It’s another new month, and that means it’s to go over the previous month’s reading statistics. January Reading 2023, here we go!
Before I move on to the stats and pie charts and other assorted graphs, I want to mention how seriously happy I am with the amount of books that I combed through. It’s a huge improvement from December’s reading, and I’m hoping to read even more this month (February).
And now, on to the stats…
January 2023 Reading Stats
😐 Moods: For January, I had five moods – mysterious, adventurous, dark, tense, and challenging. No surprise there – I read a ton of either dark fantasy or horror.
👢 Pace: All of the books I read last month pretty much all turned out to be medium-paced. Most actual books are, so I’m honestly not surprised with that one, even though I did find Spinning Silver to be kind of slow, and What Moves the Dead to be generally fast-paced.
🔢 Page Number: Most of the books I read were between 300 and 500 pages, which is pretty average for me. (It’s my favorite length of book to read, after all.) What Moves the Dead was essentially a novella, or a short novel though, so it only clocked in at 165 pages.
📖 Fiction/Nonfiction: All fiction, once again. I promise that I occasionally (very occasionally) read nonfiction books, though.
🎭 Genres: I had four genres that I generally read last month. Fantasy (hello to you too, favorite genre), YA (not exactly one of my favorites, I just happen to read this one often), Horror (when I’m feeling like having a bad time), and LGBTQIA+ (What Moves the Dead had some pretty good rep).
📄 Format: I read three physical copies of books this past month, and one e-book. (Or so the chart says…)
⭐ Rating: My average rating was 4.19 stars, but that’s what happens when you read 4 books, rate two 4/5, one 3.75/5, and one 5/5.
📉 Pages Read Daily: I’m kind of all over the place in January, in terms of how many pages I read in a day, let alone a week. I peaked pretty early on, because I read the entirety of Unraveller in one day, but I read all of the other books in multiple sessions.
So yeah, I read a lot more – annnd I posted a lot more, now that I think about it – in January 2023 than I did in December. And that really makes me happy with myself, and just my ability to be proactive in general. (Especially with how hard winter can get on my mentality.)
What books did you read last month? Did we read any of the same ones? What did you think of the stuff you read in January?
Thank you for reading, and have a marvelous day/night! Tune in next post for more bookish stuff!
Good [insert time of day of your choice here]! It’s the start of a new week, so it’s time to wrap up the past one. It’s time for a Weekly Wrap-Up.
This past week I posted a lot more, even despite the medical stuff I had going on, so I’m super satisfied with what I was able to do. I did so many posts, participated in some features/memes, and even double posted on a few days.
So, without further ado, let’s get into it.
Monday 1/23: Majestic Monday #8
This past Monday, I did one post – Majestic Monday. Majestic Monday is when I admire three pretty book covers that I’ve come across in the interim. Because pretty covers deserve recognition! If you missed the post, you can check it out here, to look at the books that I highlighted.
On Tuesday, I finally managed to get my review out for Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. It was a truly fantastic novel that I definitely recommend. Fantasy, winter vibes, and fairies done right. What more could you ask for?
Wednesday 1/25: Shelf Control #9, WWW Wednesday #2
This was a double post day. The second one during the week, in fact! (The first was Monday, cuz I posted my last Weekly Wrap-Up for the week before then, too.)
Wednesday I posted my usual contributions to participating on the two Wednesday features I take part in. Shelf Control is a feature hosted by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies, and WWW Wednesday is a feature hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.
Thursday, I did another book review, but this was a retrospective one. A retrospective book review is when I skim through a book I read in the recent years before I had a blog, and determine whether I like it as much as I did when I originally read it.
This time I did Scarlet, the second book in The Lunar Chronicles, written by Marissa Meyer. If you’re interested and you missed it, you can read the review here.
Friday 1/27: First Lines Friday #2
First Lines Friday is another meme that I’ve started taking part in very recently. It’s a fun little thing (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it on One Book More.
I posted my second contribution this past Friday. You can read it here if you missed it and are interested in checking out my post
Yesterday, I posted yet another book review, this one on another book by an author I’d read earlier in January. That’s right – it was Deeplight by Frances Hardinge.
Deeplight is an unsettling, dark fantasy with both Frankenstein and Subnautica elements to it. Go read it if you like darker stuff, it’s pretty good. Check out my full review here, if you missed it.
