Carey Family

Books

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2013

by 1 Comment

2013 Mt. TBR Review HeadquartersI signed up for Mt. Vancouver this year and made it to Mt. Ararat with 48 books gone from my TBR pile.  I always think I’ll read more from my shelves but I keep getting distracted with newly published library books and gifts.  Oh well, as long as I’m plugging away at the pile, it gets smaller, right?  Of course, new purchases probably kept me about the same.  Sigh.

Pike’s Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile
Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile
Mt. Vancouver: Read 36 books from your TBR pile
Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR pile

The 2013 Color-Coded Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

by 1 Comment

Well, it took me most of the year, but I finished up The 2013 Color-Coded Reading Challenge with a few weeks to spare.  This was my first year to tackle this challenge and it was fun to read books that were mostly from my stash. Thanks to myreadersblock.blogspot.com for hosting.

 

1. “Blue” (Turquoise, Aquamarine, Navy, etc.) Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs, by Wallace Stegner

2. “Red” (Scarlet, Crimson, Burgundy, etc.) Love, Ruby Lavender, by Deborah Wiles

3. “Yellow” (Gold, Lemon, Maize, etc.) Magic for Marigold, by L.M. Montgomery

4. “Green” (Emerald, Lime, Jade, etc.) Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes

5. “Brown” (Tan, Chocolate, Beige, etc.) Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel

6. “Black” (Jet, Ebony, Charcoal, etc.) The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater

7. “White” (Ivory, Eggshell, Cream, etc.) To Dance with the White Dog, by Terry Kay

8. any other color (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, Magneta, etc.) Blood Orange Brewing, by Laura Childs

9. implies color (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Paisley, Stripe, etc.) Shades of Earl Grey, by Laura Childs

Fall is here

by Leave a Comment

 

It’s been raining here for a couple days and yesterday I woke up to find that the mountains right outside my living room window have snow on them.  One of the peaks was snow-free for only about 9 weeks this year.  It hasn’t gotten quite cold enough at night yet to freeze so my annuals are still hanging on, although some of them are looking tired.  A few perennials are still blooming and I have some lovely roses blooming late this year.  Hurrah for Liquid Fence!  I’m a believer, as the deer have mostly stopped nibbling now that I’m fanatically spraying our property.  They pass through but don’t stay to eat.  So for the first year ever, I have fall-blooming roses because the dang deer didn’t eat off the buds.

Goodreads 2013 challenge

I’ve gotten some reading in and finished another challenge: the goodreads.com 2013 Challenge.  I set mine for 104 books and reached it in September.  Still three months left!

A friend and I have scheduled some quilting time together so that we can encourage each other and make sure some work gets done, so this week I started the quilt I’m making for our family Festival of Trees space this year.  I have until Thanksgiving to get it done, but really before then as I’m having this one machine-quilted for the first time instead of hand-quilting it like I do my others.  I’m shooting for finishing the top by Halloween.  It’s chocolate and lime with some turquoise and has a fun rectangular repeating block in a scrappy fashion.

Except for the week when I was laid up with a sprained foot, I’ve been walking pretty regularly around the neighborhood and listening to audio books.  I really like being out and walking.  With the weather turning cooler, I’ve been going later to enjoy the warmth, but this week it hasn’t helped much because it doesn’t warm up.  I might need to get one of those ninja masks people wear in the cold for fall walking.

IMG_0189We went to see our niece, Nika Fazulyanov, in “Shrek, the Musical” at the SCERA theatre where she played Young Princess Fiona.  She was great and looked cute as a redhead.

Brian’s car was broken into and had the passenger window smashed in.  Trust me, that makes an unholy mess inside the car. He was shaken up but not hurt and nothing really valuable was stolen, but I sat for 3 1/2 hours yesterday at the dealer while they replaced the window.  Things like that make it easy to get lots of reading done.

That’s about all the news.  Hope we have an Indian Summer on the way because I’m not quite ready for winter.

What’s in a Name 6 Wrap-Up

by Leave a Comment

Well, I finished another reading challenge and this is the fourth time I’ve done this challenge, having participated in #2, #3, and #5 previously.  It’s always a fun one and thanks to bethfishreads for hosting.  The categories and the books I read are below and they are eclectic!

Up or Down or its equivalent in the title– Rise to Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution, by Jeff Shaara

Something you’d find in your Kitchen– Stake and Eggs, by Laura Childs

Party/Celebration– State Fair (Benni Harper Mystery #14), by Earlene Fowler

Fire or its equivalent-Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1), by Marissa Meyer

An Emotion-Love Mercy (Love Mercy Johnson #1), by Earlene Fowler

Lost or Found or its equivalent-The Lost Art of Gratitude (Isabel Dalhousie #6), by Alexander McCall Smith

 

 

Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Wrap-up

by Leave a Comment

The challenge runs from January 1, 2013 and ends December 31, 2013 and you must choose the level you wish to participate:

Level 1 – Snoop – Read at least 6 books
Level 2 – Investigator – Read 7-12 books
Level 3 – Super Sleuth – Read 13 or more books

I’m going to be a Level 2 Investigator this year.  I’ve got some series I’m working on and want to keep going.

So I’ve finished my first reading challenge of the year and it’s only April.  I have a bunch more cozies to read this year so I could have definitely gone to Level 3 but I was trying to be realistic when I signed up.  Silly me.  I had planned to read the next couple volumes of several of my ongoing series, but once I got going on the Benni Harper series, I just couldn’t stop.  Now I need to finish that series and get back to the ones I was originally going to do for this challenge.  🙂 I really liked Maisie Dobbs so that’s a new one to work on, and of course I read the new Flavia book as soon as it came out!  This was a fun challenge and it inspired me to discover a whole new world of cozy mysteries.  Just this year I’ve picked up some new authors at my second-hand store to try out, but they will have to wait for next year!

Stake & Eggs (Cackleberry Club, #4) by Laura Childs
Fool’s Puzzle (A Benni Harper Mystery #1) by Earlene Fowler
Irish Chain (A Benni Harper Mystery #2) by Earlene Fowler
Kansas Troubles (A Benni Harper Mystery #3) by Earlene Fowler
Goose in the Pond (A Benni Harper Mystery #4) by Earlene Fowler
Dove in the Window (A Benni Harper Mystery #5) by Earlene Fowler
Speaking from Among the Bones (Flavia de Luce, #5) by Alan Bradley
Mariner’s Compass (A Benni Harper Mystery #6) by Earlene Fowler
Seven Sisters (A Benni Harper Mystery #7) by Earlene Fowler
Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs, #1) by Jacqueline Winspear
Arkansas Traveler (A Benni Harper Mystery #8) by Earlene Fowler
Steps to the Altar (A Benni Harper Mystery #9) by Earlene Fowler