Downsizing the TBR and Book Clubs #amreading

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I’m in a recently resuscitated book club with some friends.  As one of those members said, I’m cheating on them since I’ve joined another book club as well.  Our local library started a YA book club for members 18 years of age and older, called Pardon My Youth (pretty clever, right?)  You can look at my decision to join two book clubs in a couple of ways.  A – How stupid am I because there’s no way I’ll have time to read books other than those in my TBR or for review, or B – I’m smart enough to pull books from my TBR for both book clubs when possible.  Technically, I guess it’s a little bit of both, but for June and July, it worked out to be option B.  

It was my turn to choose the book for the friend book club and I selected The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner.  I’m the only YA reader in the club, so I’m anxious to see what the consensus is at our July meeting.

The format for Pardon My Youth is a little different.  The group chooses a book theme, then members are free to read any book that falls in that category.  For this month, it was books made into movies/TV, and I chose The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey.  And that’s the book I finished instead of what was on the last post, The Diviners by Libba Bray.

So the old plan of showing the book I’m currently reading along with what’s up next is basically shot to hell, but we’ll work with this new plan and see how it goes.  It can’t be any slower – I hope.

Anyhoo – The 5th Wave was a fantastic read.  I’ve seen the movie, but it must not have made too much of an impression on me, because I didn’t remember much while reading the book.  This is a series I plan to continue.  Not sure exactly when that second book will get read, but eventually.

I don’t have to start The Serpent King for a couple of weeks, so I’ll do what I can to read The Diviners.  That being said, I have a ton of books from NetGalley and Edelweiss to review, so who knows.

Currently reading:

 

 

 

 

Up next:

TBR: 105

Read:  1

Bought:  ZERO!

Total:  104

Downsizing the TBR Pile and Vacation #amreading

Had a fantastic time on vacation – and would love to go back, but someone has to do the piles of laundry and tackle my inbox.  I won’t even mention my To-Do List for today.  And I’m pretty sure our cat would find another forever home if we left him again.

This is where I spent most of my time.  I’d get down to the beach by 9 am and, with the exception of lunch, I’d stay until 4 or 5 pm.  Got some prime reading done!

This is us – front row, oldest son’s girlfriend, hubby, me, oldest son, and back row, youngest son and his friend.  Had a grill on the balcony overlooking the ocean and took full advantage of it – hit the seafood market in the morning and tossed whatever we bought on the grill at night.

This pic was taken with my phone at night and the clarity isn’t very good, but it sure was a gorgeous evening.

 

 

I was productive and checked off 3 books from the TBR!

 

A Conjuring of Light, the final book in the Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab.  I started this series on the beach last fall, and finished it on the beach last week – and it was absolutely perfect.  Hands down, one of the best fantasy series I’ve read – exquisite world-building, characters I hated to leave, complex story line.  Sheer perfection.

Also finished Out and About (Cathedral Lake #2) by Staci Troilo – the review will be posted next week – and Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard, a companion novel to Cain’s Blood.  Chilling and original premise – will also post this review later.  I had Riders by Veronica Rossi on the beach list, but wasn’t able to get to it.

Currently reading:

 

 

 

 

Up next:

TBR:  108

Read:  3

Bought:  0

Total:  105

Downsizing the TBR Pile #amreading

The past few weeks have been incredibly busy, and with my son graduating high school and family visiting this week, things won’t be slowing down anytime soon.  I’m nowhere near where I’d like to be with my WIP and I’m also in the beginning stages of writing a short story for an anthology.  I’m behind on reading and reviews.  So what’s my solution?  Paint the bathroom!  Because that’s what you do, right?  Avoidance, procrastination – I have no idea why or what possessed me to put in that amount of hours on a project when I have others screaming for attention.  But the bathroom looks pretty good.

Moving on – I read out of order again.  I’ll be going on vacation in a couple of weeks and decided to save the hardback books for beach reading.  Umbrella, waves, sand – beach reading is the best!

I finished The Playground by C.S. Boyack (review here) – a dark, gruesome, thrilling read I highly recommend.  Really hoping for a sequel (take a blatant hint, Craig).

I’m currently reading several books and have a couple on hold for the beach – but I’m almost halfway through Out and About by Staci Troilo.  If I hadn’t gotten the bizarre idea to paint the bathroom, I probably would have finished it.  Go figure.

Currently reading:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the beach:

Up next:

TBR:  109

Read:  1

Bought:  0 again!

