Thankfully Reading 2024

It’s time for one of my favorite reading events of the year: Thankfully Reading hosted by Jenn’s Bookshelves. It is a relaxing readathon to do during Thanksgiving week. I am off Tuesday-Sunday so that is when I will be doing my reading.

Kick off

These are the books I am currently reading. I know I read too many books at one time. I am enjoying all of these but especially Water Moon!

I also have a hopeful stack of physical books to read in case a different mood strikes (Yes, Age of Vice was also here last year).

I also have some new ARC’s (Advanced Reader Copies) to read so I am going to see if I can get to some of them as well.

I am listening to the audiobook of The Rewind and I don’t have another audiobook on deck so I think I will be listening to podcasts this week. Here are a few I want to catch up on or listen to.

Anyway I am going to get to reading! I will be happy to finish three books because I do have to cook and do other things.

Tuesday

I definitely didn’t read as much as I expected to today. I was really distracted and ended ip having to do a lot of other things. But I did get good pockets of reading time in. Fri-Sun will probably be better for relaxing and reading.

I finished Left of Forever by Terah DeWitt. Her books are usually five stars for me but this one fell a little short for me. By the end I was a little ready for it to be over. And I usually love second chance romances.

I also listened to half of the 1912 The Forsyth County Expulsion and Its Aftermath podcast from WABE. So there is this story I always heard growing up that there was city under the local lake and that it was an all Black town. This podcast explores this legend by telling the real story. It is enraging to read about this area of Georgia that became all white because they trumped up charges and used that to expel ALL Black people. I haven’t gotten to the part about why the town is under Lake Lanier though.

I also watched a little bit of Outlander because a new season has begun but I am doing a rewatch because it’s been so long and I missed the last season. But I forgot how…objectionable it can be.

Pages Read: 190

Audiobook Time: 1 hour 22 minutes

Books Finished: 1

Wednesday

So today I was able to read a little more in between doing stuff around the house and cooking.

I finished The Rewind which I listened to as an audiobook and also read as an ebook. I think I preferred the audiobook. This was also a second chance romance. But I was kind of hoping that couple would not end up together in the end.

I also finished Hello, Cruel Heart. I really enjoyed the 60s setting. And it made me sad to think about what Estella would become.

I also have been on hold for the Remarkably Bright Creatures ebook for months and that just popped up on Libby so I started that as well. I am really enjoying it so I went ahead and got the audiobook so I can read and listen.

I made cornbread and mac & cheese for tomorrow. I can’t wait to eat some delicious food!

Pages Read: 432

Audiobook Time: 3 hours 54 minutes

Books Finished: 2

Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving! I spent the day with at my Grandmother’s and we have the best cooks in the family. I got a little bit of time to read.

Pages Read: 161

Audiobook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Books Finished: 0

Friday

Finally a day just to relax! I did spend some time watching Outlander and I finished up the 1912 podcast. I also put up the Christmas tree! I did get some good reading in.

I finished Remarkably Bright Creatures. What a fantastic book! It lived up the hype. Definitely a five star read for me.

I started The Last Session the upcoming Julia Bartz book this evening info and it’s so good but I had to put it aside for the night because it was scaring me 😂

I also started The Wake Up Call which wasn’t on my list but I wanted to read it.

Pages Read: 276

Audiobook Time: 30 minutes

Books Finished: 1

Saturday

This was another relaxing day. I was so happy to just curl up under my heated blanket and read.

The Water Moon was so good! It was a beautifully written book. The world is so charming and the descriptions in this book so evocative.

Pages Read: 383

Audiobook Time: 1 hour 57 minutes

Books Finished: 1

Sunday

Today is the last day of the readathon. The time off has been really nice but back to reality tomorrow.

I finished This Will Be Fun. This WAS a fun and witty book. I liked how they took modern elements and twisted them to fit the medival theme. That’s exactly my style. I do think it was a little too long and I was not rushing to pick it back up. This cover is amazing!!

I also started two books today: A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young and Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone. Both of these books are highly anticipated reads and I am loving them so far.

Pages Read: 337

Audiobook Time: 2 hours 8 minutes

Books Finished: 2

Total Pages Read: 1,779

Total Audiobook Time: 11 hours 10 minutes

Total Books Finished: 7

Thankfully Reading Week(end) 2020

Wow what a wild ride 2020 has been. As we wind down the year and get closer to a vaccine and closer to a new President I feel something akin to hope! So this Thanksgiving feels very meaningful.

Thankfully Reading weekend is my favorite! Since I am off the whole week I am actually going to make it into Thankfully Reading week! Jenn from Jenn’s Bookshelves is our wonderful host for this event and you can find out more here. I think Thankfully Reading this year is more important than ever since hopefully everyone will NOT be shopping at stores. This is a list I jotted down last week of all the books I want to read while I am off. Ambitious? Probably.

I am looking forward to getting started. I will try to do at least one update per day. Let’s get reading!

Monday

Today was a great day! I was so happy to be on vacation. I got so much done and also was able to get a lot of reading in. I finished editing a photo session that I did last weekend. So I just have one theatre photo session and I will be caught up on editing. I also need to arrange and order more of my historical record photos of Covid for work.

Now on to my reading progress. I am currently reading four books. First off, I am listening to Barack Obama’s new book, A Promised Land. I specifically got the audiobook because he is the narrator and let me tell you it is soothing! I am really enjoying listening to it.

I am also reading The Good Luck Charm by Helena Hunting. This one is taking me a little longer to get in to as I am finding it not as enjoyable as her other books but I am not ready to give up on it yet.

I spent most of the day reading The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. It is a modern day retelling of Jane Eyre and wow it was fabulous. It is a thriller and I throughly enjoyed this one. It comes out in January and I would definitely put this on your TBR list.

