Throwback to two years ago – Sana came up with a really fun idea: starting 30 books in 30 days. With a currently reading pile of 20 books in the beginning of May, participating in this would be a really stupid move on my part, right? Well, who cares?! I didn’t want to let this silly game pass me, so I decided to tweak it a little: reading in 30 books in 30 days? That I could do, being both able to start some new ones and trying to finish ones that have been on my CRP for years. So this is how it went:
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Dingle Peggy: Further Travels in Ireland on Horseback (Ireland on Horseback, #2) by Hilary Bradt
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 58
Status: Finished!
Thoughts: I had started this one on April 30 and got on rather well, so I was able to finish it on May 1. It’s a much quicker and more interesting read than the first one – with an ending that’s not quite as drastic and enraging but also kind of sad. I couldn’t warm up to Ms Bradt, but her ponies are quite the characters. On a side note: this made me miss Ireland a lot! -
Time Was by Ian McDonald
Days spent reading: 3
Pages read: 148
Status: Finished!
Thoughts: I didn’t even mean to start this book after I came home from a lovely dinner with my colleagues. But the first sentence got me:We kiss and the sea catches fire.
It wasn’t what I had anticipated, the blurb being a little misleading. It’s not wrong, but it describes the plot, not the story. I nevertheless liked it a lot and I didn’t see the ending coming!
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The Sword of Shannara (The Shannara Trilogy, #1) by Terry Brooks
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 27
Status: 14% read
Thoughts: I started this one in early 2016 but only read about 70 pages. It only took me a couple of pages to remember why I hadn’t picked it up in so long: it’s an obviously inferior Lord of the Rings copycat. -
Laura und der Ring der Feuerschlange (Laura, #5) by Peter Freund
Days spent reading: 5
Pages read: 248
Status: Finished!
Thoughts: One of my favourite MG series. There are two more books I didn’t read back then but I really want to finish the series eventually. To refresh my memory, I started rereading in 2010. It took me six years to get to the fifth book which I’ve “been” reading for the last two years. About time I finished this one! I still really enjoyed it but it’s lost a little of its appeal. I still gave it its 5 stars because I will never forget how that ending broke me the first time. It’s one of the few books that has blown my mind to the extend that I stared paralysed into the air for minutes on end before rereading those pages time and time again.
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The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 40
Status: 40% read
Thoughts: I started this back in 2015 and just don’t really get anywhere. The stories are so ponderous and exhausting to read, my concentration going out the window the second I hit the second page. Some of the stories are truly spooky if you set aside the difficulty I have to read them. The most memorable so far was “The Rats in the Walls.” Just thinking about it makes me shudder.
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Every Breath (Every, #1) by Ellie Marney
Days spent reading: 4
Pages read: 310
Status: Finished!
Thoughts: Wow, this got me hooked! I wasn’t really into it at first (that’s why it ended up on my CRP for over a year), but when I picked it up this time, it really drew me in. I squeezed some reading time in between the a-new-book-a-day. Such an enjoyable YA contemporary Sherlock Holmes retelling! I already own the sequels, though I’m not quite sure when I’ll pick up the second book in this trilogy.
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Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Days spent reading: 4
Pages read: 211
Status: Finished!
Thoughts: This hit me on an emotional level and covered the whole spectrum from happy over upset and angry to sad. The writing and story are quite engaging, I almost couldn’t put it down, which made it for a very quick read.
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The Atrocities by Jeremy C. Shipp
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 105
Status: Finished!
Thoughts: The cover is glorious! It was a very quick read but I’m not quite sure what to make of it. It did remind me a little of the film Crimson Peak and I loved the spooky house but it wasn’t quite atmospheric and spooky enough. I wasn’t really scared for the protagonist. Oh, and the ending was weird and rushed and I can’t decide whether it’s open or not. -
Deception’s Princess (Deception’s Princess, #1) by Esther Friesner
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 54
Status: 55% read
Thoughts: Unfortunately, this one is borderline boring, which is truly a shame considering this is set in Ireland. It’s not bad, but as much as I like Maeve, the story is just a little too draggy.
