Quick Lit: Summer 2017

Ahhh summer. Days of sleeping in, playing outside, and lots of reading. I actually didn't finish a crazy amount of books this year, but with lots of Kindle-usage during baby feedings, I did stay on track with my goals. I read 10 books from June through August, putting me at 27 of 36.

Quick Lit: Early 2017

I've been on a blogging break since the beginning of January, so I haven't written my monthly Quick Lit posts. Goodreads says I've read 19 books since my last recap. I'll try to keep these short! :)

February 10, 2017:  40weeks5days pregnant, hanging out at
Barnes & Noble after walking the mall trying to induce labor.

Quick Lit: November 2016

Yes, there is a reason this simple square is my first
image in this post. Read on to discover why! :) 

I think I'm winding down for the year... Since I met my reading goal for 2016 a few months ago, I don't feel the push to blow through easy reads just for the sake of finishing as many as I can. So I've been taking my time, doing other things instead of reading during down time, and for the month of December decided to re-read something that will easily take the entire month (and likely beyond)!

Quick Lit: October 2016

After being stuck in a rut and reading only 2 books in September, I blasted through a couple of YA series in October to finish 7 books this month!

Quick Lit: September 2016

Not book related. But pretty. We've had
a warm September in Michigan!

Since I've already met my goal of 36 books (3 a month) for 2016, I don't feel too bad for only finishing 2 books this month...

Quick Lit: August 2016

Woohoo!! After tracking my books for two years and not meeting my goal (36 books each year), I finally did it! With time to spare! I'm not completely sure what's been different this year, except that I got off to a fast start, read a few middle-grade books, and re-read all of Harry Potter in 5 weeks.

My goal has been 3 books a month, and I'm going to try to stick that out the rest of the year before re-evaluating my goal for 2017. I met the 3-book goal this month!

Quick Lit: July 2016

I think this month was a bit boring for books, but I did cruise through almost 2000 pages. As I said last month I've been working through my first-ever re-read of the Harry Potter series for #harrypotterthon16. In June I read the first five books, so in July I finished 6 & 7.

Quick Lit: June 2016

#harrypotterthon16  #lifeisbetteratthelake  #ihavegreatinlaws

It has been a suuuuuper slow month for blogging and even Facebook and Instagram for me. Sorry to any faithful followers I may have. Can you say "summer break!!!"?  I suddenly have all 4 of us home all day every day (my hubby's a teacher).

And I'm 8.5 weeks pregnant. :) With full-blown, all-day-every-day nausea. :(

So while I'm doing lots of reading (as I describe below), my online presence is lacking. But I'm at 27/36 books for my yearly goal! I hope you're enjoying your summer!

Quick Lit: May 2016

A nice leisurely pontoon boat ride means time to read - even with 10 other people on the boat too. 😉 #tbysreadathon #lifeisbetteratthelake #bookstagram #currentlyreading #linedryinfinekindaday

A photo posted by Carrie Roer (@carrieroer) on May 29, 2016 at 7:22pm PDT

My 2016 Goodreads goal is 36 books -- 3 books a month -- after not quite making that goal last year.

(This doesn't count the books I read to/with my kids -- I try to post a few times a month what my kids are reading too, click here to read those reviews)

I started out the year FLYING through books, though now I seem to be getting back to my normal pace. I'm still plenty ahead of the game, with 24 books read so far this year. Here's what I finished in May!

Quick Lit: April 2016

#raisingreaders  #bookworm  #librarylove  :) 

My 2016 Goodreads goal is 36 books -- 3 books a month -- after not quite making that goal last year.

(This doesn't count the books I read to/with my kids -- I try to post a few times a month what my kids are reading too, click here to read those reviews)

I'm already at 20 books completed, so I'm ahead of schedule. But this month was my smallest stack yet, especially since one of the books was only 62 pages long...

Quick Lit: March 2016

I don't often enjoy a reading lunch, but when I do it's
because of a very very addicting book series!! :)

My 2016 Goodreads goal is 36 books -- 3 books a month -- after not quite making that goal last year.

(This doesn't count the books I read to/with my kids -- I try to post a few times a month what my kids are reading too, click here to read those reviews)

I'm already at 16 books completed -- 6 just in this month -- and one of those was 800+ pages!! (though one was also less than 200 pages) We'll see if this accelerated pace continues...

Quick Lit: February 2015

When I first took this picture it was a lot prettier. Then the sun came out and created funky shadows and glare. But I chose the sun-filled picture. ☺️☀️ #fridayreads #libraryhaul #creamycoffee #SugarFast2016 #michigansunshine #50degreesinfebruary #bookstagram #instareads

A photo posted by Carrie Roer (@carrieroer) on Feb 19, 2016 at 10:33am PST

My 2016 Goodreads goal is 36 books -- 3 books a month -- after not quite making that goal last year.

