Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 11

The Sunday Post: New Recipes, Cutting Ties, and Travel Planning

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.

New Recipes, Cutting Ties, and Travel Planning:

Hey Book Blogger Friends! How was your week? If you’re in the US are you ready for Thanksgiving this coming week?

This week I tried a few new recipes I found on Pinterest and I loved them all. I made a “sushi” bowl, one-pot teriyaki noodles, vegan French toast (if you like cinnamon toast this was so decadent!), and spaghetti with plant-based meatballs and homemade marinara. Are you hungry yet??

This week I also ended the on-again/off-again long distance relationship I’ve been in for far too long. It wasn’t going anywhere and I’m sick of having to be the one to make the effort always and I’m just eager to look ahead to the future.

Since I figured out my work schedule for 2025 last week I was able to start travel planning for my spring 2025 trip and I’ve picked my destination: New Orleans! I’ve always wanted to go and I’m so excited! I’ve already picked out a nice hotel with a great location!

Last Week on the Blog:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? / WWW Wednesday

Stacking the Shelves: 23 November 2024

This Week on the Blog:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? And WWW Wednesday – 25-27 November 2024

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I’m Thankful I Gave a Second Chance

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Nightweaver! (Make up from last week)

Time Travel Thursday and Throwback Thursday

First Line Friday

Stacking the Shelves

New Book Mail on My Shelves:

Library Audiobook Borrows:

Physical:

Stacking the Shelves: 23 November 2024

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

Books Added to My Shelves This Week:

This week I got one book I had ordered off PangoBooks while I think I might have gotten scammed by another seller (they claimed they shipped the book a week after I ordered it but the post office is still awaiting the package). Meanwhile I borrowed two audiobooks from my library’s Hoopla and Libby apps

Physical:

This book is so gorgeous! I’m about 100 pages into reading it right now although I’m more in an audiobook mood right now.

Library Audiobook Borrows:

I’ll be starting this one tomorrow most likely!

I just finished this one and sadly my library doesn’t have the third book yet!!

What books did you add to your shelves this week? Have you/do you plan to read any of these?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading and WWW Wednesday – 18-20 November 2024

This week I’m linking up to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? Hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date and WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words!

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

WWW Wednesday was created by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and was taken over by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. To participate answer the 3 W’s:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m starting a new book today and I have a library audiobook borrow to start as well!

Currently Reading:Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

I’m just starting this one. I fell in love with the cover first and I don’t know much about the book but I’m excited to start it!

Recently Finished:Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare

I ended up DNFing this one.

The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling

I loved this book! It was such a perfect, feel-good, funny end to the trilogy. Exactly what I needed!

The Last One At the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

I enjoyed this one! I liked the plot, the setting, and trying to unravel what was going on while at the same time all of the characters were so unlikable!

Razor Thin by Amy Frances

I so wanted to love this one. Hearing the author talk about it made me so excited but when I sat down to read it I was just confused. Even when I skipped ahead to the big twist I wasn’t shocked, I mostly just wanted to know why. I gave it 114 pages (out of about 500+) but gave up.

Reading Next:Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

I recently rewatched Bitten but realized I had only read the first book in the Women of the Otherworld series so I borrowed the audiobook of book 2 from the library.

What are you reading and loving this week? Have you read any of these?

The Sunday Post: New Schedule, Holiday Prep, and Me Time

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.

New Schedule, Holiday Prep, and Me Time:

Hey Book Blogger Friends!

This week I finally found out when our new schedule for work will begin. In 2025 we’re switching from the current 6 days on, 3 days off schedule to a 4 day on, 2 day off schedule. I’m okay working fewer days but I’m unhappy with fewer days off, especially working night shift so it will seem like only 1 1/2 days off. Luckily it doesn’t go into effect until January 11th. It shifted all the days I was planning for vacation though.

This week I finished pulling recipes and planning out what I want to make for Thanksgiving (and also planned for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). This coming week I’ll finish my grocery shopping.

This weekend I had to unplug for a mental health weekend. Even though it’s not even winter I’m already feeling the winter blues and when I found myself telling two people off on Friday I decided I needed some me time. That’s the plan for tomorrow and Tuesday as well.

Last Week on the Blog:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 11 November 2024 and WWW Wednesday – 13 November 2024

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Destination Titles

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Darkly!

Time Travel Thursday and Throwback Thursday: 14 November 2024

First Line Friday: 15 November 2024

Stacking the Shelves: 16 November 2024

This Week on the Blog:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? / WWW Wednesday

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Nightweaver!

Time Travel Thursday and Throwback Thursday

First Line Friday

Stacking the Shelves

New Book Mail on My Shelves:

Library Audiobook Borrows:

Physical:

Stacking the Shelves: 16 November 2024

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

Books Added to My Shelves This Week:

Last weekend after I posted I found my package from Amazon for the Bookish Secret Santa the writing group I’m in does each year and received two of my high priority TBR books from my friend Chelscey! I also got two audiobooks from my library’s Libby and Hoopla…

Bookish Secret Santa:

I was so happy to get The Wedding Witch! And not just because a day early my library hold came in for it and it was a short hold I would have had to cram in quickly. I’ve been dying to see how this trilogy ends since reading the second book and this one being delayed another year in 2023.

This was the other book I received and I’m so glad I did! It released just after my New England trip in October so I wasn’t financially able to pick it up right away.

Library Audiobook Borrows:

Sadly I ended up DNFing this one earlier this week because I felt like I wasn’t absorbing anything from the story.

