July 2022 Wrap

July TBR Pile (18/24):

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller ✓

3. Bookworms BC: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel ✓

4. Bookworms BC: A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham ✓

5. Friend BC: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

6. Currently Reading Buddy Read: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

7. Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility

8. Fantasy: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas ✓

9. Fantasy: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas ✓

10. Fantasy: A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow ✓

11. Fantasy: Wonderland edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane ✓

12. Fantasy: Lobizona by Romina Garber ✓

13. Horror: The Fervor by Alma Katsu

14. Horror: The Haunting of Blackwood House by Darcy Coates ✓

15. Romance: Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert ✓

16. Romance: The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory ✓

17. Romance: Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren ✓

18. Science Fiction: Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki ✓

19. Kid Read Aloud: Wishtree by Katherine Applegate ✓

20. Kid Read Aloud: The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

21. Classics: Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor ✓

22. Middle Grade: The Minor Third by Neil Patrick Harris ✓

23. Middle Grade: Wretched Waterpark by Kiersten White ✓

24. Poetry: 100 Essential American Poems edited by Leslie M. Pockell ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 6092 pages
Pages Remaining: 394,825 pages

Current Read - The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall; Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor; A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (5)

My BOTM selection was Tomorrow, Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin

At the library book sale, I picked up three books just for me.

• Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson

• The Bounty by Caroline Alexander

• Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

While traveling with popped into a cute little used book store in Peoria and I picked up Sabriel by Garth Nix.

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 335

• Books Read: 1

• Books Acquired: 5

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 339

August TBR Pile:

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: Already read

3. Friend BC: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

4. Currently Reading Buddy Read: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

5. Currently Reading Buddy Read: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin

6. Currently Reading Buddy Read: Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

7. Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility

8. Fantasy: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

9. Fantasy: Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor

10. Horror: The Fervor by Alma Cats

11. Romance: Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren

12. Historical Fiction: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

13. Kid Read Aloud: The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

14. Kid Read Aloud: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

15. Kid Read Aloud: Children of the Longhouse by Joseph Bruchac

Movies watched

• Tall Girl

• The Grey Man

TV Shows watched 

• Only Murders in the Building S2 - Still really loving this show.

• Stranger Things S4 - How am I supposed to wait two years for the next season?

• The Boys S3 - A little disappointed that they didn’t make the move I thought they would

• Last Week Tonight - Our constant

• Below Deck Med S4 - Seriously hope to see the downfall of Raygun as she’s terrible at her job.

• Below Deck Down Under S1 - Somehow I didn’t know about this one. Must watch!

• Holey Money S4 - Our delightfully silly show.

• The Umbrella Academy S3 - Finally started this season. Klaus and Five are still my favorites.

Comments - Lots of books read this past month, but it was definitely a mixed bag.

Next up on the TBR pile:

June 2022 Wrap

June TBR Pile (18/28):

1. BOTM: The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd ✓

2. Bookworms BC: Displacement by Kiku Hughes ✓

3. Friend BC: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker ✓

4. Friend BC: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

5. Currently Reading Buddy Read: When Women were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

6. Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility

7. Fantasy: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

8. Fantasy: A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft ✓

9. Nonfiction: What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon

10. Romance: A League of Gentlewoman Witches by India Holton ✓

11. Romance: Neon Gods by Kate Robert (reread) ✓

12. Romance; Captured by Linsey Hall ✓

13. Historical Fiction: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

14. Literary Fiction: The Unsinkable Great James by Jennifer E. Smith ✓

15. Literary Fiction: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens ✓

16. Comics: Invisible Kingdom

17. Science Fiction: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

18. Middle Grade: The Minor Third by Neil Patrick Harris

19. Middle Grade: The Fourth Suit by Neil Patrick Harris

20. Kid Read Aloud: The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis ✓

21. Added: Book Lovers by Emily Henry ✓

22. Added: Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman ✓

23. Added: Gallant by VE Schwab ✓

24. Added: High Spirits by Camille Gomera-Tavarez ✓

25. Added: Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brogsol ✓

26. Added: Klara and the Sun by Kazoo Ishiguro ✓

27. Added: A Brief History of Earth by Andrew H. Knoll ✓

28. Added: The Change by Kirsten Miller ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5466 pages
Pages Remaining: 400,917 pages

Current Read - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas; The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (7)

• BOTM selection: The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

• At the retreat, I bought 4 books:

  • The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown

  • Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by River Galchen

  • A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

  • Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

• And I received one book in the exchange: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

• In my mailbox, I got an ARC copy of: Into the Windwracked Wilds by A. Deborah Baker

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 330

• Books Read: 1

• Books Acquired: 6

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 335

July TBR Pile:

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller

3. Bookworms BC: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

4. Friend BC: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

5. Currently Reading Buddy Read: TBD

6. Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility

7. Fantasy: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

8. Fantasy: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

9. Fantasy: A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow

10. Horror: The Fervor by Alma Katsu

11. Romance: Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

12. Kid Read Aloud: Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Movies watched

• Moonfall - This was utter trash and I kinda liked it.

• The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent - Amazing! After learning so much more about Nicolas Cage, I really really enjoyed this one.

• Everything Everywhere All At Once - Loved this twisty twisty story. Michelle Yeoh is amazing.

TV Shows watched 

• The Great S2 - Oh I love this show so much.

• Obi-Wan Kenobi - The actors were great, but this show opens up so many plot holes.

• Holey Moley S4 - It’s our fun silly show.

• The Boys S3 - They have really upped the gore and the ridiculousness.

• The Outlaws S1 - I’m very intrigued by this show.

• Sex Education S1-2 - Still really enjoying this show.

• Love Life S1 - Almost finished with this season.

• Shroesy S1 - Surprising that I cared so much about Shoresy as I did. Not as funny at Letterkenny, but solid.

• The Orville S3 - Man that third season started with an incredibly serious episode.

• Loot S1 - Our new delightful show.

Comments - Such an amazing reading month! I flew through a ton of books (some really great ones in there) and even finished two read alouds with the kids. We also watched a ton of tv (what happens when’s it ridiculously hot outside) and a few movies. The reading retreat at the end of the month helped me wrap up my reading plans and think about July.

Next up on the TBR pile:

May 2022 Wrap

May TBR Pile (21/27):

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan ✓

3. Friend BC: Thick and Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom ✓

4. Currently Reading Buddy Read:

5. Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility

6. Fantasy: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

7. Historical Fiction: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn ✓

8. Science Fiction: The Disasters by MK England ✓

9. Poetry: What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer ✓

10. Middle Grade: A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus ✓

11. Middle Grade: The Minor Third by Neil Patrick Harris

12. Middle Grade: The Fourth Suit by Neil Patrick Harris

13. Middle Grade; The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley ✓

14. Kid Read Aloud: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis ✓

15. Kid Read Aloud: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein ✓

16. Added: Anatomy by Dana Schwartz ✓

17. Added: Infernal by Linsey Hall ✓

18. Added: The Kaiju Preservation Society by Jon Scalzi ✓

19. Added: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton ✓

20. Added: Stuck with You by Ali Hazelwood ✓

21. Added: Under On Roof by Ali Hazelwood ✓

22. Added: Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood ✓

23. Added: The No-Show by Beth O’Leary ✓

24. Added: Lore Olympus Vol. 1 by Rachel Smythe ✓

25. Added: The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier ✓

26. Added: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera ✓

27. Added: Awakened by Linsey Hall ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 6163 pages
Pages Remaining: 406,383 pages

Current Read - The Unsinkable Great James by Jennifer E. Smith; Captured by Linsey Hall

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (4)

• Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi

• Darling Girl by Liz Michalski

• The Hacienda by Isabel Canas

• Book of Night by Holly Black

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 327

• Books Read: 1

• Books Acquired: 4

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 330

June TBR Pile:

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: Displacement by Kiku Hughes

3. Friend BC: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

4. Friend BC: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

5. Currently Reading Buddy Read: When Women were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

6. Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility

7. Fantasy: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

8. Fantasy: The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

9. Fantasy: A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

10. Nonfiction: What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon

11. Romance: A League of Gentlewoman Witches by India Holton

12. Romance: Neon Gods by Kate Robert (reread)

13. Romance; Captured by Linsey Hall

14. Historical Fiction: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

15. Literary Fiction: The Unsinkable Great James by Jennifer E. Smith

16. Literary Fiction: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

17. Comics: Invisible Kingdom

18. Science Fiction: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

19. Middle Grade: The Minor Third by Neil Patrick Harris

20. Middle Grade: The Fourth Suit by Neil Patrick Harris

21. Kid Read Aloud: The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Movies watched

• Rocketman - I really enjoyed this biopic.

• Operation Mincemeat - Such a great drama about the WWII spy mission.

TV Shows watched 

• Moon Knight S1 - I really enjoy the weird side of Marvel

• Holey Moley S4 - Our fun silly show

• Star Trek: Voyager S4 - Slowly slowly making our way through

• The Great S2 - Getting back into this season. Such a joy.

• Below Deck Sailing Yacht - Still my silly reality show pic

• Love Life S1 - I’ve really fallen for this show. Almost finished with S1.

• Sex Education S1 - Randomly started watching while J was as a movie. Really enjoying it so far.

Comments - Wow! That page count is ridiculously high for me. I ended up reading some really enjoyable books this month. I don’t imagine that June will have as high numbers as May, but’s okay. I’m looking forward to many of the reads on tap. And I have the retreat to focus on reading for a weekend.

Next up on the TBR pile:

April 2022 Wrap

April TBR Pile (18/27):

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: The Necromancer’s Lament by David Balog

3. Friend BC: Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey ✓

4. Currently Reading Buddy Read: TBD

5. Jane Austen Rereads: Sense and Sensibility

6. Fantasy: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

7. Fantasy: The Lighthouse Witches by CJ Cooke

8. Fantasy: A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

9. Horror: Ramses the Damned by Anne Rice and Christopher Rice

10. Horror: Dead Silence by SA Barnes ✓

11. Romance: If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy ✓

12. Romance: Beautiful by Christina Lauren ✓

13. Romance: Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren ✓

14. Romance: Beautiful Boss by Christina Lauren ✓

15. Science Fiction: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

16. Middle Grade: The City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher ✓

17. Middle Grade: The Pool of Fire by John Christopher ✓

18. Middle Grade: When the Tripods Came by John Christopher ✓

19. Middle Grade: The White Mountains by John Christopher ✓

20. Middle Grade: The Dragon in the Library by Louie Stowell ✓

21. Read Aloud: City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda ✓

22. Added: Girly Drinks by Mallory O’Meara ✓

23. Added: The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart ✓

24. Added: The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis ✓

25. Added: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming ✓

26. Added: The Second Story by Neil Patrick Harris ✓

27. Added: The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5102 pages
Pages Remaining: 412,546 pages

Current Read - Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (5)

• Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

• Kalikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

• Crossings by Alex Landragin

• The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill

• The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 323

• Books Read: 1 (Magic for Liars)

• Books Acquired: 5

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 327

May TBR Pile:

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

3. Friend BC: Thick and Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom

4. Currently Reading Buddy Read:

5. Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility

6. Fantasy: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

7. Historical Fiction: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

8. Science Fiction: The Disasters by MK England

9. Poetry: What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer

10. Poetry: Blood Dazzler by Patricia Smith

11. Middle Grade: A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

12. Middle Grade: The Minor Third by Neil Patrick Harris

13. Middle Grade: The Fourth Suit by Neil Patrick Harris

14. Middle Grade; The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Movies watched

• Death on the Nile - Very very beautiful and I always enjoy Agatha Christie’s stories.

• Metal Lords - A very relatable and realistic portrayal of teenage years. We loved it!

• Destination Wedding.- Terrible. Couldn’t get through it.

• Rim of the World - Kids loved it, I thought it was cheesy and the tone was all over the place.

• The Outfit - J’s pick for a serious drama. This is a great play put on screen. I really loved it!

• Uncharted - Silly no-stress action film. Very enjoyable.

TV Shows watched 

• Severance S1 - Very trippy. Can’t wait for season 2.

• The World According to Jeff Goldblum - Our fun silly show.

• Once Upon a Time, Happily Never After - So incredibly weird! But I absolutely loved it!

• Hustle S8 - We finally finished the series!

• Last Week Tonight

• Are You Afraid of the Dark S1 - I started rewatching the original series. Still love these episodes.

• Shadow and Bone S1 - Finished the season and cannot wait to see how they deal with season two.

• Starstruck S1-2 - My random pick. It’s a less vulgar version of Fleabag and I really enjoy it.

• Minx S1 - My new favorite show! I absolutely adore the exploration of feminism in the 1970s.

• Slow Horses S1 - We are very into this spy thriller show.

• The Righteous Gemstones S1-2 - Finished season one and started in on season two. This family is just so wacky we can’t resist.

Comments - Overall a very good showing for reading and media this month. I finally read a series that J has been pushing for years. I finished my contemporary romance and I buddy read some decent middle grade with Arthur.

Next up on the TBR pile:

March 2022 Wrap

March TBR Pile (23/34):

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC April: The Necromancer’s Lament by David Balog

3. Friend BC April: Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

4. Currently Reading Buddy Read: The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley ✓

5. Jane Austen Rereads: Sense and Sensibility

6. Fantasy: The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg ✓

7. Fantasy: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

8. Fantasy: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

9. Horror: All These Bodies by Kendare Blake ✓

10. Romance: Electric Idol by Katee Robert ✓

11. Romance: If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

12. Romance: To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne ✓

13. Nonfiction: Animal, Vegetable, Junk by Mark Bittman

14. Nonfiction: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

15. Mystery/Thriller: The Hidden by Melanie Golding

16. Science Fiction: The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield ✓

17. Science Fiction: Clean Air by Sarah Blake ✓

18. Science Fiction: Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders

19. Science Fiction: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

20. Poetry: I Hope This Finds You Well by Kate Baer ✓

21. Added: A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske ✓

22. Added: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi ✓

23. Added: Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs edited by Ann R. Williams ✓

24. Added: Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gil ✓

25. Added: Wild Swans retold by Xanthe Gresham Knight ✓

26. Added: Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin ✓

27. Added: Hansel & Gretel by Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti ✓

28. Added: The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris ✓

29. Added: The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste ✓

30. Added: The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis ✓

31. Added: The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm ✓

32. Added: How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu ✓

33. Added: The Blackbird Girls by Anna Blackman ✓

34. Added: The Bookwanderers by Anna James ✓

35. Added: Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 6851 pages
Pages Remaining: 417,648 pages

Current Read - If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy; Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (28) - This is going to be a huge number. March is my birthday month and I always go a bit crazy with books during my birthday month.

Book of the Month order - I grabbed my free book for my birthday month and two others

• The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

• The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

• The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

My stepmom got me a GC to Barnes & Noble, so had to grab a few.

• Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

• Dry by Neal Shusterman

• A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

• Feed by Mira Grant (I’ve already read, would like to have a copy for my shelves.)

During my birthday day out, I stopped at the local used book store and found some picks. This store is a cavern of books loosely organized. I love to place bookish serendipity in that store.

• The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl

• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

• The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland

• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark retold by Alvin Schwartz (childhood favorite that I didn’t have in print)

• Still Life with Crows by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

On my actual birthday, I stopped in at Half Price Books and saw a few I needed.

• The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

• More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark retold by Alvin Schwartz

• Scary Stories 3 More Tales to Chill Your Bones retold by Alvin Schwartz

• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (childhood favorite to add to our kids read aloud selections)

My Book Outlet Order arrived with mostly goodies for homeschooling, but a few things for me!

• Serpentine by Philip Pullman

• The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman

• Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

• The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

• The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White

• To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters

• The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

• The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

• Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

• Ruthless Gods by Emily. A Duncan

• Blessed Monsters by Emily A. Duncan

And I picked up a copy of

• The 1619 Project

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 303

• Books Read: 3

• Books Acquired: 23

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 323

April TBR Pile:

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: The Necromancer’s Lament by David Balog

3. Friend BC: Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

4. Currently Reading Buddy Read: TBD

5. Jane Austen Rereads: Sense and Sensibility

6. Fantasy: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

7. Fantasy: The Lighthouse Witches by

8. Fantasy: A River Enchanted by

9. Horror: Ramses the Damned by Anne Rice and Christopher Rice

10. Horror: Dead Silence by

11. Romance: If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

12. Romance: Beautiful by Christina Lauren

13. Romance: Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren

14. Romance: Beautiful Boss by Christina Lauren

15. Science Fiction: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

16. Middle Grade: The City of Gold and Lead by

17. Middle Grade: The Pool of Fire by

18. Middle Grade: When the Tripods Came by

19. Middle Grade: The White Mountains by

20. Middle Grade: The Library of Ever by

21. Middle Grade: The Dragon in the Library by

Movies watched

• Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time - Interesting documentary diving into the life of Kurt Vonnegut.

• 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot - Surprisingly funny.

• Train to Busan - Finally watched this one and it was amazing! Such a good zombie movie.

• Fisherman’s Friends - Very heartwarming movie based on a true story.

• The Adam Project - Utterly delightful! The kids even loved it.

• Spiderman: No Way Home - I rewatched and J watched for the first time. Still love it!

TV Shows watched 

• Severance S1 - So incredibly weird. We love it!

• The Great S1 - Finally finished this season. Can’t wait to start S2.

• Last Week Tonight - Our constant weekly viewing.

• Our Flag Means Death S1 -

• Bridgerton S2 - While I love Anthony’s story so much more than Daphne’s, I still really wanted more.

• Below Deck Sailing Yacht S3 - Really enjoying this season.

• Moon Knight S1 - We started this last night and I’m hooked.

• Once Upon a Time, Happily Never After S1 - Very strange show that I’m so addicted to!

• Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed - I’m so fascinating by mega churches. I knew a lot, but still very interesting.

Comments - March was a huge month for movies, TV, and books.

Next up on the TBR pile:

February 2022 Wrap

February TBR Pile (18/22):

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: (Not Reading)

3. Friend BC: Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor (reread) ✓

4. Friend BC: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr ✓

5. Currently Reading Buddy Read: An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole ✓

6. Jane Austen Rereads: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen ✓

7. Fantasy: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

8. Horror: House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland ✓

9. Romance: Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler ✓

10. Romance: Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren ✓

11. Romance: Beautiful Beginning by Christina Lauren ✓

12. Romance: Beautiful Beloved by Christina Lauren ✓

13. Comics: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari ✓

14. Nonfiction: How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith ✓

15. Nonfiction: Share You Stuff, I’ll Go First

16. Mystery/Thriller: The Hidden by Melanie Golding

17. Kid Read Aloud: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin ✓

18. Added: Love Lessons by Christine S. Feldman ✓

19. Added: Playing Cupid by Christine S. Feldman ✓

20. Added: Fuzz by Mary Roach ✓

21. Added: The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian ✓

22. Added: Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire ✓

23. Added: Everyone You Hate is Going to Die by Daniel Sloss ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5052 pages
Pages Remaining: 424,499 pages

Current Read - Clean Air by Sarah Blake

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (1) - I picked up The Rosie Project at Half Price Books last week. I went in to get some kid stuff, but I couldn’t resist looking at the clearance section. Next month, my number is going to be very high as I have a Book Outlet order coming and it’s my birthday month. I always get some books for my birthday.

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 303

• Books Read: 1 (House of Hollow)

• Books Acquired: 1 (The Rosie Project)

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 303

March TBR Pile: My March pile has exploded a bit… Let’s see how many of these I actually get to.

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC March:: (already read)

3. Bookworms BC April: The Necromancer’s Lament by David Balog

4. Friend BC March: (already read)

5. Friend BC April: Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

6. Currently Reading Buddy Read: The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

7. Jane Austen Rereads: Sense and Sensibility

8. Fantasy: The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

9. Fantasy: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

10. Fantasy: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

11. Horror: All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

12. Romance: Electric Idol by Katee Robert

13. Romance: If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

14. Romance: To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne

15. Nonfiction: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

16. Mystery/Thriller: The Hidden by Melanie Golding

17. Science Fiction: The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield

18. Science Fiction: Clean Air by Sarah Blake

19. Science Fiction: Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders

20. Science Fiction: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

21. Poetry: I Hope This Finds You Well by Kate Baer

Movies watched - We had February Movie Month. Check out my wrap up of everything we watched here.

TV Shows watched 

• Hustle S7

• Resident Alien S2

• Last Week Tonight

Comments - Great reading month for numbers, not so great when it comes to great reads. Oh well. I did have six five star reads this months and we watched some interesting movies. Overall, February was a good month.

Next up on the TBR pile:

January 2022 Wrap

January TBR Pile (16/22):

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz ✓

3. Friend BC: (Already Read)

4. Currently Reading Buddy Read: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles ✓

5. Romance: Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler ✓

6. Romance: Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler

7. Romance: Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez ✓

8. Romance: Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday

9. Romance: Beautiful Bombshell by Christina Lauren ✓

10. Comics: Monstress Vol. 6 ✓

11. Comics: Lumberjanes Vol. 20 ✓

12. Comics: Far Sector ✓

13. Nonfiction: How Zoologists Organize Things by David Bainbridge ✓

14. Nonfiction: The Comfort Book by Matt Haig ✓

15. Fantasy: A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

16. Fantasy: House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

17. Fantasy: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse ✓

18. Fantasy: Questland by Carrie Vaughn ✓

19. Added: Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon ✓

20. Added: All the Feels by Olivia Dade ✓

21. Added: Once and Future Vol. 3 ✓

22. Added: Billion Dollar Loser by Reeves Wiedman ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 4753 pages
Pages Remaining: 429,551 pages

Current Read - House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland; Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren; Sapiens Vol. 1 by Yuval Noah Harari

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (0)

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 305

• Books Read: 2

• Books Acquired: 0

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 303

February TBR Pile:

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: (Not Reading)

3. Friend BC: Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor (reread)

4. Friend BC: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

5. Currently Reading Buddy Read: Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole

6. Jane Austen Rereads: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

7. Fantasy: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

8. Horror: House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

9. Romance: Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler

10. Romance: Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren

11. Romance: Beautiful Beginning by Christina Lauren

12. Romance: Beautiful Beloved by Christina Lauren

13. Comics: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

14. Nonfiction: How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith

15. Nonfiction: Share You Stuff, I’ll Go First

16. Mystery/Thriller: The Hidden by Melanie Golding

Movies watched

• Eternals - I liked it, but felt like there was enough in there to make 2 movies.

• Sing 2 - Enjoyable kids movie.

• Matrix Resurrections - At times, trying too hard to be clever…

• The Duke - Delightful British biography comedy.

TV Shows watched 

• The Witcher S2 - A very exciting second season.

• The Bachelor - Still don’t like Clayton…

• Below Deck - My silly guilty pleasure show.

• The Great S1 - We’ve almost made it to the end of the first season. I am really enjoying it.

• Doctor Who - I just didn’t love this season at all. It felt very disjointed.

• Righteous Gemstones S1 - How did we not watch this one yet? Oh so good!

• Only Murders in the Building S1 - Delightfully fun.

Comments - A very decent showing for this month’s reading. And we knocked out some television series.

Next up on the TBR pile:

December 2021 Wrap-up

December TBR Pile - 23 read:

1. Bookworms BC: (Already Read)

2. Friend BC: The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams ✓

3. The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss ✓

4. The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox ✓

5. A Winter’s Knight by Elizabeth Cole ✓

6. A Grosvenor Square Christmas ✓

7. Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater by Debbie Johnson ✓

8. Pastels and Jingle Bells by Christine S. Feldman ✓

9. A Pirate for Christmas by Anna Campbell ✓

10. Scandalous Lord Dare by Stephanie Laurens ✓

11. Where the Heart Is by Darcy Burke ✓

12. We Met in December by Rosie Curtis ✓

13. Always, in December by Emily Stone ✓

14. The Princess Plan by Julia London ✓

15. God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen by Rhys Bowen ✓

16. Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas ✓

17. Well Matched by Jen DeLuca ✓

18. Beautiful Bitch by Christina Lauren ✓

19. Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren ✓

20. A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday ✓

21. The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler ✓

22. A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss ✓

23. As You Wish by Cary Elwes ✓

24. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 6495 pages
Pages Remaining: 434,304 pages

Current Read - Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez; A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (9) - Seriously I lost track…

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 294

• Books Read: 0

• Books Acquired: 11

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 305

January TBR Pile:

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

3. Friend BC: (Already Read)

4. Currently Reading Buddy Read: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

5. Romance: Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler

6. Romance: Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler

7. Romance: Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez

8. Romance: Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday

9. Romance: Beautiful Bombshell by Christina Lauren

10. Comics: Monstress Vol. 6

11. Comics: Lumberjanes Vol. 20

12. Comics: Far Sector

13. Nonfiction: How Zoologists Organize Things by David Bainbridge

14. Nonfiction: The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

15. Fantasy: A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

16. Fantasy: House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

17. Fantasy: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

18. Fantasy: Questland by Carrie Vaughn

Movies watched

• 8 Bit Christmas - Entertaining for this 80s kid.

