#thelivebookproject

[thelivebookproject]

Reading Wrap Up | October - December 2023 + 2023 Recap

One more year has gone by, I almost can't believe it and yet it's already time to review how the year was.

[Jan-March] [April-June] [July-Sept]

Code: books read in English are in black, books read in Spanish in red, books read in French in blue & books read in Portuguese in purple.

OCTOBER (3)

West With the Night - Beryl Markham -> 4/5

Desencajada - Margaryta Yakovenko -> 3/5

Death and the Penguin - Andrey Kurkov, trad. George Bird -> 2.5/5

My favourite was definitely Markham's: as a British woman in colonised Kenya, I was wary of starting her memoir, but it actually was a really pleasant surprise. Her love for the country where she grew up in was palpable with each description of the land and the sky, and her life as a rancher, horse trainer, and chartered pilot was fascinating and full of adventures. Desencajada was a good insight into the life of a second-generation immigrant, but it was too similar to Supersaurio (by Maryam El Mehdati), which I read earlier in the year, to offer anything different. Kurkov's book was curious, but not enough for me to really recommend it.

NOVEMBER (4)

O Alquimista - Paulo Coelho -> 2/5

The Intimacy Experiment (The Shameless Series #2) - Rosie Danan -> 4/5

Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook: From Aphrodite to Zeus, a Profile of Who's Who in Greek Mythology - Liv Albert (ilustrado por Sara Richard) -> 3/5

The Housekeeper and the Professor - Yoko Ogawa, trad. Stephen Synder -> 3/5

Coelho's was for a book club and it was as simple and as bland as I expected, but it was my first ever book read in Portuguese so yay for a landmark! Rosie Danan's was great, and I actually added her new book to my TBR because in just two books she's become a trusted author for romance.

DICIEMBRE (7)

A Viagem do Elefante - José Saramago -> 3.5/5

Infocracy: Digitalisation and the Crisis of Democracy - Byung-Chul Han, trad. Daniel Steuer -> 4/5

My Roommate is a Vampire - Jenna Levine -> 2.5/5

Demigods & Magicians (Percy Jackson + The Kane Chronicles) - Rick Riordan -> 3/5

In Bed with the Stablemaster (The Rogue Files #6.5) - Sophie Jordan -> 2.5/5

¿Para qué sirve realmente la ética? - Adela Cortina -> 2/5

Le Testament Français - Andreï Makine -> 2/5

December was very good in terms of numbers but not in terms of quality. Infocracy was super interesting and I do really recommend it as a good intro treatise on contemporary debates about democracy and information. Saramago's was also fun if a little overlong, and as usual Riordan is a good comfort read. But the rest of them? I've already forgot what they were about, definitely meh.

As usual, if you want to have a chat about anything I read just send me a message!

Yearly Recap

[Hello 2023 post]

Reading (at least) 55 books [59/55]

12 books in French [4/12]

12 books in Spanish [12/12] [Plus several books translated into Spanish!]

12 non-fiction books [11/12] [So close and yet so far...]

12 LGBTQ+ books [3/12]

12 books by European writers (excluding British ones) [10/12]

12 books by African/Afro-Caribbean writers [1/12]

12 books by Asian writers [3/12]

4 books by writers from Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, etc.) [1/4]

4 books by Latin American writers [4/4]

Okay, so I didn't do THAT great in my goals, actually. A couple of them were reeeeeally close, but some others were so far away it's actually a little embarrassing. But oh well, we live and we learn, and we try again...

I'm actually fairly happy with how my reading year went, even if I didn't manage to read one single 5-star book in the whole year (something to improve for next year for sure!). I think that after a couple of years of stallment and block, I'm really getting my groove back and I'm really excited for what the new year will bring! I have also been curating my TBR this past month to make sure everything on it brings me joy, and now all of my picks excite me. I can't wait to get to them in 2024; you can follow my reading adventures over in GoodReads if you want to take a look at my shelves :)

I hope you all close out 2023 in style and have a wonderful start to 2024. May it bring happy adventures and many good books!

#thelivebookproject #2023 #anual recap #booklr

[bibliophilecats]

Rules: List ten books that have stayed with you in some way, don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard - they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you.

Thank you @logarithmicpanda and @smalltownfae (it took a while, I blame the abyssmal desktop tumblr experience - I hate the post editor!! Not happy with the formatting now but I have given up)

Alanna the first Adventure by Tamora Pierce I remember when I got the book for my 11th birthday. And then it stayed on my shelf for quite a while (didn't like the cover). I nearly missed it! But luckily, some day I picked it up and then ran to the bookstore to get the other books in the series.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell THE booklr book

Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones Reminded me what great books are like

Die große Drachensuche von Cornelia Funke The first version of the story that was later rewritten as Drachenreiter (Dragon Rider). From a time when I still adored her books

Der Wunschpunsch von Michael Ende All of his children's books have been part of my childhood, so it was hard to pick just one. This is about evil people wanting to destroy the environment and brave animals defeating them (on New Year's Eve).

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater I like all the books I read by her and all of them are still on my shelf - but Scorpio Races made a deep impression on me (I will probably never read it again, the violence against the horses was too much, that's why it stayed so prominent probably).

Die Känguru Chroniken von Marc-Uwe Kling (and all following books) So funny and made me aware of my political leanings in a way I wasn't previously.

Drei Männer im Schnee von Erich Kästner Obviously his children's books were part of my growing up (they are (were?) in Germany). A few years ago I started reading his adul novels. This one, while on the light side, still has some social commentary.

The Rest of us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness One of the few books from a subscription box I kept, read it multiple times. The talk between the protagonist and his psychatrist still makes me tear up.

Ferien auf Saltkrokan von Astrid Lindgren Another childhood classic that I reread a lot during my university years. A better, seemingly easier world. Soul food.

I tag @lizziethereader @linebetween @the-forest-library @thelivebookproject

#tag #tag game #ten books tag

[brightbeautifulthings]

Welcome to Forgotten YA Gems’ fifth annual Reading Bingo Challenge!

There are a lot of ways you can customize your challenge with length and number of books read. Whether you’re reading 8 books or 24, one month or all season, we hope you’ll join us!

Guidelines

Choose your card! We have options for small (8 books), medium (16 books), and large (24 books) cards.

The challenge begins June 1, 2023 and officially ends August 31, 2023, although you're welcome to set a different time limit if you want it to be more challenging!

You can join the challenge at any time! There is no deadline.

You’re welcome to read whatever you like for the challenge, from picture books to YA to adult. If you want to make things extra challenging and really target that backlist, you can stick to the group guidelines (five years or older and YA/MG/NA), but how you play is up to you!

Each book only counts for one square, so choose carefully!

If you’re good with a photo editor you can update your Bingo card with each book you’ve read.

Have questions? Andrea @thelivebookproject, Carrie @brightbeautifulthings, and Lore @cementeriodelibrosolvidads are happy to help!

Feel free to tag us and let us know what you’re reading, or join us on Discord for discussions. We’d love to know how you’re doing! We hope you all have fun with it, read some great books, and talk to some awesome people!

#forgotten ya gems #reading challenge #summer reading challenge #bingo challenge #book bingo #booklr #goodreads #goodreads groups #discord book club #books

[ninja-muse]

Booklr Wrapped!

As in Spotify Wrapped, but it’s books! It feels kind of weird to be doing this while I still have a month of reading left, but I guess it’s no weirder than Goodreads choosing the best books of the year in November, and it’s a tag meme so whatever. Long-time followers will notice I slipped an unfinished book into the mix. Sometimes you can just tell.

Tagged by @petrareads. Template by @_readbyrach on Instagram. (You do need a Canva account though.)

Tagging @lizziethereader @franticvampirereads @howlsmovinglibrary @thelivebookproject @magnetarmadda @the-forest-library @sixofravens-reads @bibliophilecats @therefugeofbooks but please do this regardless and tag me!

#tag memes #reading wrap-ups #more or less #read in 2022 #who queue?

[aliteraryprincess]

Clutter & driven for the asks!

Thank you!

clutter- are you an organized person?

Answered here.

driven- do you have life goals that you’re working toward or are you just going with the flow?

Well...about that...So I did have the goal of getting a PhD and becoming a professor. I’m obviously getting the PhD right now, so I am working toward that goal. But I don’t think I want to be a professor anymore because I hate teaching now that I’ve actually done it. So other than finishing the PhD, I don’t really have a life goal right now. I’m just going to see what happens and hope my boyfriend gets a high paying job so I can sit at home and read all day. 😆

#answered #elizabeth's life #thelivebookproject

[lizziethereader]

hey, here’s a friendly reminder that your original content is incredible!!! let’s spread some support by sharing this message to 10 other blogs whose creations you love, and don’t break the chain❤️✨ have a great day/night and remember that you’re loved!!!

So is yours!! ♥♥

#thelivebookproject #replies #ask

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

8, 9 & 34 ✨

8. funniest book you read this year? ooh LC Rosen’s two YA novels: Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) and Camp! excellent, fun #OwnVoices mlm reads that examine interesting aspects of growing up queer and the influences of toxic masculinity

9. what’s the book you were most excited about before you started it? probably A Tale of Magic... by Chris Colfer. it lived up to my expectations and then surpassed them by a mile, the sequel too. highly recommend to anyone who loves middle grade fantasy

34. what book have you recommended the most this year? was it None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney? it was probably None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney. but if you don’t like crime fiction, try Euphoria Kids by Alison Evans for queer witchy friendships 👍

thank you, Andrea ^.^ happy new year!

send a number 1-40 for 2020 book asks

#replies and answers #2020 #thelivebookproject

[almostreading]

9, 12 & 20 for the asks you made!

9. what’s the book you were most excited about before you started it?

probably wayward son, because i have a strangely strong attachment to carry on and i was so excited to read more about simon and baz. sadly it also ended up being one of the biggest disappointments of the year. 

other two have already been answered!

ask me about my 2020 reads!

#thelivebookproject

[barrebard]

9, 12 & 27 ✨

Thanks for the ask!

9. what’s the book you were most excited about before you started it?

Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis. I’ve been a fan of her video essays for years and years and I was so excited to hear she was coming out with a sci-fi book. I’m also a sucker for alien first contact stories, so I was really excited about it. And I loved it!

I’m also sitting on The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin, which was given to me for Christmas, and I’m SUPER excited to read. Going to try to read those next week before the year is out. 12. what book was the most out of your comfort zone?

Probably Follow Me to Ground by Sue Rainsford. I picked it up because the cover was so striking, and I barely glanced at the description. It turned out to be a really weird, surreal book that has a lot more body-horror-adjacent stuff than I would typically read, but I ended up really liking it. I read it in one sitting, and it’s stuck with me more than some of the other books I’ve read this year.

 27. what’s the genre you read the most of?

Fantasy and romance. I just did a quick count, and I read 29 fantasy books this year out of about 70 books total. Romance came in at 17, which is way more than the 5-7 romance novels I’ve read in the last couple of years. My reading life was very much about escapism this year, more so than usual.

Ask list here

#thelivebookproject #ask meme #booklr #reading meme #reading in 2020 #ask me what i'm reading

[elenajohansenreads]

10 Questions Tag

Jumping on an open (older, got-stuck-in-my-drafts) tag from @thelivebookproject!

1. How has your quarantine been?

The first month was fine, like a vacation. Yes, I was temporarily out of work (didn’t lose my job but we weren’t open for a bit) but Animal Crossing was new  and I was trying to buckle down on my novel and I had no idea how bad things were going to get.

In late April, I got Covid. It sucked. I’m fine now--really fine, as far as my doctor can tell, no obvious lasting damage. But the fatigue hung out with me all summer like an unwanted house guest, even as I went back to work.

Since bouncing back, I got the novel finished and published, but that, on top of holiday responsibilities, was exhausting, and I’m trying to give myself a break for a bit to recharge.

2. Biggest pet peeves (in general)?

My place of business is in the same plaza as a grocery store and people who park closer to us will push their carts up to the sidewalk near our door and leave them there, like it’s our job to take them the rest of the way back. Which we end up doing because we can’t have a bunch of grocery carts blocking our entrance, but seriously, people, we’re not the grocery store, we don’t work for them, don’t make us return your damn carts for you.

3. What book(s) are you reading right now?

Voyage of the Basilisk, by Marie Brennan.

4. What’s your favourite thing about bookblr?

The friends I’ve made, of course! But more in general, finding book recommendations for things I probably never would have read otherwise. Not all of them turn out to be my thing, but it feels so good when I get a new favorite that way.

5. How are your yearly goals looking?

I published my novel like I wanted to, and I completed all of my many reading challenges with a few days still to spare on the final ones. Though I’m deliberately not going as hard next year, I put too much pressure on myself!

6. What’s a curious thing about you/your personality/your life?

I never know what to say for these kind of questions, because my life feels pretty normal to me. I tried to think of something and typed up a few brushes with famous people or similar situations, but honestly, they feel fake, even though they’re real, so I deleted them. Okay, how about this: almost every piece of clothing I own is secondhand and altered to fit me, or just made my me to begin with. I’ve been a slow fashionista since before that term became popularized, and I’m actually wearing a set of pajamas right now that I cut from a damaged fleece blanket I didn’t want to go to waste.

7. If you could be an animal, which one would you choose?

Red panda, for sheer cuteness. I want to be that fuzzy and universally adored.

8. Rec me a book!

I will rec you a whole series! I recently finished book #5 of The Expanse and they’ve all been good or excellent, especially if you like your sci-fi “hard” and highly physics-based--gravity is a problem and inertia is a real bitch. The characters are vibrant and interesting, the plot lines compelling with enough foreshadowing to see the shape of the story ahead of time but not (usually) enough to make it dully predictable, and bonus, it’s got a pretty awesome TV adaptation. (Yes, I thought of this because we’re watching S5 right now.)

9. How many languages do you speak?

Well? Just the one, English, my native language. I took three years of French (two high school and one college) and I’m incredibly rusty--I remember more about how it works, as a language, than I do actual words, and if I tried to speak it I’d sound like garbage, I’m sure. I also took one year of Japanese in college, basically for fun, and earlier this year I tried to re-start-learn it because we’re watching a lot of anime (subbed) these days so I could be treating it like free listening practice. But this year was *waves hands angrily* and trying to start Japanese again was too much for my brain to handle.

10. Tell me a childhood memory.

The first time I remember lying about myself to seem cool, I was five, and we had just moved to a new town, and I told one of the girls who lived down the street from me (who I desperately wanted to be friends with) that I was a famous ballerina where I grew up, and I had danced the lead in Swan Lake. My aunt was a ballet teacher at the time, and when we visited she would show me a few basics, so in my mind that meant I could fake being a famous ballerina, right? The girl believed me but also immediately told her mother about the famous ballerina she’d just met, and I was instantly found out.

I grew out of that phase eventually (though it did get me into trouble a fair bit before I did) and now I channel the lie-about-myself-to-seem-cool impulses into my writing, where all of my characters are a little bit me.

My questions for you:

Who’s a person from your past you’d like to catch up with now if you could?

What skill are you most proud of?

What’s your go-to comfort food?

What book on your TBR are you most excited to read?

What book most affected you this year?

What can an author do wrong to make you not finish their book, or even put them on the “never read again” list?

What goals (if any) are you setting yourself for reading in 2021?

Where is the coolest/strangest/most memorable place you’ve ever been?

Do you have any self-care tips to share from this stressful year that might help others?

I’ll borrow my last one from the set I answered: rec me a book!

I’ll also make this an open tag, because it took me a while to write all this and I’ve got to get dinner out of the oven! Tag me if you play, please!

#booklr #tag games #10 questions #thelivebookproject #about me

[thelivebookproject]

TBR | January 2024

2024 is here, Happy New Year!

To celebrate, let's set some goals: I want to read 50 books in 2024, and get to at least 60% of my current TBR (this means 43 books). These are both suuuuuuper lowkey goals that I think will be easily accomplishable, but I think it's about time I don't stress myself out with plans. 2024 is shaping up to be a very full year in terms of professional and personal matters, so I want my reading to be relaxing.

However, in the spirit of tackling my TBR, I'm going to try and set a list of books I want to get to this month in the hopes of actually sticking to it...

The Lost Pianos of Siberia - Sophy Roberts

El Zorro: comienza la leyenda - Isabel Allende

Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised - Alice Te Punga Somerville

Nagori: La nostalgie de la saison qui vient de nous quitter - Ryoko Sekiguchi

Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White - Blair Braverman

Marx in the Anthropocene - Kōhei Saitō

Poets and Dreamers: Studies and Translations from the Irish - Lady Gregory

I think this is a good mix of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry, with radically different topics, genres, and even languages, so I don't get bored. There's something for every mood and I'm really looking forward to all of them.

What are you reading this year?

#thelivebookproject #booklr #monthly tbr #2024

[bibliophilecats]

The Yellow Stack

Thank you @books-are-portals​ for tagging me! 

I actually have quite a lot of yellow books (there is even one manga series, which I did not stack on top of the already high stack) but it seems yellow is more prevalent in (my) German books than in the English publishing world.

I tag @the-head-in-the-clouds​ @agardenandlibrary​ @leer-reading-lire​ @slaughter-books​ @bookbandit​ @thelivebookproject​ and @lettersfromthelighthouse​ if you want (and haven’t done it already).

#booklr #tag #the yellow stack #yellow stack book tag #book tag

[brightbeautifulthings]

Welcome to Forgotten YA Gems’ fourth annual Reading Bingo Challenge!

There are a lot of ways you can customize your challenge with length and number of books read. Whether you’re reading 8 books or 24, one month or all season, we hope you’ll join us!

Guidelines

Choose your card! We have options for small (8 books), medium (16 books), and large (24 books) cards.

Pick the length of your challenge! If you’re with us on Goodreads, you can sign up for a three-month, two-month, or one-month challenge, beginning June 1, 2022. If you’re participating on Tumblr or Discord, the time limit is up to you.

You can join the challenge at any time! There is no deadline.

You’re welcome to read whatever you like for the challenge, from picture books to YA to adult. If you want to make things extra challenging and really target that backlist, you can stick to the group guidelines (five years or older and YA/MG/NA), but how you play is up to you!

Each book only counts for one square, so choose carefully!

If you’re good with a photo editor you can update your Bingo card with each book you’ve read.

Have questions? Andrea @thelivebookproject and Carrie @brightbeautifulthings are happy to help!

Feel free to tag us and let us know what you’re reading, or join us on Discord for discussions. We’d love to know how you’re doing! We hope you all have fun with it, read some great books, and talk to some awesome people!

#reading challenge #book bingo #summer reading challenge #forgotten ya gems #booklr #yrstruly #goodreads #goodreads groups #discord book club #books

[ninja-muse]

23 Books for 2023

(Or: books I want to read but also some general goals)

Tagged by @agardenandlibrary​ and @a-ramblinrose​. Thank you!

Perilous Times - Thomas D. Lee

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi - Shannon Chakraborty

The Magician’s Daughter - H.G. Parry

Labyrinth’s Heart - M.A. Carrick

Digger - Ursula Vernon

The Night Watch - Sarah Waters

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies - Heather Fawcett

All the Hidden Paths - Foz Meadows

The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher - E.M. Anderson

A Sleight of Shadows - Kat Howard

A Power Unbound - Freya Marske

The Frugal Wizard’s Guide to Surviving Medieval England - Brandon Sanderson

Bookshops and Bonedust - Travis Baldree

The Hexologists - Josiah Bancroft

The Great Cat Massacre - Robert Darnton

read at least one of T. Kingfisher’s horror novels

finish at least two of my Storygraph challenges

start Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century by Richard Taruskin

read 10 classics (including plays and poetry) (2/10)

read 10 20 Canadian authors (14/20)

read at least one book off my TBR shelves per month (12/12)

review at least one book on Tumblr per month (12/12)

read more books off my TBR shelves than I haul

Tagging @howlsmovinglibrary @thelivebookproject​ @readingaway​ @brideofsevenless @sixofravens-reads @moondustbooks @starsandsteelandbrokenglass @janeandthehivequeen

#tag memes #the tbr list of doom #reading goals

[words-and-pages]

One underrated skincare tip?

This might just be me, but I swear by using Aloe Vera. I really struggled with acne all throughout my teen years, then I started using Aloe instead of primer before putting on makeup and it was life-changing. It’s antibacterial, soothing, heals scars and is all around great for skin. If you haven’t tried it I highly recommend.

Also moisturiser. And water. And exercise (I know, I know, but it works.)

Have a great day!

#asks #my posts #answer #about me #thelivebookproject

[aliteraryprincess]

9, 12 & 20!

Thank you!

9. what’s the book you were most excited about before you started it?

Probably Among Others by Jo Walton. I’d read two books by her earlier in the year and loved them, so I knew it was going to be amazing.

12. what book was the most out of your comfort zone?

The Iliad by Homer. It’s from a time period that I don’t work with plus it’s poetry, which I tend to have a difficult time with. But I thought it was important for me to read.

20. best non-fiction?

I read a lot of great non-fiction, so this is really hard! I think I’ll go with The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui. 

#answered #bookish asks #thelivebookproject