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2022 Individual Challenges
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Bianca's 2022 Reading List
Stirrings in the Black House by Ambrose IbsenAn okay scary story. In general, with these shorter (less than 200 pages) stories I often feel like more could be done with the story, flesh it out more. In this case more could have been told about the history of the house/plot it sits on.
I'm gong to start a new physical reading journal. In my old one, which I started in July 2019 and which I did for 6 months I just made notes on the books I was reading.I now want to expand it with statistics pages. I'll probably go with one page per month, where I can list the books finished that month, colour coded by type of book (fiction, non-fiction, audio book, DNF) and a tracker where I can mark off the days I read. I'll probably also make a page for the year, with my goals and a bar graph with the number of books I've read each month (also colour coded).
I've gotten back into diamond painting, so eventually I want to get back in audio books again (listening to something when diamond painting is a great combination). But I want to catch up with some podcasts first. I still have to finish Stephen King's It on audible, I'll probably start over, and have two more book I haven't listened to. But after that and when there's a good offer I'll get a new subscription for Audible.
I'm not sure how long this will last. The next year or so will be different; we're closing the family's store at the end of the year/early next year. My parents will sell the house, move to one floor apartment and I will move in with my sister (eventually looking for a bigger place for the two of us) and I will have to find a new job. I'm excited for the change, but I'll expect it will be stressful as well. But once things settle down I'll have more time to do my things than I've had for years.
Wow! I wish you and the family the very best going forward! Good Luck w/ the journaling. :)
The Raven Tower by Ann LeckieMy first Ann Leckie book. A fantasy book based on Macbeth. It was okay, it's told from the perspective of a god residing in a stone. He observes the main characters and in between the story he gives the history of the region. The history part is good, it builds the world and gives you the context of the wider story. But it does slow down the story set in the present.
May was a very good reading month I haven't read this many pages since April 2021. Hopefully I can continue that this month. Yesterday the latest Merrily Watkins book was released. The previous one was released in 2017, but Rickman had some health issues which delayed the book. First I need to finish the latest Sebastian St. Cyr book. Both Darcy Coates and Mark Edwards are also releasing new books this month. And I want to start the first book in The Wheel of Time series soonish, that will take weeks to read. I'm trying to mix up genres so I don't burn out on one. Where until recently I found it difficult to find something to read it has now gone the other way and there are too many books I want to read NOW.
With a bit of luck I'll finish my current book tomorrow. The question now is what to read next. I'm in the mood for something long and epic. I've narrowed it down to either starting the next Commonwealth series by Peter F. Hamilton or start Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. I just don't know if I'm more in the mood for sci-fi or fantasy. I might end up having to flip a coin.
The Fever of the World by Phil RickmanIt was a long wait for this installment of the Merrily Watkins series due to health problems of Rickman.
This story is set in the early days of the pandemic in 2020. Most of the Merrily books leave it up to the reader whether the cause of the mystery is paranormal or not. I feel this books leaves more things open than previous books. Which I think I don't mind in this case. It's a good illustration about how strange everything was during that time.
My next read in The Abyss Beyond Dreams by Peter F. Hamilton, I eventually chose that one over starting The Wheel of Time mainly because I've read more fantasy than sci-fi this year. I plan to start The Wheel of Time some time this summer, because for whatever reason it feels like a summer read for me.
I'm still reading The Abyss Beyond Dreams. It's a good read, but Peter F. Hamilton books are always slow reads. After a week I've read a third of it.I'm really enjoying it. I just hope we learn what happened to Laura Brandt from the first part of the book. I'm afraid we won't going by comments on GR. Maybe in the second and last book of this series.
And I'm still reading The Abyss Beyond Dreams. I'm at 60% now and hopefully I'll finish it next week. I'm still enjoying it, although I've just read a long section that was a slow read. Now it looks like the two story lines will start to merge and hopefully I can keep the reading pace up.After this book I will need to read something quick and easy. So it's either the next book in The Cat Who series of the next one in the Hillary Greene series.
My sister and I are going on vacation for two weeks in September and I'm already starting to think about what I want to read during that time. Hopefully I'll get more reading done than last year (but then, it turned out I was sick last year, so my lethargy back then wasn't strange).
I finished The Abyss Beyond Dreams by Peter F. Hamilton.A good story, but, as always, there are story lines that are dragged out longer than they should.
I've now reached my 24 book goal for 2022! I didn't think I would finish it this early. Can I double my goal?
Next is the 10th book in the Hillary Greene series, something quick and easy and entertaining.
Congratulations on meeting your goal!! :)
Bianca wrote: "I've now reached my 24 book goal for 2022! I didn't think I would finish it this early. Can I double my goal?"Congrats!!
I've been wanting to read some Peter F. Hamilton for years but I never quite get around to it.
Christa wrote: "I've been wanting to read some Peter F. Hamilton for years but I never quite get around to it."My first Hamilton book was The Great North Road, I think that's a good book to start. It's not set in the Commonwealth world, but it's similar and you can see if you like his writing without committing to a series.
While I love his books it's something I need to be in the mood for. So I can't binge on his series.
I should finish my current book today or tomorrow, depending how busy it is in the store today. I had planned on reading either the latest book by Karin Slaughter or the latest book in the Peter Grant/Rivers of London series.However, from Monday we're getting a couple of days of really hot weather. My brain has trouble focusing in that heat, so I've decided to read something easier instead. I think Witch by Iain Rob Wright might work.
I read the first 3 Rivers of London books a few years ago. I've been meaning to reread and continue the series. It's fantastic that you can tailor your reading to your comfort level. If I get too hot to read, I either watch TV or scroll on my phone instead.
Nyssa wrote: "It's fantastic that you can tailor your reading to your comfort level. If I get too hot to read, I either watch TV or scroll on my phone instead. "To be honest I'm not sure how much I will read next week. It's now predicted that on Tuesday temperatures will reach 36C, which means that in the city center it'll be over 40C.
On Monday I might read, the store's closed and I can find the coolest spot and read. But on Tuesday and Wednesday (29C) the store's open but I'm not expecting it to be busy. I just might bring my laptop down to the store with me and watch Netflix between customers, and sit as still as possible with a fan aimed at me.
But at least it seems that now I don't have the chronic appendicitis anymore I can tolerate heat a bit better.
1. I am glad you are feeling better! 2. Whatever you end up doing, I hope you have a pleasant time and enjoy it.
Murder By Fire by Faith MartinA good story, mostly serving to move along on the stories of the various characters. At the end of book Hillary herself decides it's time to retire. So it'll be interesting to see what that means for her team and for her.
and
Witch by Iain Rob Wright
The first in the Cursed Manuscripts series. No mention of the cursed manuscripts itself besides that this manuscripts (the book) was found somewhere. I'll continue with the series to see where it goes.
I'm currently reading the next book in the Lady Darby series. After that I think it's time for a stand alone book.
A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee HuberVery good mystery. I like that the setting is different in almost every book, though iirc several are set in London. Definitely one of my favourite historical mystery series, sharing top spot with the Sebastian St. Cyr series.
Today my sister and I booked our two week vacation for September. Now I need to decide whether I will save books for those weeks or not. Darcy Coates is releasing a new book the week before we leave, so that's one book on the list.
I've got over 50 books on my Kindle now and what I would normally do is when there are too many on my Kindle, making it difficult to find what I want to read I would remove all the books and start again. I would then start with a limited amount; the next books in the series I read, a couple of stand alone book and a couple of first in series book I want to try. However, over time I keep adding books faster than I can read them.I'm getting to that point again. But instead of doing a big wipe I've decided to not allow myself to add any new books on my Kindle until I've read at least ten books. I make and exception for the new Lincoln Child book (next week), the latest Ann Cleeves book (early September) and Darcy Coates' latest book (September). I might wait on getting one or two of those, but I plan to read Darcy Coates' book during my vacation in September.
I wish the Kindle would have the dotted line in Library view indicating how many pages a book is. Because I'm not above reading shorter books to get those 10 books finished. Instead I'll use Calibre's Reading List plug in, make a reading list of all the books on my Kindle and sort them by length.
The Keepers of Metsan Valo by Wendy WebbFrozen by Ann Cleeves
The Woman on the Island by Ann Cleeves
The Cat Who Went Up the Creek by Lilian Jackson Braun
And all finished since Friday, granted the two Ann Cleeves books were short stories and The Cat Who... also wasn't long. But still not bad. Three out of the ten I want to read on my Kindle are done.
Up next is a short story by Jeffery Deaver. Will I read it tonight or not?
A Perfect Plan by Jeffery DeaverThe Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht
Ropes in the Attic by Edward J. Flora (don't read, it's sh*t)
I changed my August slightly. Instead of finishing 7 books that are already on my Kindle and now being allowed to put any new book on there until finishing those I've changed it to reading only on-Kindle books in August and not being allowed to put any new books on my Kindle until September 1.I'm doing well with the shortest books on my Kindle I hope to finish that within 7-10 days. There are a bunch of other books I've wanted to read for a while but didn't because I got distracted by new purchases. A couple I might save for my vacation next month (even if I have already more books than I can read on my vacation list already).
Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection by Ben AaronovitchSnowflakes by Ruth Ware
Am I starting to like short stories? I did like the ones by Ben Aaronovitch and Ruth Ware. Usually short stories don't work for me because I either feel not much thought was put into them (often the case with short stories released shortly before a the release of a full novel) or the story could have been better if it was longer. But I feel my last two read strike a good balance; they are well thought out and give me enough to feel like I got the whole story.
I do admit I started to hate those teaser short stories released just before a full novel due to Charlaine Harris. In one book there were suddenly new character that weren't introduced (I think it was the fairies), I first thought I had skipped a book, but it turns out that they were introduced in a short story I didn't know about and wasn't able to get for a long time. That's just sloppy writing IMHO; not every reader can (easily) get those short stories, if you introduce new characters or something else important to the overall story the writer should reintroduce it in the next full release.
I agree with your short story assessments. They are either too short or unsatisfying in some way. It's like the author has an idea but can't get a full outline set up. I don't read them any more. I prefer the longer novels!! Enjoy your vacation in a few weeks.
I'm too afraid I miss a vital detail if I don't read the short stories. Although the only time that happened was with Charlaine Harris.I must say some authors are better than others. I don't like the ones written by Laurie R. King and I do like the ones written by Ben Aaronovitch. I also thought the ones by Ann Cleeves and Jeffery Deaver I read recently were okay. Most of the time I'm indifferent.
Life with the Afterlife: 13 Truths I Learned about Ghosts by Amy BruniI enjoyed it, I like that she's very clear that she doesn't know everything. I liked all the anecdotes.
What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch.
A very enjoyable novella. Not about Peter Grant but his cousin Abigail. This novella and some short stories about her give a bit more background about her family life. I hope to see more of her in the books, or maybe a spin off series.
That means that in 15 days I read 10 books. Sure, they were short ones, some very short. But with 1642 pages not bad at all.
I expect to slow down from next week; our two main supplier were on vacation and we didn't get any shipments in for three weeks. Plus with the heatwave this past week (which will be continuing until probably Wednesday or Thursday) it wasn't busy. So I spend a lot of time reading in the store. Next week's shipment will be on the larger side, so it'll take me a couple of mornings to deal with that. I expect it to get busier once it cools down and we're now past the halfway point of the school summer vacations (people tend to want to finish some project before work/school starts again). Less time for reading until my vacation.
Nightingale House by Steve FrechMeh, the story itself is okay, although I'm tired of the trope of a family moving on after a loss in the family (child, partner) and then ending up in a haunted house. I had a problem with the main character, which for some reason really annoyed me.
Up next: the latest in the Agent Pendergast series. After that I don't know yet.
Bloodless by Douglas Preston & Lincoln ChildThe 20th book in the Agent Pendergast series. To be honest it seems they have run out of ideas and the stories are getting more and more fantastical. That isn't to say I don't enjoy reading them, but earlier books in the series were definitely better. For some reason I got annoyed at the choice of words. It seems that the authors have discovered a thesaurus and used it to switch perfectly good words for more difficult versions. For some of the characters it would fit their speech pattern, most of the time (Pendergast and Constance), but other characters also used more difficult words than, imho, they should and it just got annoying.
Up next is Influencer by Ambrose Ibsen. My tenth book of the month. It only a short book, so I should be able to finish it before the end of the month. Not sure what I'm going to read next, but I'm not going to push myself to finish an eleventh book this month. If it happens, great, if not, also great.
Influencer by Ambrose IbsenThis one just didn't do it for me. Ibsen is good at writing less than sympathetic protagonists, but there is always a way that the character (somewhat) redeems him/herself. Not with this book though. The main character is obnoxious and doesn't change.
The Watchers by A.M. ShineI loved this creepy story. I didn't when I started the first day, but I think that was just because it was so hot and I was fed up with the weather. But this story is so good. The twist is good and unexpected, although there were subtle hints. The ending is open, there could be a sequel. But if there isn't it's still a good ending.
Shine's second book is going to be released on the 15th, when I'm on vacation. It's been added to my to read list for my vacation.
Up next: the first book in the Crypt Trilogy by Bill Thompson, one of my current favourite authors. I loved his Bayou Haunting series, let's see how his (earlier) archeological thriller series is.
August has been a really good month, 11 books and just over 2800 pages. My best reading month since April 2021. Mostly thank to summer break, when it's always quiet in the store so I had a lot of time to read whilst working.Since last week it's been busier, with two big shipments coming in to deal with this week, so I'll have less reading time until my vacation.
My "read only book already on my Kindle" month went well. I did start in the last week of July, but since then I've read 15 books/short stories. Mind you, I've already got 5 books waiting in Calibre to be uploaded and two books on Amazon I want to buy for my vacation, with a further three which will be released in the next two weeks. Which means that in the end I'm only down 5 books. But those 5 from Amazon I want to read soon, and those are waiting in Calibre, too. I'll see how that goes.
Congratulations on having a great month! Good luck with all of your upcoming reads! :)
Nyssa wrote: "Congratulations on having a great month! Good luck with all of your upcoming reads! :)"
Thanks.
First thing I did this morning was buying the books I wanted (turned out one of the books was a second book in a series, so I also had to buy the first one) and add all my books to my Kindle.
When I finish my current book I'll start my vacation reading, early but that isn't unusual for me. I got more book than I can read those two weeks anyway.
The Relic of the King by Bill ThompsonOkay, definitely not as as good as his Haunted Bayou series. It's the first book in The Crypt Trilogy, I bought it in an omnibus with the other two books, so I'll finish the trilogy (though I'll record and rate them as separate books)
There are just too many storylines in this book. They are easily kept apart, but it's a bit much that's going on.
This means that my vacation reading can start now.
Dark River Inn by J.R. EricksonVery entertaining. It's the start of a series (Troubled Spirits), I think all might be based on/inspired by true crimes. I didn't see the twist coming. Recommended.
A couple of years ago I read a book by her and gave it three stars. It turns out that was the start of a series. If I like the other books in the Troubled Spirits series, I might go back to the other series.
The Croning by Laird BarronI DNFed it after 50 pages. It wasn't bad, it just couldn't hold my interest. I was easily distracted when reading and I didn't feel the need to pick it up when I had a few moments time to read. A shame, but it's the first one of the year, so I have been picking my book well.
Gallows Hill by Darcy CoatesI loved this book. I hadn't planned to finish it today, but I couldn't stop myself reading (after a nice long nap). I also discovered I missed the release of Coates previous book, From Below, so that's now added to my Kindle.
But first the first book of the Mysterious America series, Serpent, by Bill Thompson. It's a spin off of his Bayou Hauntings series. The main character from that book moved away from New Orleans and a friend of his will now be the main character of BH, and Landry Drake will get this new series.
Bianca wrote: "Gallows Hill by Darcy CoatesI loved this book. I hadn't planned to finish it today, but I couldn't stop myself reading (after a nice long nap). I also discovered I missed the relea..."
I've been eager to start Gallows Hill but I've had library holds coming in so I haven't gotten to it yet. I can't wait to read it soon! Haven't read From Below yet either but I struggle with underwater stuff so that delay is intentional. LOL
Serpent by Bill ThompsonA good segue into a new series for Landry Drake. It'll be interesting to see where Thompson will take this series.
I've now doubled my goal of 24 books for 2022. Can I make it to 50 during this vacation? We got a couple of days planned when we're going out, but there's still a lot of time to read, so, maybe.
Helme House by J.R. EricksonA good haunted house story, second in the Troubled Spirits series. It looks like the books are fairly stand alone.
Now I have two days to read my current book. I did pick a book that was shorter and by an author who usually writes fast paced books.
I'm not sure how much reading time I'll have next week. After two weeks of vacation I need to do some catching up on chores (both at home and in the store).
Final morning of my vacation and I didn't finish my 50th book of the year. I've got less than 100 pages to go. Normally I would be confident I would finish it today, but it'll be a busy day. But I'm confident I'll be able to finish it before the end of the month.After my horror binge of the last month I need something different. I'm thinking the latest Sigma Force novel will be a good change of pace.
The Haunting of Nelson Street by Amy CrossI managed to finish it yesterday. I should have finished it earlier,, but it has been a busy week, I didn't read for 3 days because of that.
So I've read 50 books in nine months. Which is great, since my 2022 goal was to read 24. Will I make it to 75? Probably not; the busy time of the year is starting in the store, and with my father still having some health issues (currently knee problems) I'll be doing more both in the store and at home than before, so I'll have less time to myself. Unless there's another lockdown (I hope not).
Kingdom of Bones by James RollinsThe latest in the Sigma Force series. As usual a good story. I like that in each book another of the Sigma Force members take the lead role, others have smaller roles or are absent. It keeps it more interesting than when there is just one main character.
During the last couple of months I've been doing most of my reading when working. Summer is always slow for us. But the busy season has started. Also thanks to the high energy prices; people are looking for ways to save money and switching to LED is easily done. Chances are my reading will slow down. Where in the past I would read in the evening, I now like to cross stitch and watch TV.
The Lost Village by Camilla StenA great story, very creepy. The build up to the point where things get to a head was long, halfway through. But the build up was so well paced that I didn't notice that.
My only gripe was the translation. It's written by a Swedish writer and set in Sweden. The translator chose to use Fahrenheit and miles instead of Celsius and kilometers. It only happened a couple of times, but when it happened it threw me a bit. At one point one of the characters mention is was cold; only 30 degrees. In Europe we use Celsius and 30 degrees is 86F, so very warm instead of just below freezing. Strangely, if a story is set in America I would assume the degrees are in F not C and it wouldn't bother me. The miles instead of kilometers didn't bother me as much.
From Below by Darcy CoatesAnother creepy story by Darcy Coates. This time set (mostly) in a cruise ship that sunk over a hundred years. We also get the story about what happens in the days leading up to the Arcadia sinking. The storyline set in present day is about a team of divers who are planning to make a documentary about the Arcadia, which was only just recently discovered. When they enter the shipwreck things start happening.
My one complaint about the story is that one of the team took a sample during their penultimate dive. It might, or might not, give some answers about the cause of the activities. In the end nothing is done with that sample.
But nonetheless a very entertaining story.
I am going to take a break from horror and continue with my first reread of the year.
I should finish my current book tomorrow or Tuesday. My next read should be an easy one, because on Wednesday morning I'm getting both my flu shot and my Covid booster. So I'm expecting for feel shitty for a couple of days from Wednesday evening on. I've already taken Thursday off work (I tend to get dizzy or lightheaded the day of a Covid booster, which isn't ideal when working in a store).I'm trying to decide between The Final Girl Support Group (Grady Hendrix always makes me laugh), Bruno, Chief of Police (I think it might be similar to the Guido Brunetti series) or the next book in the Hillary Greene series (very much an easy comfort read). In the end I'll probably let my randomizer app decide, but any suggestions are welcome.
The Stranger Diaries by Elly GriffithsMy first reread of the year. I read it shortly after it was released and I didn't know it was the first in a series. I now want to continue with the series, but couldn't remember the main character Harbinder Kaur, so a reread was in order.
Once I started reading I vaguely remembered it, I still enjoyed it the same as the first time.
Currently reading the first book in the Bruno, Chief of Police series.
MobileRead Book Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
The Croning (other topics)House of Earth and Blood (other topics)
The Creeper (other topics)
A Flicker in the Dark (other topics)
The Shadows (other topics)
More...
An okay horror, quick and entertaining. I did finish it faster than I thought I would (it was quiet in the store today due to the weather), so I already started my vacation reading. Considering the weather prediction for tomorrow (rain, thunderstorms, etc) there is a chance I'll finish it before I'm leaving tomorrow night, the book is less than 200 pages. But I got two other books selected.