The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #9

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE.

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

A generations-spanning family of psychics--both blessed and burdened by their abilities--must use their powers to save themselves from the CIA, the local mafia, and a skeptic hell-bent on discrediting them in this hilarious, tender, magical novel about the invisible forces that bind us.

The Telemachus family is known for performing inexplicable feats on talk shows and late-night television. Teddy, a master conman, heads up a clan who possess gifts he only fakes: there's Maureen, who can astral project; Irene, the human lie detector; Frankie, gifted with telekinesis; and Buddy, the clairvoyant. But when, one night, the magic fails to materialize, the family withdraws to Chicago where they live in shame for years. Until: As they find themselves facing a troika of threats (CIA, mafia, unrelenting skeptic), Matty, grandson of the family patriarch, discovers a bit of the old Telemachus magic in himself. Now, they must put past obstacles behind them and unite like never before. But will it be enough to bring The Amazing Telemachus Family back to its amazing life? 

Book Beginnings: Matty Telemachus left his body for the first time in the summer of 1995, when he was fourteen years old. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that his body expelled him, sending his consciousness flying on a geyser of lust and shame.

The Friday 56: Her fourth night behind the screen, she was asked to join her first private chat.

What are you reading this week? Do you enjoy reading about psychics? What novels about families are your favorites?

The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings #8

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE.

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Nora Edwards finally had everything she wanted out of life, including the boy of her dreams, Andrew, until one night that dream turned into a nightmare. On their way home from prom, Nora and Andrew are attacked by a supernatural creature called the Revenant that sucks the souls out of the living in order to feed itself. Nora manages to escape from the creature, but tragically, Andrew is not as fortunate.

Although Nora suffered loss that night, she gained something, as well: the ability to see the dead. Whether the skill is a gift or a curse is yet to be determined, as those around her assume Nora has developed "paramnesia," a disorder where one confuses dreams with reality. She's also attracted the attention of the Revenant's masters, who need to preserve the secret of their supernatural existence. Nora, along with Andrew and her living and dead allies in the Deadish Society, quickly finds herself in a battle for the souls of her city—and her mind.

Book Beginnings: The wind rushed in through the dark, open doorway, causing an unearthly howl that sounded like screaming.

The Friday 56: Nora snorted. "Charlie? Are you serious? He hates me."

"You and I both know that's not true," Graves said with a wink.

What are you reading this week? Are you interested in paranormal romances?

Library Loot #1

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

    

• Act of Will by A.J. Hartley - As I browsed through the fantasy section at my library, this book caught my eye and the look of it made me chuckle a bit. It feels like the kind of book I'd really enjoy and laugh at a lot. Excited to give this one at try!
• Solo by Kwame Alexander - I've been hearing nothing but good things about this all over the blogosphere and I'm excited to see what all the hype is about! Also, I adore books about music, so this one caught my interest the first time I heard about it.
• The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker - I've heard a bit about this book around and everything I heard intrigued me. The cover is beautiful and very unique and I'm curious to see if it's as mythical and slow as the cover makes me think it will be.

What books did you get this week? Have you read any of these?

State of the ARC #3

Today, we're continuing State of the ARC - where I talk about how behind I am on my ARCs and make excuses for why I'm not through them yet. State of the ARC is run by Avalinah's Books. Read the official rules HERE.


ARCs can be really difficult for me. As much as I love reading, I don't often get books that I thoroughly enjoy in the form of ARCs - I'm still catching up from my initial flood of Netgalley requests and I requested every book in sight, no matter how odd they looked. Now that I'm starting to be a little more discerning about which books I'll request, things are getting better, but there's still that pile of books I no longer care about that I have to force myself through and that's just....bleh.

BUT in spite of this, I managed to get some ARCs read this month and make a little progress! Here is where I was at the beginning of May:

While my requests definitely aren't completely out of control (for now....), there's still a lot of work I could do in order to catch up (and try not to fall so far behind again). Here are the books I've finished since State of the ARC #2:

    

      

And while I did finish a lot of books (for which I'm very impressed with myself), I also requested a lot of books (there are so many good SFF books coming up!). So....my end of the month chart does not fully show how much progress I made and how proud of myself I am.

The overall numbers stayed about the same, but my overdue books went way down! And I'm striving to keep up on my books that are coming due (and actually doing a decent job of that). 

Have you heard of any of these books? How do you keep ahead of your ARCs? How many ARCs did you read this month?

Music Monday #8

Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE.

I love this blog meme. It's so much fun to work on and gives me a nice break from talking about books. Thanks, Lauren!

I'm going to a wedding in a couple weeks and I was asked to help make the wedding playlist. Since that's coming up soon, all those songs have been fluttering around in my head and I thought I'd pick a couple of my favorites from the playlist to post here!


I think this is a hilarious song for wedding receptions - it's great to dance to, but the lyrics are also pretty hilariously complimentary to the bride. And it's a fairly well-known song, so people at the wedding will love it.

This one is a slower tune, but I think it's an excellent cover of the classic Police song. Plus, it's great for a wedding - a classic that everyone knows, but also romantic and adorable and wonderful for dancing to if the couple wants to.

What songs have you been listening to lately? What songs do you like to hear played at weddings? Had you heard either of these songs before?

Do-over #2: On books for a calm summer evening

This is the beginning of The Bibliotaph's blog meme and link-up: Do-over. To participate, go through your blog posts from the past years (post must be at least a year old) and do the post over - either update it to fit your current perspectives or add new material to make it more application currently. Our next Do-over linkup will be on July 10th.

You can read the original blog post here.

When I first started blogging, I was so excited to get started - so I quickly queued up several months of quickly written posts and didn't include pictures or even much information about my thoughts on each book. In this post, I was really good at summing up each book, but didn't include any commentary on my opinions or experiences with the book - or even why I chose to include it on this list. I also was great at making longer lists of books - these days, I often only add a few books to lists, but this is a pretty sizeable one. Today, I'm going to alter things a bit by adding the pictures and adding in some thoughts on why each book made it onto the list. I'll also be adding real bullet points and adding questions to the end.

There’s a park behind my apartment with a set of perfect hammock trees. On warm (but not too warm) evenings, it’s the perfect place to enjoy nature. Or ignore nature and escape into a book.

Here are some slow, thoughtful books to compliment that calm moment.

• The Muse by Jessie Burton - Odelle Bastien lives in 1960’s London and has just been employed at the Skeleton Art Gallery. Odelle strives to uncover the secrets of her employer while balancing the changes in her personal life. Olive Schloss is a refugee living in 1930’s Spain. While the story bounces between these two heroines, the leader slowly learns how they connect. This book is somewhat slow-paced, but a lot of fun and you spend most of the time getting to know the characters instead of being in the midst of insane action.

• Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson - Newly-orphaned Sophie Petheram has just moved to Wyndriven Abbey and begins piecing together the past of her mysterious guardian. This Bluebeard retelling isn't entirely slow, but what little action it includes happens quickly and has a slow build-up. It's at the more exciting end of books on this list, but it's still a somewhat calming book most of the time.

• Remembering Isaac: The Wise and Joyful Potter of Niederbipp by Ben Behunin - Niederbipp needs a new potter. But Jake Kimball didn’t know what he was signing up for when he agreed to take the position. His predecessor, Isaac, left some big shoes to fill, but maybe with some peppermint tea and a good listening ear, Jake can adjust to his new surroundings. Everything about this book is slow and sweet. Most of the story is filled with people talking about their lives over cups of tea.

• Breakfast At Tiffany’s by Truman Capote - Holly Golightly is anything but quiet - on the surface. Underneath, complex feelings and deep hurt and a distorted sense of wanderlust live and guide her strange decision making. This slow (and strange) book tell of the people who love her - and how she struggles to love them back. Most of the drama happens in small spurts between people.

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer - Shortly after WWII, acclaimed author Juliet Ashton begins corresponding with the residents of Guernsey, a small island she’s never visited. Through Juliet’s letters, the reader sees how the events in Guernsey have changed the lives of all who live there, and how Juliet’s life is changed by meeting these people. Since this story is told through letters, you only hear about the conflict - there's very little of it that you see directly. This book is also great at making you fall in love with characters - they're so fun and wonderful.

• Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith - Four people meet on a train ride and share their stories - often being reminded of their own heartaches by their companions. The entire book takes place on a train and every story that is shared is about love and loss. It's a very quiet (and quick) book to read.

• Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card - Pastwatch is a futuristic company that observes the past. But after many years of study, the question arises - what if Pastwatch researchers are affecting the past much more than they realize? This book takes awhile to get into the real action, and even when it gets exciting, it's still slow and thoughtful and philosophical. Definitely a great read when you need some quiet time to think.

What books would you add to this list? What genres of books do you read on quiet summer evenings? Have you read anything on this list? What blog posts would you like to do-over?

The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #7

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE.

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Skyscraper of a Man is a truly American story. Rooted in the homogenous suburbs of the 1970s, the novel explores the American propensity to pursue great ambitions, regardless of upbringing, that can result in lives that are larger than life. The four main characters meet at college and forge such lives, each achieving remarkable success in their chosen pursuits while condoning the choices that enable their success. The main character, Benjamin Franklin Matthews, the son of a printer and avid Revolutionary War buff, believes deeply in America, its founding principles, and “by the people, for the people” government. Inspired by the grand ideals of the Founding Fathers, Ben starts a newspaper and runs for political office, efforts aimed at righting a nation he perceives as falling short of its potential and promise. His three college friends, a writer who is also his business partner, a television news anchorwoman who was his lover, and a former college football star, play contributing roles in his rise to national prominence. In the end, Ben learns that grand ideals are elusive, difficult to maintain, and better left to the perfect among us. 

Book Beginnings: Few can truly relate, but most would judge my circumstances during the fifteen years as quite fortunate. I know I do.

The Friday 56:  After a short silence, I observed, "The vote was nine to one. Who do you think voted against us?"

Both sure of the nay vote, Ben and I looked at one another, smiled and simultaneously declared, "Sweeney," before breaking into gut-busting laughter.

What are you reading this week? What do you think of this book?

Music Monday #7

Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE.

Guys! It's so nice out! It actually feels like spring and life is so happy. Plus, there are great books and good music to enjoy, so what more could one want?

In all seriousness, though, life has been chaotic these past few weeks and I've needed some upbeat and inspiring music to belt out. Here are a couple songs I've been rocking to lately.

I've long enjoyed Belle & Sebastian, but I hadn't heard this song until recently. I was looking through a bookstore and they were playing B&S non-stop and this track came on and I immediately added it to one of my playlists. And it's hardly been out of my head since. 

The Mountain Goats are another band that I've enjoyed for a long time. Their newest album is odd and a much different sound for them, but I've liked it more than I thought I would. This is one of the songs that's been stuck in my head quite a bit and it chugs along in a way that encourages me to keep moving forward.

Do you listen to either of these bands? What have you been listening to lately? What music has caught your ear from this meme this week?

Bookish Q&A tag!

I saw this post over at Charis Rae and immediately got thinking about how I'd answer each question. I've got a lot of thoughts, so here we go!

• What books do you remember reading that kick-started your bookworm habit? 

I have a lot of books that got me started reading, but two really come to mind as getting me interested in fantasy and helping me realize how much fun reading could be - A Wrinkle in Time and Dealing with Dragons. Both star young heroines who learn to be independent and stand on their own. A Wrinkle in Time was recommended to me by my mom and it helped me really appreciate what a huge reader she is and trust her taste in books. Dealing with Dragons was one of the first chapter books I read and I found it on my own at the public library -and quickly devoured the entire series. I can hardly remember most of the plot, but I will always hold that series dear for how it influenced me.

  

• What genres do you normally choose?

I'm a lover of fantasy and women's issues. Fantasy with strong, independent women are the best kinds. While I read a lot of odds and ends, fantasy will always be my ultimate favorite genre. I've also been growing to love science fiction and contemporary novels about difficult issues. 

• Do you eat while you read and if yes, what exactly?

I don't usually eat while I read, but I will if I'm reading during a meal or if I get hungry while reading. I had a job for a while that allowed me lunch breaks alone in my office, so I'd eat lunch while I read. While I'm at home, I usually read during mealtimes when I'm home alone. I also drink a lot of tea while reading -  making a cup of tea is a relaxing and quick break from a book.

• Are there any scenes from your favorite novels that you remember vividly?

Oh, where do I start? There are a lot of good books to consider.

