Tag Archives: to read

The Monday Check-In ~ 3/11/2019

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

cooltext1850356879 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.

What did I read during the last week?

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Loved it! My review is here.

The Lieutenant’s Nurse by Sara Ackerman: Historical fiction/romance centered around the attack on Pearl Harbor. My review is here.

Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda, illustrated by Jonny Sun. A sweet book — my review is here.

In audiobooks:

I listened to Lucky Suit by Lauren Blakely, which was an Audible freebie last month. It’s a short, fluffy, modern romance — not really my thing, but pleasant enough to keep me entertained while driving.

Pop culture goodness:

I finished watching season 5 of Grace & Frankie!

Anyone else feel like most of the characters are getting really mean? And that Frankie is becoming more and more intolerable? I’m still really having fun with this show, but certain moments really made me cringe. And now we wait for season 6!

Fresh Catch:

No new books this week! I mean, yes, I did get a few library books (that will probably end up going back unread)… and well, yes, I did end up grabbing a few price-dropped e-books this week:

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Woman 99 by Greer Macallister: Historical fiction — off to a good start!

Now playing via audiobook:

Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce: More Tortall! After finishing the Beka Cooper books, I didn’t want to pull myself completely away from this fantasy world. So far, I’m enjoying this collection of stories set in and around Tortall, featuring some familiar characters as well as introducing us to new people and magical creatures.

Ongoing reads:

Two ongoing reads with my book group, plus one more on my own just for kicks:

  • A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon: Continuing our journey through all of the Lord John books and stories.
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Our group classic read.
  • The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens: I’m reading this classic via the Serial Reader app, and really enjoying it! I’m at 70% — the end is in sight!

So many books, so little time…

boy1

The Monday Check-In ~ 3/4/2019

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

cooltext1850356879 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.

What a week. Insanely busy at work, and then crazy hectic at home too. So… my reading time got squished down to almost nothing, leaving me frustrated. Boo.

What did I read during the last week?

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee: I actually finished this the previous weekend, but just posted my review this week.

That Ain’t Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire: The 8th book in the super-fun InCryptid series! My review is here.

In audiobooks:

I finshed the Beka Cooper trilogy by Tamora Pierce! Loved these books so much. My series wrap-up post is here.

Also, I listened to…

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel: The audiobook version of this novella is short (2 hours, 12 minutes). I can’t say I was bored, but I thought overall that this work of speculative fiction lacked true depth, and the key plot twist is just too obvious. Not a bad way to kill a couple of hours, but certainly nowhere near the greatness of the Themis Files books.

Pop culture goodness:

What a week for theater! I ended up seeing two terrific performances this week:

What a fun production! The costumes are so eye-poppingly colorful, and the choreography was a treat too.

But the true highlight for me was seeing…

HAMILTON!!! This was my 2nd time seeing the show, and if possible, I loved it even more the 2nd time around. I saw it Saturday night, and have been walking around with a dopey grin ever since, singing my own off-key version of the songs and feeling some serious afterglow.

Oh, and I got this shirt, which makes me very happy.

Yes, I absolutely needed a Hamilton in San Francisco shirt!

Fresh Catch:

I picked up a print copy of the book I’m reading via Serial Reader, to make it easier when I need to go back and check details.

AND… it’s always a treat to get an email from Goodreads about winning a giveaway! I won a Kindle edition of this book this week:

Gorgeous cover, right? And the premise sounds amazing. Since the book doesn’t come out until September, I’ll probably hold off a bit before reading it — but I’m so excited to have a copy of my own!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I’m bouncing between a few books right now:

  • Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid: So excited to be starting this book finally.
  • Here by Richard McGuire: A graphic novel recommended to me by a friend.
  • Gmorning, Gnight! … because I’m high on Lin-Manuel Miranda right now.
Now playing via audiobook:

Lucky Suit by Lauren Blakely: Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that this does not look like my sort of listen. Still, it was an Audible freebie last month, it’s under 2 1/2 hours, and what the heck? Might as well go with something quick and light before committing to one of the longer listens in my library.

Ongoing reads:

Two ongoing reads with my book group, plus one more on my own just for kicks:

  • A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon: Continuing our journey through all of the Lord John books and stories.
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Our group classic read.
  • The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens: I’m reading this classic via the Serial Reader app. So good! I’m now at 40%.

So many books, so little time…

boy1

The Monday Check-In ~ 2/25/2019

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

cooltext1850356879 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.

So my son (very dedicated to his anti-book stance), now a high school student, casually dropped at dinner this week: “Hey, mom, that author was at school this week. You know, the guy that wrote that Scythe book.” Me: *freaking out* *freaking out* *freaking out*

He mentions this to me days after the fact! And said (grudgingly) that the talk was interesting. And that he (Neal Shusterman) talked for about an hour. And talked about writing Challenger Deep, which I really need to read.

