Second Quarter 2021 TBR & Updates

 When I logged in this morning I realized that I had meant to post an update at the beginning of March but never published it! So This will be a little update on me & what I read in March & some info on what I'm planning on reading in the coming months. I don't know what I would do without Goodreads to help me keep track of all my books & reading. If you aren't using it, trust me...you need to start! 

Things have been really busy at work. We starting having gardening classes that we are paying for with grant money. We've partnered with a local gardening group, the same group that helped me start the seed library. We also started a cooking show in January! So far it's going really well. We're going to keep going through the end of the year. We also found out last week that we'll be returning to "normal" over the next several months. More info on that later. 

When I'm not reading I'm usually watching TV. lately I've been into The Golden Girls & Seinfeld. But I also discovered a new show called Debris that I really like. I also still watch some of my favorites like Grey's Anatomy, The Masked Singer, New Amsterdam, & 911. Some other new shows I've been enjoying are Game of Talents, Good Girls, Bridgerton, & Ginny & Georgia. 

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One of my goals for this year was to read some of the books that I own. So in order to do that I want your help! I have picked 10 random books from my shelves. I want you to comment below three numbers between 1 & 10. The books with the most votes I will read in the next 3 months. I want it to be a surprise so I'm not going to tell you what the books are yet. Check back later to see what I picked!

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March 2021 Wrap-Up

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

This book was fantastic! Kinda weird but fun & funny & I really want to read more books by these authors. 

 

Burn by Maya Banks

Murder Most Frothy, Decaffinated Corpse, & French Pressed by Cleo Coyle

Much like the Joanne Fluke series I'm now working my way on audio through this series.

If Fried Chicken Could Fly & If Mashed Potatoes Could Dance by Paige Shelton

The first book in the series we read for our book club several months ago. I never finished the book so I read it this month. They picked book #2 for this month's book but I haven;t finished it yet. I'm hoping to this weekend.

April & Beyond TBR

Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy

This is the book club book for April. I always feel bad when I don't finish the book before the meeting so I'm gonna really try hard to get a grip & always have it finished! I really enjoy this series so I'm going to continue with it.

Sugar & Iced by Jenn McKinlay

I was going to read this book last month but the book club picked it for May or June...I can't remember which month now. But I really like this series so I want to continue with it.

Sugar & Vice by Eve Calder

The first book in this series was good, we read it a few months ago in book club. They picked this on for May or June, can't remember which right now.

And the Good News Is by Dana Perino

 Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Now that I'm caught up with this series I always read the new ones.

 The Cage Trilogy by Megan Shepherd

We got the third book in this series last week at my library & it looked interesting. So I checked them all out. We'll see if they are any good, they are described as The Maze Runner & Uglies combined. Have you read this series? Tell me in the comments.

 

Brightwood by  Tania Unsworth

We also got this book in last week & it's a standalone that sounded cool. Home Alone meets Coraline!

The Coffeehouse Mysteries by Cleo Coyle

I'm planning on continuing with this series on audio since it's free with my Audible subscription. 

First Quarter 2021 TBRs & Wrap-Ups

I started writing this at the beginning of the month & never published it LOL oops! So I'm going to publish it now & do a kinda follow up type thing.

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So I started the year off intending to continue or I guess get back to doing my monthly TBR & Wrap-Up lists...but it's almost March & that hasn't happened. Things have been really busy at work. I moved from being at the front desk to being in the back room. I thought this would give me more time to work on things since I wouldn't be interacting with the public as much, but let me tell you...It seems like I have more stuff to do than before but less time, which is not possible I know. So needless to say I'm planning on catching up with this post & then in April maybe I can get back on the bandwagon. The good news is that I've been reading quite a bit each month which is a step in the right direction!

January 2021 Wrap-Up

Going, Going Ganache by Jenn McKinlay

Off Menu by Nell McShane Mulfhart

 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

February 2021 TBR/Wrap-Up

Tangled in Time: The Portal

Tangled in Time: The Burning Queen

Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy

Fever & Burn by Maya Banks

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

March 2021 TBR

If Fried Chicken Could Fly & If Mashed Potatoes Could Dance by Paige Shelton

Sugar & Iced by Jenn McKinlay

Poached by Stuart Gibbs

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Skywatchers by Carrie Arcos

Unbirthday by Liz Braswell

September 2020 Wrap-Up & October 2020 TBR

 I read 6 books this last month! It's been quite a while since I did that #proud! I'm hoping to read at least that many next month, but we'll see what happens. I haven't been really doing individual reviews as much & I have to admit I've enjoyed reading more. We'll see what the future holds for this blog. 

September 2020 Wrap-Up

The Honey Don't List by Christina Lauren

I did a little mini review of this book here.

Ratscalibur by Josh Lieb

I did a little mini review of this book here.

Red Velvet Revenge & Going, Going, Ganache by Jenn McKinlay

I did a little mini review of Red Velvet Revenge here. The other book was a little surprising in the end & it definitely makes me want to see what's going to happen with the rest of the series. Mel (one of the main characters) has impressed me as far as these types of books & their characters go. She's level headed, compassionate, & smart. She doesn't go off & willy nilly do things that normally happen to these other characters in these types of books.  That was until that last book! She is acting so strange & I'm not sure where things are going. 

On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle

I did a little mini review of this book here.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

I did a little mini review of this book here. It was creepy & FANTASTIC!!!

October 2020 TBR

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume

I've already finished this book over the weekend. I had never read it but the book came out 50 years ago last week so I thought why not? It was hilarious!!! If you were never a pre pubescent teenage girl you won't get it.

Through the Grinder & Latte Trouble by Cleo Coyle

I enjoyed the first book in this series a lot so I'm going to continue with it. So far book #2 is hilarious! 

Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake by Sarah Graves

This is our book club pick for this month!

Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy

Sugar & Iced & Dark Chocolate Demise by Jenn McKinlay

I have to see what happens to Mel in the rest f this series!

Christmas Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Last year & I think starting in 2018 I caught up on this series, so this is the next one in line!

 

August 2020 Wrap-Up & September 2020 TBR

 I have been a little out of the picture in the last few months. Admittedly between packing, then moving, & now settling in reading hasn't been the first thing on my mind. This even goes for my book club. I felt so bad that the last 3 months I hadn't read the book at all or I did not finish it before the meeting. So now I'm doing a little better & I'm starting back at it. I feel like when I get tired I don't have as much motivation to read. I will also say that I haven't been writing an individual review for the few books that I did finish because it felt nice to just read the book & enjoy it, rather than have to remember everything for the review, is that a bad thing? We'll see what happens going forward. I like having a creative outlet & I also like writing but is anyone other than my family even reading this?

August 2020 Wrap-Up

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

This was our June book club book. It is first in a series that I believe is ongoing. We follow a woman that works in the White House kitchen & is up for a promotion to executive chef. It was really interesting to see the inner working of the White House, or at least I'm assuming the book is based on true things. I liked this book because unlike some of the other ones we have read I didn't know who the killer was right away. 

September 2020 TBR 

These are the books I've already finished this month that I started in August:

Red Velvet Revenge by Jenn McKinlay

This was the book club pick for August & I was about half way in when the meeting happened. It is 4th in an ongoing series about a cupcake shop in Scottsdale. These books are some of my favorites that we've read & based on the cliffhanger that happened at the end of this one, that is very out of the norm, I want to keep reading the series. 

The Honey Don't List by Christina Lauren

Did you know that "Christina Lauren" is actually 2 women that write under a combined name? I didn't until I started reading this book. I have heard good things about these authors in the past but this was my first time reading a book by them. I really liked it! I want to read more. perfect for fans of Lauren Weisenberger & Sophie Kinsella. This book was great on audio because there it's told from 2 different view points so there is a male & a female reader. It follows the girl who is an assistant to a big wig hollywood tv design couple & the shows "engineer". There's drama, romance, & it was really funny.  

Ratscalibur by Josh Lieb

I just happened to see this book come in on audio in the book drop & I was like WHAT! I will say it was very strange, kinda gross at times, but very fun. Great kids book if you like to read juv lit. It says it's the first in a series but there has never been anymore & it came out years ago??? Not sure what is up with that. It takes place in NYC & a boy that's just moved to town gets bitten by a rat & he turns into one. It's a new take on Arthur & the knights of the round table. 

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These are the books I plan on reading for sure this month:

On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle

This is our book club book for this month & I'm finally gonna finish it before the meeting! So far I'm on Chapter 7 & I will say there is A LOT of stuff about coffee in the book. 

Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy

This was our book club book for July & since I didn't finish the 1st one until a few weeks ago I'm going to get to it this month mainly for the principal of it. 

Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake by Sarah Graves

This is the book club pick for October but I want to get to it before just in case I start slacking off again!

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These are other books that are a possibility for this month:

Some of these books I have had on my TBR for months & I really do want t read them so here's hoping I get to them this month FINALLY!

The Betrothed by Kiera Cass

I became obsessed with wanting to read this book after I read all The Selection books in a matter of weeks. But...my problem is this book is in a series & I'm worried if I read it & the next one isn't out I'm gonna be mad because there's gonna be a cliffhanger ending. So, that being said, we'll see if I get to it yet or if I decide to wait. 

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

I'm having the same problem with this book as the one above. We have this one & the next one is published but we haven't gotten it in yet!

The Portal & The Burning Queen by Kathryn Lasky

We got these in a while ago & just look at the covers! No wonder I was excited about them. It's just a 2 book duology so I don't have to have series anxiety over these which is good. 

House of Salt & Sorrows by Erin Craig

This book is a standalone that is on a lot of book lists. It sounds like a darker version of the story of the 12 dancing princesses which I loved as a kid!

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

This book is also a standalone & it sounds really cool!

Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine

She is one of my favorite authors & this book was on our YA new shelf, even though it is an older book that is also a standalone retelling of the story of Romeo & Juliet. 

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

I've been hearing things about this book online & in magazines so when we got it in I had to grab it!

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What am I watching on TV when I'm not reading???

Lately I have been into Netflix original movies & series like Sweet Magnolias, Virgin River, The Lost Husband, & Love Guaranteed. I also rewatched all of Gilmore Girls for like the 4th time & I started watching Good Girls on Netflix too. I like the series but I'm on season 2 & I'm starting to get bored so we'll see if I continue it. Watching some of these shows has also increased my TBR since they are almost all based on books.