Ireland’s Immortals: A History of the Gods of Irish Myth

The State of the Reader: 5/4/22

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 8 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 4/20/22         The State of the Reader: 5/18/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 2

Total: $36.08

Books Finished: 0

Books DNF: 1

Title: The Ladies of the Secret Circus
Author: Constance Sayers
Date Added: September 4, 2021
Date Started: April 12, 2022

Cover of The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance SayersMedia: eBook/Kindle

The exposition became too much, especially since the author spends far too much time giving background on side characters, and it throws off the pacing immensely.  What books like this do is teach me what to look out for in my own writing because I tend to be overly descriptive, but I try to not bombard people with too much information about characters who don’t matter.  There’s a scene where someone walks into a store, and there are paragraphs about this woman.  All I could think was “Why do I care?”  Even if it’s going to be pertinent later, info dumping like that is going to be too much for someone to keep track of.

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The State of the Reader: 4/20/22

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 5 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 4/6/22         The State of the Reader: 5/4/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 4

Total: $13.46

Books Finished: 1

Title: The Comedy of Errors
Author: William Shakespeare
Date Added: March 6, 2018
Date Started: February 6, 2022

Cover of The Comedy of Errors by William ShakespeareMedia: eBook/Kindle

The end went exactly as I thought with the exception of one thing.  I thought two people were going to get together but that was never confirmed.  They’re still my OTP though, so if I write my own retelling it’s happening.

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The State of the Reader: 4/6/22

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 4 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 3/23/22         The State of the Reader: 4/20/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 2

Total: $1.57

Books Finished: 2

Title: The Vela
Series Title: The Vela
Authors: Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, and SL Huang
Date Added: October 2, 2021
Date Started: December 21, 2021
Date Finished: April 2, 2022

Cover of The Vela by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, and SL HuangMedia: eBook/Kindle

Finally finished this, though to be fair I did take some breaks because the borrowed eBook was more engaging.  It was often difficult to stay motivated with this novel, though I can’t say it was uninteresting.  I liked the characters and their motivations were both logically and psychologically sounds.  It’s also nice to see non-binary people getting some representation without it being a “thing.”  All of the characters were morally grey even the ones with good intentions, and it was pretty realistic to what would happen in such a situation.  If the richest/most powerful i.e. capitalists of today were available, you’re goddamn right they’d try to mine the sun without any care for how it would affect them or the rest of the galaxy.  I saw Don’t Look Up.  I’m obsessed with FFVII, and they all have the same motif.  I mean fuck, we’re already doing it!  Climate change is driven by the richest nations, but it mostly affects the poorest.  Parts of the ending served to enrage me, but in a “good” way.  It goes along with the theme of “deserving” that permeates the latter parts of the story.

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The State of the Reader: 3/23/22

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 2 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 3/9/22         The State of the Reader: 4/6/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 3

Total: $12.97

Books Finished: 0

Currently Reading

Title: House of Sky and Breath
Series: Crescent City
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Date Added: March 7, 2021
Date Started: February 23, 2022

Cover of House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas (Crescent City)Media: Physical/Hardback
Progress: 7%

Slow progress is better than no progress at all.

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The State of the Reader: 3/9/22

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 6 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 2/23/22         The State of the Reader: 3/23/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 2

Total: $25.98

Books Finished: 0

Currently Reading

Title: House of Sky and Breath
Series: Crescent City
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Date Added: March 7, 2021
Date Started: February 23, 2022

Cover of House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas (Crescent City)Media: Physical/Hardback
Progress: 5%

Maas knows how to make you care about someone in just a few pages.  The prologue concerns a character we’ve never met before, but what the author does with her is brilliant.  We were given a hint of what the world was like for humans, but with Sophie, it draws into brutal focus.

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The State of the Reader: 2/23/22

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 4 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 2/9/22         The State of the Reader: 3/9/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 3

Total: $9.97

Books Finished: 1

Title: A Sky Beyond the Storm
Series: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Date Added: November 1, 2020
Date Started: March 17, 2021
Date Finished: February 18, 2022

Cover of A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa TahirMedia: Hardback

After nearly a year I finally finished it, and just in time, too, since my next read arrived in the mail a few days ago lol.  It’s not the book on my “to read next” list, but it’s Sarah J. Maas’ next release for her Crescent City Series so I can’t wait.

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The State of the Reader: 2/9/22

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 6 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 1/26/22         The State of the Reader: 2/23/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 0

Books Finished: 1

Title: Six of Crows
Series: Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Date Added: February 19, 2016
Date Started: December 31, 2021
Date Finished: January 31, 2022

Cover of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows)Media: eBook/Kindle (Library)

I wasn’t expecting it to end when it do, which was entirely due to the percentage being thrown off by the sample of the second book in the duology.  I knew this was split into two parts, but I wasn’t sure how it was going to be delineated.  I have Crooked Kingdom on hold, but I’m not sure where I am in line.  I was going to add another library book to the rotation, but I think I want to finish The Vela first.

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The State of the Reader: 1/26/22

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 5 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 1/12/22         The State of the Reader: 2/9/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 4

Total: $30.96

Books Finished: 2

Title: Elric of Melniboné
Series: The Elric Saga
Author: Michael Moorcock
Date Added: October 21, 2016
Date Started: October 14, 2021
Date Finished: January 23, 2022

Cover of Elric of Melniboné by Michael MoorcockMedia: Paperback

This book surprised me.  I really wasn’t expecting the depth and paradigm subversions it provided.  I looked up some of the reviews and discovered the author was not a fan of Tolkien.  He liked him well enough as a person, but had some major critiques about his work, and the critiques are valid.  I respect Tolkien as a seminal foundation of modern fantasy, but it’s impossible to ignore the eugenics inherent in his work as well as what’s described as “Merry England,” a term I’d never heard, but a concept I’ve certainly encountered.

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The State of the Reader: 1/12/22

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 2 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 12/29/21         The State of the Reader: 1/26/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 7

Total: $52.94

Books Finished: 0

Currently Reading

Title: Six of Crows
Series: Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Date Added: February 19, 2016
Date Started: December 31, 2021

Cover of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows)Media: eBook/Kindle (Library)
Progress: 14%

I’m not generally a fan of heist novels, and like The Lies of Locke Lamora, none of the characters are overly likable.  I definitely have sympathy for them and their situation, but the thing that’s keeping me interested is less the job and more everyone’s backstory.  I’m not sure how long I’m going to keep reading this (it’s due back on the 20th unless I renew), but even if I DNF, I will definitely read more from this author.

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The State of the Reader: 12/29/21

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 11 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 12/15/21         The State of the Reader: 1/12/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 3

Total: $9.97

Books Finished: 2

Title: Every Heart a Doorway
Series: Wayward Children
Author: Seanan McGuire
Date Added: August 6, 2017
Date Started: Decembeer 1, 2021
Date Finished: December 16, 2021

Cover of Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children)Media: eBook/Kindle

I knew this was the first novel in a series, but I was a little surprised by how abruptly it ended.  It wasn’t bad by any means, but I think I was expecting other characters’ stories to wrap up.  That happens in other installments though.  The next one is about the twins Jack and Jill, and it’s before they come to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.  Speaking of Eleanor I think I expected to see more of her in here, so I’m wondering if she has her own novel, too.  What I really liked about this book is the LGBTQ+ rep.  Nancy is ace and Kade is a trans boy.  I’m kind of hoping they get together (I’m a hopeless shipper lol).  Next year I really want to catch up on my series continuations, so I’ll have to throw this one on that pile, too.

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