Goals for the Week of 1/29 – 2/5
This week I did a lot of what I wanted. I was able to do all of my usual weekly posts and several book reviews. I also started looking into some stuff to make my blog even better. Due to some stuff going on, though, I wasn’t able to start a new post series that I was interested in doing.
So this week, my goals are:
Majestic Monday
Shelf Control
WWW Wednesday
First Lines Friday
a few book reviews
the new thing that I wanted to do last week that I wasn’t able to
Annnd that’s all for this Weekly Wrap-Up! As I said, did a lot, double posted, read a lot of books. Had a lot of fun doing it too.
Thanks so much for reading, and have an excellent day/night! Join me next post for more bookish things!
Look! It’s a double post! I’ve been wanting to post stuff more often, so I’ve been looking for different blog posts to take part in. I tried WWW Wednesday last week and immediately loved it, so I think it’s here to stay!
WWW Wednesday is a meme that used to be hosted at A Daily Rhythm, but has been taken over by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the 3 Ws!
The 3 Ws of WWW Wednesday
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
What I’m Currently Reading:
Title & Author: Deeplight by Frances Hardinge
Length: 432 pages
Genres: Fantasy, YA, Fiction
Release Date: April 14, 2020
Description:
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea meets Frankenstein in Frances Hardinge’s latest fantasy adventure
The gods are dead. Decades ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. But are they really gone forever?
When 15-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of a terrifying deity, he risks everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, military scientists, and a secret fanatical cult so that he can use it to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But with the heart, Jelt gradually and eerily transforms. How long should Hark stay loyal to his friend when he’s becoming a monster–and what is Hark willing to sacrifice to save him?
What I Recently Finished Reading:
Title & Author: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Length: 466 pages
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction
Release Date: July 10, 2018
Description:
With the Nebula Award-winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik opened a brilliant new chapter in an already acclaimed career, delving into the magic of fairy tales to craft a love story that was both timeless and utterly of the now. Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into this glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss.
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk–grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh–Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. She will face an impossible challenge and, along with two unlikely allies, uncover a secret that threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike.
What I Might Read Next:
Title & Author: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
Length: 165 pages
Genres: Horror, LGBTQIA+, Fiction
Release Date: July 12, 2022
Description:
When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.
What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.
Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.
What are your 3 Ws for the week? Are any of these books part of it? Have you been enjoying what you’ve been reading lately?
Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic day/night! Join me next post for more bookish things, and next week for another WWW Wednesday!
The real story isn’t half as pretty as the one you’ve heard.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Length: 466 pages
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction
Release Date: July 10, 2018
Description:
With the Nebula Award-winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik opened a brilliant new chapter in an already acclaimed career, delving into the magic of fairy tales to craft a love story that was both timeless and utterly of the now. Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into this glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss.
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk–grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh–Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. She will face an impossible challenge and, along with two unlikely allies, uncover a secret that threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike.
My Review
Star Rating: ★★★★☆ • 4 / 5 stars
And at the end of the day she would pour a lake of pennies onto the floor and roll them into paper to turn them into silver.
I really enjoyed this book. I had hoped that it would be so, but I’m usually not into slower paced novels. But I did like it. A lot.
The Characters
The characters were the real stars of this book. Yes, there’s a plot too, and a very compelling one; and the setting is very interesting. But the characters were what carried Spinning Silver.
There are several character POVs here, all of which are in first person, but there are three that stick out to the most. Miryem, the main protagonist, as well as Wanda, and Irina. They all have their own crucial part to play in the narrative, and I loved seeing their individual B Plots intersect and build on one another, weaving together the much bigger A Plot.
I realize that I just made it seem like this is a pretty complicated story, but trust me, it actually isn’t really. It’s actually a relatively simple main plot. The characters and setting are just so well-realized that it seems a bit more complex than it actually is.
“There are men who are wolves inside, and want to eat up other people to fill their bellies. That was what was in your house with you, all your life. But here you are with your brothers, and you are not eaten up, and there is not a wolf inside you. You have fed each other, and you have kept the wolf away. That is all we can do for each other in the world, to keep the wolf away.”
Getting back to before my little tangent: the characters. As I said, out of the three girls’ POVs, Miryem is definitely what I’d consider to be the main character. She seems cold-hearted without context, and she definitely has hardened her heart some. But that’s a result of years of frustration, mistreatment and prejudice by her village, and near-starvation. In reality, she’s one of the kinder characters in the novel.
