Monthly Wrap-Up: January 2024

I've been seeing a lot of people saying how long January seemed to them, but for me, it went by FAST! Idk what it was... probably the fact that work is nonstop chaos so maybe that makes time go faster 😆 Anyway, I started off strong in January, reading-wise. I ended up reading 6 books, which is about 2149 pages.

• 3 were part of a series and 3 were standalones
• 2 were ARCs and 4 were finished copies
• 2 were physical books, 3 ebooks, and 1 was an ebook/audiobook combo
• 5 were 5-star reads and 1 was a 4-star read
• 1 was indie-published and 5 traditionally published
• 3 were by authors I've previously read and 3 by new-to-me authors
• 4 were adult books and 2 YA
• 4 were fiction and 2 non-fiction
• 1 was sci-fi fantasy, 2 high fantasy, 1 space horror, and 2 were memoirs

Review: Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Crooked Kingdom

Series: Six of Crows #2 | Grishaverse #5

Previous book in this series: Six of Crows

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Genre: YA, high fantasy, adventure

Publication date: September 2016

Published by: Henry Holt and Co.

Source: Borrowed ebook from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets - a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

My rating: ★★★★★

If you couldn’t beat the odds, you changed the game.

I am so glad I had this book handy right after finishing Six of Crows, because omg that ending with Inej? BRUTAL.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #353: Detour Over, Back to Fantasy!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #386: Books and Nail Art Supplies... What Else is New?

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Reader Time Capsule Book Tag

The other day I saw jessethereader on YouTube do this video and I really liked the questions so I thought I'd answer them too! (I believe he came up with the questions as well.) It'll be interesting to look back at these answers a year from now.

Review- Ares: Bringer of War (Olympians #7) by George O'Connor

Title: Ares: Bringer of War

Series: Olympians #7

Previous books in this series: Zeus: King of the Gods (#1) | Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess (#2) | Hera: The Goddess and her Glory (#3) | Hades: Lord of the Dead (#4) | Poseidon: Earth Shaker (#5) | Aphrodite: Goddess of Love (#6)

Author: George O'Connor

Genre: Middle Grade, graphic novel, fantasy, Greek mythology

Publication date: January 2015

Published by: First Second

Source: Purchased paperback

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Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: In the chaos of the Trojan war, Ares arrives in a chariot, armor blazing like fire. Strategy has failed and gore drips from every surface, but the god of war denies his nature and sits on the sidelines as the blood of both mortals and demigods stains the ground red.

Strong, vengeful, and just plain angry, Ares enters the battle, his mind set on one thing: total obliteration. But will he be satisfied with the death and destruction he causes?

My rating: ★★★★☆

One thing I appreciated about this volume is that it starts right off with differentiating him from Athena because they are different. Athena is more the goddess of battle strategy, while Ares is the god of, well, war.

Review- Maniac of New York: The Bronx is Burning (Volume 2) by Elliott Kalan, Andrea Mutti, Taylor Esposito

Title: Maniac of New York: The Bronx is Burning

Series: Maniac of New York (Volume 2)

Previous book in this series: Maniac of New York: The Death Train (Volume 1)

Author: Elliott Kalan

Colorist: Andrea Mutti

Letterer: Taylor Esposito

Genre: Adult, comic book, horror

Publication date: August 2022

Published by: AfterShock Comics

Source: Purchased ebook

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Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: After the tragedy of The Death Train, Detective Zelda Pettibone and mayoral aide Gina Greene have lost the trail of the Maniac — and the support of the city. Copycats are springing up, ten-sions are high and traffic is a nightmare. So, what happens when your favorite unstoppable, mindless killer resurfaces in a Bronx high school? Can Zelda and Gina get there before Maniac Harry adds to his body count? Will the students tear their attention away from their phones long enough to notice there’s a monster in the halls?

This volume collects the entire second volume, issues #1-4.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Well, Maniac Harry is still running rampant through New York and causing havoc left and right.

Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Six of Crows

Series: Six of Crows #1 | Grishaverse #4

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Genre: YA, high fantasy, adventure

Publication date: September 2015

Published by: Henry Holt & Company

Source: Borrowed hardcover from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

My rating: ★★★★★

Six people, but a thousand ways this insane plan could go wrong.

I’ve been in such a rare mood for high fantasy lately. For the last couple of years, I would read maybe one high fantasy book a year, and that’s it. But last year I read FOUR and I enjoyed them all!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #352: Brief Detour... Hopefully

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #385: So Many Surprises

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Review- Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory (Olympians #3) George O'Connor

Title: Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory

Series: Olympians #3

Previous books in this series: Zeus: King of the Gods (#1) | Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess (#2)

Author: George O'Connor

Genre: Middle Grade, graphic novel, fantasy, Greek mythology

Publication date: July 2011

Published by: First Second

Source: Purchased paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: There's only one thing Zeus, the king of the Gods, is afraid of. It isn't the many-headed Hydra or the towering Gigantes. It isn't his powerful, jealous brother Poseidon, the god of the seas. Monsters, gods, Titans—none of them make the mighty Zeus blink an eye.

The only thing Zeus fears is his wife: Hera. Goddess of the air, the sky, and the heavens, patroness of the cunning Jason, and scourge of the mighty Heracles, Hera rivals Zeus in power—and surpasses him in wrath.

My rating: ★★★★☆

This volume of the Olympians focuses on Hera, the Greek goddess of marriage. For being the goddess of marriage, she really married the worst guy possible...

Top Authors I Own the Most Books From (as of 2024)!

Two days ago I talked about my most-read authors EVER, and today I'm talking about the authors I own the most books from! Just like that previous post, I've been doing this post every three years... that's just how it ended up working out. Lol. And I was looking back at those previous posts wondering how I came up with these numbers because when I sat to do this post, it was daunting 😰 Unlike in my most-read authors post where there's a handy tool that adds up the numbers for me, for this one I actually had to do it myself! I looked through my Kindle and through my physical books and I added up the numbers and came up with the following. It honestly didn't take as long as I thought it would, but it was still a bit of work. Lol.
And for comparison purposes, here are the authors that made it onto my list 3 years ago:
5. Marissa Meyer & Rachel Vincent (13 books each) 4. Janette Rallison (16 books) + C.J. Hill (6 books) = 22 total books 3. Cassandra Clare (25 books) 2. Jennifer Estep & Rick Riordan (37 books each) 1. R.L. Stine (122 books)

Review- Maniac of New York: The Death Train (Volume 1) by Elliott Kalan, Andrea Mutti, Taylor Esposito

Title: Maniac of New York: The Death Train

Series: Maniac of New York (Volume 1)

Author: Elliott Kalan

Colorist: Andrea Mutti

Letterer: Taylor Esposito

Genre: Adult, comic book, horror

Publication date: October 2021

Published by: AfterShock Comics

Source: Purchased ebook with gift card

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: Four years ago, a masked slasher began stalking the streets of New York City.

Maniac Harry is inhuman, unkillable and unstoppable. Which is why the authorities’ solution has been to ignore him, and let New Yorkers adapt to a world where death can strike at any moment. When Maniac Harry starts killing his way through the subway system, trauma-haunted political aide Gina Greene and disgraced NYPD detective Zelda Pettibone become determined to go rogue and destroy him. But how can they fight a monster when they can’t fight City Hall?

