Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

60 seems like a good number for me. It doesn't put too much pressure on me. I think my highest year was 78. Last year I did 66. I want it to be more about quality than quantity. Last year I read some graphic novels and listened to a good bit of audio books. I think this year I'm more going for the fun of it then anything else. Past years I've tried to increase my classic reading which I still enjoy. This year I just feel more like giving into some fantasy and whims. I have a stack of books I've been collecting from second hand stores and book sales. Some have also been passed to me from friends. I'm looking forward to reading them all. I still plan to participate in my Around the World in 52 Books Challenge but I'm trying not to plan out every book. I think sometimes this takes the fun out of reading the last quarter or so of the year. I'm going to try and read what I feel like and then fit it into the prompts. I can't believe another reading year has gone by!!

Best of luck, Joan!

Lisa wrote: "Best of luck, Joan!"

Thank you!!

Well here is the January wrap up. I read six books which is better than what I had been doing the past few months.

Shiny Broken Pieces - This was a pretty good book. I actually liked it better than the first book in the series. I rated it 5 stars. It was a fun two book series to read that was filled with drama if you like that sort of thing. Sometimes I'm just in the mood for drama. It wasn't a popular series at all but I saw recently that Netflix picked it up as a series so I'm interested to see what that is like.

Station Eleven - I wanted to like this more than I did. I enjoyed the parts about the pandemic. Much of the other storyline I hardly even remember only a few weeks later. I only rated it 3 stars. It was beautifully written but I didn't really connect with any of the characters or storyline.

Girl, Interrupted - I wanted to read this for awhile. I saw the movie years ago. I thought it was a good book about mental health and I didn't realize that it was a true story until I started reading it. I rated it 4 stars and this will be a book that I remember.

Dear Martin - I rated this 4 stars. It wasn't as good as The Hate U Give but I thought it got across the problems that young black teens have. I would definitely recommend reading it.

Don't You Cry - I like these psychologic thriller/mysteries. I saw that this one wasn't rated as highly but I enjoyed it and I didn't see the twists coming. I thought the book flowed really well. There wasn't a lot of dialog in it which I usually hate when there isn't a lot of dialog but the book flowed so easily that I didn't really miss the dialog. I rated it 5 stars. I read it really quickly.

The End of Oz - I had to finish the series. I didn't think this was a great series but it was different to read and I'll probably remember it really well. The first book was good. I rated that one 4 stars. The second book was ok and I rated it 3 stars. The third book I rated 3 stars but really should have rated it 2 stars. Thankfully this book was better than the third book and I thought it finished the series well. The story line was much better than the other two (view spoiler)[ I didn't like that they killed off the lion, tin man and scarecrow so early in the series. I would have liked to see more of their creepiness. Some Nome King was introduced and I thought it would have been better if one of the original Oz characters would have been better to have been the evil one. (hide spoiler)]

Looking forward to reading lots of books this year!

6/60

I'm a little late on my February wrap up but it was a very good reading month.

All Is Not Forgotten - This book took a weird direction. It was mostly narrated by the psychologist or I guess it all was. I could see how it was going to be tied together somewhat. I rated it 3 stars. At first I liked the narration of the psychologist but then it got sort of annoying. Another one where I wasn't a complete fan of the ending. It was a book I picked up on clearance and hadn't really heard of it before that. Sometimes those are good books to read because you don't know what to expect. It was good entertainment.

I Let You Go - I thought this was a good story. It kind of reminded me of a movie but if I name which one it would spoil it so I'll use the spoilers for it (view spoiler)[Sleeping With the Enemy (hide spoiler)]. I liked the character and the story. I ended up rating it 4 stars. It ended how I wanted it to. I just thought it wasn't very original. The foreshadowing was obvious.

Mooncakes - just a fun graphic read to throw in while I was doing a read-a-thon. I rated it 3 stars. The graphics were cute and the storyline was somewhat cute. They are always fun to read to break up the monotony of novels.

Vanishing Girls - I rated this one 4 stars. It had a twist I didn't see coming. It was a quick read. It was a young adult novel. I usually like Oliver's stories.

Paris for One and Other Stories - It was good to read a bunch of romance short stories. I hadn't read romance in awhile and I read this book in one day. I rated it 4 stars. I like Moyes' style. It was more of a comfort read. It wasn't as emotional as Me Before You. That book is one of my favorites.

Everything I Never Told You - The writing in this was very good. The characters were well defined and there was a bit of mystery. You felt the family's suffering. It was an emotional book. I rated it 4 stars. It took me a week to read. It wasn't something that you could plow through. You had to read slowly to appreciate it. I like her writing. I also enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere.

