2015 Historical Reading Challenge

I've been doing the Historical Reading Challenge for the last few years. I've really enjoyed it. I'm glad the challenge is still alive over at Passages to the Past. I'm joining up again this year. I'm going for the Medieval level (15 books) this year.

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.

Is it just me or does a new year mean loading up my holds list with tons of books I didn't read last year? I keep adding books to my hold list. I'm going to be busy this month, reading.

Boozehound

Another book for the Foodies Read Challenge. 

Burn For Me

After reading Linda's review, I added it to my library hold list. 

Fear of Flying

While watching Wild, I realized that I've never read any Erica Jong. I decided to remedy that. 

This Shattered World

I adored These Broken Stars. I can't wait to dive into This Shattered World. 

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

Teaser Tuesday-The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"I move in front of him, deliberately cutting his circuit short. Before I can think, I reach out, touch his shoulder with my gloved hand, and feel the suck of the activating nanohooks."

pg 68 The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Snow by Tracy Lynn

I put Snow on my library hold list for the 2014 What's In A Name Challenge. Alas, the book came to late for me to read it for that challenge. I still wanted to read it. I do like fairy tale retellings.

Snow is the story of Jessica, a princess of a Welsh duke. Snow's mom died when she was young and Snow's dad didn't pay her any attention as he was lost in his own grief. Years go by and Snow grows up happily in the company of servants. Snow's dad decides to remarry and brings a beautiful woman to their castle. The new duchess wants to have a baby but she's slightly older and getting pregnant is a little harder for her. The new duchess is a bit of a scientist and seems to be experimenting with ways to make a baby. The new duchess also has a musical prodigy, Alan, who befriends Snow. When Alan hears that the new duchess intends to murder Snow, Alan encourages Snow to flee the castle and head to London.

I knew this was a retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Lynn makes some changes and places Snow in what I guessed to be Regency London. The original story was there but with some fresh updates. It felt familiar but with some more modern touches.  I enjoyed this retelling. Snow was enjoyable and a quick read. Others who shared their thoughts on Snow: The Book Blog of Evil, Tales As Old As Time, Nose in A Book, and Caught Between The Pages.

What To Eat This Week

The triumphant return of What To Eat This Week. I'm going to be better about meal planning this year. It helps us save money and eat better.

I'm going to skip breakfast although we do eat breakfasts. But they usually aren't interesting so I'll spare you.

Lunch this week is Slow Cooker 13 Bean Soup and mac and cheese.

Dinners:

Monday: Japanese Beef and Rice Soup

Tuesday: Spinach Frittata

Wednesday: Dinner out

Thursday: Stuffed Pepper Soup

Friday: Balsamic Steak Skewers

Saturday: Mexican Rice Skillet

Sunday: Ramen at home

What's on your menu this week?

Twelve Goals for 2015

I stopped making resolutions a long time ago. It was always the same thing-lose weight and get out of debt. The getting out of debt part is done (whew!) and I'm working on the losing weight (30 lbs down). But I want to set some goals for the year. Give me something to work on.

These are my non-bookish goals. My bookish ones can be found here.

1. Make one meatless dinner a week. We are carnivores. We eat a lot of meat. But eating vegetarian one night a week would help the budget and add variety to our diet.

2. Continue working on my fitness and lose another 30 lbs. I'm having fun making my gym routine something to look forward to. I stick to things that are fun to me and I listen to an audiobook while working out. I've signed up at a yoga studio so I'm looking forward to adding yoga back to my routine.

3. Go back to meal planning.  I fell off the meal planning wagon late last year. It was really helpful budget-wise. I've got to start again.

4. Schedule one do nothing, stay home weekend a month. Sometimes we get so busy where we are out both Saturday and Sunday. Nothing gets done at home. And when that happens 3 weekends in a row, the house becomes a disaster.

5. Plan one trip with Tai this year. We talk about going somewhere for a long weekend but never follow through. Even if it's a day trip, we should plan something.

6. Get a will and other necessary estate planning documents done. I work in the aging field and know what happens when people don't plan what they want to do when they are incapacitated. I hope we won't need these documents for a long time but I want to start the conversation.

7. Clean and declutter one room a month. That would be our living room, our bedroom, our spare bedroom (ie my getting ready room), the downstairs hall closet, the upstairs hall closet, the pantry, and the kitchen. I'll even offer to help my dad with his bedroom and office.

8. Do one thing for myself a month. Get a hair cut, a massage, hang out at the spa. Sometimes months go by without me doing anything for myself.

9. Watch older movie (pre-2014) a month. I'm great a going to the movies in theaters but suck at watching older movies at home. Plus it would be something to do on those do nothing weekends. Three movies to start with: Blade Runner, 2001, and Akira.

10. Learn to make 5 Japanese dishes. I keep wanting to learn to make more Japanese food. I even have a cookbook. I just need to start doing it. And I should post about them. You all want to know about my adventures in Japanese cooking, right?

11. Stop complaining and start sharing my gratitude. I have a tendency to bitch about life's inconveniences. I have a lot to be thankful for-a wonderful, loving partner, good friends, a safe place to live, and enough money for the necessities and sometimes the luxuries.

12. Take 2 cooking classes-one skill building (like a knife class) and one food related (like a Thai class or a tamale making class). I've taken cooking classes before and I enjoy doing it. I'd like to improve my kitchen skills and learn to make new dishes.

Every month I'll post my progress on these goals.

Do you have any goals this year?

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.

The first library loot of 2015. What shall we read this year?

The Zen of Fish

I'm super excited to be doing the Foodies Read Challenge again after a hiatus on my part. And this one is for that challenge.

Paris, My Sweet

Another one for the Foodies Read Challenge.

Snow

I had gotten Snow for the 2014 What's In A Name Challenge but it came too late. I'll still read it. 

What did you get to start the year? Add your link below.

Challenge Completed: 2014 What's In A Name

2014 was the first time I'd joined the What's In Name Challenge. I had fun and I'm doing it again this year. But here's my 2014 wrap up first:

• A reference to time: The Here and Now by Ann Brashares
• A position of royalty: Eleven Scandals To Start To Win A Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean
• A number written in letters: Ten Ways To Be Adored When Landing A Lord by Sarah MacLean
• A forename or names: Clara and Mr Tiffany by Susan Vreeland
• A type or element of weather: Pride and Precipitation by Heather Horrocks

Challenge Completed: 2014 Historical Reading Challenge

I planned to read 10 Historical books. I read 17.

Books read for this challenge:

-The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan

-The Devil Wears Kilts by Suzanne Enoch

-Once Upon A Kiss by Jayne Fresina

-A Lady By Midnight by Tessa Dare

-A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare

-Somerset by Leila Meacham

-Trapped At The Altar by Jane Feather

-Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase

-A Night To Surrender by Tessa Dare

-Once Upon A Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare
-Tsarina by J. Nellie Patrick
-Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

-Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

-The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

-I Shall Be Near To You by Erin Lindsay McCabe

-A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller

-Wild Heart by Lori Brighton

Challenge Completed: 2014 Romance Reading Challenge

I set out to read 12 romance novels. I read 27!

Here's what I read:

-Enchanting the Lady by Katheryne Kennedy

-Just One Year by Gayle Forman

-Just One Night by Gayle FormanA Lady By Midnight by Tessa Dare

-A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller

-Once Upon A Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare
-A Beginner's Guide To Rakes by Suzanne Enoch

-What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

-Enchanting The Beast by Kathryne Kennedy

-Sense and Sensibility by Joanne Trollope

-Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare

-The Devil Wears Kilts by Susan Enoch

-Isla and The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
-Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

-Once Upon A Kiss by Jayne Fresina

-Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

-Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase

-Trapped At the Altar by Jane Feather

-The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan

-A Night To Surrender by Tessa Dare

-Wild Heart by Lori Brighton

-Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

-Double Enchantment by Kathryne Kennedy

-The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

-A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare

-The One by Kiera Cass

-A Night To Surrender by Tessa Dare

-Wild Desire by Lori Brighton

December Book Tally and 2015 Bookish Goals

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Steifvater
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Jewel by Amy Ewing
Hawkeye vol 3 by Matt Fraction
A Beginner's Guide To Rakes by Suzanne Enoch
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow
Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare
Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
Centaur Rising by Jane Yolen
Pride and Precipitation by Heather Horrocks
The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

I actually reviewed quite a few books in December. Plus I read some good ones too.

Stats:

Romance Reading Challenge This month: 2 ( Any Duchess Will Do and A Beginner's Guide To Rakes) YTD: 27

Historical Reading Challenge  This month: 2 ( Any Duchess Will Do and A Beginner's Guide To Rakes)) YTD: 17

What's In A Name Challenge This month:1 (Pride and Precipitation) YTD: 6

Yearly Total: 152

How did I do on my goals?

-Participate in the What's In A Name Challenge. Done. Read all 6 books for that challenge.

-Read 10 books for the Historical Reading Challenge. Done. I actually read 17.

-Participate in the Book Bingo Challenge. Done. I'm a super reader. I finished that one in October. So sad this one won't be back in 2015 :(

-Read 12 books for the Romance Reading Challenge. Done. I read 28 romances.

-Read 150 books! Done. I read 152!

2015 Bookish Goals

-Participate in the What's In A Name Challenge.

-Read and review 24 books for the Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge.

-Read 14-18 books for the Foodies Read Challenge.

-Read 150 books!

2014 End of The Year Book Survey

Number Of Books You Read: 152
Number of Re-Reads: 2 (Ready Player One & The Hunger Games)
Genre You Read The Most From: YA (48) edged out Graphic Novels (44)

 

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?

(If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

Fiction-Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
YA-These Broken Stars by Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman
Graphic Novel-In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang
Historical Fiction-Eleven Scandal's To Start To Win A Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Sense & Sensibility by Joanne Trollope. It's my favorite Austen book. I didn't care for the update version. 

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014? 

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang. I didn't know much going in but was blown away. Excellent graphic novel. 

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?

The Property by Rutu Modan, Constance by Rosie Thomas, Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, These Broken Stars by Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman, and Can We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast.

 5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?

Started and finished Just One Day series by Gayle Forman and loved it.
Best Sequel- Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?

Gayle Forman, Sarah Diemer, Matthew Quick, Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I read one classic this year, Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck. I enjoyed it more than other classics.

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Big Little Lies. Really had to stop reading.

 9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

In Real Life

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?

These Broken Stars.

That dress!

11. Most memorable character of 2014?

Junior from The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian. 

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?

It's a three way tie: Everything Leads To You by Nina LaCour, The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, and Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014?

Boy21 by Matthew Quick and Rites of Passage by Joy N Hensley both caused me to think after I finished the books.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read? 

The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Why did I wait so long? I still need to read more of his books. 

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?

“It's an understandable impulse, to be on the floor when everything is falling apart, like you just want to feel the solid ground beneath you. When you're on the floor, there's nowhere farther to fall.” 
― Emery Lord, Open Road Summer

“And that's when I understand that I have been stained. Whether I'm still in love with him, whether he was ever in love with me, and no matter who he's in love with now, Willem changed my life. He showed me how to get lost, and then I showed myself how to get found.” 
― Gayle Forman, Just One Day

“I used to think the world was broken down by tribes,' I said. 'By Black and White. By Indian and White. But I know this isn't true. The world is only broken into two tribes: the people who are assholes and the people who are not.” 
― Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

“I can always look up at the cosmos and marvel, no matter what happens. And when I look up at it, I feel as though my problems are small. I don't know why, but it always makes me feel better.” 
― Matthew Quick, Boy21

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Shortest-Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (32 pages)
Longest-The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donelly (736 pages)

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

(Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)

Big Little Lies. 

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

Lilac and Tarver from These Broken Stars

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Sarah and Linda from Lies We Tell Ourselves.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Parasite by Mira Grant. 

21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

Lisa recommended Fire & Flood. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?

Tarver from These Broken Stars. Guy from Fire & Flood is a close second. 

23. Best 2014 debut you read?

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Howl's Moving Castle.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

The Library by Sarah Stewart was loaned to me by a friend. Definitely put a grin on my face. 

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?

These Broken Stars

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Centaur Rising by Jane Yolen. Haven't heard many people talking about it. 

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

These Broken Stars

.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015?

The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donelly

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 (non-debut)?

Armada by Ernest Cline or Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

What's In A Name Reading Challenge 2015

I participated in the What's In A Name Reading Challenge in 2014 and loved it. I'm excited to give it another go. For the 2015 categories, go here.

Foodies Read 2015

I skipped the Foodies Read challenge for the last two years (?) but I missed it so I'm back. Plus foodie books are really the only nonfiction I read. I'm looking forward to this one. I'm going for the Chef de Cuisine level (14-18 books)! I think I can do it.

Graphic Novel & Manga Challenge 2015

Even though I usually read a lot of graphic novels, I've never joined a challenge about reading them. Until now. I'm signing up for the Graphic Novels Challenge for 2015. I'm going for the Bronze Age: Read and review (!) 24 books. The reading part will be fine. It's the reviewing part I'm terrible with. But let's give it a go.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

I added Howl's Moving Castle to my library holds because I've never seen the movie nor had I read anything by Diana Wynne Jones. I'm so glad I did because Howl's Moving Castle is amazing. Diana Wynne Jones makes the story jump off the page. It was such a beautifully written story.

