Category: Monthly Wrap Up

All the April stats

This post will get us mostly caught up this year with my reading information.

I did not create a TBR for March or April, so these will just be the stats for what I actually read.

**links open to Goodreads**

My reads and ratings:

Raspberry Danish Murder by Joanne Fluke, 4 stars, 417 pages

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas, 3 stars, 451 pages

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman, 5 stars, 413 pages

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny, 4 stars, 339 pages

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley, 3 stars, 320 pages

Fool Me Once: Scams, Stories, and Secrets from the Trillion-Dollar Fraud Industry by Kelly Richmond Pope, 2 stars, 256 pages (my notes: this was not a bad book by any means, but I wanted more of a deep dive and more practical advice. This is a good enough overview, and the writing is approachable, but I think the average reader will be left wanting more.)

I felt like I was getting back on track with my reading in April, but I really didn’t pay attention to my goals for the year. It was very much a mood-reading month.

April Books Acquired:

None. Yay me!

Progress towards 2024 Reading Goals

  1. Read a little every day: 20/30 days
  2. Finish 2 series per month: Nope, progress was made on 4 series.
  3. Get NetGalley percentage to 80%: Beginning of month: 56%. End of month: still 56%. No progress.
  4. TBR beginning of month: 283. TBR end of month: 283. Ideal TBR: 150. Books read from physical TBR: 1. Nothing unhauled. No progress this month towards the goal.
  5. Read at least 100 books. Currently: 30/100. Still on track with this goal.
  6. Read more graphic novels: None this month.
  7. Read more short stories: None this month.
  8. Join a book club that I don’t run: Failed again this month.
  9. Make a book club kit for 1 book per month: No progress.
  10. Read 15% of physical TBR: 14/283= 4%. No measurable progress there.

April Reading Stats:

Total books read: 6

Total pages read: 2,196

Average rating: 4

5 Star Reads:  The Bullet That Missed. The Thursday Murder Club series continues to impress me more with each new entry. The characters continue to be some of my favorites. The humor is always on point. The antics are very enjoyable. The tension is there as you wonder how this group of meddling pensioners is going to get out the tricky situation this time. I can’t recommend this series enough (spoiler alert: I caught up completely with this series in May).

Highest page count:  The Assassin’s Blade, 451 pages

Lowest page count:  Fool Me Once: Scams, Stories, and Secrets from the Trillion-Dollar Fraud Industry, 256 pages

Book I’m still thinking about: Raspberry Danish Murder. As a fan of the movies, this book made me switch teams to team books! The murder in this story and how Hannah experiences it was so gripping. I love that we have this ongoing personal conflict, the twist on that matter at the end really got me. For a cozy mystery, these can get a little dark, but I don’t think that’s a flaw.

All the March Stats

I’m very overdue on my reading updates, so get ready for some long posts.

I did not create a TBR for March or April, so these will just be the stats for what I actually read.

**links open to Goodreads**

My reads and ratings:

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas, 4 stars

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett, 5 stars

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas, 5 stars

And that was it. I think January’s success may have put me into a mini-slump. Not to mention, work and like really piled on.

March Books Acquired:

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas (this was the last SJM book that I needed to purchase. I now have all of her published works.)

Progress towards 2024 Reading Goals

  1. Read a little every day: 23/31 days
  2. Finish 2 series per month: Nope, progress was made on 1 series.
  3. Get NetGalley percentage to 80%: Beginning of month: 56%. End of month: still 56%. No progress.
  4. TBR beginning of month: 282. TBR end of month: 283. Ideal TBR: 150. Books read from physical TBR: 2. Nothing unhauled. No progress this month towards the goal.
  5. Read at least 100 books. Currently: 24/100. Still on track with this goal.
  6. Read more graphic novels: None this month.
  7. Read more short stories: None this month.
  8. Join a book club that I don’t run: Failed again this month.
  9. Make a book club kit for 1 book per month: No progress.
  10. Read 15% of physical TBR: 13/283= 4%. Smidge of progress there.

March Reading Stats:

Total books read: 3

Total pages read: 1,640

Average rating: 4.67

5 Star Reads:  Heir of Fire and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels

Highest page count:  Queen of Shadows, 648 pages

Lowest page count:  The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, 416 pages

Book I’m still thinking about: Heir of Fire. This book really feels like the tipping point for the entire series and this is the second time that I have attempted to read this book and I’m glad I didn’t get distracted this time.

All the February Stats

I’m very overdue on my reading updates, so get ready for some long posts.

My TBR in February turned out to be too ambitious, as I suspected.

I intended to read:

**links open to Goodreads**

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

The Girl and the Mountain by Mark Lawrence

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Hide and Seek by M.J. Arlidge

A Letter to Three Witches by Elizabeth Bass.

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy.

The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey.

Bad Blood by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallet

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

By the Book by Julia Sonneborn

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Eventide by Sarah Goodman

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

The Thoroughly Modern Collection

Classic Crime Short Stories

Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood.

The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century edited by Harry Turtledove.

I ACTUALLY read:

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey

and that was it…literally 4 of my total TBR books…so yeah…moving on.

February Books Acquired:

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

Wildwood Magic by Willa Reece

The Pursuit of William Abbey by Claire North

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

Shadow Baron by Davinia Evans

The Collected Adventures of Bannon and Clare by Lilith Saintcrow

Progress towards 2024 Reading Goals

  1. Read a little every day: 22/29 days (there were 3 days in the middle of the month where I was too sick to read or stay awake long enough to listen, but the other 4 days were just me falling off the wagon).
  2. Finish 2 series per month: Nope, progress was made on 2 series and I started another one…
  3. Get NetGalley percentage to 80%: Beginning of month: 56%. End of month: still 56%. No progress. Failed to write new reviews even though I finished some NetGalley arcs last month.
  4. TBR beginning of month: 271. TBR end of month: 282  Ideal TBR: 150. Books read from physical TBR: 1. Nothing unhauled. No progress this month towards the goal.
  5. Read at least 100 books. Currently: 22/100. Still on track with this goal.
  6. Read more graphic novels: None this month.
  7. Read more short stories: Started but did not finish one of these.
  8. Join a book club that I don’t run: Failed again this month.
  9. Make a book club kit for 1 book per month: No progress.
  10. Read 15% of physical TBR: 11/282= 3%. No real improvement here either.

February Reading Stats:

Total books read: 4

Total pages read: 1,549

Average rating: 3.75

5 Star Reads:  Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

Highest page count: The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Lowest page count: Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Book I’m still thinking about: The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey. Part of this novel was set at Biltmore House, which is a relatively short drive from me and the Vanderbilts are a family that has always fascinated me.

All the books I read and my ratings:

Caraval by Stephanie Garber, 3 stars

Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke, 3 stars

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny, 5 stars

The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey, 4 stars

January Reading Stats

Hello everyone! This month was off to a heck of a start with my reading. It may have been my best reading month ever actually. I expect these numbers to calm down in February, but I am so grateful that I had my books to keep me sane during a stressful and exhausting month.

**All links open to Goodreads**

Total books read: 18

Total pages read: 6,870

Average rating: 3.66

5 Star Reads: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas.

Highest page count: House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas, 816 pages

Lowest page count: Giant Days vol 7 & vol 8 by John Allison, both had 112 pages each

Book I’m still thinking about: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

All the books I read and my ratings:

Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 1 Volume 1 by Miya Kazuki, Rating: 3 stars

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny, Rating: 3 stars

Giant Days vol. 7 by John Allison, Rating: 4 stars

Christmas Caramel Murder by Joanne Fluke, Rating: 2 stars

Giant Days vol. 8 by John Allison, Rating: 4 stars

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, Rating: 5 stars

Lore Olympus: Volume Three by Rachel Smythe, Rating: 4 stars

Obsidio by Aimee Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, Rating: 4 stars

Little Boy Blue by M.J. Arlidge, Rating: 4 stars

The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan, Rating: 3 stars

All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Rating: 5 stars

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, Rating: 3 stars

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman, Rating: 4 stars

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Rating: 3 stars

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune, Rating: 3 stars

Husband Auditions by Angela Ruth Strong, Rating: 3 stars

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas, Rating: 4 stars

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas, Rating: 5 stars

December Reads

I finished a whopping 10 books in December thanks to a last minute surge at the end of the month. Honestly, this may be the year that having a plan for my reading actually helps me read more instead of de-motivating me. I was so excited for my January TBR that I ended up starting it at the end of December, so I think as long as I give myself some leeway, I think this could work for me.

