Update on my 2019 Resolutions
Goal 1: Complete 40 books for the Popsugar Challenge- I've completed 40 out of 40 challenges.
Goal 2: Complete 24 books for the Read Harder Challenge- I've completed 24 out of the 24 challenges.
Goal 3: Accept, read, and review at least 6 ARCS- I've done 6. I've got 2 more accepted for next year.
Goal 4: Read at least 2 books from my owned TBR each month- I read 36
Goal 5: Read at least 5 translated books- Knocked this out of the park. I read 12.
The Top 12 Books I would like to read in 2019:
✔The Missing of Clairedelune by Christelle Dabos and translated by Hildegarde Serle
Outlander by Diana Galbaldon
✔Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
✔The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
✔A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White
✔Boy Erased by Garrard Conley
5 out of 12 is not great. I decided against reading The Name of the Wind until book 3 is out because I don't want to be waiting like the other fans. I'm not sure I'm still interested in The Secret History because I wasn't a huge fan of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I am going to prioritize what is left for 2020.
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Magical Readathon Wrap Up Part 1
For my first week's prompt I was given: Read a contemporary or book set in a muggle world. I chose to read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. This story has two timelines, one in 1942 and the other in 1986. The story focuses on a Chinese-American boy named Henry who is sent to a nearly all-white school. He is picked on due to his race. A Japanese-American girl starts attending and they become friends (even though Henry's parents are extremely racist towards any Japanese people.) He see the Japanese (including his friend) being sent away to internment camps and does everything to keep in touch with his young girlfriend. Time and interfering parents separate them. In the 1986 portion, we see older Henry as he searches for something he lost many years ago. It was very sweet but there were some definite errors in the book which distracted me. (For example, he suggests using the internet for an online grief support group when that wouldn't have been around.) Overall, I gave it 3 stars.
Week 2 I received two prompts. The first was "read an urban fantasy" for which I chose Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. The story follows Richard Mayhew and how he falls through the cracks and into a "London below" in his quest to help a girl find out who killed her family. The story is filled with all sorts of supernatural beings which was so much fun to read about. I loved the audiobook. Neil Gaiman stories are such a delight. I gave the book 4 stars.
The second prompt was "read a book club pick" and so I chose Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I really thought I'd enjoy this dystopian story which starts with a virus killing off 99% of the population and seeing the pockets of humanity that had survived. There's a traveling symphony and acting troupe and we follow them as they travel from community to community. The chapters alternate between the before and the after. The story felt very disorganized and I just couldn't get myself to care. There were multiple threads that seemed promising that ultimately led nowhere. I was disappointed and gave it 2.5 stars.
The third week I received only one prompt which was to read a book with a pink or purple cover. I stretched this a little and chose Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey which has the title written in hot pink. This is the start to an epic space opera series known as The Expanse. (which also has a t.v. adaptation on Amazon Prime) The book follows two main characters: Holden, an optimistic Earther working as a crew member on the Canterbury spaceship and Miller, a jaded cop living on a Belt space port. We see intricate politics, alien superviruses, and quirky interpersonal dynamics play through a nonstop action-driven book. It was amazing and I can't wait to pick up book 2. I gave it 4.5 stars only because some of it got a tiny bit unbelievable.
Week 2 I received two prompts. The first was "read an urban fantasy" for which I chose Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. The story follows Richard Mayhew and how he falls through the cracks and into a "London below" in his quest to help a girl find out who killed her family. The story is filled with all sorts of supernatural beings which was so much fun to read about. I loved the audiobook. Neil Gaiman stories are such a delight. I gave the book 4 stars.
The second prompt was "read a book club pick" and so I chose Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I really thought I'd enjoy this dystopian story which starts with a virus killing off 99% of the population and seeing the pockets of humanity that had survived. There's a traveling symphony and acting troupe and we follow them as they travel from community to community. The chapters alternate between the before and the after. The story felt very disorganized and I just couldn't get myself to care. There were multiple threads that seemed promising that ultimately led nowhere. I was disappointed and gave it 2.5 stars.
