November 2017 wrap-up part 2

 

Week four of November

I did really good this week in reading. I read a total of 1589 pages. 5 books and 2 mini books.
Only two of them I listened to. The mini books I read on Thanksgiving as we were waiting to go to Mike's sisters for dinner. I received these from my page habit boxes. I finally got to the book Memoirs of a Geisha Girl. I have been wanting to read this for a while, I actually listened to it on audio. The other book I listened to was Somebody to Love. I also finally read Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them. I read this to David at bed time. It was a quick read; it took us only four days to read. Down among the Sticks and Bones is the second book of a series I started a couple of months ago. The third book comes out next year sometime. It was a good read. The last book actually had three short stories in it and that was Starry, Starry Night. This was around Christmas time. Another good read and will make you cry. Only a few more days left in November. I will do another post later this week to tell what I read and a total page count for November. Until then have a great day.

November 2017 wrap-up

 

What I have read so far in November

These two books were read before I left to go to Connecticut. 

The total pages read were 649. Both were on audio book. I had a lot going on to get myself ready so I decided to listen to them. Tara has done a review on the series by Janet Evanovich on her book blog.

Lovely Bones was a great book but sad. I know there is a movie based on this book. I haven't seen the movie yet. It is about a girl who is killed and they only find a few a her bones but have uncovered all of her. It goes back and forth to give you information about the girl and how she dies. I am hoping I haven't gone to far in talking about the book. It is hard what to say and not to say in talking about books I have read.

These are the books I have read when I got back from Connecticut. I didn't read much on my trip.

Because you love to hate me is a book with 13 short stories. I liked some of the stories and some I didn't like. I finally got this finished since I have been reading this since September.

Commonwealth I did not like. Journey to Nowhere is a book I borrowed from Bekah and read to David. It is about a girl in the 1800's who moves from Connecticut to the woods of New York that has been settled yet. It talks about there trip and the adventures that happen. The Nest is a book for my library book club. It talks about a family and how they grew up and what happens to them. It was an okay book. Hassle-Free Homework was a book recommended by one of the therapists that David was seeing for his learning disability. It has been on my shelf for a long time. It has some good ideas that everyone should try. It would be easier to start this before your child gets into habits that are not so easy to change. I would recommend this book to read so you can understand how children learn and the different learning styles. So this totals five books read which is 1137 pages for the third week of November. Not to bad. Commonwealth and The Nest were audio books.

November 2017 TBR

 

November TBR

These are the books I plan on reading for the month of November.

There are 20 books showing and a few I have already started. A couple of them are from early in the year that I never got to reading. This month is busy so again some of these books will be listened to on audio if it is available.

I hope these books give you ideas on what to read for this month. 

October 2017 wrap-up

 

Last of Octobers reading

I was able to read two more books before the end of October. These two books totaled 772 pages.

The total pages read for October ended up being 6645. There were a few books that I started but didn't get finished. In total I read 20 books and have started 4 books.

Heartless is about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. It tells who is the Queen and she became the Queen. This is a good book if you like Alice in Wonderland. I'm not a real fan of that story.

Stalking Jack The Ripper is about a woman who works with her uncle as a forensic. They are looking at a few ladies who have been murdered. This story uses a lot of true events from the real Jack The Ripper cases. I this book they do find the killer. In real life they never could find the true person. This was also a good book. 

October 2017 book haul

 

October Book Haul

I  ordered these books from Book Outlet. They had a special going on and of course I couldn't pass this up. In this order I actually picked up two books that I already had so I gave them to a friend.

Most of these books came from Barnes and Nobel. I had three coupons and it was member appreciation week-end. The Harry Potter book I picked up King Soopers ( grocery store). I didn't see at the book store.

 At least once a month I try to go to the thrift store that is Arc. Every Saturday they have certain tags marked 50% off. The books I got for half price but not the yarn. The yarn was still a good deal; each bag was between 4-7 dollars and the skeins are new or hardly used. I picked up some hardbacks I already read but want for my collection and some new to books to try.

