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February Wrap-Up

I'm gonna be honest here: February's been rough. I'm surprised that I got a whole month's worth of posts up. I can't really go into all the details right now, but the biggest thing is that I've had a migraine for almost two months now and it's really getting in the way of me doing things. I've been to the doctor and gotten an MRI, but we're still waiting on the results. So that's been messing with everything else in my life.

Reading-wise, that means that I've been turning to audiobooks a lot. There are times that I literally don't have the energy to do anything more than lie in the dark, but with audiobooks, I can get some amount of reading done even then. If you guys have any audiobook recommendations, send them my way!
 
THE BOOKS

PRODIGY by Marie Lu (Legend #2): I didn't like this one as much as LEGEND. I didn't think the plot was as interesting, and it was also pretty predictable. It set up the third book really nicely, though, so it definitely kept me invested in the series overall! ★★★

CHAMPION by Marie Lu (Legend #3): I thought that I knew what was going to happen in this book, and I'm really glad that I was wrong. (Even if I was a little bit right.) What an incredible ending to a great trilogy! ★★★½

LIFE BEFORE LEGEND by Marie Lu (Legend #0.5): These were two interesting little stories, but they didn't really add a lot to the series for me. It takes a lot for a novella to really impress me, so I'm not all that surprised. ★★★

LEMONY SNICKET: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY by Lemony Snicket: I finished rereading A Series of Unfortunate Events this month (and wrote a blog post about it), and I found this at the library for when I finished! It was a fun read, but a bit confusing. ★★★

A LIST OF CAGES by Robin Roe: I probably wouldn't have read this book if it weren't for the hype around it, but it was also a little overhyped. It was a really good book and I'm glad I read it, but I wasn't blown away. My heart was ripped to shreds, though, which I was expecting. ★★★★

P.S. I LIKE YOU by Kasie West: I finally got around to this! I love all of Kasie West's books, so I really should have read this when it came out last summer, but it just kept getting pushed back. Well, better late then never, and it was still amazing! And the romance was absolutely adorable. ★★★★½

THE PANTS PROJECT by Cat Clarke: This was such a cute book! I absolutely love that we're getting more happy queer books for a wider audience, and I'm so excited for kids ot have access to this book. It's such a beautifully diverse and important book. Full review will be up soon! ★★★★

THE HEARTBEATS OF WING JONES by Katherine Webber: Oh my goodness. I don't even know how to express my love for this book. I knew that it would be a favorite when I was only a few chapters in, and then it just got better and better and better. My full review will be up soon, but just know that you don't want to miss this. ★★★★★

CRUEL CROWN by Victoria Aveyard (Red Queen novellas): I listened to the audiobook for these. I liked the insight we got into the characters, and there were some things in the second novella that really made me enjoy KING'S CAGE more. But overall, they were a bit slow and didn't measure up to my expectations. ★★★

KING'S CAGE by Victoria Aveyard (Red Queen #3): This was really good! I liked it more than GLASS SWORD, but I had a few minor (and spoiler-y) problems with it that kept me from loving it. I'm really excited for the finale next year! ★★★★

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead: This was required reading for my history class, and I really wanted to like it more. I kept hearing wonderful things about it, and I came across a lot of lines and passages that were really wonderful, but as a whole, something about this novel just didn't work for me. ★★★  

Reread this month:
  • THE SLIPPERY SLOPE by Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events #10): Listened to the audiobook for this, and I'm really glad I made the switch - the narration is perfect. This was so much more amazing than I remembered! I forgot so much of what happened, and I could barely stop listening. previously ★★★★, now ★★★★★
  • THE GRIM GROTTO by Lemony Snicket (ASOUE #11): Listened to the audiobook. Not quite as amazing as the last one, but still pretty great! I'm actually really surprised that this one didn't scare me more the first time I read it - I was scared this time! previously ★★★★, now ★★★★★½
  • THE PENULTIMATE PERIL by Lemony Snicket (ASOUE #12): Listened to the audiobook. I remembered almost nothing about this book, and it completely blew me away. Every time I had to stop listening to go do something else, I couldn't stop thinking about it! previously ★★★★, now ★★★★★
  • THE END by Lemony Snicket (ASOUE #13): Listened to the audiobook. What an amazing ending to an amazing series. I don't even know what to say about it without spoiling things - with 13 books, there's a lot to spoil - but this didn't disappoint. previously ★★★★, now ★★★★★
  • THE HEARTBEATS OF WING JONES by Katherine Webber: Yep. You read that right. I finished the book, and 4 hours later, I was still so hung up on it that I decided to just start it over again. It was somehow EVEN MORE AMAZING the second time. ★★★★★
READING STATS
  • Total books: 11 new, 5 rereads
  • Longest book: KING'S CAGE, 528 pages
  • Shortest book: LIFE BEFORE LEGEND, 38 pages
  • Favorite book: THE HEARTBEATS OF WING JONES
  • Least favorite book: THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
  • Diverse reads: 10 (all except LEMONY SNICKET: THE UNAUTHORIZED AUTOBIOGRAPHY)
CHALLENGE PROGRESS

Backlist Reader Challenge: 4 this month, overall 8/60 (Prodigy, Champion, Life Before Legend, Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Biography)

Read It Again, Sam Challenge: 5 this month, overall 14/16+ (The Slippery Slope, The Grim Grotto, The Penultimate Peril, The End, The Heartbeats of Wing Jones)

2017 Debut Author Challenge: 2 this month, overall 2/12 (A List of Cages, The Heartbeats of Wing Jones)

2017 Series Enders Challenge: 1 this month, overall 1/5-10 (Champion)

BLOG POSTS
BLOGGING CHALLENGE PROGRESS

2017 Discussion Challenge: 1 this month, overal 2/11-20 (In Which I Consider My Ideal Post Length)

How were your guys' Februaries? What was your favorite book you read? Do you have any audiobook recommendations for me? Tell me in the comments! 
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Comments

  1. Becky BakerFebruary 28, 2017 at 8:54 AM

    Sorry to hear about the migraine problem, they are bad enough when they only last a while so to be stuck with one for months is not fun so hope the doctor will resolve this for you soon. Glad to see you've managed to get to some books through audiobooks, though, it would be even worse if you'd not been able to read anything at all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraMarch 4, 2017 at 12:37 PM

      Thanks. I'm really happy that my library has such a good collection of audiobooks - it's making this a lot easier to deal with!

      Delete
  2. SkyFebruary 28, 2017 at 10:27 AM

    I love how a bad reading month for you is 16 books. But, all the same I feel you. Health stuff is THE WORST (as we both well know). Hopefully we'll both start feeling better really soon. Hang in there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraMarch 4, 2017 at 12:37 PM

      To be fair, 6 of them were SUPER short and one was a required book. I'm hanging in there!

      Delete
  3. Jane @ www.raincitylibrarian.caFebruary 28, 2017 at 11:11 AM

    I just finished watching the Series of Unfortunate Events miniseries on Netflix, now I want to reread the books!! Such a strange and wonderful series - I really appreciate authors who respect young readers, and don't talk down to them. Kids can handle big words and scary scenes! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraMarch 4, 2017 at 12:38 PM

      I absolutely loved rereading the series! I forgot how great the books were, and now I'm even more eager for season 2 of the TV show!

      Delete
  4. Madalyn @ Novel InkFebruary 28, 2017 at 12:40 PM

    I'm sorry February wasn't great for you-- I hope March is much better. <3 I totally agree about A List of Cages; it was good, but definitely overhyped. Love love love Kasie West! I had a few problems with Underground Railroad, but overall I liked it and I could tell that it was tremendously well-researched. Wing Jones is on my March TBR-- I'm super excited to read it after hearing you loved it so much. Happy reading this month!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraMarch 4, 2017 at 12:39 PM

      Thanks. I'm hoping March is better, too. I really hope you like Wing Jones! I thought it was absolutely incredible, and I'm really excited for more people to read it.

      Delete
  5. curlygeek04March 2, 2017 at 5:09 AM

    Your migraine sounds horrible, I'm so sorry! I get milder migraines but they are frequent. I hope you're feeling better soon. Sorry to hear you didn't love The Underground Railroad, I've been thinking about reading it. Hope you have a better March!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraMarch 4, 2017 at 12:40 PM

      I used to get milder, more frequent migraines, too, so I know those come with their own set of struggles. I think The Underground Railroad was definitely an it's-not-you-it's-me thing, so if you were thinking about reading it, I'd still give it a shot! Most of the other people in my class loved it.

      Delete
  6. Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction AddictionMarch 4, 2017 at 7:35 AM

    So sorry to hear about your migraines! I hope you get it all sorted out and get them under control!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraMarch 4, 2017 at 12:41 PM

      Thanks. Hopefully this will all be over soon!

      Delete
  7. Danielle H.March 29, 2017 at 6:44 AM

    I know second hand what migraines can do to a person as my husband gets them a lot and any loud noises or bright lights really hurt him. So sorry yours has lasted so long! Thank goodness you had audio books to help you out during this pain. I really want to read The Pants Project too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ClaraApril 10, 2017 at 5:01 PM

      Audiobooks have been absolute life savers for me. I'm really lucky that my library has such a good online selection!

      Delete

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