So excited for another team readathon!
1. How many books do you think you'll be able to read over the 10-day event? 5, give or take.
2. Can you commit to checking in with your team approximately every 2-3 days throughout the 10 days of the readathon? Yes
3. Are you willing to assume the role of leader or co-leader for your team? (See below for what these roles entail.)* Prefer not too, but am up for it if need be.
4. Have you participated in a team readathon before? yes several times
5. Are you able to accept messages on Goodreads? Yes
August TBR & Wrap UpGoal: 8 books & 3000 pages
Outcome: 15 books & 5542 pages + 11 hours and 19 minutes.
(view spoiler)[
1. Pirate Girls (ebook) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
i liked this more than i liked falls boys, the premise really vibed with me. kinda took me out though at the brief mention of credence...
2. You Said I Was Your Favorite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
i liked this book way more than the 2 other monica murphy books i've read. it felt well paced, not too long and there wasn't a weird drag towards the end of the book. overall i enjoyed their relationship, and it was actually quite wholesome? their initial spat to spur them into 'enemies' didn't work, however i liked that once they kinda got together/started seeing each other, he didn't fuck her over or cheat.
3. Daddy ⭐️⭐️⭐️
(the edit didn't save so i have to rewrite this so annoying). i wanted to like this, i really did. the girls? obsessed. the guest? loved it give me more. short stories are always hit or miss for me, and unfortunately emma was not an exception. certain stories, such as marion, i really liked. others, like the one set on a farm?, i hated and didn't care for at all. overall 3 stars, but please i need a new full length novel i can't wait 6 more years.
4. Chain of Gold ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
i loved this book soooo much. its only been a year since i read clockwork princess, but i had no clue who some of these people were or the relationship dynamic with the parents/kids. matthew & thomas? adorable. james? poor stupid baby. lucie? feminine girlie. cordelia? poor girl. grace? fuck that bitch i knew she was up to no good since like the 100 page mark. i adored this book though and can't wait to get to the next one.
5. Never Let Me Go ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
this book kinda reminds me of an ocean, waves of melancholy and despair just washing over you. kazuo ishiguros writing was stunning, eliciting feelings of unease throughout the whole book, and just absolutely crushing my soul. i just cannot get over how he created melancholy in normal interactions and through the mundane. so incredible and so hard to even describe how i feel right now.
6. Princess of Souls ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
i really enjoyed this book. it had a steady moving plot and was relatively intriguing enough, i kept turning the page to see what would happen. overall i quite liked it, however didn't feel super attached to the characters. it just felt like something was missing & just overall quite shallow people. some of the book felt like it was written around a few trends that are popular right now e.g., trials, 'enemy's to lovers' etc. biggest flaw in the book, but over wise just a fun, quick read.
7. Chain of Thorns ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
dare i say this book was better than the first? whilst i loved the premise of the 1st book, this one didn't disappoint either. the serial killer plot line was so much fun, and i loved the development of all the characters. can't wait to read the final book (hopefully this month) but god is this series good.
8. Five Brothers ⭐️⭐️
i wanted to like this book. i just read pirate girls and loved that, but this wasn't it. firstly, i'm a monogamous girly, so already this book just wasn't for me. looking back, i should've inferred that from the blurb but i didn't. secondly, this book was so confusing. i had a hard time keeping all the guys straight, and i haven't read the other book in the world so maybe that's my fault but oh well. lastly, the main girl was just really annoying and i didn't care for any of these people. the plot was sooo intriguing to me, disappointed with the direction it took but that's due to my own personal preferences, not the book itself. i'm sure some people will it.
9. Renner's Rules ⭐️.5
i get these are short stories but i feel like there's enough room to build the tension just a little.
10. The Mime Order ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
i really enjoyed this follow up, it picked back up right where the first book ended so it makes quite a seamless transition. this book fell a bit short in the first 100ish pages though, but once warden came back into the story i was much more engaged (oops). The plot-twist at the end of this book was emaculate and i have no clue where we're going in the story, but i can't wait.
11. Praise ⭐️⭐️.5
i went into this book knowing nothing, and truthfully if i'd read the blurb i might not have read it. 'ex-boyfriends dad' trope isn't for me, i didn't care for it in birthday girl and it didn't do it for me in this book either. again, that isn't the books fault, and if you like that trope then you'd really like this book. characters were well developed and i really liked the main character.
12. Lock Me Inside ⭐️
this book just wasn't it, didn't like it as all. this paired with the 13th book i read this month is just terrible. I need to reset my eyeballs and brain.
