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Mod
How do you like Dune? I heard it's hard to get through.
Have fun on vacation! :D
Currently Reading:On my kindle The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skenandore, the audio book for Dune by Frank Herbert & I checked out Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier from my library as my holiday read but I haven’t started it yet.
I’m going on vacation in 5 days so I think these will be my last books of 2024! I’m at 20% with Skenandore & 50% with Dune.
Reposted bc the links were broken
Catherine, it was really hard to get into and it’s SO long but I think having watched the movie first and listening to the audio book has helped. I’m not much of a sci-fi fantasy reader usually so it was confusing at first but watching the movie helped a lot. I’m really into it now! I think I’ll read the physical copy of Dune Messiah next
Mod
That's impressive. How'd you decide to read it?
I’m trying to branch out & read more genres (my usuals are cozy mystery & romance) and honestly just because I really enjoyed the movie I decided to read the book
I finished Dune & I gave it 3/5 stars because there were some really interesting parts but it was so so incredibly long and I was pretty confused & not knowing what was going on half the time. On the fence about reading Messiah but it’s much shorter so I might read a hard copy if it. Honestly I had hoped to enjoy it much more than I did but I’m not giving up on sci-fi, I’m reading The Martian next month
Reading a historical fiction with romance is so funny because I’m reading a “spicy” scene and the MC has to take off 9 pieces of clothing first LOL
Oh man, that feeling when the book is so good you stay up until 3am finishing it 😌 The Medicine Woman of Galveston, the newest addition to my 5-star shelf. I absolutely LOVED it and it checked off a box on my 2024 book bingo (a book set in my hometown). I bawled like a baby!!
Happy Monday! It’s a new week and that means more books to read. Last Week I Read:
The Medicine Woman of Galveston 5 stars
Small Things Like These 3 stars
Cruel Winter with You 3 stars
Merry Ever After 4 stars
I’m Currently Reading:
Eggnog Murder
My Next Reads:
All by My Elf
Merriment and Mayhem
Only Santas in the Building
All three of those are part of an Amazon collection I downloaded to my Kindle for free. It’s a collection of 5 short books the first two I finished and really enjoyed! I highly doubt it’ll take me the whole week to finish the rest so I’m on the hunt for something else to read before the new year. I’m on vacation until the 3rd and didn’t bring any physical books besides eggnog murder which I’ll finish today so I’m on the hunt for a quick-ish read to get on my Kindle.
Mod
Whoa, you read super fast! Awesome, happy reading!
Catherine wrote: "Good for you, branching out to read other genres! Glad you're not giving up on sci-fi, it's one of my favorite genres:) I haven't read The Martian, though.Whoa, you read super fast! Awesome, happ..."
I do 🫣 thats the only reason I can get through books so fast, I read about 2 pages per minute when I'm not annotating. But if Sci-Fi is your favorite I'm totally open to suggestions!
I'm finishing Eggnog Murder & All By My Elf today, I'll finish the last two books in the Under the Mistletoe collection by Wednesday so I have a week to read one more book; which is a lot longer than it usually takes me to read a book but I'm still on vacation until the 3rd & I've been busier than expected. I downloaded Gray After Dark to my kindle & that'll be my last read of 2024! It'll be book 24 for me which surpasses my original goal of 12, exciting stuff!
Week 52 Reading PlanFinished:
Eggnog Murder
All by My Elf
Merriment and Mayhem
Only Santas in the Building
Starting:
Gray After Dark
It will hopefully be my 24th and final book of 2024, exciting stuff! Aiming for 10 chapters a day because I want to be finished before the new year & it has an impressive 63 chapters + epilogue. But I’m assuming they’re short chapters because the book is only 365 pages!
Anyways I’ve read like 7 Christmas books so I like the change of pace and I think ending the year off with my favorite (mystery) is a good way to wrap up the holiday season.
Mod
Whoa, you read super f..."
Whoa, that's amazing!! I'm the opposite, I take a while reading XD Annotating books, cool! What kind of things do you like to write, if you're comfortable sharing? No problem if you don't:)
I actually haven't read anything in a while, but I do remember really liking Scythe. I've only read the first book, but I hope to finish the series someday!
Mod
Catherine wrote: "Annotating books, cool! What kind of things do you like to write, if you're comfortable sharing?"I like to write leisurely so most of my annotations are vocabulary words and definitions, phrasing & descriptions that I like, references, etc. Things that stand out to me and give me ideas for my own writing!
Catherine wrote: "Good for you, more than doubling your goal!”
To be fair, I set a really low goal for myself because I really hadn’t been reading a lot at all, at least for my standards. The first half of 2023 I was pregnant & the second half I had a newborn and for the first time in my life I don’t think I read a single book (aside from my Bible) all year. So I set my 2024 goal as 12 (one a month); I read one book in January, one in February, then absolutely nothing until November. I read 6 books in November & 15 (I’m working on #16) in December.
Currently 60% done with Gray After Dark and I’m not enjoying it as much as I had hoped. I thought it would be my last read of the year but I might finish it tonight & I have a hair appointment tomorrow. I’ll be sitting at the salon for quite a few hours & I know I’ll want something to read (5-ish hours of alone time, what??) so now I’m on the hunt for another ebook to download. I’ve read enough Christmas & romance lately so I’ll probably look for something else but I’m not exactly sure what yet!
UGH something about this book is just not it for me and I can’t put my finger on the reason why I’m not enjoying it and that’s bothering me. Well I’m almost finished with it so I just downloaded Clammed Up to my kindle app that way I have something to read tomorrow while I’m getting my hair done.
🍋 Lemon Drop-in 🍋A weekly update on what I read, what I’m planning to read & more.
Freshly Squeezed Books I read this past week
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Cruel Winter with You Sour (2 Stars)
Merry Ever After Underripe (3 Stars)
All by My Elf Rotten (1 Star)
Eggnog Murder Sweet (4 Stars)
Merriment and Mayhem Sour (2 Stars)
Only Santas in the Building Sweet (4 Stars)
Gray After Dark Underripe (3 Stars)
Clammed Up Underripe (3 Stars)
Ripe for the Picking Books I’ll pick up this week
🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋
Death of a Kitchen Diva TBR tackle & Cozy Escapes
The Martian Genre Challenge
Pulp & Prose favorite quotes from last week’s reads
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From Cruel Winter with You
“I want you. I want everything with you. I want to go to work in the morning knowing that I’ll see you at home every night. I want to be there when you have a terrible day
From Merry Ever After
“Christmas in Texas just hits different, I guess.”
“The fact that I made them in between feedings and naps and work and bath time is what makes me one of a kind.”
“You apologized to my chickens for making them get out of your way.”
From Only Santas in the Building
“My grandmother used to style her hair and wear lipstick every day, no matter what, Because you never know who you’ll run into. If I told her about this, I know exactly what she’d say. You see? ¡Te lo dije!”
“When he grins, his prominent canines slightly resemble fangs. I was obsessed with vampires when I was in high school, so this little detail does not go unnoticed or unappreciated.”
From Gray After Dark
“Opening up your heart is messy—and risky. But keeping your heart locked is risky, too.”
I hope everyone reading this has a blessed week and a new year that’s everything you want it to be and more.
Mod
I like to write leisurely so most of my annotations are vocabulary words and def..."
Awesome! What genre of writing do you like to write?
That makes sense that you didn't read a lot in 2023 😆 Balancing life in general and leisure time (like reading) is so hard. Whoa, you read a LOT in December! Impressive:) What's the best book you read in 2024?
Hey, that's great! I've been trying to read more of my Bible. I'm having trouble reading my Bible consistently over a long period of time. I'll work on it this year 😄
Mod
A weekly update on what I read, what I’m planning to read & more.
Freshly Squeezed Books I read this past week
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Cruel Winter with You Sour (2 Stars)
[book..."
I love the way you set up your reading update! I especially like the quote from Gray After Dark:)
Catherine wrote: "Awesome! What genre of writing do you like to write?" Mostly the same that I like to read, romance & mysteries. Currently, I’m working on something that’s a really interesting combination of the two.
Catherine wrote: "What's the best book you read in 2024?"
This is so hard to answer, I read really great books in 2024, but if I absolutely had to choose… The book that made me have the strongest emotional reaction & book hangover was The Medicine Woman of Galveston it was just phenomenal, it hit really close to home and by the end of the book I felt like every single one of the characters was my best friend.
Catherine wrote: "I've been trying to read more of my Bible. I'm having trouble reading my Bible consistently over a long period of time. I'll work on it this year 😄"
I kind of struggle with the same thing, what has helped me a lot lately is following Christian influencers on Instagram. I follow this one girl that posts Bible reading plans every month. It’s just a little reading each day, but by the end of the month you’ve read at least a book and I like that she explains why she chooses the books that she does for each month. In January, I’m reading Esther & Ruth with her, I think last year in January we read proverbs because if you read it in a month with 31 days, there’s a chapter a day.
🍋 Lemon Drop-in 🍋Week 2/52 update on what I read, what I’m planning to read & more.
Freshly Squeezed Books I read this past week
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The Martian Perfect Pick (5 Stars)
Death of a Kitchen Diva Underripe (3 Stars)
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires Perfect Pick (5 Stars)
Ripe for the Picking Books I’ll pick up this week
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Twilight TBR tackle & cozy escapes
Oh Crap! Potty Training: Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right TBR tackle & Genre Challenge
The Spellshop Group Read & Cozy Escapes
Pulp & Prose favorite quotes from last week’s reads
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From The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
“A no-good man will tell you he’s going to change,” she said. “He’ll tell you whatever you want to hear, but you’re the fool if you don’t believe what you see”
“You said you wanted to live where people watched out for each other,” Patricia told her. “But what’s the good of watching if we are not going to act?” “We’re a book club,” Maryellen said. “What are we supposed to do? Read him to death?”
“Some man who’s never felt… his baby crown is stronger than me? Is tougher than me?”
“He thinks we are what we look like on the outside: nice Southern ladies. Let me tell you something… There’s nothing nice about Southern ladies”
From The Martian
“I wasn’t expecting to be first at anything”
“Government watching me with satellites? Need tinfoil hat!”
“They say once you grow crops somewhere, you have officially “colonized” it. So technically, I colonized Mars.”
“With hundreds of millions of bacteria, it only takes one survivor to stave off extinction. Life is amazingly tenacious. They don’t want to die anymore than I do.”
“Every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. It might not seem that way sometimes, but it’s true.”
I hope everyone reading this has a blessed week.
So, like the absolute bibliophile I am, so is my son. Now he’s only one and a half but he loves his books and our weekly trips to the library so much. On our most recent trip we joined a kid’s challenge that they have set up with the app Beanstack. It’s the “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” challenge, and it seems super cool. We got a library tote & some stickers for signing up, then we get a prize for every 100 books we read and a big prize at the end if you complete the challenge. We have about 3 years and 7 months until JB starts kindergarten so we’ll definitely have read a lot of books by then. I love the concept so much and we’re super excited about it!
🍋 Lemon Drop-in 🍋Week 3/52 update on what I read, what I’m planning to read & more.
Freshly Squeezed Books I read this past week
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Twilight Perfect Pick (5 Stars)
Oh Crap! Potty Training: Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right Underripe (3 Stars)
Breakup Bootcamp: The Science of Rewiring Your Heart Underripe (3 Stars)
The Spellshop Perfect Pick (5 Stars)
Ripe for the Picking Books I’ll pick up this week
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Tales from the Café Serial Reader & Cozy Escapes
Project Hail Mary Genre Challenge
In Five Years TBR tackle & Cozy Escapes
Pulp & Prose favorite quotes from last week’s reads
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From Twilight
“Just because we’ve been… dealt a certain hand… it doesn’t mean that we can’t choose to rise above—to conquer the boundaries of a destiny that none of us wanted.”
From Oh Crap! Potty Training
“Life will always happen, so if we want to change something, we have to make an effort.”
From Breakup Bootcamp
“Go through the fire with me. I’ll hold your hand. We’ll dance through the pain and rise through the flames. This is the type of love worth creating.”
From TheSpellshop
“Of course knowledge is dangerous. But ignorance is even more dangerous”
I hope everyone reading this has a blessed week.
