Musing Mondays (April 24)

Musing Mondays is hosted by Ambrosia at her blog, The Purple Booker.

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: When someone in your life passes do you pick up a book they liked or one that reminds you of them to read?

April has been a really rough reading month for me.  Although I have been reading, it’s been slow and I haven’t been able to read for longer periods of time.  I just haven’t been in the mood to read as much.  I am slowly getting back to a regular reading pace and hoping this slump doesn’t follow me into May.

I’m currently reading…

Last night was the spring edition of Lauren from Lauren and the Books Cozy Reading Night.  #cozyreadingnight  It’s a 3 hour read-a-thon from 7-10pm where the idea is to just get cozy and read.  Grab a comfy blanket, put on some comfy pjs, grab your favorite snack, light a candle, play some relaxing music…whatever makes a cozy atmosphere for you and read!  I participated in the last cozy reading night in February and had so much fun.  So, I decided to join in to this one and hope it would help me get out of this reading slump.  Over the 3 hours last night, I continued reading a book and started 2 more books.  I even picked up one of the three books again last night before bed and this morning.  Could cozy reading night have ended this dreaded reading slump for me????  I hope so!  We’ll see…

  

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley: Goodreads 

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery: Goodreads 

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas: Goodreads 

I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…

Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors and a definite auto-buy for me.  So, I’m so excited for this February 6, 2018 and the release of Kristin Hannah’s newest book!

Goodreads

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: When someone in your life passes do you pick up a book they liked or one that reminds you of them to read?

This past November my sister passed away very unexpectedly and tragically, at only 37.  She was a reader from time to time and had recommended A Man Called Ove  by Fredrik Backman to me.  I already had it on my shelf and figured I’d get to it at some point.  After my sister passed, when I was able to pick up a book, A Man Called Ove was the first book I read.  I loved the book!  However, even if I didn’t love the book, it would always have a special place in my heart and on my shelves as a memory of my sister.  My sister and I were very different people and my sister had a lot of personal struggles in life.  I think this was a great way for me to feel connected to her and have a special memory to share with her.

Although, I have had other loved ones pass away, I think this was the first time a book reminded me of a loved one who had passed away.  It was the first time I grabbed a book to help me heal from the loss.  It’s amazing how much books connect us, both in the good times and the bad.  ❤

Feel free to post your Musing Monday link.  I’d love to read what you’re musing about this Monday

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• Goodreads: Becky

Musing Mondays (April 3)

Musing Mondays is hosted by Ambrosia at her blog, The Purple Booker.

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Are there any songs that make you think of certain books or scenes from books? If so, which songs/books?

March was a crazy and stressful month for me and I didn’t read a lot.  During the second half of March, I took a break from reading and writing blog posts.  I just couldn’t focus on reading and writing.  Instead, I did more adult coloring the past few weeks.  Everything is looking up now and the stressful days are behind us, so it’s time to look at a new month and get back to reading. 🙂

I’m currently reading…

Goodreads

I’m really enjoying this book!  Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult is a Recommendation Swap book for me from my bookclub.  It’s a book that has been sitting on my shelves since soon after it was released in 2016 and I’ve had every good intention to read it.  For some reason, I just kept reading other books, but finally I picked it up to read.  I was hoping Small Great Things would help me get back on track with my reading and it is doing just that.  The book grabbed me from the very first few pages.  Jodi Picoult doesn’t beat around the bush, her characters dive right into who they are, for better or worse. It’s a book that is making me think and has already broken my heart, all by page 90.  I can’t wait to see where this story goes!

Feel free to post your Musing Monday link.  I’d love to read what you’re musing about this Monday

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• Goodreads: Becky

Musing Mondays (Mar. 13)

Musing Mondays is hosted by Ambrosia at her blog, The Purple Booker.

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Do you post book reviews right after you finish the book? Or do you wait a while so you can fully digest it before posting a review?

I’m currently reading…

Goodreads

Up next I think I’ll read…

Goodreads

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Do you post book reviews right after you finish the book? Or do you wait a while so you can fully digest it before posting a review?

I write a rough draft of my review soon after I finish reading the book, sometimes right after I finish the book.  However, I don’t post the review for at least a few days while I think more about the book.  I have trouble remembering a lot about most books after I move onto another book.  So, writing a review right away is a must for me.  It helps me focus on the book as a whole and to start thinking about what I liked and what I didn’t like about the story.  Then over the next few days, I process those thoughts and make sure that that’s how I truly feel about the story.  After processing my thoughts, I go back to my rough draft of my review and make any necessary changes before posting the review.

 Feel free to post your Musing Monday link.  I’d love to read what you’re musing about this Monday

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• Twitter: @InMyReadingNook
• Goodreads: Becky

Teaser Tuesday (Mar. 7)

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at her blog, The Purple Booker.

Here’s what you do for Teaser Tuesday:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Goodreads

“One thing you learn very early in parenthood is that the health and education systems are a sort of vast and complicated game: if your kid ever needs special help, you have to learn the rules and exploit them.  You fight for everything, every test, every consultation, every specialist-you learn the correct terms, you research all the forms and statements and processes you need, and anything you can’t get through the system, you pay for it if you can.  Nothing comes to those who wait.”

– pg 145 “A Boy Made if Blocks” by Keith Stuart

A Boy Made of Blocks is a fiction novel that is based on a true story.  Sam has autism and it is the story of his family navigating through life with Sam.  I have a son who when he was younger needed a lot of special needs services.  Now that he is 17 and we navigated our way through the special needs school system, he currently needs very little of these services. But, I will say that this quote very accurately describes what it’s like to go through the school system with a child with special needs.  If you don’t educate yourself on the system and your rights and then speak up/advocate for your child, they often don’t get what they need.  The only part I don’t agree with is exploiting the rules.  If you just research and know what the rules are, working within the rules, in my experience, is enough to get your child what they need.

That is my teaser for this Tuesday.  If you posted a Teaser Tuesday, feel free to post the link here.  I’d love to get a taste of what you are reading. There’s always room on Mt. TBR for just one (…or two…or three…) more books, right?

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Tag Tuesday:The Beauty and the Beast Tag

The Beauty and the Beast tag was created by Krista at Books and Jams and Lisa at Brand New Book Smell.

 I am so excited for the release of the new live action Beauty and the Beast movie coming out on March 17, 2017!  I’m not often a movie goer, I tend to wait for movies to be released on DVD or on streaming services to watch them.  I’m such a fan of Beauty and the Beast that I will be going to the movie theater to see this movie.  I can’t wait!  🙂  So, I thought it was the perfect time for a Beauty and the Beast book tag.

1.Belle: She just wants more then this provencial life.  Tell about a book that takes you to another place. 

When I think about a book that takes me to another place, the book the immediately comes to mind is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  The circus that just appears and nobody knows when or where it will appear, is filled with so much beauty.  Erin Morgenstern writes with such beautiful imagary that I was swept away into the magic of the circus every time I sat down to read it.  It’s a book that definitely took me to another place, the beauty that is that of The Night Circus.

Goodreads

 2. Beast: He can be a bit scary, but inside he’s a softy.  Choose a book who’s cover doesn’t match the story.

I’m going to go with a book I read a few years ago that I remember to be quite a gripping, page turning read.  However, by just looking at the cover, it hardly looks like a book that will tug at your heart stings and keep the reader wanting to know what happens next, rooting for this young boy and his mom…

Goodreads

 3. Maurice: Belle’s eccentric but loveable father.  Choose a book that is out of your comfort zone or your normal reads, but you ended up loving it.

I recently read Cinder by Marissa Meyer and I loved it!  I put it off based on the cyborg and science fiction elements in it’s Cinderella retelling.  I don’t read a lot of science fiction novels.

Here is my recent review of Cinder if you are interested in more of my thoughts on this book.

Goodreads

 4. Mrs. Potts: Nurturing and motherly character.  Choose a character who takes care of others like a mother might.

I’m going to go with the cliche answer of Mrs.Weasley from The Harry Potter series for this one.  I can’t think of a better mother/mother-like character.

Goodreads

 5. Chip: Adorable and makes us smile.  Choose your favorite children’s book.

My favorite children’s books that always make me smile are the Anne of Green Gables series.  I am in the process of re-reading this series as an adult and it is just pure joy to read them again.

Goodreads

*Goodreads link is for a different edition of the Anne series.  The edition shown above is not currently on Goodreads.

 6. Gaston: Smarmy and arrogant.  Choose a character who’s over the top with his (or her) arrogance.

I’m going to choose a character from one of my most recent reads, Queen Levana from Cinder.

Goodreads

 7. Lumiere: Smooth-talking, swoon worthy cassanova.  Choose a character with these characteristics.

I don’t swoon over characters in books, so this is a tough question for me.  The only answer I can think of are the men in the Colleen Hoover books that I have read, Slammed, November 9 and It Ends With Us.  Colleen Hoover creates male characters who are extremely flawed, but also have a loveable side especially to the main female character in her books.  Somehow, as the background to these flawed male characters is revealed, you find a part of you loving them and rooting for the relationships.  Since, they are characters that could be unlikeable, but become likeable in some ways, I would say that they are smooth-talking cassanovas.

  

 8. Cogsworth: He was a bossy, no-nonsense leader of the household.  Choose a character who takes charge and is the voice of reason for those around them.

Elfrida and Aunt Carrie from Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher were both take charge, voice of reason characters.  They pull this unlikely cast of characters together who all end up at an old Victorian home in Scotland and they find love and family in a most unplanned, unlikely way.

Goodreads

If you would like to do this tag, then I tag you!    If you do this tag, please link it below so I can read your answers.

If you have any suggestions of tags you’d like to see me do for Tag Tuesday, please comment and let me know.  Thanks! 🙂

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• Instagram: @Inmyreadingnook
• Twitter: @InMyReadingNook
• Goodreads: Becky

 

Musing Mondays (Mar. 6)

Musing Mondays is hosted by Ambrosia at her blog, The Purple Booker.

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: If you could be best friends with an author, who would you choose and why?

I’m currently reading…

Goodreads

Up next I think I’ll read…

Goodreads

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: If you could be best friends with an author, who would you choose and why?

When I thought about what author I’d like to be best friends with, three authors immediately came to my mind.

L.M. Montgomery, the author of the Anne of Green Gables series and Rosamunde Pilcher, author of Winter Solstice (as well as many other books) are two of the authors that I think I would like to be best friends with.  Both of these ladies write beautiful stories about families coming together under unlikely circumstances and enjoying the simple joys in life.  They create characters who are grateful for the love of family and the beauty of the little things.  I would love to have more of that influence to balance the lives we live now.

I think I would also enjoy being best friends with Kristin Hannah, author of Firefly Lane, The Nightingale, Night Road (as well as many other books).  Kristin Hannah’s books brought back my joy of reading as an adult.  For a time, I wasn’t reading very much for enjoyment. When my son was young, he had some special needs that took a lot of my attention and when I read, it was books to help me help him more.  When I had the time and desire to read for fun again, I picked up Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah and my passion for reading was ignited again!  Her books are emotional reads that really engage the reader and make them feel for her characters.  I would definitly like to share with Kristin Hannah how much her books impacted my reading and to learn more from her about herself and her inspiration for her books.

It was just too hard to choose only one author who I think might make a good best friend. So, I took a little liberty with this question and shared the three authors that immediately came to mind when I read today’s bonus question.

What author(s) do you think would make a good best friend for you?

