#May: Overview/Wrap Up

Post Count:

I created 67ish posts in May. Nine more than what I created in April. These posts are a combination of book reviews I've read this month, in the past, Spoonie up dates and various off-topic posts. Not everything about May will be in this because I've forgotten or added something since creating this post. I'm compiling it on the 28th.

Comments:

33 this month

Likes:

179

Books I've Finished in May:

Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari 

The Electrifying story of Multiple Sclerosis by Vanita Oelschlager

Harriet Tubman by Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Georgia O'Keeffee by Isabel Sanchez Vegara 

Great Polar Bear by Carolyn Lesser

If All the World by Joseph Coelho 

Room 119 by T F Lince

Fish-Boy An Inuit Folk Tale by Vanita Oelschlager

Pluto is Peeved! by Jacqueline Jules

The Right Thing to do at the Time by Dov Zeller

#Netgalley: All The Answers by Michael Kupperman

Big Mushy Happy Lump by Sarah Andersen 

A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni & Tristan Jimerson 

Chilly Da Vinci by Jarrett Rutland

Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen

Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen 

The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz

The Stereotypical Freaks by Howard Shapiro

Books I've Abandoned in May:

I don't think I've abandoned a book this month. Woo!

Books I've been reading since April:

Or beyond April -

The Forest Beyond the Earth by Matthew S. Cox

A Nighttime of Forever by Matthew S. Cox

Book Reviews in May:

Not including books I read this month. These are just reviews posted.

• The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
  
• The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
  
• The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
  
• What I do with Vegetable Glue by Susan Chandler
  
• Hunger Games Book 1
  
• Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
  
• White Bead Ceremony by Sherrin Watkins
  
• Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Sunday Questions:

What are you top 5 reads for 2018 so far? 
How Many Books Are On Your TBR Pile?
Would you rather read digital or paper books?

Weeding Wednesday:

• Pure / Slave Players / All the Birds in the Sky 
• Grey Lore / The Infinet / The Secret Language of Women
•  The Cuckoo's Calling

Writing Prompts:

• Retirement & Dragons
• Flying High
• Frog & Forest
• Buried Alive

May's Lists, Nat'l Days & Others:

• Kindle: Why it's awesome & not
• #WaywardSisters - CW Walked Away From 
• April Wrap Up Post bcos I was behind 
• Scribes by James Wolanyk
• #eBooks and why I love them
• Mystery Blogger Award
• #Netgalley books as of Now / Fast Update
• #Music: What do y'all listen to?
• #Cute: Banner Change
• #GreatReadPBS List of books
• Just A Test?
• #GreatreadPBS Books & Group
• #Offtopic: Flowers Annual vs. Perennials
• #Netgalley 13 Current Reads
• Rough Justice by Kelley Armstrong

All things Spoonie Updates:

• #Spoonie: Side effect of medication or my illness?
• #Spoonies: Surgery Progress
• #Spoonie: Zoo Trip
• #Spoonie: Symptoms of Gallbladder Problems
• #Spoonie Update: Gallbladder

Thanks for reading!

April Wrap Up  & March Wrap Up

#eBooks and why I love them

I am aware I don't own the books when they're eBooks. Info: Here. Here. Here. Here. I still purchase them.

The feeling is probably because I don't purchase many books to begin with. I've only maybe ten books I've put down real money for digital reads? It's maybe knowing Amazon isn't going to die tomorrow may help, too.

But under my Where to Buy tab I list Indie book store finder first above all. You own a physical copy once you've purchased it. The bookstore owners aren't going to track you down and ask for it back at will.

1. Can carry a book in my pocket.

I can fit my phone pocket in my back pocket or on rare occasion my front pocket. I've lucked out in wearing women pants that have functional back pockets but decorative/fake front pockets. 

This allows me not to have to carry a purse (to the anger of purse makers everywhere) to bring books along. This frees up my hands or lessen the pain on my shoulders (they irritate my neck/shoulder) when walking around or at work. 

2. Ease of Access!

When I'm not able to go to the bookstore or the library I can just get it through my computer, tablet or my phone. I can checkout a book while laying in bed not having to go anywhere. Every bookstore that I've entered has miserable flooring. I can walk any other store and my feet are fine but at the bookstore? They usually aren't cushioned or whatever compared to other business floors, especially, the Barnes & Noble in my city. My god, I can't even sit down on their floor to gain access to the bottom shelf.

But my bed, blankets and pillows are always comfy softness so...they win.

3. Less Space.

I have 1 bookshelf that is dedicated to my children books for when I get a classroom. I cannot fit anymore books on it than what's already there. So, books I've purchased are eBooks they fit and easy to move around my room.

I still use physical books from my library. But more than not they all come through as eBooks. I'm currently reading three books that are the real thing as they say.. but they're from the library and won't live here that long.

4. Settings

I don't have to pay extra for a larger print size or carry a massive book because the font is larger. I wouldn't be able to hold the book very long. This would lessen my time with the book. Which would suck. 

I don't have to wait for the large print to get around to being published. Some books are never made into large print so they aren't accessible. 

I can change the font and the size in a book so it's easier for me to read. I don't have to pay extra for the visual boost that is given to me in an eBook.

I don't have to read on a white background. There are physical books that have SUPER WHITE paper which makes it hard for me to read on. Words will start dancing on bright white paper for me which is extremely annoying to deal with.

I can fix this by sitting in the shade to darken the page or wear sunglasses. But why would I want to wear sunglasses inside? 

Every digital book I'm reading is green or the beige background not white. 

I absolutely love reading physical books and enjoying the time with them. But since the use and ease of reading digitally I've been able to read and enjoy my time A LOT. I know there are disadvantages of both kinds and that they're not all perfect.

I'm not saying to stop reading physical books. I advocate purchasing them from indie stores and renting through your public library. I read and use them. But these are the reasons I love them.

#April - Overview & Excuse to Ramble

We are four days into May and I'm starting my April wrap up. I'm not overly concerned but I wanted to let you know.. I know we're in May. I haven't lost count of my days ...yet.

I hope your April was good, memorable and enjoyable at least.

My April felt like it was never going to fucking end.

I figured January would be the most I've ever posted in awhile. But it escalated in April. I apologize .. kind of.. I mean you're here knowing full well this could happen.

I created 45 posts in January, 16 in February, 45 in March. anddddddddddddddddddddddd...

57 posts in April. 

Now if you're reading this from wordpress the count is definitely different because I funnel posts from two blogs onto my wordpress account. Don't ask .. I tend to do things more difficult than necessary.

Books I've Finished in April:

• Daddy Darkest by Ellery Kane
• Great Polar Bear by Carolyn Lesser
• Les Miserables Manga Classic
• Breaking Up is Hard To Do... By Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell
• Supergirl: Being Super by Mariko Tamaki -- 
• Romeo & Juliet Manga Classic
• Elgin Park Visual Memories
• Rusty The Squeaky Robot
• Pluto is Peeved! by Jacqueline Jules
• Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
• Hello, Moto by Nnedi Okorafor
• The Problem with Pugs by A. G. Henley

Books I Abandoned in April:

• Shoebox Funeral by Elisabeth Voltz
• The Lurid Sea by Tom Cardamone

Books I've been Reading since April:

• The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz
• The Forest Beyond the Earth by Matthew S. Cox
• Room 119 by T.F. Lince

or longer since April can't remember. 

Book Reviews in April:

Not including the books from above

• The Green Mile by Stephen King
• Gun, with Occasional Music by Johnathan Lethem 
• Thirst by Claire Farrell
• Signposts on the Road to Wellville by Vanita Oelschlager

Sunday Questions:

• What is a Spoonie?
• Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific?
• Would you read something I wrote and review it?
• Do you review anything other than books?
• What is your current read, your last read and the book you'll read next?
• Why do you review?
• What was the worst book you ever read or stopped reading?
• What do you review?
• Name a movie better than the book
• How do you blog every day?
• What are you reading right now?
• What is the first book you read by yourself?

Next month's will be shorter. I was scheduling questions every day and I decided to move them to a weekly Sunday post instead. Can ask questions / talk without flooding y'know?

Weeding Wednesday:

• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

This is a new weekly post thing.

Writing Prompts:

• Mystery Old Guy
• Buried Alive

This is a new weekly post thing.

April's Lists & National Day Book Ideas

• Disney Song Book Tag
• 15 Couldn't Finish Reads
• Talk Like Shakespeare Day
• Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge
• Goodreads 2016 Reading Challenge
• Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge
• Goodreads 2014 Reading Challenge
• Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge
• Goodreads 2012 Reading Challenge
• National Coffee Cake Day Books & Recipe 
• National Caramel Day Book Ideas & Recipes
• School Librarian Day Book Ideas
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day Book Ideas

All things Spoonie related here.

My March Wrap Up 

#Goodreads 10 Books Read in 2017 Reading Challenge

2017: Still unemployed without a permanent teaching position. I'm still subbing schools and treated terribly by either the kids or the adults in the building. Still anxiously waiting to become a full-time teachers now in 2018. Links go to either review of the book or a list the book is in.

 American Gods by Neil Gaiman 

 First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

 The Voyage of the Basilisks by Marie Brennan

 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

 Nightblade by Garrett Robinson 

 Day Shift by Charlaine Harris

 Rituals by Kelley Armstrong

 Herophobia by Alex Lane

Boundary Born by Melissa F. Olson

#Goodreads 20 Books Read in 2016 Reading Challenge

2016 the year that ends my time in college. I had a lot of time to read that year, too. I've taken most of my classes so I'm just waiting for graduation.  Links go to the reviews I've written.

1. Too Many Frogs!  Sandy Asher
2. A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
3. Kindred by Octavia E Butler
4. The Summoning  by Kelley Armstrong (re-read)
5. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
6. The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson
7. The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong (re-read)
8. The Gathering Kelley Armstrong
9. The Calling      "                       "
10. The Rising       "                        "
11. Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran
12. Omens by Kelley Armstrong
13. Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric A Kimmel
14. Visions by Kelley Armstrong
15. Deceptions "                        "
16. The Tropics of Serpents by Marie Brennan
17. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
18. The Orange Cat by Kelley Armstrong
19. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
20. Betrayals by Kelley Armstrong

#Goodreads 8 Books Read in 2015 Reading Challenge

I read far less than what I did in 2014 . My goal for 2015 was five books but ended up reading eight. Shocking, I know. This was my first full year in teaching college there wasn't any time.

Most of the books in this year were kid literature for my history class. Links go to the reviews I've written about them.

The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down by Paul Brett Johnson 

The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin 

White Bead Ceremony by  Sherrin Watkins

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema 

Candlelight for Rebecca by Jacqueline Dembar Greene

Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin Tale by Deborah Hopkinson

The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen

#Goodreads 113 Books Read in 2014 Reading Challenge

I read 113 books in the year of 2014. I'm not a person with a lot of time on my hand this year. The majority of the books I read this year was because of one of my college classes. The focus was reading and elementary kids. It was the year I learned that there are a lot of people becoming teachers who hate reading.

Books I read for College Class:

1. Sleep Like A Tiger
2. I love You, Mommy
3. A Sick Day for Amos McGee
4. Cupcake
5. Kitten's First Full Moon
6. Tuesday
7. What I do with Vegetable Glue
8. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
9. Jay Leno: If Roast Beef Could Fly
10. Igor the Terrible: Don't Dare Push My Tummy
11. Journey
12. Amelia Bedelia
13. No, David!
14. Yellow Elephant
15. Necks Out For Adventure 
16. Froggy Gets Dressed
17. Voices in the Park
18. Tracking Your Nightmare
19. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
20. Frog and Toad Are Friends
21. Dragon of the Red Dawn 
22. Revolutionary War on Wednesday
23. Lincoln: A Photobiography
24. Miss Daisy is Crazy!
25. Marvin Redpost: Kidnapped at Birth? 
26. Zombie Blondes
27. Sadie Rose and the Daring Escape
28. Are You My Mother?
29. Dragon's Egg
30. Catherine, Called Birdy
31. The Wednesday Wars
32. Jellyfish
33. Earthworms
34. Button Up@!: Wrinkled Rhymes
35. How Do Flies Walk Upside Down?: Questions and Answers about Insects
36. My Hippo Has the Hiccups with CD: And Other Poems I Totally Made Up 
37. The Night Before Christmas
38. Sports Cars 
39. More Bears!
40. Something Fishy
41. Stone Soup
42. The Lion and the Mouse
43. Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
44. And Then There Were Eight: Poems about Space
45. Cinders
46. How the World Was Made: A Cherokee Creation Myth
47. The Jacket
48. Coyote, Iktome, and the Rock: A Sioux Trickster Myth
49. How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have?
50. My Brother Sammy
51. The Gardener
52. Ramona's World
53. Junie B Jones is (Almost) a Flower Girl
54. Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer
55. The Cricket in Time Square
56. If I Had A Car
57. Surprise Kick
58. Can I Play Too?
59. Olvier Button is a Sissy
60. The Horror of Camp Jellyjam
61. Death Maul's Mission
62. Dinosaur Roar!
63. Attack of the Ninja Frogs
64. The Greedy Triangle
65. Children's Literature, Briefly
66. Volcanoes!
67. Devastated by a Volcano!
68. James and the Giant Peach
69. Jacob's New Dress
70. Dragon's Fat Cat
71. The Monster in the Backpack
72. Dragon's Love Tacos
73. A Pair of Protoceratops
74. Without You
75. Johnny Tremain
76. Turkey Trouble
77. Green Eggs and Ham
78. That is Not A Good Idea!
79. Cat's Pajamas
80. The Spiky Stegosaurus
81. The Lightning Thief
82. A Tale of Two Squirrels
83. Amazing Caterpillars 
84. Olivia Goes to Venice
85. There's A Wocket in my Pocket
86. Zora!
87. Terrible, Awful, Horrible Manners!
88. The Cat and Mouse Who Shared a House

Literature Class Reads:

1. The Metamorphosis
2.  Madame Bovary 
3. Lysistrata
4. Oedipus Rex
5. The Death of Ivan Illych

The Other Books I read:

1. Requiem and Poem without a Hero
2. Fahrenheit 451
3. Lost Lake
4.  Gun, With Occasional Music
5. Frankenstein
6. Sugar Queen
7. The Peach Keeper
8. Garden Spells
9. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
10. Brave New World
11. I Am Legend
12. Great Expectations
13. Anthem
14. Girl with The Dragon Tattoo
15. All My Friends are Dead
16. To Kill A Warlock
17. B is For Bad Poetry
18. The Mind Readers

I'm missing three books. Ah well. The links go the reviews I've written about them or a list that lists the books. 

#Goodreads 5 Books Read in 2013 Reading Challenge

Yes, the 2013 sign with a piggy is appropriate for this.

In 2013 I didn't complete my reading challenge of reading 10 books that year. I have no idea what went on that year. I was in college so I can only assume the school year I was swamped with required reading, homework and wishing for death.

5 Books I read in 2013:

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling -- no wizarding worlds just plain life and the shitty people in them. It took me April, 2013 until December 30, 2013 to finish this.

It's a great read if you need to read something that is disturbing and depressing about a small town. It was hard to get into but it is interestingly enough to read.

Thirst by Claire Farrell about Ava Delaney who is a hybrid of human and vampire. This is a quick read with a few problems in story line / plot. But it's amusing enough.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Teenagers with cancer fall in love and things happen along the way. I read this because we were going to watch the movie. I prefer the movie over the book.

Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead. I started this because I fell in love with the Vampire Academy books. I didn't like this and haven't tried anything else by her since.

Gandhi by Amy Pastan. Read this for my in2books.com penpal program. Now apparently called Crickettogether 

#Goodreads 19 Books Read in 2012 Reading Challenge

Goodreads 2012 challenge goal was to read 50 books. I managed to read 19 of the 50. 2012 is the year my chronic illness started to blossom and suck out all the fun of life. I have been struggling prior to 2012 but this was the year I was starting to slowly get treatment and...fighting with doctors.

I started reading this book in 2011 but finished it in 2012. This book is called Demon Girl by Penelope Fletcher when I read it. But it's changed its identity and life... it's now called Glamour. Name change or not I don't remember this book at all. It honestly tripped me out when I first clicked Amazon and to find that it didn't exist anymore. I was, DID I IMAGINE THIS? I mean, IT IS on Goodreads but doesn't exist?

Who Was Albert Einstein? by Jess M. Brallier. I read this for my penpal program called in2books.com. Enjoyable read.

Narrative of the Life of Federick Douglass by Frederick Dougless. I'm fairly certain that I read this for a class.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.

One For the Money by Janet Evanovich. I think this is also a movie, too? I liked both of these. I never finished this series though. Believe I just read the first book.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore ...had the displeasure of being compared to The Hunger Games. Why? The main character's name is Katsa and her love interest is Po. Katniss/Peeta.

I enjoyed the concepts and what was attempted through this. I even gave it a higher rating than needed due to this. It's mostly hated because of the premarital sex and feminist ideas addressed in this story.

Which they should have been angry at the pacing and the wasted potential given to us in this story.

Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction by Lawrence Boadt. This was a textbook I had for my Old Testament class in college. The joys of being in a conservative state and having this class. Other students struggled with talking about the Bible in historical context and not religious.

But honestly...really good read if it's an interest to you.

The Empty Pot by Demi. A book I read through the penpal program in2books.com

Hungry Plants by Mary Batten. Another in2books.com book.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgress. It is a nightmare. But what I loved was how easy it was to adjust to the writing and know what was going on.

Caught in Crystal by Patricia C. Wrede loved that the story was about a mother with her children.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. This book gave me nightmares as a kid and I hated it. I re-read it as an adult and loved it.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I enjoyed this story when I first read it and again as a manga.

Divergent by Veronica Roth. My aunt warned me about this book yet.. I still went and read the damn thing.

Toys Go Out:  by Emily Jenkins ... I don't remember this but I did keep track of my progress through it on Goodreads.

Ice by Linda Howards a romance set in a winter setting with drama.

Well of Darkness by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman. Slow pace but I enjoyed this.

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield. This gets knocked for the purple prose BUT IT FEELS SO RIGHT IN THIS BOOK.

Different Seasons by Stephen King. This was the semester that I had to drop my classes. I got through a lot of the classes. This was one of the assigned readings for it. AH!







I survived.. you survived..we made it through the list of books I read in 2012. Have you read any of the above? What did you think of them?