March 2023 Recap: A Lot of Words

Hello again, friends and readers! Thanks for coming back to check out what nonsense I have to share. Happy April! Please remember that today is National Trust No One Day, and take everything you see or hear today with an enormous grain of salt.

That said, I certainly did a lot of reading in March – and this time, longer books than I finished in February.

Right off the bat in March, I finished Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer, which was a touching YA contemporary with a good dash of romance – but less about the romance than about a couple of teenagers who have been beaten down by life, made some bad choices, and feel isolated finding one another and learning a lot of lessons about forgiveness and friendship along the way. And with the heart on the cover, it made a nice choice for prompt #7, Read a book with a basic shape on the cover. [4.25 stars]

The next book I finished was Slayer, by Kiersten White. Those who know me well know I’m a big fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so this YA novel set a couple of years after the end of the series had always intrigued me. There are quite a few references to events from the TV series, the prequel movie and the spinoff series – including heavily featuring events from the final season, so it’s not great if you’re trying to avoid spoilers, but a very interesting look at the post-series world, mostly centering around the Watchers Council and their organization. I am intrigued to read the sequel, because I got pretty attached to the main character. This one was my choice for challenge prompt #20, Read a book with a one-word title. [4 stars]

After that, I picked up The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll, my choice for challenge prompt #9, Read a book about a hobby you enjoy or want to pick up (fiction or nonfiction). I’ve been bullet journaling since 2018, having picked up the idea from some planner channels I followed on YouTube – but this book was great for giving me practical tips on how to get the most out of the system and the practice of bullet journaling. I could – and often do – talk for ages about the bullet journal system, and highly recommend this book for anyone who’s looking for a way to organize their lives and their minds. This system is simple to start, and flexible enough to be whatever you need it to be. [5 stars]

That was followed by my selection for prompt #17, Read a book with a yellow cover – The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock by Jane Riley (trust me, the cover is a bright yellow…. just not on the Kindle Paperwhite). The main character in this romance is a funeral director who feels stuck in his career and his life by his own insecurities and the expectations of others – he is constantly making resolutions that he never manages to keep, and his lonely life never seems to get better. I was prepared to be annoyed by his obsession with a married woman, but the story threw me a curveball and I had a surprising amount of fun watching Oliver adjust his outlook and change his life. [4.25 stars]

Book #5 for March was The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. I’d heard great things about this author from a couple of the BookTube channels I follow, and this is the first of their books that came up on my PaperBackSwap wish list. Aside from epic fantasy, thrillers are one of my favorite genres and this one has the tension and suspense in spades, plus it was a good choice for prompt #31, Read a book with the word “Time” in the title. The main character is an artist who is haunted by a traumatic event when she was 13 years old, when the 3 girls who were her cabin-mates at a summer camp for wealthy girls disappeared without a trace.

The owner of the camp has decided to re-open the campground and sponsor the experience for underprivileged girls, inviting back some of the previous campers to be instructors. Throughout the novel the story of the main character’s camp experience 15 years ago unfolds, in parallel with events of the present day unraveling the mystery, and it was positively gripping. [4.5 stars]

And shortly before midnight, I finished my 6th book of March, Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon. This book I know I have read before, but it was well before I started keeping track of the books I’d read, and over the at least 25 years since I’d last read it, I’d forgotten pretty much everything about it. I’d found it on Kindle for free or absurdly cheap not long after I started my e-book collecting, so it’s been sitting there unread for over a decade until I was reminded of it by a BookTuber who marked it as one of his favorite reads of 2022. It also fit perfectly for challenge prompt #15, Read a book that involves a lot of traveling.

This book is often compared to Stephen King’s enormous post-apocalyptic good vs. evil epic The Stand, if the apocalypse in question were a thermonuclear war between global superpowers instead of a military-engineered biological weapon. Swan Song focuses less on the mechanics of rebuilding a decimated society, and adds in the environmental devastation of widespread radiation, as well as a magical MacGuffin that takes the place of the psychic dreams that bring together the groups of our main characters. If you’ve read (or watched either of the miniseries versions of) The Stand and enjoyed it, you’d probably find this book right up your alley. The Stand is one of my favorite works of fiction and my top Stephen King book of all time, and I feel like I preferred it for various reasons I won’t spoil, but Swan Song has a lot to recommend it as well. [4 stars]

Aside from reading, my month of March involved checking out some new TV shows (and binge-watching new episodes of a couple that I enjoyed before).

HBO ended up canceling and removing The Nevers from their streaming catalog before 6 episodes that were already produced for the second half of season 1 could be aired, so when they were released on Tubi, I had to make a point of watching them. And I really did enjoy them, as much of a pain as it was to locate the Tubi schedule and figure out when I could watch them live.

The second season of Shadow and Bone was released on Netflix – combining events from several different books in Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse. I find I’m less of a book purist than I expected to be, and I’m intrigued by the changes they made in the story. Here’s hoping Netflix doesn’t pull their usual tricks and cancel the series before we get a satisfying conclusion.

One of the reaction channels I follow has started watching Ted Lasso, so I’m watching along with her and loving it so much more than I expected to. I’ve been keeping up with the new episodes of How I Met Your Father season 2 – still not quite the show How I Met Your Mother was, but it’s fun and I’m enjoying the cameos from the HIMYM cast. I also checked out the first couple of episodes of Up Here on Hulu and I’m… not all that impressed so far. We’ll see if it gets better.