The third week I received only one prompt which was to read a book with a pink or purple cover. I stretched this a little and chose Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey which has the title written in hot pink. This is the start to an epic space opera series known as The Expanse. (which also has a t.v. adaptation on Amazon Prime) The book follows two main characters: Holden, an optimistic Earther working as a crew member on the Canterbury spaceship and Miller, a jaded cop living on a Belt space port. We see intricate politics, alien superviruses, and quirky interpersonal dynamics play through a nonstop action-driven book. It was amazing and I can't wait to pick up book 2. I gave it 4.5 stars only because some of it got a tiny bit unbelievable.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
December TBR/Magical Readathon
This TBR is a bit unusual because I'm only including a one specific book and the rest will be mood-reading and finding books to fit the Winter Magical Readathon prompts.
The book I'm definitely going to read is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford to finish up my Popsugar Reading challenge. I was also going to include an ARC that was supposed to come out soon but found out its been pushed back to a March release date so I'm holding off.
Bring on the mood-reading!
The book I'm definitely going to read is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford to finish up my Popsugar Reading challenge. I was also going to include an ARC that was supposed to come out soon but found out its been pushed back to a March release date so I'm holding off.
Bring on the mood-reading!
November Wrap Up #2
Since I last updated you, I've read 7 and DNF'd another. November was the month of children's books and non fiction. It was nice because the children's books were a palate cleanser between heavier and more serious non-fiction books.
The DNF was The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman. I wanted to read His Dark Materials series to prepare myself to watch the HBO adaptation since I have never read the series before. I got about 80 pages into this second installment and decided to quit. I am not interested in the story and felt it was dragging as such a slow pace.
I picked up another graphic novel with The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O'Neill. It was cute and I really love the art. I really appreciated the inclusion of sign language in this book as well. However, I felt that there was not really much of a story and gave it only 2 stars.
Next I listened to the audiobook of The Boy who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba. This was a memoir of a young African boy who after enduring a famine, decided to build a windmill to power a water pump to irrigate their crops. He had to drop out of school due to lack of finances and learned how to build a windmill out of a book from the library. It was an inspirational story and I awarded it 4 stars.
For the Believathon, one of the prompts was to read a book from an animal's perspective so I read The Call of the Wild by Jack London. This follows a domesticated dog being sold to work as a sled dog up in Alaska. I didn't connect with the story and there lots of brutal scenes. I gave it 2.5 stars.
Then I picked up the group read with Voyage of the Frostheart by Jamie Littler. This was a polar fantasy about a boy who goes on an adventure looking for his parents after being exiled from his community. I really enjoyed the story but didn't realize that this is the first book in a series. Some of the plot points were left hanging. I gave it 3.5 stars.
For the prompt of sport, I chose to read Rough Magic by Lara Prior-Palmer. This is a memoir of a young woman who enters into the Mongolian horse race and wins. While the actual race information was interesting, she annoyed me quite a bit and included random information about her grandmother who was also a horse racer. I didn't really enjoy the story and gave it 2 stars.
Fortunately, I was much more interested in Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper. She was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church (which is more like a cult) who spreads hatred by picketing soldier's funerals, holding signs that says "God hates f*gs" and "pray for more dead children" after school shootings. I had a visceral reaction to this toxic environment she grew up in and ultimately she leaves the group after questioning her faith. I will say I feel it ends a bit too soon but still a worthwhile read. I gave it 3.5 stars.
Lastly, I picked up the graphic memoir Good Talk by Mira Jacob. She writes about her Indian-American identity, her sexuality, and her discussions and fears about being a person of color in Trump's USA. It was important, funny, and quite a compulsive read. I gave it 4.5 stars and am eagerly awaiting picking up her novel.
The DNF was The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman. I wanted to read His Dark Materials series to prepare myself to watch the HBO adaptation since I have never read the series before. I got about 80 pages into this second installment and decided to quit. I am not interested in the story and felt it was dragging as such a slow pace.
I picked up another graphic novel with The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O'Neill. It was cute and I really love the art. I really appreciated the inclusion of sign language in this book as well. However, I felt that there was not really much of a story and gave it only 2 stars.
