Category: Uncategorized

Down the TBR Hole #36

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 is down one book to 710.  I don’t get a whole lot of time to read anymore, but that means I also don’t get a lot of time to find new books to add to my TBR.

This week’s five books:


The Hall of the Wood by Scott Marlowe – KEEP.  This looks like a good, dark Fantasy perfect for this time of year.

Queen Mab by Kate Danley – GO.  Meh.

The Gemini Effect by Chuck Grossart- GO.  This looks like a barely plausible apocalyptic story with a romantic subplot.  No thank you.

Helen of Sparta by Amalia Carosella – GO.  This is another “meh” for me, mostly because it seems to be more of a romantic retelling than anything else.

Ben the Dragonborn by Dianne Astle – GO.  Yet another “meh.” It sounds like a poorly written, unoriginal, and trope-filled hero’s journey.
My to-read shelf is down to 706 books.  I wonder if I’m becoming more critical of the books on my TBR now that my reading time is much more limited?

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle

  • This check-in is for August 24th – 30th.
  • I’ve temporarily changed my workouts from the strength and circuit training I had been doing to walking “workouts” in which my FitBit registers at least 20 consecutive Active Minutes.  My back has continued to bother me, so I’ve been giving it a break as much as I can.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Workouts: 5/6
  • Steps: 55,295
  • Miles: 22.73
  • Total Miles: 487.24
  • Active Minutes: 396/210

#BoutofBooks 23 – Day 4

Published on by Rachelle
Bout of Books

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 20th and runs through Sunday, August 26th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 23 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Apparently I was wrong about Wednesday being the worst reading day this week. I was too busy to read anything yesterday. I love my job, but I’m really glad today is Friday!
  • Time Read: 0 minutes
  • Pages Read: 0
  • Books Finished: 0
  • Total Number of Books Read: 0

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle

  • This check-in is for August 17th – 23rd.
  • I didn’t workout on Thursday thanks to hurting my back. I’ve been walking a lot more than I’m used to and carrying a backpack to and from work. So, unlike previous times when I threw out my back and wound up stuck on the couch for nearly a week or more at a time, this time my back is just achy and I’m having to take it easy.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Workouts: 5/6
  • Steps: 42,859
  • Miles: 17.77
  • Total Miles: 464.51
  • Active Minutes: 345/210

#BoutofBooks 23 – Day 2

Published on by Rachelle
Bout of Books

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 20th and runs through Sunday, August 26th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 23 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Yesterday was even more busy for me than Monday. I got a little bit of reading in, mostly during my commute, but not much.
  • Time Read: 1 hour 3 minutes
  • Pages Read: 74
  • Books Finished: 0
  • Total Number of Books Read: 0

Down the TBR Hole #35

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 is down one book from last week to 711.  It’s been a bit of a crazy week thanks to starting a new job and everything that comes along with that (figuring out my commute, lunches, etc).  I’m hoping to spend quite a lot of time this weekend reading, but for now, let’s take a ride down the TBR hole!

This week’s five books:


Boundary Crossed by Melissa F. Olson – KEEP.  I’m extremely skeptical of this one, but I’m willing to give it the 50 page test because the MC is a Veteran and I want to see how the author portrays that, since Olson is not a Veteran herself.

Scarlet and the Keepers of Light by Brandon Charles West – KEEP.  This looks like it might be a fun Middle-Grade Fantasy, so I’ll keep it for now.

Child of the Mist by Kathleen Morgan- KEEP.  This book is Historical Fiction set in the Highlands of Scotland.  Enough said.

Beauty and the Beast by Jenni James – KEEP.  This is a YA retelling of my all-time favorite fairy tale; of course I’ll give it a try.

Truth Teller by Kurt Chambers – KEEP.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to wind up feeling disappointed with this one.  Why do so many main characters have to have “the greatest power of all?”  Especially when they’ve spent their lives believing they’re just an ordinary person living an unremarkable life?  It’s probably one of the most used Fantasy tropes.  However, I still want to find out if this book is good or not.  It’s worth the 50 page test.
My to-read shelf remains at 711 books.  I thought for sure I’d get rid of most of this week’s books.  Maybe they’ll end up failing my arbitrary 50 page test, but what if they don’t?!

