April Book Tally

Revival vol 3 by Tim Seeley
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
Under Rose Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall
Revival vol 4 by Tim Seeley
Devil In Spring by Lisa Kleypas
Nightwing vol 1 bu Tim Seeley
Wonder Woman vol 1 by Greg Rucka
The Party After You Left by Roz Chast
Ghosts by Raina Telgmeier
Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn


A good month over all. I did participate in the Readathon for a little bit. I hope that I can participate the whole day in October. I've been having some little slumps but I hope that by the end of May I'm back to normal in my reading.

Book Stats:

Foodies Read: 0 (None this month) YTD: 2

What's In A Name: 1 (Heroine Complex) YTD: 1

Read Harder: 2 (Ghosts and A Manual For Cleaning Women) YTD: 5

Total: 39

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

I had enjoyed Telgemeier's other books so I was excited to read Ghosts. I was not disappointed. Telgemeier does a great job of translating all the feelings of being a teen into her books. And this was one no different. Catrina and her family are moving to Northern California for her sister, Maya's health. Catrina is upset about leaving her friends. But Catrina and Maya wind up  gaining friends, family history, and developing a closer relationship with each other. I enjoyed this story and I look forward to more ffrom Telgemeier.
I read this one for the Read Harder Challenge: Read an all ages comic.

A Manual For Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin

I'd never heard of Lucia Berlin. I choose A Manual For Cleaning Women to fulfill "Read a collection of short stories by a woman" for the Read Harder challenge. But I'm glad I did.  Her stories were bold, heart-breaking, and gorgeous. So much pain and heartache. I don't have too much to say about this one other than A Manual For Cleaning Women will stay with me for a long time.

March Book Tally

Books for Living by Will Schwalbe
Big Bad Breakfast by John Currance
Wrinkles by Paco Roca
Just Juliet by Charlotte Reagan
Revival vol 1 by Tim Seeley
Elmer by Gerry Alanguilan
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Creamy & Crunchy by Jon Krampner
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
Black Panther vol 1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Revival vol 2 by Tim Seeley
Displacement by Lucy Knisley
Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia by Greg Rucka
Houdini: The Handcuff King by Jason Lutes

I read a lot of graphic novels this month. Catching up to my Goodreads goal, only 2 books behind now.

Book Stats:

Foodies Read: 1 (Creamy & Crunchy) YTD: 2

What's In A Name: 0 (none this month) YTD: 0

Read Harder: 2 (Books for Living and Just Juliet) YTD: 3

Total: 29

February Book Tally

The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Pancakes in Paris by Craig Carlson
You Can't Touch My Hair by Phoebe Robinson
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple
Lost In NYC by Nadja Spiegelman
Paper Girls vol 2 by Brian K Vaughan
Carrie by Stephen King
Jessica Jones vol 2 by Brian Michael Bendis
Lena Finkle's Magic Barrel by Anya Ulinich

Much more productive month. A lot of good reads this month. Feeling like I'm back on track. Plus I got one read towards the Foodies Read challenge. I really want to finish that challenge this year.

Book Stats:

Foodies Read: 1 (Pancakes In Paris) YTD: 1

What's In A Name: 0 (none this month) YTD: 0

Read Harder: 1 (The Mothers) YTD: 1

Total: 15

Just Juliet by Charlotte Reagan

I picked up Just Juliet after seeing some good reviews on Goodreads. I'm glad I did. Just Juliet was a sweet story about first love.

Lena is 17 and a senior in high school. She has a boyfriend and does well in school. Lena figures she'll go to college, get married, have kids, and become a teacher like many of the other girls in her town. But when Lena meets Juliet, Lena discovers that she might not want those things after all. Juliet is artistic and spends a lot of time making her own clothes. And the rumor is that Juliet is gay. Lena's never met a gay person before but she knows she wants to become Juliet's friend. Lena and Juliet seem to have a lot in common-art, horror movies, video games. The more time Lena spends with Juliet the less time Lena wants to spend with anyone else. But does Lena like Juliet as a friend or something more?

I appreciated how real Lena, Juliet and the other characters were. Reagan takes the time to let the characters tell their story. I also loved the epilogue which provided the happiest ending for all the characters. I really enjoyed Just Juliet. Others who shared their thoughts on Just Juliet: Life of A Crazy Mom, Every Book Counts, and The Nerdgirl Reviews.
This satisfies the Read a LGBTQ romance novel for the Read Harder Book Challenge.

Books for Living by Will Schwalbe

I choose Books for Living to satisfy the Read Harder challenge: Read a book about books. I don't really like reading about books. Either the author likes to shame the reader for not reading great works of literature or they talk about books so obscure that maybe 5 people read them. Schwalbe strikes a balance. He talks about books I never heard of in a way that made me want to read them. He doesn't shame, rather offers his opinion or other's opinion about why you might want to read a book. His tone was conversational. Plus his own love of reading oozed out of the pages and made me want to read more.

Books for Living added to my tbr pile. It was an enjoyable read and one you could read a little at a time. I hadn't wanted to read The End of Your Life Book Club but now I might. Others who shared their thoughts on Books For Living: 20somethingreads, Lit Lovers, and Linda's Book Bag.
This satisfies the book about books category of the 2017 Read Harder Challenge.

The Mothers by Brit Bennet

I added my name to the miles long hold list for The Mothers because folks were raving about it. I was not disappointed. Bennett's debut novel is amazing. I certainly enjoyed reading it.

I want to tell you all about The Mothers. Introduce you to the characters but I'll spoil too much. And I could never do Bennett's characters justice. This is a book you'll want to savor. Bennett's writing is beautiful. These gorgeous character jump off the page and steal your heart. They feel like people you know, maybe even you. Nothing felt contrived to me. The Mothers felt real, like something I was watching happen. I can't wait to read her next book. Others who shared their thoughts on The Mothers: The Beauty of Literature, That's What She Read, and Reading Books Like A Boss.
This satisfies the Read A Debut novel category for the 2017 Read Harder Challenge.

Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder Challenge

A lot of these are definitely going to challenge me.

1. Read a book about sports.
2. Read a debut novel.
3. Read a book about books.
4. Read a book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author.
5. Read a book by an immigrant or with a central immigrationnarrative.
6. Read an all-ages comic.
7. Read a book published between 1900 and 1950.
8. Read a travel memoir.
9. Read a book you’ve read before.
10. Read a book that is set within 100 miles of your location.
11. Read a book that is set more than 5000 miles from your location.
12. Read a fantasy novel.
13. Read a nonfiction book about technology.
14. Read a book about war.
15. Read a YA or middle grade novel by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+.
16. Read a book that has been banned or frequently challenged in your country.
17. Read a classic by an author of color.
18. Read a superhero comic with a female lead.
19. Read a book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey (From Daniel José Older, author of Salsa Nocturna, the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series, and YA novel Shadowshaper)
20. Read an LGBTQ+ romance novel (From Sarah MacLean, author of ten bestselling historical romance novels)
21. Read a book published by a micropress. (From Roxane Gay, bestselling author of Ayiti, An Untamed State, Bad Feminist, Marvel’s World of Wakanda, and the forthcoming Hunger and Difficult Women)
22. Read a collection of stories by a woman. (From Celeste Ng, author Everything I Never Told You and the forthcoming Little Fires Everywhere)
23. Read a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love. (From Ausma Zehanat Khan, author of the Esa Khattak/Rachel Getty mystery series, including The Unquiet Dead, The Language of Secrets, and the forthcoming Among the Ruins)
24. Read a book wherein all point-of-view characters are people of color. (From Jacqueline Koyanagi, author of sci-fi novel Ascension)