• The Harder They Fall - Absolutely amazing! And the soundtrack is killer.

• The Man Who Invented Christmas - Loved the style of this one, really made it a good movie.

• Single All the Way - Not a favorite. I didn’t feel the romantic chemistry at all.

• Love Hard - Oof. Catfishing should not be rewarded.

• A Christmas Wish - So incredibly smaltzy, but fun.

• A Muppet Christmas Carol - A family favorite and the best movie version of A Christmas Carol!

• Encanto - Watched at the theater. Loved the music. Less of a fan of the storyline. Although Bruno was great!

• Spiderman: No Way Home - Another theater movie. This was absolutely amazing!

• A Knight Before Christmas - Very silly and forgettable.

• Don’t Look Up - This one hit a little too close to the truth of the world to be enjoyable although I see what Adam McKay was doing with this movie.

• Christmas at the Castle - Really I watched for Cary Elwes who did not disappoint.

• One Royal Holiday - Love Aaron Tveit, the plot was very predictable.

TV Shows watched 

• Hit Monkey S1 - Super strange and yet I was very into it.

• The Bachelorette with Michelle - Kinda disappointed in this season although Michelle was much better than Katie.

• Below Deck S9 - Thank goodness for Eddie and Captain Lee!

• Cowboy Bebop S1 - We loved it! So sad that Netflix canceled the show.

• The Great S1 - Finally started this one and it is delightful.

• Doctor Who S13 - I don’t think this season of Doctor Who worked well at all. Too many questions, not enough answers.

• Dash and Lily S1 - My mom and I binged this in one day. Very cute little show.

• it’s Always Sunny S15 - How is this show still going and still funny?

• The Witcher S2 - Just started, but so far, it’s really good.

• Ghosts S1 (UK Version) - J binged it over Christmas, so now we are watching together. it’s good.

• Letterkenny S10 - So excited that it’s back!

• Shadow and Bone S1 - I finally started and it’s been great so far. They made Mal more of a decent human and included my favorite Crows.

Comments - I ended my reading year very strong with 23 reads! Only two of those were 5 stars, but mostly I just wanted something light and fluffy for this month. I also ended up watching a ton of media somehow and loved most of it. Here’s to 2022!

Next up on the TBR pile:

November 2021 Wrap-up

November TBR Pile (16/23):

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon ✓

3. Friend BC: Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead ✓

4. Nonfiction: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green ✓

5. Nonfiction: Girl Gurl Grrrl by Kenya Hunt

6. Nonfiction: Dr. Mutter’s Marvels by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz

7. Nonfiction: The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

8. Nonfiction Bad Fat Black Girl by Sesali Bowen ✓

9. Nonfiction: The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi ✓

10. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

11. Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune ✓

12. Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent

13. Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren ✓

14. Malorie by Josh Malerman

15. Reprieve by James Han Mattson ✓

16. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren ✓

17. Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas ✓

18. The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez ✓

19. Landline by Rainbow Rowell ✓

20. Shutter Vol. 1 ✓

21. The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel ✓

22. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood ✓

23. Along the Saltwise Sea by A. Deborah Baker ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5163 pages
Pages Remaining: 440,799 pages

Current Read - The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss; The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (6)

I grabbed a few random titles from Book Outlet when I placed my kids’ Christmas order.

• To Love and To Loathe by Martha Waters

• A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Mandarin Collins

I grabbed a book from Amazon for my book club.

• Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

And I picked a few from BOTM.

• The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker

• A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore (to complete having the trilogy in physical form)

Finally, I got a book in a book flood book exchange.

• The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 291

• Books Read: 2

• Books Acquired: 5

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 294

December TBR Pile: I love to end my year with some fluffy holiday romances. This year is no exception. Instead of trying to sneak in a few more big books of a more serious nature, I’m going to lean into the holiday romances. Let’s see what I have on my Kindle right now (also including a few must reads for book club):

1. Bookworms BC: (Already Read)

2. Friend BC: The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

3. The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

4. The Christmas Village by Annie Rains

5. The Christmas House by Victoria James

6. A Little Christmas Spirit by Sheila Roberts

7. The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

8. One Day in December by Josie Silver

9. Santa Cruise by Fern Michaels

10. The Christmas Wedding Guest by Susan Mallery

11. Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis

12. The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

13. A Winter’s Night by Elizabeth Cole

14. A Brand of Christmas by Maggie Shayne

15. A Cheyenne Celebration by Caroline Lee

16. A Cheyenne Christmas Homecoming by Caroline Lee

17. A Cheyene Christmas by Caroline Lee

18. A Grosvenor Square Christmas

19. A Cotswold Christmas by Kate Hewitt

20. A Kiss for Christmas by Melody Grace

21. Miss Kane’s Christmas by Caroline Michelson

22. Mistletoe at Moonglow by Deborah Garner

23. Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater by Debbie Johnson

24. Once Upon a Christmas by Lisa Plumley

25. Pastels and Jingle Bells by Christine S. Feldman

26. The Perfect Gift by Serenity Woods

27. A Pirate for Christmas by Anna Campbell

28. Scandalous Lord Dare by Stephanie Laurens

29. Silver Bells by CJ Hunt

30. Where the Heart Is by Darcy Burke

31. Wilhelmina by Hildie McQueen

Movies watched

• The Cloverfield Paradox - Meh. Wasn’t terrible, but wasn’t great either.

• The Making of Army of Darkness - Fascinating look at the making of a classic.

• Spectre - Rewatch so we can watch the new Bond movie

• No Time to Die - I was annoyed by the Madeline storyline, but overall, I enjoyed this last Daniel Craig movie.

• Shang-Chi - Might be my favorite Marvel movie now.

• Red Notice - Mediocre, but we will watch anything with Ryan Reynolds.

• The Great Hack - Very depressing, but enlightening.

• Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage - I love the banter between Eddie and Venom. I was less enamored by the action sequences. Still, it was entertaining. And that mid-credit scene had be gasping out loud.

• Desk Set - Starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Delightful romantic comedy.

TV Shows watched 

• Foundation S1 - Oh goodness, that was good. I cannot wait for the second season.

• Doctor Who

• Lupin S2

• The Great British Bake-Off

• Below Deck

• The Bachelorette

• Last Week Tonight

• Jack Whitehall’s Travels with My Father

• Hit Monkey S1 - Very strange show, but oddly compelling.

• Cowboy Bebop S1 - Sqeeee I am so excited about this show. It’s gorgeous and everyone is just amazing in it!

Comments - I thought that I would have a very low reading month, but I ended up on a reading spree towards the end of the month. So a very decent showing! Although I have a mix of stars, I did end up reading some really good books. Plus, we watched some good television and a few interesting movies. Now I’m prepping for Holiday romance December!

Next up on the TBR pile:

October 2021 Wrap-up

October TBR Pile (19/30):

1. Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov ✓

2. The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare ✓

3. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (reread for book club) ✓

4. Bird Box by Josh Malerman ✓

5. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo ✓

6. Catherine House by Elizabeth Thomas

7. Sunshine by Robin McKinley (reread)

8. The Guide by Peter Heller ✓

9. The Woods are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins ✓

10. Bloodlust and Bonnets by Emily McGovern ✓

11. The End and Everything After by Matt Fraction

12. The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

13. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

14. Lady Killer by Joelle Jones

15. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter ✓

16. Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent

17. The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Katie O’Neill

18. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury ✓

19. Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

20. The Diabolical Miss Hyde by Viola Carr

21. Dr. Mütter’s Marvels by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz

22. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn ✓

23. Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore ✓

24. The House that Fell from the Sky by Patrick Delaney ✓

25. House of Shadows by Darcy Coates ✓

26. House of Secrets by Darcy Coates ✓

27. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling ✓

28. In Love with a Haunted House by Kate Goldman ✓

29. Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse ✓

30. A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5812 pages
Pages Remaining: 445,962 pages

Current Read - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune; Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (11) - At the beginning of the month, I had my bookish retreat. While I did try to limit myself to just a small stack of books bought at the stores that weekend, I still came away with a few to add to my shelves. And I acquired one during our book exchange. I also picked up two books from Book of the Month. For the first time, I bought books from the Indie Press List from my beloved Currently reading podcast. Their October selections were all spooky and just what I had been wanting! And a friend gifted me a book (TJ Klune) as a thank you for setting up the retreat.

• The Comfort Book by Matt Haig (exchange)

• Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (retreat)

• Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (retreat)

• Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow (retreat)

• The City & The City by China Miéville (retreat)

• Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (gift)

• Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore (BOTM)

• The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (BOTM)

• A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (Indie Press List)

• Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth (Indie Press List)

• The Night Gardeners by (Indie Press List)

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 283

• Books Read: 3

• Books Acquired: 11

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 291

November TBR Pile: I often read nonfiction, but I’m going to try to increase my numbers for this Nonfiction November.

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon

3. Friend BC: Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

4. Nonfiction: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

5. Nonfiction: Girl Gurl Grrrl by Kenya Hunt

6. Nonfiction: Dr. Mutter’s Marvels by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz

7. Nonfiction: The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

8. Nonfiction Bad Fat Black Girl by Sesali Bowen

9. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

10. Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

11. Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent

12. Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

13. Malorie by Josh Malerman

Movies watched - It was spooky movie month. I usually make a giant list from which we pick a movie most nights. We had quite a mix of movies watched this October.

• Lady of the Manor - A bit uneven

• Free Guy - Of course I loved this one

• Escape from Planet of the Apes - Very decent movie

• The Relic - This one actually holds up well

• The Shadow - Went with a Penelope Ann Miller run and rewatched this one. Very cheesy at parts, but a good adventure movie.

• The Dead Don’t Die - Loved it until the voice over at the end scene. Much too heavy-handed.

• Brazil - It’s been years. Still as weird as I remember. Love the ducts! We also watched the tv edit and the making of documentary.

• Touch of Evil - Somehow I had never seen this. Another amazing Orson Welles picture!

• Detective Pikachu - Arthur’s birthday movie choice. I really enjoyed this one.

• Brotherhood of the Wolf - J’s been trying to get me to watch this one for years. Pretty good supernatural-ish action movie.

• Dune - Oh goodness that was a beautiful movie. So glad that the sequel has been greenlit.

• North by Northwest - Haven’t seen this in years. Love it!

• Sleepaway Camp - Watched the sequel last year,

TV Shows watched 

• Last Week Tonight

• Lower Decks S2

• Archer S12

• Ted Lasso S2

• Foundation S1

Comments - Great reading month for October. I covered a ton of spooky books and really leaned into my moods. We didn’t watch 30 spooky movies, but had a decent showing of 14 movies watched (two versions of Brazil). And we finished a few seasons of television (Lower Decks, Archer, Ted Lasso).

Next up on the TBR pile:

September 2021 Wrap-up

September TBR Pile (21/25):

1. Book of the Month Club: TBD

2. Bookworms: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (reread) ✓

3. Friend Book Club: We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker ✓

4. MMD RC: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers ✓

5. Kid Read Aloud: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien ✓

6. Foundation: Foundation by Isaac Asimov ✓

7. Foundation: Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov ✓

8. Foundation: Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov ✓

9. Foundation: Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov ✓

10. Foundation: Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov

11. Nonfiction: Four Hundred Souls edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain ✓

12. Historical Fiction: A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe ✓

13. Short Story Collection: Roar by Cecelia Ahern ✓

14. Horror: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

15. Horror: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

16. Romance: In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren ✓

17. Added: The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare ✓

18. Added: Lumberjanes Vol. 19 ✓

19. Added: Injection Vol. 1 ✓

20. Added: Injection Vol. 2 ✓

21. Added: Injection Vol. 3 ✓

22. Added: Neon Gods by Katee Robert ✓

23. Added: The Governess Game by Tessa Dare ✓

24. Added: Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer ✓

25. Added: Spell or High Water by Scott Meyer ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 6019 pages
Pages Remaining: 451,774 pages

Current Read - The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare; The Guide by Peter Heller; Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (0)

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 283

• Books Read: 0

• Books Acquired: 0

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 283

October TBR Pile: It’s Spooky Movie Month! I love pulling out all the spooky for Halloween. Some of these are not spooky, as the library was working against me on my holds. But most are spooky and fully into the Halloween Season.

1. Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov

2. The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

3. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (reread for book club)

4. Bird Box by Josh Malerman

5. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

6. Catherine House by Elizabeth Thomas

7. Sunshine by Robin McKinley (reread)

8. The Guide by Peter Heller

9. The Woods are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins

10. Bloodlust and Bonnets by Emily McGovern

11. The End and Everything After by Matt Fraction

12. The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

13. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

14. Lady Killer by Joelle Jones

15. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter

16. Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent

17. The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Katie O’Neill

18. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

19. Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

20. The Diabolical Miss Hyde by Viola Carr

21. Dr. Mütter’s Marvels by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz

22. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

Movies watched

• American Epic: Sessions - We wrapped up the documentary series with a focus on modern artists performing the old songs.

• How It Ends - Quirky little indie film

TV Shows watched 

• AP Bio S4

• Hustle S5

• Lower Decks S2

• Archer S12

• Ted Lasso S2

• Last Week Tonight

• Holey Moley S3

• Fondation!

Comments - Wow! My reading this month was on fire even with the family road trip in the middle.

Next up on the TBR pile:

August 2021 Wrap-up

August TBR Pile (20/29):

1. Book of the Month Club: TBD

2. Bookworms: Already read August’s selection

3. Friend Book Club: We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

4. MMD RC: Laundry Love by Patric Richardson ✓

5. Kid Read Aloud: The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum ✓

6. Foundation: The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov ✓

7. Foundation: Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov ✓

8. Foundation: Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov ✓

9. Foundation: Forward the Foundation by Isaac Asimov ✓

10. Foundation: Foundation by Isaac Asimov

11. Foundation: Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov

12. Foundation: Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov

13. Foundation: Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov

14. Foundation: Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov

15. Added: Dating-ish by Penny Reid ✓

16. Added: Marriage of Inconvenience by Penny Reid ✓

17. Added: Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan ✓

18. Added: Lumberjanes Vol. 14 ✓

19. Added: Lumberjanes Vol. 15 ✓

20. Added: Lumberjanes Vol. 16 ✓

21. Added: Lumberjanes Vol. 17 ✓

22. Added: Lumberjanes Vol. 18 ✓

23. Added: Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon ✓

24. Added: Cursed Objects by J.W. Ocker ✓

25. Added: Four Hundred Souls edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain

26. Added: Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert ✓

27. Added: World Travel by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever ✓

28. Added: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo ✓

29. Added: The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives by Kristin Miller ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5368 pages
Pages Remaining: 457,793pages

Current Read - A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe; Four Hundred Souls; Roar by Cecelia Ahern

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (0)

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 283

• Books Read: 0

• Books Acquired: 0

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 283

September TBR Pile:

1. Book of the Month Club: TBD

2. Bookworms: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

3. Friend Book Club: We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

4. MMD RC: TBD

5. Kid Read Aloud: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

6. Foundation: Foundation by Isaac Asimov

7. Foundation: Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov

8. Foundation: Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov

9. Foundation: Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov

10. Foundation: Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov

11. Nonfiction: Four Hundred Souls edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain

12. Historical Fiction: A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe

13. Short Story Collection: Roar by Cecelia Ahern

14. Horror: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

15. Horror: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

16. Science Fiction: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

17. Romance: In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

18. Romance: The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

Movies watched

• F9 - That was terrible…

• Jungle Cruise - Fun family film

• Jolt - Not good at all

• The Suicide Squad - Much better than the first Suicide Squad movie that we must not mention

• Tower Heist - Pretty good heist film

• Exchange - Quirky indie comedy set in the 80s. Loved it!

TV Shows watched 

• American Epic - Great historical music documentary series

• Watch the Sound - Another great music documentary series

• Rick and Morty S5 - The turkey episode killed me

• Star Trek: Voyager S4

• Hustle S6 - Getting closer to the end of this series

• Below Deck: Mediterranean S6

• Bachelor in Paradise - Loving the total mess of this show.

• Making It S3 - We did not call the ending, but still enjoyed the show.

• Lower Decks S2 - So funny!

• Holey Moley S3 - Our silly show

• Ted Lasso S2 - This season is giving me life.

• Archer S12 - Oh how we have missed this show.

Comments -

Next up on the TBR pile:

July 2021 Wrap-up

July TBR Pile (17/19):

1. Book of the Month Club: ???

2. Formerly Girly Book Club now Bookworms: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid ✓

3. Friend Book Club: Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue ✓

4. Friend Book Club: Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy ✓

5. MMD RC: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry ✓

6. Nonfiction: Wintering by Katherine May ✓

7. Fantasy: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo ✓

8. Fantasy: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo ✓

9. Comic: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 3 ✓

10. Science Fiction: Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

11. Romance: Friends without Benefits by Penny Reid ✓

12. Kid Read Aloud: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis ✓

13. Kid Read Aloud: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis ✓

14. Added: Love Hacked by Penny Reid ✓

15. Added: Happily Ever Ninja by Penny Reid ✓

16. Added: Neanderthal Marries Human by Penny Reid ✓

17. Added: Beauty and the Mustache by Penny Reid ✓

18. Added: The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley ✓

19. Added: Folklords ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5836 pages
Pages Remaining: 463,161 pages

Current Read - Dating-ish by Penny Reid

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (0)

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 283

• Books Read: 0

• Books Acquired: 0

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 283

August TBR Pile: Again, I’m changing up my TBR for this month. The new television series based on Isaac Asimov’s Foundation world is dropping at the end of September. I’ve been reading the main 15 book series for awhile, but I still have 9 books to go. I’m committing to reading those 9 books this month in preparation. I fully expect that one or two books will bleed into September, but I really want to knock out most of them. Beyond those books, I have some library books lying around and a few ebooks that should be coming up off hold soon.

1. Book of the Month Club: TBD

2. Bookworms: Already read August’s selection

3. Friend Book Club: TBD

4. MMD RC: TBD

5. Kid Read Aloud: The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

6. Foundation: The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov

7. Foundation: Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov

8. Foundation: Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov

9. Foundation: Forward the Foundation by Isaac Asimov

10. Foundation: Foundation by Isaac Asimov

11. Foundation: Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov

12. Foundation: Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov

13. Foundation: Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov

14. Foundation: Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov

Movies watched

• America: The Motion Picture - Wow, that was wild…

• School’s Out Forever - We were expecting a comedy filled apocalypse movie. Instead we got a very serious apocalypse move.

• The Tomorrow War - Oooff… that was not good at all. So many logical inconsistencies.

• Black Widow - Good movie, however, I think it was about 5 years too late. Felt like an afterthought and that’s disappointing.

• Inside - Bo Burnham’s passion project during quarantine. Fascinating.

• Werewolves Within - Fun horror comedy. We do so love our horror comedies.

• Gunpowder Milkshake - Fun action film, even if it will ultimately be pretty forgettable.

• Faith-Based - Quirky little comedy

• The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard - Silly, but good fun. We definitely watch for the banter between Ryan Reynolds and Sam Jackson.

• Woodstock 99: Peace, Love and Rage - Even though I very much remember the event, the documentary gave me so much information I didn’t know. Depressing but good. Also, the film makers really needed to press the two organizers more about their lack of planning.

TV Shows watched 

• Loki S1 - I am gutted. So good.

• Schmigadoon S1 - Delightful little show full of Broadway stars!

• Making It S3 - Our current reality competition full-good show.

• Holey Moley S3 - Rob and Joe are delightful. Plus, Double Dutch en Fuego is my favorite!

• Star Trek: Voyager S4 - Slowly making our way through.

• Hustle S5 - We’re flying through this series.

Comments - July was a rough month. The temperatures have been very high here which has caused all kinds of lethargy. My reading was robust, but I feel strangely detached from my reading right now. August will be bringing up back to a normal routine and I’m hoping everything settles.

Next up on the TBR pile:

June 2021 Wrap-up

June TBR Pile: I did away with my TBR list at the beginning of the month to let the reader inspiration take me where it wanted. Here’s what I read this month:

1. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

2. Bellamy and the Brute by Alicia Michaels

3. Broken by Jenny Lawson

4. The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov

5. Black Mad Wheel by Josh Malerman

6. Looking Glass by Christina Henry

7. Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence

8. A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz

9. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

10. The Downing Kind by Jennifer McMahon

11. The Whispering House by Elizabeth Brooks

12. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

13. The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary

14. Scary Stories for Little Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

15. A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

16. For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

17. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5530 pages
Pages Remaining: 468,997 pages

Current Read - Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (4) - I grabbed two books from Book of the Month. I also received a book that I won from Goodreads and totally forgot about. And I got a book during our book club swap day.

• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

• Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian

• Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams

• Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 279

• Books Read: 0

• Books Acquired: 4

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 283

July TBR Pile:

1. Book of the Month Club: ???

2. Formerly Girly Book Club now Bookworms: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

3. Friend Book Club: Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

4. MMD RC: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

5. Nonfiction: Wintering by Katherine May

6. Fantasy: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

7. Fantasy: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

8. Comic: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 3

9. Science Fiction: Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

10. Romance: Friends without Benefits by Penny Reid

11. Kid Read Aloud: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

12. Kid Read Aloud: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

Movies watched

• Deep Murder - Fun quirky movie

• Good on Paper - Interesting little comedy

TV Shows watched 

• Loki - Oh yes! I can’t wait to watch this one every week.

• Running Wilde S1 - I never watched this short-lived comedy sitcom, so we started. Short and sweet, but lots of fun.

• Hustle S3-4

• Star Trek: Voyager S3-4

• Holey Moley S3

• Mythic Quest S2

• Last Week Tonight

• Rick and Morty S5

• Making It S3

Comments - I loved having no reins on my reading this month! It was lovely to allow my moods to determine my next reads. There were definitely some misses in there, but I knocked out a ton of titles from my bigger TBR. And we managed to watch some great television this month (hello Loki!!!!). Looking forward to what is July brings!

Next up on the TBR pile:

May 2021 Wrap-up

May TBR Pile (19/25):

1. Book of the Month Club: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

2. BOTM: The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

3. Girly Book Club: (already caught up)

4. Friend Book Club: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary ✓

5. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny ✓

6. MMD RC: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown in progress

7. Nonfiction: In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick in progress

8. Nonfiction: Buy Yourself the Fucking Lilies by Tara Schuster ✓

9. Fantasy: Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark ✓

10. Fantasy: Red Queen by Christina Henry ✓

11. Fantasy: Cursed edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane ✓

12. Comic: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 1 ✓

13. Comic: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 2 ✓

14. Comic: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Vol. 1

15. Science Fiction: The Toll by Neal Shusterman ✓

16. Romance: The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn ✓

17. Romance: The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn ✓

18. Kid Read Aloud: Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr ✓

19. Kid Read Aloud: The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate ✓

20. Kid Read Aloud: Frog and Toad Collection by Arnold Lobel ✓

21. Added: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo ✓

22. Added: The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark ✓

23. Added: The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ✓

24. Added: The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James ✓

25. Added: The Book That Made Me edited by Judith Ridge ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5469 pages
Pages Remaining: 474,527 pages

Current Read - Daring Greatly by Brene Brown; In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick; The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov; Bellamy and the Brute by Alicia Michaels

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (1) - My BOTM of the month selection was Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. I can’t wait to dive into this one!

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 280

• Books Read: 2

• Books Acquired: 1

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 279

June TBR Pile: I’m taking a break from the big TBR list and leaving everything open for June. I know there are few books I want to get to (book club selection and library books), but I’m going to let my mood lead my reading this month.

Movies watched

• Mortal Kombat (2021) - Pretty decent action movie.

• Raising Arizona - A rewatch, but it’s been at least 15 years. Still holds up!

• 10 Cloverfield Lane - This was surprisingly good.

• Ghost Rider 2 - How did I miss this ridiculous Nicholas Cage movie? Goodness that was silly.

• Wrath of Man - Back to what Guy Ritchie does best. Oh so good!

• Cruella - I absolutely loved that one!

TV Shows watched 

• The Queen’s Gambit S1 - We sped through this one and it was delightful!

• Calls S1 - So incredibly strange, but I loved it.

• Star Trek: Voyager S3 - Still plugging along, watching all of Trek.

