Tag 2016

December 2016 Reading Wrap-Up

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I have been terrible about posting on this blog the past few months. I don’t think I’ve done a wrap up in a few months. Sorry everyone. I plan to be better now that I upgraded my computer and everything seems to be working better. I hope it lasts.

  1. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins 4/5
  2. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson 4/5
  3. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg 4/5
  4. The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia 2/5
  5. The Birds by Daphne du Maurier 3/5
  6. Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier 2/5
  7. Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger 4/5
  8. Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger 4/5
  9. Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger 4/5
  10. It Had to Be You by Jill Shalvis 3/5
  11. Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis 3/5
  12. Enchanted Islands by Allison Amend 4/5
  13. Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue 1/5
  14. Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis 3/5
  15. Lift and Separate by Marilyn Simon Rothstein 3/5

That’s the run down for the month. I do really hope to keep up with blogging a bit better in 2017, both for dance and reading. Ta ta for now!

September Reading Wrap-Up

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September started well and ended poor. I am currently reading 4 books, none of which is keeping my attention. Hence, I didn’t read the volume of books that I usually do.

I participated in #RYBSAT and #DiverseAThon. During those I read a total of 8 books. They will be the first on the list.

  1. The Time-Traveling Fashionista on Board the Titanic by Bianca Turetsky 2/5
  2. Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter 5/5
  3. United We Spy by Ally Carter 5/5 (it’s over and I’m sad)
  4. Tempestuous: A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare’s The Tempest 4/5
  5. srsly Hamlet by Courtney Carbone 4/5
  6. YOLO Juliet by Brett Wright 3/5
  7. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows 4.5/5
  8. What Milo Saw by Virginia MacGregor 4.5/5
  9. Dubliners by James Joyce 3/5
  10. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch 4/5
  11. The Reader by Traci Chee 4/5
  12. Follow Me by Tiffany Snow 3/5

I’m currently over half way through On Beauty by Zadie Smith. It’s going at a snail’s pace. I started Frankenstein a few days ago, and it, too, is not that exciting. Add to that Great Expectations and a few chunky books that I need to read by the end of the year and I’m feeling a bit bogged down. Hopefully I’ll find some lighter reads that will keep me feeling productive next month. Until next time, everyone!

August Reading Wrap-Up

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This month was all about fun reading. I refuse to beat myself up for not reading the two classics I have started. I ended up reading a lot of the freebies that I downloaded years ago, getting some library books, and catching up on some series.

  1. Innocent in Las Vegas by A. R. Winters 3/5
  2. The Seven Steps to Closure by Donna Joy Usher 3/5
  3. Anything for You by Kristan Higgins 3/5
  4. At Last by Jill Shalvis 3/5
  5. Big Boned by Meg Cabot 4/5
  6. The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood 2/5
  7. Once a Soldier (eARC) by Mary Jo Putney 3/5
  8. The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg 4/5
  9. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosch 4/5
  10. The Bride Says No by Cathy Maxwell 3/5
  11. Calamity Jayne and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Lawn Gnome by Kathleen Bacus 3/5

Considering how easy the above were to read, this was not a good month for reading. My guess is that all the readathons that I participated in during July burnt me out. I don’t consider this month a failure by any means! Next month I really need to finish Dubliners and Great Expectations. I’m also participating in #RYBSAT, so I’m starting September with a bang!

July Reading Wrap-Up

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This summer is making me crazy. I’m in a funky reading mood. My classics reading challenge has me slumpy and cranky. Work is busy. I need a vacation. But I did manage to read these books this month and I attempted participation in Booktube-a-thon. And I started a Booktube channel!

  • Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan 3/5
  • Adventures in Funeral Crashing by Milda Harris 2/5
  • An Event to Remember…Or Forget by Melissa Baldwin2/5
  • Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman 3/5
  • Results May Vary (eARC) by Bethany Chase 4/5
  • Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch 4/5
  • Stolen Fury by Elizabeth Naughton 3.5/5
  • Lumberjanes, Vol 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson 4/5
  • Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson 3/5
  • Longbow Girl by Linda Davies 5/5
  • Only The Good Spy Young by Ally Carter 5/5
  • Size 14 Is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot 4/5
  • Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch 3.5/5
  • Dance Diaries: Learning to Ballroom Dance by The Girl With The Tree Tattoo 5/5 🙂

I’m currently reading both Dubliners and Great Expectations. I’ve put them on hold because I really feel like reading light stuff right now. Chick lit, romance, and cozy mystery are my healing words. It helps if they make me laugh out loud. 😀

Over the next few months I’d really love to read some dance books and do a huge review of them all, but we’ll see what time and my brain have in store. If you’re interested in my Booktube channel, I’ll leave a link below. No obligation. I’m still learning how to film, edit, and not feel like an idiot. As always, I hope everyone has a lovely reading month, and a delightful rest of summer.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj0ojdItegJnGzQ3coBxqXg

March 2016 Reading Wrap-Up

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What a busy month it has been! I did a lot of reading on vacation, then I petered out. Most likely this was because I didn’t read anything spectacular. I could really use a fantastic book soon.

