Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Fall TBR

Today I'm joining Jana/The Artsy Reader Girl for Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Fall TBR. I was originally just going to post books that I plan on reading for a challenge I'm participating in which ends 10/31, but I know there are ones I'm hoping to read that don't fit that category at all. I mean c'mon, Halloween is this season! It's still near 80 degrees here though, so I'm hoping these will get me into the fall spirit. 

Pumpkinheads- Rainbow Rowell: I was about to say this was the latest from my favorite YA author, but she just dropped Wayward Son (the follow-up to Carry On) today!  Also not sure I should count this one since I read it in like 2 hours last week, but it's so perfectly fall  that I could not NOT include it! It's a sweet YA graphic novel... I just wish there was more! 

The Graveyard Book- Neil Gaiman: The first Gaiman book I read was The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which was a book club pick. Maybe I just wasn't used to his writing style, but it didn't get any easier. I'm not a fan of magic realism either, so maybe that was why I didn't enjoy it? It was really weird and I just didn't like it. I'm hoping that because this is YA (a genre I adore), I'll finally jump on the Gaiman bandwagon.

Frankenstein- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley: Just picked this up for 10 cents at the library, and another classic that I've never read. Seems to be in season as well, no?! 

Sleepy Hollow and other Short Stories- Washington Irving: My copy has a collection of 6 short stories, and somehow I don't think I've ever read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?! I know the story, but I don't think I've read it. 

The Wives- Tarryn Fisher: I got a free arc of this at NYC Book Con, but never got around to reading it. Blue read it though, and she claims it's a solid psychological thriller, so I'm in! 

Never Have I Ever- Joshilyn Jackson: I started this last month but a bunch of other books came in at the same time, so only got through 20% before I had to give it back. Ain't that always the way?! 

The Sleeper and the Spindle- Neil Gaiman: I know, I know. I just said I wasn't really "into" Gaiman, and now here's the second one I'm hoping to read this season! Honestly this just looked really pretty. It's supposed to be a Snow White retelling in graphic novel form, with a bit of dark magic thrown in.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle- Shirley Jackson: This little Gothic fiction has been on my TBR forever, but I'm a bit wary now that I've read The Haunting of Hill House and didn't love her writing style. Willing to give her another try though. 

The Girl With All the Gifts- M. R. Carey: Sci-fi? Check. Zombies? Check. Apocalypse/Dystopia? Check. I normally don't  like any of these things, but what can I say? I'm completely drawn in by the synopsis! 

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves- Karen Joy Fowler: I only learned of this book because of the reading challenge I'm participating in, and for that, I'm grateful. I'm not sure exactly what to think based off of the synopsis and none of my friends have read it, but I'm VERY curious. 

What did I miss? What's on your Fall TBR list? 
Linking up with Jana and Rachel!

TTT: Books on TBR Avoiding and Why

Yes I know, a Top Ten Tuesday post on a Thursday. What can I say? Show Us Your Books takes precedence, especially since I don't always link up to TTT! This one had me thinking though... why DO I avoid some of the books that are taking up space on my physical bookshelf? I did a count: not counting e-books (I have at least 20 more sitting on that shelf!), I own 61 books, of which 42 sit unread. But WHY? Here's an explanation for 10 of them, which I've further broken down by category. 

Size Matters! 

Shantaram- Gregory David Robert: I had originally borrowed this from a coworker turned friend back in 2008. And then I finally gave it back to her (unread, obviously) and grabbed my own copy. This book is 936 pages... that's a lot of weight to be carrying around, and I read quite a bit on my commute! (I just learned that there's a sequel, coming in at 912 pages... ugh!) Apparently Apple TV is making this into a mini-series though, and I love reading the book before the TV/movie adaption, so I need to get on this one! 

