Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).
1. Was (randomly) chosen to pattern test a crochet pattern! It was an experience and I learned a lot about the process. (This was my first ever one and I didn't realize you were supposed to send the mistakes pretty much as soon as you saw them. I thought it was more of a complete the process and then send in all your notes at the end thing.)

2. My daughter got into her school's Robotic's Club. They do Lego Robotics and compete with other schools in the area. She's been wanting to join since she started at this school 2 years ago and now, as a 6th grader, she is allowed to join.

3. I have a love/hate relationship with frugal blogs. I need the inspiration and motivation, but I need to find ones that are more practical.

4. This fabulousness showed up on my doorstep today!


5. Disappointed in this week's Difficult People. They had 5 plots going on ... in a 30 min sitcom. Too much. Some of the ideas were good, but it's hard to care about something with 4 other things going on all at once. 

Until next time! .~*💙Shannon

My Favorite .. Time to Blog


My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info: My Favorite Meme.

This week's topic: Time to Blog

I guess... morning. 

I'm *kind of* a private person. It makes me anxious if I feel like anyone is watching me do anything.
My daughter is back in school so when I get back from dropping her off and getting my son situated, it is the perfect time. I don't have anyone over my shoulder pestering me.

I also prefer getting it done Mondays and Tuesdays. I haven't been doing so great with that part, but I did do it a few times over the summer and can honestly say it was a lot easier to just knock the following week's entries out of the way so I could focus on other things. 

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion created by Rainy Day Ramblings.
What are some long running series that you would like to try?
Similar theme as last week, but more detailed! For me, I'm going to consider "long running" to either mean series that have at least 5 books (and possibly more planned) in them.

I'm going to include a few that I've actually read the first book (or more), because it's been so long since I've read them.

I'll take "Things That Aren't Actually Problems" for 200, Alex.

A Song of Fire and Ice
I had initially planned on reading this series very slowly because I already knew the 6th book was taking forever to come out. I figured if I read one book a year, by the time I came to book 5, the 6th would be out. I could read it then.

I read the first one in 2014 and haven't read any of the others. It's not at the top of my priorities.

 

Dresden Files
I read Storm Front sometime between 2011 and 2012. Unfortunately I don't have the exact date because (almost) everything in my goodreads account starts at 2012. 
I know the timeline because I received this one free through a B&N promotion where you actually had to go to the store to receive a coupon code to get the ebook for free.
---My first ereader was the original B&N nook with the cute cover scrolling screen on the bottom. The battery life sucked, but it was a very pretty device. 

Outlander
Got this one for free because it was the, I want to say, 30th anniversary of it's release and a new one was coming out. I was pleasantly surprised by it. It does get a lot of hate, but I liked it.
I have not been able to get through the second book. I was told by a friend I  trust on books like this that it does get better... after about 75% of the book, but the others in the series are worth the slog. I'm actually working on reading the second book in audio to sort of get through the bad parts and then hope to start book 3 in ebook (which I own).
But, of course, I'm rereading Outlander first.

Chronicles of Brother Cadfael
Read the first one after a lot of recommendations. I've just never got around to reading the rest and I own the majority of the series. (I have a book owning/buying checklist for this one in my bullet journal.) 

Miss Marple & Hercule Poirot
These are two separate series, but they are by the same author so I'm grouping them. I have read the first Miss Marple and really want to read Murder on the Orient Express so I can see the new movie. I just have to get my hands on it.

The Wheel of Time
This series and I have a long history. The reason I stopped reading the series is it starts to drag terribly starting around book 4 or 5. I don't remember which, but either 5 or 6 was the one where I just gave up about a quarter of the way through. Even pacing myself with other books in the middle, I just couldn't do it.

You may be wondering why I would bother trying to get back into the series. Well, I have a soft spot for it and the series really does mean a lot to me...

(Sorry, long tangent below, you can skip if you like.) 

.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.

I picked the first one up circa October or November 2001. I remember this because my dad was PCSed my senior year of high school. (For the non-military people... PCS means Permanent Change of Station. It means you have to move.) I am not, nor have I ever been, great at making friends. The first few months were completely isolating. And yes, I went into a full depression. I did meet some people eventually, but until then... the library was the only place I went "out" to. The Wheel of Time was kind of my best friend for a little while.

To top that experience off, when I went on my first date with my (now) husband, he had asked me all the usual awkward date questions. One being "do you read?" "what do you read?". I was 18 at the time and was kind of embarrassed about my love of fantasy.

I had previously learned that if you listed authors instead of book or series titles, no one could tell what you were reading unless they themselves had read it. Obviously, would NOT work in today's world, but in the early 2000s, no one ever caught on.

I went through my usual list of authors and I just remember him stopping me and saying, "Wait? Robert Jordan?! You read The Wheel of Time?" "um... yeah". "[random question about the characters or something]". That was kind of it. No, this isn't some romantic story where I knew then and there we'd end up together. It was just something that opened my eyes that other people were out there reading the same shit I was and I'd never come across that before. 

.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.

Also, if you read all that mess up there, kudos.

There are some others, but there is a lot of writing up here, so I'm going to leave it as is.

Bonus Round:
Mostly rereads, but I've been planning a reread of The Baby-Sitters Club and The Animorphs at some point. I haven't figured out quite how to fit them in yet. We'll see. (But I have definitely not read all of either of these.) 

All Things Wise and Wonderful - James Herriot

This post contains affiliate links.

Summary (from goodreads):
The third volume in the multimillion copy bestselling series

Readers adored James Herriot's tales of his life as a Yorkshire animal doctor in All Creatures Great and Small and All Things Bright and Beautiful. Now here's a third delightful volume of memoirs rich with Herriot's own brand of humor, insight, and wisdom.

In the midst of World War II, James is training for the Royal Air Force, while going home to Yorkshire whenever possible to see his very pregnant wife, Helen. Musing on past adventures through the dales, visiting with old friends, and introducing scores of new and amusing character--animal and human alike--Herriot enthralls with his uncanny ability to spin a most engaging and heartfelt yarn.

Millions of readers have delighted in the wonderful storytelling and everyday miracles of James Herriot in the over thirty years since his delightful animal stories were first introduced to the world.
.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.

Edition Read: Audiobook via Audible
Where (else) to buy: kobo*, google play, amazon*, nook*

Pro Tip:
While I personally believe James Herriot's series is worth every penny, the ebook versions are published (at least in the US) by Open Road Media. Open Road Media has daily sales on various titles and I've seen these selling at a steep discount. It may be worth your while to hold out for a sale. They are also couponable at Kobo, if you can get your hands on a working code.
Bit o Background:
My dad is the one who got me into this series when I was in my teens.

Thoughts:
This is my least favorite James Herriot book. But, as the saying goes... "The best day of fishing beats the best day of working".... well, the worst James Herriot book beats the best of a lot of other books.

As per the summary, this sort of focuses on his time in the RAF during WW2, but mostly it's flashbacks to being a vet before then. There are many great animal/people stories. Most of the military ones aren't great, although there a couple of good ones.

Verdict:

I recommend this to everyone, but I think that's obvious! (Particularly good if you love animal stories.)

Quibble GIANT PROBLEM:
I listened to the audiobook this time around and there is a HUGE mistake with the audio version. When switching to digital, someone clearly put one of the tapes or CDs in the wrong order. (Tape transitions can be heard from the intro and closing music) For the Audible version, in the middle of "chapter 50" (audiobook chapter, not actual book chapter), it switches over to the LAST tape, then switches back to the correct one in the middle of "chapter 55". I have checked the reviews and there is at least one complaint as far back as 2012 and it has still not been corrected in 2017. (If you would like to listen, wait for the music mid-chapter 50, then skip to mid chapter 55, might take a bit to find the intro music, and then switch back when you reach the "end" of the book.)

This did not take off points from the actual book as it is of no fault to the author or narrator, but clearly someone during the digital conversion process.

*This is an affiliate link

Book Blogger Hop: Aug 25th - 31st


Have you ever read a book written in a foreign language you might be fluent in, and then read the same book in English? -Maria @ A Night's Dream of Books


I only speak English, so, yeah. no. :( 

That does sound kind of fun.
I have read a fan translation of one of my all time favorite games (Final Fantasy VI) and that was interesting. I enjoyed it because I'm extremely familiar with the script* and I could see why certain choices were made. 

*I had one of those defective cartridges that would randomly erase games, so ... I've played it a lot. I also own a lot of copies... more than one person should, really. 


Bookish (and not so bookish!) Thoughts

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).
1. Went to an amusement park with the family + my brother-in-law and his family. It was mostly fun, though when you throw tweens into the mix of anything... well, yeah. Not going into details (her life), but ugh. I hate this stage. It was mostly fun though.

