What I've Been Reading: September Reads

I don’t think I’m too late to talk about my September Reads, am I? Haha! I don’t care what you think! I’m gonna do it!!

One of the things that I notice about my reading is that when I am busy, I tend to read more audiobooks with fewer print books completed. And September includes 11 days of Rochester Fringe Festival! Which is AWESOME!! Here’s some pics!! At the end of September, I had 3 books that were just hanging out on my “currently reading” shelf.  None of them were bad, they just weren’t calling me back to them after I got distracted. I’ve moved them all off the shelf and returned them to the library. Maybe they will find me again when I’m a person who can appreciate them.

Let’s see… The good, the bad, and the I only read this because book club made me:

Catching Up - What I Read in April and May (Outbox)

Here's a random post just with stuff I read in April and May, since I didn't post then. 

What I read in April

I loved the Porcupine of Truth, which was about two teens who steal one of their mother's car to drive all the way to California, looking for answers to their lives. Or something. You know how teens are always looking for answers and what not. 

I also loved Orphan Mother, about an old Black woman telling the story of loss and love.

What I read in May

Long Way Down is a book of poetry that tells the story of a young boy on his way to seek revenge against the boy he thinks shot his brother. 

Far From the Tree was an amazing story of 3 siblings who grew up with different families. I ugly sobbed, y'all. It wasn't pretty. Hence why it's called "ugly sobbing." Duh.

Dread Nation is an ass-kicking lady story set in a world where the zombie apocalypse interrupted the Civil War. Interesting idea, right!?

What I've Been Reading, June

It was a pretty good reading month! I joined two new book clubs recently, through two separate local libraries. I went to writing group which I haven't gone to in over a year. I also started a summer tap dance class. 

Obviously, I'm not in a show right now. It's amazing how much time it takes to be involved in a show! Rehearsals for yet another remount for Charlotte's Web start Sunday. 

Anyhoodles: The Highlights of the Month are....

What I've Been Reading (Outbox March 2018)

If I were still an active blogger, this would be an outpost. As it is, it’s a picture of my March Reads. You never know what it might turn into later.

Feel free to let me know if you've read any of these and what you thought of them.  

What I've Been Reading and How the Hell I'm Gonna Read Harder

I am working “frantically” to finish the Read Harder challenge over the next week. How could I have read so many books and still have categories unsatisfied for this damn challenge!? I guess, this is the point of doing a challenge: to expand what I’d typically read. But I’ve read about 7 books in the last 3 weeks!!!! I’m ridiculous. I'm also on the brink of quitting so that I can start thinking about 2018 challenge. Because that makes sense. ::eye roll emoji::

But, whatever. Here are my favorites over the last few weeks. No real surprise that my favorites are parts of series I've been loving.

What I've Been Reading: November

I’ve been relying pretty heavily on audio-books, lately. At one time, I only read them while driving and read printed books at home, but I’ve been just letting the audio book do it’s thing at home more and more. This is really a testament to the books I've been reading, to. Some books are harder to put on hold than others. This feels a little bit like cheating at my reading. Not because I don’t think audiobooks are "real" reading, but because I’m usually listening to them while working on other things, which seems somehow disrespectful to stories when I should be focusing on a book… does that even make sense!? No!! I think, though, reading as a multi-task activity feels like it defeats the purpose of reading, sometimes.

Anywhoo. Incoherent rambling aside, I’ve complete 7 books in November so far. Here's the highlight reel

July Recap, Part 1: Books

It might seem a little early for a July wrap up post, it’s only the 26^th. But I figured I would write it while the mood was upon me. And I’m going to split it up a little between books I’ve read and shows I’ve seen. So this is part 1 – Books! (The other one will be about theatre. duh) 

So, let me tell you about what I've been reading.

What I've Been Reading (Outbox June 21)

I’ve only done one blog post this month. I basically suck. I would say that there’s been more time to write than usual I just haven’t had really anything to blog about. Is this that rut thing that people keep talking about?

I signed up for a Blog Hop challenge with Herding Cats and failed miserably! I didn’t make it all the way through the participants twice, which was the goal. Boooooo to me!

What I've Been Reading (Outbox 4/03)

I started this post thinking that I was going to do a full March wrap-up post. But then I remembered that I did a random outbox post a couple of weeks ago. So, I guess this is just another one of those for the last part of March. Basically, my previous plan for what I usually post has gone to shit (and when was the last time I did one of my feature posts!?), but you'll have to just bear with me, folks. 

Once again, we've got a bit of book highlights and a bit of lamenting/ rejoicing about a show I'm in.

What I've Been Reading (Outbox March 22, 2017)

My outbox posts don’t usually span multiple months. I must be behind! Or ahead. Depending which month you are looking at… This is really the total books I’ve read between mid- January and now, because I basically did all Feature posts in February. I only did one review!

Despite all that, this one is going to be a quickie. Because I’ve got shit ta do!

January Wrap Up - Three Excellent YAs

I’m exhausted right now. But, I have to wait for my daughter to get out of rehearsal, anyway so I might as well tell you why by Book January sucked so hard.

First off, I have only completed 6 books this month, three since the outbox post a couple of weeks ago. This isn’t really a low number and I would never think this isn’t “Enough” books. It’s just well below by average for the last couple of years. However, I’m trying to take it easy on myself and switch my way of thinking about THE NUMBER. My goal is to read fewer books more mindfully this year. My guess is that the goal will wax and wane like so many others.

