Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
2017 Plans
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Zaz's 2017 Fun Plan [Completed]
≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈Other challenges≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈Past challenges and current challenges
• 2017 Diverse Reading Challenge
• 2017 Reject Challenge
• 2017 r/fantasy Bingo (to April 2018)
• 2017 Graphic novels Reading Challenge
• 2017 Manga Reading Challenge
• 17 books released in 2017
• 2017 Children Books Reading Challenge
• 2016 r/fantasy Bingo (to April 2017)
≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈Other goals≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
• Start less than 25 new series (lol) [Count] (I'll remove series started and finished)
• Finish at least 5 series [7/5]
• Read at least 25 sequels [32/25]
• Don't add more than 50 adult novels in my TBR [Count] (removed if read this year)
BotMHomegoing (4.5★), The Lightning Thief(4★), Boneshaker(3★), Heartless (5★), A Sound of Thunder(4★)
I have read four books from your list: A Man Called Ove, Rebecca, Six of Crows and Garden Spells, and I loved them all! I hope you'll like them too!
I read Rebecca and The Book Thief, both great! Wind in the Willows is a delight, too.And I am totally stealing your Parable of the Sower choice for subgenre. I read Kindred this year and i want more Olivia Butler!
Also want to read Binti:Home. Binti was great.
Anna > I'm pretty confident for all of them, they are really high rated and popular! The first pages of Ove were hilarious :)Marta > I loved Kindred and I also read one of her short stories, so I'm very curious to see what she did for a futuristic world on a duology format. The subgenre seems interesting too and I'm new to it as far as I know. For Binti 2, I'm happy I found a spot, it'll be a nice & quick read for sure!
Carry On is on your list! I am not a fan of Rainbow Rowell, but I really loved Carry On! I hope you enjoy it too. (I love Baz) I can see too that you are planning to read Winter. I recommend you to read first Fairest. It is not necessary, but it's better, because there are things in Winter that can hit you harder if you have the background from Fairest and it's very short.
Your list is full of so many good books! :)
I've to read Cress before, hopefully I'll have some free reading time for it in December. I'll fit Fairest between the 2, thanks :)Rowell's books mostly worked very well with me, so I hope Carry On will be too. For the moment I'm not a lot motivated by it (I enjoyed Harry Potter but I'm not a fan, so I think it decreases my motivation). I'll read it during the year, but not sure if it'll be in my plan in the end. I'll see in January!
Possibilities for 11. A category from another challenge:- A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Bookriot 2015)
- A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you (Popsug 2017)
- A book you loved as a child (Popsug 2017)
- A book you've read before that never fails to make you smile (Popsug 2017)
Great list - I just looked through again...Carry On is not really a doorstop - it is double spaced, large print, full of dialogue and short chapters that start on a new page. It is rather a quick read, actually.
Winter is longer but I did not realize it was that long - I had it on the Kindle! It went fast, too.
I am reading Six of Crows, too. And you will enjoy Wind in the Willows, the writing is just delightful!
And Jane Eyre is superb, one of my favorites!
Great list Zaz! I really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series and Rebecca is one of my favorites. I read The Wind in the Willows many years back. I remember being enchanted by it, but don't actually remember it too well. Time to read it again.Looking forward to your thoughts on all of these.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is my all-time favorite Fantasy Novel and I consider it my all-time favorite Historical Fiction book as well. It is long, but I never noticed. The writing is delicious.I can also vouch for The Complete Maus and Bridge to Terabithia.
We have a lot of the same books in common for 2017. Might have to time those to make their discussion topics interesting (or drag a lot of people into a BoTM?)
The one change I would recommend is your choice of Doomsday Book. I liked that book, but I liked To Say Nothing of the Dog a lot better. They are in the same series, but its the type of series where reading order does not matter.
Thanks Tia! I never heard about Rebecca and Percy before 2 years ago, it seems I lived on another planet. I'm eager to catch up and see if I'll follow the praise :)
Such a wonderful list! I added a few on my TBR list:-) I think you'll have an amazing year reading so many great books.
J > haha, I totally missed your comment, we posted nearly at the same time. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Strange&Norell. I loved the TV show but I know the book is slow, it could be a hit or a miss with me. I'll start it soon, so I'll try to at least finish it, even if it takes me 5 months.Bridge of Terabithia is a total novelty for me, I never heard about it before being on Goodreads. Maus has a difficult topic (at least for me), so I'm not motivated, but I'll read it anyway.
It seems To Say Nothing is well liked among some of my friends here. I don't have the ebook for Doomsday for the moment, so maybe I'll switch it. Thanks for the recommendation :)
I'm looking forward to discuss all the books and also check your opinion on those you'll read and that are new for me.