Sophie is the oldest of three daughters. In her country that means that she's the worse off. Her youngest sister will be able to leave to seek her fortune while the eldest two stay behind. But fate strikes and Sophie's step mom sends the two younger sisters to apprentice with local businesses and decides to leave Sophie the family's hat making shop. At first, Sophie thinks this will be ok but then realizes that she'll never leave her town. One day, the evil witch enters Sophie's hat shop and curses her. Sophie turns into an old woman. Worried that seeing her as an old woman will upset her family, Sophie heads out to seek her fortune. The rest of the story is about Sophie's journey and who she meets out in the world.

Sophie was delightful. Even though she was turned into an old woman, she never gave up. She kept on going without missing a beat. Sophie also brought the best out in the other characters. None of the other characters were my favorite unless Sophie was interacting with them. Michael was alright. Calcifer had some funny bits but he was better with Sophie. And I didn't like Howl til the end. Sophie's land is full of magic which I enjoyed. But it all felt so real too. It was awesome.

If you couldn't tell, I whole heartedly recommend Howl's Moving Castle. I have to watch the movie now. I can't wait to read more by Diana Wynne Jones. Others who shared their thoughts on Howl's Moving Castle: Fantasy Cafe, Whispering Words, and The Book Smugglers.

Centaur Rising by Jane Yolen

I added Centaur Rising to my library hold list because I wanted to read more Yolen. After reading Centaur Rising, I want to read more Yolen. Yolen combines historical fiction and fantasy so beautifully. I enjoyed every minute of Centaur Rising.

Arianne's family lives on a horse farm. During a meteor shower, Arianne watches a ball of light come down and meet one of their ponies. About a year later, a centaur is born. For the next year, Arianne's family raise the centaur.

The story is mostly told from Arianne's point of view but the other characters are also beautifully written. Arianne's little brother, Robbie, is in a wheelchair. Robbie is a thalidomide baby. Through his help, Robbie makes sure everyone sees the centaur as a person, not a thing or a monster. Yolen creates this very realistic family and gives this magic. Each character brings something different to the story and the centaur brings something different out of them.

Centaur Rising is beautifully told story. Yolen creates such magic that it's hard to put down. I can't wait to read more of her books. Others who shared their thoughts on Centaur Rising: When Loose Ends Meet, Megan Likes Books, and Rebecca Reads.

Pride and Precipitation by Heather Horrocks

I had Pride and Precipitation on my Kindle from a free ebook buying spree. Since my first choice for the weather category of What's In A Name didn't work out for me (The Scent of Rain and Lightning), I scrambled around for another choice. I requested a few books from the library but I was concerned that I wouldn't receive them in time. So I started digging through the books I own. Pride and Precipitation was a cute story and a quick read.

Breezy Jones loves her job as the on air meteorologist for her local tv station. Her dad was the meteorologist previously so Breezy inherited her love of  weather from him. Things are going well for Breezy until Noah Drake comes to town. Noah is the new general manager and has been tasked to shake things up. Breezy with her small town girl charm is one of things that upper management wants to change.

I immediately liked Breezy. She's smart and not easily swayed by a good looking guy. Noah has a history of firing people when he shows up. It's not insta-love for these two which I liked. They liked each other but tread carefully and spent time getting to know one another. This is Christian fiction but no religious talk. In fact, I don't think church even comes up. But the story is definitely wholesome. Breezy's got a group of female friends that she spends time with. I enjoyed their interactions and would read the rest of the series to find out what happens to them.

Overall, I enjoyed Pride and Precipitation. It was a good, heart warming read. Others who shared their thoughts on Pride and Precipitation: The Reading Cafe, I'm A Reader, and Bubble Bath Books.
This satisfies the weather category for What's In A Name Reading Challenge.

Awkward And Awesome Thursday

Awkward:

-The amount of food I'll most like eat over the next week. Yum. My new pants probably won't fit for a while!

-How lazy I'm going to be over my vacation. I probably won't get a single thing done. Who cares though!

-I haven't gotten started on my year end posts. Hopefully I can drag my lazy butt to the computer to do those.

Awesome:

-I'm on vacation until Jan 2! Yay!

-It's Christmas! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it.

-I've finished 150 books! Yay me!

What's awkward and awesome for you?

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.

The Silence of Our Friends

Always looking for graphic novels about real events.

Walks With Men

I spotted Walks With Men on a Buzzfeed article about If you liked this book written by a man, you'll enjoy this book written by a woman. I liked Catcher In The Rye so I think I'll like Walks With Men. 

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