2. Almost passed out at work on Sunday. It's not as big of a deal as it sounds. It was a combination of things. Let's just say, it won't be an issue NEXT week. I kind of feel stupid because I'm over 30 and this happened. I knew when I woke up, I should probably call out, but didn't.
I stuck it out for a few hours after that (I was put to work inside, with air conditioning), but still ended up going home early after a couple of hours. (To be fair, when I left, I'd finished everything that I had needed to do and unless I could go outside, there was no point in me staying anyway.) I will say, I am glad for awesome managers. I may bitch and moan about my job a lot, but I love my managers.

3. My husband took the kids to the beach on Sunday, while I was at work. Now there is sand all over the house. *ugh*

4. Made the decision to not preorder the SNES classic. The Super Nintendo is my absolute favorite gaming system of all time so this wasn't an easy decision to make. However I didn't want half the games that were included. The ones I did want, most of them, I already own via the Wii U's virtual console. Most of the others I can buy the same way. (The exception being Secret of Mana, which is only available through the Switch. Which we will get ... eventually. Plus there are emulators out there.)
idk, I just did the math and it didn't make sense. But a part of me is sad because I do love that system and this new one is very cute.
The other part says if I'm going to drop $80 on something, why not beef up my desktop (very much overdue) or put it towards a new ereader.

5. I won another goodreads giveaway. O_O Also, have too many netgalley stuff. D: I mean, I'm happy and excited, but I need to stop. But the compulsions to stop doing something for free is a bit hard. I've put a moratorium on netgalley requests for the moment though.

6. Speaking of netgalley, I had to return ANOTHER book?! It was also a pdf. Ugh. I really should find an ereader that converts pdfs well. My current one does not. It sucks because this is the second book I genuinely wanted to read that I've had to turn in.

7. (Okay, I added this after publishing). I did not participate in the eclipse watching. I have a 4 year old son who is hit and miss when it comes to following directions. Sometimes he does really well, other times... not so much. I know I made the right call because I watched some of it live on PBS and he instantly went "oh let's go outside and look at the sun". Yeah... sorry kid. No.
It was my daughter's first day of school and they held a special eclipse viewing event...party... thing after school. (First day so they got out early.) They had glasses provided by NASA. So she got to see it. (Although she complained that we didn't have 100% totality. *eyeroll*).

My Favorite .. Drink To Read With


My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info: My Favorite Meme.

This week's topic: Drink To Read With

Honestly, sweet tea. 
But, I'm kind of picky about my sweet tea. It has to be the right temperature (ice cold), right amount of sweetness, and homemade tastes way better than any of that stuff they sell in stores. (Believe me, I have tried.) I'm also lazy about making the tea. It's not a lot of work or even time consuming, but it does require me to be in the kitchen AND pay attention to it. You also have to add the sugar in at the right time or it doesn't melt properly. When it's good, it's amazing, but when it's not... it's mediocre. 
So, usually, I end up not drinking it at all.
Usually I drink soda and more lately have been trying to add water to that as well.
Not, into the soda, but just a glass of water instead of a soda.
It's going okay. It's a process. 
Oh... and I love hot tea when it's actually cold and not humid. My favorite is Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime with Vanilla.

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion created by Rainy Day Ramblings.
Who are some authors you have been meaning to read?

Oh, so many.

I don't really read by author, but by book. This list was quite a bit longer, but I cut it down to only include a few authors who have more than one book I plan to read... eventually.


Bernard Cornwell
Jane Austen
J.R.R. Tolkien
Julian Fellowes
Michael R Underwood
Octavia E. Butler
Wilkie Collins

Honorable mention:
Caroline Kepnes.
I really want to read You. However, none of my libraries have it on ebook and I can not bring myself to drop $12 on one ebook, especially by an untested author.

I have this one in my ereaderiq, but alas, I always seem to miss the sales.
Update: I just noticed I did the authors in alphabetical order by first name... hopefully the library gods won't come and take my card away. 😱

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Mindy Kaling

This post contains affiliate links.

Summary (from goodreads):
Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”

Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!

In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.
.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.

Edition Read: Audiobook via Overdrive from my local library
Where (else) to buy: kobo*, google play, amazon*, nook*

Thoughts:
It's hard to rate a book like this. It's kind of a memoir, but really a serious of hilarious and charming essays, many that stray into memoir territory.

This was a joy to listen to. I won't say I agreed with everything she said, but I did with a lot of it. (I hate Chuck Taylor's. #sorrynotsorry)

I haven't physically read the book, but if you have, I would still recommend looking into the audiobook. I enjoy celebrity memoirs/autobiographies and this was the first one I listened to and it was a nice experience all around.

