Read This Month January 2018

January

1. Wonder Woman - REVIEW
2. Batman - REVIEW
3. Lucky in Love - audiobook
4. Love, Life, and the List - audiobook
5. Renegades  - audiobook : 50%
6. Moran Cartoons - Non-fiction, ebook
7. The Princess Saves Herself in this One - poetry, ebook
8. The Witch Doesn't Burn in this One - poetry, ebook
9. Running in the Dark - ebook REVIEW
10. There's Someone Inside Your House
11. Soonish, sampler of the first part (~70 pages) - Non-fiction REVIEW

Data:

Male/Female author:
         72% female,
         27% male
Genre:
         27 % crime,

         18 % contemporary romance,
         18 % humor,

         18 % poetry,

         18 % fantasy

Pages:
       3 038 p
Format:
         45% e-books,
         27% audio books,
         27% physical books
Average:
         3.45
Arcs:
          45% sent to me (for honest reviews)

Read on lovelies,

S

My Life In Books TAG

1. Find a book for each of your initials

S – Soonish

K – Kiss of Deception

V – Vadelmavenepakolainen (not one I own, but I've read it)

2. Count your age along your bookshelf: What book is it?

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

I guess that suits the question...

3. Pick a book set in your city/country

The Ella books from my childhood.

I don’t think I’ve read a book set in the city I actually live in, so country will have to do.

Which is Finland.

Also fun fact in Hans Christian Andersen's story The Snow Queen there is a Finnish character from Lapland

4. Pick a book that represents a destination you’d love to travel to

Does the Wizarding World count?

If it has to be real the I'd say Anna and the French Kiss

5. Pick a book that’s your favorite color

I love green, and the combinations in this cover with the black contrast is just gorgeous!

6. Which book do you have the fondest memories of?

Right of the bat: the Harry Potter series, but I have good memories with lots of books, not only for the story they contain but also my association to them with others things I did at that time.

Also from being even younger my grandmother used to read and read an elephant book over and over again with me never getting bored of it.

7. Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?

Um...I don't know. Usually I struggle with lots of books even if I love them, but because I'm not in the mood for them. So looking back at them, having finished them I don't remember the struggle.

Currently this is happening with There's Someone Inside Your House, which is ridiculous because it's a thriller/mystery and less than 300 pages.

 

8. Which book in your TBR pile will give you the biggest accomplishment when you finish it?

I have two answers for this one.

1. The one I've had for the longest time: Frost Like Night

2. The longest book: The Beauty of Darkness

And as you can tell these are both concluding novels to trilogies, and that just proves that I'm horrible at finishing series.

Read on lovelies,
S

Wonder Woman by Leigh Bardugo : review

Wonder Woman by Leigh Bardugo

"Daughter of immortals. Daughter of death.
[I]f they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war."

     >this is the first book in the DC icons series, in which 4 YA authors wrote 4 stand-a-lone books on superheroes.

Goodreads' link to the book!


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Stars: ✦✦✦.75✧

So as usual, I'll tell 3.75 things I liked about the book and 1.25 things I didn't like.

What did I think?

+1 | The idea and premise is intriguing: It's a new re-imagining of Wonder Woman.

+1  | Simply put: the writing.

+0.75/-0.25  | World and it's building throughout the book was engaging, and I liked how they brought in our world, but things needed more explaining.

+/-0.5 | Entertainment value was great but the pace wasn't consistent.

+/-0.5 | The characters were great and I loved the friendships, but the romance wasn't necessary with the main character.

Read on lovelies,

S

Batman by Marie Lu : review

Batman by Marie Lu

"Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy"

     >This is the second book in the DC icons series, in which 4 YA authors wrote 4 stand-a-lone books on superheroes.

Goodreads' link to the book!

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Stars: ✦✦✦✦✧

So as usual, I'll tell 4 things I liked about the book and 1 thing I didn't.

What did I think?

+1 | The idea and premise is clever and intriguing. It's a completely new re-imagining of the Batman story, but where Bruce Wayne has yet to become Batman.