Feel free to post your Musing Monday link.  I’d love to read what you’re musing about this Monday

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• Twitter: @InMyReadingNook
• Goodreads: Becky

March 2017 TBR

I definitely have some big and ambitious reading plans for the month of March.  As I always say, I’m a mood reader so my TBRs (To Be Read List) are just a loose suggestion of what I think I’ll read each month.  They are always open to change throughout the month. However, I’m excited to dive into these books so we’ll see how I do.  🙂

In March I plan to participate in the Borrow-a-thon which runs from March 19-March 26.  Borrow-a-thon is about reading borrowed books from the library, a friend, a family member, a coworker…any books that are borrowed from someone or somewhere. You can use one book for more then one challenge, which I definitely will be doing.

Here are the books I plan on trying to read during the week of Borrow-a-thon:

 

  

By Your Side by Kasie West: Goodreads

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier: Goodreads

Maus A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman: Goodreads

Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan: Goodreads

1.Try Before You Buy

All four of these books would fit into this category for me.

2.A Graphic Novel

3.Try a New-to-You Author

 

4. A Book Recommended to You

 

5. A Book with Your Favorite Color on the Cover

My favorite color is purple.

6. A Book that Involves a Library in Some Way

Besides participating in the Borrow-a-thon, I plan on reading these other books throughout the rest of March:

Goodreads

I’ll be reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel with Books and Jams Read-a-long hosted by Krista.

Goodreads

Goodreads

Goodreads

I’d like to try to read The Zookeeper’s Wife before the movie comes out on March 31st.

This is a very ambitious list of books for me to read in March, but February has ended on a high note.  I’ve been reading quite a bit at the end of February and I’m hoping to carry this through into March.

What books are you most excited to read in March?

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• Goodreads: Becky

February Wrap Up

February was a great reading month for me! If I don’t participate in any read-thons, I average about 4 books per month.  In February, I read 6 books!  🙂

Here’s what I read in February:

Goodreads

My Review

Goodreads

My Review

Goodreads

While I enjoyed this book, I didn’t have enough to say about it for a full review.  It was a great, quick contemporary read especially for book lovers.  I loved that Jenny Colgan decided to dedicate this book to book lovers and then write a humerous dedication to many types of readers.  It set the stage for a very fun read filled with the love of libraries and books.

Goodreads

I enjoyed that this book felt like Lorelei Gilmore was talking directly to it’s readers.  I really liked some parts of this book, particularly the beginning and the end, but I found some of the middle of the book to be less interesting and entertaining.  As a fan of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, this was a must read and overall I liked the book.

Goodreads

My Review

Goodreads

Leah Remini shares her life in Hollywood as well as her struggles with growing up in Scientology.  This was an interesting read and I found her to be very brave to share such experiences.

Although I did not participate in any read-a-thons in February, I did participate in the Love-A-Thon this month.  I had a blast spreading bookish love and meeting more readers across many social media outlets.

 This years hosts of the Love-a-thon were Alexa of Alexa Loves Books, Cece of The Novel Hermit, Kristin of Super Space Chick and Mel of The Daily Prophecy.

 Here’s my Love-A-Thon blog posts from February:

• Get to Know Me Questionnaire
• Mad Libs:Fairytale Edition
• Mix + Match
• Fancy Yourself a Poet?
• Valentines Care Package
• One the Road (Trip)!

I’m already looking forward to next year’s Love-A-Thon! ❤ 🙂  In the meantime, remembering to spread the love to the bookish community throughout the year is what I took with me from this year’s Love-A-Thon.

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• Goodreads: Becky

Review:Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don’t know why I waited so long to read Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I loved it! I think the cyborg and science fiction elements made me keep putting off reading this book, since I don’t read science fiction novels very often. However, Marissa Meyer crafts such an amazing and engaging story that keeps non-science fiction readers, like myself, turning the pages.

Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella. Our main character, Cinder, is a strong female character despite much hardship in her life. Cinder is a very likeable and relatable character, that I found myself rooting for throughout the entire book. She doesn’t remember any of her life prior to age 11 and becoming a cyborg. Cinder lives with her legal guardian, who doesn’t want her, and her two sisters (the legal guardian’s children). Unlike the original fairytale of Cinderella, Cinder has a great relationship with one of the sisters. I really enjoyed thst change that Marissa Meyer writes into her version of the Cinderella fairytale. It is so beautiful to see this sisterly relationship and their love for each other.

Throughout the book, Cinder learns a lot about herself with the help of Dr. Erland and how she can help the people of New Beijing through a horrible epidemic. At the end of the book, there is a huge revelation about Cinder that I feel like I should have seen coming. However, I was so engrossed in the story and purely enjoying it at face value, that I didn’t see the twist coming.

Queen Levana is an awful character. Marissa Meyer writes her character so well that every time I read about Queen Levana, she made my skin crawl. She puts Kai and Cinder in some very tough and unfair situations. I liked that Kai looked beyond Cinder’s second class status and her being a mechanic, but some of his choices broke my heart for Cinder and himself. I’m excited to see what happens with Kai and Cinder throughout this series and what choices they ultimately make.

I look forward to continuing with this series and seeing what’s next for Cinder, Kai, Dr. Erland, Queen Levana and the people of New Beijing. I look forward to seeing how Marissa Meyer introduces more fairytale retellings into The Lunar Chronicles series. The ending of Cinder definitely left me wanting more and I’m so glad I didn’t let the science fiction/cyborg elements stop me from picking this book up!

Tag Tuesday:The To Be Read Tag

The To Be Read Tag was originally created by A Perfection Called Books.

I heard about this tag from E.M. Paperbound.

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?

I mainly use Goodreads to keep track of my TBR pile.  Also, I just recently cleaned out my bookshelves and made sure all of my unread physical books were all together on my shelves.

Is your TBR mostly print or ebook?

My TBR pile is mostly physical (print) books.

How do you determine which book from yout TBR pile to read next?

I do make TBRs at the start of each month for that month, but I am a mood reader. My monthly TBRs are just suggestions of books that I would like to read within the month.  If I’m in the mood for a book on my monthly TBR, I will pick that book.  I will also choose a book from my TBR if it’s a book of the month for a Goodreads group I participate in or a read-a-long scheduled for the particular month.  Or, sometimes I will just scan my TBR shelves until a book jumps out at me as the one to read at that time.

A Book that’s Been on Your TBR for the Longest?

Goodreads

This book has been on my Goodreads TBR since October 31, 2012!

A Book You Recently Added to Your TBR

Goodreads

I currently have this book checked out of the library and I’m hoping to read it in March.

A Book in Your TBR Strictly Because of its Beautiful Cover

Goodreads

A Book on Your TBR that You Never Plan on Reading

Goodreads

An Unpublished Book on Your TBR that You’re Excited For

Caraval Book#2 by Stephanie Garber.  There’s no cover or title for this book yet.

Goodreads

A Book on Your TBR that Basically Everyone’s Read but You

Goodreads

I will complete this series this year!  🙂

A Book on Your TBR that Everyone Recommends to You

Goodreads

A Book on Your TBR that You’re Dying to Read

Just one!  Ummm…

Goodreads

How Many Books are on Your TBR Shelf?

Waaaay too many to count!  I’m trying to read off my shelves (or the library) this year because I bought so many books in 2016.  I’m not on a book buying ban, but I’m trying to focus on reading the books I’ve already purchased and not buy too many more books this year.

If you would like to do this tag, then I tag you!  🙂  If you do this tag, please link it below so I can read your answers.

If you have any suggestions of tags you’d like to see me do for Tag Tuesday, please comment and let me know.  Thanks!  🙂

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• Goodreads: Becky