Arcs

OK, I'm bad at reading these, but sure are quick to ask for them. So one of my goals for this year was to read (some of them long overdue) all the arcs or otherwise free books I've been sent for review. I'm reading two right now, on and off (one I'm having a hard time getting into), but they're not priority compared to the book swap read that I was supposed to have done and sent off by the end of this month though that's likely not going to happen. This one is also an arc, so two bird one stone right? Ahem.

I guess I'm just going to list them here and will cross off/link when done. With the libraries closed for now, I have very few books that need read immediately, so hopefully I can jump on this? I'm going to list from the oldest to newest to the best of my knowledge.

Steeplejack by A.J. Hartley
Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore
Deep Roots by Ruthanna Emrys
Woman No 17 by Edan Lepucki
The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky
The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
The Last of the Stanfields by Marc Levy (translator Daniel Wasserman)
American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by KAte Winkler Dawson (current read)
The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence (review)
Mermaid Moon by Susann Cokal
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey
I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman
A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
Stolen by Shadows by Evelyn Avery

I also have about 15 or so that were gifts that I don't necessarily want to include on this list, but would really like to try and get to if I can get all these read soonish. This ties into my spring cleaning as I'm wanting to try and get as many of my physical books read so I can determine if I want to keep or purge. I have so many books and a vast majority of them sit pretty, collecting dust, unread. Also, I'd be nice if at some point in the future, I'm able to not have 10+ boxes of books while moving. Not that we're planning on moving, but positive thoughts?

Anyway, if I receive anymore, I'll add them to this.

March 2020 Wrap-Up + April Goals

This month has been absolutely chaotic between the oldest's school being cancelled for basically forever (I think the tentative date back right now is April 28th?), other shutdowns (libraries, bookstores are my most upsetting ones - especially the ones that may not come back after all this starts getting better),  and my job's hours being reduced before me ultimately getting temporarily laid off (I spoke to our HR gal and she's assured me they'll call all of us back - we'll see). I've had to nativagate filing for unemployment for the first time in my life, avoid people more than usual (because certain people I live with either can't or won't). I've been trying to support as locally as I can, but it's going to start getting tough if the other earners in the apartment get laid off as well.

So of my goals I set in February, I've solidly finished two. I got everything for my book swap and got the box sent out, luckily before the post office closed (currently, it's still open, but a lot of the other folks in the swap have been talking about theirs being closed, so I doubt everyone's going to get their box when they're supposed to). I spoke with the person that's supposed to send me my swap and I likely will fall into that 'get it later' category. That's ok. The world is crazy right now.

I also posted about Twelve Nights at Rotter House. See that here. My goal about that book club was only really half completed as there's no longer going to be face-to-face meetings and I haven't heard of a virtual one for horror group yet. But I got The Exorcist and listen/read it and also watched the movie. See that here.

I've been chugging away at The Girls and The Stars and while it is so fast paced and interesting, I think it's also bogging me down at bit with how breakneck it is and the world building is just so vast. It's lovely, but it's taking me longer to complete than expected. I may not get it out to the next in line before I get the one sent to me.

Have been social distancing and haven't been able to get out to do any magnet fishing. I think technically we can, so long as we stay away from anyone else, but the motivation to do things like that with everyone is slim. I also wrote next to nothing besides a few notes and scenes over the course of the month.

The chaotic-ness of me trying to get any work done (piles of notebooks, books, cords, and my laptop)

All those people saying that this time of being cooped up should be time everyone should be working on their creative endeavors obviously hasn't had a houseful of kids and paranoid people, with an endless barrage of bad news on their phone, and stress shutting off every creative synapses in their brain. I've been an almost useless puddle of goo.

I finished three books.

The Exorcist, obviously. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (translated by Gunny Tapley Takemori), which was a quick and entertaining palate cleanser. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, which I listened to it narrated by him and it was a little bittersweet. I miss seeing the man travel around to interesting places and eat interesting things.

Anyway, I'm not going to give my self any strict April goals as I got a feeling it's going to be just a ridiculous as March.

• Finish a book
• Write anything at all
• Try not to be on social media 24-7

February 2020 Wrap Up + March Goals

To start, have you seen the picture of that hospital nursery where they put all the babies into little frog hats for the leap day? Very cute. Highlight of my month considering it wasn't a great reading month, I didn't get much done with my other goals, and the news has been an absolute shitshow. So here's some cute frog babies.

I finished one book I started in January, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (review here). And only actually started and finished two other books. The Princess Beard by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne, a very funny audiobook borrow (I'm working on a review of the trilogy now and some commentary not strictly review related) and Twelve Nights at Rotter House by J.W. Ocker, a physical book for horror bookclub at my local bookstore. I didn't finish it in time for the meet and didn't want to spoil the ending by going anyway, but there longer I have mulled on it, the more I wish I'd let it be spoiled. The ending honestly ruined the book for me and I'll likely post a spoiler-y review in a day or so.

As much as I was looking forward to Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer, I just could not get into it and returned it to the library. I'll have to pick it up again when I think I can focus. I bailed on Highfire by Eoin Colfer, which is a shame as I dug Artemis Fowl, but just could not get into this adult fare. Didn't read any Way of Kings.

I'm slowly chugging along with American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawson (it feels a bit disjointed with lots of facts thrown at you and also, wtf was original CSI. Insane.), The Book of Koli by M. R. Carey (which I'm not feeling so far, but I got it for review), and just started Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore on audio the last day of February (it's good so far).

On Litsy, I joined a group of gals who are going to be swapping books for four months. The 4 books we're going to cycle among ourselves sound interesting and I'm especially excited to get my choice back in the mail at the end. I'm reading my proof copy of The Girl and The Stars by Mark Lawrence, which I was SO stoked to receive a copy of. I've heard the author's other stuff has just been great.

I also set myself up for a bookswap, which I may end up regretting as I may spend too much on my match. The host hasn't matched everyone up yet, won't be until March 11th, I think? It's like spring/Easter themed. I'll probably post what I get on here (or if it messes up - which is why I stopped with the swaps originally - I'll complain about that instead).

Not much TV watched last month. I think I watched a single movie? Idk. Lots of YouTube. Just playing Dragon Age: Inquisition on hard and getting my ass handed to me. Bioshock and restarted Skyrim with a warrior, necromancer orc.


March Goals:

• Finally use the giant magnet to go magnet fishing.
• Finish The Girl and The Stars, primary, but also the others I'm currently reading (3, with the exception of Way of Kings since there's just no way)
• Get one book for one of the bookclubs (I'm leaning towards The Exorcist for horror bookclub)
• Once I get the match for the swap, get everything for it ASAP
• Write a short story (or anything, seriously)
• Get review for Rotter House posted here and two other posts (I have one solid idea and the other is a maybe)

Anyway, how was your February? 

2020 Book Goals

I'm not making a total book goal for this next year as I'm going to be trying for more quality over quantity, you know? But I do want to hit on some points and definitely get some specific books read.

• Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge (here)
• Booked 2020 on Litsy (here)
• Read all my gifted/won books from the last few years (it's about 40, which is what I set my GR total to just as a reminder to try and get those read first)
• Go to bookclubs at my local bookstore (probably just the horror and scifi/fantasy ones, w/the exception of the nonfic one in January - reading Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? now)
• I've signed up on netgalley and bookishfirst and will maybe fart around on those. Learning curve, definitely, but I figure if I wanna try and do a review blog it might be good to try and get arcs and stuff, right?
• Mentioned local bookstore also has a monthly writer's meetup thing and I've been toying w/the idea of going to one of those or maybe one of the local NaNo ones that continue throughout the year.
• Chunksters: A Little Life, It, The Way of Kings
• Reading w/family.. audiobooks w/the husband.. graphic novels and manga w/the oldest (and possibly some audiobooks if I can swing that w/her).. picture books w/the youngest.. random reads w/my mother. Not sure how this idea will play out. We'll see!

This is all for now, I guess?

Laters!