Fortnightly Update
November 11-24, 2024
Posting this a week late because I have been… reading, I guess. I’m not sure. I sat down and tried to write the reading updates and my brain just wouldn’t. That’s what I get for, once again, not making notes as I went.
For some reason, at the beginning of the month, I decided it would be cool to see if I could read the equivalent of a book a day during November. It was going well for a while, I think I was even ahead at some point, but right now it could go either way. I’m only a couple of books behind schedule, but it’s definitely still possible. Was this a sensible plan? Possibly not. But it would be pretty cool if I managed it, right?
(and I started writing this post on Monday, so this was accurate at the time, but you don’t get to find out how it played out until next week because, even though this post is a week late, it’s still only the update for the correct time period)
(edit: just changed my profile pic on everything to the “author photo" from my picture book instead of an actual photo of me because I'm so so sick of the comments I’m getting over a photo I used to love that has now slowly been ruined for me)
Reading Updates
No. 6, Volume Six by Atsuko Asano
No. 6, Volume Seven by Atsuko Asano
No. 6, Volume Eight by Atsuko Asano
No. 6, Volume Nine by Atsuko Asano
4/5 stars
I’ve been wanting to read this series for about eight years but it took me a while to track down and wow it was worth it.
I’m not totally sure what I was expecting or how I thought it would play out, but there is no way I would ever have guessed what happens in this series. I’ve read the first three and a half books before, and I still never would’ve guessed it. The plot twist had me yelling. Genuinely yelling.
There are a few points throughout the second half of the series where the layout gets a bit messy and confusing, and it’s kind of hard to tell what’s going on, but it’s only ever for a couple of pages at a time.
I really enjoyed reading this series, and if I ever manage to track down the novels, I would definitely be open to reading those as well.
Goosebumps: My Hairiest Adventure by R.L. Stine
3/5 stars
I wouldn’t say this one is scary, it’s more… mildly unsettling and a little weird.
How to Live with a Calculating Cat by Eric Gurney
4/5 stars
This book was fun, funny, and packed with cats.
There were also illustrations, some that stood alone, and others that would follow across a few pages, accompanied by quotes or commentary.
My only memorable issue is that there were a few places where the illustrations would come in the middle of a paragraph, so you’d have to either skip past the comic to finish the paragraph and come back, or skip ahead to read the comic and then go back to read the paragraph.
The Snow by Caroline B. Cooney
2/5 stars
The author is obsessed with telling us about the MC’s hair colour every couple of pages. Sometimes several pages in a row. We get it… her hair is multi-coloured and special. Seriously, if you removed every mention of her hair, this book would be two chapters shorter.
On a positive note, this one was actually relevant to its title and featured a lot of snow.
We also got a few questions from the first book answered.
Stardust Bones by Reid William
4/5 stars
This book contains poetry that is raw and personal, talking about things like queer identity, transitioning, love, and grief.
The Fire by Caroline B. Cooney
2/5 stars
Christina’s level of perception seems significantly lower in this book, even at the beginning. Later in the book there’s a reason for it, but at the start we’re expected to believe she’s the same when she clearly isn’t. The boys are finally beginning to recognise the issues with the Shevvingtons, but only when they choose to.
Again, this book was relevant to the title, as fire was a recurring (and somewhat obsessive) theme or mention throughout the book. Similarly, it’s impossible to go a few pages without hearing about Christina’s “special multi-coloured hair”. It would be one thing if her hair turned out to have magic powers and saved them all, but it didn’t. It’s just hair, and talking about it so incessantly gets tedious quite fast.
Tashi and the Stolen Forest by Anna Fienberg
2/5
I loved this series when I was a kid, so my instinct when I saw this book was to check it out (and then I forgot about it for over a year…), and as an individual book it’s alright, but as part of the series… not so much.
It feels way too similar to a previous book. So much so that I had to stop and check that it wasn’t one I’d already read. This book felt as though they’d simply taken an old plot and changed a few details around.
Project Updates
I finally finished that Quiet Writers reading challenge recs post. It took me a month, but I got it done. Hopefully next time I will remember some of my decisions are mistakes.
So if you’re into reading challenges, are struggling to meet the QW challenge prompts, or are simply looking for some more indie recs, that post is a solid start.
I skipped 3 of the prompts because they’re reader-specific, but for the remaining 9 prompts I included 6 recs for each (and many overlap for multiple prompts, so I’ve noted that as well), and I added a “bonus recs” section with 9 extra books. So it’s… a lot.
I desperately need to be working on Poetry 4, but finding it incredibly difficult. I am so far behind schedule, even with the acceptance that it will not be released in 2024.
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