Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Quarter Year Reading Check In

 

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Can you believe the year is almost over? How's it going for everybody? Have you accomplished anything awesome? Did you get a lot of reading done? I've read 43 books so far in 2024. Let's talk about the best and worst of them.


Tuesday, October 8, 2024

The Longest Books I've Read (And If You Should Read Them)

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I love long books! There's something magical about being in one fictional world for an extended period of time. It's both exciting and comforting. You feel at home with the setting and characters. Also, conquering a fat bastard book gives you bragging rights. Feeling superior to others is always fun.

Here are the 10 longest books I've read. Were they worth the time and effort? A few of them are the middle books in series, so I'll do my best to avoid spoilers.


Tuesday, October 1, 2024

October 2024 Book Releases

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There are tons of intriguing books coming out in October. Here are 5 that I'm most looking forward to reading.


Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Books To Read In Fall

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It's the most wonderful time of the year! It's autumn! Yes, I'm a basic bitch who loves pumpkin-flavored stuff and wears knockoff-brand Ugg Boots from October to December. I also have a reading list. Here's what I'm hoping to read in the next few weeks.


Tuesday, September 17, 2024

My Book Buying Ban: Two Years Later



In August 2022, I ran out of space for new books. They overflowed my shelves, and I started stacking them on the bedroom floor, where I promptly tripped over them. It was a problem. I decided to put myself on a buying ban until I've read (and donated) all my unread books. That was two years ago. Here's what's happened so far.


Tuesday, September 10, 2024

How To Build A Reading Habit: 10 Practical Tips For Busy Professionals



I've been blogging about books for 11 years, and I'm out of ideas for blog posts, so I decided to ask our AI robot overlords for blog post topics. The AI suggested: "How To Build A Reading Habit: 10 Practical Tips For Busy Professionals."

Sounds good. I read between 60 and 100 books a year. The robot overlords demand to know how I do it.

I'm flattered that the AI thinks I'm a "professional." I'm not a professional anything, but I'm definitely "busy." I live with a five-year-old child, I'm going to EMT school, and I'm a park ranger. Here's how I fit reading into my schedule.


Tuesday, September 3, 2024

September 2024 Book Releases

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There are tons of intriguing books coming out in September. Here are 3 that I'm most looking forward to reading.


Sunday, September 1, 2024

The Sunday Post #373

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.


Tuesday, August 27, 2024

A Narcissism Post About Narcissism Posts



Today we're talking about everybody's favorite topic: ME! It's a narcissism post about narcissism posts. I don't think I can handle this level of self-absorption. I might collapse into a black hole and suck the entire universe into myself.

I've written a lot of blog posts about myself. Every Sunday Post I've ever written is about me. But, what about the other posts? Which ones are the most self-absorbed? Here are the posts you should read if you want to learn everything about me.


Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Best Books From The Last 10+ Years

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It's my blogiversary! Actually, it was my blogiversary on August 16th, but close enough. My first post on this blog was published on August 16, 2013, and is probably cringeworthy. Don't look at it.

Instead of looking at old posts, let's look at old books. What are my favorite books from every year I've been blogging?


Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Best Travel Books

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This was a hard list to make because I've read a slew of brilliant books about people who travel. How do I choose the best ones? Should I pick books about famous explorers? Should I focus on traditional road trip stories where the characters travel by car? What about science fiction and fantasy? Do those count? How about outdoor survival stories? I've read a ton of those.

Maybe I should pick books that feature different modes of transportation? Walk, crawl, climb, horse, train, boat, car, spaceship?

Since I couldn't decide, I picked everything. Here are 10 awesome books where people travel somehow somewhere.

Sunday, August 11, 2024

The Sunday Post #372

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.


Tuesday, August 6, 2024

August 2024 Book Releases

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There are tons of awesome books coming out in August. Here are three that I can't wait to read.

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

I Read The Lowest Rated Books On My Shelf. Did They Suck?

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In March 2023, I looked up the Goodreads ratings of all the unread books on my shelf. I wanted to read some good books, so I thought I'd prioritize the ones that other readers love.

While I was looking at the popular and beloved books, I couldn't help scrolling down and checking out the . . . um . . . not-as-loved books. Which unread books on my shelf had the lowest ratings?

I was kind of shocked. I was excited about those books! Why did readers feel so "Meh" about them? I decided to find out.

During the adventure that was 2023 (and the beginning of 2024), I read the books. Did I hate them as much as everybody else did?


Sunday, July 28, 2024

The Sunday Post #371

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.


Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Best Debut Novels

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Sometimes, I read a debut novel and feel horrible about myself. Why are some authors so talented? Why can't I be talented?

Here are 10 amazing debut novels that blew my mind and sent my confidence down the toilet. You should read them. They're a good time.


Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Best July - December 2024 Book Releases

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Calling all literary enthusiasts! Are you ready to get your hands on the hottest new reads that will be hitting shelves from July to December 2024? Look no further, because this article has all the details on the most highly anticipated book releases for the second half of 2024. With a mix of genres and authors, these books are sure to captivate readers and make a mark on the literary world. Get ready to expand your reading list as we dive into the top picks for the best July to December 2024 book releases.

(Okay, full disclosure: The above paragraph was written by an AI that analyzed my blog and tried to copy my writing style. How'd it do? I'm a bit disappointed that it didn't mention nachos or make fun of my parents' undying love for Donald Trump. Does this robot even know me? Anyway, I wrote the rest of this post without robot assistance. I promise.)


Sunday, July 14, 2024

The Sunday Post #370

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.



Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Best Books Of 2024 (So Far)

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Welcome to my favorite blog post of the year! These are the best books I've read so far in 2024. It's a short list because I've only read 34 books, so I'm just going to show off my top-top-top favorites, and I'm not going to include rereads. For extra drama, I organized the list countdown style.

Drumroll please . . . .


Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Mid-Year Reading Check-In

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The year is half over! Can you believe it? How's everybody holding up? Are you doing okay?

If you're reading this on the day it's posted, I'm in the middle of Hell week(s) at work. July 4th is the busiest day of the year at parks. July 5th is a governor's holiday in Colorado, so lots of state employees who aren't me will be off work. Then it's the weekend, which is always chaotic at parks. Also, the fiscal year is ending, and I work in the revenue department when I'm not dealing with traffic, customers, problems, whatever. Basically, the world is conspiring to kill me.

Speaking of death: I passed the prerequisite class and got accepted to EMT school. I guess that'll be happening in August. Somehow.

Let's talk about books! I've read 33 of them so far this year. That's not a lot, but a large chunk of them have been massive. My goal for the year is to read all the big books I've been procrastinating. I think I'm doing pretty well.

Here are the highlights (and lowlights) of my reading year so far.

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Best July - December 2024 Young Adult Book Releases

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Are you ready for your to-be-read list to explode? Here are some 2024 young adult book releases that need to be on your bookish radar.


Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Books To Read In Summer

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I've been on a book buying ban since August 2022, and I'm slightly running out of books to read. Here are the final 11 unread books on my shelf. Do you think I can finish all of them this summer? I'm not optimistic because a few of them are massive.


Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Recent Additions To My Must-Read List

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I'm on a book-buying ban, so I haven't been purchasing any books, but that hasn't stopped me from adding them to my must-read list. I'm pretty sure I learned about most of these books from award committees. Let me know if you've read any of them!


Sunday, June 9, 2024

The Sunday Post #369

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Best Plot Twists

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Have you ever read a plot twist that left you speechless? You were innocently reading along, and then something happened that completely blindsided you? Then you stared at the book, stunned?

That's what we're talking about today! Here are 10 books with twists, reveals, or endings that blew my mind. I'm going to give a synopsis of the book and not give commentary because how am I supposed to talk about plot twists? Just trust me that they're good. Or bad. A few of them are devastating.


Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Best Nonfiction Books

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In the last few weeks, we've talked about the best memoirs and the best biographies. Now we're talking about the best general nonfiction. These books are about topics, events, or groups of people. I tried to pick a variety of subjects for you!


Sunday, May 26, 2024

The Sunday Post #368

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.


Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Best Biographies

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about my favorite memoirs. Let's stick with the nonfiction theme and talk about the best biographies I've read in the last few years. I promise these aren't the dry, boring Famous Historical War Hero books your grandpa loved! (Maybe that was just my grandpa?) These biographies will hook you from page 1 and keep you up past bedtime.


Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Best Quotes From Happy Books

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At the beginning of the year, I asked my bookish friends to recommend happy, quirky, funny books to me. I wanted to get out of my depressing reading comfort zone. However, I was worried that the happy books would be frivolous, and I'd get bored with them because they wouldn't give me anything to think about.

Luckily, that hasn't been true! Even quirky books have thought-provoking lines. In this post, I'm sharing a few of my favorite quotes.

Sunday, May 12, 2024

The Sunday Post #367






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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.


Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Best Memoirs

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I love a good memoir. For some reason, true stories stick in my mind better than fictional ones. Here are 10 memoirs I've read and loved recently. I tried to pick books about a variety of people, so hopefully there's something here for every reader.


Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Petty Reasons I've Given Books Low Ratings

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I thought this would be an easy topic for a blog post. I thought I was a petty bitch! Turns out, I'm not as petty as I thought. Most of the reasons I dislike books are completely normal. Flat characters, predictable plots, saggy middles. Perfectly reasonable stuff to dislike.

After digging through tons of old reviews, I found a few petty reasons why I knocked stars off my ratings. This post was hard!


Sunday, April 28, 2024

The Sunday Post #366

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.


Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Convince Me To Read These Books

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Do you ever buy a book and not read it right away? Then it sits on your shelf for weeks because there are so many books and so little time. It keeps getting bumped down your reading priority list. Years pass. Then you forget why you bought this particular book and start losing interest in reading it. 

Today, I'm going to look at the books that have been sitting on my shelf the longest. I'm trying to get myself reenergized to read them.


Tuesday, April 16, 2024

A Beginner's Guide To Reviewing Books

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Recently, I met a person, and this conversation happened:


Her: "What did you study in college?"

Me: "My BA is in English literature. My MFA is in children's literature."

Her: "So you like reading?"

Me: "Yep. I read books and talk about them on the internet."

Her: "I like books, but I sound stupid when I talk about them."

Me: "Me too, but that's never stopped me."


The conversation made me wonder what goes on inside my head while I'm writing a book review. What do I look for in fiction? What do I say in reviews?


Sunday, April 14, 2024

The Sunday Post #365

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.


Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Quarter Year Reading Check In

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The first quarter of the year is over! How'd it go for everybody? Have you accomplished anything awesome? Did you get a lot of reading done? I've read 21 books so far in 2024. Let's talk about the best and worst of them.


Tuesday, April 2, 2024

April 2024 Book Releases

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April is a great month for books! I'm looking forward to reading all of these.

Note: Some of the release dates may change or be different in your part of the world. Don't come for me if they're wrong. I'm trying to keep up!


Sunday, March 31, 2024

The Sunday Post #364

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.


Tuesday, March 26, 2024

What To Watch On TV Right Now

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In 2023, I kept a list of all the TV shows and movies I watched. Today, I'm sharing the highlights of the list! Here's some delightful trash to rot your brain. I enjoyed the heck out of these things.

Sunday, March 24, 2024

The Sunday Post #363

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.


Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Books To Read In Spring

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I've been on a book buying ban since August 2022, and I'm slightly running out of books to read. I think I own 17 unread books right now. Most of the stuff I've read lately came from the library.

This Spring, I want to stay away from the library and prioritize the books I already own. Here are 7 books I will most definitely (probably, maybe) read in the next few weeks.


Sunday, March 17, 2024

The Sunday Post #362


The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.


Tuesday, March 12, 2024

I Read The Highest Rated Books On My Shelf. Were They Good?

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Way back in March 2023, I made a 5-star TBR predictions post. I picked a variety of popular books that I hadn’t read yet. They sounded like my kind of stories, so I thought I’d love them and give them all 5 stars.

During the adventure that was 2023 (and January 2024), I read the books. Did I give them 5 stars? Let’s find out.


Sunday, March 10, 2024

The Sunday Post #361

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.


Tuesday, March 5, 2024

March 2024 Book Releases

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March is a great month for books! I'm looking forward to reading all of these spring babies.

Note: Some of the release dates may change or be different in your part of the world. Don't come for me if they're wrong. I'm trying to keep up!


Sunday, March 3, 2024

The Sunday Post #360

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.


Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Beautiful Text-Only Book Covers

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Today, we're taking about book covers. I always kind of dread talking about covers because I know nothing about art. I have opinions about art, but I don't have the vocabulary to express those opinions.

Here are 10 text-only covers that I think are beautiful. However, I suspect calling them "text-only" is wrong because a few of them have a tiny bit more than just text. Maybe they're minimalist covers? Text-focused covers? They're covers where "the artist uses font, color, and shapes to show a book's essence." That is too many words to fit in a blog post title, so we're calling these "text-only" covers.