Dani Tries to Read 12 Books in 2020

[Finn]

This will be my first time challenging myself. 20 books for 2020 sounds great, but I'm expecting this year to have some incredibly busy periods, so I'm going for a more realistic 12. I already own a mix of bigger and smaller books to keep myself from getting too overwhelmed!

[Finn]

3/12
Currently Reading:



Books Read Each Month:

January

N/A - ended up reshelving A Clash of Kings

February

Finished: 04/02/20
Rating: 5/5


Finished: 05/02/20
Rating: 4/5


Finished: 21/02/20
Rating: 4/5


March

Finished: 31/03/20
Rating: 4/5


April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

[Lisa]

12 books is a great goal, Dani!
Best of luck this year :)

[Finn]

Thank you, Lisa!

[Ilona]

Best of luck with your reading challenge, Dani! I am sure that you are gonna do great :)

[Finn]

Thank you!

January felt a little like an experimental month for me. I found out that I don't really enjoy reading right before bed (too tired) and that I desperately need peace and quiet to read.

That being said, I finally finished The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli today! Four days late, but I'm still proud of myself for it, considering how long it's been since I last finished ANY book.

Backlight should be a faster read (I hope) and I'll especially have more time to read during the upcoming holiday.

[La_mariane]

Hi Dani! The Prince is a philosophy book, if I'm not mistaken? Even if they're really interesting, they're not easy to finish, so kudos to you.

[Finn]

La_mariane wrote: "Hi Dani! The Prince is a philosophy book, if I'm not mistaken? Even if they're really interesting, they're not easy to finish, so kudos to you."

Thank you very much! Yes, we covered him in class last year and the book sounded so interesting I just had to read it. Some of the historical references I wasn't familiar with definitely made it a slightly harder read as well.

[Finn]

Backlight by Kanji Hanawa was a very quick read, as I had started it on the way to class this morning and finished it by lunchtime. Regardless of the book's length, it was enjoyable enough and brought up interesting conversations and ideas surrounding the story of the boy who had been abandoned on the roadside by his parents as punishment.

I went in with no expectations and finished the book feeling satisfied. Well translated too.

[Kris]

You are like me, Dani. I felt if I could read at least one book every month this year, that sounded more attainable than 20 books in 2020....even though 20 books in 2020 has a better ring to it! I’m with you, 12 books for 2020. ....and here we go!! Good luck!

[Finn]

Gosh, I should really check back on this thread for any responses before disappearing again. Good luck to you too Kris!

So, I've finally finished If Cats Were to Disappear from the World by Genki Kawamura. Truthfully speaking, it should have been a quick read. I'd gotten through half of it within a couple of days, and expected to have it done by last week. Between school deadlines getting closer and just...losing interest in the story, I've suddenly found myself finally finishing the book over two weeks later.

It was simple and straightforward read, translated in very simple and straightforward English. I'll give it brownie points for making me laugh at the beginning, and I appreciated the pop culture references that I could actually understand, but after reading about 3/4 of the book, I found that I just couldn't connect with the protagonist himself?

Having just read the last page, I appreciate the book and the writing more. I didn't want to let go of the unremarkable protagonist, but all books come to an end. I suppose that feeling of appreciating something once it's gone fits with one of the themes of the book.

Next, I will read Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. I'm hoping to get through this one relatively fast as it's also just over 200 pages and a number of my deadlines would have passed. Reading more has definitely improved my reading speed, I've noticed.

[Finn]

We've finished Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi!

Somewhat unexpectedly, between having to deal with school moving online, going into quarantine and this whole COVID thing, I seriously struggled to finish this book. The last 15 pages were left unread for a good three weeks!

Despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment, and it's a solid 4/5 from me. A lovely book really, even if I did get a little confused with the character names at times (Kei, Kazu, Kohtake??). It had a bit of an episodic feel with great character development, and some things were left as a mystery, which are elements that I love in all stories. The ending was also satisfying and gave closure to the characters.

I felt it was fitting to quickly finish it this morning so that I can move onto American Gods by Neil Gaiman from the start of April. It will be my first Gaiman book, so I'm hoping I'll enjoy it! It'll also be the biggest book so far, three times the size of the last two books, but I suppose I have a lot of time to read now.

[Blagica , Challenges]

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