Category: Monthly Wrap Up

Hello Readers! This month was a little more along the lines of what I would expect a normal reading month to be.

This month I read 9 books and 3,305 pages. That means I read 2,291 less pages this month than last month.

I finished (links go to goodreads):

The Project by Courtney Summers

Crime and Punctuation by Kaitlyn Dunnett

The Lost Fairytales by Anna James

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor

The Future is Yours by Dan Frey

The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige

Two Truths and a Lie by Ellen McGarrahan

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

Ratings:

4.25 stars: The Ravens; Good Girl, Bad Blood

4 stars: Crime and Punctuation; The Burning Girls; The Future is Yours

3.75 stars: The Project

3.25 stars: Chosen Ones

3 stars: The Lost Fairytales; Two Truths and a Lie

Audience:

6 Adult

2 YA

1 Middle Grade

Genre:

Authors that were unknown to me: 3

Format

Physical: 5

Ebook: 4

Not using audiobooks definitely contributed to the drop in numbers this month, but I’ve been listening to podcasts in their stead and I’ve really enjoyed that as well.

Medievalathon ran from Jan 10-Feb 10. In that time, I read 4 books that fit the 5 prompts, and started the fifth.

Prompts:

Level 1: Read an underrated book

I read Once & Future Vol. 2. It only has 421 total ratings on Goodreads.

Level 2: A book about books

I read The Lost Fairytales by Anna James for this prompt.

Level 3: A book with a person on the cover

I read If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier.

Level 4: A book with the chosen one trope

I read Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth. This was the book that I had only started when the read-a-thon came to an end.

Level 5: Read whatever you want

I read Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb for this prompt.

While I didn’t technically complete the challenge, I really enjoyed the more laid-back nature of the challenge. Having a month to get the reading done meant that I didn’t have to drop anything else that I had planned to read, even if it didn’t fit a prompt.

Hello Readers! This has been a record-breaking month for me in terms of reading, and while I don’t expect to keep this pace up for the rest of the year, I am very pleased with what I’ve read so far.

This month I read 16 books (tied for my best month ever) and 5,596 pages (a personal best)! That means I read 2,459 more pages this month than last month.

I finished (links go to goodreads):

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant

Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke

The Bookwanderers by Anna James

Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce

Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing

If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier

The Survivors by Jane Harper

Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Once & Future Vol. 2 by Kieron Gillen

Ratings:

5 stars: The Name of the Wind, Assassin’s Apprentice

4.5 stars: Killer Chardonnay, The Survivors

4.25 stars: Happily Ever Afters, The Bookwanderers

4 stars: In the Garden of Spite, Once & Future Vol. 2

3.75 stars: Citizen: An American Lyric

3.25 stars: Summer Frost

3 stars: The Bone Season, Cherry Cheesecake Murder, Key Lime Pie Murder, Carrot Cake Murder

2 stars: If I Disappear

unrated: Anti-Diet

Audience:

14 Adult

1 YA

1 Middle Grade

Genre:

Authors that were unknown to me: 10

Format

Physical: 6

Ebook: 4

Audiobook: 3

Graphic Novel: 1

Multiple formats: 2

Hello Kittens! This year is finally over! December was a good reading month for me. It was in part because there were a lot fewer festivities and responsibilities to deal with this year thanks to the pandemic. It certainly left me more time for reading, although I got in a little bit of socially distanced celebrating as well (thank you, Skype). I hope that next year is kinder to us all.

Total books read: 11

(All links go to Goodreads)

Too Much & Never Enough by Mary Trump. Rating: unrated. I couldn’t settle on a rating for this one. It was well-written and I had a lot of feelings about it, but I didn’t feel like I could evaluate it well.

Fudge Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke. Rating: 3 stars

Ark by Veronica Roth. Rating: 4 stars

Heartstopper Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman. Rating: 4 stars

Ink & Bone by Rachel Caine. Rating: 3 stars

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks. Rating: 4 stars

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston. Rating: 4 stars

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Rating: 3 stars

Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke. Rating: 3 stars

Peach Cobbler Murder by Joanne Fluke. Rating: 3 stars

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel. Rating: 5 stars

Stats:

5 stars: 1

4 stars: 4

3 stars: 5

2 stars: 0

1 star: 0

unrated: 1

Format:

Physical: 4

Ebook: 2

Audiobook: 5

Genre:

Non-Fiction: 1

Mystery: 3

Sci-Fi: 2

Graphic Novel: 1

Contemporary: 2

Literary Fiction: 1

Fantasy: 1

New to Me Authors: 7

Authors I’ve Read Before: 2

Total Pages: 3,143

I had a lot of fun reading this year, and this month was no exception. I can’t wait to see what 2021 holds in terms of reading.

November Wrap-Up

Hello Kittens! I can’t believe we’ve finally arrived at the last month of the year. I feel as though I blinked and November was gone. That being said, I managed to get a little reading done last month. There were some great reads in that bunch.

Total books read: 9

A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates. Rating: 4 stars

Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson. Rating: 4 stars

The Cookbook Club by Beth Harbison. Rating: 3 stars

Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West. Rating: 4 stars

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. Rating: 4 stars

Murder in Season by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land. Rating: 4 stars

She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs by Sarah Smarsh. Rating: 4 stars

Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay. Rating: 3 stars

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Rating: 4 stars

Stats:

5 stars: 0

4 stars: 7

3 stars: 2

2 stars: 0

1 star: 0

Format:

Physical: 4

Ebook: 1

Audiobook: 4

Genre:

Mystery: 3

Young Adult: 3

Non-Fiction: 2

Contemporary: 1

New to Me Authors: 5

Authors I’ve Read Before: 4

Total Pages: 3,302

I made more progress in the Illuminae Files series, and will hopefully be finishing it up in December. All of those other series that I was going to get to this year….yeah, we’re not talking about those. Overall, for a hectic month at work, I was really pleased with how many titles I was able to get through. I continue to be grateful for all of the audiobooks that allowed me to keep up a decent reading pace. It also helps keep my traffic frustrations under control. As long as I’m not running late, I may be one of the few people around who doesn’t mind getting stuck in a traffic jam, because that means I’ll get through a few more chapters. 🙂