13. All Alone : A Game of Truth or Dare gets a Deadly Twist ⭐️
if i could give this 0 stars i would. yuck, ew, gross, ugh.
14. Prince Caspian (audiobook) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
didn't like this one nearly as much as the first book (reading in publication order), but i will give the 3rd book a go. i'm gonna have to say that in this case, the movie is better than the book. love you ben barnes.
15. Ready Player One ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
i had so much fun reading this book, omg. i had no luck reading this physically, but picking this up via audiobook was 100% the move to make. now i will say, the way this author writes women is very very odd. as he was describing different female characters, i kept thinking 'huh that's a weird thing to say - kinda misogynistic'. thankfully, the author seemed to stick with the main character (male), so not too many weird comments. but yeah, thinking critically about that is not worthy of 5 stars.
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
1. the bloody chamber - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
2. the courtship of mr lyon - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
(hide spoiler)] August monthly statsbooks read: 15
pages read: 5,542
hours listened: 11 hours, 19 minutes
average rating: 3.38
message 20 update - 13/10.
ending this challenge early!
Mid-Year Reviewpages read: 17,037
books read: 49
average book length: 368 pages
best book of;
january:
Lord of Shadows ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
february:
The Martian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
march:
Rosemarked ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (retrospectively, this is 100% a 5 star read)
april:
A Court of Mist and Fury ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
may:
A Court of Silver Flames ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
june: n/a
july:
Serious Moonlight ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
worst book of;
january:
Bad Saint ⭐️
february:
Helpmeet ⭐️
march:
Bad Boys Break Hearts ⭐️
april:
Embrace ⭐️.5 (for entertainment value)
may:
Born, Darkly ⭐️
june: n/a
july:
Loving Bad ⭐️⭐️.5
July TBR & Wrap Up 11th July - 31st July
Goal: 7 books & 2500 pages
Outcome: 9 books & 3202 pages
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1 - 2. Loving Bad⭐️⭐️.5 & The Perfect First⭐️⭐️.5
both books i started ages ago (at least a year ago) and wanted to get off my currently reading shelf. it felt hard rating these books since i probably should've dnf'd them ages ago, so my ratings probably aren't the best reflection on the actual quality of these books.
loving bad - read before so rating is just middle ground. didn't technically finish this book, but i've read it before and its close enough for me.
the perfect first - i really wanted to like this book. i liked shameless king by the same author and the premise was right up my alley, but god did i get bored. it was a sludge to finish this book and therefore i can't really rate this book any higher, but i wish i loved it as much as other readers seemed to.
3. At Night All Blood is Black (audiobook) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
a book like this is such a hard one to rate and it just feels wrong too, but i settled on a 4 star. the prose was stunning, violent and intimate at the same time. the narrator did an incredible job and i don't think i would've been as moved by this story without him.
4. Falls Boys ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the male main character was sooooo swoonworthy, truely the highlight of the book. glad i liked it more than i thought I would.
5. House of Flame and Shadow ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
starting my review before I've even finished the book but god do i hate hunt. between reading the 2nd book in this series and this one, the 3rd, i read all of the acotar. now are they perfect books? no, but god are they so much better than this series. its so hard to stop comparing all her series, but this series is leagues away from acotar and tog. hunt is a terrible love interest and the redeeming factor of this book for me is the side characters, bryce and hunt just cannot carry this book.
just finished this book and god did I want to like it more than I did, but comparison is the stealer of joy or something like that? although I gave this book a 4.5 stars and the rest 5 stars, this book wasn’t worse than the others, I think I just realised it wasn’t as good as I had thought. I really wish this book had a better conclusion, although I definitely don’t want a 4th one. I also think the ending was too rushed, by the time we were about to reach the beginning of the climax, there were only 100 or so pages left. It’s just felt too easy of an ending/defeating the enemy. It was cool to see a bit into the acotar world, but I question how they’re going to address this crossover in the next acotar book as I have no interest in this world/series/characters anymore. Disappointed that this is my final thoughts about the series as it ends, but hopefully I’ll be onto better books?! Also the side characters made this story, lidia and rhun > hunt and Bryce. Fuck hunt, and not in a sexy way.