I swear, school is wasted on the young! I wish I could have transported my consciousness into the body of one of the students for the day so I could have been in the audience. Sigh.

What did I read during the last week?

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls: I wrote about reading this children’s classic (as well as Anne of Green Gables) here.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee: A powerful, multi-generational family drama set in Korea and Japan. This 500-page book took up most of my reading time this week! I’ll post a review in the next few days, I hope.

Fresh Catch:

Nada! No book purchases this week.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

That Ain’t Witchraft (InCryptid, #8) by Seanan McGuire: I’d intended to start this last week, but then got side-tracked by Pachinko and ran out of time. I’m so excited to be starting this book! I love the series so far.

Now playing via audiobook:

Mastiff (Beka Cooper, #3) by Tamora Pierce: The trouble with listening to a great book is getting close to the end, dying to know what happens, but not having enough listening time to actually finish. I’m at 83%, and I’m so tempted to switch to print so I can race through the big finale! But nope… I’m going to practice a little self-restraint and stick to the audio. For now.

Ongoing reads:

Two ongoing reads with my book group, plus one more on my own just for kicks:

  • A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon: Continuing our journey through all of the Lord John books and stories.
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Our group classic read. The writing is so beautiful.
  • The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens: I’m reading this classic via the Serial Reader app, and love it so far. I’m at about 25%.

So many books, so little time…

boy1

The Monday Check-In ~ 2/18/2019

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

cooltext1850356879 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.

What did I read during the last week?

A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev: My book group’s February pick. My review is here.

The Secret of Clouds by Alyson Richman: A new release for this week. My review is here.

Golden State by Ben H. Winters: Weird and wonderful. Finished late Sunday. My mini-review is here.

Fresh Catch:

I treated myself to the newest book by Charlie Jane Anders. Looks amazing!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I have two books on the go right now:

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls: Filling in yet another gap from my childhood reading.

That Ain’t Witchraft (InCryptid, #8) by Seanan McGuire: Love, love, love this series (and pretty much everything written ever by Seanan McGuire). I’m so excited to be starting the newest InCryptid adventure!

Now playing via audiobook:

Mastiff (Beka Cooper, #3) by Tamora Pierce: The third and final Beka Cooper book… and I’m loving it!

Ongoing reads:

Two ongoing reads with my book group, plus one more on my own just for kicks:

  • A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon: Continuing our journey through all of the Lord John books and stories.
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Our group classic read. The audiobook version is fantastic.
  • The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens: It’s been a while since I’ve used my Serial Reader app (which is awesome — see here for more info). I’ve been wanting more Dickens in my life, and figure that 10 – 12 minutes a day is a reasonable investment!

So many books, so little time…

boy1

The Monday Check-In ~ 2/11/2019

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

cooltext1850356879 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.

I’m back! After a tough week, I’m back home and trying to get back into my normal routines, including blogging. Thank you to all who reached out for your support! It’s nice to be part of a community that cares.

What did I read during the last week?

This is actually two weeks’ worth of reading, since I was offline most of last week.

Reviewed:

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse: My review is here.

Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan: My review is here.

Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks: My review is here.

Not (yet) reviewed:

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery: I did it! I finally read the book I’ve been talking about reading for YEARS. I’ll write up some thoughts later this week (or maybe after I read more in the series), but the short version is — I loved it! I definitely want to continue the Anne books.

Triquetra by Kirstyn McDermott: An excellently creepy novella about what happens later in Snow White’s life. Check it out — it’s available as an e-book or you can read it for free on the Tor website.

And in audiobooks:

The Last Days of August by Jon Ronson: An Audible Original telling the sad story of porn actress August Ames, whose death by suicide rocked the porn world. Jon Ronson narrates his investigation into the life and death of August, and while he doesn’t come up with any easy answers, the story paints a portrait of a woman worn down by her life and by mental illness at much too early an age, and at the same time illustrates some of the unfortunate circumstances facing women in the industry as a whole. It’s a moving, interesting listen, although the takeaways are a little muddled at times.

Bloodhound (Beka Cooper, #2) by Tamora Pierce: Ah, this trilogy rocks! I just finished listening to the 2nd Beka Cooper book, and loved it. I’ll write up my thoughts on the series as a whole once I finish #3, which I’m starting immediately!

Fresh Catch:

Yay, Quirk Books! I received this ARC in the mail while I was away this week, and couldn’t be more excited:

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev: This is my book group’s selection for February (the group tends to pick romances every Feb for Valentine’s Day). I’m just a few chapters in, but liking it so far.

