October Book Tally

American Catch by Paul Greenberg
When Good Earls Go Bad by Megan Frampton
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simison
Unprocessed by Megan Kimble
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Rain Is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitch Smith
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Fables vol 5 by Bill Willingham
Alex + Ada vol 3 by Jonathan Luna

Such a low number read. I was hoping to have reached 150 by now. I didn't read that much during the October Read a thon. This house hunting has taken more time than I thought it would. It's cutting into my reading time. Maybe I'll finish it next month.


Stats:

What's In A Name Challenge: this month: 0 (challenge complete) YTD: 6

Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge: this month: 3 (Nimona, Fables vol 5, Alex + Ada vol 3)
YTD :47

Historical Reading Challenge: this month: 1 ( When Good Earls Go Bad) YTD: 18

Foodies Read Challenge this month: 2 (American Catch & Unprocessed) YTD: 6

Total: 134

September Book Tally

The Duke's Guide to Correct Behavior by Megan Frampton
First There Was Forever by Juilana Romano
Tampa by Alissa Nutting
The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan
RIPD vol 1 by Peter Lenkov
Hawkeye vol 4 by Matt Fraction
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught
The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth vol 1 by Victor Gischler


A decent month. Still closing in on 150. Almost there! There some winners (The Boy Most Likely To and The Duke's Guide To Correct Behavior) and some losers (First There Was Forever) this month. But a good month.

Stats:

What's In A Name Challenge: this month: 0 (challenge complete) YTD: 6

Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge: this month: 3 (RIPD vol 1, Hawkeye vol 4, Deadpool vol 1) YTD :4

Historical Reading Challenge: this month: 4 ( The Duke's Guide to Correct Behavior, The Suffragette Scandal, Julie of The Wolves, Whitney, My Love) YTD: 17

Foodies Read Challenge this month: 0 (none this month) YTD: 4

Total: 125

August Book Tally

The Beekeeper's Daughter by Santa Montefiore

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Knit Two by Kate Jacobs

Transposes by Dylan Edwards

The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan

Pregnant Butch by AK Summers

Gregor The Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Sex Criminals vol 2 by Matt Fraction

The Martian  by Andy Weir

The Fill -In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Unveiled by Courtney Milan

Not a bad month but certainly didn't read a whole lot. Did read some good books this month. My graphic novel numbers have gone way down since I met my goal for that challenge. I also finished the What's In A Name Challenge!

Stats:

What's In A Name Challenge: this month: 1 (The Beekeeper's Daughter) YTD: 6

Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge: this month: 3 (Transposes, Pregnant Butch, Sex Criminals vol 2) YTD :41

Historical Reading Challenge: this month: 1 ( The Countess Conspiracy and Unveiled) YTD: 13

Foodies Read Challenge this month: 0 (none this month) YTD: 4

Total: 115

July Book Tally

Birthday Gift by Courtney Milan
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
Glory: The Complete Saga by Joe Keatinge
Alex + Ada vol 2 by Jonathan Luna
Bento Box In The Heartland by Linda Furiya
Stella by Starlight by Sharon M Draper
Thor's Serpents by KL Armstrong and MA Marr
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Fables vol 4 by Bill Willingham
Armada by Ernest Cline

Not a bad month. I hit #100. Cruising right along to my goal of 150. July was a busy month so I didn't read as much. August looks just as busy so I expect to read about the same in August.

Stats:

What's In A Name Challenge: this month: 1 (Lost Lake ) YTD: 5

Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge: this month: 3 (Glory, Alex + Ada vol 2, Fables vol 4) YTD :38

Historical Reading Challenge: this month: 1 ( Birthday Gift) YTD: 11

Foodies Read Challenge this month: 1 (Bento Box In The Heartland) YTD: 4

Total: 104

Mid Year Book Review

So let's talk about how I'm doing in my challenges since I have less than 6 months to wrap up my challenges.

What's In A Name Challenge:

I have 2 categories left to finish: body of water and family relationship. Doing well and I think I'll finish this one soon.

Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge:

I've aleady surpassed my goal on this one. I said I'd read and review 24 and I've read and reviewed 35 so far. I'm going to try to ease off the graphic novels and read the ones I'm most interested in.

Foodies Read Challenge:

I've read three books for this challenge and I said I'd read 14-18. I have my work cut out for me!

Historical Reading Challenge:

Usually this is the challenge I finish the first but I've only read 10 for the year so far. I need to read five more to make it to my goal.

And how am I doing on my Goodreads challenge to read 150 books this year? According to Goodreads I'm ahead 17 books with 93 read for the year. Yeah, I think I'll make it.

How are you doing on your goals and challenges this year?

June Book Tally

Unexpectedly Eighty by Judith Viorst
In A World Just Right by Jen Brooks
Fables vol 2 by Bill Willingham
Fables vol 3 by Bill Willingham
The Unexpected Duchess by Valerie Bowman
The Accidental Countess by Valerie Bowman
The Unlikely Lady by Valerie Bowman
I am Her Revenge by Meredith Moore
The Last Unicorn by Peter Gillis
The Heartbreak Diet by Thorina Rose
This Song Will Save Your Life by Lelia Sales
Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
 PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

Not a bad month. I read some good books but I was slumping hard. Especially at the end of the month. Life was getting in the way of my reading.

Stats:

What's In A Name Challenge: this month: 0 (None this month ) YTD: 4

Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge: this month: 4 (Fables vol 2, Fables vol 3, The Last Unicorn, and The Heartbreak Diet) YTD :35

Historical Reading Challenge: this month: 3 ( The Unexpected Duchess, The Accidental Countess, and The Unlikely Lady) YTD: 10

Foodies Read Challenge this month: 0 (none this month) YTD: 3

Total: 93

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford

Songs of Willow Frost was one of the saddest books I've read recently. Sad but good. I choose to read Songs of Willow Frost because I had enjoyed Ford's other book, Hotel On The Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Plus his books are set in Seattle which is an added bonus.Despite the sad tale, I liked Songs of Willow Frost.

It's 1934 and William is turning twelve. William lives at Sacred Heart Orphanage and been there for five years. William misses his mother but believes she is dead. For his birthday and the birthdays of all the boys at the orphanage, the nuns take them to see a movie. During the movie, William sees a woman he believes to be his mother. With the help of his friends, Sunny and Charlotte, William sets out to find Willow Frost.

William is the narrator for much of the book. He's twelve but I choose to believe he was looking back as a grown man. Some of William's thoughts are too advanced for a twelve year old with limited schooling. Plus some of the circumstances of him being in the orphanage and what happened to his mother were more than I think a twelve year would understand. But William's story is sad. And his friend Charlotte's story was sadder. Charlotte had been blinded at birth when nurses put the wrong eye drops in her eyes. Charlotte's mom died and her dad was in prison. Instead of adoption, Charlotte was going to be placed at a school for blind children. Charlotte didn't want to go and instead clung to William. They had a cute twelve year old romance.

Ford also deals with how people of color were treated in the 1920's and 1930's. William's friend, Sunny, is Native American and ostracized for it. William also had difficulty fitting in with the other kids because he was Chinese. In fact Ford talks about Chinese kids weren't adopted. Chinese families saw them as a bad omen and white families didn't want Chinese kids. Most of the kids at that time weren't adopted due to the Depression. Many were turned to labor farms. Willow also faced a lot of discrimination due to being unwed Chinese mother. Her story was sad too.

Even though this is one of the saddest books I've read, I would recommend it. I loved the history of Seattle. I think it would be a great book club book. There's plenty to talk about. Others who shared their thoughts on Songs of Willow Frost: Alison's Book Marks, Novelicious, The Underemployed Librarian, and Joyfully Retired.
This is my seventh read for the Historical Reading Challenge

February Book Tally

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
My Real Children by Jo Walton
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (audio)
Journey Home by Yoshiko Uchida
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Pretty Deadly vol 1 by Kelley Sue DeConnick
Stray Bullets vol 1 by David Lapham
Little White Duck by Na Liu
The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan
Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley
How To Understand Israel In 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden

Another good month.I didn't get to read as much as I wanted for #comicsFebruary but I did read some really good ones. Little White Duck and How To Understand Israel In 60 Days or Less were the best two graphic novels this month. I finished another audio book!