❄️January TBR❄️Progress 9/8 books🏅
📚Books I want to read📚
The Martian read
Death of a Kitchen Diva read
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires read
Twilight read
Oh Crap! Potty Training: Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right read
Breakup Bootcamp: The Science of Rewiring Your Heart read
The Spellshop read
Tales from the Café read
📢UPDATE 1/15
I finished reading all the books on my monthly TBR halfway through the month :) I’m really happy about that because a lot of them were really good reads & now I will just read some more!
⭐️Bonus Books⭐️
Project Hail Mary Read
In Five Years TBR
The Last Thing He Told Me TBR
Black Cake TBR
Boiled Over Reading
Mod
Mostly the same that I like to read, romance & mysteries. Currently, I’m working on something that’s a really interesting co..."
Awesome!! Mystery and romance, that sounds so cool! How long have you been writing it for?
Wow, that's really impressive, that the writer of The Medicine Woman of Galveston was able to allow the reader to create such a deep connection with the characters. I've never heard of it before, but it seems like it took off really fast!
Nice!! What a great way to use Instagram. Aw, I love Esther & Ruth. How are you liking them so far? Yeah, that's a good way to remember that Proverbs has 31 chapters XD
Mod
No way, how long has you son been reading with you? Amazzzing!
Mod
Week 3/52 update on what I read, what I’m planning to read & more.
Freshly Squeezed Books I read this past week
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Twilight Perfect Pick (5 Stars)
[book:Oh Crap..."
Oo Twilight! I hope you enjoy the rest of the series. Team Edward or Jacob?
Mod
Catherine wrote: "Awesome!! Mystery and romance, that sounds so cool! How long have you been writing it for?." I just thought of the plot a few months ago and I really haven’t written much but ideas. I definitely read a lot more than I write but when I find the time & motivation hopefully I’ll make some progress!As for my progress on my Bible reading tbh I haven’t read much lately. It’s hard to find time free of distractions but hopefully I’ll be able to soon. My son is only 18 months but I’ve been reading to him pretty much from day 1. He love his books & I read him stories before bed every day! Oh and definitely #teamedward
🍋 Lemon Drop-in 🍋Week 4/52 update on what I read, what I’m planning to read & more.
Freshly Squeezed Books I read this past week
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Tales from the Café Sweet (4 Stars)
Project Hail Mary Perfect Pick (5 Stars)
Boiled Over Sour (2 Stars)
Black Cake Perfect Pick (5 Stars)
Ripe for the Picking Books I’ll pick up this week
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A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery Genre Challenge
Death of a Country Fried Redneck Serial Reader & Cozy Escapes
The Last Thing He Told Me Cozy Escapes
Pulp & Prose favorite quotes from last week’s reads
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From Tales from the Cafe
“I want to find work that is worth spending a lifetime on.”
“A parent’s love for their child is bottomless. Their children remain children, no matter how old they grow.”
“The world hasn’t changed, I have…”
“Seasons flow in a cycle. Life too, passes through difficult winters. But after any winter, spring will follow.”
From Project Hail Mary
"I commend your body to the stars."
“If I had a nickel for every time I wanted to smack a kid's parents for not teaching them even the most basic things .. well....I'd have enough nickels to put in a sock and smack those parents with it.”
From Black Cake
“Covey had grown up believing that anything was possible, even for them. But when you were a girl, people could tell you how to walk, how to sit, how to talk, what to do, where to go, how to think, who to love. And who to obey.”
“I won't go far, I promise. I'll be there in the water with you, every single time. I always have been.”
“If you wanted someone to keep loving you, you couldn't ask them to bear all of your burdens, couldn't risk letting them see all of who you were. No one really wanted to know another person that well.”
“Does anyone ever fall in love that way anymore? Without hesitation, without terror?”
I hope everyone reading this has a blessed week.
Mod
Awesome! Yeah, finding time to do things is always a struggle:) Sitting still when you're young is hard- that's so great! Nice:) I'm not strongly Team Edward or Jacob, but Jacob does seem to have some anger issues at times 😂
Love the quote about seasons from Tales From the Cafe! Hope you've been well! :D
🍋 Lemon Drop-in 🍋Week 5/52 update on what I read, what I’m planning to read & more.
