All Hallows Read

This October, I'm going to be joining in the All Hallows Read, hosted by booksbeyondimagining on tumblr. The point of this is to read "whatever you want as long as it is scary". She is also going to be holding several challenges, including 31-minute reading sprints every Saturday. If you're interesting in, check out the hashtags #allhallowsread and #allhallowsreadingsprint on tumblr. 

My TBR list for this AHR and the month of October includes eight spooky reads that have been sitting on my bookshelf for the past little while until it became the right season. It just doesn't feel right reading scary books until the autumn. I'm also the sort of person who reads and watches scary things only during the day, because I get spooked really easily. That being said, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get through all eight books before Halloween, but I'm sure going to give it a go! 

Dead Scared by S.J. Bolton - Goodreads, Indigo

In the Woods by Tanya French - Goodreads, Indigo

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - Goodreads, Indigo

Nightmares! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller - Goodreads, Indigo

The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley - Goodreads, Indigo

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson - Goodreads, Indigo

Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough - Goodreads, Indigo

In the Blood by Lisa Unger - Goodreads, Indigo

All of these books were purchased online through Indigo.ca or in store at Chapters-Indigo. They are my favourite place to buy books because you get plum points with your purchases, there are almost always discounts online, and shipping is super fast. The last time I purchased from them online, the order had shipped two hours later and it was the middle of the night! Super great service and I highly recommend them. 

I've added all these books to my All Hallows Read 2015 bookshelf on Goodreads. If you're on Goodreads, feel free to add me. If you've read any of these books or have any other spooky novel suggestions, comment below! I'd love to hear what you think. 

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Book Treats - Afghan Butter Cookies and "The Dressmaker of Khair Khana"

One of the fondest memories I have from my Quebec literature course is the time that the professor brought us blueberry muffins. Not just because she wanted to, but because blueberries played a role in one of the chapters of the novel we were reading at the time. Now, I can't remember what book we were reading, but I do remember the muffins.  While reading "The Dressmaker of Khair Khana", I wanted to engage with the text in a similar way. I am not confident enough in my sewing skills to attempt to sew a dress, but baking is something I can handle. (Plus, I just wanted to eat something sweet.) So I took a peek at what sorts of traditional receipes from Afghanistan I could find. One of the easier ones was for butter cookies (called "kolcha").  Now, most of these recipes called for rice flour or corn oil, so I substituted those. I also played around with the ingredient ratios, and ended up with my own recipe. So these Afghan butter cookies may not be authentic, but the spirit of the cookie is there. They are fragrant and sweet without being overpowering. 

I posted this as a DIY baking tutorial on my YouTube channel, which you can check out HERE. If you happen to try these out, please send me a photo so I can see the end result! 

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February TBR (To Be Read) List

How do you feel about two posts in the same morning?

If you look at my Goodreads account, you'll be able to see that of the four books I'd set out to read in January, I have only read three. What's more, two of those books weren't finished until February. I admit I'm feeling a little disappointed in myself for that poor showing.

While in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter what day I finish the books so long as I've enjoyed them (and met my 50-book goal for 2014), I can't help but want to make sure I succeed this month.

So on to my February TBR - 4 books to be read in the remaining 20 days. You can see which books I've picked (and listen to my preliminary thoughts on them) by clicking on the link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX2nxT_6jeo.

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Venturing into Booktube

I follow a few people who are members of "Booktube", which is essentially a community of readers on YouTube. Their videos include hauls, reviews and other associated literary content. I am a big reader myself, although it can be a struggle to find the time and energy to read on a daily basis.

Now, I have more than enough unread books on my bookshelves to keep me busy through to 2015. That being said, I love watching book hauls because they provide me with so many new books to potentially purchase, including those I never would have considered. I admit I tend to judge books by their covers. Booktube, therefore, opens me to books I may have written off.

Anyway, what with Christmas presents and Boxing Day sales, I have amassed a large quantity of new books and thought I might as well join in the fun.

Long story short, I made a video. You should check it out.

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January Wrap Up

Its fair to say that, book-wise, it has been  a fairly dismal year thus far. I set out with the goal of reading 4 books in the month of January and, as of this moment, I have only read half that. By the 31st of the month I had managed to finish only Book #1. I redeemed myself slightly by finishing Book #2 on February 2nd. Book #3 was completed on the train ride home from work yesterday. Book #4 hasn't even left the shelf. 

All in all, a rather poor showing. That being said, I won't be allowing myself to stay behind. I do have a goal of 50 books read for my 2014 Goodreads challenge, after all. I'm also determined to accomplish the 4 books I've set myself for my February TBR (post to follow soon!). 

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Goodreads and TBR January 2014

This morning I signed up for a Goodreads account. Now, admittedly, I already have one for my personal use, but now I have a public one as well. You can find me there under the username crownandkingdom.

I will undoubtedly be signing up for a Reading Challenge for 2014, but I am still trying to decide just what my goal should be. 50 books? 60? I like to aim high, but I want to enjoy what I'm reading without feeling rushed. I will likely aim for 50. 

I have already created a new shelf, to house my TBR list for January. For those of you who aren't familiar, TBR stands for To Be Read. I am aiming for 4 books in January, and if you follow me on instagram or twitter (@crownandkingdom), you'll already know what these books are: 

- Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

- The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) 

- Doctor Who: The Silent Stars Go By by Dan Abnett 

- Winter Town by Stephen Emond 

As you can see, January will be a fiction month, with a good dose of nerdy fun. I hope to post brief reviews of the books once I have finished reading them. 

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