Always Me

  Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to Music Monday! Let's share some songs we've been enjoying lately!  If you would like to play and I really hope you do, please see the rules and link up below. Rules: Every Monday share a few songs you've been enjoying lately.  It doesn't have to be a specific genre, new, or one of your favorites - just something you'd like to share with others.  If possible, share a music or lyric video of the song and your thoughts on the song(s), artist(s), and/or music video(s). If you would like to participate in Music Monday, please join the link up by sharing your post's url.  Welcome back again!  Today, I'm featuring four favorites from the soundtrack of  Nosferatu   (2024) , composed by Robin Carolan .  If you haven't seen it yet it's excellent and I highly recommend it.  It's so atmospheric and the sense of dread throughout is top-notch.  Give a listen to Goodbye , Orlok's Shadow , Bound , and Dayb...

  Happy Saturday everyone and welcome to my second  2025 Popsugar Reading Challenge  update with mini reviews!   In February, I read 4 books for a total of 17 completed out of 50.  I'd say I'm doing pretty well so far.  Keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read in February: ❋   ❋  ❋ I'm glad I finally read  The Indian in the Cupboard  ( The Indian in the Cupboard  #1) by Lynne Reid Banks . It's been ages since I've seen the movie adaptation of it, but I remember really enjoying it way back when. I don't know if I'd love it as much now as I used to, but honestly I think I prefer the movie adaptation. I didn't even know it was an adaptation until pretty recently. I definitely preferred movie Little Bear to his book counterpart. The two most surprising things about this: it's very English and Brock Cole, the illustrator, went to Kenyon College. The Kenyon thing is surprising since it might as well be in my backyard ...

Happy Friday everyone!  Today, I'm sharing my second update and mini reviews for the  Read Around the World Challenge .  Of the 46 books for the 46 European countries on my original  tbr , I managed to complete 5 in February for a total of 8 completed so far.  You can check out my profile here on the challenge website  here .  Keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read this month: ❋   ❋  ❋ Snowblind  ( Dark Iceland  #1) by Ragnar Jonasson  is fine, but it took me a bit to get into this mystery and I don't think I was as invested as I should have been. I don't have much to say about this one, but I won't be reading the rest of the series.  I'm just not interested enough. My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph . ❋   ❋  ❋  ❋ The Likeness  ( Dublin Murder Squad  #2) by Tana French  was a big step up from the first book in the series for me.  I'm glad I didn't write the re...

      On Friday's I take part in two weekly link ups - The Friday 56, currently hosted by  Anne @ My Head Is Full of Books , and Book Beginnings, hosted by  Rose City Reader .  For The Friday 56, you choose a book, a book you have just finished, a book you are about to start, your current read, and share a line or a few lines that grab you (but don't spoil anything) from page 56 or 56% of the way through the ebook. Post it and share your post's url on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post. As for Book Beginnings, you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires, and then link up your post's url with Rose City Reader.  Happy Friday everyone!  This week I'm spotlighting one of my  Beat The Backlist 2025  books,  The Doctor and the Kid  ( Weird West Tales  #2) by Mike Resnick .  I read the third book in this series and it was pretty fun.  I'm looking forward to rea...

Happy Thursday!  Today, I'm sharing my February update for my  12 Challenge 2025 .  This month I managed to complete 2 books for a total of 5 completed of the 12 books recommended to me.  Keep reading to see my thoughts on what I've read for this challenge in February:  ❋  ❋  ❋  ❋ I had no idea what to expect from  A Beginner's Guide to Dying  by Simon Boas , but decided to pick it up for my 12 Challenge 2025 after getting it as a recommendation. The warmth of tone and openness make it worth picking up. I was especially interested in the religion section. I will say though that the privilege section was a bit off putting especially in the comparing down part.  If you're interested in self-help books, you might be interested in reading this as well. My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph . ❋  ❋ I think I liked the idea of  Kitchens of the Great Midwest  by J. Ryan Stradal  more than the final product. ...

    Happy Thursday everyone! Welcome back to  Books from the Backlog , the weekly linkup I'm taking part of which is hosted by  Carole's Random Life in Books .  This is a great way to put a spotlight on books that I've had sitting on my shelf for awhile.  I don't know when I'll get to my weekly featured book, but I hope to some time hopefully soon. This Week's Neglected Book: Tam Lin  by Pamela Dean Published: 1991 Genre: Fantasy Retelling  My Copy: Format: Mass Market Paperback Pages: 468 Where I Acquired It: Thrift store Summary (From Goodreads): In the ancient Scottish ballad "Tam Lin," headstrong Janet defies Tam Lin to walk in her own land of Carterhaugh . . . and then must battle the Queen of Faery for possession of her lover's body and soul. In this version of "Tam Lin," masterfully crafted by Pamela Dean, Janet is a college student, "Carterhaugh" is Carter Hall at the university where her father teaches, and Tam Lin is a...

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today I'm sharing my second update for my February progress on the year long  Beat The Backlist 2025  reading challenge, hosted by  Austine Decker .  You can see my original tbr  here .  In February, I completed 4 books for a total of 9 read so far out of 24 total books on my tbr.  Without further ado, keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read in February: ❋   ❋  ❋   ❋  ❋   The Alloy of Law  ( Mistborn  #4) by Brandon Sanderson  is the first of the second fantasy trilogy set in the Mistborn world.  I really enjoyed the first three books, but I honestly think I prefer the style of this one to them.  I wasn't expecting this to hit in such a different way - I love the time jump in the world.  That really worked for me.  I can't wait to read book 5, Shadows of Self . My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph . ❋   ❋  ❋   ❋ The...

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today I'm sharing my plans for the March 2025 round of the  Trope-ical Readathon  which is hosted by Jenjenreviews .  It will run the entire month of March and I'm joining Team Fantasy this time around.  You can follow along on BlueSky and Discord , if you like. As usual, there are fifteen total challenges to complete - two team challenges and thirteen common challenges (you either read a book that fits the given trope or one that fits the alternate prompt).  Each team also has two choices (a newer or an older book) for your Team Book read as well.  For each challenge you complete, team book you read, and each page you read, you earn points for your team,  Common Challenge books are worth 50 points each, Team Challenge books are worth 100 points each, Team Books are worth 150 points each, and on top of that you get 1 point per page you read for the readathon so you can really rack them up over the course of the mon...

  Happy Tuesday everyone! Today I'm sharing my thoughts on the book I read in February for  Choose Your Own Adventure: Year In Adelia, The Boardgame , an additional challenge to  G. @ Book Roast 's  Magical Readathon .  You can see my full tbr  here .  Without further ado, check out my mini review below: ❋  ❋  ❋  ❋ A Sorceress Comes to Call  by T. Kingfisher  is another great story from an author that has quickly become one of my must reads.  I love her style so much and would read pretty much anything she decides to right.  While I wouldn't call this particular standalone fantasy an all time favorite from her (the bar is just too high), I'd still call it a must read for fans of her work and those who appreciate a classic fairytale retelling. My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph . Next Month: March -  Off to Adventure! 3D Match sundial (make sure your watch is aligned with the sundial!) -  book...

            Happy Tuesday everyone!  Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday which is is hosted by  That Artsy Reader Girl .  This week's topic is Books Set In Another Time.  I do enjoy historical fiction and all of these have been great.  Here we go in order by the year each book is set: A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur - Year Set: 1509 To The Bone  by Alena Bruzas  - Year Set: 1609 Slewfoot by Brom - Year Set: 1666 Bella Poldark ( Poldark #12) by Winston Graham - Year Set: 1818-1820 Before the Devil Knows You're Here by Autumn Krause - Year Set: 1836 The Warm Hands of Ghosts  by Katherine Arden  - Year Set: 1917-1918 The Diviners ( The Diviners #1) by Libba Bray - Year Set: 1926 Foul Heart Huntsman ( Foul Lady Fortune #2) by Chloe Gong - Year Set: 1932 Stateless by Elizabeth Wein - Year Set: 1937 The Reformatory by Tananarive Due - Year Set: 1950 What are some of your favorite pieces of historical fiction?...