January Wrap-up and February TBR

Hello everyone, it’s the last day of January which means it’s time for recap post.

I had 5 books in my January TBR. Out of those five, I only read two…
Yes I know, I should be banned from ever making TBR. xD

Let’s recap them.

January wrap-up

Reading recap

My January TBR:

  1. Truthwitch (Susan Dennard)
  2. The Grownup (Gillian Flynn)
  3. Firefight (Brandon Sanderson)
  4. Uprooted (Naomi Novik)
  5. Sanctuary Bay (Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz)

What I Actually Read:

The Grownup (Gillian Flynn)

This novella was originally published as What Do You Do? as part of George R. R. Martin’s anthology, Rogues. It centered around a con-artist who worked as “psychic” to make ends meet. A client hired her to cleanse her house and here, she met the client’s creepy stepson. It’s very short, quite creepy, and I really liked the first half of the novella. However, the second half felt rushed mainly because it’s hard to put so much into 64 pages book. It’s still good though.
3.5 star

Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)

I started this book in 2014 and made it halfway before quitting so I had to reread the whole thing. The whole “going to school” part really bore me, but surprisingly the pace picked up after the twist introduced in Thornfield Hall.
It wasn’t my favorite classic, but I could appreciate Bronte’s ideas of feminism and I really like the main character, Jane.
3.5 star

War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)

It took me three weeks to finish this giant. It’s not the thickest book in the world (1392 pages) but it sure felt like so. There are bazillion characters in it and throughout the book Tolstoy would refer to them using their name, nickname, or title. It’s so difficult to keep track of everyone. Once I got the hang of it, though, the book is easier to digest. There are essays inserted throughout the book, and although I appreciate the “why”, they still felt somewhat distracting.
3 star

Uprooted (Naomi Novik)

This book is magical, spooky, and offers a fresh take on fairy tale. You can read my review here.
4.5 star

Tell The Wind and Fire (Sarah Rees Brennan)

This was my #1 most anticipated book in 2016 so I was very excited when the publisher approved my eARC request. It didn’t turn out the way I expected, but I’m not going to say too much here because I will be posting full review as it gets closer to the publication date.
3 star

Blogging recap

Reviews
Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas – LINK
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson – LINK
Uprooted by Naomi Novik – LINK

Recap, Goal, and New Releases
December Wrap-up and January TBR – LINK
My 2016 Reading Goals – LINK
February Most Anticipated New Releases – LINK

Book Tags and Awards
None posted.

I AM SORRY TO ALL OF YOU LOVELY PEOPLE WHO HAVE TAGGED ME. I PROMISE I’LL DO BETTER NEXT MONTH.

A Darker Shade of Magic Reread
Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII

Miscellaneous
HTML Tips for Bloggers: The Basics – LINK
HTML Tips for Bloggers: Intro to Styling – LINK

I posted the first two parts of my planned 3-parts HTML tips series. The last part should be up this Friday so stay tuned for that.

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February TBR

Yep, you read that right. Even though I should be banned from making TBR, since no one has banned me yet I’ll keep making one. 😀
I am also doing three reading challenges/goals this year (that I’m keeping track here) so I want to work toward completing them.

  1. Firefight (Brandon Sanderson)
    Calamity comes out in February so I want to catch up with the series before the release date.
  2. Hero of Ages (Brandon Sanderson)
    I am so behind in the Mistborn series. I’ll have to finish the original trilogy before moving on to the new Mistborn series.
  3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (JK Rowling)
    I joined the Fanboy Book Club and we’re going to (re-)read the book that started it all for many of us. The kick-off post should be up next week and I’m really excited to be part of this book club.
  4. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender (Leslye Walton)
    I also joined the Blogger Bookclub (in retrospect, I am perhaps too ambitious) and the theme for February is to read a beautiful book. This is the book choice of the month and I have to admit, it looks beautiful. I am not a big fan of magical realism, but this one looks promising so we’ll see.
  5. A Gathering of Shadows (V.E. Schwab)
    a.k.a. the book that will make me drop everything until I finish it.
  6. Charm & Strange (Stephanie Kuehn)
    I’ll try to squeeze this one in if possible. It’s a psychological thriller and the premise intrigued me. I actually picked this book as one of my entry for the Book Riot Read Harder challenge, but I’m not even sure if it qualifies for the category. Well, better read it to find out, right? :p
  7. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
    This one is a big if because it’s a giant. It has to be big though, because I’m going to read it as one of my “doorstopper reading challenge” book.

Thank you for reading my blabbering. Until next time!


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December wrap-up and January TBR

It’s time to do my wrap-up and TBR post.
I had 5 books on my December TBR and guess how many of them I read? The answer is two *hides in the corner*

I am such a mood reader so unless there’s a new release that I’ve been waiting to read for months, I usually fail to complete my TBR. :p Didn’t stop to create another TBR though.

Here’s how I did.

December wrap-up

Reading recap

My December TBR:

  1. The Emperor’s Soul (Brandon Sanderson)
  2. Red Rising (Pierce Brown)
  3. These Shallow Graves (Jennifer Donnelly)
  4. Cress (Marissa Meyer)
  5. UnDivided (Neal Shusterman)

What I Actually Read:

Warbreaker (Brandon Sanderson)

How does one resist a book about a talking sword and a sarcastic god?
5 star

The Emperor’s Soul (Brandon Sanderson)

Another innovative magic system with rich world building and a great MC. All in less than 200 pages. Probably my favorite novella ever.
4 star

Red Rising (Pierce Brown)

Great dystopian representation with action-packed story. Review posted here
3.5 star

The Rithmatist (Brandon Sanderson)

Really fun combination of whodunnit plot, steampunk setting, and killer magic system that plays out like a strategy game. Review coming soon.
4 star

Steelheart (Brandon Sanderson)

Brandon’s attempt at urban fantasy is enjoyable albeit not that original. I quite possibly underrated this one due to a very high expectation (it’s his own fault for writing such great books really).
3.5 star

Dangerous Girls (Abigail Haas)

The only thriller I got to read in December turned out to be quite fantastic indeed. I will certainly read another Abigail Haas’ books.
4 star

Illuminae (Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff)

The hype delivers!
4 star

You can probably see what happened there…

Blogging recap

Reviews
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson – LINK
Sneak Peek of Truthwitch by Susan Dennard – LINK
Red Rising by Pierce Brown – LINK

Recap and New Releases
December New Releases – LINK
2015 Reading Recap: An Infographic – LINK
January Most Anticipated New Releases – LINK

Book Tags and Awards
Real Neat Blog Award – LINK
Fall Time Cozy Book Tag – LINK
2016 Resolutions Book Tag – LINK

A Darker Shade of Magic Reread
Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX

Miscellaneous
News Round-up #5 – LINK
Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Authors I Discovered This Year – LINK
Top Ten Tuesday – Favorite Books of The Year – LINK

January TBR

  1. Truthwitch (Susan Dennard)
  2. The Grownup (Gillian Flynn)
  3. Firefight (Brandon Sanderson)
  4. Uprooted (Naomi Novik)
  5. Sanctuary Bay (Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz)

I also want to read a contemporary and a non-fiction, but I haven’t decided what. Please let me know if you have any recommendation because I really need help on this one. You can leave me a comment or talk to me on twitter (link below).

Until next time!


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