June TBR

I've actually got a TBR post for you, reader friends!  

I might have bit off more than I can chew for June, but for the first time in over a while, I actually feel motivated to read more than just a few pages a day.  So, here we go.

And the ones I still need to take pictures of:

* Before the Devil Breaks You - Libba Bray

* The King of Crows - Libba Bray 

* Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor 

* Days of Blood and Starlight - Laini Taylor 

* Dreams of Gods and Monsters - Laini Taylor 

* Wild - Cheryl Strayed 

This could change, we'll see how the month goes!  What are you hoping to read through the month of June? 

Dating Profile Friday - Han Solo

Name: Han Solo

Likes: The Millenium Falcon, Chewbacca, stealing and trafficking resources 

Dislikes: Getting Caught, being held accountable for my actions 

About Me: I'm all over the place, man. I travel from planet to planet, rescue friends, keep Luke safe since he can't protect himself, and relax in the cantina.

You've probably heard the rumors that I like to steal stuff and, well, it's true.  But I have a goal - keep myself safe at all costs.  

If you need me, I'll be hiding from the resistance somewhere in the Arkanis sector.  I've said too much already.  

The Princess Diarist - Carrie Fisher

Title: The Princess Diarist
Author: Carrie Fisher
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 2.5 Stars

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This last book from beloved Hollywood icon Carrie Fisher is the crown jewel of ideal Star Wars gifts. The Princess Diarist is an intimate, hilarious, and revealing recollection of what happened behind the scenes on one of the most famous film sets of all time.

When Carrie Fisher discovered the journals she kept during the filming of the first Star Wars movie, she was astonished to see what they had preserved—plaintive love poems, unbridled musings with youthful naiveté, and a vulnerability that she barely recognized. Before her passing, her fame as an author, actress, and pop-culture icon was indisputable, but in 1977, Carrie Fisher was just a teenager with an all-consuming crush on her costar, Harrison Ford. 

With these excerpts from her handwritten notebooks, The Princess Diarist is Fisher’s intimate and revealing recollection of what happened on one of the most famous film sets of all time—and what developed behind the scenes. Fisher also ponders the joys and insanity of celebrity, and the absurdity of a life spawned by Hollywood royalty, only to be surpassed by her own outer-space royalty. Laugh-out-loud hilarious and endlessly quotable, The Princess Diarist brims with the candor and introspection of a diary while offering shrewd insight into one of Hollywood's most beloved stars.

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I don't talk about this a lot on my blog, but I adore Star Wars.  And I really, really, really love Carrie Fisher, both as a person and as Princess Leia.  Princess Leia and Chewbacca are my favorite characters in the Star Wars Universe.  That being said, I found this book more disappointing than I thought I would. 

I always feel like I don't know what to say when talking about someone's autobiographies.  A book written by a person about their life is deeply personal, and putting your story out there for the world can be challenging.  But, I do have some thoughts about this book.

#1. I really thought this book would focus more on Star Wars, and more about Carrie's life playing Princess Leia.  But the Star Wars aspect of the book was more background noise.  The primary focus of the story was Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford having an affair during the filming of the first film.

#2. It is super obvious that Carrie did have, as the description of this book said, "youthful naivete."  She gets into this thing with Harrison, knowing it's just an affair, knowing that, per his request, they are never going to talk about it.  But she keeps these journals, and has these thoughts about her affair with Harrison, that point to the fact that she probably wishes they had more.  I found that frustrating - because she knew they'd never be together, but as they aged, she'd slip in comments like "Maybe now we'll get back together...."

#3. I was a bit shocked that people didn't realize Carrie had some mental health struggles during this time.  Her journals really hinted at a lot of mania, in my opinion.  I only point this out because I really wish that someone had noticed her struggles earlier and been able to offer more help for her. 

Like I said, I love Carrie Fisher, I adore her, but my ultimate point is, I wish this book would have been less about her affair with Harrison and more about her actual time and struggles and life filming Star Wars. 

If you've read this book, what did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below.

Dating Profile Friday - Princess Leia

Name: Leia Organa
Likes: Obi Wan Kenobi, being in charge, helping people
Dislikes: Arrogance, the dark side 

I am Leia Organa, princess, leader, fighter.  I believe strongly in helping people and have little patience for the dark side - I will fight for the rights and freedoms of all people.  

I prefer activists to other types of men, and I will give you a hard time, but it will be worth it.

Most of my time is spent doing activist work and meeting with cohorts who assist me in these efforts.  I encourage you to find me by joining in the resistance.  

Bout of Books - Friday Update

Hi reader friends!  Welcome to my blog - Happy Saturday! 

I've got a bookish update for you again.  As you know, I've been doing Bout of Books this week.  So, here's my update from Friday:

Thursday:

Books Started: 4
Books Finished: 1
Pages Read: 76
Total Pages Read: 412

Books I've Started: 

 I've also started The Princess Diarist, by Carrie Fisher.  Pretend I have a picture of that book right here! 

Books I've Finished: 

So reader friends - if you've been doing this readathon at all, how is it going for you? Also, if you've read any of the books I'm reading right now, what did you think of them?  Talk to me down in the comments! 

Bout of Books - I'm Finally Doing an Update!

Hey reader friends!  This week has truly been a week for me.  I worked three 12 hour shifts - so now that I have a couple days off in a row - more time to READ!

I haven't had a chance to post any updates for the Bout of Books readathon yet. But, I have been reading a bit.  Mostly Tuesday, because I was off work that day, and was determined to finish the book Magyk, by Angie Sage.  Anyway, here's a little update for the week.

Monday:
Books Started: 1
Books Finished: 0
Pages Read: 7
Total Pages Read: 7

Tuesday:
Books Started: 2
Books Finished: 1
Pages Read: 319
Total Pages Read: 326

Wednesday:

Books Started: 3
Books Finished: 1 
Pages Read: 10
Total Pages Read: 336

Thursday:

Books Started: 3
Books Finished: 1
Pages Read: 0 (I was so, so tired Thursday. I got home from work, and just didn't have the energy for anything, so I slept a lot.)
Total Pages Read: 336

So, as you can see, Tuesday was my biggest reading day this week.  That's cool - because I have a 4 day weekend, so I plan on getting some serious reading done this weekend. 

Books I've Started: 

Books I've Finished: 

Now, as you know, throughout the week, the hosts of Bout of Books do Challenges.  Today, it's "Share your Favorites...."

So, we readers get to pick our favorite whatever we want and share it/them. 

This was hard for me to decide, but I finally decided I am going to share my favorite fantasy series, in no particular order.

1. The Harry Potter Series - (If you follow my blog at all, you knew this was coming!)
2. Lord of the Rings
3. The Grisha Trilogy
4. The Six of Crows Duology
5. The Young Elites Series

Bout of Books 28

Hey reader friends!  It's that special time of year again - it's time for another Bout of Books readathon!

I've been on a sort of in and out hiatus of sorts. This pandemic has got me sort of down on a lot of things, but that's okay.  We don't have to be super productive in the midst of a global pandemic.  But, I am excited about the readathon, and I'm going to do some posts here for it, obviously!

I hope you will think about joining in as well.  If you are unfamiliar with bout of books, read this:

The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are daily challenges, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For Bout of Books 28 information and updates, visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team 


I have loved every single Bout of Books readathon I've done - even the ones where I didn't read as much as I hoped to.

I don't have a TBR pile picked out for this readathon. I'm just going to play it by ear and see what happens!  Come join in.  Also, if you feel like coming on over and following me on twitter, I'll probably do a lot of BoB updates there as well.