Book Tags, Bookworm Blogging

Down the TBR Hole #20

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

  • Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

 

The Last Time I Wore a Dress by Dylan “Daphne” Scholinski and Jane Meredith Adams
There are lots of conflicting reviews and nobody I know has read this. Maybe I’ll end up picking it up later, but for now: REMOVE.

His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
Not really catching my interest. REMOVE.

Bluets by Maggie Nelson
Still think this is worth trying. KEEP.

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
Again, not really feeling any interest. REMOVE.

The Boy in the Earth by Fuminori Nakamura and translated by Allison Markin Powell 
The goodreads average is under 3.5 and none of my friends have read it, but I’m intrigued. KEEP.


Perfect Chaos 
by Linea Johnson and Cinda Johnson
I know this is a dual memoir, but I’m not interested in reading memoirs by parents about neurodivergent children at the moment. REMOVE.

Otherwise by Jane Kenyon
Depression and New Hampshire. Okay yes. KEEP.

Ariel by Sylvia Plath
Okay yes definitely. KEEP.

Unholy Ghost edited by Nell Casey
Wow I was on a depression kick, huh? This still sounds good. KEEP.

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
I’ve almost read this several times and then not wanted to. I don’t know that I’m ever going to. REMOVE.

I managed to remove 5 out of 10 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #19

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Book Tags, Bookworm Blogging

Down the TBR Hole #19

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

  • Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

 

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember
Give!!! Me!!!! Gay!!! Mermaids!!!! KEEP.

Papi: My Story by David Ortiz & Michael Holley
Not even a question. KEEP.

My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul
This seems really good and I really want to read it. KEEP.

Seven Tears at High Tide by C.B. Lee
Uhhh, basically more gay mermaids, but with a selkie. KEEP.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Very conflicting reviews from my GR friends AND the plot doesn’t really catch me. REMOVE.

 

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
Two of the most used shelves are “abandoned” and “dnf” and the reviews make it seem like something I would hate. I’m going to put this on my shelf of things to avoid tbh. REMOVE.

Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
I don’t think this sounds like a bad book, but it also doesn’t sound like it’s for me. REMOVE.

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton.
I want to read more Crichton, but I don’t think I’ll enjoy this particular one. REMOVE.

The Teeth of the Comb & Other Stories by Osama Alomar
Another one that just doesn’t seem like it’s for me. REMOVE.

Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves by Michael J. Seidlinger
A book about a book that I’m obsessed with. KEEP.

I managed to remove 5 out of 10 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #18

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Book Tags, Bookworm Blogging

Down the TBR Hole #18

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

  • Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
I think people had sort of mixed reviews about this one, but I still think the plot seems interesting! KEEP.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
I really like accessible non-fiction, and astrophysics is something I know NOTHING about, but would like to be at least a little educated on. KEEP.

The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich
This still sounds extremely interesting! KEEP.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
I know some people are obsessed with SJM, but this just doesn’t sound interesting to me right now. REMOVE.

A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
None of my friends have this on their GR and I have no idea how I came across it, but I’m not really interested. REMOVE.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Wow, I actually have zero interest in this, even though it seems pretty highly rated. REMOVE.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
I’ve heard so many good things! KEEP.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Okay, I’m definitely going to read this! KEEP.

A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge
Ah, I remember adding this and still really wanna read it! KEEP.

The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne
See above! KEEP.

I only managed to remove 3 out of 10 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #17

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Book Tags, Bookworm Blogging

The Mid-Year Freakout Tag 2018

It’s that time of year again! We’re almost halfway through 2018 and it’s time to do a roundup of where we are in our reading adventure. I’ve cruised through 40 books so far (out of a goal of 75) and am unbelievably proud of myself. June is going well so far, and I hope to have a great second half of 2018.

Best book you’ve read so far.

I’m going to declare this a tie between A Head Full of Ghosts for fiction and Ask Me About My Uterus for non-fiction.

Best sequel so far.

Definitely Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo!

New release you haven’t read but want to.

Where to begin! My top two are probably The Pisces and The Atrocities.

Most anticipated release in the second half of 2018.

Probably Wildcard by Marie Lu.

Biggest disappointment.

St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. I was sooo looking forward to more Karen Russell and it was a letdown.

Biggest surprise.

Annihilation, which I expected to be good, but not to become one of my new favorite books.

Favorite new author.

Paul Tremblay or Jeff VanderMeer.

Newest fictional crush.

I don’t remember, they’re all so fleeting.

Newest favorite character.

Borne from Borne!

A book that made you cry.

I don’t really cry while reading, I don’t think anything has made me cry this year.

A book that made you happy.

Apparently I don’t read many happy books. Probably Emergency Contact.

Favorite book to movie adaptation.

Ummm, I honestly don’t know.

Favorite review.

This feels braggy, if it’s supposed to be mine. Also I really just don’t have one!

Most beautiful book bought/received.

Again, Ask Me About My Uterus. I adore that cover.

Books you need to read by the end of the year.

I don’t have a set list, besides ARCs.

 

Anyway, how are y’all feeling about this year? I think it’s been an ok first half of the year as far as reading quality goes, but I hope I find some more new favorites in the second half of this year! I’m not tagging anyone, but please do this if you’d like to. 🙂

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Book Tags, Bookworm Blogging

Books I Should Have Read Already

I pulled this suggestion off of Vivatramp’s 100 Book Blog Post Ideas list. It’s pretty self-explanatory. I’m going to sift through my TBR and share which books I should have read already!


The New Jim Crow
Pretty self-explanatory. This book shares some really important information and as a white person I feel compelled to educate myself on racism and what I can do about it more than I currently do.

On Writing
Everyone raves about this book and insists that every aspiring writer needs to read it. I’m not sure whether or not I consider myself an aspiring writer, but I am trying to write and I do like Stephen King.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue
I bought this off Amazon MONTHS ago so I could read my own copy and I STILL haven’t picked it up yet. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

Redwall
Hey y’all, how did I miss out on this one in my youth????

Blankets 
I’ve been eyeing this one for yeaaars and somehow still haven’t picked it up. It looks gorgeous, though.


What about y’all? What books do you think you should’ve gotten to by now?

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Book Tags, Bookworm Blogging

Shortest and Longest Books on my TBR

I decided to steal this from Destiny after I saw her post (inspired by Kathy, inspired by another blogger, such is the circle of life in bookblogging). This looked interesting, so I decided to do it too! Listed below are the 10 shortest books on my TBR and the 10 longest books on my TBR.

  1. A Monstrous Love: Two Halloween Romances by Magen Cubed. 17p.
  2. Wet Nails by Shira Glassman. 23p.
  3. Heaven or This by Topaz Winters. 28p.
  4. Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang. 44p.
  5. Long Macchiatos and Monsters by Alison Evans. 44p.

6. A Guide to Undressing Your Monsters by Sam Sax. 46p.
7. Complimentary and Acute by Ella Lyons. 46p.
8. Throttle by Joe Hill and Stephen King. 47p.
9. New American Best Friend by Olivia Gatwood. 49p.
10. The Terracotta Bride by Zen Cho. 51p.

  1. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. 884p.
  2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. 866p.
  3. Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle #4) by Christopher Paolini. 849p.
  4. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. 818p.
  5. Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany. 801p.

6. Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky. 790p.
7. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. 782p.
8. An Anarchist FAQ, Vol. 1 by Iain McKay. 748p.
9. History of Madness by Michel Foucault. 736p.
10. A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. 729p.

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Akinator Genie Challenge

Sooo, I saw Becca do this over on her blog and knew I just had to try it. I remember being obsessed with this site in college and having so much fun trying to stump it. It’s basically a game of 20 questions where a genie tries to guess who you’re thinking of. I’m going to sort my Read shelf by random and choose characters that way! Only picking characters I feel I can answer questions about, though.