Next I listened to the audiobook of The Boy who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba. This was a memoir of a young African boy who after enduring a famine, decided to build a windmill to power a water pump to irrigate their crops. He had to drop out of school due to lack of finances and learned how to build a windmill out of a book from the library. It was an inspirational story and I awarded it 4 stars.
For the Believathon, one of the prompts was to read a book from an animal's perspective so I read The Call of the Wild by Jack London. This follows a domesticated dog being sold to work as a sled dog up in Alaska. I didn't connect with the story and there lots of brutal scenes. I gave it 2.5 stars.
Then I picked up the group read with Voyage of the Frostheart by Jamie Littler. This was a polar fantasy about a boy who goes on an adventure looking for his parents after being exiled from his community. I really enjoyed the story but didn't realize that this is the first book in a series. Some of the plot points were left hanging. I gave it 3.5 stars.
For the prompt of sport, I chose to read Rough Magic by Lara Prior-Palmer. This is a memoir of a young woman who enters into the Mongolian horse race and wins. While the actual race information was interesting, she annoyed me quite a bit and included random information about her grandmother who was also a horse racer. I didn't really enjoy the story and gave it 2 stars.
Fortunately, I was much more interested in Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper. She was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church (which is more like a cult) who spreads hatred by picketing soldier's funerals, holding signs that says "God hates f*gs" and "pray for more dead children" after school shootings. I had a visceral reaction to this toxic environment she grew up in and ultimately she leaves the group after questioning her faith. I will say I feel it ends a bit too soon but still a worthwhile read. I gave it 3.5 stars.
Lastly, I picked up the graphic memoir Good Talk by Mira Jacob. She writes about her Indian-American identity, her sexuality, and her discussions and fears about being a person of color in Trump's USA. It was important, funny, and quite a compulsive read. I gave it 4.5 stars and am eagerly awaiting picking up her novel.
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
November Wrap Up #1
So far in November, I have read 5 books.
On the first I picked up Coraline by Neil Gaiman. (Since this was my spooky book I wanted to read it close to Halloween.) This was adorable about a little girl who finds a magical pathway that leads to a different life. At first she thinks it's exactly what she wants, but finds out not all is well. The audiobook was great and I enjoyed it so much that I watched the movie adaptation later that evening. I gave it 3 stars.
I then picked up A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I loved the movie as a child but I had never read the book. This was a sweet classic about a girl who is very wealthy and attending boarding school. She then finds out her father dies, leaving her a penniless orphan and is badly mistreated. She still pretends she is a princess and acts with grace towards those who are cruel to her. Even though it was written in the early 1900s, it felt timeless to me. I gave the book 4 stars.
My hold of The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill finally came in and I was able to see what the fuss was about. This is a cute graphic novel about creatures called tea dragons which are about the size of cats. There wasn't much story but it was sweet and I really liked the art style. I gave the book 3 stars.
After months of waiting, I also picked up No Visible Bruises by Rachel Louise Snyder. This is a narrative nonfiction focusing on domestic violence and how that sometimes leads to more violence ending in mass shootings or family annihilation. This was a difficult book to read. She focused on victims, perpetrators, and resource communities trying to prevent the family violence from escalating. Incredibly informative and utterly heartbreaking. I gave the book 5 stars.
Additionally, I read When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. This is his memoir of training to be a surgeon and when he was finally about to reap the rewards of his efforts, he is diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. So sad, I literally sobbed at the end. I would recommend it to anyone but be prepared to cry. I gave it 5 stars.
On the first I picked up Coraline by Neil Gaiman. (Since this was my spooky book I wanted to read it close to Halloween.) This was adorable about a little girl who finds a magical pathway that leads to a different life. At first she thinks it's exactly what she wants, but finds out not all is well. The audiobook was great and I enjoyed it so much that I watched the movie adaptation later that evening. I gave it 3 stars.
I then picked up A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I loved the movie as a child but I had never read the book. This was a sweet classic about a girl who is very wealthy and attending boarding school. She then finds out her father dies, leaving her a penniless orphan and is badly mistreated. She still pretends she is a princess and acts with grace towards those who are cruel to her. Even though it was written in the early 1900s, it felt timeless to me. I gave the book 4 stars.
