2019 Q1 Reading Round-Up
During the past three months I read 46 books, which is 7 ahead of schedule to hit my goal of 150 books for the year. 33 of the books were M/M Romances, which means 13 of the books were not, and 5 of those books were Pulitzer Prize winners. This puts me at 5 out of my goal of 6 Pulitzer Prize winners for the year, and at 13 out of my goal of 10 for non-M/M romances for the year! These goals were based on my reading last year (and were frankly set a bit higher than what I managed) but clearly I undershot! I've actually been actively working to alternate my M/M Romance reading with other books so that I continue to remember how much I LOVE reading stuff beyond queer romance. Which, DUH, I love, but I also love stuff that's less romance-focused as well. Plus, I would like to finish this Pulitzer Prize Winner challenge... someday.
FAVORITE BOOKS:
Fantasy/Mythology: Circe by Madeline Miller
I freaking ADORED this book and could not put it down! If you enjoy Greek mythology, this book is a real treat! Captivating story, gorgeous writing, and a really fun and fresh view of familiar characters and stories.
M/M Romance: Boy Shattered by Eli Easton
This was an intense book that covers the aftermath of a school shooting and how the characters are affected by the event. I thought the writing was brilliant and there was obviously a lot of time and care that went into this book.
RUNNERS UP:
M/M Romance: Any Old Diamonds by K.J. Charles
Everything this author writes is gold, and this book was no different! Brilliant historical m/m romance with a thrilling plot, intriguing twists, and some gorgeous tension.
Fantasy: Temeraire Series, books 1-5 by Naomi Novik
I love this author's work and finally decided to give her 9-book series a go. I've heard some mixed reviews on the series in terms of the first few books, but I was immediately captivated and could not stop reading. Loved the world building, and I really enjoyed the main characters (both human and dragon). I'm reading through my local library's ebook system, which means I've had to wait a bit between books which is AWFUL when I'm so invested, but at least it's giving me things to look forward to! I'm a little over half-way through and there have definitely been some real nail-biter moments, and I can only imagine it'll get more intense from here!
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
M/M Romance: Oz by Lily Morton
Warm, charming, delightful m/m romance. Fabulous chemistry, lovely characters, and just one of those really fun reads that makes you feel happy.
Pulitzer Prize Winner: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
Really fun and captivating read! I loved the characters and relationships here SO MUCH and it felt like a really unique and fresh perspective of WWII, which was cool. Plus, queer rep!
UGGHH:
Historical Fiction: The Spy by Paulo Coelho
This isn't a book I'd have picked up on my own, but it was gifted to me by a friend and I have a goal of reading one of my "physical" books per quarter to work through my shelf. I started with this one as it was the shortest, and honestly, it was a massive disappointment. It felt like the author was just phoning it in, and the whole story was so shallow and surface-level that I literally didn't care about a single character. I didn't even hate anybody, I was just completely apathetic, which is not a good sign.
M/M Romance: The Other Book by Roe Horvat
Technically I didn't "read" this one, as I DNF'd at ~60%, but I have been trying hard of late to not make myself read books I'm not enjoying. This had great reviews, but it was essentially just a string of sex scenes with a laughably fast and unrealistic relationship development.
COMING UP:
These are just a handful of books/series that are on my TBR list. Many I plan to read in the next 3 months, though I definitely won't get through all of these. One thing I am planning to continue with this next quarter however, is to read at least one of the hard copy books I have on my shelf that I've yet to read. I do ALL of my reading these days on my kindle, to the point where I struggle a bit with actual books. O_O Anyway, the ones with (*) are books I own a hard copy of and I WILL read at least one of these by the next time I come at you with an update!
* Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
* The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
The Dark Artifices Series by Cassandra Clare
Proper English by K.J. Charles
Playing in the Dark by Avery Cockburn
* The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Seven of Spades Series Books 3-5 by Cordelia Kingsbridge (will need to re-read books 1 & 2 as well)
* The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Temeraire Series by Naomi Novik (Books 6-9)
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish
Riven Series by Roan Parrish
Trouble Brewing Series Books 2 & 3 by Layla Rayne (will honestly need to re-read book 1 as well)
* The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skoot
rock by Anyta Sunday
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Upside Down by N.R. Walker
This entry was originally posted here on Dreamwidth. Please comment there using OpenID
FAVORITE BOOKS:
Fantasy/Mythology: Circe by Madeline Miller
I freaking ADORED this book and could not put it down! If you enjoy Greek mythology, this book is a real treat! Captivating story, gorgeous writing, and a really fun and fresh view of familiar characters and stories.
M/M Romance: Boy Shattered by Eli Easton
This was an intense book that covers the aftermath of a school shooting and how the characters are affected by the event. I thought the writing was brilliant and there was obviously a lot of time and care that went into this book.
RUNNERS UP:
M/M Romance: Any Old Diamonds by K.J. Charles
Everything this author writes is gold, and this book was no different! Brilliant historical m/m romance with a thrilling plot, intriguing twists, and some gorgeous tension.
Fantasy: Temeraire Series, books 1-5 by Naomi Novik
I love this author's work and finally decided to give her 9-book series a go. I've heard some mixed reviews on the series in terms of the first few books, but I was immediately captivated and could not stop reading. Loved the world building, and I really enjoyed the main characters (both human and dragon). I'm reading through my local library's ebook system, which means I've had to wait a bit between books which is AWFUL when I'm so invested, but at least it's giving me things to look forward to! I'm a little over half-way through and there have definitely been some real nail-biter moments, and I can only imagine it'll get more intense from here!
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
M/M Romance: Oz by Lily Morton
Warm, charming, delightful m/m romance. Fabulous chemistry, lovely characters, and just one of those really fun reads that makes you feel happy.
Pulitzer Prize Winner: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
Really fun and captivating read! I loved the characters and relationships here SO MUCH and it felt like a really unique and fresh perspective of WWII, which was cool. Plus, queer rep!
UGGHH:
Historical Fiction: The Spy by Paulo Coelho
This isn't a book I'd have picked up on my own, but it was gifted to me by a friend and I have a goal of reading one of my "physical" books per quarter to work through my shelf. I started with this one as it was the shortest, and honestly, it was a massive disappointment. It felt like the author was just phoning it in, and the whole story was so shallow and surface-level that I literally didn't care about a single character. I didn't even hate anybody, I was just completely apathetic, which is not a good sign.
M/M Romance: The Other Book by Roe Horvat
Technically I didn't "read" this one, as I DNF'd at ~60%, but I have been trying hard of late to not make myself read books I'm not enjoying. This had great reviews, but it was essentially just a string of sex scenes with a laughably fast and unrealistic relationship development.
COMING UP:
These are just a handful of books/series that are on my TBR list. Many I plan to read in the next 3 months, though I definitely won't get through all of these. One thing I am planning to continue with this next quarter however, is to read at least one of the hard copy books I have on my shelf that I've yet to read. I do ALL of my reading these days on my kindle, to the point where I struggle a bit with actual books. O_O Anyway, the ones with (*) are books I own a hard copy of and I WILL read at least one of these by the next time I come at you with an update!
* Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
* The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
The Dark Artifices Series by Cassandra Clare
Proper English by K.J. Charles
Playing in the Dark by Avery Cockburn
* The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Seven of Spades Series Books 3-5 by Cordelia Kingsbridge (will need to re-read books 1 & 2 as well)
* The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Temeraire Series by Naomi Novik (Books 6-9)
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish
Riven Series by Roan Parrish
Trouble Brewing Series Books 2 & 3 by Layla Rayne (will honestly need to re-read book 1 as well)
* The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skoot
rock by Anyta Sunday
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Upside Down by N.R. Walker
This entry was originally posted here on Dreamwidth. Please comment there using OpenID