2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

What with one thing and another, it’s been a pretty slow (but fun) reading week:

Longbourn

Longbourn by Jo Baker: Done! I loved this inside-out look at the world of Pride and Prejudice, as told from the perspective of the Bennets’ servants. My review is here.

Bad Houses by Sara Ryan and Carla Speed McNeil: Done! A quick and engaging graphic novel. My preview of this upcoming new release is here.

The Incrementalists by Steven Brust and Skyler White: Still reading — about 70 pages to go. A lot of the virtual reality stuff is going pretty much over my head, but it’s still interesting and puzzling enough for me to keep going and see if I can make it all make sense.

The Expeditioners by S. S. Taylor: My read-aloud book with my son — going great! I think we have another week or two to go.

Fresh Catch:

I’m still trying to be good and stick to the plan of finishing off all my current (and a teeny bit late) review books before digging into all the new books begging to be read. Meanwhile, two of my requests came in at the library this week:

Two very different books, but I’m looking forward to both!

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

Still sticking with my commitment to focus on review copies, this week I’ll be reading:

Reality Boy Parasite (Parasitology, #1)

First, I’ll be trying to finish up with The Incrementalists. And after that, I have a few more books lined up that I’m excited about:

How To Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman
Reality Boy by A. S. King
Parasite by Mira Grant

I realize that I’m being overly ambitious and probably completely unrealistic in thinking that I’ll make it through four books this week… but hey, a reader can dream, can’t she?

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

14Oct2013

The Monday Agenda 10/14/2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

It’s been a pretty fun and eclectic reading week:

Charming (Pax Arcana, #1) Before I Met You Will in Scarlet Longbourn

Charming by Elliott James: Done! A terrific first book in a new urban fantasy series. My review is here.

Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell: Done! Contemporary fiction meets historical fiction in a novel set in both the 1920s and 1990s. My review is here.

Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody: Done! An exciting middle grade book about Robin Hood and his Merry Men. My review is here.

Longbourn by Jo Baker: Just started over the weekend, and I’m currently about 25% of the way into this new look at the world of Pride and Prejudice… as viewed by the servants below-stairs.

And in kids’ books, my son and I are about 1/3 of the way into The Expeditioners by S. S. Taylor, and we’re really enjoying it. It’s a steampunk adventure story, filled with mysterious maps and clever kids. After a bit of a slow start, we’re hooked!

Fresh Catch:

In keeping with my new need to name everything, I’m calling this my Pile of Sadness:

Why? Because these four books are YA new releases that I bought for myself and can’t wait to read… but I’m trying to stick to a vow* that I made to get caught up on my NetGalley backlog before reading anything else. It’s the right thing to do, and it seems to be working… but then I look at my Pile of Sadness and feel all sorts of tearful longing building up inside…

Must. Be. Strong.

*So what’s this vow about? I wrote a post yesterday about, among other things, my mid-October reading resolutions. And whatever else came to mind. You can read it here.

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

Sticking with my decision to catch up on review copies, I have this coming week’s reading all queued up:

Longbourn

First up, I’ll need to finish Longbourn by Jo Baker. Then onward with:

The Incrementalists by Steven Brust and Skyler White
Bad Houses by Sara Ryan and Carla Speed McNeil
How To Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman

I’m actually loving everything I’m reading these days… but that Pile of Sadness is so tempting… and I just got an email notification that I have some library requests ready for pick-up. Must. Be. Strong.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

7Oct2013

The Monday Agenda 10/7/2013

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Doctor Sleep (The Shining, #2) Sky Jumpers (Sky Jumpers, #1) Charming (Pax Arcana, #1)

What a great reading week it’s been!

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King: Done! It seemed to take me much longer than I’d expected, but I finally finished. Loved it! My review is here.

Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman: Done! Totally enjoyed this adventure story for the middle grade set. My review is here.

Charming by Elliott James: At about the 80% mark, should be finished later today. Quite a fun new world of urban fantasy to explore!

And in kids’ books:

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo (Leven Thumps, #1) The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man's Canyon

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye: Sadly, this one is going on the DNF pile. My kiddo and I really tried to stick with it, but after reading about 2/3 of this book, we still had no idea what was going on — and didn’t find it interesting enough to try to find out. We both felt that we could walk away, and so we did. Moving on…

The Expeditioners by S. S. Taylor: Our next read-aloud book is set in a steam-punk-ish world with all sorts of neat twists. We’ve only read two chapters so far, but it’s hooked us both right away.

Fresh Catch:

I can’t keep up! My pile of newly released (and promptly purchased) YA books keeps growing. Here’s this week’s addition:

Picture Me Gone

I’m really looking forward to reading this one, but I’m going to have wait a few weeks. Why? Read on…

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

I have a new goal, and I think it’s one that I can actually achieve! My Kindle is getting completely backed up with review copies that I haven’t gotten to yet (BTW – thanks, NetGalley! xoxo), and I think it’s time to really tackle the backlog! My resolution for October is to catch up on all of the ARCs currently waiting for me, with publication dates anytime from this past summer (yes, I’m behind) through November. And only then will I go back to my overflowing bookshelves and dive into the books I’ve treated myself to but haven’t read. (What? Buying books and not reading them? Shocking situation! Can anyone else relate?)

So here’s what’s up next for this week:

Before I Met You Will in Scarlet Longbourn

Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell
Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody
Longbourn by Jo Baker

The only teensy hitch that I foresee is that Just One Year by Gayle Forman is being released this week and… well… I may have to make one exception to my reading resolution and read it THE SECOND IT ARRIVES because I have been dying to know what happens for months now!!!

Anyone having a problem keeping up with their review copies? Please tell me I’m not alone!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.