Category: Bookish Question

What's teh last book you readd that made you cry? The first book I can remember reading that made me cry was Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, which I read in around 1981 (so only a few years after it was published). Anyone who has read the book (or seen one of the movie adaptations) will know why I cried. The last book that made me cry was Carry Me Home by Dorothy Adamek, where I cried for a similar reason ... but won'tsay any more because of #spoilers. But that's a few years ago now. I do have to admit that I don't consciously seek out books that will make me cry. I prefer books that make me laugh or feel good ... which is why I favour romance (with the occasional segue into romantic suspense, rom com, or women's fiction). What about you? What's the last book you read that made you cry?

Bookish Question #315 | What’s the last book you read that made you cry?

The first book I can remember reading that made me cry was Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, which I read in around 1981 (so only a few years after it was published). Anyone who has read the book (or seen one of the movie adaptations) will know why I cried.

The last book that made me cry was Carry Me Home by Dorothy Adamek, where I cried for a similar reason … but won’t say any more because of #spoilers.

But that’s a few years ago now.

I have to admit that I don’t consciously seek out books that will make me cry. If I wanted to cry, I can watch the news.

I read for entertainment, so prefer books that make me laugh or feel good … which is why I favour romance with the occasional segue into romantic suspense, rom com, or women’s fiction.

What about you? What’s the last book you read that made you cry?

Have you ever completed a "read the Bible in a year" challenge?

Bookish Question #313 | Have you ever completed a “read the Bible in a year” challenge?

Yes!

I have completed several challenges in different formats:

One year, I joined with a few friends online to read the Bible using A Woman’s Guide to Reading the Bible in a year by Diane M Stortz. This has six weekly readings, a short reading explaining the events of the week’s readings, and three questions to answer. Our small group then had a virtual meeting using Facebook where we answered the questions. It was a great way to get to know people better, and I’m sure it would be even better in person.

Another year, I used The Bible plan from The Bible Project on the YouVersion app (which allows users to choose which version of the Bible they read). Each day had a devotional, a reading, and a space for users to add a personal note. There were also videos to introduce different books of the Bible. I did this challenge as part of a group as well, and found it encouraging to read the comments from the other participants.

Those plans both worked through the whole Bible from start to finish, with occasional “interruptions” to cover Psalms and Proverbs.

I’ve also used a chronological plan, which goes through the Biblical story in chronological order e.g. so Job comes in the middle of Genesis.

I’ve also completed The Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Coble, which is available as both a daily podcast and as a book.

I’ve also tried plans that have an Old Testament and New Testament reading each day, as well as a chapter from Psalms or Proverbs, and I find those feel a little disjointed in comparison. I don’t mind a Psalm as part of the daily readings, but I prefer to read one book at a time, rather than jumping from Genesis to Matthew to Psalms and back again.

In 2023, I took a new approach.

I decided I wanted to listen to the Bible readings using a daily podcast. I sampled several different podcasts before settling on The Bible in a Year (with Father Mike Schmitz) from Ascension Ministries. This was a chronological plan based on the Great Adventure Bible Timeline. It used the Catholic Bible, which introduced me to some new books and stories. What I particularly liked about this plan was that it interrupted the chronological timeline three times to bring in one of the gospels, which had the added advantage of not then reading (or listening to) all four gospels back to back.

This year, I’m taking a new challenge: Mary De Muth’s 90-Day Bible Challenge.

I have to say that while there is a time commitment to reading Genesis in four days (instead of the more common two-plus weeks), it does give a different perspective, one that I’m enjoying. Reading longer portions enables me to keep the whole story in mind, to make connections and ask questions.

I have tried to use a different version of the Bible for each challenge.

Reading a new version can bring a new awareness to what might otherwise be a familiar verse or chapter.

I’ve read the new International Version and New King James Version in full, listened to the Revised Standard Version (Second Catholic Edition), and am currently reading the English Standard version.

What about you? Have you ever completed a “Bible in a year” challenge? What did you think?

Have you set yourself a reading challenge for this year?

Bookish Question #312 | Have you set yourself a reading challenge for this year?

I have, but I’ve simplified it compared to 2023.

In 2023, I set an overall reading goal of 150 books, which I met (just). I also set other goals, such as:

  • Reading nonfiction books
  • Reading books by BIPOC authors
  • Reading books by debut or new-to-me authors.

I didn’t meet most of those goals.

So this year, I have set just one goal for my 2024 reading challenge: to read 120 books.

No goals around genre or author or publisher. Just 120 books.

This is a reduction on previous years: I’ve managed 150 books for the last few years (since I’ve re-entered the paid workforce), and 200 books a year before that.

