Tag: historical fiction

Down the TBR Hole #24

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It’s time for a new round of Down the TBR Hole! This is where I go through my Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ shelf and do a bit of cleaning up. If you want to see the full description of what this post is all about, check out my first round HERE.

Hello, reader!

It’s time for another Down the TBR Hole, where I try and trim down my Want to Read shelf to something that is more reflective of books I actually want to read. We’ve all been there where we add books to our TBR and then completely forget that they exist, right? I’m choosing to believe so 😂 I’ve been doing these posts for awhile and, every round, I stumble across books that I don’t even remember adding. And this is why I do it! Nothing wrong with losing interest in a book, after all. No matter how much I wish I could, there’s no way I can read all the books that ever caught my fancy within my short lifespan.

That being said, last round I ended on the nice, round number of 730 books. And, shock of all shocks, my TBR is currently sitting at the same amount! Color me surprised! Let’s see what this round brings us and if I can continue to pare it down a little.

Stiff by Mary Roach

This non-fiction about what can happen to our bodies after we die sounds like something I would thoroughly enjoy. I love science, I love forensics, and I’m intrigued why this is also tagged as ‘Humor’ 👀 If I’m gonna like a non-fiction book, it’ll probably be something like this!

Verdict: Keep

The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

And here we have another book about dead bodies! Was I okay in May of 2017? This is more of a true crime non-fiction as opposed to focusing on the science, but it sounds fascinating. I’m curious how a true crime book from the view of a lawyer will read, so it gets to stick around for now.

Verdict: Keep

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Oh, this one is definitely staying. It has Shakespeare and repellent characters and it’s a thriller! It sounds like it would absolutely be my jam. It’s also got dark academia going for it, so you know my interest is piqued. I’m honestly surprised that I haven’t read it yet!

Verdict: Keep

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First Lines Friday #34

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First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?  If you want to make your own post, feel free to use or edit the banner above, and follow the rules below:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first (I cheat a little bit here *cough*)
  • Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

We’ve made it through another week, which means it’s time for another First Lines Friday! This week, I’m gonna cut out the hints because I’m featuring a pretty heavy-hitter. It’s a bookish community darling that I’ve been wanting to read for A G E S. I’ve put it off for so long because I think I was afraid it wouldn’t stand up to all the hype. I finally picked it up to buddy read it with a bunch of bookish friends and, so far, I’m glad I jumped on the hype train!

So I’m definitely loving this book, but let’s see if the first few lines can make you want to read it, as well!

The Line(s):

“Can you come into my office?“
I look around at the desks beside me and then back at Frankie, trying to confirm to whom, exactly, she’s talking. I point to myself. “Do you mean me?“
Frankie has very little patience. “Yes, Monique, you. That’s why I said, ‘Monique, can you come into my office?'”
“Sorry, I just heard the last part.”
Frankie turns. I grab my notepad and follow her.

The No Hints!:

The Reveal:

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Down the TBR Hole #23

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It’s time for a new round of Down the TBR Hole! This is where I go through my Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ shelf and do a bit of cleaning up. If you want to see the full description of what this post is all about, check out my first round HERE.

Hello, reader!

It’s time to take another look at my Goodreads Want to Read shelf in today’s Down the TBR post! And, perhaps, we can trim off a few more books than I have in the last two rounds. Last round, we ended with 726 books. Now, I’m sitting at 733 books and I’m not entirely sure how that happened. I must have blacked out while browsing Goodreads 😅 But let’s see if can get a least a few books I’m no longer interested in off the TBR and make this more reflective of my actual TBR.

With that said, let’s jump into round twenty-three!

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Though I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, there is something about memoirs involving hiking that get me. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is one of my favorite books of all time! So when I heard about this book, one that follows the author as she hikes and learns, I immediately wanted to read it. Easy choice here!

Verdict: Keep

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

I made a meager attempt to start reading the Discworld books a couple of years ago and, frankly, got a little intimidated by how many there are. But I really loved the first two books I read in the series! I’m going to continue because I know I’m probably going to love the rest. Besides, this book is on my “22 books in 2022” list!

Verdict: Keep

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

I still haven’t read anything by Patrick Ness, but I certainly want to. This one sounds like it could be the one for me. I mean it follows an “ordinary” person surrounded by superheroes and just trying to live their life. It’s a slice-of-life but with, like, death rays. It seems like something I could definitely love.

Verdict: Keep

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Red (Taylor’s Version) Book Tag

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Hello, reader!

Today on the blog, I’m bringing a music inspired book tag. This is the Red (Taylor’s Version) Book Tag as created by Tiffany @ Gazer of Books! Now, I’m not the biggest Swiftie, but I do like her a lot of her music. Folklore was on repeat in my car for an embarrassingly long amount of time. I also love her current project of redoing her old albums so they reflect how she really wanted them to sound. So, while I wasn’t waiting with bated breath for the release of the new and improved Red album, I still enjoyed it when it came out.

That being said, when Tiffany put out a call for bloggers who would like to be tagged, I jumped at the chance. Now, let’s put some music and get to the post!

The Rules:

  • Link to the original creator and her post: Tiffany from Gazer of Books
  • Declare the rules and list of prompts in your post (Feel free to copy the original format and graphics!)
  • Tag all the Swifties in your life!

The Prompts:

Red blurred background,text says: State of Grace - A Painful Romantic Love

State of Grace – A Painful Romantic Love

Though I don’t know how their romance will ultimately end, the first one that popped into my mind was Alyce and Aurora from Malice by Heather Walter. Everything in this story is conspiring against these two and it makes my heart hurt! I loved this story quite a bit and I’m eager to see how their love story will end in the sequel.

Red blurred background, text says: RED - A Book or Character That Makes You See RED

Red – A Book or Character That Makes You See RED

Ooo, do I get to talk about my hatred of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë again? Because that book is the WORST! I apologize to all the WH lovers out there, but I hated this book so much, I “lost” it as soon as I was done with it. I liked literally nothing about it; not the characters, not the plot, not the writing. Everything about this book made me want to raaaaage. Ugh… never again…

RED blurred background, text says: Treacherous - A Book You Couldn't Help But Buy

Treacherous – A Book You Couldn’t Help But Buy

Definitely House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas. Look. I wanted to try a SJM book and this cover was very pretty.

I also came across it in a Target, I believe, and I just… couldn’t… resist! I snapped it up and now it sits on my TBR bookshelf with all of my other impulse buys 😂

Still, I am excited to read this one!

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The 12 Challenge: 12 months, 12 books, 12 friends

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Hello, reader!

If you spend anytime in the online bookish community, you probably already know what this post is about. You probably saw a certain graphic floating around the internet at the beginning of 2022. If not, let me give you a peek at the beautiful template made by @shadowbooker over on Instagram!

Image

This graphic/challenge prompts you to read 12 books that have been recommended to you by 12 friends. It sounded like fun (and was literally everywhere), so I figured I would give it a shot! So, through a mix of both online and IRL friends and family, I cobbled together a TBR of twelve recommendations that I wish to read in 2022.

My 12 Challenge

First, I want to say “Thank you!” to everyone who gave me a recommendation! I made sure to ask for books beyond my usual SFF realm and y’all certainly delivered. I think I have a good mix of SFF, mystery/thriller, and romance going on here and that’s exactly what I asked for. I do love my fantasy and science fiction, but 2022 feels like a good year to try and branch out a little more. That being said, let’s take a look at the books that I ended up choosing from all your wonderful recommendations ❤

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Down the TBR Hole #20

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It’s time for a new round of Down the TBR Hole! This is where I go through my Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ shelf and do a bit of cleaning up. If you want to see the full description of what this post is all about, check out my first round HERE.

Hello, reader!

We’re inching ever closer to Christmas and ya girl is feeling pretty good about it. Why? Because I actually finished Christmas shopping before the week before Christmas Eve 😂 I’m on the ball this year! Now to get back on the ball with blogging. I may have the presents purchased but I’m still feeling s t r e s s e d. And that has made me slow down on my blogging. So, in an effort to get my steam back, I figured it would be a good day for another Down the TBR Hole!

Let’s see… last round, I ended up with 652 books on my Want to Read shelf. I’m currently sitting at 656 books which isn’t bad! It may be what I started with last round, but let’s not talk about that. Alright, let’s get into it!

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkowski

Look. I have SO. MANY. fantasy series on my TBR. Some I’ve started, some I want to start, and some I added because they were popular at the time. This book/series falls into that last category. Does it sound interesting? Kinda? But not enough for me to keep it around.

Verdict: Remove

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge

Hahaha, I don’t even remember adding this book. And, after reading the synopsis and glancing at a few reviews, I’m not inclined to keep it around. Again… I already have so many fantasy series on my TBR. Why keep one around I’m not interested in?

Verdict: Remove

Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley

Here’s another one I have no memory of adding, lol. This is a book filled with horrific short stories which sounds delightful! It may not be spooky season anymore, but this one is definitely sticking around.

Verdict: Keep

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November 2021 Wrap Up

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Hello, reader!

We’ve made it to the last month of 2021, which means it’s time to wrap up my reading in November. It was a weird one, I’ll tell ya that! I found myself in a strange, slumpy mood which means I didn’t read nearly as much as I usually do. Still, I’m happy about the books I did read because I enjoyed all of them. Seriously, I didn’t read anything under four stars.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I? Let’s get to the post!

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

Book: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: This was such an interesting read. It was my first time reading a graphic memoir and I really enjoyed it. It was heartbreaking and incredibly moving at times. I also enjoyed the art style. I definitely want to continue the author’s story!

Book: Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: I read this book for a blog tour run by TBR & Beyond Tours. I absolutely loved this Black mermaid tale! It had a bit of a slow start, but it certainly gripped me by the end. And the world-building was great! You can read my full review here.

Book: Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: This was such an intense, short read that completely gripped me from beginning to end. I loved the writing style, the characters, and the concept. And it packed quite the emotional punch. It definitely made me want to read more from this author!

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Down the TBR Hole #19

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It’s time for a new round of Down the TBR Hole! This is where I go through my Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ shelf and do a bit of cleaning up. If you want to see the full description of what this post is all about, check out my first round HERE.

Hello, reader!

It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? I decided to take the weekend off from blogging because ya girl is feeling some burnout coming on. And I don’t want to burnout before December because I do love doing end-of-year posts! So I’m trying to not push myself too hard.

That being said, I wanted to do my usual 5 On My TBR post today, but the theme is “On Writing” and have literally no books on my TBR that have to do with the craft. So, instead, I decided to do a different TBR post and have another round of Down the TBR Hole! If you recall, I ended last round sitting at 654 books on my Want to Read shelf. Now? I’m at 656 books. Which is not bad for all the books that have been catching my attention recently! Let’s see if I can make some more room for 2022 releases.

Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines

We’re starting off with a conundrum. You know I love books about books and that’s exactly what this fantasy is promising. It has magic users that can pull objects from books and are led by Johannes Gutenburg! But the synopsis just sounds so dull… and that’s saying a lot since it mentions vampires. I have too many books on my TBR to keep one that can’t even spark my interest with all the pluses it has going for it.

Verdict: Remove

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

I recently talked about this book in a 5 On My TBR, so you know it’s sticking around! It sounds whimsical and right up my alley. I do love a middle grade that has puzzles and this seems like it’s full of them. I’m excited to read it… eventually.

Verdict: Keep

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

This was on my TBR before I even know about the Lunar Chronicles. Which I have now started reading and this poor book is still chilling here. I think I know why, though. As much as I love retellings, I am not a fan of Alice in Wonderland, which makes me hesitant to pick this one up. Perhaps I’ll read it one day, but I think it’s gotta free up space for now.

Verdict: Remove

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#5OnMyTBR – Family

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#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook where you chose five books from your to-be-read pile that fit that week’s theme. If you’d like more info, head over to the announcement post!

Hello, reader!

It’s time for another 5 On My TBR! This week’s theme is pretty broad. We’re talking about books about family. There are so many books on my TBR that could fit this category! I’ve decided to go with books that really focus on family drama or family dynamics. There were still a ton of those to choose from, but I’ve finally narrowed it down to five I want to feature.

With that being said, let’s jump in!

#1. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

This family drama featuring two Black sisters has been on my TBR since it was released. I don’t read a lot of literary fiction, but this sounds like something I could love. It also sounds like it might break my heart… we shall see! It’s the story of sisters who lead very different lives. I’ve heard nothing but great things about this book, so I hope to get to it soon!

#2. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Spoiler alert: all the books on this post are literary/historical fiction. For someone who doesn’t read from those genres a lot, I certainly have a lot on my TBR 😂 This is a book that I got solely because I loved another book by this author. It does sound interesting, though. It follows a family surviving off the grid in Alaska. I can only imagine there will be plenty of drama involved.

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Down the TBR Hole #17

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It’s time for a new round of Down the TBR Hole! This is where I go through my Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ shelf and do a bit of cleaning up. If you want to see the full description of what this post is all about, check out my first round HERE.

Hello, reader!

It’s been an eventful weekend, so this post is coming to you a little later in the day. My best friend took me to see Hadestown and now I’m kind of obsessed 👀 It was incredible! And then I had to go into work today and I am a tired bean. But not too tired to do another round of Down the TBR Hole!

Let’s see… last round, we ended with 643 books on my Want to Read shelf. Currently, I’m sitting at… the exact same number! How am I accomplishing this feat of self-restraint?! And can I apply this to other aspects of my life? That aside, let’s see if I can pare down this number even more.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Even though I’ve yet to read any Sherlock Holmes, this reimagining sounds like something I could love. We’re following the great-great-granddaughter of Holmes himself as she does some detective work of her own. It sounds intriguing, and I actually own a copy, so it definitely gets to stay.

Verdict: Keep

Hanover House by Brenda Novak

I’m fairly certain this isn’t the only Brenda Novak novel on my Want to Read shelf. Having read the synopsis, let’s hope the other one can capture my interest more. I mean, this sounds like a decent thriller, but it doesn’t sound like my cup of tea. Better luck next time!

Verdict: Remove

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

I remember adding this book because it was a friend’s favorite childhood book series. And then I found out there was a magical pig involved. It’s frankly shocking that I haven’t already read this! This is an older fantasy series, so who knows how it’s held up to time, but I’m certainly still intrigued.

Verdict: Keep

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