Slightly Spooky Reads

October is here and the early morning chill gives a definite autumnal vibe and that can only mean one thing.  Halloween is coming!  Get ready for some cozy reading.  Candy corn, apple slices with caramel dip, popcorn and apple cider are the perfect snacks.  Turn out the lights except the reading lamp and grab a light throw.  This is the perfect time for some darker reading, the kind of stories that will make you jump when the house creaks.  Uh-oh, make sure your feet are well tucked up under the blanket.  Ok, I actually just creeped myself out a little there.  I don't really do 'horror so here is my slightly spooky TBR.

I am starting light with this 1972 book by Ray Bradbury that is considered YA although it was written well before YA was a thing.  I found it when I was searching through a GoodReads list of books labeled by readers as "spooky'.  The title and blurb drew my attention and when I read a comment that this story may have been the influence behind Jack Skellington in Nightmare Before Christmas I was sold.  It should be ok, right?  Sure it's Ray Bradbury (who terrified me with episodes of the Twilight Zone) but it's YA how scary can it be?  Right?

I found this one in the same search.  The title terrifies me but I love Holly Black's writing (Coldest Girl in ColdTown, The White Cat) so I am willing to read anything by her.  Plus, this is middle grade so how scary can it be.  Right?  

I intended to read this one last October but didn't get to it and here we are a year later and Book 9 The Grave's a Fine and Private Place is already out and Book 10 The Golden Tresses of the Dead is coming in January so I need to get on with it.  Flavia is a precocious 12 year old with a penchant for the macabre, an interest in chemistry (especially poison) and a flair for solving mysteries.  Simply perfect for autumn reading.

Karen White writes books with a flavor as southern as pecan pie and she is no stranger to southern gothic.  I expect good characters, lots of atmosphere and an absorbing mystery from this one.

I almost read this one last December when my science fiction book club was asked to read books by latino authors.  This vampire novel was intriguing but I decided to go with Summer of Mariposas instead because vampires didn't feel very Christmas-y.  Later this year this book popped up on a YouTube video by Adam Cesare (a horror author) Best Vampire Books You Haven't Read  which he ranked as number 2 in his top 5.  He said it was 'incredible' and he gave a lot of great reasons which have nothing to do the horror genre and everything to do with good writing and the unique world building,  I am intrigued.

This is the third book of The Diviner's series.  The setting is 1920's NYC and a group of 'gift' young adults are literally fighting the forces of evil to save the world as they know it.  What sets this series apart is the atmosphere which is deliciously spooky. This I will be listening to the audio book which I have heard is amazing.

This one will also complete a series, and while not necessarily spooky, there magic, pirates, romance, and a battle against evil forces, not to mention beautifully rich prose.  I am finally getting to this one thanks to A Darker Shade of Readalongs hosted by Common Spence on Youtube and the ACOL live discussion will take place on 10/27 so I can put off reading this one until almost the end of the month.

What will you be reading this month?

Goodbye Summer Reads

Autumn officially began on Saturday and so it is time to put away the light hearted books of summer to make way for meatier tales best told in the waning of the year.   So here I am to wrap up my Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge.  Of the 16 books I placed on my TBR list, I completed a grand total of seven and I am actually pretty happy with that.

The ratings tell the story.  The best book by far was A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (so so so good) , followed by Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire.  These both will easily make my top 10 for the year.  

The worst book was hands down Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer which had so little plot it shouldn't have been a book much less the first in a series.

A note about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; I read it just to say that I had and to be in the know on cultural references to it.  It isn't a bad boo,  my rating not withstanding.  If you like Monty Python (and I do not) then I think you will like this book.  It is humorous and I get the humor but it just doesn't make me laugh out loud the way Terry Prachett does for instance.

A note about A Walk in the Woods, I did enjoy it and it was funny and informative but I was so disappointed when I found out <SPOILER ALERT> that they did NOT complete the entire trail that I almost quit reading and it colored my perception of the whole rest of the book even though I agree with the conclusion that the effort they put into it does count.

The only book on my list that I am sorry I didn't get to is The Lake House by Kate Morton because she has a new one coming out in October.

Good Reads Summer Reading Challenge 2018

June is half over but it isn't too late to dip into fun summer reads, you know, those books that you enjoy the most at the beach, by the pool or from a chair on the deck with a glass of iced tea.   Go here Summer Reading Challenge Blog Post to download a free pdf copy of the complete challenge guide.

