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What are you reading in 2022?
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Brittany
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Dec 31, 2021 11:12PM
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in physical form, its good I just haven't had as much time to pick it up
on audio which is taking longer than expected, I'm kind of indifferent about it and haven't been listening to much latelyAlso just got a copy of
again from the library so I am going to read that now on ebook
I carried over two as well from 2021 -
which I finished last night. and
that I'm hoping to wrap up today.
Time for that weekly wrap up and most of this will be stuff from the final week of 2021 but I also have my first book of 2022.
-3 StarsThis was an alright ending to the trilogy. I'd might even go so far as to say that it was the strongest book in the trilogy. I'm rather indifferent to the entire trilogy in general though.
-5 StarsThis was highly recommended to me because I enjoyed XOXO and it was a very good recommendation. It's a little bit of a different beast though and I'll get into that here in a second. Basically this is a love story between two teens who's families are feuding. Those families are both Vietnamese and they both own restaurants right across the street from each other. Obviously one of the big elements in this book is the romance and that was super sweet. There is also a massive food element to this book with the restaurants being involved. Then there is the difference between this and XOXO which is the feud. This goes back to a time before the kids were even born and both families were still in Vietnam. I really enjoyed this element to the book and I loved the resolution to it all. To end this I'll echo the recommendations that I got. If you enjoyed XOXO then give this book a shot.
-5 StarsThis book started out an 11 and just kept going from there. It opens with essentially the church scene from Kingsman and just runs with it. This also had one of those rare moments where I was greatly concerned. The book was all neatly wrapped up with a bow on top and then I realized that the book still has three chapters left. It's that moment when you are reading and you dread what footfall might come next. Another great book in the In Death series.
-5 StarsThe last novel I read of 2021 and it seems fitting that it's from a favorite series of mine. It's more Kuma Bear and I don't really have a lot more to say about it then that.
-1 StarMy first book of 2022 and it was a horrid stinker. I don't give out 1 star ratings very often but this book earned it. I read this a buddy read and because the synopsis piqued my interest. A scary monster running around a mental hospital, sign me up. This was not a horror novel, this wasn't even a novel in my opinion. This was a vehicle for the author to unload his criticisms, opinions, and observations about the state of the things in the US. Primarily concerning the state of mental health and the health system in general but he goes in other things as well. This isn't a clever allegory or anything like that either. There are sections in the book where the author just puts the entire story aside to sit there and lecture the reading. A great example, and a bit of a tipping point for me, was chapter 24. This chapter is about a woman named Esmin Green and her tragic experience in the health system. It's not fiction, it's based upon real events. It has absolutely nothing to do with the story though. This women is not part of the story, it doesn't happen at the same location, none of the characters are involved, nothing. It's just the author sitting there going "look at this horrible event that happened in our health system". This is not a stand alone event either. This happens more than a couple times. Then there are times where he tries to use the story to level his criticisms at things and that is ham fisted as hell. Like the random introduction of a love interest at 50% mark of the story so that the author can rant about the how immigrants are treated in the US. If this was the only issue with the book and the rest of the story was interesting I'd still give it a low rating but I'd be a bit more forgiving but it's not. The book is just pure boring. It starts out with the super vague feeling and then just kind of meanders along from criticism to criticism. The "devil" feels like guest appearance in the book as it's just gone from the story for large chunks of time. I just did not like this book and I'm glad to be moving on to something else.
-3 StarsThis is not a manga I'd recommend. It's bottom of the barrel, generic, isekai with a bland MC.
-3 StarAnother generic isekai story but this one has some interesting elements that keep me reading.
-4 StarsThis was a random snag that I saw someone on my timeline reading. It's a historical fiction book set in "China" and it's about a young girl working as a servant in the inner court. This was an interesting read and I really enjoyed the MC, MaoMao. She is the daughter of an apothecary and has learned those skills as well. She was kidnapped one day and sold into servitude. Her skills are discovered one day and she is made into the official tasters for one of the emperor's consorts. She is a very smart MC and I enjoyed reading her adventures. I'm curious to see where this goes in the future. I'm wondering if this will get an overarching story or if it will continue with the mystery of the week kind of idea.
Right now I'm going to take some time to purge this horrid 1 star book from my mind. I think I'll probably tackle
next and then see where things go from there.
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and I really enjoyed it! It's just dumb fun with lovable characters and fun banter. Lol.Last night I started
. I'm just over a third of the way through and I am really enjoying it! It is very exciting and I just love the characters!
My first books of the year are
and
which I did start last year but I wasn't really feeling the e-format so I've changed to audio now.
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which was meh and
was amazing of course.Started
on audio and starting
in physical since I am not ready to leave the Mistborn world behind
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I'm back with more updates before I throw myself into my next book.
-4 StarThis is my third or fourth read through of this book and it never gets old. I love the unique spin on the urban fantasy genre that this has. I also love Beast.
-3 StarsI finally got back to this series after a longer than intended break. The last book in this series was an amazing read for me whereas this one had some issues. A lot of it comes down to format. This was essentially a breather book after the last one and was a collection of short stories focusing on side characters. It delved into the various relationships between characters especially romantic feelings. This was all while the city was under siege by an invading army. Now normally I'd be annoyed with this and want to see the battle but that didn't really bother much as the two stories were blended well. It's just the usual problem with a collection of short stories, some are good and some are bleh. That and the length of a short story really is restrictive in what a story can do. It wasn't a bad book but after the events of the last book this one just felt a bit lacking.
-3 StarsThis was an office romance between an incredibly short lady and her loud, tall, senpai. It was alright and got a chuckle or two. I do intend to read on when I get caught up on other library books I have on the go.
-4 StarsMy first foray back in to Manhwa this year and this was pretty good. This was the first 50 chapters and is essentially an isekai story. The MC was an assassin in our world, she is killed and is reincarnated in a fantasy world where she finds herself in a similar role. This is a hard one to explain as there isn't one thing that jumps out at me as astounding but I found myself super engaged in the story and wanting to know what happens next.
-5 StarsOh boy this manga was a ride. This is an older manga from the early ways and in some ways it feels like a product of it's time and in other ways it doesn't. This is pure 80's action and there is no better description then that. This is a martial arts Mad Max kind of manga and I just loved it. The MC is that heavily muscle bound (look at his neck on the cover) stoic kind of guy with a heart of gold and can punch the heart out of the bad guys chest. The bad guys are somehow even bigger than him and look like they shop at a BDSM warehouse. There is the iconic catchphrase of the MC after he defeats the bad guy, "omae wa mō shindeiru", or "you are already dead". Usually said as the MC walks away from the bad guy before the bad guy erupts in a fountain of gore. I was a bit concerned about the artwork as some earlier manga doesn't age well but this looks amazing still. I can't wait to read more from this series.
Up next I'm reading the second half of Crimson Karma and I'll be starting
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and I enjoyed it! It's been a fun adventure and I just lover the interaction between the characters. That ending though... ooof. What a cliffhanger. Luckily I have book 3 ready to go, but I think I'm gonna take a little break from this series and read something else. It was just A LOT.
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which is my first comic book! Well, not really... I read a Deadpool comic about a million years ago. Lol. But I really enjoyed this one! It was very reminiscent of Friday the 13th, which I loved!
Finished my first read of the year
, I liked the concept and the characters but the book itself was kind of slow. It left off in a really interesting place though, so I will probably read the sequel.
Liliana wrote: "Today I read which is my first comic book! Well, not really... I read a Deadpool comic about a million years ago. Lol. But I really enjoyed ..."Glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I wish my library had it so I could give it a try.
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Wow! You all read so many great books already!Here are the books I've finished recently:
- honestly I just don't know what it was, very strange book, I didn't like it at all. The expectation was to read something vintage...
- I don't get the hype, it was just ok. Though the ending was satisfying.
- an adorable Christmas story, full of love, heartfelt and very cozy.
- oh so good! Thanks Brittany for recommending me the series. Loved every inch of the book. Some moments are just hilarious! Laughed out loud :)
- so far my favourite book of the year. I've read it in one sitting. It has so many things I love (sea theme, strong female main character, very smooth narration), and the ending made me crave to read the next book!
- this book is so out of what I tend to read but I loved it! Very easy to read, indeed it feels royal and levelled up my mood for sure.
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Looks like you've had some good reads overall Elena.
Yay for finishing your first book Jo! Too bad it was a bit slow but at least it was interesting enough.
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which I had gone to start back in October and then my library hold ran out so I didnt get to it again until the beginning of the year. It was a very cute read. Not amazing but fun
@Brittany oh! Thank you for the rec, I'll try reading in that order.
Brittany wrote: "I am so excited you loved Three Mages! I knew you would!! I totally recommend the reading order for that spellbound and demonized I think they are better together.Looks like you've had some good r..."
Yeah it was a decent enough book to start off the year! At least I have somewhere to build from here.
Should probably have added what I'm currently read, so for physical books, I have
on the go and for audio I'm listening to
.
More books finished! :)
- I was in the mood for something light and romantic but this book is not what I wanted, it's more drama plus thriller. Didn't love it but still enjoyed.
- loved this book, I think it's a bit underrated. A very good narration, a bit crazy story but very interesting and the incorporation of magic into the modern life is quite good.
- very good start to the series, enjoyed the book so much! It has some circus vibes which was unexpected :)
- cute romantic story with the eating disorder issue, something I've experienced too.
- another great series in the Shadowhunters world.
- I didn't like the series but the book was much better.
- adorable story, enjoying the series so far.
- and finished the list with manga I'm currently reading. This one is good and becomes even better.
Elena, I have the Last Magician on my shelves for this year, glad it was a hit for you!
Heather, hope you enjoy it too! It was a very interesting read.
Oh yeah glad to see you enjoyed that Elena, The Last Magician is on my TBR for this year too!
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@Brittany let's set up a thread when you all will start the book. I'd love to read your thoughts too.
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I just finished
good addition to series Next up on audio is
@Brittany - let me know your thoughts on Once Upon a Broken Heart!
HeatherH wrote: "@Brittany - let me know your thoughts on Once Upon a Broken Heart!"Ooh yes Brittany, excited to see what you think of it!
Elena wrote: "@Brittany let's set up a thread when you all will start the book. I'd love to read your thoughts too."Yes definitely in for this!
Finished
, it was just as fun as his first book. Next audio will be
which I'm planning to start tomorrow.
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I'm doing this now so I can kind of put this week behind me and move on to my next reading tasks.
-4 Stars barely, kind of, I guess, maybe a 3.5Alright this is going to be a bit of a long review/rant/discussion about this book. I'm not going to hard spoil anything but at the same time I'm not going to shy away from plot points either.
This book took me a solid week to read and I was a bit frustrated at times. I really wanted to throw myself into this book but due to being an adult I could only get short snippets here and there. There is a part of me that wonders if that has tainted my opinion of this book. When I started this book I instantly fell in love with it. The world we were thrust into was amazing. There was all this history, this lore, these unique and amazing creatures. It was just ticking all my boxes and I was stoked. As time went along though I felt my love and then my interesting waning. Like I said I wonder if it was just because I couldn't fully immerse myself in the book like I wanted to. I'm just to going to pull this bandage off and say it. The world building in this book is bloody amazing but everything else just kind of feels meh. After a while that world building got to a bit much and it just felt like we were getting buried under more and more exposition about every little thing. I never really connected with the main characters which also didn't help. There was also a monster roster of characters that you had to keep track of. There is the plot. The synopsis tells us that our three MC's get betrayed by their guild master and then they plan revenge which kind of happens but not really. The guild master is in the book, kind of, more of as background character, and this whole plot point that is that is supposed to be the main point of the book feels like a background plot. This book lacked a clear direction and a clear villain to really get behind. There was just so many things going on in and out of the city that it just began to feel jumbled after a while. As a result the MC's never really felt like the stars of the book and there seemed to be this constant shifting narrative that made things confusing. For instance, the guild master mentioned above, just kind of got wrapped up in a throw away paragraph before his ultimate fate was decided off page. The ending itself felt really disappointing as well. Things just happened, hands were waved, no explanations were given, plot points were dropped, and then the book was over.
The book made me feel dumb. As a fantasy fan I feel like I should love this, I see all the people that love this and I just don't get it. The world building was amazing and there were definitely interesting ideas in here but I never felt wowed by the final product. Maybe I've been reading to many dumb isekai fantasies and I've lost the ability to play in the big boy fantasy pool. I really don't know at this point. At some point I might give the second book a chance to see if things improved but I don't have it in me at this point.
-5 Stars Now that I'm back to work I was able to finally finish listening to this audiobook. Again, I just love this series and the characters. The ending of this book was heart wrenching and content wise really makes me wonder why this ever labelled YA/MG. Now I'm waiting for the next audiobook.
The only other thing I read this week was a manhwa called Guard Pass. It's a martial arts revenge story that hits every trope that is expected in a story like this and I loved every minute of it. There are only 25 chapters out right now and I'm waiting for the translation of the next ones.
Currently I'm listening to
on audiobookAs for what I'm reading next I need to tackle
but I think I need a break from fantasy for a couple of days. I'll find something else to read in the mean time.
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and I loved it! 16 books into this series, that is pretty much a given 😂 I really enjoyed this case though! I liked the setting, the lore, and the claustrophobic feel. And I, of course, love the characters.Right now I'm in the middle of
. Very interested to see how this is all gonna end.
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Glad you're loving your reads Lili
I ᗪIᗪᑎ'T ᖴIᑎIᔕᕼ🏁ᗰY ᗷOOK📕ᖴᖇOᗰ ᒪᗩᔕT ᗰOᑎTᕼ TᕼᗩT I ᔕTᗩᖇTEᗪ ᖇEᗩᗪIᑎG📖 Oᑎ ᗪEᑕEᗰᗷEᖇ 15
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and actually loved it. Was better than I expected and I will be impatiently waiting for the next book
ᔕTIᒪᒪ ᖇEᗩᗪIᑎG ᗯᗩᖇ ᗩᑎᗪ ᑭEᗩᑕE ᗷᑌT, TᕼEᑎ I'ᗰ ᖇEᗩᗪIᑎG ᗩ ᗷOOK ᖴOᖇ ᗰY ᗷOOKᑕᒪᑌᗷ ᗩᑎᗪ TᕼEᑎ ᖇEᗩᗪIᑎG ᗰY Oᗯᑎ ᗷOOKᔕ📚 ᗰY ᑭᗩᖇEᑎTᔕ👪 ᗷOᑌGᕼT ᗰE
@Brittany I'm quite intrigued by your review. And added the book to my TBR :D
Brittany wrote: "I finished and actually loved it. Was better than I expected and I will be impatiently waiting for the next book"I'm so excited that you loved it!
Time for that weekly wrap up and I've got a bit to talk about this week.
-3 StarsOver the holidays I saw this book pop up on Goodreads and had a bit of a nostalgic journey back to my teenage years. I read this book more than a few times when I was younger and I loved it. Oddly enough I never watched the movie it was based on. It's a simple tale of a young man getting chosen and going on an adventure. In many ways it takes that simple fantasy tale and sets it in space. This love of reading good adventure lasts in me to this very day. That being said reading this as an adult was a bit of a let down. It's still a good story but it just felt a little simple and not as shiny as I remember. The movie format was more noticeable as an adult but it was still a fun read.
-4 StarsSpeaking of fun adventure tales I started this series on audio. This is my second or third time through this series and I still love it. It's about a young man who dreams of being a knight but isn't built for it and instead is chosen to become a Ranger. This is the start of his journey into becoming a Ranger and it just works for me. In fantasy I never wanted to be the mighty knight or the spell slinging wizard types. I also had a soft spot for the sneaky characters. Your thieves, assassins, and, yes, the rangers. This isn't quite a stereotypical D&D ranger but more of a spy like group mixed with all the woods knowledge of the typical ranger. I love this series and really look forward to listening to the audiobooks. The narrator for the first one had a very David Attenborough kind of vibe and I was kind of digging it honestly.
-4 StarsThis was a bit of a hurdle this week. After Gutter Prayer I knew this was my next book and Lackey can be kind of hit or miss with her sequels so I had some trepidation heading into this book. It's been a couple of months since I read the first one and I wasn't sure how this was going to go for me. I can gladly say that I really enjoyed this book. I was a bit lost in the beginning as I tried to remember who was who and what had happened in the last book but it all came back to me. This was the simple story telling of Lackey that just works for me. Overall not a lot happens in this book but it pushes Mags story forward and I am enjoying that story really as well as Mags as a character. I'm once again looking forward to the next book in the series.
-3 StarsNot a lot to really say about this one, it's more Tom Swift. The science in this one seemed a little bit more hazardous than some of the previous ones. Releasing radioactive dust into the atmosphere seems like something that might be frowned upon now a days. That and the whole drilling in Antarctica.
-5 StarsWhat can I say that I haven't already said about this series? I still love this series. I love the art, the characters, the story, I just love this series.
-5 StarsThis is starting to turn into one of those series where I'm kicking myself for not picking it up sooner. It's not like I wasn't aware of its existence. This has that bleak apocalyptic story where the future is not a happy place and we see humanity at its worst. It has that silly over the top martial arts where every move has a name. I even got some Trigun vibes in this one. Yes, Trigun came out after this, and yes, I do need to read Trigun some day. This is just a series that right up my weird little alley and I'm really enjoying it.
-4 StarsMore Toriko and once again I'm still enjoying it. In this one we get to see Toriko, Sunny, and Coco really go all out in battle which was interesting. Not a lot to really say outside of that.
While this week was all about reading books that are all things I know and love the upcoming week is all about reading things not normally in my wheelhouse. I'm currently listening to
and my opinions on this are kind of all over the place currently. In physical form I started
and I'm not exactly hooked yet but I'm not hating it either. I'm waiting to see where things go right now. After that I'm not really sure what I'm reading next but it will be something from the stack of things I already have from the library.
Brittany wrote: "I finished and actually loved it. Was better than I expected and I will be impatiently waiting for the next book"Glad you enjoyed it!
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Happy I could intrigue you! Have you read the original Caraval Trilogy? While this could be read as a standalone you'll be missing a bunch of lore and background info.
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I found myself speedreading through quite a bit of this because I just wanted to get to a certain POV, which does not bode well 😬 I also didn't really like some of the relationships, which may have hindered me fully enjoying this book... I DID like the characters individually, though. But all that being said, I enjoyed the book and series overall! There were just some parts that I wasn't super into.
This one I DID love! But then again, I am obsessed with the Shadowhunters, so no one is surprised 😅 It was just fun and I enjoyed getting to know the characters of The Last Hours! I think I'm finally ready to start Chain of Gold... we'll see. Lol.Currently reading
and I am enjoying it! I'm about 40% in and I am liking where the story is headed. Plus I really love the setting. It's really spooky!
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