November TBR

This month I'm taking part in the month-long readathon "Non-fiction November"
There are four prompts that are very broad and I'm planning to pick 4 nonfiction reads to fit them. I'll also be reading fiction books as well.

Shelf- Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
Micro- Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (this is a microhistory)
Wander- A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley
Past Time- Cries Unheard by Gitta Sereny

Additionally, these are the fiction books I'm planning to read:

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Wildcard by Marie Lu
A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos Translated by: Hildegarde Serle
Radio Underground by Allison Littman

Week 4 Wrap Up

This past week I've finished two books.


I finally finished The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. At 771 pages, it took me almost 2 weeks to read. The writing is beautiful if dense and overly wordy. I liked the character development and the plot, though it took awhile to get to the actual plot. The book was slow, had unnecessary details, but kept me intrigued because of the complicated characters. I gave it 3.5 stars.

Then I finished Heartland by Sarah Smarsh. This book was not what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a look into poverty on the grander scale, buoyed by her personal experiences growing up poor. However, this book isn't exactly a memoir- it focuses a little on the author's life but more on her relatives' experiences. It does contain some factual statements about poverty and how it can later affect things. But it was disorganized, jumping around in ways that just didn't make sense. Additionally, the whole book she is addressing the book to the child she never had. While this would have been clever for a chapter- especially the one focusing on her family's cycle of teenage motherhood- it starts to feel gimmicky and annoying when she switches between second and third person. Overall, not worth the read. I gave it 2 stars.

Series I'm not Planning on Finishing

I start a lot of series, typically because booktube recommends them but find they are as engrossing as everyone says. These are the duologies, trilogies, and series which I have started but have no plans to finish.


A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (Read 1 out of 3)

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Read 1 out of 2)

Giant Days by John Allison (Read 3 out of 9)

The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Read 1 out of 3)

His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman (Read 1 out of 3)

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (Read 1 out of 12)

Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughn (Read 1 out of 4)

Deanna Madden Series by A.R. Torre  (Read 1 out of 3)

Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Read 3 out of 4)

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (Read 3 out of 7)

Unwind by Neal Shusterman (Read 1 out of 4)

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (Read 1 out of 3)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (Read 1 out of 4)


Any you think I should give a second chance? Any of these you agree with?

A late Wrap Up 3

So this is a bit late but better late than never.

For my Charms Extra Credit I earned 3 points. I read:

Rictumsempra: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Accio: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Incendio: Brain on Fire by Susanah Cahalan

So while I started The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, I definitely didn't finish it. I feel good with three.
I've already reviewed the first two so I'll tell you about the last one.

Brain on Fire is a memoir about a woman who suddenly starts experiencing strange physical and mental issues. She stays at a hospital for nearly a month while they try to figure out her mysterious illness. It was entertaining and informative and the chapters were short which helped me keep reading. I gave it three stars as I don't think it's likely I'll re-read it.

Additionally I read Nobody's Girl by Barbara Amaya. I did a full review so I won't repeat myself but I loved it. 5 Stars.

Review of Nobody's Girl by Barbara Amaya

A few weeks ago I announced that I had been approved to review two books on Netgalley. This past weekend I sat down and read one titled Nobody's Girl by Barbara Amaya.

The memoir is about Barbara enduring sexual abuse at the hands of several of her relatives, running away, and being sold into sex trafficking. She ultimately overcomes and becomes an advocate for runaway youths. Even though this story took place in the 70's and 80's, it's unfortunately still a current problem today and will resonate with modern readers. This story was heart breaking; especially when her cries for help were repeatedly ignored. However, in the end, it becomes an inspiring tale of resilience and a triumph over evil. The story was written well and I connected with her as a character. I gave this 5 stars. Trigger warnings for sexual abuse, violence, drug abuse and attempted suicide.


This is available now and I'd highly recommend the audiobook.

Weekly Wrap Up 2

This week I've finished 2 books.

The first was A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. This was a non-fiction account of Bryson hiking parts of the Appalachian Trail. This reminded me a lot of Wild by Cheryl Strayed where she hiked the Pacific Crest Trail but this was written in the early 1990s. It's interesting, and sometimes funny but I didn't feel it varied much at all. The gist = hiking sucks. I gave it 3 stars for making me laugh.

Then I read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This was a heartbreaking story of two girls and how their lives were affected by the constant turmoil in Afghanistan. The way women are treated in this terribly primitive society was appalling. I loved these characters, was broken by the trauma they endure, and was ultimately crying at the beautiful ending. I gave this 4.5 stars. I will be seeking out his other books because he just may be a new favorite writer for me.

These two ticked off two challenges for my Charms Extra Credit Readathon. I'm unsure if I'll be able to finish another one before the readathon is over.

Weekly Wrap up 1

This week I had my in-laws visiting so I had a lot less time for reading. However, I still managed to finish 2 books.

The first was Anything Goes by John Barrowman. This was an interesting memoir but it felt disjointed, skipping all over the place, and rarely focusing on the Doctor Who and Torchwood times. I feel he wrote this book a little too early, in the height of his t.v. roles rather than afterward where he could include more tidbits. Overall, I enjoyed it so I gave it 3 stars.

The second book I finished was The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. I've read one other book by her, The Nightingale. She is a solid historical fiction writer. She writes deeply flawed and realistic characters. The Great Alone was a breathtaking adventure of surviving in the Alaskan wilderness with an abusive father. I really enjoyed this book but felt the ending went on a bit too long and was somewhat unrealistic. I gave the book 4 stars.