There were many ups and downs in this year’s third quarter, and I think my reading reflects that. I didn’t read as much as I hoped and what I did pick up tended to be short and quick, like a comic book or picture book. I also rushed to participate in the Magical Readathon and turned to such short reads to make it through.
BOOKS | AUDIO | COMICS | PICTURE BOOKS
BOOKS BY MONTH
July
Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown ★★★★★
The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser ★★★☆☆ ½
August
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix ★★★☆☆
Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray (Diviners, book 3) ★★★★★
September
The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Ryder Hanrahan (Black Iron Legacy, book 1) ★★★☆☆
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ★★★☆☆
Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (Keeper of the Lost Cities, book 1) ★★★☆☆
AUDIOBOOKS BY MONTH
July
Eldest by Christopher Paolini, narr. by Gerard Doyle (Inheritance Cycle, book 2) ★★★☆☆ [reread]
August
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, narr. by Roy Dotrice (A Song of Ice & Fire, book 1) ★★★★★ [reread]
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, narr. by Roy Dotrice (A Song of Ice & Fire, book 2) ★★★★★ [reread]
September
PICTURE BOOKS BY MONTH
July
August
The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi (illus.), transl. by Kids Can Press ★★★☆☆
The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi (illus.), transl. by Kids Can Press ★★★★☆
The Storm by Akiko Miyakoshi (illus.), transl. by Kids Can Press ★★★☆☆
Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña, illus. by Christian Robinson ★★★★★
The Adventures of Rama by Milo Cleveland Beach with illus. from a 16th-century Mughal manuscript ★★☆☆☆
September
COMIC BOOKS BY MONTH
July
August
September
Park Bench by Christophe Chabouté (illus.) ★★★★☆
Assassin Nation, Vol. 1: Number One With a Bullet by Kyle Starks, illus. by Erica Henderson ★★☆☆☆ ½
Tea Dragon Tapestry by Kay O’Neill (illus.) ★★★★★
Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu by Junji Ito (illus.), transl. by Stephen Paul ★★★☆☆
**Rereads aren’t considered for most categories below.**
FAVORITE(S) OF THE BUNCH
Cinnamon and Gunpowder
LEAST LIKED
The Adventures of Rama
DID NOT FINISH
n/a
BEST STORIES
Cinnamon and Gunpowder
Before the Devil Breaks You
BEST WRITING
Cinnamon and Gunpowder
Before the Devil Breaks You
BEST NARRATION (AUDIOBOOKS)
A Game of Thrones [reread]
BEST ILLUSTRATIONS (ILLUSTRATED BOOKS & COMICS/MANGAS)
Tea Dragon Tapestry
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER(S)/PEOPLE
Chef Owen Wedgwood and the pirate Hannah Mabbot from Cinnamon and Gunpowder
GREAT WORLD-BUILDING
Before the Devil Breaks You for the Diviners series
MOST FITTING TITLE(S)
Park Bench
A Game of Thrones [reread]
MOST UNIQUE/IMPACTFUL STORY
Park Bench [unique — kinda, to me]
COVER LOVE
READING CHALLENGES HITS ‘N’ MISSES
GOODREADS CHALLENGE
books read = 59/50
BOOKS I MUST READ THIS YEAR
books read = 0 | total so far = 0/8
READ SOME COMICS/GRAPHIC NOVELS
comics read = 4 | total so far = 18/20
Park Bench
Assassin Nation, Vol. 1: Number One With a Bullet
Tea Dragon Tapestry
Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu
READ SOME PICTURE BOOKS
books read = 5 | total so far = 9/8
The Tea Party in the Woods
The Way Home in the Night
The Storm
Milo Imagines the World
The Adventures of Rama
PICK UP A CLASSIC
books read = 0 | total so far = 0/4
THREE TERRIFYING READS
books read = 1 | total so far = 3/3
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
WHERE ARE THE MIDDLE GRADE ONES?
books read = 2 | total so far = 5/12
Keeper of the Lost Cities
Tea Dragon Tapestry
TURTLE RECALL
books read = 0 | total so far = 2/5
READ MY OWN STUFF
books read = 2 | total so far = 18/30
Park Bench
Keeper of the Lost Cities
READING STATS
Total Read
19 books
LONGEST BOOK
A Clash of Kings = 1010 pages
SHORTEST BOOK
The Tea Party in the Woods = 32 pages
The Way Home in the Night = 32 pages
The Storm = 32 pages
FORMAT
Physical = 13
E-book = 3
Audio = 3
GENRE
Fantasy = 8
Contemporary = 4
Historical = 1
Horror = 1
Humor = 1
Mystery = 1
Nonfiction = 1
Paranormal = 1
Romance = 1
AGE GROUP
Adult = 10
YA = 2
MG = 2
Kids = 5
PROTAGONIST GENDER
Male = 7
Female = 6
Ensemble = 5
Unknown = 1
AUTHOR GENDER
Male = 11
Female = 7
Nonbinary = 1
OWNERSHIP
Mine (bought before January 1, 2021) = 2
New (bought on/after January 1, 2021) = 5
Library = 11
ARC = 1
Free = 0
Other loan = 0
CURRENTLY READING
Zezee with Books 
I too will want to sneak in more shorter books in the near future just to give me a break from having to tackle massive ones all the time hahah Hope the final quarter will prove to be a good one for you, Zezee!
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Lol thanks. Hope it goes smoothly for you too.
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I’m very glad for the increased number of novellas being published for some of the reasons you mentioned. I might not be up for reading a longer more involved book, but a novella might be just the right length, with a little more substance than a short story. And as you also mentioned, comics are great for this, too. I hope this next quarter works a bit better for you!
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Indeed! Novellas do help too. Hope you find some great ones.
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I love Silvia Moreno Garcia! How was The Beautiful Ones?
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It was okay, but a bit of a bore for me. I almost gave up on it, unfortunately.
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The cover for There Will Come a Darkness is really interesting – how are you enjoying it so far?
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I’m only a few pages in, but it has my interest so far.
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That’s good to hear!
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I’m further in now and am well and hooked, even staying up to read. It’s a bit slow paced, but I like that it’s taking its time to build, and the world is interesting.
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