I now have my first full-time paid job in close to 15 years. I also have a novel to write, edit, and publish by May … while working full-time, buying a new property (because the new job is in a new city), and organising a writing contest.

On that basis, I think 120 books is quite enough for 2024.

What about you: have you set yourself a reading challenge for 2024?

Did you get (or give) any books for Christmas?

Bookish Question #311 | Did you get (or give) any books for Christmas?

Books are a matter of personal taste, and it can be hard to choose a book for someone you don’t know well … or someone you do know well who reads a lot, because you might buy something they’ve already read.

So no, I didn’t buy anyone books for Christmas this year.

I also didn’t receive any books for Christmas … although I think I’ll buy myself an Amazon gift voucher, because that helps me keep track of my book-buying budget.

What about you? Did you get (or give) any books for Christmas?

Have you achieved your 2023 reading goal?

Bookish Question #310 | Have you achieved your 2023 Reading Goal?

This post is a couple of days late because I’ve just spent a couple of hours going through my Kindle and updating “My Books” on Goodreads.

But I can now confirm that I have completed my main goal of reading 150 books in 2023.

I also had some sub-goals:

Read 48+ books from my to-read pile

Oops … I managed four. On the plus side, I have read almost every book I’ve bought this year.

Read 40+ books from debut or new-to-me authors

I’ve read 40+ books if you count books by authors I hadn’t read before 2023. However, I read multiple books from some authors, so I’ve only read books from 34 new authors.

Read 40+ books from non-US authors

I’ve only read 14 books by international authors (I must have misclassified some. Surely. Either that, or it really is difficult to find international authors). I have read and enjoyed a lot more self-published fiction than in previous years.

Read 12+ books from BIPOC authors

I’ve finished seven books from BIPOC authors, so I need to find some more!

Read 18+ nonfiction books

I’ve apparently only read 6 nonfiction titles 🙁

What about you? Did you set a 2023 reading goal? If so, have you met your goal?

What were the top ten books you read in 2023?

Bookish Question #309 | What were the top ten books you read in 2023?

We’re almost at the end of 2023, and I must be getting older because I am sure the years are going faster. Yet again, I’ve read a lot of books (and published one, which was a first!). Some were excellent, some were fun but forgettable, and some were unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

But today it’s time to share the books I enjoyed most in 2023. Most are contemporary Christian fiction, because that’s the genre I read most. But one is Biblical fiction (Plagues and Papyrus), one is multi-timeline (In This Moment), and one is perhaps more women’s fiction than romance (The Words We Lost).

So here’s my list, most of which I have already reviewed or featured on the blog:

  1. With All my Heart by Emily Dana Botrous
  2. Now or Never by Emily Conrad
  3. The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese
  4. Plagues and Papyrus by Christine Dillon
  5. Where Our Hearts Lie by Jenny Glazebrook
  6. His Runaway Crush by Heather Gray
  7. The Billionaire’s Teacher by Elizabeth Maddrey
  8. In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer
  9. In Spite of Ourselves by Jennifer Rodewald
  10. Dedicated to the One I Love by Beth K Vogt

What were the top five (or ten) books you read in 2023?

What's one book you've read in 2023 that has stayed with you?

Bookish Question #308 | What’s one book you’ve read in 2023 that has stayed with you?

As you all know, I read a lot of books. I forget far too many of them. I’ve round myself re-reading a few this year with no memory of having read them the first time. I hundreds of plots and characters running around inside my mind—my own, and those from the novels I’ve read.

But one book has stood head and shoulders above the rest for the combination of great writing, memorable characters, and a truly unique plot.

And that book is In This Moment Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer (which I’ve already read twice, and may need to read again now I’ve reminded myself of it).

Here’s the Amazon book description:

Maggie inherited a gift from her time-crossing parents that allows her to live three separate lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. Each night, she goes to sleep in one time period and wakes up in another. Until she turns twenty-one, when she will have to forfeit two of those lives–and everyone she knows in them–forever.

In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of a senator at the outbreak of the Civil War, navigating a capital full of Southern spies and wounded soldiers. In 1941, she is a navy nurse, grappling with her knowledge of the future when she joins a hospital ship going to Pearl Harbor. And in 2001, she’s a brilliant young medical student, fulfilling her dream of becoming a surgeon.

While Maggie has sworn off romance until she makes her final choice, an intriguing man tugs at her heart in each era, only complicating the impossible decision she must make, which looms ever closer. With so much on the line, how can Maggie choose just one life to keep and the rest to lose?

Find In This Moment online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click here to read my review.

