tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38955373973196401872024-03-14T04:37:07.147-04:00Wendy's BookshelfUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-13820530773809111932017-01-05T07:00:00.000-05:002017-01-05T07:00:24.731-05:002017I've gone back and forth for weeks about whether I want to participate in any year-long reading challenges, and ultimately I have decided not to. I am so proud of myself for completing the Popsugar Reading Challenge last year and picking up a lot of books that wouldn't have been on my radar at all, but this year, as much as my little list-making heart enjoys fitting books into different Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-85352036684460828252017-01-04T20:57:00.003-05:002017-01-04T20:57:13.912-05:00Reflections on 2016So...
2016 was a trainwreck in many respects, but I do have to say that it was awesome for me for reading!
I ended up completing 51 books and completing the 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge. 51 is a tie with 2011 for my best reading year ever, and I surpassed my Goodreads goal by 1.
Notable:
I finally have gotten into audiobooks! I ended up completing 5: To Kill A Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-86782399178939473322016-12-30T14:53:00.000-05:002016-12-30T14:54:19.865-05:00Year-End Wrap-UpNovember
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer
Completed 11/14/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #34: A book from the library
Rating: 4 out 5
It took me awhile to get through, but I really enjoyed this book.
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Completed 11/29/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #37: A book about a culture you're Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-5304232587789960032016-11-01T07:00:00.000-04:002016-11-01T07:00:08.822-04:00November TBRFor November, I plan to keep on going with the 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge (only 4 books to go!) as well as get in at least a book or two for #NonFictionNovember2016.
I'm currently reading:
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer (#34: A book from the library / also qualifies for Non-Fiction November)
Also on my potential TBR:
The Book of Tomorrow by Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-37814494506942093792016-10-31T22:14:00.002-04:002016-10-31T22:14:24.104-04:00October Wrap-Up, Part 2As luck would have it, I finished another book today, which makes 7 for the month of October! I'm guessing this is a personal best.
#7
The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel
Completed 10/31/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #29: A dystopian novel
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
I've heard very little buzz about this YA dystopian, which is first in a duology. Unlike the more popular YA Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-6459152517501639362016-10-31T07:00:00.000-04:002016-10-31T07:00:06.165-04:00October Wrap-UpWow, what an amazing reading month!
I completed 6 books this month, bringing my 2016 total to 44 books so far. I participated in two reading challenges (R.I.P. XI and the first #Spookathon) and crossed one more Popsugar Reading Challenge prompt off my list.
#1:
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Completed 10/3/16
Counts toward the R.I.P. Challenge
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Click Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-78084855802859713472016-10-29T17:17:00.001-04:002016-10-29T17:24:40.328-04:00REVIEW: Labyrinth Lost (spoilers)Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
Completed 10/26/16
Rating: 2.75 out of 5
**SPOILERS BELOW**
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I truly wish I could give it a better one, but I just had too many issues with it to rate it higher.
Overall, the whole thing has the impression of being a "rough draft." For instance, in the beginning, the main character Alex Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-12322486458736137162016-10-27T07:50:00.000-04:002016-10-27T07:50:02.108-04:00#Spookathon Wrap-UpI'm a little late, but here goes!
The Spookathon was a readathon from October 17-23 hosted by Lala from Books and Lala, Paige from Paige's Pages, and Shannon from Bookerly. They also have a Twitter:.@thespookathon.
There were five categories:
1. Read a thriller
2. Read a book with red on the cover
3. Read a book with a spooky word in the title
4. Read aAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-80872862577334098912016-10-08T15:23:00.000-04:002016-10-08T15:23:57.778-04:00COMPARISON: In a Dark, Dark Wood vs. The Woman in Cabin 10Please note: I'm not posting any specific spoilers below, but if you want to go into the books mostly blind, you should probably not read this post.
Rarely do I read multiple works by the same author very close together unless they are part of a series, but I did pick up both In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware this fall. In a Dark, Dark Wood (IDDW) Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-85452175860768460742016-10-04T19:13:00.002-04:002016-10-04T19:13:40.830-04:00#SpookathonHow excited am I to discover that most of my October TBR meets the challenges for the Spookathon?! The Spookathon is a readathon from October 17-23 hosted by 3 awesome Booktubers, Lala (Books and Lala), Paige (Paige's Pages), and Shannon (Bookerly).
There are 5 categories and you can count books in multiple categories. Here's my TBR:
1. Read a thriller: You by Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-32260276215632870862016-09-30T19:57:00.000-04:002016-09-30T19:57:03.826-04:00September Wrap Up / October TBRI completed 4 out of the 6 books on my September TBR. I consider that a success.
Total Read in 2016: 38Popsugar Reading Challenge Progress: 34 out of 40
I Am Malala by Malala YousafzaiCompleted 9/5/16Fulfills Popsugar Reading Challenge #16: A political memoirRating: 3.75 out of 5I struggle to give this book a rating. It took me FOREVER to get through - over a month. Malala as a person is Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-3389624740413955072016-09-27T07:30:00.000-04:002016-09-27T07:30:32.266-04:00Top 10 Tuesday: Books on My Fall TBRFall is possibly my favorite reading season. I crave creepy reads, historical reads, and classics (though I don't have any on my list this year).
Without further ado, in roughly the order in which I plan to read them, here's the fall TBR:
1. Death of a Gossip by MC Beaton
First in the Hamish Macbeth cozy mystery series, this book will serve double duty by fulfilling the Popsugar Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-20199917047903750602016-09-24T07:30:00.000-04:002016-09-24T07:30:12.796-04:00REVIEW: The Woman in Cabin 10The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
Completed 9/22/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Challenge #27: A murder mystery
Counts toward the R.I.P. XI Challenge
Rating: 4 out of 5
I needed this book. It really helped me with the slump that I had fallen into this month.I had saved this mystery to read on vacation, since I went on a cruise, and the book deals with mysterious actions aboard a small luxury Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-13198186819179540142016-09-23T20:12:00.001-04:002016-09-23T20:12:08.968-04:00R.I.P. Challenge XI
The one reading challenge that I try to participate in with any type of yearly consistency is the Readers Imbibing Peril (RIP) Challenge created by Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings. The challenge is to read books/short stories/plays (or even watch movies) over the months of September and October in the following categories: mystery, thriller, horror, suspense, Gothic, or dark Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-68519256847668809012016-09-01T07:30:00.000-04:002016-09-01T07:30:41.106-04:00August Wrap-Up and September TBRI've discovered audiobooks! Gotta be honest - audiobooks saved my backside in August or I would be falling behind on my Goodreads goal.
August Wrap-Up:
Cavewomen Don't Get Fat by Esther Blum
Completed 8/10/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #13: A self-improvement book
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
I dabbled in Paleo a little bit last year and dropped 12 pounds without even Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-91123029658102042742016-08-31T20:10:00.001-04:002016-08-31T20:10:47.867-04:00Monthly Recommendations: 1 YearI'm late to the Monthly Recommendations party, but better late than never. Monthly Recommendations was started one year by two awesome Booktubers, Kayla Rayne and Trina (from Between Chapters). This month, the topic was a new recommendation in each of the categories they featured over the past year. I've never participated before, mainly because it was difficult to come up with Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-54338635152906026962016-08-31T19:31:00.001-04:002016-08-31T19:31:19.637-04:00Top 5 Wednesday: Books I Will Never Read5. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
I finally got around to reading Gone Girl last month (and loved it), but this book looks way darker. I don't think I could stomach a read dealing with self-mutilation.
4. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (or any of his books)
Someone gave me this book in high school and it has sat unread on a shelf ever since. Sorry, but Tolkien's writing Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-16671731412386926472016-08-23T07:30:00.000-04:002016-08-23T07:30:33.405-04:00Top 10 Tuesday: 10 Books on My TBR for the Longest TimeSo...really this week's topic for Top 10 Tuesday by The Broke and the Bookish is 10 books that have been on your bookshelf/TBR from before you started blogging that you still haven't read yet. I haven't been blogging that long, so I'm picking the 10 books that I've wanted to read for the longest time.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-74561139571747999542016-08-02T21:11:00.000-04:002016-08-02T21:11:03.588-04:00Top 10 Tuesday: 10 Books I'd Buy Right This Second If Someone Handed Me a Fully Loaded Gift Gard
Visit the host of Top 10 Tuesday, The Broke and the Bookish, to check out other people's lists and add your own!
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-72507203371254611492016-08-02T07:30:00.000-04:002016-08-02T20:35:52.542-04:00August TBR5 books is ambitious for me, but I've been on a roll lately:
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (Popsugar Reading Challenge #16: A political memoir)I'm just starting this one now. This is a book I probably would not have picked up without the motivation of completing the challenge, but I'm glad to be reading it.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Popsugar Reading Challenge #3: A book Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-21617772911522918362016-07-30T08:00:00.000-04:002016-08-01T21:54:51.747-04:00Stacking the Shelves: JulyWhat I bought in July and why I bought it...
From Amazon (Physical Books):
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes - because I needed a road trip book for the Popsugar Reading Challenge
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware - because I totally want to read a mystery/thriller set onboard a cruise ship when I go on my September cruise
From Amazon (Kindle Books):
The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey - Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-8008764420809895452016-07-29T07:30:00.000-04:002016-07-29T07:30:03.513-04:00July Wrap-Up2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge progress: 28 out of 40
Total books read so far this year: 31
Books completed in July: 5
An awesome reading month for me! Tons of stress at work = lots of books read at home!
Winter by Marissa Meyer
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Challenge #18: A book that's more than 600 pages
Rating: 4.75 out of 5 (because I'm really tough with that full 5 star rating!)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-58229375053210531072016-07-22T17:19:00.002-04:002016-07-22T17:19:54.471-04:00Friday FindsHello, friends, it's been awhile!
Here are the books I've added to my (virtual) TBR pile over the past week:
The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder
Historical fiction/thriller
Gretel and the Dark by Eliza Granville
Historical fiction/dark fairy tale retelling (YA, I think?)
Kids of Appetite by David ArnoldYA contemporary with a September release date
Fates and Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-11413308394073129192016-06-30T19:24:00.000-04:002016-06-30T19:24:13.392-04:00June Wrap-Up2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge progress: 24 out of 40 Total books read so far this year: 26Books completed in June: 3
June was a good reading month - I completed 3 books and am about halfway through the serious chunkster (800+ pages) Winter, and I enjoyed all of them a lot!
Completed 6/6/16:
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #28: A book written by a Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895537397319640187.post-79444737086599318732016-06-26T11:27:00.000-04:002016-06-26T11:27:52.648-04:00Stacking the Shelves: JuneI'm a day late on my Stacking the Shelves post. Oops. Check out the host, Tynga's Reviews, to find out what books everyone else is adding to their shelves.
I got on a major Kindle kick this month, adding 11 new books to my virtual shelf:
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't yet read anything by Cassandra Clare even though I've had City Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15925241021605731220noreply@blogger.com0