July 2019 Wrap-up

July TBR Pile (17/31):

1. Book of the Month Club: The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar

2. Girly Book Club: Less by Andrew Sean Greer ✓

3. Friend Book Club: Furious Hours by Casey Cep ✓

4. UnRead Shelf Pick: ???

5. Random TBR Pick: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys ✓

6. Random TBR Pick: Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield ✓

7. Ebook: Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor

8. Alphabet Soup: Only Ever Her by Marybeth Whalen

9. Monthly Keyword (Lake): The Lake House by Kate Morton

10. Monthly Motif (Through the Years): The Gown by Jennifer Robson

11. Fantasy: Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

12. Comic: The Walking Dead Vol. 31 ✓

13. Comic: Lumberjanes Vol. 5 ✓

14. Comic: Lumberjanes Vol. 6 ✓

15. Comic: Lumberjanes Vol. 7 ✓

16. Comic: Lumberjanes Unicorn Power

17. Science Fiction: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

18. Science Fiction: Recursion by Blake Crouch

19. Mystery: The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

20. Horror: The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones ✓

21. Romance: The Cafe by the Sea by Jenny Colgan

22. Romance: Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan ✓

23. Romance: The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson ✓

24. Historical Fiction: The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes ✓

25. Historical Fiction: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

26. Thriller: The River by Peter Heller ✓

27. Creativity: My Friend Fear by Meera Lee Patel

28. Added: The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis ✓

29. Added: Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes ✓

30. Added: Gumballs by Erin Nation ✓

31. Added: The Mental Load by Emma ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 4767 pages
Pages Remaining: 598,081 pages

Current Read - The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen; Booknotes edit by Brian Lamb

Books I Gave Up On (0) 

Books bought/received (0)

August TBR Pile:

1. Book of the Month Club: The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar

2. Girly Book Club: You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld

3. Friend Book Club: TBD

4. UnRead Shelf Pick: Booknotes edited by Brian Lamb

5. Random TBR Pick: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

6. Ebook: Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor

7. Series Pick: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

8. Monthly Keyword: The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

9. Monthly Motif: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

10. Nonfiction: Columbine by David Cullen

11. Fantasy: Early Riser by Jasper Fforde

12. Comic: Lumberjanes Vol. 8

13. Science Fiction: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

14. Science Fiction: Recursion by Blake Crouch

15. Mystery: The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

16. Horror: Let the Right One In by John Lindqvist

17. Romance: Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

18. Romance: Waiting for Tom Hanks

19. Historical Fiction: Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini

20. Thriller: The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

21. Thriller: Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

22. Essays: I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott

23. Anne Bogel Rec: Hope and Other Punch Lines by Julie Buxbaum

24. Anne Bogel Rec: Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald

Movies watched

• The Perfect Date - Pretty cute YA Rom Com

• Shazam! - DC actually got this one right! Very entertaining.

• Lego Movie 2 - Not quite as cute as the first one, but decent kid’s movie.

• Mary Poppins Returns - Hmmm… I liked it, but it’s a big disconnect from the first one.

• Wine Country - Loved loved loved this one. I think I might be Amy Poehler’s character…

• Always Be My Maybe - A breath of fresh air romantic comedy. Really good one!

TV Shows watched

• The 100 S6 - I’m finally caught up and watching in real time. Man, this season really took a turn!

• Lucifer S1, S2, S3 - I started binging this show right before traveling to Indiana. In three weeks, I’ve finished three seasons! My current obsession!

Comments - A slight dip in reading momentum (as I knew would happen with traveling and prepping the twins for school). But I did have a stellar month of reading. Unfortunately there was a few duds in my reads this month. Very mixed bag…

Next up on the TBR pile:

2019 Reading Challenges Update #2

After 2018’s amazing reading numbers, I decided to capitalize on my momentum and really ramp up my numbers and my challenges. And so I have committed to 22 different challenges and a total of 250 books read for this year. Let’s check out my progress at the end of the first quarter.

• Perpetual 5/30 16.7% *

• UnRead Shelf 14/50 28% *

• Library Love 50/60 83.3% **

• For the Love of Ebooks 11/30 36.7%

• Random TBR Pick 7/12 58.3%

• Picture Books 70/70 100%

• Popsugar 27/40 67.5% **

• Modern Mrs. Darcy 10/12 83.3% **

• Finishing the Series 2/10 20%

• Alphabet Soup 20/26 76.9%

• Women Authors 30/30 100%

• Monthly Keyword 6/12 50%

• Monthly Motif 7/12 58.3%

• Literary Escapes 12/51 23.5% *

• Nonfiction Bingo 12/25 48%

• Graphic Novels 45/52 86.5% **

• Dancing with Fantasy and Science Fiction 13/52 25%

• Horror 7/10 70%

• Cloak and Dagger 3/10 30%

• Romance 10/10 100%

• Historical Fiction 10/10 100%

• Creativity 2/10 20%

Total Challenges 4/22 18.2%

Total Reading Slots 373/639 58.4%

* - Needs Work
** - Doing a Great Job

Comments: Oh man! I’ve knocked out a ton of books and reading challenge slots so far this year. But… I really need to focus on my owned books and books from my perpetual challenges.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Mental Load by Emma

Title: The Mental Load: A Feminist Comic

Author: Emma

Publisher: Seven Stories Press 2018

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 216

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

In her first book of comic strips, Emma reflects on social and feminist issues by means of simple line drawings, dissecting the mental load, ie all that invisible and unpaid organizing, list-making and planning women do to manage their lives, and the lives of their family members. Most of us carry some form of mental load--about our work, household responsibilities, financial obligations and personal life; but what makes up that burden and how it's distributed within households and understood in offices is not always equal or fair. In her strips Emma deals with themes ranging from maternity leave (it is not a vacation!), domestic violence, the clitoris, the violence of the medical world on women during childbirth, and other feminist issues, and she does so in a straightforward way that is both hilarious and deadly serious.. If you're not laughing, you're probably crying in recognition. Emma's comics also address the everyday outrages and absurdities of immigrant rights, income equality, and police violence.

I previously caught a few of these comics online in various places, but finally got my hands on the entire translated volume. At first glance, this is a lighthearted collection of stories. But then you get into actually reading them and the topics are very serious. I had to take a few breaks to let myself recover from the big feelings that I had. These chapters really pack a punch. Very nuanced takes on modern issues.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Gumballs by Erin Nations

Title: Gumballs

Author: Erin Nations

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions 2018

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 160

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Gumballs dispenses an array of bright, candy-colored short comics about Erin's gender transition, anecdotal true tales of growing up as a triplet, and fictional stories of a socially inept lovestruck teenager named Tobias. The wide-ranging series is filled with single-page gag cartoons, visual diaries of everyday life, funny faux personal ads, and real-life horror stories of customers at his day job. Gumballs offers a variety of flavors that will surely delight anyone with a taste for candid self-reflection and observations of humanity.

Picked this one up on the recommendation of the Reading Glasses podcast. I loved the mix of serious plot points and more humorous points. The illustrations are basic, but the dialogue and topics covered are amazing. I’ve really been enjoying graphic novel memoirs lately.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Lizzo "Truth Hurts"

The queen has arrived!

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Title: Evvie Drake Starts Over

Author: Linda Holmes

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 293

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Literary Escapes - Maine

In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband’s death in a car crash. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future.

When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken—and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out.

Another Anne Bogel Summer Reading recommendation. I was expecting a very heavy exploration of life after a husband’s death. Instead, we get a much lighter book. But one that I really enjoyed. I’m not really sure why I was confused about the premise, but oh well. I really enjoyed Evvie and loved following her rediscovery of life. She’s a very realistic character full of flaws and quirks. I telegraphed the entire plotline, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. A nice fairly light read for this week.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #21

On my bedside table: Columbine by Dave Cullen; The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

On my TV: Continuing with Elementary. Started Stranger Things S3. Almost finished with Lucifer S3.

Listening to: Mostly all the podcasts I usually listen to. I’ve been working my way through To Live and Die in L.A.

