Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Mini-Reviews: Feb & Mar 2018

Look at this, I can knock out not one but TWO months in 2018 with some mini-reviews in one go. It really helps that last year I was going through a bunch of ARCs and while I may be a procrastinator when it comes to my own personal reviewing, when I have something I actually have to get out there I am somewhat on the ball with things. Way to go, past me.

Anyway, in an effort to keep this blog train a-rolling, especially now that the lil monster is in daycare and I'm figuring out what the new normal schedule looks like, why don't I get some more mini-reviews out of the way?

February 2018

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Wooooooooow, I loved this one. It was great. Was I crying in Penn Station reading this while waiting for my train? Yes, on multiple occasions. Did I think perhaps I should save this book for a more private setting? Haha, no because that would mean I would have to stop reading it and I did not want to do that. Besides, crying in a place like Penn doesn't really make you stand out and if anything people give you a wide berth. Do I need to go into what the book is about? You've probably read it. Or at least seen the trailer for the movie. It was great and painful and frustrating and heart-wrenching and yes I enjoyed. Despite all of the tears in public (which despite my list of "pros" before, I'm not super a fan of) I have considered giving this a re-read already.
Gif rating:

March 2018

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
A book club pick and right now I can't remember who's selection it was but I want to go back and thank them again because this was excellent. An illustrated memoir (had to look that up cos "graphic memoir" doesn't seem right, and neither did "graphic novel memoir") about Thi Bui emigrating from Vietnam to America and her relationship with her parents as she herself becomes a new mom. The artwork is beautiful in telling her story I realize how little I know about the Vietnam war (basically nothing). Really excellent book.
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Full list of books read in February and March of 2018
February
The Merry Spinster by Daniel Ortberg
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Anatomy of a Miracle by Jonathan Miles

March
Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
World War Z by Max Brooks
Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen

Monday, January 7, 2019

December Reading Wrap Up

Wow. 2018 is done. Man, December went fast. Super fast. Guess that's what happens when the holidays come around and also maternity leave is ending so you're freaking out a bit (a lot). So yeah, I clearly got no blogging done but I did get some reading done. Reading with my ears, at least. As of late that has been much easier to accomplish than sitting down and reading reading, though now that the commute is back, perhaps that will change.

Why not get right into the December stats? Let's do it.

Oh but first, a follow up to last month's turkey butt. December had reindeer butt. Thank you, baby clothes makers, for putting so many designs on the bums. You're doing great work.
Anyway, stats.

Number of books read
5
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell
Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets by Stephen Fry, John Woolf and Nick Baker
Twain's Feast by Andrew Beahrs and Nick Offerman
New Family Values by Andrew Solomon

Number of pages read
1,076

Fiction
20%

POC authors
20%
Not great but it's something, which is more than I can say for the last few months
Female authors
40%

US authors
80%

Rereads
20%

Book formats
audiobook: 80%
hardback: 20%

Where'd I get the book
Gift: 20%
Kindle/Audible: 80%

Decades published
2010s: 100%

Resolution books
40%
Becoming by Michelle Obama (POC author)
Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets by a bunch of UK authors

Will I get a 2018 round up post done? It's always possible! I mean, this one took me like 4 days to get finished but you never know.