• Below Deck: Sailing Yacht S2 - My silly guilty pleasure show.

• Hustle S1-2 - J wanted me to start this one… decent so far.

Comments - May was a great month for books, movies, TV, and all around fun!

Next up on the TBR pile:

April 2021 Wrap-up

April TBR Pile (17/24):

1. Book of the Month Club: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

2. BOTM: The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

3. Girly Book Club: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner ✓

4. Friend Book Club: Outlawed by Anna North ✓

5. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny in progress

6. MMD RC: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

7. MMD RC: The Switch by Beth O’Leary

8. Nonfiction: In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick in progress

9. Fantasy: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust ✓

10. Fantasy: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig ✓

11. Fantasy: Alice by Christina Henry ✓

12. Fantasy: All the Tides of Fate by Adalyn Grace ✓

13. Science Fiction: Robots and Empires by Isaac Asimov ✓

14. Science Fiction: Sea Change by Nancy Kress

15. Romance: On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn ✓

16. Romance: Bridgertons Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn ✓

17. Kid Read Aloud: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate ✓

18. Kid Read Aloud: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lundgren ✓

19. Added: A House at the Bottom of the Lake by Josh Malerman ✓

20. Added: Lady Mechanika Vol. 5 ✓

21. Added: Lady Mechanika Vol. 6 ✓

22. Added: Tales from the Hinterland by Melissa Albert ✓

23. Added: Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn ✓

24. Added: A Night Like This by Julia Quinn ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 4922 pages
Pages Remaining: 479,966pages

Current Read - Still Life by Louise Penny; In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick; Something is Killing the Children

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (16) - So many! I went a little crazy with a Book Outlet order and came away with multiple books for myself! I also grabbed a selection for my BOTM.

• Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

• The Devious Dr. Jekyll by Viola Carr

• Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas

• The Queen of Sorrow (Queens of Renthia #3) by Sarah Beth Durst

• The Deepest Blue by Sarah Beth Durst

• You May Now Kill the Bride (Return to Fear Street #1) by R.L. Stine

• The Wrong Girl (Return to Fear Street #2) by R.L. Stine

• Say No to the Duke by Eloisa James

• Underground Airlines by Ben Winters

• The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe by Ally Condie

• The Book of Dust (La Belle Sauvage 1) by Philip Pullman

• The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

• Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

• Whichwood (Furthermore #2) by Tahereh Mafi

• Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

• The Reckoning of Noah Shaw (Shaw Confessions #2) by Michelle Hodkin

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 270

• Books Read: 6

• Books Acquired: 16

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 280

May TBR Pile:

1. Book of the Month Club: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

2. BOTM: The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

3. Girly Book Club: (already caught up)

4. Friend Book Club: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

5. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny

6. MMD RC: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

7. Nonfiction: In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick

8. Nonfiction: Buy Yourself the Fucking Lilies by Tara Schuster

9. Fantasy: Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark

10. Fantasy: Red Queen by Christina Henry

11. Fantasy: Cursed

12. Comic: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 1

13. Comic: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 2

14. Comic: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Vol. 1

15. Science Fiction: The Toll by Neal Shusterman

16. Romance: The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn

17. Romance: The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn

18. Kid Read Aloud: Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

19. Kid Read Aloud: The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

Movies watched

• Godzilla vs. King Kong - Decent kaiju movie.

• Point Break - New version. Beyond terrible.

• Nobody - Very John Wick-esque but starring Bob Odenkirk. We really enjoyed this one.

• Say My Name - A quirky action comedy. We really like these types of movies.

TV Shows watched 

• AP Bio S1-3 - We finished the series and I laughed so hard!

• Falcon and the Winter Soldier S1 - Really enjoyed the buddy cop elements of this show.

• Below Deck

• Staged S1-2 - We needed to watch this. Delightful.

• Star Trek: Voyager S2-3 - Slowly continuing on with our goal of watching all the Star Trek. Voyager really is very uneven…

Comments - Very good reading month! I actually knocked out 6 from my Unread Shelf. Unfortunately, I added 16 books to that same shelf. Goodness… Well, more books for me to love I guess.

Next up on the TBR pile:

March 2021 Wrap-up

March TBR Pile (19/24):

1. Book of the Month Club: TBD

2. Girly Book Club: Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown ✓

3. Friend Book Club: Dangerous Women by Hope Adams ✓

4. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny

5. MMD RC: I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman ✓

6. Nonfiction: Walkable City by Jeff Speck

7. Nonfiction: From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty

8. Romance: Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

9. Romance: Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

10. Romance: Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

11. Fantasy: A Vow of Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer ✓

12. Fantasy: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

13. Fantasy: Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire ✓

14. Thriller: Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger ✓

15. Science Fiction: Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman ✓

16. Kid Read Aloud: Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar ✓

17. Kid Read Aloud: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie ✓

18. Added: To Sir Phillip With Love by Julia Quinn ✓

19. Added: When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn ✓

20. Added: It’s in His Kiss by Julia Quinn ✓

21. Added: Librarian Tales by William Otten ✓

22. Added: Once Upon a Moonlit Night by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

23. Added: Once Upon a Christmas Eve by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

24. Added: Once Upon a Maiden Lane by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5537 pages
Pages Remaining: 484,888 pages

Current Read - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig; Outlawed by Anna North; Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (4)

Using my birthday gift cards, I bought two comic trades:

• Lady Mechanika Vol. 5

• Lady Mechanika Vol. 6

And I picked up two Book of the Month books:

• The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

• The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 276

• Books Read: 2

• Books Acquired: 4

• Books Unshelved: 8

• Finishing Number: 270

April TBR Pile:

1. Book of the Month Club: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

2. BOTM: The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

3. Girly Book Club: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

4. Friend Book Club: Outlawed by Anna North

5. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny

6. MMD RC: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

7. MMD RC: The Switch by Beth O’Leary

8. Nonfiction: In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick

9. Fantasy: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

10. Fantasy: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

11. Fantasy: Alice by Christina Henry

12. Fantasy: All the Tides of Fate by Adalyn Grace

13. Science Fiction: Robots and Empires by Isaac Asimov

14. Science Fiction: Sea Change by Nancy Kress

15. Romance: On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn

16. Romance: Bridgerton Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn

17. Kid Read Aloud: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

18. Kid Read Aloud: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid

Movies watched

• Raya and the Last Dragon - The settings and backgrounds were absolutely gorgeous. The story wasn’t quite hitting all the emotional notes.

• Pixie - Enjoyed this black comedy! We unintentionally watched this for St. Patrick’s Day.

TV Shows watched 

• Last Week Tonight - Our usual current show

• Below Deck Med S5 - Still love Captain Sandy, but man that was a season full of firings!

• Superstore S6 - We finished it!

• WandaVision S1 - Heartbreaking, but oh so good.

• Resident Alien S1 - Delightfully weird show. We watch anything with Alan Tudyk in it!

• Falcon and the Winter Solider S1 - We are totally in on this show.

• Ted Lasso S1 - This was exactly the show that I needed right now. It’s so incredibly hopeful!

• AP Bio S1 - J had me start this one and it is good. It’s the cynical opposite of Ted Lasso.

Comments - A surprisingly great reading month. I read some duds, but I also finished a great (very large) historical romance story and almost finished another one. We also managed to watch some great TV series (seriously Ted Lasso is life!). Looking to April to decrease my library books and read more from my shelves. This should be helped by the fact that both book club books I actually own and am prioritizing.

Next up on the TBR pile:

February 2021 Wrap-up

February TBR Pile (15/24):

1. Book of the Month Club: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides ✓

2. Girly Book Club: Recursion by Blake Crouch (reread for me)

3. Girly Book Club: Disappearing Earth by Julia Philips

4. Friend Book Club: The Widow by Fiona Barton ✓

5. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny

6. Nonfiction: Librarian Tales by William Ottens

7. Nonfiction: Underland by Robert Mcfarlane ✓

8. Romance: Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

9. Romance: Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

10. Romance: Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

11. Romance: To Sir Phillip With Love by Julia Quinn

12. Romance: It’s In His His by Julia Quinn

13. Romance: When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn

14. Romance: On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn

15. Scifi: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

16. Scifi: Scythe by Neal Shusterman ✓

17. Fantasy: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

18. Fantasy: The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow ✓

19. Added: Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade ✓

20. Added: The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark ✓

21. Added: Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

22. Added: Know My Name by Chanel Miller ✓

23. Added: The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman ✓

24. Kid Read Aloud: Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman ✓

25. Kid Read Aloud: Just Beyond the Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-el ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5058 pages
Pages Remaining: 490,425 pages

Current Read - A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer; Walkable City by Jeff Speck

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (0)

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 281

• Books Read: 5

• Books Acquired: 0

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 276

March TBR Pile:

1. Book of the Month Club: TBD

2. Girly Book Club: Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

3. Friend Book Club: Dangerous Women by Hope Adams

4. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny

5. MMD RC: I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman

6. Nonfiction: Walkable City by Jeff Speck

7. Nonfiction: From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty

8. Romance: Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt

9. Romance: Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt

10. Romance: Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt

11. Fantasy: A Vow of Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

12. Fantasy: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

13. Fantasy: Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

14. Thriller: Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger

15. Science Fiction: Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

Movies watched - See my separate Movie Month posts for all the details.

