Tag: reading wrap up

End of the Year Reading Wrap Up – 2020

My stats were easier to find this year because I used the Book Blogger / Reader Spreadsheet that Kal @ Reader Voracious creates every year. It’s amazing, and filling it out is like therapy. I didn’t start it until September, so I didn’t have a lot of blog stats, but I did get in all of my reading stats that I wanted to. I’m not sure when she comes out with the new ones every year, but I’m definitely looking forward to it!

With that being said, I’m not trying to focus too much on stats—reading or blog wise. Reading started to feel like a chore this year, and I felt so hyper-focused on the stats on EVERY social media platform and how many books I was reading. I was trying to fly through books when I didn’t need to. I don’t retain as much information when I do that. It just became a daunting task. SO, I’m trying to end this year on a positive note. Yes, I have stats, but they’re not as detailed as I would have wanted at the beginning of year. I hope you all understand and enjoy this post anyway!

**Click on book covers to view original source

58/55 books read

3.5 avg rating

302 avg page count per book

17, 513 total page count

Top 10 Favorites

Historical Fiction

Published: 1/14/20 by St. Martin’s Press

391 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantasy

Published: 3/17/20 by Tor Books

398 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Autobiography

Published: 10/20/20 by Crown Publishing

308 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Science Fiction

Published: 9/3/19 by Harper Voyager

153 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Historical Fiction

Published: 9/10/19 by Harper

450 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Thriller

Published: 7/21/20 by Berkley

384 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Nonfiction

Published: 1/24/2012 by Crown Publishing

333 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Historical Fiction

Published: 9/26/95 by Vintage

460 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Historical Fiction

Originally published in 1928

240 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Young Adult Science Fiction / Fantasy

Published: 11/26/19 by Delacorte Press

457 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Most Disappointing

That’s a wrap, folks! It hasn’t been the best reading year, or year in general, but I found some gems. I got to read a book by Matthew McConaughey, so technically, my work here is done. *mic drop*

I hope you’re all having a great holiday. If you don’t celebrate anything, then just have a great end of the year / new year. All I ask of anyone is to be safe!

If you enjoyed this, then give it a like and follow my blog and other social media. Be respectful and happy reading!

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September Reading Wrap Up + October To-Be-Read

Hello, friends!

As you can tell from the title, I’m here to tell you what I read and what I plan to read. So, let’s get into it!

Wrap Up

Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Giant Days, Vol. 13 by John Allison

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 1 by Gene Luen Yang

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) by Tessa Dare

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Well, it’s four stars across the board. I’d call it a successful reading month, even though 60% of them were graphic novels. IT STILL COUNTS.

If I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare. A close second is Giant Days by John Allison.

October To-Be-Read

There are three books that I need to finish up:

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

“Gripping, tragic, and densely atmospheric, Snow Falling on Cedars is a masterpiece of suspense—but one that leaves us shaken and changed.”

Check, Please!, Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu

“. . . the last in a hilarious and stirring two-volume coming-of-age story about hockey, bros, and trying to find yourself during the best four years of your life.”

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

“A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.”

The rest of the books I want to read will probably be mostly sequels, and a thriller to make my list more appealing to the spooky szn lovers.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 2 by Gene Luen Yang

“Aang and Katara work tirelessly to prevent a dispute between Fire Lord Zuko and Earth King Kuei that could plunge the world back into war! Meanwhile, Sokka helps Toph prepare her hapless first class of metalbending students to defend their school against a rival class of firebenders!“

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare

“He’s been a bad, bad rake—and it takes a governess to teach him a lesson

The accidental governess.”

Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy

“. . . comes an irresistible psychological thriller featuring a newly married woman whose life is turned upside down when her husband goes missing.”

That’s about all I have for you in this post. What do y’all plan on reading in October? I’m assuming it’s spooky.

If you enjoyed this, then give it a like and follow my blog. Be respectful and happy reading!

July Wrap Up + August TBR

I decided to combine my wrap up and TBR since I only finished four books in July.

I participated in The Reading Rush, but I only finished a graphic novel that didn’t really fit any prompts, plus we all know how the readathon went anyway. YIKES.

July Wrap Up

I finished:

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Rating: 4 out of 5.