I am always looking for suggestions on what to read next. I have a huge list to read but don't mind trying something new.

Last 2 weeks of October 2017 wrap-up

 

3rd and 4th week of October books read

I am behind a week. I don't have an excuse just busy. The third week of October wasn't a good week of reading. I only read two books. I finished the Kissed by an Angel series. Tara wrote a review on her blog. Life and Death by: Stephanie Meyer was the other book I read. I didn't like this book. It is Twilight but with a lot of the characters changed. These two books totaled 703 pages

Week four I did a lot better. I read a total of 1761 pages. Okay to be honest a lot of the books I was able to get on auto from the library. I was able to listen to them as I worked around the house. I physically read the Bridesmaid and didn't like it. The Dreadful tale of Prosper Redding was the book I read to David and we loved it. Now we have to wait for the next book in this series. I also didn't like Norse Mythology. 

There is still a couple of days left in the month so I will do a partial read update on Wednesday to finish off the month.

Weekly Wrap-up October 9th 2017

 

Week of October 9th

These are the books I read for the week of October 9th. It was a total of 1741 pages.
In case you are wondering I do more than just read. Mike was off this week so that meant a lot of yard work. The weather has been nice to be outside. I also have to keep house and feed the family. We did a lot of service projects this week also. Now onto the books. The top book is Cuckoo Calling and it was okay. As you know this author wrote the Harry Potter series and this is nothing like it nor does it compare. I read the second book of the kissed by an angel trilogy which Tara did a book review on her blog. It is gook and I am enjoying it. If You Dare is amazing and I enjoyed it more than the first two books in the series. I just put up a review on it. When Dimple Met Rishi is the first book for this new author. She did a great job and I enjoyed this book. I will be putting up a review soon. Wires and Nerves volume 1 is a graphic novel. If you have read the Lunar Chronicles this is featuring the android. It is cute but not for me. I might pick up the second volume when it comes out because I just can't finish a series whether I like it or not.   Hope this helps you find a book to read.

2017 library bookstore bag sale

 

Library Book Store Bag Sale

The first week end of October the library bookstore has their semi annual bag sale. You fill a grocery store bag for $8. I filled two bags for $16 and got 26 books. One bag contained hardbacks and I already read them but didn't own them and I wanted them to add on my shelves. The rest were just books I want to eventually read so this is the time to get them. I only bought two books that I already had. The store does this sale twice a year and I missed May because we were in Utah. If you figure it out I spent 62 cents per book not a bad deal at all.

Rush Revere and the Star-Spangled Banner Review

 

Rush Revere and the Star-Spangled Banner Review

This book was read to David. He isn't into history much so I figured a little travel will help.
This book didn't do as much time travel as the other books in this series. Also it took until chapter 9 which is 177 pages into the book to talk about the Star-Spangled Banner.
The kids are on vacation and they go to Washington DC for a field trip. They go see the Washington Monument and the National Achieves. They do go back in time to talk with James Madison. They ask and/or talk to him about writing the constitution. Not until they go to a baseball do they go back in time to learn how the national anthem was written. There is one part in Chapter 9 that I want to share that had David and I laughing so hard that tears were going down our cheeks. When Liberty
brings them to see Frances Scott Key they actually end up in the haul of the British Ship. In the haul are barrels of pickles. Liberty is hungry so he starts eating the pickles. He has eaten way to many and it is starting to come back on him, so he warns them that in about 20 seconds he is going to have degasify. He starts counting down and the others decide they need to leave like now. Here is the part that is funny so I will copy it from the book.
Tommy and I ran toward the mast of the ship, just as we got to the other side, footsteps of British Soldiers pounded across the deck toward the doo we just exited. We crouched behind some wooden crates and observed the closed door to the pickle room. I hoped Liberty turned invisible in time! Suddenly the door creaked. "What's that noise?" said one of the soldier's. "It's coming from inside the storage room," said the other. The soldier in front began to open the door, and as he did I turned to Tommy and whispered, "Here it comes," Tommy grinned, "I hope nobody lights a match." The soldier cried out, "Ugh! Knock me into a cocked hat; what's that smell?" The second soldier gagged. "Good heavens! It smells like a sewer of rotten pickles. You should go in and check it out." "I'm not taking my smeller down there," said the first.
As you can see it's not all about learning it can be fun also. Remember not everything will be 100% accurate either.  It's just a different way to learn history. I'm enjoying these books and I'm glad I can read something like this to my child to teach him about our past. History is one of my favorite subjects and now I can share it with him and he's enjoying it. So yes I would recommend these books. I am only giving it a 3 star rating because it took so long to get the subject.

