Tackling the TBR Week 20: May 22-May 31, 2019

Each week I will be keeping track of books that I have read from my TBR. I have a huge backlog of books and often end up reading new books that are not even on my list, instead of trying to whittle down the list that continues to balloon up on Goodreads. Chuckles had the idea first, and we are going to use this as a chance to encourage each other to get those books read instead of always grabbing new ones and thus never making a dent in the physical and digital stacks we already have. It will also give us a chance to take a good look at our lists and see if there are ones we are no longer interested in. We will be posting on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and the last day of the month.

Previous Week's TBR Total: 3,414

Books Added to TBR: 11

Books Removed from TBR: 9

Currently Reading: 9

Books Read: 13

Books DNF-ed: 1

New TBR Total: 3,405

Had a lot of progress in terms of reading, because this last stretch of the month was longer than the typical seven days. Plus - summer vacation! Less so only because I found a slew of books I must read, but even so, honor all progress, we are moving in the right direction!

Happy Reading!

Sarah

State of the ARC #16

State of the ARC is a monthly feature hosted by Avalinah's Books. I am so glad I stumbled upon it, because it helped me so much in tackling my ARC list in 2018. Now things are under control, and this post doesn't cause me as much worry as it used to. Links go to Goodreads, unless I have finished the review, in which case it goes to that. All ARCs are from NetGalley unless otherwise noted.

Pending = Zero

Not Started = Zero

Started = Two

Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom, 9-17-18 (received two days after publication, author request/digital from publisher)

Hacking Darwin, 4-23-19 (received two days after publication)

DNF = None

Finished/Review to Come = Zero

Review or Feedback Sent = One

I have done nothing with ARCs this month. I had a lot of trouble reading Mercia because I could not get the file sent to my Kindle. So, basically, I am waiting until it is out in paperback here and am just going to order it. I enjoy the author's work and do not doubt I will like this one enough to own it.

What does you ARC situation look like for this month?

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Summer is Heeeeeere!

Okay, so technically it won't be the season of summer for a couple more weeks, but as of last Friday Eleanor and I are officially free for two and a half months!

And before I hear one person say shit about me getting paid to do nothing all summer, think again. Teachers DO NOT get paid for any breaks. We allow money to be withheld from our checks during the school year so that the yearly total can be evenly divided among twelve months instead of nine and a half. And besides that, I am a special education teacher to students with emotional disturbances, among many other verifications - ADHD, ADD, ODD, Bi-Polar, PTSD, and so on. I still do twelve months worth of work and more in those nine and a half.

But enough about the boring stuff. Onto the fun stuff!

I am super excited about summer for many reasons.

1. Spending time with my babe

We love to go out and explore during the summer, even if it is a place we have been to a million times. If you have read the blog for a while, you know I am particularly fond of one of our museums, the Durham. It is, hands-down, one of the best museums in the Midwest, if not the country. The traveling exhibits are always amazing, and the permanent collections still draws Eleanor's interest every time (she will choose the Durham over the Children's Museum every.single.time. She's five). They recently undertook a huge renovation project for the Union Pacific train cars housed there (the museum is actually the former Union Station, built in 1929. I have a slight obsession with train stations, so you can see why I love the place too). Next week a new exhibit opens, and it is all about DINOSAURS. I am so freaking excited. It's called Tyrannosaurs: Meet the Family and will feature Scotty, among other specimens. Eleanor is pretty excited. So am I - the museum gift shops tends to stock up on really great books pertaining to the traveling exhibits, so my self-control is going to be a little lacking in the book-buying department next week when it opens. We actually get to see the exhibit before the public, during one of the Members Only days, on Friday. I. Can't. Wait.

We are also lucky to have tons of other great places to hang out in addition to the Durham, places like The Joslyn Art Museum, Lauritzen Gardens, and of course the world-famous Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.

2. Reading

Duh. 

But MORE of it! Libraries! Story times! Hanging out at story times with our fave librarians! Summer Reading Programs! Laying on the deck reading! READING!

3. Writing

Latin be damned, I must finish my book this summer. I will have plenty of time to write about Eleanor of Aquitaine while my Eleanor is off at one camp or another in the coming months.

