Tuesday’s Tunes: Literary Valentines

Published on by Rachelle2 Comments

It’s been several months since I last did a “Tuesday’s Tunes.”  Since this is the one month of the year when everyone is supposed to be sappy and romantic or the complete opposite, or celebrating Galentine’s, I’ve put together a playlist of love-related songs mentioned in books or on the soundtracks of movie adaptations.  The only exception is “Where You Lead”, the theme song to Gilmore Girls.  However, Rory was a true book addict, so I consider the song to be just as much a “Literary Valentine” as the others.  There’s something to listen to, no matter your feelings about Cupid, relationships, or those chalky heart-shaped candies.

Literary Valentines

Bonus Life Hack: If you’re a chocoholic like me, wait until the day after Valentine’s Day to hit the stores and stock up on enough clearance chocolate to last until Easter.

Monday’s Minutes

Published on by Rachelle5 Comments

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

  • An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
  • Bad Magic by Pseudonymous Bosch – This is on hold until March since it’s an ebook and I’m participating in Feel the Paper Love February.
  • Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic by Meghan Ciana Doidge – This is a book club read.

 Echo Bad Magic Cupcakes

Challenges:

Total pages read: 100

Total # of books for the year: 9.  This week has been so busy.  I accepted a full-time job offer on Tuesday, but since I’m not starting until the 16th, I’m still working my part-time job until then.  I’m also still doing freelance editing work.  As soon as the Boyfriend and I knew that I’ll soon have a steady income, we began looking for a new place and figuring out budgets and how much it will cost to move when our current lease is up in April.  There’s a bunch of other stuff going on as well, and it all added up to us feeling overtasked and a little overwhelmed.  We went out to breakfast on Saturday after looking at yet another place and had a long talk to hash everything out, and then made an agreement to do no more adulting for the rest of the day.  I think we both feel better and are more prepared to handle all the changes coming up within the next few months.  Before that, though, there was Harry Potter Book Night.  I put a lot of work into it, so I was a little disappointed that only one lovely person participated.  However, we both had a lot of fun, and I’m glad she came over to the blog to show her support.

My Top Commenter: Is Litha from Victorian Soul Critiques.  Thank you! 🙂

What are you reading this week?

#ShelfLove – My Ships

Published on by Rachelle2 Comments
Shelf Love Challenge 2016
This month’s discussion for the Show Your Shelves Some Love Challenge is supposed to be about our Book Boy/Girlfriends.  However, I don’t have any.  I was going to bow out of posting anything this month, but then I read one of Terri’s posts over at Second Run Reviews.  It was about her lack of a Book Boyfriend because her Husband already possesses the qualities she admires in Jamie Fraser.  After that, I saw this week’s Five Fandom Friday topic was OTPs.  I didn’t (and still don’t) have enough OTPs to participate in FFF, but it did give me the idea to write about my favorite Ships in place of a Book Boyfriend.

I Ship:

  1. ♥Jamie and Claire♥ – Like Terri, if I were going to have a Book Boyfriend it would probably be Jamie Fraser.  However, I’ve already got an IRL man that has many of the qualities I admire in Jamie.  Also, the Boyfriend is a Scot from a well-known clan with a verra long history.  So, I think I’ll keep him instead of pining for a fictional man.  Besides, Jamie belongs to Claire, and they’re perfect for each other.  Their marriage is the kind of marriage I hope to have, and before meeting the Boyfriend, Jamie and Claire gave me hope that it’s possible.  I don’t ever want them to lose each other.
  2. ♥Eleanor and Park♥ – While I loved the book by the same title for more reasons than E and P’s relationship, this is young love at it’s finest.  I hope that their love for each other blossoms into the kind of relationship that lasts a lifetime, but even if it doesn’t, the time they have together in the book is full of those moments that any of us who experienced our first romance in high school will never forget.  I shipped them so hard I started reading the book a second time as soon as I finished it because I just couldn’t handle the book hangover.  I also now have an E&P playlist chalk full of the Cure, the Smiths, and so many other great bands and songs the two of them listen to together.
  3. ♥Ceony and Emery♥- While I haven’t yet read the third book of the Paper Magician trilogy by Charlie N. Holmberg, I already know that these two get each other on a level that a lot of couples never reach.  I have difficulty writing about them without getting all spoilery, so I’m just going to stop there.

Why do I only have three Ships?  My “Read” shelf on Goodreads is a pretty good indication that I rarely read books involving a romance.  When I do, they’re usually not major parts of the story.  So, while Harry and Ginny’s relationship resulted in marriage and kids, it wasn’t developed enough before the epilogue to make much of an impression.  Ron and Hermione’s relationship is a little more developed, but they spend more time arguing than anything else, and Ron was never my favorite.  Other series with the potential for a major Ship are ones that I’ve only read the first book, and so the relationship hasn’t grabbed a hold of me yet.

