Month: November 2024

Top Ten Tuesday | Bookish Things I’m Thankful For In 2024

Posted November 25, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 13 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Thankful/Thanksgiving Freebie

Canada’s Thanksgiving was last month, but I’m happy to play for bookish things I’m thankful for this year! Also, I’m having a couple of intense weeks and I haven’t been around much on the blog but I’m really thankful that you’re here and I’ll resume visiting blogs and replying comments as soon as I can!

Top Ten Bookish Things I’m Thankful For In 2024

  1. The Calgary Public Library – I honestly believe that my library is the best library in the world. So many book selections both physical and digital, so many books you can check out at any one time, so many free programs, so much support provided to the people of Calgary. I even had a friend from New York visit and even she said that my library is better than the one she has in New York! I am thankful every day for my library!
  2. My bookish friend visiting from New York – I met her through an online bookclub, and we bonded through the mutual love of books. Plus we did all the bookish things while she was here, and she gifted me a couple of gorgeous handmade book sleeves!
  3. Calgary Reads Big Book Sale – She happened to visit during the book sale, so we went and we got lots of books for cheap, and I went back on the final day when all the books were free!
  4. My in-person bookclub – I started the bookclub early this year and it’s been going really strong even though we started out with only a few members. We even went on a road trip to the Royal Tyrell museum together when we read our non-fiction dinosaur related book this summer! I look forward to seeing them every month and we always have a great time. So thankful for my bookclub family!
  5. My online bookclub – A different bookclub from the one I met my bookish friend in New York. I’m no longer in the first one, but a different friend introduced me to this other bookclub this year and I love it! It’s bigger and has so many more bookish activities – it’s a blessing and a curse, tbh, because I’m finding it hard to say no to all the fun activities and buddy reads!
  6. All the buddy reads – I realize some people are solitary readers – and I’m happy reading quietly on my own too sometimes – but I also absolutely love buddy reads and talking about the books with other readers! It enhances my reading experience, helps me remember the books better, and gives me so much perspective from other readers’ POVs. I just love buddy reads!
  7. An Audible membership – I treated myself to an Audible membership for my birthday this year, and I’m already loving it so much! I got it on a discount and I’ve already listened to so many amazing books this year, and discovering more! I still love reading books on text but some books are just better on audio, especially when you’ve got a great narrator on board!
  8. Discovering so many amazing new-to-me books this year – One of the best things about being a part of book communities is discovering all the books that I might not have picked up on my own, but because of other book bloggers and bookclub members raving about them, made me pick them up. I’ve read so many new favorite books this year I never expected to love!
  9. Meeting with another book blogger – So even though I’m active in a few online book spaces, I haven’t been to many in-person book events. However, I got lucky that one of the people I got to know from the bookblogging community lives relatively close to me and I got to meet her in real life! I met Susan from The Cue Card last month and had the best time hanging out with her!
  10. The bookblogging community – And last but not least, I am so grateful to be a part of this bookblogging community, and especially every one of you taking part in the Top Ten Tuesdays, hosted by the wonderful Jana, every week. It’s one of the highlights of my week; coming up with ideas for top ten lists and seeing what everyone else has come up with! I am so thankful for every one of you!

What bookish things are you thankful for this year? Did you discover any new favorite books? Have you met any new bookish friends?

Tags: , , , , ,

Top Ten Tuesday | Books Beginning with B

Posted November 18, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 13 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Oldest (aka Earliest Published) Books On My TBR (submitted by Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits).

I sort of already have a list of earliest published books on my TBR, for The Classics Club challenge, so I decided to go with the next alphabet on my easy go-to topic; Books Beginning with B. (I can’t believe I’m only on the second letter!)

Top Ten Books Beginning with B

  1. Bear by Marian Engel – This is a weird but interesting book. I’m not sure if I would recommend it to anyone, except for the sake of curiosity. I buddy read it with some friends and we did get some interesting discussions out of it though.
  2. The Bodyguard by Katherine Center – I loved this one! Katherine Center has become one of my favorite authors, and I’d probably read anything she writes.
  3. Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree – Another one I loved! I love Viv, and I love her friends, and I love the whole cozy bookshop setting as well. And obviously, the best thing for me about these books is the found family aspect, because I love found families!
  4. The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz – This one was okay. It’s a good and fun read, but nothing really special stood out for me.
  5. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie – I wasn’t sure about this book at first because the characters were so unlikeable in the beginning, but I ended up really loving it and the characters!
  6. Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane – This has been on my TBR for ages and I’m trying my best to get to it soon! I love the author’s other books, and I’m sure I’ll love this one too, I just have to read it.
  7. The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey – The first book of an amazing series! I highly recommend this one!
  8. The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed – I have not read this one, but it’s been praised a lot and I am very interested in the premise!
  9. Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe – Tess Sharpe is so great at writing badass young female protagonists! I loved this one and also The Girls I’ve Been, which is supposed to be made into a movie starring Millie Bobby Brown, but I haven’t any news about it since.
  10. Book of Night by Holly Black – I’m a huge fan of Holly Black, and I loved this story and the characters! There’s also supposed to be a sequel coming out next year and I cannot wait to dive back into the story!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?

