Kro's List: A Perhaps Aspirational 75 (Part 2)

Hello -
My name is Kro, new to the site and group this year. Resident of Minnesota. Was an active reader for most of my life, but lost touch with it the last few years due to stressful jobs and school. My cousin finished her goal of finishing a book a week last year and has already finished 30+ this year so I felt inspired to get back into it.
I’ve been lurking on posts now for the last couple weeks on here and have gotten even more inspiration and eagerness to get back into reading regularly. It’s already working and the wholesome and engaging environment of this group has been a pleasant experience and makes me want to really strive for my reading goals. I’ve taken a lot of inspiration already.
Mainly using this as a collective to keep track of goals and thoughts on what I’m reading, for reference and to keep myself in check. My reading might be sporadic as I work overnights and have odd scheduling and am in school, but I have been managing to read a little every day. Feel free to share any thoughts or such and here's a picture of my cat, Naro.

Currently Reading


Reading Interests
- Classics (Books considered as must reads and are on most top 100 lists, at the very least top 1000)
- Religious Study (Trying to grow my world understanding of people and thought, as someone who grew up non-religious)
- True Crime (Originally went to school for psychology with a focus in correctional/forensic psychology - although I'm no longer on that path it's still a subject of great interest to me)
- Psychology (Often intertwined with a focus on forensic psychology and neuroscience)
- Philosophy & World-Thinking (Just out of a personal fascination with how thought is perceived and understood)
- Light Reads/Recommendations (Not everything needs to be from a list or educational, sometimes just need a little light escapism)

A List of the Top 25 Books to Finish in 2022: (10/25)

- Watership Down by Richard Adams
- A History of God by Karen Armstrong
- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo *Finished*
- Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo *Finished*
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury *Finished*
- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- The Stranger by Albert Camus *Finished*
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick *Finished*
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison *Finished*
- A Brief History of Thought by Luc Ferry
- Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon *Finished*
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini *Finished*
- The Idea of the World: A Multi-Disciplinary Argument for the Mental Nature of Reality by Bernardo Kastrup
- A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
- No One Cares About Crazy People by Ron Powers
- The Witcher Series by Andrzej Sapkowski
- Nocturnal by Scott Sigler (Per my father's recommendation)
- The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak *Finished*
- The Joy of Pain by Richard H. Smith
- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls *Finished*
- The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Reading Challenges & Goals

Asian Book Challenge 2022
JANUARY: Turkish Authors
- The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
MAY: The "Stans"
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
AUGUST: Japanese Authors
- Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
- Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
- The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
- Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
SEPTEMBER: Korean Authors
- Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
OCTOBER: Indo China & Others
- The Blue Sky by Galsan Tschinag
DECEMBER: Asian Diaspora
- On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Classics List: Guardian's Top 1000 Must Read Books
Previously Read - 18/1000
READ THIS YEAR: 7
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
- The Stranger by Albert Camus
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Ann Rule's Complete Collection
Standalones - 2/19
Crime Files - 0/17

Dean Koontz Collection
Standalones - 8/68
Odd Thomas Series - 0/8

Joint Reads With My Cousin

Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak (April - 05/05/22) Mine
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (May - 05/19/22) Mine
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (May - 06/02/22) Hers
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (June - 06/16/22) Hers
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (June - 06/30/22) Mine
The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom (July - 07/14/22) Hers
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (July - 07/28/22) Mine
Sin Eater by Megan Campisi (August - 08/11/22) Hers
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (August - 08/25/22) Mine
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (September - 09/08/22) Mine
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (September - 09/08/22) Hers
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (September - 09/22/22) Hers
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (October - 10/06/22) Hers
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez (October - 10/06/22 & 10/19/22) Mine
What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher (October - 10/19/22) Mine
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (October - 10/19/22) Hers
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix (November - 11/03/22) Hers
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (November - 11/03/22) Mine
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (November - 11/17/22) Mine
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (December - 12/01/22) Hers
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (December - 12/15/22) Hers & Mine
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (December - 12/29/22) Hers & Mine

Read & Discuss Every Other Week

January - June Reads:

January - 0
February - 0
March - 0
April - 6
#1 - The Covered Wagon by Emerson Hough (4/4/22)
#2 - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (4/7/22)
#3 - The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain (4/15/22)
#4 - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (4/18/22)
#5 - The Stranger by Albert Camus (4/19/22)
#6 - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (4/21/22)
May - 9
#7 - The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak (5/5/22)
#8 - Beastars Vol. 9 by Paru Itagaki (5/10/22) Manga
#9 - Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (5/13/22)
#10 - Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman (5/12/22) Graphic
#11 - Heartstopper: Volume 2 by Alice Oseman (5/13/22) Graphic
#12 - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (5/20/22)
#13 - Heartstopper: Volume 3 by Alice Oseman (5/20/22) Graphic
#14 - Heartstopper: Volume 4 by Alice Oseman (5/28/22) Graphic
#15 - The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (5/31/22)
June - 4
#16 - Amoralman by Derek DelGaudio (6/04/22)
#17 - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz (6/10/22)
#18 - Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (6/16/22)
#19 - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (6/30/22)

July - December Reads:

July - 12
#20 - Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (7/07/22)
#21 - Off Base by Annabeth Albert (7/11/22) E-Book
#22 - Him by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy (7/12/22) E-Book
#23 - Julie by Jean Craighead George (7/12/22)
#24 - Julie's Wolf Pack by Jean Craighead George (7/13/22)
#25 - The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom (7/14/22)
#26 - Us by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy (7/14/22) E-Book
#27 - Burn Zone by Annabeth Albert (7/17/22) E-Book
#28 - The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison (7/25/22)
#29 - Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (7/27/22)
#30 - The Wolf by Dr. Michael Fox (7/28/22)
#31 - What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera (7/30/22) E-Book
August - 7
#32 - Sin Eater by Megan Campisi (8/11/22)
#33 - Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (8/21/22)
#34 - Beastars Vol. 10 by Paru Itagaki (8/23/22) Manga
#35 - The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (8/25/22)
#36 - High Heat by Annabeth Albert (8/26/22) E-Book
#37 - Beastars Vol. 11 by Paru Itagaki (8/27/22) Manga
#38 - The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (8/31/22)
September - 4
#39 - The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (09/09/22)
#40 - Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (09/09/22) Audiobook
#41 - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (09/22/22)
#42 - Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo (09/28/22)
October - 7
#43 - Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (10/06/22)
#44 - The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez (10/11/22)
#45 - What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (10/14/22)
#46 - The Blue Sky by Galsan Tschinag (10/17/22) E-Book
#47 - The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (10/19/22)
#48 - Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee (10/24/22) E-Book
#49 - Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix (10/29/22)
November - 11
#50 - The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (11/05/22)
#51 - Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (11/09/22)
#52 - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (11/15/22)
#53 - Anti-Romance: Vol. 1 by Hidaka Shouko (11/16/22) Manga
#54 - Sasaki and Miyano: Vol. 1 by Shou Harusono (11/22/22) Manga
#55 - Sasaki and Miyano: Vol. 2 by Shou Harusono (11/22/22) Manga
#56 - Sasaki and Miyano: Vol. 3 by Shou Harusono (11/27/22) Manga
#57 - Sasaki and Miyano: Vol. 4 by Shou Harusono (11/29/22) Manga
#58 - Sasaki and Miyano: Vol. 5 by Shou Harusono (11/29/22) Manga
#59 - Sasaki and Miyano: Vol. 6 by Shou Harusono (11/30/22) Manga
#60 - Secret XXX by Meguru Hinohara (11/30/22) Manga
December - 6
#61 - The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (12/01/22)
#62 - RePlay by Saki Tsukahara (12/02/22) Manga
#63 - On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (12/15/22)
#64 - Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (12/22/22)
#65 - An Immense World by Ed Yong (12/27/22) Audiobook
#66 - Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (12/31/22) E-Book
#67 - The Joy of Pain by Richard H. Smith (Unfinished)

Books Acquired In 2022:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson *Previously Read*
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Beastars Vol. 16 by Paru Itagaki
Beastars Vol. 17 by Paru Itagaki
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Julie by Jean Craighead George
Julie’s Wolf Pack by Jean Craighead George *Previously Read*
The Giver by Lois Lowry *Previously Read*
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton
Fools Crow by James Welch
Fear of a Black Universe by Stephon Alexander
Heart of Darkness and Selected Short Fiction by Joseph Conrad
The Killer Across the Table by John Douglas & Mark Olshaker
Voices of the Winds by Margot Edmonds
The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson
The Want-Ad Killer by Ann Rule
The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper: Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente
We Came, We Saw, We Left by Charles Wheelan
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar
The Plague by Albert Camus
Far From the Tree by Robin Benway
Heartstopper: Volume 3 by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper: Volume 4 by Alice Oseman
Murder in the Bayou by Ethan Brown
The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre
Amoralman by Derek DelGaudio
The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
The Blue Sky by Galsang Tschinag (E-book)
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
Diary of a Murderer by Young-ha Kim
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Gypsy Boy by Mikey Walsh
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
Sin Eater by Megan Campisi
Arresting God in Kathmandu by Samrat Upadhyay
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen
The Dream of Water by Kyoko Mori
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Great Lakes Crime by Frederick Stonehouse
Minnesota's Headline Murders by Patrick L. Shannon
Kukai: Major Works by Yoshito S. Hakeda
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Historical Atlas of Judaism by Josephine Bacon
Severance by Robert Olen Butler
Demon Seed by Dean Koontz
The Taking by Dean Koontz
Shadowfires by Dean Koontz
Night Chills by Dean Koontz
The Face of Fear by Dean Koontz
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
If It Bleeds by Stephen King
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
No Longer Updated

Favorites Throughout the Year

Last Post! Feeling much more organized now and settled. I'm figuring out how all this works.

Some good books in >3 WhiteRaven.17: & >8 WhiteRaven.17: Kro.

Happy new thread.

Happy new thread!

Welcome, Kro!

>1 WhiteRaven.17: Naro is a beautiful ginger, with matching eyes :-)

>11 PaulCranswick: & >12 drneutron: Thank you! Needed a bit more structure.

>13 FAMeulstee: Thank you! He's a handsome one and my first ginger cat - my mother thought specifically ginger cats were "up to no good" and never allowed them growing up.

#3 - The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

A thoroughly quick and wild read - I've read books 3x it in length with a third of the plot points and twists. Trying to bolster my finished books with some of these quicker reads I've been meaning to get to. Taking the chance to visit with my mother this weekend to watch the original 1946 film as she loves old black and white films. It was very unexpected how humorous this book came off as once it hit a certain point and I can't say I've ever read anything like it in terms of quick pacing and jam packed with plot points. I can see the appeal to film the book had.
Next on the list of short reads in The Stranger by Albert Camus, as apparently there was a small blurb on the character from Camus' novel being influenced by the one of The Postman Always Rings Twice so it felt fitting to read one after the other.

