ŷ������

This is my first ever challenge topic / corner and I'm excited to be involved with the group this year! I've tracked my books in various ways over the years, from writing them down in notebooks, goodreads shelves, word documents and excel spreadsheets, now I'm here! I completed the PopSugar Reading Challenge last year and that's what led me to find this group. I'm hoping to use this topic to keep track of the challenges I'm completing, some personal goals and some statistics about the books I'm reading because who doesn't love statistics?!

My overall goal is the same as last year's, which I met with a few books over. 100 books.

Overall progress: 128/100 + 9 re-reads (not counted in stats)

Things I want to keep track of:

Book Format:
Paperback: 61
Hardback: 12
eBook: 53
Audio Book: 2

Where From?:
Owned: 28
Owned (freebie): 6
Library: 70
Amazon Prime Lending Library: 11
NetGalley: 13

Target Audience:
Children / Young Teens: 9
Young Adults: 56
Adults: 53

Monthly Reads:
January: 11
February: 15
March: 11 (+1 re-read)
April: 14
May: 9
June: 9
July: 10
August: 15
September: 6 (+5 re-reads)
October: 5 (+3 re-reads)
November: 16
December: 7

I'd also personally like to get involved with this group a bit more, and try out some of the many things happening!

Personal Group Challenges

Participate in 3 Monthly or Quarterly Challenges:

1) 1st Quarter Challenge - 4 past group reads. 4/4 Complete!

2) February Times Gone By - Historical fiction spanning 5 different time periods. 5/5 Complete!

3) February Mini Challenge - extra day, extra reading. Read a book in a day in honour of the leap day. 1/1

4) March Read Women! - read books written by women that fit different criteria. 6/6

5) March Courage - read books that are in some way courageous. 2/2

6) 2nd Quarter Clear the Shelves - clearing out my physical books, kindle books and library books! 18/18

7) April Mini Challenge - The Bard - read a Shakespeare play. 1/1

8) Special 10,000 Challenge (May + June) - read books that fit into categories to celebrate 10,000 members in the group. 5/5

9) June Someone Else's Shoes - read books with protagonists that are somehow different to you. 6/3

10) July Fellowship of the Ring - read books inspired by LoTR characters 4/4

11) 3rd Quarter 10 challenge - reading 10 books chosen by sorting my TBR list 10 different ways! 10/10

12) 3rd Quarter Finish the Series - completing series that have long awaited completion! 5/5

13) November Wedding Days - reading books that follow the 'something old, something new rhyme' 7/7

14) 4th Quarter Nominees - reading books that were nominated, but didn't get chosen, as group reads. 4/4

��Participate in a Group Read:
February - The Witches: Salem, 1692
August - The Kite Runner

��Get a TBR Twin:
February - read Sabriel with Ozcose.
April - read Throne of Glass with Alexxy.
May - read Carry On with Gabby.
July - read Everyone Brave is Forgiven with Sabina.
August - read The Colour of Magic with Stefani.
November - reading The Rest of Us Just Live Here with Ozcose again!

Yearly Challenges

Around the World in Books:

1) Japan - 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
2) Russia - Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
3) Canada - The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
4) Australia - Sabriel by Garth Nix
5) Czech Republic - The Goddess Within by Iva Kenaz
6) Nigeria - Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
7) Norway - A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
8) China - I Am China by Xiaolu Guo
9) Mexico - Sudden Death by Álvaro Enrigue
10) India - Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil
11) Iran - The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
12) North Korea - The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee
13) Afghanistan - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
14) South Africa - The Copy by Grant Boshoff
15) Germany - Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
16) France - Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Read 16/15

-----------------------------------------------------------

From Fiction to Reality:

6 pairs, 12 books.

1a. Fiction: Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
1b. Non-Fiction: The C-Word by Lisa Lynch
Theme: Cancer

2a. Fiction: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
2b. Non-Fiction: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
Theme: Murder

3a. Fiction: Conversion by Katherine Howe
3b. Non-Fiction: The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff
Theme: Salem Witch Trials

4a. Fiction: Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
4b. Non-Fiction: Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
Theme: Mental Health

5a. Fiction: The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
5b. Non-Fiction: Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity
Theme: Transgender / Transexualism

6a. Fiction: Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
6b. Non-Fiction: Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson
Theme: Shakespeare

7a. Fiction: Sudden Death by Álvaro Enrigue.
7b. Non-Fiction: Andy Murray: Seventy-Seven: My Road to Wimbledon Glory by Andy Murray
Theme: Tennis

Read: 14/12, 7 pairs

-----------------------------------------------------------

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2016:

Italicised challenges are ideas / tentative plans.
Bolded challenges are completed.

1. A book based on a fairy tale - Cress
2. A National Book Award winner - Challenger Deep
3. A YA bestseller - Sabriel
4. A book you haven't read since high school - Twelfth Night
5. A book set in your home state county - The Cambridge Mysteries
6. A book translated to English - Cancer Ward
7. A romance set in the future - The Heir
8. A book set in Europe - The Miniaturist
9. A book that's under 150 pages - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
11. A book that's becoming a movie this year - Me Before You
12. A book recommended by someone you just met - A Court of Thorns and Roses (recommended by Kirsty)
13. A self-improvement book - Reasons to Stay Alive
14. A book you can finish in a day - The Palace Library
15. A book written by a celebrity - The Enchantress Returns
16. A political memoir - The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story
17. A book at least 100 years older than you - A Doll's House
18. A book that's more than 600 pages - 1Q84
19. A book from Oprah's Book Club - Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
20. A science-fiction novel - Auto
21. A book recommended by a family member - The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
22. A graphic novel - Silverfin the Graphic Novel
23. A book that is published in 2016 - The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth
24. A book with a protagonist that has your occupation - The Nightingale
25. A book that takes place during summer - Pompeii
26. A book and its prequel - Throne of Glass + The Assassin's Blade
27. A murder mystery - The Silkworm
28. A book written by a comedian - Is It Just Me?
29. A dystopian novel - The Institute
30. A book with a blue cover - Dietland
31. A book of poetry - The Bees
32. The first book you see in a bookstore (and was interested in!) - All the Rage
33. A classic from the 20th century - The Bell Jar
34. A book from the library - The C-Word
35. An autobiography - Andy Murray: Seventy-Seven: My Road to Wimbledon Glory
36. A book about a road trip - Around the World in Eighty Days
37. A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with - Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale
38. A satirical book - Bitch Planet #1
39. A book that takes place on an island - Spell or High Water
40. A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two

Read: 40 / 40

Good luck Janine! I hope you will enjoy being with us! There's a lot going on, great to see you jumping in!

