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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 That Provide a Much-Needed Escape
I’ve chosen my favorite escapism books that I reread often; there are so many to choose from, of course, but I landed on these books because they also have themes of escape in the stories themselves; escape from imprisonment, from a life of servitude, from death, and so on.
Top Ten Books That Provide a Much-Needed Escape
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – Every time I read this book, I am immersed in another world for hours and hours because it’s such a thick book and so intense for all of it. Sometimes I start the audiobook, thinking I can listen to it as background noise since I’ve read it so often before, but nope. Once I start it, I am in it, and nothing else exists. Bonus: The actual escape scene in this book is so thrilling!
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – The whole trilogy is an escape for me. Despite the difficult themes, it’s a comfort read for me and going with Katniss on her journey makes me feel better about mine. There are plenty of escape scenes in the trilogy, and they’re all good.
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin – Again, it’s the whole series for me. I love some characters’ POVs more than others, but the whole story, the world, the political intrigue, the people, is all so engrossing. Too many escape scenes in the series to list, but also to be fair, many of them don’t escape.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown – Another series that I love and get engrossed in. I just read the most recently released book this year, so I technically haven’t reread all the books, but it’s still such a great story to escape into. Some of the escape scenes in these books are so harrowing and incredibly satisfying!
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway – Some people say this book is boring, but it’s one of the most thrilling books I’ve read because I used to go fishing and I loved the thrill of having a fish on a hook and not knowing if you’ll be able to land it. I don’t want to spoil the ending, so all I’ll say is that there is definitely escapism for the MC here.
The Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie – This is one of my favorite childhood books, and I escape into it almost every other year or so. It’s set in the ancient Roman empire in the time of Nero and Domitian, and I love how smart it is. There are so many different kinds of escape in this book; escape from actual imprisonment, escape from wrongful prosecution, escape from tricky situations, biding-your-time escapes, lucky escapes, etc.
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo – I’ve talked about this book before as one that most closely reminds me of my own culture and family history. It’s funny that that would be an escape for me, but the way the story goes, it’s cathartic because the MC goes against her family’s wishes and makes her own way, ie. she escapes what her family plans for her. There are also fantasy and folklore elements which makes the story really wonderful for me.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel – It’s a fantastical story, but I love it. I love how it’s written, I love the philosophical examinations, I love the parts that are calm as well as the parts that are exciting. There is escape from death here, and escape from the harsh elements of nature, but there is also metaphorical escape, I think, if you read deeper into it.
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende – This story provides escape like no other. Bastian literally escapes from some bullies with the help of this book. That happens in the beginning so it’s not a spoiler, but there are certainly more escapes happening throughout the book! This is one of my favorite books as a child and it did so much for my imagination.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman – I mean, who doesn’t love this book? And the movie? They are both so great for escapism. So funny, and heartwarming, and just so perfectly perfect in every way. Plenty of escapes to read about too!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
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.
One Book Finished, Five New Books Added to the TBR
The Neverending TBR, amirite? Now it’s worse because last week I finished 3 buddy reads, and signed up for… I lost count, but it’s a lot more buddy reads. A lot. I’m told that it’s normal to get addicted because I’m new to the group and there are so many attractive buddy reads happening, but once I get my sea legs, I’ll probably slow down. 🤞
On the plus side, I’ve managed to finally finish a couple of books that have been on my TBR for ages because of the buddy reads! I also managed to work on a crochet WIP that had been untouched for weeks but finally finished since I’ve been spending more time listening to audiobooks.
All the happy things:
I finally went and ordered my new glasses. I had been putting it off since April. They should be here in about two weeks.
I also put in my Hobonichi order for next year. This was my first year using it and I love it so I’m sticking to it for next year too!
We had KFC last week! We only get it once a month for health reasons, but it’s a treat every time!
Still making those blueberry milkshakes and absolutely loving them!
Husband and I are rewatching Chuck and really enjoying it!
The Books
Books I read last week:
After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I love TJR and I think she’s a master at writing about relationships. This one is about marriage, and it’s narrated by Julia Whelan, so of course, I got on it!
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield – I had heard so much about this and had been wanting to read it for a while. It became a buddy read, so I suddenly had the motivation to finally read it.
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn – I read this before and forgot. It became a buddy read and I got excited about it, so I signed up and really enjoyed it because I forgot how it ended too.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky – It’s been on my TBR for ages but I’ve always felt daunted by it. I finally read it, because it was a buddy read and because there’s a Will Poulter narration for the free audiobook on Audible. It wasn’t as daunting as I expected, but I did get easily confused with the names, especially since I was on audio.
Book(s) I’m reading:
The Girl from Rawblood by Catriona Ward – I’ve heard a lot about Catriona Ward and got curious. This happened to also be buddy read so I thought why not try, but the reviews are quite polarizing so I’m not sure if I’ll end up finishing. I’m only about 15% in.
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 Involving Food
I love food! I love books! And I love books about food too! Today’s topic was really fun to curate, and I’m excited about reading, and rereading, many of these books below. What interesting books involving food did you come across for today’s topic? I’d love to know!
Top Ten Books Involving Food
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain – This was the first book that came to mind for today’s topic. I read the book a long time ago and remember loving it, but I didn’t make any notes and I don’t remember much about it anymore. Time for a reread maybe?
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver – I love stories about self-sustainability and growing your own food even if I doubt I’d ever be able to do it myself. It’s inspiring to see other people do it!
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan – I took a few nutrition courses many years ago and these was one of the books we studied. I rated it 5 stars but I don’t remember much about it individually because I was reading so many other similar books for the course.
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser – This book was written more than 20 years ago, and I wonder if much has changed since then with our eating habits. There are a lot more healthy options out there now, which is very encouraging and convenient, but I believe to some extent, we are still a fast food nation.
Julie & Julia by Julie Powell – I loved the movie with Amy Adams and Meryl Streep when it came out but I haven’t read the book. I love the idea of cooking through all the recipes in a cookbook as a challenge though.
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee – This was another book I bought for my nutrition course. I only read parts of it because they were assigned, but I found it fascinating and still mean to read through the rest of it.
Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper by Fuchsia Dunlop – I love Sichuan food and I’ve heard good things about Fuchsia Dunlop’s memoir. I want to read this sooner than later.
Stir by Jessica Fechtor – This one sounds so compelling. The author had a brain aneurysm and nearly died and her journey to recovery involved relearning to cook. I’m curious to read it.
Gulp by Mary Roach – Mary Roach has got lots of great popular science books I want to read. This one happens to be about food and our alimentary canal.
Taste by Stanley Tucci – I love Stanley Tucci as an actor, and I know he’s also a foodie and a chef. He has his own cookbook and he also acted in Julie & Julia, by the way. I want to read about his life through food.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
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.
I Need Some Sleep
This past week wasn’t a very good week for my runs. I only ran once!! Once!! The first half of the week I had a cold, and then I got better and went on that one run, then that night I had trouble sleeping and wasn’t able to wake up early the next day for my run. And it just happened that I had other stuff happening this week; my in-person bookclub meeting on Saturday, and as of this writing Sunday hasn’t happened yet, but I’m definitely planning to go on my run if I have anything to say about it!
Insomnia is the worst though. Having a cold is bad, but as long as I can sleep, it’s not too bad. Not being able to sleep is very bad. I don’t like it. Me brain no work when no sleep. 😭
In any case, both because of the cold and insomnia, I wasn’t very productive last week, but I did manage to read a lot of books at least.
All the happy things:
I found more great books at the Little Free Library near me; Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, and All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Don’t worry, I made sure to put many books back too!
This week we made blueberry milkshakes and I like them even more than last week’s avocado milkshakes!
I’m up to date on my reviews again! No mean feat!
Had a fun bookclub meeting with my bookclub friends! We had so much fun!
I completed several buddy reads, and signed up for a couple more. 😅
The Books
Books I read last week:
The Girl from the Other Side Volumes 4-7 by Nagabe – I’m enjoying this series. The story moves quite quickly but we don’t get a lot of concrete answers and each volume ends on a cliffhanger, which is so frustrating, but I’m still invested so far.
Prose and Cons by Amanda Flower – The best things about it are still the cat, the crow, the magical books and bookstore. Funny enough, I love the secondary characters but I find the MC a little annoying.
Murders and Metaphors by Amanda Flower – I still enjoyed this one but I’m starting to get more annoyed so I decided this will be the last one I’m reading for now. Quitting while I’m ahead.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris – This was my in-person bookclub’s BOTM and we had such a fun time talking and laughing about the stories the author shares in the book. We all agree we love the way he tells stories about the people in his life, and I’m sure I’ll read more from him!
Wordhunter by Stella Sands – I hate this book and I refuse to waste any more time on it so I won’t be writing a review for it. It sounds interesting but the execution is horrible and the writing is juvenile, so don’t fall for it. 1/5 stars.