  1. Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I wrote a review of this one for the Back to the Classics 2016 Challenge 2/5
  2. The Girl from Everywhere by Heide Heilig I honestly don’t even remember this one. 3/5
  3. Starflight by Melissa Landers. Another one I don’t remember. 3/5
  4. Devonshire Scream by Laura Childs 3/5
  5. Beyond the Red by Ava Jae 3/5
  6. Driving With the Top Down by Beth Harbison 4/5
  7. Dryland by Sara Jaffe 2/5
  8. Bright Lines by Tanwi Nandini Isla 1/5
  9. Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson 2/5
  10. The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancy . I liked this one better!!! 3/5
  11. Anything You Want by Geoff Herbach. 3/5
  12. The Night Charter by Sam Hawken 4/5
  13. The  Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo 4/5
  14. Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty 3/5
  15. Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor 3/5
  16. The One You Really Want by Jill Mansell 4/5
  17. Summerlost by Ally Condie. Slow start, but worth it. 4/5
  18. A Tyranny of Petticoats by Various. DNF. I still don’t enjoy short stories no matter the author. Sorry.

As I was typing the titles and ratings it was sad. Most of these I only vaguely remember reading. Maybe this is what a reading slump is for me, where I can read a good book and still not enjoy it? I hope April is better. Quality over quantity, right?

 

 

2016 Series to Marathon Read

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In conjunction with my post on my most anticipated releases, I thought I’d list the series I intend to marathon. Many of these have books being released in 2016.

  1. The Winners Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski; The Winner’s Kiss release date 3/29/16
  2. The 5th Wave Trilogy by Rick Yancey; The Last Star release date 5/24/26
  3. Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo; Crooked Kingdom release date 9/22/16
  4. The Mapmakers Trilogy by S. E. Grove; The Crimson Skew release date 7/12/16
  5. Firebird Series by Claudia Gray; third book has no title or release date yet
  6. Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown; Morning Star release date 2/9/16
  7. The Wrath and the Dawn Duology by Renee Ahdieh; The Rose and the Dagger release date 5/3/16
  8. Reconers Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson; Calamity release date 2/16/16

Honorable Mentions: (These I either started and am not up to date, or I don’t know if I’m going to read them this year.)

  • Snow Like Ashes Trilogy by Sara Raasch; loved the first book, haven’t read the second yet, the third, Frost Like Night, is due to be released sometime this year
  • Fairyland Series by Catherynne M. Valente; I own the first two. the fifth and final book will be released on 3/1/16. I’m not sure I’ll get to this series this year, but never say never

Noticing now that they are all fantasy. Mostly YA, as well. I’d better go search my shelves for some adult reads. 2016 is starting to get busy all of the sudden. Am I missing any series completions this year that you think I should get to?

Back to the Classics Challenge 2016

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I’ve always wanted to read more classics. The problem with this is that I haven’t liked many classics in the past (a hang up from school, I think), and there’s no accountability in my desire to read. A secondary reason is that classics tend to take more brain power than I have available at any particular time. I’m a busy woman with many distractions. I tend to go for the lighter books that I can put down easily when my daughter needs help or it’s time to fold some laundry. So this year I’m going to get some accountability in my desire to read some classics. I’m going to participate in the Back to the Classics Challenge hosted by Books and Chocolate. It’s a great one because you can read 6, 9 or 12 books depending on how your year goes. Below are the challenges and my tentative selections for each.

  1.  A 19th Century Classic – The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
  2. A 20th Century Classic – Animal Farm by George Orwell
  3. A classic by a woman author – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  4. A classic in translation – The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
  5. A classic by a non-white author – The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon
  6. An adventure classic – The Time Machine by HG Wells
  7. A fantasy, science fiction, or dystopian classic – The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
  8.  A classic detective novel – And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
  9. A classic which includes the name of a place in the title – Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
  10. A classic which has been banned or censored – Lord of the Flies by William Golding
  11. Re-read a classic you read in school (high school or college) – Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
  12. A volume of classic short stories – Dubliners by James Joyce

I will admit to being intimidated by a few of the above. Reviews and updates will happen periodically, so look out for them if you’re interested. Any words of advice as I embark on this journey?

Most Anticipated 2016 Releases

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I tried to get 16 so I could pretend to be cool. But since I didn’t feel right anticipating books that are part of a series I haven’t read any of yet, I couldn’t make it.

  1. The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller release date 2/2/16
  2. Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard release date 2/9/16
  3. Head Over Heels (Geek Girl #5) by Holly Smale release date in UK 2/25/16 (I love Book Depository)
  4. Devonshire Scream (A Tea Shop Mystery #17) by Laura Childs release date 3/1/16
  5. Map of Fates (The Conspiracy of Us #2) by Maggie Hall release date 3/8/16
  6. Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn release date 3/29/16
  7. The Long Game (The Fixer #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes release date 6/7/16
  8. Radio Girls: A Novel by Sarah-Jane Stratford release date 6/14/16
  9. The Beauty of Darkness (The Remnant Chronicles #3) by Mary E. Pearson release date 8/2/16
  10. A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes #2) by Sabaa Tahir release date 8/30/16

So far I have 50 books on my 2016 Releases Goodreads shelf. I anticipate that as the year goes by more should be added. The above are the ones I have plans to buy, have already pre-ordered, or have already requested from my library. So you could say there is no way I’m missing them. 🙂 Anything that should be on my list?