January 2018 Wrap Up: aka my best reading month ever

I read 21 books this month.

That’s right 21.

I am so impressed with myself, this has been the best reading month ever. Ever.
Thank god for audiobooks I listened to 11 audiobooks this month, and if it wasn’t for audiobooks I wouldn’t have gotten through some of these books.

I just cannot believe I read 20 books; I’m just in a huge reading mood and just want to read all the books. I can’t get enough and I hope this feeling never goes away. I haven’t felt even close to burning out yet.

Help me when I do lol that slump is probably going to be brutal!

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Lets get into my wrap up lol

The Long Way to A Small Angry Planet 
by Becky Chambers
4 out of 5 stars

If you are ever looking for an audiobook recommendation, get this one, its such a fun sci-fi read.

Love, Life, and the List
by Kasie West
3 out of 5 stars

I don’t know what to say about this one, I didn’t love it but I also didn’t hate it. Kasie’s books have either been a hit or miss with me, and I think it’s because her storytelling doesn’t feel consistent to me.

The Thief 
by Megan Whalen Turner
3 out of 5 stars

I was honestly expecting a bit more from this, I’ve heard so many people raving about it, Regan at PeruseProjects has been fangirling over this series so hard that I had to read it, and I was really bored for most of the story.

The Theif’s Daughter 
by Jeffery Wheeler
5 out of 5 stars

I read the Queens Poisoner last year which is the first book of the Kingfountain series, and I loved it. I also highly recommend these audiobooks, the narrator is just wonderful. This is a King Arther retelling but its done in the way that its like a prequel to King Arther, its a two-generation series with the first three books dedicated to the events leading up to King Arther and the last three books are the next generation, I haven’t read those yet but I am really looking forward to them.

The King’s Traitor 
by Jeffery Wheeler
5 out of 5 stars

I’m not gonna say much about it except this was a great ending to a trilogy.

The Bear and the Nightingale
by Katherine Arden
5 out of 5 stars

I don’t know where to begin, the first thing I’ll say, It was everything I wanted from the synopsis. I have a guilty pleasure for a Russian setting, dark fairytales come to life, and the writing was just gorgeous. If you’re a fan of Laini Taylor’s writing I say pick this up. It has such a lush and rich setting, you feel like you are in the world.

Magic Study
by Maria V Snyder
4 out of 5 stars

I read Poison Study last year and was a bit enchanted with the world and these characters, I was so frustrated with them at first but the things that infuriated me in the book weren’t an issue continuing on. I loved the school setting so much

Sleeping Giants
by Sylvain Neuvel
5 out of 5 stars

I didn’t know much about this before getting into it. I had a general idea that a girl had fallen down a hole and landed in the middle of a giant metal hand. SOLD! GIVE ME. This was told through dossier reports and interviews and it was amazing. Loved and can’t wait for the next book.

The Mark of Athena 
by Rick Riordan
5 out of 5 stars

This is the one that turned me onto Riordan’s writing, I was a bit bored while reading the Percy Jackson series, struggled through the Lost Hero, and was hesitant about Son of Neptune, but I loved this one. Everyone coming together from the Greek and Roman camps, Annabeth is a total BAMF, Percy and Jason’s testosterone-fueled competitions. There was just so much that I loved.

btw I’m totally convinced this is what Annabeth was thinking when Percy and Jason met 

Wonder Woman: Warbringer 
by Leigh Bardugo
4 out of 5 stars

I was surprised to enjoy this as Wonder Woman is not my all-time favorite DC character, I am a huge fan of the movie and I’m slowly coming around to her. I am familiar with Wonder Woman’s canon story but was really open to a new perspective, a new story from a different point of view, and Bardugo definitely delivered. The action was great and Diana was delightful.

The Cruel Prince
by Holly Black
4.5 out of 5 stars

Alright, this book definitely delivered on the hype. I was a bit skeptical going in, everyone left and right was loving this, yet the beginning was so slow. But the storytelling was a bit hypnotic and I slowly and surely just fell in love.

Beneath the Sugar Sky
by Seanan McGuire
4.5 out of 5 stars

I adore this series and I hope it continues, every book just leaves me wanting more.

Paperweight
by Meg Haston
3 out of out of 5 stars

This is a hard one to sum up, its such an important topic, dealing with all sorts of mental illnesses. But I didn’t care for much of the story, it was angsty, emotional, and just all around a bit overwhelming at points.

The Time Machine
by HG Wells
2 out of 5 stars

I was actually really bored reading this, it was a long story being told to a group of friends, the story-telling was rushed and there were points where what the time traveler was saying just didn’t make sense. I listened to this on audiobook and I think that was the only thing that kept me going with the story.

The Picture of Dorian Gray 
by Oscar Wilde
1 out of 5 stars

So I guess this is somewhat of an unpopular opinion but I don’t care, come at me, this book is trash! Just straight up garbage. First of all, I don’t like being told how the world works from the eyes of pretentious upper-class fuckboys who have never done a single day of actual work. I understand that these characters weren’t meant to be relatable and to actually be disliked but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy these long-winded pretentious and boring monologues

Second of all this book romanticizes suicide because all these characters are garbage people; a young girl kills herself over heartbreak and one of the garbage people said that he wishes some of his mistresses had loved him enough to do the same and how lucky the heartbreaker was to be rid of such a love-struck inconvenience. Umm, all y’all can just go choke.

Third, fuck this book.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor 
by Rick Riordan
4 out of 5 stars

I am really enjoying the Magnus Chase trilogy. Its so much fun, I love the references the bits of pop culture. The diversity is also amazing, and the Norse gods are just so much fun. I cant get enough to be honest.

Batman: Nightwalker
by Marie Lu
4 out of 5 stars

Maybe I’m in the minority here but I really enjoyed this, I was hooked from the getgo and couldn’t read the story fast enough, I needed to know everything that was happening next and I needed to know it now. A really gripping story with a new take on Bruce Wayne.

Scythe
by Neal Schusterman
5 out of 5 stars

OMG! Why did I wait so long to read this?!?! This was phenomenal! I loved the story, the world, how dark it was, the characters. I cant think of a negative thing to say. I was hooked to the pages from start to finish, there was no point where I felt bored while reading this.

Yes Please 
by Amy Schumer
3 out of 5 stars

There were quite a few points where I was laughing so hard. I listened to this on audiobook too and it was amazing with a cast recording, Seth Meyers came in and read a chapter, Carol Burnett popped in to say that Amy was her best friend, her parents came in and did some readings, and then Patrick Stewart came and read some poems. It was just great. Have I sold you on it yet?

Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley
2.5 out of 5 stars

This was an interesting story, but the worldbuilding could have been better, the beginning was super slow! I wasn’t even fully interested until I was almost halfway through…thank god for audiobooks lol.

Artemis
by Andy Weir
3 out of 5 stars

I would have liked this a lot more if there wasn’t so much description, so much detail of A going to B and then B going to C, and then why were doing all of this, why the thing is doing the thing! So too much detail, too much spoonfeeding explaining.

On the bright side; I liked the humor in the book, some of it was forced but some lines were great! The story wasn’t that bad. At the end of the day, I did enjoy it.

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What was your favorite book you read this month?
Mine was probably The Bear and the Nightingale and my least fave was the Picture of Dorian Gray.