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Welcome to my weekly update for December 17, 2023!
Well, I’ve posted a few times but my last actual update was on August 20. Oh boy. I truly admire those of you who regularly post and comment on so many other blogs. I just cannot find a routine that works for me. But I’m here today!
Reading Challenges I’m Hosting:
Be sure to check out my 2024 Books in Translation and Southern Literature reading challenges!
Posted:
Posted since August 20:
The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig–Review–3 Stars
Shubeik Lubeik, written, illustrated, and translated by Deena Mohamed–Review–5 Stars
A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak by Laura Taylor Namey–Review–4 Stars
The 13 Most Challenged Books in 2022
Choosing Nonfiction: Nonfiction November
The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening by Ari Shapiro–Review–4 Stars
My sign-up for all the 2024 reading challenges I’m participating in (Check it out! You might want to join me in some of them!)
Read:
I’ve read 40 books since my last update on August 20 so I’ll just list a few of my favorites here.
Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Keane–4 Stars
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger, read by Scott Brick–4 Stars
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys–4 Stars
The Clackity (Blight Harbor #1) by Lora Senf, illustrated by Alfredo Cáceres–4 Stars
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher–4 Stars
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl–4 Stars
The Attack by Yasmina Khadra, translated by John Cullen–4.5 Stars
Gender Queer, written and illustrated by Maia Kobabe–4 Stars
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan–4 Stars
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, read by Cindy Kay–4 Stars
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares (Dash & Lily #1) by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, read by Ryan Gesell and Tara Sands
March: Book Two by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell–4 Stars
Currently Reading:
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, read by Jon Lindstrom
The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health–and How We Must Adapt by Sinan Aral
Up Next:
I truly don’t know. It will be a busy week but I still have a lot of wrapping to do and I should finish Dark Matter soon. Any recommendations for a good holiday audiobook?
What did your week look like?
Hosts:
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon and Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer hosts Sunday Post. Kathryn at Book Date hosts It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
16 Comments
I will be signing up for a few reading challenges for next. Don’t know if I will stick to them but will see.
Have a great week.
Glad to see you posting again. You did read a lot of interesting books while you were away. Come see my week here. Happy reading and happy holidays!
I read the Clackity this year and thought it was pretty scary for a MG book. I need to get my hands on the second one which just released. It’s so hard to stay on top of blogs. I took a whole year plus hiatus off recently and have only been back at it for several months. Hope you have a great holiday!
I can’t keep up, Jan, so don’t feel bad. I try my best, but I get overwhelmed at times. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas ☕📚🎄🎅🍪🧁❄️☃️
Blogging and commenting regularly is hard. Glad to see you when you’re around.
Many of the books caught my eye: The Clackity, A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, The Bookshop on the Corner, and Dahs & Lily’s Book of Dares.
Hope you enjoy your week. Good luck with your challenges in 2024.
https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2023/12/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-and_17.html
I hope you like Dark Matter, I was fond of that one. So mind bendy! And I remember Dash and Lily but never did read it.
Hope you’re having a nice holiday season!
I have been very lax lately, so let’s just be glad we’re here today, still posting away, however sporadically! I loved Tender at the Bone on audio.
For a meditative holiday audio, I’d suggest Small Things Like These by Clare Keegan. For literary holiday listening, I’d suggest Jeannette Winterson’s Christmas Days. For a classic audio, there’s a lot of great versions of A Christmas Carol, and it is perfect for an annual listen! For a village mystery, A Fatal Winter by G.M. Malliet. For a touch of science fiction with a bit of romance, A Lot Like Christmas: Stories by Connie Willis, Just for fun, Rumpole at Christmas by John Mortimer.
We’ve been missing you, Jen. Glad you were able to pop in this week and update us about what’s been going on for you. It looks like a lot of great books have come your way. I hope you will share photos with us soon of places you have visited.
I’m glad you’re sponsoring two challenges for 2024.
I signed up for your Translated books and Southern literature 2024 challenges. Really excited for those! The T. Kingfisher book sounds so fun! I have yet to read a Kingfisher book, but I plan on it in 2024!
My Sunday Post 🙂 https://backshelfbooks.com/2023/12/17/the-sunday-post-reviewing-and-looking-ahead-12-17-2023/
Ooh, I really enjoyed Dark Matter and have Upgrade on my shelf for 2024.
Merry Christmas!
I love all the William Kent Krueger books. I also liked I Must Betray You which we read for COYER book club.
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking sounds good!
I really liked This Tender Land and Lily and Dash. I definitely want to read The Attack (thank you for reminding me about it) and Gender Queer.
Keeping up with blogging is hard. I usually disappear in the summer and reappear in October/November. I don’t have time to do all the things!
I started Tress of the Emerald Sea and then something came up and I never finished it! I need to go back and read it again – and finish it this time.
I also wanted to read A Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking and forgot about it – adding that one right now!
I’ve been falling short of commenting regularly the last few weeks. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.