Happy Tuesday! A Belated Post About My Reading Goals This Week

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I have a perfectly good excuse for not posting yesterday.  Well, excuses really.

First, Dave and I had to finish our tax return, which of course took longer than expected (we hate taxes with fiery passion.)

Second, I went outside to a gorgeous day to tackle lawn-cleaning.

I gotta admit, I was a little intimidated by our lawn and the amount of work that needs to be done.  Before we swooped in and bought it, our house had been completely empty for over a year, and whoever was in charge of ensuring that the yard wasn't overgrown only did a cursory mowing once every few weeks.  So the lawn is bare with overgrown grass, the flower beds are a mess, there's weird plant life trying to take over, and the previous tenants left behind all sorts of junk.  For someone who's been an apartment dweller for the past six years, you can only imagine how overwhelming the whole thing seems.

So I called my mom for help, and she gave me helpful advice on how to get started.  So now I have a step list to follow!

Step 1: Rake the lawn and pick up all the leaves and sticks.

Step 2: Mow the lawn!

Step 3: Clean out the junk behind the shed and create a pile that's going to the landfill.  Make that space the new compost corner

Step 4: Clean out the flower beds and loosen the soil in preparation for planting

Step 5: identify the plant life and remove what I don't want

Step 6: start landscaping and planting (start simple)

Not bad for the beginner home owner, right? (I hope so!)

Now that I have a plan, I'm enthusiastically taking action.  But I'm now discovering that Step 1....is going to take forever!  I kid you not, I spent 3 hours on only one section of lawn and removed so much debris, and there's still a lot left to clean.  Raking our lawn is like combing through hair with excessive dandruff; no one has worked on this yard for so long that there are patches of leaves stuck deep in the grass.  It's going to take me all week to thoroughly clean the lawn, and I'm going to have a huge pile of compost afterwards.

I'm enjoying the task, though.  It's rewarding to see progress in all the hard work you're doing, and I can see our yard look gradually cleaner and neater.  I think I'm going to enjoy the whole landscaping process.

Plus, it's giving me a chance to go hardcore on listening to audiobooks! Thanks to the yard work, I finished a couple of books within a matter of days, and now I'm all caught up with my reading goal!  Yay!

So here's the reading plan for this week.  I'm planning on finish two audiobooks and one hard-copy book.

The two audiobooks are:

And the hard-copy book will be one of these:

Okay, enough talk.  I'm going to put on some sunscreen and a hat, and I'm going outside to rake some more!  Have a beautiful day everyone!

Book Review: Turn Coat (Dresden Files #11), by Jim Butcher

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Date Published: April 2009
Publisher: Roc
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 420 pages/14 hours 40 minutes

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: When it comes to the magical ruling body known as the White Council, Harry keeps his nose clean and his head down. For years, the Council has held a death mark over Harry's head. He's still thought of as a black sheep by some and as a sacrificial lamb by others. But none regard him with more suspicion and disdain than Morgan, a veteran Warden with a grudge against anyone who bends the rules.

Like Harry.

So when Morgan turns up asking for help, Harry isn't exactly eager to leap into action. Morgan has been accused of treason against the White Council, and there's only one final punishment for that crime. He's on the run, he wants his name cleared, and he needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog.

Like Harry.

Now Harry must uncover a traitor within the Council, keep a less than agreeable Morgan under wraps, and avoid coming under scrutiny himself. And a single mistake may cost someone his head.

Like Harry...

My Rating:

 ★★★★ 1/2

.....For being an excellent continuation of the series

Book Review: The Peach Keeper, by Sarah Addison Allen

Genre: Fiction/Magical Realism
Date Published: 2011
Publisher: Bantum Books
# Of Pages 273 pages

Goodreads

Synopsis: It's the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam--built by Willa's great-great-grandfather and once the finest home in Walls of Water North Carolina--has stood for years as a monument to misfortune and scandal. Willa has lately learned that an old classmate--socialite Paxton Osgood--has restored the house to its former glory, with plans to turn it into a top-flight in. But when a skeleton is found buried beneath the property's lone peach tree, long-kept secrets come to light, accompanied by a spate of strange occurrences throughout the town. Thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery. Willa and Paxton must confront the passions and betrayals that once bound their families--and uncover the truths that have transcended time to touch the hearts of the living.