Thanks, Winter :) I'm excited - hoping this group and the challenges will encourage me to keep finding new books and reading things I might not have otherwise!

January:

Read:
1) by Krystal Wade. Finished 3rd Jan.
eBook, Amazon Lending Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. A fair few things that irritated me, but I still enjoyed the overarching plot.
Challenges: None.

2) by Lisa Lynch. Finished 4th Jan.
Paperback, library, Adult, 4+ stars.
Witty and humorous, yet also incredibly emotional!
Challenges: Fiction to Reality, PopSugar #34.

3) by Haruki Murakami. Finished 12th Jan.
eBook, owned (gift), Adult, 4 stars.
Full review here. A strange, genre-defying story which comes to life when the stories intertwine.
Challenges: PopSugar #18.

4) by Robert Galbraith. Finished 14th Jan.
Paperback, library, Adult, 4 stars.
Full review here. An engrossing, very readable murder mystery.
Challenges: PopSugar #27, Fiction to Reality.

5) by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Finished 15th Jan.
eBook (comic), owned, Adult, 3 stars.
I enjoyed the premise but I just wasn't that drawn in. I think partly this might be because I didn't enjoy the eBook format.
Challenges: PopSugar #38.

6) by Jessie Burton. Finished 16th Jan.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4 stars.
Full review here. A bit of a slow start, but overall a nice easy read about the slightly unusual life of a Dutch family in the late 1600s.
Challenges: PopSugar #8.

7) by David Wailing. Finished 21st Jan.
eBook, owned (freebie), Adult, 2 stars.
Full review here. A collection of short sci-fi stories with an interesting overarching plot, but interspersed with a few awful stories with characters I could just not stand.
Challenges: PopSugar #20.

8) by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Finished 25th Jan.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 3 stars.
Full review here. I learnt a lot about the Soviet Union, but I felt like it was too allegorical for me and I missed a lot of the symbolism/hidden meaning!
Challenges: PopSugar #6, Fiction to Reality.

9) by Jonathan Safran Foer. Finished 27th Jan.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 5 stars.
Full review here. An incredibly moving story with a great insight into how others perceive the world differently.
Challenges: Quarterly #1 (group reads)

10) by Barbara Cleverly. Finished 28th Jan.
Audio book, Library, Adult, 3 stars.
Full review here. Simple, but pleasant enough short story mysteries.
Challenges: Popsugar #5

11) by Charlie Higson. Finished 29th Jan.
Paperback Graphic Novel, Library, YA, 4 stars.
Full review here. A fun, easy to read graphic novel about school days James Bond that I'd recommend to teenagers.
Challenges: Popsugar #22.

Welcome to the group! Good luck with your challenges!

Thanks, Megan :)

First book of the year read (one I started just before New Year's) but sadly I don't think it fits in with any of my challenges! 2/3 of the way through the next book already though.

Janine wrote: "Thanks, Megan :)

First book of the year read (one I started just before New Year's) but sadly I don't think it fits in with any of my challenges! 2/3 of the way through the next book already though."

While it would be nice for every book to meet a challenge, some books are just good to read. Great progress so far!

A few days early for this, perhaps, but I've a busy weekend ahead and I'm in the mood to look back on the month's reading!

January Summary:

This month I read 11 books, 4348 pages and made it just over a tenth of the way through my reading challenge!

Overall reading challenge: 11/100
Yearly Pop Sugar challenge: 9/40
Yearly Fiction to Reality challenge: 3/10
Quarterly Challenge #1: 1/4

My favourite book of the month was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. ★★★★��
An absolute joy to read, though there seem to be very mixed reviews about it. I just love reading from the point of view of people who have a very different perspective on the world to me.

January's stars spread:
�� 0 books!
★★ 1 book
★★�� 4 books
★★★★ 5 books
★★★★�� 1 book

My planned reading for February:

The Palace Library (NetGalley, Times Gone By)
Spell or High Water
The Bell Jar (Quarterly, Times Gone By)
The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth (NetGalley)
Sabriel (TBR Twin)
The Witches: Salem, 1692 (Group Read, Times Gone By)
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America (Quarterly, Fiction to Reality)
Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale (Popsugar #23, Times Gone By)
Water for Elephants (Quarterly, Times Gone By)

February:


1) by Steven Loveridge. Finished 2nd Feb.
eBook, NetGalley, Children's, 3 stars
Full review here. Fun and action packed, but an incredibly disappointing lack of interesting, developed female characters.
Challenges: PopSugar #14, February Times Gone By

2) by Scott Meyer. Finished 4th Feb.
eBook, Amazon Lending Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A quirky, fun read - not to be taken too seriously!
Challenges: PopSugar #39

3) by Sylvia Plath. Finished 4th Feb.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
I'm so pleased I finally read this - dark humour and bleak at times, but fascinating all the same.
Challenges: Quarterly #1 (group reads), February Times Gone By, Popsugar #33, Fiction to Reality

4) by Katherine Woodfine. Finished 5th Feb.
eBook, NetGalley, Children's / Middle Grade, 5 stars
Full review here. A delightful mystery set in Edwardian London for older children / young teens. A very easy read for adults but still thoroughly enjoyable.
Challenges: PopSugar #23

5) by Sara Gruen. Finished 8th Feb.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4.5 stars
Full review here. A fascinating insight into 1930s circus-life and wonderfully escapist!
Challenges: PopSugar #10, Quarterly #1 (group reads), February Times Gone By

6) by David Kudler. Finished 10th Feb.
eBook, NetGalley, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. A great adventure story in a beautiful setting.
Challenges: PopSugar #37, February Times Gone By

7) by Margaret Atwood. Finished 11th Feb.
Audiobook, Library, Adult, 3 stars
An unusual twist on The Odyssey, told first-person by Penelope beyond the grave. Not a great narration, though, sadly!
Challenges: February Times Gone By

8) by Garth Nix. Finished 14th Feb.
Paperback, Library, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. February's TBR twin read with Ozcose. A brilliant book to read alongside someone else; an immersive dark fantasy with great world-building!
Challenges: February Times Gone By

9) by Sarai Walker. Finished 16th Feb.
eBook, Owned, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. An incredibly bizarre, dark, yet comedic, book covering a range of feminist issues, masquerading at the beginning as a straightforward chilled read. Completely genre-bending! (Note: Does cover issues such as rape, objectification, fat shaming, pornography etc.)
Challenges: PopSugar #30

10) by Robert Harris. Finished 21st Feb.
eBook, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A fascinating retelling of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius from the perspective of the aqueduct engineer.
Challenges: PopSugar #25, February Times Gone By

11) by Tania Unsworth. Finished 23rd Feb.
eBook, NetGalley, Children's, 3 stars
Full review here. Lots of curious, potential-filled themes but a little bit overwhelming and thrown together!

12) by Stacy Schiff. Finished 24th Feb.
Hardback, Library, Adult, 2 stars
Full review here. A fascinating topic and meticulously researched, but a dense, repetitive read that was hard work to get through. I'd recommend finding another source of information for someone interested in the topic!
Challenges: February Times Gone By

13) by Erik Larson. Finished 27th Feb.
Hardback, Library, Adult, 3 stars
Full review here. Interesting subject matter, but felt a bit disjointed and like two stories forced together.
Challenges: Quarterly #1 (group reads), Fiction to Reality

14) by Scott Meyer. Finished 29th Feb.
eBook, Amazon Lending Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A light-hearted, sarcastic read that poked fun at video game clichés. Third in the series and an improvement on the last one!

15) by J.K. Rowling. Finished 29th Feb.
Paperback, Owned, Children's, 5 stars
A short little re-read for me. I adore all of the companion books for the HP series, I'm a sucker for anything about that universe!
Challenges: Extra Day Extra Reading, PopSugar #9

I love your end of the month review, Janine! I hope you don't mind if I steal that for my own use... ;)

You've made great progress on your reading challenge thus far! I'm quite impressed. Keep up the great work.

Thanks, Jackie! And of course you can use the end of month review format - please improve on it, and then I can steal the improvements from you ;) This is my first year with a challenge page or corner, so I'm just experimenting with how I want to keep track.

Great list of books Janine, good luck with your challenges

Thanks, Kiwi! I've read quite a few shorter and YA/children's books so far this month so I seem to be zooming along.

Janine-- I just wanted to let you know that I got some feedback from my challenge that people love your monthly summary format! :)

Whoa already 7 books in February and the month isn't even over! You are doing an awesome job, you should have no problem reaching your goal! i really like your set up! Also it looks like you have already read MANY great books this year I'll definitely have to check some of them out!

Thanks, Hannah :) I've definitely been very motivated to read this month. I've had quite a bit of free time to indulge, and one too many late nights staying up reading when I should have been sleeping!

I've made it to 9 books for February now and am very far ahead in my overall yearly goal. Much further than I've ever been before! If this motivation keeps up, I may have to increase it.

That's awesome! I know the feeling, I often loose multiple hours of sleep due to a great book! To me though the books you loose sleep over are the best!

Hannah wrote: "That's awesome! I know the feeling, I often loose multiple hours of sleep due to a great book! To me though the books you loose sleep over are the best!"

They are the best, until you get back to work/life and are struggling through things... I recently stayed up all night reading Moon Called-- it was super addicting. I love it.

all of the Mercy Thompson books are addicting, I have read all 8 that are currently available and can't wait for the 9th one to come out next month.

February Summary:

This month I read 15 books, 4800 pages.

I'm zooming along with my yearly challenge, and this month I completed my first quarterly and monthly challenge. I also participated in a group read and had a TBR Twin for the first time. Successful month on goodreads for me!

Overall reading challenge: 26/100
Yearly Pop Sugar challenge: 19/40
Yearly Fiction to Reality challenge: 6/10

Challenges completed this month:
Quarterly Challenge #1: 4/4
February Times Gone By: 7/5!

My favourite book of the month was Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen ★★★★+
This was such an immersive, escapist read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The insight into 1930's circus life was fascinating (if at times a little horrifying!)

February's stars spread:
�� 0 books!
★★ 1 book
★★�� 4 books
★★★★ 8 books
★★★★�� 2 books

My planned reading for March:

Americanah (Buddy Read, Read Women)
Conversion (Fiction to Reality)
Dark Places (Read Women)
Lirael
A Darker Shade of Magic (Read Women)
Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity (Read Women, Courage)

March:


1) by Katherine Howe. Finished 1st March.
Paperback, Owned, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. I struggled with the first person teen perspective at first, but it really picked up. An excellent read after having recently read all about the Salem Witch Trials!
Challenges: Fiction to Reality

2) by Kayla Howarth. Finished 2nd March.
eBook, Owned (freebie), YA, 3 stars
Full review here. A fairly standard YA dystopian, but the storyline picked up later on in the book and I enjoyed it well enough to want to know what happens next!
Challenges: PopSugar #29

3) by Gillian Flynn. Finished 6th March.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Short review here. Dark and very twisted!
Challenges: March Read Women, March Courage

4) by Eugene Lambert. Finished 8th March.
eBook, NetGalley, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. An interesting, new dystopian world. Glad I picked it up from NetGalley!

5) by Iva Kenaz. Finished 13th March.
ebook, Owned (freebie), Adult, 2 stars
Full review here. Just not for me! Too much symbolism and spiritual self-discovery - not the kind of fantasy I enjoy.
Challenges: March Read Women, Around the World

6) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Finished 13th March.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. Really enjoyed this, funny and insightful!
Challenges: March Read Women, Around the World

7) by V.E. Schwab. Finished 14th March.
Paperback, Owned, YA (+?), 5 stars
Full review to come. An enchanting world, fascinating characters and a fast-paced plot. I was hooked from start to finish!
Challenges: March Read Women

8) by Garth Nix. Finished 19th March.
Paperback, Library, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. A great sequel with even more delicious world building, but a frustrating ending. I definitely need to pick up the next one!

9) by Mitch Albom. Finished 21st March.
eBook, Owned (Gift), Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A beautiful and epic story following the turbulent life of talented guitarist Frankie Presto from birth to death.
Challenges: PopSugar #21

10) by Henrik Ibsen. Finished 21st March.
eBook, Owned (Freebie), Adult, 3 stars
An enjoyable, short read that I can imagine was quite shocking in its time.
Challenges: PopSugar #17, Around the World

11) by Julia Serano. Finished 31st March.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. I really enjoyed reading about society from the author's perspective. Informative and enjoyable!
Challenges: March Read Women, March Courage


Re-reads: (not counting towards number of books read)


1) by Veronica Roth. I actually adored this! First time I've re-read it since it was released in 2013 and although I enjoyed it then, I loved it even more this time round. A controversial opinion as a lot of people seem to hate it, but it really worked for me. The ending was brutal and emotional and right.

March Summary:

This month I read 11 books (+1 re-read), 4746 pages.

Overall reading challenge: 37/100
Yearly Pop Sugar challenge: 22/40
Yearly Fiction to Reality challenge: 7/12 (upped my goal!)
Yearly Around the World challenge: 7/15

Challenges completed this month:
March Read Women: 6/6
March Courage: 2/2

My favourite book of the month was A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab ★★★★��
Such an absorbing read that ticked all the boxes for my ideal fantasy. I've picked up the sequel already and am looking forward to devouring that in April!

March's stars spread:
�� 0 books!
★★ 1 book
★★�� 2 books
★★★★ 7 books
★★★★�� 1 book

My planned reading for April:

Throne of Glass (TBR Twin + PopSugar)
Challenger Deep (PopSugar, Clear the Shelves, Fiction to Reality)
Abhorsen (Clear the Shelves)
Wilde's Meadow (Prime)
Reasons to Stay Alive (PopSugar, Fiction to Reality)
The Art of Being Normal (Clear the Shelves, Fiction to Reality)
The Nightingale (Clear the Shelves)
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Clear the Shelves)
A Gathering of Shadows

Great job! I'm planning to read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making next month too, so let me know if you want to do a buddy read. :)

Thanks Cassandra! Unfortunately I've already started The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. I started it about a week ago and got 30% of the way through, but then dropped it to finish off a library book that came through for a challenge. I'm planning on picking it up again sometime in April.

It's beautiful but if I'm honest, I'm not sure it's my kind of fantasy. It's a little too whimsical for me, I think I like a bit more structure to my magic and fantasy worlds! I'd love to hear what you think of it when you're done, though.

April:

Read:

1) by Neal Shusterman. Finished 4th April.
Paperback, Owned, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. My opinion of this book changed significantly throughout the reading experience. It's definitely one for reflection. A surreal and poignant adventure into the world of mental health.
Challenges: Q2 Clear the Shelves, Popsugar #2.

2) by Matt Haig. Finished 6th April.
eBook, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A brilliant and honest collection of thoughts from someone who lives with depression and anxiety. A little short and disjointed at times, but well worth a read.
Challenges: Q2 Clear the Shelves, Popsugar #13, Fiction to Reality.

3) by Garth Nix. Finished 8th April.
Paperback, Library, YA, 3.5/4 stars
Full review here. I've really enjoyed reading the Old Kingdom series. Whilst this one wasn't the best of the three, it was a very satisfying ending (to the original trilogy at least!)
Challenges: Q2 Clear the Shelves

4) by Lisa Williamson. Finished 8th April.
Hardback, Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. A super quick, easy read with a transgender protagonist. Unfortunately not all that I was hoping for in terms of representation, but it was still pretty good!
Challenges: Fiction to Reality

5) by Sarah J. Maas. Finished 12th April.
Paperback, Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. A lot of potential and an interesting fantasy world, but I found myself very frustrated with the main character!
Challenges: Popsugar #26

6) by Krystal Wade. Finished 13th April.
eBook, Amazon Lending Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. A neatly wrapped up 'happily ever after', but I found myself frustrated by the same things I didn't like in the second book back in January!
Challenges: None

7) by Kristin Hannah. Finished 15th April.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 5 stars
Full review here. Powerful and emotional WWII fiction.
Challenges: PopSugar #24, Q2 Clear the Shelves

8) by Catherynne M. Valente. Finished 18th April.
eBook, Owned, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. Beautiful and imaginative, but a little too whimsical for my tastes.
Challenges: Q2 Clear the Shelves

9) by Courtney Summers. Finished 18th April.
Paperback, Owned, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. A powerful, gritty, emotional read.
Challenges: PopSugar #32, Q2 Clear the Shelves

10) by Xiaolu Guo. Finished 21st April.
Hardback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A book of three voices, steeped in cultural and historical context.
Challenges: Around the World

11) by Kate Ellison. Finished 22nd April.
eBook, Owned (freebie), YA, 3 stars
Full review here. A fun, easy to read mystery but I didn't get on with the romance aspect.
Challenges: Q2 Clear the Shelves

12) by Jojo Moyes. Finished 24th April.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book as I generally don't like romance, but this was a heartbreaking love story.
Challenges: PopSugar #11, Q2 Clear the Shelves

13) by Pierce Brown. Finished 27th April.
eBook, Owned (gift), YA, 4 stars
Full review here. Science-fiction dystopian with a fascinating, strict, hierarchical society.
Challenges: Q2 Clear the Shelves

14) by William Shakespeare. Finished 28th April.
Hard Cover, Library, Adult, 4 stars
So pleased I read this for the special Bard challenge. Fun, foolish and an absurd love triangle!
Challenges: PopSugar #4, April Mini-Challenge - The Bard

No problem! I like structure too, especially in magic systems, so I'm curious to see what I'll think about it when I start reading.

April Summary:

This month I read 14 books, 4871 pages.

Overall reading challenge: 51/100
Yearly Pop Sugar challenge: 28/40
Yearly Fiction to Reality challenge: 10/12
Yearly Around the World challenge: 8/15
Quarterly 2 Clear the Shelves: 10/18

Challenges completed this month:
April Mini Challenge - The Bard 1/1

My favourite book of the month was The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah ★★★★��
I went on such an emotional journey with these two sisters. A great intro to WWII fiction for me.

April's stars spread:
�� 0 books!
★★ 0 book!
★★�� 5 books
★★★★ 8 books
★★★★�� 1 book

A great month, no terrible books!

My planned reading for May:

Shakespeare: The World as Stage (Fiction to Reality, 10,000 Celebration)
Andy Murray: Seventy-Seven: My Road to Wimbledon Glory (PopSugar)
All the Light We Cannot See (Quarterly, 10,000 Celebration)
Isle of Man (Prime)
Paper Butterflies (NetGalley)
Six of Crows (Quarterly, 10,000 Celebration)
Carry On (Twin Read)
Cress (Quarterly, PopSugar)

May:

Read:

1) by Andy Murray. Finished 5th May.
Hardback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. Very pleasant and super aesthetically-pleasing. A great light read for a tennis fan.
Challenges: Popsugar #35.

2) by Bill Bryson. Finished 9th May.
eBook, Library, Adult, 2 stars
Full review here. Short but very dull. All I learnt was how little we actually know about Shakespeare!
Challenges: Fiction to Reality, 10k Celebration

3) by Tanya Byron. Finished 11th May.
Hardback, Library, Adult, 3 stars
Full review here. An easy read of very interesting stories, but too much of a fictional style than what I was hoping for.
Challenges: 10k Celebration

4) by Anthony Doerr. Finished 14th May.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. Beautiful WW2 fiction with wonderful characters, but I struggled at times to stay fully engrossed.
Challenges: Q2 Clear the Shelves, 10k Celebration

5) by Ryan Winfield. Finished 15th May.
eBook, Amazon Lending Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. A little disappointing, a little generic, a sad lack of female characters... and yet I still want to know what happens!
Challenges: 10k Celebration

6) by Rainbow Rowell.Finished 17th May.
eBook, Owned, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. This book definitely requires you to suspend your disbelief and accept it for what it is, but a great fun twin read.
Challenges: Q2 Clear the Shelves

7) by Leigh Bardugo. Finished 18th May.
Paperback, Owned, YA, 5 stars
Full review here. The mix of fantasy with a heist and awesome characters was perfect!
Challenges: 10k Celebration, Q2 Clear the Shelves

8) by Lisa Heathfield. Finished 19th May.
eBook, NetGalley, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. This was a weird one for me. I did not enjoy reading it, it was brutal and way too heartwrenching for me, but it deserves 4 stars!

9) by V.E. Schwab. Finished 24th May.
Paperback, Owned, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A little slower than its predecessor, but still a very enjoyable continuation of the story. Massive cliffhanger warning!
Challenges: Q2 Clear the Shelves

May Summary:

This month I read 9 books, 3496 pages. A little bit of a slower month but some really fun books.

Overall reading challenge: 60/100
Yearly Pop Sugar challenge: 29/40
Yearly Around the World challenge: 8/15
Quarterly 2 Clear the Shelves: 10/18

Challenges completed this month:
Yearly Fiction to Reality challenge: 12/12
Special 10,000 challenge: 5/5

My favourite book of the month was Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. ★★★★��
Fantasy crossed with a daring heist, sprinkled with characters I love and love to hate. Right up my alley!

April's stars spread:
�� 0 books!
★★ 1 book!
★★�� 2 books
★★★★ 5 books
★★★★�� 1 book

My planned reading for June:

Cress (PopSugar)
Sudden Death (NetGalley, Around the World, Fiction to Reality)
The Speed of Dark (Quarterly, Someone Else's Shoes)
Narcopolis (Quarterly, Someone Else's Shoes, Around the World)
The Heir (PopSugar)
All These Things I've Done
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Golden Son (Quarterly)

June:

Read:

1) by Marissa Meyer. Finished 2nd June.
Paperback, Library, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. I wasn't completely sold on this series, but Cress was my favourite yet and I was much more invested in the story.
Challenges: Popsugar #1.

2) by Elizabeth Moon. Finished 4th June.
Paperback, Owned, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A believable, thought-provoking portrayal of adults with Autism in a near future society filled with medical advancements and 'cures'.
Challenges: Q2 Clear the Shelves, June Someone Else's Shoes

3) by Álvaro Enrigue. Finished 8th June.
eBook, Netgaelly, Adult, 3 stars
Full review here. Beautifully and cleverly intertwined stories, but a read that demands your attention to follow it!
Challenges: Around the World, Fiction to Reality, June Someone Else's Shoes

4) by Jeet Thayil. Finished 14th June.
Paperback, Owned (gifted), Adult, 3 stars
Full review here. A book of the 'weird and wonderful' variety. Dream like and gritty at the same time.
Challenges: Around the World, June Someone Else's Shoes, Q2 Clear the Shelves

5) by Kiera Cass. Finished 14th June.
Paperback, Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. A super quick YA read with an awful lot of flaws, but honestly I enjoyed it and it was nice to delve into a story and read it all in one day.
Challenges: PopSugar #7, June Someone Else's Shoes

6) by Gabrielle Zevin. Finished 20th June.
Paperback, Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. A great premise but I didn't love the protagonist and wasn't really convinced by the romance aspect!
Challenges: June Someone Else's Shoes

7) by Patricia Highsmith. Finished 23rd June.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A fascinating character that somehow the author managed to make me root for, despite their manipulation and crimes!
Challenges: June Someone Else's Shoes

8) by Pierce Brown. Finished 27th June.
eBook, Owned (Gift), YA, 4 stars
Full review here. A very good second book of a trilogy!
Challenges: Q2 Clear the Shelves

9) by Gabrielle Zevin. Finished 28th June.
Hardback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. Very different to another of Zevin's books I finished just a week ago - in fact I didn't click they were by the same author until after reading! A smooth, enjoyable one day read for me.

June Summary:

This month I read 9 books, 3252 pages. I picked up a lot more hours at work this month, so I read less, but I'm still ahead on my challenge and enjoying what I'm reading!

Overall reading challenge: 69/100
Yearly Pop Sugar challenge: 31/40
Yearly Around the World challenge: 10/15
Yearly Fiction to Reality challenge: 14/12

Challenges completed this month:
Quarterly 2 Clear the Shelves: 18/18
Special 10,000 Challenge: 5/5
June Someone Else's Shoes: 6/3
Special 10,000 challenge: 5/5

My favourite book of the month was very hard to pick this month. I didn't read any outstanding 5 star books, but quite a few very enjoyable 4 stars! In the end I'm choosing The Talented Mr. Ripley (★★★★) because it's so different to what I usually read and very intriguing.

June's stars spread:
�� 0 books!
★★ 0 books!
★★�� 4 books
★★★★ 5 books
★★★★�� 0 book

My planned reading for July:
Beacon 23: The Complete Novel (Fellowship)
The Enchantress Returns (Fellowship, PopSugar)
The Complete Persepolis (Around the World, Quarterly)
You (Fellowship)
State of Nature (Quarterly - series)
Kindred Spirits (Quarterly - 10)
Everyone Brave is Forgiven (TBR Twin)
The Assassin's Blade (Popsugar)

July:

Read:

1) by Chris Colfer. Finished 4th July.
Paperback, Library, Children's/Middle Grade, 2 stars
Full review here. Giving up on this series - I just don't like the writing style. Too bland and drawn out.
Challenges: July Fellowship, PopSugar #15

2) by Hugh Howey. Finished 5th July.
eBook, Amazon Lending Library, Adult, 4 Stars
Full review here. A very compelling sci-fi collection.
Challenges: July Fellowship

3) by Marjane Satrapi. Finished 8th July.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 5 Stars
Full review here. Such an interesting story and so well told.
Challenges: July Fellowship, Around the World

4) by Caroline Kepnes. Finished 11th July.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4 Stars
Full review here. Incredibly creepy, but captivating all the same.
Challenges: July Fellowship

5) by Ryan Winfield. Finished 21st July.
eBook, Amazon Lending Library, YA, 3 Stars
Full review here. Such a great premise, but just too underwhelming.
Challenges: Q3 Finish the Series

6) by Rainbow Rowell. Finished 21st July.
Paperback, Owned, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. A light-hearted contemporary short story.
Challenges: Q3 10 Challenge

7) by Hyeonseo Lee. Finished 22nd July.
Hardback, Library, Adult, 5 stars
Full review here. A powerful, gripping memoir. I learnt so much about North Korea.
Challenges: PopSugar #16, Around the World

8) by Chris Cleave. Finished 23rd July.
Hardback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A fantastic twin read with Sabina. Enchanting characters that I really cared for.

9) by Cassandra Clare. Finished 26th July.
Paperback, Library, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. A mix of stories, but a few interesting gems made up for some of the lacklustre ones.
Challenges: Q3 10 Challenge

10) by Rob Thomas. Finished 28th July.
Paperback, Owned, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. Very enjoyable. A great mystery with the added bonus of Veronica Mars characters!
Challenges: Q3 10 Challenge, Q3 Finish the Series

July Summary:

This month I read 10 books, 3344 pages.

Overall reading challenge: 79/100
Yearly Pop Sugar challenge: 33/40
Yearly Around the World challenge: 12/15
Quarterly 3 Finish the Series: 2/5 series
Quarterly 3 Chloe's 10 Challenge: 4/10

Challenges completed this month:
July Fellowship of the Ring: 4/4

My favourite book of the month was The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (★★★★��). This was so educational and I learnt so much about a country I knew very little about before, but at the same time it was engaging and beautiful.

July's stars spread:
�� 0 books!
★★ 1 book
★★�� 2 books
★★★★ 5 books
★★★★�� 2 books

My planned reading for August:
The Humans (Quarterly - 10)
Wonder (Quarterly - 10)
Clariel (Quarterly - series)
Career of Evil (Quarterly - series)
The Assassin's Blade (Popsugar)
This is Not a Test (Quarterly - 10)
Resistance (Prime)
The Colour of Magic (Twin read)

August:

Read:

1) by Matt Haig. Finished 1st August.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A unique perspective on what it means to be a human. Both witty and moving.
Challenges: Q3 10 Challenge

2) by Garth Nix. Finished 3rd August
Paperback, Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. I enjoyed returning to the Old Kingdom, but it didn't have the magic of the previous books for me.
Challenges: Q3 Finish the Series

3) by R.J. Palacio. Finished 4th August.
Paperback, Library, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. Original story with a great perspective. Certainly recommended to younger readers (and those who like middle grade/YA fiction!)
Challenges: Q3 10 Challenge

4) by Karen Sandler. Finished 9th August.
eBook, Owned, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. YA dystopian ruined by instalove!

5) by Robert Galbraith. Finished 15th August
eBook, Owned (Gift), Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A creepy, but absolutely gripping mystery. I do love J.K. Rowling's writing in this series.
Challenges: Q3 Finish the Series

6) by Holly Black. Finished 15th August
Paperback, Library, Children's, 4 stars
Full review here. A very short, fun children's read. I'm enjoying delving into the world of the Spiderwick Chronicles.
Challenges: Q3 10 Challenge

7) by Sarah J. Maas. Finished 17th August
Paperback, Library, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. So much better than the original novel (Throne of Glass). The main character is much more likeable and my interest in the series has been completely revived by this selection of prequel novellas.
Challenges: PopSugar #28

8) by Courtney Summers. Finished 17th August
Paperback, Owned, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. YA zombie/survival story that focuses heavily on the survivors and their emotional responses to the outbreak. Surprisingly few zombies!
Challenges: Q3 10 Challenge

9) by Kayla Howarth. Finished 18th August
eBook, Amazon Lending Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. An improvement on the first in the series, but still nothing that particularly wowed me.
Challenges: Q3 Finish the Series

10) by Cheryl Strayed. Finished 23rd August.
eBook, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A brief glimpse into a life so completely unlike mine!
Challenges: PopSugar #19

11) by Holly Black. Finished 24th August
eBook, Library, Children's, 3 stars
Challenges: Q3 Finish the Series

12) by Holly Black. Finished 24th August
Paperback, Library, Children's, 4 stars
Challenges: Q3 Finish the Series

13) by Holly Black. Finished 25th August
Paperback, Library, Children's, 4 stars
Challenges: Q3 Finish the Series

14) by Terry Pratchett. Finished 25th August
eBook, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. Very glad I finally picked it up. The Discworld is just fascinating!
Challenges: Q3 10 Challenge

15) by Angela Roquet. Finished 27th August
eBook, Owned (freebie), YA, 3 stars
Full review here. Cheesy and not much depth, but just the kind of light, amusing read I was in the mood for.

August Summary:

This month I read 15 books, 4486 pages. Quite a few short books this month, including a number of children's stories, but still quite a bit up on page number from the previous month!

Overall reading challenge: 94/100
Yearly Pop Sugar challenge: 35/40
Yearly Around the World challenge: 12/15
Quarterly 3 Finish the Series: 5/7 series (upped my goal!)
Quarterly 3 Chloe's 10 Challenge: 9/10

My favourite book of the month was The Humans by Matt Haig (★★★★). It was a great experience going into it knowing very little, and it was such a unique book.

August's stars spread:
�� 0 books
★★ 0 books
★★�� 5 books
★★★★ 10 books
★★★★�� 0 books

Not very spread at all!

My planned reading for September:
A World Without Princes (Quarterly - Series, Sept Reflections)
Defective (Quarterly - Series)
The Last Ever After (Quarterly - Series)
V for Vendetta (Quarterly - 10, Sept Reflections)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two (PopSugar)
The Kite Runner (Group Read, Around the World)

September:

Read:

1) by Soman Chainani. Finished 1st September.
Paperback, Library, YA, 2 stars
Full review here. Such mixed feelings about this. Just so disappointed in how it treats gender.
Challenges: Q3 Finish the Series, September Reflections

2) by Kayla Howarth. Finished 1st September.
eBook, Amazon Lending Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. A really interesting look at 'after the rebellion' dystopia with an unfortunately self-centred protagonist focused on her love life.
Challenges: Q3 Finish the Series

3) by Alan Moore. Finished 4th September.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 3 stars
Some parts fell a little flat for me, but I still really enjoyed it.
Challenges: Q3 10 Challenge, September Reflections

4) by Soman Chainani. Finished 6th September.
Paperback, Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. An improvement on the second, and a satisfying ending, but still disappointing in some key areas.
Challenges: Q3 Finish the Series, September Reflections

5) by J.K. Rowling. Finished 10th September.
Hardback, Owned, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. A shockingly awful plot, but my overall opinion is entirely swayed by having seen the play live.
Challenges: PopSugar #40

6) by Khaled Hosseini. Finished 14th September.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. A very unlikeable main character, but still a very interesting glimpse into Afghanistan and a lovely writing style.
Challenges: Around the World


Re-reads: (not counting towards number of books read)
I've decided to try and re-read the whole Harry Potter series in September/October!
1) by J.K. Rowling. Finished 15th Sept.
2) by J.K. Rowling. Finished 16th Sept.
3) by J.K. Rowling. Finished 19th Sept.
4) by J.K. Rowling. Finished 25th Sept.
5) by J.K. Rowling. Finished 28th Sept.

September Summary:

This month I read 6 books (+5 re-reads), 4678 pages. I decided half way through the month that I wanted to re-read the whole Harry Potter series, so that took over my page count!

Overall reading challenge: 100/100
Yearly Pop Sugar challenge: 36/40
Yearly Around the World challenge: 13/15


Challenges completed this month:
Quarterly 3 Finish the Series: 7/7 series
Quarterly 3 Chloe's 10 Challenge: 10/10

My favourite book of the month was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling (★★★★). A controversial opinion perhaps, but I read the script after having seen the play itself during previews and that massively affected my reading experience!

September's stars spread:
�� 0 books
★★ 1 books
★★�� 3 books
★★★★ 2 books
★★★★�� 0 books

Not very spread at all!

My planned reading for October:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (re-read)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (re-read)
The Copy (Around the World)
Six of Crows (re-read)
Inkheart (Around the World)
The Man in the High Castle (Q4 Nominee)

October:

Read:

1) by J.K. Rowling. Finished 16th October.
eBook, Owned, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. Interesting information, but nothing particularly new and I don't like the format.

2) by J.K. Rowling. Finished 17th October.
eBook, Owned, YA, 3 stars

3) by Grant Boshoff. Finished 25th October.
eBook, Amazon Lending Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. Can't recommend. A short novella that didn't do much for me.
Challenges: Around the World

4) by J.K. Rowling. Finished 26th October.
eBook, Owned, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. The best of the three ebooks. It felt less like randomly grouped together information and more of a smooth reading experience.

5) by Cornelia Funke. Finished 29th October.
eBook, Library, YA, 3 stars
Full review here. A great premise, but slow-paced and a little drawn out. Still enjoyable, though.
Challenges: Around the World


Re-reads: (not counting towards number of books read)
1) by J.K. Rowling. Finished 3rd Oct.
2) by J.K. Rowling. Finished 16th Oct.
3) by Leigh Bardugo. Finished 27th Oct.

October Summary:

This month I read 5 books (+3 re-reads), 2130 pages. A three week trip away from home made this a very slow month for reading. I had some great 5* re-reads, but everything else I read was nothing special!

Overall reading challenge: 105/100
Yearly Pop Sugar challenge: 36/40

Challenges completed this month:
Yearly Around the World challenge: 15/15

My favourite book of the month was... not really existent. I don't think any of the new-to-me books can count as favourites. I thoroughly enjoyed my re-reads though, particularly of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Six of Crows.

