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/12 books How do you make a progress bar?  Challenge Basics:   Name: Read My Own Damn Books Challenge Starts: January 1, 2020 Ends: December 31, 2020 Eligible Books: Books you own prior to 2020. Levels: I'm going to try to read and/or DNF and get rid of 12 books I own. Why I'm Interested:   I seriously have too many books and they keep sitting on my shelves unread. I did this challenge in 2015 and ended up getting rid of almost all the books I read for the challenge, which means I've carted around and found room for all those books that I didn't even end up liking. Before I move again, I need to reevaluate the books I'm bringing with me and make sure they're books I actually want. Some books I'm considering:  Anything on my Own-Unread shelf that I acquired prior to 2020. At the start of 2020, here's where I stand as far as what books I own and what percentage of them I've read: 33% read of books acquired in 2019 (165) 29% read and 5 added of...

Challenge Basics:   Name: The Re-Read Challenge Starts: January 1, 2020 Ends: December 31, 2020 Eligible Books: Books you've already read. Why I'm Interested:   Whether it's re-reading for comfort or to revisit old favorites, I want to make sure I enthusiastically dive into re-reading whenever I feel the urge. Some books I'm considering: My Special Shelf favorites , of course. Also, books I liked enough or am curious enough to re-listen to on audio. Books Completed: 1.

Challenge Basics:   Name: Keep the Books Off the Shelf Challenge Hosts: Me! Starts: January 1, 2020 Ends: December 31, 2020 Goal: 15 books Eligible Books: Books you acquire in 2020 Why I'm Interested:   I'm not sure if anyone is actually hosting a challenge like this, but it's a challenge I'm giving myself, again. Last year I read a ton off books I acquired in 2019, and rather than feel bad about neglecting my previously owned books, instead I felt like I was accomplishing something with every new book I acquired and read. And I was! Every year I participate in the Read My Own Books Challenge where I try to read as many books I own as possible. Downside? Those challenges don't count books you acquire during the challenge year, and I think they should! Sure, I know the goal is to read all those books that have been languishing year after year, but what about preventative measures? I think those should be rewarded, too! (I feel like a health insu...

  0/15 books Challenge Basics:   Name: 2020 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge Hosts: Passages to the Past Starts: January 1, 2020 Ends: December 31, 2020 Eligible Books: YA and adult historical fiction books. I'm including non-fiction. Levels: I am going to try for 15 books Why I'm Interested:   Historical Bio and Historical Non-Fiction : These are the weightier, meatier books that I want to make top priority. They go into detail about actual people and events and I'll learn the most from them. I've thrown in the non-fiction books onto this shelf, too. I've been toe-dipping into non-fiction, and I'd like to continue that toe-dip. Historical Fantasy : These vary as far as actual historical learning goes. Some have a ton of historical detail, but most just use a historical setting. Some of my favorite books come from this shelf and I don't want to neglect them just because they're not heavy historical fiction. Historical Lite : The...

5 Challenges...how did I do? The Re-Read Challenge Goal: Re-read as many books as I want Books read:10 Goal achieved? Yes! I ended up re-reading a nice round 10 books this year, none of which were on audio. Audio books were a way I ended up rereading a lot of books, but with my current barely-five-minute commute, I don't have much room for audio books right now. Last year was an unusual year for rereads, with none of the "usual suspects" making an appearance, and I repeated that trend again this year. No Karen White, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, and L. J. Smith. For the third year in a row now, no Anne Bishop and Sarah J. Maas. Instead of turning to these standard comfort reads, I broke out the ultimate comfort read and polished off the Harry Potter series that I had started at the end of 2018. It was wonderful revisiting Hogwarts and I can't believe this is the first time I've reread the series.   Those were definitely comfort reads, but the rest of my re-read...

Pages: 384 Publisher: Berkley Released: October 22, 2019 Received: Finished copy from publisher, ARC via Netgalley Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Goodreads  *This is the sixth book in the Tradd Street series To say I love this series is an understatement (and not much else of this review will make sense if you haven't read the series, so stop reading this review now and instead read the one I liked above, and then start this series ASAP). That said, I was disappointed with the last book in the series, The Guests on South Battery . It felt forced. The mystery wasn't as engaging (and the first four books had awesome mysteries), the family connections felt stretched beyond reason, and there was contrived romance drama between Mellie and Jack that I did not appreciate. I was seriously getting worried for this series, even while still gobbling it up because it had tons of things that still make me happy. So that was my baggage when I started reading The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Stree...

Pages: 304 Publisher: Berkley Books Released: September 10, 2019 Received: e-ARC from NetGalley Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars Goodreads I hadn't even heard of this book an probably wouldn't have read it if it weren't for the publisher sending me a link to download the book through NetGalley. So, well done, it worked. Again. And, again, I'm very happy this happened because I really enjoyed The Vanished Bride . It's one of those books that maybe isn't perfect and has some room for criticism and improvement, but, for the most part, none of that mattered to me. I started reading the first chapter "just to see" and ended up getting completely sucked into the story. It moved at a nice swift but not breakneck pace, and shorty chapters definitely helped with this. The point of view changed between Charlotte and Emily and I ended up liking both of them a lot even though, objectively, both probably should have annoyed me. Ah, wait, Anne is in this book (she ...

Amphitrite the Bubbly by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams Goddess Girls #17 Goodreads Hestia the Invisible Goddess Girls #18 Goodreads I was less enthused as this series started adding new Goddess Girls and stopped the rotation of Athena, Aphrodite, Persephone, and Artemis that it had started in the beginning. I loved the addition of Medusa, but I was so-so on Iris. And, even though I loved Pheme, I didn't love Pandora. So the new Goddess Girls are hit and miss for me. Thankfully, Amphitrite and Hestia fell solidly into the "love" camp. Both of their personalities were endearing and their interests, challenges, and approaches meshed well with me. Hestia especially resonated as we're both introverts and we both enjoy cooking. Each book followed the established pattern of an action-oriented plot, heavy focus on personal growth and friendships, and a smidge of romance (they have "crushes"). Cameo appearances from previous characters, introductions of new sid...

Pages: 416 Publisher: Disney Released: June 4, 2019 Received: Finished copy from publisher Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Goodreads Freaky Friday body-swap stories aren't unique, but I do have a soft spot for them. Last year I read and enjoyed Preston Norton's Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe and while that book was a hot mess of every issue and 90s reference plus the kitchen sink, it was also compulsively readable and hilarious (there's a Sermon Showdown. I'm still in love with that). So, when I got this book, I was looking forward to it. It's big, yeah, but it's a super fast read. The over-the-top writing style and a zillion references were toned down here so now the writing was amusing without being eye-rolly. The gender-fluidity and romantic flexibility was a little too kumbaya and unbelievable, but in a book about magical body-swapping, I mostly gave it a shrug and a pass. I guess maybe that's Preston Norton's thing. These books are zany and u...

Pages: 592 Publisher: Harper Collins Released: March 7, 2019 Received: ARC from publisher Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Goodreads Barbara Erskine is an author on my TBR list, but not one I had read yet. As a first foray, The Ghost Tree is not bad. I didn't love it, but I liked it enough to still want to read more of her books. I'd class this book in the same company as Susanna Kearsley or Mary Stewart's Thornyhold type of books: British, a touch of the supernatural, dreamy, historical, great houses, a slow background romance, and a main character who is likable but not particularly stand out. The Ghost Tree is probably more massive than it needed to be. It clocks in at 592 pages and it's not riveting or detailed enough to really warrant that. It felt like another editing pass through to clean things up would have tightened the story, shortened the pages, and made for a smoother book overall. As it was, the length wasn't much of a problem for me because the chapters a...

Pages:352 Publisher: Berkley Books Released: June 25, 2019 Received: Finished copy and e-galley from publisher Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Goodreads I wasn't convinced I actually wanted to read this book when I received an invitation to the e-galley and tour. I find this time period interesting, but it's definitely not an era I read in much. So I added it to my e-reader with bland disinterest and opened it with the intention of reading a few sentences to try to hype myself into reading it, eventually. And I was hooked. Ravenously. I couldn't stop reading. I put aside the books I was already in the middle of reading and dove in. There was so much that just clicked with me about this book. The sense of time and place. The fabrics, smells, and tensions were thick in the air. I felt utterly immersed. We see Schiap and Chanel from the periphery and this made them both seem larger than life, known-but-mysterious. It was captivating. Their clothing collections, their political move...

Pages: 351 Publisher: Penguin Released: June 18, 2019 Received: ARC from publisher Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Goodreads Last year I read and enjoyed Laura Purcell's creeping Gothic horror The Silent Companions and, while I didn't love it, I did enjoy it and I've been looking forward to reading more from this author.   The Poison Thread follows a similar pattern of alternating perspectives, one character telling their story, another character learning the tragic and horrifying events of the past. The narrative device worked very well here, building tension, intrigue, and mystery. I felt for Ruth, the character telling her story as she waits in prison for her murder trial, and while I didn't love Dorothea (she's a little too naive self-righteous do-gooder for me) I was interested in the events of her life (though, I think, she picked the wrong man). Characters and place felt real and drew me into the story. I felt for them. I felt like I was there (early Victorian E...

Pages: 432 Released: 1994 Publisher: Pocket Books Received: Library Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Goodreads Well, it's no Knight in Shining Armor . I had to start with that, because that's what I wanted from this book. I wanted a book that gripped me in that way that makes everything in life come second to reading this book . Like, yeah, yeah, I know eating, sleeping, that's important sure, but reading this book comes first . That's what I wanted. I also wanted a swoony romance and a good historical setting. I wanted a plot that kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next and how the problem/mystery would get solved. That's what I wanted. And, I've learned that it's best to not put so many expectations on books and just accept and enjoy them for what they are. But, that's apparently a lesson I'm still learning. So, what did I get? Disappointed, that's what I got. I picked this up on a total spur of the moment whim, downloaded a copy,...

Pages: 128 Publisher: Putnam Released: November 1, 2012 Received: Library, Own Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Goodreads Well, Dolly Parton isn't who I would normally think I should think of when I'm listing off inspirational people, but she undeniably is who I think about. Funny how that works out. This book is super short and easy to read. I felt like I was sitting with Dolly chatting and she was sharing stories about her life and her thoughts and why she did some of the things she's done. And I drew inspiration from that. Rather than the other way around where people set out to inspire , if that makes any sense?  I liked it this way. It felt genuine. Her good works (and wow are they good!) made me think about what we could do in my school. Her chapter on learning more and what inspired her to believe in that was well told and emotional. Her humility is charming. Her simple message: Dream More, Learn More, Care More, and Be More is easy to understand and remember, and worth str...

Challenge Basics:   Name: Keep the Books Off the Shelf Challenge Hosts: Me! Starts: January 1, 2019 Ends: December 31, 2019 Goal: 15 books Eligible Books: Books you acquire in 2019 Why I'm Interested:   I'm not sure if anyone is actually hosting a challenge like this, but it's a challenge I'm giving myself, again. Last year I read a ton off books I acquired in 2018, and rather than feel bad about neglecting my previously owned books, instead I felt like I was accomplishing something with every new book I acquired and read. And I was! Every year I participate in the Read My Own Books Challenge where I try to read as many books I own as possible. Downside? Those challenges don't count books you acquire during the challenge year, and I think they should! Sure, I know the goal is to read all those books that have been languishing year after year, but what about preventative measures? I think those should be rewarded, too! (I feel like a health insu...

21/15 books Challenge Basics:   Name: 2019 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge Hosts: Passages to the Past Starts: January 1, 2019 Ends: December 31, 2019 Eligible Books: YA and adult historical fiction books. Non-fiction included. Levels: I am going to try for 15 books Why I'm Interested:   Historical Bio and Historical Non-Fiction : These are the weightier, meatier books that I want to make top priority. They go into detail about actual people and events and I'll learn the most from them. I've thrown in the non-fiction books onto this shelf, too. I've been toe-dipping into non-fiction, and I'd like to continue that toe-dip. Historical Fantasy : These vary as far as actual historical learning goes. Some have a ton of historical detail, but most just use a historical setting. Some of my favorite books come from this shelf and I don't want to neglect them just because they're not heavy historical fiction. Historical Lite : These are a ...

22/12 books How do you make a progress bar?  Challenge Basics:   Name: Read My Own Damn Books Challenge Previous Hosts: Estella's Revenge Starts: January 1, 2019 Ends: December 31, 2019 Eligible Books: Books you own prior to 2019. Levels: I'm going to try to read and/or DNF and get rid of 12 books I own. Why I'm Interested:   I seriously have too many books and they keep sitting on my shelves unread. I did this challenge in 2015 and ended up getting rid of almost all the books I read for the challenge, which means I've carted around and found room for all those books that I didn't even end up liking. Before I move again, I need to reevaluate the books I'm bringing with me and make sure they're books I actually want. Some books I'm considering:  Anything on my Own-Unread shelf that I acquired prior to 2019. At the start of 2019, here's where I stand as far as what books I own and what percentage of them I've read: 26% read of books acquir...

Challenge Basics:   Name: The Re-Read Challenge Hosts: Belle of the Literati (in 2016) Starts: January 1, 2019 Ends: December 31, 2019 Eligible Books: Books you've already read. Why I'm Interested:   Whether it's re-reading for comfort or to revisit old favorites, I want to make sure I enthusiastically dive into re-reading whenever I feel the urge. Some books I'm considering: My Special Shelf favorites , of course. Also, books I liked enough or am curious enough to re-listen to on audio. Books Completed: 10. Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier 9. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 8. A Pearl Among Princes by Coleen Murtagh Paratore 7. The Decoy Princess by Dawn Cook 6. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling 4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling 3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling 2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling 1. Harry Po...

6 Challenges...how did I do? The Re-Read Challenge Goal: Re-read as many books as I want Books read:7 Goal achieved? Yes! I ended up re-reading 7 books this year, none of which were on audio. Audio books were a way I ended up rereading a lot of books, but with my current barely-five-minute commute, I don't have much room for audio books right now. This was an unusual year for rereads, as none of the "usual suspects" made an appearance this year. No Karen White, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, and L. J. Smith. For the second year in a row now, no Anne Bishop and Sarah J. Maas. These are my standby comfort reads, but 2018 didn't lead me to seek out this kind of comfort read. Or, perhaps the way I approached 2018 had something to do with that.  Instead, I revisited some old favorites that I hadn't read in years and years, including the Hero's Guide series and Harry Potter. While I wanted the lighthearted humor of the Hero's Guide books in part because I wanted a l...