(This doesn't count the books I read to/with my kids -- I try to post a few times a month what my kids are reading too, click here to read those reviews)

I'm more than a month ahead! [for now...]

Quick Lit: January 2015

My library haul from a trip in mid-January

In 2015 my Goodreads goal was to read 36 books -- 3 books a month -- after only reading 24 the year before. I came so close, finishing 31 books. So my goal for 2016 is also going to be 36 books (and that doesn't count the books I read to/with my kids).

(I try to post a few times a month what my kids are reading too, click here to read those reviews)

I'm starting off well -- I finished 5 books already in January. Yay!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Cinder and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I have a tendency to jump on a best-selling-series bandwagon after all of the books in the series have been published (Harry Potter, Divergent, etc). And boy am I glad I waited on these, because I am just eating them up. In fact, I requested book 3 at the library as soon as I started book 2... and I'm still anxiously waiting (delivery day is tomorrow!). I had a friend ask what book I was reading, and it sounded really strange for me to explain "well it's a dystopian/futuristic book, and there's this girl who's a cyborg - you know, part robot part human - and it's a little like the story of Cinderella, but there's this plague..." These have been a great easy-read for when I only have a few minutes here and there, and I love the fairy tale undertones in each one.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

The January/February topic in the RTFEBC is the Arctic, and some discussion came up in the Facebook group about Arctic books for adults. This one came highly recommended, and my library had it on the shelf so I gave it a try. It took a couple days for me to get fully immersed in the story (it was difficult with my small snippets of reading time), but once I did I just couldn't put it down. It's been a long time since I last stayed up late to finish a book! The bits of Arctic homesteading appealed to me, as well as all of the feelings of longing for a child (I had two miscarriages before my girls were born). It's a great novel that I don't think I would have picked up without others' glowing recommendations!

Four by Veronica Roth

I was a Divergent junkie when I read the trilogy. It wasn't like it was a new concept, there has been lots of dystopian YA lately. But I really liked the series, and was impressed by the first movie when it came out (though I have yet to see the others! ahh!). So when I needed something last week to tide me over until my library holds came in, I saw this book in the YA section and picked it up. It's essentially a prequel to the trilogy, a collection of short stories told from the perspective of the main character named Four. I don't think it would appeal to anyone who hasn't read the original trilogy, or at least the original book, but for fans like me it was a fun quick read.

In fact, I'm going to count it for the MMD 2016 Reading Challenge as "a book you can finish in a day". (I didn't read it in one calendar day -- mom-life is way too crazy for that -- but I did finish it in a 24-hour time span! :)


I also read The Year of Miss Agnes for the RTFEBC, and counted it only because it was the first time I've read it and I didn't actually read it with my kids. I wouldn't usually count an easy chapter book like that. :)

Are you on track with your reading goals for the year
or have you already fallen behind? :)

Linking up with Anne Bogel's February Quick Lit!

This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make after clicking through will help support The Lion is a Bookworm, without changing the cost to you!

Quick Lit: December 2015

A 16 oz cup of creamy peppermint mocha coffee
has been my constant reading companion this month

My goal for this year is to read 36 books - 3 a month - after only finishing 24 last year. With only 2 weeks left of the year, I have 5 books to go... roughly one book every 3 days. Any other year I don't think I would make it, but with a family vacation coming soon -- that includes lots of time on a plane and relaxing in warm weather -- I think it might happen!

Here's what I've finished in the last month... only 2 books.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

This was my first Moriarty book, and I'm now adding others of hers to my TBR list! I really liked the character development and the bit of murder-mystery. As each chapter went by I would think "ohh I hope the victim isn't ___!!" I didn't realize going in that a main topic of the book was domestic violence, and it really opened my eyes to how this kind of thing could be going on in someone's life and I never see any outward signs. This is a very well-crafted story! 

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

Some romance, small-town charm, and the story of someone having a fresh start in life made this a quick read. I'll admit there was a little too much romance for me without enough character development (5-10 years ago I would have loved this kind of book), but that's just a phase I'm in. I was inspired to bake bread, move to a cottage on the beach, and keep a puffin for a pet (okay maybe not). Overall, this would have been a fun one to save for our trip (a nice vacation/beach read), but I had to return it to the library!

What is your favorite Moriarty book? What do you recommend for easy vacation reads (with more of a plot than just romance)? 

Linking up with Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy!

This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make help support The Lion is a Bookworm a little bit without changing the cost to you!

Quick Lit: November 2015

Lots of sickness in our house has unfortunately meant more
tv and snuggles and mindless web surfing than reading...

My goal for this year is to read 36 books - 3 a month - after only finishing 24 last year. I'm definitely behind schedule now, with only 26 books completed so far in mid-November (but hey! I've already read more than last year!)

I'm really hoping to catch up during the last week of December, when our family will have long plane rides... and lots of time relaxing in really really warm weather... :)

Here's what I've finished in the last month.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I finally jumped on the Rainbow Rowell bandwagon with this one. It's a fun, modern YA story that was easy to pick up and put down when I only had a few minutes to read. I'd never really considered the world of fan fiction, maybe because I haven't been into any series that would generate it. Except Harry Potter, but I just read those for the first time last year and when I did research a little more -- and even tried Pottermore for a bit -- all the fan stuff seemed young (like high school kids). Maybe I'm just not looking in the right spots. Or maybe I just haven't been enough of a fan of anything to pursue it further.

Anyway, I plan to read more of Rowell's books, her style seems like one I could load up my Kindle with for our Christmas break trip.

Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue

(currently reading Emerald Green)

by Kerstin Gier

I'm reading these for the last few months of this year's Young Adult Book & Movie Club. I'd never heard of them before having them on the list, and it was neat to discover they were originally published in another language. A bit of romance, a bit of time travel, and a whole lot of mystery keep me going in them. I'll admit it's not my favorite YA trilogy, I sometimes have trouble following the time travel and Gideon's mood swings bother me, but I'll definitely see it through to the end.


Do you have a favorite Rainbow Rowell book? What are some of your other recommendations for easy vacation reads? (not too much romance please!) 


Linking up with Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy!

This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make help support The Lion is a Bookworm a little bit without changing the cost to you!

Quick Lit: August 2015

It's been a summer of some things more important than reading. :) 

My goal for this year is to read 36 books - 3 a month - after only finishing 24 last year. I'm barely on schedule, with 21 books completed so far in mid-August. I'll need to finish 3 books before the end of the month, and one that I'm currently reading is pretty long... Oh well, it's summer. :) Here's what I've finished in the last month.

The Martian by Andy Weir

"Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there." This book was featured in my August #bookwormproblems post, so I won't rehash how and when I came to read it. But let's just say I loved it. There was quite a bit of technical stuff (that I'll bet the author had lots of fun writing) that went over my head, but I don't feel like I missed out if I skimmed some of it. I understood enough to realize when things were going wrong (which seemed to happen a lot). Just when we thought things were finally looking up for Mark, something else would break down. Yes there was some foul language -- the opening line of the book almost made me close it again -- but how do you think you would feel if you were trapped on Mars??

I knew as I was reading that it was going to be made into a movie, so quite a few of the scenes I could really picture. I was really impressed that this was Weir's first novel, and will keep him on my radar for the future!

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the
Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

As a typical child of the '80s, I love the movie The Princess Bride. Though I'll admit I didn't first see it until college. It is one of the most quotable movies of all time, and even I myself have been known to throw a line or two into ordinary conversation. Though the beginning of the book was a little more boring -- I didn't care all that much how the movie came to be, and the conversations people had to get it going -- once I got into the actual filming I was captivated. From stories about stunts to broken toes to life working with a giant, this book made the movie that much more special. My husband read it too, and we're going to soon watch the movie again to see if we notice some of the events mentioned. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes the movie! (but if you haven't even seen the movie yet, go watch it first - then read this book :)

The Heart of Thornton Creek (Queensland
Chronicles #1) by Bonnie Leon

I'd consider this my "fluff" read of the month. I used to read tons of Christian fiction, and have so many free books on my Kindle from one sale or another, but have been turned away by cheesy romance lately. Yes this one has some (it's a marriage of convenience after all) but there was enough of a regular plot to keep me interested. And it's set in Australia -- I haven't really read very many books outside the US or UK. It was good enough that I may read more in the series sometime.

Linking up with Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy!

This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make help support The Lion is a Bookworm a little bit without changing the cost to you!

Quick Lit: June 2015

My goal for this year is to read 36 books - 3 a month - after only finishing 24 last year. I'm slightly ahead of schedule, with 18 books completed so far in mid-June. Here's what I've finished in the last month.

Keepers of the Covenant (Restoration Chronicles #2) by Lynn Austin

I read the first book in this series last month, and raved about Austin's skills in writing historical fiction. I usually enjoy when characters appear throughout a series, and was a bit disappointed at first when I discovered so much time had passed between this book and the last one that only one character bridges the two. But that disappointment quickly faded as I got caught up in the stories of three new characters: Ezra, Amina, and Reuben. The book begins with all chapters alternating between these three, and how the Thirteenth of Adar (the story of Esther) affects them in their own communities. I loved seeing how the three stories, very separate at first, eventually intertwine and interact. The third book in this series, about Nehemiah, won't release until fall... ugh!

Centaur Rising by Jane Yolen

I took a break from adult fiction to read this one from the juvenile section. I enjoyed all of the Percy Jackson books a couple years ago, and I'm guessing this one came along because of the Greek mythology craze. This is the first non-picture book I've read by Yolen (I love her How Do Dinosaurs... series), and it was a fun, simple read. Rather than taking readers to a fantasy world, the concept here is that a bit of magic and mythology enters our world. I thought it was very predictable, but then again most juvenile books are that way for adults. :)

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I found this book at a yard sale and thought it sounded familiar (shows you how much I know about popular mainstream bestsellers! :-P ). It honestly took me a little while to get into, I really had to think hard about the dates and Clare and Henry's interactions, and what things happened in what order - it's difficult to explain. Once I got into it, I went back to skim some of the events at the beginning and then they made more sense. And once I got to the last 200 pages or so I sped through them and cried at the end. It's considered a romance, so there was a little more descriptive sex than I would usually read. But my overall takeaway was positive -- it made me appreciate the life and family I have and encouraged me to make the most of my time with them.

Linking up with Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy!


This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make help support The Lion is a Bookworm a little bit without changing the cost to you!

Quick Lit: May 2015

My goal for this year is to read 36 books - 3 a month - after only finishing 24 last year. I'm slightly ahead of schedule, with 15 books completed so far in mid-May. Here's what I've finished in the last month.

Return to Me by Lynn Austin

Lynn Austin is one of my absolute favorite historical fiction authors. Her "Chronicles of the Kings" series helped me wrap my mind around which biblical prophets appear with which kings of Israel. Her "Refiner's Fire" series fed my love of the Civil War era. And now this new "Restoration Chronicles" series will shed light on the exiled Israelites' return to Jerusalem. I'm working my way through reading my Bible in a year - chronologically, so the writings of the prophets will appear alongside the historical books - and I love how this book put images in my head of what things must have been like for the Israelites. I already have book #2 requested at the library!

Thirteen: The Last Thirteen #1 by James Phelan

I'm reading a few of the books for older readers that I sell with Usborne, so I can better offer recommendations for or against them. This is a series of 13 books in a sort of Divergent-meets-Harry-Potter. "Sam wakes from his nightmare to discover the terrifying reality: it will come true. Kidnapped from school and finding out his parents aren't who he thinks they are, Sam is suddenly running from danger at every turn. Nothing will ever be the same again. With his life and identity shattered, Sam's salvation is tied to an ancient prophecy. He is in the final battle to save the world, up against an enemy plotting to destroy us all. He alone can find the last 13." I enjoyed it, though not enough to make me want to immediately get the next book. But I can definitely see it appealing to the age group it was created for.

Minna's Quest by K.M. Peyton

Another book from Usborne. I'm always a sucker for a good horse story... "Minna is just a blacksmith's daughter, yet she succeeds in raising a sickly abandoned foal, turning him into the pride of the Roman cavalry. Her stubborn determination and fiery nature burn brightly in the quiet fort of Othona and soon attract the secret admiration of the proud commander, Theo."  I think I will look into the other two books in this trilogy. I do wish it could have been longer, I could see there being more character development and small interactions between the characters that would have added to the story. For a book that's considered Young Adult, this was fairly short at 186 pages.

Linking up today with Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy!


This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make help support The Lion is a Bookworm a little bit without changing the cost to you. I am also an Independent Consultant with Usborne Books & More. Purchasing these and other books through the links above will pay me a commission. Usborne Publishing Ltd. has no connection with this blog and does not sponsor or support its content.

Quick Lit: April 2015

My goal for this year is to read 36 books - 3 a month - after only finishing 24 last year. I'm slightly ahead of schedule, with 12 books completed so far in mid-April. Here's what I've finished in the last month.

Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk by Liesl Shurtliff

I received this middle-grade/juvenile book as an Advanced Reader ebook through NetGalley (that's my Kindle in the photo above!). It's "release date" is actually today. I was drawn to the adventurous cover of Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin when it came out last year, and enjoyed Shurtliff's telling of the old fairy tale. Again in Jack, the author takes a relatively short story and adds characters, wonderful development of those characters, and sub-plots to the original tale. Jack is a typical teenage boy who can be a bit of a troublemaker, but longs to live up to his name - he was named after his great-great...great-grandfather Jack the Giant Slayer. I loved the message that came across: troubles are not always what we assume based on what little knowledge we might have. I also loved noticing the connections between this story and Rump, though the books can easily be read separately. I've heard the next book will be Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood and I can't wait!

Champion by Marie Lu

Book 3 in the Legend Trilogy - I'm reading these as part of the Young Adult Book & Movie Club. After what I said about Prodigy last month, I wasn't sure how the end of the story would go. In fact I wasn't even sure if I wanted to start this one right away after finishing Prodigy (since Champion is the April-read in the book club). But I did, and I finished it in something like two days. And I'm glad I was alone when I read the ending because I seriously cried. It's been a long time since I cried from a book. I won't say anything else about the plot, but I do think it was a great conclusion to a lot of conflict. So if you weren't a fan of Prodigy either, be sure to finish the series.

The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst

"Are you living with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule and aching with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul? Lysa TerKeurst is learning that there is a big difference between saying yes to everyone and saying yes to God..." In the midst of deciding whether or not to leave my job at the library, I heard about this book and borrowed it from a friend. WOW. There was so much quotable material in every chapter I wanted to underline (though I refrained because it wasn't my book!) and I posted almost daily on Facebook the things that really stuck out to me. This is definitely going on my list of books I actually want to buy someday -- which is something that doesn't happen often (I'm usually a read-it-once kind of girl).

Did not finish:

At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
When I was done with the Legend series and wanted something lighter to read, a few people suggested the Mitford series. The first one was available through Overdrive from my library, so I started it. And I just could not get into it. I really tried. I got just about half way through before giving up and moving on. I really wanted to like it, since it's a bestselling series and so many people I know have read and loved them. But overall I think my biggest issue with it was that I didn't feel any sense of major plotline, or conflict that needed to be resolved. I felt like each chapter was practically a stand-alone short story. A few were obviously intertwined together, but I figured by halfway I should have some sense of the overall direction the book was going, besides "life in a small town". Sorry friends! I really really did try!!



Linking up today with Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy.


This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make help support The Lion is a Bookworm a little bit without changing the cost to you!

Quick Lit: March 2015

Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy has a monthly "What I've Been Reading Lately" linkup that I'm going to jump in on for the first time!

My goal for this year is to read 36 books - 3 a month - after only finishing 24 last year (7 of them were the Harry Potter series though, so maybe some of those should have counted for more than one...). I'm right on track, with 8 books completed so far. Here's what I've finished in the last month.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
This was definitely a break out of my usual reading. I honestly tend to stick pretty tightly to things like Christian fiction and juvenile/young adult. So to read a book that uses swear words and talks about sex was a stretch for me (though my husband and I do watch a handful of tv shows that are like that, I just rarely pick up those kind of books). I definitely enjoyed it. I read a review on Amazon before getting it from the library that basically said "if you enjoy Sheldon Cooper [The Big Bang Theory] and his quirky lack-of-social-skills and abundance-of-science-humor then you'll like this book." SO true. If Sheldon annoys you, you won't like this book as much.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
I had seen this one while skimming OverDrive for a juvenile ebook to read, and liked the sound of smart kids solving a mystery. What I didn't realize until after I got into it was that it's 500 pages long! I did like the concept, but some of the storyline seemed unnecessary - though maybe it gives background information for the other books in the series (which I don't plan on reading).

Prodigy by Marie Lu
Book 2 in the Legend Trilogy - I'm reading these as part of the Young Adult Book & Movie Club. I've been on a dystopian YA kick for about a year and a half now. Hunger Games, Divergent, City of Ember, Maze Runner, etc. I'm thinking if I had read this series a year ago I would have enjoyed it lots more than I am now. It took me awhile to get into both the first book and this one too, mostly because the storyline was so similar to other series I've read (Divergent most recently). I'll definitely stick with it, because I DO want to find out what happens to the main characters, but I'll honestly probably back off from dystopian YA for quite awhile after it.

Love & Respect in the Family: The Respect Parents Desire; The Love Children Need by Emerson Eggerichs
My Sunday School class has been having a discussion each week about a couple chapters from this book and we just finished. I really liked the Love & Respect concept from Eggerichs' first book about marriage, and the way the concept carries over into parenting makes total sense. He uses lots of examples from his own family and others who have shared their stories, which makes our family feel completely normal. It's fairly new, released in late 2013, so not many people have heard of it in the grand scheme of "best parenting books." I highly recommend it!




This post does contain Amazon Affliate links. Purchases you make help support The Lion is a Bookworm a little bit without changing the cost to you!