Tags: ,

Top Ten Tuesday | Witches, Witches, Everywhere

Posted November 11, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 33 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Destination Titles (titles with name of places in them. These places can be real or fiction!) 

Looking up books with destination titles, I came across a lot of titles with witches from somewhere or other, and I decided to focus my list today on them! It’s also because I ended up adding so many of these to my TBR and book addicts love company, so I’m obliged to share these in the hopes you’ll add some to your TBR too!

Top Ten Books with Witches Everywhere

  1. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare – I don’t remember reading this, but it’s listed as read on my GR and I gave it 2/5 stars! I don’t know if I clicked it by accident or if I really didn’t like it, but I must (re)read it soon to find out for sure!
  2. The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho – I haven’t read a lot of Coelho but I did like The Alchemist. I’ll probably read this one too someday.
  3. The Witches of New York by Ami McKay – This is one where witchcraft and medical science collides. It sounds delightfully creepy and mysterious and I am very interested in reading it.
  4. The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike – I feel like I’ve heard about this one before and also the author, but the ratings aren’t very good. That makes me very curious!
  5. The Witch of Tin Mountain by Paulette Kennedy – This one follows three generations of women and as with many witch stories, has vibes of unfair prosecution of witches. Gothic horror and historical fiction, sounds right up my alley!
  6. The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche – The MC uses gemstones to heal the sick, but has to play nice with others to get herself recognized as a physician. This one sounds really good too, and I love the cover!
  7. The Witch of Little Italy by Suzanne Palmieri – This one looks so charming and light-hearted compared to the other books listed here. The author has several books about witches in other places as well; The Witch of Belladonna Bay, The Witch of Bourbon Street, but I chose to go with this one because it’s her debut.
  8. The Last Witch of Scotland by Philip Paris – Inspired by the true story of the last person to be executed for witchcraft in Britain. I need to read this!
  9. The Witch of Napoli by Michael Schmicker – Aaahhh, the battle between science and religion! Personally, I believe that science and spirituality are compatible with each other. Religion is a different story, however.
  10. The Witch of Cologne by Tobsha Learner – A sexy, witchy romance! Sign me up! This author’s name is very familiar to me but I can’t remember where I heard about her.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?

Tags: , , , , ,

Sunday Post | Conquered

Posted November 9, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 9 Comments

Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings. 

The Conqueror Challenge

I did it!! I finished my first challenge with The Conqueror Challenge with two days to spare!

Honestly, ever since the weather started getting cooler, I’ve been having a harder time with motivating myself to run and the last few weeks were hard. The Conqueror Challenge helps to motivate me, but even then I was almost going to extend my time goal because I felt so demotivated last week.

Posting about it here kept me accountable, and made me want to finish the challenge sooner so that I would be able to share on this Sunday Post that I did it!

So yes! I did it! I finished the last 5.2km just this morning! And it may or may not be a big deal for anyone else – we are all on our own personal journeys – but it’s a big deal to me and I’m proud of myself!

I just sent in for my medal and I’ll post a picture of it as soon as I receive it! Now on to the next challenge!

And other things

My project is coming along nicely. I have a little anxiety about not being able to make it in time, or that I won’t do a good job, but I keep reminding myself that finished is better than perfect. I’m sorry for being so mysterious about it but I promise that I’ll tell all once it’s done!

I’ve also been busy crocheting Christmas gifts. I’m a little late starting, but I’ve got some time and I think I’ll be able to finish in time. It’s great because I get to listen to audiobooks while crocheting, doing two of my favorite things at the same time!

As for books and reading; I only finished a single book last week. I’m still working through my 60-hour audiobook, Super Powereds: Year 4 by Drew Hayes, so I have an excuse!!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Dear Enemy by Jean Webster – It’s unfair to compare it with Daddy-Long-Legs because they’re totally different stories but it’s hard not to compare them either. I love Daddy-Long-Legs too much and the first time I read Dear Enemy, I didn’t like it much at all. I loved it more this time around because I was able to manage my expectations this time and have a better reading experience.

Book(s) I’m reading:

  1. Super Powereds: Year 4 by Drew Hayes – On hour 37 of a 60-hour audiobook. I knew it was going to take up a chunk of the week! But I’m loving it and I don’t want it to end either. My only consolation is that the author has got other books I can read, but I’m sure I’ll miss these characters and this story.
  2. Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan – I am 25% into this book and I am loving it! The MC gets sucked into the world of her favorite books and it is so fun!!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I have so many books accumulating on my TBR because I spent so many hours with the Super Powered series. Maybe once I finish Super Powereds: Year 4, I’ll be able to make a dent on my TBR again!

How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!

Tags: , , ,

Top Ten Tuesday | Books with Pianos on the Cover

Posted November 4, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 39 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Books with [Item] on the Cover

I chose pianos for the item on the cover because I’ve been trying to be better on the piano and I’m hoping to motivate myself to practice a little more. It’s not working but hey, at least I found some books with gorgeous covers!

Top Ten Books with Pianos on the Cover

  1. The Piano Man’s Daughter by Timohy Findley – This is a historical fiction set in Canada. I have not read or heard of the author, but it’s got great reviews and I’m curious about it.
  2. The Secret Pianist by Andie Newton – A newly published historical fiction that reminds me of books in the vein of Madeline Martin. It’s set during WW2 and gives me the same kind of vibes.
  3. Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith – I read his book, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency years ago and enjoyed it but I’ve never read anything since. This is a book of short stories so maybe a good place to get back into his stories.
  4. Death in D Minor by Alexia Gordon – The second book in the Gethsemane Brown Mysteries series with a classical musician as the mystery-solving protagonist.
  5. The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield – This is a picture book that sounds absolutely adorable! I think I’d love to read it.
  6. Forbidden Melody by Magnolia Robbins – An LGBT romance that looks really good. Two musicians falling in love, that sounds right up my alley!
  7. Mad Boys by Heather Long – This is the second book in a new adult, reverse harem romance series, not something I’m usually interested in, but I love the cover!
  8. Lessons by Ian McEwan – I’ve only ever read Atonement by the author, but this one sounds really good too!
  9. Crescendo by Allen Cheney – This is a biography but I don’t know anything about the person of topic, Fred Allen. I do love the cover though.
  10. Middle C by William H. Gass – I don’t even know what this book is about, but I love the representation of part of a piano on the cover and had to include it!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?

Tags: , , ,

Sunday Post | Halloween Hype

Posted November 2, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 16 Comments

Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings. 

All the Ghouls and Ghosts

The highlight of last week was Halloween!

We don’t really “celebrate” Halloween in Malaysia and we’ve never gone trick-or-treating, but now that we’re in Canada and immersed in the Halloween culture, we loved watching the Halloween decorations pop up throughout October and we wanted to check out all the festivities!

We didn’t think to get costumes this year and we weren’t planning to participate or anything, but people everywhere were so friendly and welcoming (some tried to be frightening, which is fair enough!) we ended up making some friends and getting invitations to come back next year. It was a lot of fun and a wonderful highlight of the week!

Also, I’m aware that I’ve been behind on visiting blogs and replying comments. I’ve been trying to catch up with all the things I fell behind on the last few weeks and I’m making some good progress! I’m anticipating some busy weeks ahead as we’re trying to hit a deadline, but I want to be more present here as well. I might end up cutting down on post frequency and book reviews but I’m really hoping I won’t have to, or if I do, that it will only be temporary.

The Conqueror Challenge

I’m still behind on my progress with The Conqueror Challenge. I only did a little more than 15km out of my 20km/week goal. I do have nine more days to go and about 24km more to go, so hopefully I’ll be able to get that done.

We can set our own goals so I could technically push back the time frame if I need to, but I really want to try to hit it if I can. I had a bad run (pun intended) these last three weeks, but I did account for bad days when I set the goal.

Nine days is only a little more than a week, and I’ve only been doing 15-20km a week. 24km a week would be pushing it, but hey, that’s why it’s a challenge. I’m going to give it a final push this week, because I’m also really excited about completing the goal and getting the medal! And also starting a new challenge immediately after!

All the happy things:

  1. I had the best time on Halloween night!
  2. Shared some hot cocoa with my husband late one night and had a wonderful time just talking.
  3. We had our in-person bookclub meeting this morning! And we had a new person join us today!
  4. My bookclub friends and I went for lunch after the meeting and continued the chat and fun. Bookish friends are the best!
  5. I am almost 80% done with my first The Conqueror Challenge!
  6. We made some great strides in the project that I’m doing! Exciting things are coming soon!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young – I really liked how different it was. It was really fast-paced as well, so I finished it quickly.
  2. The Girl from the Other Side Vol. 11 by Nagabe – This is the final book in the series and I’m a little disappointed with how it ended, but I enjoyed the experience of reading it.
  3. Super Powereds: Year 3 by Drew Hayes – More fun with bad writing! This time it was all the blondes that stood out; the author kept referring to some of the characters as “their blonde friend”, “their blonde classmate”, “their blonde opponent”, etc. There were other hair colors too, but it was the blondes who stood out. I am still having so much fun with the series!

Book(s) I’m reading:

  1. Super Powereds: Year 4 by Drew Hayes – I cannot wait to dive into more of the story!
  2. Dear Enemy by Jean Webster – This is the sequel to Daddy-Long-Legs and I have read it before but not as many times as Daddy-Long-Legs so I’m refreshing my memory.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

Super Powereds: Year 4 is a 60-hour audiobook so it’s probably going to take up the chunk of this week, but I might intersperse it with other shorter books in between.

How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!

Tags: , , ,