Finished: 04/15/22
Category Goal: Classics

#4 - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

It's been a couple years since I last picked up or read a YA novel and thanks to my cousin's request I have dived back in with this one. It took some time for me to get into it, but once I did it was an engaging read. Well developed world and one of the few books I've read that allows a true darkness in one of the leading protagonist - in terms of a YA novel - without it feeling heavy-handed or disparate to the others and story. When I started I was fearful I would not have the interest to engage into the second part of this duology, but I'm very much intrigued in starting the second. I burned through the latter half of this book.

Finished: 04/18/22
Category Goal: Recommendation

>16 WhiteRaven.17: I have this one waiting for me on my shelves, so I'm glad to see that you enjoyed it!

>17 scaifea: Very much so. I struggled a bit to get into it, but it was well worth the read and time it took to get situated with the characters and setting. I've not read any of her other books or series set in the same world. I got to a point the other day where it just clicked and I couldn't put it down. I'll have to keep an eye out to see what you think when you get to it, hopefully you'll enjoy it as well.

#5 - The Stranger by Albert Camus

I have a lot of thoughts on this book and have come away wishing I had read it with someone else to get their thoughts on it. It's one of the first - if only - books I've ever read and reached the end with my own thoughts but unsure of the author's intention.
I read the first section in one sitting and came away with such an empty feeling and dejectedness towards the book that I was unsure I would find any enjoyment in the second half of the book. The second half though was so spellbinding and had me emotionally invested in the character's story that at points I was so angry at the situation and others in the novel that I had to push through to finish.
This book is clearly meant to set up a question of morality and understanding, but I do not know whether the authors intent was sided towards the protagonist or to those persecuting him, though I know where I stand on it. I also question to what degree the time it was written and the culture the author was from influenced the perceptions of morality portrayed in the book.
I'm trying to write my thoughts without direct dissection of the book. In short - I found myself marking pages for quotes and thoughts, which I rarely do and thoroughly enjoyed this book despite the feelings it evoked because it came to a degree from the intended structure of the writing. I would very much like to look into and read some of the other works by Camus now and adding this work to one of my top reads.

Finished: 04/19/22
Category Goal: Classics

#6 - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Originally heard about this story when the play for it become popular a couple years ago and just never got around to reading it. Recently, I've come to the realization and talking to a few others that I might be on the autism spectrum (ASD) and am in the waiting process to get an official diagnosis. When I circled back to this book on my TBR list and found out that the main character might be within the spectrum - though it's never officially addressed in the book - I was very curious and picked up a copy.
Besides all that, the book was a very enjoyable read and I found it hard to put down once I started. It's written in some unconventional ways, but it all lends to the depth of the character and world and for the most part I found it an engaging aspect. A nice weekend read.

Finished: 04/21/22
Category Goal: Free Personal Pick

#7 - The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak

This was an interesting read, and I am glad to have read it, but there are mixed feelings towards it. This is one that I read with my cousin and I am glad there was someone I could discuss this story with. I enjoyed the middle section and had picked it up because I grew up listening to System of a Down and knew of the Armenian Genocide but besides in name I knew nothing of its context. That said I would still be curious to find and read other books that address this topic - either fiction like this or nonfiction - if anyone happens to read this and has some good suggestions.
The story itself though left me a bit unsatisfied, like I had been reading a story and received all the plot points with none of the pay-off. The central characters of the story seemed to have their stories over-ridden and an improper or a disappointing lack of closure at the end - it felt like they had been done a disservice. Don't get me wrong, I still liked the book, but there are some faults and some hesitance I would hold as to whom and how I would recommend this book.

Finished: 05/05/22

Excellent reading going on Kro!

>22 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul! Trying to get through some longer reads now so it's slow going.

#8 - Beastars Vol. 9 by Paru Itagaki & The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin

I could not count The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas as a proper read as it is only a few pages long but wanted to note reading it. It's short and simple and yet leaves enough for each individual to chew on and take in their own manner. The way the scenario was worded and presented and an added afterword by the author's own thoughts does pique my curiosity into her longer works. In short, the work has been noted.

On the other hand, I am nearing the half-way point through Itagaki's popular manga series and am still invested. I watched the anime series on Netflix first and having noted the increased popularity and focus on this media I figured it was something worth dipping my toe into - it's the first and only manga series I have read and to my own surprise has been something I've enjoyed more than I had expected. Enough so that I would not be turned away from reading other manga series in the future - though the length of many is intimidating...

Finished: 05/10/22
Category: Light Reads

New Additions to My Library



The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom - Cousin's Option for Joint Reads
The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar - Noted from Beth's (BLBera) Reads
Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente - Cousin's Option for Joint Reads
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz - B&N BOGO 50% Off & Self Pick
We Came, We Saw, We Left by Charles Wheelan - B&N BOGO 50% Off & Self Pick
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin - Cousin's Option for Joint Reads
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman - Cousin's Option for Joint Reads & Seen Mentioned in a Few Threads
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow - Cousin's Option for Joint Reads
Heartstopper Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman - Self Pick
Heartstopper Vol. 2 by Alice Oseman - Self Pick

Wanted to have a few of my cousin's options for joint reads on hand since it's hard for me to get copies of books quickly or easily and couldn't resist a sale and throwing in some personal picks. Felt like widening my library with some LGBTQIA+ content which is within four of my personal pulls and having recently binged the Netflix series Heartstopper and having an upcoming surgery, thought it might be relaxing and fun to try reading something different and that might not require as much to read or focus on during early recovery.

Nice additions. I've got the Benjamin on my list, will be interested in your thoughts on it.

>26 drneutron: Benjamin is next on our joint reads list after we discuss 451 next week, so I'll have it finished by the end of this month. Curious to start it myself.

#9 - Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

I'm a little disappointed with how quickly I burned through this book because it was an absolute delight and I could have kept going, existing in the excellent world and characters built by Bardugo. I would even say that the second part of this duology was even better than its first half.
I've sincerely noted Leigh Bardugo as an author to make note of in my memory because the elegance of the characters she crafted, and their story will stick with me. A part of me is curious to read her other series set within the same universe as this duology, but another part of me knows YA is not fully my interest and this part of her world was perfect for me - maybe sometime down the line. On the other hand, I have ordered her first novel written and intended as an adult novel outside of her YA universe and look forward to seeing what else she has to offer in that realm.

Finished: 05/13/22
Category: Recommendation

#10 & #11 - Heartstopper: Volume 1 & Heartstopper: Volume 2 by Alice Oseman

Meant to save these to read in the day following my surgery in a few days but ended up breezing through them early. I don't typically read comic style books but enjoyed the Netflix show by the same title and thought I'd give them a go. I won't say I disliked them as it was a nice and sweet story, but overall very simple and flat. This is one case were the TV adaptation added more depth and world-building than these comics did. They're a nice light-hearted, simple read if your brain needs a break but I certainly don't hold them in high regard, personally.

Finished: 05/12/22 & 05/13/22
Category: Light Reads

>3 WhiteRaven.17: Some good reading in that list, Kro! I loved The Kite Runner when I read it several years ago. I am also a big fan of Fahrenheit 451 although I prefer Bradbury's Dandelion Wine.

>8 WhiteRaven.17: I refuse to keep such a list. I post them as I buy them, but I am afraid to see them all in one spot, lol.

>21 WhiteRaven.17: I am currently reading Shafak's The Island of Missing Trees. I very much enjoyed her 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, but it sounds like I can give The Bastard of Istanbul a pass.

>25 WhiteRaven.17: Nice!

Have a wonderful weekend, Kro!

>30 alcottacre: Thanks for stopping by Stasia! So many good reads that I'm terribly behind on, I'll add that to my list - Bradbury seems to have quite a few good ones.

You know that is wise, I somehow thought if I placed them all in one list it would keep my acquiring in check. I fear that is not the case and is now a list of my lack of restraint. Lol.

I marked The Island of Missing Trees on my list from Beth's (BLBera) review and I will have to add 10 Minutes 38 Seconds as well, though I think I need some distance from Bastard before I read either.

Have a lovely weekend as well.

Some Thoughts

Just wanted to note that I have officially reached the half-way mark in The Worm Ouroboros and am having some qualms about it. I started the book awhile ago, before I found this site and had a renewed interest in reading, and easily read through the first third. The story is intriguing and I'm invested, I like the cast of characters created, and it's winding, flowery, and over the top prose is as amusing as it is tedious.
Since I've started reading regularly again though I find it's the last book I want to reach for and a part of my brain groans when I think of picking it up because of how slow a read it is. I want to read it and finish it, but I also just wish I was done with it already and no longer had to look at it in my stack of current reads.
I think I will continue pushing through despite some of my brains protesting and will hopefully feel that much more accomplished when I reach it's end. It feels a bit like the book is an ouroboros itself, I read and yet feel no closer to ever-reaching an end.

>25 WhiteRaven.17: Interesting additions Kro and nice to see that you have already finished two of them!

I, like you, have some big books ongoing which is great but it is slowing my numbers down a bit too!

Yeah, I struggle with this too. I've got a book going now that's long and more difficult than most to pick my way through (semi-scholarly work on Alexander the Great and his biographers over the centuries). I enjoy it while I'm reading it, but it takes mental energy that often don't want to expend to read it. So I'm finding that taking it in infrequent sessions is working - I'll let it sit for a couple of weeks, then read another chapter. The danger, I suppose, is the the breaks will get longer and longer, and eventually become "I'll get back to it someday".

>34 drneutron: Sounds like an interesting read, but yes, that's a great way of putting it. It just takes more of a toll on mental energy. Read it for any extended time and feel tiredness set in. That is smart, but I have the same fears that the longer the breaks grow the more likely it'll just end up shelfed. Which I know, being so far in now, that if I walk away, it's highly unlikely that "someday" will ever come. I'm instead changing tactics and setting up do very small 10-15 minute bursts every day or two - slow, but steady.

#12 - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Glad to have finally knocked this one off my TBR, it's been on my bookshelf for a couple years now. It had some interesting choices in it's writing and I liked the book. Definitely had some moments or parts that made me think of 1984 as I was reading. I think overall though that I enjoyed the concept and idea Bradbury was trying to capture more than the actual book itself.
I will remark that my view of the book might be slightly skewed because I read the latter half in the days following my surgery and my brain was still a little fuzzy from meds and recovery and couldn't focus as well. It's a quick read though, so maybe in a couple years I'll give it a revisit just to see how my opinion and thoughts hold. I liked it and enjoyed it, found the story enthralling, but something about it left the book itself with an overall bland feeling for me, it didn't cling to my thoughts the way I thought it would.

Finished: 05/20/22
Category: Classics

#13 & #14 - Heartstopper: Volume 3 & Heartstopper: Volume 4 by Alice Oseman

The third and fourth volumes in this comic series were a little more satisfying, there was more world-building and inclusion of side characters and plots outside of the simple romance of the first two volumes. The fourth one focuses on an eating disorder for a male teen and the complications of addressing mental health and love, which I found to have a little more depth.
Again, if you want a sweet story and not have to use too much energy - which I needed for my post-surgery fog brain - than it's a nice read. One could read all four volumes in a signal afternoon sitting if desired. There's one final volume left for this series that is set to be released early next year.

