Let's Chat: Meme Link-ups and Participation

Hello everyone,

Today I would like to start a discussion post. I'm hoping to be able to post more like this about random bookish topics because I love hearing the different opinions of those of you who visit my blog. So here is today's topic:

Let's Chat About...

Meme Link-ups and Participation! 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with meme's here is a definition:

noun1.

1. a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition and replication in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes.

1. a cultural item in the form of an image, video, phrase, etc., that is spread via the Internet and often altered in a creative or humorous way.

verb (used without object), memed, memeing or meming.2.to create and spread memes:
He spends a lot of time memeing and sharing his videos with friends.verb (used with object), memed, memeing or meming.3.to make the subject of a meme:cute cats that get memed.
Source

In the blogging community meme's are a great way to link up with others who are featuring posts on similar topics. Some that I participate in on a regular basis include:

Sunday Post (Hosted by: Caffeinated Book Reviewer)
It's Monday! What Are You Reading (Hosted by Book Date)

Each week on a specified day they publish their respective memes and offer a link-up section for those who wish to participate. Bloggers join by leaving their link so others can visit their post on the topic chosen by the host. 

As I put together my latest Sunday Wrap-up and head over to the memes I link up with weekly, add my own to the list and began visiting those who participated, I began to wonder how other bloggers go about it. So here is my question for today:

For those who participate in meme's:

• Do you have any specific meme's that you participate in on a regular basis? 
• Do you visit all of the other bloggers who participate? 
• For those posts you visit, do you comment on each one? 

My Thoughts:

Every Sunday (with the exception of a few busy weekends) I do a weekly wrap-up for the books I have read, are currently reading and the past and upcoming posts for my blog. I then link up with the two meme's I mentioned above; Sunday Post and It's Monday! What Are You Reading. Once I have published and share my own post I settle in and begin visiting the other participants. There are also numerous other meme's that I join throughout the month, like for instance; challenges, lists, monthly wrap ups and book hauls.

Sometimes there are so many people joined up that it is difficult to visit each and every one listed, but I do try to read as many as I can. 

Personally I don't comment on every single post I visit because sometimes I just don't have anything to add, or that specific post doesn't really interest me. Regardless I feel like just visiting and adding to that blogs page views is good for any blogger whether their page be big or small.

I'd love to hear your thoughts so be sure to leave me a comment below..

Top 10 Tuesday: Top 10 Books that have less than 2000 Goodreads ratings

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Its been quite a while since I participated in this meme, so I am looking forward to joining up again.

My Top 10 Favourite Books with Less than 2000 Goodreads Ratings
(In no particular order)

1. A Steak in the Drawer: Recollections of a Teenage Cruise Ship Waiter 1963 by Eric Conroy

2. The Secrets of the Old Ladies Club by Nan Tubre 

3. Breaking the Story (Scottie's Adventures, #1) by Ashley Farley

4. The Munich Girl: A Novel of Legacies that Outlast the War by Phyllis Edgerly Ring

5. The Girls from See Saw Lane: A novel of friendship, love and tragedy in 1960s Brighton (Brighton Girls Trilogy, #1) by Sandy Taylor 

6. The Imposter (The Bishops Family, #1) by Suzanne Woods Fisher 

7. Guests of War Trilogy by Kit Pearson 

8. Summer at Sea by Beth Labonte 

9. Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman

10. The Woman who Wouldn't by Gene Wilder 

The Melody Lingers On by Mary Higgins Clark

The Melody Lingers On 

By: Mary Higgins Clark

Published: June 2015

Published By: Simon & Schuster 

Format Read: Hardcover

Genre: Mystery, Suspense

Date Read: June 11, 2016

Rating: 3/5

It's been two years since Parker Bennett disappeared, faking his own death and taking $5 Billion dollars of his investors cash with him. While he lounges at this island retreat, the lives of the people he left behind are in shambles. These such people include; his wife and son who have had their home and possessions repossessed and their reputations destroyed. Meanwhile those who were left penniless grieve in their own way, as they are forever linked together by Bennett's scheme. What will happen when the authorities begin to uncover clues to his whereabouts and skeletons start coming out of the closet?

The Melody Lingers on is different from any other Mary Higgins Clark books I've read in that it doesn't begin with an apparent murder. In fact this book isn't about murder at all, but about investment fraud and the repercussions that result from it.

Like most books by this author, this one is set on the east coast, more specifically in New York and New Jersey. It has a large cast of characters from many different walks of life, who were all connected to Bennett and his family in one way or another. This offered readers a wide range of examples of how investment fraud can affect the lives of those involved, whether it be with a direct or indirect link.

At times I got a bit confused by all the different investigators and investors. The story was predictable, yet short. It lacked the suspense and flare that I have come to enjoy in the previous books I've read by this author, which was disappointing.

The plot kept me interested enough to keep reading, but I found myself waiting for something more gripping to happen. Unfortunately this isn't one of Mary Higgins Clark's strongest books, but I would still recommend her as an author.  

Sunday Wrap-up: July 3, 2016

Hello everyone and happy July!

This past week was kind of a busy one for me as my partner and I took an impromptu road trip to Sudbury, which is a city in northern Ontario. We did some sight-seeing and stayed the night, then headed home the next afternoon. It was such a nice get-away. I posted this picture in my June wrap-up, but here it is again..

#thebignickel #sudbury #sudburyontario #roadtrip #summer2016 #ontario #canada

A photo posted by Melissa Lee (@melissaleesmanyreads) on Jun 30, 2016 at 6:18am PDT

Sudbury is known for its nickel mines and The Big Nickel is one of its tourist attractions. We also visited Science North, which is an interactive science centre. All in all it was a very laid back trip. We didn't rush around trying to cram in as much sight-seeing as we could. Just relaxing in our hotel was nice as well.

My Reading Progress:

Before we left for our trip I was able to finish up:

It was a good story set in Boston during the construction of the first subway in US. I gave it a 3.5/5 rating. 

Recent Posts:

Tuesday: Book Review: The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordan RATING: 3/5

Thursday: ML's Worth a Watch: Orange is the New Black Season 4 and Orange is the New Storytelling with the Real Piper and Larry

Friday: Monthly Wrap-up: June 2016

NOTE: I had hoped to get up a post featuring my top favourite songs from 1971, as inspired by the book 1971: Never a Dull Moment: Rock's Golden Year, but wasn't able to finish it on time. I hope to reschedule this post for next week.

Coming up this week:

Monday: Book Review: The Melody Lingers On by Mary Higgins Clark RATING: 3/5

Tuesday: Top 10 Tuesday: Top 10 Books that have less than 2000 Goodreads Ratings

Thursday: Let's Chat: Meme Linkups and Participation 

Hosted by: Book Date

Hosted by: Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Monthly Wrap-up: June 2016

I would like to wish all my Canadian readers a very happy Canada Day! Unfortunately the wind and rain has put a damper on the festivities, but I hope you can make the best of it anyway.

June went by quite fast and was somewhat busy. A couple of weeks ago I went to the wedding for one of my oldest friends. Then two days ago my partner and I took an impromptu road trip up north.

We drove up to Sudbury, which is a city about 5(ish) hours north of Toronto.

#thebignickel #sudbury #sudburyontario #roadtrip #summer2016 #ontario #canada

A photo posted by Melissa Lee (@melissaleesmanyreads) on Jun 30, 2016 at 6:18am PDT

We did some sightseeing around the city and got a hotel for the night. Above is the picture of The Big Nickel. Sudbury is known for its nickel mines. We also visited Science North. It was a nice to get away for the night. Even the long drive was enjoyable as the scenery is so beautiful up there.

My Reading Progress 

I felt like my reading progress slowed down in the month of June. Especially when comparing my total for May. The books I read were interesting, but I wasn't overly captivated by them. 

Books Read By Month:

January: 8

February: 5

March: 6

April: 4

May: 8

June: 5 

1. The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordan 
   Rating: 3/5
   My Review
   
2. The Melody Lingers On by Mary Higgins Clark
   Rating: 3/5
   Review Date: July 5, 2016
   
3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) by J.K. Rowling 
   Rating: 4/5
   
4. 1971- Never a Dull Moment: Rock's Golden Year by David Hepworth
   Rating: 3.5/5
   My Review
   
5. From This Moment (From This Moment, #1) by Elizabeth Camden 
   Rating: 3.5/5
   Review Date: TBD

The Stats:

Favourite Book of the Month:

Favourite Cover if the Month:

Favourite Setting: Hogwarts (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)

Favourite Character: Tyson (The Sea of Monsters) 

Total Books Read: 5

Total Number of Fiction: 4
Total Number of Non-fiction: 1

Total Books Sent for Review: 2

Total Books Read from My Shelves: 0
Total Library Books Read: 3

Formats Read:

Physical Books: 1
eBooks: 2
Audio Books: 2

I am currently participating in COYER, although I'm not doing very well with my goals. Check out my sign-up page here for more information.

How did your reading progress go in June? Hope you are all having a nice summer. 

Hosted by: Book Date

ML's Worth a Watch: Orange is the New Black Season 4 and Orange is the New Storytelling with the Real Piper and Larry

It has been quite a while since I did a Worth a Watch post. Today I have two videos to share with you.

June 17 marked the season 4 premier for the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black. As I type this I am just over half way through the season, however by the time this post is published, I'm sure I will have it finished. Like most shows on Netflix, once I sit down to watch it I can't stop.

Check out the trailer for the latest season:

Clearly it promises to be quite eventful and chalk full of funny moments. I am very much looking forward to seeing what happens.

The next video I have to share today is called Orange is the New Storytelling with the Real Piper and Larry. For those of you who are familiar with the series you know it is adapted from a book by Piper Kerman. It is based on the thirteen months she spent incarcerated for drug trafficking ten years prior. Click the link below for the Goodreads page for the book:

Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman's Prison by Piper Kerman 

In this video Piper Kerman and her husband Larry Smith sit down moderator Jessica Bennett for Internet Week. They talk about the show and the work Piper has done fighting for prisoners rights. I also found Larry's work as a writer himself, to be quite interesting as well.

I had never heard of 6 Word Memoirs before and I am looking forward to learning more about it. For those who are interested check out the website below:

http://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordan

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2)

By: Rick Riordan

Published: June 2006
Published By: Listening Library
Format Read: Audio book, OverDrive
Genre: Middle-grade, Fantasy, Adventure
Date Read: June 4, 2016

Rating: 3/5

A year has passed since young Percy Jackson discovered that not only is he a demigod, but the son of Poseidon. After school lets out he returns to Camp Half-Blood, which is in a very different state than he left the first time around. A Golden Fleece must be found and brought back to the camp in order to save it from destruction. Also Percy's best friend Grover is being held captive by a Cyclops on an island in the Sea of Monsters. In Rick Riordan's sequel to the Olympian's series, Percy and his friends Annabeth and Tyson head out on a quest to rescue Grover and bring home the fleece.

In this instalment of the middle-grade adventure series, Percy is a year older and wiser than when readers were first introduced to him in The Lightning Thief. Incorporating tales of the mysterious Bermuda Triangle, Percy puts to use the special traits he inherited from his father the God of the sea.

I really enjoyed the way Percy used the abilities he didn't know he had. They came to him naturally, as if cementing the fact that he was indeed the son of Poseidon. I was touched by Percy's relationships with his friends, even though his loyalties were often put to the test.

Although my favourite character from the first book played a large role in the quest for this book, Grover wasn't as much of a prominent character. The parts that did focus on him, however were quite entertaining. In his absence a new character by the name of Tyson became my favourite. Where he lacked in brains he made up for in strength, heart and loyalty to Percy, which made him so endearing.

As with the first book, I listened to The Sea of Monsters in audio format. It was narrated once again by Jesse Bernstein. Unfortunately I am not a big fan of his narration of this series. Although I believe his impressions of the different characters voices may be more appealing to a younger audience.

For some reason I wasn't as excited and captivated by this book as I was with the first. I wonder if this was because of my annoyance with the narration and if my opinion would be different if I had read a physical copy.

Still I do plan to carry on with the third book as soon as possible and would recommend it to those who enjoy a fun adventure story.

(Click the link to see my review of the previous book in this series)

1. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)