ShadrachAnki's 2020 Reading

I'm Anki, and this is my fourth year in Club Read. I'm looking forward to reading and talking books with everyone!

As with previous years, I am setting a few reading goals for myself for 2020. Actually, a lot of the goals are going to be very similar to previous years, since number/percentage goals are the way I do things (I'd like to be the sort of person who can make a list of books to read in a month/quarter/year, but have learned through experience that making lists of that sort is a good way to kill my interest in whatever is on that list).

In November 2018 I made a list of all the books I own that I haven't read. While this list is...rather daunting, it provides a good reference for me when I am looking for something to read. And in May of last year, I implemented a system of book beans to help manage my rate of book acquisition. I will be continuing both of these things in 2020 since they are useful to me.

Over the past two years, my focus and goal has been to read more books that I own, and I will be maintaining that in 2020. At least 50% of my reading should be books I own; more would be better. I have a lot of ebooks (43% of my owned, unread books are in this format), and while they may not take up physical space, they do carry something of a mental weight. So I want 10-20% of my reading to be in that format in the coming year. Finally, I want to read at least 12 non-fiction titles in 2020. I enjoy non-fiction when I read it, but I struggle with actually picking up and finishing the books in a timely fashion.

Currently Reading/Listening
   - Saints: The Standard of Truth by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
   - The Library Book by Susan Orlean
   - To Bless the Space Between Us by John O'Donohue
   - Draw One in the Dark by Sarah Hoyt
   - Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
   - One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters
   - Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson

Paused/Hiatus Reading
   - The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde
   - The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold
   - The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (combo read; audio narrated by Simon Vance)
   - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
   - The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
   - Esme's Wish by Elizabeth Foster
   - The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
   - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

-----
2020 Reading by the Numbers

OWNERSHIP
   Owned: 139
   Borrowed: 3

FORMAT
   Print: 74
   Ebook: 32
   Audio: 36

CATEGORY
   Fiction: 82
   Non-fiction: 12
   Comics: 48

Total Books Read: 142

Last Year (2019) by the Numbers

OWNERSHIP
   Owned: 146 (82%)
   Borrowed: 32 (18%)

FORMAT
   Print: 120 (68%)
   Ebook: 22 (12%)
   Audio: 36 (20%)

CATEGORY
   Fiction: 94 (53%)
   Non-fiction: 8 (4%)
   Comics: 76 (43%)

Rereads: 63 (35%)

Total Books Read: 178

I did really well in the owned vs. borrowed arena in 2019, but the numbers are somewhat skewed due to my rereading the entirety of Eyeshield 21 near the end of the year. I don't regret it in the slightest, but it is something I have to keep in mind.

Books Read January - March
* indicates a reread

January
   1. Delicious in Dungeon, vol. 1 by Ryoko Kui (comic, print, owned)
   2. Kakuriyo 1 by Waco Ioka (comic, print, owned) *
   3. Kakuriyo 2 by Waco Ioka (comic, print, owned) *
   4. Kakuriyo 3 by Waco Ioka (comic, print, owned)
   5. Kakuriyo 4 by Waco Ioka (comic, print, owned)
   6. Kakuriyo 5 by Waco Ioka (comic, print, owned)
   7. An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan (fiction, print, owned) *
   8. House of Teeth by Dan Jolley (fiction, audio, owned)
   9. Penric and the Shaman by Lois McMaster Bujold (fiction, ebook, owned)
   10. Penric's Progress by Lois McMaster Bujold (fiction, print, owned)
   11. Date Night on Union Station by E. M. Foner (fiction, ebook, owned)
   12. At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider (non-fiction, print, owned)
   13. Make Mine Magic by Shanna Swendson (fiction, audio, owned)
   14. Interview with the Robot by Lee Bacon (fiction, audio, owned)
   15. The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery (fiction, audio, owned) *