I am also reading Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth. And y’all this book is soooo good! I am just savoring this one. The plot is excellent, the different storylines are all intriguing, the writing is beautiful and captivating and there are even illustrations in the book. The ARC I received is just beautiful. I am trying not to read it too fast.

Monday Numbers:

Pages read: 352

Audiobook Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Books finished: 1

Tuesday

It was another glorious day minus an eye doctors appointment. It is just not fun to go anywhere during a pandemic.

I did not finish any of the books I read today. But I really enjoyed reading Megan Abbott’s upcoming book, The Turnout. It is very dark. I started Love & Gelato by Jenna Welch Evans so I could have a bit of a lighter read. It’s set in Italy! I decided to DNF Good Luck Charm. I just was not enjoying it at all. My husband and I spent a lot of time watching The Crown and The Queen’s Gambit. Highly recommend both.

Tuesday Numbers:

Pages read: 412

Audiobook Time: 1 hour 41 minutes

Books finished: 0

Wednesday

Today was a weird day. Normally on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving I am busy cooking and cleaning. It really just feels like a normal week except I am off work. Well, I did have to go in for a little bit today so we could do a video. But, it just doesn’t have that festive Thanksgiving air and I am really sad about it. Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year and 2020 is such a bummer! My husband is making our meal tomorrow but he wants it to be a surprise so I don’t know what he is making.

Today was a good reading day though even with going in to work for a couple of hours. I finished The Turnout by Megan Abbott and wow it only got darker. It was pretty creepy. I can recognize that it was a good and well written book and also feel like it just wasn’t for me.

I adored Love & Gelato. It was a perfect lighter read that still had heart! I am looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

I started reading Float Plan by Trish Doller. I have been anticipating this one for months and wow it is already more than I ever expected. I thought it was going to be a fluffy, happy romance. Nope! But I am seriously loving it.

I also started listening to the audiobook of Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. I am about 20 minutes in and I can already tell I am going to love this book. SO many possibilities. I had to force myself to turn it off so I could write this post and then go to bed.

Wednesday Numbers:

Pages read: 466

Audiobook Time: 2 hours 23 minutes

Books finished: 2

Thursday

Oh my Thanksgiving was a rough day. I was sad and depressed in the morning and then had a horrible migraine in the afternoon and evening. I really wasn’t able to get much reading in. My husband made a delicious Thanksgiving lunch and I did finish Float Plan. But that was pretty much it. I have never had such a bad and long migraine. On to better things Friday!

Let’s talk about Float Plan. Wow this book was so, so good. It received a rare five stars. As I said yesterday I thought this was going to be a rom com but it wasn’t. This book was a beautiful and heart-wrenching story of grief, loss and healing. It was mesmorizingly beautiful.

Thursday Numbers:

Pages read: 183

Audiobook Time: 32 minutes

Books finished: 1

Friday

Today was a much better reading day. It was nice to have a lot of leisure time to just sit around and read. I also managed to get some cooking and TV watching in. It was a beautiful fall day!

I started You Should See Me in a Crown which is a delightful YA book about a girl running for prom queen. I am really enjoying it so far!

Also, Legendborn is getting SO good. I am really loving the characters in this book as well as the world building.

Friday Numbers:

Pages read: 319

Audiobook Time: 2 hours 48 minutes

Books finished: 0

Saturday

Another terrific day! This whole week has been wonderful minus my migraine. I finished You Should See Me in a Crown and while the last half of the book wasn’t as enjoyable as the first half I still liked the book.

I am also reading You Have a Match. It is a really interesting concept and it is a book I wish I had been reading during the summer.

I also decorated for Christmas today so that was fun.

Saturday Numbers:

Pages read: 322

Audiobook Time: 3 hours 24 minutes

Books finished: 1

Thankfully Reading Weekend 2019

It’s time for the wonderful Thankfully Reading weekend from Jenn’s Bookshelves.

I am so excited for Thanksgiving this year. We are staying in town and work is closing at 2 pm on Wednesday! I am looking forward to cooking, reading, and spending time with family. I plan to finish up a few books I am currently reading and starting Queen of Nothing by Holly Black and Intercepted by Alexa Martin. Let the reading time begin. I will start my Thankfully Reading on Wednesday.

Wednesday

Today was a terrific day! We closed the library at two and I had already shopped for all my food supplies. I spent the rest of the day reading, cleaning, and cooking. I don’t know why I cleaned. I am not even hosting Thanksgiving but I felt like I needed to since I got off early.

I finished The House on Tradd Street by Karen White. It was a delightful cozy ghost mystery. It made me chuckle out loud a few times. I had already started this before today so I did not read the whole thing.

I am also reading Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free by Linda Kay Klein. This is a very difficult book to read if you grew up in that movement.

As I headed out of work I grabbed three graphic novels that just came in and looked interesting. I finished Jane and oh boy I loved it! It is a modern day retelling of Jane Eyre. The art work was gorgeous and I liked the changes to the story.

But my favorite read of the weekend so far is the audiobook of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. This book is so good. I am really caught up in this story so it’s good I had plenty of audiobook time today while cooking and cleaning.

Headed to bed so I can be rested for Thanksgiving madness tomorrow.

Wednesday numbers

Pages read: 394

Audiobook time: 5 hours 46 minutes

Books finished: 2

Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving! I had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my parents house.

And then we got home and I started having violent chills. I couldn’t stop shaking. I feel terrible. I had some Advil and feel a little better but I am headed to bed early so no more reading until tomorrow. I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Thursday numbers

Pages read: 20

Audiobook time: 3 hours 2 minutes

Books finished: 0

Friday

Today was a much better reading day although I still feel pretty bad. I either have a bad cold or a sinus infection. I stayed in bed reading most of the day and then my husband and I finished the Crown this evening. I can’t imagine choosing to go out and shop Black Friday sales instead of reading. Shiver.

I finished Intercepted. It was an interesting romance novel about being the girlfriend of an NFL player. It was written by a former NFL wife. I wondered how much of it was true to life. Sounds awful.

I read the first 10 pages of Queen of Nothing before I was so tired I had to go to sleep. I look forward to diving more into that tomorrow.

Friday numbers

Pages read: 347

Audiobook time: 2 hours 33 minutes

Books finished: 1

Saturday

I started feeling a little better this morning so did a lot of errands. I still got some good reading in then though.

I finished the audiobook of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. This was an extremely sad book. I cried through a lot of it. But it was such a good book!

I am about 80 pages into the Queen of Nothing. It isn’t really capturing my attention so far. The first two books I couldn’t put down. At least I had a cute little kitty keeping me company while I read.

I started and finished Alex, Approximately. This was the first Jenn Bennett book I have read and I loved it. It is very much in the style of a Kasie West book and I have finished all of her books so I was happy to discover this author.

I have started not feeling very good again so I have purchased The Discovery of Witches tv show on Apple and plan to watch it tonight while my husband is at a concert. I think it’s still in the spirit of Thankfully Reading since it’s based on a book series. It will be interesting to see how well it is adapted. I can’t picture it. Diana is very in her head and there are a lot of lulls to the book. I imagine there will be a lot of flashbacks utilized. I adore Matthew Goode too. Rawlings is ready to enjoy an evening of snuggling and watching TV.

Saturday Numbers

Pages read: 461

Audiobook time: 2 hours 34 minutes

Books finished: 2

Sunday

Being sick is no fun when you are on vacation. I felt worse today than I have all weekend. It’s really such a bummer.

I finished Queen of Nothing. So sad this series is over. I will have to let it sit a while before I can formulate my thoughts.

Sunday Numbers

Pages read: 219

Audiobook time: 2 hours 22 minutes

Books finished: 1

Wrap-Up

Well this Thankfully Reading would have been more enjoyable if I had not been sick. But as always thanks to Jenn for hosting this fun reading weekend.

Total Numbers:

Pages read: 1,441

Audiobook time: 16 hours 28 minutes

Books finished: 6

Thankfully Reading Weekend 2018

It is one of my favorite times of the year! I love Thankfully Reading weekend. You can read more about it here. It is such a fun and chill reading weekend. I always really enjoy it. I can’t believe this is my eighth year doing it. You can check out previous posts below.

Thankfully Reading 2017

Thankfully Reading 2016

Thankfully Reading 2015: Here and here

Thankfully Reading 2014: Here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Thankfully Reading 2013: Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. 

Thankfully Reading 2012: Here, here, here, and here.

Thankfully Reading 2011: Here, here, here, and here.

Thankfully Reading 2010: Here, here, here, here, and here.

This year is a little different as I am going to another state to spend Thanksgiving with my in laws. I am looking forward to it but I don’t have anything to cook which feels really weird! I am off Wednesday-Sunday so I plan to start on Wednesday. This is my first significant time off this year so I probably won’t read as much as I usually do because I have so much other stuff to do. But this is my way too large and ambitious TBR stack. I also hope to finally finish up the Fear audiobook and some ARCs.

Who else is doing Thankfully Reading? What is on your TBR?

Wednesday

Happy first day of Thankfully Reading! It is a weird day since I am not hosting Thanksgiving this year. I am going to the in laws house and they have only told me to bring drinks so I don’t even have to cook. Normally on Wednesday I am running around cooking and cleaning. So I just spent time today reading and listening to podcasts. It was a great day.

So what are the books I am starting out with? I have been listening to the Fear audiobook since September and I am determined to finish it this weekend! It has been a hard read and I could only listen in fits and starts. I am getting close to the end though.

I finished reading The Child Finder by Rene Denfield. It is about a woman who finds missing children. It is a difficult subject matter but really well written. I had already been reading it prior to Thankfully Reading. It is the first in the series apparently but is the only one out so far.

I started the book The Shift by Theresa Brown. This books is so good. The premise of it is one nurse, twelve hours and four patients’ life. Theresa Brown is a nurse on the oncology floor of a hospital in Pennsylvania so it is a true story I am finding it fascinating.

I also started More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera as I prepped my stomach for Thanksgiving.. It is darkly funny.

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving tomorrow and lots of delicious food! We have a two hour drive to the in laws so I plan on listening to audiobooks on the way but probably won’t get much reading in tomorrow.

Wednesday Numbers:

Pages read: 394

Audiobook Time: 3 hours 21 minutes

Books finished: 1

Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a wonderful day no matter what you did. I had a great time with my in laws and ate way too much food.

As expected I didn’t get as much reading in but I was still able to finally finish Fear. I also finished Shift. Such a good book! I loved it so much.

Thursday Numbers:

Pages read: 72

Audiobook Time: 2 hours 48 minutes

Books finished: 2

Friday

Today was a glorious day! I have wanted a real Christmas tree for years. My husband doesn't like messy things so he always has vetoed a real tree but I have been campaigning hard this year and this morning he said let’s go get a tree. I was so excited. We got a beautiful tree and I am so excited to decorate it tomorrow.

I am loving Michelle Obama’s book! I am so glad I decided to do the audiobook. I love listening to her read her story. I have already got emotional several times. She is such an amazing woman. I hate all she has had to go through. So unfair. Rawlings is enjoying it too ha ha.

More Happy Than Not is pretty depressing so it’s hard to read a lot at one time. It may take me the whole time to finish this. It’s just not capturing my attention.

I started an ARC yesterday of the The Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen and it is SO good. I am loving it! The story is fascinating and the characters are terrific and unlikeable. I have their first book and now I want to read it next. I still love this suspense genre about unlikable, mysterious women.

This was a great day even though I didn’t get as much reading in as I thought I had.

Friday Numbers:

Pages read: 243

Audiobook Time: 1 hour 3 minutes

Books finished: 0

Saturday

So today was the best day ever! It was a relaxing day of lounging and reading. My dog, Rawlings spent most of the day glued to my side. He was so sad that we left him all day on Thursday so he just didn’t want to be away from me.

I finished More Happy Than Not. I love the twist in this book. It was such a good book. It’s my first five star in awhile.

I can’t say enough how much I am enjoying Michelle Obama’s audiobook. It is so, so good and inspiring.

I also finished An Anonymous Girl. It was so great. That’s exactly the kind of psychological suspense book I enjoy.

I started Au Pair by Emma Rous. It is intriguing so far. I can’t wait to get back to it tomorrow.

Tomorrow is my last day off so I probably won’t get in as much reading since I have errands to run and I want to catch up on my podcasts.

Saturday Numbers:

Pages read: 380

Audiobook Time: 3 hours 7 minutes

Books finished: 2

Thankfully Reading Weekend 2017

It is one of my favorite times of the year! I love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday. There is lots of yummy food, no presents and lots of time for reading. Thankfully Reading is the first readathon I ever participated in seven years ago. I love this readathon because there are no rules and I can read whenever I can fit it in. Thanksgiving is pretty busy with cooking and family time so its good to have some quiet reading time. As usual I will be starting my Thankfully Reading on Wednesday. This is the first time since I started this readathon that I am working outside my own business so I made sure to take Wednesday off for cooking and Thankfully Reading! All updates will be in this post. For more information on this readathon and to sign up head to the host, Jenn's Bookshelves website! http://www.jennsbookshelves.com/2017/11/14/2017-thankfully-reading-weekend/

Here are all my Thankfully Reading posts from previous years!

I am getting my TBR list together and I have picked A LOT of books haha. It's as if I have two weeks to read and not just a long weekend. Here is my print book pile. I also have an audiobook and some e-books. I can't wait to get started!

Kick Off Morning!

Yay Thankfully Reading starts today and I couldn't be more excited. 

• How will/did you celebrate Thanksgiving? I will celebrate Thanksgiving at my house. My immediate and extended family will be coming and enjoying the day with us. I am so excited.
• What’s in your TBR pile for the weekend? My TBR pile is pictured above. I also hope to finish up some ARCs and an audiobook.
• How much time do you think you’ll have for reading? I should have a lot of time for reading except for Thanksgiving Day. I have one photo session on Friday and then my husband and I will probably binge the last season on Broadchurch Sunday but that is all I have planned! 
• What book are you starting out with? I am going to start out with Alias Grace on audio. This morning I plan to cook most of my Thanksgiving dishes so I will listen to that as I cook. 
• Are you reading print, ebooks, or audio? Maybe a bit each? Definitely all of them! 

I will check back in later today! Happy reading!

Wednesday

Day one of Thankfully Reading is in the books and it was a good day. It was so great to have an entire week day to read. 

I woke up early this morning and started cooking so my first book had to be an audiobook. I decided on Alias Grace. I am loving it. It’s such a good book. I bought the Kindle edition and added on the Audible audiobook and that is my new favorite thing. It is terrific how easily you can switch betweeen the two. I am about 40% of the way through this book. 

The first book I finished was Confess by Colleen Hoover. I have a love hate relationship with some of her books but this one I liked better than any others I have read. It was a quick and entertaining read. 

And then I finally dove in to The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur. I loved this book of poetry so, so much. I can’t always relate to her poems on a personal level but they always crush me with the honesty and the rawness of them. 

The last book of the evening that I started is the absolutely stunning The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo. This book is gorgeous! The covers, the paper, the colored inks and the illustrations are just amazing. It’s so aesthetically pleasing I can barely concentrate on the content of the actual book!

I am so happy that I had such a good reading and cooking day!  I am ready for Thankgiving tomorrow and so excited to spend the day with my family!

Wednesday Numbers:

Pages read: 703

Audiobook Time: 5 hours 30 minutes

Books finished: 2

Thursday 

Thanksgiving was wonderful! I had all my family at my house. We had four tables groaning with food and it was amazing. We have the best cooks in my family. 

​I listened to my Alias Grace audiobook while getting ready and cleaning up after. It is getting really intense. I am about to find out what really happened to Grace. I was finallly ready to sit down with Language of Thorns and a glass of wine but eyes were dry so I popped upstairs to take out my contacts and I accident broke a blood vessel in my eye. 😭 My mom suggested I not strain my eye and read. So that was it for the night. I didn’t even update the blog until this morning. So sad. But I think I will be fine to read all day today. I have a photo session in a few hours and then the rest of the day to read. 

Thursday Numbers:

Pages read: 64

Audiobook Time: 3 hours 37 minutes

Books finished: 0

Friday 

Today was another good reading day! I finished The Language of Thorns. I loved this book of fairy tales from the Grisha Verse. You really don’t have to read any of the Grisha books to appreciate this. I love the twist she puts on some classic fair tales. So good! And the book itself was gorgeous! The illustrations, the ink colors and the beautiful cover made a wonderful reading experience.

I also finished Alias Grace. This was such a good book! I don’t know why I have only read three Margaret Atwood books as I have loved every one of her books! I am also looking forward to watching the mini series on Netflix. 

​I started One of Us Is Lying. And it is so good so far. I don’t think I have figured out the culprit yet and I am enjoying the different POV. That can be a very risky way to write a story as it can get confusing but I am liking it in this book.

I also started the Young Elites audiobook. I have been wanting it read this series for awhile and I have owned the second book for months. So I finally found the audiobook on Overdrive. I am really enjoying it so far. I love everything Marie Lu writes. 

I had a great day of a wonderful family photo session, yummy Thanksgiving leftovers, a Christmas movie and lots of delightful reading time!

Friday Numbers:

Pages read: 479

Audiobook Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Books finished: 2

Saturday 

I didn’t get in as much reading today as I thought I would. I had a lot of stuff today so I just mainly listened to my audiobook and read print books here and there.

I finally started Shadowshaper. This is a book I have been wanting to read for ages. And when I posted a photo of my to read shelf to Litsy everyone was like read that one, read that one. It is really good. The shadowshaper stuff can be a little confusing at times though but I am thinking that is intentional.  

​I finished One of Us is Lying. I loved it! I did guess part of the ending before the end but I still really enjoyed reading this book. 

I am also reading The Thousandth Floor. I got the second one accidentally at the library but luckily I had the first one on my Nook. I am really enjoying this book so far. It’s set really far the future and NYC is now all inside in a thousand floor tower. It is fascinating world building. I have also had a ton of Thanksgiving leftovers this week. I probably need to go on a long walk tomrorow to compensate for all the delicious food I have eaten. 

The main reason I didn’t get much reading in is that my sister, brother in law and I went shopping this afternoon. It is Small Business Saturday so we went to our local downtown and supported our small, locally owned businesses and got some Christmas shopping done. Tomorrow probably won’t be that great of a reading day since I plan to decorate for Christmas and watch the final season of Broadchurch.

​​Saturday Numbers:

Pages read: 453

Audiobook Time: 4 hours 17minutes

Books finished: 1

Sunday 

So sad it’s the last day of Thankfully Reading Weekend. And I ended up having an awesome reading day due to the fact that Broadchurch doesn’t come on Netflix until tomorrow. Boo!

I finished The Young Elites audiobook and was not happy with the end. Hoping that it gets resolved in book two but not hopeful at this point. I really enjoyed that book. It was very good!

I about 2/3 of the way through The Thousandth Floor and still loving the concept of this book. I am looking forward to settling down and reading it more tomorrow. 

I finished Shadowshaper and it did not disappoint. I am always afraid that having a book really hype do up will cause my expectations to be overblown. But this one really came through. I loved it and I love Sierra. She was an awesome heroine and I can’t wait to read the next one! 

​I took a break from novels for a minute to see what graphic novels Hoopla has. I found the next two Archie volumes and the last volume of season nine of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I am loving the Archie volumes and can’t wait until the next ones come out. It also inspired me to watch a few episodes of the show Riverdale which I really enjoy. 

I also started the book Hanna Fell From The Sky. Whew. That’s a tough one to read! It is very maddening. It’s all about an fundamentalist LDS like cult. The men are awful and they have all the power as the young girls are forced into plural marriages. It’s truly horrible. But the book is beautifully written with some magical realism elements popping up. I am looking forward to seeing where this book goes!

Sunday Numbers:

Pages read: 644

Audiobook Time: 4 hours 6 minutes

Books finished: 4

Wrap-Up!

What a fun Thankfully Reading Weekend! I had a blast reading and enjoying some relaxing down time.

Total Numbers

Pages read: 2,343

Audiobook Time:  21 hours  45 minutes

Books finished: 9

Thankfully Reading Weekend 2016

Thankfully Reading Weekend

is one of my favorite events of the year. It is a nice break from Thanksgiving hustle and bustle and much better than all the Black Friday and shopping madness.

This year I am celebrating Thanksgiving at my parents house. I am going to make two dishes to take to our potluck. I love that we do a potluck. It takes off the pressure on one person to do all the cooking.

I have a large TBR pile for this weekend. I know I won't get a chance to read them all because I won't have that much time. My goal is to at least finish two books.

I have a photo session Friday and the Gilmore Girls comes out that day too so I won't get much reading done that day. But Saturday and Sunday I have no plans except for editing photos.

I will be reading a combination of print, ebook and audiobook. I am starting out with

The Handmaid's Tale

on audiobook read by Claire Danes. I love this book and I thought it was an appropriate time to read it again. I purchased it in the big Audible sale earlier this year and am excited to listen to the audiobook this time.

My sisters also love to read so I am sure we will be swapping recommendations at Thanksgiving. I will pass them on if I receive them.

This year I am going to do one big post for Thankfully Reading so I will update here.

Wednesday

7:30 pm

Well its been a busy day with running errands to get ready for Thanksgiving, cooking and editing photos. But I still have managed to spend plenty of time reading and listening to my audiobook. I finished

Crazy In Love

 earlier. It is pretty funny and one of my favorite Lani Diane Rich books so far.

My next book is

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

. It is a retelling of The Tempast. Loving it so far. I just realized I am reading two Margaret Atwood books. My house smells delicious from the cornbread I made for tomorrow and the mustard pork loin I made for dinner. Yummy!

11:50 pm

I am really enjoying Hag-Seed. Its a modern day retelling of The Tempast. A theatre art director who was screwed over by his right hand man seeks long term revenge. I love how he teaches prisoners how to act and put on productions. I enjoy all the characters he works with and their Shakespearian curse words! I also started a new book

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

. I saw this book all over Instagram so I thought I would get it from the library. It's about a deaf songwriter who finds a muse in his neighbor. I am loving it so far. Well I am headed to bed so I won't be totally worthless for Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Pages read: 575

Audiobook time: 5 hours 6 minutes

Books finished: 1

Thursday

10:30am

Happy Thanksgiving! I am so excited to go to my parents house and eat lots of delicious food. We have the best cooks in our family. My Grandma's dressing is my favorite dish. It is so yummy. I am surprised how much reading I got done this morning. I am almost done with Hag-Seed and about half way through my audiobook. Well I am headed out. I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving day!

Pages read: 97

Audiobook time:  2 hours 22 minutes

Books finished: 1

Friday

10:50 pm

Well it has been a busy couple of days. I ended up staying at my parents house yesterday until about 6 pm. Once we got home and made delicious leftovers I wanted to watch the last episode of season seven of Gilmore Girls in order to be ready for the new episodes. We were about twenty minutes in when all the power went out and we heard a big boom. It must have been a transformer box exploding. It was awful. Our whole neighborhood was so dark. So I didn't get a chance to read because my book light battery was dead.

I had a photo session this morning that was so fun. It was an awesome, hilarious family. I stopped by Dunkin Donuts on the way home and got a half dozen doughnuts. And my husband and I preceded to watch all four episodes of the Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life with only occasional breaks for his work phone calls. No spoilers for GG so I won't say how I felt. Still need to process.

And I have just been reading since we finished watching GG. I finished Hag-Seed. Loved it! It turned out to be such a good book and I recommend it highly. I am about to finish Maybe Someday and I hope to start another book before bed but we shall see. I bought the audiobook of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe since it was on sale on Amazon/Audible so I will start that when I finish The Handmaid's Tale. I will be listening to a lot of audio the rest of the weekend as I have five photo sessions to process.

Pages read: 326

Audiobook time: 2 hours

Books finished: 3

Saturday

7:00 pm

Well I haven't read that much today. I have been busy running errands, spending time with my husband and working. I finished the Handmaid's Tale audiobook and started listening to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I also started Lily and Dunkin which is heartbreaking.

Pages read: 298

Audiobook time: 2 hours 51 min

Books finished: 2

Sunday

12:00 pm

I have been terrible about updating my blog. But I have been reading in between doing other things. I planned to read all this morning and then edit photos this afternoon but my husband tricked me into going shopping this morning and we just got home. I am exhausted. I hate to shop with a burning passion and I tried on way too many clothes and we went to way too many stores. But I am excited for the few things I found. When we stopped for lunch I just blatantly pulled my book out of my bag and started reading as my husband was composing some work emails. I mean if he was on his phone  may as well read. Late last night I started The Last Boy and Girl in the World. I am excited to read more of it later today. For the time being I am going to continue to listen to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe while editing the sweetest newborn photos. I will check in later. I hope everyone is enjoying the final day of Thankfully Reading!

Pages read: 466

Audiobook time: 4 hours 3 min

Books finished: 2

Wrap Up

I felt like I really didn't read that much this Thankfully Reading weekend but I look at my numbers and they tell a different story. This is the first year in a long time that I didn't start the weekend on Tuesday so I had less time and was really busy during the weekend. But I still made time for reading. I didn't really get a chance to participate much on

Twitter

,

Instagram

and

Litsy

like I planned. But I finished nine books and that is WAY over my goal of two! This weekend seemed to whiz by so fast. All in all it was another fun reading even. Thanks so much

Jenn

for hosting it!

Totals:

Total pages read: 1762

Total audiobook time:  14 hours  20 min

Books finished: 9

Thankfully Reading Day 1

I love fall and I love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite time of year. And the last few years I have really enjoyed participating in Thankfully Reading Weekend. I decided to start today since the weekend is going to be super busy for me. I am hoping to enjoy some good books!

10 am

I am starting out with finishing up two books I started reading last week but haven't had a chance to pick up lately Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas and A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab on audiobook. The audiobook will be useful this week as I cook and drive. Cheers to Thankfully Reading weekend! 

3 pm 

I have been enjoying a day of reading, going to the grocery store (twice), editing photos and making a delicious pork chop/potato crockpot dinner. I went off recipe so hopefully it turns out ok. The house is already starting to smell delicious! 

11 pm

Dinner turned out delicious if I do say so myself! 

I finished The Crown of Mindnight. The last sixty pages were amazing and the ending made me wish I had the next book. My next read is The Royal We by 

Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. I am about half way through and I am really loving it. 

More tomorrow! 

Thankfully Reading Weekend 2014: Saturday

2 pm

I managed to get some good reading in today despite the hours I have spent at the vet. My poor little kitty has been sick for over a week and not getting better. She was very unhappy at the 

vet today. She was literally climbing the walls. She is sleeping now so hopefully she will feel better soon.

I am about half way through

Frostbite

. It's a little slower than the first Vampire Academy book and a little annoying how she has three guys falling all over her. But I do love that they are in a ski lodge. I love any books written about people at ski lodges. I wish I was at one now in front of a big roaring fire. I haven't read any of

Deja Dead

today so I probably won't be finishing that one this weekend. I am on the last chapter of

The Racketeer

so I am trying to find another audiobook to read after that one. I am headed out on the road in a couple of hours so probably won't get any more reading done except by audiobook this weekend. 

11:30 pm

Just got back from an amazing

Butch Walker

concert. It was SO good. In my opinion he is one of the most talented singer/songwriters in music today. He went back to his hometown and had the show at the local theatre. The music was wonderful and it was just a perfect evening!

I finished

The Racketeer

. It was really good and I really didn't see the end coming. 

I am about halfway done with

Frostbite

. I will probably finish it tomorrow. I am headed to bed now but I can't wait to check in with everyone and see what you have been reading. 

Don't forget to check me out on 

Twitter

 and 

Goodreads

! 

Thankfully Reading Weekend 2014: Friday

Jenn asked us what book

we are most thankful for this year

. I would have to say that is T

o Kill a Mockingbird

. I actually read it for the first time in July. I can't believe I have never read it before. Sometimes there are these books that are so hyped up that they end up disappointing you. This book did not. It was a wonderful, beautifully crafted story. It brought forth so many emotions. It was a beautiful book.

9 pm

Well today has pretty much been a bust reading wise between sick animals and other distractions. I did finish Cinder. I definitely enjoyed it. I really want to read the next one in the series.

I just have a few chapters left in The Racketeer audiobook. The one thing I don't like about audiobooks is that it is hard to go back and figure out who people are if you forget the names of characters. 

I started

DeJa Dead by Kathy Reichs

this afternoon. It is the first Temperance Brennan book. I love her YA adult series

The Virals

. This book has started out good but it is pretty graphic so I may have to switch to something else for night time reading. I have been known to have nightmares after reading scary/graphic/bloody books at night.

I just edited my Thanksgiving phtoos and put on Facebook. I know my family hates that I take so many photos at family celebrations but I think it is really important to document our time together. It is rarer than ever these days to all be in the same house. I got some good group photos this year. I know what everyone is getting for Christmas!

11 pm

Decided to take a break from the grisly Deja Dead and start

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

. And there is a massacre in the first 20 pages. So not a good choice either! I am just going to go ahead and expect nightmares tonight. I have had Frostbite on my Nook for a few months now. I love that I am getting a chance to clear off books that I have been neglecting on my TBR pile since I have been reading so many library books.

Don't forget to check me out on 

Twitter

 and 

Goodreads

! 

Thankfully Reading Weekend 2014: Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving y'all! What an amazing, fun filled day full of family and food. I ate way too much and laughed so much. It has been a busy and crazy day but so fun! I love my family and Thanksgiving really is one of my favorite holidays. This is just part of our amazing spread!

As far as reading goes I haven't been able to do much. I read a little of Cinder this morning and more tonight. I am really getting into this book. It feels a little different from a lot of books I have read lately and I am looking forward to seeing how it develops. I also love a good alternative twist to an old fairy tale. I have had lots of driving/cooking time to listen to the audiobook The Racketeer. I am definitely loving this book. I am already trying to predict the MCs next move and where this book is going and so far I haven't been able to figure it out. I can't wait to see what happens with this one. 

I am pretty tired from this day (food coma) so I think I will call it a night soon. But I am looking forward to tomorrow which will hopefully be a read all day kind of day. What books have you been enjoying on this Thanksgiving Day? 

Don't forget to check me out on 

Twitter

 and 

Goodreads

! 

Thankfully Reading Weekend 2014: Wednesday

I am excited to get started on

Thankfully Reading weekend

2014! Technically, it doesn't start until tomorrow but I am starting today since I am off. I am really looking forward to reading some books that have been on my TBR pile. I will be updating this post periodically throughout the day and publishing it tonight. I will be updating

Twitter

and

Goodreads

throughout the day.  I would love to know what you are reading for Thankfully Reading.

10:30 am

Slow start this morning. The first book I am going to read is

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

. I have been looking forward to reading this book for awhile so I am excited to get into it. 

I am also planning on cooking most of my Thanksgiving dishes today so I am going to listen to

The Racketeer by John Grisham

on audiobook while cooking. I have set out my ingredients for cooking and that is about it. I can't seem to get started cooking. 

So far I am feeling as if I am getting nothing done. Maybe I should go back to bed and start again. Just kidding. 

2:00 pm

Well I just finished The Naturals and I really liked it. I really wanted to get to the end and see who the murderer was. I guessed it right before it was revealed. I definitely want to check the other book in the series. I am going to take a quick cooking break and listen to my audiobook before I start on my next print book. I will leave you with these two adorable photos of my dog cuddling in my lap. 

5 pm

Yay I am done cooking everything except green beans that I will cook tomorrow morning. I feel very triumphant. 

I started my second book earlier

I Like You Just The Way I Am by Jenny Mollen

. She is an actress and this book is comedic essays about her life. She does have some pretty funny stories but also some real cringe worthy moments. I was just in the mood for a silly memoir. It definitely is fitting the bill. And it is great paired with a nice peppermint ice cream!

9:00 pm 

Finished I Like You Just The Way I Am. It was ok. There were definitely a few laugh out loud funny parts. I am starting my third book

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

. I am really excited about this book. It is one I have been saving. Several people have recommended it to me. I am hoping it lives up to the hype!

Thankfully Reading 2013: Day One

Today begins my favorite time of the whole year: Thanksgiving prep, cooking and

Thankfully Reading

. Thankfully Reading is a time for me to take some time outs in this busy time to just relax. Although it doesn't officially began until tomorrow I always start on Wednesday.

I woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow. Just enough to see that it snowed but not enough to be pretty. Normally I would be excited but I do have an engagement shoot later today and it is cold and very windy. 

I have some cooking and cleaning to do today to get ready for the family. My sister and her boyfriend are getting in late tonight and everyone else will be here tomorrow. I am so excited. I love my family and I love Thanksgiving. 

It's 7:30 am and I am going to start reading. I will keep you updated throughout the day. Happy reading to everyone else!

8:30 am 

I just enjoyed my breakfast and started my first book

Funny in Farsi

by Firoozeh Dumas. It is a memoir of an Iranian girl living in America. It is really funny but also interesting to read how Americans attitudes changed after the Iranian revolution. I love the stories she shares of her father. He is quite the character.

11:15 am

I have been cooking all morning. I made a broccoli and cauliflower salad, herbed cheese crackers and cornbread. I am anticipating tomorrow's meal. It is going to be so delicious. We have amazing cooks in our family. I didn't let the cooking stop me from "reading" actually listening to an audiobook. I listened to

The Railroad Children by E. Nesbit

on my Librivox app. I have adored that book ever since I was young and I love listening to it in audiobook format. The narrator,

Karen Savage

does an excellent job on this book. Although, my love of the book was lessened sonewhat with the recent news that it could be

plagerized

the book still reminds me of happy childhood times spent reading. 

1:30 pm

Whew already tired and the day isn't even half way over. I just made a double batch of homemade cranberry sauce. It is the first time I have ever made the dish so I hope it turns out good. I don't actually like cranberry sauce but it is such a traditional Thanksgiving dish it must be made! I am still reading. I am about halfway through The Railway Children and 70 pages into Funny in Farsi. I think I need a quick cooking/reading break to watch last nights The Mindy Project since I forgot it was on.  

4:45 pm

This day has only been getting colder. Brrr. This afternoon I have had lots of time to read. It was too cold for engagement shoot so we had to postpone it. My sister who assists me on shoots came over and we visited for awhile since the shoot was cancelled. My dog was so excited to see her and was jumping all over the place. He loves his auntie. The rest of the afternoon I sat in my big chair with a blanket and read. I just finished Funny in Farsi. It was such a good book. I liked how she compares American life with life in Iran. Her stories about celebrating Christmas were so interesting. I have never really thought how left out cultures or religions who don't celebrate Christmas must feel. Christmas is like this big consuming holiday and is everywhere. One of the reasons I love Thanksgiving so much (besides my love of food) is it always seems to be much more relaxing than Christmas. Christmas has turned into this giant mess of consumerism and stress. Thanksgiving is still this beautiful time of thankfulness and family.  

8:00 pm

I am really tired and Thanksgiving isn't even here yet. But I have finished cleaning my house and cooked all but two dishes I have to make tomorrow. My husband made dinner which is good because I wasn't going to make anything. 

I started a new book Neptune Noir. I am a huge Veronica Mars fan. I think it is one of the best shows ever on TV. I was thrilled when they decided to make a movie and eagerly contributed to their Kickstarter campaign. Neptune Noir is a collection of essays written about the TV show and narrated by the creator Rob Thomas. Who knew there could be such interesting papers about a TV show? 

Note: all photos used in this blog post are iPhone only unless otherwise indicated

Thankfully Reading Weekend 2011

11/26 10:00 am

I have decided to do all my Thankfully Reading updates in one blog post. Just makes it easier especially since I am blogging from my phone. I have finished one book: Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and am 138 pages into Pegasus by Robin McKinley. I really haven't had much time to read yet since I have been spending time with family and trying to finish up some school projects. Finals start week after next and I shouldn't be reading at all. I am really loving Pegasus. I love how Robin McKinley creates these worlds that are unlike anything else and you really have to concentrate to figure out how the world works. I like that the magic in her books just isn't the same old magic that is in every other book. It always works differently.

Jenn asked us what book we were most thankful for. Last year I talked about the Betsy-Tact books. This year I am most thankful for the Hunger Games. I was in a post Harry Potter sadness thinking there would never be any new, good Harry Potter like books when I discovered the Hunger Games. Now I am not saying they are as good as HP because they aren't. However, I loved diving into that world and am happy to have had those to read. I am looking forward to rereading the books again before the movie comes out in March. Well back to reading! I will check in later.

11/26 4:45 pm

I still haven't had a chance to get much reading done. I am on page 228 of Pegasus. I also started an audiobook, The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson while out and about today. I don't think I will get to my goal of having three books read during Thankfully Reading because tomorrow I have school work and errands to run. Well back to reading before my husband gets home!

11/26 10:26 pm

I have had a much better afternoon reading! I finished Pegasus. The ending was so abrupt and I was very, very disappointed until I read online that she split the book into two books. That was a relief because it really would have been a terrible ending. I listened to a little more of The Girl Who Played With Fire while I made dinner. Then I started on Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy. I love the White House Chef series. They are such a fun read. I have been saving that book to read and when I found out the new one comes out in January I decided to read it. I am 125 pages in and loving it. I enjoy the character of Ollie so much. I feel like she is an old school heroine who just gets into the worst scrapes without meaning too. I can't wait for the new book to come out!

11/27 9:00 pm

I finished Buffalo West Wing last night and started on The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst. It is hilarious and touching and sad. I love baseball and this is a great glimpse into the real world of minor league baseball. I am 84 pages into this book as I haven't had much time to read today due to my massive piles of homework and driving to and fro. I also managed to get some more audio book time with The Girl Who Played With Fire.

Thankfully Reading Post #1

I decided to get my Thankfully Reading off to a good start at midnight by deciding to finish up Girl With A Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I finished the last forty pages. What a great book! I have the next book in the series on an audiobook and I really wish I had brought it to my parents. But since I didn't I am going to get started on my next book which is Pegasus by Robin McKinley. I love her books. Beauty is one of my all time favorite books. I think it's funny that even though I have my Nook and I am only staying one night at my parents I still packed two regular books. Old habits never die! Hopefully I can get more reading in tomorrow in between a family photography shoot and the pile of school work I have to do before school ends in two weeks.

I also started a new Twitter handle to go with this blog! ReadingSusan. Follow me today!

Thankfully Reading 2011

It is getting close to that time of year again.:

Thankfully Reading

over the Thanksgiving holiday. This was the first book challenge I ever did and it inspired me to do more. Hopefully I will be able to get in a lot of reading in between preparing for a law debate and cooking lots of yummy food. Can't wait!