*Links open the book’s page in Goodreads*

  1. Smash It! by Francina Simone, 368 pages, published: 2020, genre: YA contemporary. A young woman, influenced by Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes, decides to change her life. She tries out for the school musical, says yes to a date, moves on from an old crush, makes new friends, and more. Lots of angst, sex positive, body positive. Some problematic dialogue. Rating: 3 stars.
  2. Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel, 311 pages, published: 2020, genre: psychological thriller. This was a wild ride that I did not expect to finish so quickly. It took me a minute to get into it because the characters all creeped me out. I didn’t know much about the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case, but I kept picturing her as I read from the perspective of the main character. I liked how gritty the descriptions of Rose Gold’s adult life were. It makes perfect sense that people would just expect her to snap to a normal life, but it was impossible for her. Very dark. Deeply uncomfortable read for so many reasons. Rating: 3 stars. The author’s next release dealt with a cult and I can’t figure out if I want to go back inside her mind or not.
  3. All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby, 341 pages, published: 2023, genre: crime noir. The first black sheriff in a small Virginia town, Titus Crown, ends up with a serial killer on his hands when secrets refuse to stay buried. I loved how towards the end we get a chapter that just has perspectives of people who have been impacted, because I feel like that’s something we don’t get very often in crime fiction (it literally covers every character in town who has been directly impacted). Rating: 5 stars. I will definitely be picking up Cosby’s backlist.
  4. The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence, 384 pages, published: 2020, genre: fantasy. A young girl, Yaz, of the Ictha clan, is a little different from the rest of her clan. She feels she is weak and will be offered as a sacrifice to the Gods. The plunge that was supposed to take her to her death will unveil a well of secrets. There are myths, stories, secrets: all buried under the ice. This read a little slow at times, and you can see some of the threads that are going to be pulled later, but ultimately this was an enjoyable read with good twists. Rating: 4 stars.
  5. The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton, 416 pages, published: 2022, genre: middle grade fantasy. Ella Durand gets to go to the Arcanum Institute to train as a Marveller, the first Conjurer to get to do so. It is not smooth sailing as prejudice and a larger plot come into play. This is Harry Potter for a new generation and it handles issues of racism and classism with subtlety and care. Rating: 4 stars.
  6. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston, 368 pages, published: 2023, genre: romance. In New York City, Clementine (Lemon) is grieving the loss of her aunt who once told her about a magical apartment that could slip 7 years into the future and the past. She doesn’t believe it until it happens to her. Her life was going to plan…and then she meets a man from the past who changes everything. This is a cool take on the movie The Lake House. I picked this up because I loved The Dead Romantics by the same author, but this didn’t quite hit me the way that her first book did. Rating: 3 stars.
  7. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, 320 pages, published: 2016, genre: sci-fi. Told in a mixed-media format. I listened to it mostly as an audiobook and it had a great full cast. It tells the story of a scientist named Rose who discovers a giant hand when she is a little girl. It features a mysterious and powerful man and an alien descendant who sounds like Billy Crystal. It’s fun and there’s lots of intrigue. This was a re-read. Initial rating when I read it in 2020:5 stars. 2023 rating: still 5 stars.
  8. Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel, 336 pages, published: 2017, genre: sci-fi. We continue with the mixed-media format following Rose, Kara, Vincent, and our favorite shadow man. Things get much more geo-politically complicated in this one. Lots more people die. It takes place almost 10 years after the events of the first book. Plans that began then are starting to have a big impact on the story. Rating: 5 stars.
  9. Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel, 336 pages, published: 2018, genre: sci-fi. What an ending! Lots of heartache. Less science in this one and more politics, but it still read like fact. I think Neuvel has a good grasp of human emotion and intuition. It’s not hard to imagine it all going down exactly this way if it were to occur in real life. Rating: 4 stars. **SERIES COMPLETE**
  10. Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany by Jane Mount, 224 pages, published: 2017, genre: non-fiction. There’s not a lot to say about this one. It has a really pretty art style and is a collection of facts about books, authors, stories, bookstores, and libraries. It’s the kind of book that you can pick up over and over again because the facts won’t stay with you, but are enjoyable to read. This would make a great coffee table book for a book lover. Rating: 4 stars.

Total books: 10

Total pages: 3,404

Average rating: 4

This was my best reading month of 2023 and I am so proud of what I was able to accomplish even during the hectic holidays. I truly think that reading keeps me a little more grounded in times of stress (way more so than vegging out with TV or YouTube) and I’m grateful that I was raised to be a reader.