February 2018 Wrap Up

Jen

I had a great reading month in February! This may not seem to be reflected by my ratings, but I’m happy with the amount that I read and I did finish a couple of series. More importantly, I read quite a lot of books from my physical TBR and managed not to buy a single book in February! I made great progress in reducing my physical TBR, which is probably my main focus right now.

Gathering Blue (The Giver #2) by Lois Lowry → 3/5

Messenger (#3) by Lois Lowry → 3.5/5

Son (#4) by Lois Lowry → 3/5

Splendour (Luxe #4) by Anna Godbersen → 2/5

Love, Hate and other Filters by Samira Ahmed → 3.5/5

Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith → 2/5

On The Fence by Kasie West → 4/5

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys → 4.5/5

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (audiobook read by Lucy Scott) → 3/5

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne 4.5/5

Mel

This is more of a reading update than a wrap up. I didn't actually finish a book in February, but I did get some reading done, and quite a lot of it! Nope, not subtitles this time. I actually found a fanfiction that really intrigued me, but the sucker has a larger word count than A Game of Thrones! I've read about a third of it so far, and luckily for me, it's actually on Goodreads, so it'll still count in my Goodreads Challenge. It's called House of Cards by sugamins and I'm loving it. 

February 2018 TBR

Jen
This is the shortest month of the year and yet my TBR is still way too long because there’s so many books that I want to read and I can’t narrow it down! I’ve been feeling like February is the month for contemporary reads so there are a few stand alones that I’m hoping to get to. I’d also like to finish up or at least continue a couple of series that I started in January.

Love, Hate and other Filters by Samira Ahmed

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

On The Fence by Kasie West

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz

Without Merit by Colleen Hoover

If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

Zenith (The Androma Saga #1) by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

Gathering Blue (The Giver #2) & Messenger (#3) by Lois Lowry

Splendour (Luxe #4) by Anna Godbersen

Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand

Head Over Heels (Geek Girl #5) by Holly Smale 
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling (It's time for another series reread!)

Mel
As I didn't get to the books I wanted to read last month, I really need to catch up! I also don't want to be overambitious, so this is still quite a short list.

Fruits Basket Collector's Editions by Natsuki Takaya - as many as I can fit into the month/as many as I'm in the mood for reading.
Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner - I've heard a lot of good things about this book, so I want to get a start on it at least.
Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs - I read the first few chapters of this on the drive home from shopping, so I want to continue.
Harry Potter: A History of Magic by JK Rowling and the British Library (I have no idea how to credit this book! Lol.) - This is a February purchase, and I'm excited to get stuck into it!

January 2018 TBR

Jen

2018 is finally here and the beginning of a new reading year is when I am most excited and just want to dive in and read everything! As such I’m already starting the year off with a slightly ridiculous TBR because I just can’t seem to narrow it down!

Books that I wanted to read in 2017 and didn’t get to:

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Artemis by Andy Weir

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Without Merit by Colleen Hoover

If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Books that I’d love to read in 2018:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

On The Fence by Kasie West

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz

Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

Series that I want to start in 2018:

Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O’Malley

The Giver quartet by Lois Lowry

The Selection series by Kiera Cass

The Young Elites trilogy by Marie Lu

Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Sweet series by Wendy Higgins

Graceling Realm trilogy by Kristin Cashore

Luxe series by Anna Godbersen

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (Because what better way is there to start off the year than with another re-read?)

Mel

I'm taking a more relaxed approach to 2018 to focus more on my studies and writing, which were seriously neglected last year. I've set my Goodreads Challenge to 52 books. I see this as a book a week (or 4-5 in a month), which should be much more manageable than the 80 book goal I set last year. If I can get a good start on this, I should be able to stay ahead of the game for a majority of the year.

Everless by Sara Holland
Fruits Basket Collector's Edition Volume 2 by Natsuki Takaya
Head Over Heels by Holly Smale
Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner 

May 2017 Wrap Up

Jen

Looking at this list, I’m actually pretty surprised that I managed to read the amount that I did in May. I haven’t read this much for what seems like quite a few months now, but it helped that there were quite a few short-ish easy reads that I just flew through. I read a few books that I had been wanting to get to for a long time, discovered some great new books and also read a few from my TBR so overall I’m super happy with what I read for the month.

Soundless by Richelle Mead → 5/5

All Wrapped Up (Geek Girl #1.5) by Holly Smale → 4/5

Model Misfit (Geek Girl #2) by Holly Smale → 4/5

Geek Drama (Geek Girl #2.5) by Holly Smale → 3/5

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher → 4/5

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West → 4/5

Always and Forever, Lara Jean (#3) by Jenny Han → 5/5

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith → 3.5/5

A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOTAR #2) by Sarah J. Maas → 3.5/5

Gravity (The Taking #1) by Melissa West → 4.5/5

Hover (The Taking #2) by Melissa West → 4/5

Collide (The Taking #3) by Melissa West → 4.5/5

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer → 5/5

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer → 4.5/5

Akarnae (The Medoran Chronicles #1) by Lynette Noni → 4.5/5

Fullmetal Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition), Volume 6 by Hiromu Arakawa → 4/5

The Hogwarts Collection by J.K. Rowling

- Short Stories From Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies → 5/5

- Short Stories From Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists → 5/5

- Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide → 5/5 

Mel 

I definitely didn't finish as many books as I'd hoped, but I did start several books that didn't really hold my interest at the time. Still, this wasn't a bad effort!

Fruits Basket Collector's Edition Volume 12 by Natsuki Takaya  5/5
Geek Girl All Wrapped Up by Holly Smale  4/5
Geek Girl Model Misfit by Holly Smale  4/5
Geek Girl Picture Perfect by Holly Smale  4/5
Beauty and the Beast Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly  4/5

May 2016 Wrap Up

Jen

This was definitely my slowest and most frustrating reading month so far this year. Trying to read multiple big books at once while having little to no time to read at all wasn’t a great combination. It just seemed to take me ages to finish even one book. However I really enjoyed all the books that I did manage to finish (and the ones that I am still currently reading), which is the main thing.

In A Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis → 4.75/5

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan → 5/5

Too Late by Colleen Hoover → 5/5

Red at Night by Katie McGarry → 5/5

Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell → 4/5

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon → 4.75/5

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith → 4.75/5

Happy Again by Jennifer E. Smith → 4.5/5   

Mel
I didn't read as much as I wanted to due to essays, but I'm still really happy with the amount that I did read.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas → 5/5 Yes, I finally finished it!!!
SMOSH: The Super Virgin Squad #1 by Michael McDermott → 4/5
The Selection by Kiera Cass → 4/5
The Elite by Kiera Cass → 4/5
The One by Kiera Cass → 5/5
Dream House by Marzia Bisognin → 4/5

Jen's February 2016 Book Haul

The Starbound trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner
I have wanted to read this series since the first book came out and after a VERY long wait I finally have all three books. 

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The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima
The School for Good and Evil trilogy by Soman Chainani
I have had The Seven Realms series on my wishlist for over a year, while I have only recently become interested in The School for Good and Evil trilogy. They both sounded like fantastic fantasy series and when I saw that the prices were reasonably cheap, I went for it! 

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The next few books are all the first and second books in a trilogy and totally breaks my rules of buying the books in a series before all the books are published. But they are all series that I definitely want to read and I just couldn't pass up the super cheap prices! 

Snow Like Ashes and Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch

The Kiss of Deception and The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson 

Rebel Belle and Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins 

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The Geography of You and Me and Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith
Ever since reading and absolutely loving The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight I have wanted to collect all of the books written by this author and I will get around to reading them eventually! 

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The Complete Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis 
I had never read this series as a kid but I was definitely interested in this series, even now as an adult. This is an absolutely gorgeous bind up of all seven books complete with colour illustrations and I'm so happy I got this edition!

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The Outlandish Companion Volume Two by Diana Gabaldon 
I was finally able to get this one at a decent price and add it to my growing Outlander collection.

Jen's August 2015 Book Haul

The Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

The Syrena Legacy (Of Poseidon, Of Triton & Of Neptune) by Anna Banks 

The Breathing series (Reason to Breathe, Barely Breathing & Out of Breath) by Rebecca Donovan 

Ten Tiny Breaths series (Ten Tiny Breaths, In Her Wake, One Tiny Lie, Four Seconds to Lose & Five Ways to Fall) by K.A. Tucker 

 

Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross & A Breath of Snow and Ashes (books 3-6 in the Outlander series) by Diana Gabaldon 
The Outlandish Companion: Volume 1 by Diana Gabaldon

July 2015 Wrap Up

Jen 
I managed to read quite a large number of books in July, but over half of these were audiobooks and shorter companion books that didn't take very long to read at all. 

A Game of Thrones Puzzle Quest by Tim Dedopulos → 4/5 
Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout → 5/5 
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (audiobook) → 3/5 
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer (audiobook) → 1.5/5 
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (audiobook) → 4.5/5 
New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz → 4.5/5 
Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz → 4/5 
Breaking Dawn Part 1: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz → 4.5/5
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide by Stephenie Meyer → 4/5
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare → 4/5 
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare → 4.5/5 
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare → 5/5 
The Shadowhunter's Codex by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis → 5/5 
The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan & Maureen Johnson → 4/5
The Mortal Instruments Companion: City of Bones, Shadowhunters and the Sight: The Unauthorized Guide by Lois H. Gresh → 1/5
Confess by Colleen Hoover → 6 stars!! 
Divergent by Veronica Roth (audiobook) → 5/5 
Divergent: Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Kate Egan → 5/5 
Inside Divergent: The Initiate's World by Cecilia Bernard → 5/5 
Insurgent by Veronica Roth (audiobook) → 5/5 
Allegiant by Veronica Roth (audiobook) → 4/5 
Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth (audiobook) → 5/5 
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult → 4/5 
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge → 4.5/5 
Gilded Ashes by Rosamund Hodge → 5/5 
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith → 5/5 
If You're Lucky by Yvonne Prinz → 5/5 
A Storm of Swords Part 1: Steel and Snow by George R.R. Martin → 4.5/5 
A Storm of Swords Part 2: Blood and Gold by George R.R. Martin → 5/5 
Made for You by Melissa Marr → 4/5  


Mel
This month was a little more productive than last month, albeit that some of the books were really short, but I'd finally gotten through one of the larger books that I've been wanting to finish for a while now.

Death Note: Black Edition Vol. 1 by Tsugumi Ohba → 4/5
Geek Drama by Holly Smale → 4/5
Weird Things People Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell → 4/5
More Weird Things People Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell → 4/5
Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs → 5/5
Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas → 5/5
The Silent Stars Go By by Dan Abnett → 4/5