2020

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

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life.

Once again, I just didn’t do a ton of reading this week. No idea why — just busy and distracted, I suppose.

Oh, and remember about a month ago when I complained about creepy people on Goodreads? Well, another one popped up!

Actually, I do mind.

And please note how considerate I’m being by not posting the sender’s profile name and picture.

Blocked and deleted.

What did I read during the last week?

Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston: Loved it! This may be my favorite of the series so far. My review is here.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary: Sweet contemporary fiction. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

My son convinced me to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender, and you know what? It’s good! We just finished season 1.

Also, I randomly started watching Indian Matchmaking on Netflix, and got sucked right in.

Puzzle of the week:

Finished this one:

… and then started another that’s going to take me ages. But hey, at least it keeps me off the streets!

Fresh Catch:

No new books this week!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

A Killing Frost by Seanan McGuire: It’s the new October Daye book (#14)! I’m thrilled beyond words.

Now playing via audiobook:

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal: Reading this book (and the other four books in the series) was one of my 2020 goals, so I’m excited to finally be starting!

Ongoing reads:

Outlander Book Club’s re-read of Outlander is underway. We’re reading and discussing one chapter per week. This week: Chapter 11, “Conversations with a Lawyer”. Anyone who’s interested is welcome to participate, so just ask me how.

So many books, so little time…

19Aug2020

Shelf Control #230: The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

Posted in Shelf Control by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.

Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.

Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!

Title: The Book of M
Author: Peng Shepherd
Published: 2018
Length: 485 pages

What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):

Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself.
One afternoon at an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow disappears—an occurrence science cannot explain. He is only the first. The phenomenon spreads like a plague, and while those afflicted gain a strange new power, it comes at a horrible price: the loss of all their memories.
Ory and his wife Max have escaped the Forgetting so far by hiding in an abandoned hotel deep in the woods. Their new life feels almost normal, until one day Max’s shadow disappears too.
Knowing that the more she forgets, the more dangerous she will become to Ory, Max runs away. But Ory refuses to give up the time they have left together. Desperate to find Max before her memory disappears completely, he follows her trail across a perilous, unrecognizable world, braving the threat of roaming bandits, the call to a new war being waged on the ruins of the capital, and the rise of a sinister cult that worships the shadowless.
As they journey, each searches for answers: for Ory, about love, about survival, about hope; and for Max, about a new force growing in the south that may hold the cure.

How and when I got it:

I picked up a paperback copy over a year ago.

Why I want to read it:

The timing may be a little off — do I really need to read about yet another pandemic or worldwide catastrophe right now? Probably not.

But timing aside, I’m always up for a good disaster story, especially one that has unusual twists and compelling characters to ground the bigger picture. I’m fascinated by the idea of global memory loss and what it might mean to people’s lives, especially to their intimate families and relationships.

I remember seeing a bunch of good reviews when this came out, which is probably why I bought a copy in the first place! I really like the sound of the premise, and I’m eager to see how it all pans out… just maybe not right now.

What do you think? Would you read this book?

Please share your thoughts!

Literary Potpourri
Balivernes
The Book Connection

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Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:

Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
Add your link in the comments or link back from your own post, so I can add you to the participant list.
Check out other posts, and…

Have fun!

17Aug2020

The Monday Check-In ~ 8/17/2020

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

Blogging:

I’m been having a minor freakout (minor? well, depends what you’re comparing it to…) because my WordPress has been hating me since Wednesday. I’ve tried updating some posts — I get “updating failed” error messages. Tried to copy and create a new post — same thing.

I just logged completely out and back in, and I’m cautiously optimistic that I’m back in business. Fingers crossed.

Life.

My son turned 18! I’m no longer the mother of minor children! But he’ll always be my baby. (Don’t tell him I said that.)

On his birthday, he took his driving test and passed, and we helped him purchase the used car he’d been saving towards. So, all in one day, he’s a driver, a voter, and a car owner! Pretty sweet!

What did I read during the last week?

Peace Talks (Dresden Files, #16) by Jim Butcher: Finally finished! I didn’t write an actual review — it’s hard when you’re up to the 16th book in a series, right? What I can say about this book is that while it is totally entertaining, it feels very incomplete, like it’s only half a story. Which I guess makes sense, since the 17th book will be out next month. At this point, there’s no way I’m NOT going to read Dresden Files books whenever they come out, even though I fee like I need a crash course in Dresden history if I’m going to keep all the events and people straight.

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer: This book is LONG. But I didn’t hate it. My review is here.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes: Finished with Part 1! My book group’s classic read of Don Quixote has been going on for months, and I finally caught up in time to reach the end of Part 1 with the group. Considering that Part 1 was originally published about 10 years before Part 2, and is about 450 pages, I feel like I’ve read an entire book already. We’re taking a bit of a break, but we’ll be continuing with the book this fall. Meanwhile, I’m happy to be able to put it aside for a bit.

The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire: I finished my audiobook re-read, and loved it all over again. My review post from last year is here. Still a 5-star read! I love this series so much.

Pop culture & TV:

I went back to Supernatural this week, and am SO close to finishing season 1. Which means… only 14 more seasons to go? Sheesh. That’s a steep hill to climb.

Meanwhile, I watched the first few episodes of One Day at a Time on Netflix, and was completely charmed. Except for the laugh track. Why are comedies still being made with laugh tracks? It seems so archaic.

Puzzle of the week:

I got too wrapped up in my reading this week to get around to starting a new puzzle until Sunday morning, and I’ve barely worked on it — but here’s what I’m puzzling this week:

Fresh Catch:

No new physical books this week, although I did manage to load up my Kindle. How can I resist when good books keep being offered for $1.99 and then there are special buying incentives too?

What will I be reading during the coming week?