October 17, 2019

My 2019 in books : Books 1-10

I have set book goals for myself for the past few years. Crazy goals. I’m talking 150 books per year goals. In 2017 I read 138. In 2018 I read 61. This year I decided to pick a goal that seemed more manageable, a goal that would encourage a healthy ready schedule while simultaneously being attainable. That goal was 52.

I am happy to say that this past week I finished my 52 book goal!

I made some promises to myself when starting this journey. First, I decided that I wasn’t going to hate read anything (I can’t be the only one who hates reads sometimes). Second, I was going to focus on reading what I own. I put myself on a bit of a book buying ban (which I didn’t always stick to).

I’ve found some series that I’ve been able to dive into as well as some stand alone books I just loved.

Originally my plans for the year were to read books alphabetically by month. January was for authors with B last names. February for C authors and so on. As you can see when reading my list below I didn’t quite keep with that plan.

Here are the first 10 books that I read this year…

The Mother In Law Sally Hepworth

started 1.1.19 // finished 1.6.19 // ARC provided by NetGalley

This ARC had everything I love in a book– interesting family dynamics, a mystery and an ending I was not able to predict until I was smack dab in the middle of it. This book put Sally Hepworth on my “must read more of in the future list”.

Running with Scissors Augusten Burroughs

started 12.28.18 // finished 1.12.19

This is one of the most crazy-pants (is that the official term?) books I have ever read in my life. This memoir of Augusten Burroughs will make you laugh, scratch your head in confusion and gasp out loud more than once. After reading I learned of the film adaptation of the same name and made me wonder if it would translate well to the big screen. I can’t say I enjoyed this book enough to want to find out.

Worth the Wait Lori Foster

started 1.6.19 // finished 1.20.19 // ARC provided by NetGalley

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County Tiffany Baker

Started 1.12.19 // finished 1.30.19

I Remember You Cathleen Davitt Bell

Started 1.30.19 // finished 2.1.19

Sometimes reading books that would generally be considered Teen books there is a little disconnect for me, as I guess is to be expected (pst.. I’m old). This book I found thoroughly enjoyable and quick to read.

What We Find (Sullivan’s Crossing #1) Robyn Carr

Started 2.1.19 // finished 2.8.19

I’ll preface by saying I thoroughly enjoy a Robyn Carr books series. I’ve read most of her Virgin River series, and she never ceases to suck me in and make me immediately care for the characters. She paints a picture from word one and creates characters worthy of your affection. This is another series I’m all in for.

The Winter Sister Megan Collins

Started 2.11.19 // finished 3.6.19

The Survivor’s Guide to Family Happiness Maddie Dawson

Started 3.6.19 // finished 3.23.19

Tell Me Something Real Calla Devlin

Started 3.23.19 // finished 3.26.19

We’ve Already Gone This Far Patrick Dacey

Started 3.26.19 // finished 3.30.19

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

October 1, 2019

Book Clubs

I am used to enjoying books in the privacy of my own mind. Once I read a book I am known to hand it over to a friend with a note explaining why I think they would like it. This always results in conversations after the fact.

I think I would benefit from speaking about books I am reading in real time.

Before you suggest it I am part of the Book of the Month Club, which has provided many books I have read and loved (and many a book still in a TBR stack) but I don’t see the urgency in Book of the Month. I have found it very rare that I am reading BOTM books in real time. I always enter into the chats months after the fact, and at that point who is there to interact with? No one.

I think I want the accountability of a real time discussion. So my question is… book clubbers, how did you find your book club?

June 1, 2018

The Red Queen Series

I say this as someone who reads a lot, but hasn’t read a whole lot this year (for me). I have read 22 books. This is an extremely low number for me. This past week while trying to read through my extensive TBR pile I decided that alphabetical (by author) was the way to go. My mission: read all of my books by authors with an ‘A’ last name, then move to the rest of the alphabet. How long will this last? Who knows! I am thankful that this solution to my expansive TBR (1200+ books owned… and counting… and counting… and counting…) because it allowed me to start ‘The Red Queen’ Series. I am not done with it. So you’ll get no spoilers from me and I hope I manage to go unspoiled as I read through the 4 books.

I currently have 18 pages left to read of book 2, ‘The Glass Sword’. I feel like my reading flame has been reignited. I am so excited to read the last two books of the series. I guess this is what next week is for.

Signed,

A re-enthused reader.

May 31, 2018

Do you want to build a… bookcase?

I have been on the look out for the perfect reading spot. I figure if it doesn’t exist I just have to create it myself. I am having a hard time finding a bookcase/bookshelf and comfy seating combination that works for me. It got me to thinking and this Toni Morrison quote came to mind:

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
― Toni Morrison

If I can’t find a bookcase/shelf that works for me… should I just try to build one? I’m going to preface by saying I’m fairly handy (I can assemble IKEA furniture LIKE. A. BOSS.) but I understand that designing and building something from scratch is an entirely different animal. But I’m debating it. I’m seriously debating it.

