Wrap Up January 2021

I am determined to have a better reading year than last year and very purposefully chose my books. I finally finished a few books I had been reading way too long and I am now trying to just pick the books I am absolutely feeling like going forward. This worked out well for this month.

Books I read in January:

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1. Open Book by Jessica Simpson: 4 out of 5 stars
2. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo: 3 out of 5 stars
3. Things I Don’t Want To Know by Deborah Levy: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4. Magic Stars (Kate Daniels #8.5) by Ilona Andrews: 3 out of 5 stars
5. You Perfect, Broken Thing by C. L. Clark: 4 out of 5 stars
6. The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin: 3.5 out of 5 stars
7. Magic Heir (Aurelia Ryder #1) by Ilona Andrews: 4 out of 5 stars
8. The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Favourite of the Month:

My favourite thing I read this month were the first two installments of Deborah Levy’s living autobiography. The last part will be published later this year and I am very excited. While I do not always agree with Levy’s points, her prose is stunning and her structure impeccable. I cannot wait to read more of her backlist while I wait for her next book.

Stats(ish):

I read 8(ish) books this month. Six were written by women and two by an author team. Three books can be categorized as fantasy, three were non-fiction, one was translated fiction, and I also read one short story.

Currently Reading:

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What I should be getting to next:

I am very close to finishing A Crooked Tree (started brilliantly, is currently dragging) and Hall of Smoke (great world, great main character, odd pacing). Afterwards I will hopefully start on my March ARCs. I am especially excited for Redder Days by Sue Rainsford and The Unbroken by C. L. Clark. Twitter decided on my next physical book (Piranesi by Susanna Clarke) and I could not be more excited. I also did not read a short story collection this month and need to remedy that as soon as possible.

Wrap Up December 2020

The year is gone. And I cannot say I am not relieved. This December was different for me than before (I am sure this is the case for many of us!) but also in parts really nice: we had our first Christmas as a three person family! With our very own Christmas tree!

My daughter has not been sleeping well at all, so I have not really been reading all that much but I did read one of my very favourite books of the year, so this is nice. I had lofty ambitions to finish all the books I am currently reading to be able to start the new year with a completely clean slate but alas.

Books I read in December:

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1. Deal With The Devil (Mercenary Librarians #1) by Kit Rocha: 4 out of 5 stars
2. No Visible Bruises by Rachel Louise Snyder: 5 out of 5 stars
3. Sabrina by Nick Drnaso: 3 out of 5 stars

I also DNFed The Ocean House by Mary-Beth Hughes (review) as it just did not work for me and my reading is not great as it is.

Favourite of the Month:

By far my favourite, and indeed one of my very favourite books of the year, was No Visible Bruises. I just want everybody to read this (trigger warnings galore though!).

Stats(ish):

I finished three books, one speculative romance, one non-fiction, and one graphic novel.

Currently Reading:

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Have I read my most anticipated releases of 2020?

Every year I round up my reading – amongst other things I look if I have gotten around to the books I was most excited about. To be fair, mostly I only read about half of the books I mentioned in my various lists (you can find my post from last year here)- and let’s see if I even did that this year. I only posted one list of books this year (here) because the second half got away from me.

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Topics of Conversation by Miranda Popkey: I did not read this one because the early reviews were kind of atrocious – and especially because Rachel did not like this (review) and we often agree on this kind of book.

The Island Child by Molly Aitken: I also did not get to this one – even though I got an ARC. I was just never in the mood for this. I really should remedy that.

Verge by Lidia Yuknavitch: I read but didn’t love this. This is probably my most disappointing read of the year because I was looking forward to a collection of short stories by one of my favourite authors for a while.

The Illness Lesson by Clare Beams: I DNFed this – I just did not get on with this one at all and other reviews (mostly Rachel’s again) convinced me that this would not change.

Daughter from the Dark by Marina & Sergey Dyachenko: I cannot believe I did not get to this yet – I adored the other book by the Dyachenko that was translated into English so much. I really need to by this one soon.

And I Do Not Forgive You: Stories and Other Revenges by Amber Sparks: I read and enjoyed this. I don’t think Sparks can even write a short story collection that I would not like.

The Unspoken Name (The Serpent Gates #1) by A. K. Larkwood: I loved this; my favourite epic fantasy novel of the year.

So We Can Glow: Stories by Leesa Cross-Smith: I am upset I did not get to this because I am still convinced I would love it.

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin: This is the main victim of my weird reading year. I started this the moment it arrived, having pre-ordered it ages ago, and then somehow did not manage to finish it. I have been reading this for months – something about it hits a bit too close and it is also my least favourite of her books so far. I am determined to finish it before the year ends though!