Meursault in The Stranger
Does your character really exist? No.
Is your character a male? Yes.
Does your character wear shoes? Yes.
Does your character have powers? No.
Is your character from a TV series? No.
Is your character originally from a video game? No.
Has your character killed people? Yes.
Is your character evil? Don’t know.
Does your character live in America? No.
Has your character ever been in a movie? No. (But has he???)
Is your character found in a novel? Yes.
Is your character a thief. Don’t know (don’t remember).
Is your character more than 40 years old? No.
Does your character know what a cell phone is? No.
Is your character the main character of the work in which he appears? Yes.
Is your character known for starting drama. Probably.
Is your character a Trickshotter. No??? What is this???
Is your character Russian? No.
Can your character breathe underwater? No.
Does your character live with both his parents? No.
Does your character have a dead brother? No.
Does your character have dark hair? Don’t know.
Does your character fight with a sword? No.
Is your character French? Yes!
Has your character been in jail? Yes!

Guess: Meursault.
Akinator: 1, Sarah: 0

Ender Wiggin in Ender’s Game
Is your character real? No.
Is your character a male? Yes.
Is your character a human? Yes.
Does your character live in America? No? He did but does no longer?
Is your character from a Japanese anime? No.
Has your character ever been in a movie? Yes.
Does the name of the character appear in the name of the movie? Yes.
Does your character wear purple? Don’t know.
Does your character wear a mask? No.
Does your character relate to riddles? No?
Does your character appear on 90210? No.
Is your character from Friday the 13th? No.
Does your character play in Harry Potter? No.
Is your character linked to the Napoleonic Wars? No.
Is your character from a Walt Disney animated feature? No.
Does your character have powers? No.
Does your character live in England? No.
Has your character killed people? Yes?
Does your character fight with a sword? No.
Does your character drive a car? No.
Is your character from Reddit? No.
Has your character been into space? Yes!
Has your character played in Star Wars? No.
Is your character a criminal? Don’t know.
Is your character bent on revenge? No.

Guess: Richard B. Riddick.
Akinator: 1, Sarah: 1.

Daine in The Immortals series.
Is your character a female? Yes.
Has your character really existed? No.
Is your character originally from a TV show? No.
Has your character ever been in a movie? No.
Is your character originally from a video game? No.
Does your character have powers? Yes.
Is your character from a Japanese anime? No.
Is your character from a novel? Yes!
Has your character’s mother passed away? Yes!
Was your character on That 70s Show? No.
Does your character have a brother or sister? No.
Is your character an assassin? No.
Does your character have an eye for a logo? No.
Does your character live in America? No.
Is your character a necromancer? No.
Is your character the main character of the work in which [s]he appears? Yes.
Does your character live in the future? No.
Has your character ever worked with an ex? No.
Is your character the eldest sibling? Don’t know. How do you answer that for an only child???
Does your character produce light? No.
Does your character ride horses? Yes!
Is your character able to transform? Yes!
Is your character friends with a wolf? Yes!

Guess: Your character is not one of the most popular characters.
What does that mean????
Akinator: 1 what the heck, Sarah: 2

Welp, I guess that was fun, even if the last guess didn’t happen??? Not sure what was up there. Anyway, tag me if you do this because I wanna see your results! 🙂

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Book Tags, Bookworm Blogging

Down the TBR Hole #17

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

  • Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

I’ve seen several other folks change up their formatting for this, so I’ve decided to give it a shot as well! Let me know if you preferred my old formatting more or have any other suggestions for me. 🙂

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
I really loved The Girl on the Train, but I just don’t really get excited thinking about this one. REMOVE.

Page Turner by Barbara Kyle
I’m not sure if I’ll ever get around to writing a novel, but this book just isn’t a priority. REMOVE.

Beloved by Toni Morrison
Feels like a must-read. KEEP.

Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
For some reason I thought this had a queer plotline, but it doesn’t so I don’t care. REMOVE.

How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake
Here’s the queer book I was looking for. KEEP.

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr
Weh, I just don’t feel terribly interested in this. REMOVE.

The Leavers by Lisa Ko
I think this is worth giving a shot. KEEP.

It’s Always the Husband by Michele Campbell
Again, I just don’t feel interested. REMOVE.

On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Lee
Conflicting reviews, and only one of my friends has read it. REMOVE.

Nasty Women edited by 404 Ink
Looks like a super interesting anthology. KEEP.

I managed to remove 6 out of 10 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #16

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Book Tags, Bookworm Blogging

Down the TBR Hole #16

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

  • Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

I’ve seen several other folks change up their formatting for this, so I’ve decided to give it a shot as well! Let me know if you preferred my old formatting more or have any other suggestions for me. 🙂

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
I honestly cannot believe I haven’t read this yet and hope I get to it very soon. KEEP.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber
I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews, and honestly just don’t have any interest. REMOVE.

The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel
I’ve really been looking forward to this one! I’m from New England and my dad is super into survivalists, so I’d like to read this and get him a copy to read as well. KEEP.

10 Things I Can See from Here by Carrie Mac
The book only interests me because the MC is a LBPQ girl and the reviews make it seem highly mediocre. REMOVE.

Cold Summer by Gwen Cole
The plot doesn’t interest me and none of my friends have reviewed it. That cover is gorg and other people seem to love it, but I don’t think it’s for me. REMOVE.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
Obviously everyone is obsessed with this one, and it does look super cute. KEEP.

The Polygamist’s Daughter by Anna LeBaron and Leslie Wilson
Why are cults so fascinating? I don’t know. This sounds horrifying, but interesting. KEEP.

Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Steven C. Hayes and Spencer Smith
This has positive reviews, but I’m just not interested right now. REMOVE.

Wenjack by Joseph Boyden and Kent Monkman
This sounds good, is very highly-rated, and is very short. KEEP.

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle
This book has a lower rating in general, but is pretty highly rated by my friends. And the premise is interesting. KEEP.

I only managed to remove 4 out of 10 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #15

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Book Tags, Not Books

The Mystery Blogger Award

Thanks so much to Hannah for nominating me for this! Please go check out her blog if you haven’t already, she writes very good reviews. 🙂

What is Mystery Blogger Award?

“This is an award for amazing bloggers with indigenous posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging and they do it with so much love and passion.” – Okoto Enigma

Rules

  • Thank whoever nominated you and include link to their blog
  • Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
  • Nominate 10-20 bloggers you feel deserve the award
  • Answer the questions from the person who nominated you
  • Ask your nominees 5 questions of your choice with one weird or funny one
  • Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog

3 things about me:
1. Last year I got into baseball and this year I am officially a Big Fan of baseball.
2. My favorite animals are every single cephalopod.
3. I love pretty much anything having to do with cryptids.

My answers

What did you study at university or what trade did you learn?
I studied Psychology for undergrad, which I kind of regret and kind of don’t. I sort of wish I had ended up focusing on English or Gender Studies, but I’m also glad my life has brought me where I am now so I’m ok with how things turned out. 🙂

What was your favourite book growing up? And why?
This is so tough! I’d have to say the Harry Potter series, because I re-read it so much. I found it really easy to lose myself in the story and the characters and could stay up all night reading them even after I already knew what happened. My answer could definitely change depending on age, but as whole I think Harry Potter is the right answer.

If you could live anywhere, where would you?
This is also difficult because I haven’t had the opportunity to travel much. Ideally, I’d still like to live in Austin, TX someday. I have several friends there and visited once for a week. It was really lovely and I feel like I didn’t even come close to scratching the surface of what I could do there. I’d also love to have a rural home in New England someday, but only if I had a job where I didn’t have to drive anywhere in the snow! It would be nice to work remotely from a little house in the woods. 🙂

What is the greatest place you have ever been?
Again, I wanna say Austin, but more specifically: the Castle Hill graffiti park in Austin blew me away.

Which book recently surprised you? (Either in a good or in a bad way)
A Head Full of GhostsI borrowed the audiobook on a whim and ended up totally loving it. I listened to most of it in just a couple days. I didn’t have much in the way of expectations, so I ended up being completely blown away by how good it was.

I nominate:
Jill @ Jill’s Book Blog
Lilly @ Lair of Books
Ashley @ Thrifty Bibliophile
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
Jenna @ Falling Letters
…and anyone else who would like to do it! 🙂

My questions:
1. What’s your favorite animal?
2. What’s your favorite form of art, whether to create or to take in?
3. What’s the best inside joke you have with someone? Provide no context.
4. What’s your ideal vacation?
5. Who is your personal hero?

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