Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

I don't remember how I found out about this one but it sounded intriguing. 

I'm on a Knisley kick. Trying to read all her stuff right now.

What did you get this week? Claire has the linky.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books For The Second Half of 2017

"An addictive debut thriller about the mysterious death of a small-town golden girl and the secret lives of three people connected to her: the social misfit who loved her from afar, the rebellious girl who despised her, and the policeman investigating her death."

"With pitch-perfect prose and compassion and humor to spare, George and Lizzie is an intimate story of new and past loves, the scars of childhood, and an imperfect marriage at its defining moments."

 "Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood - and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster."

"Saints. Miracles. Family. Romance. Death. Redemption. "About 'creepy Colorado magic' and 'dust' and is loosely based on a story she wrote in 2008 as a riff on a fear that dogged her in her early teen years."

"Hazel has just moved into a trailer park of senior citizens, with her father and Diane—his extremely lifelike sex doll—as her roommates. Life with Hazel’s father is strained at best, but her only alternative seems even bleaker. She’s just run out on her marriage to Byron Gogol, CEO and founder of Gogol Industries, a monolithic corporation hell-bent on making its products and technologies indispensable in daily life. For over a decade, Hazel put up with being veritably quarantined by Byron in the family compound, her every movement and vital sign tracked. But when he demands to wirelessly connect the two of them via brain chips in a first-ever human “mind-meld,” Hazel decides what was once merely irritating has become unbearable. The world she escapes into is a far cry from the dry and clinical bubble she’s been living in, a world populated with a whole host of deviant oddballs."

"Jenny Zhang's debut short story collection Sour Heart centers on adolescent girls growing up in Chinese or Taiwanese immigrant families in 1990s New York City. In seven stories, Zhang portrays the complex inner lives of these young women struggling to come to terms with their identities, bodies, history, families, and poverty."


Eat Only When You're Hungry
"In Eat Only When You’re Hungry, Hunter elicits complex sympathy for her characters, asking the reader to take a closer look at the way we think about addiction—why we demonize the junkie but turn a blind eye to drinking a little too much or eating too much—and the fallout of failing ourselves."


The Dark Calling
The last in The Arcana Chronicles.


The Necklace
"This intoxicating novel set in the rarified world of money and society alternates between two generations of the Quincy family: the wealthy robber baron brothers who vied over a bewitching Jazz Age beauty and the young woman who inherits a spectacular and mysterious Indian necklace and its secrets."


Just Another Viscount in Love
"As the toast of the ton, Samuel Wortham, Viscount Ellery, should have no trouble finding a wife. Yet each lady he pursues ends up married to another. As a last hope, Sam plans a house party, intending to choose a bride from one of his guests. But when he encounters a raven-haired beauty by his estate’s pond, he’s captivated by her charm and desperate to see her again.

A quiet trip to the country is just what Gemma Desmond needs to take her mind off marriage. After all, as the daughter of a notorious criminal, her prospects seem quite grim. The last thing she expects is a chance meeting with a handsome lord and an invitation to his lavish house party. Ellery is everything she hoped for in a husband. But can she ever escape the stigma of her father’s misdeeds?"

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.


This one looked cute.

I love reading about liquor. 

What did you get this week? Share your loot below.


Monday, May 22, 2017

Random Thoughts

-I'm slumping hard. I'm having such a hard time reading lately. Even graphic novels are taking me days to complete. Partly is that things are busy but I'm also not having the interest in reading lately. On the ride home, I tend to zone out or play a game. Once I'm home there are tons of things to do and I hardly have time to read before bed. I think it's temporary but it feels weird to me.

-My friend is loaning me her loom long term. She gave me a lesson and I'm looking forward to weaving more in the coming months. I want to make scarves!

-Part of my reading slump is because of the library. My regular library is convenient to where I catch the train. But inconvenient to the house. A lot of days I feel that I'm rushing home and don't have time to stop at the library. I frequently have overdue books now because I don't have time to drop them off. The other closest library is more convenient on the weekends. At our old house the library was a block away so I rarely had problems getting there.

-I finally mowed our lawn. We had a really rainy winter and spring. This past weekend was nice so I pulled out my new lawn mower and mowed the lawn.

-I went to get a massage last weekend. It was divine. I already scheduled another one.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

A coworker recommended it.

This one sounded good. 

What did you get this week? Share your loot below.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Things On My Reading Wishlist

  • Historical fiction with LGBT characters. I would love a Victorian romance with LGBT characters.
  • YA with more flawed characters. I see lots of main characters with issues but their love interest is generally less flawed. I'm tired of the perfect guy/girl. I want romances between misfits.
  • More mixed race characters. 
  • Great world building. I want more books that build worlds quickly and effectively. 
  • Engaging nonfiction like the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks or Kurlansky's books.
  • More female superheroes written by women. 
  • More graphic novels based on historical events.
  • Fiction based on the Bible like The Red Tent.
  • More books set in the 80's or that pay tribute to the 80's. 


Monday, May 8, 2017

April Book Tally

Revival vol 3 by Tim Seeley
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
Under Rose Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall
Revival vol 4 by Tim Seeley
Devil In Spring by Lisa Kleypas
Nightwing vol 1 bu Tim Seeley
Wonder Woman vol 1 by Greg Rucka
The Party After You Left by Roz Chast
Ghosts by Raina Telgmeier
Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn


A good month over all. I did participate in the Readathon for a little bit. I hope that I can participate the whole day in October. I've been having some little slumps but I hope that by the end of May I'm back to normal in my reading.


Book Stats:
Foodies Read: 0 (None this month) YTD: 2
What's In A Name: 1 (Heroine Complex) YTD: 1
Read Harder: 2 (Ghosts and A Manual For Cleaning Women) YTD: 5
Total: 39

Friday, May 5, 2017

April Goals Tally

Prepare to do something physically challenging in 2018. Still working on building my ankle strength. I'm still doing a lot of walking. I've upped my step challenge number to 12,000/day. I'm hoping to get back to biking in May.

Be able to park my car in the garage by December 31, 2017. We actually made a lot of progress here. We are able to pull Tai's car into the garage. I hope to have the whole garage cleared by the end of June. 

Add yoga back into my life at least once a week. I didn't get an yoga in this month at all :(

One hour a day without technology (no phone, no computer, no tv). Still doing good on this one. 

Add more art into my life. Nothing formal but keeping an eye out for art everyday. 

Get back to meal planning. We switched to Plated. I'm going to do a post on my experiences with all the meal delivery services we used. 

Take more pictures. I think I'm going to change this goal to something else. 

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Another one for the Foodies Read Challenge.

Interesting sounding non fiction. Kind of a fish of water story.

What did you get this week? Claire's got the linky.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn

I picked up Heroine Complex for the What's in A Name Challenge Title has a x in it category. Not only did I cross off a category on a challenge but I read a delightful book.

Evie is trying to handle it all-her teenage sister, her absent dad, her best friend/boss, and her own messy problems. Evie enjoys being in the shadows but when Aveda, San Francisco's resident super hero is laid up with an ankle injury, Evie must step in and help maintain Aveda's image. But can Evie be a superhero and still get the guy?

I really enjoyed Heroine Complex. Evie was funny and relateable. I enjoyed the pop culture references as well as all the superhero banter. I would definitely pick up the next in the series. Others who shared their thoughts on Heroine Complex: Smart Bitches Trashy Books, Badass Book Reviews, and The Daily Geekette.
 I read Heroine Complex for the What's In a Name Challenge.

Monday, May 1, 2017

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

I had enjoyed Telgemeier's other books so I was excited to read Ghosts. I was not disappointed. Telgemeier does a great job of translating all the feelings of being a teen into her books. And this was one no different. Catrina and her family are moving to Northern California for her sister, Maya's health. Catrina is upset about leaving her friends. But Catrina and Maya wind up  gaining friends, family history, and developing a closer relationship with each other. I enjoyed this story and I look forward to more ffrom Telgemeier.
I read this one for the Read Harder Challenge: Read an all ages comic.