Tag: WWWWednesday

WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday June 12, 2019

StephanieLeave a comment

Here we are again, another Wednesday! Halfway through the week. I’m feeling mostly alive and still struggling to catch up with everything, but that’s what happens when you’re down for the count for so stinkin’ long. But everyone loves WWW Wednesday, right???

WWW Wednesday is a superfun bookish meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Hi, Sam! Thanks for hosting! It’s all about answering three very important questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Are you ready? Let’s do this!

What are you currently reading?

Based on a suggestion from a Book Riot article, I added Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age Story by Amani Al-Khatahtbeh to my TBR and grabbed it from the library yesterday. It’s a slim tome, but it’s giving me a different perspective on the aftermath of September 11th, one that I’d thought about but had never read any firsthand accounts of, so I appreciate that. I’ll most likely finish this tonight.

What did you recently finish reading?

Living More With Less by Doris Janzen Longacre has been sitting on my shelf for a few years. I finally got around to finishing it this weekend, and I’m SO glad I did. It’s thrift, frugality, and sustainability with the express purpose of better caring for our neighbors, and it was exactly what I needed to read to reset my brain. My review will be up tomorrow. And also…

I don’t always review the books I read out loud to my daughter, but I’ll probably do a write-up of Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards (yes, THAT Julie Andrews, she of The Sound of Music and The Princess Diaries fame). This was a childhood favorite of mine and I was beyond thrilled to be able to read it out loud to my daughter, who loved it as much as I did. 🙂

What do you think you’ll read next?

No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court by Edward Humes has been on my TBR list for…let’s not discuss how long. I picked up a copy from a local library branch and will start reading this next. My one reservation is that it was published in 1997, which means it’s pretty dated- the kids who were teenagers at the writing of this book are now in or nearing their forties, so… I may skip it and move onto the next thing if it’s not working for me. I have a few books on their way via interlibrary loan, and if they’re not here yet, I may dive into the book that got me into reading romance, which I’m sure will be all sorts of hideous and hilarious. I’m looking forward to seeing just how terrible it is!

And that’s it for this week! What are you reading???

WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday June 5, 2019

StephanieLeave a comment

Good morning/afternoon/evening, readers! I hope you’re having a fabulous day. Would you look at that- it’s Wednesday again, so that means it’s time for another WWW Wednesday! (Again? Wasn’t it just Wednesday???)

WWW Wednesday is a superfun bookish meme hosted by the lovely Sam of Taking on a World of Words (hi Sam! Thanks for hosting!). It’s all about answering three VERY important book-related questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Are you ready? Let’s play!

What are you currently reading?

So, I’m still sick. I woke up yesterday feeling like I’d been run over by a bus, with pain still raging in the left side of my face, head, and jaw (and coughing! I’m still coughing!). Off to the doctor we went, and I came home with a prescription for stronger antibiotics. So far, they *seem* to be working out better (*crosses fingers*); I’m not as bad off this morning as I was yesterday. All that is to say that last night, I was half-dead and wanted to throw myself in bed and read something that I didn’t have to work for, that I could just lie there, try not to die, and get lost in the story. Second Chances by Lauren Dane, the story of a woman who returns to her hometown after years away, fit that bill. I read through 30-some percent of it and then crashed, but I’m enjoying it so far.

What did you recently finish reading?

I couldn’t resist Big Rock by Lauren Blakely; any book that can make such innuendos with both the cover and the title (and the font!) gets my inner twelve-year-old snort-laughing.

I also finished American Prison: A Reporter’s Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Shane Bauer. This was utterly amazing, infuriating, and eye-opening. It’s the kind of book that makes you need to take a breather every once in a while, because some of the information in there is just so brutal and intense. I cannot recommend this highly enough, especially if you live in the US.

What do you think you’ll read next?

So, usually I have a whole stack of books lined up, just waiting for me. This illness has seriously kicked my butt, and I’m plum worn out. I have no stack other than the books on my own shelves (and we all know those don’t count, right?). I’m really hoping to be back to my normal self in the next few days and get back to my regular reading. After making a stop at the grocery store today, my daughter and I are going to hit up the library in a nearby town; they’ve got a few books from my TBR list (whether they’re in stock remains to be seen), including The Solace of Water by Elizabeth Younts, Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, and The Idea of You by Robinne Lee. So hopefully one of those will be next on the list, and hopefully I’ll be back to normal soon!