TV Shows watched 

• The Watch S1 - We just finished the first season this week. I’m loving it!

• Superstore S6

• Bridgerton S1 - So class to finishing this season.

• Below Deck Med S5 - I’m liking some of the people on this season, but Hannah has got to go.

Comments - I barely squeaked to my reading goal of 15 books this month. February has always been a blah kind of month for reading and this month is no different. We did really enjoy our February movie month and watched some great (and some terrible) movies.

Next up on the TBR pile:

January 2021 Wrap-up

January TBR Pile (20/26):

1. Book of the Month Club: One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London ✓

2. Girly Book Club: Exhalation by Ted Chiang ✓

3. Girly Book Club: Disappearing Earth by Julia Philips

4. Friend Book Club: Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam ✓

5. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny

6. Nonfiction: The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen ✓

7. Nonfiction: Librarian Tales by William Ottens

8. Nonfiction: Underland by Robert Mcfarlane

9. Romance: Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt

10. Romance: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn ✓

11. Scifi: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

12. Scifi: The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov ✓

13. Fantasy: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke ✓

14. Comics: Solution and Other Problems by Allie Brosh ✓

15. Comics: Wellington by Aaron Mahnke ✓

16. Added: How to Catch a Wild Viscount by Tessa Dare ✓

17. Added: His Defiant Princess by Kathleen O’Brien ✓

18. Added: His Christmas Princess by Kathleen O’Brien ✓

19. Added: Sanctum by Madeleine Roux ✓

20. Added: The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham ✓

21. Added: The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn ✓

22. Added: An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn ✓

23. Added: Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn ✓

24. Added: Lock In by John Scalzi ✓

25. Kid Read Aloud: The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el ✓

26. Kid Read Aloud: Matilda by Roald Dahl ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 6279 pages
Pages Remaining: 495,483 pages

Current Read - Underland by Robert Macfarlane; The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Books I Gave Up On (1)

• Suicide Forest by Jeremy Bates - I read about 30% and had a feeling that things were not going to take a good turn. I ended up reading Goodreads review and was validated in my feeling. CW for suicide and rape.

Books bought/received (4)

Two BOTM the month selections for me this month. One was free as it was a finalist for Book of the Year.

• Outlawed by Anna North

• The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

I also picked up two romance paperbacks from Half Price Books. These are from Hoyt’s Maiden Lane series that I’m really enjoying reading. The library does not have either of these volumes right now, but does have later volumes.

• Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt

• Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 292

• Books Read: 6

• Books Acquired: 4

• Books Unshelved: 9

• Finishing Number: 281

February TBR Pile:

1. Book of the Month Club: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

2. Girly Book Club: Excursion by Blake Crouch (reread for me)

3. Girly Book Club: Disappearing Earth by Julia Philips

4. Friend Book Club: The Widow by Fiona Barton

5. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny

6. Nonfiction: Librarian Tales by William Ottens

7. Nonfiction: Underland by Robert Mcfarlane

8. Romance: Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt

9. Romance: Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt

10. Romance: Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt

11. Romance: To Sir Phillip With Love by Julia Quinn

12. Romance: It’s In His His by Julia Quinn

13. Romance: When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn

14. Romance: On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn

15. Scifi: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

16. Scifi: Scythe by Neal Shusterman

17. Fantasy: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

18. Fantasy: The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Movies watched

• The Last Blockbuster - Interesting little documentary

• Fahrenheit 451 (2018) - Really enjoyed the first act or so, but the second half of the movie was very weak.

TV Shows watched 

• Below Deck: Sailing Yacht S1

• Star Trek DS9 S1

• Schitt’s Creek S2-6 - We burned through five seasons in like two weeks. Oh goodness! I was in tears at the end. So incredibly good.

• The Watch S1 - J is super excited about this show based on The Watch novels from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series.

• Lupin S1 - That was such a good show, but darn it, what a cliffhanger!

• The Bachelor - Ooofff, I’m not loving some of the women and their interactions on Matt James’s season.

Comments - Starting off the year strong! I read 18 books for myself and 2 kid read alouds. I managed to keep my library numbers down and read a decent number of unread shelf books. We managed to finish a few seasons of tv and almost an entire series. February is going to be our traditional new-to-us movie month, so very little television series will be watched. Can’t wait!

Next up on the TBR pile:

December 2020 Wrap-up

December TBR Pile (19/25):

1. Book of the Month Club: One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

2. Girly Book Club: Exhalation by Ted Chiang

3. Friend Book Club: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab ✓

4. Friend Book Club (Dec): Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

5. TBR Random (Dec): Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins ✓

6. Goodreads To Read Random (Dec): Still Life by Louise Penny

7. Theme 1: Wrapped Up for Christmas by Katlyn Duncan ✓

8. Theme 1: A Christmas to Remember by Jenny Hale ✓

9. Theme 1: The Christmas Princess by Patricia McLinn ✓

10. Theme 2: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

11. Theme 2: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix ✓

12. Theme 2: Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas ✓

13. Scifi: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green

14. Comics: The Tea Dragon Society ✓

15. Comics: The Tea Dragon Festival ✓

16. Comics: Flight Vol. 2 ✓

17. Comics: Once & Future King Vol. 2 ✓

18. Comics: Lumberjanes / Gotham Academy ✓

19. Comics: Monstress Vol. 5 ✓

20. Horror: North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud ✓

21. Added: Gotham Academy Semester 2 Vol. 1 ✓

22. Added: Gotham Academy Semester 2 Vol. 2 ✓

23. Added: Her Christmas Bonus by Rain Danvers ✓

24. Added: Let It Snow by Erica Ridley ✓

25. Added: The Christmas Contest by Scarlet Wilson ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 4439 pages
Pages Remaining: 501,761 pages

Current Read - Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam; Exhalation by Ted Chiang

Books I Gave Up On (0) 

Books bought/received (0)

January TBR Pile:

1. Book of the Month Club: One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

2. Girly Book Club: Exhalation by Ted Chiang

3. Girly Book Club: Disappearing Earth by Julia Philips

4. Friend Book Club: Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

5. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny

6. Nonfiction: The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen

7. Nonfiction: Librarian Tales by William Ottens

8. Nonfiction: Underland by Robert Mcfarlane

9. Romance: Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt

10. Romance: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

11. Scifi: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

12. Scifi: The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov

13. Fantasy: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

14. Comics: Solution and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

15. Comics: Wellington by Aaron Mahnke

Movies watched

• Beneath the Planet of the Apes - I’m slowly working through this series that I’ve never watched.

• Florence Foster Jenkins - Delightful biography.

• Holidate - Delightful Christmas romantic comedy.

• Tenet - Too smart for its own good. Parts were liked and parts that were just too confusing.

• MIB: International - Rotten Tomatoes’ score of 22% was very harsh. This was an okay summer blockbuster popcorn flick. I would give it more like 55%.

• Insert Coin - Interesting documentary about coin op games and Midway. Didn’t know I needed to watch that one.

• Soul - This was really beautifully; something I expect from Pixar.

• WW84 - Very underwhelming…

• Fatman -

TV Shows watched 

• Lovecraft Country S1

• His Dark Materials S2

• The Mandalorian S2

• Below Deck: Sailing Yacht S1

• Star Trek DS9 S1 - As we finished some of the other shows, we jumped back into Star Trek.

• Schitt’s Creek S1-2 - We finally started it!

Comments - Finished off the year strong with 30 books over my goal.

Next up on the TBR pile: