Seasonal Challenge: Spring 2020

This challenge will take place from March 1-May 31, 2020. 

The best way to describe what this is for those of you who are seeing this the first time is to link the post for it through the Cozy Mystery Group on Goodreads. Seasonal Challenge: Spring 2020. 

It also has the list of words you can choose from. 

I only chose one word again this season because I tend to do readathons and sometimes, I just want to do other things other than reading (gasp). 

So, the word I chose was FLOWERS. As always, I have the option of adding a word if I do well with the one I chose. 

For March I will be semi doing two readathons as well that last all month long so hopefully I can find a book or two to go along with my word And in April, I may be doing one more readathon too. But that one is a bit intense for me so I am not sure what I will be doing. I want to but with the way my reading has been lately, I have been iffy with how often I read. 

Although January & February have been pretty good reading months even with the iffyness. It's not 15+ books but hey, I have read some pretty good ones and I am not looking at the quantity, I am looking for quality in my books as well as me just getting back to the roots of when I read before finding booktube...Reading when I felt like it and usually having some pretty good books, even some amazing ones! 

As a mood reader, I don't pick my books out for this. And when I do TBR's for readathons, they are usually pretty tentative. 

Welp, I did it again...Rambling. 

So, click the link, see if it's something you want to do and it would be nice if you let me know if you do it or not. 

Happy Reading,
Bridget

Adultathon

The dates of this readathon [that I forgot to do a blog for] went from February 1-February 29, 2020 and has 7 prompts. One for each day of the week.

So, how did I do?

Well, let's take a quick look:

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

Prompts:
✅1. Monday: Don’t we wish it was still yesterday. Read a historical fiction or classic. Egypt's Sister by Angela Hunt

✅2. Tuesday: Is it still only the start of the week? Black coffee please. Read a book with dark themes. -Live & Let Chai by Bree Baker (4/5 Stars)
(Although the book is a cozy mystery, death is still a dark theme)

✅3. Wednesday: Happy hump day! It’s a long week. Read a book with 350+ pages. Egypt's Sister by Angela Hunt

✅4. Thursday: Let’s pretend it’s Friday. Adults can have fun too! Read a book by an author you love, or a sequel to a series you love. -Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me by Maya Angelou (32 pages) -[No Review. Summary Linked] (5/5 Stars)
✅5. Friday: We survived the week! Give your eyes a rest. Listen to an audiobook (or read a book under 100 pages!)-Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me by Maya Angelou
❌6. Saturday: Time to live it up with friends. Buddy read something! (If you’re a lone wolf, read something with the word ‘night,’ ‘dream’ or ‘moon’ in the series or book title).

❌7. Sunday: The day to chill at home with a good film. Read a book that has a film adaption.


Extra(s): My thoughts linked 1. Practicing the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
2. The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction and Purpose by Oprah Winfrey

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

-If I did a review, it will be linked in the title.

-And, I am not going to put the covers of the books because the book covers will be on each page that I did a review for.

-Or, If I didn't do a review, I will link the summary in the title of the book.

The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction and Purpose by Oprah Winfrey

About This Book
Summary
📌Stand-Alone: 
📌Release Date: March 8, 2019
📌Format: Hardcover
📌Setting: N/A
📌Page Count: 208
📌Genre(s): Non-Fiction, Self-Help
📌Date(s) Read: (Finished) 2/25/20
📌Rating:   Book:  3.5/5   

☼Adultathon 
-Extra Book. Didn't fit a prompt

My Rambles:

I did like the book but just not as much as I did The Wisdom of Sundays. It kept my attention of course, because I did finish it after all. There were quite a few people that I had never heard of that contributed to this book so I did scan over the "contributors" in the back of the book to see who some of them were. Most of the ones I was interested in knowing a bit more about were authors. There were a couple of pastors in there. One of which I listen to on a regular basis. There were some gems in there that I wrote down in my journal that I hope to go back to and read from time to time. Maybe one day I will re-rent this book from the library and go through it again. Not sure if I liked it enough to buy it. Maybe if I happen to see it for a really good price I'd pick it up. But I am hoping to one day pick up The Wisdom of Sundays because I liked that one a lot more. 

You don't need to be a fan of Oprah's to appreciate these books. You can always get it from the library if you have access to one and they have it or get it from a used book store. I don't dislike her by any means but I know there are many who don't. Naturally, I question some things based on what I hear but one thing I've learned about rumors, not all are true and/or many times, there's some not so true things added into with the facts. All that said, anything I buy, would be bought from a used book store (online or physical book store). But, if you like Oprah and her interviews, especially Super Soul Sundays series, then you'd probably like this book and The Wisdom of Sundays book if you haven't picked them up already.  