The 100 - I wanted to read this book because I wanted to start watching the series on Netflix. It wasn't great writing by any means but it was entertaining and ended on a cliffhanger so I'll probably read the next one. I did rate it 3 stars and that was probably being generous and rounding up from a 2.

13/60

My total books read in March wasn't all that great but I've finished off a bunch in April already.

Nine Perfect Strangers - This wasn't the typical Liane Moriarty book to me. It went a little weird for my taste and some of it just wasn't so believable to me. I ended up rating it 3 stars.

A Promised Land - I listened to this for over two months on audio. It was wordy but he told a lot of interesting stories and it was great that he narrated it. I ended up rating it 4 stars. I don't think this is a book I could've physically read instead of listen to. I think I would have been bored reading it.

Feed - This was one of my Secret Santa books from this group and I was really glad to read it. It's something that I wouldn't have picked up and ended up being exactly what I wanted to read. I plan on continuing with the series. It was a zombie book and the zombies started with a virus. The book was written like 2011 I think and the amount of things that aligned with the way we are handling the Corona virus was uncanny. I ended up rating it 4 stars.

The Road - This was a quick read. It was different and it was an post apocalyptic book. It was about a father and a son and the love between them really came through in the writing. There weren't any chapters or parts and the book was only separated with spaces which with the way the characters just roamed around unaware of the date it seemed fitting. I wasn't a fan of the very end. Just seemed weird but I ended up rating it 4 stars.

17/60

Look at you go do you have a standout favorite yet?

Blagica wrote: "Look at you go do you have a standout favorite yet?"

Probably Feed just because it wasn't something I'd normally read and it was fun to read.

I guess I read 6 books in April. I'm on the cusp of finishing two more this weekend. I'm kinda sad I couldn't get them completed in April.

The Light We Lost - I really liked this book in the beginning. I hated the ending mostly because it didn't really tie anything up. I wanted the character to realize something that was never came to a realization. It ended up making me mad really. I ended up rating it 3 stars. It reminded me of The Bridges of Madison County which I wasn't a complete fan of either but it did start out better than Bridges.

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood - This was a delight to listen to. I'm glad I finally did. I rated it 5 stars. I don't watch the Daily Show and I didn't know anything about him but I heard the book was really good and I'm glad I read it. I learned a lot about South Africa. I recommend it to everyone that listens to audio books.

The Butterfly Garden - This was a dark book about a serial killer that collected girls. The story was told through one of the girls. I enjoyed it for something different. It was sort of a crime mystery but told much better than a cozy mystery. At the end of every section it left you hanging and want to read more. There are other books in the series that I plan on reading. I do like to read darker things but I try to space them out somewhat with happier books. I rated it 4 stars.

The Way I Used to Be - This was a kind of dark young adult book. It is an important book to read I think. It does have some triggers in it so I would read with caution. I felt like it was a believable and relatable story about how someone dealt with being raped. The character went through many transformations. I really enjoyed reading it and it was a very quick read because you really got into the story and cared about the character. I rated it 5 stars.

The Good Son - Wow - this was dark also. It was some really good story telling. I would recommend this book. I don't want to say too much about it to give anything away. You get sucked in right away. I rated this one 5 stars also.

Beneath the Sugar Sky - This was a fun book. The different worlds were creative and I liked reading it much better than the other two books in the series. I will keep reading the series but it isn't at the top of my list for series but it is good entertainment and the books are quick to read. I rated it 3 stars.

I'm currently 4 books ahead in my annual reading challenge. I should be finishing one book today and another in the next couple of days. I feel like this year so far has had a lot of interesting reads.

23/60

I read 6 books in May. I'm currently ahead in my annual challenges except for the Goodread's Choice Award challenge.

The Royal Secret - I think there were too many subplots going on with this book. I didn't even really get what the secret was but oddly guessed it right off and I know that doesn't make sense but you'd have to read it and then I can explain what I mean. I still rated it 3 stars just because I was intrigued.

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail - I listened to this on audio and it was honestly one of the best audios that I've listened to. I laughed pretty hard in spots. The narrator was great. I only rated it 4 stars because there were some parts that lost my interest. I highly recommend this audio.

Northanger Abbey - I loved the first half of this book. The second half did drag for me. It was still written beautifully though. I still gave it a four star rating. I thought it also ended abruptly and I really wanted to find out what happened to Isabella.

