"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." ~Toni Morrison

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

2016 What I'm Reading Wednesday #18

I stopped reading Frida's Bed.  It was not interesting to me.  I have read a lot about Frida Kahlo, and this book felt like I was reading another biography of the artist.  I was expecting the story to be more novel-like.  Oh well.  Now I am starting The Beach House by James Patterson and Peter De Jonge.  Hopefully it will be a quick read.  I am starting a new reading challenge on July 1st. and I am working really hard not to start any of my chosen books before then.  
Once again my monthly goal is to read 3 books.  I didn't do it last month, but I am now officially on summer break and should have lots of time to read :)

2016 Goal: 32 books
Books Read = 16/32
Books from TBR list: 2
Series completed: 1
2016 Pinterest Board

January
1.  Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
2.  Foreign Gods, Inc by Okey Ndibe
3.  Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
4.  Thunder and Lightning by Natalie Goldberg

February
1.  The Double Life of Fidel Castro
2.  Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (Started a new series)
3.  Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (TBR)
4.  The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (Completed a series!) 

March
1.  The Magician by Michael Scott (Book 2 of a series)
2.  The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
3.  Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

April
1.  The Art of X-Ray Reading
1.  Doodle Art Handbook by Lana Karr
2.  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

May
1.  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (TBR)

June
1.  The Interior Circuit by Francisco Goldman
2.  The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison
3.  Frida's Bed by Slavenka Drakulic



What are you reading this week?  How are your reading goals going?

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Top Ten Books on my Summer TBR List


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.



The theme at The Broke and the Bookish this week is a freebie, so I decided to talk about the books I will be reading for the Book Challenge by Erin.

The Book Challenge by Erin is a Facebook group with a unique reading challenge.  The challenge starts on July 1st and ends October 31st.  Different categories are awarded different point values.  Here are my choices for each category (The blurbs come from Amazon.com):

• 5 points: Freebie: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
"Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey."

• 10 points: Book that starts with the letter “R”.  Room by Emma Donoghue
"
To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world. . . . It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. 
Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But with Jack's curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer."

• 10 points: Book with five words in the title.  Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis
"
Teenage Lynn has been taught to defend her pond against every threat: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and most important, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty—or doesn't leave at all. Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. But when strangers appear, the mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won't stop until they get it. . . ."

• 15 points: Book that has a (mostly) blue cover.  Armada by Ernest Cline
"
Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure. 
But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe. 
And then he sees the flying saucer. 
Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders.  
No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it. 
It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar? "

• 20 points: Book with twins as characters.  The Sorceress by Michael Scott
"
Nicholas Flamel's heart almost broke as he watched his beloved Paris crumble before him. The city was destroyed by Dee and Machiavelli, but Flamel played his own role in the destruction. Sophie and Josh Newman show every sign of being the twins of prophecy, and Flamel had to protect them and the pages from the Dark Elders.
   But Nicholas grows weaker with each passing day. Perenelle is still trapped in Alcatraz, and now that Scatty has gone missing, the group is without protection. Except for Clarent—the twin sword to Excalibur. But Clarent’s power is unthinkable, its evil making it nearly impossible to use without its darkness seeping into the soul of whoever wields it.
   If he hopes to defeat Dee, Nicholas must find an Elder who can teach Josh and Sophie the third elemental magic—Water Magic. The problem? The only one who can do that is Gilgamesh, and he is quite, quite insane."

• 20 points: Book made into a movie.  Wild by Cheryl Strayed
"At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and she would do it alone. Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her."

• 25 points: Book set in a country you have always wanted to visit.  The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
"Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love."

• 30 points: Historical fiction book. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
"
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. "
• 30 points: Music related book. The Haters by Jesse Andrews
"
For Wes and his best friend, Corey, jazz camp turns out to be lame. It’s pretty much all dudes talking in Jazz Voice. But then they jam with Ash, a charismatic girl with an unusual sound, and the three just click. It’s three and a half hours of pure musical magic, and Ash makes a decision: They need to hit the road. Because the road, not summer camp, is where bands get good. Before Wes and Corey know it, they’re in Ash’s SUV heading south, and The Haters Summer of Hate Tour has begun."

• 35 points: Book originally published over 100 years ago. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
" Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange, situated on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before; of the intense relationship between the gypsy foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw; and how Catherine, forced to choose between passionate, tortured Heathcliff and gentle, well-bred Edgar Linton, surrendered to the expectations of her class. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance at his betrayal is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past."

What is on your summer TBR list?  
Have you read any of these books?  What did you think?

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Weekly Wrap-up (June 26, 2016)


Blog Posts
Teaser Tuesday

What I'm Reading Wednesday #17

Stuck in my Head:  The Cure and Caravan Palace

Personal Stuff
I am back to blogging this week and posted all of my scheduled posts.  I have been sick with a cold, but I am on summer break, so I have lots of time to rest, drink tea and recuperate.  Hopefully next week I will be recovered.

I also started swimming this week.  It is the only exercise currently recommended by my doctor.  I am so glad to be getting some exercise again, although my cold did prevent me from going to the pool one day this week.

What I read
I am reading Frida's BedI by Slavenka Drakulic.  So far I am not super impressed, but maybe it will get better as I read.


Interesting Stuff I Found on the Internet
I haven't really had time for the internet this week and am behind on all my blog-reading.  Will catch up soon. (Hmmm, I've been saying this for a while.  It really is time to start catching up.)


ROW80 Goals
Round 2 of ROW80 has ended, so this is my final check-in on these goals.  I will use my progress to determine next round's goals.

1.  Read 9 books (5/9)
Ok, so I made it a little over half way to this goal.  Not bad.  I will try again next round.

2.  Complete the A to Z Challenge on my two blogs/Continue with my blogging schedule
I posted all my blog posts this week.  I think this is the only week of this round that I actually managed it.  I will keep working on this goal.
The A to Z Challenge once again beat me.  I completed the alphabet on my craft blog, although it was late.  I did not complete the alphabet on this blog.  I am not sure if I will try this challenge again.

3.  Edit 5 chapters of ZF
I have not started yet.  Ha!  This was one of the most important goals this round, and I didn't even start.  I will try again next round.  Now that I have some time on my hands, it might actually happen.

4.  Write daily
This goal was on again, off again for me.  Some weeks I wrote, some I didn't write at all.  This is another of my important goals.  I am trying to create the habit of daily writing.  I will try again next round.

5.  Continue my Creative Every Day challenge
I did really well with this goal.  I did not always post a picture on IG, but I did something creative every day.



How did your week go?  How did round 2 of ROW80 go?
Are you participating in the next round?

Friday, June 24, 2016

Stuck in my Head: The Cure and Caravan Palace

I love going to concerts!  Live music, the energy, a band I love....it's amazing.  In May I got to see The Cure.  It was incredible to see them perform live but I have to say I was a little disappointed that they did not play more of their popular songs during their set.  The playlist was kind of a downer.  We left during the second encore (I heard later that they ended up playing 4 encores) because the music we had been excited to hear just wasn't being played.  I did capture these two videos, though.  I just wish they had played more of these songs :(


In June, I got to see one of my favorite bands, Caravan Palace.  They play music that is classified as electro-swing.  I only got video of their encore and bow because I was so consumed by the show.  They are so energetic!  I love watching them perform!

Hope you enjoy the videos.
What's stuck in your head recently?

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

2016 What I'm Reading Wednesday #17 (June 22)

Last week I was trying to decide which of two books to read.  I chose The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison and read it in one day.  Now I am reading Frida's Bed by Slavenka Drakulic.


Once again my monthly goal is to read 3 books.  I didn't do it last month, but I am now officially on summer break and should have lots of time to read :)

2016 Goal: 32 books
Books Read = 16/32
Books from TBR list: 2
Series completed: 1
2016 Pinterest Board

January
1.  Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
2.  Foreign Gods, Inc by Okey Ndibe
3.  Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
4.  Thunder and Lightning by Natalie Goldberg

February
1.  The Double Life of Fidel Castro
2.  Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (Started a new series)
3.  Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (TBR)
4.  The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (Completed a series!) 

March
1.  The Magician by Michael Scott (Book 2 of a series)
2.  The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
3.  Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

April
1.  The Art of X-Ray Reading
1.  Doodle Art Handbook by Lana Karr
2.  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

May
1.  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (TBR)

June
1.  The Interior Circuit by Francisco Goldman
2.  The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison



What are you reading this week?  How are your reading goals going?

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Teaser Tuesday (June 21, 2016)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. 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!

Here is my teaser:
"What the Maestro would not or could not verbalize, he expressed, as she did, in his art, in his frescoes.  Although the scenes he painted were not intimate, she knew how to read them.  For instance, she knew from the way he positioned a woman in his painting and certain other details--how he painted the eyes, for example--which of his models had been his mistress."
Frida's Bed by Slavenka Drakulic, p.88

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

2016 What I'm Reading Wednesday #16 (June 15)

I am trying to decided what book to read next.  I have been gathering books for the reading challenge that I am starting on July 1st. and have two options that I can start before the challenge.  Which should I read?  The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hustchison or Frida's Bed by Slavenka Drakulic?


