Category: books

2023 To Be Read Pile!

Ellie McHaleLeave a comment

Would you look at that, it’s been three years since I’ve written a post. How totally uncool of me!

To be completely honest, I didn’t read much in 2022. I went through some personal things that took an emotional toll, and I lost the desire to do a lot of the things that bring me joy. Depression can be a tough nut to crack. Lately, I’ve found excitement in reading, and I am so happy to dive back into all sorts of books.

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I just finish reading ‘Home Before Dark’ by Riley Sager. I’ve never read anything by Riley Sager, and this book appealed to me right off the bat. I love books that incorporate stories within stories (hello, ‘Frankenstein’ is my favorite book, after all). This book was a quick and intriguing read. There will be plenty more Riley Sager books in my future!

Currently, I am readying ‘Reasons to Stay Alive’ by Matt Haig and ‘Excavation’ by Wendy C. Ortiz, both memoirs. Nonfiction is a wide genre, and I am particular about what nonfiction I read. I love biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs.

I recently relocated to Ireland to be closer to my parents. Soon after my mother retired, they headed to Ireland and made that their permanent residence. YAY for having multiple citizenships! I am looking forward to a different pace and immersing myself in the strong storytelling culture. This means that I might actually have more time and emotional bandwidth to read!

This new year will be filled with books and I hope to read at least two per month. This will be a fairly malleable list, and any additions will be noted as additions!

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Ellie’s 2023 To Be Read Pile (ongoing and updated frequently; italicized: read)

  • ‘Home Before Dark’ by Riley Sager
  • ‘Excavation’ by Wendy C. Ortiz
  • ‘all about love’ by bell hooks
  • ‘The Other Black Girl’ by Zakiya Dalila Harris
  • ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood (reread)
  • ‘The Testaments’ by Margaret Atwood
  • ‘Token Black Girl’ by Danielle Prescod
  • ‘Reasons to Stay Alive’ by Matt Haig
  • ‘The Love Songs of W. E. B. Du Bois’ by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
  • ‘Without Merit’ by Colleen Hoover
  • ‘Pretty Little Liars’ complete series by Sara Shepard
  • ‘One Last Stop’ by Casey McQuiston
  • ‘Regretting You’ by Colleen Hoover

This is just a basic list to get started, and I will be adding books as I go. I can’t wait to fill my mind with stories and words!

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2019 Reading Challenge

Ellie McHaleLeave a comment

Howdy y’all!

It’s been a long time, and I’m kicking myself for putting the blog on the back burner. I have been writing, though!

One thing that I’m proud of myself for this year is recently imposing a reading challenge. Had I started at the beginning of the year, my goal would have been larger. However, I started at the beginning of July. My goal is to read 12 books between July 1st and December 31st. This is an extremely reasonable goal with two books a month. Who knows? I might read more than 12 books!

So far, I’ve finished two books and am in the middle of two books. The books I have finished are ‘Cut’ by Patricia McCormick and ‘Where Women Are Kings’ by Christie Watson. Both were interesting reads, however ‘Where Women Are Kings’ blew me away. I had never heard of the book or the author. One day, I was wandering the library, and this somewhat small blue book caught my eye. I read the description and was intrigued. I took a seat at a table and started to read. Twenty minutes later, I was hooked. Over the next week or so, I devoured the story. It is one about the foster care system, adoption, and family history. There is a book review post in the near future, I feel.

Currently, I am reading ‘How Not to Fall Apart’ by Maggy Van Eijk and ‘Sadie’ by Courtney Summers, both of which had been on my To Be Read list for a year. Updates will come once I am done with those.

After those? Who knows. I might restart the Harry Potter series, as I have only read through half of book five, and have only seen the first four movies. I desperately need to catch up and know that they will be easy reads. There are a lot of books I want and need to read, and I am glad I have found my love of reading that was lost for quite some time.

If you’d like, please follow me on GoodReads! I love connecting with people, as well as getting recommendations on what my next read should be.