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Die Spur der Bücher (Die Spur der Bücher, #1) by Kai Meyer
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 56
Status: 65% read
Thoughts: Memo to myself: don’t let books sit on your currently reading pile for too long, you’ll forget everything that happened. I love this world and I like this book better than the last book set in this world. I just keep forgetting everything that has happened, which is a little annoying. I should just sit down and finish this one.
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The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 44
Status: 73% read
Thoughts: Now I remember why I still haven’t finished this book. It’s really bad for my mental health. It full on triggers my anxiety because I’m just so scared for these characters. Not sure whether I should try and read it as quickly as possible or take baby steps. -
A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2) by Sarah J. Maas
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 29
Status: 68% read
Thoughts: Well, these relationships are just so fucked up. But god, I know the allure. I get it. I’m usually very good at turning a blind eye, too. I know if I had read this in my teens – or even just a couple of years earlier -, I’d worshipped this series. I am paying attention though and all those double standards are problematic as hell. This series would be perfect to dissect for a thesis. -
Lizzy Carbon und die Qual der Wahl (Lizzy Carbon, #3) by Mario Fesler
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 6
Status: 44% read
Thoughts: I love Lizzy to pieces, but I’m currently just not into reading for work. I really have to get back into that mood soon though.
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Der lange Weg zu einem kleinen zornigen Planeten (Wayfarers, #1) by Becky Chambers
[The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)]Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 53
Status: 13% read
Thoughts: Oh, I think I’m going to like this, I just need to stick to it for once.
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Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1) by Robin LaFevers
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 32
Status: 15% read
Thoughts: I still haven’t figured out whether I like this or not. There’s just something missing for me to truly latch on, but maybe that’s still to come.
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Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School, #1) by Gail Carriger
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 22 pages
Status: 21% read
Thoughts: Reread, because I still haven’t read the fourth and final novel in this series and have forgotten a lot from the first three books. I love this world so damn much, I’m always having a blast with the books from the Parasol Protectorate universe.
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your name. #1 (your name., #1) by Makoto Shinkai & Ranmaru Kotone
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 171
Status: Finished!
Thoughts: I very seldom read manga or comic books but ever since I saw the film trailer and watched a fanvid on Youtube, I wanted to read this story as well. Really enjoyed this one – and quite a cliffhanger it has!
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your name. #2 (your name., #2) by Makoto Shinkai & Ranmaru Kotone
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 163
Status: Finished!
Thoughts: Liked this one even better than the first! Such an intriguing story!
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All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Days spent reading: 3
Pages read: 362
Status: Finished!
Thoughts: While I like time travel, it’s also a concept I’m really wary and critical about. It’s seldom done right, or without faults, or written in a way you can wrap your head around. In this case, I was pondering most of the time whether this makes any sense. Plus, I did figure out most of the twists pretty early on, so it wasn’t that exciting to read either. I think it just wasn’t for me. Still like that cover very much, though, so I’ll keep it for now.
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Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Days spent reading: 7
Pages read: 483
Status: Finished!
Thoughts: I enjoyed this one so much! However, the diary and what came with it, did throw me off a little. That took up too much space and wasn’t that intriguing so I got a little bored every time that part of the story came up. I very much loved the storyline of the present. A very well structured read with a great protagonist.
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Ein Schimmer von Glück by Bettina Belitz
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 39
Status: 13% read
Thoughts: Well, well, well, what do we have here? So far, an unlikable protagonist and a very unlikely set up (I’m pretty sure there were more realistic options for this book to have a plot). I think it took only one page for me to raise my eyebrows at this book. I hope this’ll get better.
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The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire, #1) by C.J. Redwine
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 27
Status: 18% read
Thoughts: I feel like I should love this book (fairytale retelling with lots of magic and magical beings), but somehow, I’m just not getting into it. I really hope it will manage to draw me in soon.
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The Lake House by Kate Morton
Days spent reading: 1
Pages read: 24
Status: 4% read
Thoughts: Since it’s already this warm, I decided to start with my summer read: the Kate Morton novel I haven’t read yet. Really looking forward to it. It’s already off to a good start.
Aaaand that’s it. Yep, I didn’t make it to 30, but 23 books and 2,707 pages read is quite something. I should probably do this more often …