February
   1. March Upcountry by David Weber & John Ringo (fiction, ebook, owned)
   2. Mother of the Year by Rachel Aaron (fiction, ebook, owned)
   3. The Black Count by Tom Reiss (non-fiction, ARC, owned)
   4. Pile of Bones by Michael J. Sullivan (fiction, audio/ebook, owned)
   5. One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron (fiction, ebook, owned)
   6. A Bid for Love by Rachel Ann Nunes (fiction, ebook, owned)
   7. Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen (fiction, audio, owned)
   8. I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 1 by Banri Hidaka (comic, print, owned) *
   9. I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 2 by Banri Hidaka (comic, print, owned) *
   10. I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 3 by Banri Hidaka (comic, print, owned) *
   11. I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 4 by Banri Hidaka (comic, print, owned) *
   12. I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 5 by Banri Hidaka (comic, print, owned) *
   13. From Far Away, vol. 1 by Kyoko Hikawa (comic, print, owned) *
   14. From Far Away, vol. 2 by Kyoko Hikawa (comic, print, owned) *

March
   1. The President's Henchman by Joseph Flynn (fiction, ebook, owned)
   2. From Far Away, vol. 3 by Kyoko Hikawa (comic, print, owned) *
   3. Don't Overthink It by Anne Bogel (non-fiction, audio/print, owned)
   4. Fated by Benedict Jacka (fiction, print, borrowed)
   5. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (non-fiction, print, owned)
   6. The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson (non-fiction, audio/print, owned)
   7. Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal (fiction, print, owned)
   8. A Quiet Life in the Country by T. E. Kinsey (fiction, audio/ebook, owned)
   9. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (fiction, print, owned)
   10. Delicious in Dungeon, vol. 2 by Ryoko Kui (comic, print, owned)
   11. The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick (fiction, audio/print, owned)

Books Read April - June
* indicates a reread

April
   1. Frogkisser! by Garth Nix (fiction, print, owned)
   2. From Far Away, vol. 4 by Kyoko Hikawa (comic, print, owned) *
   3. From Far Away, vol. 5 by Kyoko Hikawa (comic, print, owned) *
   4. From Far Away, vol. 6 by Kyoko Hikawa (comic, print, owned) *
   5. From Far Away, vol. 7 by Kyoko Hikawa (comic, print, owned) *
   6. Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews (fiction, ebook, owned) *
   7. Junkyard Cats by Faith Hunter (fiction, audio, owned)
   8. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews (fiction, ebook, owned) *
   9. Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews (fiction, ebook, owned)
   10. One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews (fiction, ebook, owned)
   11. Magic Steals by Ilona Andrews (fiction, ebook, owned) *
   12. Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews (fiction, ebook, owned) *
   13. A Questionable Client by Ilona Andrews (fiction, ebook, owned) *
   14. All Systems Red by Martha Wells (fiction, ebook, owned)

May
   1. The Greatest Gift by Kallie George (fiction, print, owned)
   2. Yotsuba&!, vol. 9 by Kiyohiko Azuma (comic, print, owned) *
   3. Yotsuba&!, vol. 10 by Kiyohiko Azuma (comic, print, owned) *
   4. Yotsuba&!, vol. 11 by Kiyohiko Azuma (comic, print, owned) *
   5. Yotsuba&!, vol. 12 by Kiyohiko Azuma (comic, print, owned) *
   6. Yotsuba&!, vol. 13 by Kiyohiko Azuma (comic, print, owned)
   7. Better Together by Kallie George (fiction, print, owned)
   8. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig (fiction, ebook, owned)
   9. Horimiya, vol. 1 by HERO (comic, print, owned)
   10. Horimiya, vol. 2 by HERO comic, print, owned)
   11. Rin-ne, vol. 1 by Rumiko Takahashi (comic, print, owned) *
   12. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (non-fiction, print, owned)
   13. By Your Side by Kasie West (fiction, ebook, borrowed)
   14. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (fiction, ebook, owned)
   15. Horimiya, vol. 3 by HERO (comic, print, owned)

June
   1. How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe (fiction, audio, owned)
   2. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (fiction, ebook, owned)
   3. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (fiction, print, audio, owned) *
   4. Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi (fiction, audio, owned)
   5. The Flying Flamingo Sisters by Carrie Seim (fiction, audio, owned)
   6. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (fiction, ebook, owned)
   7. Minimum Wage Magic by Rachel Aaron (fiction, audio, owned)
   8. Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung (comic, print, owned) *
   9. The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay (fiction, audio, owned)
   10. Fantastic Hope by Laurell K. Hamilton et al (fiction, print, owned)

Books Read July - September
* indicates a reread

July
   1. Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs (fiction, print, borrowed)
   2. Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand (non-fiction, print/audio, owned)
   3. Horimiya, vol. 4 by HERO (comic, print, owned)
   4. Horimiya, vol. 5 by HERO (comic, print, owned)
   5. Horimiya, vol. 6 by HERO (comic, print, owned)
   6. Horimiya, vol. 7 by HERO (comic, print, owned)
   7. Horimiya, vol. 8 by HERO (comic, print, owned)
   8. The Way of the Househusband, vol. 1 by Kousuke Oono (comic, print, owned)
   9. The Way of the Househusband, vol. 2 by Kousuke Oono (comic, print, owned)
   10. Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs (fiction, ebook, owned) *
   11. Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews (fiction, ebook, owned) *
   12. Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery (fiction, print/audio, owned)
   13. Reading People by Anne Bogel (non-fiction, print, owned)
   14. Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Campbell Allen (fiction, print, owned)
   15. Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews (fiction, print, owned) *
   16. Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews (fiction, ebook, owned) *
   17. The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma (non-fiction, print/audio, owned)
   18. The Dead of Winter by Jean Rabe (fiction, ebook, owned)
   19. The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner (fiction, print/audio, owned)
   20. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (fiction, audio, owned) *

August
   1. The Way of the Househusband, vol. 3 by Kousuke Oono (comic, print, owned)
   2. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (fiction, audio, owned) *
   3. Horimiya, vol. 9 by HERO (comic, print, owned)
   4. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (fiction, audio, owned) *
   5. Best Friends by Shannon Hale & LeUyen Pham (comic, print, owned)
   6. Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery (fiction, print/audio, owned)
   7. Part-Time Gods by Rachel Aaron (fiction, audio, owned)
   8. Penric's Travels by Lois McMaster Bujold (fiction, print, owned)
   9. Night Shift Dragons by Rachel Aaron (fiction, audio, owned)
   10. Happily Ever After & Everything In Between by Debbie Tung (comic, print, owned)
   11. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (fiction, print, owned)

September
   1. The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit (fiction, audio/ebook, owned)
   2. My Double Life by Janette Rallison (fiction, ebook, owned)
   3. A Murder of Manatees by Larry Correia (fiction, audio, owned)
   4. Owen Palmer's Lost Weekend of Poison, Potions, and Pizza by Shanna Swendson (fiction, ebook, owned)
   5. A Case for the Book of Mormon by Tad R. Callister (non-fiction, print, owned)
   6. Delicious in Dungeon, vol. 3 by Ryoko Kui (comic, print, owned)
   7. My Man Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse (fiction, audio, owned)
   8. Delicious in Dungeon, vol. 4 by Ryoko Kui (comic, print, owned)
   9. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (fiction, print/audio, owned)
   10. The Way of the Househusband, vol. 4 by Kousuke Oono (comic, print, owned)
   11. Maison Ikkoku Collector's Edition, vol. 1 by Rumiko Takahashi (comic, print, owned)
   12. Soulful Simplicity by Courtney Carver (non-fiction, ebook, owned)
   13. I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel (non-fiction, print, owned) *