Unless one of you knows of an affordable/cool looking bookcase, that is…

April 26, 2018

I’m a reader with a lot of books

This week I decided I wanted to come up with a way to log all of the books that I own (physical books and ebooks alike) and make sense of how I plan on reading all of them. My plan looks something like this:

Scan / enter everything into Goodreads ‘to be read’ list. Sub-sorting ebooks, paperbacks, hardcovers.
Cry that I am never going to read everything I own
DO. NOT. BUY. MORE. BOOKS.
Use the Goodreads sorting feature to randomly chose my next book.
DO. NOT. BUY. MORE. BOOKS.
Read random boom that Goodreads selected. Move book from ‘to be read’ to ‘read’.
Donate book.

It’s a fairly straightforward plan. So far I have 838 books entered. I’m not even half done scanning in my physical books. I received two books in the mail yesterday.

I’m nailing this.

March 5, 2018

To the book you couldn’t finish…

I am certain we have all gone through it. When you pick up a book that has been on your TBR list with every intention of putting the time in and reading it cover to cover.

There are, however, some books that you find yourself struggling through. Some of it may be attributed to you mood at the time, maybe you’re “forcing” yourself to read it. You hit a block. It is taking forever and chapters feel like eternities.

With my goal of reading 150 books / year (and since I seem to be the only loon who reads a book at a time) I simply can’t afford to waste time on books that I am struggling through. I have decided recently to not struggle through them. If I’m 40-60 pages in and it feels like a CHORE to sit down and read I simply put the book in a side pile.

The sad part is, when I put a book into that pile I am uncertain if I will ever return to it. Is it a lost cause forever? Granted, this doesn’t happen often for me and I generally write it off to my own mood, but there is no doubt that sometimes an individual is simply not meant to finish a book. It’s okay (I think). We all do it (I think).

Do you have any stories of books that you struggled through? Do you put books down for good? Have you ever come back to a book you initially didn’t feel and eventually love it?

March 2, 2018

Slow start…

For the past three years I have participated in the GoodReads Challenge. Each of those years I pick the lofty goal of 150 books. I pick that number because in my brain 100 doesn’t seem like enough of a challenge (WHAT?!) and 200 is ludicrous. 150 is a number that is doable for me, but it requires a lot of things falling into place.

Two years ago I finished with 137. See… so close… so far!

Last year I finished with 90. Still a lot of books by any standard, but it made me want to kick my butt into gear for 2018.

2018 started with high hopes. I was going to return to the glory of getting close to 150. Then life actually started to happen. Now I’m two full months in (and a couple of days) and I’m about 100 pages away from finishing book # 6. This pace is, to be quite frank, not okay. It’s not even okay if I downgraded my number to 100.

Granted, I read a lot more in the summer where it is lighter out longer and I don’t consistently feel like crawling into my bed and pulling the covers over my head. I read better, faster outside and the summer provides that kind of daylight. So I still have hope.

I figured that if I started posting my book-to-book journey here on WordPress that I’d hold myself more closely to my goals (or some of you would hold me to my goals).

Here is where I stand as of 3.2.18 at noon:

2018 List

Book #1: ‘Little & Lion’ by Brandy Colbert

Book #2: ‘All is Not Forgotten’ by Wendy Walker

Book #3: ‘Hidden’ by Catherine McKenzie

Book #4: ‘Lie to Me’ by J.T. Ellison

Book #5: ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck’ by Mark Manson – this was BY far my quickest read of the year, maybe because it knocked me in the face with some hard truths. Cliff notes: Stop giving a f*ck about things not worthy of your f*cks.

Book #6: ‘The Passenger’ by Lisa Lutz – I have about 100 pages left and if I finish this today or tomorrow this is the only book (aside from book #5) that I finished in under one week this year. Grrrrr me!

Hold my hand through this will you…

November 3, 2017

Book 87 of 2017

Like many I participate in the Goodreads challenge every year. Unlike many I set unrealistic goals. My goal this year was 150. It’s November and I’m not going to get close to that number.

My 87th book of the year was ‘Did You Ever Have A Family?’ by Bill Clegg. Told by several characters in alternating chapters, each having their own outlook on the tragedy that is revealed in the beginning pages. Heartbreaking and hopeful by turns this book tells a story of love and loss in a way that made me inherently sad for each of the characters. Sad for the actual losses that were dealt with throughout, but also sad for the things that happen in families that go unsaid. This books was multi layered and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

4/5 stars

March 11, 2017

So… ‘Baby Doll’ by Hollie Overton exists…

And it’s 5/5 levels of good.

If there was a section in the book store labeled ‘compulsively readable’ ‘Baby Doll’ by Holly Overton would be in it.

Mixing suspense, family dynamics and edge of your seat tension this is the perfect combination of all of the things that make reading books great. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery/thriller.

ARC provided by NetGalley

February 19, 2017

The Habit of Reading

At the beginning of this month I decided I was going to start tracking my habits. There are things I’d like to be better at: spend less money, do more exercise, write more. So I started a graph to track my habits – one of those habits I wanted to track was my reading.

It’s the 19th of February and reading is the only thing that I have done every day. I wish I was better with exercise and spending, but the fact that reading is my only constant said a lot to me.

I read as an escape from stress, anxiety and my job and my life… 🙂

But realizing what role books play in my life it made me think of reading habits I have and wonder if they were “normal”.

Location

Most of my reading is done it two places (during the winter) – (1) my bed; (2) an empty conference room at work. In the summer the latter is simply replaced by “outdoors”.

Do you have a reading space?

Alternating Mediums

I used to read books exclusively, then I found out about ebooks and spent a long time where I read exclusively ebooks. Now? I have found a balance. I find that I usually keep to a pattern – if I finish a book during the week and need to start a new book I will pick up a hardcover or a paperback. If I finish a book during the weekend, I’ll reach for my Kindle.

Strange? Now that I think about it, probably.

The Page Counter

During my reading time (almost without fail) I will count the pages to the next chapter. I HATE stopping in the middle of a chapter so I usually gauge the amount of pages between chapter x and chapter y to see if I can make the commitment to read at that moment.

I think this got even more pronounced of a habit after getting used to my Kindle telling me how many minutes I have in a chapter. It has most certainly carried over into physical books for me.

Those are my most pronounced book habits – and realizing the reading quirks that I have made me wonder what book habits others have. Please share your own in the comments.

February 3, 2017

January Reading Recap

A few days late, but I wanted to give a recap of what I read in January…

The Daddy Quest – Lori Handeland (The Luchettis Book #2)
Almost Paradise – Chris Keniston (Aloha Book #2)
Dane – Liliana Hart (MacKenzie Brothers Book #1)
When I’m Gone – Emily Bleeker
Life Unaware – Cole Gibson
Behind Her Eyes – Sarah Pinborough
The One That Got Away – Bethany Chase
Dear Daughter – Elizabeth Little
Galahad in Jeans – Jennifer Blake (Louisiana Knights Book #2)
Mai Tai Marriage – Chris Keniston (Aloha Book #3)
Wait for You – J. Lynn (Wait for You Book #1)

Now you may have noticed a theme here. And that theme is romance. I read more romance in January than I have in a while. Definitely the most romance I’ve ever read in a winter month. To me romances generally scream summer by the pool to me. If you haven’t noticed the world has gone to crap… so I love me some light reading when there is conflict in so much of what we watch on a daily basis on the news.

Overall I’m proud of my January reads. To meet my 150 books/year goal I have to average 12.5 books a month and I wasn’t that far behind. It was a great way to kick of 2017. My favorite way, in fact. In between the pages of books.

I’m STILL hung up on the ending of ‘Behind Her Eyes’ by the way. #wtfthatending

Happy February reading!!!

January 16, 2017

Reading Resolutions

I’ve been thinking a lot about 2017 and ways I can make reading experiences in 2017 better. Reading resolutions if you will. Any time I think about making a reading resolution it has to do with quantity… hitting a number, but may be there’s more to resolutions than that. My 2017 goal is still 150 books, but a resolution it is not!

Here’s a list of bookish things I want to accomplish in 2017.

Resolution #1:

Show my booknerdcred blog the love it deserves. I love being part of Bookstagram, love reading, loving talking about books I’ve read about, but when it comes to blogging I always feel a disconnect. I need to focus on content that makes me happy and that will be interesting to blog readers. I’m open to suggestions and discussions.

Resolution #2:

Find a book club. I joined Book of the Month Club last year and it has been such a great resource, but I’m never reading the books in the month they are meant to be read. I always am the person tacking on comments two months later and reading through the vibrant discussions that happen. I need an in person book club. One that I can hold me accountable to reading things and discussing this at a designated pace.

Resolution #3:

Donate every physical book I finish. I like to think I’m pretty good at matching people I know with books I’ve read that I think they will like. So many times when I finish a book I’ll write a little note, stick it in the first page and pass it on to a friend or a member of my family. I will continue to do this, but I will also find establishments that take on used books (my library does not accept donations—I know… what?!?) for a cause. Whether this is a hospital or a nursing home or a shelter. Right now my job has a library that I donate to, but I think that I can put my pages to better use.

Resolution #4:

Adhere to a book budget. This is going to be the most difficult of all, but until I read what I have I’m going to be stricter about what $$ amount I spend on books / year. This is a necessary evil. I have quite a few books that I have pre ordered and will count as little bookish surprises to me throughout the year, but I’m putting myself in book purchasing time out. I’ll keep a log of things that catch my eye during this year and address book buying again mid-year.

Resolution #5:

Start that book I’ve been putting off. I’ve written outlines, jotted down text and thoughts and that’s all I’ve ever done as far as following the dream of writing a book. This year that tentative plans ends and some action will be taken. The only thing holding me back is fear and that shouldn’t be the only thing holding me back. I think I have good ideas in my brain and getting them on paper should be something I regard with more importance than I have. I deserve to do this for myself, even if it doesn’t get beyond that.

Do you have any bookish resolutions for 2017?