Category: Wrap Ups

Wrap Ups January 10, 2019January 3, 2019

My 2018 in Books

: via Giphy

Happy 2019 everyone! I’m jumping on the 2018 stats post bandwagon today mostly because I love reading stats. Do you track your reading stats? I would love to get more detailed info on my reading so please let me know how to do it below.

I set a goal of 100 books at the start of the year and read 110 which is pretty good. It’s a lot of books to talk about in a single post though so I’m just going to list them at the bottom and share my top and bottom 5 books and some stats. I LOVE stats!!! Bring on the charts!

Stats from Goodreads

(some books are missing because I don’t set them to read until after I review them)

Started the year with a 3 star review and ended with a 3 star review. What does that say about my reading year…

Format

Print – 14 books
eBook – 36 books
Audiobook – 60 books

Ownership

Own – 51 books
Borrow: Scribd – 41 books
Borrow: Library – 10 books
Borrow: NetGalley – 8 books

Top 3 Authors

Kresley Cole – 10 books
Seanan McGuire – 10 books
Laurell K. Hamilton – 8 books

Male vs Female Authors

Female – 86 books
Male – 21 books
N/A – 3 books

Top 5 Books

Bottom 5 Books

Manfried the Man by Caitlin Major ★★☆☆☆
RoomHate by Penelope Ward ★★☆☆☆
Nightlife by Rob Thurman ★★☆☆☆
Devil to Pay by Jeaniene Frost ★★☆☆☆
Dad Jokes? I Think You Mean Rad Jokes! by Elias Hill ★★☆☆☆

The list is arranged as book title, author, date finished, genre, format, rating.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawernce – January 2nd, Classics, Paperback ★★★★☆
Sunglasses After Dark by Nancy A. Collins – January 12th, Urban Fantasy, eBook ★★★☆☆
Red Rising by Pierce Brown – January 16th, YA Dystopia, Audiobook ★★★☆☆
Uprooted by Naomi Novik – January 25th, Fantasy, Paperback ★★★★★
Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire – January 27th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Nightlife by Rob Thurman – January 28th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★☆☆☆
MacRieve by Kresley Cole – January 28th, Paranormal Romance, eBook ★★★★☆
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander – February 7th, Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★★
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor – February 15th, Science Fiction, Audiobook ★★★☆☆
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – February 17th, Nonfiction, Audiobook ★★★★★
Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou – February 17th, Memoir, Audiobook ★★★★★
Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire – February 17th, YA Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Dark Skye by Kresley Cole – February 19th, Paranormal Romance, eBook ★★★★☆
The Hound of Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle – February 21t, Classic Mystery, Audiobook ★★★★☆
An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde – February 21st, Classic Play, Audiobook ★★★★☆
The Head That Wears a Crown: Speeches for Royal Men by William Shakespeare – February 25th, Classic Play, Audiobook ★★★★☆
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones – February 25th, Literary, Audiobook ★★★★☆
The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole – Paranormal Romance, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Black Friday by Karen Chance – February 26th, Urban Fantasy, Online Short Story ★★★★☆
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett – February 26th, Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Tempt the Stars by Karen Chance – March 3rd, Urban Fantasy, eBook ★★★★★
Wild Fire by Christine Feehan – March 4th, Paranormal Romance, eBook ★★★☆☆
Salomé by Oscar Wilde – March 5th, Classic Play, Audiobook ★★★★☆
She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith – March 5th, Classic Play, Audiobook ★★★★★
A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire – March 5th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★★
An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire – March 6th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★★
Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire – March 7th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★★
One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire – March 8th, Urban Fantasy ★★★★★
Mammy Walsh’s A-Z of the Walsh Family by Marian Keyes – March 10th, Humour, Audiobook ★★★★★
Herding Cats by Sarah Anderson – March 14th, Comic Humour, eBook ★★★★★
Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire – March 17th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★★
Tall, Dark & Hungry by Lynsay Sands – March 18th, Paranormal Romance ★★★☆☆
Asking For It by Louise O’Neill – March 27th, YA Contemporary, Paperback ★★★★★
The Happy Pear: Recipes for Happiness by David & Stephen Flynn – April 4th, Cook Book, Hardback ★★★★★
Room Hate by Penelope Ward – April 4th, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook ★★★☆☆
Wicked Cravings by Suzanne Wright – April 5th, Paranormal Romance, eBook ★★★★☆
Dad Jokes? I Think You Mean Rad Jokes by Elias Hill – April 5th, Comic Humour, eBooks ★★★☆☆
Vegan 100 by Gaz Oakley – April 10th, Cook Book, eBook ★★★★★
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal – April 10th, Contemporary, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Manfried the Man by Caitlin Major – April 11th, Comic Humour, eBook ★★☆☆☆
Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire – April 11th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Braving the Elements by K.F. Breene – April 13th, Paranormal Romance, eBook ★★★☆☆
Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell – April 13, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Veggie Burger Atelier by Nina Olsson – April 15th, Cook Book, eBook ★★★★★
On the Edge by Ilona Andrews – April 18th, Paranormal Romance, eBook ★★★★☆
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon – April 28th, Comic Urban Fantasy, Paperback ★★★★☆
Little Moments of Love by Catana Chetwynd – May 7th, Comic Humour, eBook ★★★★★
My Lady’s Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel by Kitty Curran – May 7th, Historical Romance, eBook ★★★★☆
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do… But You Could’ve Done Better by Hilary Campbell – May 7th, Comic Nonfiction, eBook ★★★☆☆
Rockabilly/Psychobilly: An Art Anthology by Jamie Kendall – May 8th, Art, eBook ★★★★★
Afterburn & Aftershock by Sylvia Day – June 4th, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare – June 4th, Historical Romance, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews – June 4th, Paranormal Romance, eBook ★★★★☆
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne – June 4th, Contemporary Romance, eBook ★★★★★
Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare – June 4th, Historical Romance, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Falling for a Dancer by Deirdre Purcell – June 17th, Historical, Paperback ★★★★★
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie – June 17th, Self Help, Audiobook ★★★★☆
The Virgin and the Gypsy and Other Stories by D.H. Lawrence – June 17th, Classic Short Stories, Hardcover ★★★☆☆
Nadiya’s Family Favourites by Nadiya Hussain – June 24th, Cook Book, Hardcover ★★★★★
Only for the Weekend by Ella Sheridan – June 29th, Erotica, eBook ★★★☆☆
Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton – July 7th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★☆
The Love Story of W.B. Yeats and Maud Gonne by Margery Brady – July 9th, Nonfiction, Hardcover ★★★★☆
The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton – July 17th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★★
Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton – July 18th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★☆
The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton – July 18th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★★
Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton – July 19th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★☆
The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton – July 25th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★☆
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene – July 26th, Classics, eBook ★★★★☆
Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton – July 29th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★☆☆
Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton – August 1st, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★☆☆
The Professional by Kresley Cole – August 2nd, Erotica, eBook ★★★★☆
The Second Sex (extracts) by Simone de Beauvoir – August 2nd, Feminism, Paperback ★★★★☆
Sweet Ruin by Kresley Cole – August 5th, Paranormal Romance, eBook ★★★★☆
Lover’s Knot by Karen Chance – August 6th, Urban Fantasy, eBook ★★★★★
Shadow’s Bane by Karen Chance – August 13th, Urban Fantasy, eBook ★★★★★
Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews – August 17th. Science Fiction, eBook ★★★★★
One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews – August 19th, Science Fiction, eBook ★★★★★
Devil to Pay by Jeaniene Frost – August 20th, Urban Fantasy, eBook ★★☆☆☆
Shadow’s Seduction by Kresley Cole – August 28th, Paranormal Romance, eBook ★★★★☆
Shadowed Souls by Jim Butcher – August 31st, Urban Fantasy, eBook ★★★★☆
The Matchmaker’s Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken – September 1st, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook ★★★☆☆
The Princess Bride by William Goldman – September 4th, Fantasy, Paperback ★★★☆☆
Dragon’s Claw by Karen Chance – September 27th, Urban Fantasy, eBook ★★★★★
The Price of Pleasure by Kresley Cole – October 10th, Historical Romance, eBook ★★★★☆
I Am Heathcliff by Kate Mosse – October 11th, Short Stories, Audiobook ★★★★★
How Not To Be a Boy by Robert Webb – October 18th, Memoir, Audiobook ★★★★★
A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde – October 26th, Classic Play, Audiobook ★★★☆☆
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell – October 31st, Classic Romance, Paperback ★★★★☆
Red Queen by Elizabeth Aveyard – November 3rd, YA Dystopia, eBook ★★★★☆
When a Scot Ties the Know by Tessa Dare – November 4th, Historical Romance, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare – November 4th, Historical Romance, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Poison Princess by Kresley Cole – November 7th, YA Dystopia, eBook ★★★★☆
Racing Hearts: First Heat by Ruth Gowan – November 9th, Contemporary Romance, eBook ★★★☆☆
Endless Knight by Kresley Cole – November 9th, YA Dystopia, eBook ★★★★★
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik – November 10th, Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★☆☆
Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole – November 12th, YA Dystopia, eBook ★★★★★
A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare – November 14th, Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★☆☆
Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire – November 20th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★★
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – November 24th, Classic, Audiobook ★★★☆☆
The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire – November 25th, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook ★★★★★
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard – November 29th, YA Dystopia, eBook ★★★☆☆
Once Upon a Christmas Eve by Elizabeth Hoyt – November 29th, Historical Romance, Audiobook ★★★★☆
The Bite Before Christmas by Lynsay Sands & Jeaniene Frost – November 26th, Paranormal Romance, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb – November 30th, Historical Fiction, Audiobook ★★★★★
I Thee Wed by Amanda Quick – December 1st, Historical Romance, Mystery, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Wicked Widow by Amanda Quick – December 2nd, Historical Romance, Mystery, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Voyeur by Fiona Cole – December 3rd, Contemporary Romance, eBook ★★★☆☆
Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood – December 13th, Cosy Mystery, Historical, Audiobook ★★★☆☆
Murphy’s Law by Rhys Bowen – December 15th, Cosy Mystery, Historical, Audiobook ★★★★☆
Death of Riley by Rhys Bowen – December 21st, Cosy Mystery, Historical, Audiobook ★★★★☆

How was your reading year?

I used Online Chart Tool to create my graphs

Wrap Ups January 7, 2019January 7, 2019

December Wrap Up

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.”
― Laura Ingalls Wilder

I had such a wonderful December filled with family, friends and LOTS of delicious food. I’m pretty sad I no longer have an excuse to add the auld drop of Baileys to my coffee but it’s time to get back to normal now anyway.

How was your holiday season?

With all the family fun I got very little reading done and what I did read were mostly audiobooks.

I’m still slowly reading The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (since November) I’m enjoying it but I hope to finish it up in January.

eBooks

Voyeur by Fiona Cole ★★★★☆

Contemporary Romance, Erotica

I think 3.5 stars for this one. Voyeur follows Oaklyn and Callum who are college student and teacher. Oaklyn is desperate for a job in order to pay for college and on the advice of a friend gets a job in Voyeur, a club where clients can watch people having sex and/or masturbating. Unbeknownst to Oaklyn, her new teacher Callum is a regular of the club. Callum has some issues that make a normal relationship very difficult and becomes slightly obsessed with Oaklyn… or infatuated if you want to be a bit nicer. I actually really enjoyed this story but it dragged a bit.

Audiobooks

I Thee Wed (Vanza #2) by Amanda Quick ★★★★☆

Historical Romance, Mystery

My first Amanda Quick book and I am now a fan. I didn’t realise this would have a mystery in it (suits me perfectly since I’m doing Cloak and Dagger Christmas). I love when historical romances have a mystery in them as well.

This book follows Emma and Edison who are attending an event in a country house. Emma is a lady’s companion at the party when circumstances lead her to being assistant to Edison in his investigations for a book of arcane potions he believes was stolen by one of the guests.

Wicked Widow (Vanza #3) by Amanda Quick ★★★★★

Historical Romance, Mystery

Loved this one! Here we follow Madeline and Artemis who are being plagued by the apparent ghost of Madeline’s husband. The husband everyone believes she murdered. The ghost wrecks havoc with Artemis’s plans for revenge on the men responsible for the death of his lover so the two team up to discover who the ghost is and what he’s after.

Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher #1) by Kerry Greenwood ★★★★☆

Historical, Cosy Mystery

I thought I would enjoy this more since I really like the TV show but there’s something about Phryne in this that annoys me. She’s a little bit of a Mary-Sue… The woman can do anything including dance like a professional, have the perfect body and solve crimes. It was a bit much but still enjoyable. I’ll keep going with the series and see if Phryne calms down a bit.

Murphy’s Law (Molly Murphy Mysteries #1) by Rhys Bowen ★★★★☆

Historical, Cosy Mystery

This was really enjoyable even if it was a bit unrealistic. That’s totally fine for a cosy mystery though. It should be more enjoyable and fun to read than gritty and real.

