I can give it a try, but for today I’m going to take a break and listen to music or maybe a couple of podcasts I’ve gotten behind on.

Top Commenters: My Top Commenter for this week was Shaina @ Shaina Reads.

What are you reading this week?

• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan – for the read-along.
• Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
• The Portable Dorothy Parker
• Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling – for the HP re-read.
• Armada by Ernest Cline

    

Finished: Uprooted by Naomi Novik, which I’ll be reviewing sometime this week, and Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti, which I won’t be reviewing.  Though it was a fairly decent book on modern Feminism, much of its information is outdated.

 

Challenges:

• RIP X: 0 out of 4
• Show Your Shelves Some Love Progress: 38 out of 51.
• Outdo Yourself Progress: 59 out of 66.
• Netgalley/Edelweiss Progress: 15 out of 50.
• SF/F Bingo:

Total pages read: 771

Total # of books for the year: 60.

Top Commenters: My Top Commenter for both weeks was Shaina @ Shaina Reads.

What are you reading this week?

• Uprooted by Naomi Novik
• Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
• The Portable Dorothy Parker

   

Challenges:

• COYER: 11
• Show Your Shelves Some Love Progress: 36 out of 51.
• Outdo Yourself Progress: 57 out of 66.
• Netgalley/Edelweiss Progress: 15 out of 50.
• SF/F Bingo:

Total pages read for the week: 164

Total # of books for the year: 58.  The first week of the Fall semester is over, and I’m already so busy that the only reading I got done, besides studying and research, was listening to Uprooted during my commute.  Hopefully, things will get a little easier once I’m fully back into the swing of things.

Top Commenters: This week my Top Commenter was Shaina @ Shaina Reads.

What are you reading this week?

• Uprooted by Naomi Novik
• Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
• The Portable Dorothy Parker

   

Finished: Irona 700 by Dave Duncan, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling, and The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket.  I’ll be posting the review for Irona 700 sometime this week, and the discussion post for Harry Potter next Monday.

   

Challenges:

• COYER: 11
• Show Your Shelves Some Love Progress: 36 out of 51.
• Outdo Yourself Progress: 57 out of 66.
• Netgalley/Edelweiss Progress: 15 out of 50.
• SF/F Bingo:

Total pages read for the week: 1,088

Total # of books for the year: 58.  Now that Bout of Books is over, and the Fall semester has begun, I’ll be returning to my usual reading habits and blog schedule.  I’ll be in the car a lot so I should be able to finish Uprooted by the end of the week, and I’ve got several reviews to post.  With the exception of audiobooks and the Classics Club Spin, I’ll be catching up on ARCs.

Top Commenters: Thank you to everyone who stopped by to comment during Bout of Books!  I look forward to the next one 🙂

What are you reading this week?

• Irona 700 by Dave Duncan – a review book.
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik
• Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling – for the HP Re-read I’m doing.
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

    

Finished: The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks, which I’ll be reviewing sometime after Bout of Books 14.  I also finished Judging a Book by its Lover by Lauren Leto, but I haven’t decided yet whether or not I’m going to review it.

  

Challenges:

• COYER: 10
• Show Your Shelves Some Love Progress: 33 out of 51.
• Outdo Yourself Progress: 53 out of 66.
• Netgalley/Edelweiss Progress: 14 out of 50.
• SF/F Bingo: I enjoyed The Merchant Adventurer by Patrick E. McLean so much that I convinced the Boyfriend to listen to it with me whenever we were in the car together.  So, I’m counting it for the “re-read a favorite” square.

Total pages read for the week: 528

Total # of books for the year: 54.  Can you believe I’ve never read A Wrinkle in Time?!  It’s been on my mental TBR since I came across it in my school library in the 7th grade.  I finally got around to buying a copy when I was 30 and had started collecting books I had read or had wanted to read when I was a kid.

Top Commenters: This week my Top Commenters were Terri @ Second Run Reviews and Shaina @ Shaina Reads.

What are you reading this week?

Currently Reading:

• The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks – a review book.
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik
• Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling – for the HP Re-read I’m doing.
• Judging a Book by its Lover by Lauren Leto

    

Finished: Abomination by Gary Whitta and The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley.  I’ll be reviewing both at some point this week.

 

Challenges:

• COYER: 9
• Show Your Shelves Some Love Progress: 31 out of 51.
• Outdo Yourself Progress: 51 out of 66.
• Netgalley/Edelweiss Progress: 13 out of 50.
• SF/F Bingo: 

Total pages read for the week: 1066

Total # of books for the year: 52.  I’ve been having computer issues this week, and I’m also on my last Summer break before I graduate from college and have to return to adulthood.  So, I didn’t get some posts written like I planned, and I didn’t exercise, eat anything healthy, or go to bed at a decent hour.  I got a lot of reading and gaming done, though. 🙂  Also, if you haven’t seen it yet, check out the article I wrote about my interview with Lisa Van Wormer.

Top Commenters: I got a lot of great comments this week, but Shaina @ Shaina Reads is my Top Commenter once again.

What are you reading this week?