And that’s it for this week’s WWW Wednesday! What are you reading this week???

WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday May 29, 2019

Stephanie2 Comments

Today was my weekly grocery shopping day, so that means it’s time for another WWW Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Thanks for hosting, Sam!

(Also, I just remembered it’s WWW Wednesday. Just as my daughter started to recover from what was eventually diagnosed as a sinus infection, I started my downhill slide and ended up coming home from the doctor with two prescriptions yesterday. The three day weekend was no fun, and it’s been a looooooooooooooooong few weeks around here. I’m SO far behind on blog-related stuff, so if I owe you a post, I WILL get to it; I haven’t forgotten anything, I’m just sick and in pain. Anyhoo.)

WWW Wednesday is a superfun bookish meme all about answering three bookish questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Let’s get this party started!

What are you currently reading?

I’m a little over halfway through The Butterfly Mosque: A Young American Woman’s Journey to Love and Islam by G. Willow Wilson. The author had found herself drawn to Islam in college and ended up converting on a plane on her way to working as a teacher in Cairo. After a little bit of difficulty getting into this, I found my bearing and am really enjoying seeing Cairo and Islam through her eyes.

What did you recently finish reading?

This weekend, I finished Everything I Know About Love I Learned From Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell, she of the fabulous Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. After that, I plowed through This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America by Morgan Jerkins. I enjoyed both of them, though for very different reasons, and I still need to get my reviews written up. Being sick has slooooooooowed meeeeeeeeeee dooooowwwwwwwwn. 😦

What do you think you’ll read next?

Up next, I have two graphic novels, which I always enjoy. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel, and The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui. Both are straight from my TBR and I’m very much looking forward to reading both of them.

And that’s it! Hopefully by the next WWW Wednesday, I’ll be feeling more human, instead of feeling like I’ve been kicked in the face, because that’s apparently the thing with a sinus/double ear infection. (And if not, I may take a chainsaw to my own head…)

Happy reading, friends! What have you been reading this week???

WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday May 22, 2019

Stephanie4 Comments

It’s Wednesday, so you know what that means! *drumroll* It’s WWW Wednesday, hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Hello, Sam!

WWW Wednesday is a super fun meme, all about answering three bookish questions.

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

(I always read these in the same tone of voice as “What is airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?” Just me?)

Let’s get started!

What are you currently reading?

I knew within mere seconds of hearing Dahlia Adler’s interview on an episode of Smart Bitches, Trashy Podcast, that I wanted to read her books. She’s fun and funny and smart and bubbly and outgoing, and I actually sat up from lying down under the covers to put her books on my TBR list (which is no small deal, because sleep is something I take very, very seriously!). Behind the Scenes is one of those books, and I checked out an ebook from my library last night. I didn’t get much time to read it, but what I have read, I love so far!

What did you recently finish reading?

History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (review to come; I’m behind on reviews and all things blogging due to being sick). This was…I’m not quite sure. I didn’t care for the structure or the narrator’s voice much, and the whole thing left me feeling like I’m not quite smart enough to understand this book. It didn’t quite work for me, but it was on the list for the Man Booker Prize a few years back, so it obviously worked for others!

What do you think you’ll read next?

My daughter and I stopped at the library after groceries (because that’s obviously what’s most important when you’re sick!!!) and I grabbed the stack above, straight off my TBR. I’m super, super excited about reading all of them, but I’m going to start off with Everything I Know About Love I Learned From Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell. I fall asleep every night with Ms. Wendell’s voice in my ear as I’m listening to Smart Bitches, Trashy Podcast, and I adored her Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches’ Guide to Romance Novels when I read it years ago, so now is definitely the time to pick this book up.

And that’s it for this week! Hopefully I’ll get a crapload of time to read and enjoy all of these books, because I’ve got some good ones coming up!

What are you reading this week???

WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday May 15, 2019

Stephanie4 Comments

It’s Wednesday again, folks! (Although it doesn’t feel like a Wednesday, because Wednesday is usually my grocery shopping day, and I can’t grocery shop today because my daughter is sick. AGAIN. Third time since the last weekend in March. It’s just a virus, but she sounds terrible when she coughs, and we were up most of last night. *yawn*) Let’s get down to business! WWW Wednesday is a superfun bookish meme, hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words (hi Sam!), that’s all about answering these three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Here we go!

What are you currently reading?

Being an insufferable language nerd, when I heard about In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri, I knew I had to read it. She spent twenty years studying Italian and then moved to Italy with her family in order to further her study of the language. She wrote this book entirely in Italian; it was translated into English by a professional. How cool is that??? I just started it yesterday and haven’t had too much time to read (again, daughter is sick!), but I’m liking it so far.

What did you recently finish reading?

Just the Way You Are by Ann Roth. I definitely have some thoughts on this book, so I’ll have my review up tomorrow.

What do you think you’ll read next?

One of these! I don’t often go to the library without a list, and these were what were on my list on my last trip (along with the Jhumpa Lahiri book). I don’t tend to read my library books in any certain order; I know I want to get to all of them, so when I’m done with one, I just tend to pick up the next one in a stack. Of course, sometimes there’ll be one I’m absolutely dying to read and that goes straight to the top. 😉

And that’s it! What are you reading this week???

WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday May 8, 2019

Stephanie9 Comments

It’s been a while since I did a WWW Wednesday, so let’s get to that! WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words, and it’s all about answering these three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Time to play!

What are you currently reading?

Sweet mother of pearl, I love Christina Lauren. I just started Love and Other Words last night, and since Wednesday is my grocery shopping day, I bought a pizza and will throw together a salad just so I can have some extra reading time and not have to cook a time/labor-intensive dinner. I’m only a few chapters in, but I’m loving this so far.

What did you recently finish reading?

Jennifer Crusie is another all-time favorite, and I finished Welcome to Temptation last night (review to come). There was one place in particular in the book that caused me to laugh so hard, I scared the cat. I rated this four stars on Goodreads and that’s pretty typical for me of her books. Super fun read.

What do you think you’ll read next?

For my final book challenge read, I’ve got a thrift store copy of Yes Please by Amy Poehler up next. I’ve had this on my shelf since last summer, so I’ll be glad to finally get it read (and then I’ll probably pass it along; we have four Little Free Libraries within walking distance of my house! Two are strictly children’s books, but the other two are mixed, so this is an awesome way to weed out things that I’m not planning on keeping forever).

Have you read any of these? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Happy Wednesday! 🙂

WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday: April 24, 2019

Stephanie7 Comments

It’s Wednesday, so that means it’s time for another WWW Wednesday (which I haven’t done in ages, because life and stuff). WWW Wednesday is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.

To participate, simply respond to these three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Let’s play!

What are you currently reading?

Well…I finished a book last night, and so, when I finish with groceries and laundry and hauling people that I married and gave birth to from one location to another, it’ll be this:

Jesse’s Girl by Tara September. Here’s the blurb from Amazon:

“I wish that I had Jesse’s Girl”* 

Successful Texas lawyer, Reade Walker, curses that damn song every time it plays, all too aware of the irony of its lyrics. After all, he has been secretly and painfully enamored with Jesse’s girl, Gwen, for nearly a decade. It was love at first sight for him, but sadly she’s not his girl. She belongs to the one man who betrayed him and knows Reade’s hidden family secret. Yet Reade can’t seem to love anyone except the one woman he can’t have. Or can he make her mine? 

When Gwen Clark’s senator husband runs off with his intern and all their money, the ensuing scandal turns her life upside down. Deserted, penniless and desperate to provide for her six-year-old daughter, Gwen has no one to turn to but Reade Walker. The one man her heart desperately wants, but her pride dreads having to ask for help. Despite welcoming them into his home, it seems like Reade can barely stand being in the same room with her anymore, let alone under the same roof–in the same bedroom. But Gwen is determined to get her life back on track. It is past time to rediscover her own dreams…if only she can keep her aching heart from breaking all over again. 

With all the dark, depressing stuff I’ve been reading lately, I’m looking forward to diving into a romance!

What did you recently finish reading?

They Come At Night by Nick Clausen (review to come). CREEPY, CREEPY horror novella. I kept waking up last night thinking about it, and I may never go in the ocean again…

What do you think you’ll read next?

Another pick for a Book Riot Read Harder 2019 Challenge, with Rabbit-Proof Fence: The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes of All Time by Doris Pilkington (Ms. Pilkington was born Nuri Garimara and is an indigenous Australian author). I’ve heard of this book many times over the years, so it’s about time that I finally read it. It’s a short book, clocking in at 135 pages, so after I finish this, I’m FINALLY going to read two books off of my own shelves! One is another Book Riot Challenge book, and another will count for part of the 2019 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge (that poor neglected challenge needs some attention ’round these parts!).

What are you reading this Wednesday???

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WWW Wednesday April 3, 2019

Stephanie7 Comments

ARGH! It’s WWW Wednesday and I forgot earlier.

That sometimes happens when your day starts at 3:42 am. *yawn* My back was hurting too much to sleep. That happens…far too often, unfortunately, but such is life.

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam from Taking on a World of Words.

The three W’s are as follows:

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Let’s get this show on the road!


What are you currently reading?

I haven’t read Neil Gaiman since reading Coraline with my son back in like 2007 or 2008, and I haven’t read any mythology since…freshman year of high school? (So. much. reading. from Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton.) I’ve always wanted to learn more about Norse mythology, and Gaiman’s retellings are making it far more accessible than anything I’ve tried before.


What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey is up next and I’m SO excited about reading this!!!! Check out the premise of this book:

In the early 20th Century, the United States government concocted a plan to import hippopotamuses into the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This is true.

Other true things about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their jaws can snap a man in two.

This was a terrible plan.

Contained within this volume is an 1890s America that might have been: a bayou overrun by feral hippos and mercenary hippo wranglers from around the globe. It is the story of Winslow Houndstooth and his crew. It is the story of their fortunes. It is the story of his revenge.

Is that not completely nuts?!?!?? I heard about this on a back episode of All the Books a few weeks ago and was floored (plus it counts as an alternative history for Book Riot’s 2019 Read Harder Challenge, so YAY!). I can’t WAIT to read this!!!

What are you reading this week???

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WWW Wednesday! March 27, 2019

Stephanie5 Comments

As it’s Wednesday, it’s time for another WWW Wednesday, coming to you from Taking on a World of Words. To play along, all you need to do is answer three simple (HA! Is anything every simple about reading choices?) questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Let’s get started!

What are you currently reading?

I started reading Lessons in Letting Go by Allison Janda two-ish days ago (I think! Kids are on spring break and my son was sick this past weekend, so it’s been busy and my days are all thrown off), about a woman who gets dumped by her husband and who decides to step out of her comfort zone by becoming a travel nurse (and there’s a guy, but…there’s a catch. A big one). So far, I’m really enjoying this!

What did you recently finish reading?

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas. If I were rich, I would throw piles of money at Angie Thomas and fund 100% of her life so she could do nothing but write because I love her books so much.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Up next is a review copy of Bell-Bottom Gypsy: A Jessie Morgan Novel by Maggie Plummer. It sounds interesting, so I’m looking forward to it. And after that, I have a stack of library books waiting for me, including Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, which my husband expressed interest in reading (so I may have to share!).

Hopefully I’ll get some good reading time in in the next few days (not tomorrow, because we’re going to visit my mother- spring break week just isn’t conducive to long, lazy days of nothing but devouring books when you’re the mom…).

What are you reading this week???

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WWW Wednesday! March 20, 2019

Stephanie3 Comments

It’s Wednesday, so that means it’s time for another fun WWW Wednesday, hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. To play along, just answer three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Let’s get started!

What are you currently reading?

Yesterday, I picked up my interlibrary loan copy of Make Do and Mend: Keeping Family and Home Afloat on War Rations (foreword by Jill Norman). It’s a book of WWII-era reproductions of government-issued leaflets designed to teach the women on the homefront to make their clothing last longer (since clothing was rationed during the war years). My mother was up visiting yesterday and my son had a choir concert last night, so I only got about ten minutes yesterday to read, but this book seems really neat so far and I’ve already learned something about making hand-knit socks last longer.

What did you recently finish reading?

Yesterday, I finished Apocalypse Chow: How to Eat Well When the Power Goes Out by Jon Robertson and Robin Robertson. Review will be up tomorrow!

What do you think you’ll read next?

Next up in the pile is The Cider House Rules by John Irving. I’ve wanted to read this for YEARS, so I’m so excited. I very vaguely remember seeing parts of the movie when I was younger, so I may have to seek that out after I finish this book (is it any good, or should I avoid it?). I do have a copy of Angie Thomas’s On the Come Up on hold at the library, so if that comes in, I’ll read that as soon as possible so that I can get it back and it can go to the next person on the list. (I try to be courteous with popular holds!)

That’s it for this WWW Wednesday! What are you reading right now? Anything interesting coming up next?