My hold of The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill finally came in and I was able to see what the fuss was about. This is a cute graphic novel about creatures called tea dragons which are about the size of cats. There wasn't much story but it was sweet and I really liked the art style. I gave the book 3 stars.
After months of waiting, I also picked up No Visible Bruises by Rachel Louise Snyder. This is a narrative nonfiction focusing on domestic violence and how that sometimes leads to more violence ending in mass shootings or family annihilation. This was a difficult book to read. She focused on victims, perpetrators, and resource communities trying to prevent the family violence from escalating. Incredibly informative and utterly heartbreaking. I gave the book 5 stars.
Additionally, I read When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. This is his memoir of training to be a surgeon and when he was finally about to reap the rewards of his efforts, he is diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. So sad, I literally sobbed at the end. I would recommend it to anyone but be prepared to cry. I gave it 5 stars.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
November TBR
I'm partaking in two readathons that take place the whole month of November. The first is Nonfiction November and the other is Believathon which focuses on reading middle grade books. Here are the books I want to read for each:
Nonfiction November-
Sport- Rough Magic by Lara Prior-Palmer
True- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Design- Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
Voice- No Visible Bruises by Rachel Louise Snyder
Believathon-
Read the group book: Frostheart by Jamie Littler
Read a book with an animal character: The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Read a children's classic: The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Read an atmospheric or creepy book: Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Read a book featuring magic: The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
Read a book with real-life issues: The Boy who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
Nonfiction November-
Sport- Rough Magic by Lara Prior-Palmer
True- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Design- Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
Voice- No Visible Bruises by Rachel Louise Snyder
Believathon-
Read the group book: Frostheart by Jamie Littler
Read a book with an animal character: The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Read a children's classic: The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Read an atmospheric or creepy book: Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Read a book featuring magic: The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
Read a book with real-life issues: The Boy who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
October Wrap Up #2
In the latter half of October, I've read three more books.
First I picked up an essay collection called Snape: A Definitive Reading by Lorrie Kim. It was a wonderful examination of Snape's character and motivations in each of the seven books. While in the beginning, I felt she was making conclusion with little or no real evidence, in the later books she had much more to back up her theories. She really opened my eyes to some particular motivations which I had seen through Harry's eyes, that is to say a biased perspective. I loved reading the essays and it nearly felt like I had found a new Harry Potter book. I enjoyed in immensely and gave the collection 5 stars.
Next, I picked up the seventh Harry Potter book to finish my re-read of the series. With fresh eyes, I could see the many layers of Snape's decisions throughout the story. I almost lamented that he wasn't in the story more. I grieved the loss of him in addition to Fred, Lupin, and Tonks. This is such a great series. I gave it 5 stars.
Lastly, I read We're Not Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby. This is a collection of essays covering various aspects of Irby's life. Many of them were funny and some were a bit gross. She suffers from Crohn's disease and has a number of digestive issues, some of which she details a bit too graphically. Overall, I gave the book 3 stars and would probably pick up more of her essays in the future.
First I picked up an essay collection called Snape: A Definitive Reading by Lorrie Kim. It was a wonderful examination of Snape's character and motivations in each of the seven books. While in the beginning, I felt she was making conclusion with little or no real evidence, in the later books she had much more to back up her theories. She really opened my eyes to some particular motivations which I had seen through Harry's eyes, that is to say a biased perspective. I loved reading the essays and it nearly felt like I had found a new Harry Potter book. I enjoyed in immensely and gave the collection 5 stars.
Next, I picked up the seventh Harry Potter book to finish my re-read of the series. With fresh eyes, I could see the many layers of Snape's decisions throughout the story. I almost lamented that he wasn't in the story more. I grieved the loss of him in addition to Fred, Lupin, and Tonks. This is such a great series. I gave it 5 stars.
Lastly, I read We're Not Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby. This is a collection of essays covering various aspects of Irby's life. Many of them were funny and some were a bit gross. She suffers from Crohn's disease and has a number of digestive issues, some of which she details a bit too graphically. Overall, I gave the book 3 stars and would probably pick up more of her essays in the future.
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