Claire > Thanks! I'm on the safe side in 2017 with authors I like, sequels and first pages I really enjoyed, so I think I'll have a great and fun year.
I might have to add Strange to my priority list for next year. It's been hanging around in my peripheral vision for a while now but I think it deserves a place!
Daddy Long-Legs was one of my favourite movies growing up. Until this year's reading challenge for the group came out, I had no idea it was also a book!And by movie, I mean the one with Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron. It looks like there is also a cartoon version. :)
Jody > yey, join us for the slow paced historical-fantasy beast :)MJ > one of my friends read it last year and loved it, it was the 1st time I heard about it. I never saw the movie. I've some other children classics I'd like to tackle first, but hopefully I'll find some time for this one too.
Ha! And I just read your other goals: not to add more than 50 adult reads to you tbr! THAT'S a goal I should add to mine!
Haha, yes, I'd like to decrease a little my TBR and as I read around 120 novels per year, adding no more than 50 would help. I'll also have to be more careful when choosing a book to add or remove a less interesting one when I'll reach the limit. Stop to the "add books randomly to the TBR and absolutely don't remember them 2 months after" :)
I love your door stop symbol, I might steal the idea!Great list and great goals, I'm also trying not to start too many new series... I actually find I'm much more severe with series than stand-alones when considering to add a book in my TBR (I didn't even read the blurbs of series nominated to the GR Awards not to be tempted ;) ).
I'm trying to avoid starting any new series next year. I have way too many on the go, with varying interest levels ... though I'm determined to finish at least two in 2017.
I saw that Carry On was on your list. Have you read Fangirl? I really liked the Simon/Baz story in Fangirl (as well as Fangirl the book itself) but I just couldn't get into Carry On for some reason. Curious to see what you think!
Samantha > I read Fangirl this year and loved it. I wasn't a fan of the Simon/Baz parts in the book, so I'm curious to see if I'll enjoy them more with Carry On. It'll be my 4th book by Rowell, so I suppose it'll be pleasant :)Sophie > I want to catch up for so many books and most of them are series. Luckily, sometimes I don't like the 1st, so I don't need to read the rest. The worst are ongoing series, with one book released each year, it's nice, but it never ends (just bought today a new Pratchett, it was a long road with Discworld).
Jody > good luck in not starting new ones :)
Samantha wrote: "I saw that Carry On was on your list. Have you read Fangirl? I really liked the Simon/Baz story in Fangirl (as well as Fangirl the book itself) but I just couldn't get into Carry On for some reason..."It's funny, exactly the opposite happened to me :P I didn't enjoyed the Simon/Baz part in Fangirl, but I loved Carry On ! (except the funny spells :D)
Silvia - haha bizarre! The story felt cheesy to me, I think.
I just read How to Be a Woman and I loved it! I don't agree with everything she says but that was really fun and interesting...
1st wrap-up of the year :)1. A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2016: The Female of the Species - 5★
It was violent, the teenagers were too much into sex and alcohol, but it was difficult to put it down and I enjoyed all the topics that were addressed. All the characters weren't interesting (especially the male cast), but Alex was kind of my hero (she reminded me of Dexter) and I also liked a lot how Branley was written (even if I didn't like her).
2. A book with at least 2 perspectives: Carry On - 4★
It was entertaining and I liked how she built the magic in the book. The similarities to Harry Potter were numerous but the book and characters had their own identities, so it didn't bother me. I liked most of the characters and especially Baz and Lucy who were interesting and moving at some points. Simon annoyed and bored me, but the romance was cute. For a Rowell's book, I think that I'm overall disappointed, Fangirl and Eleanor&Park were compelling read for me, Attachment was on the boring side, so I expected to enjoy more Carry On and to at least connect with some characters, which wasn't the case.
4. A title that doesn't contain the letter "E": Botanicaust - 4.5★
Post-apocalyptic + dystopia are on my comfort zone and I was totally satisfied by the book. The world building was interesting, the different cultures were good, with a nice amount of bioengineering and I totally liked to discover things about the various populations (cannibals, photosynthetic people and underground people). The addition of people with disabilities was also nice and welcome when you have genetic modifications. Minus point for the zealot side with Levi, he annoyed me most of the time.
I also started my big book (#18) and my book by multiple authors (#24) as I chose a collection.
---- Other reads ----
•Books
And Then There Were None (4★), a pleasant cozy mystery with a good atmosphere and suspense.
The Burning Page # (3.5★), nice sequel but the pace was uneven and there were too many death threats.
How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse # (5★), I really enjoyed this one, the story was good and the humor worked well with me.
The Child Thief (4★), an horror retelling of Peter Pan, a lot more good than expected (I love Peter Pan and usually loathe books based on it), especially as it kept well the spirit of Peter. Minus point for the mythology used ((view spoiler)), it worked well enough but I prefer when it's used separately.
•Graphic novels/manga
Planetes, Vol. 2 (5★), good sequel, I enjoy the space setting, it's a nice change.
Grayson (2014-2016) Vol. 5 (3.5★), nice but average end.
Somali et l'esprit de la forêt #1 (4★), I enjoyed the world building and the relationship between the 2 main characters worked well.
•Short stories
Taking the Knife (3★), in the Botanicaust series. Nice addition about the cannibals, but the abuse bothered me.
•Picture books
Zombie in Love 2 + 1 (3★), Coeur de Pierre (4★)
Bravo, Zaz-a wrap-up of so many books, and it's not even the end of January!
Wow Zaz, you are a machine! I'm impressed you can find the time.
With the weather, weekends are all about reading, so I've a good reading rate. But I've the impression I'm not reading a lot and I've difficulties to not start 20 books at the same time. I really need to finish the fantasy bingo, I'll feel less pressure when it'll be done!
I'm reading too many books at the same time so I've the impression I'm not doing progress in any of them. But well, it seems I've many new finished books so...6. A book being released as a movie in 2017: Annihilation - 3★
The setting was interesting, but the events were told though a lifeless journal and the characters weren't interesting at all. It was a quick read at least, but a disappointment in the end. I don't think I'll continue the series as the book never made me curious.
7. A book with an animal on the cover or in the title: The Complete Maus - 5★
Well written, balanced, moving, heart wrenching, non fiction. It told perfectly this horrible part of history, so because of this I highly recommend it. The art style wasn't for my tastes, but it worked nicely with the story, so no problems on my side with it.
24. A book written by at least two authors: I'll read a collection: She Walks in Shadows - 3★
I'm new to Lovecraft's myths so it was interesting to discover them through short stories written by women, especially as the stories had female main characters. The variety in settings was good and there were some nice ideas for the formats. I also appreciated the illustrations between some stories. However, I found many stories average, while few were outstanding.
I continued my big book (#18) and I'm halfway with The Book Thief, so I'll use next week to continue both of them as I'm a little ahead of schedule.
---- Other reads ----
•Books
Anna Dressed in Blood (4★ - audio), an entertaining and easy YA read with a nice Supernatural vibe.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (4★), a pleasant children books with asian retellings and good characters.
History Is All You Left Me (3.5★ - 2017), the author is very talented in writing the characters but the story dragged too much and was on a "too much YA" side for the adult I am.
An Ember in the Ashes(3.5★ - audio), I enjoyed one of the point of view, not the other. Also too violent and dark for my tastes, especially with the absence of lighter moments. And violent abuse, rape attempts, 2 love triangles, etc.
The Death of Dulgath# (4★), a pleasant addition to the series, even if I found Royce a little too chatty.
•Graphic novels/manga
Passe-passe (4★), a nice graphic novel about memories and death.
Legends of Zita the Spacegirl (4★), a nice sequel but I didn't really like the beginning.
American Born Chinese (3★), 2 of the narratives were ok but I was very annoyed with the 3rd one.
Bride Stories, Tome 06 (5★), my fav in the series so far, well paced, beautiful as usual, and moving.
•Short stories/novella
Warm Up (3★), in the Vicious series. Curiously I think I enjoyed this one more than the full book, I enjoyed to discover the power and its bad sides.
Boarded Window (3.5★), in the Warm Bodies series. A new taste of flesh before diving in the new book :)
The Emperor's Soul (5★), Sanderson's nice writing with an asian main character and an interesting magic. It's a Hugo if you want a good and quick read for the category :)
•Picture books
My Friends (4★), On joue? (4★), Le garçon qui aimait la Lune (3★)
I'm so late to the updates that I don't want to list everything. Just finishing the February reads :)5. A historical fiction: The Book Thief - 4★
I enjoyed to follow Liesel's days and the overall story was ok, putting well in perspective several things of the war. However it was light on the Holocaust part, which lacked emotions compared to other stuff I read/saw on the subject. The narrator spoiled events and because of him, I pulled away from the characters when I should have connected a lot more with them.
3. A book you meant to read in 2016: The Burning World - 4★
A really pleasant sequel, I enjoyed to spend more time with the characters and to learn more about R. The journey didn't really make sense, but otherwise the cast was more diverse and I really enjoyed the chapters from the new kid. I'm looking forward to the 3rd book.
