Category: Weekly Book Memes

Time Travel Thursday | May 2

Posted May 2, 2024 by Haze in Time Travel Thursday, Weekly Book Memes / 1 Comment

It’s Time Travel Thursday! Hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog, this is where you get to take a look back at what you were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and get to relive those bookish memories!

This time in 2023 I was reading:

Happy Place by Emily Henry

My thoughts:

This book gave me all the feels. I love that it’s a different take on fake dating, from the other side of the relationship, which changed a lot of the dynamics. And I love the whole found family aspect of it as well. It made me laugh, it made me cry – both happy and sad tears – because it was also really bittersweet. People change and grow, sometimes they grow apart, sometimes they find a way to grow together. I love that.

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

This time in 2022 I was reading:

Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb

My thoughts:

This is the 3rd book in The Farseer Trilogy. I loved the author’s Liveship Traders series, and I wanted to like this series too, but there were some things that happened in this book that I couldn’t get over at the time and I DNF’d the book. I also didn’t like the protagonist very much because he’s so whiny and seems more like an anti-hero, but unlikeable protagonists don’t really bother me in general as long as they are interesting. I may possibly try this again eventually.

My rating: ⭐⭐/5

This time in 2021 I was reading:

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

My thoughts:

There was a chapter that mentioned simplifying and dumbing down the philosophies/concepts being discussed, I think it was titled Life and Death and Quantum something something, and that kind of summarizes the whole book for me.

I like the ideas behind this story, the theme of the book. It’s a story meant to comfort, motivate, inspire, and I think it would have worked very well as a fable. But as a full-length book it was boring, repetitive, preachy… and I felt like I was being talked down to. There were a lot of “wise-sounding quotes” that felt pretentious; the kinds that sound profound but say nothing.

I really wanted to like this book, and I even started out wanting to give it a 3-star rating, but the more I think about it, the less I think I like it, so I’m going with a 2-star rating.

My rating: ⭐⭐/5

This time in 2020 I was reading:

The Institute by Stephen King

My thoughts:

I listened to this one on audiobook. I love most of Stephen King’s works and I especially enjoy the really long books. This one was 19 hours on audio and apparently approx. 800 pages.

I wrote a long spoilery review on this one on Goodreads, but the gist is that there is a lot to like about it, and it’s definitely worth reading.

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Overall Comparisons

It looks like I had some hits and misses at this time in the last few years. They are all also very different books with very different vibes. To be fair, the books with the good ratings were written by two of my go-to authors – Emily Henry, and Stephen King. I’ve only read one other Matt Haig book that I was lukewarm about, and while I loved Robin Hobb’s Liveship Traders, I’ve only read two of her series. I am open to reading more of Robin Hobb though, and trying this one again too.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? What were you reading at this time in the past?

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Top Ten Tuesday | Petty Reasons I’ve DNF’d a Book

Posted April 29, 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 Petty Reasons You’ve DNF’d a Book.

I don’t know if I’d call all my reasons “petty”, but some of them are definitely mean! Some of these dnfs happened recently, and some of them are really old dnfs that I don’t even remember – I copy/pasted my thoughts from reviews/notes I wrote.

Top Ten Petty Reasons I’ve DNF’d a Book

  1. Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi – I loved the first book in this series and I really wanted to like this one too, but one of the love interest in this story gave me the ick, and I just couldn’t continue the journey with them. I think I dnf’d around the halfway point.
  2. A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal – I dnf’d this very early, within the first few chapters. The writing was difficult to read and it didn’t keep my interest.
  3. Caraval by Stephanie Garber – I read all the way to 95% of the book, I believe, but I was annoyed with it the whole way and just got angrier and angrier as I read because I expected it to get better and it never did. I can’t say what the final straw was because it’s so close to the end and may be a spoiler, but at that point, I was just done.
  4. Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck – I’ve mentioned this book before in Books I Love to Reread; it’s the one book I love that I’ve reread many times but never finished. It counts as a petty dnf for this list, because my reason is that the last few pages just didn’t seem necessary.
  5. Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien – I dnf’d this once a long time ago, forgot completely about it, came across the series again and thought it sounded fun, tried reading it again, and dnf’d again. I really wanted to love it and get into the whole series, but I don’t think it’s for me. Both times dnf’d early in the book – I went a bit further the second time because I wanted to make more of an effort to like it.
  6. Taking Chances by Molly McAdams – My exact notes were; “Nope, sorry. So bad within the first 50 pages that I don’t even want to waste my time reading the rest of it.”
  7. The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake – The characters were messy and unlikeable and inconsistent.
  8. Splintered  by A.G. Howard – I love going through my old notes and seeing how mean and petty I was; “I decided not to finish the book. It got really annoying and I really didn’t like the characters much at all.”
  9. Innocent Mage by Karen Miller – “I had high hopes for this book, but the deeper I got into the book, I just started getting bored. Nothing was going on, everything was just telling, not showing. The characters started getting on my nerves, with all the waiting, waiting….”
  10. Alienated by Melissa Landers – “In one word: shallow.”

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

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Sunday Post | So Much Walking

Posted April 27, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 14 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. 

So Much Walking

Last week I found the perfect route to walk around my neighborhood, and as of this writing, I’ve walked it six times already! It also helps that the weather has been lovely. It looks like there’s going to be some rain this week, but I will do my best to go for walks when the weather is nice.

I also did a lot of cooking last week but forgot to take pictures except for a couple of them; steamed black bean pork ribs, and romaine lettuce cooked with fermented bean paste. They were both really yummy!

There was also miso soup, mapo tofu, gailan in oyster sauce, napa cabbage stir-fry, onion omelette, and I don’t remember what else. I’m so glad I’ve been walking a lot because I think I’d start putting on a lot of weight if I keep eating all these yummy food!

As for TV shows; we finally caved and resubscribed to Netflix again and we’ve been catching up on the shows we loved. I’m watching Formula 1: Drive to Survive Season 6 with my husband, and Blown Away Season 4 on my own. I love both these series so much and I guess I couldn’t resist when there were new seasons!

This weekend I’ve got two book discussions! I just had my in-person book club meeting Saturday morning for The Kite Runner, and the final check-in for The Count of Monte Cristo is happening Sunday morning! The discussion for The Kite Runner gave me a lot to think about, the book is just really good, and one of the other book club members got me interested in reading Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns as well.

I’m also looking forward to the discussion of The Count of Monte Cristo – there’s already been some discussion in the chats that incited some passion, and I’m excited for more of the same for the live discussion!

Overall, I’ve been in a weird mood. I told my husband there were times last week when I felt proud and productive for all I’ve managed to get done – the walks for my health, the reading and book reviews, the cooking, etc. But then I look at the things I didn’t get done – the laundry, organizing my library, half-done projects, and so many things I initially planned for that I’m not even close to starting, and I feel… antsy. I want to get them all done, and I know I have to sort of pace myself, work on my time management and energy. I don’t know if I’ll have to give up on some stuff, but I prefer not to. I’m just taking things one at a time and focusing on the good stuff.

All the happy things:

  1. I managed to catch up with all my book reviews!!
  2. I’m truly estatic for my new walking route – it’s so conducive to audiobook listening and I’ve just loved my walks!
  3. I finally finished books that have been on my TBR for ages!
  4. Two book club discussions in a single weekend! (And another one to look forward to next weekend!)
  5. The food!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff – A 3-hour audiobook that went quickly, but what a joy to read! I feel like this is one I’d like to come back to over and over again.
  2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – So good, so heartwrenching, so many feels! It’s just so well-written!
  3. Slewfoot by Brom – It’s better than The Child Thief, and I love the illustrations, but at the end of the day, I don’t think this author is for me. I’m glad I got it read though!
  4. Blitz by Daniel O’Malley – I read this halfway and had to return it, and finally got it back again and finished it! I expected to see more of the characters we met in the first two books, but this story is about brand new characters and we don’t see much of the past characters. It’s still good as a story in itself though!
  5. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara – This has been on my TBR for years! I kept putting it off because of the dark subject matter and not being in the right frame of mind to go there. I finally decided to get it over with, and I’m so glad I did because it’s really worth reading!

Books I’m reading:

  1. The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande – A physician friend recommended this book to me more than 10 years ago, and I’m finally reading it now. I’m about 80% in.
  2. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton – This is a graphic novel, and I’m really interested in it because I live in the Oil Sands province. I’m about 100 pages in.
  3. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie – I’m only 2% in on this one, but I’m supposed to finish it in a week! 😭

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I meant to read The Blade Itself last week, but I got distracted by other books, and now I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish it in time for the discussion this upcoming weekend. It’s a longer book with a bigger cast of characters, I’ve been told, but I’ll try to finish it in time!