Stats:

What's In A Name Challenge: this month: 1 (Color Purple, ) YTD: 2

Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge: this month: 5 (How To Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less, Seconds, Little White Duck, Stray Bullets, and Pretty Deadly) YTD: 8

Historical Reading Challenge: this month: 2 ( Journey Home and The Heiress Effect) YTD: 4

Foodies Read Challenge this month:0 (none this month) YTD: 1

Total: 24

Journey Home by Yoshiko Uchido

I added Journey Home to my library queue while looking for historical fiction set in California. I haven't read a lot about Japanese internment camps so I decided to check out Journey Home. While definitely for the middle grade set, Journey Home gives a good glimpse into the lives of Japanese families when they returned home from the camps.

Twelve year old Yuki and her family have moved to Salt Lake City after living in an internment camp in Topaz, Utah. Yuki longs to return to Berkley, California where she was living before the camps. But the government is keeping Japanese from moving to the West Coast, so her and her family wait. Also Yuki's brother, Ken, is fighting the war in Europe. Yuki wants him to return home. Finally, Yuki and her family are allowed to return to California but they old home has been rented to another family. Yuki finds that coming home isn't what she thought.

Even though this is written for a younger audience, I still thought that it brought up some serious topics in a good way. Yuki and her family experience discrimination and deal with people who want them to leave. When Yuki's brother returns from the war, he experiences grief and loss which his family aren't able to help him with. Yuki learns how to adapt to the changes and learn to make a new home. I'd recommend this one to a middle grader. But I still enjoyed reading it. I've never read a book about when Japanese returned from the internment camps so it was educational for me, Others who shared their thoughts on Journey Home: Svetlana's Reads and Views and The Blithering Bookster.
This was my third read for the Historical Reading Challenge.

January Book Tally

Noir: A Collection of Crime Comics edited by Diana Schutz
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long
Snow by Tracy Lynn
Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare
The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang
This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner
The Duchess War by Courtney Milan
Scandal Wears Satin by Loretta Chase
Hansel and Gretel by Neil Gaiman
The Zen of Fish by Trevor Corson

A good start to the year. I've read some good books and finally finished listening to Coraline on audio!

Stats:

What's In A Name Challenge: this month: 1 (Romancing The Duke) YTD: 1

Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge: this month: 3 (Noir, The Silence of Our Friends, and The Shadow Hero) YTD: 3

Historical Reading Challenge: this month: 2 ( The Duchess War, and Scandal Wears Satin) YTD: 2

Foodies Read Challenge this month: 1 (The Zen of Fish) YTD: 1

Total: 11

Romancing The Duke by Tessa Dare

January is much to early in the year to have a slump. But nevertheless, I was slumping. I would read 30 pages of a book only to be bored by it. Nothing was catching my interest. My solution is fun romance by a writer I knew I liked. And I had one which also satisfies a category for  the What's In A Name Challenge (a word including "ing" in it). Bonus! And Romancing The Duke was the perfect book to break my slump.

Isolde ("Izzy") Ophelia Goodnight is penniless, hungry, and homeless. After receiving a letter from a solicitor, she journeys to a castle near the Scotland boarder. Izzy hopes that someone left her a few hundred pounds and that might help her get back on her feet. Since her father's passing, Izzy has had a hard time. Izzy's father was a well-known author of The Goodnight Tales. Due to her father's will granting her horrible cousin, the next male heir, his estate, Izzy is hoping to find her fortune in a ramshackle castle. The Duke of Rothbury has been living in his family's castle for the last eight month nursing his wounds. He's content to be alone with his valet, Duncan. Rothbury hopes to be left alone for a very long time.

Izzy is charming. She's lived her life always being thought of as the sweet little girl in the fairy tales her father was famous for. Her father's admirers have helped her get along now that her father is dead and she's penniless. Rothbury is so angry and hurt. He doesn't want anyone in his life and has successfully pushed almost everyone away but then Izzy stumbles into his life and starts to care about him. I enjoyed their romance. They almost instantly lust after one another but they get to know one another, revel their secrets. And, oh, this one's got some steamy scenes! I really liked Romancing The Duke. Another great one by Tessa Dare. I look forward to the rest of the series. Others who shared their thoughts on Romancing The Duke: Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, Smexy Books, Pop Goes The Reader, and That Artsy Reader Girl.
Romancing The Duke satisfies the word including "ing" in it category for the What's In A Name Reading Challenge

This is my first read for the 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

2015 Historical Reading Challenge

I've been doing the Historical Reading Challenge for the last few years. I've really enjoyed it. I'm glad the challenge is still alive over at Passages to the Past. I'm joining up again this year. I'm going for the Medieval level (15 books) this year.