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I read 30 books in February. It was a bit too much even for me.

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I think I am reading too much again.

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A lot of books consumed this week as I got into children’s books again.

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Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake (Narrator)

It’s a mushroom book that is narrated by the scientist author. He had a very nice, soothing voice which made this a lovely listen. I have always been fascinated with fungi because of fermentation and yeast. I am not sure how much knowledge I absorbed from the book other than that fungi and mushrooms are cool. Fungi are closer to animals than plants and they are integral to plant and animal life on Earth. I am really glad I can listen to so many nonfiction books now and it has changed my reading life.

1.5x. Jan 28-Feb 1, 2025.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

A reading buddy and I have a joke that the Booker panels are allergic to plot. The vast majority of Booker prize winners have little to no action. This one was a classic example. Not much happened to six astronauts on an international space station. It was very slow. There were a few well written lines and I got to know the characters. It was a short novel as well.

Jan 29-Feb 2, 2025 on Kobo Clara BW.

Ascendance of a Bookworm (Light Novel), Part 2 Volume 3 by Miya Kazuki, Y? Shiina (Illustrator), Quof (Translator)

I inhaled this volume in two evenings. Now that I am home, I can read when I want. Why is this one of the best fantasy series I’ve read? It’s hard to describe in words because the book has strong world building, cozy characters, and a unique pace that is slow yet not boring. The writing could be better. It was clearly made for a young audience and for quick reading. The characters and setting more than make up for it. In this book, we’re introduced to Sylvester who is an important character in this world. Since I have been spoiled by the manga I know who is but Myne does not. He’s the kind of character you only see in Japanese manga and anime: a spoilt, juvenile man but is still a good and reliable person under the surface. I feel like I could inhale this series but it’s much better for me to read two-three a month since I need to focus on all the other books I have.

Feb 3-4, 2025 on Kobo Libra 2.

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande, Robert Petkoff (Narrator)

This has been on my TBR for years. I finally decided to listen to it as that is what I am doing with most nonfiction recently. This is an important book and more people need to read it and its topic. Society should consider ageing and elder care more especially in a time where all industrialized populations are growing older. Like the author, I come from a culture where elders are cared for in the family. Nursing homes have always felt peculiar to me as a result since all of my grandparents passed away while living at home with their adult children and grandchildren. As the author notes, these places are very institutionalized and similar to prison in terms of controlling what you can and cannot do. The book discussed how best to make decisions if you were also diagnosed with terminal conditions. It emphasized the importance of hospice care and assisted living facilities. The one thing I wish the book would have spent more time discussing is assisted dying. This is more controversial in the USA where the author is from. As a doctor, he wants to preserve life and insisted that assisted living and hospice should be considered first. I live in Canada where Medical Assistance in dying (MAID) is legal. I may need to read a Canadian book on this topic because while I know that hospice and assisted living are very helpful, I believe MAID has its place. Lots to consider. Essential reading for everyone.

1.5x. Feb 1-5, 2025.

ADHD is Awesome: A Guide To (Mostly) Thriving With ADHD by Penn Holderness and Kristen Holderness (authors / narrators)

Like most ADHD books I’ve been listening too, I got it based on the title. I did not know the authors were content creators and reality show winners. Of all the books I’ve listened to, this one was most like a podcast as the authors bantered off one another. There were definitely moments when I wanted to dump this book because a lot of this info was basic things I could find in other ADHD resources. While I did not mind the writing bad, I became a bit wary of this couple’s gung-ho style. The advice is not bad per se but things I have already knew. I also don’t think they really defined why ADHD was awesome objectively speaking. Personally, I like my ADHD but I’m high performing and so is Penn. Not everyone is as privileged in their lifestyle or work either. I did appreciate how they emphasized how it is different for everyone though.

1.75-2.0x. Feb 5-7, 2025.

Internal Time: Chronotypes, Social Jet Lag, and Why You’re So Tired by Till Roenneberg, Grover Gardner (Narrator)

I have had this on my list for awhile. I was even more interested in chronobiology after my insomnia issues a couple years ago. This book had a good summary of the topic from a leading scientist in the field. The format of the book starts each chapter with a fictional story which is used to explain a concept. I have seen format in other nonfiction books and do not like it. The stories end up hollow since the author is not a fiction writer. I’d prefer the straight facts but I know others may prefer to learn through anecdotes. A good subject but only recommended if really want to know more about chronobiology.

1.25-1.5x. January 24-28, 2024.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

I liked this more than People Who Meet on Vacation. Objectively, this was a good contemporary romance novel. It had decent banter, an interesting female lead, and was subverting the small town romance trope. Nora feels different and more developed than most female leads. I appreciated the childfree representation. There was a good sibling relationship. Overall, it’s well done. I still found myself still bored with the length and the contrived conflicts. The book had the typical romance tropes of Other Guy, Love Triangle, and Poor Communication. I wish I liked this more than I did, but most of these contemporary romances don’t do it for me. I need to really consider before picking up on another. I won’t say no to another Henry novel but not anytime soon.

Listened to a little bit on audiobook. I generally like Julia Whelan as a narrator but her voice for Charlie did not work for me.

1.75x. Read January 23-25, 2025 on Kobo Clara BW and Kobo Libra 2.

Ascendance of a Bookworm (Light Novel), Part 2 Volume 2 by Miya Kazuki, Y? Shiina (Illustrator), Quof (Translator)

I was not able to read this as often as the previous novels. This had an exciting plot movement towards the end. Gosh I love this series.

Read Jan 15-30, 2025 read on Kobo Clara BW and Kobo Libra 2.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot #1) by Agatha Christie

I hit a bit of a reading slump at this point on my trip. I had trouble trying to find my first read of 2025 and remembered that I could not go no wrong with Christie. This was the first Poirot mystery published in 1920. I tend to save my Christie novels as they are so reliable. This one was shorter and less detailed than later Poirot or Marples. As usual, there was a twist or two that I missed. Good dialogue and pacing as usual.

Jan 2-6, 2025 on Kobo Clara BW.

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells

It’s been awhile since I read sci-fi and I’d heard good things about these novellas. I really enjoyed the characters and adored Murderbot. As someone who prefers fantasy, I actually found the violence and danger in this more tense. It was suspenseful. I know that Murderbot has more adventures and dangers ahead. I will miss the human characters from this installment though. Looking forward to the planned TV adaptation.

Jan 7-9, 2025 on Kobo Clara BW.

Ascendance of a Bookwworm, Part 2 Volume 1 by Miya Kazuki, Quof (Translator), You Shiina (Illustrator)

Great bed time reading as usual. It’s good to move the plot to the temple. I only have 1-2 volumes left before I’m caught up to the manga.

Jan 7-11, 2025 on Kobo Clara BW.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

This was a surprisingly great read. It was a buzzy book about a single mom who starts an OnlyFans account. It was funny and so much more. It had a great protagonist who felt genuinely clever, stupid, and very human. The book had themes of family, drug addiction, gender, and economics. It had threads about fiction, content, and art creation. I was moved by Margo’s love for her baby. The author did such a fantastic job with the depth and pacing of the whole novel. Interested in the planned TV adaptation as well.

Jan 12–13, 2025 on Kobo Clara BW.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas with Elizabeth Evans (Narrator)

Finally after three books, I was engaged for most of this installment. I really liked the training and the new character Rowan. I found the pacing much better than the previous books. I feel more excited for the next few books. The audiobook did help and the narrator did a good job. I will likely divide the rest between audio and some ebook. I likely will do the tandem read as well.

2.0x. Jan 6-15, 2025.

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas with Elizabeth Evans (Narrator)

Still fun! After being irked by Chaol for about three books, I am slowly warming up to him a little. Many good characters and the pacing was good. While I like Manon, I preferred the other characters so I would speed up on the Manon parts more. I have decided to do the next two books tandem through audiobook and maybe ebook. I do not know when. I am fine with waiting to finish this later in the year as I like listening to SJM novels while travelling. It’s become almost a tradition.

2.0-2.5x Jan 16-21, 2-25.

Here are my reading goals for this year.

Read 80 books – I will keep my books at under 100 per year. I want to enjoy other hobbies and activities alongside my responsibilities and work. I plan to hit 100, but it’s not required to make me satisfied like reaching 60-80 would.

Read more books from my shelves – The most important goal. At least 25% of total books read or at least 35 books has to be from our shelves. Need to be better about this one as I have decided to basically given up on Not Buying books because I love books. They give me joy. Getting and having them gives me that serotonin rush, but I need to read more from the ones I get. I will always be one of those readers who has giant TBR piles so it’ll be a constant journey for me to balance it out.

Read at least three from Boxall – Should be fine.

Keep physical library books at less than 10 books at any time – Need to keep an eye on this one.

Read one poetry book – Should be fine.

Read one French book – More Tintin probably.

Read one Shakespeare play – Failed in 2024.

Continue Ascendance of a bookworm light novels series – Love these books! I hope to be done most of this series by the end of the year. I am going to watch the anime once I catch up enough in the books.

Specific Reading challenges:

• Read 12 books by Irish authors – I’ve already failed to read one Irish book in January so hoping I can double it up in the next few months.
• Reading Glasses Challenge 2025 – My favourite specific challenge in recent years.
• StoryGraph Genre Challenge 2025 – These genres are always so specific which is interesting to find books for.

My other goals from last year such as reading classics, giving away books, and continued digital and audio reading will continue. I think they have become more routine and do not need to be tracked as much.

This is a long post to review my 2024 reading goals and any themes or thoughts from my reading.

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With travel, my reading decreased a lot in the second half of December.

The Makioka Sisters by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki with Edward G. Seidensticker (Translator)

I requested my husband buy this book for me for the holidays. I do not usually buy new books unless I love the book or the author. However, I really like these Vintage Japanese classics from Penguin and a book club friend loved this book. This novel was written and set before the start of the World War II in Japan. It’s about an upper middle class Japanese family of sisters whose overall fortunes have declined. It’s a book about change and adaptation. Each of the sisters is different and has their own distinct personality and worldview. I was impressed how well the author wrote them and found out afterwards they were all based on how his wife and her sisters. The husband of the lead narrator is based on the author. This novel was serialized in Japan during the war and ultimately censored for having too much “feminine” content during war time. Nothing much happens in this book and it has very little plot except as it is character focussed. It’s a slow novel which times would border on boring, but I still appreciated the slowness. It was nice to read slow books especially on vacation. I felt I got to know the characters and their changing world. The ending was slice of life and not unsatisfactory.

December 16-21, 2024.

The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford

I followed one book about one wealthy family in the interwar years with another. I found it difficult to select which books to read during my vacation. This was my first time trying Nancy Mitford and I have the second novel in this series. I did not expect it to be so light and breezy. At first, I found Linda and the Radletts annoying and privileged, but the writing was so jaunty and easygoing that I grew to like them. The narrator Fanny was fond of the characters and it showed. Mitford’s character work got better as the novel progressed and the tone was not too pithy. I grew to appreciate silly and earnest Linda. It was easy for me to pick up during Christmas week.

December 22-29, 2024 on Kobo Clara BW.

Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 1 Volume 3, by Miya Kazuki, Quof (translator), You Shiina (Illustrator)

This was my bed time read as I read the other two books above. This was the best book of Part 1 as Myne starts to learn more about her world and develops her relationships with her family and friends. Such a comfort.

December 16-31, 2024 on Kobo Clara BW.

This is a long post as it was a week of lots of novellas and books as I tried to get over jet lag.

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Denison Avenue by Christina Wong with Daniel Innes (Illustrator)

Do you ever read a book knowing it may be emotionally affecting and then try to distance or harden yourself to not react too much? I had the chance to read this book from my library last year but I delayed it. The novel is about an older Chinese Canadian immigrant woman and the grief after she loses her husband. It’s also about the changing landscape of Toronto’s old Chinatown. It hit close to home for me. The book is half graphic novel and the prose section is also poetic at times. Most of the dialogue in the book is Taishanese, a local dialect from Guangdong China. I listened to the audiobook for 13% since I understand Cantonese. While the author did a good job of narrating, her accent was not that of a native speaker so it took me out of the story. The art was well done. The book was done well overall and I could really relate to the story. My mother would have been very similar to this woman if she had not past. I do think it’s too difficult for me to reread again.

Nov 27-Dec 1, 2024.

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel, Edoardo Ballerini (Narrator)

An enjoyable and short audiobook which I listened to on the first of two flights. I am not into true crime generally but this is about art which was interesting. It wove together many interviews and made it seem like a literary crime novel. I could tell the author did a lot of research and considered the framing and pacing. It was not too long which was likely another good choice from the author. I’ll look out for more from them. The narrator did a great job too.

1.25x. Dec 4, 2024.

Cher: The Memoir, Part One, by Cher, Cher (Narrator), Stephanie J Block (Narrator)

This was a Skip the Line Libby loan on the day I was flying out. It was a good companion on my 15 hour flight. I was hoping that Cher would narrate the whole audiobook as I’ve always liked her deep, distinctive voice. Due to her dyslexia, Cher only partially narrates the book. It was a decent memoir. There were clearly ghost writers. Some good stories and vulnerability from Cher. I did want it to be more entertaining in the Cher way. I admired her not just for her attitude but her grit and what she went through in this period of her life. I look forward to part two.

1.5-1.75x. Dec 5, 2024.