On the menu:

• Monday - Salsa Fresca Chicken

• Tuesday - Jalapeno Popper Bacon and Bean Soup

• Wednesday - Cajun Chicken and Sausage Alfredo Pasta

• Thursday - Grilled Cheese (haven’t decided our adult selection)

• Friday - Pork and Green Chile Stew

• Saturday - Leftovers

• Sunday - Honey Garlic Salmon

On my to do list: I knocked a ton of items off my list this week so I need to look at my big to dos later. I know that I need to finish picking up school supplies for Arthur and send out some cards.

Happening this week: I have my permanent crown dentist appointment on Monday and book club on Tuesday. Beyond that, we’re still figuring out what kid activities to add to our schedule this week. I’m thinking a zoo day, park playdate, library trip, and maybe a children’s museum visit.

What I am creating: Absolutely nothing right now… I’ve been in a creative rut right now. Not sure what to do next.

My simple pleasures: A cool breeze. dipping my toes in the pool, an engrossing cozy mystery

What I’m planning: We’re thinking about a possible weekend trip to Kansas to see a space exhibit.

Looking around the house: Oh the usual things to clean. I think we need to do a big sweep of the house and just tidy everything…

Looking forward to: We have a ton of fun activities planned for next week. I’m looking forward to the temperatures going down a bit.

From the camera: Q kept making the rat eat me. Great fun for a 2 year old.

The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis

Title: The Masterpiece

Author: Fiona Davis

Publisher: Dutton 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Historical Fiction

For most New Yorkers, Grand Central Terminal is a crown jewel, a masterpiece of design. But for Clara Darden and Virginia Clay, it represents something quite different.

For Clara, the terminal is the stepping stone to her future. It is 1928, and Clara is teaching at the lauded Grand Central School of Art. Though not even the prestige of the school can override the public's disdain for a "woman artist," fiery Clara is single-minded in her quest to achieve every creative success—even while juggling the affections of two very different men. But she and her bohemian friends have no idea that they'll soon be blindsided by the looming Great Depression...and that even poverty and hunger will do little to prepare Clara for the greater tragedy yet to come.

By 1974, the terminal has declined almost as sharply as Virginia Clay's life. Dilapidated and dangerous, Grand Central is at the center of a fierce lawsuit: Is the once-grand building a landmark to be preserved, or a cancer to be demolished? For Virginia, it is simply her last resort. Recently divorced, she has just accepted a job in the information booth in order to support herself and her college-age daughter, Ruby. But when Virginia stumbles upon an abandoned art school within the terminal and discovers a striking watercolor, her eyes are opened to the elegance beneath the decay. She embarks on a quest to find the artist of the unsigned masterpiece—an impassioned chase that draws Virginia not only into the battle to save Grand Central but deep into the mystery of Clara Darden, the famed 1920s illustrator who disappeared from history in 1931.

Out book club selection for August (I read this one early). I really enjoyed this story, but there were a few sticking points for me. I loved the entire storyline set in the late 1920s involving Clara and the art school. I loved following her as she navigates being a struggling artists in a man’s world while also experiencing the beginning of the Great Depression. I loved Levon and Oliver and even Mr. Lorette. But then we get Virginia’s story in the 1970s. While I enjoyed the rediscovery of Clara’s art and the fight to save Grand Central Terminal, I did not like Virginia at all. I just didn’t love that character and wanted her to grow much more than she did throughout the story. And don’t get me started on Virginia and Ruby’s relationship. I wanted to strangle both of them at many points. Still, I enjoyed this book overall and have put some of Davis’s other works on my TBR list for the future.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lumberjanes Vol. 7

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 7: A Bird’s-Eye View

Author: Shannon Watters, Kate Levh, Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke Allen, Maarta Laiho, Carey Pietsch, Ayme Sotuyo

Publisher: BOOM! 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

All Lumberjanes are on deck when the High Council comes to camp for inspection!
The High Council is coming to camp and counselor Jen is determined to make everything perfect, even though a storm is brewing and kittens from the boys’ camp are manifesting magical powers. It’s every Lumberjane on deck as the girls do their best to prep the grounds for inspection . . . but there are some storms no one can prepare for.