• The scene from Pastwatch when the researcher become fixated on her ancestors and watches their troubles over and over.
• Driving around the lake in The Things They Carried
• Talking about whales in Love Among the Walnuts
• The scene where our heroes witness genocide in Gregor and the Code of Claw
• Chewing out professors who only speak five languages in Flowers for Algernon

      

  

• Are there any least favorites?

I try not to waste blogspace and time talking about books I don't like, so I'll keep this short. I don't like unrealistic and mean characters and I have little patience for plot inconsistencies.

• So as you're a bookworm, what are you currently reading today?

I have a couple books that I've been working through for a bit that I'm really intrigued by - Guards! Guards! and Catholic Roots, Mormon Harvest. Loverboy and I have been reading a lot of fantasy to each other and, while it's so much fun, it certainly takes awhile and we won't be finishing Guards! Guards! anytime soon. I've also been on a bit of a religiosity kick during 2018, so I'm reading a book comparing Catholic and Mormon doctrine (at the suggestion of a formerly Catholic friend who is now Mormon). I'm excited to be expanding my worldview a bit by gaining more understanding of people's beliefs.

  

• What do you plan to read next?

This is a tough question. As I write this, the May #BowieBookClub read hasn't been announced yet, so I'll be waiting on that. I've decided that it's time I finally read The Fellowship of the Ring - how dare I call myself a fantasy reader if I haven't even tried LOTR! My next church book club read (that I haven't gotten to yet) is Before We Were Yours, but I'm still waiting on that from the library (it's a very popular book right now), so I probably won't read that for a bit. I'm also wanting to keep reading Ursula Le Guin, so I'm hoping to get my hands on The Tombs of Atuan soon.

    

• Have you got a large bookshelf or do you plan to?

I currently have one medium bookshelf, one large bookshelf, and one small bookshelf (that functions as a nightstand). Since I keep some things besides books on shelves (pictures, D&D miniatures, boxes, etc), there isn't enough room for all the books I have - which is such a pity. I recently went to a home where there was a wall that was entirely covered in bookshelves. That is now my dream when I have a place big enough and enough books to fill the shelves. SOMEDAY.

• Do you like Indie or Traditional books better?

I tend to like traditional books better - mostly because I can more easily trust that they'll be high-quality and well-edited and make sense. I've read some really wonderful indie books, but you have to sift through a lot of crap before you can get around to quality, while I know most traditional books I pick up will be someone's favorite.

• And lastly, what's your favorite and least favorite parts of the book community?

I have a really hard time connecting with publishers and that has been very frustrating for me. While I really appreciate when people have reached out to me to read their ARCs, it's so difficult to actually get a copy because 1) people take years to respond to emails and 2) it feels like there's so much unnecessary stuff to sort out before I can get the ARC that the publisher contacted me about (like if you want me to read the book, why are you being so difficult?!).

But I've loved how welcoming and sweet the bookish community is. Overall, it's a very positive space and everyone is so excited to share blogging tips and book recommendations. I've really loved getting to be part of it and being exposed to all sorts of books I wouldn't have heard of otherwise!

What books did you enjoy as a child? What do you love and hate about the bookish community? Traditional or indie books? How many bookshelves do you have?

State of the ARC #2

Today, we're continuing State of the ARC - where I talk about how behind I am on my ARCs and make excuses for why I'm not through them yet. State of the ARC is run by Avalinah's Books. Read the official rules HERE.

I skipped last month (partly because I forgot, and partly because I hadn't really made any progress anyway), so I'll combine my progress. When March began, my pile looked like this:

During the months of March and April, I actually got quite a few books read! It was refreshing to be catching up on my ARCs. But there was one problem - I requested a few books as I finished one book, thinking that I'd be approved for one of the many I requested. I ended up being approved for several....so now I have a bunch more books that are coming due. However, I got a lot done, so maybe it evens out? 

BOOKS I FINISHED

        

  

I'm unreasonably proud of myself for getting these books done - five books in two months isn't a huge amount, but it's showing me that my pile of ARCs can be dealt with! I was also worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the new ARCs that I've ordered, but my total number of ARCs has gone down over the past two months, so I'm really happy with myself. While I still have a decent amount to get to, it's a number I can handle over the next several months. Below is my chart for where I stand now that April is over:

I now have 23 total books to finish (until I order more...) and I feel like getting under the 25 book mark is a pretty big deal and I'm fairly content with myself and my progress. More books are done! And more will get done next month!

What progress have you made on your pile of ARCs this month? What was the best ARC you read? The worst? What do you plan to do once you have your pile under control?

The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #6

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE.

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Here there be dragons . . . and the denizens of Ankh-Morpork wish one huge firebreather would return from whence it came. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of draco nobilis ("noble dragon" for those who don't understand italics) has appeared in Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all . . .).

Meanwhile, back at Unseen University, an ancient and long-forgotten volume--The Summoning of Dragons--is missing from the Library's shelves. To the rescue come Captain Vimes, Constable Carrot, and the rest of the Night Watch who, along with other brave citizens, risk everything, including a good roasting, to dethrone the flying monarch and restore order to Ankh-Morpork (before it's burned to a crisp). A rare tale, well done as only Terry Pratchett can.

I'm finally getting through the Discworld books and I'm so sad I hadn't read them earlier! They're hilarious and bizarre and wonderful. And they're a very unique fantasy series. I'm not far into this book, but I'm really enjoying it so far and I'm excited to read more about the City Watch.

Book Beginnings: This is where the dragons went. They lie..... Not dead, not asleep. Not waiting, because waiting implies expectation. Possibly the word we;re looking for here is......dormant. 

Friday 56: "Can't remember now," said Carrot. "My mother said it was too good for them, anyway. Stealing is Wrong."

Have you read the Discworld series? What are you reading this week? What's your favorite dragon book?

Music Monday #6

Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE.

It's finally Spring and I could not be more excited. So today, I wanted to pick a couple songs that are upbeat and fun for sunshine-y days.

This first is from Jens Lekman. I saw him live in February and it was one of the most wholesome and happy concerts I've ever been to. Plus, this album is fantastic (though I'm not entirely sure what's going on in this music video).

This next song is by bo en and it is one of the happiest song I have ever heard. 

What have you been listening to recently? Have you heard either of these songs before?

The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #5

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE.

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

(Description taken from Goodreads) An intrepid voyage out to the frontiers of the latest thinking about love, language, and family 

Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts is a genre-bending memoir, a work of "autotheory" offering fresh, fierce, and timely thinking about desire, identity, and the limitations and possibilities of love and language. At its center is a romance: the story of the author's relationship with the artist Harry Dodge. This story, which includes Nelson's account of falling in love with Dodge, who is fluidly gendered, as well as her journey to and through a pregnancy, offers a firsthand account of the complexities and joys of (queer) family-making.

Writing in the spirit of public intellectuals such as Susan Sontag and Roland Barthes, Nelson binds her personal experience to a rigorous exploration of what iconic theorists have said about sexuality, gender, and the vexed institutions of marriage and child-rearing. Nelson's insistence on radical individual freedom and the value of caretaking becomes the rallying cry of this thoughtful, unabashed, uncompromising book.


Book Beginnings: October, 2007. The Santa Ana winds are shredding the bark off the eucalyptus tress in long white stripes. A friend and I risk the widowmakers by having lunch outside, during which she suggests I tattoo the words HARD TO GET across my knuckles, as a reminder of this pose's possible fruits.

The Friday 56: I am not interested in the hermeneutics, or an erotics, or a metaphorics, of my anus.


What are you reading this week? Have you read this book? What beginnings make you interested in continuing a book?

April 24-hour Readathon!

GUYS! I just signed up for my first Readathon and I couldn't be more excited.

Every April and October, you can participate in Dewey's 24 hour readathon. Basically, you read ALL DAY, take breaks to tweet and blog, and eat lots of treats. It's a great opportunity to interact with the blogging community and to catch up on your TBR. This year, the readathon takes place on April 28th (mark your calendars!). And stay tuned on here for reading updates on the 28th (or check my Twitter for a live feed of my reading!)

As I was wondering how to prep, I came upon this Ich Lese Blog post about how to prepare for the readathon. She suggests going through your TBR and getting a diverse set of books so you can jump around to different things as you get bored or tired. She also suggests stocking up on treats, which I highly recommend. In light of this wonderful advice, here are a few books (and snacks) that I'll be getting for the April 28th readathon (if I don't get around to them before that...).

      

    

And now the snacks...

    

  

How do you prep for a readathon? What books are you planning on reading for the upcoming readathon? What snacks are you going to get? How many readathons have you participated in?