books – Maggie Hemlock Books

Happy Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon

October 23, 2021 Maggie Hemlock

Happy Readathon Day, bookworms! Hope everyone has all their favorite books and snacks ready. Usually, by now I’ve posted a hopeful TBR, but this year I’ve bought a house, moved, and kept everything going while I did. I’ve planned so much that literally when I wrote my last novel I never even wrote a plot. I’m a plotter through and through, but besides some notes at the bottom of the document my upcoming holiday novel Catnip and Mistletoe (Book 10 of Love by Glitter Bomb) was entirely pantsed. For those of you who know me personally or follow the blog you know that’s not how I usually do things. I think maybe moving this time planned me out. To be totally honest, the last few months have felt like an emotional hangover with all the big changes happening so quickly.

I’m on a roll this year with reading, though. Last year I scrapped by with 200 books because of the pandemic. Before that I couldn’t even swing 100 a year. I think I hit 80ish in 2019. Which was still a lot, but friends were reading way more than I was. This year I kept that ‘updated’ reading habit. Stressed? Read. Shit happening I can’t control? Read. Too tired to do anything else but it isn’t time for bed? Read. Seriously, I think my brain just liked that part of lockdown. Though, to be honest, even through moving I saw as few people as possible and pretty much have gone back into my own semi-lockdown mode since finishing everything. I live in a pretty conservative area and don’t trust people to be smart with the pandemic. Sorry, not sorry. I’ve seen what people do here.

Anyway, that was a side tangent, what I meant to say, was despite reading 175 books so far this year I still have shelves of unread books and today that’s a good thing. I’ve planned a lot of my reads this year between r/bookclub over on Reddit (if you’re looking for an online bookclub that reads diversely check us out!) and buddy reads. So, I’m ready to go back to browsing my unread shelves and finding my next read that way. Some of the books were bought years ago and it’s like finding a surprise. Don’t worry. The books I read and don’t want to keep forever are gifted/donated/given to the library. They’re not sitting in a landfill or filling up my entire house until I’m just at a table with coffee and a laptop writing my next novel.

So, that’s exactly what I plan to do in a few hours. I’m going to comb my shelves and find something totally unplanned to read. Usually, I have a blogging/check-in plan too, but not this time. Maybe I’ll check in throughout the day or maybe I’ll just come back tomorrow morning and do a wrap-up. But I have my pumpkin spice coffee and lots of options.

Happy reading, bookworms!

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Dewey’s Afternoon Check-in (#2021ReverseReadathon)

August 7, 2021 Maggie Hemlock

Okay, so it’s been an interesting 4 hours. I took a short nap and we had a thunderstorm pass overhead. I think with these set backs I’ll likely not hit my 10 hour goal. I never really do unless I just choose a big book. lol I’m about to chat with a friend for a bit to clear my head and regain some energy. But first, I’ve read another 2 hours and 1 minute this time around. That brings me up to 7 hours and 48 minutes. That means I need about 2 hours and 12 minutes. So maybe, I’ll get there. If not I’m not too worried about it. Life has been stressful enough recently without beating myself up over something that’s supposed to be fun.

This time around I wrapped up Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg. I enjoyed this one, but not as much as the Paper Magician Series. It took me 4 hours and 5 minutes to get through this one.

Then I started H.G. Well’s The Time Machine and read for 58 minutes before my update alarm went off. I’m having mixed feelings about it. It was the same way with War of the Worlds. Still… I’m about halfway through. It’s dense for a little book and I figure it’ll take me another house to finish it up.

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Dewey’s Check-In (#2021ReverseReadathon)

August 7, 2021 Maggie Hemlock

Hey again! I’ve been up about 4 hours so far this morning and managed about 3 hours and 18 minutes across two books. Since my mental health would never allow my to forgo sleep to try to stay up for the whole readathon I usually aim for about 10 hours and I think I’m on track for that since I’m adding in the audio books this time.

First, Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg, I’m loving this book on audio. I listened to it during coffee and breakfast and while I moved around to loosen up my joints this morning. Up until a few years ago I wanted nothing to do with audiobooks. They brought back flashbacks of those tape my elementary school teachers used while we read along. I’d always read ahead and if they stopped the tape to ask me about something going on during the part the tape just read I’d always stumble over my words. The tape was just too slow to keep my attention. Then, I learned audiobooks have adjustable speeds now. I never listen at the normal speed and it’s allowed me to enjoy them a lot more. At the speed I’m currently reading at I have about 2.5 hours left of this one. With meals and stuff I figure I’ll finish it up before the day is over.

The other book I’m reading is I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver. I’ve wanted to read this one since it first came onto my radar last year. I’m non-binary so any book with a non-binary main character gets tossed onto the TBR. There aren’t that many I come across. I was excited for this one, but I’m about 40% through it and I’m not sure what I think. I don’t want to say anything just yet. I should finish it by my noon check in and I’ll probably have more to say about it then.