6. Sadie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
this is my second time reading this book and god was it just as devastating as the first time. its such an incredible book, the format altering from sadies pov chapter and the girls podcast until those last few pages is a style of writing i really enjoy. cried like a baby, again, such an incredible but gut-wrenching read. the book has a very visceral feeling to it, which just deepens the impact of it - especially those last few chapters. the ending of this book is sort of what 'promising young women' set out to do, but this book did it much more successfully. 'i can't take another dead girl' - shocking, devastating, gut-punch ending.
7. Serious Moonlight ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
jenn bennett has such a way at writing mental health/issues, the topics in this one really resonated with me and was done so well and tastefully imo. this is my 3rd book by this author, and so far were 3/3. I ended up giving this one a 5 star, but it was hard to decide between 4.75/5, but it was such a good read I was generous. really glad I picked this one back up!
8. Galatea ⭐️⭐️⭐️
i had no clue what to expect from this tbh. i’ve never read any of this author’s books, however the prose in this book was quite nice/i liked the writing style. to be completely honest, i didn’t really know where this book was going and was shocked, but glad for the end. I think it’s a relatively 'intellectual' book, and I don’t think I really got all that it was trying to go for, as it was just a quick read before my seminar. Overall have it a 3 stars, but it was actually quite good for a short story 36 pages long.
9. Magnolia Parks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
it took me a day to think of a rating for this book, i was in-between 3.75 and 4. the beginning is slow, the first 150 pages or so were a bit of a slog for me. but as i kept reading, it was pretty entertaining. now this book isn't good, the writing was stilted at times and in general, just not good. it was frustrating and equally entertaining. there were certain lines in this book that were so absurd yet somehow worked? elton john is her godfather, she put all her eggs in the wrong royal basket by getting close to megan not kate, and the tone these were said in were so hilarious. reading such out of touch characters was frustrating, and the ending had be shocked with my mouth wide open. can't wait to read the next 1. also, magnolia & BJ sucked, 2 people meant for each other as i wouldn't inflict them on anyone else. loved Tom though.
(hide spoiler)] July monthly statsbooks read: 9
pages read: 3,202
hours listened: 2 hours, 11 minutes
average rating: 3.83
message 5 update - 11/20!
message 20 update - 5/10!
message 13 - 6,973/20,000
Holiday TBR & Wrap Up *20th May - 10th July
Goal: 10 books & 2,500 pages
Outcome: 1 book & 336 pages
this reading period was terrible, depression strikes again.
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1. The Layover ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
i read this book whilst on the plane and the vibes were immaculate. if i were to think about this book critically, so much of it either doesn't make sense to me or kinda annoys me. decisions seem weird and/or not realistic, and characters don't feel super fleshed out overall. However, like i said, it passed the time on a 17 hour long flight and the vibes were there.
(hide spoiler)]
May TBR & Wrap Up *1st May - 19th May
Goal: 4 books & 1,750 pages
Outcome: 9 books & 2478 pages
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1. A Court of Wings and Ruin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
this book wrecked me, it was the perfect conclusion to this trilogy (disregarding acofas & acosf). i love fantasy books with politics and high stakes, and this book definitely had it. the amount of times it shocked me, made me cry, or giggle is way too high a number to admit. it was honestly just perfect and i loved it - i can't think of any other way to describe it.
2. A Court of Frost and Starlight ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
this book was... interesting. it was all vibes, no thoughts. it very much was a book that just followed the characters, not really following any sort of plot. it was nice to hang out with the characters and see a bit of the aftermath of the previous book, but not a lot or really anything happens in this book. whilst its a nice read for those who love the story and the characters, it's kinda pointless and not really necessary. found it hard to rate but i enjoyed the vibes and getting the perspectives of a bunch of characters so it's a tentative 3.5 stars. my least favourite in the series, but not particularly hard to read and was quick to finish.
3. Just for the Summer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
wow, just wow. i read this in one sitting and i cried and giggled quite a few times. this book was heartbreaking, and very heavy. i kinda knew that going in the an AJ book wouldn't just be light and fluffy, but i was impressed with how well she handled and wrote these sensitive issues and topics. this one quote, "you are not what happened to you. You are what you do next", absolutely shattered me to pieces. i related quite heavily to certain parts of the book so it very much resonated with me. Justin was an absolute sweetheart and i really loved him as our love interest. he was sensitive, complex, kind-hearted, and very swoon worthy. it's so nice to see these kinds of male love interests, although its definitely my fault as i don't often read contemporary romances as much as i'd like to. also the beginning premise was so cute, and it was nice to have some fluffy, light-hearted moments before AJ decided to rip my heart out.
4. All Systems Red [audiobook] ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
this was a quick listen whilst i was doing some evening chores, but i was immediately immersed and proceeded to listen to it in the dark, curled up in bed with my eyes closed. love sci-fi, but i felt like the end was a little rushed and i could've honestly read a whole book about the plot of this short story. also finding out one of the skarsgard brothers will be starring as murderbot in the adaption wasn't too upsetting...
5. A Court of Silver Flames ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
omg omg omg i loved this book. going in, i really didn't care too much about Nesta and had no idea what would require 575 pages. geez was i wrong. maybe because i deeply related to her, but god did i love this book (dare i say it might be my fav in the series?). Cassian = chefs kiss. i loved reading her journey and the relationships she formed throughout this book, and all the valkyrie plot line was right up my alley. i wished we got more of their journey doing the blood riot (i think that's what its called?) and not cutting back and forth with the Cassian and Az plot line. the latter wasn't bad, but i was so invested in the former that i skimmed to get back to it! i'm a sucker for anything political in a fantasy book so the training storyline with the underlying tension and mission of finding these magical objects was so fascinating to me. i loved Cassian and Nestas build up, and i think it sorta mirrored Rhysand and Feyra with the slow buildup and working together for a common goal with a side plot of falling in love (ahhhhh god i love that plot line). this is so jumbled but i genuinely loved this book. i still need to know what might happen between Elaine and Az.... (sorry Lucien still like ya).
also! going in i'd heard that this book had the trope of 'female lead gives up her powers' (a bit like aelin in thorne of glass) and i don't typically like that trope, but i feel like it worked in this book and felt so in line with Nestas mental and healing journey. plus that whole scene made be cry like a baby in the train, it was so endearing and sweet.
6. Artificial Condition ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
a sentient murderbot with borderline crippling anxiety, who’s obsessed with protecting his little humans.
7. Born, Darkly ⭐️
a dark romance set between a forensic psychologist and serial killer. what i presumed and hoped would be an utterly batshit crazy read ended up being so incredibly dull and boring. it wasn't terrible and i kept reading, but for a book of this premise, i incorrectly assumed it would at least be entertaining. thankfully it was a short and quick read. also, the way these courtroom scenes were written absolutely infuriated me, so many potential mistrials omg.
8. So Late in the Day ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
the way the author is able to weave a subtle tale around misogyny with such ease is just incredible. the writing was suburb and what a great use of so few pages.
9. Compulsory ⭐️⭐️⭐️
this 'book' is 8 pages long and it feels almost wrong to log it as one, but oh well. 3 stars because there's not much to judge it on but i like the overall series so far.
(hide spoiler)] May monthly statsbooks read: 10
pages read: 2,814
hours listened: 4 hours, 27 minutes
average rating: 3.95
QUARTERLY CHALLENGE ONE: TBR SPRING CLEANING (QUARTER TWO) 1st April 2024 - 30th June 2024
13/10
my challenge link(view spoiler)[
📗 The thick - a book with more than 500 pages ⭐️
A Court of Silver Flames (757 pages)
📗 The thin - a book with less than 200 pages ⭐️
Worst Wingman Ever
📗 The pretty - a book with a pretty cover ⭐️
The Once and Future Witches
📗 The ugly - a book with an ugly cover ⭐️
A Court of Wings and Ruin
📗 The unknown - a book with few reviews ⭐️
Entice
📗 The exotic - a book set in an unvisited place - Belize ⭐️
The Layover
📗 The tough - a book that's a challenging read
📗 The random - a book that you've chosen blindly ⭐️
All Systems Red
📗 The old-timer - a book with more time waiting on your shelf ⭐️
A Court of Frost and Starlight
📗 The ancient - a book written long ago
📗 The sequel - a continuation ⭐️
House of Flame and Shadow
📗 The special - a must read ⭐️
The Bone Season
📗 The good - a book with the best ratings ⭐️
A Court of Mist and Fury (4.65 stars)
📗 The bad - a book with the worst ratings
📗 The popular - a book with many reviews
📗 The well-connected - a book that someone recommended
📗 The cheap - a reduced-price book
📗 The expensive - a high-priced book
📗 The given - a free book ⭐️
Crooked Kingdom (from library)
📗 The new - a new release ⭐️
Just for the Summer
(hide spoiler)]
April TBR & Wrap Up Goal: 8 books & 4,000 pages
Outcome: 13 books & 4051 pages
(view spoiler)[
1. The Once and Future Witches (517p) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
when i first started the book, i didn't like it. however, i kept pushing and it definitely got better as i kept reading. I don't typically reach for historical fiction, and when i purchased this book i don't think i was aware of the genre apart from fantasy. The author has a very flowery and descriptive way of writing which just isn't for me, however it did get better the further in i got. By part three, i was thoroughly invested in the book, and by the end felt glad i had read it.
2. Worst Wingman Ever (61p) ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
read this whist waiting to take a blood test. it was cute, short, and i liked the premise.
3. A Court of Mist and Fury (626p) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+
ahhhhhhhhhhh [continues to scream into the void]. i have no thoughts, none. i cried, i giggled and kicked my feet, i swooned, and i cried again. i'm so glad i finally understand why people love this book, and am so upset it took me 3 reads to get it. why are the first 50 pages of Sarahs 2nd books the land of dnfs for me??? Rhysand had graduated from reeces pieces in my head to having a name, and i'm in love. Tamlin, when i see you.... [there are no Tamlin defenders in this household]. Devastating. I'm in love.
Sidenote - also makes me realise how much i don't care for Hunt and Bryces' relationship in crescent city. i have kicked and giggled my feet for Rowan and Rhysand, but it seems R letter names only do it for me where Sarah is concerned.
4. Punk 57 (371p) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4th or 5th reread? idk.
5. Crooked Kingdom (audiobook) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
utterly devastating. I had seen a spoiler a few years ago about someone (view spoiler)[ [dying] (hide spoiler)] yet didn't believe it. Listened to this as an audiobook, ended up crying on the train.
6 & 7. Entice (248p) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ & Embrace (256p) ⭐️.5
what a mess. i didn't mind the first book actually, i gave it 3 stars and it was solid for what it was [smut]. It ends in a cliffhanger and considering the length of both books, this was 1 book the author decided to split into 2 for whatever reason. we spend all of book one lusting over one guy and going on about how awful the main girls cheating husband is, only for book two to completely dump love interest in book one and decide cheating husband is suddenly incredible and the only one for the main girl???? both guys sucked, love interest deceived her/lied by omission but he was way nicer to her than her cheating husband, who literally had a character transplant from book one to two. he sucked and didn't redeem himself at all. also main girl is so horny like pick a guy and stick with it??
short summary = wife takes back cheating husband after fucking her boss for a few weeks. wife has no spine.
8. Sweet Filthy Boy (413p) ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
this was cute, i enjoyed it way more than i expected to. pleasantly surprised that the main love interest was actually a nice dude, and i really liked their relationship. It didn't feel too insta-lovey despite the elopement trope.
9. Preach (240p) ⭐️.5
um... no comment.
10. Brutal Obsession (600p) ⭐️⭐️
a very generous two stars. where to begin? this book was borderline terrible, the main guy sucked - no redeeming qualities in site, and the main girl didn't have much of a spine. the last 30-35% of this book was a fucking drag and i couldn't wait for it to be over, but the final 10% had a nice twist (though i saw it coming). idk though, can't say i'd be chummy with some guy who hit me with his car and blamed me with the consequences of his own actions. can't say knife play is my sort of thing either, but i had a strong desire to burn this book so maybe flames do it for me?
11. The Bone Season (460p) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
oh my god, this was so so so good! I'd attempted to read this once before, and for no fault of the book dnfed it (not in the right mood). picking it back up again was impromptu, but i'm so glad i did. the world is incredible, and i feel like samatha shannon did a pretty good job at building the world up, slightly info-dumpy at times, but seems cohesive enough not to throw me out of the story. i kept turning the page because i had to know what was going to happen, and the ending very much lived up to the gradual tension that was built in the book.
12. Herland (208p) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
3 stars for the period it's from. didn't enjoy it as much as the yellow wallpaper, but i think that's a pretty hard one to beat. kinda slow paced, terry sucked - no actually all men suck.
13. Sweet Virginia (45p) ⭐️⭐️.75
the last portion was more interesting than the first, but seemed slightly disjointed. i feel like this was definitely a depiction of postpartum depression and also social expectations and women having to jungle it all. It was just too much going on in 45 pages to fully execute any of the ideas successfully (in my opinion). still worth the read, but god was it frustrated reading this woman be infantilised.
(hide spoiler)] April monthly statsbooks read: 13
pages read: 4,051
hours listened: 10 hours, 20 minutes
average rating: 3.38
Hi, sign me up for 10 books!
outcome: 13 / 10 ✅
Jaida’s
Comments
(group member since Dec 07, 2020)
