IMWAYR! Three At Once

Am I the only one that begins multiple books on a staggered schedule and then still somehow winds up finishing them all at the same time?  That's what happened this weekend when I finished not one, not two, but three books!  Okay, so two books and one I decided to bail on, but still that's not too shabby of a reading practice.

Also, apparently this past weekend (Saturday) was National Independent Bookstore Day?  I was lucky enough to find out before it was too late and I made an intentional stop to a semi-local independent bookstore to pick up some new reads and a few stickers (they told me I could have as many stickers as I wanted -- but I restrained myself to only three).

Did I need to buy books?  No, but this seemed like a good excuse to pick some up and support a local business.  For now, these books are being added to my TBR pile.  

Let's get into the books I finished though.  As a reminder, here is my key for books:

Pick 👍    So-So ✔️    Pan ⏭️    Bail 💀

IMWAYR! In Space!

I did not write about what I was reading last Monday.  I chalk that up to focusing on my writing only last week as it was the final week of the Slice of Life Story Challenge.  However, this Monday seems like a good day to discuss and update you all on the reading I've been doing.

As a reminder, here is my key for books:

Pick 👍    So-So ✔️    Pan ⏭️    Bail 💀

Finished Reading

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri, (👍) I finished this book a few weeks ago and I cannot recommend it highly enough.  It's the story of a refugee family and how they came to live in Oklahoma.  The story blends the real events of Daniel's life, both before and after fleeing his home country, with the fantastical elements of the mythology and stories he grew up hearing.  He makes several references to the 1001 Nights and that analogy certainly holds true to the story telling method being used.  I love how this book captures the feeling of someone sitting by your bed and telling you a story.  It's a rich in detail and beautifully written.  

Currently Reading

After Moses by Michael F. Kane, This sci-fi novel reminds me so much of anime like Cowboy Bebop and tv shows like Firefly.  I love sci-fi that stays close to home and explore how colonies on Mars, Jupiter's moons, and other celestial bodies might look.  The crew of the Sparrow have already endeared themselves to me and I actually enjoy how this novel manages to be episodic in a way that is similar to the two shows I mentioned above.

Bonus?  The author is one from my neck of the woods.  It's always great to get a chance to explore local authors.

2021 Reading Goal: 27/75

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog link co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for kids and young adults.  The original IMWAYR focusing on adult lit was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is currently hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

IMWAYR! Pity Parties and Untrue Stories

I really appreciate the overwhelming support on my last blog for IMWAYR and all of the comments that were left with guidance.  You all were super welcoming.  

I've decided to add one additional layer to my blog posts about reading: a rating system.  I already leave ratings on places like Litsy and Storygraph, so I don't see why it would hurt to continue that here.  I don't want it to be super complicated and of the rating systems I have used I think I prefer Litsy.  It keeps it to four choices: Pick, So-So, Pan, and Bail.  It's simple and I don't have to overthink it like star-ratings or whatever.  I couldn't find the exact symbols in emoji form that they use for their rating...so I improvised:

Pick 👍    So-So ✔️    Pan ⏭️    Bail 💀

Also, continuing from last week, you may also see these emojis pop up from time to time:

🎧 This means I read the audiobook. 💬 This means the book is a graphic novel.

What can I say?  I've really enjoyed using emojis lately...

IMWAYR! An attempt at something new for this blog

Something I have discovered in this month of slicing is that there are OTHER communities and challenges out there to explore through the blogging community.  I know this is probably a silly realization or an obvious one to many of you, but I really had NO idea.  

One of the ones I discovered recently through just random exploration of blogs in the "Slice of Life Story Challenge" community (hosted by Two Writing Teachers) was the "It's Monday! What Are You Reading" community of book bloggers.  I'm still trying to figure out who hosts it and how to "officially" join (if one even CAN officially join), but one aspect of blogging I have not explored enough of is blogging about books and my reading life.  

I read.  A lot.  I set goals for reading, use sites like Litsy and Storygraph to track my reading, participate in various challenges and games related to reading, Book Clubs, I mean you name it and I've probably done it when it comes to reading.  Except blogging and I've never been consistent about sharing what I am reading -- even WITH Litsy and Storygraph making that supposedly easier.

I would like to change that and I believe IMWAYR! is a way to go about that.  However, since this is my first one and because it's already so late -- I'm also probably going to keep this fairly short.  I will be ignoring the little voice asking me about "Am I doing this right?" "Should I include graphics?" "Do I want to start some sort of rating system?"  And address those concerns on a different post.  It's 8 pm where I am -- best to just get this written, up, and shared.  

So, without further ado, let's get into it: WHAT AM I READING?