Monthly Intent & TBR | February 2023

February 1, 2023 bookishluna4 Comments

Reading Plans

Since last month I ended up finish an entire book, I am going a little overboard with my TBR this month. I am planning on reading two books. I mean, it is only tow books, but to be fair it is a 50% increase from the month before. I am planning to read the sequel to the book I read last month, Ninth House, this one is called Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo. I only just finished the first book and I am so ready to jump into the second one. I am not looking forward to the wait for the third book though. The second book is a book I picked up in January when my boyfriend and I went for a walk around town and stopped at a local indie bookstore. That book is called Devil House by John Darnielle. I have not heard much about this book, but it seems to be a very intriguing horror/paranormal book.

Crochet & Knitting Plans

This month I am planning on finishing two of my ongoing projects. The first one I would love to finish it my third Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition by PetiteKnit (Website | Ravelry). My first attempt at this pattern I made it for myself, the second and third are gifts for others. I really would like to finish this one ASAP due to the fact they need a hat during these cold months. This one is also lends itself to being an out and about project for the most part so I am confident in being able to finish it. The second project I really want to finish this month is my Underwing Mitts by Erica Heusser (Etsy | Ravelry). I am starting the month out with a little bit of a head start. I am about halfway through my first mitt already and I only started working on them just about a week ago. I have not picked it up in the last few days, but I feel like I am going to be able to make a lot of progress since they are small and the colorwork is a lot of fun on this project. Plus, I really want to learn to do the duplicate stitch. This technique is used after the fact the decorate the moth on the mittens.

Random Goals

This month I would really love to go to a knitting centered event of some kind. I either would like to go to a knit night, try to find a new shop to check out or something along those lines. I feel like since it is going to start warming up after this month I want to get in all the yarnie goodness I can. Other than that I would really like to see a little bit of snow, not a lot. This past month I really wanted to watch the snow, but it didn’t snow a single flake! I would really like it if it snowed a tiny bit when I didn’t need to go anywhere.

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Monthly Intent & TBR | January 2023

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 bookishluna4 Comments

Hello and welcome to my monthly intent post where I share my monthly TBR and other goals I have for the month ahead. I am really excited about a few things this month and am looking forward to. I am planning on trying to address my goals for this year early since my motivation is high currently.

Various skeins of yarn in different bases surrounding an eReader displaying the cover of Ninth House.

Reading Plans

This month I am going to be focusing on two weeks, both are buddy reads. The first is one I am very behind on that I was reading with my friends Reg and Jenna. For the Halloween season we decided to read Sundial by Catriona Ward. I have yet to finish it, they both have…oops! The second book I am planning to read is Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and I am reading this one with Misty from Misty’s Book Space. I am really excited about reading these.

Crochet & Knitting Plans

This month I would really love to make the By the Fire Socks by Danielle Jorge. They are an ankle sock where the cuff is a few little trees. I have never made ankle socks or socks where the cuff isn’t a standard cuff, so I think it will be a lot of fun to give a go. Other than that I would like to start a Big Cozy Cardi by Andrea Mowry. It is a very oversized comfortable looking sweater, which I think would be perfect to wear around the house during these colder months as well as transition months. I don’t think I will get to finish it, but I know I want to at least start it.

Random Goals

This month I would really love to do two things, I would love to go for a walk in the snow as well as read in front of the fireplace. The first being totally dependent on the weather and is totally out of my control, is more like a dream than a goal. The latter I can certainly do this month without much hassle. I just really want to enjoy the fireplace while it actually makes sense to use it. Once it gets warmer, it is not something I can do without melting.

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Lists & Recommendations · To Be Read

My Entire Owned TBR | December 2022

December 5, 2022November 5, 2022 bookishluna5 Comments

Hello and welcome to a post where I am simply going to share some of the books that I own and want to read. I have really tried to get my TBR down to 0, and I am still working towards that goal. The main reason I want my owned TBR so low is because I really want to hear about a book or have a friend mention one to me and I can just read it as soon as I am interested to avoid spending the money and then loosing interest and it sits on my shelf forever, then I end up donating it. I am really glad that I am able to donate books, but I am always so sad to do it with books that have not been read. I am going to break down my list by format of the books. I will also add an asterisk if I also have an audiobook copy of the book. Anyway, here are the books on my owned TBR.

Physical

Ghosts of Maine by T.M. Gray

The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda*

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh*

All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami*

The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox*

Mouthful of Birds: Stories by Samanta Schweblin*

Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez*

Death on Gokumon Island (Book 2) by Seishi Yokomizo

eBooks

The Honjin Murders (Book 1) by Seishi Yokomizo

Sundial by Catriona Ward

At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop

Audiobook

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Not to bad at all, I have a total of 12 unread books that are waiting for me to dive into. I am really happy that I was able to get this number so low and I am looking forward to continuing towards my goal of 0 books. I am also making a move towards ebooks slowly. The main reason being room, it is just not feasible for me in the space I am in to keep a lot of books or have books on hand. I also am able to access my library to save some money and still enjoy one of my passions.

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Let's Talk · Lists & Recommendations · To Be Read

Books I Took With Me On Vacation

August 28, 2022August 16, 2022 bookishluna4 Comments

Hello and welcome to my blog! Today I am going to take a moment to share some of the books I took with my on vacation! I don’t know about you, but I love reading on vacation. The new environment is just a wonderful place to get lost in a book. This summer I decided to only take a select few, even though I wanted to fill my suitcase with only books. Anyway, here are the books I decided to take with me!

Picture of Lapvona hardcover and I’m Glad My Mom Died on eReader

Lapvona: A Novel by Ottessa Moshfegh, I recently picked this book up when visiting a local bookstore that is a mixture of new and used books. I picked this up because of the unusual cover and read the description and it sounded very interesting. It seems like this books is going to be a mixture of fiction and fantastical, but also a little bit of horror.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, I enjoyed watching her on tv when I was younger and honestly I saw she was coming out with a book a while ago and knew I wanted to read it before really knowing how dark the topics within the book were going to be. From my understanding, her mother and her did not have a great relationship (I mean read that title!) and was taken advantage of. I am glad that she has written her story and I look forward to learning more about her personal life in her own words.

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Monthly Intent · To Be Read

Monthly Intent | August 2022

August 1, 2022July 27, 2022 bookishluna2 Comments

Reading Plans

I don’t have any specific books I plan on reading in August, but I do want to read 4 books in total. If I did have to choose two I most likely end up reading, I think it would have to be to finish The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager, I started read it halfway through July and I have been taking my time since I am reading it with Reg and Jenna. The second one I would have to say has a high chance of being read in August is Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez, I read another work by this author and absolutely loved it so I am really looking forward to picking this one up.

Crochet and Knitting Plans

As for knitting plans I really want to start working on either Morning Rituals by Andrea Mowry/(Ralvery/Makers Website) or Soldotna Crop by Caitlin Hunter (Ralvery/LoveCrafts). Both are sweater patterns, but the first would be starting the transition to fall/sweaters with beautiful cables and the Soldotna is a short sleeve colorwork crop top. Both are beautiful. I am tempted to make one more Summer top before the weather changes, but to be fair I wont have a ton of time in the month of August to knit. Decisions, Decisions.

Random Goals

For the month of August I don’t have too many goals, I am really going to do my best to relax a bit since I will have some time to myself. I really want to go on another nature walk like I did in July, it was just a really fun adventure. I also want to go to the beach as least once if not more to relax near the waves and do some reading. Like I said, I just want to relax as much as possible.

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Reading Challenges · To Be Read

Impromptu Personal 24 hour Readathon TBR

July 4, 2022July 5, 2022 bookishluna8 Comments

Hello and welcome to a very spontaneous post from me. I finally have some free time this week and I decided that I want to tackle some reading with my free time to get back on track with my reading goals for this year. Hence, a 24 hour readathon where I dedicate my spare time to reading!

My plan is to start at 10:00 PM tonight and go until 10:00 PM tomorrow. Let’s see what happens!

I don’t plan on reading all of the books here on my TBR, but I really wanted to give myself some options.

You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann
The Employees by Olga Ravn
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
The Baby is Mine by Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

I am planning to write a little journal post to share at the end of this little readathon, I can’t wait to see how I end up doing and seeing how much I actually read.

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Monthly Intent · To Be Read

Monthly Intent | August 2021

August 1, 2021July 31, 2021 bookishluna4 Comments

Hello and welcome to my monthly intent post for August! I hope everyone has a lovely July, and August will even better! This month I have quite a few things I would like to see or give a try. I am really hoping the weather ends up cooperating because a lot of them are outdoorsy or a DIY I would need good ventilation.

Reading Plans

This upcoming month I have three books I really would love to get to. The first one being Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann, I have wanted to read this for months and for some reason I just have not picked it up. I was in a bit of a slump after the first few months of the year, so I am going to blame it on that. Thankfully, I think it is starting to go away since my reading has gone up a bit the last few months. Next, I really would love to read Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin. I read Fever Dream by the same author and I really loved it so I have very high hopes. Her last one had a bit of a horror twist that I was not expecting. I want to slowly read all of her stuff. Last, but not least is Writing on Stone by Christina Marsden Gillis. I recently picked this up, but I just want to get to it right away! It’s a nonfiction about a small island community in Maine.

Crochet Plans

This month I want to finally finish my Macchiato Crochet Poncho created by BrianaKdesigns. I am loving how it is coming out and I just cannot wait to get to wear it in the fall. Another thing I want to attempt to do is knit a pair of socks. I signed up for a class of sorts to try and learn, we shall see how it goes! I do not have the highest of hopes, BUT I am excited to give it a try and also have the support if I need it. Even if they come out wonky I will love them. I might just hang them on the wall as an art piece instead of functioning socks though. lol. If I happen to have time I have a few smaller projects I want to work on to try to get ahead on gifts during the holiday season.

Random Goals

This month I have it in my head to dye my own yarn. I found a method using blackbeans and I was thinking of giving it a go. The post I found is called Natural Dyeing with Black Beans by fiberartsy. I just need to find the right kind of yarn to dye, I feel like that is going to be the most difficult. I want to use a cotton, but we shall see! Next, I really want to go to an art museum of some sort. I have a few that are within my state so I am trying to decide which one I would feel the most comfortable going to.

What are you planning on doing this month?

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To Be Read

To Be Read | June 2021 | Trying TBRvatar

June 1, 2021December 22, 2022 bookishluna2 Comments

Hello and welcome to my TBR post for the month of June. I feel like June was snuck up on me all of a sudden, but I am really excited about the warmer weather. This month I decided to try something new and play a game created by a booktuber. This month I decided to try the TBRvatar created by Book Roast. She was kind enough to share the cards with all of her followers so we can okay along so I printed them and laminated them, sorry for the glare, I wanted them to hold up over time. Anyway, on to the TBR!

The Books

The first card I picked was Flopsy: Read a book that you find intimidating. I picked the book Assassin’s Quest, the final book in the Farseer Trilogy. I am intimidated due to the size, but also because it is the final book in this trilogy, I have really enjoyed it so far and I hate to see it end.

The second card I pulled is Desna and Eska: Read a Book About Siblings. This was actually a difficult one to find on my shelves, I am not going to lie. I went through a ton of books and finally found this one, where in the description it says, “a sister mourns her brother”. While it is very sad sounding just with that line, the overall description sounds really interesting and I think it is the only book that mentions siblings I have currently on my shelves.

My last pick for the month was the cards entitled, Music Night: Read something that’s between 330-370 pages whilst listening to music. I decided to go with People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, which was gifted to me for my birthday in May by Reg, which was so thoughtful and kind of her.

I really enjoyed pulling a card and going through my TBR to see if I can find a book to go with it. It was really great way to get more familiar with the books that have been on my shelve for a bit and slipped to the back a bit. I actually also ended up unhauling about 10 books while I was doing this, so I am all set to donate those soon as well.

What do you plan on reading this month?

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To Be Read

To Be Read | Basically 24 Hour Readathon May 2021

May 16, 2021December 22, 2022 bookishluna5 Comments

Hello and welcome to a quick little post sharing my TBR for the upcoming Basically Readathon hosted by @BrittAlsemgeest on twitter, you can find the readathons twitter account at @BasicallyReadtn. This round as all the rounds goal is to read or start some books that have been on your TBR the longest. Below I will copy the details directly from the announcement video for your convivence as well, but I encourage you to watch it here. I personally follow Britt’s time zone since that is 6am to 6am my time, it just works better, but I love that you can be flexible with this readathon.

Date – Sat May 29 at noon to Sun May 30 at noon
Goal – Read a book that’s been on your tbr forever Timezone – Follow your own or mine! (Amsterdam/CEST time)
Use the #BasicallyReadathon

This round I am going to try to tackle one to two of the books of The Neapolitan Novels. I have two reasons why I am picking these books. The first being that my aunt gifted these to me in December for the holidays so I have been looking at this series for a while without picking them up. The second being I have the entire series of sorts ready to go through and I wont need to go out and pick up an other one if I end up wanting to jump right into the next. Actaully, I lied there is a third reason. I want to tell me aunt my thoughts on this series, but I have a feeling they will be good. My understanding of order of this series is My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and lastly The Story of the Lost Child. I will be honest, I know nothing about this series other than my aunt really liked it. We tend to like similar books, so I think this will be more than promising!

I am always a sucker for a 24 hour readathon so of course I wanted to take part in this one again. I hope some of you are able to join. Share your TBR in the comments if you are!

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To Be Read

To Be Read | May 2021

May 2, 2021December 22, 2022 bookishluna11 Comments

Hello and welcome to my May TBR! This month I am going to be keeping my TBR on the smaller size to hopefully give me the opportunity to do some mood reading, which really helped out the second half of April.

The Books

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow, I have been reading The Discovery of Witches series on my ereader and really enjoying it. I ended up walking into my local indie bookshop and I was talking about really enjoying it and the seller recommended this book to me. It is a historical fiction, but all about sisters joining the suffragist movement with a twist of witchcraft from my understanding.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, I have heard nothing but great things about this book and I came across it being on sale on a recent trip to the bookstore, so I thought it was the best time to pick it up and give it a go. I am really interested in this because it is multigenerational from my understanding and is historical fiction.

A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa, I picked this book up on a total whim if I am being honest. I saw a youtuber I enjoy watching get this book and they were so excited about it I just couldn’t help myself. I have no idea what it is about, but I feel like that it is kinda fun and will make it all the more interesting when I read it this month.

The Agonist by Shastra Deo, not pictured, I am reading this book digitally. This is a collection of poems by an author who was born in Fiji. Reading the blurb and reviews I have come across say that it is beautifully written as well as being food for thought and conversation.

What do you plan on reading this month?

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