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

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Time Travel Thursday | April 25

Posted April 25, 2024 by Haze in Time Travel Thursday, Weekly Book Memes / 1 Comment

It’s Time Travel Thursday! Hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog, this is where you get to take a look back at what you were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and get to relive those bookish memories!

This time last year I was reading:

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she’s a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden – lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult’s true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls’ heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

My thoughts:
I loved the author’s Something Strange and Deadly series, and I thought I’d like this one too but I ended up being very meh about it. I continued with the second book in this series and didn’t like it either, and decided not to finish the rest of the series. It’s quite disappointing.

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? What were you reading this time last year?

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Top Ten Tuesday | Unread Books on My Shelves I Want to Read Soon

Posted April 22, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 31 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 Unread Books on My Shelves I Want to Read Soon.

The keywords here are “books I want to read soon”. I have a whole lot of unread books on my shelves that go back a long way, but a lot of the books I want to read soon are relatively new to the TBR just because I like bright, shiny, new things. I will try to list the older ones though. I’m also not adding books I want to reread soon because technically they’re not unread.

Top Ten Unread Books on My Shelves I Want to Read Soon

  1. Dracula by Bram Stoker – This has probably been on my TBR longest out of the other books on this list but then again I have a lot of classics on the TBR that I mean to read one day. I started listening to this on audio a couple of years ago, but had to stop because it got scary when I was listening to it to sleep.
  2. The Glass Château by Stephen P. Kiernan – This book was only published last year, but it feels like it’s been on my TBR for a long time because I’d been waiting for it since the author announced it two years ago. I was so excited for it but it’s a year later and I still haven’t read it! I need to remedy that!
  3. Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane – Same story as above. It was only published last year, but I’d been waiting for it and I really want to read it soon.
  4. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder – This has been on my TBR for years and years and years, and I don’t know why I haven’t gotten to it! I mean to start it this year. For sure!
  5. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson – I only added this to the TBR late last year, I think, or early this year. So it’s really new, but it’s one of the really shiny and new-to-me books I want to read soon.
  6. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara – This has been on my TBR for 4-5 years? I want to read it but kept putting it off because I haven’t felt emotionally strong enough for the dark subject matter. I feel like I’m ready now.
  7. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – Another classic that’s been on the TBR for ages, but I want to read it soon because Demon Copperhead is apparently based off of it, and I want to read that soon too!
  8. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver – I heard so many good things about this book and I’m really excited for it. I added it to the TBR last year, so it’s relatively new too.
  9. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint – I think I added this one to the TBR three years ago on a mythology binge. I still really want to read it sooner rather than later.
  10. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna – Added last year and really want to read it very soon! It sounds really fun and many people have said good things about it.

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

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Sunday Post | The Zoo, Some Ghosts, A Date, and Always Books

Posted April 20, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 26 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 Zoo, Some Ghosts, A Date, and Always Books

Last week was pretty fun! I managed to get to the zoo again, and it was great because the weather was nice. I went on the weekend and there was a lot of people so it was pretty lively. I wasn’t able to see the polar bears and the otters as much as I wanted because it was so crowded and everyone else were vying to see them. And they were mostly kids, or adults with kids, so I didn’t think it was a good idea to push them out of my way. 😂 I’m thinking I might try to go again on a weekday when there are fewer people around.

For food, I made some wontons and soy sauce chicken. They were both so yummy, but seriously, the wontons might be more work than they’re worth. I like them better fried and crispy so I might just do the fillings meatball style and leave off the wonton wrappers the next time I want wonton soup.

On Wednesday, we went to see the new Ghostbusters movie, which I loved because it’s a Ghostbusters movie, but some people have said it’s not that good and the storyline needs work. Thinking about it after, I agree it could’ve been better, but I still enjoyed it because it’s the Ghostbusters and I’m just easy to entertain.

We also finished watching Fallout Season 1. I love where it ended but I’m also very eagerly awaiting a Season 2 because there are still a lot of questions I need answered.

I haven’t had time to watch Renegade Nell or 911 since the last Sunday Post, but I’m not in a hurry either. There are a few movies I’d like to catch up on before getting into binge mode with another series, maybe. I’ve been trying to read Anna Karenina and I’m thinking of watching the movie first so that it might make it easier for me to follow the book. We’ll see.

All the happy things:

  1. I got to go to the zoo again!
  2. Movie and dating with the husband. We had lots of fun, it’s been a while since we spent the whole day out on a date. No special occasion, it was quite spontaneous.
  3. I managed to get a lot of reading done!
  4. I was able to go to the library twice this week and spend a couple of hours there each time for uninterrupted reading! I hope to do more of it next week.
  5. I might be getting better at this cooking thing.
  6. I’m up to date on my Goodreads and The Storygraph! Until I read more, that is.

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent – I finished this last weekend after I published the Sunday Post, so I’m adding it for this weekend’s Sunday Post.
  2. The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden – I loved the Winternight series and while the subject matter for this one is completely different, I felt the same vibes. I love the otherworldly, mystical feel of it.
  3. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – Finished! The check-in is next weekend but I didn’t want to wait. I figure it’s still going to be fresh in my mind when we get to the discussion, and I can’t wait to hear what everyone else thinks!
  4. Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham – This is a graphic novel. I picked it up Friday morning just to flip through the pages and see what it’s about and ended up finishing it in an hour or so. I enjoyed it very much!

Books I’m reading:

  1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – This is for my in-person book club’s BOTM. We’re meeting this upcoming weekend so I gotta get it read this week!
  2. Slewfoot by Brom – I got it on audiobook right after finishing The Count of Monte Cristo. I’ve been curious about it because I’ve heard good things, but I’ve read The Child Thief by the same author and really didn’t like it. I’m giving the author a second chance with this book and I’m managing my expectations. Hopefully I’ll end up liking it, but I’m also ready to DNF and move on, if not.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I’m focusing on The Kite Runner, and after that I want to read The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie because it’s the BOTM for my online book club. I’m still unsure about Slewfoot, so the sooner I get into it or DNF, the faster I can move forward. I already have a couple of nonfiction audiobooks ready just in case I DNF. I’ve also got several reviews to write for the books I finished, and I need to update my reading challenges as well.

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

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Time Travel Thursday | April 18

Posted April 18, 2024 by Haze in Time Travel Thursday, Weekly Book Memes / 2 Comments

It’s Time Travel Thursday! Hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog, this is where you get to take a look back at what you were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and get to relive those bookish memories!

This time last year I was reading:

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can’t imagine working anywhere else. But lately it’s been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who’s fresh off a journalism master’s program and convinced he knows everything about public radio.

When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it’s this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it’s not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts.

As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers.

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this one. It was just the right amount of funny, serious, and sexy. I love the funny scenes – not just the banter between Dominic and Shay, but Steve being cute and adorable, and I also love the awkward and self-deprecating stuff. The serious stuff were handled really well too – the grief and loss talk, not just on the radio but when the characters talk to each other. I love how Shay and her mom communicates about their feelings, and yes, the vulnerable conversations between Dominic and Shay gave me feelings. The sexy scenes were hot and steamy too, and I love that because it seems like sometimes you either get a fluffy love story with lots of sexy scenes, or a more serious romance without anything steamy. I really love the balance here. Definitely checking out the author’s other books!

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? What were you reading this time last year?

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Top Ten Tuesday | Characters I’d Like to Go on Vacation With

Posted April 15, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 34 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 a Characters I’d Like to go on Vacation With. I had to really think about this one. There are many characters I love, but not necessarily for going on vacation with. Some I’d happily go on adventures or quests with, or if I’m escaping from prison or running a heist or killing monsters, but for a nice, relaxing vacation? Hmm…

Top Ten Characters I’d Like to Go on Vacation With

  1. Ren, Gray, and Vargo from The Rook and Rose series – I love them so much and I would so love to hang out with them doing whatever. Maybe reading pattern together or tarot cards, telling fortunes for fun, or just having drinks together. I think they can be chill and fun companions for a vacation.
  2. Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables – I can imagine just sitting at a nice breezy cottage reading side by side with Anne, maybe going on walks enjoying the scenery, picking flowers, making up whimsical stories and fairy tales together. This could be such a nice, relaxing vacation.
  3. Viv, Tandri, and Thimble from Legends & Lattes – Honestly, I don’t so much want to go on vacation with them, as much as I want to go on vacation to them. I’d love to visit Viv’s cafe, drink some coffee, have some of Thimble’s delicious baked goods, hang out and get to know the regulars, listen to the bard playing music, play chess with the old man even though I can’t play chess, try to pet Amity. And I’d love to chat and become friends with Viv, Tandri, and Thimble if he’ll talk to me!
  4. Rocky from Project Hail Mary – I could take or leave Ryland Grace, but I’d love to go on vacation with Rocky. I think he would be such a fun companion, and I wouldn’t even mind that he watches me while I sleep, and of course I’d return the favor. I think we’d have fun conversations, maybe develop a few inside jokes, and I know I’d love learning more about him.
  5. The Wayfarer crew from The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – I don’t know what kind of vacation we’d be having, but I just really want to hang out with them and be a part of their vibe. I love how they get along with each other, respect each other, learn from each other. I think there might be a couple of them I’d get annoyed with while on vacation, but I’d still want to be there with all of them.