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle

  • This check-in is for August 10th – 16th.
  • I didn’t workout on Thursday thanks to my apartment building’s fire alarms going off at around 4 am.  It ended up being a malfunctioning sensor, so no damage to anything other than everyone’s precious sleep.  It also happened to be my first day of work, so I slept in as long as I could before I needed to get ready and out the door.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Workouts: 5/6
  • Steps: 42,250
  • Miles: 17.42
  • Total Miles: 446.74
  • Active Minutes: 262/210

Down the TBR Hole #34

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 is still sitting at 715 books, despite finishing a book and starting two others, because of course I found more books I want to read!

This week’s five books:


That Risen Snow by Rob E. Boley – KEEP.  How could I get rid of a book that is a horror retelling of Snow White?!

The Marenon Chronicles by Jason D. Morrow – GO.  I’m so tired of the “nearing the brink of war” trope in Fantasy, along with the “MC being the center of a difficult to decipher prophecy” trope.  What makes this one worse is that the only way to get to Marenon, according to the synopsis, is to die.  No thanks.

True Calling by Siobhan Davis – GO.  You know what I’m also tired of seeing?  YA Romance thinly veiled as Dystopian Sci-Fi, especially when it sounds like a horrible copy of The Hunger Games.

Wolves: I Bring the Fire Part 1 by C. Gockel- KEEP.  I don’t think I read the synopsis when I got this ebook.  I love wolves, and Loki is mentioned at the beginning of the synopsis so I’m pretty sure that was my only reasoning to get it besides it being free to download.  I’m a little skeptical after finally reading what this book is about (it’s not about wolves), but I do like the idea of the trickster god saving the day, or at least attempting it.

Evensong by Krista Walsh – GO.  That is a beautiful cover, which is probably why I downloaded the book (another freebie).  It’s yet another trope-filled Fantasy that I’m not interested in bothering to try out.
My to-read shelf is down to 712 books.  Looking at a few of the upcoming books on my TBR for the next “Down the TBR Hole” post, I think that number will continue to decline.  I seem to be in the part of my TBR that consists mostly of ebooks I got because they just happened to be Sci-Fi or Fantasy and didn’t cost me anything.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle

  • This check-in is for August 3rd – 9th.
  • I’ve been working on getting back to the number of reps for each exercise of my workouts that I had been doing prior to last week, and I achieved that this morning (and a little more)!  I can now do 12 regular push ups and 3 modified ones along with 15 reps each of the other exercises and a full minute plank.
  • I missed a workout this week due to another interview, but I can happily say that I was offered the job yesterday! 🙂
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Workouts: 5/6
  • Steps: 31,318
  • Miles: 12.88
  • Total Miles: 429.32
  • Active Minutes: 245/210

Down the TBR Hole #33

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.
Its been a couple of weeks since my last “Down the TBR Hole” post,  thanks to TWO amazing readathons, the #24in48 and the #ReverseReadathon.  My TBR pile is just a little bit lighter at 717 books.

This week’s five books:


Aster Wood and the Lost Maps of Almara by J.B. Cantwell – KEEP.  I’m a little skeptical about this one.  The synopsis makes me feel like the story will be full of some of Fantasy’s most ridiculous tropes.  However, I’m a sucker for Middle-Grade Fantasy, so I’ll give it a chance.

The Last Dragon Slayer by Martyn Stanley – KEEP.  This is another one making me feel a bit skeptical, but what made me decide to keep it is this line from the synopsis: “…he sets out with two…dock-workers and a homeless dwarf.”  That makes me think it will either be hilarious or horrible; either way, I need to find out.

Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher – GO.  The synopsis consists of 5 short sentences that are full of suspense and don’t give anything away.  Sometimes that can be a great thing, but sometimes that signals a disaster of a story from page one.  Since this would be the 3rd book in a row I feel iffy about, I decided to read some of the reviews.  I’m glad I did.  Apparently the story isn’t much of a story at all, but a giant cliff-hanger.  I seriously can’t stand that sort of thing unless it’s a comic or very specifically labeled as a serial.

The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley- KEEP.  A Robin Hood retelling by Robin McKinley?!  Yes, please and thank you!

The Bogside Boys by Eoin Dempsey – GO.  The synopsis tells the entire story and also gives me the impression of a book that is trying too hard.  I got it because I haven’t read much about life in Northern Ireland during the 1970’s and I would love to know more.  If you have any recommendations, please let me know in the comments, because I don’t think this book is what I’m looking for.
My to-read shelf is down to 715 books.  With the NEWTs Readathon going on this month, along with Bout of Books, I might just break 700 by September.