Books Read October - December
* indicates a reread

October
   1. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (fiction, print, owned)
   2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (fiction, print, owned) *
   3. A Cat Among Dragons by Alma Boykin (fiction, ebook, owned)
   4. Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono (fiction, print, owned)
   5. Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson (fiction, audio, owned) *
   6. Romancing the Null by Tina Gower (fiction, ebook, owned)
   7. White Sand, Volume 1 by Brandon Sanderson (comic, print, owned) *
   8. White Sand, Volume 2 by Brandon Sanderson (comic, print, owned)
   9. Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Beginnings by Lydia Sherrer (fiction, ebook, owned)
   10. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (fiction, print, audio, owned) *
   11. Almost American Girl by Robin Ha (comic, print, owned)

November
   1. A Wee Murder in My Shop by Fran Stewart (fiction, ebook, audio, owned)
   2. Interview with a Dead Editor by Shanna Swendson (fiction, ebook, owned)
   3. As You Like It by William Shakespeare (play, print, owned)
   4. Witch Hat Atelier, Volume 1 by Kamome Shirahama (comic, print, owned)
   5. Witchfire Burning by Ellie Ferguson (fiction, ebook, owned)
   6. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (fiction, print, audio, owned)

December
   1.

Delicious in Dungeon, vol. 1 by Ryoko Kui
(manga, print, owned)

Starting off the year with an amusing manga about a fantasy adventuring party that decides to save on the cost of rations by eating the monsters they encounter in the dungeon they are exploring. There's a bit more to it than that, of course, but it is a delightfully zany mashup of standard D&D-style adventure and cooking manga (yes, that is a thing). My sister pointed this series out to me, and I am very glad she did. I look forward to reading more of the series in the future.

Happy New Year, Anki. Following. Love your bean system.

       

Kakuriyo, Vol. 1 by Waco Ioka *
Kakuriyo, Vol. 2 by Waco Ioka *
Kakuriyo, Vol. 3 by Waco Ioka
Kakuriyo, Vol. 4 by Waco Ioka
Kakuriyo, Vol. 5 by Waco Ioka
(manga, print, owned)

Aoi Tsubaki is able to see ayakashi (spirits/demons/fairies), just like her grandfather. After his death, she learns that the ability to see spirits isn't the only thing she inherited from him; she also discovered that he had put her up as collateral for his debts to the spirits! Now, Aoi has been taken to Kakuriyo, the realm of the spirits, to make good on those debts.

I picked up the first two volumes of this series early last year, and I enjoyed reading them enough to know I wanted to continue the series. Unfortunately, it currently looks like the five volumes currently available are the extent of the manga adaptation, and while volume 5 doesn't end badly, it does end with the introduction of a new storyline element (Aoi needing to go shopping for some exotic—read, what we would consider normal—ingredients for an important dinner she has been commissioned to make).

The anime adaptation does go further into things than the manga, so I've been watching the series on Crunchyroll. It would be nice to have Midori Yuma's original light novel series translated into English, but I don't know how likely that is to happen.

An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan *
(fiction, print, owned)

This is the first book in a trilogy retelling Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's point of view. I first read this trilogy in 2010 (over the course of ten days), and found it delightful. I think it expands on the original story while still remaining true in tone and time to Austen's work.

I felt the desire to reread the trilogy after rereading Pride and Prejudice at the tail end of last year, and that desire was intensified when my father started rereading the series, albeit in Spanish (he's been studying Spanish for several years at this point, and has been doing large portions of his pleasure reading in Spanish for about two of those years. The story is still just as fun as it was on my first two readings, and I plan to read the other two books in the trilogy over the course of the year.

>10 shadrach_anki: First BB of the year.

House of Teeth by Dan Jolley
(fiction, audio, owned)

My first audiobook finish for 2020. This was one of the Audible Originals offered as part of the member benefit in December, and it was the first one that had looked interesting to me in months. Twelve-year-old Henry Lemarchand is sent to visit his uncle and cousin in Louisiana for the summer, and once he arrives at the family's ancestral home (located in the middle of a bayou, of course) he discovers that there is more to his family than he ever realized. There's a lot of magical, supernatural adventure packed into this 7.25 hour audiobook, and I enjoyed listening to it. It is very...middle grade, meaning a lot of things were telegraphed a bit more obviously than they probably would have been in a novel aimed at older audiences, and a few things felt a bit too convenient to be entirely believable. For example, even taking into account magical enhancement, I have a hard time buying that a twelve-year-old boy with little to no martial training would be able to go toe to toe with a full-grown adult. I don't care if Henry was channeling the strength of the bear at the time; it still doesn't really pass muster.

All told, though, the story had an interesting take on magic; was well narrated and produced; and it made for several entertaining commuting sessions. I wouldn't mind checking out some other stuff that Dan Jolley has written.

>11 rhian_of_oz: I look forward to hearing what you think about the trilogy! It's been fun listening to my father's progress through the story (we work at the same place, and we take walks at noontime, and those walks frequently include book discussions), and I've been having fun revisiting the books, especially now that I've read more things set in that general time period.

 

Penric and the Shaman by Lois McMaster Bujold
Penric's Progress by Lois McMaster Bujold
(fiction, ebook/print, owned)

So, in theory I could just post Penric's Progress here and be covered, since it is the first print collection of the Penric & Desdemona novellas, but the reality is I read Penric and the Shaman as a standalone ebook, then read Penric's Fox in the print collection. I really love how the characters and relationships build across the novellas, and I am eagerly awaiting the second print collection (due out in May of this year). I will...probably also still pick up the ebooks as well. I don't know why I held off so long; I am really enjoying these forays into the World of the Five Gods.

Date Night on Union Station by E. M. Foner
(fiction, ebook, owned)

I think I first heard about this book through one of the blogs I follow, and I picked up a copy when the title showed up in a promotional email at a very good price. Basic premise: humanity has made it to the stars (with some help) and one of the places where they live and work is Union Station, a space station that was established by a group of AI. The whole thing is fairly light and fluffy, with a distinct turn toward the comedic. Not high literature by any stretch of the imagination, just lots of silly fun. It also has the advantage of being the first book in a series, so if I want more stories in the same sort of vein (which I almost certainly will at some point) I have a readily available source.

At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider
(memoir, print, owned)

This travel-centric memoir had been sitting on my shelves for a few years, and I pulled it out at the last minute before a recent trip to Utah (attending my grandmother's funeral). While I had other books with me, this one wound up being my primary reading over nine days of travel. The logistics needed to arrange a year of global travel like the one recounted in this book are exhausting to even think about, but at the same time the whole thing opens up an exciting set of new views on the world. Also on which things are truly important in this life. All told, I think this was nearly the perfect book for me to read while traveling.

Make Mine Magic by Shanna Swendson
(fiction, audio, owned)

Shanna Swendson has been one of my go-to authors for over a decade, so when I learned about this Audible Original production I cheerfully put in my preorder. Claire is a librarian from Texas, visiting New York City on what was supposed to be her honeymoon...had her fiance not run away during the rehearsal. She wasn't about to waste the money that had already been put into the trip, even if it did mean going to a lot of things alone. Claire never expected to get thrust into a world of magic, but that's exactly what happens when she helps an older woman who turns out to be one of the powerful leaders of the hidden magical community in NYC. Her vacation just got a lot more complicated.

This was a delightful book to listen to. Claire is a fun, relatable main character, and the story overall was light and satisfying. I really enjoy seeing the different ways Shanna Swendson weaves magic into her stories, and I would love to see more stories based in this particular magical version of NYC.

>15 shadrach_anki:, >17 shadrach_anki: I'll have to look for these two authors. I have no problem finding "serious" authors, but sometimes find it difficult to find lighter fiction.

Anki, what a great bunch of books for the year so far! I am just about to begin reading the Penric books, and I've made a note of several others to add to my TBR.

Running over a month behind on my book log....



Interview with the Robot by Lee Bacon
(fiction, audio, owned)

This is another Audible Original title obtain via the monthly member benefit, and it is a middle grade science fiction title performed by a full cast. It takes the form of a series of interviews, and includes sound effects (making it more like a radio play than a book narration). It was a fun listen suited for its intended audience, meaning there was a bit more narrative handwavium employed than I would prefer in several places (NB: this is probably more noticeable to me because it is a story in one of my primary genres and I am not ten years old). Not my favorite book of the year by any means, but not a waste of time either. It made for a few enjoyable commuting sessions.

The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery *
(fiction, audio, print, owned)

One of the joys of being the discussion leader for book group is rereading the book you chose in preparation for the meeting. I read this book for the first time last year, and then I listened to the audiobook so I would have the story fresh in my mind for our discussion. The audio was just as delightful an experience as reading the book in print was. The descriptions of Mistawis are luminous and lush, and I really wish John Foster was a real nature writer, and not just a creation for the novel.

Our book group discussion in February was very lively, and one of the largest gatherings the group has had. At least part of our discussion centered on some of the truly awful covers this novel has had over the years (in terms of cover matching up with content, that is).

I still have a whole pile of unread L. M. Montgomery works that I really need to get around to reading. Every time I have read one of her books it has been a delight.

March Upcountry by David Weber & John Ringo
(fiction, ebook, owned)

This is the first book in the Empire of Man series, and I picked it up years ago from one of the Baen CDs that were included in some of their hardcover releases. In terms of story and plot, this novel is of a piece with other books by these authors, with a large cast of interesting (and larger than life) characters, rather sweeping scope, and quite a lot of combat action. Definitely military science fiction, and something I tend to take in small doses, liberally interspersed with other stories. Still, I like Prince Roger a lot, even if he can be a bit whiny at times. He does a lot of growing up in this first book, and I look forward to seeing where the story progresses. Roger and his men are still a long way from where they need to be.

The Black Count by Tom Reiss
(non-fiction, print, owned)

I got this as an ARC through the Early Reviewer program back in 2012, and while I did start reading it at the time (based on my records), I never got particularly far. It proceeded to sit on my shelf for eight years, then I pulled it out again in thanks to a combination of factors. This is a phenomenal biography and history of Alexandre Dumas' father, and I learned a lot about the time period that was completely new to me. I'm trying not to kick myself too much for letting this sit on my shelf as long as it did, and I plan on obtaining a finished copy of the book (the ARC is completely lacking the index, and the end notes have no page numbers associated with them).

 

Mother of the Year by Rachel Aaron
One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron
(fiction, ebook, owned)

Combining these two, as the first is a short story that falls chronologically between the first two books in the Heartstrikers series. It is written as a transcript of a television interview given by Bethesda Heartstriker, and it is an entertaining bit of storytelling, but not really required reading. It does provide more information about and insight into the character of Bethesda, and her interactions with others.

In the second full novel of the series, Julius continues to fail at being a "proper" dragon, but as a result manages to accomplish things no other dragon has done. More of his older siblings are introduced in this book, and we learn more about the world. I really enjoy the snappy dialogue and overall humor of this series, and I am looking forward to reading more.

Pile of Bones by Michael J. Sullivan
(fiction, audio, owned)

A short story (about an hour in audio) about Suri and Minna from the Legends of the First Empire series. This takes place before the start of the first novel, and it was a nice reminder of why I like these books so much. It also got me wanting to reread all of Michael J. Sullivan's books.

My reading log backlog has only grown worse over the last month, and I am finding it more than a little overwhelming. I'm even behind on my physical book journal. Of course, things have also become...interesting since my last post, and most of my normal routines are in a state of upheaval, so I suppose I should not be surprised that my book journaling (in all its myriad forms) has been affected as well.

I've been reading, but less than I would normally. A lot of my dedicated "this is time to read" times have been thrown out the window, and I have also been doing more non-reading activities in my down time, ones that require a bit less concentration (or concentration of a different sort; one of the things I've been doing has been working on cross stitch pieces, another has been jigsaw puzzles).

Starting at the beginning of April I modified my book beans system to be 1:1 for book acquisitions across the board instead of 3:1, and will keep it that way through the duration of the Stay At Home situation. I did not want to abandon it entirely, but I was definitely feeling the need to adjust things in response to current events (mostly because even though I have thousands of books and 1100+ unread books, I found myself wanting and needing different types of reading material than my personal library was providing).

I still need to decide what I am going to do about my review/summary/thoughts backlog here. Pick up where I am? Keep moving through, trying to catch up? Some sort of mixture?

>26 shadrach_anki: I always fall back on the if it takes too much work to write about it than it porbably isn't worth writing about, to catch up here. Elevates some of the presure anyways.

Okay, let's see about doing some catch-up posting. I think I'll feel better about things if I do.



A Bid for Love by Rachel Ann Nunes
(fiction, ebook, owned)

I got this as a Free Friday title back in 2018, and the RNG tagged it as a shortlist item in one of my selection sessions (gotta narrow down the crazy-long unread books list somehow, right?). This is the first book in a series of Christian romantic thrillers centered around the fine art world. It's decently written, and I am interested in reading more of the series, but on the whole I would say it is more of a borrow than a buy for me.

One thing I am actually curious about is how well the religious elements translate for different Christian denominations. Because, while things have been pretty generalized, it is quite obvious to me that this started out as contemporary LDS fiction.

Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen
(fiction, audio, owned)

The seventh book in the Royal Spyness series of mysteries. Georgiana is in Kent, staying a big, fancy house, and tasked with helping the family's newly discovered Australian heir learn the ins and outs of his new position. Of course, things are complicated by murder and intrigue, as this is a mystery series (and one cannot have a proper modern mystery without at least one murder). Katherine Kellgren's narration continues to delight, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

       

I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 1 by Banri Hidaka *
I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 2 by Banri Hidaka *
I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 3 by Banri Hidaka *
I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 4 by Banri Hidaka *
I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 5 by Banri Hidaka *
(manga, print, owned)

I came across these volumes when I was looking for something else in my book boxes, and I decided I really wanted to reread them. I think this was the first Banri Hidaka series I had read, and rereading it is a lot of fun. Somewhat dated, but fun. Sadly, I don't think any of her series got a complete English translation release, and I sort of doubt they were popular enough for another company to pick up the licenses, especially considering their age. So I will have to be content with what I have of these loosely connected series.

The President's Henchman by Joseph Flynn
(fiction, ebook, owned)

I added this book to my TBR wishlist back in 2014, then picked it up as a Free Friday title in 2018. IT is the first book in the Jim McGill series, and it falls somewhere within the mystery/political thriller spectrum. Lots of action, lots of characters, and lots of short scenes. It felt a lot like a television series in terms of both pacing and character development, and the end wrapped things up very quickly, almost montage-style. With, of course, a scene to set some of the groundwork for the next season...er, volume. I wouldn't mind reading more of the series, but strictly on a borrowing basis.

   

From Far Away, vol. 1 by Kyoko Hikawa *
From Far Away, vol. 2 by Kyoko Hikawa *
From Far Away, vol. 3 by Kyoko Hikawa *
(manga, print, owned)

This is probably one of my favorite manga titles. Noriko and Izark are both wonderful, and I love all the little details that are included in the story and art, like hair growing and learning new languages. I also really like the art style in general, and in this reread I found I was paying a lot more attention to the story structure. The first two and a half volumes introduce us to most of the major characters in the series, as well as elements of the world like the political structure and just what Noriko and Izark are (the Awakening and the Sky Demon, respectively, though exactly what those are is still...up for discussion). The final half of the third volume is the third part of an entirely unrelated story, which is fun enough, but also disappointing for me as a reader.

>23 shadrach_anki: Good to know - The black count was noted in passing when it was published, and I did reccomend it to someone (I work in a library). I'm interested in it as well, so onto Mt. TBR it goes.

>23 shadrach_anki: >33 markon:
Another book that might interest people who like The Count of Monte Cristo is The Baron of Magister Valley, a pastiche of the famous work. It was written by Steven Brust, a master of swashbuckle, and a highly lauded writer of fantasy fiction. His versions of the Musketeer books are such that I keep trying to get family members to read them.

>34 sallypursell: I was unaware that Brust had written a pastiche of this! Definitely going on my list of books to check out; thanks for the recommendation!

I am throwing in the towel with regards to my reading backlog here (if it were just a few books, maybe, but I haven't done anything for months of very active reading, and 90 or so posts are just...not happening). Suffice to say that I've been reading, and reading regularly and steadily for the past seven months. A fair amount of rereading has been done, and almost all my reading for the year has been books I own.



We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
(fiction, print, owned)

Finished reading this today. My only other experience with Shirley Jackson's work to date has been reading The Lottery when I was in high school (or maybe junior high, but I think it was high school). I am still not entirely sure what to think; it is messing with my head the same way that any number of Neil Gaiman novels do, where everything is about a quarter-turn off normal. So...maybe a literary equivalent of a Dutch angle? It's a disconcerting, dream-like state. On the whole, rather perfect for October.

>34 sallypursell: Thanks for mentioning this! I'm tucking it in the back of my mind, er TBR.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
(fiction, print, owned) *

So, in theory this is a reread, but I found myself seriously wondering if I ever finished reading it the first time (2005) because I had no real memory of the second half of the book. Granted, it has been fifteen years, and I think I am better able to appreciate classics of literature now than I was when I was younger. Making the choice to read a work definitely seems to have an impact on my overall level of enjoyment.

I liked watching Jane's personal growth over the course of this novel, and also how she knows her own mind. I feel for Mr. Rochester, but cannot approve of a number of his choices (though things do turn out all right in the end). And I wanted to smack St John Rivers upside the head on more than one occasion. His proposal to Jane was just...ugh. Put me in mind of Mr. Collins. In terms of the writing, I liked a lot of the descriptions, but there were definitely places that ventured into purple prose territory (though not to the point where I wanted to stop reading).

The more classics I read, the more I find myself preferring editions without a lot of extraneous material included. Far too often said material assumes prior familiarity with the work, which is fine if one is rereading, but almost guarantees spoilers if it is the first encounter with the work. It has been my practice for quite some time to skip forwards and introductions when picking up classics, but in my copy of Jane Eyre even the footnotes/end notes were more scholarly and prone to containing spoilers.

A Cat Among Dragons by Alma Boykin
(fiction, ebook, owned)

What to say, what to say... I think this is an interesting start to a series, and I like the main character a lot. I'm not, however, particularly fond of the "series of linked vignettes" style of novel. It isn't a terrible way to tell a story, but it tends toward feeling choppy and unfinished. As far as I know, this first book is the only one in the series to employ that particular storytelling format. I like the science fiction universe being developed, and I plan on picking up more books in the series, but probably not right away (need to work on my other unread books first).

I also think it is a good idea to skip introductions and forwards, some of them can put you off reading the book in the first place. I like to make my own mind up about a book and then read the introductions to see if I agree or perhaps in some cases to find out what I might have missed.

Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono
(fiction, print, owned)

I first encountered Kiki and Jiji via the Studio Ghibli film based on this book years ago, and the film has long been one of my favorites. So when this novel got a new English translation this year I was eager to get a hold of a copy. This novel is every bit as delightful as the movie it inspired. I love the cover and interior art (all new for this edition). This was just what I needed to read at this time.

Ooh! I love the movie, but I generally prefer the book to the movie based on it. I'll have to look this up. Thanks!