Total:  108

 

Up Next:

 

Downsizing the TBR Pile #amreading

Just came across this opportunity last week.  On Labor Day weekend, September 2, I’ll be at Books & Bottles, Chrisman Mill Winery in Nicholasville, KY, right outside Lexington.  Wine and books?  It doesn’t get much better than that.  Tables are still available if anyone’s interested.

The book club reconvened this past Saturday after a three year hiatus.  It was nice to talk books with friends I hadn’t seen in a while – then again, isn’t it always nice to talk about books?

I read completely out of order this past week – I just happened to have my Kindle with me and started Mae Clair’s Eclipse Lake.  And then I couldn’t put it down.  I was at college orientation with my son over the weekend and read during the boring parts of the information sessions, then ducked out of a couple of other repetitive sessions to finish the book.  Does that tell you how much I enjoyed it?  The review will be posted soon.

Still currently reading:

 

 

 

 

Up next:

I’ll probably finish The Diviners (Nook) before A Conjuring of Light (book) because I get a lot of my reading done while doing cardio at the gym and it’s easier to read from my Nook.

TBR:  110

Read:  1

Bought:  ZERO!!!

Total:  109

Downsizing the TBR Pile #amreading

This was one of my favorite weekends of the year – the SOKY Book Fest and Writer’s Conference.  Do I really need to tell you I bought more books?  But only 3!  I had a fantastic time and I’ll post pics later this week.  Still trying to figure out the whole Instagram thing, but I’m committed to posting there also.

Some friends and I are starting up a book club again – the first meeting is this coming weekend.  Always difficult to find a date that works for everyone’s schedule, and not everyone can be there on Saturday.  One friend is a teacher and will be attending her 26th (I think) prom – chaperoning, of course.  I should probably get started reading the book.

I finished a couple of books.  This one wasn’t included in my previous TBR post, but I read Whispering Corridors by Ambrose Ibsen for the book discussion at Lilyn’s blog, Scifi and Scary.  It was a miss for me (that’s an awesome cover), but I had a great time discussing it with others and look forward to the next selection in June.

The Impending Possession of Scarlet Wakebridge-Rose by S.L. Saboviec is a well-written, compelling book with some surprising twists.  I didn’t find Scarlet to be particularly likable, but still an enjoyable read.

Currently reading:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up next:

TBR:  109

Read:  2

Bought:  3

Total:  110 (heavy sigh)

Downsizing the TBR Pile #amreading

I have to warn you – the TBR pile took a staggering hit last week because of a certain Story Empire Roadshow featuring several friends.  Awesome books at low prices or even free – how could I resist?  Thanks guys – you know who you are and the blame is on you!

I finished Panacea by F. Paul Wilson.  I’m a huge fan of his Repairman Jack series – and if you’re not familiar with those books (kind of a thriller/suspense/paranormal mix), then you’re missing out on an incredible story with one of the most magnetic and intriguing characters I’ve read.  Panacea didn’t grab me right away, but I stuck with it and was rewarded with the introduction of a character who reminded me a lot of Jack – and then I was hooked.   If you’re a fan of medical thrillers with a touch of paranormal, look into this one.  The second in the series is due out later this year.

Currently reading:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up next:

TBR:  101

Read:  1

Bought:  9!!!!!

Total:  109

I may be a little naive, but I’m beginning to think I’ll never reach the bottom of the pile.  Has anyone else gotten that impression?

 

Downsizing the TBR Pile #amreading

So, I have this genius friend who knows her way around a computer (unlike yours truly) and designed bookmarks for Sarah – my own efforts were an epic fail.  Finally getting them done was a huge load off my mind, because I’ve got a couple of events coming up and I had no SWAG.  At all.  She did a fantastic job and I’ll post a pic when they’re ready.  Told her she should free lance – book covers would probably be effortless for her.

I really read out of sequence this time, but I have NetGalley to blame for that.  Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel has been in my TBR for several months, and I just received approval to read and review the second in the series, Waking Gods.  So guess what just got bumped up the list faster than Thor’s hammer (okay, maybe not quite that fast) ?  I’d read some great reviews by some Goodreads friends and knew this was my kind of book.    The story is told in interviews, journal entries, transcripts, and news articles, which may bother some readers, but I’ve read other novels told in this fashion and enjoy that style of writing.  If you haven’t read this book, pieces of a ‘giant robot girl’ are found buried all over the planet, left centuries ago by an alien culture.  The same day I started reading this book, I read about archaeologists discovering the head of a giant 3,000-year-old statue thought to depict Ramses II.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Stranger things have happened.  Whatever the case, I read Sleeping Giants in two days – that should tell you how I felt about it.

I won’t be able to finish Panacea for a few weeks – have 3 books I have to finish for review, a book to read for book club, and another book for a group read.  Oh – and finish the first draft of my WIP.  Anyone have any spare hours in the day they could donate?

That leaves my currently reading the same:

 

 

 

 

And the same for up next:

TBR:  102

Read:  1

Bought:  0 (again!)

Total:  101

 

 

 

Downsizing the TBR Pile #amreading

Hubs out of town, so I did nothing except read and write over the weekend – and finished two books!  I’m also proud of the fact that the local library’s used book sale was this weekend and I held my ground and didn’t add anymore to the TBR pile.  Let me tell you, that was a tough one to stay away from.

My son and I also found some time to watch Captain Fantastic with Viggo Mortensen and rated it two thumbs up – a thought-provoking movie with an outstanding performance from Mortensen (but he’ll always be Aragorn to me).  Add it to your 23299513list if you haven’t seen it.

I finally finished The Shadow Queen.  I was never much for fairy tales growing up, but this take on Snow White was hard to put down – creative world-building and strong, fun characters surrounded by magic – and dragons!

I read out of order again.  Sometimes what I read depends on what’s closest to me at the time – my 24487079Nook or Kindle.  Type and Cross by Staci Troilo immediately grabbed me – so many secrets in this small town.  The full review will be posted soon.

Currently reading

26114163

 

 

 

 

Up next:

TBR:  104

Read:  2

Bought:  ZERO!!! (due to an exorbitant amount of restraint on my part)

Total:  102

Downsizing the TBR Pile #amreading

Busy past couple of weeks – making some progress on the new book, but still in the drafting phase.

Saw the new John Wick movie this weekend – it’s as good as, and maybe even better33227363 than the first.  The ending leaves an exciting setup for a third movie, with Wick up against seemingly insurmountable odds.

I read out of order, but I finished In a Small Compass by Karen Oberlaender, a marvelous collection of short stories – a full review will be posted soon.

Still reading:

23299513

 

 

 

 

Up next:

TBR:  104

Read:  1

Bought:  1 (preordered the final book in V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series – if you’re a fantasy fan, seriously, you need to be reading this)

Total:  104

Downsizing the TBR Pile and Other Stuff #amreading

I’m late to the party with this, but have you seen The Secret Life of Pets?  We watched it for the first time the other night and had some great laughs – they really nailed the behavior of pets.  I saw so many aspects of my cat in Chloe.  If you’re an animal lover, don’t miss this one!

Was anyone else as disappointed with the Super Bowl commercials as I was?

Do any of you get ARCs to review from Edelweiss?  Over the past few years or so, I’ve been fortunate to have received approval to read and review several books and I have a 100% feedback ratio.  I currently have eight pending requests dating back to early September – is anyone else having this problem?

Big Announcement Time:  Last week I signed a contract with Black Rose Writing to have my second book published!  I’m still in the drafting stage, so it probably won’t be released until winter 2017.  This one is a YA sci-fi/fantasy with a working title of Gemini Connection and involves twin brothers, dreams, and portals.  Updates to follow.

Now on to the TBR.  I’m so frustrated because it’s never taken me this long to read a20764879 book – especially one as good as A Gathering of Shadows!  I’ve also been reading an ARC of Alone by Scott Sigler (if you’re a YA sci-fi/fantasy fan, you really need to be reading this trilogy) and feel like I haven’t been making much progress – real life getting in the way, I guess.  According to Goodreads, I’m four books behind schedule for my reading goal this year.  In the middle of all this, I also read a fantastic manuscript for a friend that I think any literary agent would love to get their hands on.  I’ll let you know when she gets published – and I mean when, not if.

But I finished A Gathering of Shadows – another fantastic, compelling novel by Victoria Schwab, and the final book in the series comes out later this month.  I’ve mentioned this in another post, but I’d love to spend a day in Schwab’s head just to see how her mind works.

Currently reading:

23299513

 

 

 

 

Up next:

I added two books – Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth – it had been preordered for a while.  I also bought Type and Cross by Staci Troilo, which just won Book of the Year at the Rave Reviews Book Club.  Very worthy additions to the TBR pile.

TBR:  103

Read:  1

Bought:  2

Total:  104