Showing posts with label reading goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading goals. Show all posts

Thursday, June 13, 2024

Lots of Reading

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

How are you all doing?

My reading activity slowed down a lot in late May/early June due to dealing with the insurance claim.  But I've picked up the pace again.

I completed these 3 books and returned them to the library so someone else can enjoy them. I enjoyed each of them for different reasons but The Botanist's Daughter was my favourite of the three books. 


I picked up these 4 books at the library at the same time. The 5th book (at the top of the stack) is one I picked up at the thrift store. When I'm done I'll give it away.


I also picked up this Spode pitcher at the thrift store. I'll use it for fresh cut flowers.


I enjoyed my little outing.

Have an awesome day and thanks for stopping by.



Saturday, May 11, 2024

The Weekend

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you've had a great start to the weekend.  It's usually a time when I run some errands that require me to venture out a bit farther than my neighbourhood shops, go to the library and/or meet up with a friend.

This week and weekend, I'm trying to finish several books that are coming due soon.  The first one is called Embers in the London Sky by 'new to me' author, Sara Sundin.  Set in the 1940s during German invasion of the Netherlands, Aleida, the young mother in the story leaves the Netherlands with her abusive husband, Sebastien and their small child, Theo.  During their escape to London, Aleida falls asleep and while she is sleeping her husband gives Theo to complete strangers for 'safe keeping'.  

When Aleida wakes up she is horrified to learn about her child.  But before she can find out the details from her husband he is killed by a bomb blast. Upon arrival in London, Aleida does what she needs to do to survive but searching for her child is the single most important things to her. The book takes us on an intense journey of Aleida's search for her child and about finding real love along the way. 

Now I'm reading Hello Stranger by Katherine Center.  This is not the kind of book I typically pick up but I wanted what seemed to be a quick read. This one has all the markings of being about romance and indeed it is, but it's much more than that. 

The young protagonist, Sadie is a struggling, New York City painter. Early on in the novel she suffers a non-convulsive seizure and ends up in the hospital.  After diagnosis she learns she has a medical condition called prosopagnosia or facial blindness where you have difficulty recognizing people's faces. This is problematic since she is a painter and she has just been accepted into a competition in which Sadie has to paint someone.  Apparently, there's no treatment for the illness so the story takes us on a journey about how she copes with life and how she enters the competition despite being unable to paint faces. 



My weekend plans include the goal of finishing Hello Stranger and making good progress on the final novel in the stack, Digging Stars which I'll have more to say about once I've finished read it.  I'm enjoying it so far.

And what about you dear reader?  What are you weekend plans?

Friday, February 3, 2023

Status of my Reading Challenge for 2023

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all doing great and ready for the weekend.

I've been plodding along over the past week or so. I've not been too busy but I have a lot to do and I haven't been very organized about it so am feeling a bit disorganized. Whenever I'm in that space of not being able to focus on other things, I always turn to reading.  It's one of my favourite things.

In 2022 I purposed to read less but still read a lot for pleasure. I read 46 books and just over 16,000 pages. I'm not sure I'll have a lot of time for reading later in 2023 so I'm reading a fair bit right now.  My reading is 50 books.  Of course I will always have some works of fiction to read but I'm hoping to make more time for both sewing and baking in 2023 so there will be a lot of books on these subjects.  So far in 2023 I've read 8 books as below. I don't tend to write long reviews of books I've read. I only give them stars according to how much I've enjoyed them and I might add a line or two so I remember them later. (You may need a Goodreads account to be able to read the links).

Cherop 's bookshelf: read

The Girl Next Door
really liked it
A psychological murder mystery set in small town England. A few twists and turns with a surprising and disturbing ending.
tagged: fiction and mystery-thriller
Little Wishes
really liked it
I thoroughly enjoyed this book about young love lost and found again when it is almost too late. A sad and poignant book.
Happy Homemade: Sew Chic: 20 Simple Everyday Designs
really liked it
The layout and presentation of this book is very well thought out. I enjoyed the tips provided for the sewing projects too. But I wasn't a fan of the designs and I have no idea about how easy it is to use the patterns at the back though ...
tagged: contemporary and sewing
Lotta Jansdotter's Everyday Style: Key Pieces to Sew + Accessories, Styling, and Inspiration
really liked it
A short book with uncomplicated clothing. It's the patterns at the back that might take some time to figure out. I'm hoping to make 2-3 items in future but have so many other projects right now.
tagged: crafts and sewing
PlantYou: 140+ Ridiculously Easy, Amazingly Delicious Plant-Based Oil-Free Recipes
really liked it
This book has lots of 'doable' and unfussy plant based recipes. The recipes are all laid out clearly and simply.
A Russian Sister
really liked it
This book is a book of fiction based on historical facts. It took awhile to get into this book but once I started enjoying it I enjoyed it a lot. I had no idea how it might end but was a bit disappointed in it. It seems the women in Russ...
tagged: fiction and historical-fiction
Dear Emma
liked it
This book was written for several generations younger than I so I couldn't relate much to the themes in it. I think those in early years of college or university might like it better.
tagged: contemporary, fiction, romance, and young-adult
Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War between the Windsors
really liked it
tagged: biography, contemporary, and non-fiction

goodreads.com

A Few Scenes from the Week

Hi friends and fellow bloggers, Here are a couple of snapshots to end the month.  Wishing you a fabulous end of November. See you in the mon...