Tag: monthly favorites

Monthly Wrap-Up: February 2020

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111 of 448 pages 288 pages (🎧)336 pages (🎧)272 pages (🎧)
—★★★★☆★★☆☆☆★★★☆☆
432 pages (🎧)336 pages384 pages (🎧)296 pages (🎧)
★★☆☆☆★★★☆☆★★★★☆★★★☆☆
192 pages (🎧)414 pages336 pages405 pages (🎧)
★★★☆☆★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★☆☆
448 pages (🎧)352 pages (🎧)278 pages
★★★★★★☆☆☆☆★★★★★

DNFs

229 of 544 pages (🎧)

Total pages: 5,109
Total books: 14 full + 2 partial
Average rating: 3.28 stars

  • BEST ADULT: Definitely Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow. I’d give it six stars if I could.
  • BEST YA: Definitely Heartstopper. I need the second volume immediately.

Monthly Motif is a reading challenge hosted by girlxoxo.

February’s theme was seeing red, or, more specifically, “a book with the word ‘red’ in the title or a book with a red-ish cover.” I didn’t expect to struggle with this one, but nothing I really wanted to read in February had a red cover! Eventually, I found How Music Got Free, which worked.

I finished a total of 14 books in February, for a total of 30 so far in 2020!

What’s in a Name is hosted by Andrea @ Carolina Book Nook.

I didn’t cross off any new prompts in February, but I did get another book for “a given/first name.”

The Audiobook Challenge is hosted by Hot Listens & Caffeinated Reviewer.

I set a goal of listening to 50 audiobooks in 2020, and I listened to 11 in February. At 25 total so far this year, I’m already halfway to my goal!

(The 🎧 on my page count shows all my audiobook listens.)

How did February go for you? Are you doing any reading challenges? Let’s talk in the comments!

Find me all over the internet: Goodreads | Twitter | Bloglovin’

Monthly Wrap-Up: January 2020

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259 of 448 pages 557 pages (🎧)432 pages (🎧)162 pages (🎧)
—★★★☆☆★★☆☆☆★★★★☆
388 pages (🎧)384 pages303 pages (🎧)320 pages (🎧)
★★★☆☆★★☆☆☆★★★★☆★★★☆☆
208 pages (🎧)256 pages (🎧)336 pages (🎧)336 pages (🎧)
★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★☆☆★★☆☆☆
403 pages (🎧)369 pages (🎧)337 pages (🎧)320 pages (🎧)
★★☆☆☆★★★★☆★★☆☆☆★★★☆☆
345 pages
★★★★☆

DNFs

none in January!

Total pages: 5,715
Total books: 16 full + 1 partial
Average rating: 3.27 stars

  • BEST ADULT: It has to be Stiff by Mary Roach. This book was funny and informative!
  • BEST YA: It was a tough decision, but I think Together We Caught Fire by Eva V. Gibson is the winner. I read most of this book in one sitting because I had to know how everything would end.
  • BEST MG: In December it was Small Spaces, and in January it’s Dead Voices, both by Katherine Arden. I love this series.

2020’s reading challenges are off to a great start!

Monthly Motif is a reading challenge hosted by girlxoxo.

January’s theme was winter wonderland, or, more specifically, “a book set in a truly wonderful place – somewhere you’ve always thought was beautiful, somewhere with a wonderfully rich culture, a snowy setting, or maybe even a magical realm.” I think a lot of books I read could qualify for this, but the first one I used toward the prompt was:

I finished a total of 16 books in January, putting me off to a great start!

What’s in a Name is hosted by Andrea @ Carolina Book Nook.

I crossed off three of the six prompts in January:

The Audiobook Challenge is hosted by Hot Listens & Caffeinated Reviewer.

I set a goal of listening to 50 audiobooks in 2020, and I listened to 14 in January. If I can keep listening at this rate, I’ll have no problem completing this challenge!

(The 🎧 on my page count shows all my audiobook listens.)

How did January go for you? Are you doing any reading challenges? Let’s talk in the comments!

Find me all over the internet: Goodreads | Twitter | Bloglovin’

Monthly Wrap-Up: December 2019

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I’m trying something different for 2020 and, instead of doing a bunch of separate posts about the previous month, I’m just doing one big one!

419 pages (🎧)152 pages296 pages (🎧)357 pages (🎧)
★★☆☆☆★☆☆☆☆★★★★☆★★★☆☆
371 pages (🎧)784 pages (🎧)221 pages (🎧)224 pages (🎧)
★★★★☆★★☆☆☆★★★☆☆★★★☆☆
218 pages (🎧)400 pages (🎧)448 pages (🎧)320 pages (🎧)
★★★★☆★★★☆☆★★★★☆★★★☆☆
392 pages (🎧)450 pages (🎧)222 pages60 of 287 pages
★★★☆☆★★★★☆★★★★★—
262 of 312 pages229 of 305 pages
★☆☆☆☆★★★☆☆

DNFs

8 pages (🎧)32 pages (🎧)9 pages (🎧)24 pages (🎧)

Total pages: 5,898
Total books: 15 full + 3 partial + 4 DNFs
Average rating: 3.06 stars

Fun fact! In 2019 as a whole, I read 47,140 pages!

  • BEST OF THE MONTH: 100%, without a doubt, Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty. This was the exact right mix of funny and informative and I loved it.
  • BEST YA: Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy! I read a bunch of Julie Murphy at the end of 2019 and I loved everything, but Dumplin‘ was definitely my favorite.
  • BEST MG: I’m not into spooky stuff, but Small Spaces by Katherine Arden was just the right amount of spooky for me! (Which makes sense, I guess, since it’s middle grade.) This was so much better than I’d expected.

I’m happy to share that I finished all of my reading challenges with plenty of time to spare!

Monthly Motif is a reading challenge hosted by girlxoxo.

December’s theme was last chance, meaning finally getting to any books that you’ve been putting off for one reason or another. I decided to just go with it and see what library holds came in. I ended up reading:

I finished a total of 17 books in December, bringing me to a total of 177 books in 2019.

Popsugar hosts a reading challenge every year.
You can find out more information on their website.

I made the executive decision to forgo one of the Popsugar prompts (a reread of a favorite book) because I don’t like rereading things and I’m an adult, so I can do what I want. I did cross off all of the other prompts, though.

I used the Gilmore Girls book list for help with that prompt, because I legitimately had no idea. I hardly ever watch things.

Romanceopoly is a reading challenge hosted by
Under the Covers and Peace Love Books.

I didn’t think I’d be able to do it, but I did it. All of the romanceopoly prompts are checked off! In December, I checked off:

I also made the decision not to do the photo challenges with this one.

I think this will be the last Killing the TBR update for a while since I’m going to pause this challenge for the foreseeable future, but I did finish Make Me Bad and The Boyfriend App, both of which I’ve had for a while.

How did December go for you? Did you meet all of your goals? Let’s talk in the comments!

Find me all over the internet: Goodreads | Twitter | Bloglovin’

Monthly Favorites: November 2019

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Better late (in the day) than never, here are the best books I read in November!

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
★★★★★
Goodreads | my review will be posted soon!

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
★★★★☆
Goodreads | my review will be posted soon!

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
★★★★★
Goodreads | my review will be posted soon!

Have you read any of these books? What was the best book you read in November? Let’s talk in the comments!

Find me all over the internet: Goodreads | Twitter | Bloglovin’

Monthly Favorites: October 2019

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October was a pretty good reading month! For the first time in… a while… I read more than fifteen books!

Sadie by Courtney Summers
★★★★★
Goodreads | my review will be posted soon!

Choosing my favorite adult book was actually a little bit of a challenge! It was a close tie between this one, Sourdough, and My Sister, the Serial Killer, but ultimately this one won.

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey
★★★★☆
Goodreads | my review

Have you read either of these books? What was the best book you read in October? Let’s talk in the comments!

Find me all over the internet: Goodreads | Twitter | Bloglovin’

Monthly Favorites: September 2019

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I’m so happy that I had so many books to choose from for September’s favorites! This was my best reading month so far this year and I ended up having six books that I rated either four or five stars.


The Story That Cannot Be Told by J. Kasper Kramer
★★★★★
Goodreads | my review is coming soon!

Revival, Vol. 1 by Tim Seeley
★★★★☆
Goodreads | my review

Have you read either of these books? What was the best book you read in September? Let’s talk in the comments!

Find me all over the internet: Goodreads | Twitter | Bloglovin’

Monthly Favorites: August 2019

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You know, August wasn’t the best month for me. It’s pretty hard to pick a favorite, but since I only read YA in August, at least I only have to narrow it down in one category.


The Backstagers, Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV
★★★★☆
Goodreads | my review is coming soon!

Have you read The Backstagers? What was the best book you read in August? Let’s talk in the comments!

Find me all over the internet: Goodreads | Twitter | Bloglovin’