May Wrap Up

Haul

My birthday was on the 3rd, so this is mainly a birthday haul. Woo!

What I Read

So this was not a great reading month for me. I had signed up for the Sailor Moon a thon, which I was really excited for, but promptly bombed.

Warcross by Marie Lu | ☆☆☆☆☆

This was my team’s group read and a reread for me. I loved it just as much as the first time!

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness | ☆☆☆.5

I hadn’t planned on this, but my library hold came in. And for some reason my library’s libby copy was 898 pages! I literally dropped everything to read it and managed to finish 7 hours before it was due back.

I liked this slightly better than A Discovery of Witches. Diana didn’t annoy me as much (still made me roll my eyes) but boy did I want to throttle Matthew.

 

The Umbrella Academy vols. 1 & 2 | ☆☆☆☆

I finally had a chance to watch the Umbrella Academy (I know, I know. In my defense it came out when we were moving and I was waiting to watch it with my mom). I fell so hard in love that we watched it twice in a row. I read the first volume a couple years ago, and I enjoyed it but didn’t really remember it so I had to reread! I can’t wait to see where both the comics and the show goes.

April Owlcrate Unboxing

Theme: The Dark Side

• Six of Crows socks
• Darkling scarf
• Pin banner
• Throne of Glass notebook
• Vicious phone holder
• Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan
• Exclusive Wicked Saints fabric map
• Wicked Saints enamel pin
• Finale chapter excerpt

This month is now one of my top favorite Owlcrate boxes! I always love when separate maps are included, but they are usually pretty small. This one is a great size (just a little over 16″ x 16″) and the fabric is a really nice touch.

I was so excited when they announced they would be including a pin display! I like displaying mine by theme or where I got them, so I love that I now have one specifically for OC pins.

This scarf is g o r g e o u s. Purple and black is one of my favorite color combos, so this will definitely be getting a lot of wear.

 

What did you think of this month?

 

April Wrap Up

Once again, aside from Owlcrate no haul for this month. I’m doing well with not impulse buying books!

What I Read

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee | ☆☆☆☆☆

I didn’t tear through this one as quickly as I did with A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, but it was still a wonderful read! I really loved Felicity’s and Johanna’s friendship.

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard | ☆☆☆☆☆

I hadn’t heard of this one, but when I was browsing audible the cover really caught my eye. Johannes Cabal sold his soul to the devil to become a necromancer, but now he needs it back. Cabal and the devil make a wager: if Cabal can collect 100 souls in the span of one year, the devil will return his soul to him.

This was an absolute delight! The narrator for the audiobook, Christopher Cazenove gave a fantastic performance. If you like Good Omens, I’m sure you’d like this too! This is part of a series and I will definitely be reading the rest.

American Panda by Gloria Chao | ☆☆☆☆

I don’t know much about Chinese culture so I really enjoyed learning a bit! I really loved Mei and felt all the feels while reading this.

In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware | ☆☆☆

Hmm, I’m not sure how I feel about this one. The audiobook was great, I really liked Imogen Church’s performance. Nina was about the only character I liked. There were a few suspenseful moments, but for the most part it read more like a soap opera episode.

Heavy Vinyl | ☆☆☆☆

This was so much fun! I was a bit sad to find out it was a limited series, because all the characters were great and I would have liked to see more of them.

Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy | ☆☆☆

I’ve only read the first issue of Gotham Academy so I don’t know much about them, but I LOVE the Lumberjanes! It was a cute story, but nothing amazing.

Mixed Vegetables vol. 1 by Ayumi Komura | ☆☆☆☆

This was a reread since it’s been a few years and I wanted to pick up the series again. Hanayu is the daughter of a pastry chef, but she wants to be a sushi chef. And Hyuga, the son of the sushi chef wants to be a pastry chef! This is adorable and funny.

Waiting For Spring vol. 1 by Anashin | ☆☆☆☆

Mizuki is shy, starting high school and wants to make new friends. And the four stars of the basketball team weren’t who she had in mind. This was really adorable and I loved it more than I thought I would! I don’t normally go for books with sports in them, but there was a good balance with that and the rest of the story.

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare | ☆☆☆☆

I’m taking my time reading this series, but I’m really enjoying it! I didn’t love this as much as I loved the first, but still a good read.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman | ☆☆☆☆☆

Wow! This was such a fascinating story. I can’t wait to see where it goes in Thunderhead.

March Wrap Up

I had to move this month, so I’m surprised I got through as much as I did!

Except for Owlcrate, no haul for March. I actually donated quite a bit of books!

What I Read

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa | ☆☆☆☆☆

This started off with a bang and then just kept on going! I loved the mythology and the whole group, especially Yumeko and the ronin.

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge | ☆☆

I really loved Cruel Beauty, so I wanted to love this but it just didn’t happen. I was interested in the story, but Rachelle was unlikeable and I just didn’t care about her. It was a hot mess and bit confusing since my mind kept wandering. I’m sure if I hadn’t listened to the audiobook this would have been a DNF.

Othello volume 1 by Satomi Ikezawa | ☆☆☆.5

Othello is an older manga (2004) about Yaya, a meek girl whose “friends” bully her. She transforms into her alter ego, Nana who is strong and confident. I wasn’t sure about this at first but it’s cute and funny. And some of the facial expressions had me laughing out loud!

Thanks to a graphic novel read-a-thon over the weekend, I was able to read 7! Most of these were read on ComiXology Unlimited.

Rocko’s Modern Life volume 1 | ☆☆☆.5

This was not as good as I was hoping it to be, but I will still fun to read. I will continue to read these, with the hope that they will improve/capture the magic of the show.

The Walking Dead, volume 3 | ☆☆☆☆

The differences between the comic and the show are huge (no surprise there). It’s fascinating to see what gets left out or changed for the show.

Archie, volumes 1-4 | ☆☆☆☆

A preview for this reboot of Archie comics was in the Riverdale graphic novel I read last month, so I knew I would at least like this. I loved it! This was so funny and the art was great. I haven’t read any of the original Archie comics, but I really fell in love with the updated versions of these characters.

Rat Queens, volume 1 | ☆☆☆☆☆

Wow! This was an instant favorite. The art style is amazing and I loved the characters, especially Hannah and Betty. I can’t wait to dive further into their world.

February Owlcrate Unboxing

• Haku / Spirited Away keychain
• Harry Potter travel umbrella
• Gem soap
• Harry Potter beanie
• The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill
• Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
• Crown of Feathers enamel pin

Crown of Feathers & Gold

I love this cover! I’m really excited to read this.

Umbrella & Beanie selfie

I absolutely love the artwork on the umbrella! I like to use umbrellas when it’s sunny too, so this will be getting lots of use!

Keychain on Bag

Soap and Pixies

Tea Dragon book and Tea

The Tea Dragon Society has been on my wishlist for awhile now, so this was a wonderful surprise! I adore this exclusive cover.

Owlcrate Box and Whimsical Beasts

Down the TBR Hole 03

Since I forgot to do this earlier: 881 books on my goodreads tbr shelf as of today.

Rule (Marked Men #1) by Jay Crownover

I don’t even remember adding this one. It goes!

Bloody Lessons by M. Louisa Locke

I have the first book in this series, so I will decide after reading that. It sounds like a fun series though, so I hope I like it!

Inland by Kat Rosenfeild

I’m not sure about this one. I love the cover, but it has some mixed reviews on Goodreads. If you’ve read this one, what are your thoughts?

Suspicion by Alexandra Monir

I actually unhauled this over a year ago. Removed!

Fan Art by Sarah Tregay

Yikes at the reviews pointing out what’s wrong with this. Definitely removing.

 

Books remaining: 872*

*Also removed some duplicate editions that I didn’t need to post here.

February Wrap Up

Monthly Haul

I wasn’t expecting to have much of a haul this month, but here we are!

What I Read

As expected, I didn’t get through my entire TBR (18 books planned for the shortest month was a bit much) but I’m still really happy with what I read.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by JK Rowling | ☆☆☆☆

I’ve been waiting several weeks for this to be available at my library via Libby and the hold finally came in! This was a very quick listen, just under 2 hours. I also have a physical copy of this, so it was fun to follow along while listening.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett | ☆☆☆☆☆

This was a reread, but my first time listening to the audiobook. Martin Jarvis does a fabulous job! Who else is looking forward to the show?

Lumberjanes vol. 4: Out of Time | ☆☆☆☆☆

How can you not love the Lumberjanes?

What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera | ☆☆☆☆.5

I loved this! The audiobook was really enjoyable and there was lots of laughing and crying. I didn’t love the epilogue though.

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff | ☆☆☆☆☆

I first started this on my Nook, but stopped after a couple chapters since reading the footnotes on the ebook was awkward and pulling me out of the story. Once I got the paperback I was in love! Jay Kristoff is easily one of my new favorite authors now.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo | ☆☆☆☆☆

I love Six of Crows, but for whatever reason I kept putting off reading this. Which was a mistake on my part because I loved this so much!

The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel | ☆☆☆☆

This was one of those ebooks I bought because the cover is gorgeous and it was on sale. Going in, I knew nothing of Empress Wu. It is a historical fiction about her earlier life and it was so good! I will definitely be reading the second book in this duology, The Empress of Bright Moon, and researching more on Empress Wu.

Riverdale vol. 1 | ☆☆☆☆

I recently got caught up with Riverdale (I was about a season and a half behind) so obviously I needed more! This was really fun, like deleted and off screen scenes from the show.

Down the TBR Hole 02

First of all, I finished my socks! I even finished a day early, yay! I’m now giving my wrists a much needed break.

Now it’s time for another round of Down the TBR Hole! See my previous post for more information on this meme.

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

I’m not sure about this one. The movie is one of my favorites. If you’ve read this, what do you think? Should I keep this on one my tbr?

Shogun by James Clavell

I actually tried to read this once after watching the show, but it’s SO long I put it down and never picked it up again. This one goes.

Peach Blossom Pavilion by Mingemei Yip

I’ve owned a copy of this for a few years now, but haven’t gotten around to reading it. I’m still interested though, so I’ll try reading a bit and then decide.

John Belushi is Dead by Kathy Charles

This one definitely stays! It still sounds like a great read. I have a huge soft spot for things set in Los Angeles, since I lived there for a few years and it’s one of my favorite cities.

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

I probably added this after reading the Hunger Games, but it doesn’t sound too appealing to me now. It goes.

Ordeal by Tatyana K. Varenko

This has good reviews, but after reading the description I’m not sure it’s for me anymore. It goes.

Books removed: 3

February TBR

My TBR is extremely ambitious this month! I’m trying a book bingo so I’ve picked a book for (almost) every square. Books I don’t get to will probably roll over to my March TBR, like Wuthering Heights rolled over from my January TBR. Starting today I’m also participating in a flash knit-a-long to knit a pair of socks in a week. This will be a busy month!

My Lady Jane / Wuthering Heights / Three Dark Crowns / Always and Forever, Lara Jean / Pride / P.S. I Like You / City of Ashes / Shadow and Bone / Shiver

The Moon in the Palace / Speak Easy, Speak Love / Because You Love to Hate Me / The Distance Between Us / Landline / Maids of Misfortune

Not Pictured: The Art of Starving / Good Omens (audio) / What If It’s Us (audio)

January Wrap Up

Monthly Haul

For someone trying not to spend money, I still ended up with 7 books this month! In my defense, 2 were gifts, and 2 were ordered used with credits through PaperBackSwap.

What I Read

I didn’t get through my January TBR, but I came close.

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody | ☆☆☆☆☆

I really enjoyed this one! I loved the world, the characters, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

The Wicked King by Holly Black | ☆☆☆☆☆

I have no words?? I’ll just be over here crying until 2020, don’t mind me.

Wildcard by Marie Lu (narrated by Nancy Wu) | ☆☆☆☆

I would have liked a touch more, but this was a solid end to the duology. I chose to go for the audio again since I enjoyed Nancy Wu’s performance so much with Warcross.

Afterlife With Archie #1-5 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Francesco Francavilla | ☆☆☆☆☆

I have never read Archie before, but I’m a huge fan of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa so I figured I’d get this a shot. I absolutely loved it! Some issues have a “from the vault” at the end, which are horror/supernatural stories originally published in the 1970s that are really great as well.