2019 Reading Wrap-Up
End of the Year Book Tag!
Alright so Emily @ Embuhleeliest literally said: “If you’d like to do this tag, consider yourself tagged!” So this is me considering myself tagged! Let’s just jump right in.
Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?
I had originally planned to finish the Sookie Stackhouse books by the end of the year as well, but I probably won’t because I’ve got so many other books I need to and I keep finding more. Also I’ve been reading Outlander for freaking months and I cannot finish it and I have no idea why!
Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?
I mean…I don’t really read books seasonally? I always think it would be cool to do that, but I can’t just set aside other books in order to pick up seasonally appropriate books, that would be too much like self-control.
Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?
No not really. Or more accurately, there probably are, but I’m just not aware of when they drop. I’m so bad at keeping up with release dates… I’m always shocked when people are like “look my pre-order came!” and then I have to rush to block all the spoilers.
What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?
The aim is to get in one more dose of House of Night torture with Hunted, complete my Stephenie Meyer experiment with The Host, and hopefully I’ll get one more book to read this year through my discord groups Travelling Book Project.
Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?
I was going to say something sarcastic about a House of Night book becoming a favorite, but honestly just no, with what I’ve been looking at I don’t think my next favorite book is coming up this year.
Have you already started making reading plans for 2020?
I’m planning to finish the Sookie books (if I don’t break down and do it in December), obviously I’m going to reread my favorite series The Tales of the Kingdom by Cynthia Voigt (lol you thought I’d get through a whole post without mentioning them?)… Oh and I’m actually considering rereading Twilight on the premise that we’ve all been reading it wrongly (i.e. that it’s not really a grand romance, but an epic comedy).
I was going to tag a few specific people, but actually I’d rather leave this for everyone to do. So if you read this you’ve just been tagged; and let me know if you do it so I can read yours. 😊
May 2019 Reading Wrap-Up
Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt
(Tales of the Kingdom, book 1)
Rating: ★★★★★ – it was amazing
Review: Yes
Format: Print
Reading Dates: April 30 – May 13
Read Count: 5-ish
Favorite Thing: My favorite thing this time around is too spoilery to mention, but trust me it’s cute shit (if quite subtle).
Least Favorite Thing: Win is so obnoxious, he annoys me every single time.
Well, new year, new read-through of the Tales of the Kingdom books! You know I can’t resist these books for long. As they are my all-time favorites, I recommend them to everyone.
On Fortune’s Wheel by Cynthia Voigt
(Tales of the Kingdom, book 2)
Rating: ★★★★★ – it was amazing
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: May 13 – 17
Read Count: 5-ish
Favorite Thing: The ability of the main characters to endure any circumstance.
Least Favorite Thing: Creepy, gross men. (Hm, my least favorite thing in real life, too.)
I can’t believe this used to be my least favorite of all the books, I am so dumb. Birle is a treasure and I love her.
My Posts About On Fortune’s Wheel
Maybe (Maybe Not) by Robert Fulghum
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: April 4 – May 18
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: Nothing really stood out.
Least Favorite Thing: Again, some things didn’t age well.
I swear Mr. Fulghum is the grandfather everyone could wish for. He’s so weird, but in a good way, and you could probably tell him your strange thoughts without judgement…
My Posts About Maybe (Maybe Not)
In Progress
April 2019 Reading Wrap-Up
Young Widows Club by Alexandra Coutts
Rating: N/A
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: March 20 – April 4
Read Count: 1 (DNF)
Favorite Thing: None.
Least Favorite Thing: Blah.
From the summary I was expecting an interesting look at what it’s like to be widowed at a young age, and what I got was “teen widow goes back to high school”. Sigh. I couldn’t even finish this book.
My Posts About Young Widows Club
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
(The Raven Cycle, book 3)
Rating: ★★★★★ – it was amazing
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: December 10, 2018 – April 18, 2019
Read Count: 3
Favorite Thing: Mr. Gray & Blue’s friendship.