Wanda was also a very interesting point of view, because of all the ways her family-life (and just life in general) differs from Miryem’s. The same can absolutely be said for Irina. All three young women lived very different lifestyles growing up, due to their differing statuses, and it molded them into the characters that we read about.
I also liked seeing how all three of their lives and stories ended up colliding. Novik carefully wove an incredible story wherein the threads of the plot are cleverly woven into each of the characters in the book. Even the ones that don’t have many point-of-view sections, or any whatsoever. (I especially 100% stan Stepon. And anybody who doesn’t stan that adorable child is wrong.) Novik made sure that none of the characters were unnecessary or extraneous. Everyone felt like they had their own roles to play.
The Romance
He let go both my hands and stepped back and in a deep graceful courtesy went down on one knee before me and bowed his head, and said, “Lady, though you choose a home in the sunlit world, you are a Staryk queen indeed.”
And I absolutely have to talk about the romance. Or lack thereof. It’s complicated, okay? It’s not really apparent at first – okay, for anyone who’s familiar with romance tropes, it totally is. What I actually mean is, it didn’t feel like a slow-burn, or really romantic at all, until ratherclose to the end. But the love interests were very interesting and complex, and it’s very obvious from the get-go that there’s sot more going on under the surface for the boys than it seems. I’m not going to spoil anything though.
I also appreciated how unnatural the Staryk (the ice fairies) appeared to behave compared to the humans. Their dialogue seemed so archaic compared that between the humans, and the way they were described to move, and carry the cold with them. Not to mention the magical environmental changes that would happen every time the Staryk king would show up. But yeah, after ACOTAR, this was refreshing to read.
Stuff I Didn’t Like As Much
But yeah, before I wrap up this review, I guess I should mention any criticisms I had with Spinning Silver. Hmm… Well, I guess the writing style slowed down the read for me. And it made the book difficult to come back to, every time I went back to read a chunk of it.
But that’s kind of a me thing, only. Those who enjoy slower paced books with wordier prose will probably love this. But that’s kind of my only gripe with the novel.
Final Thoughts
So yeah, I really liked Spinning Silver and I definitely recommend it to fantasy lovers, and those who enjoy fairytale retellings. (Cuz this is also a Rumplestilskin retelling. Forgot to mention that. Whoops.) (I also adore how unique it and Gildedare from one another, despite how both are retellings of Rumplestilskin.)
I also didn’t really have a chance to mention it above, but the ending was my favorite thing about this novel. It was just so good. I can’t say anything about it, because that would spoil absolutely everything, but I will say that the character development really shines through, and all of the little plot threads appear to be neatly tied up. But yeah, this is an absolutely fantastic book, with great prose, and a really wonderful wintery read.
Thanks for reading, and gave an awesome day/night! Tune in next time for more bookish things!
So, I’ve decided to start taking part in another meme on The Blog That Nobody Knows. It’s called WWW Wednesday!
This meme used to be hosted at A Daily Rhythm, but has been taken over by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the 3 Ws!
The 3 Ws Are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
What Are You Currently Reading?
Length: 466 pages
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction
Release Date: July 10, 2018
Description:
With the Nebula Award-winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik opened a brilliant new chapter in an already acclaimed career, delving into the magic of fairy tales to craft a love story that was both timeless and utterly of the now. Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into this glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss.
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk–grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh–Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. She will face an impossible challenge and, along with two unlikely allies, uncover a secret that threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike.
What Did You Recently Finish Reading?
Length: 416 pages
Genres: Fantasy, YA, Fiction
Release Date: January 10, 2023
Description:
In a world where anyone can create a life-destroying curse, only one person has the power to unravel them.
Kellen does not fully understand his talent, but helps those transformed maliciously – including Nettle. Recovered from entrapment in bird form, she is now his constant companion, and closest ally.
But Kellen has also been cursed, and unless he and Nettle can remove his curse, Kellen is in danger of unravelling everything – and everyone – around him…
What Do You Think You’ll Read Next?
Length: 448 pages
Genres: Fantasy, YA, Fiction
Release Date: April 2, 2020
Description:
The gods are dead. Decades ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. But are they really gone forever?
When 15-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of a terrifying deity, he risks everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, military scientists, and a secret fanatical cult so that he can use it to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But with the heart, Jelt gradually and eerily transforms. How long should Hark stay loyal to his friend when he’s becoming a monster—and what is Hark willing to sacrifice to save him?
What books have you been reading? Do you know what you want to read next?