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery – Anne and Gilbert; will they, won’t they? Still reading the Anne series and still loving it! In this book, we get Phil, Patty’s Place, Gog and Magog, and all the other good stuff.
Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery – More Anne and Gilbert! In this book, we get Captain Jim and Leslie Moore. I got so invested in Leslie Moore’s story!
Book(s) I’m reading:
After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I’m listening to this on audio narrated by Julia Whelan. I love TJR and I love Whelan, so win-win! I’m about 33% in and it’s quite emotionally intense so far.
It’s a new month and I’m going to do my wrap-up post and write down my TBR intentions list. I have a lot of buddy reads and bookclub books to read, but I’ll toss in a couple of books that fit the rest of my challenges too.
The buddy reads I might be starting this week;
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Cujo by Stephen King
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
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 Posts I’ve Written That Give You the Best Glimpse of Me
My blog is less than a year old and I don’t feel like I’ve got a lot of posts that give you a good glimpse of me. Maybe in a couple of years’ time I’ll have more to choose from, but for now, I’m going to share ten books that have somehow shaped me or meant something to me.
This is so difficult because obviously there are a lot more than ten books that have shaped me and/or meant something to me, but I’ll try to choose the best representations.
Top Ten Books That Give You The Best Glimpse of Me
The Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie – I got this book as a gift when I was 11 years old and I’ve been rereading it regularly since. It was one of my favorite books as a child and it’s still a favorite now. It’s not very well-known, but I recommend it as often as I can to anyone I can! I loved it because it showed me how strong girls and women can be, that they can make waves in a man’s world even when everything is stacked against them.
A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin – I read the first book right before I got diagnosed with cancer at 19 years old, and I bought the next two books right after. It got me through a tough time. Obviously, it’s really good and I think I would’ve loved it even if I wasn’t going through cancer. This series was my go-to answer for “If you could only bring one book with you to a deserted island…” for years. I cheated because it’s a series, but still!
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – I remember the first time I read this book; it was a long weekend and spent it all reading this book. I read it while having meals, if I remembered to eat. I fell asleep with the lights on because I kept reading until I couldn’t stay awake anymore. I woke up and immediately went back to reading. I’m not sure if I took a shower until I finished the book. It was so intense, I could not stop reading and I just needed to know what happened next. I’ve reread it many times since and I still love it.
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo – This book is the closest representation to my history and culture I’ve ever come across and I love it. It’s set in Malaysia in the 1900’s and it reminds me so much of my family and the superstitions I was brought up with. It’s also just a really good story and I love it!
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown – Maybe better to say, everything by Brené Brown. I love her work and everything she puts out really helps me become a better person. I learn a lot from her books, and I’m still learning to apply the lessons.
Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery – You’ve heard me talk about these books recently because I’ve been rereading them. I just love them because Anne is such a happy, magical-thinking, kindred spirit, and it’s so wholesome and always gives me such a happy outlook to life. Rereading them has brought back a lot of childlike wonderment for me.
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins – These books are darker, but somehow they mean so much to me because of stuff I went through. Although I love being happy and optimistic, sometimes bad things happen, sometimes people hurt you, and sometimes life is unfair. This book helped me understand that although some things are out of my control, I can still choose what I do with what I have. I love them more now than when I first read them because every time I reread, I discover something more meaningful.
Thirst series by Christopher Pike – Christopher Pike was one of my favorite authors as a child and I read everything he wrote. I preferred his books over R.L. Stine even though Stine is apparently more popular. Previously known as The Last Vampire series, Thirst is still one of my favorite vampire stories.
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster – Also a recent reread, and one that gives me so much nostalgia. I mentioned in my recent review that this book helped shape a lot of my own journaling style and irreverent nature in my journals. It also makes me wish I had more penpals! Bonus: The Conversations with God books by Neale Donald Walsch were also great because that’s when I learned to talk irreverently to God too. 😂
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron – I love the whole idea of morning pages, because journaling. But more than that, a lot of what’s in this book feels really healing and cathartic to the artist within me. I’ve gone through this book a few times and sometimes I’ll listen to the audiobook, and even when I don’t do the exercises, it just makes me feel encouraged and supported.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
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.
