I think I'm going to try to do monthly book lists instead of quarterly lists this year so that it's not just a giant list every time. I'm also going to attempt to do a rating system of some sort because I was jealous of all the stats that Stephany was able to put together. I think this might also be a way for me to see if the books I read for the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge actually do bring me some sort of joy or if I should let that go and focus on just reading books off my TBR list. Anyway, it's an experiment.
1/6: Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera (library ebook, 2019) - YA book that tells me yet again I am not the audience for YA. 2.5/5 stars
1/8: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (library, 2014) - Time travel done right. 3.5/5 stars
1/8: Soar High (Sons of the Survivalist #4) by Cherise Sinclair (Kindle purchase, 2021) - I didn't think this series was as strong as Masters of the Shadowlands, but it was a compelling enough read about a woman recovering from trauma as she fell in love. 3/5 stars
1/8: A Rogue of One's Own (League of Extraordinary Women #2) by Evie Dunmore (library, 2020) - I love this setting, but wasn't completely sold on the couple. 4/5 stars
1/12: A Queen in Hiding (The Nine Realms #1) by Sarah Kozloff (library audiobook read by Imogen Church, 2020) - Fabulous epic fantasy. 5/5 stars
1/12: Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall and illustrated by Hugo Martinez (library, 2021) - Fascinating look at the history of slave revolts from a feminist perspective, as well as a peek into how historians work. 5/5 stars
1/12: Buzz Off (Queen Bee Mystery #1) by Hannah Reed - An acceptable mystery set in the area where I live. 2.5/5
1/15: The Queen of Raiders (The Nine Realms #2) by Sarah Kozloff - (library audiobook read by Imogen Church, 2020) - Fabulous epic fantasy STILL. 5/5 stars
1/16: Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal (library graphic novel, 2018) - Fun graphic novel about the extinction of human men. 3/5 stars
1/17: Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (library ebook, 2007) - Interesting ideas, but the logistics of this world were incredibly unappealing to me. 2/5 stars
1/19: The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson (library ebook, 2014) - When will I learn that I am no longer the audience for YA? 2/5 stars
1/20: A Broken Queen (The Nine Realms #3) by Sarah Kozloff - (library audiobook read by Imogen Church, 2020) - Suffers from middle book bloat. 3.5/5 stars
1/22: The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton (library, 2021) - Simply brilliant. 5/5 stars
1/23: The Chase (Briar U #1) by Elle Kennedy (Kindle purchase, 2018) - Pretty good romance novel. 4/5 stars
1/24: The Cerulean Queen (The Nine Realms #4) - A bit of a letdown for the series. 3/5 stars
1/26: The Happy Ever After Playlist (The Friend Zone #2) by Abby Jimenez - Better than The Friend Zone, but I'm not sure if Jimenez is the author for me. 3.5/5
1/29: Birth by Tina Cassidy - Interesting non-fiction book about the history of birth across time and culture. Interesting, gruesome, and scary. 4/5 stars
1/30: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Oddly dark, but imminently readable. 3.5/5
Total: 18 books
Average star rating: Just over 3.5/5
Did Not Finish:
(There were a lot of DNFs this month. More than in the entire last quarter of 2021. My patience was thin!)
The Reality Dysfunction (Night's Dawn #1) by Peter F. Hamilton - I didn't give this much of a chance. I read about five pages and just gave up. Maybe I'll try again sometime.
The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo - DNF at 2%. That's what I thought about the start of this book.
The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan - DNF at 9%. I have no time for rich people doing rich people things.
Passage by Connie Willis - DNF at 10%. Basically all I read was a bunch of doctors going around complaining about one another and one of those doctors had a magic food coat? No, thanks.
The Tiger's Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera - DNF at page 95. I was bored and found myself playing on my phone instead of reading just to avoid the book, so I had stop reading it and move on to something else.
All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover - DNF at 45%. I know that there's an audience for a book about a depressive woman struggling with infertility, but that audience is not me.
I know you explained how you read so much, but I'm still astonished that you read 18 books in January (I read four.) It seems like DNF-ing really works for you- they say you'll read more if you're not afraid to DNF a book you're not into. I should take that as a lesson- i always want to finish a book, even if I'm hating it- which makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteDNF is a powerful tool. I can usually tell pretty early on if a book grabs my interest or if I'll start avoiding reading to avoid the book. I try not to muscle through books just because I think I should.
DeleteWow, 18 books! That is amazing! I used to do reading challenges but found that I often had to push myself to finish things and the ratings on challenge books tended to be lower. So I quit doing challenges several years ago and it was so good for my reading!
ReplyDeleteChallenges are definitely a double-edged sword. There are some books I would never have read without them that I love (Pillars of the Earth and Lonesome Dove spring to mind, for example), but there are a lot I read just to check something off the challenge list. I think this year will be a good year for me reevaluate the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge in particular.
DeleteExcellent month of reading! I perversely want to force you to read Kelly Loy Gilbert's YA novels, because I love them so, so, so much -- but also don't want you to read them, because what if you dislike them as well?
ReplyDeleteWell, now I'm interested. I put one of their books on hold at the library - it will be a fun experiment!
DeleteWow! Are you a very fast reader? I am a fast reader but I wouldn't manage 18 books, even in a good month. Maybe if I was on vacation on an isolated island. LOL
ReplyDelete18 books in one month is amazing! I think the most I've ever gotten to is 15 - my average is around 10-11, which is still a lot compared to other readers, haha. Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteI am in awe of your reading volume. Are the dates those for when you finished the book? So you may finish 2 books in ONE day??? (If so, WOW.)
ReplyDelete