What Ana Does

Here we go for reading in 2023. Look, I have a real THING for romance novels and I'm not ashamed of saying it. It's feminist as hell to think women's stories, full of emotions, self-improvement, and most of all HOPE are important and worth the read. There are certainly crap romance novels out there but they're also great ones that make me feel and think about my own life. Putting words to emotions or concepts I never could. Reading RULES.  FINAL COUNTS:   Books: 40  Audiobooks: 45  Minibooks on KU: 182   FINAL FOR 2023: 267  BOOKS: *books in yellow were my favorites! Too Hot to Handle by Tess Bailey -- this is a series about grown-up siblings driving across country after losing their mother. It was sweet and the sibling relationships were a mess. Might read the other three? The Stolen Heir by Holly Black -- this might be my favorite Elfhame book, and there's another one on the way. All the tension and court politics - mixed with mythology and...

It's July, the half-way point in the year and a good time to look over where I am in the "Books Read" list. I took a month off from reading around Leah and Alice's B'nai Mitzvah, as I was using all the brain space to plan and work through my introvert-planning-huge-party neurosis that I couldn't fathom digging into a book. Regardless, I'm still on track to hit 100 for the year.   Here's just a few of my favorites:  The Stolen Heir by Holly Black -- part of her Elfhame series that I'm all-in on. I was looking forward to more Oak.  Georgie All Along by Kate Clayborn -- gah, I loved Georgie sooo much. Her messy-and-not-changing-for-you thing was so relatable.  Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood -- so far, she can do no wrong and this one was extra steamy and so fun.  First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh -- I heard her interview on Fated Mates and decided to reread one of  her family series. This is the Huxtable family and it's been over a deca...

 Gah! You know how people BINGE TV shows? No judgement, but they can sit through hours of the same show to see what comes next. We binged Schitt's Creek during quarantine, so I get it.  Anyway, I came across this series of books by Penny Reid about the Winston Brothers (and one sister) and I BINGED the entire audiobook series. I. Couldn't. Stop.  What did I love about them?  First off, the male narrator had a very sexy southern accent. And the women also had a very pleasing southern accent so it was just a delight to listen to. The stories were heart-felt and tender. They're nice boys with great manners and depend on each other, which is so sweet. Sure, each love story followed a similar plot line. And there was always something they were trying to be "manly" and protect their family/loves with. And there was always a scene or two where they reluctantly went to their brothers for obvious advice. And each family member and significant other had a well-drawn charact...

100 is A LOT of books to read in one year, but in my effort to reach this goal I've come across some new-to-me authors that I've enjoyed and started to look for at the library and book stores.  Beth O'Leary - The Flatshare is one of my favorites from the first half of the year. I listened to it on audiobook and the narration was fantastic but the story was also lovely and fun and emotional. I've since read her other book The Road Trip and liked that one almost as much. Last month, she released a new book called The No-Show and I can't wait to dig into it.  Abi Waxman - The Bookish Life of Nina Hill was such a highlight of the last month, too. She's funny and inciteful and warm. I bought one of her other books years ago and never read it. So that's going on my Read Next pile.  Tessa Bailey - Obliviously enjoying a lot of romance novels and this writer never fails to deliver a simple, funny, sexy story. I've read a It Happened One Summer and Fix He...

I was thinking about all the books I read in 2016, because I read a lot and usually, when I finish a book, I don't take time to reflect or even review it before I move on to what's next on my To Read pile. So I picked this quiet morning after all my guests left (*sniff*) to list out everything I read in 2016. I'm counting the audiobooks here but not the books I reread (mostly romance). There are too many to review each one, so I'll bold my favorites. (Oh! And this list is just in random order.) Take the Key and Lock Her Up  (See How They Run #2)  (The latest series from fave author Ally Carter and it's sooo good.)  Conspiracy of Us  by Maggie Hall Map of Fates (The Conspiracy of Us #2) by Maggie Hall Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo   (The sequel to Six of Crows , my favorite book from last year, was kind of a let down.) Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge Cruel Beauty  by Rosamund Hodge Gift of the Magi (Heist Society spinoff) by A...

So, I listened and learned a little. Here are mini-reviews of the Podcasts I choose (spoiler alert: I enjoyed most of them): Young House Love has a Podcast  - A friendly podcast about homes and blogs and decorating, which I really enjoyed because John and Sherry are so delightful. I especially liked their concisely edited format, which made it easy to listen to. I'll likely subscribe to this one.  Stuff You Missed in History Class  - I listened to three scritped episodes, each about 30 minutes long, and each was interesting, informing and entertaining. The banter format between the two hosts annoyed people in the reviews, but I found it made it added a little charm.  TED Radio Hour  - These NPR-produced episodes pull together several TED talks around a subject into one well-produced 60-minute show. I listened to "The Meaning of Work" and it was thought-provoking and awesome. My one complaint is I wish they were a bit shorter, as one podcast doesn't fit...

Lately I've been feeling a little in the clouds. And I realized it might because I'm starved to learn something new. Is it a summer thing? Maybe because I've been reading too much fiction. Or spending too much time on news events. Election years can be so draining. I've been thinking about spending a bit more time in nonfiction land, so starting today I'm taking a break from the audiobooks I usually enjoy on my commutes to and from the office and listening to some informative podcasts. Once I started to dig into all the podcasts available, I was astounded by the amount out there. Hundreds! I thought podcasting was going the way of the dodo but, not so! Alive and well! Here's what I pulled: Young House Love has a Podcast  - Decorating and house stuff.  Stuff You Missed in History Class - Deep dive into people and events.  TED Radio Hour - We all know TED talks.   The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe - The Dirty Jobs guys has the best voice.  Anna Fa...

Audiobook: Finishing School Series Author: Gail Carriger Read by: Moira Quirk Genre: YA, Steampunk, Delightful! I know I've talked about this YA Steampunk series before ... but I finished the last book in the series and I'm excited to recommend them. These books, and Carriger as an author, just fits into my book-genre wheelhouse. There's action with a tiny bit of romance and a lot of Victorian-era charm and mischief. Sophronia is an excellent heroine of the series, as she's smart and funny yet still misses some things the reader finds rather obvious. And her band of friends are just as fantastic and well-rounded. In this story, her teacher's secrets are revealed and her school explodes. And she finally comes clean about her feelings for Soap. And let's not forget the end of the Picklemen. The audiobook is especially delightful, because the Moira Quirk, the narrator, does such an excellent job at all the accents. Victorian England would have been m...

Audiobook: Longbourn Author: Jo Baker Read by: Emma Fielding Genre: Historical Fiction, Austen Homage If you know Pride and Prejudice and have read it a few times (like me), this book starts out a lot of fun. You can follow the timeline of P&P in the background as the servants play out their own stories -- which tie slightly to the original text. Sarah immediately hates the new coachman James because he doesn't give her the time of day. Sound familiar?! The narrator did an excellent job, too. Her accent and dramatic reading were perfect (especially for Jane). And the descriptions of the countryside and the house drew me further into the world of Austen. Elizabeth probably wouldn't have been such a walker if she had to wash her own petticoats, too true! It's far too easy for me to romanticize the life of the servants in a country estate and long to be in that kitchen while they are baking the bread or tarts. However, I did not like the last (third) volume of ...

Audiobook: 'Heist Society' by Ally Carter Ready by: Angela Dawe Genre: YA Lit, Awesome! I've been thinking about Ally Carter a lot lately because a) her new book comes out on the 22nd and b) I was talking to a 9-year-old friend who was looking for a new series to read. I directed her to Carter's  Gallagher Girls series , but this is a good one, too. So I guess I was a little predisposed to pick up an Ally Carter book when I was at the library last week. And while I read this book about 10 years ago (my first Ally Carter), my memory was fuzzy on the details of the story. In a nutshell, Kat Bishop comes from a family of thieves. She makes an attempt to get out (as a sophomore in high school), but she's pulled back in to the family business when her dad is framed for stealing some priceless paintings from a very bad guy. AND there's a boy. A fantastic, perfect boy named WW Hale the fifth. It's always more fun to have a narrator read the crazy ac...

Audiobook: 'Natural Born Charmer' by Susan Elizabeth Phillips Read by: Anna Fields Genre: Romance, Romantic Comedy Phillips is the gateway drug of romance novelists. Her dialogue is hilarious and her characters are flawed and sweet. They were my first contemporary romance novels (or chick-lit) and after reading them I started digging around for more from this genre. Sweet, light, romantic comedies. So, yup, I've read this book a few times since getting it from a used book store almost a decade ago, and it's my favorite SEP romances. Sure, her books are a little dated (flip phones) now. And I can point you to a bunch of newer books that are a tad steamier. But this book is holding up. And the audiobook does it justice. Blue Bailey is a wanderer who survived an itinerate childhood by not getting too attached to people and places. Dean Robillard is a professional football player (this book is part of the Chicago Stars series) and has buried his childhood disa...

As a commuter, I go through lots of audiobook (rented from the library) each month. And for awhile, I wrote up quick audiobook reviews. I'm going to revive those reviews and place them all under this label , starting with ... Audiobook: 'Cruel Beauty' by Rosamund Hodge Read by: Elizabeth Knowledon Genre: YA Lit, Fairy Tell Retelling Did I really need to read another fairy tale retelling? Maybe not. But this sure sounded good and the cover is beautiful. Plus, I'm a sucker for a Beauty and the Beast story. Nyx is born to avenge her mother's death and father's foolish bargain by marrying the Gentle Lord, the demon at fault for shutting off their country from the rest of the world, and the underworld demons that live in the shadow and drive humans into madness. While her sister is raised to be all light and beauty, Nyx is taught to be hateful and cruel. And she's pretty wrecked by the whole thing, as she has tapped down every cruel emotion and evil t...

The fall season always brings out the best books. This week alone I purchased two new books (not counting the lovely cookbook that arrived on Tuesday) and finished one. So, here's my round up: Rainbow Rowell, "Carry On" Have you read "Fan Girl"? You MUST to read "Fan Girl" -- it's just that good. Funny, touching, well-paced and perfect. So the main character in that book write fan-fiction for a Harry Potter-esque book series -- which is THIS book. It's the fiction Cath's writing in FanGirl! And I can't wait to DIG IN. More info here.  Leigh Bardugo, "Six of Crows" Various authors and friends are raving about this new YA book, so I got a sample on my Kindle and had a hard time putting it down. Lately, my little one is having trouble falling asleep and requested I watch over her, so I read while she falls asleep. This takes her about 5 minutes because I'm paying zero attention to her. But I end up sitting in her...

I started An Ember in the Ashes audiobook for my commute to work this week and WHOA it's intense . Within the first disc, the main character's grandparents are MURDERED as she watched. This is NOT my usual book fare. But I'm enthralled by the story, the characters, the world that the author created. I. Can't. Stop. Listening. So every time I get in the car I'm petrified to hit play but I CAN'T give up on the story now. She's got to get her revenge. He's got to find his destiny. Do they find each other? How does it end? As much as it stresses me out, I will get to the end. Related Posts: More nerding out about Books posts

I'm currently listening to this audiobook: The Opposite of Spoiled by Ron Lieber. And, full disclosure, I'm not in love with it. I'm not jibbing with his position on a lot of these money issues. But its got me thinking about how I'm teaching my kids about money in the real world. Leah has been asking about an allowance and what she'll have to do to earn it for years. And the question stumps us. I didn't get an allowance growing up. But we were encouraged to get jobs and babysit as soon as possible. There wasn't a lot of extra money for new Gap shirts or trendy jeans, so if I wanted to not live in my sister's hand-me-downs, I'd have to buy them myself. And I especially don't remember earning money for doing regular chores around the house. We did them because we had to, we'd be threatened with a wooden spoon (to clean my room, which I hated to do) or, eventually, because we wanted our house to look nice. The author of this book is no...

If your not aware Steampunk is a genre of book that takes the Victorian age and adds steam powered machines and ... hmmm... that definition isn't right, let me pull from Wikipedia: Steampunk   refers to a subgenre of science fiction and sometimes fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. I've read a bunch of these novels and there are usually filled with action/adventure, historical events slightly-altered and imaginatively cool machines. Philip Reeve has written a lot in this genre, including the books that pulled me in: the Fever Crumb series . (Don't get me started on how hard I fell for Fever.) Another series to check out is  Leviathan by Scott Westerfield . It's nonstop action, with sprinkle of a young romance. And my favorite word, perspicacious, was used often in this series. The term "boffins" comes in close second. And I am waiting on the third audiobook from ...

Just a few things on my mind this month ... Poldark on PBS -- I know I'm a total sucker for period romances on PBS so big surprise that I would be in love with this latest miniseries about a man back from fighting the colonists to find his estate is now worthless and his girlfriend is marrying another man -- his cousin! How Does One Get this Job????? And if this yummy picture doesn't seal the deal, I'm not sure what will. Little Chocolate Heaven on a Cracker Dark Chocolate Mini Graham Crackers - I bought these delicious treats on a recent lunch expedition to Whole Foods, while craving a sweet, after-lunch dessert. I powered through my kale salad and ate way too many of these while working through my email inbox. Eating heavenly dark chocolate treats while distracted is not a good business. But they were SO GOOD. Worth the stomachache. I even shared them with coworkers. Shadow Scales audiobook - I was already warned this followup to Seraphina (abou...

In April, I started the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness, beginning with A Discover of Witches,  as an audiobook on my commute to work. It's 20 discs, far longer than the audiobooks I usually choose. But I was quickly hooked by the story, and kept going through the rest of the series:  Shadow of Night and The Book of Life . That's 60+ hours of Diana and Matthew! I will tell you... these books are long on atmosphere and random tangents. And short on big shockers and suspense building. But I really enjoyed the tangled and compelling stories that carried you through the three books and unraveling the mystery of the Book of Life. Diana is a reluctant hero/witch and Matthew, though kind-hearted, is far too overbearing to be an ideal leading man in my real-world. But together, they made this wonderfully passionate and sweet pair. Of course I enjoyed the blossoming romance (though, short!) and their complicated relationship. The supporting characters are very well constru...

Outlander -- My favorite show, bar NONE, started back up this month for the second part of the first season and I'm living for each new episode on Saturday nights. It's. Just. That. Good! A Discovery of Witches -- I listen to audio books on my 40-minute commute to work and I've been particular about picking books that are 10 discs or less so I can finish them within a week. But for some reason I decided to give this story, with its 20 discs, a try. I'm halfway through and it will take me about two weeks to get through the whole story but I am loving it. This is what Twilight should have been -- with a DaVinci Code -like story thrown in. Violet Mackerel book series   -- The girls and I have been reading these books for the last few weeks before bed and I am absolutely in love with Violet. She's sensitive and thoughtful, and she creates all these adorable theories about the world around her. The girls and I discuss her stories and ideas even during the day. We ...

Guys! I just finished the THIRD audiobook in the Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater (called Blue Lily, Lily Blue ) and I can't be more please and bereft that it's over.  I wanted to continue listening to this story on my commute to work every day until I retire. Why did it have to end?  The second book was so DARK and filled with nightmares (thanks, Ronan) that I was delighted to find this book featured Blue -- who I adore. How can you not love a teenager living in a house of psychics but with no "real" psychic talent. Who subsists on a diet of yogurt alone and shreds/makes her own clothing. She also the only girl in a pack of private school boys on a mission to find a long-dead Welsh king. So she's just plain awesome.  And Gansey calls her Jane. And that's even more adorable.  It's the third book in this series so these characters are so well known to me -- which is the about the only thing that keeps me reading this series. I...