Have you read any of these books? Did you like the characters? Would you go on vacation with them?

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Sunday Post | Kitchen Not So Confidential

Posted April 13, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 28 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. 

Kitchen Not So Confidential

There’s been a lot of cooking this past week. There’s no special occasion or anything, I just felt like it and had the time, and maybe I’m also enjoying the cleaner kitchen and want to take advantage of that.

I made Butter Prawns, some random soups with everything thrown in, Braised Pork Belly with hard boiled eggs, napa cabbage stir fry, and other stuff I didn’t take pictures of. I’ve been eating well but I’m not sure if I can keep this up! I should probably try to get better at taking food pictures if I do!

I’ve finished watching 911: Lone Star and I was going to start watching the original 911, but a couple of other shows caught my eye so I’ll probably alternate when I have time. I started watching Renegade Nell on my own and I’m quite enjoying it even though I’m still not sure what the end game is and why Nell is special. My husband and I are watching Fallout together. Neither of us play the game but that’s not going to stop us enjoying the show. We’re only on the third episode at the moment. I’m really loving Lucy’s character. Not too sure about Maximus.

The weather has also been pretty nice and we took some walks around the neighborhood. That made me very happy and I hope the weather keeps getting better and we get to take more walks. It’s supposed to snow again later this week but I won’t mind it too much as long as I get to walk outside a little more.

All the happy things:

  1. All the food!
  2. The walks and the warmer weather!
  3. I bought a couple of organizers to organize my sticker collection and I love them!
  4. I bought a few skeins of yarn I’m excited to use, soon!
  5. Had a nice chat with a friend who made me feel encouraged about things I’ve been wanting to do
  6. Got started on organizing my closet

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett – I’m so happy I finally finished this book! I’ve been anticipating it so much. I think I like the characters we meet in the first book more than the ones here, but I like them too, and I’m glad we were able to see more of Poe. I’m looking forward to the next book too!
  2. Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree – Another one I’ve been anticipating. I loved the first book, and I love this one too! I love that it’s so much more about bookshops and books. And I love Viv as ever. She’s someone I’d love to be friends with, and I love how her character is written so well that you just feel drawn to her the same way the people in the book are drawn to her.

Books I’m (still) reading:

  1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – I meant to finish the rest of this book but was distracted by another audiobook. Plus the next check-in is still some weeks away so I’ve got time!
  2. Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent – I’m 65% in and enjoying it very much! I promise I’ll get back to The Count of Monte Cristo after I finish this!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I’ll finish up my audiobooks of Daughter of No Worlds and The Count of Monte Cristo, and I’m starting a buddy read for The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden this week. If I can make it, I’d like to get started on The Kite Runner for my in-person book club before the week is out.

I’m also hoping to get caught up on my book reviews and update my books read on Goodreads and The Storygraph.

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

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Time Travel Thursday | April 11

Posted April 11, 2024 by Haze in Time Travel Thursday, Weekly Book Memes / 2 Comments

It’s Time Travel Thursday! Hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog, this is where you get to take a look back at what you were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and get to relive those bookish memories!

This time last year I was reading:

How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell

When the technologies we use every day collapse our experiences into 24/7 availability, platforms for personal branding, and products to be monetized, nothing can be quite so radical as… doing nothing. Here, Jenny Odell sends up a flare from the heart of Silicon Valley, delivering an action plan to resist capitalist narratives of productivity and techno-determinism, and to become more meaningfully connected in the process.

My thoughts:
To be honest, I missed a lot of the details, but I get the gist, and it’s better to retain 10% than to never read it at all, so. My takeaways: I want to be more mindful, try to replace more social media activities with some real life activities,. Otherwise, just making time for doing nothing and scheduling “doing nothing” in my calendar and actually sticking to it.

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? What were you reading this time last year?

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