13. A book recommended by one of your favorite authors: Julia's House for Lost Creatures - 3★
A nice picture book, but I read stories in the format that are a lot more interesting or emotional. Still entertaining, especially as I like this author's art.
---- Other reads ----
•Books
All the Birds in the Sky (3★ - audio), I really enjoyed the beginning and lost interest after that, but the mix of genres was well done.
The Railway Children (3★ - audio), average story but still entertaining with a touch of mystery. It reminded me of Little Women.
Doomseeds # (4★), pleasant sequel with good characters.
Homegoing(4.5★), really interesting read, I learned plenty of things about slavery history and most of the characters were interesting.
Feed # (3★), the world building was good for a zombie story but it was way too political for my tastes.
Les silences de Thalès (5★), loved this one with many topics that are or were part of my life.
Senlin Ascends # (4★), a really unusual fantasy story with original ideas and a strong beginning.
•Graphic novels/manga
The Return of Zita the Spacegirl(4★), my fav in the series and a good conclusion.
Mushishi, Vol. 1 (4★), a re-read as I want to finish the series. I still prefer the anime, the paranormal stuff is better with the music and colors.
Baba Yaga's Assistant (4★), not a fan of the art but the way the story was told was interesting.
Minuscule #3 (3★), the 1st story (half the manga) was boring and messy, the rest was fine.
•Short stories/novella
The Queen's Army (4★), in the Lunar Chronicles series. It was nice to learn more about the lunar soldiers and this character.
The World of Poo (3★), in the Discworld series. The story didn't really interest me but I liked the art.
The Little Android 3(★), in the Lunar Chronicles series. Little Mermaidish story with some nice elements, but added nothing to the series.
•Picture books
Le Gigantosaure (4★)
March wrap-up. I go more often to the library, so I've many graphic novels and manga to read!8. A book written by a person of color: Ikebukuro West Gate Park - 3★
It's a Japanese author. I really enjoyed to spend time in Japan and liked all the cultural stuff. The mystery stories were nicely written/translated, however the ways the women were handled all along disgusted me.
9. A book in the middle of your To Be Read list: Cress - 5★
In my original plan, I wanted to pick something from my dystopia TBR but finally, I read something from my sequel-TBR. I loved this one and found it a really pleasant to read. It was a nice change after Scarlet that wasn't truly satisfying.
40. A book published in 2017: You're Welcome, Universe - 5★
I loved the story, with the focus on a Deaf main character and street art. The relationships were interesting, I learned more about Deaf culture and there was Indian food (yummy). Compelling, easy to read and touching.
18. A really long book (600+ pages): Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - 4★
Yey, I finished the doorstop!!! Pleasant read, slow paced and with some parts I found boring, but otherwise, great atmosphere, good world building and interesting characters. I'd prefer to recommend the TV show, it's easier to digest and it's nice to read the book with the costumes and characters in mind.
19. A New York Times best-seller: Six of Crows - 4★
The story was original for a fantasy novel but I never connected with the characters' goal and motivations. The magic was also really more in the background than in the Grisha trilogy, which was a bit disappointed. Otherwise, good characterization as usual with this author, as soon as I connected with Inej and Jesper, I was hooked.
---- Other reads ----
•Books
The Gunslinger (3.5★ - re-read), still not awesome, but better than what I remembered.
The Selection (2★ - audio), it started well, it was entertaining, but then it's really full of wind.
The Witches(2★ - audio), , it started well but after some events, I remembered why I didn't like it as a kid (animals are a hit or miss with me), my opinion didn't change.
The Screaming Staircase(4★), I didn't like the girl and the way she was badly judgemental, but I enjoyed the rest and especially the world history.
The Tundra Trials(3.5★), good scifi sequel but with the same problems as in the 1st book and not really interesting events and interactions.
The Whitefire Crossing (3.5★), I liked only one POV and the atmosphere was good, otherwise the other character wasn't interesting.
Ender's Shadow(4★ - audio), I liked how the book was smart and I fangirled all over Ender. Bean on the other side was difficult to connect with.
•Graphic novels/manga
Anya's Ghost (4★), nice creepy story but the characters weren't likable enough.
Bride Stories, Tome 7(3★), nice on the cultural side but not really interesting and added nothing to the series.
Billy Brouillard : Le don de trouble vue(3★), a weird read, appealing on the art side.
Lucika Lucika 1(3★), nice for the art, not so much for the story.
•Short stories/novella
The Adventures of Technicality Man (3★), a nice meta read but the characters' names were too long.
The Reaping Room (3★), in the Botanicaust series. Nice to spend more time with a character but the 2nd part was focused on events I already knew from the 1st book.
Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky(4★), in the Lunar Chronicles series. Carswell wasn't really likable but I enjoyed the story and to learn more about events hinted before.
•Picture books
Pas de Poules Mouillées au Poulailler (4★), Les P'tites Poules et la grande casserole(3★), Comment ratatiner les cauchemars(4★), L'Oiseau qui avait avalé une étoile(2★), Bonolon - Le Gardien de la Forêt(3.5★), Lulu and the Brontosaurus(3★)
25% wrap-up
•Challenges
- finished the r/fantasy bingo on time;
- on tracks for the AtY;
- on tracks for the diversity challenge (however, I changed 3 books on 3...);
- on tracks for the 2017 reads;
- on tracks for the dystopia challenge;
- ahead of schedule for the children books, graphic novels and manga;
- 8 categories checked for the reject challenge;
- read only one book for my out of comfort zone challenge;
- read one book for my color cover challenge.
•Best of
- Favorite book from the challenge: You're Welcome, Universe
- Favorite book outside the challenge: Les silences de Thalès
- Best audio: The Child Thief
- Best let down: The Witches
•Stats (I don't count picture books)
- Authors' gender: 61% reads by females, 37% by males, 2% unknown.
- Authors' ethnic origins: 17% POC.
- Authors' country: 63% US, 16% UK, 14% Japan, 5% France, 2% Australia. I see a problem here.
- Number of books with diversity: 60%.
- Average number of books per month: 12.
- Average pages per month: 4200.
- Most read genre: Graphic novels/manga, then fantasy.
- Age groups: 41% YA books, 39% adults, 20% children.
- Page length (not counting graphic novels): 37% under 300, 38% for 300-399, 23% over 399.
- Series: 68% series, 32% standalones.
You had a great month of reading Zaz! I checked out You're Welcome, Universe and added it to my TBR list!I also checked Les silences de Thalès, and gosh! I understood the french synopsis! That one sounds good too. But it hasn't been translated to English. Is the French very difficult, or is it more of a childrens' book that I might understand?
It's self published, so no translation sadly. It's YA, so maybe you'd be fine with the level. You can try the prequel Un piano en hiver, it's available for free on Kindle and you can also read it online on the author's site (the link is on the GR description). I really enjoyed it too and it shows well the atmosphere, the relationships and the language level :)You're welcome universe is great, I hope to see more people reading it!
Lots of fun reads, Zaz, and so happy you did love Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell! I'm definitely going to watch the TV show, I think you've convinced me that it's a worthwhile interpretation.
You're welcome universe sounds great, I'm adding it to my pile :)
Wow, you are reading up a storm! We both read Six of Crows and Homegoing recently, and had similar thoughts about them. 4200 pages per month, holy moly!
Yes I know and I actually think I'm reading less than last year (less audiobooks on car because I'm not alone and more TV shows, plus my last holidays were in October).
I tackled plenty of sequels this month, yey!For the moment, my reads are surprisingly different from the previous years for the ratings, with less 4 stars and more 3 stars. I hope it won't continue like this :p
12. A book based on a myth: The Lightning Thief - 4★
Nice surprise. Not all the story was interesting, but I liked the humor, the characters and the positive messages. I found the friendships pleasant and I liked Percy. I'm looking forward to continue with this author.
10. A dual-timeline novel: A Closed and Common Orbit- 5★
Perfect scifi for me with a good story, a good characterization, easy to understand technology, plenty of nice AI and I also loved little Pepper's chapters :)
11. A category from another challenge (1/2): A book you loved as a child (Popsug 2017): Ronia, the Robber's Daughter - 5★
As pleasant as usual, with a strong headed young girl and plenty of adventures in the woods. I also liked the balanced friendship and Ronia's dad was funny with all his overacting.
---- Other reads ----
•Books
Under Rose-Tainted Skies (3.5★), interesting topic but a cliché love interest and the girl lacked of true hobbies for someone spending her life at home.
Girl of Nightmares (2★ - audio), boring read, annoying main character. For a sequel it was very disappointing.
D'un monde à l'autre (2★), average story, unlikable heroine, problematic messages.
Library of Souls (3★ - audio), same as the rest of the series, with plenty of action and undeveloped characters. The ending was nice.
World of Trouble (4★), nice conclusion without surprises, but pleasant to read as usual.
The Upside of Unrequited (2★), boring, self loathing and yey you'll like yourself because somebody fell in love with you. I liked a lot Simon vs, but this one... very meh.
Miss Charity (5★), a kind of retelling of Béatrix Potter's life, loved it!
•Graphic novels/manga
Bride Stories, Tome 08(5★), a good focus on the characters I like the best.
Lucika Lucika 2(3★), nice for the art, not so much for the story.
Saga, Vol. 6(4★), good sequel with some surprises, it was nice to follow Hazel.
Minuscule #4 (4★), cute sequel, more balanced than vol #3.
City Hall 1 (3★), it lacked emotions and female characters.
Mushishi, Vol. 3(5★), I enjoyed all the stories and it was nice to learn new things about the main character.
•Novella
Fairest (5★), in the Lunar Chronicles. Well done, interesting and disturbing.
•Picture book
Bonolon - Ulyssia la fée bleue (2★)
My, I read quite a large number of books this month.11. A category from another challenge: A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Bookriot 2015): The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf (indigenous Australian author) - 3★
The setting and the indigenous culture were interesting but nothing really happened and I'd the impression I'd learned nothing about the characters. Luckily, the writing was pleasant so I succeeded to finish the book.
14. A book with a strong female character: George- 4★
It was well done and about an important subject. George was quite likable and I found the various reactions well depicted. The best friend was great and I was glad I read Charlotte's Web before because it was an important part of the story.
15. A book written or set in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland): A Man Called Ove (Sweden) - 5★
Perfectly written, nice Swedish atmosphere, great characters, moving story. And there was a cat. I'm not sure it's a new favorite or not, but it was a very satisfying and moving read.
---- Other reads ----
•Books
20th Century Ghosts(3★ - audio), I enjoyed some stories but most of them didn't interest me and I found few of them scary. I picked it because I wanted some horror, but it didn't fit the bill in my opinion.
Amarantox (3.5★), great prequel on the apocalyptic setting side but I didn't like the characters and didn't find the story compelling.
London Shadows(3.5★), pleasant and easy read that lacked a little of true action and paranormal stuff.
Caraval (3★ - audio), the setting and the magic were interesting but the story was lazy and I found the sisters really annoying.
La fille du docteur Baudoin (3★), interesting topic and easy read but the characters weren't fleshed.
Le Hobbit (5★), a pleasure to spend time again with Bilbo (no, in fact, my fav character is Gollum).
How to Twist a Dragon's Tale (2★), plainly boring and, really, wanting to stop a volcanic eruption? Whatever.
•Graphic novels/manga
The Stonekeeper (4★), not a fan of the art but the story was nice and I liked the cast.
Seconds(4★), I didn't really like the art but the story was interesting and compelling.
Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Volume 2: Surprise Party (4★), still not convinced by the evil guy but the story was interesting.
The Stonekeeper's Curse(4★), good sequel.
•Short stories/Novella
The Room(5★ - audio), what a great little thing between paranormal and mental illness. I've to spend more time with Swedish authors.
The keeper (5★), in the Lunar Chronicles. I really enjoyed to learn more about what happened to Cinder just after Fairest.
•Picture book
Norton and Alpha (3★)
Not a good reading month, I have other things on my mind but I did some progress.17. A book with illustrations: Gris Grimly's Frankenstein - 4★
Good illustrated adaptation to the book I think (I don't remember it) and I liked how the art shared the gothic atmosphere. Very pleasant to look at and maybe an easier entry to the full story.
28. A non-fiction: Un printemps à Tchernobyl - 4★
One of my friends picked this at the library, so I thought it was a good idea for the nonfic prompt and luckily my library also had it. Very nice trip to Chernobyl, I liked how every thing was depicted and the art was good. Maybe a little short on the true and sad repercussions of the disaster.
27. A book by one of your favorite authors: Release (by Patrick Ness) - 3.5★
A good read about dealing with love and being gay, but with a strange and not really interesting paranormal side story. Easy and quick read with the author, as usual, but the less interesting Ness' book I read so far.
16. A mystery: Rebecca - 4★
It took me quite un time to read this one, it was more dense than what I'm used to. I'm ot sure it fits the mystery genre well, but it was mysterious for sure. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and found the introvert main character interesting, but she was a dull narrator.
---- Other reads ----
•Books
Hello, Universe(5★), loved this one, the story was nice and I loved the characters, plus diversity :)
Amina's Voice (3★), good diversity, uninteresting plot and self-centered main character.
Blood Red Road (4★), enjoyable and easy to read dystopia, but the lack of speech punctuation was annoying.
The Goblin Emperor (4★- audio), nice read, too political for my tastes but I really liked the gentle half goblin hero.