4. Review and General Blogging Catch-Up

I am seriously behind, and a lot of that was due to stress here at the end of the school year. Reading is my way of relaxing and escaping for a while, and sitting down to write a review is not helpful to de-stress. So, that means my list of reviews I want to write has ballooned up again. No worries though, because I will have plenty of time to do that and make regular visits once again to all my faves - and hopefully discover some new treasures too.

Here's to a fun and productive, lazy and educational summer.

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Stacking the Shelves #48

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature co-hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It is a chance to showcase all the goodies you've collected throughout the week, whether they're bought on-line or in-store, an ARC or a final copy, borrowed from a friend or the library, physical or digital, etc. Never has my addiction been more obvious than when I am now keeping track of every single book I acquire.

Library Treasures

    

What did you add to your stash this week?

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Tackling the TBR Week 19: May 15-May 21, 2019

Each week I will be keeping track of books that I have read from my TBR. I have a huge backlog of books and often end up reading new books that are not even on my list, instead of trying to whittle down the list that continues to balloon up on Goodreads. Chuckles had the idea first, and we are going to use this as a chance to encourage each other to get those books read instead of always grabbing new ones and thus never making a dent in the physical and digital stacks we already have. It will also give us a chance to take a good look at our lists and see if there are ones we are no longer interested in. We will be posting on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and the last day of the month.

Previous Week's TBR Total: 3,418

Books Added to TBR: 6

Books Removed from TBR: 6

Currently Reading: 11

Books Read: 3

Books DNF-ed: 0

New TBR Total: 3,414

OI! Not much progress in the last week, due to Eleanor having dress rehearsals and her year-end dance Revue where she performed in two of the four shows. BUT, I did get a few books read and/or removed. Honor all progress friends, this ain't an easy thing to do!

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Stacking the Shelves #47

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature co-hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It is a chance to showcase all the goodies you've collected throughout the week, whether they're bought on-line or in-store, an ARC or a final copy, borrowed from a friend or the library, physical or digital, etc. Never has my addiction been more obvious than when I am now keeping track of every single book I acquire.

Library Treasures

          

What did you add to your stash this week?

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Another Busy Week

AAUUGGHH!!

I feel like all I am doing is making excuses lately, but at least they are all true excuses. This week is our last full week of class, students only come back Monday. Tuesday, and Wednesday next week. Thursday and Friday are teacher work days to get our rooms taken down and cleaned. Needless to say, it is hectic and I am exhausted.

BUT, even more exciting, is that this is Rehearsal Week for my daughter's dance revues coming up tomorrow and Saturday. My sweet little hip-hopping, tap-dancing, ballerina has worked so hard this season and is performing in two shows, a total of five dances. 

SO MUCH GEL AND HAIRSPRAY. SO MUCH!

All of this means we have been really busy practicing this week and I am a terrible person who has not been able to find time to respond to all of my lovelies who leave me wonderful comments and thoughts about all the things I love to read about. But next weekend...IT'S ON!

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Tackling the TBR Week 18: May 8-May 14, 2019

Each week I will be keeping track of books that I have read from my TBR. I have a huge backlog of books and often end up reading new books that are not even on my list, instead of trying to whittle down the list that continues to balloon up on Goodreads. Chuckles had the idea first, and we are going to use this as a chance to encourage each other to get those books read instead of always grabbing new ones and thus never making a dent in the physical and digital stacks we already have. It will also give us a chance to take a good look at our lists and see if there are ones we are no longer interested in. We will be posting on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and the last day of the month.

Previous Week's TBR Total: 3,442

Books Added to TBR: 3

Books Removed from TBR: 18

Currently Reading: 10

Books Read: 9

Books DNF-ed: 0

Duplicates Removed: 0

Rereads: 0

New TBR Total: 3,418

Is your TBR under control, or a hot mess like mine? Though, to be fair to myself and honor my progress, this list is not nearly as big a hot mess as before Chuckles and I started this adventure!