Finished: 05/20/22 & 05/28/22
Category: Light Reads

New Additions to My Library



The Plague by Albert Camus - Noted from Jeff's (mahsdad) Reads
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes - Classics List
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro - B&N Awarded List
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa - B&N Awarded List
Far From the Tree by Robin Benway - B&N Awarded List
The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery - B&N Awarded List
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - Self Pick
Amoralman by Derek DelGaudio - Self Pick
Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre - B&N Awarded List
The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson - Self Pick
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty - Self Pick
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo - Self Pick
Murder in the Bayou by Ethan Brown - True Crime
Heartstopper: Vol. 3 by Alice Oseman - Self Pick
Heartstopper: Vol. 4 by Alice Oseman - Self Pick

This is a coalesced list from two separate purchases of classics, random picks that stood out to me, and from recently thumbing through the Awarded and/or Banned books lists on B&N and adding random books that stood out. A few non-fictions that I'm excited for, happy with my additions and trying to remind myself that I don't have room for more books and don't need anymore right now.

#15 - The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

Starting in 1969 this book follows the lives of four siblings after meeting a woman who tells them the date of their deaths. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting from the book, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I got. The pacing is well done even though it spans entire years and lifetimes, and the siblings all feel uniquely their own while still feeling related.
There was one section of the book that felt a little off and took away from what had - up to that point - felt like a great, almost magical story and took me out of it a bit, but it did not end on that note and did not ruin what I feel like was a genuinely interesting and good story. I think there is a possibility to take different views to different aspects of this story as most of the characters are portrayed as inherently human with strengths and flaws of their own, but there is this overall aspect of viewing and thinking about the differences in how people live - stuck in the past, worried of the future, or living for the present and how it affects both themselves and those close to them. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and the story it had to tell.

Finished: 05/31/22
Category: Joint Cousin Read

#16 - Amoralman: A True Story and Other Lies by Derek DelGaudio

Seeing this memoir at the bookstore was perfect timing. I recently read the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo and the protagonist of that story, Kaz, often uses slight of hand and visual manipulation to pull off stunts or misdirect and deceive those around him in a gambling heavy location. This peeked my interest in learning more about that kind of slight of hand, and then I read The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin which features a magician as one of the main characters. So seeing a memoir that covers exactly that, slight of hand and specifically around cards with gambling, seemed like a great find at the perfect time.
This book was an absolute delight and I read it quite quickly as it's easy to get sucked into and to follow. DelGaudio does an excellent job of setting up the story and painting this picture of his life while making clever remarks and statements that give you something to think about and ponder. This book gives a unique sliver into the world of deception and is one I would easily recommend.

Finished: 06/04/22
Category: Self-Pick

#17 - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Hadn't planned on reading this yet, but picked it up and read the book in two sittings. The book is very dialogue focused and broken up into numerous short bursts, which made it a very easy and quick read, but also very engaging. Sometimes leading a story through what is said is hard because the dialogue is either clunky and non-realistic or insufficient to carry the story. None of that was the case here.
I quite enjoyed this book and am glad I bought it on a whim. I have since learned a sequel was released and I am giving it some hesitance, the story of this book was beautiful and well-done and works perfectly as it stands and I fear a follow-up could ruin some of the magic of this book, we'll see though because I did quite enjoy this authors work.
As a side note, this book did have some Spanish sprinkled throughout it and it was nice that I automatically could translate and understand the phrases myself given it's been a long time since I've actively kept up with my Spanish.

Finished: 06/10/22
Category: Self-Pick

#18 - Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Seen this book mentioned around quite a bit and I can understand why it's been talked about so heavily. I could not honestly remember the last time I was actually surprised by a book and stunned enough by a reveal to have to stop my reading and reanalyze everything I had read up to that point. It is definitely written in a different style that took me a second to get into, but I greatly enjoyed this book and thought it was well-written. It tied things together eloquently and managed to jump around in timeframe without it ever becoming confusing or hard to follow.
One negative I had with it though is there seemed to be multiple put-downs of those in their late teens and early twenties, often calling out or making out like those in this age range are prone to stupidity or incapable of being as put together, capable, or wise as their elder counterparts. Generally I wouldn't have minded this as a character trait or brief mention but this sentiment popped up enough times throughout the book that it began to annoy me - perhaps this is a bias of mine because of my life experience when I was in that age range, which I will accept, but still soured the book slightly for me. Overall though I really did enjoy the book and would recommend it.

Finished: 06/16/22
Category: Joint Cousin Read

>36 WhiteRaven.17: It sounds like I enjoyed this one more than you did, but it has been a while since I read it. I really need to get it re-read. Revisiting books every few years, as you suggest, is not such a bad thing. The problem is having the time to do it, lol.

>38 WhiteRaven.17: Nice!

>42 WhiteRaven.17: I have read a couple of Backman's, but not that one. I will have to remedy that!

Have a terrific Tuesday, Kro!

>43 alcottacre: I did like the story, perhaps I went into it with too much expectation or because I read the last half at a time when my brain was not up to par. Agreed though, I don't like rereading but there are a few classics that I read way back in middle school - like Wuthering Heights & Dracula, that'd I've felt like I should revisit for years now but there's always something new to read. Lol.

Being the first of Backman's I read it's definitely made me intrigued to look into reading some of his other works. Hope you enjoy this one when or if you do read it.

Have a nice week, Stasia!

I keep meaning to read some of Backman's stuff and somehow just...haven't yet. Someday...

>45 scaifea: His writing in that book was definitely interesting enough that I'd be curious to read some of his other work. If anything, I can tell you that Anxious People is very easy to read quickly. I procrastinated on finishing it for my cousin's and I's shared read and binge read it in a day with relative ease.

#19 - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I can start off by saying the love around this book is well warranted and it's a memorable book. It also proved to be a very good book to read in tandem with my cousin as it led to an interesting discussion around our shared age range and our exposure and Amercanized education surrounding Afghanistan, how we both had very little knowledge of anything pre-9/11. That being said, I will also commend the authors ability to address a lot of detailed information and present it in a way that was easy to follow and digest.
This book was a heavy read, but I never once felt put off by it and wanted to keep reading, the way certain aspects of the book were handled felt real and it is easy for me to find things I appreciated about it. This book has certainly made an impression and I've already noted Hosseini's other works as possible TBR's.

Finished: 06/30/22
Category: Joint Cousin Read & Top 25

I'm returning your visit Kro. Welcome to LibraryThing; it looks like you've settled in nicely.

I bought and read Bardugo's Six of Crows duology though I wasn't quite as thrilled with it as you - I think there was too much darkness for me. But the main series that the duology was spun off from was made into a TV series, so I think I might borrow the books from the library and then watch it.

Re your Camus and wanting to discuss it with other, there are 'tutored reads' around LT. I haven't used them myself but I think there are links at the top of the 75 Book Challenge page.

>48 humouress: Thank you Nina. I've found it an easy group to settle into, quite welcoming.

I think the darkness of the duology was what made it so likeable for me, but I could see how that's not everyone's game - especially in a YA. I've not read the original trilogy either, but I've heard good things. Hopefully you'd find them more enjoyable.

That sounds interesting, I'll have to do some more digging around on the site to see if I can find what you're referring to. I will say generally though I think I'm much better at discussing my thoughts aloud and organically, than trying to translate them into text.

Mid-Year Overview & Check-In

Firstly, finding this site and group has vastly changed my reading habits and I'm very glad to be back in a regular reading habit. I've only finished 19 books so far this year, but given I had read nothing for the first 3 months and probably had a total read of 5 books in 2021, having over a dozen finished in just 3 months is huge.

Realistically, I will not accomplish 75 books this year but I think I could goal myself to reach 55. Just need to finish 6 books a month for this, which is pushing it, but do able given my rate so far. I've also finished 8 of my 25 to-read books for 2022 and am currently reading 2 more from this list, so I am happy with that progress rate.

Overall thoughts - I made a conscious want to expand my reading to authors and books that are non-American and feel I've actually followed through on this and it's been rewarding. Seeing that I've stuck with this reading resurgence I'm quite looking forward to seeing where I am by year's end.

I’m glad you’ve found a reading home with us. The group pushed me to branch out in my reading too, and it’s been great.

New Additions to My Library



The Blue Sky by Galsang Tschinag (E-book) - Asian Book Challenge '22
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin - Self-Pick
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong - Asian Book Challenge '22
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht - Award Finalist
Diary of a Murderer by Young-ha Kim - Asian Book Challenge '22
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden - Cousin Read
Gypsy Boy by Mikey Walsh - Self-Pick
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo - Asian Book Challenge '22
Sin Eater by Megan Campisi - Cousin Read
Arresting God in Kathmandu by Samrat Upadhyay - Asian Book Challenge '22
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski - Self-Pick

Kept off ordering books for a little while but realized I owned quite a few Japanese authors and wanted to participate in the Asian Book Challenge for the rest of the year and ordered books to cover the rest of the upcoming months. Pleased so far with the progress I've made this year of owning and reading books by non-American authors.

Oh, I *loved* House of Leaves! I hope you do too.

>53 scaifea: It's been on my TBR for years now, so I'm looking forward to finally reading it.

#20 & #23 & #24 - Julie of the Wolves & Julie & Julie's Wolf Pack by Jean Craighead George

This is a wonderful children's series written by a naturalist that follows a young native Yupik girl, Miyax, in the tundras of Alaska and her interaction with the wolf pack that lives in that region. It was a well told story that showed some of the sad conflicts between humans and wildlife while also being realistically harsh in some of the natural orders of the universe and wildlife. On the other side of this it also showed some great respect between human and nature relations as well as giving an insight into the cultural practices or beliefs of the Yupik and Inuit natives. It was a series I'm glad to have read and quite enjoyed, despite some of the sad moments of the books.

The reason I read this series is because of a book I read in childhood that has been plaguing my memories for near two decades. I had hoped this would be my long awaited answer, unfortunately, it was not but I'm very glad to have stumbled into this series as a result of my search.
Here's a link to my post in the Name That Book thread, in case anyone reads this and might have other suggestions to that original post.
Name That Book: Fiction Wolf POV Sad

Finished: 07/07/22 & 07/12/22 & 07/13/22
Category: 'Name That Book' Suggestion

#22 & #26 - Him & Us by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Picked these up on a whim and curiosity after talking to a friend about the genre as I have never read a single book in the romance genre and was easily prepared to start them and put it aside and not like them, but was pleasantly surprised by the quality of writing and having a story and characters that immediately brought me in and wanted to keep reading. I am unsure were my initial bias began, but I always thought of romance novels as being poorly written or not having an actual storyline that would be interesting. I am not sure how much I will include these type of novels going forward in my reading, but it has helped reveal some judgement I had towards this genre and lessened that bias.