Now playing via audiobook:

Mastiff (Beka Cooper, #3) by Tamora Pierce: I’ve been listening to Tamora Pierce’s novels since the fall, and I just can’t stop! The Beka books are so darned good, and the narration is terrific. I’m just starting, but expect to love it.

Ongoing reads:

Two ongoing reads with my book group:

  • A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon: Continuing our journey through all of the Lord John books and stories.
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Our group classic read. The audiobook version is fantastic.

So many books, so little time…

boy1

The Monday Check-In ~ 1/28/2019

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

cooltext1850356879 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.

What did I read during the last week?

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro: My (audiobook) review is here.

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman: My review is here.

Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal: My review is here. (Loved it!)

Outlander, baby!

Season 4, where did you go???? I can’t believe it’s over!

Here’s my reaction post for the season finale, Episode 413, “Man of Worth” (aired 1/27/2019).

Pop culture goodness:

My husband and I had a night out! We went to the theater to see Come From Away, and loved it. It’s based on a true story (which is also told in an amazing book I reviewed last year, The Day the World Came To Town). If you have a chance to see the show, do it!

Meanwhile, my son and I have just about wrapped up our Game of Thrones binge! We’re down to the last couple of episodes from season 7. Now the waiting begins!

Fresh Catch:

Once again, no new books purchased this week… unless you count Kindle books, in which case — I may have over done things a bit. Plus, I got this book from the library — and despite not have small children in the house, we all loved it:

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse: Our local library picked this book as a citywide read for January/February. I’ve only just started, but I’m really liking it so far.

Now playing via audiobook:

The Last Days of August by Jon Ronson: I’ve become a fan of Jon Ronson’s audiobooks, both because of his always interesting subject matter and his skillful narration. This investigation into a porn star’s death is fascinating so far.

Ongoing reads:

Two ongoing reads with my book group:

  • A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon: Continuing our journey through all of the Lord John books and stories.
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Our new group classic read starts today! We’re discussing two chapters per week. I’m giving it a shot via audiobook — so far (chapter one), I’m loving the narration!

So many books, so little time…

boy1

The Monday Check-In ~ 1/21/2019

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

cooltext1850356879 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.

What did I read during the last week?

In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire: My review is here.

Roomies by Christina Lauren: My review is here.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon: My review is here.

Outlander, baby!

I’m writing reaction posts for each episode of season 4. Here are the two most recent:
Episode 411, “If Not For Hope” (aired 1/13/2019) – my reaction post is here.
Episode 412, “Providence” (aired 1/20/2019) – my reaction post is here.

Season finale next week! Where did the time go?

Pop culture goodness:

The Game of Thrones binge continues! We finished season 5 this weekend. Probably my least favorite season of the entire show, but even a less than stellar season of GoT is better than most other TV out there!

Fresh Catch:

No new books this week! Amazing, right?

… although I did pick up a stack of library books, but at least I didn’t BUY any books this week!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman: I’m about halfway through this historical novel about the strained relationship between two sisters, set against the backdrop of an American military town during WWII.

Now playing via audiobook:

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro: A really interesting memoir focusing on the author’s discover in her mid-50s that her father wasn’t really her biological father. I’ve listened to about a third so far — quite intriguing.

Ongoing reads:

Two ongoing reads with my book group:

  • A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon: Continuing our journey through all of the Lord John books and stories.
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Our next classic read starts the end of January. Can’t wait!

Plus, our book of the month for January is The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes. I haven’t even started yet, so I’ll be late to the discussion — but I’m hearing good things from my book group buddies so far!

So many books, so little time…

boy1

The Monday Check-In ~ 1/14/2019

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

cooltext1850356879 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.

Reading goals

Or should that be: #readinggoals (???)

Nah, I’m not really a fan of random hashtags. In any case, I kind of swore to myself that I’d request fewer ARCs and concentrate more on my existing stacks of books, plus focus on reading whatever the hell I feel like at all times… and yet, I already have 18 (yes, 18) ARCs lined up to read between now and the beginning of June. So, trying to meet my obligations as well as stick to my plan, my current plan of attack is to read one ARC per week, more or less in sync with the books’ release dates, and read according to my whims in between all those ARCs. Will this plan stick? We shall see.

What did I read during the last week?

I read two works by Josh Malerman — a novel (Bird Box) and a novella (A House at the Bottom of a Lake), and really liked them both. I’m probably the only person who hasn’t watched the Netflix version of Bird Box yet, but as soon as I do, I plan to write up some thoughts on the book and the movie.

I wrote one book review this week:

The Nowhere Child by Christian White: A contemporary thriller set in both Australia and Kentucky. My review is here.

I also finished In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire late Sunday, and loved it (just like the rest of the books in the Wayward Children series). I’ll write up my thoughts a bit later in the week.

Outlander, baby!

I’m writing reaction posts for each episode of season 4. Last week’s post went up a little later than usual – check it out:
Episode 410, “The Deep Heart’s Core” (aired 1/6/2019) – the post is here.

And here’s the newest:
Episode 411, “If Not For Hope” (aired 1/13/2019) – my reaction post is here.

Pop culture goodness:

More Game of Thrones! The kiddo and I are about halfway through season 4. He’s loving it, and I’m loving having a good excuse to rewatch the entire series.

Fresh Catch:

I picked up a couple more books for my Great American Read challenge:

… and treated myself to one more new release that I’ve been wanting:

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Roomies by Christina Lauren: I picked this up at the library on a whim, because there’s never a bad time for a Christina Lauren pick-me-up.

Now playing via audiobook:

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon: This is just so frickin’ adorable! I’m about halfway through – can’t wait to hear the rest.

Ongoing reads:

Two ongoing reads with my book group:

  • A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon: Continuing our journey through all of the Lord John books and stories.
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Our next classic read starts the end of January. Can’t wait!

So many books, so little time…

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Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2019

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

snowy10

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2019.

There are so many books on the way that have me jumping up and down in excitement! Here are the ten at the top of my list… three of which are by the same author. What can I say? I do love her books!

1) In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

2) That Ain’t Witchcraft (InCryptids, #8) by Seanan McGuire

3) Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

4) Inspection by Josh Malerman

5) Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

6) Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs

7) Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

8) Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks

9) The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

10) The Book of Flora by Meg Elison

What books are you dying to read in 2019? Please share your links!

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The Monday Check-In ~ 1/7/2019

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

cooltext1850356879 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.

Welcome to 2019!

It’s my first Monday post of the new year! I didn’t have exactly a stellar first week of reading (neither of the two print books I read blew me away) — but luckily, I’m not a big believer in omens, so I’m thinking it’s onward and upwards from this point forward.

What did I read during the last week?

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker: Terrific premise, but this book turned out to be just a “meh” read for me. Here’s why.

Terrier (Beka Cooper, #1) by Tamora Pierce: I finished the audiobook! What a fun, captivating start to the trilogy. I’m just waiting for my library hold to come in so I can start #2. (As usual with the Pierce books, I’ll do a write-up when I finish the entire trilogy.)

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden: I didn’t end up writing a review for this one. I liked it well enough, and it did a good job of wrapping up the trilogy — but somehow, I was pretty much underwhelmed by the book overall, and didn’t feel the emotional connection I did with the first two.

I also listened to a good audiobook short story:

Atomic Marriage by Curtis Sittenfeld: A fun, brief listen — currently a free selection from Audible, and takes less than an hour to listen to. I liked it!

Outlander, baby!

I’m writing reaction posts for each episode of season 4. Last week’s post went up a little later than usual – check it out:
Episode 409, “The Birds & the Bees” (aired 12/30/2018) – the post is here.

As for the newest episode:
Episode 410, “The Deep Heart’s Core” (aired 1/6/2019) – I was a bit under the weather on Sunday, and decided to hold off on watching until I had more energy. How shocking, not to watch a new episode on its air date! I’ll watch and write up my reaction tonight.

Pop culture goodness:

My son and I have started a Game of Thrones binge! I’ve watched the show from the beginning, of course, but he was too young at the time. So now, we’ve started from season 1 (and have just finished season 2), working our way through the entire series before the final episodes in April. (There are definitely some explicit scenes that are cringe-worthy when watching with my teen, but we just kind of pretend that the other person isn’t there, and we get through it.)

Fresh Catch:

I picked up a couple of books from the Great American Read list for part of a reading challenge I’m participating in this year.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Bird Box by Josh Malerman: I’ve been meaning to read this for a couple of years now — and now that it’s a Netflix movie, I realized that I needed to read it ASAP before I end up seeing spoilers. I’m at about 50% at the moment, and loving it.

Now playing via audiobook:

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon: I picked up this audiobook on a whim while browsing the library website. I saw this book mentioned on a few “best of” lists recently, and something sweet and light really appeals to me right now.

Ongoing reads:

My book group is just starting our next Lord John story, A Plague of Zombies. I’ve read it before (of course!), but it’s always fun to do a deeper dive with the group.

And coming soon… we’re starting our next classic read at the end of the month! I’m really looking forward to our group read of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

So many books, so little time…

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