Happy 2025 and Challenge Update

 

Time to see how I've done last year with my challenges.

So let's start by saying that 2024 was a total WTF?! year for us. So reading was one of the things suffering from that as you may have noticed by the lack of reviews.

We finished 60 books in 2024.

24 of those were rereads.

6 were Orphans,

4 of them were from 2023, 1 from 2021, and 1 from 'how and were did I even get this?'.

My series challenge:

Series:

Karma Marx duology: Done!

House Immortal trilogy: Done!

Dark Swan series: Done!

Jessie Shimmer trilogy: 1 read, 2 to go

Souls of Fire series: DNF

Esther Diamond series: 2 read, 3 in my TBR, 2 to track down

Well... We didn't do too bad on these. 

We decided to stop with Souls of Fire because we seriously disliked the main love interest. We liked the other two friends with benefits and couldn't stand the heroine thirsting after a real big jerk, while two perfectly fine men wear there for her.

So for 2025 we'll try to get 12 Orphaned books off the TBR. Which should be easy with how the TBR pile is big!

We will also keep working on those two series we haven't finished yet.

Some of the books we read in 2024

I decided to not chase after reviews and start afresh in 2025, but feel free to poke me if you're curious about my thoughts.

Happy 2025 to all and Happy Reading.

An Update on my challenges

 

So I know we're not even 2 months into the year, but I wanted to give an update on my challenges anyway.

So far I read 3 TBR Orphans, oldest so far was on my shelves since April 2021.

Series:

Karma Marx duology: Done!

House Immortal trilogy: Done!

Dark Swan series: 3 read, 1 to go

Jessie Shimmer trilogy: 1 read, 2 to go

Souls of Fire series: 2 read, 2 to go

But.... I  managed to add another series to my list...

The Esther Diamond series.

I found the first 4 books on sale, so it only seemed fair to add them to my list of  series I want to finish in 2024.

So far: 1 read 1, 3 are in my TBR, 3 books to track down. (there is mention of an book #8, but that was never released it seems, so I'm keeping this series at 7 total.)

How's your reading going?

Early Update on my Challenges

 

These were my challenges for 2023:

1 - read at least 12 TBR Orphans.

2 - read the Alex Craft series by Kalayna Price

I totally succeeded to read the Alex Craft series!

As for the TBR Orphans: I read 11, the oldest being from 2014

For 2024 I plan on once again trying to read at least 12 TBR Orphans.

I also want to finish some series that are on my TR pile:

Karma Marx duology: 1 read, 1 to go

Jessie Shimmer trilogy: 1 read, 2 to go

House Immortal trilogy: 2 read, 1 to go

Souls of Fire series: 2 read, 2 to go

Dar Swan series: 2 read, 2 to go

What are your reading plans for 2024?

Update on my Challenges

 

Even though I'm not reviewing a lot and I've read more graphic novels than my usual books, my two challenges are going reasonably well.

So far I've read 3 TBR Orphans (the third only just deserved that title when I picked it up, but who's counting), so if I pick up a 4th before the end of April I'm on track.

So far I've read 5 books in the Alex Craft series all 3 Orphans are from that series? What a surprise!, so just 2 more to go.

Now I just need to get back in my usual reading groove, or all my books end up Orphans, making my TBR Challenge a very easy challenge.

How's your reading going?

Challenges Update and New Goals

2022 was a difficult year when it came to reading. Progress was slow and I only just made it to 100 books read. And as you have noticed: I didn't always manage to review what I read.

So how did my challenges go?

I finished the Charley Davidson series in February!

As for TBR Orphans

Orphans read: 

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave by Darynda Jones (in TBR since August 2018)

Summoned to the Thirteenth Grave by Darynda Jones (in TBR since January 2020)

End of Days by Susan Ee (in TBR since May 2015)

Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs (in TBR since March 2021)

Devil's Bargain by Rachel Caine (in TBR since June 2017)

Symbiont by Mira Grant (in TBR since July 2019)

Kingdom of Needle and Bone by Mira Grant (ebook, no clue where and when I got it)

The Tin Rose by Anne Renwick (ebook freebie I got a long time ago)

Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler (in TBR since February 2020)

The Last Wolf by Maria Vale (in TBR since October 2019)

A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones (in TBR since August 2021)

Furtive Dawn by Helen Harper (in TBR since Januaty 2021)

That's 12 orphans read in 2022!

So even though 2022 wasn't my best year, I did finish my challenges! Which brings me to the challenges for 2023.

Apart from trying to get back into regularly reading and reviewing I'll give myself two challenges:

1 - read at least 12 TBR Orphans.

2 - read the Alex Craft series by Kalayna Price

I already reread the first book of the Alex Craft series in December, so that gives me 6 books I need to read. 5 are already in my TBR, 2 of them Orphans from 2014.

Wish me luck!

And let me know about your challenges.

Reading Update

 

I've been very slow in my reading lately, but I hope to get back in the groove soon. Here's a sneak peek at some of the books I'll be reading and reviewing as soon as I find the time.

Expect a teaser from one of these books tomorrow!

As for my challenges: I finished the Charley Davidson series in February, and have read 6 TBR Orphans so far this year. Three of them in March. So even with my slow reading and no Orphans read in May I'm on track.

Orphans read: 

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave by Darynda Jones (in TBR since August 2018)

Summoned to the Thirteenth Grave by Darynda Jones (in TBR since January 2020)

End of Days by Susan Ee (in TBR since May 2015)

Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs (in TBR since March 2021)

Devil's Bargain by Rachel Caine (in TBR since June 2017)

Symbiont by Myra Grant (in TBR since July 2019)

How did I do in 2021

 

It's time to look back at my reading and my challenges of 2021.

These were my goals for 2021:

Finish the Charley Davidson series, and read at least 12 books that have been on my shelves for more than 3 months.

As for challenges I totally failed, unless I count rereads as Orphans, which I don't.

I read a total of 104 books. 9 of these were on my shelves for more than 3 months and never read before (oldest was there since October 2015).

 I did reread 17 books, so those were on my shelves for more than 3 months as well, but yeah... Not Orphaned books, but treasured Pearls who keep getting my attention. 

I didn't read any book in the Charley Davidson series, but I did read a book and a novella by Darynda Jones, both not connected to the Charley Davidson series though.

Once again I'll set myself the same two goals for the coming year:

Finish the Charley Davidson series, and read at least 12 books that have been on my shelves for more than 3 months.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2022 filled with good books!

How did I do in 2020

 

I have read 154 books in 2020.

This includes rereads, novellas, and short stories.

34 of the books I read were by authors of color, and 14 books were on my shelves for more than 3 months before picking them up.

I still didn't finish the Charlie Davidson series, but I read two books in that series and have just two more to go.

Overall a great year when it came to reading.

My goals for 2021:

Finish the Charley Davidson series, and read at least 12 books that have been on my shelves for more than 3 months.

On this last day of 2019 I wanted to look back on my reading and my bookish adventures.

2019 was the year my owner and I traveled to Dublin to attend Worldcon, and to meet Jeffe Kennedy. The first picture in this post is of me and my owner enjoying our first evening in Dublin, the second picture is me posing for a picture together with Jeffe Kennedy and Kelly Robson.

We had such a great time in Dublin, sightseeing with Jeffe and David, meeting other authors, and attending panels. A complete recap can be found on my other blog. You can bet that I want to go to other cons in the future, even though I retired from all my other traveling this year.



On to my reading.


I set myself two challenges this year: try to finish the Charley Davidson series by DArynda Jones and to read at least one book each month that had been lingering on my shelves for a more than a few months.

I didn't succeed in finishing the Charley Davidson series, but I did read 5 books in this series this year, and have 4 more to go. I'll definitely will finish this series in 2020.

As for Orphaned books, I didn't read one every month, but I had months were I read more than one, bringing my total of Orphans Read at 17 for 2019 (two of those were on my shelves for 6 years). I'll continue to try to get more older books read next year.


My favorite reads of 2019

I have read so many amazing books in 2019, that I made a list of my favorite book for each month (in two cases I really couldn't decide and have more than one)

January
How to Save an Undead Life - Hailey Edwards

February
Phoenix Falling – Laura Bickle

March
The Queen's Resistance – Rebecca Ross

April
Vicious - V.E. Schwab


May
Every Heart a Doorway – Seanan McGuire
The Orchid Throne – Jeffe Kennedy
The Only Harmless Great Thing – Brooke Bolander

June
Chaos Choreography – Seanan McGuire

July
American Hippo – Sarah Gailey

August
Empire of Sand – Tasha Suri


September
Magic for Liars – Sarah Gailey
Middlegame – Seanan McGuire
Gamechanger – L.X. Beckett

October
Gideon the Ninth – Tamsyn Muir

November
The Alchemist and an Amaretto – Annette Marie

December
Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones – Micah Dean Hicks



All in all my reading year was great and I will continue to read and review in 2020.

That leaves me with wishing you all "Many good books for 2020, and a very happy New Year!"

TBR Orphan Update - June

I only read one orphaned book in June: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier, but I liked it so much that I bought the other books in the trilogy and read those as well.

Ruby Red had been on my shelves since July 2015.

How did you do on your challenges?


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TBR Orphans Challenge - May Update

May was a good month for my Orphaned books. Five of them finally got picked up and read.

Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine had been on my shelves since June 2016.

Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare & others since May 2017

Under My Skin by Shawntelle Madison had been languishing since September 2016

Death, Doom, and Detention by Darynda Jones was the oldest Orphan this month, having been overlooked since December 2013

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson had been on my shelves since November 2016

This makes a total of 14 books read this year that had been on my shelves for more than three months at the moment I finally picked them up.

How are you doing on your challenges?

TBR Orphans - April

I managed to read two orphaned books in April.

Ruins had been in my TBR pile since August 2015
Under Different Stars since April 2015

How did you do on your challenges?

TBR Orphans Update - March

I read two Orphans in March.
I even started a third, but DNFed it at 25%, so I didn't count that one.

Crescendo has been in my TBR pile since June 2014.
Shattered Souls since July 2016.

Reviews for both will come soon.


How did your challenges go?

TBR Orphan Update

In February I only managed to read one Orphaned book: Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop. There were just too many newly arrived books that wanted attention. We will see how I do in March.

How did your challenges go?


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January TBR Orphans Round-Up

I had a great start on my challenge this year. I read 4 books in January that had been on my shelves for more than three months, just waiting To Be Read.

Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs had been in my TBR pile since February 2017.
Taste of Darkness by Maria V. Snyder was the oldest orphan this month. It had been on my shelves since January 2014.
Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop had been there since February 2016.
Alien Education by Gini Koch was the youngest and had been in my TBR pile since April 2017.

If I keep this up I might reduce the pile of TBR Orphans considerably this year.

How did your challenges go?

TBR Orphans Challenge - 2017 results

The one "positive" thing about having trouble concentrating on reading, is that I got behind on my reading, turning more books into Orphans. This means I read 24 orphaned books this year.

I had a slow start: I read my first Orphan in March. I did read 3 that month, so made up for my lack of orphans at the start of the year. I forgot all about those poor orphaned books in April, but after that I read at least 1 orphaned book a month, and even 6 in November!

I ended my challenge with 2 orphaned books read in December (pictured above). I'll continue this challenge next year.

Here's the list of TBR Orphans I read in 2017:

Slawter by Darren Shan
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Bec by Darren Shan
Don of the Dead by Casey Daniels
Desert Rising by Kelley Grant
Pleasure and Purpose by Megan Hart
Past Malice by Dana Cameron
Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
The Nothing by Kerry Schafer
The Cage by Megan Shepherd
Invaded by Melissa Landers
White Trash Zombie Gone Wild by Diana Rowland
Ninth Key by Meg Cabot
Dead In The Family by Charlaine Harris
Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
Blood Beast by Darren Shan
Spell Games by T.A. Pratt
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Dangerous by Shannon Hale
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
Demon Apocalypse by Darren Shan
Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine
Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder


How did you do this year?

TBR Orphans Update

I'm still having trouble concentrating, so I picked up easy reads in November. It turned out a lot of those reads were Orphans, so I read six books that were on my shelves for more than three months.

The City of Ember has been on my shelves since July 2015
Dangerous since January 2017
Spell Games since February 2016
The Kiss of Deception since early August 2017, making it a very recent Orphan
Blood Beast since September 2016
Demon Apocalypse since December 2016

All in all a good month for my orphaned books.

How did you do in November?

TBR Orphans Challenge - Update

Thanks to the fact I decided to try to finish the Sookie Stackhouse series I read a total of 4 orphans in October.

Two of them had been in my TBR pile since May 2014 and one since last January. Add the second book in the Mediator omnibus to that and I'm on a roll.

How about your challenges?

TBR Orphan Update - Still on Track

I read one orphaned book in September.
I pre-ordered White Trash Zombie Gone Wild back in 2015, but it took the arrival of the next book in the series to pick this one up to catch up with Angel's adventures. I'll have to make sure that White Trash Zombie Unchained will not wither on my shelves for almost two years as well.

I still have trouble concentrating on my reading, so I do confess I read lots of shorter stories and reread some favorites in September.

How did your challenges go?

TBR Orphans Challenge Update - August

I have difficulty concentrating on reading lately, but even so I manged to get three books read in August that had been on my shelves for more than three months.

The Nothing was a deliberate Orphan.
It's been on my shelves from May 2015 until this month just because I was in denial and didn't want the series to end.

The Cage and Invaded have just been overlooked in favor of newer additions to my TBR pile.
Both were added to my TBR pile in 2016, The Cage in May and Invaded in October.

This brings my total of Orphans read this year so far on 11.

How are you doing on your challenges?