Least Favorite Thing: Over too soon.
I can’t seem to stop myself from rereading The Raven Cycle books! Unfortunately I only own two of them, so it may be a minute before I can get my hands on the last book to reread it.
My Posts About Blue Lily, Lily Blue
Tea for Two by S.W. Stromberg
Rating: ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review: Coming Soon
Format: Print
Reading Dates: April 16 – 25
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Seeing myself so clearly in a character was amazing.
Least Favorite Thing: I CAN’T SAY BECAUSE IT’S A SPOILER, BUT I CAN’T BELIEVE SHE DID THAT.
I was a little nervous reading a book written by a friend in case I didn’t like it, but luckily this one turned out to be really good! I’ve never been able to see myself so well in a character, it was awesome. I recommend this book to anyone looking for LGBT reads that aren’t just another coming out story!
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Rating: ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: April 25 – 29
Read Count: 3
Favorite Thing: The healing songs.
Least Favorite Thing: Saren…
I know, I know, without Saren the story isn’t even possible. And yet…. She just annoys me, I can’t help it. I can’t even feel bad for her really, even though I know I should. But at least Dashti is precious enough to make up for it.
My Posts About Book of a Thousand Days
In Progress
March 2019 Reading Wrap-Up
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: January 4 – March 6
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Witty-funny.
Least Favorite Thing: Just dragged a little bit.
This book was strange for me. I would go from loving it and completely engrossed to bored out of my mind and back again. I can’t quite put my finger on the issue I had, but there definitely was one. I was supposed to read it along with the discord server Books & Tea in the month of January, but it wound up taking me until March to get through it!
Girl, Stolen by April Henry
Rating: ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: March 8 – 13
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: I found the depiction of her blindness and the way she did things despite it to be fascinating.
Least Favorite Thing: I can’t actually think of something I didn’t like…
I loved the way this book wrapped up. There was just enough closure and just enough left to wonder about.
It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It by Robert Fulghum
Rating: ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: March 24 – 28
Read Count: 3
Favorite Thing: He’s so weird and introspective.
Least Favorite Thing: There were a few things that didn’t age super well…
I first read Fulghum’s books back in middle school and I figured it was high time I reread them, so I’ve been working my way through a little at a time.
My Posts About It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It
In Progress
February 2019 Reading Wrap-Up
The Haunting by Shirley Jackson
Rating: ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: January 29 – February 2; February 10 – 14
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: Entrancing prose.
Least Favorite Thing: Why is everyone so bitchy to Eleanor?
I read this as part of a travelling book project with the Books & Tea discord server. Everyone trades books and annotates them. The annotating is why I read it twice. The first time through I didn’t make hardly any notes because I was just absorbed in reading, so I read through it a second time just to make my notes.
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
(Shatter Me, book 1)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: January 4 – February 13
Read Count: 3
Favorite Thing: The little scratch-out sound effect when she writes something she doesn’t like. It was just a nice touch.
Least Favorite Thing: The love-sick monologues.
I read this along with a different book club discord server. I had read the book twice before so when it came time for us all to read Shatter Me together I figured I’d give the audiobook a try instead. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I did reading the physical copies, but it was still good.
In Progress
January 2019 Reading Wrap-Up
The Vandemark Mummy by Cynthia Voigt
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: December 31 – January 14
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Althea is smarter than everyone.
Least Favorite Thing: Can’t think of anything…
I read this to practice my annotating in preparation for a travelling book project. It really enhanced my enjoyment of the mystery!
My Posts About The Vandemark Mummy
The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: February 10 – 18
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: The art.
Least Favorite Thing: The whining.
I was kind of disappointed in this book, which was a bummer because I’ve been really impressed with this author in the past. But I just found it, and especially the main character Colby, really boring and whiny… It pretty much only got three stars because the ending was good.
My Posts About The Disenchantments
Darkestwings Reads