Finished: 07/12/22 & 07/14/22
Category: Self-Pick

#25 - The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

This was an interesting and very quick read, I think I can say I liked the book overall, but definitely have some issues with it that mostly stem from the religious undertone. The main character, Dor, and central aspect of the story was quite interesting and is what made me want to keep reading and why I liked the book, but how the two side characters, Sarah and Victor, were handled left me a little annoyed. Reasoning explained below.
The character of Sarah was a young teenage girl that struggles and decides to try and commit suicide as a result of a popular boy rejecting her and exposing her to impolite jabs through social media, which I am not to discount those who struggle with this and resort to such thoughts in that circumstance but because of the religious undertones of the book and how it was written it came off as someone writing a character and trying to "prove" this point of how silly it is to resort to suicide, which made the impact of this character come off as disingenuous and soured my thoughts of the author.
The other character, Victor, and his storyline was fine and could have had an impactful ending with his character but because of one added paragraph to the end of his story about his future it discolors his choice at the very end of the book and the only reason this story ruining paragraph was included - as far as I can imagine - is to support this heavy religious undertone and ideology of the book.
I'm not opposed to religious context in a book and even find it interesting if it's there to further build a character or world, but the undertones of this book and the ideology it was trying to subtly allude to ended up leaving an unpleasant perception of the book in my mind and I think I'd have a hard time reading any of the other works by this author because of it, despite the main idea and character of this story being quite intriguing.

Finished: 07/14/22
Category: Joint Cousin Read

New Additions to My Library



A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong'o - Classic's List
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen - Classic's List
The Dream of Water by Kyoko Mori - Self-Pick
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro - Self-Pick
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson - Self-Pick
Great Lakes Crime by Frederick Stonehouse - True Crime
Minnesota's Headline Murders by Patrick L. Shannon - True Crime
Kukai: Major Works by Yoshito S. Hakeda - Religions Study
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - Self-Pick
The Historical Atlas of Judaism by Josephine Bacon - Religions Study
Severance by Robert Olen Butler - Noted from Jeff's (mahsdad) Reads
Demon Seed by Dean Koontz - Koontz Collection
The Taking by Dean Koontz - Koontz Collection
Shadowfires by Dean Koontz - Koontz Collection
Night Chills by Dean Koontz - Koontz Collection
The Face of Fear by Dean Koontz - Koontz Collection
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane - Noted from Ellie's (elliepotten) Reads

Thought I'd swing by a small local bookstore after an appointment the other day just to have a look and ended up spending just over an hour there and leaving with a massive armful of books because I apparently have no self restraint. Pretty much just picked up anything that stood out to me or that I recognized. They have some cool old texts there that I might go back in to thoroughly check out when I save up some money as some were quite expensive. I should know better than to enter a bookstore with just the idea to have a quick look. Lol.

#28 - The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison

It brings me greatest pleasure to have finally brought to an end the reading of this tome, and unlike the great characters of this book I wish naught for any repeat of the story there within.
In earnest though I am glad to have finally finished this book that I started, I think, back in January. The description on the back says this book "weaves strands from Norse saga, Greek myth, and Elizabethan drama together with magical adventure" which I can report that it delivers in such ways, but also made it a tedious read in its descriptions and often over the top prose. There were moments were the description went on for so long and with such extant that it did more harm than good, overburdening any imagery it was initially eliciting.
As much as the task of finishing this book made me groan, I did finish it, which speaks to something as it would have been quite easy to abandon the novel. Boiled down though I did find the world and characters intriguing and engaging enough that I wanted to see what became of their story and despite itself I did enjoy reading this book. Would I recommend reading it to anyone? No. But I am glad that I have read it myself.

Finished: 07/25/22
Category: Classics & Top 25

>52 WhiteRaven.17: I will definitely read The Blue Sky with you Kro, if you are up for that?!

>60 PaulCranswick: Definitely! I would like that Paul. I have it planned for October, but I'm up for reading it whenever.

>47 WhiteRaven.17: Oh, that is such a good book! I am glad you enjoyed it. I have yet to read a Hosseini book that disappointed me.

>50 WhiteRaven.17: I cannot tell you how much my reading has changed since I stumbled onto LT 16 years ago. This group has contributed mightily to those changes and I am better for it, I know. I am glad that you decided to join us, Kro!

>52 WhiteRaven.17: Nice haul! I will be reading On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong at some point this year too.

>58 WhiteRaven.17: Wow!

Have a marvelous Monday, Kro!

>62 alcottacre: Good to hear, I picked up A Thousand Splendid Suns and am looking forward to whenever I get around to it. Can't believe it took me this long to finally read Kite Runner.

Glad I joined and have had such good interactions, was worried about integrating into an online community but it's been great! Wish I'd found this site a couple years ago. Wow, 16 years, that's highly impressive.

Thanks! I go through book buying splurges, used to only happen once or twice a year but now that I'm reading regularly again it's quickly getting out of hand. Lol. I've heard a lot of good things about On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous but having that Asian Reading Challenge finally moved it up on my list, I'm thinking I'll read it in December.

Thanks for stopping by Stasia, have a lovely Monday!

#29 - Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

A quaint collection of four stories told in a small cafe and how the option to travel through time affects them despite the rules placed upon it. I was apprehensive going into this book on how the time travel element would be handled and if it was four disjointed stories or flowed together.
Now, after reading it I can say easily it's one of my favorite reads so far this year. The story telling flowed easily and weaved together in a way that made me wish the book never ended. Not once was the time-travelling element convoluted or hard to follow - as can often be the case - but just fit in eloquently to the story already being told. The stories also covered some really tragic or sad scenarios that were emotionally charged while still leaving me with a light-heartened feeling and a smile.
I am definitely adding the other books in this series to my list and would easily recommend this book to anyone - I think there's something there that every reader could connect to.

Finished: 07/27/22
Category: Joint Cousin Read & Asian Book Challenge

>64 WhiteRaven.17: That one sounds good! Into the BlackHole it goes!

>65 alcottacre: It's worth the add, and a quick read which is nice to have.

#30 - The Wolf by Dr. Michael Fox

A children's novel that I breezed through in one sitting this morning that follows a year in the lives of newborn wolf pups into maturity. Although a children's book with personalities given to each wolf the author, an expert on the Canis family, is detailed in natural orders and aspects of wildlife. This book was clearly written in the time and surge of a renewed and found interest in how important wolves are to natural environments and conservation of them becoming an important act, especially against humans hunting them for sport.
Earlier this month I read Julie's Wolf Pack trying to find a book I vividly remembered reading in second grade and am happy to report that this was the actual book I was looking for. After nearly two decades of searching and difficulties tracking down a copy of this out of publication book, I have finally found it and cherish having my own copy. The artwork in it is beautiful and it's the first book I ever read in life that made me cry, showed me the emotional connection we can get from books, and I am so glad I was given a chance to track it down and reread it now as an adult.

Finished: 07/28/22
Category: 'Name That Book' Suggestion

#31 - What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Picked up a selection of ebooks and this was among them, I'm familiar with some of the other books each author has wrote and heard generally good things, but I'm thinking I'm not the right audience to enjoy their work. I'll say I think I liked one of the side characters and their story more than I liked the main characters and felt like I was forcing myself to push through the majority of this book. There were traits to the main characters that I think were supposed to make them relatable and flawed but just made them unlikeable to me and most of the references just weren't within my realm.
I'm sure this is exactly the book for someone, but it's certainly not me and I don't think I'll be picking up any of the other books by these authors personally.

Finished: 07/30/22
Category: Light Read

Monthly Overview

July Stats
Books Finished - 12
Pages Read - 2,661
Hours Read - 64

August Plans
Asian Book Challenge - Japanese Authors
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
Bi-Weekly Reads With My Cousin
Sin Eater by Megan Campisi
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
Carryover From Previous Months
The Joy of Pain by Richard H. Smith

>69 WhiteRaven.17: Nice stats for July, Kro!

I hope you enjoy the Murakami when you get to it. Kafka on the Shore was one of the first books by him that I ever read.

>70 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia! I think 12 books in a month might've been an odd fluke for me.

Kafka on the Shore is the first book I'm reading by him and so far I'm really enjoying it, a little strange but now that I'm in it I can't put it down.

#32 - Sin Eater by Megan Campisi

Follows a young girl in an old England setting who becomes a 'sin eater' or someone who eats the foods representing the sins of the deceased on their coffin so they may pass on with less judgement. It's an interesting novel and the concept was almost enough on it's own - I'd love a full copy of the compendium of sins and their associated foods - but the book itself wasn't anything stand out to me. I often found myself counting pages and sighing every time the word 'farts' was used as a descriptor, which is more often than I would think necessary.
Now I think I simply didn't connect with the protagonist of this story, as I think the use of these descriptors and how the character acted occasionally was supposed to remind the reader she's only fourteen and I just never really clicked with her. On the other hand, my cousin, who I read the book with, really liked it and thought it was one of the better books we've read. It definitely picks up in the latter half and I think we both agreed the front half dragged a little, but overall a decent book.

Finished: 08/11/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

>61 WhiteRaven.17: October it is, Kro!

Have a lovely weekend.

>72 WhiteRaven.17: A good example of how different books appeal to different readers.

>73 PaulCranswick: Sounds good! You as well.

>74 humouress: Indeed. This is the first book we've read together so far where each of us had such varying opinions, it at least lead to an interesting discussion.

#33 - Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Following the story of a fifteen year old boy, Kafka, and an elderly gentleman, Nakata, this book weaves a tale that is simple and complicated all at once. To say I finished this book with a complete understanding of every piece would not be accurate nor do I think that is the goal of this book, but more a simple pleasure in what I have interpreted from the series of somewhat bizarre circumstances that take place. There could be an argument that the story is about the complicated and twisted meanings behind each prophecy, coincidence, and structure of events - a valid and intriguing thought analysis I am sure - but I think the strength of this story comes more from the characters, each one unique with their own depth and perception of life.
I will say a warning for this book, as there was one chapter I had to skip almost in it's entirety because of a rather detailed and gruesome depiction of animal torture, but it was a rather singular event and having skimmed the important details did not ruin the book for me. I found the story fascinating and once I was wrapped into the flow of the book could not put it down.
This was my first book by Haruki Murakami and I am intrigued to read more of his work, I would say I recommend the book as I enjoyed it, but know that it's not for everyone and probably appeals more to a particular reader who admires the abstract.

Finished: 08/21/2022
Category: Asian Book Challenge

>76 WhiteRaven.17: Thanks for the warning, Kro, I am not that far in Kafka on the Shore yet.
I don't know why you think you are not good at reviewing books, this is a good review!

>77 FAMeulstee: You'll see it coming, and can surmise what you need to without reading it all, if you can't. Everyone has their own limits, mine happens to be towards animals.
And thank you Anita, I greatly appreciate the compliment! I suppose I'm new to it and often sway to giving kind reviews and not being as critical as could be. Giving a hard rating, such as stars, is a hard task for me to define with books so I feel my reviews can be lacking. I hope you enjoy the book.

#35 - The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

This book weaves together tales of the past and stories as the central character, Natalia, learns that her grandfather has passed. Intermixed with the influences of war within the Balkan region the tales of her grandfather's past with the 'tiger's wife' and the 'deathless man' present a book that is at once grounded in a harsh reality and yet mystical.
I bought this book on a whim, drawn in by the title and beautiful cover, and it was a splendid impulse purchase. I didn't even finish the book before I knew this was one of my favorite books of I think the whole year. It's definitely a non-linear tale and there are notes left unspoken, that lead to a wonderful moment when you catch how things subtly link together. It's a melancholic story but one that leaves you with a hint of mysticism and wonder of the world. Highly recommend.

Finished: 08/25/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

New Additions to My Library



Animal Farm by George Orwell - Classic's List
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris - Self-Pick
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams - Cousin Read
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec - Cousin Read
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix - Noted from Jim's (drneuton) Reads
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - Cousin Read
If It Bleeds by Stephen King - Self-Pick
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - Self-Pick

I had intended to buy no more books leading up to a trip I'm taking to go visit my cousin in September, when we plan to spend a day going to various bookstores, but I have no self-restraint when it comes to books and due to the Target I shop for groceries at expanding their book section it makes it easy to pick up something new every time I shop. Now, I promise, no more until I'm in Missouri...ideally.

>79 WhiteRaven.17: Sounds good, Kro.
I would put it right onto mount TBR, after reading your review. But it already resides there, so I just move it up a bit.

>80 WhiteRaven.17: Good intentions, and temptations...
Sometimes I almost feel lucky there is no decent bookstore in our town. For me it is easier to resist online book buying. In a good bookstore I alway find (a few) books that insist to come home with me ;-)

>81 FAMeulstee: I think you'll quite like it, whenever it falls into your reading.

I completely understand, I live in a rather isolated location of woods and farmland and I only drive the hour into town two or three times a month, I almost fear what my book buying habits would look like if I lived near an actual bookstore. XD

#34 & #37 - Beastars: Vol 10 & Beastars: Vol 11 by Paru Itagaki

I am almost halfway through this manga series and still enjoying it, there are some aspects that are a little cheesy to it, but I think a little of that is to be expected. I like the style of artwork that is used and still plan on seeing this series out to the end - there are 22 volumes total.
Where the story is now is caught up to where the anime series is at, which I watched first and inspired me to read the manga. When I was little I had such a bias towards comics and manga not being "real" books and I'm trying now to make an effort of righting that unjustified childhood bias and appreciate this form of storytelling. This is my first and only manga series I've read so far so I don't have a huge frame of reference for recommending it, but I enjoy it and I think I'll try picking up another series and exploring the genre more.

Finished: 08/23/22 & 08/27/22
Category: Light Reads

>79 WhiteRaven.17: I have this in my e-collection though I don't know why or when I got it. I also seem to have borrowed it from the library a couple of times - maybe the title looked familiar? But I still haven't read it. One day.

>80 WhiteRaven.17: I have heard good things about The Dictionary of Lost Words, Kro, and would be up for a joint read of it some day. Have a lovely Sunday.

>82 WhiteRaven.17: Long ago I lived in the center of a large city, Kro. I was a regular at bookstores, second hand book shops, and the book market. Bags full of books entered our house. The last years I finally get to read some of them :-)

>84 humouress: Seems like in one way or another you are meant to read this book Nina. I hope you like it whenever that one day comes.

>85 PaulCranswick: Same here, I'm looking forward to reading it, though I don't think that'll be soon. Quite the list of books to get to currently and it's one my cousin wants to read together as well. I'll let you know when it comes to the forefront and see if you're up for a joint read then. :) Have a lovely day as well Paul.

>86 FAMeulstee: That sounds lovely Anita. :) I hope that I will find that time to read someday for all the books I've acquired that are waiting patiently on my shelves and in stacks.

#38 - The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

Following the story of a woman on this isolated island there unravels a story of loss and contemplation on how the objects and things of the world build the essence of who someone is through their memories and connections to life and living as things begin disappearing, beginning with birds and rapidly expanding to swallow more and more.
I have such a sense of connection to books that explore these darker notions of reality and manage to elicit this foreboding feeling within my chest, like a dark uneasiness that rests just out of reach and full understanding. The notion of this overpowering and controlling force of Memory Police is comparable to the force of Big Brother in 1984 and I can see why it is referenced to this story, as well as the challenging concept of an entity controlling or shaping how one thinks and perceives. The chapter in 1984 of how Winston is pinned under the notion of 2+2=5 is something that sticks in my brain constantly, as I am already sure certain ideas and passages of this book will stick with me.
A quick and compelling story, this book will leave a sense of foreboding uneasiness within for the following days to come as elements of this story circle and settle in my mind. If you like a story that is terrifying in its subtle uneasiness and contemplation this book is a beautiful example of it and I fully recommend it.

Finished: 08/31/2022
Category: Asian Book Challenge

Monthly Overview

This was a really good month reading wise as far as really enjoying the books I read, adding two to my favorites list of the year. Definitely think I might be a fan of Japanese literature as well and look forward to seeking out more work by Haruki Murakami and Yoko Ogawa as well as others.

Favorite of the Month: The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

August Stats
Books Finished - 7
Pages Read - 1,970
Hours Read - 52

September Plans
Asian Book Challenge - Korean Authors
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
Diary of a Murderer: And Other Stories by Young-ha Kim
Bi-Weekly Reads With My Cousin
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Nonfiction Selection
The Joy of Pain by Richard H. Smith

Love when a month is full of only good books! I hope you enjoy more Murakami -- I'm a big fan of his.

>90 curioussquared: I didn't read many, but the few I did were great! I'm definitely excited to look into getting more Murakami soon. If you have any personal faves - I'd love a recommendation. Thanks for stopping by Natalie!

>85 PaulCranswick: Follow-up Paul - my cousin is eager to read The Dictionary of Lost Words, so it looks like we have it slated to read the second half of November. Still love to have you join in the read, but understandable if you have more pressing books to get to on your list. :)

#39 - The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

A captivating memoir of a young girl growing up with her family - a family composed of a well-meaning but alcoholic and inconsistent father, a narcissistic mother, and siblings who are just trying their best to get somewhere in life. It is both moving and horrifying, some moments so perfectly juxtaposing to each other.
I saw a trailer for the 2017 film and remember wanting to watch, then found out about the book and wanted to read it first. The movie, I think was a fine film and well-done in its own right but a huge disappointment in comparison to the book and missed a lot of the nuance and meaning of the scenarios. I thought this was a well-written memoir and it moved in a way that I was often thinking of it and curious to see what happened next, but also very emotionally striking. If you enjoy memoirs, this is one I'd recommend.

Finished: 09/09/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read & Top 25

#40 - Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Set-up like a documentary of a 70's music band, this book follows an interview style of writing as the characters reflect on their time and history with the band. This is the first audiobook I've listened to in years as they tend to not work well with me, but this one is voiced by a whole cast that brings each character a unique voice and really lends to the documentary feel of the story.
I can't say I wanted to read this book as the subject matter didn't interest me, but I had a long 9-hr drive to my cousins for a short holiday and when I heard that the audiobook had a whole cast for its characters, I figured it might be interesting and I'd at least give it a try as it was one my cousin wanted to read as well. I enjoyed listening to it and it was an entertaining way to pass the long, monotonous drive, but I don't think it was anything super stand out. I'd recommend the audiobook as it gave the concept of the novel a little more realness and was entertaining, but I have a feeling I would not have liked reading the book all that much. I do think it'd make a great mockumentary type television show, as I genuinely wanted to hear the songs they were discussing, so perhaps there's something there, I just think the story comes more alive when not in just written form.

Finished: 09/09/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

>91 WhiteRaven.17: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was my first Murakami and probably is my favorite. Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is really well done, but also even more wacky and complicated than his other stuff.

>94 WhiteRaven.17: I just finished this one a few days ago too and I think our thoughts pretty much align. I did read the print version and noted in my review that I wished I had listened to it!

>76 WhiteRaven.17: I am glad that you ended up enjoying Kafka on the Shore, Kro. Murakami is one of my LT discoveries. I have read several of his books, including at least one nonfiction one.

>79 WhiteRaven.17: Already in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again!

>80 WhiteRaven.17: Nice haul! When are you going to be in Missouri? We have an annual meet up (10+ years now) right after Thanksgiving.

>88 WhiteRaven.17: That one is already in the BlackHole too. Have you tried Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor? I very much enjoyed it.

>93 WhiteRaven.17: Read that one years ago and liked it so much that I bought a copy for my personal library. It is well overdue for a re-read.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Kro!

>95 curioussquared: I have seen The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle pop up frequently with him and sounds interesting so I'll see about getting that as my second Murakami read. Hard Boiled Wonderland does sound like a rather odd and complicated story just on the description alone, though I will say the oddity of his subject matter in writing is part of what intrigues me so, thanks for the recs!

Yeah, I had read your review a little before I had posted mine and I've seen some other reviews, it seems to be a general consensus on that book. I will say I wish I would have had the song lyrics to reference occasionally like they have in the back of the physical-copy.

>96 alcottacre: I have a feeling I'll be going down a Murakami hole at some point now, very intriguing.

I just got back, my haul from that trip will be below. My family usually hosts Thanksgiving down there as well though, in the Kansas City area, so I'll probably be down again then. I'll have to keep an eye out for the details on that!

I read your review for The Housekeeper and the Professor and did immediately add it to my list, it sounds like something I'll quite enjoy.

It was a very good read, I'm curious if you read any of her other novels? I've been debating whether to add them to my list or not.

As always, thanks for stopping by Stasia and have a lovely weekend!

New Additions to My Library



Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata - Cousin Read
Banned Books by DK - Reference
The Vegetarian by Han Kang - Awarded
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - Self-Pick
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - Banned Book
Fox and I by Catherine Raven - Non-Fiction
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah - Cousin Read
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune - Cousin Read
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix - Cousin Read
The Black Arts by Richard Cavendish - Self-Pick

Went to the Kansas City area in Missouri to see my cousin, we spent a whole day going to local bookstores and a Barnes & Noble to pick up what we couldn't find elsewhere. Got quite a few off our lists, plus some extra, but still have a few for our October reading plans we'll have to order. Was quite the experience, in Minnesota all the local bookstores I've ever gone to are used bookstores with a small selection of new copies so I was expecting some cheaper shopping and not so many local shops with only new books. I'd just assumed all local bookstores traded in mostly used copies so that was a learning experience. It was a good little personal holiday.

>99 WhiteRaven.17: The only one of your haul that I've read is Born a Crime (which I snaffled from my son when I saw the book - which they were reading in school). We love watching his 'Daily Show' and his stand-up routines and I liked the book too.

>100 humouress: I've never actually seen his show, but I have seen all his stand-up specials so I'm curious to read his book and see if he's taken a similar or different approach to his writing. Perhaps I'll take the time to check out his show too if I have the time.

#41 - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Following Wallace, an older gentleman who finds his life cut short and a Reaper come to retrieve him from his own funeral, the story follows not only his grapple with the end of life but also a memorable group of individuals with various relations to the processes of death.
This story is touching, whimsical, humorous, dark - it somehow succeeds at being a little bit of everything all at once without feeling like everything all at once, which makes it a delightful read. I am disappointed I did not give myself more time to read this book than I did as I feel it's one to be enjoyed over a period of time, to allow parts of it to sit and settle before moving forward. This book also does a lovely job of having queer representation without it having to be the main focus or drive of the novel, which is immensely satisfying. I look forward to reading more from this author. This book has a fantastic cover and I recommend it, allow yourself some time with it as well.

Finished: 09/22/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

>102 WhiteRaven.17: Oh yay! I adore this one. Have you read The House in the Cerulean Sea?

>103 scaifea: It was great! I have not read that one yet, but it's on my cousin and I's list and I just picked up a copy of it the other day. After finishing Under the Whispering Door I'm very much looking forward to reading more by Klune.

#42 - Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo

Immediately placed into the world of Kim Jiyoung we follow Jiyoung's life from childhood to motherhood in this short and succinct read. It really is a quick little book that somehow covers a large frame of time and is interwoven with references to actual statistics to life for women living in South Korea. Personally, the story itself is not too memorable or anything that would make me love this book, but I don't think that's entirely necessary because I can acknowledge that the brevity and clearness in which this author tackles a rather large subject and notion is well done. The last paragraph of this book is beautifully reflective of the whole book and impactful in it's simplicity. It's a well executed novel and worth the read.

Finished: 09/28/2022
Category: Asian Book Challenge

Monthly Overview

This month was kind of a blur and I've been out of it this last couple weeks with a completely skewed sleeping cycle and an unusual tiredness. If not for the joint reads with my cousin - something to be held accountable for - I fear how empty this month would have looked reading wise. I have a lot on my plans for October though and hopefully I can get out of this funk I've been in and get back on track. Hopefully.

Favorite of the Month: Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

September Stats
Books Finished - 4
Pages Read - 824 (Audiobook not Included)
Hours Read - 31

October Plans
Asian Book Challenge - Indo China & Others
The Blue Sky by Galsang Tschinag
Arresting God in Kathmandu by Samrat Upadhyay
Bi-Weekly Reads with My Cousin
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez
What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher
The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix
Borrowed Books
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Nonfiction Selection
The Joy of Pain by Richard H. Smith
An Immense World by Ed Yong

>106 WhiteRaven.17: Sorry your sleep was not what it should be last month, Kro.
I hope for a better October for you!

Good luck getting out of your sleep funk and getting back on the reading track this month! Lack of sleep takes it out of you so badly.

>4 WhiteRaven.17: we have some crossovers with your intended readings. And, I am almost finished a Elif Shafak book - 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World - I also really enjoyed both On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous and The Vegetarian.

>80 WhiteRaven.17: gotta love some new edition additions!

>106 WhiteRaven.17: At least I am in good company because my reading last month went by in something of a blur too.

Hope you have a restful weekend, Kro. xx

>107 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita! So far still off schedule, but feeling more energetic and closer to getting back to normal.

>108 curioussquared: Thank you Natalie, I'm feeling good about my books this month and funnily enough it's that I've been overly exhausted and sleeping too much. I've always had sleep issues and average 3-5 hours a night, but for the last couple weeks I was barely managing to stay awake for that long. Lol.

>109 LovingLit: We certainly do, I'm always keeping up on your thread and there's definitely been some crossover of interests and reads. Hope you like that Shafak book better than I enjoyed mine.

>110 PaulCranswick: Glad I'm not the only one, September hardly feels like it happened at all.
Hope your weekend is well as well Paul. :)

>112 WhiteRaven.17: So far so good. Finished my morning at work and I have Monday off to celebrate the Prophet's birthday (I hope nobody asks me to buy candles!).

New Additions to My Library



Pachinko by Min Jin Lee - Cousin Read
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez - Cousin Read
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo - Awarded
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher - Cousin Read
Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov - Self-Pick
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - Cousin Read
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones - Noted from ? - Before I Was Organized
Heathen by Natasha Alterici - Cousin Read & Noted from Amber's (scaifea) Reads

Had to order a few of the books for what my cousin and I intend to read this month as they were not available in any stores when we went looking. May have accumulated a few extra's with those two...I couldn't just do an update with that few. Also, the last book, Heathen is actually a complete collection edition that has all 12 comics in one volume and the artwork looks amazing, excited to read that one and figured I wouldn't want to space them out.

#43 - Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A young adult, gothic horror that follows the young Noemi as she goes to visit her sickly cousin after some distressing updates and what follows is a twisted tale of a family and it's home.
I can definitely see why this book is liked as the writing is well done, the story intriguing, and the characters enriching. Despite all of this the story itself was predictable and there were moments that I found myself wishing it would 'get to it', but upon reflecting with my cousin in our discussion, this could be attributed to the audience it was geared at, trying to make it more accessible. Additionally, I was a tad disappointed because I was expecting a little more Mexican folklore or influence to the writing and story and instead read something that was decidedly English - taking place in an English household and environment; not that that was bad - just not what I had been expecting or looking forward to. Overall though, a good book and I think it serves its purpose as being an unsettling tale.

Finished: 10/06/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

>113 PaulCranswick: All sounds like a good deal and a setup to a nice, long weekend. I hope the celebrations are pleasant.

Looking forward to seeing what you think of the Kingfisher book. Every time I turn around, it seems, she has a new title out.

>113 PaulCranswick: Candles? Yes please; I could use them for my birthday cake tonight.

>114 WhiteRaven.17: Oooh, yay for Heathen! And I have Last Night at the Telegraph Club on my Read Very Soon list...

>117 humouress: 1,452 candles may be overkill for your bday cake!!

>117 humouress: That's the next one my cousin and I are reading so the wait won't be too long. I will say I went from never hearing of her to suddenly seeing her everywhere, so I'm very curious to finally read something by her.

>118 scaifea: Yes, I'm on a comic/manga kick this year it seems and that one looked too good to wait on! Last Night at the Telegraph Club does look interesting as was an on-the-whim buy while grocery shopping so hopefully that's a good random pick if it's on your list too. :)

>119 PaulCranswick: I'm not quite that old - despite what my kids might imply.

>120 WhiteRaven.17: Alrighty; waiting patiently.

>119 PaulCranswick: True, that would have been the age of the Prophet Muhammed!

>122 PaulCranswick: I would like to see a cake with that many candles, Paul. It would be quite the party/fire hazard!

>114 WhiteRaven.17: I have wanted to read Pachinko since forever ago :)

I've read and enjoyed Pachinko, Last Night at the Telegraph Club, and A Man Called Ove from your new additions :) I've only read one Kingfisher book but it left me hungry for more!

>123 LovingLit: I've seen it everywhere lately and would definitely like to read it, hopefully sooner rather than later.

>124 curioussquared: Well, seems I accumulated a good selection of new books in this most recent haul and have a lot of good reads to look forward to! :)

>5 WhiteRaven.17: Really interesting choices for your book club with your cousin.

Your cat is beautiful!

>126 libraryperilous: I'm glad you think so. It's been interesting, before we started, she was very much a YA reader and I read nonfiction and older classics so finding overlap and expanding each other's normal picks has been interesting and rewarding.

Thank you! I'm sure he would appreciate the compliment; he works hard to be a pretty boy. He literally steals dryer sheets to rub on himself to smell pretty. I also just recently rescued this cutie off the side of the road on the way home from work a little over a month ago. She was super sick and matted but is looking so much better and is such a pretty cat. Her name is Ayda.

>127 WhiteRaven.17: Oh my gosh, what a cute fluff! I'm also dying at the image of your other cat rubbing himself on dryer sheets. Hilarious.

>127 WhiteRaven.17: That is hilarious. Maybe he wants to have scented fur and reduce his static cling. He has posh fur. He must keep it that way. :)

Ayda is sooooo gorgeously fluffy, and that fur is such a pretty shade of cream. I'm glad she found you!

>127 WhiteRaven.17: Ayda is very cute and fluffy! I am glad you found her, Kro.

>128 curioussquared: Fluff indeed, she's like a little cloud. He's an odd one, though I've also never had a cat that smelled so good. Lol.

>129 libraryperilous: Indeed he does, dryer sheets are his go to but he loves any scented item. The only cat I know that will sit and close his eyes when someone sprays a perfume.
Ayda's coloring is very pretty - I'm personally obsessed with the little black stripe on her nose.

>130 FAMeulstee: Me too, Anita. She's been a pleasant and heart-warming surprise. :)

#44 - The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez

A collection of twelve short stories that are meant to be horrifying and timely tales of Argentina folklore and living - also shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.
The expectation for this book was very hyped, based on reviews and it's status, and I honestly don't even know where to start. This book is one of the worst books I've read all year and there is very little good I could honestly say about it. Some of the stories were decent and the ideas behind them intriguing, but felt they could have been done better. Overall the writing came off as immature and the moments that were meant to be "gruesome, grotesque, and/or horrifying" were instead moments that felt like a teenager trying to one up a friend or say something gross or outlandish just to be so. I read this book with my cousin, who also disliked it, and said "immature" was a very good way to describe it's writing and we looked up the author's age to maybe give the book some leeway and were greatly surprised to find it was not a work of a very young author. I will say it gave a few of the stories some more authenticity because the author very well captures the voice of a 'young preteen to teen', but that is all.
I'm usually very forgiving in my assessments of books and if you asked I could maybe offer a nicer take of this, but honestly I would not recommend this book to anyone.

Finished: 10/11/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

>132 WhiteRaven.17: Oof. Thanks for taking one for the team!

>133 curioussquared: Yeah, it was an unfortunate one. I've read a lot of great books lately so I suppose there had to be something to break those up.

#45 - What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher & The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

Starting, the short story by Poe is a quick foreboding tale of Roderick Usher and his dying sister Madeline Usher. It is a great example of Poe's style of work with short story horror and how to properly build and hold tension and release it before the story goes stale. It also made me realize I've always proclaimed to be a Poe fan, the collection of his work I own is one of the first books I ever bought myself back in elementary school, but I've read little of his expansive work and think I should try to correct that.

What Moves the Dead is a retelling of Poe's short story into the house of Usher and the landscape around it. Keeping the central characters of Roderick and Madeline Usher, along with our narrator there are additional characters added that all help bring the story together as they piece together why the wildlife is strange and what ails the lady of the house. A masterfully done retelling that embodies and acknowledges the original story while also making it something entirely new and enthralling. Kingfisher in her author's note makes reference to Mexican Gothic and says she almost didn't finish this book because of what had been done with fungus in that story, but personally, what Kingfisher did with it felt so much more authentic and unnerving and better done. As a bonus, the narrator of this story presents in a genderqueer way and is addressed as such that is wonderfully done - never detracting from the story but still aware and respectful of it. Both my cousin and I read this in one day and enjoyed it, very much recommend it and trying to read Poe's original first if you can. I look forward to reading more by Kingfisher.

