Hello again, all! I hope that this chaotic mess of a year has had it's redeeming moments, and that you all have been staying safe and healthy in the meantime. Either way, it's nearly over now, and I have a little "to be read" post to make about what I hope to read (or finish reading) by the end of December.
RECENTLY READ
- Death Masks (Dresden Files, #5) by Jim Butcher: I actually just finished this one a few days ago, so my thoughts are still fresh! This is the fifth installment in the (very long) urban Fantasy series that follows Chicago's only practicing wizard/special investigator combo, Harry Dresden. To be honest, I have been on the fence with this series so far, and I've given the previous four books about two to three stars each. The titular character is far from my favorite, and I find that the way that he sometimes views women to be very off-putting, to say the least. But something about this particular installment somehow caught my fancy! Despite my general dislike of Harry himself, this novel did feature several side characters that I'm fond of, and the pacing was tight and expertly plotted. I read over 200 pages during this past weekend alone. Overall, I found myself really enjoying this one (I know, I'm surprised, too) and gave this one 4/5 stars on Goodreads!
CURRENTLY READING
- Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses, #1) by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu: So, I'm mentioning this one upfront because I borrowed it from my library's eBook app, and then only got about halfway through before my checkout for it expired. Whoops. I put myself back on the hold list, but it looks like I have "about 18 weeks" to wait until I can get this bad boy back, so. It looks like this might not be finished before the year is out. This one's on me, folks.
- A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare: Another one that I'm mentioning upfront because I've been reading this forever and still haven't finished it. I'm really liking this play (which is one of his more famous comedies, I believe), however I've never been very good with classics. The language tends to slow me down! But I'm going to try and finish this soon, even if it's on the backburner for now while I finish up my other reads.
- The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien: Okay, so I know I just said I'm not great at classics, but bare with me. The Hobbit is one of those books that I always default to when responding to the "What's your favorite book?" question, but the truth it that I haven't reread it in a very long time. I'm really scared of it not holding up, but I just picked it up today and Bilbo Baggins is honestly as relatable as ever. I adore him, and I adore the style of writing that Tolkien pursued with this particular novel. I find it to be rather tongue-in-cheek and to fit the narrative quite well. I'm only about 30 pages through this reread, but so far I really am enjoying it. It's one of those books that feels like coming home.
- Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson: Finally, and perhaps most excitingly, is Warbreaker! I've been wanting to pursue the expansive Fantasy universe that is the Cosmere for a very long time, and since this book is up for free on his website, I figured that I might as well start here! It's supposed to be a standalone (possibly with a distant sequel?) which makes it more accessible as well. I've heard people praise Sanderson's world-building far and wide, and even though I'm only ~25% of the way through, I can definitely see why this is. I've had to make myself a little Google Doc just to keep tabs on everything! I'm liking this a lot though, and can't wait to continue on!
TO BE READ
- The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1) by Brandon Sanderson: Yes, this is ambitious considering it is a 1,000+ page tome. But guys, I am so excited to read this one. It sounds exactly up my alley, and I've already ordered it (like a month ago... yay for slow COVID/holidays shipping) so I'm probably going to drop everything to read it once it arrives. I've heard so many good things, and even though I have already spoiled myself on a lot of this series, it is, as a wise man once said, more about the journey than it is the destination...
- Blood Rites (Dresden Files, #6) by Jim Butcher: I've heard that this one takes a bit of a dip in quality compared to some of the previous books, which is a bit nerve-wracking considering I was just starting to warm up to this series. According to the back of the book, part of it takes place on an adult film set which is.... daunting, considering how much I already hate Harry Dresden's descriptions of the women he encounters in daily life. I'm worried that will be tenfold with this one. But I already have it on hand, so once my "currently reading" stack is whittled down a little bit, I will definitely be cracking this one open!
- Ghosts of the Shadow Market (Shadowhunters #???) by Cassandra Clare et. al: Can you guys tell that I got myself into a bad book hangover after reading Chain of Gold? All I wanted was more of the Shadowhunters world... I've read several of the short stories in this collection already, and so far this is my favorite short story collection of the bunch. However my hold on the library is still "about 2 weeks" away, so we will see if I'll be able to wrap things up before the year is out, or if I'll have to wait until 2021 to do so!
So there we have it! My "TBR" for the end of this year (and let's be real, early next year as well. I'm going to be keeping busy!) Is this a little bit ambitious for a girl who read a grand total of ten (10) books this year? Yes, but I've finished Finals week at school, and just turned in my two-weeks notice for my current job (my new job doesn't start up until January 3rd) so I'll have a bit more time than I usually do to get some reading done! I also want to catch up on Campaign 2 of Critical Role, and possibly get some writing done for the first time in forever.
What are everyone else's Winter Break plans--both for your TBR and otherwise?
I hope that everyone has a safe and healthy holiday (and presently a happy Hanukkah, to everyone who celebrates!) Let's end this year strong and socially distanced! :)
Until next time!