October 1st thru October 8th, 2017, weekly wrap-up

 

October 1st thru October 8th weekly reading

This is what I read during the week of October 1st.

As you can see I read 5 books which totaled 1410 pages.

Death Wears a Beauty Mask by Mary Higgins Clark is a book full of short stories and was a quick read for me. I didn't do a review. Rush Revere was the book I read to David and a review is coming. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell was not a book I enjoyed. I was disappoint because her book Landline was good. No review. I only read the first book to the trilogy called Kissed by an Angel. I did enjoy this. Tara has done a review on her book of this series so I won't be doing one. Station Eleven was an okay book and there is a review up. The small little story on top is a quick read and no review.

I am trying to see this kind of reading wrap up is more interesting instead of waiting for the end of the month. Please comment on what you would like to see.

October 2017 To Be Read

 

October To Be Read

Here is my October to be read pile.

I know it is now the 9th and I am just getting it up. 

I have had alt going on the past week and trying to 

get caught up on other posts I wanted to do.

I'm not sure you can see all the titles so I will put them here.

 Cuckoo's Calling By: Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) is the first of a series I already read the third book before realizing it was part of a series. The book I borrowed from Tara a long time ago decided to get it read and bock to read; it is the kissed by an angel trilogy by : Elizabeth Chandler. Carry On by: Rainbow Rowell. Wires and Nerves By: Marissa Meyer this is one of my book club reads. Beauty Wears a Death Mask by: Mary Higgins Clark. Norse Mythology by: Nail Gaiman. Cerulean Sins by Laurell K. Hamilton because it is October one has to put in a scary book. Stars Above by: Marissa Meyer another book club read. Final Girls By: Riley Sager another book club read and thriller for the month. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling because it is time to read it; has been on my shelf to long. Stalking Jack The Ripper by: Kerri Maniscalco. Life and Death by: Stephanie Meyer.  Stranger in the House By: Shari Lapena and A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline another book club read. This author also wrote a book called the Orphan Train and I read it in one day so lets see if this book is just as good. The last book I will be reading to David is  The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding. This should be a great read for October. I know it is a big pile but as you can see some are audio books which I will listen to as I work around the house. There are some scary books also which mean I will only read them in the daytime and will pick a different book for night time reading. Yes I am a wimp.

Station Eleven Review

 

Station Eleven Review

Not one of my favorite reads. The story line was good and is believable. I just feel she had unnecessary characters. Some characters also needed to have more information on them. I believe she left the ending open for a future book. In fact I hope she does write a sequel because I would love to see if she has two of the characters meet back up. This book talks about what could happen in the future if certain things occur. Such as a world wide flu epidemic worse than the one in 1918. How would you survive and where would you go? This book makes you really think about how we are total interdependent on each other.

Every Heart a Doorway Review

 

Every Heart A Doorway Review

This book reminds me of the Narnia Series by C .S. Lewis.
This book takes place in a boarding school for children who have disappeared to magical places and have retuned home. They are trying to readjust and most are doing well. The owner of the school knows what it is like because she herself has been in their place with the exception that she can always return. Most children aren't able to return back to their magical places. There are several characters in this book and each has a major rule.
A member of the school is killing other members and taking only a certain part of them. This part is a part that are talented in. They are trying to figure out who is doing the killing. They are blaming a couple of the students one who is new to the school and the other who mainly keeps to herself. I was surprised that I ended enjoying this book and I think you will also. It is a quick read because it is less than 200 pages. It has some's twist and turns and one clue that will help you figure out who the killer is. It isn't too scary so everyone will enjoy it.

