January 2022 Reading Wrap-up

Happy new year, everyone! Due to life stuff and reading slump stuff, I am just edging back into things like blogging and booktubing now as we enter February.

My only reading goal this year is to be more intentional with my reading. I realised last year how much store I put in reaching my GoodReads goal, so this year I’ve set it to five. I’m halfway through my fifth book now, as I knew I would be, and I love the feeling of no pressure. Yes, I’m still likely to read over 75 books over the course of the year, but I’m not going to worry about it.

Without further ado, here’s what got me started for the year:

PAST MONTH’S READING:

1. No Limited by Ellie Marney (YA contemporary/crime – 3 stars)
2. The Burning Page (The Invisible Library #3) by Genevieve Cogman (fantasy – 4 stars)
3. The Lost Plot (The Invisible Library #4) by Genevieve Cogman (fantasy – 3 stars)

BOOKTUBE:

I have a YouTube channel where I promote Australian books using the hashtag #AusReads, and also indulge my compulsion for signing up to readathons. Here are the latest videos:

1. Cozathon 2021 – Update
2. Royal Readathon Feb 22 TBR

FAVOURITE BOOKISH PHOTO:

Dragons are my favourite mythical creatures. Between what I own and what I had from the library at the start of the month, I had a pretty awesome stack of dragon books!

You can see all my bookish photos (plus some RL as well) on my Instagram.

CURRENTLY READING:

Physical book: Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen. I’m a bit torn on this one because I’m pretty sure the author is doing something clever, but the clever thing he’s doing is actually what’s making the book fall flat for me. My favourite character is a badger who was only in three chapters. XD

Ebook: None at the moment.

Audio book: A User’s Guide to Make Believe by Jane Alexander. This is one of those near-future “has technology gone too far?” thrillers, though I have to admit my main reason for starting it is that it’s read by Kristen Atherton, who narrates the Invisible Library audio books. While I’m waiting for the next book in that series to be available, I decided to try this one.

PLANNING TO READ NEXT:

I have two Doctor anthologies out from the library at the moment, and I think I’m going to for the horror collection, Tales of Terror. I read a Doctor Who Christmas short story collection last year and absolutely loved it. I felt so nostalgic! So even though these ones will be spooky, maybe even scary, I’m hoping for more of the same!

What are you reading? 🙂

February 2020 Reading Wrap-up

So far in 2020, reading has been hard work, which is never fun! I’ve downgraded my GoodReads reading challenge from 75 to 50 because of my slow start. I’ve dropped off blog hops and am pretty much sticking to reviews and these monthly wrap-up posts. This is by no means a permanent change, but it’s all I have the energy for at the moment. I’ll come back to other things when I come back to them.

Sadly, that does mean I’m mostly missing out  on visiting your blogs as well. Just finding the time is a challenge. 

Having said that, when I sat down to write this post, I realised I did actually get through 8 books in February! It certainly didn’t feel like that. I finished two audio books that I’d been listening to for a very long time, so that felt pretty satisfying.  

I haven’t always had the energy to review them, so below some links will go to reviews here on the blog and others will go to GoodReads where I wrote some notes. And some don’t have a review at all yet. 

Past Month’s Reading:

1. The Shadow Palace by Celine Jeanjean (The Viper and the Urchin #6) (steampunk – 3.5 stars – review)

2. The Thornthwaite Inheritance by Gareth P. Jones (middle-grade – gothic/contemporary/mystery – 4 stars – GoodReads thoughts)
3. Greehaelen by L. A. Webster (Chronicles of Algarth #1) (fantasy – 4 stars – review)
4. Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray (the Diviners #3) (historical fantasy – 3 stars – GoodReads thoughts)
5. Heroines: An Anthology of Short Fiction and Poetry edited by Sarah Nicholson and Caitlin White (speculative fiction anthology – 3 stars – not intending to review)
6. The Thornthwaite Betrayal by Gareth P. Jones (middle-grade – gothic/contemporary/mystery – 5 stars – GoodReads thoughts) 
7.  Circe by Madeleine Miller (historical fantasy/retelling – 4 stars – review forthcoming)

No, that’s not a mistake in my graphics – I did read The Thornthwaite Inheritance twice. It and its sequel were my favourites this month. 

Booktube:

I wrote a script for a new BookTube video but never filmed it. Maybe in March? Or maybe I’m just going to give up this whole vlogging thing…

Favourite Bookish Photo:

I was so proud of my #6amAusWriters friends for their February releases! It took me a while to get good shot of Greenhaelen by Lyn Webster in among my neighbour’s flowers, but when gardens and nature are so central to the book, it absolutely had to be that way. You can see all my bookish photos (plus some RL as well) on my Instagram.

Currently Reading:

Physical book: Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton. Apparently I’ve only been reading this for two weeks, which is slow, but not as slow as I thought! It’s about a school shooting and the subsequent operation to get the children out safely while there’s still a gunman in the building. It should be totally my cup of tea but something is holding me back. 

Ebook: That Night In Paris by Sandy Barker. Another member of the #6amAusWriters team! Everybody is publishing books this year! I need to get my butt into gear. I have only just started this but I think it will be light and fun and romantic, which is what I’m looking for. 

Audio book: The Lost Letter by Mimi Matthews. After enjoying Matthew’s Victorian Christmas romance, A Holiday by Gaslight, I decided to snap this one up when I saw it on Audible. 

Planning to read next:

I’ve had a sneaky look at There She Goes by Lynne Shelby and a romance set in “theatreland” sounds exactly my kind of thing. The opening chapter with an awkward audition was so relatable. So yes, this will be next. 

What are you reading? 🙂

 

January 2020 Reading Wrap-up

January was definitely a slow month. With bushfires and smoke haze and heat waves (oh my!), it was hard to really relax. I only read four books, and usually January is a month where I speed through seven or eight.

Past Month’s Reading:

1. It Sounded Better In My Head by NIna Kenwood (YA contemporary – 3.5 stars – review)

2. Don’t Read The Comments by Eric Smith (YA contemporary – 5 stars – review)
3. Bitter Falls by Rachel Caine (thriller – 2.5 stars – review)
4. The Beginning (Blackbirch #1) by K. M> Allan (YA urban fantasy – 4 stars – review

Booktube:

The same listlessness that has affected my reading has also affected my desire to make videos. I do have a script mostly written, though, talking about It Sounded Better In My Head and The Beginning.

You can check out the channel whole here. 

Favourite Bookish Photo:

Don’t Read The Comments was definitely my favourite book this month, and I wanted to celebrate its release in any way I could.. You can see all my bookish photos (plus some RL as well) on my Instagram.

Currently Reading:

Physical book: The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross. This book is beautiful but I’ve put it aside for a bit until I’m feeling a bit less reading slumpy. It’s so my kind of thing so I don’t want to force myself through it when I’m not in the mood. 

Ebook: The Shadow Palace by Celine Jeanjean. This is the sixth book in the Viper and the Urchin series… I’ve got to admit I’m not enjoying it quite as much as previous ones.

Audio book: Before The Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray. I’m working through this very slowly. This is a long book. I kind of feel like some of the plot threads aren’t entirely necessary. But at the same time, the ones that are pivotal are so good.

Planning to read next:

Honestly, at this point I have absolutely no idea. I’ll have to see what takes my fancy.

What are you reading? 🙂