A Reading Life (47) - #WintersRespite #Readathon & Starting over on The Classics Club #ourclassicsclub

I meant to get the bulk of this done during Mini-Bloggiesta, and I did manage to partially compose my 2017 reading challenge post (went live earlier this morning), and I cleaned up my sidebar (which wasn't even on my original goal list 😄), but didn't get a chance to finish transferring reading challenges (along with starting over my Classics Club) to this blog.

This week, I'm hosting my winter readathon at Seasons of Reading, A Winter's Respite. I'm thrilled because it's now a two week long event! It started yesterday, and it runs through Sunday, January 29.

Here's what I'm reading:

• The Golden Bough, Sir James George Frazier (This is one I'm reading for TuesBookTalk and I have to finish it by Jan. 31).  Decided to not read this.
• Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
• The Chemist, Stephenie Meyer
• Property, Valerie Martin
• The Boy Who Wanted Wings, James Conroyd Martin

Actually, the above are all books I need to read this month so I'm hoping this two week readathon, and the 24 in 48 Readathon this weekend, will help me accomplish it. 

Why not join us? You can sign up and jump in through January 27.

My start date for The Classics Club was March 11, 2012...so my time is up this March. Problem is, I have not hardly put a dent in my list. I've had a lot going on in my life. A separation in late 2012 and finally a divorce in 2014. A job that I hated which sapped my energy and had me getting sick all the time. Plus, being a single mom (or the custodial parent, which means I have the kids the majority of the time). That is why I'm allowing myself a do-over. I'm sure the lovely folks at The Classics Club will understand. My new list, with start and end dates, will be in the menu tab above titled, The Classics Club. Head over there to check it out.

Watching

I saw two movies over the weekend. The Bye Bye Man, a horror film, was pretty scary.
I was hiding my eyes throughout. Passengers. Wow! I really liked it. Not sure why it didn't seem to get great reviews. Definitely worth seeing. 

Some people are grumbling about the season finale of Sherlock. I liked it. I thought the introduction of Eurus was quite interesting, in my opinion. Plus, the very end of the episode was very touching.

Victoria also aired on Masterpiece on PBS Sunday night. I really enjoyed it too. I thought Jenna Coleman did quite a good job in the role.

My youngest son, Reece's 14th birthday was January 10. We had his party this past Sunday at CiCi's Pizza. He had a great time! Why must they grow up so fast?

What's going on in your (Reading) Life?

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A Reading Life (30)

I can't believe I haven't posted one of these since March! My, I have become lax. I'm going to change up the format a bit to make it more my own.

Currently reading
The Queen's Exiles, Barbara Kyle
Elizabeth, Robert Stephen Parry
March, Geraldine Brooks
The Lady and the Unicorn, Tracy Chevalier

Audio
The Typewriter Girl, Alison Atlee

Family Reading Project
The Crystal Cave, Marty Stewart
Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton

One movie/One TV show I like right now
The Strain (FX) - wonderfully creepy
Lucy (starring Scarlet Johannsen) - deep, yet action packed

Life
Summer break will be over next week and my older son will be a teenager in November. I have been feeling nostalgic about when my boys were little and how quickly time passes.

My divorce was final on June 17. Another chapter of my life officially closed. Moving on.

Upcoming reads at my read-a-long groups
TuesBookTalk - August's read is The Invention of Wings, Sue Monk Kidd

Lit Collective - we are reading and discussing the works of Geraldine Brooks in August
March
Caleb's Crossing
People of the Book

My upcoming events (challenges, read-a-thons, other reading events)
I just announced The Never-Ending Anne Rice Challenge! There is a dedicated blog for it HERE.

I will be hosting Gothic September at Castle Macabre again. I'm thinking of hosting a read-a-long of a Gothic novel. Just have to decide which one. Will most likely be a classic. I'm thinking Nathaniel Hawthorne. Join me for some Gothically good reading in September.

In October at Castle Macabre, Season of the Witch will be back again. A month of scary reads that might not necessarily be about witches, but then very well could.

