Today I’m really excited to introduce another book-and-food blogger like myself! Elizabeth reviews and bakes over at Dessert and a Novel. We recently got acquainted via social media, and I’m really loving her bookish and food taste, so I’m sure you will too. Without further adieu, check her out:
My goal for this year is to be less sporadic in my Top Ten Tuesday participation (as was the case last year). But, I’m starting out a little behind and choosing the topic from about a month ago… I was a little preoccupied with the new baby to get it together to blog, but I really want to share my Most Anticipated Releases of the First Half of 2020 with you! I had some trouble narrowing down to 10, so I’ve got an initial list for you, plus 5 honorable mentions. Honestly, though, they all sound amazing.
Without further adieu…
Well, hello again! It’s been a while. What’s new with me, you ask? I’m a mom now, for one thing. For another, I definitely don’t have as much time to read. It’s a big adjustment all around. But I’m excited to be back, and though I probably won’t be able to post as often (at least for now), I am going to make every effort to post regularly again.
Before we jump into books, I’m sure you’re curious: our little boy, Henry, was born almost a week early on December 7. It was a whirlwind of a day, and we were so excited to meet him at the end! Here we are at the hospital, the day after he was born:
We’ve been home now for almost 2 months — wow, time is really flying by! — and we’re all still figuring things out. (There’s something new every day!) He recently started smiling though, and that definitely makes all the hard work worth it ☺️
Obviously, my TBR is going to be a bit less ambitious than it was in the past. (In fact, I’ve reduced my annual reading goal by about half, just until I can get back in the groove.) But I’m still hoping to tackle a few books this month, at least. Let’s get to it!
The library books have kept flowing in, and I’ve got quite a stack I need to get through! That being said… I’m slowly making it through my current read and I may need to break out those quarters for late fees. This past month was a little slower than I expected it to be, and mostly I’m just hoping I can keep reading at a steady pace until the baby comes, at which point I’m sure my available time will lessen dramatically.
The theme of October’s to-be-read list is going to be library books. I currently have 7 books checked out from the library with 2 more waiting to be picked up, and deadlines are looming! I am very lucky in that I usually don’t have to wait very long for new releases (maybe because I request them so far in advance?), but with all the amazing new books coming out this time of year, they’re piling up on each other fast.
Here’s a look at what I’ll be (hopefully) devouring this month… wish me luck in my race to beat the due dates!
I remember when Golden State was offered up as a Book of the Month selection earlier this year. I didn’t choose it, since my friend Deanna did (and we like to share books), but then I sort of forgot about it again until I saw it on my library’s new releases shelf recently. I scooped it up and asked her if she wanted to do a buddy read. Of course, she immediately said yes. It was the first buddy read experience for both of us, and honestly, it couldn’t have gone better! It also helped that the story was pretty much a page-turner from beginning to end.
Ben H. Winters’s novel takes place in a dystopian future in a California that is now separated from the rest of the country, where residents retreated when lies overtook the world as they knew it. The Golden State is its own nation where truth is valued above all else and the primary functions of society revolve around maintaining the Objectively So. Unlike in the movie The Invention of Lying, lying is definitely possible — it’s just punishable.
My Top Ten Tuesday participation has been so sporadic this last half of the year, but I’m excited to share my book list this week. The topic is Books On My Fall TBR, and all of my picks are not only books I hope to pick up soon but books that came / are coming out this fall. (Since I missed the “Most Anticipated Releases of the Last Half of 2019” TTT, here’s my chance!)
There are a lot of really interesting ones, so I’m sure there’s a lot of good reading ahead for me this fall!
This last month ended up being another successful reading month (though not so much for cooking and recipes… we’ll get there!). I gobbled up three 4-star reads and am currently working my way through a library stack. I have a vacation coming up next week, and although I’m traveling for some of it and working on the nursery for another some of it, I’m hoping to sneak some extra reading in as well! Wish me luck 🙂
I’ve got another month of “required reading” ahead of me: a couple of blog tours, evermore book clubs and lots due back at the library. I’ve had a really productive last week of reading — mostly quick reads — but it’s got me thinking anything is possible. Bring on all the books!
Here’s a look at what I’m hoping to tackle in September: