Wow, January is finally over! Does anyone else ever feel like it lasts 84 years? So I didn’t finish or get to all of the books I had set out to read last month, which is fine, but I decided I’m still going to make a TBR to at least talk about the books I’m interested in reading and hopefully will get to.
As February is also Black History Month, I also want to be intentional with my choices and read books by black authors. This choice isn’t going to start and stop in February, though, as I will continue to read books by black authors throughout the year and beyond. This will continue for other months in which heritages and identities are recognized, as I want to continue to diversify my reading and broaden my horizons.
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang – This book is one from my TBR last month and is the book I’m currently reading, so I want to finish it before moving on to another book. I’m only about 80 pages into it, but it’s an interesting read so far! I’m excited to see where it goes.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn – This was another book on my TBR last month, but as I didn’t get to it, I’m slotting it over into February. This book is an Arthurian retelling, which I’ve never read about before, and so I’m definitely intrigued to read about it and see how I like it.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler – Now I’ve heard amazing things about Butler for a long time, but I’ve never picked up one of her books before. This one takes place in 2024, and it’s about climate change and the effects of how economic strife can be so harmful to everyone and everything around it.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jeminsin – This start to a fantasy trilogy has been on my shelf for years (well, the whole trilogy) and I haven’t started it, BUT I’m going to rectify that this year and actually do it! It’s a critically acclaimed and award winning book, so I’m a bit intimidated by that, however I hear fantastic things about it. Just reading the synopsis alone has me dying for more, so I can’t wait to get to this.
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed – I’m trying to bring in more contemporary reads into my life, as most of my focus is on fantasy, so I figured this would be a good one to add! It centers a young black girl in high school and protesting and riots after officers from the LAPD are acquitted after beating a black man half to death. It sounds very hard hitting, and very important, too.
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan – I’ve seen this pop up around TikTok a lot lately, and after reading the synopsis (and wanting more contemporary in my reading), I think this would be a fun, dramatic, and spicy read. It’s like a second chance romance between a once husband and wife pair, so I’m definitely interested to see how it plays out.
Now, will I get to all of these books? I hope so honestly. Trying to get back into reading after the hard time I’ve had with it for years is already a challenge, and I’m further challenging myself by listing all of these books that I’m interested in as part of my TBR. I do hope to get to all of them, though, but if I don’t I’ll probably do the same thing as last time and push one or two I’m interested in into the next month.
What’re you reading currently or planning to read this month? Any recommendations you have that you think I might like to try out for myself? Let me know!
Hello hello! I don’t usually do TBRs anymore because I’m very much a mood reader, however there are some books this month that I’d really like to get to, so this is going to be my loose TBR for the month.
Critical Role’s Vox Machina: Kith & Kin by Marieke Nijkamp – This was actually a roll over book from December. I had started it mid month and skipped reading for a week or so before I picked it back up again and finished on the 2nd, but I figured I’d include it here anyway. This book follows the twins, Vex and Vax, from the D&D hit show, Critical Role, during a time of their lives before the events of Vox Machina took place.
Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon – The second book in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, I discovered that I can read these books pretty quickly, and they provide fun entertainment and spice (and even some plot!), so this would be a quick and easy read for me for the month. (As of writing this post, I already finished it!)
The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story by M.L. Wang – This is a standalone fantasy novel that I have heard nothing but good things about. A story about family, love, war, relationships, the complexities of being a human and the grief, joy, sorrow, and happiness that comes with it. It also includes elemental magic, which I am definitely here for.
Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price – Now, I have this on my list because I wanted to join the History Sickos book club to at least give the history genre a chance, however it’s so far out of my comfort zone, and I only have a limited time with my library hold on it that I don’t know that I’ll actually get to the book at all. So this one is a tentative selection on my TBR, even though it fits one of my goals for the year to read a genre I don’t normally read bimonthly…
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid – I once again heard many good things about this book and so I wanted to give it a try myself. As two rivals are at odds about an author in which has passed and his works and estate yet to be settled, it twines them into a fate that they don’t expect.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn – I’ve also heard good things about this book and so, once again, I’m giving it a go! It’s got magic, it’s got demons, it’s got secrets that are trying to be uncovered, and it sounds like a good time.
Freebies
These books are going to be “freebies,” or books that I might like reading as a palette cleanser or as something I know I can read quickly for the entertainment, the feels, the spice, or whatever it is I’m looking for!
Barbarian Lover by Ruby Dixon – Like the previous two installments, I know I can finish these books in a day if I really go ham with it. They’re fast paced and entertaining, and so I think this will just be fun to read sooner rather than later. Plus I’m very interested in reading about this pairing in particular.
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree – I read Legends & Lattes last month (review to come!) and really enjoyed it. Even though this book is a prequel and follows a younger Viv, I’m very interested to see her adventures when she was a bit younger before deciding to retire and open a coffee shop! Plus, my wife read this book and rated it EEEE/10 (very good lol).
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda (omnibus vol 1-3) – As a One Piece fan (we’re on episode 551), I would like to also read the manga to be able to compare what I’ve seen in the anime vs what’s written in the manga itself. I know it’s not a one-to-one, but I really love this show, and it holds a very special place in my heart, so I think this could be a fun one to get to if I feel up for it!
I feel like that may be all of the time I have for books in January. I don’t want to push myself too hard into getting back into reading, so I figure that some decently chunky books that sound intriguing to me will be a good start! And where I’m already ahead of my 25 books for the year goal? I think this will definitely be manageable.
What’re you reading currently or planning to read this month? Any recommendations you have that you think I might like to try out for myself? Let me know!
You know, I don’t know why I keep making TBRs because I never stick to them lol But they’re fun, so why not?
Hello everyone! Today I’m going to be talking about my TBR for Tome Topple, a… bi-annual? I’m actually not sure how often it happens because quarantine made everything weird, but it’s a readathon created and hosted by Sam of Thoughts and Tomes (as well as other co-hosts each round), where you try to read tomes (books over 500 pages) in two weeks time following the given prompts.
You can check out Sam’s video below:
Here’s the important information:
Dates: August 8th-21st (starts midnight in your timezone)
One book can be used for ONLY two prompts! So the minimum number of books is 4-5, and the max is 9.
Prompts:
The tome that’s been on your TBR the longest
A tome audiobook
The tome you’ve most recently acquired
A standalone tome
Read one (1) tome
A tome written by a Black author
Tome from a genre you don’t usually read
Tome on your TBR with the most pages
A tome you started during another round of Tome Topple
If you complete…
1-3 challenges: STUDENT
4-6 challenges: SCHOLAR
7-9 challenges: SAGE
The prompts are optional! This is a chill readathon where the main goal is to read at least ONE tome (a book over 500 pages). That’s the baseline. The prompts are there for inspiration and fun!
Now that we have all of the important information, let’s talk about the books I hope to read. I’m aiming for four books, but even I know I most likely won’t complete these, buuuuuut that’s okay! I’ll at least have tried.
Also, disclaimer for me: some of the books I’m picking are less than 500 pages, BUT they’re in the mid-high 400 page range, so I’m counting them for this challenge. I’m trying to pick books already on my shelves like a good doobie.
I’ll be combining a bunch of the prompts together, so…
1 . A tome written by a Black author / read one tome
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze — the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization’s bedrock for a thousand years — collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman’s vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.
Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She’ll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.
I’ve been wanting to read this series for yearrrrrs, but due to my incessant reading novels slump, it’s been hard for me to pick anything up. I did start reading it when I first bought it to see how I liked it and remember being hooked really quickly, so I’m hoping that this will be a read that I thoroughly enjoy and such. (The book itself is 468 pages, so not quite tome level, but it’s fine.)
2. A tome audiobook / a tome with the most pages on your TBR
According to mythology mankind used to live in The Tranquiline Halls. Heaven. But then the Voidbringers assaulted and captured heaven, casting out God and men. Men took root on Roshar, the world of storms. And the Voidbringers followed…
They came against man ten thousand times. To help them cope, the Almighty gave men powerful suits of armor and mystical weapons, known as Shardblades. Led by ten angelic Heralds and ten orders of knights known as Radiants, mankind finally won.
Or so the legends say. Today, the only remnants of those supposed battles are the Shardblades, the possession of which makes a man nearly invincible on the battlefield. The entire world is at war with itself – and has been for centuries since the Radiants turned against mankind. Kings strive to win more Shardblades, each secretly wishing to be the one who will finally unite all of mankind under a single throne.
On a world scoured down to the rock by terrifying hurricanes that blow through every few day a young spearman forced into the army of a Shardbearer, led to war against an enemy he doesn’t understand and doesn’t really want to fight.
What happened deep in mankind’s past?
Why did the Radiants turn against mankind, and what happened to the magic they used to wield?
After finishing the first book, I was left reeling with everything that had happened! The book left off on such pivotal moments that I know are going to send the characters into new journeys and such, and ahhhh I can’t wait to read it! I’ll be listening to the audiobook, which is 48 HOURS long. (Help.) The physical hardcover book itself is over 1,100 pages, which is probably the longest book on my TBR right now. So. Yeah.
(I listen to audiobooks on the 1x speed because I like to take every word and sentence in, allowing me to visualize everything in its entirety, so this is going to be a big endeavor if I’m going to complete each of these challenges, just saying.)
3. Tome that’s been on my TBR the longest / genre I don’t typically read from
Narnia…the land beyond the wardrobe door, a secret place frozen in eternal winter, a magical country waiting to be set free.
Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor’s mysterious old house. At first her brothers and sister don’t believe her when she tells of her visit to the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund, then Peter and Susan step through the wardrobe themselves. In Narnia they find a country buried under the evil enchantment of the White Witch. When they meet the Lion Aslan, they realize they’ve been called to a great adventure and bravely join the battle to free Narnia from the Witch’s sinister spell.
Yeah, I have the movie tie-in edition from a million years ago when Prince Caspian came out, so it’s a bind up of all of the novels in the series. Now each book itself is roughly 120-ish pages (more or less), but the bind-up itself is 766 pages. I’ve owned this edition since 2008, so it’s definitely my oldest tome on my TBR by far, and it’s also from a genre I rarely read ever: classic. It’s still fantasy, of course, and like many, I already know the story (at least of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), so it won’t be totally foreign to me, I hope. I just always struggle reading classics, but I hope to read one book in the series per day to break it down and such.
4. A tome I’ve most recently acquired / a standalone tome
Far beneath the surface of the earth, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. The entryways that lead to this sanctuary are often hidden, sometimes on forest floors, sometimes in private homes, sometimes in plain sight. But those who seek will find. Their doors have been waiting for them.
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is searching for his door, though he does not know it. He follows a silent siren song, an inexplicable knowledge that he is meant for another place. When he discovers a mysterious book in the stacks of his campus library he begins to read, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, lost cities, and nameless acolytes. Suddenly a turn of the page brings Zachary to a story from his own childhood impossibly written in this book that is older than he is.
A bee, a key, and a sword emblazoned on the book lead Zachary to two people who will change the course of his life: Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired painter, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances. These strangers guide Zachary through masquerade party dances and whispered back room stories to the headquarters of a secret society where doorknobs hang from ribbons, and finally through a door conjured from paint to the place he has always yearned for. Amid twisting tunnels filled with books, gilded ballrooms, and wine-dark shores Zachary falls into an intoxicating world soaked in romance and mystery. But a battle is raging over the fate of this place and though there are those who would willingly sacrifice everything to protect it, there are just as many intent on its destruction. As Zachary, Mirabel, and Dorian venture deeper into the space and its histories and myths, searching for answers and each other, a timeless love story unspools, casting a spell of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a Starless Sea.
I had gotten this book around the time of its release, and, well, I had a hard time getting into it. The writing is kind of what puts me off from it, but I’m going to give it a go as it’s the only standalone tome (at 496 pages) that I have that’s newer. I hope I can get into it, but with all of these other books I hope to read, I don’t know that I’ll get to it.
I don’t have a book for the prompt for a tome from a previous round of tome topple, so those are all of the books on my TBR! I hope to read just one of these, which I think will be a major accomplishment in itself.
Are you joining in? What’s your biggest tome on your TBR? Which tome have you had the longest? Tell me all the things!
Hello everyone! Hope you’re all doing well. Today I’m going to talk about my TBR for the Reading Rush, which is hosted by Raeleen of padfootandprongs07 and Ariel of Ariel Bissett. They’ve been hosting this readathon for a couple of years now, I believe, and I decided that I wanted to give this readathon a go. I’ve been having…okay luck with readathons this year, and they made these challenges super easy to combine books for, so that’s what I’m doing.
If you’d like to hear a little more about the Reading Rush for this July 20th-26th stretch, then here’s their video:
They also have videos specially for the reading challenges and the vlog challenges:
So, with that, let’s jump into the reading challenges, which, by the way, you can combine or switch up as you see fit to fit your reading style/habit/mental health, so keep that in mind as we go! I’m going to list them all below, and then talk about the books and how I’m combining the challenges for the books.
A book that is the same color as your birthstone.
Read a book that starts with the word “The.”
Read a book that inspired a movie you’ve already seen.
Read the first book you touch.
Read a book outside/a book that takes place outdoors/that has a cover of the outdoors/etc. (Be safe during quarantine, please.)
A genre that you want to read more of.
A book that is set on a different continent than where you live.
I think these challenges are pretty fun! So for this readathon, I’m only picking two books. I’m combining five of the challenges for one book, and then the last two for the second.
A tale of true love and high adventure, pirates, princesses, giants, miracles, fencing, and a frightening assortment of wild beasts – The Princess Bride is a modern storytelling classic.
As Florin and Guilder teeter on the verge of war, the reluctant Princess Buttercup is devastated by the loss of her true love, kidnapped by a mercenary and his henchmen, rescued by a pirate, forced to marry Prince Humperdinck, and rescued once again by the very crew who absconded with her in the first place. In the course of this dazzling adventure, she’ll meet Vizzini – the criminal philosopher who’ll do anything for a bag of gold; Fezzik – the gentle giant; Inigo – the Spaniard whose steel thirsts for revenge; and Count Rugen – the evil mastermind behind it all. Foiling all their plans and jumping into their stories is Westley, Princess Buttercup’s one true love and a very good friend of a very dangerous pirate.
“Buttercup’s Baby” is at the end of this edition.
Here’s how The Princess Bride fits into the first five challenges:
My birthstone is the peridot for August, which is a pale green gem, and there’s a lot of pale green in this cover (I have a peridot ring so I color matched the cover lol).
“The” Princess Bride.
I. Love. This. Movie. It’s so cheesy and so funny, and I’ve been meaning to read the book for a long time now, so I’m going to give it a go!
When I was thinking of books for these challenges, The Princess Bride was quite literally the first book I touched because it was the first pale green cover/spine I saw on my shelf.
I can read this outside if I want to because we have a porch and such, but I’m not about to read in 90+ degree Fahrenheit humid weather, so I’ll just read by the windows. There; sunlight.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Thus memorably begins Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, one of the world’s most popular novels. Pride and Prejudice—Austen’s own “darling child”—tells the story of fiercely independent Elizabeth Bennet, one of five sisters who must marry rich, as she confounds the arrogant, wealthy Mr. Darcy. What ensues is one of the most delightful and engrossingly readable courtships known to literature, written by a precocious Austen when she was just twenty-one years old.
Humorous and profound, and filled with highly entertaining dialogue, this witty comedy of manners dips and turns through drawing-rooms and plots to reach an immensely satisfying finale. In the words of Eudora Welty, Pride and Prejudice is as “irresistible and as nearly flawless as any fiction could be.
Here’s how Pride and Prejudice fits into the last two challenges:
6. A genre you want to read more of: I want to read more classics, or at least the ones currently on my shelves for now. I just find them much harder to digest and read because the language is so different from how we use it now, even through translation.
7. This book is set in the United Kingdom in Derbyshire, England, so yeah. Since I live in the USA, it’s set on a different continent from where I live.
Now, do I think I can read both of these books in the span of a week? I’m not very confident I can lol But I’m going to try, and that’s all that matters. I’m really only participating in the Reading Rush to have fun, and I liked the challenges, so why not?
Are you participating? How many books are you reading? Are you going to try to read one book per challenge, or combine a few together like I did? What’s your most anticipated read for this readathon? Let me know in the comments!
I’m a little late on this post, but that’s okay~ I actually quite like doing these quarterly/seasonal wrap-ups much more than monthly because it’s so much easier to reflect on all of the things over a season, especially when reading webcomics.
These are all of the things (I hope) I read from April-June 2020!
Webtoons
New
A ditsy university student Mew finds a lost student card. Instead of doing the sensible thing, Mew decides to let fate take the wheel and try something silly. Little did she know, she would be confronting the owner of the card, Daze who has some things to say about what she did. Did Mew make the biggest mistake of her life? or the best decision of her life? Follow these two adorable goofballs to find out!
This is such an adorable and hilarious webtoon so far! I really love the art style, and the story is just like reading a k-drama. It kind of reminds me of when I was a teen and reading shoujo romance manga for the first time and being all giddy while reading it because it’s just so dang CUTE! Check out Nice to Meet You if you’re looking for a rom-com to bring up your happiness meter!
★★★★★
Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more…?
By now many of you have probably heard of this comic, Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, and since being able to read it on Webtoon I finally understand all the hype around it! It’s such a cute, wholesome story dealing with love, identity, family, and more. I love the way Oseman handles the topics and presents them in many ways, from super supportive to issues with bullying. A great comic that I highly recommend, especially if you want to squeal with the cuteness of it!
★★★★★
‘The Witch and The Beast’ is an epic-fantasy tale. Marius Bellemore, lord and protector of the vampire race, chooses to ally himself with the last surviving witch of the Redwood circle. That, in itself, is a strange fact for vampires and witches have been enemies for centuries… Join these characters on a journey full of adventures, drama and…romance!
First of all, the art style in The Witch and the Beast is gorgeous. I think it really enhances the overall story because it is a bit darker than the usual webtoons I read, and it really gives a bit of atmosphere to the dark fantasy story at hand. Second, the story itself is really good so far! I mean, we got vampires, we got witches, we got hot demon boys… what more can you want? But seriously, I really am enjoying the story so far and how there’s still a lot of mystery shrouding why the witches are being hunted and who stands with who, etc. Definitely check it out if you want a diverse gothic fantasy read!
★★★★★
Continued
Season two of Freaking Romance started back up and the sci-fi elements just keep on coming! There’s not too many episodes for season two out yet, but it really upped the ante after the cliffhanger from last season, so I can’t wait to see how it continues to unfold.
I Love Yoo is currently on a short hiatus, but I’ve caught up to the current episode and man, the drama just never stops lol But in a good way. We’re learning about more of the backstories of some of the major characters, and seeing new characters be introduced, so I’m excited to see how this unfolds.
Season two of Castle Swimmer started and now the two boys are trying to navigate their own destinies away from one another – and try to change their destinies as well. I’m a few episodes behind as of writing this, but I still am very much enjoying this second season so far.
Currently on pause as of the season two wrap up, The Four of Them really introduced a lot of new struggles between all of the characters, including identity, family, relationship problems (both romantic and platonic), and more. I think that the second season was really well done and I can’t wait for the third.
Season one of Lore Olympus finished in June and man, is there a lot to think about! Kore’s trying to stand up more for herself, Hades is admitting his feelings to himself, and we’re just learning so much more backstory behind who they are and the different sides of Kore/Persephone that I can’t wait to see what season two will bring!
Soleil is still as cute in style as ever, but the story introduced some new mechanics to the plot and how the characters interact with one another, and I think that it just really enhanced the story. There’s a lot of mystery shrouding it right now, but I’m excited to continue!
Books
I’ve done a full review of this book, but Sorcery of Thorns was an okay read for me. I felt myself lose interest very early on because I was heavily annoyed by the main protagonist, and I really only felt drawn to it in parts where the main love interest was introduced and the magic elements itself. It wasn’t a bad read, but I found myself disappointed.
★★★☆☆
I’ve done a full review of this book, and man, let me just say it again that this was a fantastic read. I can see why it was so hyped up – and is still hyped up – and I’m really glad I read it. I felt a huge range of emotions reading this, and it really showed me just how important community can be. The story touched on issues of race, identity, police brutality, and more. Such an impactful, great read.
★★★★★
That’s it! I was sucked into the world of Animal Crossing New Horizons in late April, so my reading went way down lol But what I did read was enjoyable and really made an impact on me, and I think that that’s more valuable than the amount I read. Quality > quantity.
Here’s what I’m currently reading, what I want to read, and what I hope to share my thoughts on in the (hopefully near) future:
Currently Reading
I need to get in the habit of reading only one book at a time. Seriously lol The ones I’m actually actively reading at this moment are Pachinko and A Song Below Water; the other three are currently put down for now.
TBR
Rereads
I never read the last two books in the Throne of Glass series or the last book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series due to life several years ago being really rough for me, so I want to reread them from the beginning and actually finish them before I read Crescent City. As for Air Awakens, I never finished reading the last book, and when I tried to late last year I was so lost because it had been years since I read the fourth book and I couldn’t really remember what was going on.
Pretty much these rereads are just me not being able to finish series.
I plan on reading these over summer (though I don’t know how long the reread will take me as I have other books I also want to read), but I’m just going to go at my own pace and enjoy myself. No need to feel pressure to read some great books, right?
How was your reading habits over spring what with quarantine and other happenings in the world? What was your favorite read? Your most impactful? Did any make you feel a certain emotion strongly over others? Let me know all the things!
Reader Rayna 