October 2023 To Be Read

So, I know I forget to do this post periodically. I wanna keep up better for the final quarter of the year, so here we go!! As always it's going to be a three-two-one initial goal with print books first, then ebooks, followed up lastly by audiobooks. 

With no further ado, let us begin:

Print

1. Malleus Maleficarum by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger - This is one of the books that I have wanted to read for a while. As a practicing (mostly) witch, I think it's always good to learn your history and really find out what it was like in the past. This is the book that was often referenced during the witch hunts and trials. I am very curious about what they thought and how they put it into practice. 

2. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean - I have heard about this through various people, including Reagan at PeruseProject, and I am too curious. I did start it in September, but I only made it as far as chapter 5 before the month ran out. I'm hoping to get through it during October and let you all know my thoughts. I am curious at what will happen with the book and mind eaters. 

3. House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland - This one is on my list as it is the Writer's Corner October book of the month. I picked up a cheap enough copy and it looks freaky so I am completely down to start this one and see where it is going. It's deceptively small. I thought it was gonna be larger, but hey, good things come in small packages, right?

Digital

4. The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish - I've also started this one in September and it looks fairly good. It's a dual timeline book about letters and how they affect certain groups of people. I like the idea and am looking forward to figuring out what exactly we are getting ourselves into. 

5. The Ignorant Witch by E.M. Graham - This one looks perfect for the season. A hauty witchling who thinks she knows what she's doing, only to be schooled by a rogue? Perfect. I hope I can get to it quickly. It looks good. 

Audio

6. The Will of the Many by James Islington - Something about the Roman Empire? I forget. I know it's James Islington and I adore his writing so I'm willing to give anything he pens a chance. I'm looking forward to seeing just how long this stays on the list. It's a 28+ hour audiobook. Here we go!!!

2023 Third Quarter Review

I cannot believe we are already at the end of the third quarter for the year. What happened? Yesterday it was March and tomorrow is October. It feels like the whole year went by at 90 miles an hour. I blinked and the year was just gone. Anyway, let's talk about how we did as far as various goals for the year. 

2023 Reading Goals

1. Read 72 books - So, as of 27-09-2023, I've read 75 books this year. This goal has been officially met for the year and now anything else I read is just going to be a bonus. I am at 104% of my goal and looking foward to seeing just how much I read in the last quarter. From July to September, I read 34 books, so there is a high chance I could actually reach 100 in 2023 if I continue on as I am with my average of 8-10 per month. 

2. Buy fewer books - There were a few months where this was higher than average, but I think in July-September, I was actually lower than my normal. So I'm considering this a win for the quarter. Naturally I am not including the Book of the Month selection as that's a subscription box.

3. Use my Kindle more - I've not really done that. I have been using it a bit more regularly than in the first or second quarter (especially if we count the Kindle app on my phone), yet probably not as much as I'd like to be reading with it. There was that time when my old Kindle kicked the bucket and I had to wait on the new one. So halfway a win. 

4. Do not force reviews - Yeah, that one is a win. I never force reviews. Sometimes all I will put like two or three lines about if I liked the book or not, but I don't force myself to actually go any way in depth with the review if I don't really want to. 

5. Stick to TBR - Sort of? I do try to read as much from the TBRs as I can, but sometimes I change them. I do still port any unread books over and then just fill in whatever is missing from the rest of the list. We are still doing the 6 total, 3-2-1 plan. I am counting this as a win.

6. Keep track of hauls, wrap-ups, and to-be-read lists - This is my first solid fail. I kept forgetting to post things during the middle months of the year and ended up having to skip July and August (which both had a LOT of books). Definitely a fail there.

7. Put away $5 for every book finished - I have been doing this, but I have also had to dip into said savings to cover bills. I am planning on going back and replacing the money eventually that I have lost ($370 now) to replace what should be there. Perhaps on my off paychecks. So, technically, also a win. 

* * *

Let's look through this quarters reads and come up with the three best and three worst!

Top Three [Four] Favorite Reads July - September 2023

1. A Song of Sin and Salvation by L.H. Blake - I had originally picked up this book because of the cover. I would bet anything that it was based on Eddie and Chrissy from Stranger Things. Turns out, the story was actually brilliant. It was a very long book about how this girl learns how to stand up for herself against her own parents and a boy from 'the wrong side of the tracks' proving that reputation isn't all it's cracked up to be, you can't judge someone based on the rumors about them. I adored it and am considering reading it again.

2. Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero - This one was funny. I loved the facets of how this old Mystery Gang broke apart and then ended up getting back together again how many years later. Missing parts and then learning what happened and how. I loved it so much that I actually bought my own copy and then the companion novel to it (This Body's Not Big Enough for the Both of Us) which is on my reading list. 

3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - One of the few that didn't actually let me down. I was unsure going in, with all the hype that it was getting and people losing their minds over the exclusive sprayed edges (I did mine in just black by myself to match my copy of Iron Flame). I was definitely not disappointed. I love how her power was revealed and what...happened to certain articles of furniture. I am so excited to see what happens in the next book.

4. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer - I know, 4 of 3 books. I had to include this one as it was the only other 5-Star on the list in this quarter. I loved their relationship. The way the Villain would go out of his way to try to ruffle her feathers only to be met with an unflappable (on the outside) assistant was funny to read. I adored how if anyone else tried to be mean to her, he'd practically threaten their lives. 

Three Least Favorite Reads of July - September 2023

1. The Enemy of the World by Road Warrior - It wasn't bad, I just didn't care for it. It read like I was watching a season of Sword Art Online but, not done as well? A lot of it seemed really convenient to be happening when it was and I just didn't much care for the personality of the main character. He was impressively arrogant. 

2. The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman - Don't get me wrong, this was not below a three star (no book actually was), I just didn't care for this one as much as the others in this quarter. I kind of felt like there were places where it should have taken them a lot longer to figure something out. They had knowledge I think they wouldn't have normally? It was okay. 

3. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo - This one struck me as odd. It was set in Chinatown, but the theme appeared to be closer to lesbianism and how that affected people. There was a little bit on the struggle of the Chinese, but not enough to really grab me. It felt sometimes like she was throwing in threat of deportation or discussion of the Communist party to remind us that the characters were Chinese, but if you took that part out and changed the nationality/ethnicity to anything else, the story would have likely read the same. 

* * *

My writing is going well. I failed Camp NaNo July spectacularly. I think I made it 3,000? Then kind of just stopped. Normal for me. I then started up writing again in earnest on the first of September and have made it an impressive 2,800 ish words. So, not the greatest, but I am handwriting it so it will take longer to reach the various milestones that I am aiming for. I have also decided to start putting away money like I was doing for the book reading. For every 1,000 words I hit, I am putting $5 into my Growth account. I could save a lot of money doing that. I don't know what I'm going to spend the money on, but hey, having it will just be comforting. 

I'm hoping to hit at least 5,000 words in October. Then as everyone who participates knows, it's NANOWRIMO season again. I'll have to accustom myself to using either my tablet or my laptop instead of handwriting the draft for the month of November. There's no way I'd be making nearly 1,700 words per day hand writing. I barely make 700. 

* * *

That ought to cover my review for now. I will see you all at the end of December for the Fourth Quarter and End-of-Year Reviews!!

Currently Reading: 17 - 30 September 2023

Currently Reading

- The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean (12%)

- Stone & Sky by Z.S. Diamanti (02%)

- The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish (12%)

- Malleus Maleficarum by Heinrich Kramer & Jacob Sprenger (08%)

* * *

Yearly Goal

75/72

(104%)

* * *

It's a sad, strange day when you have to report a BOOKSTORE ad as spam. I was scrolling through Instagram and noticed a going out of business sale happening now...for a company that ceased operation twelve years ago. Going thought my feed and I saw an ad for Borders. Yeah. They closed completely back in September of 2011. Someone is preying on innocent readers. I hate that. People might not really know that the company is gone. 

Figure since I've once again forgotten to post on the actual date, I'd just bump to the next Saturday. As of today I'm at 103% of my reading goal! I've finished 74 of 72 books. I keep "messing up" my reading goal of 6 books a month by reading 8+ books. As far as I recall, the only month I read below 6 (and there was only one where it was even that low) was March. When I read 3. And that was only because one of the books I'd chosen was 800+ pages long! Other than that it's been 7 (February) and then 8+ the rest of the year. I astound myself with how much I read. 

I surprised myself by actually keeping my book buying down in September, as I had wanted. I've read 8 books and only acquired 5. I am quite proud of this accomplishment. I am looking forward to seeing how far I can make it before the end of the month and see if I can keep it at 5. Yes, the answer is yes. I did keep it at 5. I actually read more books than I purchased this month. Go me!!

I suppose that is all for now. I will see you in two weeks, since I won't be home next weekend.

Review: The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

I have received this book in return for an honest review from NetGalley. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Sara Hashem for giving me the opportunity to read this book. 

This review may contain spoilers, be warned. 

* * *

At ten years old, the Heir of Jasad fled a massacre that takes her entire family. At fifteen, she buried her first body. At twenty, the clock is ticking on Sylvia's third attempt at home. Nizahl's armies have laid waste to Jasad and banned magic across the four remaining kingdoms. Fortunately, Sylvia's magic is as good at playing dead as she is.

When the Nizahl Heir tracks a group of Jasadis to Sylvia’s village, the quiet life she's crafted unravels. Calculating and cold, Arin's tactical brilliance is surpassed only by his hatred for magic. When a mistake exposes Sylvia’s magic, Arin offers her an escape: compete as Nizahl’s Champion in the Alcalah tournament and win immunity from persecution. 

To win the deadly Alcalah, Sylvia must work with Arin to free her trapped magic, all while staying a step ahead of his efforts to uncover her identity. But as the two grow closer, Sylvia realizes winning her freedom means destroying any chance of reuniting Jasad under her banner. The scorched kingdom is rising again, and Sylvia will have to choose between the life she's earned and the one she left behind. 

* * *

I pre-ordered this book as well as requesting the ARC from NetGalley (which I was approved for) and then I took a thousand years to actually read the thing and I apologize for that! I got distracted by so many other books that I never actually sat down to read this. Let us get on with the review, yeah? 

I did like how we were not actually told anything at first. We open up the novel to a seemingly young woman hunting for frogs. We're told, through her grumbling about it, that she is the apprentice for an older apothecary who cannot go out himself to get them and that she does it in order to earn a place. To eventually be given (or purchase) the apothecary shop so that the man running it now can retire. Nothing seems particularly out of place.

Then everything kind of goes sideways. Sylvia, as we come to know her, accidentally murders a soldier from an enemy nation and has to hide the body. She then attends a waleema (is that right...I think it is), a kind of festival to celebrate the end of a god who nearly caused the destruction of the entire world as they know it. While there, what she did is revealed. The Nizahl Heir, Arin, who is looking for someone to represent his faction in this contest called an Alcalah is there and notices what she did to the soldier (and knows its her), so he picks her to be his champion. With no idea who she really is. 

I liked the way she thought she was hiding stuff from Arin as they trained. I also loved her interactions with the various guards. Wes and Jeru both understood that she was the Champion of Nizahl whether they liked it or not, and just took it in stride. Vaun could have been dealt with much earlier and relieved some of the pressure that was on Sylvia to do what she needed to. I didn't like him at all and how he tormented her. It was interesting that Arin knew she was Jasadi and kept her around anyway. Did he know who she was under the mask of Sylvia? Why did he not just do what he had done to all of the other Jasadi they had caught? Imprisonment or death? He must have known, even deep down, that she was hiding something from him. 

I also wondered just why the Mufsids and Urabis were after her in particular. We knew that the Mufsids had a habit of convert or kill. If you did not join them, you died. They did not try to kill her after she refused to join. They actually tried multiple times to get her for their cause. The Urabi, too. They didn't kill as much as the Mufsids did. They also tried repeatedly to get her. I didn't understand why they wouldn't follow their own well known modus operandi. It made no sense there. 

I wish I understood why Arin's little base was a replica of Usr Jasad. Her home. Was it intentional to keep her on her toes and try to weasel information out of her? Things she may not know she was revealing. Like her ability to read dead languages or the Resar at the beginning of the book when she revealed herself to be Jasadi by only reciting a passage from a funerary rite? In the end, she was still smart enough to not quite reveal everything but I think he knew more than she realized. 

The reveal at the 80% ish mark was devastating. I would have lost it right then and there. It was a true testament to Sylvia's will that she didn't just immediately blow up. But then, she had been getting blow after blow and may have become desensitized to it a little bit. To learn that the people you trusted more than anything else did not have your best interest at heart, I could never. 

Her explosion during the end was justified. To suddenly have everything you love nearly ripped out from under you for the third time? She deserved it. They all had it coming and I am not surprised at all about what happened. 

I gave this book a 4.5/5 star rating because while I did love the narrative, it was missing....something. I can't put my hand on what. I am definitely curious about the Supreme Rawain's fancy stick. What does it do? Why is it important? I also want more of a history of the Malik and Malika of Jasad and why they started to do what they did. Who was behind what happened to Sylvia's mother, Niphran? What is going on? What happened to Arin that caused his hair to go all silver? We get part of an explanation, but I feel like there is something that's missing there. 

I am definitely going to grab the next book when it comes out to see what explanations we do get and what new things we are told that will need more explanation. I am looking forward to more books by Sara Hashem. It certainly doesn't help that the publisher for this book is one of my absolute favorites as far as fantasy books go, Orbit! I highly recommend this book for fantasy lovers out there. 

* * *

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem will is available for purchase as of 18 July 2023

Currently Reading: 01 - 16 September 2023

Currently Reading

- Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (25%)

- The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish (03%)

- Malleus Maleficarum by Heinrich Kramer & Jacob Sprenger (07%)

- The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem (32%)

- The Oracles of Apollo by John Opsopaus (33%)

* * *

Yearly Goal

70/72

(97%)

* * *

Wow. How did that happen? I blinked and like a month and a half went by. We're already two weeks into September. I'll just skip ahead to where I'm supposed to be in the reading blog. Not that anything particularly exciting happened in August? I read my books and passed the courses for the Star Whisperer and Godseer. So Aurin is continuing on in his studies. 

I can't think of anything else particularly exciting that's going on. A friend (JC) and I have decided to not exactly co-write, but I guess the term would be closer to tandem write our novels. We gave ourselves a year to complete our drafts. From 01 September 2023 to 31 August 2024. That's how much time I have to finish Project Secret. I made the weird (and probably bad) decision to actually handwrite the novel, too. Because just writing it wasn't challenge enough apparently. I want to write the whole thing out by hand. 

I've been working out my goals for the last quarter of 2023. Books I want to read, writing goals, any events I want to do in the oncoming months. I've even managed to put at least one pre-order that's not out yet on my list. I am looking forward to these. I can't wait. 

Made the odd decision to do a 12-hour readathon this weekend. I'm doing it timer method, so that way over the whole of the weekend I will read for 12 hours. Just under 3 hours in and I had already finished 2 books. I've got about 5.5 hours left and I wonder just how much I'll finish before the end of the time? We'll see!