What are your Ships?  Are there any books or series I must read so I can add more Ships to my list?

Review: My Life on the Road

Published on by Rachelle

Life

  • Author: Gloria Steinem
  • ISBN: 9780679456209
  • Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir
  • Pages: 276

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t often read non-fiction, and I’m even less likely to read a memoir.  However, I’ve considered myself to be a Feminist for most of my life, and when I saw Gloria Steinem’s new book on Netgalley, I had to request it.   Beyond a few minor details, I don’t know much about her, and I’ve never read any of her other books.

She’s an excellent writer and story teller.  That alone makes My Life on the Road worth reading.  She’s led a life of travel to the point that I think a better title might be “The Road: My Life.”  So, if you’re looking for a good armchair travel experience, this book is it.  Though the writing style is considerably different, I would say the book as a whole is similar to Henry Rollins’ Smile, You’re Traveling.  The only issue I had with My Life on the Road was Steinem’s very biased portrayal of political events.  Not having known much about a couple of the events she wrote about, I later learned through some research that, though she was factually accurate, she didn’t give the full story, and her incomplete version was a bit misleading.  With that being said, I wasn’t expecting a bias-free book.  This is still a memoir, and, therefore, mostly her personal opinions and observations.  Besides, when have politics ever been unbiased?  Ultimately, the result is that I became interested in learning more about the subjects she discussed, and that’s a win-win as far as I’m concerned.

A lot of celebrity memoirs have been released within the past couple of years, and it seems to be the new trend.  Even if you’re not a Feminist, but you love a bit of armchair travel, this one is an excellent choice.

black4

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle2 Comments
FitReaders2016
  • This check-in is for January 29th – February 4th.
  • I met my step and mileage goals, so I’ll now be working towards an average of 6K steps per day.
  • If you’d like to add me as a friend on FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Yoga Workouts: 0/5
  • Steps: 38,900/35,000
  • Miles: 15.98/14
  • Flights of stairs: 20/30
  • Active Minutes: 126/175
  • Monthly 5K Races Completed: 1/10
  • Monthly 1 Mile Fun “Runs” Completed: 1/10
  • Total Money Donated: $5.58/$100.00

The Winner of the House Cup…

Published on by Rachelle3 Comments

HPBN-logo

Thanks to the courage and bravery of Lily Nott (Litha @ Victorian Soul Critiques), who earned 40 points and won the Diagon Alley Scavenger Hunt, the House Cup goes to…

House_Cup

Gryffindor!

Gryffindor_Crest

Thank you for participating!  It was lots of awesome Harry Potter fun!

Harry Potter Book Night: A Night of Spells!

Published on by Rachelle8 Comments

HPBN-logo

It’s #HarryPotterBookNight!  From now until 9 pm CST (10 pm EST), I’ll be here and on Twitter chatting about all things Harry Potter and responding to commenters.  Below are a bunch of activities that you can participate in, as well as some other fun HP related links, but first up, we all need to find out our Harry Potter names.  Head on over to the Harry Potter Name Generator to get your name.  My new name is:

Rowena Abbott

For tonight, I’ll be going by my new name.  Let me know in the comments or on Twitter what your new name is as well as the House you belong in (mine is Gryffindor), and don’t forget to use the official hashtag, #HarryPotterBookNight.  If you need to be sorted, hop on over to Pottermore.

Harry Potter books giphy

Now, on to the games and other fun stuff:

GAMES

Here are a bunch of ways to earn points for your House.  You have until 8 pm CST to complete the various games, and I will announce the winning House, along with the individual winners of the scavenger hunt and Potion Masters contest at 9 pm CST tonight.

  • Diagon Alley Scavenger Hunt: Fortified By Books has temporarily opened up shop in Diagon Alley, and to celebrate I’ve put 7 magical items on random pages and posts throughout the Fortified By Books blog!  Each is worth 10 House points, and you’ll win an additional 30 points for your House for finding them all.  Look very carefully for wizard coins, a copy of the Daily Prophet, the book cover of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, an owl, a wand (5 bonus House points to the first person who can tell me who the wand belongs to), a Chocolate Frog, and a broomstick.  Can you find them all?  Leave a comment on the page or post where you found each item and then leave a comment on this post to let me know you’ve found them all.
  • Potion Masters: You have been asked to invent a new potion.  In a comment, list up to five ingredients that it contains, what it does once taken, and a unique name for your newly invented potion.  1st place will get 100 House points, 2nd place will get 50, and 3rd place will get 25.  All other participants will get 10 House points.  Anyone who also provides what their potion looks and smells like will get 5 bonus points.
  • Harry Potter Trivia Challenge: See if you can answer all 60 questions correctly to earn an O (Outstanding).
  • G.N.O.M.E.S.: Take any, or all, of these quizzes, and for every one you answer all the questions correctly, you’ll earn 10 House points.  Just share the results and then come back here and leave the link in a comment.
  • Who Is Your Hogwarts Best Friend? Take this quiz to find out, and then share the results.  All participants who come back here to leave their shared results link in a comment will earn 10 House points.
  • Do You Remember the First Chapter of “Harry Potter”?: You’ll earn 10 House points for answering all the questions correctly, sharing the results, and then leaving the link in a comment.

FUN STUFF

harry_potter_spells_infographic_by_seanchunseianliew-d4g8n37
Image: Sean Chun Seian Liew

This is going to be a great Harry Potter Book Night!  Enjoy the games and fun links, and let me know what your favorite is, or if you’ve got any of your own Harry Potter Book Night links to share.

Super Rad Announcement

Published on by Rachelle5 Comments

I GOT A JOB!!!

fist pump

Due to this, I’ve been celebrating with the Boyfriend and texting back and forth with friends and loved ones instead of writing today’s book review.  I got the call first thing in the morning yesterday after I got home from my part-time job.  My head has been somewhere in the clouds since I got that phone call, and my shoulders are back where they’re supposed to be, so I can only assume that they were anchoring my head while connected to my ears for the past month and a half of job hunting.

Anyway, my life is no longer on a semi-hold, and starting in two weeks I’ll be earning a higher salary than I was expecting to be offered right out of college, even with my work experience.  I’ll also be doing something that I’ll (hopefully) enjoy, and the benefits are excellent.  I’ve been doing a happy dance and randomly jumping up and down while simultaneously freaking the cat out with my exuberant behavior.  I don’t think he knows what to do around me right now.

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten that tomorrow is Harry Potter Book Night!  I’ll be spending the day making sure that’s all in order, and everything is ready to go by 5 pm CST tomorrow 🙂  Until then…

Lisa Simpson Happy Dance

The Classics Club: Moll Flanders

Published on by Rachelle

Moll Flanders

  • Author: Daniel Defoe
  • Pages: 319

This is one of the many Classic novels I got for free from Barnes and Noble for my Nook so many years ago.  It was mentioned in Bibliotherapy: The Girl’s Guide to Books for Every Phase of Our Lives by Nancy Peske and Beverly West, and so I added it to my TBR.  Daniel Defoe’s introduction stated that this was the story of a woman who led the life of a criminal and then repented.  Instead, the story reaffirms the abysmal state of women during the 18th century, especially poor women without a family name and reputation to fall back on.

While I understand that, for the time, the  story was considered scandalous and full of intrigue, the first part of the book was rather dull, and I kept wondering how Moll getting taken advantage of by seemingly every man she came into contact with was somehow indicative of her being a criminal.  I felt sorry for her and her naive trust in wealthy men who only wanted to turn her into their personal whore.  The second part was a little better, and the criminal activities she participates in so she could cobble together a living for herself only made me feel that much more sympathetic towards her and women of her time.  Also, I didn’t see Moll’s escape from a life of crime as a repentance for past sins and her transformation into a morally upstanding English citizen so much as taking the opportunity to get out of England and start a new life with a considerably higher chance of not dying in prison.  However, she’s still too trusting and ends up with a d-bag of a husband.  The more things change…

I think Charles Dickens would have written this story much better than Daniel Defoe did.  Yes, there’s a hundred years difference between the two authors and their writing styles, but Defoe knew how to take his time getting to the point.  Throughout most of the story, I was either bored or wondering when the real criminal behavior would begin.  Towards the end, I just wanted it to be over with already.  The only thing I’m happy about is finally being able to cross this Classic off my list.

Feel the Paper Love February: My TBR

Published on by Rachelle4 Comments

2015-12-29 11.54.22

Yep, that’s right!  The photo above of my bookcase is my TBR mountain for Feel the Paper Love February.  Why?  Because, with the exception of three books I want to read this month, I don’t have a plan.  It depends on the weather, my mood, and how quickly I get through the other three books.

What are those three books?

  • An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon – I started it on the 1st of the year but kept getting distracted by other books.
  • The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith – I borrowed this from the Boyfriend’s Mom’s Husband when we went to visit for Christmas.  I don’t know how it will work out, but the plan is that we will exchange books when the Boyfriend’s Mom comes down to Austin every couple of months.  Since I don’t know when she’ll be in town next, I want to have the book finished, a note with my thoughts about it written, and a book of mine ready to send with it.
  • Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye by Tania Del Rio – This is an ARC that I’ve had on my shelf for far too long.

One thing I did decide is that, since I’m choosing to read nothing but physical books this month, but I usually listen to audiobooks when I’m in the car, I’m going to catch up with the ridiculous number of podcasts I’ve been neglecting instead.  They’re not books, so I’m not breaking my commitment to the printed page.  I’ll return to my audiobooks next month.