And don't forget about the FrightFall Read-a-Thon in early October. Sign ups will be posted within the next month at Seasons of Reading.

Recent book acquisitions 

That Night, Chevy Stevens - won from So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
An English Ghost Story, Kim Newman - for review
The Montauk Monster, Hunter Shea - for review


What's been going on in your Reading Life?

A Reading Life (29)

Look...two weeks in a row! My, didn't that weekend go by fast!

Listening To: The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian...pretty good, except the narrator's voice is somewhat annoying.

Books finished:
The Boleyn Bride, Brandy Purdy

Reading:  
The Grip of God, Rebecca Hazell
Outlander, Diana Gabaldon (TuesBookTalk)
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides (Read-a-long at Unputdownables)
The Gendarme, Mark Mustian

Coming Up:  
Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak 
Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys--My Classics Club Spin selection
The Light Between Oceans, M.L. Stedman
Queen Elizabeth's Daughter, Anne Clinard Barnhill

Watching: The True Detective finale was quite exciting. I heard from my friend that it's going to be kind of like American Horror Story, a different story line each season so McConnaughey and Harrelson won't be back. Kind of bummed, but also excited to see who they get for the next season. I recorded last night's Once Upon a Time return and the new shows, Resurrection and Believe, but haven't watched them yet. More on them next week. Was glad that one of my favorite shows is back on Mondays...Bones!

Making: I had a couple of misses last week. I mean, they were okay (Chicken Stuffing Casserole and Grandma's Salisbury Steak Casserole), but the consensus around the table was no repeats. haha! Can't win 'em all!

Grateful for: my boys. There really isn't anything in my life that brings me more joy than my two sons.

Looking forward to: my boys' spring break in a week which means no daily driving for me for two weeks. Woot!


Books I received or purchased: 

For review: 
The Author Training Manual, Nina Amir


Library Sale:
Forever, Maggie Stiefvater
Mary: Mrs A. Lincoln, Janis Cooke Newman
Housekeeping, Marilynne Robinson
The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie
The Probable Future, Alice Hoffman
A Series of Unfortunate Events--The Hostile Hospital, Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events--The Grim Grotto, Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events--The End, Lemony Snicket
 
What's going on in your reading life? 

A Reading Life (28)

Has it really been a month since my last Reading Life post? Wow! Guess that harkens to a very busy February. I now have three clients of my own for my virtual assistant job, plus another I do work for and I'm now virtual assistant for historical fiction author, Rebecca Hazell. Also, big news (if you missed my post from yesterday)...I purchased my domain so now this blog's address is www.truebookaddict.com  Yay!

Listening To: I finally finished A Clash of Kings. Really loved it! Now I'm listening to The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian.

Books finished:
A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin
Take Charge of Your Life, William Glasser, MD
I Am Abraham, Jerome Charyn
Run with the Wolves, T.C. Tombs
Judas the Apostle, Van R. Mayhall Jr.

Reading: 
Outlander, Diana Gabaldon (TuesBookTalk)
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides (Read-a-long at Unputdownables)
The Gendarme, Mark Mustian

Coming Up:  
Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak 
Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys--My Classics Club Spin selection
The Light Between Oceans, M.L. Stedman
For review:
The Boleyn Bride, Brandy Purdy
The Grip of God, Rebecca Hazell

Watching: As I'm typing this, I'm watching Bates Motel. Love this show! Who would have thought little Freddie Highmore would end up being Norman Bates. haha! Watched Those Who Kill before this (with Chloe Sevigny ). Another great new show. Ripper Street is back on BBC America and the news is that it has not been cancelled over in the UK so that means more seasons to come. Yay! Vikings started back last week (the only legitimate historical programming on History Channel...shame on them) and Hannibal. Gah...will I ever get any reading done?! Oh, and did everyone enjoy the OSCARS as much as I did? Ellen really made it fun and I was thrilled that Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey won in their respective categories. Also, Cate Blanchett was phenomenal in Blue Jasmine--her win was well deserved--and though I haven't seen it yet, I was glad that Twelve Years a Slave won best picture.

