Hello Readers! I’m trying out a new type of post to go along with the new year. I’ll be trying to get a weekly post up that lists what I’ve read (even if I haven’t finished it yet), what’s come on my radar, and anything else that comes to mind.
Goal for the week: Finish The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
This week in reading:
Mon 12/28: I read about a chapter of Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating by Christy Harrison. I’ve been working on this one at night and have made it to page 174 of 289.
I also received my copy of Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb from the library. It’s a mass market paperback, which is my least favorite type of book, but I didn’t have many options on this one.
Tue 12/29: I received my copy of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey from the library. No reading today. (I was out of borrows from Hoopla for the month and I didn’t feel up to Name of the Wind today)
Wed 12/30: I read/listened to 100+ pages of The Name of the Wind today. I’m hoping to cross it off the list before the end of the year, but I’m only about 55% of the way through. According to Scribd, I would need to listen to about 9 hours worth of the book tomorrow in order to finish. Even on 2.5 speed, that seems like I might be pushing it since I work all day.
Thu 12/31: I read/listened to 100+ pages of The Name of the Wind today, but I fell short of finishing it before the end of the day. Ultimately, I could probably have pushed through and finished it, but I was enjoying the story too much and didn’t want to rush it. Rothfuss’ writing is really immersive. I was worried that with such a large book it would feel sluggish or be filled with flowery language, but it really isn’t.
I received Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade from the library and picked up a copy of The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss since I’m pretty sure I’m going to want to read the next book really soon. Starting the Kingkiller Chronicle was always a mixed bag for me since the third book in the series isn’t exactly forthcoming. However, so many people have told me that the series is worth reading, even if Rothfuss never finishes, and I have to say that based on what I’ve read of the first book so far, they are right.
Fri 1/1: I finished The Name of the Wind early this morning. It ended up being a 5-star read for me. It definitely makes my list for my favorite books of all time.
I also ended up finishing the e-galley that I had of Happily Ever Afters by Elise Braynt. I gave it 4.25 stars and really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a fluffy read with well-developed characters right now.
I started reading The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon after much deliberation. It’s my first real book of 2021 since it is the first one that I am actually starting in the new year.
Sat 1/2: Today I read about 30 pages in The Bone Season. I’m struggling to get into this world. There’s a big information dump in the first dozen or so pages, but even with that, I’m struggling to understand what is going on. It’s making it hard for me to get into it.
I’ve made some progress in Anti-Diet as well, making it to page 222 today. There’s only a few chapters left in this one, but I’m struggling with how I feel about it. On the one hand, it seems well-written and it cites tons of source material, but it is also telling me something that sounds good to me. I tend to be distrustful of non-fiction books that tell me what I want to hear. It doesn’t mean that their information isn’t valid, just that I have to be really careful of bias in my review/rating.
I also popped by one of my local libraries today and picked up The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson and An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green.
Sun 1/3: I finished Anti-Diet today and still don’t feel comfortable giving it a rating. I’ll be trying out some of the principles that she talked about, but it’s so hard to rate the book itself because I’m not in a position to dig deep into the research that she presents. There is an extensive references/resources section in the back for anyone who wants to do the digging, but I’ll pass on that part of the reading experience for now.
I made a little more progress in The Bone Season. The pacing is slowing down a little bit, which is good in this case. I feel like there are finally some explanations that make sense of what is happening. I’m going to keep going with it.
On my radar this week:
A booktuber that I follow unboxed a copy of The Octunnumi by Trevor Alan Foris. It’s a gorgeous book, but it’s a little odd. It isn’t from a major publisher, and I’m assuming the publisher that is listed is some sort of Indie or self-print thing because this is the only book they’ve produced. The book itself looks stunning and seems like it’s going to be Adult Fantasy, but there’s not a ton of information yet. The booktuber I watched said that she saw it on TikTok, which I don’t do (I don’t need more social media in my life, no matter how entertaining). I’m going to keep my eye on this one. No libraries around here have it and it isn’t available as an ebook, so I can’t acquire it without breaking by book buying ban, and I’m not ready to do that for a book that I know almost nothing about.
Books Dani Likes 