Happy October! A Recap On Life And My Upcoming Reading Goals

Yes, yes I know.  I'm late posting this, but it's been a busy weekend.

But hey!  It's October now! 6 more weeks baby! Yeah!

....Can you tell I'm getting excited about my upcoming due date?

The Midway Recap: What's Been Going On And What I'm Planning

Okay, halfway through September!  8 weeks left to go!

Life Recap

I think this is the first time I'm glad that summer is ending.  The end of this pregnancy is coming and I'm impatient for it to end!  Not only will I finally start getting my body back, I'll also have a son.  I've been feeling him kick all this time; how he kicks when the cat lays down on top of him, how he seems to like rock 'n roll music....I've been learning so much about him all this time, and I just can't wait to meet him in person!

Lately, it seems that I've been getting a mixture of extremely busy days (for a pregnant lady), and lovely days off (this is rare for a self-employed individual, by the way).  Over the past couple of weeks there were times that I was working at least five hours in a row, and staying on my feet and dancing for most of it.  Pre-pregnancy-me would have just shrugged this off, but when you have a bun in the oven, those five hours are exhausting and I end up limping back home because my feet, back, and hips are all killing me!

Happy September! A Monthly Recap And My Upcoming Plans

Woohoo September! Two and a half months to go before Jack arrives!

It's Wednesday The 15th! A Recap At The Halfway Point, And My Plans For The Rest Of The Month

Hey!  We're halfway through August!  Yay!  The end to humidity is coming!

In the past I used to recap every week.  That was hard to maintain, however, so now my strategy is to recap on the 1st of the month, and then again on the 15th of the month.  This seems easier to manage, I think.

So, let's recap on everything, starting with what's been going on with my life!

Life Recap

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks, let me tell you!  I'm now 27 weeks pregnant and I feel like a walrus.  I've started to waddle and I can now rest my coffee mug on top of my belly.  I also rarely sleep through the whole night anymore (I literally wake up at 3 am every morning and can't fall back asleep), and the heat and humidity are making me miserable!

OMG It's Already August! A Monthly Review and My Reading Plans For The Next Four Weeks

Aaaaannd now it's August!

July just had to fly by didn't it?  Ah well, at least it was a fun month!

Life Recap
Well, I've said it in a previous recap; I've taken up swimming and I love it!  I've been going to our local pool and swimming for an hour a day, 4 times a week.  And when I say swimming, I mean genuine lap swimming, like 800 to 1600 yards a day.

(I should probably mention that I used to be a swim teacher and lifeguard; lap swimming used to be my norm)

I'm feeling pretty proud of myself with the exercising.  It feels great when I'm doing it, and it's keeping a lot of the pregnancy aches and pains away.  Plus, the weightlessness in the water is a preggo's idea of luxury!

I've also signed up for prenatal yoga classes at my hospital.  They're nice, easy classes that provide a decent workout, especially for my hips.

Besides the happy exercising, I've got another thing to be happy about: my baby's kicks are now big enough to actually see!  I'm so used to his kicks and punches at this point, but it's pretty awesome that I can now actually see the bigger ones jostle my stomach!

Hello Sunday! A Recap On Reading For This Month So Far

Hey it's Sunday!  I never blog on Sundays!

Well, we are officially halfway through July already, and yet November can't come soon enough.  It's amazing how when you're pregnant time flies by so fast, yet the end goal (ie, Delivery Day) seems so far away.

Happy 4th of July! My (Belated) Monthly Reading Plans During This Summer Heat

Happy Birthday America!

I'm totally late with this post, but I did have a very busy weekend.  And now I finally have a day off where I can finally sit down in front of my computer and relax!

It's Monday! Time For A Recap

Happy Monday folks!

Well, it's definitely a happy day for me.  The sun is shining, my husband's reading, and I'm now in my 20th week of pregnancy.

It's Monday! A Recap Of Last Week And My Current Reading Plans

Happy Monday folks!

I can't believe it's Monday already.  Where did my week go?!!  Heck, how are we already almost mid-way through June?!  My brain is still in May!

Ah well, at least I got some reading done.  It's been a comfort reads sort of week, where I re-read some old favorites for the simple reason that I felt the need to read something familiar and fun.  I blame the pregnancy; it seems that instead of craving certain foods, I'm craving certain stories :)

Anyway,  here's what I finished last week (click on the covers to see my review).  Once again, these are books that I've already read several times.  I love them very much, and I'll continue to love them in the years to come.

Now that these books are done, I'm moving on to yet more comfort reads (sequels), and a book that I have to read for a book club.  I'll let you guess which one is the book club read :)

Ok, apparently I have to stop now.  My husband suddenly wants to run errands and go mattress shopping.  Like now.  Right now.  Like I have to get up immediately......I suspect he's had a little too much coffee this morning.

Anyway, have a great day folks!

Welcome To June! A Look At How I'm Doing This Year So Far

Somehow, it's already June.  I don't know how, but we're already halfway through the year.

And what a busy year it's been!  God, there's so much to cover!  So I'm going to go through this in sections, starting with what's been going on with my life.

It's Monday! What I'm Planning To Finish This Week

It's Monday, and it's snowing outside.

Why on Earth is there snow outside?  In March?!  I don't want the lion anymore, I want the freaking lamb!

March Is Here! My Reading Plans For This Month

Oh my God, I can't believe it's March already!

Happy Hump Day! A Quick Peek At How I'm Reading So Far

Hey it's Wednesday already!  Yippee!

Well, at least Wednesday is starting off okay.  It's not snowing....yet.  They keep giving the Winter-Storm-Alert-Of-Doom and saying that we'll be seeing snow coming down starting at 9 am.  Oh come on people!  It's just going to be a few inches!

It's February Already! My Ambitious Reading Plans This Month

Happy February everyone!

Things are looking up this month!  Our contractor is ready to start our kitchen remodel on Monday (Thank GOD!), I was able to pay off my holiday credit card debt, and I've been exercising every day for two straight weeks!

Happy January! My Mid-Month Plan For The Rest Of The Month

Happy (belated) New Year!

Well, it's a new year and a busy one at that!  Last year was extremely hectic, and even painful at one point (miscarriages are never fun), and I didn't really achieve any goals that I wanted to achieve.  There were some good moments of course; I'm grateful to have such a wonderful husband, and we did get our first house, so there are good things to balance out the craziness that is life.

OMG It's July already! My Goals For This Month

I can't believe we're already halfway through the year, it's gone by so fast!

Happy Monday! How I'm Doing With My Reading Schedule

It's Monday again!

Well, the 25th has come and gone and I've managed to accomplish my goal of finishing books according to schedule!

Yeah, remember?  My obsessive-compulsive reading schedule that only proves that I'm a crazy person?  The one that I made to get me out of my reading slump?

Well, it's working!  Slump is now a distant memory, and I'm only two books away from finishing my 12-book goal!  Yippee!

Here's what I've read this past week (click on the covers for a link to the review):







This is one of my favorites in this series (#5), along with the first book.  You gotta love Temeraire in this one!


















This was a re-read (book 6 is in the series), and, once again, it read better the second time around.  There were still some slow parts, but there were enough interesting bits scattered around to make it fun.














I admit, King has thoroughly confused me with this one.  I'm hoping the subsequent installments in the series will clear things up a little.

















This was a book club BOTM, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  I think I'll read it again later it on; it seems like one of those books that will improve on the re-read.













Okay, I've got only two books left this month.  Two.  That's it.  That's all I'm planning so far.  I need to figure out what next month's books are, but in the meantime, I've got my next two books to read, and here they are (click on the cover to find out more):

This is BOTM read for a book group that has a monthly tag, where you read as many books as you like that fit that tag.  This month's tag is coming-of-age, and this book is considered to fit that tag, so there you go!

This is the next book in the Temeraire series.  I've read it before and I remember vaguely what happens (apparently I only gave it 3 stars last time.  Huh.), but I'm looking forward to reading it again. 

Anyway, I need to get back to reading!  I'm feeling super confident and happy about my goals this month, and I can't wait to finish it!

Happy reading everyone!

It's Monday! Time To Brag A Little

Happy Monday folks!

Well, I'm feeling a little smug.  I've been keeping up with my (slightly crazy) reading schedule, and I'm loving it!  I'm finally finding myself able to actually sit down and read, and enjoy myself on top of it.  It's so depressing when you find yourself unable to do what you love most because there isn't time.  It's even worse when you do have time, and you don't feel in the mood to read, because you're stuck in a rut and you have no momentum to get out of it.

