Categories
Book Club

#iwsgbookclub Sept. 2022 #IWSG #bookclub Discussions

Please join the IWSG Book Club today on Goodreads for two short discussions about the two books we featured in the month of September. There are still 8 days left in this month so there’s no rush. We encourage you to share your reviews and or thoughts. Discussions will remain open indefinitely, so stop by anytime, even if you haven’t read the book(s).

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life by IWSG Members. Please click the image below to join the short discussion.

Amazon.com

Story Genius by Lisa Cron. Please click the image below to join the short discussion.

Amazon.com | Bookshop.org

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter

Categories
IWSG

#IWSG Sept. 2022- That’s a tough genre!

Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Optional Monthly Question: What genre would be the worst one for you to tackle and why?

My answer to this question used to be romance, but I’ve tackled it and come out pretty well. Releasing It’s Like the Full Moon, was me proving to myself that I could write romance my way. Since then, I tackled other genres that used to intimidate me, such as horror, mystery, and poetry. I’m still a work in progress but I don’t think these are beyond my grasp. I do think I’d have put a lot of effort, practice, and research into writing something steampunk, as the historical elements might elude me, but still, it’s not beyond my reach. The one niche genre that I’m not even going to try is erotica. If I can’t read it, I have no business trying to write it. The only other genre that I may never attempt is a memoir. I’ve read a few but honestly can’t see me writing that much about myself. No one is that interested in what’s going on in my life- I’m no Kardashian.

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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS

#iwsgbookclub

The books we’ve chosen to spotlight in the month of September are Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life by Various IWSG members (Amazon.com) and Story Genius by Lisa Cron (Amazon.com & Bookshop.org). Please check these out and consider giving one or both of these a read this month. If you’re not up for reading them, no worries, you can still help spread some love for these publications and or participate in the book club activities.

Feel free to share this image on social media to help spread the word.

Also…

We are a week ahead in our festivities this month, so feel free to check out the general book club poll, when the link goes live, on Sep 07, 2022 09:00 PM PDT (midnight EST). Click the image below to see the poll about reading anthologies.
Remember, if you are not currently on the IWSG blog hop list and don’t plan to join, the registry is the only way for your books to have a chance to be spotlighted by the book club. If you are on the blog hop list, please don’t join the registry. We want to be fair and give everyone an opportunity to be featured, which means some of us will have to wait our turns, including me (the book club admin) and the co-mods.

Please click this hyperlink to fill out the form to be added to the IWSG Book Club Spotlight Registry, and please help us spread the word.

Now, on to the personal updates.

August was a very emotional, stressful, and overall taxing month for me, but I made it through. I thought I would lose a family member who is still with us and I count it a blessing. I’ve had a rollercoaster of creativity with some long steep climbing dry spells leading to quickly dropping bursts of inspiration. Still trying to process it all.

My YouTube series, The Read Local Show (Hampton Roads, VA, USA) and The Read All Over Show (global), have been on hiatus but I’m hoping to keep it going throughout the fall and winter.

If you’re interested in being featured: check out the Read Local/All Over Sign-up form here.

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What’s a tough genre for you to write (or read)?

Are you interested in either of the IWSG Book Club selections for September?

It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually stop by your blog. My response time has gotten slower but I’m still making my rounds.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts by visiting this link:

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #30).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter

Categories
Book Club Books

#iwsgbookclub Aug. 2022 Check-in + What I #read in July

It’s time for a monthly check-in. We, at the IWSG Book Club, invite you to share your thoughts and or progress on our current member spotlight books via this Goodreads poll or social media. I’ll be sharing my thoughts below, as well as on the poll, and encourage you to share in the comments below, if you’re not up for trying the poll.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Amazon.com | Bookshop.org

Our craft book for the month- Started but haven’t gotten as far as I would like, especially since it’s such a short book.

Amazon.com | Bookshop.org

Our member book for the month- Acquired but have not started yet. Hope to crack this open this weekend.

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In July 2022, I read 4 titles, sticking to my two IWSG Book Club reads and two exploratory reads. I’m behind in my Goodreads challenge but have plenty of time to catch up, Still, I’ve been playing catch up for a while, even this post is a mash-up to save time and makeup time.

2022 Reading Challenge

2022 Reading Challenge
Toi has
read 2 books toward
her goal of
60 books.
hide

Below you’ll find my star ratings and review blurbs for each title I completed in the indicated month. If you have not signed up for my newsletter, please consider doing so. That’s where I post an overview of what I’ve been reading, watching, and writing quarterly, as well as talk about my love of reading while offering tips for having a healthy reading lifestyle. You can also click the Goodreads links to see the thorough reviews. At the bottom of this post, you’ll also be able to watch a video of my monthly reviews, if that’s more your style.

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5.0 – Planning for Murder.

Review

Amazon

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5.0 – Cool Female Character

Review

Amazon

4.0 – Magical Fairytale

Review

Amazon

Bookshop

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2.0 – Just not my genre.

Review

Amazon

You can watch my July Goodreads challenge update here. Click below to watch my July book review video, if that’s more your speed.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter