May Reading Wrap Up

It's June. May was fast and everything is terrible right now and I'm so very tired (and have the privilege of being tired and being able to disengage when needed). There are lots of organizations that you can donate to if you're able (NAACP, various bail funds, SPLC, CUAPB to name a few).

I stuck to comfort reads again this month and honestly, this is probably going to be a theme for a while. But still reading, so that's something. Oh yeah, and probably a lot of Poirot because he is ridiculous and those rich people murder mysteries are very fun and comforting.

And hey, it's been a while since I've included a pic of the goblin so here's one where he's trying to decide his next read.

So, let's see those stats.

Number of books read
5
The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Double Sin and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie

Total pages read
1,566

Fiction
100%

POC authors
0%

Female authors
60%

US authors
20%

Book formats
audiobook: 80%
paperback: 20%

Where'd I get the book
chain bookstore: 20%
Kindle/Audible: 20%
Library: 60%

Rereads
20%

Decade published
1920s: 20%
1930s: 40%
2000s: 20%
2020s: 20%

What will happen next month? Who can say?

April Reading Wrap Up

So we are all in agreement that April lasted like 3 minutes, right? I need us to all get on board with this so I have a good excuse why I hardly posted in April. I mean, other than the whole pandemic thing, because that is also a major reason why I didn't get anything done. Turns out, trying to work while quarantined with a small monster means there's no time to do anything. Except watch clips from Blue's Clue and Sesame Street because man, have I watched a lot of that because screen time limitations, what are those?

Let's look at my reading for April, shall we? I veered strongly towards comfort reads, because you know

Number of books read
4
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
The Martian by Andy Weir
Toddlers are A**holes: It's Not Your Fault by Bunmi Laditan
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

Total pages read
1,456

Fiction
50%

POC authors
25%

Female authors
25%

US authors
50%

Book formats
audiobook: 50%
ebook: 25%
paperback: 50%

Where'd I get the book
Chain bookstores: 25%
Kindle/audible: 25%
Library: 50%

Rereads
75%

Decade published
2000s: 25%
2010s: 75%

Resolution books
25%
Toddlers Are A**holes is by a POC author from Canada. Also the only female author I read this week and the only non-reread. Those two facts don't make it a resolution, just something I thought I'd share.

March Reading Wrap Up

March. What a month, huh? Normally, I'm a big fan of March cos it's got my birthday in it. Birthdays are slightly less fun when you can't leave the house. And also when you had tickets to see Ali Wong. But I know I am lucky. But also I am disappointed. Lots of emotions all the time. Tom and I are working from home (luckily, we can) and daycare is closed (of course) so there is a lot of juggling and multitasking and general stress. But sometimes there is reading. I mean, more often there is bad TV/movies (I am watching Geostorm as I write this, while simultaneously listening to the Geostorm episode of How Did This Get Made. Once you start multitasking, it's hard to stop), but sometimes, there is reading. Why don't we talk about that?

Number of books read
6
Go To Sleep, I Miss You by Lucy Knisley (which I read twice and thus counted twice in the other stats)
The Cases That Haunt Us: From Jack the Ripper to Jon Benet Ramsey, The FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds New Light on the Mysteries that Won't Go Away by Mark Olshaker and John E. Douglas
Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World by Michael Pollan
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson

Number of pages read
1,955

Fiction
14%

POC authors
0%

Female authors
29%

US authors
86%

Book formats
audiobook: 57%
hardback: 29%
paperback: 14%

Where'd I get the book
Chain Bookstore: 14%
Indie Bookstore: 29%
Kindle/Audible: 43%
Library: 14%

Rereads
43%

Decade published
1990s: 14%
2000s: 29%
2010s: 14%
2020s: 43%

Resolution books
29%
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - published prior to 2000
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde - non-US author (Wales)

I ALSO managed to write two posts, other than my wrap up post, in March so that's another goal met! Can I do it again in April? Who knows because seriously who knows anything that's happening anymore. But anyway wash your hands and stay home (if you can).

February Reading Wrap Up

Damn, only one post in February. To wrap up what I read in January. That is...not a great start to a new blogging year. I could have sworn I wrote more. Or you know, something. But apparently I was just thinking of the posts in January (which were mostly wrap up posts and therefore only somewhat count) and had duped myself. Sigh. Anyway, let's talk about what February held.