Another super fun adventure with the Lumberjanes. We get to see a reappearance fo the members of the Zodiac cabin and Barney. Plus super kitties! Another fun 30 minutes spent in this very strange forest.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lumberjanes Vol. 6

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 6: Sink or Swim

Author: Shannon Watters, Kat Levh, Carey Pietsch

Publisher: BOOM! 2016

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Camp is about more than just crafts and acquiring badges when you’re a Lumberjane. When April, Jo, Mal, Molly, and Ripley all decide to learn more about the mysterious Seafarin’ Karen, things take a turn for the strange. Shapeshifters, strange portals, and friendship to the max make for one summer camp that never gets boring! Collects issues #21-24.

These trades are like a breath of fresh air. I love reading the adventures of the girls of Roanoke cabin. This volume has a great story featuring a high seas adventure. I loved meeting and adventuring with Seafarin’ Karen. And we get another great appearance from the Bear Woman.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Less by Andrew Sean Greer

Title: Less

Author: Andrew Sean Greer

Publisher: Back Bay Books 2018

Genre: Literary Fiction

Pages: 272

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Who says you can't run away from your problems? You are a failed novelist about to turn fifty. A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years is engaged to someone else. You can't say yes--it would be too awkward--and you can't say no--it would look like defeat. On your desk are a series of invitations to half-baked literary events around the world.

QUESTION: How do you arrange to skip town?

ANSWER: You accept them all.

What would possibly go wrong? Arthur Less will almost fall in love in Paris, almost fall to his death in Berlin, barely escape to a Moroccan ski chalet from a Saharan sandstorm, accidentally book himself as the (only) writer-in-residence at a Christian Retreat Center in Southern India, and encounter, on a desert island in the Arabian Sea, the last person on Earth he wants to face. Somewhere in there: he will turn fifty. Through it all, there is his first love. And there is his last.

Because, despite all these mishaps, missteps, misunderstandings and mistakes, Less is, above all, a love story.

A book club selection this month and I was disappointed in this one. I was interested in the story of a man lost traveling the world to find himself. I wasn’t a huge fan of Arthur. Too much of a sad sack for my tastes. And then the interludes of his history felt like they dragged the storyline down. I kept feeling like I was being pulled completely out of the storyline. Overall this book really fell like a slog to me. I just didn’t want to finish it at all. Definitely not for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #12

Reading: Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Watching: Finally starting binging Lucifer and I love it! I’m already up to the midpoint of S3!

Listening: Along with NPR UpFirst, I’ve been listening every weekday morning to The Indicator.

Making: So many lists. Story of my life.

Feeling: We’re driving home today and I have really been missing home.

Planning: Working on planning dinners for the next two weeks or so.

Loving: Last night we got peanut butter cup mixers from Culver’s and it was oh so good.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello "Senorita"

This song is way too catchy…

Life Right Now #20

On my bedside table: Booknotes edited by Brian Lamb

On my TV: Lucifer S3 - Quickly working my way through this show.

Listening to: The usual podcasts.

On the menu: We’re still in Indiana until Tuesday or Wednesday. Then I have no idea what we’re doing for dinner.

On my to do list: Wrapping up what the twins need for school this year. Getting Arthur’s school supplies. Getting all of the rest of our ducks in a row.

Happening this week: We’re in Indiana until Tuesday and then traveling home. We might do a stop and overnight around the Quad Cities, but I really haven’t decided yet. Once home, I have another dentist appointment and Arthur has a visit from his principal.

What I am creating: Nothing really. TBR list for August I guess.

My simple pleasures: A good night’s sleep (not getting it here), a good book, quiet time to watch a show or just relax.

What I’m planning: We have a few weeks before Arthur starts Kindergarten and we’re kicking around a short weekend trip to Kansas. Looking at some possibilities.

Looking around the house: Not home at the moment… But I do know that I have a list of home things to do once I get back this coming week.

Looking forward to: Being in my own bed again.

From the camera: Q and his beloved dinosaur…

Lumberjanes Vol. 5

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 5: Band Together

Author: Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A. Allen, Shannon Watters

Publisher: BOOM! 2016

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

The Lumberjanes meet rock n' roll mermaids!

Excited for the annual Bandicoot Bacchanal, Ripley recruits her friends to help her get ready for the dance. But before the Lumberjanes know it, something mysterious begins to bubble to the surface of the lake near camp! Will the Lumberjanes be able to bring peace to the lake in time for the Bacchanal?

I love this series oh so much! All of the characters are amazingly fun and cute! I loved seeing the arrivals of the girls to camp. And we get a great underwater adventure. Definitely need to grab the volume soon.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson

Title: The Accidental Beauty Queen

Author: Teri Wilson

Publisher: Gallery Books 2018

Genre: Romance

Pages: 304

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Charlotte Gorman loves her job as an elementary school librarian, and is content to experience life through the pages of her books. Which couldn’t be more opposite from her identical twin sister. Ginny, an Instagram-famous beauty pageant contestant, has been chasing a crown since she was old enough to enunciate the words world peace, and she’s not giving up until she gets the title of Miss American Treasure. And Ginny’s refusing to do it alone this time.

She drags Charlotte to the pageant as a good luck charm, but the winning plan quickly goes awry when Ginny has a terrible, face-altering allergic reaction the night before the pageant, and Charlotte suddenly finds herself in a switcheroo the twins haven’t successfully pulled off in decades.

Woefully unprepared for the glittery world of hair extensions, false eyelashes, and push-up bras, Charlotte is mortified at every unstable step in her sky-high stilettos. But as she discovers there’s more to her fellow contestants than just wanting a sparkly crown, Charlotte realizes she has a whole new motivation for winning.

Picked this one up because of Anne Bogel’s summer reading guide and read it in less than 36 hours. Very cute little romcom volume full of ridiculous meet-cute, crazy conflicts, and happy ending. It was sweet. Nothing that’s going to land itself on my Top 10, but a very enjoyable read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Ugh, The Bachelorette! Luke P is so manipulative. I don’t even want to see him come back next week. And I’m so afraid that Hannah is going to be pick Jed. Argh!

• Not looking forward the to the next couple of days. Temps are going to be in the high 90s and low 100s. I’m so hot all the time.

• On a happier note, I’m taking the littles to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum today. I haven’t been in over 10 years. Super excited!

• My to-do list needs to be revamped. Working on that today and tomorrow.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Walking Dead Vol. 31

Title: The Walking Dead Vol. 31: The Rotten Core

Author: Robert Kirkman; Charlie Adlard; Stefano Guadiano; Cliff Rathburn; Dave Stewart

Publisher: Image 2019

Genre: Comics

Pages: 136

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Rick leads the Commonwealth's Governor, Pamela Milton, on a tour of the various communities Alexandria is aligned with. Naturally... terrible things begin to happen very quickly.
Collects THE WALKING DEAD #181-186.

After the last volume, i was a bit worn out and unsure of where this story was going. Thankfully this volume helped get the story back on track. The leader of the Commonwealth is a fascinating character addition. Things are going to end badly, I just know it. And I’m super here for it all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Little Beach Street Cafe by Jenny Colgan

Title: Little Beach Street Cafe

Author: Jenny Colgan

Publisher: William Morrow 2015

Genre: Romance

Pages: 465

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

A quiet seaside resort. An abandoned shop. A small flat. This is what awaits Polly Waterford when she arrives at the Cornish coast, fleeing a ruined relationship.

To keep her mind off her troubles, Polly throws herself into her favorite hobby: making bread. But her relaxing weekend diversion quickly develops into a passion. As she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, each loaf becomes better than the last. Soon, Polly is working her magic with nuts and seeds, chocolate and sugar, and the local honey—courtesy of a handsome beekeeper.

I really enjoyed Jenny Colgan’s The Bookshop on the Corner, but this one just feels like a repeat. Or more accurately, a first stab at the story. I know that the setting and characters are different and yet I felt like I was reading the exact same book. I finished this one, but I really was not entranced in the story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Palaye Royale "Fucking with My Head"

Loving all the new stuff these guys are putting out!