(I'll have to see if Alison Argrim narrates Confessions of a Prairie Bitch, my all time favorite autobiography.)

Verdict:

Funny and sweet. Recommended to all Mindy Kaling fans. She does not disappoint.

*This is an affiliate link

Book Blogger Hop: August 18th - 24th


When you enter an unfamiliar house or apartment for the first time, do you feel disappointed if you don't see any bookshelves, or books on the coffee table?Maria @ A Night's Dream of Books
Maybe at one point, but not so much anymore. 
Bookshelves aren't an indication of whether or not people read.

Plus not everyone enjoys reading and that's okay.

................

Growing up, we didn't have a lot of money and my dad was in the military  (A lot of moving).  And I'm one of 6 kids. My parents did their best to keep things relatively equal.

I did not have many books. We were vicarious voracious readers, but it was mostly through the library.

Now I have primarily switched to ereading. I have a few physical books, but they are crafting books with a few "I haven't read this yet and it's cheaper this way" sprinkled in.

However my kids have tons and tons of physical books... And we still go to the library.



(*Edit: I really should have edited this one before hitting publish. 😅😳)

Bookish (and not so bookish!) Thoughts

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).
1. Made vague attempt at bullet journaling again. It's only been a few days, but we'll see how it goes.

2. Started using Habitica again. Admittedly, this is a bit redundant when it comes to bullet journaling, but I'm trying. I joined a million challenges. I think I'm going to leave a couple, some are repeats (so I get to check things off twice!) and others are maybe too involved? idk. I'm testing the waters before I dive in and make my own challenges.

3. Worked both weekend days last weekend. That sounds like a weird thing to announce, but I've only been working one day a week lately. I need to stop that mess though! (School is starting up soon, so a good chunk of the kids are leaving so... more hours for everyone!)

4. The kids are dying to see The Emoji Movie. I just have not been able to stomach paying that kind of money to go see that movie. Well, when visiting my dad he made a deal with the kids that when it comes out on video he will rent it (via iTunes) and they can come over and watch it then. I do a lot for my kids, but that movie looks terrible... and I'm probably going to end up buying it for them for Christmas (if they end up liking it) anyway.

5. Just received a rejection from a netgalley request. I had mentally relegated to "too polite to reject" a little while ago. (Anything that isn't approved within 2 weeks is generally not going to approve you. Hell, even within ONE week!) So... that was weird.
I don't have enough followers, page reviews, or any sort of blog related social media presence to make me appealing to big name publishers. ;) 

6. Finished my daughter's blanket. My arm is so tired.



Until next time! .~*🖤Shannon

My Favorite.. Thing About Summer


My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info: My Favorite Meme.

This week's topic: Things About Summer

I have kids, so... the fact that it's almost over!


 



Okay, okay. I'm kidding. Sort of. 
If I'm honest, I don't like summer. 
I do get why other people like it, it's just not my thing.
.
Why I don't like Summer...
1. I work at an amusement park and this is our busy season. 
2. The kids decided that tormenting each other was going to be their favorite activity.
3.The weather is terrible. It's always hot, humid, and often, raining.
(I like rain, but this rain is hot and does't get rid of the mugginess.) 
Bring on Fall!
(Edited after the fact: I may have been a bit grumpy when I wrote this.)

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion created by Rainy Day Ramblings.
Do you think bloggers and authors can really be friends?
I guess.

I think as long as everything is kept separate, it should be okay. 

If you genuinely like the author's writing, by all means, write glowing reviews. If it's not your thing, you can still support them in other ways. 

Cinder - Marissa Meyer

This post contains affiliate links.

Summary (from goodreads):
Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder's brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it "a matter of national security," but Cinder suspects it's more serious than he's letting on.

Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder's intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister, and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that's been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter's illness, Cinder's stepmother volunteers her body for plague research, an "honor" that no one has survived.

But it doesn't take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.
.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.

Edition Read: Audiobook via Overdrive from my local library
Where (else) to buy: kobo*, google play, amazon*, nook*

I wrote this review TWICE. I am not entirely sure what happened, but the first one disappeared. I think I accidentally overwrote it with next week's review. Unfortunately, I did not have a saved copy so I had to start from scratch. I think I hit all the same points I did in the original.

Thoughts:
The world was intriguing. I would not tote it as a "cyberpunk" world, but more of a cyberpunk meets medieval setting. It also encompasses the whole world and this particular one is set in Asia. It was interesting and I liked it.

Granted, it is a fairy tale retelling and some predictability is expected. We know Cinderella and the Prince are or will be into each other. We know there is some kind of ball (or "ball like event"). She will be prevented from going, but gets there anyway. And, most importantly, a shoe is lost as she flees. I'm okay with that.

What I'm talking about was, maybe(?), supposed to be subtle foreshadowing for things differing from the traditional stories, but was actually heavy handed and obvious. If you find yourself asking, "Does this mean what I think it means?". The answer here is always yes.

Verdict:

If you're into fairy tale retellings and/or YA novels, but don't mind blatantly obvious plot devices, you may enjoy this book. I liked it enough that I will be reading the second one at some point.

*This is an affiliate link

Book Blogger Hop: August 11th - 17th


Do you participate in readathons and/or reading challenges?Kristin @Lukten av Trykksverte
I haven't heard of any readathons, so no. 

I do participate in goodreads personal reading challenges. I have only succeeded one year, then proceeded to grossly overestimate myself the following year. I'm a bit behind (specifically two books), but still doing pretty well this year.

Audiobooks have been a huge help because I don't have to stop reading to do something. AND I'm still physically reading on top of it.



I don't participate in other people's challenges.

Bookish (and not so bookish!) Thoughts

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).
1. My daughter turned 11 on Sunday and I spent most of last week figuring things out and getting things ready for her party. (Full disclosure: I didn't get her anything until that Monday. Tweens are hard to shop for.)

2. Her party went well. We had it at a park and for once it did not rain or decide to be unbearably hot and humid. #swamplife (Well, sort of.)

3. I made peanut butter icing for half the cake and it was delicious! I don't like chocolate cake at all (and chocolate frosting is even worse), but it was tolerable with that delicious PB all over it. I used this recipe. This is the recipe for the cake.



4. School is starting soon and my daughter has some summer reading projects she has to finish up. It's not much work, but since she didn't really start on it until 2 weeks ago, it's been a daily fight. (We did take the time off for her birthday and now it's back to business.)

5. I am very behind on this blog. I put off writing a review (because of other things) and I've decided that I will either need to reread or scrap it completely. Right now leaning towards scrapping. It's a book I've read more than a few times so it's no big loss, but *ARGH* at myself! I have other reviews that are more fresh in my mind that need attention.

6. Can school start already?! I am so tired of the kids deciding that their new favorite hobby is tormenting each other. (They are 6.5 years apart and don't really have the same interests so they are clearly just looking for reasons to pick fights.)

7. Season 3 of Difficult People came out in Tuesday! I'm the only one I know who watches this show, but it made me happy.

8. Not sure how I originally left this out, but I made two cakes. The first one sort of exploded inside the oven (the inside bubbled out of the top and over the side of the pan onto the oven floor). Luckily, I woke up early enough that I had just enough time to make a new cake. (It was really close. I even put the cake in the freezer for the second portion of cooling. It was still just warm enough to melt the first part of the icing.) My husband and I did eat exploded and slightly under cooked cake for breakfast. (I had shipped the kids off to my dad's so they wouldn't be underfoot while I got things together.) It tasted more like a brownie than cake, but still delicious.

Until next time! .~*💝Shannon

My Favorite .. Book That Made Me Cry


My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info: My Favorite Meme.

This week's topic: Book That Made Me Cry 

Oh, I should have looked ahead last week! I've been a bit busy lately and fallen behind on doing my entries ahead of time. I will say, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes is definitely one, but .... I used that one last week for favorite love story. (And I actually had another book in there!!!)

I do cry at almost every single movie at least once and some TV shows. I rarely cry at books. Something about the medium is a bit difference. Don't get me wrong, I do FEEL things, just don't go through the physical expression. (I also don't laugh out loud at books much either. There are one or two, but not many.)

 So I guess I'll go with the most recent book that made me cry, which was also very good and was my first review on this blog.

 
A Dog's Purpose - W. Bruce Cameron

It's a book about a dog who keeps reincarnating to find his true purpose.

I cried throughout the whole damned thing.
(Still recommended.)

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion created by Rainy Day Ramblings.
Do you feel pressure to read more in genres that other bloggers read?


No.

This is partly because I'm not very active in the book blogging community (yet!) and most of the ones I've come across tend to be heavily leaning towards (if not outright exclusive with) Romance, Young Adult, and New Adult - which are not genres I usually enjoy. 

(If you have suggestions for book blogs, I'll take them!)

Book Blogger Hop - Aug 4th - 10th


Do you ever go "way back" to when you first started blogging and look at your old review posts? Do you see any differences from then to now?Elizabeth @Silver's Reviews
Yes.
I'm speaking about my prior book blogs (which were actually two sides of the same coin) and older goodread reviews. My original blog reviews were trying to be more indepth and analytical about every single book. While I enjoy getting into deep discussions about books, movies, tv series, and even video games, from a standalone viewpoint it become tedious and made me dread writing.

While I have not touched reviews on my blog (except for one and that was only because I took up residence here), I have, however, completely deleted entire reviews on goodreads. This happened a while ago and, from what I remember, those reviews were pretty terrible. It's been several years, so I don't have any specific examples. I have vague memories of writing things like. "OMG! I LOVED this book and you should read it right now!" and "This is a completely waste of trees. Whatever you do, do NOT read this book!!!" (That latter was definitely for Scarlett- the authorized GWTW sequel.)

You're not missing much.

I also reviewed DNF books, complete with star ratings if I finished over a certain percentage/amount of pages.

I'm not anti-DNF reviews. They can be very helpful. They just shouldn't include any sort of ranking (other than DNF) and be detailed about what turned you off from the book.

Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).

1. Finished more audiobooks. I might be a bit addicted, but not to the point where I actually want to pay for any. I'm not speaking of pirating, but I'm not into it enough to warrant an audible or audiobooks.com subscription.

2. Had to turn another book into netgalley! It turned out to be a .pdf instead of .epub. I can't (properly) read .pdfs on my ereader. (Kobo Glo HD). The weird thing is there is no point for this particular book to be a .pdf! They are good for any sort of crafting book or graphic novel/comic, but if the focus isn't pictures, then it should be in regular book format! Oh, well.

3. Finished my CAL on time! Just barely and I didn't get to do a second one in time for it to count. I'm still working on it though. I am terrible at estimating things, so my son's blanket resembles a beach towel more than a proper blanket.

4. My daughter had a stomach flu or food poisoning on Tuesday. This sucks in the average kid, but it's pretty fricking awful when you factor in a chronic condition on top of it. Not going to get into the nitty gritty, but the gist is: She needs insulin even if her body isn't processing food. If we can't raise her blood sugar at home, she will have to go to the hospital to receive a glucose drip.

My Favorite .. Love Story


My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info: My Favorite Meme.

This week's topic: Love Story 

This one was pretty difficult. I even went through my goodreads "read" shelf to see how many books I had with love stories. The answer is: very little. Some do, but it's not the focus. It also has to be my "favorite" meaning I actually liked it, so that was an interesting process.



One Day - David Nicholls

I'm not entirely sure how I came across this book. I remember seeing it was being made into a movie and dismissing it because.... Romance. Then I ended up reading it anyway.

I'm glad I did because I really liked this one. While I do enjoy "dumb" books, I am a sucker for strong characterization and development. The two mains are believable and the novel takes place over several years and you see them grow towards each other. It's nice.



Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

This is one that was recommended a lot, I even remember seeing the ebook go in and out of good sales, but always chose to pass because, again... Romance.  I only ended up reading this one because a friend of mine, who also has the same aversion to romance novels I do, gave it a high rating.

This one blew me away. I took a break from "real" reading after this one because I knew whatever I read next would not be as good. (In case you are wondering, and you probably aren't, I reread two Animorphs books in the meantime.) I wasn't wrong, by the way. The next "real" read after this was Room. It was a good book, but not as good as this one. 


Bonus round.... MOVIE EDITION

Moulin Rouge!

Hands down, one of my favorite movies of all time.




Bridget Jones's Diary

Okay, okay. So this one was originally a book. But I don't like the book and I LOVE the movie.



---And this also has my favorite fight scene of any movie ever.

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion created by Rainy Day Ramblings.
Do you give out one star reviews?
No. 

I don't have an official policy about it, but I'm not going to struggle through a completely unreadable book just so I can turn around and write a review about how much I hated it. It's not worth the effort. Life is too short for bad books. 

It's even pretty rare for me to give out a 2 star rating since it falls into the same category. 
Admittedly, this more tends to happen if the book is vastly over-hyped or if it's a continuation of a book series I'm into that should have been allowed to die a dignified and reasonable death a long time ago.
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