The Sun Is Also a Star Review

 

The Sun Is Also A Star Review

This book takes place in New York.

The main characters are Natasha and Daniel.

Natasha is about to be deported to Jamaica and she is trying to get the deportation reversed. Daniel is a Korean American getting ready to interview for admissions into Yale.

Natasha is mad at her dad for getting a DUI where the police find out they are illegal. They came to America eight years earlier on a visitor visa and never left when the visa expired. Her father came over first wanting to become an actor. He never did succeed. She goes to a government agency to talk with them but doesn't get anywhere. One of the workers feels sorry for her and gives her a name of an attorney to see if he could help her.

Daniel doesn't want to go to Yale to become a doctor. His parents want him to go because they want him to do better then them. They own their own shop. Daniel wants to write poetry.

On their way to their appointments they end up meeting up. It's a little rough at the beginning.

Both appointments get postpone for later in the day. This gives them time to get to know each other better.

Natasha finally tell Daniel that she will be deported later in the day if the lawyer can't do his magic. Daniel gets upset at her for not telling him in the beginning. He says he is starting to fall in love with her and thought he would have more time. 

Does Natasha get deported?

Does Daniel go to Yale?

Do they fall in love and stay together?

You have to read the book to find out the answers. 

I enjoyed this book a lot. The author did her research well and I felt like she did a great in portraying the characters. It had great ideas and it taught me a lot about what happens when a person is deported or about to be deported. This book had a lot of diversity in it also. She portrayed an African American female in a relationship with a Korean American.. The lawyer was white so as I said a lot of diversity. I would recommend this book.

September 2017 book haul

 

The rest of Septembers book haul

The top book I got in the mail for free. Little Fires Everywhere I got from the Book of the Month club. There really wasn't anything I liked so decided on this one. Final Girls I picked up at Target for  an October book club. It's suppose to be a thriller.

The  top two books I got from the Book Depository. I heard good things about them.

I picked up the next two at Barnes and Noble because Aryan was waiting for the last Michel Vey book. I heard about the Essex Serpent and I couldn't just buy one book. Aryan has already finished reading the book.

These are the books I ordered from Amazon. The top book is about the actress who played Nellie Olsen in the Little House series. The next four books finish a series I started a long time and didn't realize was a series.

My last trip to Barnes and Noble. I went to do some Christmas shopping to get it done. Some of those items I am not showing because I am afraid they will see this blog. These are what I bought for myself. Well two will go to Tara when I get them read. These two continue the Mistborn series. 

As you can see I enjoy buying books and have a lot of reading to do. I buy the books to read but sometimes it isn't for a few months before I get to them but they do get read.

September 2017 Wrap-up

 

September Wrap up

This was not a good reading month for me. Last month I read 30 books and this month I only read 12 books. That came to a total of 4,677 pages.

Okay onto the books that I read. The first two books in this picture David listened to. He likes James Patterson and R.L. Stine. I read the book A Man Called Ove last month and decided to watch the movie. This movie had English Subtitles and I didn't like reading my movie. I heard there is another version coming out with Tom Hanks so I might re-watch it. The next book is what I read to David at night. There is a review for it already up on the blog. The last book is Gemia also there is a review up for it.

The top book I read to David at night it has a review. The next one also has a review as does Lady Midnight that I finally finished from August.

David listened to the top book. All of the books here I have reviewed. I also watched a few movies that were adapted from the books I read. I have to say I was disappointed in the movies. I think they leave out some important facts and add stuff that didn't happen.

The last minute books before the month ended. I won't be reviewing the The Well of Ascension and the other two reviews are coming. I have them written out just need to post them.

So if you remember my September list I only got four read from that list. I did start two which are The Bridesmaid and Station Eleven. The other eight will have to be put into another month. I had a busy month so I didn't get as much read as I would have liked. I did get some movies watched which is unusual for me because I don't do that much. Until next time keep reading.