Happy Reading!
Sarah

Stacking the Shelves #46

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature co-hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It is a chance to showcase all the goodies you've collected throughout the week, whether they're bought on-line or in-store, an ARC or a final copy, borrowed from a friend or the library, physical or digital, etc. Never has my addiction been more obvious than when I am now keeping track of every single book I acquire.

Library Treasures

     

      

What did you add to your stash this week?

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Book Review: Into the Storm: Violent Tornadoes, Killer Hurricanes, and Death-Defying Adventures in Extreme Weather

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Just an aside before we get started, I find it rather fitting that I am writing this review today, of all days, when one of my favorite movies of all time premiered in theatres:

I used to think Reed Timmer was just another egotistical boneheaded adrenaline junkie. Turns out he still is, but he is also far more intelligent than I have previously given him credit for and I ended up not being completely put-off by his book.

I used to love watching Storm Chasers, though Reed drove me crazy (and Sean Casey, don't even get me started!) because he would take such huge risks that always seemed in the end not quite worth it. Almost dying one hundred times just to get the closest shot possible is just not a risk I want to take. Timmer is free to do that of course, and I don't think for him it is a matter of wanting to, but needing to. he makes it clear in his book that he HAS TO chase every storm he possibly can. And that's fine for him. But there were a couple stories he recounted in his book where he made that decision not only for himself, but for the people chasing with him and that was unfair. Putting yourself in danger is one thing, but making that choice for others is not cool, especially when they have made it clear they do not want to be put in that position.

There is no denying that Reed Timmer is intelligent about how the weather all works. The book is an easy read and he pretty clearly explains the basics so readers understand how tornadoes and hurricanes come into being. He also includes a glossary at the end of the book that readers might find helpful if they forget what something means.

Prior to this, I knew nothing of Timmer besides the antics I saw on the show - and also that he now has himself a nice little weather-related empire after starting his website tornadovideos.net so many years ago. It really worked out for Timmer that he was just getting into the weather video game so to speak, as YouTube was a little fledgling thing; that timing could not have been more perfect. While that's all well and good now, in the book Timmer (or, his 'co-author') recounts how this all came to be. He was a freshman at OU and was bored by the basics in his intro classes because it was stuff he already knew. Despite this kind of statement, I did not interpret that as any kind of bragging. It's pretty obvious in any field that if you are really, really interested in something, an intro course will not be a whole lot of fun for you. That would be like expecting me to sit through a semester of an Intro to Medieval History class - I'd want to be up there teaching the class for myself. But, anyway, Reed didn't want to be up there teaching, he wanted to be out in the field, chasing storms. He did so throughout his undergraduate and graduate days, dragging along a variety of friends and acquaintances. Some knew what they were getting into, some did not, and some probably would never go back out with him again. Throughout this time Timmer scrapes together money selling videos, quickly learning how many times he can sell footage, and how to make the most of the film he's got. 

One topic Timmer does not shy away from is that of his relationship to others in the same field, those who felt and may still feel that Timmer's recklessness are a detriment to what they do. He's been accused more time than anyone can count of taking risks he does not need to, nor should not take. I never got the impression that Timmer felt like he was above this criticism. He is very honest about this and that he understands why they are concerned, but also that he is doing things his way. I think he does want to be accepted, or at least did in those early days, by the more traditional storm-chasing community, and it wasn't as though he did not listen to what they were saying. Even so, he has this almost uncontrollable impulse to go farther and deeper into a storm every single time, which will always put him at odds with much of the rest of his field.

Timmer is passionate about what he does and that comes through on pretty much every page. It would be interesting to read new material about his more recent adventures in the last nine years or so since this was published.

Recommended.

Book Review: Priceless

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

I know some people will roll their eyes and think that the only reason Richie has a book deal is because she is famous. That might be the case, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have any talent. We're not talking about life-changing literature here, but I firmly believe there is value in books that we can easily get lost in for a while and not having to think too much can be a good thing. I really liked Richie's first book The Truth About Diamonds, which I read years ago when it was first published. I didn't even remember this was on my TBR until I was scrolling through looking for books to delete, and when I rediscovered this one, I nabbed it quick from the library.

