September Recap and October's TBR

Can you believe it's already October? More importantly, can you believe that I actually got this post done on time? I can't believe either of those things, but, as it is, I am glad 2020 is on the downhill swing.  I have some interesting things planned for next year and can't wait to share them!

Here's a quick recap of September: 

For September, I had a hefty (for me) reading list of 8 books. I finished off Dragons of Spring Dawning, which was ehhhh, although it was technically started in August.  Since I finished it in September, I'm counting it.

I also finished Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry and I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid in rapid succession.  Lost Boy is probably my favorite retelling of Peter Pan. It was dark, it was a little twisted, and Henry made Neverland her own with her own set of rules.  I'm Thinking of Ending Things was probably my top pick of the month.  If I'd have done a five star prediction last month, I certainly wouldn't have picked it, but that's what I ended up giving it.

The next book I read was another retelling of Peter Pan.  Peter Darling by Austin Chant is about Peter, who is actually Wendy, but runs away to Neverland as his parents don't accept him for being transgender.  It's really a love story between story between Peter and Captain Hook. The first half was meh at best, the second half saved it and I really enjoyed the read. It was was the September Queer Books club pick in Caravan.

Throughout all of these shorter books, I was also reading The Dragon Reborn.  Yes, another Robert Jordan book.  This is quickly becoming my favorite series and I finally got a Mat POV.  Yes, I am still fangirling over him.  He is just so... Everything! If only he existed in real life. Him being a fictional character is his only fault. Sigh...

My middle grade pick this month was Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo.  From an adult perspective, it had flaws, but it was enjoyable none the less. I will be continuing the series, but not for the month of October. 

I did get to my bonus read book of American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I listened to the 10th anniversary full-cast edition on audible.  To say the least, I can see why the book is so divisive.   I am of the opinion of low-key hating it up until the last hour and a half. The end I liked, it was just excruciating to get there. That was the longest 19 hour audiobook of my life and I am pretty sure I zoned out for half of it. I will not, however, be deterred from reading more Neil Gaiman as I knew this going into the book.  

I was a little late starting To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, and I did not finish it before October.  I'm struggling with it and am not impressed with what I have read so far.  This is a huge disappointment as I was so excited for this book.  It may be a DNF, but for now I'll try to power through. 

Now time for my October TBR:

Now its time for a quick rundown of what the plan is for October! Again, I have eight books this month, and two of them are really long.  

First up is Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson.  This book has been on my TBR for so long that I couldn't even remember what it was about.  According to Goodreads, I added it in 2017.  It's definitely well passed time to check that off the TBR.  

I will naturally be continuing on with the fourth installment of the Wheel of Time Series (WoT). The Shadow Rising is one of the two really long books I have planned.  It is the longest WoT book by word count, although it is slightly shorter than Lord of Chaos in pages.  I am super excited for this book. It's a combination of how the third book ended and the cover has fascinated me since the first day I say it.  But then again, it's my boy Mat on there so I'm really not surprised.  I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I will try to stop with my fangirling. 

 

Next up will be another nostalgia read.  This time it will be Magyk, part of the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage.  This is another series that I had started years ago, but never finished. In this case, it was because of a massive reading slump. So now it's time to finish this series once and for all--after I reread the first books of course.

 

Some of the other members on Caravan and I are also doing a buddy read for the month of October for the book This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. This is a super short book at just 209 pages.  I'm intrigued by this book, and don't know what to expect.  We'll see in the up coming weeks...

 

The other massive volume I am planning to read is The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas.  This is another Caravan read.  I never read this in high school or college and its been a long time since I read a classic anything, so we'll find out if I can make it through over 1,300 pages classic literature.

 

I added All Systems Red because I wanted more sci-fi.  It's a pretty short read. As Murderbot is scornful of all humans and I am predicting to really identify with it.  

 

After hearing people rave about Piranesi, I am adding it to my October TBR as well. The story of Pan's labyrinth has always been a fascinating one, so I am escited to see where this story goes. 

The final book on my October TBR is City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I have read The Mortal Instruments before along with the first two books of The Infernal Devices, but I DNF'd (did not finish) the series after book four or five because I could not stand Clary and Jace.  I liked everyone else and loved Alec and Magnus, but I could not stand those two and got burned out. I just found out that there is a spinoff series focused on Alec and Magnus, which is what I always wanted. Therefore, I am motivated to give it another go.

And that sums up my October TBR!

Five Star Prediction:

This month I am going to try and predict if one of my picks will end up being a five star read.  I think it will be The Shadow Rising, because it is often one of the highest regarded WoT books and I have already been so tempted to give the the second and third books five stars. We'll see if this one makes the cut!

August Recap and September TBRs

As I am officially out of my reading slump, I am going to try something new. I am going to start doing a recap and of the previous month and a TBR for the next month.  Ideally, this would be posted on the first of the month, but I know me.  My goal is to post it by the 5th. So, we'll see how this goes.

Here's a quick recap of August:

After over 10 years of one of my long-time friends pestering me to read the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman, I finally gave it a go.  I technically started in July, but as I didn't finish the first book until August, I'll count it for August.  I finished the first two and got 90% through the third one before September. Overall, I enjoyed them, but didn't love them.  They were entertaining, even though they did not have a lot of depth. I can definitely see why my friend loves them. The reviews for the first two are posted and I am hoping to get the review for the final one up within the next few days.

I also started the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.  Again, I started Eye of the World in July, but didn't finish until August, so I'm counting it! I also read The Great Hunt.  I loved both of these books and have a strong feeling that this will become one of my favorite all time series.  It still baffles me how I have not come across these books sooner!

Now time for my September TBR:

       

As we are already a few days into September, I finished Dragons of Spring Dawning completing the original trilogy and started and finished Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry.  Now it's time to plan what the rest of the month has in store!

Of course, I will be continuing the Wheel of Time Series with The Dragon Reborn.  This will be ongoing for fourteen books! In addition to that, I am going to make it my goal to read five other books.

First is Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo. I know, I know! It's middle grade.  But I have reasons! I started the series when it first came out, but outgrew it before it was finished.  I need resolution.

Naturally, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini makes the list.  This is his first full length novel since 2011 and it is his debut sci-fi novel. And it is a TOME.  I loved the Inheritance Cycle, although I do understand it's criticisms.  I am pumped to see how Paolini has grown as an author and how he does with sci-fi.

I am really starting to like audiobooks. The next one I will be listening to is I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid.  Has anyone heard of Caravan? It's a website to find and join book clubs and they have a Discord server for discussion.  Well, since joining that site, I haven't stopped hearing about this book.  I have high hopes for it.

Speaking of Caravan... In one of the clubs I am in focused on LGBTQ writers and books, the pick of the month is Peter Darling by Austin Chant.  Yes, I do realize its another Peter Pan book, but I love Neverland, okay? Although this book is only three years old, it is already out of print so it is really hard to find, but I got my hands on a PDF.  I'll keep you posted on my thoughts of this retelling.

If I finish all of these, that would make a total of seven books finished in the month of September.  As I like even numbers, I'm going to throw an eighth book in there as a bonus book.  That will be American Gods by Neil Gaiman. He is another author that is considered to be a must read, that I haven't touched. I don't know what to expect with this book.  Many love it, many don't. If I get to this bonus book this month, we'll see which side I fall on.

With a grand total of eight books on my September TBR list and six remaining, I should have a busy month ahead of me! By the way, this is the most organized my TBR list has ever been...