Freshly Squeezed Books I read this past week
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Death of a Country Fried Redneck Sweet (4 Stars)
The Last Thing He Told Me Sour (2 Stars)
In Five Years Rotten (1 Star)
Death of a Coupon Clipper Underripe (3 Stars)
A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery Sweet (4 Stars)
Ripe for the Picking Books I’ll pick up this week
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Things We Hide from the Light
When I Think of You
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Pulp & Prose favorite quotes from last week’s reads
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From Death of a Country Fried Redneck
I’m not a wife beater, I just wear one.
I don’t know why I’m in the mood for barbecue..
From A Crime so Monstrous
‘Even if, in the worst case, seventy-five percent of the people are not slaves,’ Eibner said, ‘I would feel good about the twenty-five percent who were freed.’ What I saw at the redemptions made even 25 percent seem optimistic.
I found that many families faced a terrible choice: watch their children starve, sell them to traffickers-or put them in the hands of radical Islamists.
Now as then, mere emancipation did not mean freedom.
By the time you finish this chapter, another person will have entered bondage in the United States.
I hope everyone reading this has a blessed week.
🍋 Lemon Drop-in 🍋Week 6/52 update on what I read, what I’m planning to read & more.
Freshly Squeezed Books I read this past week
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Things We Hide from the Light Underripe (3 Stars)
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Perfect Pick (5 Stars)
When I Think of You Underripe (3 Stars)
Death of a Chocoholic Underripe (3 Stars)
Verity Perfect Pick (5 Stars)
Before Your Memory Fades Underripe (3 Stars)
Ripe for the Picking Books I’ll pick up this week
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A Court of Thorns and Roses
I’m Glad My Mom Died
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Pulp & Prose favorite quotes from last week’s reads
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From The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
We're part of the earth below us and the sky above us. Our veins echo the patterns of rivers and roots. There's sunlight and moonlight in our bones.
She hadn't realised just how heavy her mask had been until she'd discovered what it was to live without it.
From When I Think of You
"Technically, you guys didn't have sex sex though," she offers matter-of-factly. "Who are you? Bill Clinton?"
I hope everyone reading this has a blessed week.
Mod
🎀🩷 February: Lights, Camera, Literature 🎀🩷This month I wanted to make time to read some books that have been on my TBR that have upcoming film/tv adaptations. I also wanted to celebrate Black History Month and make an effort to read more from Black authors.
(view spoiler)
📚Books I want to read📚
Progress 10/12 books
Death of a Chocoholic 🥣🩷 read 2/3
Verity 🍿📚 read 2/3
Before Your Memory Fades 🥣⏳ read 2/4
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches 💬📚 read 2/1
The Housemaid 🍿⏳ TBR
A Court of Thorns and Roses 🍿⏳🩷 read 2/6
New Moon 🥣⏳🩷 read 2/18
What to Expect the Second Year: From 12 to 24 Months 🥣📚 read 2/17
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo 🍿⏳ TBR
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration ✊🏽🤎 ⏳ 🎭 🔢 read 2/16
Seven Days in June ✊🏽🎭 ⏳ 🔢🩷🤎 read 2/19
Fourth Wing 🍿💬⏳🩷 read 2/12
🎯 February Challenges, Group Reads & More 🎯
Time Warp ⏳
Message 25; Progress 6/9
Buddy Read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches 💬
finished
BOTM Fourth Wing 💬
finished
⭐️Bonus Books⭐️
When I Think of You 🩷 🤎 read 2/2
I’m Glad My Mom Died 📚 read 2/6
Death of a Christmas Caterer 🥣 read 2/12
The Couple at the Lake House read 2/14
Death of a Cupcake Queen 🥣 read 2/15
A-Z Black Woman 🤎 read 2/16
✌🏽 End of Month Wrap-Up ✌🏽
Total Books Read 16
Yearly Reading Goal Progress 33/52
Mod
Mod
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Books mentioned in this topic
A-Z Black Woman (other topics)Death of a Cupcake Queen (other topics)
The Couple at the Lake House (other topics)
Death of a Christmas Caterer (other topics)
The Housemaid (other topics)
More...
My hope for this nook is to organize my reads & just a place to share my thoughts!