Despite this being a successful month compared to my other reading month’s this is by far my weakest reading month. I don’t know what was in the water this month but I’m hoping next month will be better.

• I read 9 books this month
• I DNFd 2 book.
• Genre: 4 fantasy, 5 non-fiction, 1 thriller and 1 sci-fi
• Gender of authors: 7 women and 3 men
• Race of authors: 6 white authors, 2 asian writers and 2 black writers
• Age range: 8 adult, 2 YA and 1 middle grade.
• Format: 6 paperback, 4 hardback and 1 audiobook.

Challenges

• Prompt: Non-Fiction
  • Becoming – Michelle Obama
  • Pandora’s Jar – Natalie Haynes
  • Beyond the Story – BTS
  • I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokkbokki – Baek Sehee
  • Always Take Notes – Simon Akam and Rachel Lloyd

Bookshops and Bonedust – Travis Baldree (DNF)

Earlier this year I read Legends and Lattes, by the same author, after seeing all the hype on social media. I was quite underwhelmed with it to be honest and I didn’t really want to read the prequel but a couple of my friends who didn’t love L&L actually loved B&B. I, on the other hand, just couldn’t get into it. I found there to be a real disconnect with me and the main character Viv.

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokkbokki – Baek Sehee (3 stars)

Another book I picked up due to the insane amount of hype I saw. Something like this is always subjective to someone’s personal experience so in some cases I really enjoyed and connected with some of the stuff mentioned. But other chapters I just didn’t connect to as much. I always felt I didn’t learn anything new. This led to a middle of the road rating.

Beyond the Story – BTS (4 stars)

Really interesting discussion about BTS’ journey from pre-debut to now, there was some stuff that I knew especially the more recent years. But the earlier years and their first stint in America I knew nothing about and it was enlightening and sobering to learn about their struggles and how they supported one another. I loved the use of QR codes to link to unseen footage, music videos, performances etc. But I will say I was not expecting as much musical analysis in the content. I felt it was more a musical analysis book than an actual memoir.

Impossible Creatures – Katherine Rundell (4.5 stars)

There is a small selection of middle-grade novels that I have read over the years which make such an impact on me that I need to scream into the atmosphere. This book is one of them. I wish I had had this book growing up as it’s exactly what little old me would have devoured. The characters were fun and meaningful, the world was vibrant and vast, and the plot was exciting and kept me on my toes. This is an epic book that I am so excited for young readers (and older readers as well) to be able to read and lose themselves in. We have a classic in the making here!

Their Vicious Games – Joelle Wellington (4.5 stars)

This was incredibly thrilling and heart-pounding. I enjoyed reading every second of it despite hating the events that were unfolding. I thought the writing was super engaging and I literally flew through this book and couldn’t put it down. The characters were written so well and I enjoyed watching the psychology of the characters, their alliances, and their battles. It was very very interesting. The ending had me cheering and jumping in my seat!

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (5 stars)

I don’t think I will be able to truly put into words how much I enjoyed this book! This book literally put me in a reading slump after I finished it. Literally no book was matching up to this one! I had been waiting for a book with interesting characters, unique plot and a complicated world. I like not fully understanding what is going on. This book confused and amazed me.

Other books I have read:

• Sisters of Sword and Shadow – Laura Bates
• Always Take Notes – Simon Akam & Rachel Lloyd
• Princess Floralinda and the Forty Flight Tower – Tamsyn Muir
• Becoming – Michelle Obama