The Wives - This was an exciting read. Although it got a little too wild. Another ending I hated. I rated it 4 stars.

Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt - I listened to this on audio. It was interesting but didn't hold my attention like I wanted it to. It was very packed with information and I did learn some things. I rated it 3 stars.

Horns - I liked the first half of this book as well. the second half got a little too crazy for me. I also felt like it wasn't explained why it happened to him unless I missed it and didn't get it. I rated it 4 stars but that was pretty much rounded up from a 3.5. I wish you could do half ratings. The writing was really good.

29/60

Well I seem to be reading an almost consistent 6 books a month. It has been a pretty good reading year so far. I'm currently 9 ahead in my Around the Year challenge and ahead in mym2021 reading challenge by 6.

Between Shades of Gray - This was a quick read and a historical fiction that I learned a lot on. I wasn't really aware of that part of WWII. I gave it 4 stars just because I felt like I didn't connect with the characters as much as I could have. It's categorized as a young adult book but I don't think it really read that way. I'd recommend it if you like WWII historical fictions.

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - I listened to this on audio. It changed how I I perceived the way things are portrayed in movies and what not. For instance The Blind Side, made me look at that movie different. The change of perspective will stay with me from reading this book. I only rated it 3 stars just because the audio itself was a little boing.

The Mothers - This book was a total surprise. I rated it 5 stars. Had a lot of emotions in it and it was a good heartfelt story. I couldn't find much to read for the prompt for my ATY challenge. I'm glad I picked up this book.

Regretting You - I read this book quickly and it was a good page turner but something about the writing made me hold off from rating it higher than a 3 star book. It might have lacked some depth or it felt a little hokey in parts. I did enjoy the quick read though.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory - This author does wonderful audios. I rated it 5 stars. I'll probably listen to it again. She's hilarious but also gets her point across. This one was also heartfelt. I recommend listening to her on audio. She does a superb job.

Eragon - I'm glad I finally read this but man did it take me forever to read. I just don't think it is my type of book either. The world building was really good though and the descriptions were great. The character was a little whiney for me and I felt like they went town to town too much. the author was in his teens when he wrote it though which is amazing but I could only give it 2 stars. I liked the first quarter to a third of the first part of the book and the rest of it sincerely dragged for me. Unless I run out of books to read in my lifetime I don't see myself continuing the series.

35/60

Well I only read 5 books in July. A couple of them weren't that great.

My Sister's Keeper - This was better than I thought it was going to be. I saw the movie when it came out and I think there was a whole story line that wasn't in the movie. It was heartwarming. I wasn't impressed with the ending though. That's why I rated it 4 stars and not 5 stars.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - This book just wasn't for me. It was written as interviews with people across different areas of the war. It didn't allow for any character development so for me it didn't work. I thought the idea was creative though. I rated it 2 stars.

Authority - This book was slow. A couple parts were interesting but not enough. I am going to finish the series and read the next book however. I'm hoping it will be much better than this one. I only rated this one 2 stars. I had a hard time keeping the characters straight and then I kinda stopped caring.

Normal People - This book was a surprise. I really liked the writing. The characters had a lot of depth. It did annoy me that no quotations were used for dialogue. The ending was too vague for me so I rated it 4 stars. I do recommend the book.

The Glass Castle - Someone was getting rid of a pile of books and this one was in it. It was on my tbr list so I grabbed it along with a few others. I didn't realize it was a memoir. I usually listen to those on audio. I was a little nervous about reading it for that reason. Memoirs usually don't keep my attention when I read them and that's why I do audio. I didn't have to worry about that with this book. It grabbed me attention right away. It held my attention the whole way through. The family was a wreck and it was like watching a train wreck. I couldn't put the book down. I rated it five stars. I highly recommend it.

40/60

I'm a little late on my August post of books read.

The Man I Knew: The Amazing Story of George H. W. Bush's Post-Presidency - I loved this story on George H. W. Bush after his presidency. It shows what a great man he was and how close his family is. He had strong values. He was a class act. I listened to this on audio and I learned a lot. I rated it 5 stars. He was the 41st President and by accident this was the 41st book I read this year.

The Beautiful Lost - I read this for a quick book for a quarterly challenge. I really enjoyed it. It is a young adult book. It was really heartfelt and a good book for anyone to read but especially teens that have a hard life. I rated it 5 stars.

Virgin River - This was a romance that I wanted to read before I started watching the Netflix series. I thought the book was pretty good. It kept me turning the pages and the characters were good. It was a little predictable but I rated it 4 stars.

Greenlights - I listened to the audio. It was read by Matthew McConaughey. He did so awesome reading it. It was a joy to listen to. I highly recommend. Some of the stories were really funny. He's pretty open and honest about his life. I rated it 5 stars. It was one of those unexpected books that you loved and weren't expecting to.

44/60

September I did a little bit better with my book count. I'm still 8 books ahead in my Around the Year Challenge and I only have 5 books left to read for Around the Year. I read 7 books in September.

Shelter Mountain - The first book in the series is much better. I probably won't continue with this series unless I want to see the book to Netflix series differences. I've watched the first season of Virgin River and boy did they change it around from the book. The basically have this book and the first book running somewhat simultaneously in the series. A lot has been changed. This book fell kinda flat for me. I liked some of it but it didn't have all of the same qualities as the first book did. I rated it 3 stars.

Rage - I won't comment on this book too much because it is political. But you can tell from my reading list that I like to read about all of the Presidents. I rated this 4 stars. The reader was pretty good. I listened to it on audio.

Winter's Bone - This was a nice quick book. It was kind of a mystery what happened to her Dad. There were strong characters in it. This will be a book that I remember because of at least one part in the book. The end was confusing which is why I only rated it 3 stars.

Such a Fun Age - This book was a delight. I didn't know anything about it. I just saw it on the Target shelf and it was on sale. This book was about racism but it didn't hit you over the head with it. It was pretty subtle and it showed you how you could change your thinking. I rated it 4 stars.

We Are the Ants - It was a heartfelt book and the main character, Henry, was funny. He goes through a lot in the book. It was a good coming of age story. This book had me turning the pages. You end up really rooting for Henry. I rated it 4 stars only because one part of the book I feel like doesn't get answered.

The House of Kennedy - I listened to this on audio. The reader was pretty good. I learned a lot about the other members of the Kennedy family. JFK, RFK and Teddy were also in but they also talked about the next generation as well as the previous generation. It was a good audio. I would recommend. I rated it 4 stars.

Rogue Protocol - The beginning was rough for me but then the rest of the book flowed well. This series is fun for me when I want to read something different but I don't go out of my way to read the next one. I rated it 3 stars. Murderbot's inner monologue is probably the best thing about these books.

51/60

October was a slow reading month for me. I think it was because two of the books I read just weren't fast movers for me. I only read three books.

The Silent Patient - I rated it 5 stars. I didn't see the twist coming. It kept me guessing as to who did it. It was a believable story also. It didn't seem too far out there. I had wanted to read it for awhile and I'm glad I finally did.

The House in the Cerulean Sea - This was a super cute book. It wasn't fast paced though. The characters were wonderful. I wanted to meet them all and go this house in real life. I rated it 4 stars just because it was slower paced for me but otherwise a great read and it was imaginative.

A Thousand Splendid Suns - This was not a fast book for me at all. I put off reading it for years but once I read it I really enjoyed it. I found learning about the culture interesting. The characters were great. There was a good twist in it. I rated it 5 stars.

I'm definitely on my way to complete 60 books this year. I think maybe a couple more than that because I have some vacation coming up.

54/60

Well I petered out in November and December. Here are my final books:

The Yellow Wallpaper - I finally read this short story. I enjoyed the gothic qualities. It was a good mental health book and it kinda shows how they treated mental health back then. I rated it 4 stars.

Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis - I listened to on audio. Some of it didn't hold my attention. It didn't really answer the question but it showed what my generation deals with that other generations didn't have to. It also pointed out how the future generations might have to deal with going forward. I rated it 3 stars.

The Silver Linings Playbook - I don't normally listen to fiction on audio but I wanted to knock this one off of my list. Other than the voice for the main character sounded like a child every once in awhile, it was an enjoyable listen. I grew up outside of the Philly area and I really enjoyed listening to this book. The mental health aspects and the family dynamic was relatable as well. I rated it 5 stars. I should have read it a lot sooner. I watched the movie years ago and now will have to re-watch to compare.

The Turn of the Screw - I was not a fan. I couldn't follow a lot of it. I rated it 2 stars. I had to read Wikipedia on what I was reading. I don't normally have that trouble with classics. I'm glad it is off of my tbr list though.

The Other Mrs. - I enjoyed this book. I thought the mystery was good and I read it fast enough. A couple of the twists I guessed but a couple I did not. I rated it 4 stars.

Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants - I listened to this on audio and it probably would have been better to actually read the book. Although, I loved the narration of George W. Bush. Some of the stories were very interesting and some were not. I rated it 3 stars.

60/60