So Many Buddy Reads
Last week I mentioned that I joined this book community that does a lot of buddy reads. Well, the inevitable happened; I got caught up in the excitement of shiny, new things, and I signed up for so many buddy reads, and now I’m contemplating my life and all my questionable life choices. 😅
Don’t get me wrong, I love buddy reads and buddy reading and book discussions and all that come with reading, but now I just have the added pressure of doing so many within a certain time frame. Which might not even be a bad thing, except I signed up for so. many. chonkers. And I don’t know why I do this to myself!
The chonkers:
11/22/63 by Stephen King (which I managed to finish last week, whew! One down!)
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Stand by Stephen King
And these are just the chonkers. I also signed up for several other regular-sized buddy reads!
To be fair, there’s a pretty good timeline for each of the buddy reads and I’m quite sure I can get them done in time. Most of them are books I’ve been wanting to read anyway, and there’s more motivation to read them when they are buddy reads, so I am pretty excited about them but I’m just also nervous!
I’m also going to curb my enthusiasm for all the buddy reads! I’ve slowed down a little now, and I’m sure once the excitement has worn off and I’ve finished some of these buddy reads, we’ll be back to our regularly-scheduled reading. 🤞
All the happy things:
There is a Little Free Library near my neighborhood and I scored some really great books! I’m a Dragonlance fan and I’m so stoked I found Preludes Vol. 1 to 5! Vol. 2 is mismatched but I’m still really happy about finding the books at all!
We’ve been making homemade avocado milkshake and it’s so yummy! I even added some cocoa to it a couple of times and it’s good either way.
I’m up-to-date with my book reviews! I’m very happy and just a little surprised that I managed that again this time.
I made some chili oil and have been putting it in everything! I didn’t choose the spicy life, the spicy life chose me!
A bunny has been visiting my garden and it’s been so lovely to see it lounging around.
The Books
Books I read last week:
Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery – I was surprised with the trajectory of the book series because it’s been a while since I read them. I expected more of Anne and Gilbert but this book focused on Anne being a teacher and her relationships with her young charges. I’m not complaining! I loved it! I’m just also looking forward to more Anne and Gilbert!
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio – I ended up really disappointed with this one. Perhaps someone who’s more familiar with Shakespeare will enjoy it more, but I personally think that books should be able to stand on their own regardless of their sources of inspiration.
11/22/63 by Stephen King – This a reread, and I remember loving it when I read it the first time, but this time around, it was even better because it was a buddy read and I enjoyed reading other readers’ thoughts about the book!
The Girl from the Other Side Volumes 1-3 by Nagabe – This is a new-to-me manga. The link takes you directly to the website where you can read it for free. I’ve only read up to Vol. 3, which is up to Chapter 15. I’m loving it and really looking forward to reading more!
Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower – I came across this book when looking for bookish books for my reading challenge. This one is a series with a magical bookshop and I’m really enjoying it so far!
Books I’m reading:
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris – I meant to read this last week, but didn’t get around to it. I have to read it this week because it’s for my in-person bookclub and we’re meeting this weekend!
Prose and Cons by Amanda Flower – The second book in the magical bookshop series!
Other than the books I’ve already started, I also plan to continue reading The Girl from the Other Side up to Volume 6 this week. There’s also a buddy read for Solaris by Stanislaw Lem starting this Monday, and it’s relatively short so I can probably finish that too.
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
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 Relationship Freebie (Pick a relationship type and choose characters who fit that relationship as it relates to you. So, characters you’d like to date, be friends with, be enemies with, etc. Bookish families you’d like to be a part of, characters you’d want as your siblings, pets you’d like to take for yourself, etc.)
To be clear right off the bat, I don’t actually want a relationship with many of the mothers featured in these books (some are great but most are not!). I was having a hard time thinking of books with characters I’d like to be in some kind of relationship with, especially mother/daughter relationships, so I thought I’d just do books featuring mothers regardless of whether they’re good or bad.
Surprise! There are a lot of bad mothers in fiction… and nonfiction. Also surprise! There seems to be a lot of Asians with complicated relationships with their mothers.
Top Ten Books Featuring Mothers
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng – A couple of different but equally complicated mother/daughter relationships represented here. I watched the show but haven’t read the book. The show was really good, but so intense and heavy too, and it makes me a little scared to read the book, but I will eventually!
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn – Someone said about this quote from the book: “Even I, in public, was a beloved child. Once her period of mourning for Marian was over, she’d parade me into town, smiling and teasing me, tickling me as she spoke with people on the sidewalks. When we got home, she’d trail off to her room like an unfinished sentence, and I would sit outside with my face pressed against her door and replay the day in my head, searching for clues to what I’d done to displease her.” about how it made them realize that you can be a well-cared-for child, but still be unloved, and that alone made me read the book.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong – This book is presented as a letter from a son to his mother who cannot read. It’s also presented as fiction but the feelings are so raw and real, it wouldn’t be hard for me to believe it was all true. I read this recently and I love how beautiful and lyrical it is.
Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin – I haven’t read this one but I am fascinated because it’s written in second person POV and I’ve heard a lot of praise for it. I’m a little averse to reading books about complicated relationships with Asian moms in general because it’s a little close to home for me, but maybe my curiosity will win out.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan – Same deal as the above for why I haven’t read it, but sort of worse. I couldn’t even finish the movie because of all the feelings it dragged up.
Room by Emma Donoghue – A mom and her child locked in a room for the first five years of his life. It was so powerful and painful to read. And I loved the movie too.
From Cradle to Stage by Virginia Hanlon Grohl – I just found out about this book last week and have requested a hold from my library! It’s from the POV of mothers to famous rock stars and I’m excited to read it!
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy – Well, this one was painful, and I guess the other side of the coin of how mothers to famous people can be horrible too.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – Ooh, just realized that Brie Larson acts as the mother in this film adaptation as well as Room. This one is a little more lighthearted than Room, but still covers some sensitive topics.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher – I just found out about this new book from T. Kingfisher and I’m excited to read it! All I know is that there’s a lot of reference to the protagonist’s mother in the description, so I’m just assuming that it fits the topic!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
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.
And Not Enough Books From The TBR
Last week I posted about how I was so stoked about doing so well with reading from my TBR the week before. I finished 4 out of 5 books I meant to read, and I thought that this past week I would surely be done with the last one, but guess what? I’m not!
I got sucked down a rabbit hole of nostalgia reading my favorite childhood books. First it was Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster, and then Anne of Green Gables, and now I’m on to Anne of Avonlea, and there are more books in the series and I’m not sure if I can stop!
Funny story, I didn’t even really intend to read Anne of Green Gables! I saw that there was a version of the book on Audible narrated by Rachel McAdams and I love Rachel McAdams so I got curious and clicked to listen to a sample. And then just kept on listening. And when I finished Anne of Green Gables and saw that Rachel McAdams doesn’t narrate any of the next books, I found another narrator and kept going anyway because I love Anne so much!
My poor single final TBR book I was supposed to read for my challenge (If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio) has been sadly neglected for the whole week. But I swear I’ll read it this weekend! I’ll put Anne aside for now.
Another thing I’ve been thinking about; I posted 9 book reviews this past week, and I am simultaneously proud that I managed it, and worried that it’s unsustainable for me in the long run. I have a bit of a compulsion to write reviews of the books I’ve read before I can consider myself finished with them, and sometimes I feel guilty about moving on to the next books if I haven’t finished reviews of the last ones. To the extent that I’m negotiating with myself to read fewer books so that I’m not constantly behind with my reviews.
But I don’t think that makes sense. I want to read more, not less. And I don’t want my reason for reading less to be because I’m not writing reviews fast enough! So I’m trying to change my mindset about writing reviews at all. I definitely still want to talk about the books I’ve read, I’m just maybe going to see about doing so in a way that doesn’t take up so much time.
All the happy things:
I’m getting so much better on my runs! The difference is barely noticeable in any measurable way, but I feel the difference and I think that’s the important thing.
I heard from a friend I’d been missing, which is one happy thing, and she introduced me to a book community that does a lot of buddy reads, another happy thing!
And so I signed up for a few buddy reads for books I’ve been meaning to read. More happiness!
I made crispy pork belly again! It’s been months and I’ve been craving it!
I’ve been singing a lot more recently.
I’ve also been tinkering on the piano more recently. Getting in some practice and learning some new things.
Honestly, the nostalgia from reading my favorite childhood books have been making me so happy.
The Books
Books I read last week:
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky – I thought it was great! I loved the way the evolution of sentient life was shown over time.
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster – Ahh, nostalgia. One of my favorite childhood books I will never not love.
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery – Another childhood favorite. And it was narrated by Rachel McAdams which made it even better!
Books I’m reading:
Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery – What can I say? I wanted more of Anne!
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio – I’ve made progress since last week, but still have more than 50% to go! I’m going to try to finish it this weekend!
Biggest priority is to finish If We Were Villains. And then I’ll also be reading Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, because it’s my in-person bookclub BOTM and I totally forgot about it!
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
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 Featuring Travel or Modes of Transportation
I was initially worried about today’s topic because I couldn’t think of any books off the top of my head that would fit the topic, but then I scoured through my books and apparently I’ve got a few! I ended up having lots of fun with it, and I hope you enjoy these!
Top Ten Books Featuring Travel or Transportation
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb – Featuring a ship. This is the first book in a series that I read a long time ago and remember loving. I’ve been meaning to reread them soon!
The Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie – Featuring a horse. This is one of my most favorite, underrated books. It’s the book I recommend to everyone whenever I can because it’s just such a shame it’s not more popular.
The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary – Featuring a car. I love Beth O’Leary’s books and this was another great one.
The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan – Featuring a bicycle. I’ve talked about Stephen P. Kiernan before. He’s one of my favorite underrated authors and I have loved every single book I’ve read by him. I cannot recommend him enough. Please read him!
The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers – Featuring a spaceship. This book has got my heart. I love the found family element, and the way the author approaches differences in species and culture. We could all learn something from it.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel – Featuring a boat. Another favorite! I love the story and the philosophy. I love how fantastical it is, and yet, so very believable (because I want to believe it!).
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones – Featuring a moving castle (what? It transports people, doesn’t it?). I love the movie, I love the book. What’s not to love?
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne – Featuring a submarine. It’s been so long since I read it, I don’t remember a thing, but I remember loving Jules Verne’s books as a child.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed – Featuring a shoe (I guess we’re missing the other side, but it still transports the person wearing it…). I haven’t actually read this book, but I couldn’t not recognize shoes as modes of transportation. They don’t get enough love!
Falling Upwards by Richard Holmes – Featuring a hot air balloon. I haven’t read this one either, but it’s supposedly the book the movie, The Aeronauts, was based on. I loved the movie and when I found out it was based on a book, it was like, I gotta read that!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
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.
To Be Reading From My TBR
I’m pretty stoked with where I am with this month’s reading because I’m almost done with every single book from my TBR Intentions for August! I’ve never gotten every single one before (almost), but to be fair, this month’s list was short and also subject to change – the goal was to finish the prompts I had left (for the 52 Book Club 2024 Reading Challenge) rather than specific books, so I could switch titles if I wanted.
Still, I’ve only got one book left to go and it also means I’m almost done with the challenge! And then on to the next! 😅
Currently Watching: Our current binge is Why Women Kill. We started it a couple of weeks ago but took a break when we started Those About To Die. We came back to it right after and just finished Season 1 earlier this week and are in the middle of Season 2 right now. I’m sad that the show was canceled but at least each season is a standalone so you’re not left hanging.
Can I just say that Lana Parilla is gorgeous? I loved her as the Evil Queen in Once Upon A Time, and somehow you just can’t help rooting for her even though she’s the villain. She’s totally my “I can fix her” crush!
All the happy things:
The aforementioned fact that I’ve been reading from my TBR and doing a great job of it!
It’s been cooler this week which is nice after all the heat.
I made tom yum coconut curry soup! I know it sounds weird but it works and actually tastes really good!
I started coloring for fun again! It looks ugly but I’m enjoying it and that’s all that matters.
The Books
Books I read last week:
The Women by Kristin Hannah – It was so good and heartwrenching at the same time. At one point, I was so anxious about how it was going to end because things kept getting worse and I couldn’t see a way out of it. It really affected me on a personal level because of how relatable it was.
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood – I had no idea what to expect when I went into this, I never read the description! All I know is that it’s a Booker Prize nominee (because I chose it to fit the prompt) and that a lot of people really liked it. After finishing it, all I can say is wow, Atwood really has a knack for writing dystopian worlds. It’s incredible, and I’ll definitely be reading the next books in the series.
Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer – This book was not on my radar at all but I needed a book for the debut in the second half of 2024 prompt, and it sounded good, so why not. It wasn’t bad, I really love that it wasn’t afraid to talk about breast cancer risks, mastectomies, breast reconstructions, and all the TMI things related to it. The writing itself was okay; I like the story but I think it got a little long at parts. Still a good read!
Books I’m reading:
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky – I’m about 9 hours in on a 16-hour audiobook. I’ve been hearing great things about Tchaikovsky as an author and this is the first book I’m reading from him. I did read the description for this book but it doesn’t exactly tell you what to expect! I love that it’s so different from my own expectations.
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio – I’m only about 8% in so there’s a long way to go. I’ve heard good things though, and I’m hoping they’re all true!
