Greetings, people who may or may not know me! How very exciting, one or more of you may be a stalker. Whatever shall I do then?
We’re here for the next installment of “Songstress overshares random nonsense about her life”, are you ready? (If you’re just here for the State of the Challenge, you know what to do – scroll down to the bottom!)
Starting in with the reading, on the plane home from Linz’s I started reading a book that she’d told me about a couple of years ago – an author request that she’d enjoyed more than most and I was very intrigued by her review. Deadheading by Paul Cristo gave me serious The Stand vibes, except that our protagonist basically hunkered down in his house and missed the chaotic end of the world. And the antagonist wasn’t nearly as creepy as Randall Flagg. The best part for me was watching Lewis figure out how to survive and learn new skills after the end of society as we know it. This book checked off prompt #58, Read a book that Linz read previously. [3.75 stars]
Next up, I jumped into my selection for challenge #18, Read a book by an author named Alex, Alexander, Alexandra (or variant). The only book I already had on my owned TBR for this prompt was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and I was in no way prepared for a 1200+ pager, so I ordered a copy of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith from Paperback Swap. Until I received it in the mail, I hadn’t really noticed the cover image, and had absolutely zero idea this was set in Africa.
Actually the setting was my favorite part – I haven’t read a lot of books set in Africa, and the main character’s voice was a fun lens on Botswana. The individual cases that were handled and the overall story were a little dull, and I doubt I’ll continue with the series, but for what it was, I did like it. [3.5 stars]
My third read for the month of August was Pawn’s Gambit by Rob J. Hayes – I heard about this author through Daniel Greene’s YouTube channel, specifically noting that the author has focused on creating stand-alone stories that even though they’re in the same world, don’t have to be read in any particular order. When I started this story, I thought the premise sounded a little crazy (mortals conscripted into a scavenger hunt in order for the gods to overthrow their ruler)… but the story did grab me by the end, and it was well told.
The characters were the big draw for me, and the ending held an unexpected twist or two. The cover includes 5 people (as far as I can tell… but the more I look at it, the more that figure to the right looks like it might be an injured opponent – we’ll just ignore that for now), so I selected this one for challenge prompt #40, A book with 5 objects on the cover. [3.75 stars]
The next book I finished in August was Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. I have known about Seanan McGuire’s work (and at least one of her pseudonyms) for several years now but haven’t read any of her books, and I had picked up a copy of Every Heart a Doorway when it was marked down for Kindle last fall. It was short and promised to be fast paced, so I figured it would be a great choice for challenge prompt #9 – Read a book by an author that’s new to you, especially in a month that I spent more time with other hobbies and wasn’t finishing a lot of books.
I loved the premise of this series – as a collection of stories about children who have visited magical worlds and for one reason or another been forced to return to the “real” world, where they no longer feel they belong. The series takes place at a boarding school run by an elderly woman who had herself visited an alternate world several times and knew what these children would need. I haven’t gone beyond the first book in the series so I don’t know how the rest of the books are structured, but this first one was a murder mystery, and it pulled me in with the quirky characters and the concept. I definitely plan to continue with the series when I can pick them up. [4 stars]
And just when I thought I wouldn’t get another book in for the month, I ended up staying up past midnight on the 30th because I was having so much fun with The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. This one didn’t really fit any of my challenge categories, so I used my first Free Space at #12. I was always more of a “friends to lovers” trope fan instead of “enemies/rivals to lovers”, but the relationship between the two main characters in this book (and Kate and Anthony from Bridgerton S2, for that matter) may be pushing me the other way. I found myself laughing out loud several times, crying more than once, and wanting to read it again soon. [4.25 stars]
As for what else my time has been spent on, I’ve been doing a lot of watching TV shows while coloring on my Chromebook in tablet mode – the Happy Color app has a multitude of gorgeous paint-by-number pictures in varying degrees of intricacy, and works well for something to do while multitasking. Nail art also works well for something to do while watching TV.
Specifically, this month I finished watching Bridgerton (season 2 was so much better than season 1 for me, Kate and Anthony had amazing chemistry), The Witcher Season 2 (ahh Henry Cavill, how I’ve missed you), The Expanse Seasons 5 and 6 (amazing sci-fi show but not something you can really multitask while watching), Inhumans (not especially good but mildly interesting), and the I Am Groot animated shorts on Disney Plus (super cute). I’m also staying current with She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (ok, kind of funny) and House of the Dragon (really enjoying). And finally, last night I watched the movie adaptation of The Hating Game, since it was streaming on Hulu and I’d just finished the book. It was all right, but I did like the book better – probably because I didn’t mind Lucy’s point of view in the book.
Other than all that, my favorites for the month include getting my piano tuned for the first time in forever (it sounds so good now!) and Bones Coffee’s The Nightmare Before Christmas flavored coffee collection (my favorites are The Pumpkin King, Santa Jack and Ruff Weather).
So you who know me know the drill – I want to talk to you! What have you been reading and watching lately? Have you read any of the ones I finished this month? Any recommendations for me? Do you like flavored coffee, and if so, what’s your favorite brand? What are you looking forward to for September? Come chat with me in the comments!
The Linzthebookworm/Logophile 2022 Reading Challenge
Level 1: Book of the Month Club [10/12 complete]
1. Read a book that cost less than $5 – The Paid Bridesmaid – Sariah Wilson
2. Read a book that is under 350 pages – Sign of the Unicorn – Roger Zelazny
3. Read a book that was recommended to you
4. Read a newly published book (within the past year) – Cytonic – Brandon Sanderson
5. Read a book that has a type of plant or flower in the title – These Tangled Vines – Julianne Maclean
6. Read a book because of the cover – Shatter Me – Tahereh Mafi
7. Read a book about a mythical creature – Blood Trade – Faith Hunter
8. Read a book that takes place in the future – Leviathan Falls – James S.A. Corey
9. Read a book by an author that’s new to you – Every Heart a Doorway – Seanan McGuire
10. Read a book from NPR’s top 50 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of the past decade – The Martian – Andy Weir
11. A book by an author whose first or last name has 5 letters
12. Free Space – Pick any book! – The Hating Game – Sally Thorne
Level 2: Casual Reader Club [7/12 complete]
13. Read a book published 5 years ago – Turtles All the Way Down – John Green
14. Read a Speculative Fiction
15. Read the first book in a duology – King of Scars – Leigh Bardugo
16. Read the second book in a duology – Rule of Wolves – Leigh Bardugo
17. A book that was published when you were 5 years old – The Hand of Oberon – Roger Zelazny
18. Read a book by an author named Alex, Alexander, Alexandra (or variant) – The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – Alexander McCall Smith
19. Read a book about Zombies
20. Read a book with a black cover – I’ve Got Your Number – Sophie Kinsella
21. Read a book from AbeBooks.com’s list of 100 (fiction) books to read in a lifetime
22. Read a book with the word City in the title – City of Girls – Elizabeth Gilbert
23. Read a book about a musician (non-fiction or fiction)
24. Free Space – Pick any book!
Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club [7/12 complete]
25. A book with a title that has 5 letters
26. Read a book published by Macmillan (or subsidiary)
27. Read a book with a title that doesn’t start with an article (A, An, The) – Raven Cursed – Faith Hunter
28. Read a book you recently acquired – Black Arts – Faith Hunter
29. Read a book that’s been on your TBR for over a year
30. Read a Revenge Story – The Rage of Dragons – Evan Winter
31. Read a book by Philippa Gregory – The Lady of the Rivers – Philippa Gregory
32. Read a book that takes place on an island
33. Read a book that does not have a person (or people) on the cover – Dark Matter – Blake Crouch
34. A book that you intended to read on last year’s challenge – A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving
35. Read a Psychological Thriller – The Shadow Box – Luanne Rice
36. Free Space – Pick any book!
Level 4: Speed Reader Club [5/12 complete]
37. Read a book over 500 pages
38. Read a book that starts with the letter Z (or has Z in the title) – Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating – Christina Lauren
39. Read a book that takes place around your favorite holiday
40. A book with 5 objects on the cover – Pawn’s Gambit – Rob J. Hayes
41. Read a book with the word Wisdom in the title
42. Read a Dystopian Fiction – The Circle – Dave Eggers
43. Read a book by an author with the same name as one of your parents (Biological, Step, Adopted)
44. Read a book that a movie/show you’ve watched is based on but have yet to read (example: Watched The Hobbit, but never read the Hobbit) – Fight Club – Chuck Palahniuk
45. Read a book about a Saint (non-Fiction or Fiction)
46. Read any book from the Men’s Health most popular book list – The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins
47. Read a book published in a year that was important to you
48. Free Space – Pick any book!
Level 5: Overachiever Club [6/12 complete]
49. Read the 5th book in a series or an author’s 5th novel – Death’s Rival – Faith Hunter
50. Read a True Crime book – If You Tell – Gregg Olsen
51. Read a book by Georges Simenon (or one of his Pen Names)
52. A book with the number 5 in the title
53. Read a book that takes place in Russia – A Train to Moscow – Elena Gorokhova
54. Read a book by an author using initials as part of their name – A Dream So Dark – L.L. McKinney
55. Read a book that has a title in the form of a question
56. Read a banned book from this banned book list – Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher
57. A book with at least 5 prominent characters
58. Read a book that Linz read previously (see book review archive here) – Deadheading – Paul Cristo
59. Read a book that Tress read previously (see reading category archive here)
60. Free Space – Pick any book!
The Logophile 