My Rating:

 ★★★ 1/2

.....For being sweet, simple, and short

Happy Monday and Happy April! My Reading Plans For This Month

Hey it's Monday everyone!

I have to admit, I'm feeling rather exhausted.  I went to bed at a reasonable hour, woke up late, and I'm still feeling wiped out.  Ugh.

On the other hand, I'm feeling optimistic about this month.  I'll be going to California for a week towards the end of April for a friend's wedding and I'm finally feeling financially secure (I used to have quite a bit of credit card debt, but that has finally been wittled down to almost nothing, and I have money set aside.  Yay!)

I also did something pretty cool yesterday morning: I walked my cat.  Yup, that's right, I put a harness and leash on Miesha and took her outside (she's an indoor cat).  It was surprising how much fun it was.  Miesha didn't seem to mind the harness at all, and she had a blast exploring our porch.  She was too timid to try exploring the yard, but she still enjoyed the walk.  I'm going to have to update her vaccine shots and flea/tick prevention, and I need to maybe buy a longer leash, but I can see this becoming a regular thing!

Anyway, I found myself reading a bunch this month, and I have great plans for this month.  I am on a reading roll!

Here's what I read this past month:

Whoohoo!  11 books!

So, this month my goal is to focus on book club reads.  I've been so busy the past several months that I had to give up my book clubs for a while (*cue sad violin music*).  But now, I'm settling comfortably into my new home so I have more time to sit down and read (*cue Rocky theme music*).

So here are my book club reads (click on the image to view their Goodreads page):

The first two are for online book clubs, the second two are for F2F book clubs.

Of course I have other books I plan to read so here they are (click on the image to find out more):

So, that's another 11 books this month.  That's about 3 books a week.  I better get busy!  Wish me luck!  I'm going to go walk my cat now.

Thoughtful Thursday: Attack On Titan Season 2 is coming to the USA!

Good morning everyone!

I've been trying to figure out what to write about today.  I was hoping to write something philosophical, or write about my plans for upgrading the house, but I felt uninspired to write an intelligent post.

....So, I'm going to write about something my husband and I are looking forward to: Attack On Titan Season 2!

Book Review: Small Favor (Dresden Files #10), by Jim Butcher

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Date Published: April 2008
Publisher: Roc
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 420 pages/13 hours 47 minutes

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: Harry Dresden's life finally seems to be calming down -- until a shadow from the past returns. Mab, monarch of the Sidhe Winter Court, calls in an old favor from Harry -- one small favor that will trap him between a nightmarish foe and an equally deadly ally, and that will strain his skills -- and loyalties -- to their very limits.

My Rating:

 ★★★★

.....For being good, but a little more serious

Happy Monday Folks! My Goals This Week.

It's Monday!

Granted it's pouring rain out, but that only means it's perfect weather for reading.

Today feels like it's going to be a good day.  I'm ahead of my own self-imposed reading schedule,  and while I haven't had time to post six posts last week, I still posted pretty regularly.

So what did I read last week?  Well, here's the list:

Proven Guilty (Dresden Files #8), by Jim Butcher: I'm just plowing right through this series!  Sure this is a re-read, but that doesn't diminish this book in the slightest.

Ragtime, by E.L. Doctorow I had to rush to finish this excellent piece of literature, but I managed to finish this just in time for the family book club meeting.  For anyone who wants to read something with quality writing, this is a good book.

White Night (The Dresden Files #9), by Jim Butcher Yet another great installment in the Dresden Files series.  I can guarantee I'll finish this series by the end of April.

