January Stats

Books Read:  17

Pages Read:  4,229

1 Star:  0

2 Stars:  0

3 Stars:  4

4 Stars:  7

5 Stars:  6

Favorite Book of the Month:

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

It was hard to choose a favorite. I read a lot of amazing books in January. I am very proud of my reading for the month. I made good progress on a lot of my challenges, and I was able to read more then I wanted. 

Goals Progress:

Goodreads Challenge:  I am 7 books ahead of schedule, so I'm feeling great about this one. 17/125

Newbery Award Winners:  My goals is to read one a month, and I was able to finish Onion John. 1/12

Book Club:  Yes, I read my book club book. It was the Fredrik Backman book. 1/10

Pioneer Book Challenge:  This has been a fun challenge to do with my friends, and because we talk about it, I've been more motivated. I was able to read 5 books for the prompts. 5/40

POPSUGAR Challenge:  My friends and I are also doing this challenge together. 7/40

Color Coded Reading Challenge: I read a white cover, blue cover, and purple cover. I could probably count more, but I'm trying to find covers that are predominately that color. 3/9

Read it Again, Sam:  I only managed to re-read one book, but I am still on track. 1/12

I hope you had a great reading month!

Good luck with your goals, don't give up!

Happy reading!

Top Ten Tuesday

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Top Ten Books I Plan to Read for My Reading Challenges

Today is a freebie, and I usually don't participate in freebies because I usually can't think of anything. I need prompts! But this week I wanted to share some of the books I have planned for my reading challenges. I'll mostly be focusing on the Pioneer Book Challenge and the POPSUGAR Challenge. 

As always, thank you for stopping by!

The world is a better place because of you!

Happy reading!

The Gospel at 30,000 Feet

Title:  The Gospel at 30,000 Feet

Author:  Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Publisher:  Deseret Book

Date Published:  January 1, 2017

Genre:  Religion, Non-Fiction, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Christian

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-  Dieter F. Uchtdorf is a general authority in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has a deep passion for flying and served as a pilot for most of his life. He flew with the German military and a German airline. This book focuses on the parallels between principles of flying and principles of the gospel. 

-  Elder Uchtdorf is one of my favorite speakers during general conference. I have always loved his stories about flight and airplanes, and I love the way he ties them to life experiences. This was a delightful book that combined many of his stories in one place. 

-  The book was uplifting and helped me visualize things in a new way. I couldn't relate to everything he was saying, but I enjoyed it. 

-  The book is full of Elder Uchtdorf's charm, wit, and wisdom. It was a joy to read, and I loved the pictures from his piloting days.

My Thoughts in a GIF:

In or Out Tag

My friend, Suey did this tag on her YouTube channel, and I thought it looked like fun, so here we go!

1. Reading the Last Page First - OUT! Don't do it!!

2. Enemies to Lovers - In

3. Dream Sequences - In, if they are done right

4. Love Triangles - Depends

5. Cracked Spines - OUT! Why would you do this!?

6. Back to My Small Town - In

7. Monsters Are Regular People - I'm not sure what this means, but sure, in.

8. No Paragraph Breaks - Out, I like them.

9. Multi-Generational Sagas - I'm torn on this. I usually don't like these books, but maybe I haven't found the right one for me. I don't know.

10. Re-Reading - IN! Yes! I love revisiting old friends.

11. Artificial Intelligence - Sure, in

12. Drop Caps - What? I don't know. Maybe?

13. Happy Endings - Duh! In!

14. Plot Points That Only Converge At the End - In

15. Detailed Magic Systems - In, but not TOO detailed

16. Classic Fantasy Races - IN!

17. Unreliable Narrators - IN!

18. Evil Protagonists - I'm with Suey on this one, I need someone to cheer for. I enjoy sympathetic antagonists, but I'm not sure if I want an evil protagonist, so out.

19. The Chosen One - Sure, why not?

20. When the Protagonist Dies - In

21. Really Long Chapters - How long? Are there paragraph breaks? Maybe

22. French Flaps - I honestly don't care

23. Deckled Edges - Out! I hate these

24. Signed Copies by the Author - IN! I love meeting authors and getting my books signed.

25. Dog-Earing Pages - OUT!! If you want to do it to your own books, fine! But don't do it to other people's books!!!!

26. Chapter Titles Instead of Numbers - I like when there is both.

Let me know which ones you agree and/or disagree with me on.

If you want to play along, consider yourself tagged.

Raven and Beast Boy

Title:  Teen Titans: Raven and Teen Titans: Beast Boy

Author:  Kami Garcia

Illustrator:  Gabriel Picolo

Series:  Teen Titans

Publisher:  DC Ink

Date Published:  July 2, 2019 and September 1, 2020

Genre:  Graphic Novel, Young Adult, DC Comics

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-  I love the early 2000s Teen Titans show. I used to watch it with my sister, and later my daughter got really into it. We own all the seasons and watch them, so I was really excited when I saw these graphic novels.

-  The author and illustrator are re-imagining the Teen Titan characters and giving them new origin stories. Raven's was really interesting because she doesn't know who she is or what her powers are. It was a shock when she finds out who her dad is. Beast Boy slowly discovers his powers, but he isn't fully in control. I like how both characters are just trying to live normal teenage lives. Their stories reminded me of the Ms. Marvel show.

-  I enjoyed these enough to continue the series. I don't know how many there will be, but the fourth one is coming out this year, and it is about Robin. 

-  The illustrations were great. I felt like I was reading a comic book. I think the character designs were spot on. I wonder if Beast Boy will turn green eventually.

-  Even though, this is different from what I'm used to. I'm enjoying the new take on some old friends. I feel like there is enough nostalgia, but it is still unique and interesting.

My Thoughts in a GIF:

Top Ten Tuesday

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Top Ten Twelve New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2022

I love discovering new authors! Great prompt! I tried to pick authors that I would definitely read again.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a beautiful day!

Happy reading!

More Challenges

Thank you Cindy! She was able to point me in the direction of a re-read challenge. The host, My Reader's Block, is also doing a Color Coded challenge, and it sounded fun, so I signed up for both. I'm crazy like that.

Color Coded Reading Challenge:

1.    A book with a "Blue" or any shade of Blue in the title/on the cover.

2.    A book with a "Red" or any shade of Red in the title/on the cover.

3.    A book with a "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow in the title/on the cover.

4.    A book with a "Green" or any shade of Green in the title/on the cover.

5.    A book with a "Brown" or any shade of Brown in the title/on the cover.

6.    A book with a "Black" or any shade of Black in the title/on the cover.

7.    A book with a "White" or any shade of White in the title/on the cover.

8.    A book with any other color in the title/ on the cover (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, etc.)

9.    A Book with a word/image that implies color in the title/on the cover (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Shadow, Paint, Ink, etc.)

Read it Again, Sam:

I signed up for the A Trip Down Memory Lane tier, so I need to re-read 12 books this year. 

1. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
3. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
5. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
6. The Silence of Bones by June Hur
7. 
   

Top Ten Tuesday

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Top Ten Six Bookish Goals for 2023

I already made a 2023 goals post, but I guess it doesn't hurt to list them all again.

Goodreads Challenge:  I want to read 125 books.

Newbery Books:  My overall goal is read them all. This year my goal is to read one a  month, so 12 for the year.

Book Club:  I want to read 10 out of the 12 books for book club this year.

Pioneer Book Challenge:  My local used bookstore hosts this challenge every year, and my friends and I have joined this year. 

POPSUGAR Reading Challenge:  Yes, I'm participating. I have never completed this challenge, but this is my year!

Re-read Challenge:  I have looked everywhere for a re-read challenge. I'm thinking of hosting my own. If you know of one, please let me know! 

Ranger's Apprentice: The Early Years

Title:  The Tournament at Gorlan and The Battle of Hackham Heath

Author:  John Flanagan

Publisher:  Philomel Books

Date Published:  October 6, 2015 and November 29, 2016

Genre:  Fantasy, Adventure

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-  I love the Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband books. They are some of my favorite stories and characters in all of literature. I was really excited when the author wrote some books about Halt and Crowley in the their younger years. 

-  Morgarath has been plotting to take over the kingdom. He has already convinced the king to banish his son, Prince Duncan. He has removed almost all of the Rangers and replaced them with his own people, and he is trying to win over the majority of the barons. Halt and Crowley decide to team up and recruit some of the disbanded Rangers to take down Morgarath. They are also trying to find Prince Duncan, so they can prove his innocence and frame Morgarath for treason. 

-  I loved these books. I loved getting to know Crowley more, and I was excited to read more about Halt. I may or may not have a thing for him. I loved meeting old friends and gaining new ones. It was fun to see Crowley step into his role as leader of the Rangers.

-  I am sad the author has only written two books for this series. I think there were plans to do more, but he is currently writing the Royal Ranger series. I need to read those.

-  Flanagan's humor is the best! I love the bantering between characters and the way they tease each other. I caught some serious giggles when Halt first met Lady Pauline. 

-  If you love adventure, stealth, tournaments, battles, clever bantering, highly skilled archers, and/or Australian authors, this is the book the for you! I highly recommend anything by John Flanagan, but I would start with Ranger's Apprentice.

My Thoughts in a GIF:

Book Love

Title:  Book Love

Author:  Debbie Tung

Publisher:  Andrews McMeel Publishing

Date Published:  January 1, 2019

Genre:  Graphic Novel, Humor

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    I have wanted to read a Debbie Tung book for SO long, but I have had a hard time finding a physical copy. I finally decided to just get this book on Libby and read it off my phone. I'm so glad I did!

-    Book Love is a series of comics strips dedicated to readers and all things books. I laughed so hard at a lot of the pages, and some of them really spoke to my soul. This is a must read for bookish people. 

-    This book made me feel so seen. It is good to know I have something in common with so many people.

-    I wanted to share one of my favorites:

My Thoughts in a GIF: