Gord’s
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(group member since Apr 06, 2017)
Gord’s
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from the Vampires, Weres and Fae! group.
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This is some first world library problems but I just want to rant a little. I'm wanting to do a big read through of the One Piece manga series. For those of you who might not know, One Piece is an insanely popular series that has over 100 books out currently. There are omnibus versions out there that combine three volumes into one but my local library does not have them. I requested an omnibus copy through the ILL system but got denied because by my local library has the individual volumes. Right now to get the first volume there is 50 holds on just 3 copies. I just love having to wait 6+ months to get a copy of a book especially ones that are in a series. Those multi month waits between each book really keeps one engaged in the series. I have that problem right now with Spy x Family as well. I read one volume and then wait months to get the next one.
I'm listening to the The Hobbit narrated by Rob Inglis and man this is such a treat. His voice just works so well for this story.
Bleh, my vacation is coming to an end and I'm kind of bummed. Everything before Christmas was amazing. It was an incredibly relaxing time where I just got a chance to unwind. Now the plan was to continue that amazing time into the period after Christmas but as we all know things didn't go exactly to plan. There is a part of me that is rather annoyed and feels like the last week was kind of a waste and I would love a do over. Right now my plans are to just relax, continue recovering, and just enjoy the next couple days of freedom.Next week is an extra bitter pill to swallow. It's inventory week which I knew before hand. Going back to spend a week counting things is not what I'd call peak fun. Then there is the realization that my first week back will be a six day week and not the standard five. Then there is the icing on this crap sandwich. Next week the polar vortex moves in and it gets really, really cold. With the windchill we are looking at temps in the -30C's for end of next week or -20F's for those south of the border. We haven't had any temps even close to this all winter yet so this is going to hurt.
This sickness has done a number on me I never considered until this morning. For the last week my physical activity has been barely there and eating has been minimal. I figured since I was doing better it was finally time to get all my laundry done before my return to work next week. A walk up three flights of stairs with nothing but an empty basket and a bottle of laundry soap left me winded. My legs feel like jelly and I'm wondering how I'm getting my finished laundry back up here. I'm so weak feeling right now.
I say this with a massive and hesitant sigh of relief. I think I'm finally over this flu. I was starting to feel better yesterday and that continues this morning. I got a fairly good sleep last night as well. I don't want to say 100% because I'm afraid this thing will return to drag me back into the pit I've been in the last few days.
Welcome back Tracy! Reading is reading whether it's one book or 100 books.
You are by far my humble factor. I think I read a lot of books and then I see your numbers and while yes I did read a lot it's nothing compared to other. Some of my stats from my 2023 reading
371 books read broken down into 236 physical books, 71 audiobooks, and 64 digital books.
I read 77,203 pages and listened to 712.5 hours of audio.
My average rating is 3.7
My craziest stat is the amount saved by using a library card. Thanks to me wonderful library I saved a whopping $8,468.30.
Happy New Years!
Time for another update and apologies in advance for the length. I was going to update earlier but then I got sick and all my plans went out the window. 
Fish for Dinner: Tales of Newfoundland and Labrador -3 StarsI snagged this to fill a particularly challenging task and out of curiosity. Growing up I enjoyed books like this and just learning about various folk tales. As an adult though I just found this book to be alright. If you have ever read any books like this you know what you are going to get. The morale's that they teach, the cautionary tales passed on, it's all pretty much the same just with different characters and settings. It was interesting to see the tales being pulled from various groups and not just the usual European ones. Interesting little Canadian book about some Canadian history.
The Twisted Ones -3 StarsThis book was one that caught my attention and vanished into my TBR pit. For what ever reason I requested it this year and then promptly forgot all about it as it took a few months to get my copy of it. This book started out so strong in my opinion. It's a simple enough premise as well. A woman ends up heading to the backwoods of North Carolina to clean out her grandmothers house after she passes away. While there she finds some weird things in the house and starts encountering some weird things out in the woods. The first part of this book did such an amazing job of establishing the characters and the setting while there was very little going on. The MC, Mouse, and her dog Bongo are great characters who you can't help but relate to. The supporting characters, mainly Foxy, are amazing as well. While nothing major is happening there is just the right amount of tension established through foreshadowing. In a way that I normally don't like but just works so well here. The whole "everything was going so well for now...". I loved how the main character was ignoring the spooky signs in a very realistic feeling way. She wasn't a TSTL kind of character she was just a real person. Sure that thing that happened was odd but I'm not from here, it only happened once, and I've got other things to deal with right now. So what happened to the book to tank the rating after all this praise? Basically the author showed us, the readers, the monster and it just fell apart. The MC does something, that in my opinion, is completely out of character and then we get to see the monster. From that point on the book just fell on it's face. The monster stopped making sense, there was no motivation behind it, there was no explanation for what was going on, and then it just ended. I felt so let down by the ending, especially after the stellar start that the book had.
Crimson Frost -4 StarsDefinitely loving this series more the second time through or I'm just a whole lot less picky then I was before. Regardless, this is the fourth installment in this series and the stakes are getting raised. I don't have a lot to really say, these are just fun to read for me and I am enjoying my reread of this series.
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers -4 StarsThis book has me feeling very conflicted. I snagged it for challenge purposes and it sounded like a pretty interesting murder mystery. That right there brings me to my first massive problem with this book. The mystery in this book felt like it was a side character to a side character. It would show up every once in a while when it was needed but it was far from the main focus of the book. This was basically a literary fiction book about finding a new family with a very light sprinkling of mystery somewhere in the general vicinity of the book. It's about five strangers coming together over the death of one person and becoming a found family along the way. Watching these five bound over their experiences was by and far the highlight of this book. Followed closely by Vera herself. My other big complaint is that there were a few times where I just wanted everyone to sit down and talk to each other instead of getting close to saying something and then backing off. It wasn't high school romance manga levels of poor communication but it sure felt like it was getting close at times. Overall it was a bit of a mixed bag. There were times I was borderline bored and times I was borderline in tears.
The Apothecary Diaries Manga, Vol. 8 -5 StarsMan, do I love this series and especially the MC, Maomao. I was a little bit lost reading this manga as it has been months since I last read this series, it takes the library forever to get some books in that are on order, and I am also watching the anime as it's coming out. Where I am at in the manga and where I'm at in the anime are very far apart. Reading this was a blast but it really makes me want to start over again but with the novels.
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Millennium World, Vol. 6: The Name of the Pharaoh -4 Stars
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Millennium World, Vol. 7: Through The Last Door -4 StarsAfter a month and a half of running around I finally got these two books and my final step in the Yu-Gi-Oh journey. As I mentioned before I never expected to read this series let alone actually like it but here we are and this was a very satisfying ending. It might have felt a wee bit rushed in places but I get why the final fight was the one that it was and it was a very satisfying conclusion to the arc and the entire series. I don't think I'll be reading any of the spin off stuff though. I feel that the conclusion wrapped up the story and the stuff I'd be most interested in. I think the spin off series will be more about the card game than any larger story arc like this one was. Still, if you were ever curious like I was about this series or my reviews made you curious then give this a spin.
Magic Artisan Dahlia Wilts No More Vol. 5 -4 StarsThe latest installment in this chill, slice of life, fantasy series about basically a magical inventor. We get some more business, some more inventions, and some more very slow burn romance. Just a fun popcorn series to read.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 2—Battle Tendency, Vol. 4 -5 StarsThe exciting conclusion to the Battle Tendency story arc with Joseph Joestar. This was a wild over the top adventure with the Pillar Men being a genuinely scary threat. I can't believe how quickly I read through this series and now I am ready for the next part, Stardust Crusaders.
Basil and Oregano -3 StarsThis was an interesting comic about romance and a magic cooking school where students learn to cook with, well, magic obviously. It's an interesting idea and really cute but it never felt like it reached it's full potential. This next thing might be a bit controversial so hopefully I articulate myself well enough. I am all for representation in media but I think this is an example of taking it a bit to far. It felt like nearly every character in this book had to be some sort of representation. To the point where the characters started feeling less like people and more like check boxes. Instead of this being Dandelion, a third generation magical chef, who specializes in cooking mushrooms and reading horror novels it's reduced to this is Dandelion, the trans character, or the gay character, or the Muslim character and that is the depth of their characterization. The latter does not make for a fun read in my opinion. I'm not saying every character needs a back story either but they should be there for more than the purpose of checking off something. Hopefully that was expressed clearly enough.
Dinosaur Sanctuary Vol. 3 -3 StarsMore scientific facts about dinosaurs while seeing how a small dinosaur sanctuary would be run if Jurassic Park actually happened. An interesting little series that makes for a quick read while learning some interesting little facts along the way.
Spy x Family, Vol. 3 -4 StarsThe next installment, for me anyways, in this series. It takes a long time to get some of this manga series, especially if they are super popular, so it's taking me some time to get through this one. I totally understand why this series is so popular though. The characters are great, the gags are funny, and it's just fun to read. Now I wait for the next volume. There are only 31 people ahead of me who are also waiting.
As for what is next... well, I need to update a week and a half of vacation reading into my various challenges *shudder*.
Bookshops & Bonedust
The HobbitI have both of these audiobooks downloaded, both I'm equally excited for, and I can't choose which one I want to start next but it will be one of these two.
For non audiobooks, not sure, back to hitting the library stack as usual.
Wow, just wow. A little medicine, a little food, a quick nap, and I feel like a whole new man. That was much needed.
I am back from a much needed supply run and I have medicine for the cough and the rumbly tummy. I also got the essential sick people foods of ginger ale and soda crackers. I knew I was in fact hungry when I walked into the supermarket though. There was a part of me that wanted to just sit down in the middle of an aisle and eat. The worst though was at the check out. Person behind me had a basket of cupcakes and bars. I nearly turned into feral zombie willing to rip the persons arm for the sugary snacks.
It's such a great template to start with. I like to separate manga and comics as well as light novels from each other. Just so I have records for myself.
Cee wrote: "Can't remember if I shared it here or not, but I finished tweaking my 2024 Reading Log. Here is a copy of it, feel free to copy to your own google drive: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/......"Shiny!!!!!
I was thinking about repurposing my old one from last year but I can see me maybe tweaking this one to use. Thank you!
Belles wrote: "Gord wrote: "A couple of quick questionsBilingual character - Does it have to be limited to two languages or can it be more? Can it be something like a magic spell/boon that allows the MC to unde..."
Alright, alright, I'm starting to see why this is the harder of the two challenges. The bilingual one in regards to magic makes sense but I wanted to check.
A couple of quick questionsBilingual character - Does it have to be limited to two languages or can it be more? Can it be something like a magic spell/boon that allows the MC to understand all languages?
Trilogy - All three books in a trilogy or just part of a trilogy?