But now I'm officially out of my rut, and back in the swing of things!

For those of you who are wondering what my reading schedule is, let me catch you up:

For the month of June, I want to complete four books every 10 days.  That's 12 books total.

So far, I've completed six books, with two more soon to be finished. Whoohoo!

My upcoming deadline is June 20th, this Tuesday.  I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to finish my current reads by Tuesday evening, despite having just started one of them.  We shall see!

Anyway, here are the books I've finished thus far: (click on the book cover to see the review)

Just finished this one yesterday on audiobook!  This is yet another good continuation in the Temeraire series.  Seriously, if you like books about dragons, this is a good one to read.

This one was a BOTM for a book group and a surprisingly quick read.  I wouldn't say it's the best thriller I've ever read, but it was still fairly decent.

















I finished this earlier in the week.  Empire Of Ivory was book #4 in the series, this one was book #3.  I liked book #4 better, but this was still pretty good.














So, doing well so far!  Here are my upcoming reads for this week: (click on the cover to find out more)

This is a BOTM read for a book club whose meeting is coming up this Tuesday.  So far I'm finding this book to be rather sad...and maybe a little confusing.  I'm definitely looking forward to the upcoming discussion.

This is the audiobook read, and book #5 in the Temeraire series.  This will be a bit of a sprint for me to finish by Tuesday night, but I'm looking forward to reading it.  It's already off to a great start!

The next book-book I'm planning on reading.  It's short, so it'll be a good one to read after all the heavy books I've been working on.

The next installment in the Temeraire series, this one I'm hoping to start listening to on Wednesday.














Anyway, as usual, all this talking about books to read is making me want to read some more, so off I go!  It's going to be a rainy day, so perfect for cozy-ing up with a book.

Happy reading everyone!

Happy Monday! A Recap Of What I've Read, And My Goals For Next Week

Happy Monday folks!

It's gorgeous outside!  A perfect day to sit and read on the porch.  I can't wait to go out there!

I'm feeling pretty good about myself today.  I set a goal to finish 12 books this month, and so far I'm doing pretty well!  I finally finished two books I had been working since May, and while I didn't finish the audiobook I had planned to complete last Saturday, I only have a couple of hours left.

And in other good news, the poison ivy rash that has been plaguing me for the past couple of weeks is finally dying down!  I've been using Benadryl to keep the itch away (surprisingly, it doesn't make me drowsy), and it's looking much better.  I definitely learned my lesson the hard way: I'm super allergic and I need to be extra careful when handling the plant.

To top it off, I'm doing well financially!  Summer is always a good time for dance lessons, which means I'll be expecting a lot of extra cash by the end of this month.  Always a good thing, especially since I have some plans for our garden that I want to put into action.

Anyway, back to reading!  Here are the books I finished this past week.  Click on the book cover to see my full review.

I'm so proud of myself for finishing this book.  I didn't finish this book when I was a kid, and I had been meaning to try again for years.  It was a marathon to read, but I'm glad I'm finally done.  I'm also really heartbroken.  This book was so upsetting to read, but the annotated edition I read was really helpful.

This is the second Russo book I've ever read, and I'm beginning to really like this author.
This book was surprisingly dense, but also pretty darn good.  It has a nice rambling quality, with characters that you can like, although you might get a little exasperated by some of their antics.

This is book 2 in the audiobook series I'm currently working on.  I've read this before, and I did enjoy this book better the second time around.  I don't think I can really declare this series a favorite, though, just a really good series.














Okay, so my next deadline is June 20th.  I know, I know, I'm a little crazy to have a reading schedule, but I feel like I've been in a bit of a slump and I want to get myself back on track.  It's also keeping me away from the TV and bingeing on my favorite shows (like Doctor Who, already approaching the end of Season 4).

Here are the books I hope to finish by the 20th (click on the cover for book details):



This will be the first book to finish.  I was supposed to finish this on the 10th, but I fell behind.  I'm almost done though, with only a couple hours left on the audiobook.

This is the last BOTM for my library book club, before the club takes a break for the summer.  It's not too long, so I feel I can finish this pretty quickly.

Another BOTM for an online book club that I've been neglecting.  This is clearly going to be a fast read.  It didn't take long to finish 10% of the book.  I'll probably finish this in 3 days.