Here we follow Molly Murphy in 1901 making her way from Ireland to New York. When she arrives she gets entangled in a murder on Ellis Island and must clear her name and the name of her friend. The reason I found it a bit unrealistic is because Molly is very independent and has very trouble running around New York investigating a murder by herself.

I really loved the language in the book. It’s the best Irish dialogue written from a non-Irish person I’ve read.

Death of Riley (Molly Murphy Mysteries #2) by Rhys Bowen ★★★★☆

Historical, Cosy Mystery

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first but it was still very good. In this one Molly gets a job working for a private investigator but he ends up murdered and she sets herself the task of finding out who done it

So that was it for December. I was in a tizzy over what book to bring to my parents for Christmas week and in the end I had no time to read anyway!

I’ll hopefully read a bit more in January. What was your favourite read in December?

BookTube, Wrap Ups December 5, 2018December 3, 2018

November Wrap Up

I mentioned in my November TBR that I wanted to read more fantasy this month and I definitely managed it. I barely read anything else! I read Poison Princess for the group read in My Vampire Book Obsession and got totally sucked into the world and devoured the next two books as well. I’m trying to pace myself now and wait till closer to the release of the final book in the series next year.

Nonfiction November was happening this month too but I didn’t manage to read anything for it. I very much enjoyed my little fantasy binge though.

Audiobooks

Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare ★★★★☆

Historical Romance

Very enjoyable historical romance with a mystery thrown in for good measure. The story follows Charlotte (who has crossed over from Dare’s Spindle Cove series to Castles Ever After) who attempts to warn Piers (who has crossed over from Dare’s Castles Ever After series to Spindle Cove) of her mother’s scheming ways but instead they end up entangled in a scandal and a mystery.

A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare ★★★☆☆

Historical Romance

This is the first book in Dare’s Spindle Cove series and it’s a bit lacking. It’s not as well written as her later books but works fine as an intro. The story follows Susanna who essentially runs a safe haven for women who are sick of society or don’t blend well into it and Victor who finds himself saddled with a position in the area.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik ★★★☆☆

Fantasy

I had super high expectations for this one that it didn’t quite meet but it was still a very good book. It’s a retelling of the Rumplestiltskin tale but with a lot more going on. My main issue with this was the number of points of view. There were a few occasions where I wasn’t sure who was speaking and it took me out of the story for a bit while I figured it out. The story closely follows Miryem who is a money lenders daughter that gains a reputation of being able to turn silver into gold which attracts the attention of this fairy being and Irina who’s father is scheming to marry her off to a tsar who isn’t quite what he seems.

Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire ★★★★★

Urban Fantasy

This is the 7th book in McGuire’s October Daye series and it was fantastic! This book follows Toby trying to deal with the goblin fruit problem when she receives a serious amount of backlash from the Queen of the Mists. One of my favourite things in this book is the mystical library they visit to do research. Magical libraries are the best!

The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire ★★★★★

Urban Fantasy

Fantastic again! This book picks up some plot points from the first book and expands on them. I can’t really mention what happens in it without spoiling so much of the series but it’s great!

The Bite Before Christmas by Lynsay Sands ★★★★☆

Paranormal Romance, Short Story

I actually only read the first story The Gift by Lynsay Sands from this because the story from Jeaniene Frost that’s included is ahead of where I am in the Night Huntress series. The Gift is a sweet fluffy kind of story following vampire Katricia and chief of police Teddy. They both get snowed in over Christmas while staying in a mountain cabin.

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb ★★★★★

Historical Fiction

This was fabulous. It’s an epistolary novel consisting of letters and telegrams between friends and lovers during World War 1. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking and made me shed a few tears at the end. I just loved it. The story focuses mainly on the romance between Evie and Thomas. Thomas has gone off to fight while Evie stays home and writes a column about the war from a woman’s perspective.

Once Upon a Christmas by Elizabeth Hoyt ★★★★☆

Historical Romance, Short Story

This is another fun fluffy read for Christmas. Adam Rutledge is travelling with Grandmother to the country for Christmas when their carriage breaks down and they are stranded in the snow. They take refuge in Sarah St. John’s home while they have several guests visiting for the holidays.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens ★★★★☆

Classic

You must know this story!! It’s a pleasant read but one I’m so familiar with I can’t say that it stirred anything in me… It’s just a nice story to read.

eBooks

Racing Hearts: First Heat by Ruth Gowan ★★★☆☆

Contemporary Romance

I received a copy of this collection in exchange for a review. Each one centres on a different couple in the world of rally racing. The stories were good but the writing was lacking especially in the first book.