+1 | Even though it's a new story, Marie Lu managed to keep the world and atmosphere from the beginning of this iconic character.

I also really enjoyed reading about all the gadgets and technology that she immersed this book with.

+1 | Along the lines of being new, Marie Lu also brought in a completely new villain whom I loved! She brought in a certain creepiness resulting in me being incapable of stopping reading.

-1 | The other characters, like Bruce himself who was distinctly devoted to helping others, were engaging - but since the book was less than 300 pages I was left feeling like they needed more fleshing out.

+1 | One necessity in every book that I read, and that I believe that Marie Lu excels in, is the pace. Whether it's done by suspense, story arc or action, Marie Lu can do it like she has once again shown us. 

Overall such an entertaining read with Marie Lu's gripping writing and fast plot,

I can definitely say I'm eager for more.

Read on lovelies,

S

2018 book challenge

TBR challenge

This was a work in progress, last updated: December 31st -18

For the past three years I've done a challenge to get my TBR list down.
I decided that I won't continue the Around the World in 52 books challenge, but for anyone interested here is The 2018 List: link

I started doing them because of two things:
1) I wanted to get a grip on my huge TBR 
& 2) I wanted to expand what I was reading

This year I want to focus on that second point, and therefore continuing with a list of my own, combining different challenges and picking the ones I thought were fitting, just like last year: link
This is very close to last years one, with a few modifications.


1. Finish 3 series
Frost Like Night
Winter Glass
Flame in the Mist
2. A book from the GoodReads Choice Awards (2017 link)
the princes saves herself in this one
3. A book you meant to read in 2017
Beauty of Darkness
4. Someone else picked
> Työmehen vaimo
5. Released as a movie
Wonder Woman
6. Award winner
Pallokala
When Dimple met Rishi
7. A book in Finnish
Kuolema ilmoittaa lehdessä
Murha maalaiskylässä
8.  A really long book (500+ pages)
Renegades
9. A book by an author you haven't read before
Running in the Dark
#Prettyboy Must Die
10. A book written by at least two authors
My Plain Jane
11. Choose by cover
ABC murders
12. A book with a long title (7 or more words)
the witch doesn't burn in this one
13. A book where one of the main characters is royalty
Heart of Iron
Royally
14. A book you choose randomly
The Academy
15. A novel inspired by a work of classic literature
Spindle Fire (Grimm - Sleeping Beauty)
Book of a Thousand Days (Grimm - Maid Maleen)
To Kill a Kingdom (Andersen - Little Mermaid)
16. A book published in 2018
Batman
Reaper at the Gates
Kiss Quotient
Sea Witch
17. A Standalone
Lucky in Love
Love Life and the List
Save the Date
18. Genre you don't read enough
Moran Cartoons
19. A collection (e.g. essays, short stories, poetry, plays)
Bible
20. A biography/autobiography/memoir
Pyrstötähti?
21. Non-fiction
Soonish, sampler?
22. A book with a chilling atmosphere (scary, unsettling, cold)
There's Someone Inside Your House
23. Historical/Classic
Jane Eyre
24. Magical realism
Smoke in the Sun
25. Science
The Idiot Brain

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I will be updating this and crossing things over when I've read them.

Read on lovelies,

S

TBR : 2018

This was a work in progress, last update: December 31st -18

Like the one for last year (link), these are books I own but haven't read yet...
(I'll be crossing them over, and shall try to keep it updated)

Start of the year: 1(+12) + 7 classics + 2 from siblings' shelves

           Gotten 2016 (the one(s) to get to zero by the end of the year)
           Gotten 2017 (the ones I'll try to get to zero by the end of the year)
           ARCs and books sent for review


TBR:

1. Frost Like Night (gotten 2016)
- - -
2. The Beauty of Darkness (gotten 2017)
3. The Idiot Brain
4. The Season of You & Me
5. There's Someone Inside Your House UNHAUL
6. Pallokala UNHAUL
7. Tristania UNHAUL
8. Osuma UNHAUL
9. Renegades
10. Kuolema ilmoittaa lehdessä
11. Murha maalaiskylässä
12. Aikataulukon arvoitus

