June Reading Challenge

Good morning, readers!

I know it's been a while since my last post--what a busy few months it's been! As sch, I'm behind on my reading goal for the year. So far, I have read a total of 7,857 pages in 2014--only 37% of the way to my goal of 21,500.

In an effort to boost this, and to get through some of the books on my bookshelf, I am making a Reading Challenge for myself in the month of June. I will be attempting to read a minimum of 2,000 pages to help get me closer to my reading goal.

Here are the books I'll be reading to achieve this goal:
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
Come Back by Claire Fontaine and Mia Fontaine
Private Berlin by James Patterson
Beautiful by Amy Reed
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot

In total, these books are 2,055 pages, which would certainly put me closer to achieving my reading goal for 2014. It's going to mean a lot of reading, but I am excited for the challenge.

Who's with me?!?!

Weekend Recap

Out with friends

Hi everyone!

Hope you had a great weekend! I know I did! Last week, we had lovely weather in the 50s, but this weekend it was in the 30s. This allowed for a little bit of indoor productivity :)

Perfect setup for relaxation!

Here's a brief overview:
++Washed all the laundry in the house (8 loads, woah!)
++Unpacked closet in the bedroom (6 months after moving into the house...)
++Cleaned the kitchen
++Vacuumed house (as Auron is shedding more, this is becoming an almost daily task!)

My newest knitting book!

++Took a bath and relaxed!
++Knit more rows on my stitch sampler scarf
++Researched more knitting patterns
++Spent time with friends over Friday's dinner out
++Read a 500+ page book (now 25% complete toward my 2014 page goal!)
++Took Auron to the dog park
++Weekly grocery shopping

I feel refreshed and ready for the week ahead!

Sunday Afternoon

Readers, what did you do this weekend?

Flashback Friday Reviews (4)

Happy Friday, readers!

My coworker sent me this meme, and I thought it was fabulous! It's not even just Fridays that I feel like this:

Hope this helps you feel better about your Friday!

 
Book Review:

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
Read January 2013 

Last January (am I really over a year behind in my reviews?! Yikes!) I enjoyed Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?. I am a huge fan of Mindy Kaling's character Kelly on The Office, so I knew I would love her book.

This novel had me intrigued for half of it, and giggling the other half. While we learn a fair amount about the author (after all, it is her autobiography), I didn't feel it was just a telling of her career path and how she got where she is. Her experiences were hilarious, and her interpretations of those experiences were even better. The characters she plays all represent her in one way or another, and you can tell she really gets into the part.

I gave this book a 4/5.


Knitting Review:

Knitting is going well for me! I created a leaf-shaped dishcloth last week. This week (and probably the next several), I am working to create a scarf that utilizes six different types of stitches. I have gotten 1/12th of the way through so far, which means I will probably be working on it until June, when I will no longer be in need of a scarf :(

Here is the progress:

Be expecting updates as I work to complete this--I'm excited for the challenge!

Questions for my readers:

1. Do you read autobiographies by TV stars or movie stars? If so, what is your favorite autobiography?
2. Do you have a point in the day (especially Fridays!) where you're no longer productive?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Take Control of your TBR Pile Update: 3/1-3/8

Wow--this has been an awesome month of reading for me so far! I'm so excited to be participating in the challenge Take Control of your TBR Pile. My goal for the challenge was to read, or complete, 5 books in March. I'm thrilled to announce I have already met this challenge!

This past weekend I was in Washington, D.C. for a work conference. Between the airport and a little bit of down time at the hotel, I was able to complete one book and begin/complete two other books. It was a whirlwind trip, but 3 books over a 3 day trip isn't bad!

In the time I've been home since, I have completed one more book and began/completed another book. I have already begun one more, too. Although I have met my goal for this challenge, I plan to continue reading as much as I can!

One huge challenge I have encountered is that March is both National Reading Month AND National Craft Month. How can I choose between my two favorite hobbies?!?! So far, I have found balance by reading on the weekends and spending my weeknight evenings knitting.

How is the challenge treating you, readers?

Challenge: Take Control of your TBR Pile

I promised myself that once I was done with grad school, I would participate in more book blogging challenges. The perfect one to begin with? Take Control of your TBR Pile, as hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Here are the rules of the competition, as listed on the challenge's post:

Rules

• Link-up! This is open to everyone. If you do not have a blog then link your Facebook or Goodreads account.
• Make a Goals/updates/Results post (can be combined)
• Beginning March 1st, 2014 and ending March 31, 2014 at midnight read books from your TBR pile ALL books must have been published before March 2014.
• Post a review to Goodreads, your blog or Facebook then link it to the Rafflecopter for an entry. (review only needs to be a short one)
• You can combine events, challenges etc.
• No novellas for this one peeps
• The rafflecopter will allow you to enter up to two books daily, so update as soon as you finish a book.
• Earn an extra entry for adding Take Control Button to your blog, or facebook (with link-back)
• Use hashtag #TakeControlTBR
• Rafflecopter will close on April 2, 2014 at midnight and a winner will be chosen. Open internationally as long as Book Depository or Barnes and Noble ship to you. Prize: New 2013 release. I will do pre-orders as well. (may request eBook copy)

I know I need to get my TBR pile down to a more reasonable size, as it is currently 175. I am hoping to read, or complete, 5 books in the month of March for this challenge. None of the books I have are ARCs, so I shouldn't be too restricted in my reading.

Anyone else interested in joining? If so, link up on this post, and join me in the fun March reads!

Knitting

Hello Readers!

Happy Monday to you all! I hope it's been a good one!

Last weekend, I went to my hometown to celebrate President's Day weekend with my parents. I had a really great time with them, and even picked up a new hobby--knitting!

My mom has been knitting for a couple of years now, and I've been telling her I wanted to learn since she started; however, with grad school, I was at my limit for learning new things. My brain was turning to mush! My mom showed me how to knit within one night. Here is what I have done in the week since:

I have made 2 dishcloths! They will become more square after going through the wash. You can definitely tell which one was my first--it's more of a diamond shape than anything! This took me much longer than anticipated. As a crocheter, I could have had these two dishcloths done in a matter of 30 minutes. With knitting, it took me about 8 hours for the two! I know I am still learning, but this is much more intricate work than what I am used to.

I am looking forward to future knitting projects! I have scoured Ravelry already for some ideas, and even put in a small yarn and needle order at Joann's to really get started. I'm excited to add one more hobby to the list; my husband? not so much...

In the meantime, I am in a reading rut. I have made the mistake of starting to read books that I'm not actually super interested in. Obviously I couldn't have predicted this, but it's caused me to just feel so....bleh towards reading. I am going to Washington DC soon and am planning to bring with me a book I know I'll enjoy--hopefully that will put me back on track!

Hope all is well, readers!

Questions for my readers:

1. Do you knit? If so, what do you recommend as a good beginner project?
2. How do you get out of a reading rut?

January Book Haul

I have a confession to make...

I am blatantly disregarding my New Year's resolution to get my TBR pile down to 140 by the end of the year. In fact, in January, I decided to add 14 books to my shelf, bringing my total TBR pile up to 172. I'm going in the wrong direction!

B&N Haul, January online sales

I blame all of this on 2 factors:

1. Barnes & Noble always has fantastic deals this time of year! I purchased 9 books for just under $30, with taxes!
2. As others purge their bookshelves in honor of the New Year, my wish list on PaperbackSwap gets fulfilled very quickly! In some instances, I made it from being the 100th person to the next person in line almost overnight!

Here are the titles I've swapped/purchased:
The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks (audiobook)
On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah
Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
A Watershed Year by Susan Schoenberger (on wishlist since 2011!)
Trafficked: The Terrifying True Story of a British Girl Forced into the Sex Trade by Sophie Hayes (Kindle book)
Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot
Ashes to Ashes by Tami Hoag
Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
Tell Me Lies by Jennifer Crusie
The Know-It-All by AJ Jacobs
These Girls by Sarah Pekkanen
Criminal by Karin Slaughter
The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes

PaperbackSwap haul, January

In January, I only made it through 3 books, which doesn't bode well. If I keep up this snail's pace, it will take me 5 months to read all these books! Usually in January I read at least 6 books, so accumulating this many isn't as big of a deal. I will have to make February a serious reading month!

In other New Years resolution news (is anyone still doing those?) I have legally changed my name. It's about time! I've also begun wallpaper removal in the master bedroom (clearly not the kitchen, as you can see the hideous fruit wallpaper in the background!). I also completed 5 blog posts, which satisfies my goal of at least 4 per month!

Tonight (and probably the rest of this week!) I plan to do some laundry, drink tea, and hit the books for a relaxing time!






Questions for my readers:

1. What month(s) do you normally accumulate the most books? Do you tend to read more those months, too?
2. Have you read any of the above books? What do you recommend I bump up on the TBR list?