The next installment in the audiobook series I'm listening to.  Definitely will finish this by the 20th.  Easily.

Book 5 of the audiobook series.  This might be a bit of stretch to expect myself to finish this by the 20th, but I'm going to try.  It'll give me a good excuse to go outside and work in the yard, at the very least.













Anyway, it's way too gorgeous to stay inside any longer.  I'm going to finish watching the news and then go out there with a book. Have a great day every one!

Happy June! A Recap Of Last Month, And My Goals For This Month

Yay!  It's June!  It's my favorite month of the year!

It's starting off a little itchy, thanks to the poison ivy incident, but I've had the rash for about a week now, so the itch is finally going down (thank God for meds and calamine lotion!), and I'm feeling optimistic.

My reading didn't pan out so well last month.  I binge-watched a lot of TV, and I focused on the house more than I did reading.  The good news is that my house is slowly looking the way I want it to look, and I have finally figured out a really good cleaning schedule.  Also good is the fact that I made a lot of money teaching dance lessons last month, so I have more than enough to cover the bills (yay!).  The bad news is that I only finished five books, most of them on audio in the car.

Here's what I read.  Click on the book cover to read the review.

May's Books:

A Whole New World, by Liz Braswell
Date Finished: May 9
My Thoughts: An interested retelling of Disney's Aladdin.  It took an unexpected turn at the end, making it a bittersweet story, but I enjoyed it.  Not a masterpiece, but certainly something quick.

Side Jobs: Stories From The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher
Date Finished: May 10
My Thoughts: This is a re-read.  I had just finished the Dresden Files series, and I didn't want to leave that world just yet, so I listened to this one on audio.  As always it didn't disappoint.  If you read this, I recommend reading it at least after book #12 of the series (Changes).

Someone, by Ann McDermott
Date Finished: May 17
My Thoughts: This was a BOTM read for the library book club I'm a part of.  It was an interesting story of the life of a woman living in New York.  The time jumping was a little disorienting at first, but it worked.  Overall I really enjoyed it, especially after the book club discussion.  Great for your next BOTM read.

Cybele's Secret (Wildwood Dancing #2), by Juliet Marillier
Date Finished: May 19
My Thoughts: I read this on a whim.  I didn't realize it was a sequel until I had already started it, but it didn't really detract from the story.  It was an okay YA novel, with the usual love triangle and it's miscommunicating lovers.  The quest was also a little weird, but it was nevertheless an interesting story.  Not Marillier's best work, but still good.










His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1), by Naomi Novik
Date Finished: May 27
My Thoughts:  Another re-read that has now officially become a favorite.  Who can not love Temeraire the dragon?!  It's a fun and fascinating story that explores what our history would have been like if dragons existed.  I found it extremely entertaining from an anthropological point of view.  Definitely continuing the series over the next month.










So, not as bad as it could have been, but I still want to read more this month.  I have an ambitious reading schedule for June: Twelve books.  Yup, twelve.

I'm hoping to complete four books every ten days.  It's a little extreme, especially since at least one book is going to be tough, but I'm ready to try.

June Reading Schedule:

June 1-10

Books #2 and 3 of the Temeraire series.  My audiobook reads.

I'm still working on it from last month.  I'm enjoying it, but it's small print with no real chapter stops, so it's a little hard to read in short sittings.  But I'm determine to finish quickly.

Okay, this one is taking forever.  At this point, I feel like I'm in a marathon.  It's going to be hard to finish in ten days time, but I really want to finish this soon.  It's just so darn depressing!

June 11-20

The next two books in the Temeraire series.  Should be fairly quick audiobooks.

This is a BOTM read.  I feel bad because I haven't read a BOTM for this book group in a while, so I going to read this one, especially since there's a summer reading challenge involved.

Another BOTM read, this time for the library book club.  It's the last meeting before it takes a two-month summer hiatus, so I don't want to miss out.

June 21-30

The next two audiobooks in the series.  I'll be almost done before the month is out.

This is for a BOTM tag for another book club.  A short read, so it should be fairly easy to accomplish.

Another BOTM for yet another book club (yeah, I'm all about the book clubs this month).   I'm hoping my husband will read it with me.  We've been meaning to read this together for a little while.

Okay, enough talk, time for action!  If I want to read all of these books before my birthday (June 30), I'd better get started.  Happy reading everyone!