Finished: 10/14/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

#46 - The Blue Sky by Galsan Tschinag

Thrust into the world of a young boy living his life in the steppes of Mongolia with his family, his dog, and the sheep they raise. It is an interesting look into a lifestyle that is probably unfamiliar to most in today's age and was written in a beautiful way. Often filled with regional and native words to the area that brought everything to life and built out the boy's world.
This is the first in a series of three books that are based on the author's own life and experience growing up in Mongolia and how this book ends makes me very curious to see how that life developed for him and those around him. It is a relatively quick and interesting read, a great piece of perspective on life in this world.

Finished: 10/17/2022
Category: Asian Book Challenge

#47 - The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

The book jumps into the world of Patricia Campbell, a housewife and mother of two, who is trying to keep a sense of normalcy and connection through a local book club of her and a few other gals where they start reading true crime novels. The distant danger of their book club's picks starts blurring into a closer reality when out-of-towner James Harris arrives.
This was an engagingly quick read despite it being a fairly decent length as I often would put the book down and find myself itching to read it again only 30 minutes later. Hendrix does a great job of writing almost cliché southern housewives while also making them engaging and unique and entertaining. I was worried I would not enjoy this book as I've read enough vampire fiction in my life it feels like and it's worn out to me, but the way that is handled in this book makes it more of a fun quirk to a "true crime" mystery. Also, being someone who reads a fair bit of true crime novels it was fun to read a book where I owned and have read half of the books referenced throughout the story. If you're looking for an entertaining read with a dark twist than I recommend this one.

Finished: 10/19/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

>137 WhiteRaven.17: I don't like gory books, so I don't think I'll read this. Hendrix's books always sound like a lot of fun if you aren't a total wimp like I am.

>137 WhiteRaven.17: Definitely one I liked! Hendrix’s stuff is great.

>138 libraryperilous: It's not for everyone, that's understandable. I will say I'm currently reading Horrorstor by Hendrix and so far it's more humourous parody and creepy - not really gory. I'm not finished with it so we'll see.

>139 drneutron: It really is, doing some themed reading this month and 3 of his books were on the list - if I have time this month I might get around to The Final Girl Support Group too that I bought early this year from your reads.

>137 WhiteRaven.17: Glad you liked this one too! I was impressed with how Hendrix balanced the humor and horror in his book. It was perfect for someone who can't do really explicit horror like me.

>141 curioussquared: Hendrix does a great job with that balance, he really was able to capture that classic Halloween "fun scary" feel that I don't think I've ever seen done in book form before.

>136 WhiteRaven.17: I think we are on roughly the same page with The Blue Sky, Kro.

>143 PaulCranswick: Yes, I believe so. It was nice to read a book by a Mongolian author as I had started listening to a Mongolian band a year or so ago, so it was a perfect overlap of interests and why I picked it out straight away from your Asian Book Challenge list.

#48 - Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee

Following a split narrative between high schoolers Theo and Gabriel, a sweet and simple story unfolds of how these two come together despite initial differences to help each other and learn more about themselves.
This was a quick e-book I had picked up earlier this year and between all the themed and heavier reading I had this month I started it as a nice break and refresher. It's a simple gay romance and young love story. The writing was good and I enjoyed it better than some other books I've read within this same genre or niche. If this type of story is your thing and you just want an easy, light-hearted read I'd say this one is pretty decent.

Finished: 10/24/2022
Category: Light Reads

Hmm, some of your picks are a little dark for me. Picking up Poe in elementary school ... I don't think I'll introduce you to my son - he's already a bit too gothic for my comfort ;0)

#49 - Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

Introduced right away with a splash of humor and parody this book is told through retail employee, Amy, and the unexpected overnight shift she has with a small group of her fellow employees as they discover there is more horror to their Ikea-esque store besides the regular horrors of working for a major retail chain.
This is the second book by Hendrix I have read and it sucked me in just as much as his last one. My cousin is an Ikea fan and picked this out because of the unique design of the book and idea behind it, we both went into it more for the parody and uniqueness of it rather than the story itself. Pleasantly surprising, the story and characters were great and Hendrix has a way of hooking you in, but it was also the creepiest and most uncomfortable book I've read in a long time. Usually in horror stories or others similar to that style, there's more a reaction to the fear of what will happen to the characters themselves or tension, but towards the second half of this book I myself had a general uneasy feeling. It also almost surprises me that this has not been turned into a movie as it feels like it'd translate to screen pretty well. I might be a Hendrix fan now and look forward to reading more by him.

Finished: 10/29/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

>146 humouress: Haha! Yeah, I also read my first Stephen King book in 3rd grade and was regularly reading Dean Koontz throughout 4th. I come from a family of horror readers as they were books passed from my grandmother, to my mother, and then to me. In 6th grade when everyone had to memorize a poem I chose The Raven, though I was only able to get as far as the first 6 stanzas - it's a long one. :D
It's definitively not everyone's cup of tea Nina, but for me that taste runs in the family.

Monthly Overview

Compared to September this month was a huge comeback in reading, though I think that was because my cousin and I decided to theme the month with horror stories and read way more books than our average two a month, so there was some shared expectation to finish the books for discussion. Hoping the next month is decent, despite travel plans for Thanksgiving.

Favorite of the Month: What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher

October Stats
Books Finished - 7
Pages Read - 1653
Hours Read - 45

November Plans
Asian Book Challenge
Arresting God in Kathmandu by Samrat Upadhyay
Bi-Weekly Reads with My Cousin
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
Borrowed Books
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Top 25 To-Read of 2022 List
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
The Joy of Pain by Richard H. Smith
Current Audiobook
An Immense World by Ed Yong

I have had this account for a long time but I now making a traditional post, so excuse me for a weird post. I unintentionally got into the Bill Hodges Trilogy by Stephen King after I found the last book at a thrift store and ended up buying the first two. I am now in the 2nd book and holy cow is this pure King material, which I love.
Did not plan a specific list for reading but I do want to get into the swing of things and make an actual list.

>150 jtheTman: I've heard of that trilogy, but can't say I've ever read it. I've only been able to get into and finish two books by King - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon & The Long Walk. Otherwise I tend to veer towards Dean Koontz and have read more of his work. Random thrift store book finds are sometimes the best.
I've found making a list, even if it's just a loose outline, of books you'd like to read can help. Good luck with that and starting your own thread, if that's what you choose to do.

#50 - The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Placed into a world where the classic slasher film "Final Girl"'s are a group of real women who know each other and continued their lives past what happened in the movies and what happens when old terrors are reopened.
This was the final Hendrix book my cousin and I read for October, and it was both of ours least favorite of the three. It has a slow beginning and an almost overabundance of characters and background characters that can become a little muddled at the start. It took me almost over halfway through to really start getting into the story and by the time it was really rolling and I was invested it was over and what I think was supposed to be a surprise twist at the ending was instead extremely predictable and what I had been expecting to happen. It wasn't bad and on it's own might have been better, but reading it after the other works by Hendrix made this one feel like a let down. The concept was interesting and it wasn't bad, but I think I'd recommend reading one of Hendrix's other books if you're only going to pick up one or see if you like his work.

Finished: 11/05/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

Just a "hi", Kro, as I avoid horror, and very thrilling reads. I have tried, but those are not my genre.

Of your november plans I have read three Convenience Store Woman, We Have Always Lived in the Castle and Little Fires Everywhere.
The Dictionary of Lost Words resides on MountTBR.

>153 FAMeulstee: Hello Anita, I appreciate the stop-by. I would say I'm not a huge thriller reader either and prefer more slow-burn and psychological stories or non-fiction true crime if I am going to read horror. This month really was an experiment in reading "horror thrillers" and while they were good, not a niche I think I'll seek out.

I am very excited to finally read Convenience Store Woman and I've heard mostly positive things about the other three so I'm hoping it'll shape up to a good month of reading.

>149 WhiteRaven.17: Ooh, you've got some great November plans! I love Shirley Jackson, and WHALitC doesn't disappoint, plus A Clockwork Orange is amazing.

>152 WhiteRaven.17: I've had my eye on this one...

>155 scaifea: I'm hoping it's a good month. This is my first of her work and I'm having difficulty getting into it, but I keep hearing good things so I'm hopeful. I've had A Clockwork Orange for ages now and I'm hoping this will finally be the month I actually get to it.

I'd probably recommend The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires over this one, but it wasn't bad and others seemed to enjoy it, so it may have just not been my particular cup of tea. Either way Hendrix is great and I hope you enjoy it if you get it.

I enjoyed Convenience Store Women when I read it -- I hope you do too! The Jackson is one I have been meaning to read for a long time.

>157 curioussquared: I quite enjoyed it and definitely want to read Murata's other books, waiting to discuss it with my cousin before I post my review. The Jackson was a random one I borrowed from my cousin when we swapped some books and I didn't realize it was so well-known and liked, so I'm glad I stumbled upon it.

#51 - Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Introduced to the logical, matter-of-fact mind of Keiko, we are brought into her world and thought patterns that have caused a rift between her and others around her. She's found a symbiotic relationship with a little convenience store and is happy in her ways, but is at odds to those around her.
I had been looking forward to reading this book since I first saw it mentioned and wrapped my cousin into reading it with me because I knew we would interpret the character and story differently - which we did - and have an interesting conversation because of it. My cousin found the ending sad and disappointing, seeing no character growth happen and that society and Keiko's family continued to treat her so poorly without realizing the harm or wrong they were doing. I, on the other-hand, found the ending happy and relaxing, having built up such a stressful situation and scenario and the relief of returning to what work's for Keiko's world as it was the happiest ending possible. We agreed, that both our interpretations are accurate and it was nice to discuss both sides. I wouldn't say I enjoyed this book, but I appreciate what it had to say and liked reading it. I've already picked up Murata's other book Earthlings because I want to read more by an author who can approach characters like Keiko in such a way that feels genuine.

Finished: 11/09/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

#52 - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Thrown in the world of Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood, the perspective unfolds of a family persecuted against from a whole town of outsiders, shuttered away from prying and cruel eyes. There's a tragic family event that occurred many years ago and since then their home is the only safe place, until a cousin comes poking around.
I had no idea how much of a classic this story was when I originally borrowed it and it was only knowing this that allowed me to finish this book. I struggled to get into this book and stayed on page 18 for over a month, just not taken in by the start. When I finally picked it up again and forced myself to continue I was drawn into the story and knowing the relationship between the remaining Blackwood's, then put off again by the conflict in the story. I enjoyed the ending and did like a good portion of it, but I am thankful the book is as short as it is otherwise I fear I would have struggled to ever continue or finish it. I can understand why this story is so well liked and conceptually it's a good book, but personally, I was more pleased to finally finish it than I was with the any part of the story. I'd say my feelings might be an outlier though.

Finished: 11/15/2022
Category: Borrowed Book

>159 WhiteRaven.17: >160 WhiteRaven.17: My thoughts on both books were similair to yours, Kro.
I hope to read Earthlings next year, and have no plans to read any other Shirley Jackson books.

>161 FAMeulstee: I'm glad there are shared sentiments Anita, I felt I'd come away pretty middling on two books I'd seen higher praise on. Same plans as well for Earthlings and Shirley Jackson's work.

Thank you as always for books, thank you for this group and thanks for you. Have a lovely day, Kro.

>149 WhiteRaven.17: Convenience Store Woman was also in my November plans, and I enjoyed it.

>163 PaulCranswick: Thank you very much Paul. You've been such a big part of making this group feel so welcoming and have influenced so many of my book purchases this year. Hope you are doing well.

>164 jonerthon: I think you rated it slightly higher than I, but it was a good read, and I am looking forward to reading more by Murata.

#53 - Anti-Romance: Vol. 1 by Hidaka Shouko

A very simple story following roommates Suou and Ryou as their relationship develops and crosses over what it once was. I picked this manga up on a whim while I was trying to find something else as the artwork looked intriguing, and it does have some beautiful color copies of cover artwork in the back. It seems a very classic BL storyline, but I did enjoy it more than others I have read and will pick up the second volume when it releases.

Finished: 11/16/2022
Category: Light Reads

#54-#59 - Sasaki and Miyano by Shou Harusono

This story follows high schoolers Miyano and Sasaki as they get to know each other and bond over sharing manga. This is a very sweet storyline that plays out over six volumes, with more to come. The artwork is pleasing and I had a hard time pacing myself through them as they are quick, light-hearted reads. For comparison, I think I liked this manga series more than the Heartstopper comics, for those who like a young, sweet, and queer storyline. There is also a well done anime adaptation for this series that I had watched and enjoyed before picking up the manga series. There are more volumes being written and I plan on keeping up, but the first six work well on their own for those that don't like ongoing series.

Finished: 11/22/2022 - 11/30/2022
Category: Light Reads

Monthly Overview

I had pretty good numbers this month and might get very close to reaching 75 yet this year because I've fallen into a sudden manga reading hole, wanting to read but enjoying some easy content to counteract real-life stressors.

Favorite of the Month: Sasaki and Miyano by Shou Harusono

November Stats
Books Finished - 11
Pages Read - 1878
Hours Read - 28

December Plans
Asian Book Challenge
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Bi-Weekly Reads with My Cousin
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Borrowed Books
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Top 25 To-Read of 2022 List
The Joy of Pain by Richard H. Smith
Current Audiobook
An Immense World by Ed Yong

#61 - The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

Centering on the world of Esme Nicholls in the early 1900's we are brought into a dreamy, magical vision of the Scriptorium from a child's eyes where words are sorted and stored and meticulously catalogued for the Oxford English Dictionary. We then see how this child's magical world of words is changed and influenced as she grows into a young woman at the height of the women's suffrage movement and leading into WWI, noting the words that may be overlooked by the men of the Oxford Dictionary.
This historical fiction novel does an excellent job of weaving in the true notes of history with fictitious character to create an experience that feels very real and intriguing. I read this book with my cousin and we both thought the beginning was a little slow going and takes a little while to get into, but it is a smooth read and can get a little emotionally charged through the second half. I'm not a huge historical fiction reader but I quite liked this book and found it a compelling piece and the notes the author writes at the end going over her research on the real writing of the Oxford English Dictionary was an interesting addition to have. Overall, I think this one is worthy of recommendation.

Finished: 12/01/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

New Additions to My Library



Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier - Self-Pick
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami - Recommendation from Natalie (curioussquared)
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips - Cousin Read
I Am a Cat by Soseki Natsume - Self-Pick
Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller - Self-Pick
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie - Self-Pick
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata - Self-Pick
My Policeman by Bethan Roberts - Self-Pick
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca - Self-Pick
Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan - Noted from Amber's (scaifea) Reads
All That She Carried by Tiya Miles - Audiobook

There was a really good Barnes & Noble sales promotion going on and I simply could not resist ordering some new books. I also ordered a whole selection of different manga's and I am officially starting to be in a bind of where to store my books. Hopefully I am satiated for the year.

>169 WhiteRaven.17: Your December plans look good, Kro.
I might add The Remains of the Day to my December list, if I my present list isn't enough to fill the month.

>171 WhiteRaven.17: Nice haul!
The Murakami book and Rushdie are on MountTBR, I will get to them some day.

Definitely a nice haul!

>165 WhiteRaven.17: That is lovely of you to say, Kro. xx

I will try to join you for On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous if I get chance.

>169 WhiteRaven.17: The Remains of the Day is one of my all-time favorites. I look forward to your thoughts!

>172 FAMeulstee: Thank you Anita. I'd be happy to share the read if it happens to fit into what I'm sure is a massive monthly list given your reading. :) I don't think I'll be getting to the Murakami or Rushdie anytime soon, but they are one step closer to being read at some point now.

>173 drneutron: Thank you, glad it looks like a good one Jim.

>174 PaulCranswick: Nothing but truth. xx And I would be happy if you end up joining in reading Vuong this month. I just started his book today.

>175 libraryperilous: I've been looking forward to reading it for some time now, so hearing more good praise for it is promising.

Apologies for such late responses. My reading has hit a serious bump as after nearly 3 years I was finally hit with Covid this past weekend. I slept for 26 hours straight and it's been a week and I'm still feeling it, though mostly it's just some strong vertigo and a cough that's left. Either way it's definitely put a wrench into my productivity for the month, hopefully I can still get around to all my planned books yet.

Ouch! I hope you’re feeling back to normal soon!

>179 drneutron: Thanks Jim!
I'm finally feeling fairly normal again. I had the weirdest side effect that messed with my sense of smell and made every book I opened smell sickening, that has thankfully finally passed and I've been able to pick up books again.

#63 - On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

This novel picks up and follows the life of a Vietnamese boy, weaving his life with the history and lives of his mother and grandmother. This is all done under the perception of writing a letter to his mother, who most likely would never be able to read it.
Lyrical and poignant this book was a journey to read and easy to get wrapped up in. There is an openness portrayed in this novel that is both starkly harsh and beautifully captivating. At time's Vuong manages to write in a poetic way that both captures an emotive moment and makes a point. I found myself often stopping to take note of certain quotes at points and I think I can easily pass along a recommendation for this work.

Finished: 12/15/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

#64 - Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Set up in the picture perfect community of Shaker Heights this novel follows two juxtaposing families as their lives become deeply intertwined.
I will credit Celeste Ng that she has a quality of writing that makes her work easy to digest and clear, but the actual story itself and how it flowed seemed a little off to me. I think it had great plot points and an entertaining story to tell, but how they aligned or were focused on made everything feel a little disjointed and as if the ending had been written before knowing how it was supposed to end. I think I'd be willing to give one of her other books a try at some point as I think there's potential there for me to really enjoy her work, but this one fell a bit middling.

Finished: 12/22/2022
Category: Borrowed Book

Happy Christmas Eve, Kro! I keep waffling about reading >181 WhiteRaven.17: because I heard there is a disturbing scene of animal torture. Curious what you thought of it? I'm not really squeamish but don't love that kind of stuff.

>182 WhiteRaven.17: I read and enjoyed this one but didn't absolutely love it, maybe for reasons you outlined.

>183 curioussquared: You as well! Hope you enjoy your holidays Natalie!

As for Vuong's book I will say I'm not a huge fan of those kind of scenes either - animal torture is the one thing that really gets me - and it was a bit to stomach through, I actually forgot about it because I'd just immediately tried to block it out again. I read this with my cousin and she said she kind of skimmed and skipped over those sections because it was too much for her. So yes, warning for that and I can get why Vuong included it, but it doesn't detract or ruin the book if you skip over those sections either.

Yeah, it definitely was entertaining but had some focus issues. I've seen others say they enjoyed her other books more so I'll be curious to give one of them a go.

Malaysia's branch of the 75er's wishes you and yours a happy holiday season, Kro.

>185 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul, to you and yours as well. :)

>184 WhiteRaven.17: That's good to know -- thank you!

#65 - An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong

Breaking down chapters to cover the wide array of sensory experiences, from scent and sight to echolocation and electromagnetism. Describing the variety in which these senses both differ and equate in species the world over - humans included.
Yong does an excellent job of going through the scientific understanding and study of these occurrences while keeping it entertaining and easy to follow. I listened to the audiobook of this book as read by Yong himself and I easily recommend it as he was an engaging narrator of his work and being able to listen and envision or comparatively think about how our senses and those around us work without engaging them in reading made for a pleasurable practice. If you at all like curious and interesting animal facts or learning about how our world is interpreted and perceived than I readily recommend this work.

Finished: 12/27/22
Category: Nonfiction Audiobook

#66 - Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Mostly following the elder Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, this classic novel portrays their forays into attractions and engagements.
I feel I don't need to describe what this book is about too much as Austen is a lauded author - from what I've seen and heard - and yet, regretfully must admit that having finally finished one Austen I am doubtful to when I will ever attempt another. I simply think that old English romances are not for me, I found the majority of the book an incredibly slow and tedious read and -spoilers ahead- I didn't even pick up on what was supposed to be the main romance of the story between Elinor and Edward until halfway through the book, completely oblivious to it actually being a thing and not just contrived by her sisters and mother to an annoying extent.
I read this book with my cousin who finished three of Austen's books this year and quite liked all of them, she said she was thoroughly engaged in the whole "will they, won't they" of the main romance from the beginning whereas I was convinced of its nonexistence and didn't realize that it was the point of the story until discussing the book with my cousin. I believe my lack of skill in being able to pick up on social cues makes the subtleness of old English romances much too subtle for my being able to enjoy them.

Finished: 12/31/2022
Category: Joint Cousin Read

Monthly & Yearly Overview

Definitely slacked this month between being struck with Covid for the first half and short on time the second half. Overall though I could not be more pleased with how I am closing out the year. In 2021 I think I may have read five books max and not particularly long or hard ones either so having finished my first book of the year in April and followed it up with a total of sixty-six is quite unreal.

Favorite of the Month: An Immense World by Ed Yong

Top Five of the Year:
1 - The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obrecht
2 - What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
3 - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
4 - The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
5 - Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Stats:
Books Read in 2022: 66
Books Purchased in 2022: 167

I unfortunately do not have much for stats as I started late in the year and did not track things as much as I would have liked, unsure if I would even uphold or commit to my return to reading. I am incredibly grateful for how wonderful and welcoming this group is for giving me a place to return to and a reason to more wholly commit to reading. I look forward to starting the new year.

>189 WhiteRaven.17: fwiw, S&S is her saddest novel. It's a tragedy that these two vibrant girls get stuck with such dud romances. I will go to my grave complaining about this. Put it on my tombstone: "She died thinking the Dashwood sisters married poorly." Her other books are sharper social comedies of manners.

>188 WhiteRaven.17: I have this on my shelf and hope to get to it soonish.

Happy new year!

>191 libraryperilous: Haha! Well I feel better about my poor feelings towards it then, I was so disappointed when I got to the end and realized who they were going to end up with. My cousin did mention I might like her other books better, so perhaps this was just the wrong pick to introduce myself to Austen with.

Oh, I do hope you enjoy it when you get to it! Happy new year!