I mentioned wanting to read The Hunting Moon in last week’s Throwback Thursday post so I decided to give The Luminaries a reread to refresh my memory before I do. I’m listening in audiobook this time and I’m liking it better this way. It’s like that for me with some books.

What books did you add to your shelves this week? Have you/do you plan to read any of these?

First Line Friday: 15 November 2024

This week I’m joining First Line Friday. First Line Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Carrie @ Reading is My Superpower! So grab the book nearest you, your current read, or the book on top of your TBR stack and share the first line.

My pick this week is…

The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling

And the first line is…

“Elves really were dickheads.”

I love that first line, don’t you? What is the first line of the book you’re reading this week?

Time Travel Thursday and Throwback Thursday – 14 November 2024

Time Travel Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog where readers take a look back at what they were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and compare it to what you are reading now. I’m also joining Susan @ Susan Loves Books and linking up to Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog for Throwback Thursday which discusses books you want to read that were published one year ago and also shares a past review so here we go…

14 November:Ghost of a Chance by Brittany Kelley

One year ago today I was just finishing this cute seasonal rom-com.

Currently Reading:The Last One At the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

This afternoon I started this thriller, The Last One At the Wedding which has been a high priority on my fall TBR!

Comparison:

Ghost of a Chance is a rom-com with fall/Halloween vibes. It’s a light feel-good read and now that I’m thinking about it I feel like a reread at some point. The Last One at the Wedding is a thriller, so a little darker in theme obviously. I don’t know much about it yet but I’m eager to get into it!

Have you read either of these books?

New Release – 1 Year Ago Today:Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan

I received this one from Bookish Secret Santa with my writing group last year and the woman that gifted it to me and I were going to do a buddy read. We haven’t gotten around to scheduling that yet but I’m looking forward to reading this one at some point. Do Your Worst released November 14, 2023!

New Eyes on An Old Review:

Audiobook Review: Holly by Stephen King

I still stand by my review of this one. I liked the main plot of the missing girl but could have done without all the political drivel thrown in. If I’d been reading this in November 2024 after the stress of earlier this month and wanting to get away from all of the political chatter I probably would have DNF’d this one.

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Darkly!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released.

Darkly by Marisha Pessl

Young Adult, Horror/Thriller, Standalone

eBook, Hardcover, 416 Pages

November 26, 2024 by Delacorte Press

Blurb:

A must-read thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page from the New York Times bestselling author of Night Film.

There’s nothing special about Dia Gannon. So why was she chosen for an opportunity everyone would kill for?

“Pessl is gargantuan: wildly smart, extremely surprising, a wordsmith, a queen. Read her.” —E. Lockhart, #1 New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars

Arcadia “Dia” Gannon has been obsessed with Louisiana Veda, the game designer whose obsessive creations and company, Darkly, have gained a cultlike following. Dia is shocked when she’s chosen for a highly-coveted internship, along with six other teenagers from around the world. Why her? Dia has never won anything in her life.

Darkly, once a game-making empire renowned for its ingenious and utterly terrifying toys and games, now lies dormant after Veda’s mysterious death. The remaining games are priced like rare works of art, with some fetching millions of dollars at auction.

As Dia and her fellow interns delve into the heart of Darkly, they discover hidden symbols, buried clues, and a web of intrigue. Who are these other teens, and what secrets do they keep? Why were any of them really chosen? The answers lie within the twisted labyrinth of Darkly—a chilling and addictive read by Marisha Pessl.

This summer will be the most twisted Darkly game of all.

Why I Want to Read This Book:

I read Neverworld Wake several years ago and it was a twisty mindf*ck that I loved every minute of. I also have Night Film on my TBR and this one sounds like another twisted must read.

Will you be checking this book out? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Destination Titles

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books Involving Food 

This week’s TTT is about books with a destination (real or fictional in the title!

Destination: (noun) the place to which someone or something is going or being sent.

(adjective) being a place that people will make a special trip to visit.

1. Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan2. Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco 3. Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore 4. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane 5. The Monsters of Selkirk: The Duality of Nature by C.E. Clayton6. The Island by Natasha Preston7. Carolina Moon by Nora Roberts8. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid9. Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong10. Death on Cozumel Island by Cindy Quayle

What books did you pick for this week’s theme? Did any of mine make your list?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 11 November 2024 and WWW Wednesday – 13 November 2024

This week I’m linking up to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? Hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date and WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words!

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

WWW Wednesday was created by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and was taken over by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. To participate answer the 3 W’s:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I have a couple new books to read and I’m trying to decide where to start!

Currently Reading:Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare

I think I saw this one on Instagram and put a hold on the audiobook on my library’s Libby program. My hold came in this past week and I started listening on Saturday. I’m not sure how I feel about it yet.

The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling

Both my library hold and my writer friends’ secret santa brought me this book and I’m so excited to finally start reading it today after the year delay!

Recently Finished:Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

As always I enjoyed my reread of this one. Now I have to make myself wait at least a year to read it again!

Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison

I was able to finish my re-listen to this one last week while working out and I still enjoyed the story! It’s been a while and I had forgotten a few of the details.

80s Ghosts by V.S. Lawrence

I enjoyed this one! At times I had a little trouble connecting with the main character but overall I liked the concept and the writing!

Reading Next:The Last One At the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

I was also gifted this one and I’m really looking forward to reading it!

Razor Thin by Amy Frances

This one is still pretty high on my TBR! I’m hoping to get to it next week or the week after!

What are you reading and loving this week? Have you read any of these?