The Boy on the Bridge (4★), nice prequel with a big focus on science, but the characters didn't really work with me. The epilogue was awesome.
Shatter Me (2.5★- audio), the madness side was pleasant, but well it's a boring romance with lazily solved problems.
All Grown Up(2★- audio), depressing book about how it sucks to be a middle age single woman.
The Drawing of the Three (5★ - Re-read). I'm happy I'm loving the Dark Tower as much as before, this one was good and I appreciated a lot how much work King put in the characterization.
They Mostly Come Out At Night (4★), great cover and nice read with good ideas but an uneven pace.
Dragons at Crumbling Castle (3★), I'd difficulties to stay focused on most of the stories, the format wasn't the strong point of Prachett. I liked the imagination, not really the rest.
Neuromancer(3★), great piece of scifi regarding the publication date, but the book is difficult to digest and I wasn't interested in the characters.
The Samurai's Garden (5★), loved the peaceful atmosphere, the Japanese (old) setting and the fact the book talked about leprosy.
•Graphic novels/manga
Trois Ombres (5★), good story, good atmosphere.
The Cloud Searchers(4★), nice sequel, the series continues to be pleasant.
L'Enfant noir (Niourk 1-3) (4-5★), good adaptation of the book with some nice additions, even if the author was a little fast on some important things.
Revival, Vol. 7: Forward (3★), luckily just one more volume left because it's starting to be boring.
Hilda and the Troll (3★), nice read, I like the world building so I'll check the sequels.
Children of the Sea, Volume 1 (4★), I really enjoyed the sea setting, even if the story was strange.
Larmes d'abeille (Grand Mort 1-2) (3★), interesting idea but the female character is so annoying... the 2nd volume lacked answers.
•Short stories/Novella
Continued some short stories in the Lunar chronicles, almost finished with Stars Above.
•Picture book
Cet élan est à moi (4★)
Where did you find The Keeper from Lunar Chronicles?
In Stars Above! There are some great short stories (not all of course) in it and some nicely added to my knowledge about the characters. I'm reading in the recommended order, so I've only one short story left.
Lol I have read Stars Above, it's just that I don't remember the names of each story :D
Me neither, I wrote them all for the ratings, so it'll be easier when I review the book :p
1-50% wrap-up •Challenges
- on tracks for the AtY;
- on tracks for the diversity challenge;
- finished my 12 2017 reads so moved to 17;
- ahead of schedule for the dystopia challenge, children books, graphic novels and manga;
- 14 categories checked for the reject challenge;
- read 2 books for my out of comfort zone challenge;
- 1 book left for my color cover challenge.
•Stats (I don't count picture books)
- Authors' gender: 56% reads by females, 43% by males, 1% unknown.
- Authors' ethnic origins: 32% POC.
- Authors' country: 55% US, 16% UK, 17% Japan, 9% France, 2% Australia, 2% Sweden. Still very bad with all the US.
- Number of books with diversity: 63%.
- Average number of books per month: 13.
- Average pages per month: 4960.
- Most read genre: Graphic novels/manga, then fantasy.
- Age groups: 43% YA books, 39% adults, 19% children.
- Page length (not counting graphic novels): 40% under 300, 32% for 300-399, 26% over 399.
- Series: 65% series, 35% standalones.
Best of for the 25-50%
- Favorite book from the challenge: A Closed and Common Orbit & A Man Called Ove
- Favorite book outside the challenge: Fairest, Miss Charity, Hello, Universe, The Samurai's Garden
- Best audio: The Room
- Best let down: The Upside of Unrequited
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Warcross (other topics)To Say Nothing of the Dog (other topics)
Jane Eyre (other topics)
The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic (other topics)
A Closed and Common Orbit (other topics)
More...
After 2 years of successfully reading more than 100 novels, I'm ready for another 52! But I want more free reading time and I've a lot of sequels to read, so I tried to put short reads and sequels when I could. I also tried to balance a little the genres, but there is still a majority of literary fiction, fantasy and dystopias, as usual.