Once again my monthly goal is to read 3 books.  I didn't do it last month, but I am now officially on summer break and should have lots of time to read :)

2016 Goal: 32 books
Books Read = 15/32
Books from TBR list: 2
Series completed: 1
2016 Pinterest Board

January
1.  Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
2.  Foreign Gods, Inc by Okey Ndibe
3.  Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
4.  Thunder and Lightning by Natalie Goldberg

February
1.  The Double Life of Fidel Castro
2.  Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (Started a new series)
3.  Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (TBR)
4.  The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (Completed a series!) 

March
1.  The Magician by Michael Scott (Book 2 of a series)
2.  The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
3.  Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

April
1.  The Art of X-Ray Reading
1.  Doodle Art Handbook by Lana Karr
2.  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

May
1.  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (TBR)

June
1.  The Interior Circuit by Francisco Goldman



What are you reading this week?  How are your reading goals going?

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

2016 What I'm Reading Wednesday #15 (June 8)

I am still reading The Interior Circuit by Francisco Goldman.  I know, boring.  I am still really enjoying the book.  It's just a busy time of year for me, and I don't get a lot of reading time right now.  However, all of that is about to change really soon, so when I discovered a new reading challenge, I had to sign up!

The Book Challenge by Erin is a Facebook group with a unique reading challenge.  The challenge starts on July 1st and ends October 31st.  Different categories are awarded different point values.  Here are my choices for each category:

• 5 points: Freebie: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
• 10 points: Book that starts with the letter “R”.  Room by Emma Donoghue
• 10 points: Book with five words in the title.  Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis
• 15 points: Book that has a (mostly) blue cover.  Armada by Ernest Cline
• 20 points: Book with twins as characters.  The Sorceress by Michael Scott
• 20 points: Book made into a movie.  Wild by Cheryl Strayed• 25 points: Book set in a country you have always wanted to visit.  The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
• 30 points: Historical fiction book. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• 30 points: Music related book. The Haters by Jesse Andrews
• 35 points: Book originally published over 100 years ago. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte


Once again my monthly goal is to read 3 books.  I didn't do it last month, but soon I will be on summer break and should have lots of time to read :)

2016 Goal: 32 books
Books Read = 14/32
Books from TBR list: 2
Series completed: 1
2016 Pinterest Board

January
1.  Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
2.  Foreign Gods, Inc by Okey Ndibe
3.  Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
4.  Thunder and Lightning by Natalie Goldberg

February
1.  The Double Life of Fidel Castro
2.  Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (Started a new series)
3.  Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (TBR)
4.  The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (Completed a series!) 

March
1.  The Magician by Michael Scott (Book 2 of a series)
2.  The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
3.  Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

April
1.  The Art of X-Ray Reading
1.  Doodle Art Handbook by Lana Karr
2.  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

May
1.  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (TBR)



What are you reading this week?  How are your reading goals going?

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Ten Reasons I Love my Kindle


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.


The theme at The Broke and the Bookish this week is the Top Ten Reasons I love X.  I thought of all things reading that I love and quickly realized that one on the things I love most is my Kindle!  So without further ado, here are ten reasons that I love my Kindle.

I like reading all types of books, and the amazing thing about reading them on my Kindle is (1)my book always fits in my purse.  I could be reading a hardcover copy of George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, it will still fit in my purse.  In fact, (2)when I am carrying my Kindle, I have a whole library in my purse.  Can you believe that?  It still amazes me, every day.

While I am reading, the Kindle has many advantages.  I really love that (3)I can get instant definitions if I don't understand, or want more information about, a word.  I am fascinated by words.  I also love (4)highlighting my favorite quotes and phrases in a book.  My Kindle allows me to do this without damaging the book in any way.  Also, I can (5)bookmark a page without ever damaging the book or having to remember where the heck I put my bookmark.  I am forever losing bookmarks!

Another thing I love about my Kindle is the great deals I can get on books.  First, (6)I love my e-library!!  I can choose from a wide selection of books.  I can have multiple books on hold and checked out at the same time.  And the best part of all, they automatically take the books back at the end of the lending period, so (7)no more late fees!  Add to that (8)the deals I get through Amazon Prime.  I get to borrow one book each month and with Kindle First, I now get to purchase a free book each month before it is released.  

When I am out in public, the Kindle allows me some anonymity because (9)nobody knows what I am reading!  So I can read something embarrassing without anyone knowing ;)

Of course the last reason I love my Kindle has nothing to do with reading.  I really do love (10)the apps I can get on my Kindle.  They keep me occupied between reads.

By the way, I am not affiliated with Amazon.  I just really love my Kindle :)


What do you really love about reading?
Do you have a Kindle or other e-reader?  Do you love it?