From Emmy Award-winning writer Elliott Kalan (The Daily Show, MST3K, Spider-Man & The X-Men) and artist Andrea Mutti (Port of Earth, Hellblazer, BUNNY MASK) comes the horrifying story of what happens when terror becomes the new normal. A frightening, thought-provoking, sometimes funny, always timely tale of murder, obsession and urban living, this volume contains the first arc, issues #1-5.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I love horror movies so I was very excited to read this comic because it’s supposed to be reminiscent of Friday the 13th, and a better Jason Takes Manhattan. Lol. And it actually was! 😆

Most Read Authors (as of 2024)

It's time to look at my most-read authors of all time! I did this post every three years. Why? Idk, it just worked out that way. Lol. I first did this in 2015 then again in 2018, and the last time I did it was in 2021! As always, I include both full-length novels and novellas, just because it's easier that way. And ever since Goodreads got rid of the handy Most Read Authors tool (Grr, still mad about that one lol), I've been using this website to calculate these numbers! It's SO handy! Thank you to whoever created it 😭
For comparison purposes, here are the authors that made it onto my list 3 years ago:
5. J.L. Bryan & Cassandra Clare (16 books each) 4. Rick Riordan (18 books) 3. Tite Kubo (21 books) 2. Jennifer Estep (57 books) 1. R.L. Stine (98 books)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #351: Rare Fantasy Binge?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #384: Turning Into Popsicles

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

A Gift From NetGalley...

It was a couple days before Christmas when I was checking my email and I came across an email from NetGalley. I get emails from them all the time, so I didn't think much of it until I actually read the subject line. A gift? From Netgalley? What could it possibly be? I've never gotten a gift from them before!

Looking Back at Books I Wish I’d read in 2022 & Anticipated Books of 2023

Today I want to take a look at the books in my Top Books I Wish I’d Read in 2022 list and the Top Anticipated Books of 2023 and see if I actually read any of those books throughout 2021. I always do this because every year I tend to roll over those books from those two lits onto my TBR for the next year. Sometimes my mood cooperates, and sometimes it doesn't. Let's see what it did this year. Lol.

Most Read Authors and Series of 2023

Today we're looking at my most-read authors and series of the year! Honestly, no one is going to be surprised by who shows up 😂

Finish the Series #28: Series I finished in 2023 and Series I'm Hoping to Finish in 2024

2023 was a pretty good year in regards to finishing series! My goal was to complete at least 5 series, and I ended up finishing 9! But I also started a bunch of other series so this is what my numbers are looking like:

January 2023

January 2024

It's ridiculous 😂 At this point, this number is never going down because I add more series to my TBR than I can finish 🤦‍♀️😂

Favorite New-To-Me Authors of 2023

Today I'm talking about some new (to me) authors I discovered in 2023 that have become some of my favorites!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #350: A Good Way to Start the Year

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #383: Back to Reality

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

End of the Year TBR *Update*

I made a VERY ambitious TBR at the end of 2023, and now we're gonna look at how well I did at completing it.

2023 Reading Challenges *Update*

I can tell you already that I did horribly on these challenges 😅 But that seems to be the theme around here every year 😆

2023 Reading Stats

It's that time of year again to look at some reading stats! I always look forward to doing this post every year because I just love numbers and graphs and charts! Is that weird? Probably 😆

My Year in Books: 2023

I always look forward to this feature on Goodreads at the end of the year. I love seeing an overview of what my reading year was like.

Monthly Wrap-Up: December 2023

I can't believe we're into the new year already. I just hope 2024 treats us well 😅 Anyway, here's a little about what I read in December. I ended up reading 4 full-length novels, 3 graphic novels, and 6 short stories/novellas (for a total of 2208 pages! That's about 400 pages more than the previous month)... listen, I needed a way to catch up on my reading challenge so I did what I had to 😆

• 10 were part of a series and 3 were standalone
• 2 were ARCs and 11 were finished copies
• 2 were hardcover, 4 paperback, and 4 ebooks
• 4 were 5-star reads and 9 were 4-star reads
• 4 were indie-published and 9 traditionally published
• All of them were by authors I've previously read
• 2 were adult books, 2 YA, and 1 MG
• 2 were high fantasy, 1 sci-fi, 1 mystery thriller, 4 mythology retellings, and 5 contemporary romance

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #349: Happy New Year!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.