February 2017 Wrap Up

Jen

I started off the month so well and was cruising through books. Unfortunately that didn’t last too long, life got in the way and I didn’t end up reading as much as I wanted to. Having said that though, I am very happy with what I did manage to read. I finished up quite a few series (yay!) and read quite a bit of manga!

Surviving Ice (Burying Water #4) by K.A. Tucker → 3.5/5

Seriously...I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres → 5/5

Deltora Quest 3: Dragons of Deltora by Emily Rodda → 5/5

How To Give Up Shopping (Or At Least Cut Down): The Journey Back To Conscious Spending

by Neradine Tisaj → 3/5

Deity (Covenant #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout → 3/5

Elixir  (Covenant #3.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout → 5/5

Apollyon (Covenant #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout → 4/5

Sentinel (Covenant #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout → 3/5

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (#7) by J.K. Rowling → 5/5

Fullmetal Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 1 by Hiromu Arakawa & Akira Watanabe → 4/5

Fullmetal Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 2 by Hiromu Arakawa & Akira Watanabe → 4.5/5

Fullmetal Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 3 by Hiromu Arakawa & Akira Watanabe → 4/5 

Mel
I think I did pretty well in Feb! I was definitely on a roll for a while there. I still didn't read as much as I wanted to, which I chalk up to not getting into a book as much as I wanted to, but I'm not too worried about that, since I have a lot of other books  that I'm excited to read in March.

Cradle and All by James Patterson  5/5
Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes  3/5
The Last Beginning by Lauren James  3.75/5
Valentine by Jodi McAlister  4.75/5
Bleach Omnibus Volume 6 by Tite Kubo  4.5/5
Bleach Omnibus Volume 7 by Tite Kubo  5/5 

 

February 2017 TBR

Jen

My new relaxed approach of reading what I felt like, when I felt like really worked for me and I had a super reading month in January. I’ve done the same thing for my February TBR and just listed the books that I most want to read but these could change because I do still intend to let my mood dictate my reading choices.

Surviving Ice (Burying Water #4) by K.A. Tucker

I started reading this series at the very end of January and got completely hooked. I binge read the first three books in as many days but couldn’t quite finish this fourth one. It’ll probably end up being the first book I finish in February.

Just One Day (#1) by Gayle Forman

The Burying Water series has put me into such a contemporary mood and this series is one that I’ve heard a lot about and have been wanting to read for a long time so hopefully it’ll happen!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (#7) by J.K. Rowling

I was feeling kind of in a weird-ish mood part way through January but luckily reading Half-Blood Prince put me right back into my reading happy place. Good old Harry Potter comes through again! I would love to read Deathly Hallows this month and finally finish the series re-read that I started over a year ago! Then I shall embark on a marathon re-watch of all of the movies (again)!  

Deltora Quest 3: Dragons of Deltora by Emily Rodda

I read the first Deltora Quest series in January and it very quickly became one of my favourite fantasy series. I then read the second series Deltora Quest: Shadowlands and loved it even more. Needless to say I can’t wait to get into the third series in this world and I’m hoping for great things!

Deity (Covenant #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is another series that I started in January but unfortunately I ended up hating the second book (Pure) so I needed to take a break and read something else. I do still want to finish this series however, so I’m looking to read at least the third book this month.

Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2) by Alexandra Bracken

I read The Darkest Minds back at the beginning of January and liked it but then I just got distracted with other books. I would like to complete the trilogy but if that doesn’t happen then I want to continue on and at least read the second book in February.

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

I have heard so many good things about this fantasy series and the premise sounds like something I would really enjoy. I would like to read the first book and maybe even the second one (A Gathering of Shadows) as well so I can be caught up when the third and final book (A Conjuring of Light) is released later this month.

Fullmetal Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition) Volume 1 by Hiromu Arakawa

I started reading this at the end of January and I definitely need to finish this in February because it’s due back at the library very soon! 

Mel 
Basically, I don't have a clue what I feel like reading this month! So for now, I'm going to try to clear up my currently reading list, which includes the following:

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Bleach Omnibus Volume 6 by Tite Kubo

January 2017 Wrap Up

Jen

I read so much more than I thought I would be able to this month so it was a great way to start the year off! Looking through my list, I read from a wide variety of genres so that makes me happy. I also discovered some seriously amazing books which quickly ended up on my favourites list!

Bakuman Volume 1 by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata → 4/5

Bakuman Volume 2 by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata → 4/5

Where Am I Now? By Mara Wilson → 4.5/5

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett → 4/5

Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World by Ann Shen → 4.5/5

The Darkest Minds (#1) by Alexandra Bracken → 4/5

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham → 5/5

The Fly-Away Cottage: The Magical Collection by Enid Blyton → 5/5

Half-Blood (Covenant series #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout → 4.5/5

Daemon (#0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout → 4/5

Pure (#2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout → 1/5

Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda → 5/5

Deltora Quest 2: Shadowlands by Emily Rodda → 5/5

Girl Online: Going Solo (#3) by Zoe Sugg → 3.75/5

Shift by Em Bailey → 3.5/5

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (#6) by J.K. Rowling → 5/5

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn → 4/5

Burying Water (#1) by K.A. Tucker → 4.75/5

Becoming Rain (#2) by K.A. Tucker → 5/5

Chasing River (#3) by K.A. Tucker → 4.75/5 

Mel
I quite enjoyed my sci-fi month! It took me longer than I care to admit to get through The Martian, but I enjoyed every bit of it!