Of The Trees, by E.M. Fitch Okay, so the author's mom gave me this book to read and provide an honest review.  I don't normally read books for the sake of an honest review, and I was dreading the day I would have to tell the mom that I didn't like this book.
.....So I was really surprised that I liked the book!  Creepy, suspenseful, it's definitely worth a look.

Attack On Titan Vol. 1, by Hajime Isayama I didn't write a review for this because I couldn't think of anything to say for a graphic novel that I read because I'm re-watching the TV series.  Suffice it to say that I love the TV show, and the graphic novel it was based on is equally good.












So I started the week saying my goal was to read three books.  I ended up reading five books.  Count 'em.  Five.  So I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. :)

This week, my goal is to read another three novels.  The next book (or two) of the Dresden Files will be a part of this goal, of course, and maybe the next volume of Attack On Titan.  I have no idea what else I'll be reading, but I figure I'll read something good.  I'll just see what I'm in the mood for.

I'm also doing a long-term reading project.  I've been meaning to read this book for years, and I finally felt inspired to start it:

I'm definitely not going to finish this in a week; it's five hundred pages worth of Roman history.  So my goal is to read 100 pages a week and finish this book by the first week of May.

Well, that's it for me.  Dave and I are feeling a strong urge to get back in shape, so we're going to go to the gym.  Ta-ta y'all!

Book Review: Of The Trees, by E.M. Fitch

Genre: Young Adult paranormal horror
Date Published: February 28th 2017
Publisher: Month9Books
# Of Pages: 300 pages

Goodreads

Synopsis: Cassie and Laney fancy themselves amateur ghost hunters. When a carnival comes to town, Cassie embraces the chance to try something new.

Carnival workers watch the girls with a collective gaze that ignites in Laney a dark and dangerous fascination, leaving Cassie unnerved.

It's not just their age or the unsettling way they stare. There is something in the shifting of their skin and the way their features seem to change in the shadows.

Cassie can't shake this sickening feeling that there's more to the carnival than meets the eye.

When townspeople suddenly start dying and bloody warnings appear around town, Cassie is lured into a nightmare where trees whisper and strange, shape-shifting men haunt the backwoods she once hunted for ghosts with her best friend.

Then Laney goes missing, and only Cassie can get her back. But the creatures of the trees aren't simply going to hand Laney over to Cassie without getting something in return.

My Rating:

 ★★★★

.....For Exceeding My Expectations

Book Review: White Night (Dresden Files #9), by Jim Butcher

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Date Published: April 2007
Publisher: Roc
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 407 pages/14 hours, 13 minutes

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: In Chicago, someone has been killing practitioners of magic, those incapable of becoming full-fledged wizards. Shockingly, all the evidence points to Harry Dresden's half brother, Thomas, as the murderer. Determined to clear his sibling's name, Harry uncovers a conspiracy within the White Council of Wizards that threatens not only him, but his nearest and dearest, too.

My Rating:

 ★★★★ 1/2

.....For being fun as usual

A Thoughtful Thursday: I Need To Get Organized!

Soo, I was trying to figure out what I was going to write about today, and at first I thought I should join a book blogging meme today.  But I didn't see one I was interested in trying today.

....Then it occurred to me that I haven't written a Favorite Spotlight post in years. So I sat down and went to work to write about a favorite book. I checked out my Favorites page and Goodreads shelves for inspiration....

....and now I realize that I have some work to do.  My Book Favorites pages look fine at first glance, but upon close inspection I see that they're outdated and contain bad links.  My Goodreads shelves don't look any better either.

I've gotta get organized.  No doubt about it.  It's time for a little spring cleaning

I'm sure no one really cares about how I'm going organize everything, but since I'm using this post to help organize my tired brain, you'll have to bear with me a little.

I think what I'm going to do first is organize Goodreads.  I'll get rid of duplicate copies, and make sure I have shelves that I'm going to actually use. Then I'm going to go through my blog and make sure my tags and shelves match, and then I'm going to update  my book favorites page and make sure everything is working.

Well here goes!  Wish me luck!