Saturday, July 3, 2021

Quarterly Reading Wrap-up - April to June 2021 & Mid-year Book Freakout Tag

Time for a little recap on all the books I've read in the last quarter a little recap of the best and worst! 

Quarterly Reading Wrap-up - April to June 2021 & Mid-year Book Freakout Tag
Some of the books talked about were received as review copies - this post contains affiliate links

So, reading has clearly taken over as my most time-consuming hobby, and I've enjoyed incorporating more book content on the blog! So I thought I would recap all the books I read in the second quarter - there were 28 of them (33 in the first quarter)! My original goal was to read at least 60 books through the whole year and I feel like I'm going to crush that, so I upped it to 100 books for the year!! 

I have always been a pretty good reader; but, my reading has really picked since the pandemic. I've been more conscious about taking the time to read, and using it as a pre-bed routine to help my unwind and relax before bed (I think my anxious thoughts picked up and it was hard to fall asleep), so I've been turning the phone off before bed and reading for at least 15-20 minutes, and it's really helped with my routine plus getting through my growing TBR! 

Quarterly Reading Wrap-up - April to June 2021 & Mid-year Book Freakout Tag

I'm not a book snob - I will consume books anyway - audiobooks, physical books and I've been getting more in to electronic books as well! I have a fairly long commute to work, so audiobooks have always been a big part of my reading routine and I read a pretty equal amount of audiobooks compared to physical and e-books over the past few months! 

In terms of my reading taste, I read absolutely everything - literary fiction, non-fiction books, fantasy, young adult, graphic novels; I will give anything a go and there is rarely a category that I don't enjoy!

I certainly can't give reviews on all 28 books, so if you are interested in my thoughts and rankings on all of them make sure you check out my Goodreads page - and if you have it too, add me as a friend! I love seeing what people are reading and find some new books to read! 

Quarterly Reading Wrap-up - April to June 2021 & Mid-year Book Freakout Tag

One of my reading goals this year is to read about the same amount of newer books are older books - newer books would be 2020, 2021 and ARC releases and older books are anything prior to 2020! Clearly, I was a little more in to the new releases this quarter, but I did slow down on the arcs like I wanted to after my last update.

Alright, all the books I've read in April to June 2021 are: 
Quarterly Reading Wrap-up - April to June 2021 & Mid-year Book Freakout Tag

My rating system is:

5 Stars: Excellent/Fantastic/Amazing Read 
4.5 Stars: Really Great Read
4 Stars: Great Read 
3.5 Stars: Really Good Book
3 Stars: Good Book 
2.5 Stars: Eh, It was Okay Read
2 Stars: Finished it, but Didn't Enjoy It
1.5 Stars: Not Good at All
1 Star: DNF (Did Not Finish)

I had a decent reading quarter - I didn't have any super stand-out 5 star reads, but I still read lots of great books (and a few not so great ones too, but only one I didn't finish). 

Quarterly Reading Wrap-up - April to June 2021 & Mid-year Book Freakout Tag

While I didn't rate any books 5 stars over the past few months, I did rate 4 of them as 4.5 stars, so these are great books and the top 4 that I've read over the past 3 months:
  • The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin ~ This was a total surprise! I have a full review of this here if you'd like to read a little more. This is a climate change with witches story - the witches each have powers related to each season, but Clara is the first witch in 100 to be an "ever" and embody all the seasons. But, her magic is hurting people she loves and she would like to get rid of it, but the world is relying on her. One of the loveliest little romances in there and I really enjoyed in this story! 
  • House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland ~ Oooh this was such an interesting read, about 3 sisters who go missing and turn up a little while later, but different. Their eyes have gone black and their hair turned white. Each sister has grown up and gone separate ways, but when one of them goes missing, they have to find each other. It starts to unravel a dark story of where the girls went when they were missing and I really enjoyed this. It was dark, but I love the morally greyness of the characters, but it's about the length you would go for your family. 
  • Namesake by Adrienne Young ~ This is the second book in the Fable duology and I really enjoyed these books! I did a more in detail review of this set here! I can't share too much about about the series, but it's set in a world on the sea where everyone has to fight to survive and any sign of weakness makes you a target. There is diving and gem trading and found family and it's lovely! The first book ends on a cliffhanger and this book is so action packed and keeps you on your toes the whole time! 
  • Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story by David Alexander Robertson ~ This is a quick, but powerful and emotional read. This tells a specific story of Betsey's time at a residential school - it's told in a teaching way, and while it does touch on abuse, sexual abuse, and death of children, it also focuses on resilience as well. It's difficult to read, but well done and a must-read! 
Quarterly Reading Wrap-up - April to June 2021 & Mid-year Book Freakout Tag

And where there is good, there usually has to be some bad and I definitely read a few books that I did not enjoy in the first quarter of this year:
  • An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson ~ Okay, I felt that this one was so hyped up and then this ended up being Twilight with Fairies. I didn't like the characters and the writing was over the top. 
  • An Embarrassment of Witches by Sophie Goldstein ~ I really like graphic novels and witches, so you would think I would like this, but the characters were not likeable and the art style wasn't my favourite, so this didn't do it for me. 
  • Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer ~ This was the only book that I did not finish in the past 3 months, I was so surprised but I had to stop at 25%. The main character was pretty insufferable and just wasn't in to where this story appeared to be going - had to give up. 
  • Graceling by Kristin Cashore ~ This was another super highly rated book, but I did not like this (maybe if I read it 10 years ago I might have). I didn't like the main character and this was incredibly repetitive. The pacing was weird and it was a long book. 
And since it's half-way through the year, I thought I'd jump in with the Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag! There are 13 questions:

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2021. 

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas. 

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2021. 

Namesake by Adrienne Young. 

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to. 

I was really excited for Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart and got it in an Owlcrate so I need to pick it up asap! 

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year. 

Tie between The Strangers by Katherena Vermette and Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline. 

5. Biggest disappointment. 

I think Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer - I loved the Cinder series, but didn't like Heartless or this one at all. The main character was terrible to listen to, so if I don't like the next book by the author, I think I will give up. 

6. Biggest surprise. 

Probably The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner - just a debut author and an arc I received, so it surprised me how much I enjoyed it!

7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you) 

I think I'm most excited to read more from David A. Robertson - he is not a new author, and has written a huge range of books and I'm excited to read more from him! 

8. Newest fictional crush. 

Sang from The Nature of Witches - hello conversation with flowers, or West from Namesake (but he was also in Fable that I read last year!)

9. Newest favorite character. 

Waylon from Pumpkin by Julie Murphy is fantastic! 

10. Book that made you cry. 

I cry in lots of books, but probably the most recently was Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee. 

11. Book that made you happy. 

Some happy books, but probably You Should See me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. 

12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received) 

See below - I saw this special edition of Circus of Wonders and had to order it, I didn't even know what it's about! It's lovely though (and doesn't release in Canada until next year!)

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year? 

I have a ton to read, but mostly I really want to finish the last two books in the Miss Peregrine's series - The Conference of the Birds and The Desolations of Devil's Acre. 

Quarterly Reading Wrap-up - April to June 2021 & Mid-year Book Freakout Tag

What do you really want to read this year?! 
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