One Year at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Needless to say, Tuck Everlasting was my favorite read of the month. Home Before Dark actually let me down quite a bit. I wanted more after the beauty that is Lock Every Door. Maybe haunted house/ghost stories aren’t my thing. Maybe it wasn’t necessarily the book itself. Either way, it didn’t work for me.

Least favorite book was 100% Sharp Objects. I never want to think about that book again. I’m surprised I made it through. The only redeeming quality was the characters. I will give Gillian Flynn that much.

That’s about it for July, my dudes. I started a few other books—Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain and The Martian by Andy Weir.

August TBR

I know that I’m buddy reading The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune with Krystyna @ The Literary Lifestyle

I’m hoping to finish Quiet by Susan Cain. I’m 150-ish pages in. I’m really enjoying it so far!

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan.

Finish up the last 100 pages of And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.

I’m in the mood for nonfiction right now, which is extremely rare, but I’m rolling with the punches. I have a few in mind, but I don’t know which one(s) I’ll be reading yet. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself this month.

My choices are:

Hell in the Heartland: Murder, Meth, and the Case of Two Missing Girls by Jax Miller (If I can snag it from my library when it comes in.)

At the Existentialist Cafe: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails by Sarah Bakewell

If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood by Gregg Olsen

If you have read any of these, please let me know your thoughts in the comments. 🙂

If you enjoyed this, then give it a like and follow my blog. Be respectful and happy reading!

April Reading Wrap Up

I hope everyone had a good April despite the happenings in the world!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley/Edelweiss+ for the early digital copies in exchange for an honest review!

Stats:

Completed: 8 novels, 1 graphic novel.

Page count: 3,096

Started: 1

The Last Affair by Margot Hunt – 138 pages

Genres:

  • Science ficiton
  • Thriller
  • Contemporary
  • General fiction
  • Mystery
  • Romance
  • Literary fiction

Acquired from:

Six library books – four of these are originally from NetGalley and one from Edelweiss+.

One from a Goodreads giveaway (also on NetGalley), one was requested from a publisher, and one was from NetGalley that I read on my kindle.

Favorite read: He Started It by Samantha Downing

Least favorite: The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

Network Effect (Murderbot Diaries, #5) by Martha Wells

Rating: 3 out of 5.

4/1/20-4/6/20

352 pages

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4/6/20-4/7/20

343 pages

He Started It by Samantha Downing

Rating: 5 out of 5.

4/7/20-4/9/20

384 pages

The Big Finish by Brooke Fossey

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4/10/20-4/13/20

336 pages

Giant Days vol. 12 by John Allison

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4/15/20-4/15/20

112 pages

No reviews

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

Rating: 3 out of 5.

4/18/20-4/19/20

270 pages

The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

Rating: 3 out of 5.

4/16/20-4/21/20

308 pages

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4/22/20-4/26/20

372 pages

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

Rating: 3 out of 5.

4/27/20-4/29/20

453 pages

If you enjoyed this, then give it a like and follow my blog. Be respectful and happy reading!

February 2020 TBR!

Hello, friends!

I have already posted my TBR for the Historical Fictionathon, which will take up half of the month of February. I’m not going to post those books on here. This is the link to that if you wanted to check it out!

NetGalley:

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian

Goodreads blurb:

Set amidst the adrenaline-fueled world of the emergency room, The Red Lotus is a global thriller about those who dedicate their lives to saving people, and those who peddle death to the highest bidder.

Physical:

Difficult Women by Roxane Gay

Goodreads blurb:

Gay returns with Difficult Women, a collection of stories of rare force and beauty, of hardscrabble lives, passionate loves, and quirky and vexed human connection.

Library:

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Goodreads blurb:

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.

Extra:

I have two other books that I started in January that I need to finish before the readathon.

Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

Goodreads blurb:

In this captivating dual narrative novel, a modern-day woman finds inspiration in hidden notes left by her home’s previous owner, a quintessential 1950s housewife. As she discovers remarkable parallels between this woman’s life and her own, it causes her to question the foundation of her own relationship with her husband–and what it means to be a wife fighting for her place in a patriarchal society.

