Tag: Jay Kristoff

A Mis-Matched April TBR + Tome Topple!

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

I can’t believe we are almost halfway through April! The weather should be breaking but it has been surprisingly cold and even a little snowy here in Pittsburgh these last few weeks. In non-book related news, I just got back from a trip to Augusta, GA! I was invited to golf at Augusta Country Club last Thursday and then I attended the Masters golf tournament on Friday and Saturday. It was an incredible trip and I am still in disbelief that I was able to go! While the trip was packed with activities, I did get some serious reading done during my flights! So let’s chat about what books I plan to tackle during the month of April!

I originally had a pretty fun idea for my TBR planned but due to Tome Topple and a couple other events I’m participating in this month, I’m going to postpone this one more month and use this idea in May! Instead of having a fully baked plan, I’m sticking with the theme of this year and going a little chaotic. To start, I’m reading Finlay Donovan Is Killing it by Elle Cosimano. This is a funny, light and slightly dark story about an author, and recent divorcee, who gets mistaken as a hired assassin. I’m almost done with this one and I’m really enjoying it – it doesn’t take itself too seriously and is a nice distraction in this crazy world we’re living in. The next book I’d like to wrap up is This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg. I’ve been picking away at this one since last month and am going to be committing to finishing it soon. I was a little slumpy when I first started this one, so I’ve been dragging it out much longer than I meant to!

Once I wrap up these two books, we’re going to be into the start of Tome Topple Round 16! I always set lofty goals for Tome Topple and never follow through with them but I’m going to try to change that this time around! As you might’ve seen in my announcement post, I’m planning to read King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo. This is the first book in the Nikolai Duology that takes place after the original Grishaverse trilogy and the Six of Crows Duology. I’m planning to try to knock this one out in week 1 of Tome Topple then move into The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig. The Book of Accidents is a creepy horror title that sounds RIGHT up my alley. I usually save these types of books for October but I got this one for Christmas from my Secret Santa (if you ever read this – Thanks again, Gigi!!) and I’ve been dying to read it ever since! Each of these books check the box for each of the reading prompts I rolled in my announcement post. I’m also going to revisit Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff. I started this one back in January and while I enjoyed it, it’s slow pacing threw me off. I’m about 90 pages into that one already, so I’m going to pick that up when I can to try to chip away at it during this round of Tome Topple.

So that’s it! What books are you reading this month and are you planning to participate in Tome Topple? Drop me your books in the comments and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for when I’m hosting reading sprints (and be sure to join in)!

Until Next Time,
Mr Geek

January ’22 Wrap Up

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Hello readers!

It’s me, your favorite geek, back to recap the blink that was January. I still can’t believe the month is over already – January definitely went 80 mph in a 25 zone. I feel like I was just writing about my goals and reads for the month and now it’s almost February! The weather has been wickedly cold these last couple weekends which have been really helpful in catching up on my reading. I had an ok reading month but I somewhat deviated from my original plan. So without further ado, let’s talk about this month’s books!

A few years ago, I wanted to start off the year with Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. I decided to go after that goal this year and start off 2022 as a Year of Yes. I both read and listened to this book (and Everything Is Figureoutable, which I’ll talk about next). Rhimes narrated the audiobook and it added such a personal element to the story. I don’t love nonfiction but this was really a home run. Rhimes was warm, relatable and extremely down to earth. She’s the writer of mega hits like Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy and How To Get Away With Murder but she also struggles with the things a normal person does (weight, self confidence, staying within her comfort zone). If you’re looking for an inspiring, feel-good read, look no further!

After wrapping up Year of Yes, I moved onto Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo. As I mentioned, this was a read and listen combo as well. Forleo also narrated this one and her energy is infectious. You can feel it in her voice and her writing. This was a re-read for me and I enjoyed it as much as the first time I picked it up. You can’t help by feel inspired and optimistic when reading this one. The stories and anecdotes are extremely applicable and relatable.

Shifting gears, I flipped over to a thriller that has been sitting on my shelf for months, Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney. I LOVED Feeney’s debut novel, Sometimes I Lie, but wasn’t really drawn into this one. The premise sounded good – a couple wins a weekend away at a secluded chapel turned house (with an underlying notion that one of them isn’t leaving the chapel alive). Overall, this felt slightly boring and drab. Things finally started to pick up in the last 100 pages but I saw one of the twists coming from the beginning and the others were just very strange. I have another one of Feeney’s books in my backlog, I might get to it eventually but I think she’s going on the back burner for awhile.

The last book I started, and have been slowly making my way through, it Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff. While I am enjoying this book, it’s a bit of a slow burn. I’m a little over 100 pages in and I enjoy it when I sit down to read but don’t feel drawn to the book. The writing style does draw you in but I just don’t have that desire to pick it up (and it’s a long one, about 750 pages).

So that was my January. I have a Black History Month TBR planned for February and then I’m going to be trying something new for my March TBR. Make sure you stop back for all the details! How was your reading month? Pick up anything outstanding? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter (@ItsMrGeekToYou).

Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek

Happy New Year: 2022 Reading Goals, Life Updates & my January TBR!

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Hello Readers and Happy New Year!

It has been awhile since my last post and we have a lot to catch up on! My lack of updates has been for a few reasons: 1) The last couple months have been absolutely insane (both personally and professionally, I work in eCommerce for a retail website, so the holidays are always chaos), 2) I had a huge “Oh Shit!” moment in November when I realized I was way behind on my GoodReads goal for the year and set out to turn that around and 3) I have just been feeling really burned out. With everything that’s been happening and the pandemic still going on, it all just finally caught up to me.

New Year is always one of my favorite times of the year. I usually create a few resolutions and, generally speaking, I’m really good about sticking with them. I love the idea of a fresh start and having a brand new year ahead of my full of adventures and opportunities (which, granted, hasn’t really been the case the last 2 years).

2021 wasn’t all bad though! I reached more readers with my blog and got to partner with some Publishers on their upcoming releases. If you’re reading this post now, thank you! I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to spend a few minutes with me and my thoughts. Prior to starting this post, I just set my GoodReads goal for 2022 and decided to read 37 books. 37 has always been a lucky number for me and I’m hoping that’s going to carry throughout the year. Last night, when the clock struck midnight, I started my first book of the year and it’s a long one!

For the month of January, I’m going to set the tone of the year. I’m kicking off with a few self-improvement books, most are actually re-reads. I’ve owned “Year of Yes” bye Shonda Rhimes for quite awhile and am finally going to read it. The vibe of the book seems like something I’ll enjoy but only time will tell. Sticking with the genre, I’m also planning re-reads of “Everything Is Figureoutable” by Marie Forleo and “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. I’ve read both of these books in the past, enjoyed them immensely, and thought it was time for a re-read! For my non-self-help books, I’m planning to read “Empire of the Vampire” by Jay Kristoff (which I started last night). I’m about 30 or so pages in – it’s definitely a slow burn but I’m finding it interesting. Hopefully it picks up a bit because this one is nearly 750 pages. After I wrap that up, I’m planning to tackle “All The Stars And Teeth” by Adalyn Grace and potentially the sequel “All The Tides of Fate.”

One other, more general, goal I’m making for myself this year is to 1) finish some of the series I currently have in progress. I made a list and it’s embarrassing! and 2) when I start a new series, stick with it and try to finish it within the same year or within a few months. There have been entirely too many instances where I start a series, read the first book and then don’t come back to it for months (or even years) later. By that time I’ve gotten what I read and either need to do a re-read or try to find a quick summary online to refresh my memory. I’ve never been one to binge read series, I always feel bored after two books, but I think I am going to give that another try. It has been years since I tried binge reading a series and I am, thankfully, not the same reader I was back then.

Keep your eyes peeled this week, I have lots of new content planned including my Top 5 Best Books of 2021 and Top 5 Worst Books of 2021. The worst list is going to be a challenge to whittle down, I read a lot of crappy books last year. I hope you all have a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek

Tome Topple Round 15: Check In!

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

It’s hard to believe that we are officially over halfway done with Round 15 of Tome Topple! This last week has been full of book talk, reading sprints and lots of pages (but maybe not as many as I was hoping). A friend of mine got married this past weekend, so I was busy traveling and celebrating (with a little reading thrown in on my flights)!

I’m currently making my way through Middlegame by Seanan McGuire. I’m about 50% done with my first tome (I was hoping to be done with it by now). I’m hoping to knock this book out before Friday so I can spend a chunk of next weekend reading Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff.

Don’t forget to keep track of all the books you’ve read using the convenient bingo card! Are you hoping to hit Student, Sage or Scholar status this round? Leave me a comment with your TBR and the status you’re looking to hit!

Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek

Tome Topple Round 15 Announcement!

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Helllllllllllllllo Readers!

It’s your favorite Geek here to announce the next round of Tome Topple! As the days grow shorter, our books grow longer! I don’t know about all of you, but I’m ready for some cooler temperatures, some nice warm beverages and some quality reading time! I’ve finally managed to shake off the reading slump I’ve been in pretty much all year, right in time for Tome Topple!

It has been awhile since Round 14, so let me give you a quick refresher! Read books that are over 500 pages long… that’s it! Round 15 is going to kick off on October 18th and end on October 31st. We have an awesome group of co-hosts, all returning from last time:

Also returning is our “Bingo Card” that contains all of the reading challenges for this round! This “Bingo Card” is strictly to help everyone participating keep track of which challenges they’ve completed so far! Be sure to follow along on Twitter (@ItsMrGeekToYou & @Tome_Topple) for book talk, reading sprints and motivation! We also have a Discord channel for you to connect with other readers!

Tome Topple Round 15 Bingo Card

My goal for this round is the same one I’ve had for all the previous rounds, and that’s to hit Sage status (eventually, I’ll make this a reality)! So, without further ado, let’s dive into the tomes I’m hoping to topple later this month!

Since it’s October, I’m going with a Spooky TBR all month long. I did a similar setup last year and really enjoyed the theme and thought I’d do it again this year! I’m starting off the month with A Clown In The Cornfield, Tunnel of Bones and We Have Always Lived In The Castle. For Tome Topple, I’m planning to read Empire Of The Vampire by Jay Kristoff and either Middlegame by McGuire or The Outsider by Steven King. I am leaning more towards The Outsider because I’ve been dying to watch the HBO show but committed to reading the book first! I’m open to suggestions – if anyone has strong feelings one way or another, let me know in the comments!

So that’s it! I’m really excited to join you all for some book talk and reading sprints later this month! What are you planning to read for Tome Topple? Let me know in the comments! See you all in a little over a week!

Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek