I enjoyed this, but I am not an aspiring author, so I didn't love all of it because I wasn't always the right audience for it. I enjoyed his life parts and the insights on his novels. It did serve to remind me I really need to read more King novels! I am glad I read it.

I honestly had no idea what this was about when I decided to read it. I had been seeing it around and hearing good things. I didn't really enjoy her debut novel, but this was way better. Where Jonathan Strange... seemed way too long, this was a quick paced read. Sometimes you would be able to guess the larger story, but then other times there would be a surprise. Piranesi was an interesting character and I enjoyed his story. Great read!

I am not a huge fan of short stories and novellas. I feel like you just get invested in them and then they are over. I read Becky Chambers other novella in the last couple years and it didn't stick with me at all, even though I liked it at the time.

I really enjoyed this one. I again feel like it really got good as it was getting near the end, but I guess that just means I will want to read the sequel. The characters were great!

After having a reading slump in 2021, I am slowly getting my reading back! I read 11 books in January (2 volumes of Something is Killing the Children, one not pictured).

4-books, 1 audio, and the rest were physical.

4 non-fiction, which I am very happy about!

The Paris Hours was my favourite, the only so-so read of the month was Lumberjanes.

All-in-all, a good month. On to February!

I did this one on audio and liked that. It was like a conversation. I am not sure I would have enjoyed it as much reading it. Jeopardy is just nostalgia. I grew up watching Alex Trebek host and was sad when he passed away. It was nice to hear about what he thought was important to tell as he neared his last days.

According to Amazon, I bought this book in 2016. So, I am happy to finally take it off my TBR! And, it was a great read, so that also helps. I love non-fiction about women making advances or being the first to do something. I also love books about space. So, it was an all around good pick for me. I am glad this story was finally told. We watched the movie after and I also thought it was good.

I actually hadn't heard a lot about this, but I decided to do the 12 books recommended by 12 friends reading challenge that circulated around and this was one of the picks. And, what a great start. I loved this book! It has been a while since I really read any magic realism and this was a good reminder that I should work it in more often. A really good, character driven story with magic.

My first 5 star read of 2022!

I am not sure what it is about Alex George, but I love the way he writes. When I started this, I was drawn in by every chapter and how he managed to convey so much in them. This book follows 4 characters over the course of a day, and by the end you feel like you know them all and are invested in all of their stories.

I knew early in that if something crazy didn't happen, it was a new fave book. It definitely was!

I thought this would be a cute read, but then I started it and was not in the middle grade mood I thought I was in. I finally felt in the proper mood last night and finished it. Very cute! I like Eva and a lot of the side characters I am excited to see more of. The ending has my interest peeked for the sequel, so I plan to read on!

I basically read this because I saw it on some best of lists and then the second hand store just happened to have it. It wasn't until I started reading it that I was like, oh, I remember this from the news. It was an experience reading it from Chanel's perspective. It shows how hard she struggled to get to where she was even comfortable telling her story. I am glad I read it and found her story very compelling.

I can't believe I have read 19 volumes of this series! I am bad with series. I just need to read one more and I am done. Hard to believe after all these years this series is coming to an end!

This one was fun and started tying up loose ends in preparation for the last volume. I just felt it was a bit of filler and actually kind of a disappointment for the second to last volume ever.

I am looking forward to how they wrap it all up, though!

I read Volume 2 and Volume 3 in this series today. I started it at the end of 2021. I am not a huge horror reader, but I actually have read a few things by James Tynion IV & enjoyed it.

The story centres around a town where children start going missing and a mysterious woman arrives to help the town out. Erica Slaughter comes with a history and has a story, but she is a compelling character and I am looking forward to where her story goes next.

Second hand book haul! Anything I should prioritize?

I looked back on 2021 and it was not a great reading year overall. But, I noticed I only read 2 adult fantasy novels! I think I was often feeling slumpish last year, so I would go for the shorter books. But that probably also lead to a lot of slumping because I was reading to read a book and not necessarily to enjoy it.

So, I read The Ninth Rain to start 2022 and it was excellent. I loved it. I cannot wait for the sequels to arrive in the mail!

My first finish of 2022 was Atomic Habits. I found this book very interesting. I read a chapter or two a day so I didn't rush through everything. I will be thinking of this book all year and hoping to develop good habits as a result.

1. One of my goals is to get back to using Litsy! That is why I keep doing these posts. Trying to get back into the habit! Otherwise, I have just been trying to foster good habits.

2. Optimistic.

3. Atomic Habits. I actually started it in 2021, but I have been limiting myself to 1 or 2 chapters a day so I can process things!

#thoughtfulthursday

1. The tagged book.
2. To change careers! Been on hold with covid, but hoping this is the year.
3. Some time to myself after work! Didn't get a lot of that over the holidays.

#wonderouswednesday

1- I like snow. I don't like the shoveling or driving part.
2- Staying inside where it is warm and reading! 📚

#two4tuesday

1. Really liking it so far!
2. Reading! I slumped for most of 2021. Have better hopes for 2022!
3. I kept my goals small. Read 52 books, read some series, read 10 books I bought in 2021, and read 1 book a month recommended by a friend. I wanted to keep things manageable!

#sundayfunday

Trying to use Litsy in 2022! Happy New Year!

1. The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams, Ghost Rider by Neil Peart (audio), and The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie (got overlooked in December).

2. The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams is my first fresh start of 2022, but might not be the first book I finish.

3. Saga returns! There are others, but so excited this is coming back!!

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Now that I don't have a commute, my audio listening has slowed way down. It took me most of the month to listen to this! I just need to find other ways to work audiobooks into my reading.

I liked this story of Stella Fortuna and her early life in Italy and then her life after she came to America. She was a great main character and I felt like I really got to know her and sympathize with her. Life was not always easy for her. Strongly recommend!

I wanted to like this, but I didn't know it was a collection of stories and I am not a short story reader. When I was enjoying a story, it ended too soon. And, one of the stories I didn't like at all. I am sad this was not meant for me!

My Saturday morning. Good company and, so far, a good book!

RIP to Sharon Kay Penman! One of my all-time favorite authors and this book is one of my favorite books ever. A sad loss!

Another Hoopla read! I guess I am all about the free graphic novels this week. It was nice to work on my wish list a bit and not spend any money! 💰

This was good. I didn't love it, though. I wanted to, but I felt at a distance from the story. I was curious what would happen next, but also not invested in it. It should be my type of book, but I think I have just read other strong female lead type books lately that were better for me.

1 - hm. I am sure there are so many, but with the question in front of me I am like uhhhh... Miss Trunchball from Matilda. I will think of a bunch of answers after I post this....

2 - Plot but I do like a good character. There are definitely books that didn't have an amazing plot, but I loved the characters!

Thanks to @EadieB for the tag!

This was actually a reread for me and I am so glad I gave it a second read. Dr. Quon bugged me in my first reading. And, he still did. But, I saw beyond it this time. I love the idea of the story and a robotic dog is almost as great as a real one. I am looking forward to the rest of the volumes! The art is great, too!

1. Tagged book, Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews
2. I am sure there is something, but as I use Litsy and then stop using it, I can't remember. lol
3. Coffee. Sometimes wine. 🍷

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

I have wanted to read this for a while and was so happy it was on Hoopla. What a great story! So much representation! I will now need to get myself a copy because I will want to read it again. A witch and a werewolf story that is not your conventional story. And, a bit of a Tam Lin retelling. It was great. I am so happy I read this.

One of my favourite graphic novel series is Lumberjanes. I see it as one long book at this point instead as individual volumes. And, it is just fun. There are some volumes that I like more than others, but as they have blended together into one long story for me, I never remember what ones I liked less anyway. All I do is about once a year, I read the individual issues to catch up on the collected editions. So fun!

Hoopla also had book 2, which is a companion book set before the first book. I decided to make it my next read and again, really enjoyed it! I really liked how their was sign language used in this book. That is definitely not something you see very often in a graphic novel! This was another book with good characters, great art, and a message that relatable. I want a tea dragon!

I have wanted to check this graphic novel out for a while, so this morning I borrowed it on Hoopla though the library and gave it a read. 📚

The art is great. I have read Katie O'Neill before, but not in a long time. I like how she sets a good example for young readers and her books usually have good representation. I am glad I gave this a read. I think it would make a good gift for a younger reader and I wouldn't mind owning my own copy!

My 5th read for 2021. I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. There were some parts where I was really invested and was thinking this sounds like me, but then there were other parts that I found myself only sort of paying attention to. I am glad I read it and I am glad for the parts that got me thinking, but not a new favorite book and not one I can see myself rereading.

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

1 - The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna (audio), What we See when we Read (NF), and Sweep in Peace.
2 - The House in the Cerulean Sea. It just makes you feel better about the world even if it is a fantasy novel.
3 - All of Angie Thomas books! Looking forward to her third book out next week!

My 4th read of 2021 was a reread of this book so I can finally read the sequels. I listened to the audio the first time, but this time I read the ebook that was put out as a treat during COVID collecting the first 3 books in the series. 📚

This series is like Urban Fantasy meets science fiction. I had forgotten about the SF elements. It has a strong female lead and a dog named Beast. I love dogs as central characters in books! Fun read!

Finally got this book set my other half got me for Christmas. I am in love already!

Anyone that knows me would think this was unusual, but my third read of 2021 is one of my favourite books of 2020. I am not a huge person for rereading, but I decided to start out 2021 with a book I knew I would love and it didn't disappoint! I listened to the audio this time and it was very well done. If you haven't read this book yet, you should. I love it and it was the perfect 2020 release.

#sundayfunday

1 - Tagged book.
2 - I am trying to not concentrate on the numbers. I almost hit 200 books in 2020 and I didn't in the end when I discovered how few favourite reads came from the second half of the year. It was like I was forcing myself and I didn't like that.
3 - Nothing yet! Whole 3 days of no book purchases. lol

@ozma.of.oz

It is not everyday I manage to read 17 books in one series! I read the individual issues on Hoopla today. The collected edition is out in February. I enjoyed that this book was set during the meteor shower. We really enjoyed sitting out last summer and watching it. That was one good thing about the pandemic. We were home every night to do that!

I find this series a lot of fun and I look forward to where it goes next!

Last year I did Bookopoly for the first part of the year and had a lot of fun with it. It was my first time making a board, though, and I got bored with my rolls. They were too restricting. This year, I tried to make things a bit restricted in some cases, but broader in other instances (fantasy is on the board 6 times, for example). I am excited to see how this goes and am currently reading my first book picked by the board! (Finn was helping...)

1 - The House in the Cerulean Sea (reread) on audio.
2 - The Faraway ebook series by various authors.
3- Don't stress the numbers.

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Operation, try and use Litsy in 2021... We will see how that goes!

The first read of the year is this middle grade fantasy novel. I got it because a friend recommended it because the author is local. I didn't connect with it when I tried it before, but I am enjoying middle grade more and this time it clicked. I wouldn't say I loved it, but it was fun and I will enjoy reading the sequels.

Recommended!

This has been on my TBR for ages. Then, I bought it last year and still didn't read it. I finally read it recently and I am so happy I did! I love fairy tale retellings and this was basically a Sleeping Beauty retelling told through almost a historical fiction backdrop. It worked really well and was very believable! I am so happy I finally read it. Strongly recommended! (Also, this is me trying to use Litsy again. Wish me luck!)

1 - I like both, but a full cast can be such an immersing experience!

2 - I have a bunch that I really like. I don't think I have any one favourite.

#sundayfunday

July 2020 Read - Grunt by Mary Roach - I really liked Stiff by the same author, but this one didn't connect with me. I was curious about the subject, but ultimately didn't feel like I was the right audience for it. I still really would like to get to some of her other books! (I listened to this on audio and had no complaints about the narrator).

I read 26 books in April. It didn't feel like it because a lot of comics and a lot of e-books. I felt slumpy the whole month. It didn't help.

Not pictured: Unlocked by John Scalzi (audio), Earth One Vol 1 & 2, Teen Titans: Raven, Invincible Vol 1, Silk Vol 1-3, Spider-Women, Animal Man Vol 1, Mitosis (audio), Mrs. Zant and the Ghost (audio), Horrorstor, and Break Your Glass Slippers.

I also finished the OWLS reading for all 12 categories!

Sometimes I stress buy books on Bookoutlet. They had a sale...

I'm back! I took a mini-hiatus because things have been crazy lately. Yesterday I hosted the #readathon on Instagram and I seem to be coming out of my funk!

1 - The tagged book on audio and Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix.
2 - The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and a few other books in an Audible sale.
3 - I was in a reading slump, but probably Steelheart and Firefight by Brandon Sanderson.

#weekendreads

Sometimes you cannot escape the reality in a book. Scary times in my province! #novascotiastrong

#weekendreads

1 - Steelheart (audio) and Planetfall
2 - The Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery
3 - The Healer