Middlesex- Jeffrey Eugenides: My cap is currently at about 400 pages, but it was closer to 300 when I originally added this one to my TBR back in 2009. In fact, the only book I even attempted to read that was over 500 was Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, which I read during my Christmas break last year (and surprisingly only took me 3 days to finish!).  I borrowed this one from Blue so it's not even counted in that 42/61 personally owned books, but again, 536 is a lot of weight to carry! The subject matter is pretty heavy as well (hermaphrodite born as a girl and eventually living as a man), so I've been putting this one off. 

Worth The Hype?

Burial Rites- Hannah Kent: Ok honestly, I think this one was hyped up but now I'm not so sure? I thought it was at the time, and bought at a library sale for 50 cents. Another one that's pretty heavy in subject matter as well (the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829, based on a true story). 

Sadie- Courtney Summers: This is the second (unread) book I own by this author (The first being Some Girls Are), which I received as an arc. But of course I didn't read it before it actually published, and then everyone was like "OMGTHISISSOGOODREADITNOW!" so I didn't. 

Verity- Colleen Hoover: I've only read a few of Colleen Hoover's books, but I loved them. I'm worried that I won't feel the same about this one, especially since so many have raved about it.  Or maybe I'm saving it because I know it will be fantastic? Jury's still out on that one. (Available on Kindle Unlimited!)

'Tis... Not The Season

Little Women- Louise May Alcott: I'm not sure what it is about this book, but for some reason I imagine reading this when it's cold out. It just seems like the perfect book to snuggle up with under a thick blanket, candles, and tea or hot chocolate while it's snowing outside. 

One Day in December- Josie Silver: I love the premise of this one, but um, hello? It has "December" in the title. Obviously I can't read this until then! 

Summer Rental- Mary Kay Andrews: I admire people who can read about snow in July and hot, sun-kissed days in December, but I am not one of those people. It makes me physically uncomfortable to read about either of those situations when I'm not experiencing them firsthand at the same time, unless it has nothing to do with the story. And according to the title alone, it does. So this will be shelved until next summer! 

That's... Heavy, Man

I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness- Austin Channing Brown: My mom strong-armed me into joining her at a church event, and it just happened to be an author talk and meet and greet.  Of course I went (because, books). Ms. Brown was an exceptional speaker, drawing me in to her story immediately. I purchased her book that same night, but still haven't read it. I think I'm nervous because a lot of her experiences hit scarily close to home for me, and I feel like I need to be in a certain mind space to read this one. 

Why Be Happy, When You Can Be Normal?- Jeanette Wintersons: I originally picked this up because I thought she was the same "Jeanette" of The Glass Castle, which would have been heavy in and of itself. Once I read the description though, I realized I wanted to read this as well... when I'm in the right frame of mind. 

Orphan Train- Christina Baker Cline: The synopsis of this one drew me in instantly, but once you think about the characters (a 91-year-old woman with a hidden past as an orphan-train rider and the teenage girl whose own troubled adolescence leads her to seek answers to questions no one has ever thought to ask)- well, I gotta emotionally prepare myself first, and I just haven't been able to lately. 

What are some books on your TBR that you're avoiding? 

Linking up with Jana! 

Show Us Your Books: August

After an awesome reading month in July, I was off to a rough start in August. I had 2 books that stalled me in the beginning of the month, one of which I ultimately had to mark as a DNF which I haven't done in months. Luckily, a few books I had requested from the library that I really wanted to read finally came in, so it picked up a bit. 

Before we can in to what I read, did you know it was National Book Lover Day yesterday? Newsweek shared a list of books you can read in a day (I had no idea Breakfast at Tiffany's was based on a book!), and Monica shared some fun ways to celebrate. Now... on to the books! 

My Sister, The Serial Killer- Oyinkan Braithwaite: 4 Stars
library e-book

I read half of this in one sitting- all hail short chapters! I was completely captivated from the very first pages (how can you not be when it opens with a murder... by your sister, no less?!). 

I liked that there was no gory serial killer scenes, only clean up, and there wasn't a lot of police investigation, because I often feel bogged down by those details. I kept waiting to find out what made her snap and start killing though, and felt let down that that was never explained.