I took advantage of the leap day to sneak in one additional book this month, so thank you Julius Caesar* for that. Otherwise, as always, the month went by heckin' fast. Lots of work, which is busy. Lots of stuff for the goblin, which is also busy. There was even a book club meeting this month AND a (mini-) road trip to visit friends (and gift them with many baby hand-me-downs, of which we no longer need and they will soon have a use for), which was busy but also much fun.

Now, how 'bout them stats?

Number of books read
5
Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting from Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson

Total pages read
1,844

Fiction
60%

POC authors
20%

Female authors
80%

US authors
60%

Book formats
audiobook: 80%
hardback: 20%

Where'd I get the book
Indie bookstore: 20%
Kindle/Audible: 40%
Library: 40%

Rereads
40%

Translation
20%

Bookclub pick
20%

Decade published
2000s: 40%
2010s: 60%

Resolution books
60%

Lethal White is by a UK author (Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling)
My Sister, The Serial Killer is by a POC, Nigerian author (Oyinkan Braithwaite)
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is by a Polish author (Olga Tokarczuk) and is a translation

OK so I'm gonna try to set a goal for myself. I gotta write 2 more posts in March. Can I do it? We shall see.

*And I only know that fact cos of the recent John Mulaney monologue on SNL. So thanks to Mulaney for that bit of trivia and also for creating The Sack Lunch Bunch. I realize that is unrelated to what this aside was originally about, but man, what a great special.

January Reading Wrap Up

January was roughly 10 years long, right? Because I'm looking at my reading wrap up from December and I could have sworn I read those books so long ago. 

Despite January lasting an eternity, I don't feel like I got a huge amount of reading done. Whatchya gonna do? Or at least, not as much reading as I'd expect. Really, I expected to be done with this Cormoron Strike book that I'm still making my way through and I'm pretty sure my other library hold is going to be returned before I get a chance to start it. Dang library holds and me not planning properly. 

But hey, look at this cutie

And with that segue, here are the stats

Number of books read

5

Endless Night by Agatha Christie

Mrs. McGinty's Murder by Agatha Christie

White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America by Margaret A Hagerman

The Body: An Occupant's Guide by Bill Bryson

Tanica Jones by Matt Boren

Total pages read

1,359

Fiction

60%

POC authors

0%

Female authors

60%

US authors

60%

Book formats

audiobook: 100%

Where'd I get the book

Kindle/Audible: 40%

Library: 60%

Decade published

1950s: 20%

1960s: 20%

2010s: 40%

2020s: 20%

Resolution book

40%

Both Christie books are, well, by Christie an author from the UK (aka, not the US) and they were published before 2000.

December Reading Wrap Up

Every month this year went by super fast and December was 10x as fast as the others. I kept thinking "I need to do some Xmas shopping" and then suddenly it's the weekend before Xmas and I am scrambling because I am not organized enough for this holiday. Christmas was good to us, especially the little monster who got SO MUCH STUFF, including multiple drums. Which...have we offended people?* There are also so many cars/trucks/buses and I don't know where his love for all things on wheels comes from, but it is strong.

I didn't feel like I ended up doing that much reading in December. Typically, most of my reading is done via audiobooks while on my commute. Except tis the season and I wanted to listen to some Christmas music. And since I've been getting most of my books from the library recently, and those have a limited amount of time I can have those out, I wasn't sure I would get through a book before I had to return it. So I just stuck with podcasts (I'm currently listening to old episodes of How Did This Get Made) and Christmas music. Except somehow I still managed a fair amount (including a book between when I originally wrote this post and when it's actually going live because I thought "no way I'll read anything else in this time.")  Now, let's see those stats.

Number of books read
4
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, and Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong
Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Hercule Pirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie

Number of pages read
1,450

Fiction
75%

POC authors
25%

Female authors
100%

US authors
50%

Book club/readalongs
25%

Book formats
audiobook: 75%
ebook: 25%

Where'd I get the book
Kindle: 25%
Library: 65%

Resolution book
75%
Career of Evil cos Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling is from the UK (in case you were unaware)
Dear Girls by Ali Wong (POC author)
Hercule Pirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie - UK author AND published before 2000


*It's cool, he loves them and this gives him something that he's actually allowed to bang on

November Reading Wrap Up

One minute, it was time to turn back the clocks and then all of a sudden it's December and what the what? Things have been hectic the end of the month. Thanksgiving was a bit different this year. Or at least different for me. See, Tom always has to work over Thanksgiving so I always spent the holiday with my family. Last year, I stayed around home instead of traveling down south to see my dad because small child makes for stressful traveling, especially first time traveling and especially alone traveling.

This year I decided to tag along on Tom's work trip (families are welcome cos holidays) because while it would mean traveling with the little one, it would at least be us traveling together. Oh also, it was a trip to the Bahamas, for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. It was also the first time in 15 years that Tom and I got to spend Thanksgiving together. That was fun, if not the most relaxing but really, can't complain.

My reading was a little sparse this month, in part because I spent time reading a book I ultimately didn't finish and thus isn't counted. Sigh. But anyway, let's look at those stats.

Number of books read
3
Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell

Number of pages read
1,070

Fiction
33%

POC Authors
0%

Female authors
67%

US authors
67%

Rereads
33%

Book formats
audiobook - 100%

Where'd I get the book
library - 100%

Decade published
2010s - 100%

Resolution books
33% - just the one book. Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling, perhaps you've heard of her) is a UK author

October Reading Wrap Up

I know I’m a bit late on this post. Did you know it was Daylight Savings recently? Or rather, the end of it. (I'm never entirely clear.) And are you aware that small ones do not understand this concept that they can sleep an extra hour? On top of that, the little one was sick, and then I got sick and now Tom is sick and I am just praying this doesn’t make a second round. So what I’m saying is the end of October/beginning of November has been a bit exhausting. But look, a little tiger so that makes up for a lot.

Hey, let's take a look at the stats, shall we?

Number of books read
6
Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
The Honest Toddler: A Child’s Guide to Parenting by Bunmi Laditan
Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado-Perez
Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear by Kim Brooks
Damn Fine Story: Mastering the Tools of a Powerful Narrative by Chuck Wendig

Number of pages read
1,635
Second highest for the year

Fiction
33%

POC authors
17%

Female authors
67%

US authors
67%

Classics
17%

Book formats
Audiobook: 83%
Paperback: 17%

Where’d I get the book
Gift: 17%
Library: 83%

Decades Published
1940s: 17%
2010s: 83%

Resolution books
50%

Evil Under the Sun – UK author and published before 2000
The Honest Toddler – POC author
Invisible Women – UK author

September Reading Wrap Up

September was a busy month, reading wise. I don't really know why, but I'll take it. Good thing audiobooks are a thing or else my reading would be zero. Plus sitting in traffic is far less painful if I'm listening to book (or a podcast, but this is about books. Focus.) Also really making use of the library. Finally. I mean seriously, about damn time, me.

Not only did I have a good reading month BUT I also THREE TIMES! Which given my writing trends, that's pretty incredible. I mean, sure, none of them were real reviews but still. Getting things done. Some things, anyway.

He's proud

Why don't we get to those stats, shall we?

Number of books read
6
The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
Someone Could Get Hurt: A Memoir of Twenty-First Century Parenting by Drew Magary
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan

Pages read
1,680 - most read in a month so far this year!

Fiction
50%

POC Authors
17%

Female authors
67%

US authors
83%

Rereads
17%

Classics
17%

Readalong/Book Club
17%

Book Formats
audiobooks - 100%

Where'd I get the book
Library - 83%
Kindle/Audible - 17%

Decades published
1930s - 17%
1990s - 17%
2010s - 67%

Resolution books
33%
The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson (published in 1991)
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (published 1937, by a UK author)
Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan (POC author)

August Reading Wrap Up

Summer is over. It's crazy how fast time goes and I realize I have said that over and over again, but whatever, that doesn't make it less true.

I did manage to get one (1) review written this month. Like, an actual, for realsies review, (Kid Gloves, check it out) which is not something I have done in a long time. I'm hoping we're finally getting into a set routine that gives me a little bit of time to get more into blogging (and visiting more blogs. I miss all of you and I have been reading some if I haven't been able to comment as much). We shall see, but let's say being able to get that one review done has made me cautiously optimistic.

And I even managed to get some reading done this month, which I'm pretty happy with. Let's check out those stats, shall we?

Books read
5
Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leaves Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed and Sick by Maya Dusenbery
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch
It's Not What It Looks Like by Molly Burke
Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos by Lucy Knisley (Yes, I did just link to a review of this. And I read it twice this year. What's up?)
Cribsheet: A Data-driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster

Pages read
1,437

Fiction
0% - crazy right?

POC authors
0%

Female authors
100%

US authors
60%

Book format
audiobook - 60%
hardback - 20%
paperback - 20%

Where'd I get the book
chain bookstore - 20%
indie bookstore - 20%
Kindle/Audible - 60%

Rereads
20%

Decades published
2010s - 100%

Resolution books
40%
Because Internet and It's Not What It Looks Like are both by Canadian authors (Gretchen McCulloch and Molly Burke).
Also, and this isn't a resolution category but given the idea is to diversify my reading, I figure I'd point out that Molly Burke is blind, which is what her memoir is about.

July Reading Wrap Up

I'll have you know, that I have started an actual, for realsies review, like 10 times or so. I mean, I don't have anything to show for it but I just want you to know that efforts are being made.

Anyway, hey, another month is done. That's crazy, huh? Time passing and whatnot. July was a pretty good month. A busy month, but a good one. The monster turned a year old. Tom and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary/15 year anniversary of being together by seeing How Did This Get Made (movie was High Strung and it includes a violin battle so pretty great). We learned what it's like to vacation with a one year old (spoiler: not particularly relaxing, for us anyway). How about some pictures to make up for my lack of posting?

(You should know, this post was interrupted to deal with the monster and wasn't able to come back to the post for a day. Fun)

Anyway, while I continue to eat leftover birthday cupcakes, let's look at some stats shall we?

Books read
3
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies by Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time by Jose Andres and Richard Wolff
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness by Michelle Alexander

Pages read
990
So close. Couldn't be 10 more pages and let me hit 1000, huh?

Fiction
33%

POC authors
66%

Female authors
33%

US authors
33%

Book format
audiobook: 67%
ebook: 33%

Where'd I get the book
Audible/Kindle: 67%
Library: 33%

Decades published
1990s: 33%
2010s: 67%

Resolution books
100%

Good Omens - British authors AND published before 2000
We Fed an Island - POC author AND author originally from Spain
The New Jim Crow - POC author

So I didn't get as much reading done as I would have liked, but I did kick ass on the resolutions piece. I'm pretty sure I've never managed 100% resolution before. I mean, I could check and confirm, but let's just stick with this is a first. Good job, me.

June Reading Wrap Up

I really thought I was going to do better with posting in June. Really, truly thought that. And then the month has come and gone and I only posted twice and no reviews. Sigh. Maybe July will be my month? You never know, it could happen.

Leeeet's see, what else, what else, what else. My reading has become basically all audiobooks which sort of makes me sad but given that most of my time is now spent playing with the goblin (yay!) or picking up after him (...less yay) it's not a huge surprise. I am just happy that audiobooks are an option or my reading would basically be zero and man, that is a sad thought. Do not like.

Him I do like

Hey, let's look at those stats

Books read
5
Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
Things That Make White People Uncomfortable by Michael Bennet
You Do You: Proud to be Fabulous by Tan France & Nikki Levy (sort of a book but it was from Audible so counting it)
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

I just noticed that every month since March I have read 5 books. I dunno what that means. It certainly hasn't been on purpose.

Pages read
1,230

Fiction
40%

POC authors
60%

Female authors
60%

US author
60%

Readalong/Book club
20%

Book format
audiobook: 100%

Where'd I get the book
Kindle/Audible: 40%
Library: 60%

Decades published
2010s: 100%

Resolution books
80%

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware - UK author
Things That Make White People Uncomfortable by Michael Bennet - POC author
You Do You: Proud to be Fabulous Tan France is from the UK and Pakistani and I realize he just hosted this collection but they have him listed as they would an author so
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang - POC author