A Door in the Earth by Amy Waldman

Goodreads blurb:

When she discovers a bestselling book called Mother Afghanistan, a memoir by humanitarian Gideon Crane that has become a bible for American engagement in the country, she is inspired. Galvanized by Crane’s experience, Parveen travels to a remote village in the land of her birth to join the work of his charitable foundation.

Go check out my January Wrap Up if you haven’t already! 🙂

If you enjoyed this, then give it a like and follow my blog. Be respectful and happy reading!

December 2019 Reading Wrap Up!

My December was not full of quality reading. A lot of the books were very average. I did have a lot of four stars, but nothing incredible. I clearly didn’t write many reviews either. My five-star read is a graphic novel, which is actually pretty exciting. That doesn’t happen often.

December reading stats:

Read: 13 total. 6 graphic novels; 7 full-length novels.

Page count: 2,960

5 ★ – 1

4 ★ – 6

3 ★ – 4

2 ★ – 2

1 ★ – 0

Giant Days vols 3 by John Allison: 11/25/19-12/2/19

Instagram Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Giant Days vol. 4 by John Allison: 12/4/19-12/7/19

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James: 12/4/19-12/8/19

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren: 12/2/19-12/8/19

Instagram Review | Blog Review

Giant Days vol. 5 by John Allison: 12/10/19-12/12/19

Rating: 4 out of 5.

One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski: 12/10/19-12/14/19

Goodreads Review | Instagram Review | Blog Review

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Giant Days vol. 6 by John Allison: 12/9/19-12/18/19

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand: 12/21/19-12/22/19

Rating: 4 out of 5.

On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci: 12/23/19-12/25/19

Blog Review | Instagram Review | Goodreads Review

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Giant Days vol. 7 by John Allison: 12/19/19-12/25/19

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid: 12/13/19-12/30/19

Instagram Review | Blog Review | Goodreads Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Giant Days vol. 8 by John Allison: 12/31/19-12/31/19

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Well Met by Jen DeLuca: 12/26/19-12/31/19

Instagram Review | Goodreads Review

Rating: 2 out of 5.

If you enjoyed this, then give it a like and follow my blog. Be respectful and happy reading!

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End of the Year Reading Wrap Up – 2019

Welcome to a new decade, friends!

This was a pretty decent year as far as quality goes. I read a lot of mediocre books, but the ones I did love were excellent! I’m just here to bring you all of my juicy reading stats. I’m sorry there aren’t any graphs. I know that’s what everyone came to see. I will have other fun posts coming out in January such as, 2020 reading goals, my December wrap up / January TBR, my 2019 social media journey, etc!

Enjoy!

*All photos of books were taken from Goodreads, and the GIFS were taken from Google. Nothing is mine.

Total books read:

90

Ratings:

  • 5 stars – 16
  • 4 stars – 34
  • 3 stars – 34
  • 2 stars – 6

Female vs Male Authors:

  • Female authors – 57
  • Male authors – 33

Best / Worst Reading Month

  • July – 4,567 pages
  • September – 884 pages

Total Page Count:

26,437

Genres:

  • Historical Fiction – 13
  • Romance – 12
  • Contemporary Fiction – 17
  • Non Fiction – 4
  • Science Fiction / Fantasy – 15
  • Young Adult (all genres within YA) – 7
  • Middlegrade – 3
  • Mystery / Thriller / Horror – 14

New to Me Authors vs Already Acquainted:

I obviously didn’t count the same author more than once!

  • New to me: 56
  • Old: 15

My favorites and least favorite books of the year will go from bottom to top.

Top Ten Favorite Reads:

10. The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

9. Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell, Faith Erin Hicks

8. Letters from an Astrophysicist by Neil deGrasse Tyson

7. Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

6. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo

5. All Systems Red by Martha Wells

4. The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung

3. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

2. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

1. The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

Top Five Least Favorite Reads:

5. An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

4. The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

3. One Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

2. Bunny by Mona Awad

1. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Thank you for being my friend and following my reading journey. Cheers to the new year!

If you enjoyed this, then give it a like and follow my blog. Be respectful and happy reading!

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Blogmas Day 1: November 2019 Reading Wrap Up!

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WELCOME TO BLOGMAS DAY 1! I’m trying out a new layout for my monthly reading wrap ups. It’s more work than I usually put into them, but I am very happy with it. Let me know what you think!

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November Reading Stats: 

Read: 9 total—7 novels and 2 graphic novels

Page count: 2,933

5★ – 1

4★ – 5

3★ – 2

2★ – 1

1★ – 0

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger: 10/30/19-11/2/19

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Blog Review | Goodreads Review | Instagram Review

Rating: ★★★★★

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane: 11/7/19-11/10/19

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Blog Review | Goodreads Review | Instagram Review

Rating: ★★★★✩

Giant Days Vol. 1 by John Allison: 11/12/19-11/14/19

25785993

Goodreads Review | Instagram Review

Rating: ★★★✩✩

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams: 11/5/19-11/17/19

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Blog Review | Goodreads Review

Rating: ★★★★✩

Giant Days Vol. 2 by John Allison: 11/16/19-11/19/19

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Goodreads Review | Instagram Review

Rating: ★★★★✩

The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman: 11/4/19-11/21/19

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Instagram Review

Rating: ★★★★✩

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout: 11/4/19-11/23/19

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Blog Review | Instagram Review

Rating: ★★★★✩

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout: 11/24/19-11/24/19

43984883

Blog Review | Goodreads Review | Instagram Review 

Rating: ★★★✩✩

Bunny by Mona Awad: 11/21/19-11/30/19

42815544

I will add the reviews when I can form thoughts about this one. Holy moly.

Rating: ★★✩✩✩

 If you enjoyed this, then give it a like and follow my blog. Be respectful and happy reading!

Instagram | Goodreads | Twitter

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October 2019 Reading Wrap Up!

I’m very surprised I was able to finish 7 books. I don’t think I’ll be able to finish either of my books by the end of tonight, so I’m giving you my wrap up now! Two of these were graphic novels, but two of the books were also over 400 pages. It’s a balancing act, folks! The past couple of months have been miserable excuses, so I wanted to make October a great month. I’d say it was a success!

*I tend to not review books on all of my platforms—odd, I know—so just pick your poison.

The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure ★★★★☆

Blog Review

Goodreads Review

Letters from an Astrophysicist by Neil deGrasse Tyson ★★★★★

Blog Review

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg ★★★☆☆

Goodreads Review

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell, Faith Erin Hicks (Illustrator) ★★★★☆

Goodreads Review

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates ★★★★☆

Blog Review

Instagram Review

Instagram Review

The Institute by Stephen King ★★★☆☆

RTC

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu (Illustrator) ★★★☆☆

Book Goodreads Review

If you have read any of these, then let me know what you thought.

If you enjoyed this, then give it a like and follow my blog. Be respectful and happy reading!

Instagram | Goodreads | Twitter

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August 2019 Reading Haul / Wrap Up

Why would you combine a wrap up with a haul? Well, I didn’t finish enough books to make the wrap up an interesting enough post. I even took vacation at the end of August and only finished one book. Hence the combination of the two. Anyway, I’m going to start with my sad little wrap up.

WRAP UP

Finished: Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

Completed entirely: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (an on-the-page buddy read with Krystyna @ Turning the Pages. I will eventually have a review for that up, and I will tell you more about the buddy read in a later post! It’s exciting stuff.)

That’s it—moving on.

HAUL

I collected 18 more wonderful books for my shelves. I have officially filled up a whole bookshelf of (unread) books. I have a different shelf that holds the books I’ve read. Seventeen of the books I am about to haul, I paid for with my own money. One of them I received from Berkley Publishing—Goodreads Giveaway. Fortunately for my wallet, none of these were full price! Exciting, I know.

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

The Big Finish by Brooke Fossey — This was the ARC I received from Berkley/Goodreads. It comes out April 14, 2020, if you’re interested. It sounds super cute!

The Unknown Terrorist by Richard Flanagan

Night by Elie Wiesel

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

The Whisper Man by Alex North— Book of the Month pick.

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout— The only one out of this group that I have already read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Review

Blog Review

A Column of Fire by Ken Follett

Gould’s Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

A Series of Unfortunate Events (Books 5, 6, & 7) by Lemony Snicket

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Do you see any that you have read before? Any of these on your TBR? Let me know down in the comments!

If you enjoyed this, then give it a like and follow my blog. Be respectful and happy reading!

Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter

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