As for other media, I’ve been keeping up with The Rewatcher podcast on Spotify, and my most played music of the month is Elevation Worship’s Acoustic Sessions – several songs rotate for the current title of “stuck in my head”.

And in non-media nonsense, I’ve been trying to continue eating mostly healthy since the end of our church’s 40 day fast in February. I haven’t been stocking sweets or dairy products or beef at home, and mostly have tofu or other plant-based proteins with meals. My current favorite snack is Pink Lady apples with crunchy natural peanut butter. I have been eating out or ordering in occasionally, though. The Orange Cream shake is on the menu at Arby’s, after all. And of course for Pi day I had to get a pie. And pizza. Hmm…maybe not as healthy overall as I thought.

I’ve nearly finished the lyric video for the second original song I have recorded for publishing on YouTube – I was hoping to get that done in March, but that just means my goal for April is to release two of them. Since March included my brother’s memorial service, I thought instead I’d share a YouTube video he recorded for my grandmother’s funeral 5 years ago – he couldn’t attend, so he played her favorite hymn (which is also mine)… and this is why I don’t claim to be a keyboard player, because this level of talent is something I grew up hearing and don’t have the drive to aspire to match.

And now, the best pictures of March, including my nail art looks:

Well, that certainly was a lot of words. Please come talk to me in the comments so I know you actually read them. *wink* What have you been reading, or watching, or listening to? Any good recipes you want to share? What’s your favorite thing right now?

The Linzthebookworm/Logophile 2023 Reading Challenge

Level 1: Book of the Month Club [9/12 complete]
1. Read a book recommended to you on social media or by a friend – Recursion – Blake Crouch
2. Read a book under 300 pages – The Courts of Chaos – Roger Zelazny
3. Read a book with a female main character – Tress of the Emerald Sea – Brandon Sanderson
4. Read a book by an author whose name is Samantha, Sam, or a variant – Seven Blades in Black – Sam Sykes
5. Read a book that was written by an author from your home state
6. Read a book you meant to read for last year’s challenge – Have We Met? – Camille Baker
7. Read a book with a basic shape on the cover (examples: circle, square, heart, star, diamond) – Call It What You Want – Brigid Kemmerer
8. Read a book you got from Project Gutenberg, a library, or another nonprofit source – The Blue Castle – L.M. Montgomery
9. Read a book about a hobby you enjoy or want to pick up (fiction or nonfiction) – The Bullet Journal Method – Ryder Carroll
10. Read a book that starts with the first letter of your name
11. Read the next book in a series you haven’t read in a while – The Lost Metal – Brandon Sanderson
12. Free Space – Pick any book!

Level 2: Casual Reader Club [5/12 complete]
13. Read a book by Mary Faulkner (or one of her aliases)
14. Read a book of short stories or a novella – Ford County: Stories – John Grisham
15. Read a book that involves a lot of traveling – Swan Song – Robert R. McCammon
16. Read a book published in 1998 (25 years ago)
17. Read a book with a yellow cover – The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock – Jane Riley
18. Reread a book you have recommended to someone else – The Imperfect Disciple – Jared C. Wilson
19. Read a book by Dean Koontz
20. Read a book with a one-word title – Slayer – Kiersten White
21. Read book 1 in a trilogy
22. Read book 2 in a trilogy
23. Read book 3 in a trilogy
24. Free Space – Pick any book!

Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club [2/12 complete]
25. Read a book that takes place somewhere you’d like to live
26. Read a book recommended by whatshouldireadnext.com
27. Read a book by an author who shares a first or last name with one of your friends
28. Read a book with a neon-colored cover
29. Read a book that has under 1,000 reviews or ratings on a website or app – Joshua: Man of Fearless Faith – W. Phillip Keller
30. Read a middle grade book (8-12 age range)
31. Read a book with the word “Time” in the title – The Last Time I Lied – Riley Sager
32. Read a book about a famous criminal(s)
33. Read a movie novelization book (movie to book, instead of book to movie)
34. Read a fiction or nonfiction book that motivates you to be a better version of yourself – Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are – Shauna Niequist
35.Read a self-published book
36. Free Space – Pick any book!

Level 4: Speed Reader Club [0/12 complete]
37. Read a book that is over 600 pages
38. Read a book from ListChallenge’s Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge
39. A book by an author named David/Dave
40. Read a “Dark Academia” novel
41. Read a book with a title that starts with the letter V
42. A book set in Asia or an Asian-inspired culture
43. Read a book with a cat on the cover
44. Read a folklore book or book based on folklore
45. Read a book where the main character is a dancer
46. Read a book by a new author
47. Read a book that involves a conspiracy
48. Free Space – Pick any book!

Level 5: Overachiever Club [1/12 complete]
49. Read one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2022 (any category)
50. Read a book where the main character is a villain or anti-hero
51. Read a book that has a title that is punny and/or alliterative
52. Read a “found family” story
53. Read a book that has a letter Q in the title
54. Read a book that has an illustrated cover – Naomi and Her Daughters – Walter Wangerin, Jr.
55. Read a book that takes place in at least two different decades
56. Read a book about an entrepreneur (real or fictional)
57. Read a book that takes place in Alaska
58. Read a book with the word “Justice” in the title
59. Read a book involving dinosaurs
60. Free Space – Pick any book!

[2023 Reading Challenge] #15 checked off!

See the 2023 Reading Challenge to play along!

August 2022 Recap: Wherein I am Random

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!