All three of these books earn a We Need Diverse Books badge!! Whoot whoot! Here's what I've read:

Outbox: Mid- January - Slowing Down and Abandoning Books

I’m still trying to move away from the book- sprint mentality, this urgency to read books quickly that sometimes gets in the way of fully engaging in a book. This is especially a problem with longer books, because I start to feel that the book is taking up too much time. But really. There is no prize for reading the most books… I mean, not any prizes that I am actually competing for.

But still. It feels weird to say that I have only completed three books for January so far. WTF!? What a slacker! Also, though, Sister Act rehearsals have started, which cuts into my reading time. I have also put two books back on my To-Read shelf. Not finishing books that I’m not feeling is something I am trying to let myself do more often. The two books I abandoned this month seem like really good books. Really. It's me, not them. 

So here’s a book update for January so far: The Read, The Abandoned, and the Currently Reading.

Clear A Shelf Wrapup and December Outbox

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y’ALL!!

It’s hard to believe that it is 2017. My guess is that it feels a lot like 2016. Here’s hoping that we aren’t embarking on the beginning of the end of the world as we know it. I will be honest, though. If the dystopian future is about to happen, I am definitely going to be part of the over- controlled (but possibly rebellious) group within the walls who have electricity and central heating. I ain’t gonna lie. I don’t like temporary camping. I definitely wouldn’t survive as a member of the Resistance holed up in the woods.

Anywhoo…

We all know that outbox posts are harder if they cover the whole month. And, yet, of all the posts I did in December, none of them were outbox posts. Welp. And because I don’t want to do a separate post for the Clear A Shelf challenge, I’m smooshing that in here, too!

Here are the highlights for the month.

November Might as Well Be Over - Book Outbox Post

I might get to read one more book before the month is out. Maybe. I have every intention of starting Crooked Kingdom and once I start I have the feeling I will finish it quickly, but I just haven’t been sitting in one place long enough to even get started.

So, here is a possibly premature Outbox post for November.

It’s been a super lame-ass reading month. But I did attend Book Riot Live, having been chauffeuring my kids around, and have been focusing more on blogging for NaBloPoMo.  As a result, I have posted 20 blog posts but have only read a measly 6 books. Oh! And my head phones are on the fritz so my audiobook game has been nonexistent. I really need to do something about that.

Here are the books I read. 

October is finally over - Horror-tober Wrap Up and Outbox

I hate the outbox posts that are really recaps for a whole month!! There's little to no motivation to talk about the books earlier in the month. But that’s my own torment after not doing a mid month update. Booooooo to me!

Here's me, again, in my Rocky Horror costume. We remounted the show for Halloween. It was a super fun completely ridiculous hot mess! I didn't see the one that was aired on TV, but I bet this one was better!

Anyway. Dewey's 24 hour Readathon bumped my number a little.

October was Horror-tober so I focused on horror options. Even the non-horror books were amazingly related in their explorations of the terrible things that people do to each other in the name of righteousness. 

Highlights from the month: The Jasper Dent series, Invasion of the Tearling, And The Trees Crept In, and The Enchanted which was a reread for me. I also liked The Healing and the Crane Wife. And I definately like The Heart Goes Last better than The Handmaid's Tale.

Weird shit: We Eat Our Own and Welcome to the Night Vale.

Things to skip: Not Working. I just thought it was boring and the main character was like... bleghghhghhh. 

Reviews from October

And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. There is also a series review coming up later this week.

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

Oubox Sept 10 - Reading, RAPA and Rocky Horror

This is a sad little Outbox post, reading wise. It’s already the 10^th and I’ve only finished three books! Of course, The Twelve is a massive tome, so it totally counts as two! Anyway this post is all about the books I've managed to read and the stuff that's been getting in the way of all the stuff I wanted to be reading.

[outbox post pic goes here!]

August Recap and ClearAShelf Results (Pathetic)

So, August was dubbed (by me) to be focused on clearing out some of my TBR books, especially those that I already owned at the time. I made a post and invited other people to join on this, a noble quest. 

  

Broadway and the Make Me Read Challenge (Outbox - 7/21/16)

For the first week of July I was out of town. We planned to take a train down to NYC to see a couple of shows and just not be home for a while. 

So. Day one, we took the subway down to the church/ cemetery where Alexander Hamilton is buried. It’s what all the cool kids who can’t afford tickets to Hamilton are doing. The church is beautiful. We spent far too long looking for Angelica Schuyler's grave before looking on Google and finding out that it is not marked with her name. It's in the Livingston plot, in case you're looking and we still didn't find it. [The duck lips in the picture are ironic, y'all.]

 

What I've Been Reading (Outbox June 16, 2016)

I’ve barely blogged this month! My averages! My stats! I’ve got to get my head in the game!

I’m not sure what’s going on that’s kept me from the blog this month, so far. Oh well. I try to go with the flow of how I feel. Blogging is a hobby for me so I don’t want to stress about it too much. I have been able to get some books into my head though. Maybe I’ll squeeze some longer review posts out of some of these.

It's really been a Diverse Books kind of month so far with almost every novel I've read being by or about the people of color or from a marginalized group. I hope that means that this is becoming so common the people don't have to try so hard and will just automatically find themselves in the diverse stories of the world! I just eye rolled myself, y'all.

Some Highlights from June so far:

May 2016 - Recap Post

How many days past the beginning of the month is a “last month’s wrap up post” considered late?

Total Books Read: 22 (More than usual because of the reading challenges)

Total Blog Posts: 16

My favorite was the one I posted for Mental Health Awareness month.