13. Running in the Dark (pub.Feb 6th 2018), e
- - -

14. Wonder Woman (gotten 2018)
15. Book of a Thousand Days

16. Batman

17. Niemi UNHAUL
18. Soonish, sampler, e
19. Moran Cartoons, e
20. The Witch Doesn't Burn in this One, e
21. Heart of Iron (pub. Feb 27th 2018), e
22. My Plain Jane (pub. Jun 26th 2018), e
23. Sea Witch (pub. Jul 31st 2018), e
24. To Kill a Kingdom
25. Winter Glass (pub. Apr 10th 2018)

26. The Academy (pub. May 22nd 2018) UNHAUL
27. Not If I Save You First
28. Royals (pub. May 1st 2018)

29. Smoke in the Sun (pub. June 5th 2018)

30. Reaper at the Gates (pub. June 12th 2018)
31. The Kiss Quotient(pub. June 5th 2018), e
32. When Dimple Met Rishi
   33. Työmiehen vaimo
34. Elias(graphic novel)
   35. Tarinoita suomalaisista tytöistä, jotka muuttivat maailmaa
36. Pystötähti (graphic novel)
        37. Archenemies

CLASSICS:

>1-4. Jane Austen

>5. Jane Eyre

>6. Andersen 15/99
>7. Aesop's Fables 63/384

FROM OTHERS:

1. Mistborn
2. The Cuckoo's Calling

*For stars and more info check my Goodreads: link*

Read on lovelies,

S

Read This Month

October, November & December

1. The Martian
2. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns    ebook, REVIEW
3. Artemis (1/2)    ebook, REVIEW
4. Herding Cats    graphic novel, REVIEW
5. Eliza and Her Monsters
6. Engineer's Cookbook    Non-fiction
7. Making a Monster    Non-fiction, ebook, REVIEW

Data:

Male/Female author:
         57% female,
         43% male
Genre:
         43% non-fiction,
         28% sci-fi,

         14% retelling,

         14% realistic fiction

Pages:
        2002p
Format:
         57% e-books,
         43% physical books
Average:
         3.7
Arcs:
          57% sent to me (for honest reviews)

Read on lovelies,

S

2017 : statistics and achievements

like the one for 2016 this has all my:

Yearly Statistics % & Achievments

First of all I almost finished the 2017 TBR challenge (link),
            ^with 1 challenge left (read a 600+ page book)
& I also read ~half the books in my Books I want to get to in 2017 (link)
                                                                    (^ more on this in yesterdays 2018 anticipated reads post)
& my TBR (link) is down to 15 books.
                                                                    (^ more on this in next weeks TBR post)
& from my TBR I only have 1 more book left to read that I've bought before 2017 (Frost Like Night)

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In total I read: 34

            1+1+2+3+6+2+7+3+2+3+0+4

Pages ~10542
    Average length 310 pages

Format: ebook: ~5 (formally), audio: 2

Arc/sent: 16

Reviewed: 15

In Finnish: 2

Month read most: July: 7

     least: November: 0

Most popular (according to Goodreads):  To Kill a Mockingbird
     Least popular The Engineer's Cookbook

Length: longest  My Lady Jane 491p
               shortest Herding Cats 112p

Publication oldest: 1951: They Came to Baghdad
        books I read published this year: 14
Stars: in order of most: 4,3,5,2,1 ("1" means any rating starting with a 1. Meaning 1 and 1.5 are both included in "1")
       average being ~3.78 this year & over all in all the years ~3.18
       This year I gave 2 five-stars &
                                 9 four-point-five-stars &
                                 1 one-star

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Series Finished:
All Fall Down (3)
Naturals (4)
Dream a Little Dream (3)
Anomaly (2)

2018 goals, TBR etc. all coming in the next few weeks.

Anticipated reads of 2018 I posted yesterday!

Read on lovelies,

S