Reading Wrap-up: February, 2019

I read 9 books this month, and two short stories. Not as good as my 17 from last month, but it’s not completely horrible. And most of the books I really enjoyed. Before I get to my ratings, let’s take a quick look at how my New Year’s resolutions and reading challenges are going.

Reading Resolutions:

(my original post on my resolutions)

1. Read 1 Indie book a month: I read two Indie books this month, catching up with my goal, since I didn’t read any last month.
2. Read 2 short stories: I did do this.
3. Read more challenging books: I did a lot of this.
4. Reread some books: I didn’t do this. I’ll try again next month.

Reading Challenges:

(my original post on my challenges)

1. The Year of Asian Reading Challenge: I read a total of 9 of my 51+ books.
2. Back to the Classics Challenge: I read a total of 3 of 13 books.
3. Pages Read 2019: I only read 2,580 pages this month (I should be reading about 4,000 to reach my goal) out of 48,000 words, bringing my total this year to 8,068 pages.

Now, onto reviews. Also, I read one short story that isn’t on this list: “The Genuine Tabard” by E.C. Bentley, a short mystery story which was a lot of fun. But it wasn’t on Goodreads, so no cover. Okay, moving on…

2 Stars

• Enchant: Beauty and the Beast Retold (Romance a Medieval Fairytale #1) by Demelza Carlton (indie book) (released Jan. 2017)
  • I happen to love Beauty and the Beast retellings, and this one had such potential, which is why it disappointed me so much. I loved the twist that Zuleika was both Belle and the witch, and the fleshing out of the world was interesting (like the mystery of the missing ships). But the romance felt so cheesy. Character’s motivations were quite strange. Zuleika has something traumatic happen, and yet she isn’t psychologically affected as a person would be. Similarly, Vardan (the Beast) has little motivation for falling in love with Belle, or trusting his brother. Many of the concepts in this book (the romance, the mystery, the world) were interesting, but it felt underdeveloped in many ways.

3 stars

• Raining Men and Corpses (Raina Sun Mystery #1) by Anne R. Tan (indie book) (released March, 2014)
  • my review.
• “The Terrible Old Man” by H.P. Lovecraft (short story) (released July, 1921)
  • This story follows the theme of “everything is not as it appears.” When thieves break into an old man’s house, they get more than what they bargained for. It’s a very quick read, making me wish for more. The descriptions were interesting and though I perceived the ending, it was still a bit creepy. But this story was far too short to immerse the reader in the story.
• 1984 by George Orwell (released June, 1949)
  • my review.
• The Bhagavad Gita by Anonymous (released approx.. 400 BC)
  • my review.

4 stars

• Just So Happens by Fumio Obata (graphic novel) (released Feb. 2014)
  • The art is the best part of this graphic novel. The story is interesting as well, pulling from Obata’s real life experience of moving from Japan to London and feeling misplaced in the world. The story is moving, but surprisingly simple, dealing with grief and the divide Yumiko feels between London and Japan. It’s also a quick book to read (I finished it in less than an hour) and it is well worth taking the time to check out, especially if you are a fan of watercolors.
• Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki (graphic novel) (released 1960s)
  • my review.
• Malice (Detective Kaga #1) by Keigo Higashino (released Sep. 1996)
  • my review.

5 stars

• Confessions by St. Augustine (released 397)
  • This is a beautiful book, but also difficult and tedious to read at times. The book starts with Augustine’s autobiography (the ‘confessions’ of his past), which I absolutely adored, though it is also sobering to read. Augustine goes into great detail of the weaknesses of his heart, and is relatable to any Christian living in the modern world. It is strange how many of the temptations Augustine faced are just as apparent in our modern culture as in his time. The last few chapters (or books) in this book were difficult for me to get through because they comprise of his theological musings. For example, he spends nearly an entire chapter talking about the enigma of time. While it was fascinating, it was also extremely tedious. However, this is a fascinating theological study of human nature, and a must read for any Christian (or anyone curious to learn more about Christianity).
• The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang (released 1997)
  • my review.

So, there you have it. How many books did you read this month? Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments, follow my blog for more musings and, as always,

Best wishes in your life full of adventure,

Madame Writer