The Martian by Andy Weir - 5/5
Gravity by Melissa West - 4/5
The Loneliness of Distant Beings by Kate Ling - 4/5
Sword Art Online Progressive Volume 1 by Reki Kawahara - 4/5

I actually meant to fit in one more book for the month, but I went to sleep a lot earlier than I meant to!

 

January 2017 TBR

Jen

I’m always so excited when a new year of reading begins! As usual I have way too many books I want to read and I just can’t get to them all. There are also multiple series that I want to start but I don’t want to be reading too many at once! I’m such a mood reader that I often deviate from my TBR so for that reason I’m not going to set strict TBR lists in 2017. Instead I’ll just list the books that I most feel like reading at the time so that it can be more of a guide that I can refer back to if I can’t decide which book to read next.

The entire month of January is the tennis season here in Australia, so quite a lot of my time will be taken up by that, leaving little time for reading. I know that I more than likely won’t be getting to all the books that I’m putting on my list, and I'll probably change my mind about them, but that doesn’t matter. I’m going to take a much more relaxed approach to reading this year and just read what I can, when I can.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (#6) by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (#7) by J.K. Rowling

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling

Anne of Ingleside (#6) by L.M. Montgomery

Girl Online: Going Solo (#3) by Zoe Sugg

Code Name Verity (#1) by Elizabeth Wein

Rose Under Fire (#2) by Elizabeth Wein

Deltora Quest series by Emily Rodda

Half-Blood (Covenant series #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer 
The Darkest Minds (#1) by Alexandra Bracken 
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 

Bakuman manga series by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata  

Mel 
I'm in much the same mindset as Jen. I just want to read what I happen to be in the mood for, since set TBR's really don't work for me much. That being said, I do want to complete a few series that I've left unfinished for years (that's not an exaggeration!). I have some books that I've only kept to see how the series finished, but are not part of a series that I particularly enjoyed anyway, so I want to unhaul them and free up some space on my shelves.

I also decided that I want to restrict rereads. The only exceptions to this will be Harry Potter (since I already started a reread last year), manga and graphic novels (because it takes no time at all to read them), The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson (because it's been almost two years since I read it and I want to refresh my memory before I continue the series) and maybe Trick by Natalia Jaster (because I've been wanting to reread it, even though I only read it in January 2016!). So the reread of Throne of Glass that I was going to do this year isn't going to happen (I'm crying on the inside), but I really need to focus on reading books that I've been buying. The amount of unread books on my shelves is really getting out of hand!

Anyway, here's a few books that I have an interest in reading this month. Very sci fi driven - probably because I've been watching a lot of Star Trek Voyager lately!

The Loneliness of Distant Beings by Kate Ling
The Martian by Andy Weir
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Gravity by Melissa West
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Something Doctor Who related. Either 12 Doctors of Christmas, 12 Doctors or Timelord Fairy Tales.

Jen's March 2016 Book Haul

So I went and spent too much on books...again. But I had a discount code from Book Depository so of course I took advantage of that and bought a lot of books at some great prices! 

Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat 
There have been plenty of mixed reviews about this trilogy but I was interested enough to pick them up for myself. 

The Doon series by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon 
This is a time travel series that I have heard fantastic things about and those covers are so beautiful! Only the first three books are out currently, but I have already pre-ordered the fourth one. 

Eon & Eona by Alison Goodman 
A high fantasy duology involving magic and dragons. These books have been on my wishlist for the longest time and now I finally have them! 

A Wicked Thing & Kingdom of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas 
This duology is a re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty and I love a good fairytale retelling so of course I had to get these!

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury 
Another fairytale retelling! This one is based on Aladdin and I'm so excited to read it! 

Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor 
This paranormal romance trilogy is raved about by so many people and has been on my radar for over a year! It was always so expensive in the past so when I finally saw the box set for a good price, I jumped on it!

Deltora Quest 1, Deltora Quest 2: Shadowlands & Deltora Quest 3: Dragons of Deltora by Emily Rodda 
These are middle grade fantasy books that Aprilius Maximus constantly talks about on her booktube channel. Emily Rodda is actually a popular Australian children's author, but I'd never read any of her books as a kid. I finally decided to investigate this series further and was interested enough to buy the three bind-up collections for myself.

Between Shades of Gray & Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys 
I have been wanting to branch out into reading more historical fiction and Salt to the Sea has been getting a lot of hype recently. Both of these standalone books sounded interesting to me so I went ahead and bought them. 

Code Name Verity & Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein 
This is a historical fiction duology that gets great reviews so I decided to give these books a try as well. 

Pushing the Limits series by Katie McGarry 
This is a YA contemporary romance series that I have been wanting to read for the longest time but the price had always stopped me from getting these books in the past. I finally have them now and I'm excited to read these because I have heard nothing but great things about this author! 

The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis 
This was the book in the March YA Chronicles box. It was even signed and personalised by the author. Unfortunately, I have zero interest in this book. 

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
The first book in the Dark Artifices trilogy set in the Shadowhunter universe. I've been eagerly anticipating this book and I pre-ordered the special signed hardcover edition!