February TBR

I had a very successful reading month in January.  I have a fairly ambitious TBR for February.  I have a bunch of ARCs for February and March that I hope to get through.  

I also hope to participate in Tome Topple this month, which runs from 2/7-2/20.  If you don't know what Tome Topple is, that is a reading challenge hosted by Thoughts on Tomes, where you read books over 500 pages.  I tend to listen to really long books these days, but the two books  I hope to get through are Priory of the Orange Tree and Black Leopard, Red Wolf

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

Most of these are ARCs

• An Act of Faith by C.A. Oliver
• I started reading this at the end of December.  I'm about 10% of the way in and it is really hard to follow.  It has a Lord of the Rings feel, but nothing has happened.  There are only 7 chapters I think and so far all they've done is face a hurricane and sail around the sea.  There is a made up Elven language so that's cool, but I'm bored so far.  I'm not a fan of really long chapters where nothing happens.  Hopefully it picks up or I'll be DNFing this in February.
• The Borgia Confessions by Alyssa Palombo
• This comes out on February 11th.  I've already started this but it is a very long historical fiction.  From what I can tell and the brief research I've done, it is fairly accurate regarding the Borgia family and the historic events that actually took place.  If you are interested in Vatican history and politics, give this one a look when it comes out later this month.  I'm also using this for the Read Harder prompt for a historical fiction not set in WWII.
• Ten Days Gone by Beverly Long
• This is a mystery that features two female police detectives.  I don't want to get too far into the plot because I don't want to spoil things.  This comes out February 18th.
• Unforgiven by Jay Crownover
• This is a romantic suspense due out February 25th.  I don't think I've read anything by Jay Crownover before, though she's been recommended several times.  Since this is a bit of a mystery, I don't know much about the plot so I don't spoil anything going into it.  This comes out February 25th.
• Havenfall by Sara Holland
• This is Sara Holland's latest fantasy offering.  I enjoyed her previous books, and this is supposed to have magic an an in that connects ancient magical worlds.  It appears that something bad happens and the main character has to figure out what's going on and save the world.  This comes out March 3rd.
• Wicked as You Wish by Rin Chupeco
• If you follow me on social media at all you've seen me tweeting and posting some of the marketing materials for this book.  It comes out March 3rd, and is Chupeco's latest YA Fantasy.  It appears to have a Filipina character, making it #ownvoices, who has no use for magic despite her magical heritage.
• Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
• This is one of my picks for Tome Topple.  I purchased this when it was on sale a while ago and the kindle version comes in at 848 pages.  This also for a Popsugar prompt for a book published in the month of my birthday.  This was published in February of 2019, and my birthday is during Tome Topple, so it kind of works out perfect.

Audiobooks

• Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
• As I mentioned above I'm hoping to listen to list for Tome Topple.  Goodreads has this coming in at 640 pages, and I was planning on picking this up for the Popsugar prompt for a book that won and award in 2019.  This was named best book by several outlets last year, and I'm always looking for a good fantasy.  
• The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin
• My sci-fi book club picked this for our February read.  I don't know much about it other than it is supposed to be heavy on the science and there are aliens.  It also won the Hugo award and those are usually pretty good.
• The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nichole Davis
• This is a debut YA Fantasy that is also supposed to have some historical and western elements.  The blurb says its Westworld meets The Handmaid's Tale, that's all I need to know.  
• Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
• I keep hearing about this, and received an ARC after publication.  I'm hoping it lives up to the hype.  It sounds like a harder hitting contemporary that covers some very real social issues.
• The Rust Maidens by Gwendolyn Kiste
• I don't remember where I heard about this, but it sounds amazing.  I picked this up for a horror book published by an indie press for the Read Harder challenge.  The girls of Cleveland are changing into what looks like rusted metal.  It sounds terrifying and I can't wait!
• The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle
• Popsugar has a prompt this year to read a book you know nothing about.  This was a tough one, since I wasn't sure what that was.  I feel like I vaguely know a little bit about everything, but investing and the stock market is something I really am not educated on.  My son is participating in a stock market club at school, so I thought this made sense to look into.  It isn't terribly long either, so hopefully I learn something.

 

January Wrap-up

First wrap up of 2020.  I read and listened to a ton of books in January!  Hopefully I can keep up the momentum for the rest of the year.

I completed a bunch of prompts for the 2020 Popsugar and Book Riot Read Harder  challenges this month.  If you are interested in what I'm reading or what I read for the past challenges, my google docs are below.

• Popsugar Reading Challenge Spreadsheet
• Book Riot Read Harder Spreadsheet

In addition to the books below, I also read all 95 episodes of the webcomic, Lore Olympus on Webtoon.  The creator is Rachel Smythe and it's awesome.  If you are a Greek mythology lover, you need to check it out.  It is a retelling of the story of Persephone and Hades, and I love the direction she is taking with it.  Fair warning, it deals with alot of topics that might be triggering to some.  She usually puts a warning at the beginning of episodes that specifically deal with triggering topics.  New episodes come out on Sundays and I'm so glad I finally jumped in.  I love her art style and can't wait to see where the story is headed.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

I can't believe I got through so many books this month.  

• Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
• This is a slow paced sci-fi kind about an older woman who just wants to be left alone.  The company who colonized the planet she has lived on for 40 years decides that they are going to move the colony somewhere more prosperous.  Ofelia, decides she's staying put, and live out the rest of her days the way she wants.  The story plays out much like the movie Castaway with Ofelia as the sole inhabitant of the planet, until she is visited by the indigenous inhabitants of the planet.  An odd relationship builds between Ofelia and the strange beings known as The People that develops into so much more.  This isn't heavy on the science or technology, and the pace doesn't pick up until after The People show up.  
• Ashlords by Scott Reintgen
• Review
• I have an ARC of this and it comes out on the 21st.  I'm a huge fan of Reintgen's work and this is his latest young adult offering.  It is supposed to have some magical battle horses and was compared to Scorpio Races which I loved.  
• Don't Read the Comments by Eric Smith
• Review
• I received an ARC of this a while ago, but I was holding this for January to count it toward the Popsugar reading prompt for a book involving social media.  This is supposed to be about two gamers who have to deal with the hassle of virtual trolls.  Look for more closer to the release date on the 28th.
• A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
• This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and I loved it!  It is one of the more unique retellings I've read where it has a kind of groundhog's day aspect to it, and the fairy tale bleeds over into the real world.  I really enjoyed how Rhen, the prince, interacted with Harper the girl he is trying to woo.  I also loved Grey, Rhen's commander and trusted companion.  
• Fix the World (Skyward #3) by Joe Henderson
• This is the final installment in a sci-fi graphic novel series.  In this bindup, the main character is trying to turn gravity back on, fight giant bugs, and maybe find love.  I love the art in this and the series is pretty good.
• Fun Home: A Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
• This is a memoir in comic form.  It is Bechdel's life story, but it center's around her relationship with her father and his death.  It is a difficult read as it is kind of sad.  The art is great, and her emotion really shows through on the page.
• Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting it Done by Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser
• I adored this!  It tells the story of two young girls and their story as they learned to code.  Their coding project from summer camp turned into a viral game.  I love how they tackled a taboo subject and really grew as people.  I entered the technology field over 20 years ago and while not much has changed, but it is nice to know that girls are getting more support and being encouraged to enter technology.
• Frenemies by Emma Hart
• Review
• This is a funny second chance romance that features a single dad and the ridiculous grandma I've ever read.  You should read it just to experience Grandma Jen.  
• Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills
• Review
• I pretty much couldn't put this book down.  This is an enemies to lovers romance that deals with some heavy subject matter.  The book opens with the main character Ava dealing with the aftermath of being sexually assaulted.  She returns to the private school she attends as a scholarship student in an attempt to overcome the assault, but on her first day back she gets a love letter in her locker.  Football player and king of the school, Knox ends up befriending Ava, though they start out as enemies.  They are both broken but they end up finding solace in each other.  Madden-Mills does a wonderful job with the touchy subjects of mental health and sexual assault.  

Audiobooks

I feel really accomplished that I got through so many audiobooks in January, especially since some of them were fairly long.   Most of these were for reading prompts, but quite a few of them were already on my TBR.  That is the beauty of these reading challenges.  I don't feel a ton of pressure to read books I don't want to read.  

• The Cursed Sea by Lauren Destefano
• I was disappointed in this sequel.  I really loved the first book.  This really just followed Wil as she runs around trying to stop a bunch of things from happening.
• Dry by  Neal and Jarrod Shusterman
• I read this for a prompt about a natural disaster after seeing this recommended a everywhere.  I really enjoyed this.  It was pretty disturbing because it is a realistic thing that could actually happen.  It follows a group of kids after a major drought has hit and water is basically 
• Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
• I picked this up for the Read Harder challenge for a retelling by an author of color.  This was also the book of the month at my library for January.  It ranges from diverse, violent, and strange.  Machado's writing is beautiful, but I just didn't really enjoy this collection of stories. The retelling is the first offering called The Husband Stitch and is a version of The Girl with the Green Ribbon.  This by far was the one I liked the most.
• The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
• I listened to this to fulfil the prompt for the Popsugar challenge for a book about a woman in STEM.  This book while fiction, is inspired by the the actual accounts of Mitza Maric, Einstein's first wife.  I'm not sure how accurate the history is, as this has inspired me to read up on Mitza and things don't add up.  This book made me mad, I couldn't stand the way she was treated, and while that was "the way things were" it still was awful.  I do wish this had focused more on the physics and less on the romance and relationship aspect of her life.  
• Akata Witch and Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor
• This is a great middle grade/YA fantasy series.  It is set in Nigeria and utilizes African mythology and culture as the basis for the fantastical elements in the story.  This follows Sunny, born in the US to Nigerian parents.  Her family moves back to Nigeria when she is 12, but because she is an albino she is taunted by almost everyone around her for being a witch.  Unbeknownst to Sunny, there is a world of magic and paranormal all around her that she uncovers when she has a vision.  Fortunately she is surrounded by great friends and teachers who help her hone her powers and learn about the secret magical world around her.
• 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
• This is a weird compilation of stories of various genres.  As with most short story compilations I really liked some of them and I really didn't like others.  If you are looking for a good mix of horror, paranormal, and fantasy stories give this a try.  Some of them are really good, some are super weird, and I think everyone will find something appealing.
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
• This is a WWII story told from the perspective of 2 sisters.  Despite being a good story, I felt it was far too long.  The author spends a great deal of time setting things up.  The story takes place in France, the older sister ends up with a Nazi soldier boarding in her home while the other more outspoken sister ends up becoming part of the rebellion.  Each of the sisters ends up helping the rebellion in their own way, but they both have to do what they need to in order to survive.  
• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
• I can't believe I never read this in school.  I listened to the audiobook for the Popsugar prompt for a bildungsroman, or a coming of age story.
• River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
• Hippo farming, who knew?  Did you know that this was a real concept?  I surely didn't.  This story while fiction is based on an actual concept that never came to fruition in the early 1900's in the US during a meat shortage.  This has a western feel and a very diverse cast of characters.  I'm really looking forward to the sequel.
• Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
• Technically I finished this in February, but I listened to most of it in January.  This is the sequel to Children of Blood and Bone.  It is an epic YA Fantasy, that discusses so much more.  There is magic, politics, mythology and betrayal.  The plot of this one kind of meanders around and doesn't really move forward.  I really liked the first book other than the ridiculous romance between Zelie and Inan, but this one just falls short.  It doesn't expand the magic and mythology.  The plot is basically Zelie being angry and making rash, emotional decisions and being mad at Amari the whole book.  Their friendship is being torn apart because Amari wants to try to find a peaceful solution and Zelie wants only vengeance, and both of them making decisions that don't make any sense.  This is just an emotional mess of a story.

January TBR

I haven't posted a TBR since October.  I haven't really posted much in the last month to be honest.   I've read a ton, but I kind of took a break from my scheduled posts and reviewing.  I got a little overwhelmed with all of the releases and reviews I had to write in the fall so I kind of just didn't post if I didn't have an obligation to post. 

I'm starting of 2020 with plans to continue the 2020 Popsugar and Read Harder  Read Harder challenges.  I completed both last year and this year's lists are really going to push me to read new things.  I really like Popsugar because I can use most things I wanted to read anyway, and Book Riot really lives up to the name to make me read harder.  It has a lot of diversity prompts this year that make you stretch your boundaries as a reader.  I'm looking forward to it!

If you are interested in what I'm reading or what I read for the past challenges, my google docs are below.

• Popsugar Reading Challenge Spreadsheet
• Book Riot Read Harder Spreadsheet

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

These are the books I have already started or plan to read and review by the end of January.  I expect I'll read more than 4 books this month, but I don't want to over plan this year.

• Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
• I just started this for a sci-fi book club I recently joined with some people I work with.  It is set far in the future on another planet.  I haven't gotten very far into the book so not much has happened, but I like it so far.
• An Act of Faith by C.A. Oliver
• I've had the ARC of this for a while now.  This is apparently the first of 12 books in a fantasy series.  In reading the author's notes, it is based on a group of friends and their love of video games and lore and myths.  It gives me Lord of the Rings vibes.
• Ashlords by Scott Reintgen
• I have an ARC of this and it comes out on the 21st.  I'm a huge fan of Reintgen's work and this is his latest young adult offering.  It is supposed to have some magical battle horses and was compared to Scorpio Races which I loved.  
• Don't Read the Comments by Eric Smith
• I received an ARC of this a while ago, but I was holding this for January to count it toward the Popsugar reading prompt for a book involving social media.  This is supposed to be about two gamers who have to deal with the hassle of virtual trolls.  Look for more closer to the release date on the 28th.

Audiobooks

I'm only going to list the audiobooks I have checked out at the moment.  I have several on hold at the moment and a ton on Hoopla that are always options.

• The Cursed Sea by Lauren Destefano
• I started this a few days ago and I'm about halfway done as of the writing of this post.  I really enjoyed the first book.  It has been quite a while since I read the first book, so I've forgotten most of the story, but this follow's Wil, a girl who can crystalize anything or anyone she touches as she tries to save her kingdom.  There is quite a bit of political intrigue but it still isn't clear as to why the kingdoms are at war.
• Dry by  Neal and Jarrod Shusterman
• I keep seeing this book recommended for various reasons, but it showed up on Read Harder's recommendations for a book about a natural disaster.  I don't really know much about this book other than people say it is a good read.
• Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
• I picked this up for the Read Harder challenge for a retelling by an author of color.  This is also the featured audiobook of the month at my library and the author will be coming to lecture at one of the local branches later this month.  I've heard mixed reviews about this book, so we'll give it a try.