We follow the main character, Charlotte, as she navigates her family's fall from grace when her father is arrested for embezzlement (luckily there are no complicated details to deal with here. After he is caught he keeps repeating how it was a 'small loophole' he took advantage of and we are never given an explanation of how he stole billions. We don't need it) and see how she manages to pick herself up and start over. There is a mystery element when her father's former clients come out of the woodwork with fury they are more than entitled to. One begins sending death threats and following Charlotte, and though it was easy from very early on to figure out who was threatening her, I did not enjoy the book any less by figuring out who was behind the threats.

Charlotte will annoy you because she is spoiled, and it is not as though she comes out of this completely transformed human who renounces all society and material goods, but you do kind of want things to at least be okay for her, because her father's crimes were not hers to take responsibility for.

It's not a terrible way to pass an hour or two. A nice brain break if you need one.

Book Review: The Complete Book of Dragons: A Guide to Dragon Species

Rating: No Rating

So Eleanor and I love Love LOVE How to Train Your Dragon. Her fifth birthday last summer was dragon-themed, complete with a custom-made cake from the best bakery in the country, and do you know how hard it was to find Dragon decorations and party favors, seeing as how the third movie did not even come out until THIS YEAR?! It was rough. And pricey. (And when we did see the third movie, I ain't one bit ashamed to say I CRIED at the end. Straight up cried.)

Anyway.

At least...we love the movies and shows. We saw those first, and so reading the books has been a bit strange because they are so vastly different. We are slowly working our way through book one, and Eleanor picked this one out at some point in one of the binges where I randomly let her choose $25 worth of books from our Amazon shopping cart.

The artwork is fine and the material is fine, it is just so different. I suppose we would feel the opposite if we had read the books first, but we didn't, so here we are. Eleanor sometimes gets confused when something from the book is different than what we have seen in the movie, so she is unsure which is "right". I tell her that the books came first, but that she can prefer whichever she likes, and she seems pretty content with the movie and show versions. As she gets older I do not doubt, however, that we will continue reading our way through the series. After all, they've already announced that Dragons 3 would be the final installment (don't even get me started, I might cry again), so at least with the books we can continue with characters we know and love, albeit a tad differently than we are used to.

Truthfully, this is a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and any fan of the book series will enjoy it. 

Now With Bloglovin'!

So I don't really know what I'm doing yet, or how it all works, but I have started to use bloglovin' this morning as I recover from the horrible plague I suffered from the last couple days. Okay, so it wasn't The Plague and I have just horribly minimized the suffering and death of actual Plague victims, but for a second I thought I was dying. I'm better today than yesterday, and way better than Sunday, but still nauseated when I stand for too long, and dizzy if I sit up or stand up too quickly. It's fun, in the kind of way that's not.

Happy Reading!

(And now I am off to the comforts of my couch to sleep some more!)

Tackling the TBR Week 17: May 1-May 7, 2019

Each week I will be keeping track of books that I have read from my TBR. I have a huge backlog of books and often end up reading new books that are not even on my list, instead of trying to whittle down the list that continues to balloon up on Goodreads. Chuckles had the idea first, and we are going to use this as a chance to encourage each other to get those books read instead of always grabbing new ones and thus never making a dent in the physical and digital stacks we already have. It will also give us a chance to take a good look at our lists and see if there are ones we are no longer interested in. We will be posting on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and the last day of the month.

Previous Week's TBR Total: 3,473

Books Added to TBR: 8

Books Removed from TBR: 26

Currently Reading: 11

Books Read: 11

Books DNF-ed:

Duplicates Removed: 0

Rereads: 0

New TBR Total: 3,442

Is your TBR under control, or a hot mess like mine? Though, to be fair to myself and honor my progress, this list is not nearly as big a hot mess as before Chuckles and I started this adventure!

Happy Reading!
Sarah

Stacking the Shelves #45

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature co-hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It is a chance to showcase all the goodies you've collected throughout the week, whether they're bought on-line or in-store, an ARC or a final copy, borrowed from a friend or the library, physical or digital, etc. Never has my addiction been more obvious than when I am now keeping track of every single book I acquire.

Library Treasures

                              

What did you add to your stash this week?

Happy Reading!

Sarah