Always Me

Happy Sunday everyone!  I hope everyone's been doing well this month.  I've now completed 8 total tasks for  Book Riot's 2025 Read Harder Challenge .  The two tasks I completed in April required me to read a   nonfiction book about nature or the environment  and to read a  book about immigration or refugees (originally I was hoping to complete the prompt to read literary fiction by a BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and/or disabled author. but the book I was planning on reading for it still hasn't come in from the hold I've had on it at my library).    I selected  The Twenty-One: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the U.S. Government Over Climate Change  by Elizabeth Rusch  and  Sisters of the War: Two Remarkable True Stories of Survival and Hope in Syria  by Rania Abouzeid  respectively.   Read on to see my mini reviews and my plans for next month: ❋   ❋  ❋  ❋   ❋   The Twenty-One: The...

    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 Twelve  ( The Passage  #2) by Justin Cronin .  I really liked book one and I've been putting this off for too long. Beginning: From the Writings of the First Reco...

  Happy Thursday everyone!  Today I'm sharing my wrap up and mini reviews for my Spring Equinox 2025 classes at Orilium  for the   Magical Readathon , hosted by  G. @ Book Roast .  I've followed the  Novice Path , completed the  Traveller's Key , have  Geared Up , completed the  Spring Equinox 2022  and  August Equinox 2022 , visited  Old Favour Pass in 2022 , completed the  Choose Your Own Adventure: Year In Aeldia 2023 , completed the  Spring Equinox 2023  and  Autumn Equinox 2023 , and visited  Old Favour Pass in 2023 .  I completed the  Spring Equinox 2024 ,  Autumn Equinox 2024 ,  Choose Your Own Adventure: Year In Aeldia 2024 , and  Old Favour Pass 2024 .  I'm currently working my way through  Choose Your Own Adventure: Year In Aeldia 2025, The Boardgame .  Anyway, as usual, this Spring Equinox semester ran all of April and I kept studying for...

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: Three Princes by Ramona Wheeler Published: February 4, 2014 Genre: Steampunk Historical Fantasy My Copy: Format: Paperback Pages: 349 Where I Acquired It: Thrift store Summary (From Goodreads): Lord Scott Oken, a prince of Albion, and Professor-Prince Mikel Mabruke live in a world where the sun never set on the Egyptian Empire. In the year 1877 of Our Lord Julius Caesar, Pharaoh Djoser-George governs a sprawling realm that spans Europe, Africa, and much of Asia. When the European terrorist Otto von Bismarck touches off an international conspiracy, Scott and Mik are charged with exposing th...

  Happy Tuesday everyone!  Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday which is is hosted by  That Artsy Reader Girl .  This week's topic is Books that Surprised Me (in a good or bad way), so I'm featuring Books That Were A Pleasant Surprise.  I highly recommend all of these.  Without further ado, here we go in alphabetical order by title: Artificial Condition ( The Murderbot Diaries #2) by Martha Wells   Ashlords ( Ashlords #1) by Scott Reintgen   Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up A Wizard by Tom Felton A Dowry of Blood ( A Dowry of Blood #1) by S.T. Gibson A Good Girl's Guide to Murder ( A Good Girl's Guide to Murder #1) by Holly Jackson Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler In the Red by Christopher Swiedler My Buckeye Lake Story: A Memorable History of "The Playground of Ohio"  by Donna Fisher Braig Reviver ( Reviver Trilogy #1) by Seth Patrick Sworn to Silence ( Kate Burkholder #1) by Linda Castillo Have you read any of these books?...

        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 a couple of favorite recent releases from Ben Barnes .  I remember being so surprised when I found out he sang too and he has a pretty great voice.  Anyway, his most recent album was released back in January.  Give a listen to Beloved and One Minute More feat. Monica Martin : ...