My Challenges

INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN:  Read a book that takes place in the great wide open.  (Loose interpretation, outdoors is close enough for me.)

TIME OF OUR LIVES:  Read a book in which the characters go on an adventure.

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD:  Read a book about the end of the world as we know it.

DEAR PEN PAL:  Read a book that features letter or journal entries.

CAMPFIRE STORY:  Read a scary or creepy book * description has been amended slightly by me because I know I won't read any book that is too scary.  However this book is highly recommended for horror beginners by Adam Cesare, a horror author and You Tuber Recommended video

OCEAN BLUE:  Read a story that takes place on the water.  (Another loose interpretation, beside water is close enough.)

GET YOUR GRILL ON:  A book that features summer recipes or outdoor summer activities.  (This is a real stretch but the synopsis mentioned baking.)

THE COLORS OF SUMMER:  Read a book that features a yellow, green or sandy cover.

SAND BETWEEN MY TOES:  Read a book that takes place in or around a beach/ocean.

FUNNY BONE: Read a humorous book.

SUN, MOON AND STARS:  Read a book that takes place in outer space.

LIFE IS A HIGHWAY:  Read a book that features a road trip.  (A loose interpretation of 'road'.)

ONE AND DONE:  Read a book that you can finish in one day.  (Graphic novel for the win!)

READ THE WORLD:  Read a book that takes place in a country or focuses on a culture other than your own.  (Morocco)

HOOK'EM:  Read a book that features fishing or fishermen.  (Not even close but about marine life is close enough for me!)

POET AT HEART:  Read a book of poetry.

BEACH BUM:  Read a book that could be considered a beach read.  (Chic Lit for the win!)

ALL of the chosen books come from my GoodReads TBR list and/or are books I already own in physical or kindle format.  They may also fit into a few other side challenges but I will figure that out after I read them.  My main focus is on the SEASON so bring on the heat!  With a good book, sunglasses and a cold drink, it will be just like vacation.

Page Habit - Book Box Subscription

Welcome to my first book box subscription unboxing.
Given how much I love the Home Chef cooking box and I have been getting Kitnip boxes for 3 years, why has it taken so long for me to sign up for a bookish book?  Probably because I tend to only buy books from authors that I already know and always love.  I tend to try new authors via the library or lucky cheap finds at book sales and used book stores.

Why I chose Page Habit Quarterly:  The monthly book selection is annotated by the author to provide a unique and deeper reading experience.  Exclusive to the quarterly box, the author also selects two of his/her favorite or inspiration books.  Several bookish goodies complete the package and Page Habit makes a donation to support world literacy.

Quarterly boxes are available for the following genres:  Literary Fiction, Young Adult and Cookbook.    The monthly boxes also offer Mystery, Historical Fiction,  Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Romance.  I chose Young Adult for my first quarterly box because I figured the odds were higher that I would get something I liked.  Literary Fiction is just too wide open and it is the genre I read least.

 I had lots of help from the kitties.  They are purrfessional unboxers having so much experience with Kitnip boxes.  They were a bit disappointed with the lack of catnip but still had a good time.

 This donation this quarter will go to Kenya and the card provides literacy statistics about the country.

 Book mark with a bookish quotation.  The print echoes the print on the Kenya card which is just as like to be used as a bookmark by me too.

 Faux wood stacking tin.  Not sure yet what I will use it for - tea bags, office supplies, earrings?

 SKY IN THE DEEP by Adrienne Young is YA Fantasy and the Page Habit synopsis describes it as "part Wonder Woman, part Viking".  Good Reads shows a solid 4 star rating and Amazon 4 1/2.  

 The annotations are on sticky notes so they can easily be moved/removed.  I am excited to read this with the author's insights.

 This is the first extra book selected by the author and it definitely grabs my attention.  I love the cover and it sounds like a great adventure in a fantasy world where reading is unheard of.  A young girl sets out on a fantastic adventure to rescue her kidnapped aunt with only this strange rectangular relic to guide her. Oh yeah, and there are pirates!

 This is the second author selected book and how I know I chose the right genre for me and I am going to love the other books.  I already know and love  I Capture The Castle and the copy I own is the movie version paper back cover.  Guess what?  That one is going to a book sale because I much prefer hardback and I love this cover!

 Cute bookish pin

 Sword Pen - LOVE it

 Always handy bookish tote bag

 Naked SKY IN THE DEEP (no dust jacket)

Last but not least, the letter from the author.

Blind Date with a Book February 2018

Happy Valentine's Day.  Its so nice to meet you.  Do you come here often?  I confess I was attracted to your pretty red paper right from the start but I had a hard time choosing between you and another.  

But it was what you said that made up my mind in the end.  I couldn't walk away from the promise in your lines.

Oh my! I know you.  We have met before

Once Upon A Time

Why yes, I would love to go out with you again.  It was so wonderful the first time and I am sure it will be again.

Check your local library to see if they participate in the February Valentine's Blind Date with a Book.

2018 Reading Goals

I used to just read.  I never thought about how many books I was going to read or what kind of books I would read.   I never made goals.  I simply read.  So why make goals now?  A couple of reasons - when you have a lot of demands on your time, reading can easily fall by the wayside so planning for it says 'this is important and therefore I must make time for it,'   Also if you have a book journal, a blog, a book tube channel or bookstagram, you need content and making goals helps ensure you will have something to talk about.

I saw a book tube video recently where the person said they set their GoodReads Reading Challenge Goal to 1 book so they wouldn't feel pressured if they weren't making their goal.  I get it, especially since I did not meet my original 50 book goal for 2017 and had to lower it.  Still I want my challenge to reflect a reasonable number of books that I expect to read this year.  I know I will at least read 2 books per month which would be 24 but more likely I will read 3 books per month (2 book club and one for me) so that would be 36.  To stretch myself a just a little more I have set the goal at 40 and that feels comfortable.  If it starts to look like I will not make that target, I hereby give myself permission to change the goal.  Problem solved.

I do have a few specific reading goals I would really like to accomplish this year.  If I write them down one of two things will happen.  Either I will try harder to achieve them or I will ignore them completely.  Let's see what happens

1.  Finish the Series

The 4th and Final book in the Wicked series

The 3rd Book in the Shades of Magic Series

The 3rd Book in the ACOTAR series

2.  Read books that are waiting on my Kindle:

Finish in progress:  Elantris, Strangeville, The Sister,  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Try a Chapter:  The Bedlam Detectie, Bridget Jone's Diary, The Wolf in the Attic,The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, The Paper Magician, The Search for Anne Perry, The Butterfly Sister

Decide if I am going to DNF:  Out of the Shoebox, Gifts of the Blood, Anna Karenina, Bellefleur

Other goals - 

DNF more books if I don't like them, there are too many wonderful books waiting to waste time.

Be more honest with my Star ratings on Goodreads and not feel guilty about saying I didn't like a book.

Happy Reading!

My 2017 Reading Year

If you are wondering why you should join Good Reads, the Reading Challenge and Reading Year wrap up is a really good reason.  They provide some interesting statistics about the books you have read and seeing all the covers together is really beautiful.  

I set my 2017 goal at 50 (same as 2016 which I exceeded by 7) but ended up lowering to 45.  Instagram is entirely to blame for the reduction in reading time.  

I listened to both the shortest and the longest books on audio CD

I enjoyed Winter which was the conclusion to the Lunar Chronicles Series.

I did not enjoy Let It Snow which was too similar to Dashing Through the Snow by the same author which I had listened to earlier in the month. 

Most and least popular refers to how many people have read those books not necessarily how well they enjoyed them.  Trampling in the Land of Woe has an average 4.5 Star rating.

My average rating should actually be lower.  The Good Reads rating system defines 1 Star as "I did not like it", 2 Star as "It was ok", 3 Star as "I liked it", 4 Star as "I really really liked it" and 5 star as "It was amazing".  I tend to overrate books because at my work 1 Star and 2 Stars are considered negative on reviews.  A lot of books I rated 3 should really have been 2.  In the later half of the year, I made an effort to think of it in terms of how much I enjoyed the book regardless of how well it is written (or not).

Happy to say both of these are accurate ratings!

Highlights:  

Finished 3 series (Lunar Chronicles, Raven Cycle, Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, Six of Crows duology)

Read 3 Graphic Novels (Wires and Nerve, Through the Woods, Anya's Ghost)

Favorite books of the year:  All 3 graphic novels,  The Girl Who Played With Fire, Crooked Kingdom, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Ender's Game

Least favorite books of the year:  The Perfect Poison, A Natural History of Dragons, Let it Snow, The Longest Ride

Update - I just realized I did't add The Martian to my Read shelf on GoodReads.  I listened to the audio CD in the summer.  The narrator was superb; he had just the right tone and inflection.  I almost quit listening 3/4 of the way through because there were so many heart stopping events that I couldn't take any more!   Adding this book did not change any major stats other than page count.