Mark's Around the Year In 52 Books Thread

[molly]

A book per week, will I be able to handle it? This year, I am trying to clear out my shelf, all of the 32 books I own and have not read (there's more, and I'm trying to find them, oops). I'm also trying to do Bookopoly to decide my TBR for at least 3 to 4 books per month. Finally, I have a BOTM subscription, so that will decide one of my books also. Bookopoly was inspired by the booktube channel, Becca and the Books.

Books Finished: 5/52

Books I Own and Have not Read
1. Illuminae
2. The Sun Is Also a Star
3. Life Sentences
4. Nothing to See Here
5. Bitter and Sweet in Dog Town
6. A Match Made in Dog Town
7. Lost and Found in Dog Town
8. Tried and True in Dog Town
9. Always and Forever, Lara Jean
10. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry (Finished Jan 1st)
11. Deposing Nathan (signed, better get to reading it soon!)
12. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
13. The Vintner's Vixen
14. What the Dead Know
15. The Night Country (preorder!)
16. The Most Dangerous Thing
17. Nothing to See Here
18. Little Fires Everywhere
19. Get a Life, Chloe Brown (Finished Jan 2nd)
20. Bringing Down the Duke
21. A Woman Is No Man
22. The Stars We Steal (preorder!)
23. Well Met
24. Mrs. Everything
25. Red, White & Royal Blue
26. The Bride Test
27. Landline
28. Attachments
29. Alice in Zombieland (Finished Jan 6th)
30. Jane Eyre
31. The Lord of Stariel
32. The Prince of Secrets

[molly]

January

BOTM Subscription:
Things in Jars

Bookopoly:
Roll #1 (Romance, Acquired from my BOTM subscription) - Get a Life, Chloe Brown (Finished Jan 2nd)
Roll #2 (Contemporary) - My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry (Finished Jan 1st)
Roll #3 (Friend Recommenedation, Extra book due to doubles) -
Amos Daragon: The Mask Wearer (Finished Jan 4th)
Roll #4 (Chick-Lit) - Confessions of a Shopaholic
Roll #5 (Horror) - Alice in Zombieland (Finished Jan 6th)

Extra:
Carry On (Finished Jan 7th)
The Night Country

[molly]

January Wrap-up

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
Started: Jan 1st
Finished: Jan 1st

Review (5 stars):
I started the new year with the goal of reading more. I decided to start with something light, so I picked this book. I knew it involved a death, but I can normally handle them if they are at a start. Oh boy, I was so wrong. This book had everything intertwined with it, stories and literally every character. This was a book that made me cry on one page and laugh on the next. I don't think I've ever shed this many tears over a book. But, it was worth it. This book was amazing. It also had a few hints to queer characters, which I stan heavily. My favorite characters after Elsa and Granny was Alf and Wolfheart. I loved the portrayal of mental health in this book, no one was perfect, and everyone had flaws. I love the choice of the main character, viewing the story through the eyes of a seven-year-old, though a very mature one.

Some of my favorite quotes from this book:
“Only different people change the world,” Granny used to say. “No one normal has ever changed a crapping thing.”

“Every seven-year-old deserves a superhero. That's just how it is.”

“There's someone in my school who has many boyfriends," states Elsa. 'Oh, well I wouldn't want to suggest that the girl in your class is a-' says Mum, feverishly backtracking. "He's a boy." Elsa corrects. Mum looks confused. Elsa shrugs. "It's complicated," she says.”

“That's why Elsa likes Halloween: on Halloween it's normal to be different.”


“People in the real world always say, when something terrible happens, that the sadness and loss and aching pain of the heart will “lessen as time passes,” but it isn’t true. Sorrow and loss are constant, but if we all had to go through our whole lives carrying them the whole time, we wouldn’t be able to stand it. The sadness would paralyze us. So in the end we just pack it into bags and find somewhere to leave it.”

“And this is all fake. Plastic and makeup. As if everything is going to be fine just because they're having a funeral.”

“And this country's so bloody willing to put billions into weapons and fighter jets, but when those boys come home and they've seen the shit they've seen, no one can be bothered to listen to them even for five minutes.”

Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Started: Jan 1st
Finished: Jan 2nd

Review (5 stars):
This book felt like the book which first got me into romance. It was diverse and fucking amazing. The amount of steaminess in this book was okay for me, but it might not be for all readers! I really loved the characters and Red's soft exterior. I also loved the switching of perspectives, being able to see each character's thoughts was great.

Some quotes I enjoyed from this book:

“Will you answer me? You don't have to." But he would, because he loved her. The thought froze him for a second before he sank into it like a feather bed. Before it became the comfort that helped him figure out how to speak. He loved Chloe. He loved Chloe like a blank canvas and a finished piece and all the exhilarating, painful, stop-and-start moments in between.”

“Try not to wet yourself with excitement, you big nerd.”

“If she was going to get any work done today, she needed to feed herself, too. She should brew green tea for the antioxidants and make a healthy breakfast rich in whole grains for slow-release energy. However, since that sounded extremely difficult and her body ached as if she'd been stomped on by a god, she improvised by eating handfuls of Coco Pops straight from the box and gulping apple juice from the carton.”

“She'd learned since rescuing it a couple of days ago that this particular cat was not like most others; it lacked all grace and spatial awareness, as evident by its current path of evacuation. Streaking off in the direction of the bedroom, it managed to hit the sofa, the base of a standing lamp, and the door frame before making good its escape. Chloe had decided that this nervous clumsiness marked the two of them as a fated pair.”

“Red,' she whispered. 'You don't always have to be okay.' She leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He was still for a moment. But then he looked at her, and smiled, and murmured, "I know. But I am okay, with you.”

Amos Daragon: The Mask Wearer
Started: Jan 2nd
Finished: Jan 4th

Review (3 stars):
This book was a quick read for me, due to its short length. I normally read upper young adult or adult, so reading middle grade was different for me. I liked the story, though it was slow at first. The worldbuilding was nice, especially as someone who doesn't read high fantasy too often. I want to read the next book, but it looks like books 3 and 4 are hard to fine. Plus, the last 10 books in the series don't have English translations, something which disappoints me.

Alice in Zombieland
Started: Jan 2nd
Finished: Jan 6th

Review (5 stars):
I love this book so much. Paranormal romance seemed to be my genre, and this proved it to me. I loved the characters and my heart seemed to beat loudly on every page. I am so glad this is a series, I cannot wait to read the next one! Personally, I wish the beginning was a little more exciting, and that there were actual cuss words instead of bleeps. Still, once it started to pick up its pace, I could not put the book down! Also, based on when the book was published, it was nice to see lesbians being mentioned in it. There didn't seem to be a queer character, but that fact didn't take away from experience one bit. Finally, the twist at the end had me shook. I didn't expect that coming at all.

Favorite Quotes of Mine:

“I wasn't an ever-knowing adult; I was just expected to act like one. And, yeah. a real nice family tree I had. Murder and mayhem on every gnarled branch. Hardly seemed fair.”

“Low maintenance is what's forgettable. You might want to write that down, underline it, circle it and put a star by it.”

"Magazines. Yeah. That's the only thing that made any sense. She had picked each girl out of Flawless Friends Forever, I'm sure. In comparison, I felt frumpy and way outclasses, like I'd been selected from Homeless Dogs Weekly."

"I wasn't into girls, but...wow. This one could probably turn anyone. Not even Kat and her catalog friends could compare."

"Beautiful boys dated beautiful girls. That's how the world worked. And yes, by those rules, I was destined to be with a lanky lover with a tragic past. Wonderful."

"'That has nothing to do with me.' I managed to croak. It couldn't. But part of me kind of hoped that it did."

“This must be the 'corner and threaten' routine Kat had warned me about. 'I don't know who you think you are or what you think you're doing,' she snapped, 'but I will bury you if you hurt one of my friends." Yep. It was. 'I think my name is Ali Bell, and I think I'm standing here, minding my own business. You should try it.”

Carry On
Started: Jan 7th
Finished: Jan 7th

Review (5 stars, honestly it deserves even more):
I'm an emotional mess after reading this book, but it's fine. I've never read the Harry Potter books, but this opened me up to the thought of trying to read them (but I'm still reluctant because it's not gay). I read Fangirl shortly after a book club, right before the sequel was about to come out. I have no f*cking clue why I waited this long to read it but thank god I eventually did.
TLDR: I love this book. It's gay as f*ck. That's all.

[Blagica , Challenges]

This is my favorite quote of all time! I hope it brings you luck with your reading in 2020!

[molly]

February

Book Clubs:
Echo
Going Bovine

TBR Twins:
Girl Made of Stars

Bookopoly:
Roll #1 (Romance): It's Not Like It's a Secret
Roll #2 (My Little Library): TBD
Roll #3 (Fantasy): The Lord of Stariel
Roll #4 (Random): Bitter and Sweet in Dog Town
Roll #5 (Free Choice!): TBD
Roll #6 (penalty, Librarian Recommendation): TBD
Roll #7 (extra roll spot, Fantasy): The Prince of Secrets
Roll #8 (extra roll spot, Last Recent Genre Read, Mystery): Archival Quality
Roll #9 (doubles, Romance): A Match Made in Dog Town

Book of the Month:
The Girl with the Louding Voice

[Blagica , Challenges]

I am all about magic this year. I hope that your reading goal is your little touch of magic.