Monday’s Minutes #40

“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

Joy Goblet Doll Bones Witching Magic Shop Frankenstein

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.

Human Cargo Mary Poppins Onyx Webb

Challenges:

S&S Bingo2update13

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 #39

“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

 Portable Joy Human Cargo Witching

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

Prisoner

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.

Night

Challenges:

S&S Bingo2update13

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?

Monday’s Minutes #38

  • 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

Joy Night Portable Prisoner Witching

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.

Armada Ophelia Interview

Challenges:

S&S Bingo2update12

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?

Monday’s Minutes #36 and #37

  • 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

Joy Night PortableInterview Prisoner Armada

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.

Uprooted Full

Challenges:

S&S Bingo2update12

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?

Monday’s Minutes #35

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

 Uprooted Night Portable

Challenges:

S&S Bingo2update12

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?

Monday’s Minutes #34

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

 Uprooted Night Portable

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.

Irona Wrinkle Chamber Vile

Challenges:

S&S Bingo2update12

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?

Monday’s Minutes #33

  • 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

Irona Uprooted Night Chamber Wrinkle

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.

 Lemoncholy Judging

Challenges:

S&S Bingo2update12

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?

Monday’s Minutes #32

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

Lemoncholy Uprooted Night Chamber Judging

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

Abomination Hero

Challenges:

S&S Bingo2update11

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?

Monday’s Minutes #31

Currently Reading:

  • Abomination by Gary Whitta – 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.

Abomination Uprooted Night Chamber

Finished: Manifesta by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, which I won’t be reviewing due to it being over a decade old, and, therefore outdated. I also finished Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon, both of which I’ll be reviewing sometime this week.

 Manifesta Ready Scottish

Challenges:

S&S Bingo2update11

Total pages read for the week: 929

Total # of books for the year: 50.  I know what you’re thinking.  Rachelle, why are you reading Shadow of Night when you tore A Discovery of Witches apart in your review?!  Well, while there was certainly enough I didn’t like about the first book, a part of me also wanted to find out what would happen next.  I wasn’t curious enough to pay money for the second book, but when I saw it at the library, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to check it out.  I even read the first chapter before I took it home.  It didn’t make me want to scream or roll my eyes, so I will give fifty pages before I make the decision of whether or not to read the whole book.

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

What are you reading this week?

Monday’s Minutes #30

Currently Reading:

  • Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
  • Abomination by Gary Whitta – a review book.
  • The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon
  • Manifesta by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards

Ready Abomination Scottish Manifesta

Finished: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and The Glass Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg.  I’ll be reviewing both sometime this week.

Fan Glass

Challenges:

S&S Bingo2update11

Total pages read for the week: 591

Total # of books for the year: 47.  I’m doing everything I can to finish Manifesta before it’s due back at the library on Tuesday!

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

What are you reading this week?