Making: I am on the tour for the new Six Sisters' Stuff cookbook in April and I've already made two of the recipes. I won't go into that now because I want to save it for my review, but I will say that their cookbooks and website are quickly becoming my go-to for my home cooking. Tonight I made brownies from scratch and they turned out pretty good. I'll have to make them again. Also, you may or may not have heard of it, but there's a recipe around the internet for a dip called Crack dip. I know, I know. Terrible name. But seriously, it is really good and it is hard to stop eating it...thus, the name. lol Here's the recipe.

Grateful for: Monday and Tuesday being snow days. No school means no driving for me and less rushing around. I needed it.

Looking forward to: my monthly library sale this weekend!

Books I received or purchased: 

For review: 
Grist, Linda Little

Goodwill:
Mr. Peanut, Adam Ross
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, Heidi W. Durrow
Insatiable, Meg Cabot

Library Sale:
The Queen's Handmaiden, Jennifer Ashley
Bliss to You, Dean Koontz
Beautiful Ruins, Jess Walter
The Promises She Keeps, Erin Healy
The Girl in the Green Sweater, Krystyna Chiger, Daniel Paisner

What's going on in your reading life?

A Reading Life

I've been doing a lot of thinking about blogging lately. Seems like there's a lot of that going on right now, especially among those of us who are approaching the four year mark. I'm not really going to be changing too much, but I am going to stop participating in Mailbox Monday. I like posting these A Reading Life posts because, though my life does revolve around reading, I also have other real life things going on that I like to share with you. And posting about the books I receive/buy/etc. is so time consuming...with how busy I am these days (even more than before) there just isn't time. I may include an occasional photo of my book hauls. We'll see. So, onward...

Listening To:  Not listening to any audio books right now because I'm not doing much driving and my car CD player is giving me fits. I did listen to the "Phantom of the Opera" movie soundtrack while driving yesterday. I love it!

Book finished (since 5/27): 

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (REVIEW)
Of Fathers and Sons by Evan Ostryzniuk (REVIEW)
Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell (REVIEW)
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (not reviewed yet)
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (no review)

Reading: 

Watership Down by Richard Adams (TuesBookTalk)
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (read-a-long)
Under the Dome by Stephen King (read-a-long)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
World War Z by Max Brooks

Coming Up:  

Seduction by M.J. Rose
The Diabolist by Layton Green
Abundance Triggers by Kanta Bosniak
The Queen's Rivals by Brandy Purdy
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (TuesBookTalk July read)
...I'm sure there will be more

Watching:  All the new shows on TV right now. Oh my! The Voice is at an end and I hope my girl Michelle Chemuel takes it all down. She certainly deserves it with her monster talent and great personality....she is the total package. True Blood had quite an interesting debut last night. I was so excited! The Killing continues to impress me. Looking forward to Under the Dome next week. On the movie front, I saw The Purge on Saturday. Quite a disturbing concept, but a great movie. Saw the previews for Insidious 2 (the first one is a favorite of mine) and The Conjuring. I love horror movies and am a firm believer that one should be released every week. I'm talking intelligent horror films like Insidious and Sinister (to name a couple faves). Of course, can't wait for World War Z this weekend!

Making:  I found a go-to Enchilada casserole recipe in Six Sisters' Stuff. It is delicious! This week I'm making Meatball subs with fried hashbrown pancakes, and in the slow cooker...chicken and dumplings, chicken and cheese tater tot bake, and Asian beef lettuce wraps, plus the Enchilada casserole again. Yum! Also, I discovered that I make the best homemade peanut butter cookies. The boys love them!

Grateful for: ...this past weekend. I had a much needed break. The boys had a sleepover on Friday and then were with their dad until today so I got a lot of alone time in, which I need from time to time to keep my sanity.

Looking forward to:  revamping my fantasy reading challenge. I have BIG plans! Those of you who follow me who also participate in the 101 Fantasy challenge, stay tuned to the dedicated blog for the news.

Picture: er...video. Do you suffer from Bitchy Resting Face? Saw this on Facebook yesterday.