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby: Loved it, will read everything Samantha Irby ever writes.

Godshot by Chelsea Bieker: Another victim of my only reading e-books; the cover is so stunning I would want to own a paperback copy.

Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell: I own a copy, but haven’t read this.

I Hold A Wolf by the Ears by Laura van den Berg: Read and loved it. Made me want to read every short story collection Laura van den Berg has ever written.

Wrap Up November 2020

The first half of this reading month was rough – I only finished one book in the first two weeks and really, really hated it. Afterwards I tried to give myself leeway to just read whatever I want – but a rising number of Covid 19 cases made reading not as easy as it sometimes it. Thankfully the last few days of the month I kind of got back into reading. Lets hope this will keep up in December.

Books I read in October:

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1. Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam: 1.5 out of 5 stars (review)
2. A Touch of Snow and Stone (A Gathering of Dragons #2): 4 out of 5 stars
3. Kink: Stories edited by Garth Greenwell and R. O. Kwon: 4 out of 5 stars
4. A Mind Spread out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott: 4.5 out of 5 stars
5. Pew by Catherine Lacey: 3.5 out of 5 stars
6. Archangel’s Viper (Guild Hunter #10) by Nalini Singh: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I also DNFed Naked in Death (In Death #1) by J. D. Robb which was fine but not my kind of book.

Favourite of the Month:

I absolutely adored A Mind Spread out on the Ground – I was sure I would and it exceeded my high expectations.

Stats(ish):

I finished six book, four of which were written by women, one by a man, and the last one was an anthology by various authors. Two books were speculative romance, one was a horror/ satire hybrid, one literary fiction, one an essay collection, and finally one short story anthology.

Currently Reading:

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Wrap Up October 2020

I jinxed it. I had such good readings months and started to feel complacent. This was not a good reading month at all for me.

Books I read in October:

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1. Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab: 3 out of 5 stars (review)
2. Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels #5.5) by Ilona Andrews: 3 out of 5 stars
3. The Shapeless Unease by Samantha Harvey: 2 out of 5 stars (review)
4. Magic Gifts (Kate Daniels #5.4) by Ilona Andrews: 4 out of 5 stars
5. Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz: 4 out of 5 stars
6. Milk Fed by Melissa Broder: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Favourite of the Month:

None of the books I read this month worked perfectly for me, even the four star reads were low four star reads. But I did enjoy spending time in the Kate Daniels’ universe again and am considering rereading the full-length novels soon.

Stats(ish):

I finished six books, of these books four were written by women and two by a husband and wife team. I finished one short story collection, one non-fiction book, one literary fiction novel, and three books that are broadly speculative in nature with a romantic focus.

Currently Reading:

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Wrap Up September 2020

I had a fairly good reading month, not as great as August though – which is probably due to my daughter sleeping a lot less and being a lot more active. I am still making my way though my ARC-backlist in the hopes of some day maybe catching up (one can dream).

Books I read in September:

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1. In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado: 5 out of 5 stars
2. You Will Never Be Forgotten by Mary South: 2 out of 5 stars (review)
3. Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford: 3.5 out of 5 stars
4. Magic Mourns (Kate Daniels #3.5) by Ilona Andrews: 3 out of 5 stars
5. Machine by Susan Steinberg: 4 out of 5 stars (review)
6. Pain Studies by Lisa Olstein: 3.5 out of 5 stars
7. The Cool Aunt (Hidden Legacy #5.1) by Ilona Andrews

Favourite of the Month:

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado was every bit as brilliant as I expected it to be. I haven’t written a review yet because I want to pair the review with one for No Visible Bruises, a non fiction book about domestic violence that I am currently reading. That one, however, has the tiniest font and I can only read it during the day time hours (I feel old).

Stats(ish):

I read 7(ish) books this month. Of these books, five were written by women and two were written by a husband and wife team. I read two non fiction books, two literary fiction novels, one short story collection, and two Urban Fantasy books.

Currently Reading:

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I am, again, reading too many books at once. Four really is my sweet spot, everything more messes with my reading mojo. I am hoping to finish a few of these books over the next week or so (both the Schwab and the Alam are published in early October and I would love to have my reviews up before that – this is probably too ambitious).

Wrap Up August 2020

I cannot remember the last time I had a reading month this good. It seems like my choice to finally finish reading some of the books I had started months ago was a very good thing indeed. I have also finally gotten back into the groove of reading and reviewing ARCs – I do hope I can keep the momentum going. Especially because Rachel and I are planning on doing our two-person-ARC-readathon again at the end of September, this time without me being pregnant and not reading. (You are all invited to participate! But it’s super low-key and I am famously bad at reading plans.)

Books I read in August:

1. Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh: 3.5 out of 5 stars (review)
2. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell: 4 out of 5 stars
3. Alpha Night by Nalini Singh: 4 out of 5 stars
4. The Unspoken Name (The Serpent Gates #1) by A. K. Larkwood: 4.5 out of 5 stars (review)
5. Sisters by Daisy Johnson: 4 out of 5 stars (review)
6. Luster by Raven Leilani: 3.5 out of 5 stars (review)
7. Diamond Fire (Hidden Legacy #3.5) by Ilona Andrews: 4 out of 5 stars
8. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel: 5 out of 5 stars (review)
9. Saphire Flames (Hidden Legacy #4, Catalina Baylor Trilogy #1) by Ilona Andrews: 5 out of 5 stars
10. Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5, Catalina Baylor Trilogy #2) by Ilona Andrews: 4 out of 5 stars

I also started and DNFed The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix. E. Harrow.

Favourite of the Month:

Quality-wise, The Glass Hotel, hands down. I knew I would love it but also was scared of not being able to properly appreciate it during the pandemic and kept putting it off – I am so glad to have finally read it, it’s as good as I hoped it would be. But my proper favourite is probably Saphire Flames which I kept putting off because I know how addictive Ilona Andrews’ writing is. It’s so good! I had such a blast!

Stats(ish):

I read ten books, seven of which were written by women and the other three by a husband and wife team. Five books can broadly be categorized as literary fiction, one is a fantasy-scifi hybrid and four are some form of romantic fantasy.

Currently Reading:

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Wrap Up July 2020

Books I read in July:

1. The Harpy by Megan Hunter: 3 out of 5 stars (review)
2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson: 3 out of 5 stars
3. I Hold A Wolf By The Ears by Laura van den Berg: 4 out of 5 stars (review)
4. Constellations by Sinéad Gleeson: 5 out of 5 stars
5. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I also DNFed Beach Read by Emily Henry. I might come back at another time but for now the book was just not what I expected and was in the mood for.

Favourite of the Month:

Constellations by Sinéad Gleeson is as incredible as everybody said. I cannot recommend it highly enough – I listened to the audiobook and just love the way Gleeson narrates her essays.

Stats(ish):

I read five books this month. Of these books four were written by women. I read two non-fiction books, one thriller, one short story collection, and one literary fiction novel.

Currently Reading:

Still too many books. Whenever I am reading more than four books it really messes with my reading mojo, so I am currently trying to finish as many books as possible before starting new ones. Ideally I would get it down to zero because I love being able to choose all new books but we’ll have to wait and see if that will happen.

The Mid Year Freak Out Book Tag 2020

I cannot believe the year is halfway over. Being perfectly honest, I haven’t so far had the best of reading years. I was considering not doing this tag for the first time since I have my blog but that felt too sad.

Question 1 – The best book you’ve read so far in 2020

I am trying to rank all the books I am reading this year (surprisingly hard!) and one of the things that I am struggling with is my top spot. At the moment it is between The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy and Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. I cannot yet say which one will ultimately win out but I can say now that both of these books are incredible in their own way.

Wrap Up June 2020 or Reading Whatever Works

I have stopped pretending that I will be back to my pre-pregnancy reading pace any time soon and am now just taking the months as they come. Having said that, this was still a surprisingly good month quantitiy wise, especially given that my daughter apparently decided that sleeping anywhere that isn’t her father’s or my body is unacceptable, at least during the day. Which is lovely! But also kind of exhausting. Also, I have not managed to drink my one tea a day while it was still hot for what feels like ages.

I have also stopped pretending that I can adhere to any sort of TBR or reading challenge and will now just read whatever I can manage. I have been saying that for ages and still held out hope.

Books I read in June:

1. The Chiffon Trenches by André Leon Talley: 3 out of 5 stars
2. Black Light by Kimberly King Parsons: 3 out of 5 stars (mini-review)
3. Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall: 4 out of 5 stars
4. Archangel’s Heart (Guild Hunter #9) by Nalini Singh: 4 out of 5 stars
5. Daddy by Emma Cline: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Favourite of the Month:

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall is all kinds of brilliant. I listened to the audiobook read by the author herself and really appreciated it.

Stats(ish):

I read 5 books, 4 of which were written by women and one by a man. I read two short story collections (none of which blew me away), one paranormal romance, one memoir, and one essay collection. Three of those books were ARCs. I am not doing well with reviews but I am trying my best.

Currently Reading: