Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Fictional Worlds I'd Rather Not Visit

 

The Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is hosted by Long and Short Reviews. They offer this blog hop as a weekly prompt to help you gain new friends and visitors. You don't have to participate every week, but consistent blogging seems to be the key to success. I can say that when I participate in weekly memes and challenges, I see the most traffic and comments at The Book Connection. 

If you decide to post and join the blog hop for a week, Long and Short Reviews asks that you share your link on their weekly post on their website (it will be the top post on the home page each Wednesday morning). The link list remains open for new links for 48 hours. Then visit the other bloggers participating to see what they are talking about that week. Comments are appreciated. 

I've known about this weekly blogging challenge for years, but I haven't tackled it yet. I'm never sure how much time I'll have to visit folks, and being supportive of the blogging community is important. 

At this point in my life, I'm pretty sure the only places I want to visit are ones that are beautiful, by the water, abundant in nature, and don't have any creatures that can kill me. That means these worlds are totally nowhere near my bucket list.

Post-apocalyptic Chicago is so not a place I would visit. Danger. Nasty people trying to kill you. Way too industrial looking. 

This alternate history novel set in 1962 with the United States ownership carved up, a contaminated Washington D.C. thanks to an atomic bomb, and regular assassinations is really not for me. 

Scary, creepy, dangerous demons. Need I say more?

This place is named Dark Island. Nothing good is going to happen there. Strange herbal remedies, trails filled with alligators and snakes, and a vampire doesn't exactly say vacation to me. 

Let's just face it, a world with an ongoing battle of good versus evil where only some will survive, is not the place for me. A deadly virus, trekking across the country to meet other survivors, reinventing society... what would I do?  Too scary for me. 

Which part of Panem is good for the average person? Living in poverty? Dying in the games pitted against creatures created by a government who loves to play with you, your emotions, and your family or being pursued by people from other districts whose survival is dependent upon your death? There is nothing appealing about Panem, and even the people working in the government aren't totally safe. 

How did you enjoy this trip through the fictional worlds I would rather not visit? Do we share some of the same choice? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I've Never Reviewed

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.    

Here we are at Tuesday again. Thrilled to welcome you back to The Book Connection. This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic will be a tough one. We are talking about books that we've read but never reviewed. Since, I've been blogging and reviewing for close to 18 years, that is going back a ways. Let's see how this goes.

Top Ten Books I've Never Reviewed

This first one is kind of cheat, because I've spoke about The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough at least a couple of times at this blog. I've simply never written an official review of the book. I was actually just talking about The Thorn Birds the other day. I'm overdue to read it again. 

A few years before I began blogging, I was reading the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Coming off of at least two years of reading non-fiction exclusively, one of my friends told me I had to read the first book. Read Left Behind in record time and plowed through the rest of the available books in the series. This is the first series I recall needing to wait for the publication of future books to come out. 

I read The Kent Family Chronicles by John Jakes, originally called The American Bicentennial Series, my freshman year in high school. I'm sure my father would never have allowed it if he knew, because there was serious sex going on in these books. The books had belonged to my mother. I read them one after the other until I finished the series. 

Here is another book series that if my parents had been paying attention, I never would have read. This series has one of the most disturbing plots. Though I thoroughly enjoyed them, I don't recall reading past the fourth book in the Dollanganger Series by V. C. Andrews. I didn't even know there were eleven books. 

Shel Silverstein was one of my favorite childhood authors. I read The Giving Tree first, then A Light in the Attic, before discovering Where the Sidewalk Ends. I don't recall ever reviewing his books. 

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster was assigned reading for one of the kids--my son, I think. We read it together, and I thought this zany book about a boy learning all the things he can do instead of being bored was so much fun.

The Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery is a beloved classic. It has been turned into numerous movie adaptations, created tourism for Prince Edward Island and, most recently, been a Netflix remake. I read these books after the 1985 Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea movies starring Megan Follows, Colleen Dewhurst, and Jonathan Crombie came out. For many years, the series was an annual read for me. 

The Stand by Stephen King has been one of my favorite reads for decades. This supernatural battle of good versus evil is long, sometimes confusing, and has an abundance of characters. Though it took me about 600 pages for it to feel like it was coming all together, once it did, I read through the remainder quickly. Would recommend this to anyone who enjoys King's work, the supernatural, or stories of good versus evil. 

God and Generals by Jeff Shaara is the first book in The Civil War Trilogy, which includes Killer Angels and The Last Full Measure. I've read the trilogy and own it as part of my Civil War and Lincoln collection. This is the prequel that "explores the lives of Generals Lee, Hancock, Jackson and Chamberlain as the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg approaches." Loved this trilogy and hope to read it again one day. 

Though I speak about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House books a great deal, I've only ever reviewed Little House in the Big Woods and The Long Winter. I've read the books numerous times, people still talk about them and NetFlix, Friendly Family Productions, and others are in discussions to bring a new version of Little House on the Prairie to the streaming service. One day, I will pick them up again and review them for my Laura's Little Houses blog. 

This wasn't as hard as I initially thought. Have you read any of these books? Have you reviewed them at your blog? What is one book you've read but never reviewed? Looking forward to your answers and to catching up with you at your blogs. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Feb 17

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.    

Welcome back to Monday! How was your week? Did anyone have special plans this weekend? Friday is date night, so the other half and I went out to dinner. Nothing special. Just the local UNO's. The Lil' Princess is out of town, spending time with her fiancé, so we are getting a taste of life as empty nesters. Not sure I will be ready for it when it comes. 

Another productive week for me. It helps when real estate is steady, but not hectic.

• I have meal plans in place for the next four weeks.
• Participated in #Questpit for the first time on X (formerly Twitter).
• Sold one of my books, which means it will soon be out of print. Wish I could affordably bring them back into the marketplace.
• I also organized all of my bookshelves and cataloged all my titles by or about Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House on the Prairie television show starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert. I also cataloged all my books by Lucy Maud Montgomery, tie-in books to Anne of Green Gables, and biographies about the author. 

Here are a few photos from the past week:

I am now the lucky wearer of three different pairs of glasses. In addition to my regular progressives and my sunglasses, my old eyes need these computer progressives to work any length of time on the screen. Can't drive with them, but they definitely make it easier to work at my desk. 

Poor Boots had to have a nail extracted from her paw. She is doing fine but wasn't a huge fan of the visit.

Dwight checking everything out from his perch on the kitchen wall. 

Travis taking advantage of the rug we have laid down so Theo won't slip on the floor. 

In my reading world, I am reading all three of these right now. 

Grabbed Gilbert's book with an Audible credit after it was recommended by a workshop coordinator. 

These are next.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

I've been on a bit of a book-buying binge lately. The books from Thriftbooks arrived Saturday and were added to my bookshelves. This one below arrived from a publicist. It will be released on March 25. Look for my review coming at the end of March or early April. 

This digital copy arrived on Friday. I will be posting a First Chapter Review on March 11th. 

I also ordered two books from Amazon from an author whose launch party I will be participating in. I've reviewed a couple of her books in the past. More about that coming soon. 

Upcoming events:

• Review of Body Parts by Catlin Rother - Feb 24 (Review)
• Sunset Bay by Karen Stewart - Mar 11 (First Chapter Review)
• Gitel's Freedom by Iris Mitlin Lav - Date TBD (Review) 

This week at Christmas Year Round I shared "Three Things to Do in February to Prepare for Next Christmas." You can read it here. 

At The Children's and Teens' Book Connection I chatted about my #QuestPit experience. I also use this blog to share writing updates and news.

At Laura's Little Houses, I posted a link to my latest Anne with an E fanfiction story, "A Scandal in Avonlea." I tend to think of Anne Shirley as the Canadian version of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Even their authors had some connections. You will also find a post titled Transitions and Simplicity, which talks about stage of life changes and choices I'm making.

In the United States, today is President's Day. We use it to celebrate our presidents, even though, as history.com indicates, it was originally established to commemorate George Washington's birthday. 

That's it for me today. Looking forward to visiting your blogs and catching up with you. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Romance Novels from 2024 I Haven't Read

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.    

This is a Love Freebie week for those of us participating in Top Ten Tuesday. Really wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but knowing I buck trends and rarely read popular books when they first come out, talking about romance novels that were published in 2024 that still haven't made it into my TBR pile sounded like a good idea. So, enjoy the...

Top Ten Romance Novels from 2024

 I Haven't Read

Considering Book Lovers is still in my closet, that I haven't read this one should surprise no one. 

In my defense, I think this one is with my daughter at college. 

This cover is enough to make one buy it. I simply haven't yet. 

Described as a "sexy and emotional enemies-to-lovers romance," this made some people's favorites list. Sounds like fun, but not convinced it is for me yet. 

This one sounds like such an emotional read. I'm not quite sure I am ready for it yet. 

Between the title and what I know of the female lead, I can't believe I don't own this yet. 

I enjoyed a heist romance this season on TV, I really should have read this one by now.  

That I haven't read two Christmas romances that made best lists is truly astonishing. 

This last one just sounds like a blast. 

How many of these have you read? What do you recommend from this list? Thanks for visiting. Can't wait to see where you took this week's Love Freebie. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Feb 10

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.    

Happy Monday! Well, technically it's still Sunday, but I have a hectic morning tomorrow. It is a snowy one here. Our latest storm was generous. At this point in the year, I'm planning a garden, so I'm okay with no more white stuff. Of course, the next storm is coming at the end of this week. 

Booked tickets for my sister and me to two local theater productions: On Golden Pond and SpongeBob the Musical. This is part of my self-care routine. 

In my reading world, I've been organizing my spreadsheet, reviewing some books, and starting a pile of books to donate to this year's library book sale. My current TBR spreadsheet sits at 314 books, 689 Kindle freebies, 17 unfinished Audible books, and 1 Chirp book waiting for me. I like Chirp, but I find that if I don't use the app regularly, it won't hold my place and returns to the beginning. 

My review of this Christian historical was posted on Tuesday. You can read it here.

In lieu of our Monday meme posting last week, I shared a review of this paranormal psychological thriller. This is a genre I don't usually read, so it checks off one of my 2025 bookish promises. You can read my review here. The giveaway is over. 

My review of this illustrated Bible storybook appeared at The Children's and Teen's Book Connection over the weekend. You can read it here. 

I finished this historical biography of Lincoln's last full year in office over the weekend. You can read my review here. 

I'm reading this book.

I am also reading this book for Caitlin's February tour. Look for my review on February 24th. She will also be sending me another title to review. 

This book on AI is now available for pre-order. I will be reviewing this one soon. 

Need to review this one soon.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

ThriftBooks had a great sale, so I picked up a few books. This earned me a free book, and I removed them from my Amazon wish list, where I might have paid full price. I also found a cheap hardcover edition of 1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History to add to my collection. 

Upcoming events:

• Review of Body Parts by Catlin Rother - Feb 24 (Review)

I had some extra time this past week, so I posted at Christmas Year Round more than usual. 

How Do You Combat Christmas Blues?

Favorite Christmas Ornaments 

Would You Ever Leave Your Christmas Tree Up All Year Long?

At Laura's Little Houses, I profiled Charles Philip Ingalls here. I've also profiled Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mary Ingalls Kendall, Almanzo James Wilder, Caroline Quiner Ingalls, and Nels Oleson. Who do you think should be next?

That's it from my busy little place in the world. I've got two appointments this morning, so I might not visit your blogs until this afternoon. Enjoy your day!