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Reading Recaps

August Reading Wrap-Up

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So August was…not great. I spent a lot of the month reading a book that I didn’t end up finishing (The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante) and although I did end up with a respectable-sized wrap-up stack, the majority of those were library books and I’d really wanted to #readmyowndamnbooks this month. Also, my August reads overall were a bit disappointing, although all in different ways. I haven’t had a really lackluster reading month in awhile, and I’d started out with such a great TBR that I wasn’t expecting it. Highlights of the month include Bout of Books, a really good audiobook, and the bad guy love interest from Everneath; low points included, oddly, Harry Potter and Pablo Neruda.

Here are my stats for August:

Number of books read: 7

#readmyowndamnbooks: 3 (eek, not so good)

Audiobooks: 1

Read Harder Challenge tasks completed: 2

✓ 13. Read a book set in the Middle East
The Underground Girls of Kabul In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan by Jenny Nordberg The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan by Jenny Nordberg

✓ 23. Read a play
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. RowlingHarry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

Also, an update on the 20 books of summer challenge that I signed up for at the beginning of the summer: I ended up reading 29 (!) books this summer, exceeding my goal of 20! I wonder if I’ll be able to read 20 books this fall as well–it seems to be a good seasonal goal number for me.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two (Harry Potter, #8)Vicious (Vicious, #1)Everything Is TeethThe Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in AfghanistanEverneath (Everneath, #1)Everbound (Everneath, #2)Love Poems

So, here’s what I read in August, ranked (as usual) from most awesome to least:

The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg (4 stars) – this was an extremely powerful nonfiction book about the lives of women in Afghanistan, focusing on the intriguing tradition of some young girls dressing as boys. It’s well-researched and detailed, and highlights the lives of several different women that the author interviewed.

Everything is Teeth by Evie Wyld (4 stars) – I thought this was fantastic, although maybe I’m biased because I’ve always been a shark person. This was the first graphic memoir I’ve read, and I thought that Wyld’s story and the illustrations really conveyed both her literal fascination with sharks and her metaphor of sharks as the constant dangers in life lurking beneath the surface.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab (3.5 stars) – I thought the characters were great, and V.E. Schwab does a wonderful job building tension throughout the book; it just wasn’t as original as I had expected. This book gets a ton of hype; for me, I didn’t fully get why.

Everneath and Everbound by Brodi Ashton (2.5 stars each) – I read the first two books of this YA trilogy during Bout of Books; it’s about a girl who has just returned to the real world after living for 100 years in a sort of underworld where her emotions were used to feed an immortal (who happens to be a snarky and very attractive guitar player who used to be a Viking back in the day). She then is allowed to return to her former life for 6 months before being sucked back into the underworld and used as a living battery to feed the immortals there for eternity. It’s a very dark story; the main character’s mother was killed by a drunk driver, and when she returns from the underworld everyone she loves believes she was missing for 6 months and was a drug addict during that time. I liked the dark tone and the concept; I really, really did not like her other love interest (meathead high school quarterback) and didn’t end up wanting to read the last book in the series, although the first two were dramatic and fun.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne (2.5 stars) – this book has already been discussed so much; personally, I found it really disappointing. I’d love to see it as a play; I’m sure it’s better in that format. In general, though, it didn’t feel like a “real” continuation of the story to me.

Love Poems by Pablo Neruda (2 stars) – I actually feel very weird rating this so low; I know that Pablo Neruda is such a highly regarded poet, and there were a few lines in this short volume that I thought were strikingly beautiful. But the majority of it, for me, just did not feel like anything special. It could have been that my expectations were too high and I expected every poem to be brilliant, but I really didn’t end up enjoying this.

 

I hope everyone’s reading month for August went better than mine did!

TBR

August TBR!

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Somehow, I feel like I’m more excited about my August TBR than any of my other TBR stacks from this year. This month, every book on my TBR is one that I physically own, and I have no urge to hit the library and go off the rails (yet). There are a few new releases on here, and a few that I feel like I’m playing catch-up on because I’ve heard so much positive hype. But what these books all have in common is that I can’t wait to read them! 🙂

HomegoingVicious (Vicious, #1)The Story of the Lost Child (The Neapolitan Novels, #4)Pretty Monsters: StoriesLailahRunning with ScissorsThe Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, #2)Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

So, here’s my August TBR – as usual, I ranked the books in order of how likely I am to read them, but this month I honestly do think I’ll be sticking pretty closely to this stack. So my ranking system might be a little off.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling – OK, so I bought this book on July 31st and couldn’t wait to get started; I figured that I could binge-read it that day to see what happens before I accidentally read a spoiler or something. And…I’ve started it, but I wasn’t liking it that much (which is such a terrible thing to say about Harry Potter! I feel guilty about it). I’ll absolutely finish this book, but I’m not sure that I’m going to end up enthralled.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi – I have heard nothing but amazing things about this book. It’s the story of two African sisters who are separated and whose descendants go on to live very different lives; I have no idea how this author is going to tell the stories of so many generations in such a relatively slim book, but from what I heard, I’m going to be blown away.

Vicious by V. E. Schwab – this book about two best friends/enemies who (I think?) develop some type of superpowers sounds like the type of book I can get completely sucked into. I’ve read the first couple of chapters so far and I really like what I’ve seen; V.E. Schwab clearly knows what she’s doing and I’m excited to see where the story goes.

The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante – I am terrified to read this book; I also can’t wait. Ferrante’s books get me into this intense reading trance; Elena and Lila’s relationship is consuming and powerful. I’m anxious to see how their lives end up and to finally get a resolution to the mystery presented at the beginning of My Brilliant Friend.

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin – this book comes out on August 16th and I am soooo excited; either I’m going to jump straight in and read it immediately or save it until I have big chunks of uninterrupted time to binge-read. It’s the sequel to The Fifth Season, one of my favorite books of last year, and takes place in a world that has suffered multiple apocalyptic-type natural disasters. The people there are survivors, but the first book began with the end of the world; in addition to the intricate and fascinating world-building, the characters are incredibly real and I need to know what happens RIGHT NOW.

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs – I got a copy of this at a library used book sale because I vaguely remembered one of my friends telling me she’d read it. I started listening to it on audiobook and am interested so far; I like how detailed Burroughs’s writing is, and he easily and quickly creates a sense of place.

Lailah by Nikki Kelly – if I am in the mood for YA this month, I’m picking this one up and seeing if the angel/vampire love triangle works for me. Fingers crossed! I’ve read zero reviews on this one and haven’t seen it on bookstagram or any blogs, so this is a bit of a risk.

Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link – I’ve read two short story collections by Kelly Link so far, and own two unread ones. Link’s stories are this gorgeous, mysterious, and atmospheric blend of fantasy and horror with occasional hints of science fiction and fairy tales; the stories tend to get under your skin and stay with you after you read them. I absolutely love her writing and am interested to see what other stories she has in store for us.

 

What do you plan on reading in August? Let me know!

 

Reading Recaps

June Reading Wrap-Up

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In June, I finished two books that I’ve been halfway finished with for at least six months (The Cuckoo’s Calling) and in the other case several years (Unaccustomed Earth); I started a great new series (The Raven Cycle); and I had yet another 5-star read (The Girl Wakes). It’s only halfway through 2016, and I’ve already beaten the number of 5-star reads I had during all of last year 🙂 Here are my totals:

# of books read: 8

#readmyowndamn books: 4

20 Books of Summer total: 8/20

Audiobooks: 2

So here’s what I read this month, ranked (as usual) in order of awesomeness:

The Girl Wakes: StoriesUnaccustomed EarthA Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2)The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)Citizen: An American LyricThe Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1)The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1; Rincewind #1)

The Girl Wakes by Carmen Lau (5 stars): This incredible book of short stories is made up of dark feminist fairytale retellings. If that appeals to you, READ THIS BOOK. The premise alone made me know I would love this book, but it turned out to be even better than I expected. Longer review to come (I’m going to try actually posting some book review posts!) but to summarize, these short stories gave me goosebumps and were absolutely what I wanted to read.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (4.25 stars): I’m really loving short story collections lately. The characters and stories in this book feel so fully real, and Jhumpa Lahiri is an incredible writer. My favorite of the collection was “Only Goodness,” about the relationship between a brother and sister and the brother’s struggle with alcoholism; the last story in the book, however, the third in a series of connected stories, hit me hard.

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A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (4.25 stars): Indulgent romantic fantasy that I will most likely reread several times.

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The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (4 stars): the second book in the Raven Cycle was great, especially since it focused on my favorite character, Ronan. I love that the plot just keeps getting weirder, but the lovable characters are what really keeps me interested.

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The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (4 stars): If you haven’t checked out this YA series yet, I would encourage you to do so. I went into it knowing nothing about the plot, and I think that was a good way to go.

Citizen by Claudia Rankine (3 stars): I found some of the passages in this book of prose poems to be incredibly powerful, others less so. Overall I wish I’d read it in physical form rather than listening to it as an audiobook, although I had thought it was a good idea at the time. Too much rewinding and re-listening may have spoiled the effect for me, and I think I’d have rated it higher if I’d physically read it. No more poetry audiobooks for me.

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (3 stars): I started listening to this audiobook in December and stopped about 2/3 of the way through because nothing was really happening. It took me until this month to get the desire to pick it back up so that I could finally find out who the murderer was. I feel like my expectations were too high because J.K. Rowling wrote this, and while it was a decent detective novel, I’m not interested enough to continue the series. Honestly, I wouldn’t really recommend it. Read something else instead.

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett (2.5 stars): this one was a disappointment for me. I’ve read two other Discworld books (Mort and Small Gods) that I enjoyed, but this one unfortunately got really…boring. It started out well, with humor and an interesting setup, but then went rapidly downhill. I know that this is the first book in the series and isn’t widely considered one of the best, but I was still disappointed–particularly with the book’s treatment of female characters. I understand that Pratchett was satirizing a lot of aspects of fantasy literature, but it’s still really unnecessary, and in my opinion a turnoff to a lot of female readers, to have literally every female character be naked in this book.

 

Overall, it was a great reading month! I’m already looking forward to my reading in July (my birthday month!) and I’m hoping to find some more great reads.

 

What did you all read in June? Let me know!

TBR

June TBR!

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It’s officially time for summer reading! Even though I read year-round, there’s something special about reading in the summer. I always tend to spend a lot of time reading and relaxing in the sunshine and seem to get through more books during this season than the others (although I’ve never really kept track; it might just feel like I read more). I already laid out my top 20 books to get through this summer in my last post, but here is a more specific breakdown of my TBR for June. This month, I plan to finish the Neapolitan novels, continue my streak of listening to nonfiction audiobooks with no DNFs, and pick up a bunch of books I’ve had on my TBR stack for too long. I figure that it’s OK to be ambitious–it’s summer!

So here’s what I’ll hopefully be reading this month:

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante – book 3 of the Neapolitan novels and, to me, the one with the most beautiful title and cover. The last book ended on a pretty major note (don’t worry, I wouldn’t dream of spoiling anybody) and I’m so intrigued by the direction the story is taking. I feel like once I dive into this, though, I’ll have to set my other books aside for awhile and then snag book 4.

The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante – book 4. I feel pretty confident I’ll get to this book as well this month, but it depends on whether I want to savor the Ferrante books and postpone reading it.

And Again by Jessica Chiarella – I won this in a giveaway from Tor.com earlier this year (the first and only book I’ve ever won in a giveaway!) and I’m really interested in the premise: it’s a literary science fiction standalone where four people are given new, physically perfect versions of their bodies and then struggle to fit back into their lives.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot – I started this audiobook in May but now am super frustrated: my Overdrive account only lets me take out an audiobook for a week at a time, and after I had to return this book, I was bumped back to fifth in line. Fifth! So now I might have to find a new audiobook for June…really annoying, since I was getting really into this one. I really like some things about Overdrive, like how easy it is to use, but right now none of the books I really want to listen to are available 😦

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas – I paused this for awhile in May due to a severe case of Ferrante fever, but I will definitely finish this month. I’m over halfway through and it seems like a solid enjoyable 4-star read.

The Girl Wakes by Carmen Lau – feminist fairy tale retellings in short story form that I cannot wait to jump into this month.

White Teeth by Zadie Smith – from the Goodreads blurb, “Epic and intimate, hilarious and poignant, White Teeth is the story of two North London families—one headed by Archie, the other by Archie’s best friend, a Muslim Bengali named Samad Iqbal.” I’ve heard such amazing things about Zadie Smith, and I keep meaning to read this book but haven’t done it yet.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater – I have a bad track record of getting frustrated with and DNFing YA books, but I’ve heard such positive things about this series, and its premise seems pretty mysterious, so I’m going to give it a shot. Fingers crossed! I have DNFing, but I don’t shy away from it; I want to be reading books that I like!

 

What are you all reading in June??

 

Book Challenges, reading challenges, TBR

Summer TBR & 20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge!

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20 Books of Summer is a reading challenge hosted by 746 books (https://746books.com/2016/05/23/20-books-of-summer-is-back-whos-in/) where the challenge is essentially just to complete 20 books during Summer 2016; you can also go for 10 or 15 books as an easier challenge. I feel like 20 is fairly doable for me as a summer reading challenge, although who knows; I might dive into a super long book and get sidetracked.

The majority of my picks are books on my physical TBR shelf that I’d really like to take down, although there are a few library and audiobooks on there. I also tried to include a good mix of SFF and realistic fiction, with two nonfiction thrown in. I honestly have no idea if I will be able to stick to this TBR, but based on my current reading mood, these are the 20 books that I could really see myself getting into this summer!

 

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (The Neapolitan Novels, #3)The Story of the Lost Child (The Neapolitan Novels, #4)North and SouthWhite Teeth

And AgainThe Girl Wakes: StoriesThe Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, #2)A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)

LagoonGods Behaving BadlyDeathless (Leningrad Diptych, #1)Gold Fame Citrus

Get in Trouble: StoriesUnaccustomed EarthBrideshead RevisitedThe Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta LacksRunning with ScissorsThe Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)Roses and Rot