It is the second in a series, so you may want to read When The Day Comes first. Click here to read my review.

What about you? What’s one book you’ve read in 2023 that has stayed with you?

What Christmas books or novel do you recommend?

Bookish Question #307 | What Christmas books or novels do you recommend?

The obvious nonfiction pick here is the Bible 🙂

Fiction is a little harder to pick, partly because there is so much fiction (especially Christian fiction) featuring Christmas. Some authors feature Christmas in all their stories because it’s popular all the time.

I can see the appeal, although I prefer summer stories. Lots of authors combine to produce Christmas collections. My favourite was the An Aussie Summer Christmas collection, where all the novellas were set in Australia. As a Kiwi, I loved the summer Christmas stories 🙂

I have read a couple of Christmas stories in recent months, although some are more “Christmas” than others (if that makes sense). My favourite was You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Toni Shiloh, which is an expanded and republished version of I’ll Be Home. Click here to read my review.

I’ve also recently read and enjoyed All Fair in Love and Christmas by Sarah Monzon. While it centers around Christmas, I read it during the New Zealand winter to get the seasonal feeling. But it’s still centered around Christmas, with a neurodivergent main character and a fun workplace rivalry. Click here to read my review.

What about you? What Christmas books or novels do you recommend?

What debut novels or authors have you discovered this year?

Bookish Question #306 | What debut novels or authors have you discovered this year?

There are two kinds of debut novels–the debut novels that just released (like mine, Always By My Side), and the debut novels from favourite authors that I read years after release.

I’ll share a couple of favourites from both categories: I’ve read and enjoyed all of Janet W Ferguson’s Coastal Hearts novels. I love the location, and I love the way Janet writes about broken people coming to faith in a natural and organic way. But I’d never read her first series, Southern Sweethearts. I just finished Leaving Oxford, and it was brilliant (possibly even more brilliant because I accidentally read the second book in the series first, Going Up South).

I also discovered Emily Botrous, and read my way through her Scripted Love series, starting with With Love, Melody. This was a fun series with a unique twist: couple found love through the written word.

The best debut novel I read this year was The Upwelling by Australian author Lystra Rose was brilliant. It was difficult to read at times (it’s a real good-vs-evil story, so parts of the story are had to read). The Upwelling has been shortlisted for and/or won several prestigious Australian book awards, and each nomination is well deserved.

Heart in the Clouds is by another Australian author, Jennifer Mistmorgan. It’s an excellent World War II story that reminded me of the challenges our grandparents faced during the war years, and helps explain some of their issues and idiosyncrasies.

I also enjoyed Julia Monroe Begins Again by Rebekah Millet is an excellent second-chance romance featuring an older couple.

I don’t know if I can claim to have “discovered” my own debut, Always By My Side, but I certainly discovered that yes, I can write and publish a novel.

What about you? What debut novels or authors have you discovered this year?

Do you read ebooks as soon as you buy them?

Bookish Question #305 | Do you read ebooks as soon as you buy them?

Historically, no. But I’m trying to change.

When I got my first e-reader, I downloaded a lot of free and cheap ebooks just because I could. After a lifetime of paying NZ$25 plus for a paperback, I found it difficult to resist the never-ending supply of free and cheap ebooks.

I discovered online book reviewing at the same time.

This meant many of the books I bought never got read, because I was prioritising review copies. As a result, I have I don’t know how many unread ebooks in my Kobo and Amazon accounts. (Yes, my first e-reader was a Kobo, because Amazon didn’t initially ship the Kindle to New Zealand.)

I will say that I’ve (mostly) stopped downloading free ebooks, simply because I never get around to reading them. I’m much more likely to read a book I’ve paid for, even if I only paid 99 cents.

But that doesn’t and hasn’t fix the huge to-read pile.

Over the last year, I have been making a concerted effort to read ebooks as soon as I buy them rather than letting them languish in my virtual to-read pile for eons.

This has led to me enjoying many of the books I’ve bought more, simply because I’ve read them when I was in the mood to read them, rather than buying them because theywere on sale and never quite getting around to them.

I do still keep an eye on the BookBub email to see if there are any sale books I like the look of (not so many as there used to be … partly because I often click through and Amazon tells me I bought the book several years ago).

I find I’m buying more books based on recommendations in author newsletters. I have to say that’s a very hit-or-miss activity, as many of the authors say they haven’t read the books they’re promoting, and some of the books have turned out to be awful (as in, dialogue so stilted I can’t believe the book was written by a human). But at least I’m starting them quickly, and getting them off my Kindle if they don’t suit me.

What about you? Do you read books as soon as you buy them?