The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey Around the World- Kim Dinan: 4 Stars
library e-book

The author really annoyed me in the beginning, but by the time she was about halfway through India, I felt more invested and she seemed more authentic. I was much more interested in her interpersonal relationships than the actual traveling parts though.

What's Your Story? True Experiences from Complete Strangers- Brandon Doman: 3 Stars
library hardback

This was...fine. I guess I was hoping that it would be a bit more like Humans of New York, and it definitely wasn't. Most of the letters were of mommy/daddy issues, regrets, and a lot of pain. I mean, NONE of them were uplifting or happy, and I guess that's to be expected when some stranger asks you to write a "secret," but I didn't find it very interesting. Also, I couldn't read some of the letters because the handwriting was illegible, and the composition itself was messy. It wasn't broken up in any sort of way, just a complete mish-mash of personal stories, and I think that if it had been divided in some way it may have felt like a more "complete" book. 

Love At First Like- Hannah Orenstein: 3 Stars
Netgalley

Maybe I should have known that this would be complete fluff after only getting through half of the first book I read by this author, Playing With Matches. As with that one, the synopsis was interesting enough, but then it just went all over the place with these outrageous setups and the MC acted more like a floundering 20-something than a functional 32-year old. Good for a palette cleansing beach read, but not much more. 

Never Let Me Go- Kazuo Ishiguro: 3 Stars
library e-book

I only picked this up for the Man Booker category in Erin's Challenge. I probably would have put it down for some other books that came in from the library that I REALLY wanted to read, but since I had such a hard time with my other Man Booker choice and I want to complete the challenge, I stuck with it. The beginning pulled me in quickly enough, but then the author's writing style started to nag me. There was a lot of "...and then this happened, but before I can tell you about that, let me go back to three weeks earlier when this other thing happened...". The middle dragged. There was also terms that were mentioned but not explained until very late in the novel like "carers," donors/donations," and "possibles," and I think had they been explained earlier, I would have been more invested in the story. It did have me thinking about it for awhile after I'd finished though. 

DNF: The Accidental- Ali Smith
library hardback 

This was a Booker Prize for short-list novel that I just couldn't get into after nearly 20%. I really tried. The synopsis was compelling- a girl randomly shows up at a family's summer rental home and each family member think she's there for a different reason. Each chapter was told by a different family member's POV, starting with the 12-year-old daughter. I think if this had started off with one of the other characters, it may have captivated my attention a little more. I may pick it up again in the future, but I'm not in any hurry. 

Currently reading: The Perfect Stranger- Megan Miranda

What are you reading lately? 

Linking up with Steph and Jana! 

* ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

August Recap and 10 Tips for a Garage Sale

I'm not gonna lie, I don't have a whole lot to share about where I was and what was going on with me last month. It can be summed up in precisely one word: work. I know that's hella boring and no one really wants to read about that, but to say my life was consumed by it would be a huge understatement. And normally I don't talk about work because Um, hello? See above. But in this case, it just cannot be avoided. 

Short story: my place of employment was cyber-attacked, and when I say attacked, I don't mean "oh, we were "offline for a few hours."  I mean every.single. system was down- we had no internet or wi-fi, no email even, for over a week. I mean every single laptop, desktop, device had to be "cleared" before we would let people have them back. Right at the beginning of the semester. 

I work at a technology school. In the IT department. Who do you think "clears" those machines? People in my department, myself included. So my life has been nothing but workworkworkworkwork (thanks Rihanna) for 3.5 weeks straight. Every single day (weekends included), 10-15 hour days, non-stop. Which really doesn't leave a lot of room for blog fodder, you see? 

I did take off one Saturday though, to host a pre-planned garage sale at my apartment building. My neighbor Raven and I had invited the other 6 apartments to join, but they didn't. Whatever, their loss! (Funny aside: last night my upstairs neighbor texting me saying she couldn't get her act together in time to join the first time, so she's doing one alone this Saturday! I can't join because I'll be away, but I shared these tips and our original flyer with her and she was very appreciative!) Anyway, we each made about $350 from our "stuff," and that's not even including any furniture, just smaller items! Not bad, if I do say so myself! And this was my first ever garage sale, so I decided to share my top ten tips for hosting one!

Start planning early. 
Raven and I started talking about this about two months beforehand, because summertime is hard and we needed to find the time to gather our stuff and a weekend when we would both be around (obviously). And we wanted to invite out neighbors to join with at least two weeks so they could put their stuff together too, if they wanted to participate. Once we had a date set, everything else was pretty easy, and we divided tasks (like who was making the flyer, putting them out, buying any necessary supplies, etc.). Also...

Set aside time to clean out, clean up, and dump. I'd been doing this sporadically for about a year, with piles of each. The "clean out" was for sale, "clean up" was for things that I either needed to take to the cleaners or alter slightly (like fix the zipper or replace a watch battery), and dump, well, literally throw out. 

Know the rules early- and share them!
My first assignment was making sure our landlord was cool with us hosting a garage sale, which he was, as long as we kept held it in our parking spaces and kept the driveway clear for our other neighbors. Next up was obtaining a permit from our local clerk's office, which only cost $5 but was a pain since they didn't have an online form and keep banking hours. This isn't a necessity, but it's good in case other neighbors complain or the cops show up, just in case. Luckily we have a lot of (free) curbside parking by us, so that wasn't an issue. 

Gather any supplies you may need.
I purchased a 4 ft table for displaying items, but I know I'll use it in the future for various parties and get-togethers as well. I also bought a clothing rack to hang clothes that I was selling. Not sure what I'm going to do with it now, but it does stow away neatly in my closet! Raven also bought directional signs from the Dollar Store to direct traffic since we live down a one way street. We put them in our cars literally directing people with arrows toward our little complex, but it worked! 

Advertise! 
We did a LOT of advertising. Raven made flyers (and grabbed some plastic protectors in case it rained), and I hung them at the local grocery store, post office, library, liquor store(s), bus and train stations. I actually ran into one of my friends while I was hanging one at a train station, and he offered to display a flyer on his truck. The next day, my cousin from 5 towns over told me she saw that flyer on a truck in a local BJ's and considered going! 

We also advertised on social media. Blue and I had it on our personal Facebook pages, but she also posted it on numerous "Buy/Sell/Trade" type Facebook Groups she was a part of (or joined for this purpose), and Raven posted it on Craigslist. 

Price and clearly label everything. 
This was my biggest mistake. I didn't do this in the beginning, because I was still putting my stuff out. Raven had this part completely under control. Every clothing item was between $2-3 dollars, shoes either $5-10 (depending on wear and tear). She had even purchased price stickers from the Dollar Store that I stubbornly refused to use at first. But as I was still putting my stuff out a big wave of people came in, asking how much every item was. I was flying by the seat of my pants for most stuff (especially clothing), so one minute I might say "$5!" and the next, to a different person (or the same, honestly they were coming at me so fast and it was before my coffee so I couldn't tell) I'd say "$3!" and the original customer (never the same customer, obviously) would overhear and be like, "But you just told me it was $5!" I learned this lesson FAST, and immediately starting putting price stickers on everything! (That's not to say I didn't leave room for haggling, I did, for certain items.) 

Decide your goal(s) beforehand. 
My goal was to sell items for a fair price. I wasn't going to go below a certain amount for some items though, because I didn't have to, and I knew they would earn me more if I sold them elsewhere. Raven's goal was to sell of as much as possible, regardless of price, because she's moving out (and into her bf's place, which has less space). "If I get even $2 for it instead of nothing, it's worth it!" was her motto, because she wasn't planning on bringing anything back into her apartment. In that case...

Watch the clock. You should be lowering the price by the hour. The later it gets, the cheaper the items should get, so that you're practically giving it away by the end... if that's your goal.

Start putting stuff out early on Garage Sale Day. 
I cannot stress this enough. Maybe it was because we planned for our sale to start at 9 instead of the usual 8AM, I don't know, but customers were pouncing before we were even fully set up. And that was STRESSFUL! So yeah, make sure you set up at least 30 min before your advertised start time, because people WILL show up! 

Don't forget the change!
Literally go to the bank- we each started with about $150 in small bills.

Don't hover.
This may just be a personal pet peeve, but I hate it when salespeople watch me like a hawk when I'm perusing their wares. Whether it's a garage sale or in a store, it is an instant turnoff for me, and I will walk out almost immediately if I notice them hovering around me for anything other than the simple "do you need help with anything?" before walking away.

Have a plan for leftovers.
Raven was literally throwing out anything she didn't sell. In my case, I'll post a lot of my clothing (especially those with tags) on Poshmark. Non-clothing items I'll attempt to sell on FB Marketplace, otherwise I'll donate. This is why I wouldn't sell these items for dirt cheap. I know I can make money on them if I sell them somewhere else, and I'm in no rush, so I'd rather keep them a bit longer and be patient than just get rid of them. It's definitely helpful to try to decide what you plan to do with your unsold items beforehand though! 

So there you have it, where I've been all month and some things I learned. 

Have you ever held a garage sale? Got any tips to add?

Linking up with Kristen and Penny! 

Currently September

Summer is over (-ish), so it's back to a regular blogging schedule, right?! Ok, I can't really explain why I'm writing two posts in a row other than that's just how the dates/linkups worked out, and honestly I'm here for it because I need an outlet from work! Excuses, excuses, I know. Anyway, no more rambling... here's my currently for last month. 

Reading: Never Have I Ever - Joshilyn Jackson

Watching: I finally caught up on The Handmaid's Tale and... wow. You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be staying tuned after that cliff hanger!

Also finally watched The Spy Who Dumped Me (ridiculous and pretty terrible overall, but Sebastian/Sam Heughan was nice to look at) and The Book Club, which had me literally laughing out loud.

Listening to: I Don't Want It All- Kim Petras

Looking forward to/anticipating: Phillies vs. Mets baseball game this weekend and a dinner date with Blue that is waaaay overdue. 

Discovering: My management style, and how to adapt it to my employees.

Taking: time to call Blue more often. We usually text, but I've been so busy at work and working long hours that we haven't really gotten a chance to talk/catch up. We started this new thing where we highlight the "high" and "low" of the day, and I kinda love it. 

Procrastinating: Putting away the clean laundry that's been sitting around for, oh, 2 weeks or so?! And doing more laundry lol.

Making: A fall bucket list and list of personal goals, which I posted yesterday!

Consuming: Not much other than a lot of catered food from work (which can be pretty hit or miss, if I'm being honest, but hey, it's free!). There are so many posts I've been missing lately that I still really want to read/catch up on though, and I have a bunch of tabs open on my home laptop so I can come back to them. So if you see me seemingly creeping and commenting on posts from the last two weeks, I'm sorry! 

Saving: Money?! After a spendy month last month and an upcoming trip, I've been making a conscientious effort to not buy much last month. I also made money at my garage sale, but more on that tomorrow! 

Buying: Ok, I realize I just said I was saving, but I did buy a few things! But they were all really cheap or things I'll definitely use/get my money's worth out of!

double shower hook suction cup - $5
metallic marker pen set for my scrapbooking project- $8
40-ct Frito Lay Party Mix Variety Pack- $14.13

Car phone mount recommended by Heather- $8
Tutuba mini scalp massager - $2
waterproof phone case recommended by Jill - $9 

And that's all she wrote! Stay tuned as I share what's been going on with me and some garage sale tips/things I learned tomorrow!  

Linking up with Anne and Tanya!