2017 AtY RC ~ 52/52 categories completed.
Stats: 23 books with POC | 14 books with LGBTQ characters
31 books by female authors | 21 books by male authors
8 Children books | 18 YA books | 27 Adult books
✖︎ 1. A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2016: The Female of the Species
★★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 2. A book with at least 2 perspectives: Carry On ✇
★★★★ - Review - Audio
✖︎ 3. A book you meant to read in 2016: The Burning World #✇
(the initial publication date was 2016 but finally it's a 2017 release)
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 4. A title that doesn't contain the letter "E": Botanicaust
★★★★.5 - Review
✖︎ 5. A historical fiction: The Book Thief ✇
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 6. A book being released as a movie in 2017: Annihilation #
★★★ - Review
✖︎ 7. A book with an animal on the cover or in the title: The Complete Maus
★★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 8. A book written by a person of color: Ikebukuro West Gate Park (Japanese author)
★★★ - Review
✖︎ 9. A book in the middle of your To Be Read list: Cress (middle of my sequel TBR- #✇)
★★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 10. A dual-timeline novel: A Closed and Common Orbit # ✇
★★★★★ - Review [Fav]
✖︎ 11. A category from another challenge:
- A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Bookriot 2015): The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf (indigenous Australian author) ★★★ - Review
- A book you loved as a child (Popsug 2017): Ronya, fille de brigand ★★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 12. A book based on a myth: The Lightning Thief #
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 13. A book recommended by one of your favorite authors: Julia's House for Lost Creatures
Picture book recommended by Pat Rothfuss and written by an author I like.
★★★ - Review
✖︎ 14. A book with a strong female character: George
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 15. A book written or set in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland): A Man Called Ove (Sweden)
★★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 16. A mystery: Rebecca
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 17. A book with illustrations: Gris Grimly's Frankenstein
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 18. A really long book (600+ pages): Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell ✇✇
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 19. A New York Times best-seller: Six of Crows #
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 20. A book that you've owned for a while but haven't gotten around to reading: Winter # ✇
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 21. A book that is a continuation of a book you've already read: La Mémoire de Babel #
★★★★.5 - Review
✖︎ 22. A book by an author you haven't read before: Sunbolt #
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 23. A book from the BBC "The Big Read" list: Jane Eyre ✇
★★.5 - Review
✖︎ 24. A book written by at least two authors: I'll read a collection: She Walks in Shadows
★★★ - Review
✖︎ 25. A book about a famous historical figure: A Taste for Monsters (Jack the Ripper and Elephant Man)
★★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 26. An adventure book: The Wind in the Willows
★★ - Review
✖︎ 27. A book by one of your favorite authors: Release (by Patrick Ness)
★★★.5 - Review
✖︎ 28. A non-fiction: Un printemps à Tchernobyl
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 29. A book published outside the 4 major publishing houses: Binti: Home # (by Tor which is under Macmillan, the top #5)
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 30. A book from Goodreads Top 100 YA Books: The Raven Boys #
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 31. A book from a sub-genre of your favorite genre: Parable of the Sower # (solarpunk, a subgenre of dystopia)
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 32. A book with a long title (5+ words, excluding subtitle): Down Among the Sticks and Bones #
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 33. A magical realism novel: Garden Spells #
★★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 34. A book set in or by an author from the Southern Hemisphere: Children of the Different (dystopia, set Australia)
★★★ - Review
✖︎ 35. A book where one of the main characters is royalty: Heartless
★★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 36. A Hugo Award winner or nominee: The Emperor's Soul (winner for best novella)
★★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 37. A book you choose randomly: Culottées (I picked a reservation from the library)
★★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 38. A novel inspired by a work of classic literature: Tiger Lily (inspired by Peter Pan)
★★★★.5 - Review
✖︎ 39. An epistolary fiction: Daddy-Long-Legs
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 40. A book published in 2017: You're Welcome, Universe
★★★★★ - Review [Fav]
✖︎ 41. A book with an unreliable narrator: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
★★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 42. A best book of the 21st century (so far): The City & the City (in top 10 of the best books of the 21th Century for the Locus awards)
★★★ - Review
✖︎ 43. A book with a chilling atmosphere (scary, unsettling, cold): Clown Wars Blood and Aspic
For the backstory: they had to self-publish it because most of the editors were afraid of clowns :D
★★★ - Review
✖︎ 44. A recommendation from "What Should I Read Next": With "The Girl with All the Gifts", most of the picks are books I want to read and books I already read, so it seems a good idea to use this title. Red Rising
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 45. A book with a one-word title: Hunted
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 46. A time travel novel: To Say Nothing of the Dog # ✇ [Fav]
★★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 47. A past suggestion that didn't win (A simplistic cover): Métro 2033
★★★ - Review
✖︎ 48. A banned book: Bridge to Terabithia
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 49. A book from someone else's bookshelf: How to Be a Woman
★★★ - Review
✖︎ 50. A Penguin Modern Classic: Howl, Kaddish and Other Poems
★★★
✖︎ 51. A collection: The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
★★★★ - Review
✖︎ 52. A book set in a fictional location: The Journey to Dragon Island #
★★★★ - Review