Book Club

Book Club: Tag Tuesday “The Reader’s Problem Tag”

October 3, 2023 Leave a Comment

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I have a bonus bookish blog post for you today. I am taking part in my first ever BookTube tag and it was so much fun! I saw it first on Melinda’s channel A Web of Stories and when I commented to she encouraged me to complete the tag as well.

To spare myself typing out all the answers (I go on in the video a bit 🙂 I won’t do that but I will list all the questions here and if you blog about all things bookish please consider answering them! I would love to read your answers (or if you do have a BookTube channel I would love to know) so please do comment below.

Now, without further adieu here are the questions:

1. You have 20,000 books on your TBR! How in the world do you decide what to read next?

2. You’re half way through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you quit or are you committed?

3. The end of the year is coming and you’re so close, but so far away on your goodreads reading challenge. Do you try to catch up? And how?

4. The covers of a series you love do not match. How do you cope?

5. Everyone and their mother loves a book you really don’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings?

6. You’re Reading a book and you’re about to start crying in public. How do you feel?

7. A sequel of a Book you loved just came out, but you’ve forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you reread the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a synopsis on goodreads? Cry in frustration?

8. You do not want anyone. Anyone. Borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people nope when they ask?

9. You’ve picked up and put down five books in the last month. How do you get over your reading slump?

10. There are so many new books coming out that you’re dying to read. How many do you actually buy?

11. After you’ve bought the new books you can’t wait to get to, how long do they sit on your shelves before you get to them?

Well that is it for today’s post. I hope you are having a wonderful fall and getting some time to curl up with a great read.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Book Club: Victober & Halloween Reads

September 28, 2023 Leave a Comment

Hi everyone and welcome to Book Club!

This week I am sharing the books I am planning to read for Victober and what I am dubbing my “Halloween Reads.” As usual I have far more books on my list than I think I may be able to read inside of one month but then I suppose that’s the fun of a TBR list right? Lately I have been reading about 1 book a week and starting a second one. I keep trying for two a week but haven’t quite mastered that consistently. Regardless it isn’t the amount of books we read but rather that we enjoy reading so I will share my goal list with you and the give you updates throughout the month of October. Who knows maybe you will find some to add to your own TBR.

All of the books for Victober are on my Kindle and I believe they are part of Kindle Unlimited so if you have a membership I believe they are all included.

If you aren’t familiar with what Victober is it is focused on reading Victorian Literature throughout the month of October. The hosts are: Books & Things, Kate Howe Reads, Blatantly Bookish, Books with Petra, and Scallydandling about the Books This is my first time taking part and I am excited to take part. I love reading books that are set in the Victorian period but I realize I haven’t read much that were written in the Victorian period so this should be a fun way to delve into a new genre of reading.

The books I plan to read for Victober are (Affiliate links provided below):

Silas Marner by George Eliot

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Three Men in a Boat (not to mention the dog) by Jerome K. Jerome

My reading list for Halloween is (Affiliate links provided below):

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

The Other by Thomas Tryon

Whose Body by Dorothy L Sayers

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

All said there are 8 books on this list which is doable provided I can read 2 books a week. Lately I have been doing 1 maybe 1 1/2 but if I am being honest I am perfectly find with finishing some in November. Setting challenges and reading goals is fun but I don’t want to be so focused on getting things done that I make it feel like work when reading is mean, for me at least, to be an enjoyable past-time and hobby.

What about you? Are you familiar with Victober? A lover of Victorian novels or maybe you are just all about the spooky and creepy Halloween reads. I would love to hear what you have planned for October.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Book Club August & September Reads

September 21, 2023 2 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links I may earn a small commission but you do not pay any more.

Today I am sharing what I have read in August & so far in September along with the books I hoping to finish reading this month.

It’s been a good reading month for me and I have found lots of great books and some new series. So here’s what I’m reading:

I finished Shady Hollow by Juneau Black (affiliate link) which I shared with you last month. I really enjoyed this book and I continued on with the series and finished book #2 which is Cold Clay. (affiliate link) Another cozy mystery only with animals as the characters. Super fun and imaginative!

I finished Once Upon a Broken Heart (affiliate link) as well and again, a great new series but this time falling under the YA fantasy genre.

I also finished Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie which was such a great mystery! I listened to it on audible and it kept me guessing back and forth the whole time.

Winterhouse by Ben Guterson which is a young fantasy series really captivated me and I have already purchased book #2 and cannot wait to read it. An orphan finds herself spending the holidays at a wonderful hotel and learns a lot about the mysteries of the hotel as well as some things about herself. I highly recommend this book.

I finished The Ogress and the Orphans (affiliate link) which I just loved. This book has all the feels of a classic to me with a town that was once perfect but now is far from it and at the heart of it’s hope is an ogress. Such a beautiful story.

Dear Mrs. Bird (affiliate link) was another book I finished this month. If you love historical fiction (this one taking place during WWII in London) then you may want to check this one out.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman (affiliate link) is another book I finished in September. Loved this imaginary world and the strange characters in it. I am on the hunt for my own copy to add to my bookshelf.

Lastly I finished Art Matters also by Neil Gaiman. (affiliate link) It’s a short collection of some of his thoughts on creativity combined with some beautiful illustrations. If you are a creative you definitely want to check this one out.

With just over a week left in September I have what might be a lofty reading goal but one that I definitely feel is doable. I am hoping to finish Katherine of Aragon the True Queen (affiliate link) by Sunday. I have been reading this book for a while and have run out of library renewals so I am hoping to finish it and purchase book#2 in the series. I am really enjoying it and looking forward to collecting (and reading) the whole series!

I am also working on “A Study in Murder” (affiliate link) which has all the cozy mystery vibes but taking place in the Victorian Era. So far I am already hooked by the story and the characters and hope I can finish it this week.

Lastly I am reading “The Fortnight in September” (affiliate link) which is all about a family’s annual trip to the seaside. So far I am really enjoying the story and the cast of characters. I am reading this one on my Kindle (affiliate link) and hope I am able to finish it by the end of the month.

So that’s my reading wrap up so far. I will be sharing my Victober list and my October/Halloween list with you next week. I have quite a few books on that list so we will see how it goes.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Book Club: Shop with Me, Used Book Haul

September 7, 2023 2 Comments

We are enjoying a vacation week. My husband took off for the week, our youngest is turning 5 this weekend and we are enjoying some time with friends and today I had a nice wander through the used book store.

I am so grateful to have quite a large used bookstore not far from me and I went for a little wander. I found so great books for the kids and for our Little Free Library that I’m excited to add. I also had stopped off at the local Dollar Tree and picked up a 2 books for the kids for our back to home school which is next week.

Later I learned that my son and I had each won a prize as part of our library’s summer reading program. We went there and signed my youngest up for her very first library card! September is Library Card Month and it’s always so much for me when my kids get their first library card.

So today, I thought I would share with you the books I picked up. Below are the books and for the ones I could find I shared the link if you would like your own copy. Most of these are affiliate links so if you make a purchase using one of these links I may earn a small commission but it does not cost you any more. I am also sharing my latest book tube video where I chat a bit more about the books.

I hope you are having a wonderful day!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Video: Book Club-What I Read in August

August 31, 2023 1 Comment

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links I may earn a small commission but you do not pay any more.

August is coming to a close and I am so excited to share all I have read with you.

I had a great reading month. Everything I am about to share is a book I would recommend (presuming you enjoy the genre) and in fact, they are all books I plan to find copies of for my bookshelf.

I want to start off by saying that even though all the books I read were fabulous I also DNF’d a lot of books. I think there were around 4 or 5 that I read a few pages and quickly put aside to the “return to the library” pile. I noticed I was feeling like I had to finish one book but then I laughed a little and reminded myself I read for enjoyment and I don’t have to force myself to read anything. It made such a difference and I ended up with some really wonderful reads and a few new series to continue on.

So here goes!

First up is “The Ogress and the Orphans” by Kelly Barnhill. (affiliate link) I absolutely loved this story. For me it feels like a classic book and one that I am sure I will be re-reading down the road. It’s a sweet and sad story of a lonely but kind Ogress who moves to a town that was once very lovely until a series of unfortunate events happen and suddenly the town is no longer lovely.

Next up is “Shady Hollow” by Juneau Black (affiliate link). This is Book #1 of the series and it’s a cozy mystery with a twist-all the characters are animals living in a little woodland town. These animals are very human in civility having a local newspaper, coffee shop and sheriff’s department. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a cozy mystery.

Once Upon a Broken Heart (affiliate link) is the first book in a new Fantasy series by Stephanie Garber. When Evangeline Fox makes a deal with a fate to win back her true love things go, well about how you would expect them to go when you make a deal with a fate. I just loved this story and all the characters and for me there were lots of unexpected twists and turns. I am really looking forward to reading book #2 and will be puchasing these for my bookshelf.

Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie (affiliate link) is of course fabulous. I had zero idea “who dunnit” and loved every twist and turn. I listened to this on audiobook while working in the studio and it was just such an interesting story. I am enjoying working my way through the Agatha Christie challenge.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman is next up on my list and again-I just loved it! I am looking forward to watching the movie adaptation of it-possibly this weekend to see how it compares. If I am being honest I am thinking about making a Coraline doll (felt or wooden I am not sure) along with recreating Coraline’s house in miniature. It feels like it would be such an awesome project!

And the last book I read in August was “Cold Clay” by Juneau Black (affiliate link) which is Book #2 in the Shady Hollow series. Another wonderful story and I think in some ways I liked it even better than the first which isn’t always the case. This series is going on my purchase wish list for sure!

Well I hope you enjoyed my August update! If you would like to see my BookTube video I have that down below. Have you read anything good in August? I would love to hear!

Until next time….

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

August Book Haul Library Edition

August 24, 2023 Leave a Comment

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links I earn a small commission but you don’t pay anymore.

I have been making the most of my local library this summer. Combing that with evenings spent watching BookTube and my TBR list has just kept growing. I love that I can make a book request from my library’s app or website including e-books which has been really cool. I know no of this is new but I am just now making use of it all.

Today I am sharing a bunch of books with you-some I have started, some I can’t remember why I picked them up but with any luck there will be something for you to add your own TBR. So without more chit chat let’s dig in!

So that is my full list! If you want to hear a bit more about my thoughts on each book I made a video for my new Book Tube channel. Right now I am almost finished with “Coraline” which I am reading for my library’s summer reading program. I have to read that and a childhood favorite and I have filled my board! I will be sure to keep you updated here on my progress with the books and my thoughts and reviews as well.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

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