Happy reading!

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Happy Early Start to Dewey’s 24 Hour Reverse Readathon

August 6, 2021 Maggie Hemlock

Hey guys! With the start of the readathon a little more than an hour away I wanted to drop in and say hi and wish everyone who is starting tonight a happy night/day of reading! I’m on EST time meaning it starts around the time I start getting ready for bed. I won’t be active tonight, but if I’m not too tired I’ll be starting Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg on audio while I get ready for bed. I just finished up her Paper Magician series yesterday and am ready to dive into more of her books.

Happy reading! What’s the first thing up on your readathon TBR? Let me know in the comments!

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Hemlock Universe Book Swag Master List

March 7, 2021March 7, 2021 Maggie Hemlock

I always said if I ever did book swag it would be something I’d use if I were a fan of a series. I didn’t want to just do bookmarks since most of my writing is digital. So, I went the route of journals, because you can never have too many of them!

I’ll do my best to keep this list updated as new journals are released!

My Favorite Reads of September 2020

October 1, 2020 Maggie Hemlock

I don’t normally do this sort of blog, but since I’m reading so much I figured I might as well share a few favorites. I’ve always held back, because I don’t read a lot in my genre. It’s just a thing about needing variety in my life. If I write and read it – where’s the spice? I do read gay romance and general LGBT romance, but they don’t always make my top books for any given month.

This month I read 13 books in total. (Squeezed one more in last night after all.)

I’ve challenge myself to pick my top 3 favorites only. I could probably ramble long blogs about half the books I’ve read this month, but I don’t want to bore you guys. So in no particular order here are my favorite reads of September 2020.

Will My Cat Eat My Eye Balls? By Caitlin Doughty

This one was a work of non-fiction by a youtuber I stumbled upon. She’s a funny and goth mortician and she’s freaking adorable if way morbid! Well, okay, not morbid. She just talks about death and death related things in a way we can all understand. This book addressed and answered questions children asked her about death. It was freaking awesome.

2. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

This was a YA coming of age almost romance about a high school senior named, Emoni. She faces not only the challenge of being a very young teenage mother in a racially divided place. She lives in what she self describes as the ghetto and attends a less than stellar school. She has a real gift for cooking and works her butt off to study abroad for two weeks in Spain. I adored this girl and her story. I listened to this one as an audiobook and the narrator did a wonderful job of bringing Emoni to life.

3. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

I’m not gonna lie- when I first bought this book it was the beautiful cover that caught my attention. Then the blurb stole my morbid ghost loving little heart.

This book blends the past and the present in a beautiful way. The blurb tells it better than I ever could – because I can’t even… I loved this book.

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

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7 Ways to Read More Books

August 30, 2020 Maggie Hemlock

#1. Stay inside and at home all the time because you’re terrified of catching the plague that is COVID19.

Ha. Ha. All kidding aside, I have read more this year than I have in many years. That started before COVID19 was a national emergency here in the states. I decided to go for 100 books on the GoodReads Challenge this year. I hit it pretty early. I’m at 122 for the year now.

My new goal is 162 for the year. That’s a very exact number, Maggie! What’s going on with you? If I succeed at my goal it would mean I read double the books I did last year. That’s something to celebrate.

So, how do I really read more? (Besides the obvious I’m happily single and childfree by choice and I work from home) I just do it. Not everyone wants to read 100s of books a year. Not everyone needs to either. If you’re looking to read more here are some things I’ve discovered over the last few years that have upped my reading numbers.

I won’t be discussing how to read ‘faster.’ I encourage everyone to read at the pace they enjoy. That means, I’ll be focusing mostly on the other factor- TIME. The one thing none of us ever seem to have enough of.

Be honest about how much time you can invest in reading.

Seriously, don’t plan to attempt 500 books if you’re juggling chainsaws. Metaphors aside, if you know you have a busy work and home life, you’re going to want to set a realistic goal for yourself. Audit your free time. Do you spend two hours a day scrolling through social media? Nix that and read. Even if it’s broken up in 5-10 minute increments you can get a lot read in two hours.

2. Audit your free time.

I touched on this briefly above, but if you want to read more that time has to come from somewhere.

3. Prioritize reading.

Closeup Photography of Book Page Folding Forming Heart

No, don’t starve your kids or skip your dog’s walk. That’s not what I’m talking about. Cancel your streaming and cable for a month and see how much more you read. Give up gaming for a month if that’s your thing. Ideally, we’d all have time to do all the things we love, but time is limited. You only have so many hours left earth and so many hours in a day.

4. Join a book club!

Pile of Hardbound Books With White and Pink Floral Ceramic Teacup and Saucer

Talking about the books I read has led to me reading more books! Not just from recommendations, though I’m gotten some great ones this year. But more reading overall. Discussing the books I read makes it feel as if it’s part of my introverted social life.

I’d recommend checking out Reddit’s r/52book and r/bookclub. I participate almost every month in r/bookclub. In September, I’m participating in both choices – Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles and the older Age of Innocence. Come over and join us! We have some great discussions there.

5. Audiobooks!

Don’t groan at me! I know that look! Up until last year I hated audiobooks. It wasn’t ‘reading!’ How was I supposed to pay attention to the story? Well, there’s a couple options here.

I listen to audiobooks while I clean the house, workout, play Stardew Valley, design my book covers, and while I craft. Depending on the length of the audiobook this can add 4 books to my total every month.

Can’t get into fiction audiobooks? I have friend with that problem. She listens to memoirs and other non-fiction audiobooks that perk her interests. Got a long commute? Turn off the radio. The news is depressing anyway! Listen to an audiobook! Scribd is my current go to.

6. In a reading rut?

Reread an old favorite!

7. Don’t make yourself read books you don’t like!

Self-explanatory!

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Good Morning- Dewey’s Reverse Readathon 2020

August 8, 2020 Maggie Hemlock

Since, my mental health upkeep requires a decent sleep schedule – I went to bed really early last night instead of just staying up. Everyone is who started last night will be almost 8 hours into the readathon. I’ll be starting shortly. I’m excited. Usually, I get about 8 hours in during the readathon – which is huge for me! This year I’m challenging myself to try for 10. By 4:30 readathon time I’ll be reading. So, it should technically be possible. We’ll see what happens.

This morning I’ll be starting with a few short stories from Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. It’s the R/bookclub pick this month over on Reddit. It’s a book of short stories from the Vietnam War. I almost sat this one out since I don’t read much about that time period. I decided to give it a chance since I joined the club to read books I wouldn’t normally select for myself. We’re 2 stories in with another 2 up for discussion today. I really enjoyed the first two so far. They’re insightful and the man has a beautiful writing voice.

Readathons

My Quarantineathon Readathon Week 4 Wrap-Up

May 30, 2020 Maggie Hemlock

I should be working on the cover or even the blurb for Sky’s Homecoming. I’m a little brain dead today. It’s been stormy this week and everything in the news just has me feeling blah. I’m ready for a do-over of this year.

Anyway, onto the reading and readathon. I really enjoyed this readathon and it’s easy pace. I completed all 4 of the weekly prompts and managed 11 other books this month too. (So far. Still have the rest of today and all of tomorrow left.)

This week’s prompt was to read a book about what you miss the most. There are plenty of things I miss, but I really wanted to read one of Jennifer Worth’s Call the Midwife books and I do really miss new episodes of all my favorite shows.

I read Shadows of the Work House this week. I enjoy Jennifer’s writing voice greatly as well as the historical attributes of her memoirs. This one was just heartbreaking. So many people lost so much or everything to work houses and unfair systems. Today, we don’t have work houses, but we still have so many unfair systems and so many problems.

As a lifelong reader, I’ve long used books to understand the world as much as to escape it. This week I’m just a little down, because it seems the same problems only play on repeat. I’m ready for a vacation that I can’t take and more coffee than I should drink in a day.

I’m already reading Farewell to the Eastend, the last book I have left in Jennifer Worth’s boxset. Her voice shines through immensely in this one as well.

Readathons

My Week 2 Quarantineathon Readathon Wrap Up

May 15, 2020 Maggie Hemlock

Today I’m blah. Reading is blah. Writing is blah. Today is blah. I wrote few really emotionally challenging chapters today for Sky’s book. It’s only 11 AM and I have what I can only call an emotional hangover. I’ve written plenty of emotional scenes, but this is the first time I’ve actually had an emotional hangover from writing. Like pure numb verging on sad emotional hangover. I always knew Sky’s book would be difficult to write, but here it is. It’s moving along.

So, let’s talk about what I read this week for the readathon. This week the prompt was to read a book with an at risk character. This book had 2 of them. One was a chronic pain sufferer, Rachel, seeking a way to live with her pain and break her dependence on abusing narcotics to survive. The other was a terminally ill older gentleman with a neuro degenerative disease named Harry.

The search for a ‘cure’ led Rachel to a fictional island with a greatly written backstory and lore. This book had me with all of its twists and turns.

Also, as someone with chronic pain I related so freaking hard to Rachel. It was good chronic pain rep (if you ignore her extra pills.) But the way the author wrote her with both desperation and determination was incredible.

It wasn’t all depressing and pain, though. There was adventure, mystery, and witty lines like this: The waitress looked like she wanted to be in the middle of an argument with a handicapped person about as much as she wanted to antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea.

It was full of laugh out loud lines like that at times.

Next week’s prompt is to read about an essential employee. I’m reading a autobio/memoir of a medical examiner. Tune in next week to find out if I made it through. This was the recommendation of a friend – HI MEG! Well, hi if you’re reading this. lol I’m excited about it, but also I know anything cardio-vascular makes me squirmy.