October's stars spread:
�� 0 books
★★ 0 books
★★�� 4 books
★★★★ 1 books
★★★★�� 0 books


My planned reading for November:

The Man in the High Castle (Q4 Nominee, Nov Wedding)
Around the World in Eighty Days (PopSugar, Nov Wedding)
A Court of Thorns and Roses (PopSugar, Nov Wedding)
Crooked Kingdom (Nov Wedding)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Q4 Nominee, Nov Wedding)
Is It Just Me? (Nov Wedding)
The Rest of Us Just Live Here (TBR Twins)

November:

Read:

1) by Philip K. Dick. Finished 2nd November.
eBook, Library, Adult, 3 stars
Full review here. Very clever alternate history, but I never felt emotionally attached to the characters or plot!
Challenges: Q4 Nominees, November Weddings

2) by Jules Verne. Finished 3rd November.
eBook, Owned (freebie), Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. Fairly predictable but a great fun read.
Challenges: PopSugar #36, Around the World, November Weddings

3) by Sarah J. Maas. Finished 4th November.
Paperback, Library, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. Beauty and the Beast in a land of fairies!
Challenges: PopSugar #12, November Weddings

4) by Sherman Alexie. Finished 7th November.
Paperback, Library, YA, 4 stars
Full review here It took a little while for me to get used to the protagonist's voice, but it was a great read once I was!
Challenges: Q4 Nominees, November Weddings

5) by Leigh Bardugo. Finished 9th November.
Paperback, Owned, YA, 5 Stars
I don't have the words to explain how much I love these characters and I love this series. Absolutely fantastic!
Challenges: November Weddings

6) by Miranda Hart. Finished 11th November.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 3 Stars
Full review here. The chatty tone and some of the stylistic choices just made this feel a bit of an odd and awkward read.
Challenges: November Weddings, PopSugar #28

7) by Sarah J. Maas. Finished 14th November.
Paperback, Library, YA, 5 Stars
Full review here. What a pleasant surprise this was. I was highly sceptical where the story was going at the beginning of the book, but it worked out great!
Challenges: November Weddings

8) by Carol Ann Duffy. Finished 14th November.
Hardback, Library, Adult, 3 Stars
A few gems, but overall not my favourite style of poetry for leisure reading.
Challenges: PopSugar #31

9) by Helon Habila. Finished 15th November.
eBook, NetGalley, Adult, 4 Stars
Full review here. A short, but educational book about the rise of Boko Haram in Nigeria.

10) by Sarah J. Maas Finished 19th November.
Paperback, Library, YA, 3 Stars
Full review here. Still not completely drawn in to this YA Fantasy series.

11) by Matt Dunn. Finished 20th November.
eBook, Amazon Lending Library, Adult, 3 Stars
A pleasant, uncomplicated 'day in the life'. Very light-hearted.

12) by Marissa Meyer. Finished 21st November.
eBook, NetGalley, YA, 5 Stars
Full review here. A delightful twist on Alice in Wonderland.

13) by Sara Barnard. Finished 22nd November.
eBook, NetGalley, YA, 5 Stars
Full review here. A beautiful, poignant contemporary YA about the power of love and friendship.

14) by Leah Thomas. Finished 24th November.
eBook, NetGalley, YA, 4 Stars
Full review here. Original, unusual, and fun!

15) by Patrick Ness. Finished 28th November.
Paperback, Library, YA, 4 Stars
Full review here. A very easy, enjoyable read, with lots of fun playing with YA fantasy tropes!

16) by Claire LaZebnik. Finished 29th November.
eBook, Netgalley, YA, 3 Stars
Full review here. I love reading books with neurodivergent characters, but I wasn't 100% drawn in by the writing.

November Summary:

This month was my biggest reading month of the year so far! I read 16 books, 5396 pages. I also completed my final yearly challenge :)

Overall reading challenge: 121/100
Yearly Pop Sugar challenge: 40/40
November Weddings: 7/7
Quarterly 4 Nominees challenge: 2/4


My favourite book of the month was Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (★★★★��). I read a bunch of great books this month, but picking a favourite was still super easy. This series is just my absolute favourite. I love the world, the characters, and the mix of crime with fantasy.

October's stars spread:
�� 0 books
★★ 0 books
★★�� 6 books
★★★★ 6 books
★★★★�� 4 books

A very positive spread!


My planned reading for December:
Heir of Fire
This is Where I Leave You (Q4 Nominees)
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories (Q4 Nominees)
Fairest
A Tale for the Time Being (TBR Twins)
The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds (Netgalley)

Wow! Congratulations, Janine!

Thanks, Cassandra! Yearly challenges really motivated me this year. Just got to reign myself for next year in as I'm tempted by all of the 2017 ones posted so far!

December:

Read:

1) by Sarah J. Maas. Finished 4th December.
Paperback, Library, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. This series is really starting to pick up after a mediocre start. I'm excited to read on!

2) by Jonathan Tropper. Finished 5th December.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 3 stars
Some funny scenes and a great idea for a story, but the characters were too unlikeable and it's very male-centric. Too many sexist characters, and not enough actual development of the female characters.
Challenges: Q4 Nominees

3) by Marissa Meyer. Finished 8th December.
Paperback, Library, YA, 3 stars
An enjoyable bonus story. I always like learning characters' backstories.

4) by Angela Carter. Finished 14th December.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 3 stars
Full review here. Unique fairy tale retellings, but a writing style I did not like.
Challenges: Q4 Nominees

5) by Garth Nix. Finished 18th December.
Paperback, Library, YA, 4 stars
Full review here. An eclectic mix of short stories, filled with wonderful world building.

6) by Ruth Ozeki. Finished 21st December.
Paperback, Library, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. Wonderfully unusual multi-perspective fiction.

7) by Michael Lewis. Finished 24th December.
eBook, NetGalley, Adult, 4 stars
Full review here. Gripping non-fiction, much more biographical than expected.

I already signed up for an extra yearly than I planned to, and I had to rein myself in hard to avoid signing up for another beyond that. Even having the sneak peak ahead of time, it's still hard!