Anyway...that said, I liked it well enough to finish and suggest it to anyone who wants some little gems on how to see things differently in life. In both books. 

The Leap Year Book Tag

I originally found this on YouTube and I will link the person I originally watched and the creators of the tag (if I can find them) in the blog. More than likely, towards the bottom.

If it counts, I will add my thoughts on the book. Otherwise, it will just be linked to the summary (if I link my thoughts, the summary of the book will be in that blog). I also did a vlog that will be linked here as well.

So, without further ado, here are the prompts for the tag.

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

(If some titles are skipped, it's because I already linked the summary/my thoughts else where)

Tag questions:
1. An extra day: what is one book that brought a little something extra?
-The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (my thoughts linked)
-The Blacker the Berry by Wallace Thurman (my thoughts linked)
-The First Wife: A Tale of Polygamy by Pauline Chiziane (my thoughts linked)
2. Taking a big leap: what is one book that you are/were afraid to read?
-Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (series page linked)
(Already Read Mistborn (my thoughts linked). Just need to read: Well of Ascension & The Hero of Ages)
-The Fellowship of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien (Series page linked)
-Queen by Alex Haley (Summary Linked)
-The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children #1)by Jan M. Auel (Series page linked) 3. Every 4 years: what is the 4th book you read this year?
Okay, this part gets a bit tricky for me because I completed 3 books on the same day and one of these books had to be the 4th book right? I just don't remember which I finished first, so, I just will put down all 3.

-Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell
(my thoughts linked-some of my thoughts may trigger the overly sensitive)
-Pete the Cat:Out of This World by James Dean (Summary Linked)
-Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama (Summary Linked)
4. 366 days in the year: looking at your 3rd shelf, name the 6th book on that shelf, and name the 6th book after that!
-Red Velvet Revenge (Cupcake Bakery Mystery series #4) by Jenn McKinlay
(Series page linked-didn't do much of a review)
-The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events #13) by Lemony Snicket (Series Page Linked)
-The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (my thoughts linked)
5. Leaping ahead: name 4 books that you want to read by the next leap year [alternative: name something on your bookish bucket list that you want to complete by the next leap year].
-Queen by Alex Haley
-[Finishing] Mistborn Trilogy & at least one more book by Brandon Sanderson
-The Clan of the Cave Bears by Jean M. Auel
6. Leapfrog: name a book on your TBR that has green in it.
-All Sales Final (Good Buy Girls Mystery #5) by Josie Belle (pseudonym for Jenn McKinlay)
(series page linked)
-The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events #3) by Lemony Snicket
-The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber

7. Bad luck: what bookish things do you steer clear from?
There can be many types of books I steer clear from mostly but abuse is one. Especially abuse towards children, elderly and animals (of course,abuse of all kind is a problem) I still have yet to read The Hate U Give because it just hurts too much to even try. Especially as I am a mom of color raising two boys of color. I don't read many horrors or thrillers (Although I'd read thriller before horror and I do love thrillers. The few I've read). I love mystery but don't get to read many of those. I love true & fictional crime shows but even too many of those can bring on anxiety and depression. If I am watching or listening to someone who has read books that have certain triggers, I will determine then if it is something I want to read or not. I also do not read erotica. Too much sex in books isn't my thing. I can get the subtle hints. I mean, I do have two sons, so I think I know how sex works at least a little bit. lol
8. Tag 4 people!
Well, I have no one to tag in the blog world either so, whomever is reading this and have a blog or does videos, go for it. I hope you have a lot of fun with it. 😊


☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

Videos linked below:

Krista from BooksAndJams

Hillary from Melted Books:

(one of the creators of the book tag)

Amy Myers:

(Co-Creator of the book tag)

My Leap Year Book Tag Vlog:

Contemporaryathon [Round 6] Wrap Up

Dates: 2/10 - 2/16 challenges: ✅1. read a contemporary book with green on the cover:
-Live & Let Chai (A Seaside Cafe Mystery #1) by Bree Baker**

✅2. read a contemporary from a new to you author:
-Live & Let Chai (A Seaside Cafe Mystery #1) by Bree Baker
❌3. read a diverse contemporary (keeping in mind that it is Black History Month!):
✅4. read a backlist contemporary (something that has been on your TBR for over a year):
-Rules of Attraction (Perfect Chemistry #2) by Simone Elkeles**
✅5. read a dark/hard hitting contemporary:
-Live & Let Chai (A Seaside Cafe Mystery #1) by Bree Baker
✅6. read a contemporary with an illustrated cover:
-Live & Let Chai (A Seaside Cafe Mystery #1) by Bree Baker
❌7. read a contemporary that is beloved by a member of the book community (and shout out the creator!):



**My Thoughts Linked: Did a lot better than I thought I would with the challenges, eveen though I only finished two books for this readathon. I got kind of busy and ended up forgetting to do a blog for this one.

   

Egypt's Sister: A Novel of Cleopatra (The Silent Years #1) by Angela Elwell Hunt

About This Book
Summary
📌Series: #1
📌Release Date: July 4, 2017
📌Format: Paperback
📌Setting:Egypt & Rome
📌Page Count: 374
📌Genre(s): Fiction (Historical, Christian/Biblical)
📌Date(s) Read: (Finished) 2/20/20*
📌Rating:   Book:  4.5/5   Audio: 4/5  Narrator(s): Rachel Botchan


*(I don't remember the date I started it...sometime between the 8th and the 13th of February I think)

Adultathon:
*Monday: read a historical fiction or classic
*Wednesday: Read a book with 350+ pages (approx. 374 pages)

Popsugar Reading Challenge 2020:
*A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics (Rome-August 25 - September 11, 1960)


My Rambles:

Book started off slow for me but I did enjoy it enough to try to continue on even though it was a slow start for me as I am not used to reading biblical fiction (although I had been wanting to read more of them). 

By the end of the book I truly adored the main character Chava (pronounced: Hava). To see her growth from beginning to end and to just see that she, even through not understanding and some doubt, her faith in God stayed in tact.She struggled from time to time, as many believers do. Especially when you feel like you got a message/promise from him but you aren't seeing where that message/promise isn't being fulfilled..so you think.

I remember learning about Cleopatra in school but unfortunately, I never really paid a lot of attention to it and realized while reading this book, how little I actually knew! 

I don't think I have ever read a biblical historical fiction before (Except maybe Redeeming love but that was not directly biblical fiction although I think it was based on Hosea if I am not mistaken). I have Judah's Wife sitting here but I am not quite sure when I will get to it. I rented this one and Judah's Wife from the library so if I don't get to it right away, I can always check it out again. 

I listened to the audio book from chapter 5 to the end which helped me get through it a lot quicker. I'd probably just be hitting chapter 7 by now because I am already a bit of a slow reader but when I read books that are slow reads for me, it tends to take me that much longer to get through them. This for me, was such a read as I stated above. That is the only reason it got a 4 out of 5 for me. Nothing the book did wrong. 

I am looking forward to going on to her other books whenever possible. Hoping to e able to get into more biblical fiction. As of right now, they are outside of my comfort zone and also hoping that changes soon too as I am finding myself no longer really having much of a comfort zone as my reading is changing more as time goes by. Finding myself reading less Young Adult and getting back into more adult books. Although I will more than likely continue to read YA still, especially contemporary romance. 

And the cover is beautiful!! 

Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises from the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

About This Book
Summary
📌Stand-Alone*:  
📌Release Date: September 25, 2001
📌Format: Hardcover
📌Setting: N/A
📌Page Count:140 (Not including Acknowledgements & pages after that)
📌Genre(s): Non-Fiction, Self Help (Personal Development), Spirituality
📌Date(s) Read: 2/14-2/15/20
📌Rating:   Book:  5/5   Audio:  5/5  Narrator(s): Eckhart Tolle

☼Favorite of 2020
☼Adultathon 
 (didn't fit a prompt, this would be an 'extra')


My Rambles:

*(This was written/published after The Power of Now (summary linked) & would be more of a companion to it. I don't think "The Power of Now" needs to be read before this one as I believe it could stand on it's own & makes a bit more "sense" to me now but maybe that's because I read the previous mentioned book and finished it earlier this year)

                    ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

As much as I loved The Power of Now, I loved this one just as much, if not more. Maybe because, as I mentioned above, I read it previously and finished it in January so it's still somewhat fresh in my memory. While listening to this one, I just kept wanting to re-read it all over again and I was barely even an hour into the book, if I even made it that far in before wanting to start it over again! This will be a book I buy as soon as my finances allows me to do so. 

When I went to begin working on getting this blog together, I noticed the date it was published. Fourteen (14) days after 9/11/01. So, I do believe this book came out during a time when people would really need it most. To begin the healing process. A process that I am sure will be a life-long situation for those who lost someone but also us as a Country and folks who were touched by it around the world as well. Then for those who also dealt with their own national tragedies as well. 

But, regardless of the reasons that people need to begin to heal from their lives and learning how to get and remain in the now, this book is perfect. Even if you are a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, etc. It will help the healing process by teaching you how not to live in the past or future but "focus" on what's happening Now. 

Now, for me, if I take a title, I would fit under Christian, so I apply all of this to my beliefs in every area it fits. 

This for me just confirms a lot of things that I have been "feeling", thinking in my life about not judging through ego and learning to love even when I don't always like certain situations in the human life situations. It's a hard go but he never said it would be easy and well, for me and my personal walk in life, I do a lot of praying and bible reading and much more. 

So, in a nutshell, I love this book. And I typed up most of this when I still had just over an hour left in the book. I could have finished it in a day buy ended up doing other things so it took me a bit longer and I got it done a bit later (audio book is 2 hrs 57 minutes). Nothing new had to be added once I did finish the book/audio book because I had already typed my feelings about the book. All positive. :o)

                 ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ 

P.S.A.:
(My comments are limited because I had someone who would spam my comments from time to time with a link and blogger/blogspot doesn't allow blocking/muting "because of freedom of speech" and all. Which, I agree with freedom of speech but when it comes to spamming and disrespect, well, I'd like to be able to mute/block that. Especially when it isn't warranted (disrespect). But is disrespect ever warranted? So, we should have the freedom to block/mute it. Especially the spamming. Folks will not get free business off of me, especially if it is something I may not agree with. IJS.  And no, this isn't a PC statement. 🤷‍♀️)

Seasonal Challenge: Winter 2019/2020 (Wrap Up)

This challenge took place from: 12/1/19-2/29/20  (✅Finished:2/13/20)

A-Mother: A Cradle to Hold My by Maya Angelou 5/5 (no review)
N-Not Quite Snow White by Ashley Franklin 4.75/5 (no review)
G-Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin 3.5/5
E-The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle 4.5/5
L-Live & Let Chai by Bree Baker 4/5 

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

 

Live and Let Chai (A Seaside Cafe Mystery #1) by Bree Baker

About This Book
Summary
📌Series: #1
📌Release Date: July 10, 2018
📌Format: Mass Market Paperback
📌Setting: Charm, North Carolina (?)
📌Page Count: 340 (plus Recipe Pages)
📌Genre(s): Fiction, Cozy Mystery
📌Date(s) Read: 2/12/20-2/13/20
📌Rating:   Book:  4/5   Audio:  5/5  Narrator(s): Therese Plummer


☼Popsugar Reading Challenge 2020:
   A book with a bird on the cover

☼Seasonal Challenge-Winter:
   The L in ANGEL (word finished)

☼Contemporary a thon (R-6):
   -read a contemporary book with green on the cover
   -read a contemporary from a new to you author
   -read a contemporary with an illustrated cover
   -read a dark/hard hitting contemporary (although it is a cozy mystery, death can still be considered a      dark theme) 
(one book, so many prompts for C.A.T. Round 6. okay, maybe I'm being a bit lazy lol..but I just couldn't get into some other books I had for this readathon and another readathon I am doing this month) 

☼Adultathon:
-Tuesday: Is it only the start of the week? Black coffee please. Read a book with dark themes (above under C.A.T.'s dark themes)


My Rambles:

I really did enjoy this book. I went in questioning whether I would or not but an I unexpectedly enjoyed it. And I think the narrator made it that much better. 

I love that cover! I don't remember why I originally went after it but the cover definitely pulled me in. And, being from the south, I love sweet tea (Iced Coffee too)! Peach tea being one of those favorites. Never put peaches in mine but now that I see that cover, it gives me idea. 

I love the aunts. The main character I liked a lot, some things I remember kind of irking me about the main character but now, for the life of me, I don't remember why. 😁🤷‍♀️

It did keep me guessing a bit although one of the people I thought it could have been, ended up being the "who-dunnit". But I enjoyed not being sure until certain events began to take place. 

It does end in a cliff hanger so, maybe I will try to get to the next book in the series sometime this year...Maybe.

(Seasonal challenge post coming soon, this book finishes off that challenge. It ends at the end of February)