Quarterly Progress 2021: Q1

April 9, 2021April 8, 2021 itsKoo10 Comments

Wrap Ups are some of my favorite blog posts to read when I go blog hopping. Try as I may, I can never never get my own monthly wrap ups completed so I decided quarterly reports might be the most practical way to go.

READING GOAL: 125 Books
This doesn’t really include all the rereads. My end of the year goal was to complete 125 books. If I keep up the momentum, it looks like I’ll be on the way to completing my goal ahead of schedule. I’m excited! I’ve already read 60 books from January through March.

BLOGGING GOAL: 51 Posts
Woohoo! I not only met but surpassed this goal. I really didn’t think I’d be posting very much at all but I guess having a plan and being organized helps. Since the beginning of the year, I written more than 60 posts.

BLOGGING GOAL: 1 YEAR MILESTONE
If I continue to blog consistently, I will hit my 1 year milestone in June. I’m excited. When I started, I wasn’t even sure how this would all go. Now, it’s been nearly a year. Where has the time gone?! Is it too early for me to start planning a post for it? Heh…

FINAL ASSESSMENT: ON TRACK

participating in readathons when school is in session is hard. I had a difficult time trying to read all the prompts for Tropeical Readathon, and I also didn’t keep track as well as I would have liked. I’m pretty sure I didn’t track the books that were not challenges very well.

I am more likely to finish a book when I feel obligated or there seems a publication date is in sight. My turnover for books on my TBR was surprisingly not too bad, completing 10 of the original books on the Tropeical Readathon TBR and only exchanging out 4 book. I also read other things.

I liked it immensely when I first read this in January. Since then, I’ve already reread it at least once and skimmed my favorite parts multiple times. It still makes me fluttery inside. It’s safe to say this is probably my favorite book of this quarter. It keeps getting better the more I read it, becoming a comfort read. (My Review)

I ENJOYeD FROM A FAVORITE AUTHOR

The writing is a different from what I’m used to from Loring but I still found it be wonderfully written. According to reviews on Goodreads I’m definitely in the minority on this (65% rate it 4 stars or lower; average rating is 4.98). It’s not overly funny like most of Loring’s novels, and it’s more complicated than most of her other books. The leads are with other people while they’re also in a strictly platonic marriage of convenience. While each was looking for something more, they both also understood their intentions when they got married so there were no unexpected expectations. The characters felt raw and more prone to making mistakes. I stayed in a book coma long after I finished it.

DESERVES MORE ATTENTiON

I’d highly recommend Mercurial; it book deserves so much more buzz than it has received. The magic system is unique. Two of the three characters are kickass females. It explores faith, redemption, and love. It’s fast-paced and kept me guessing how it would end. (My Review)

EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATiONS

Ninth House just blew me away. I went in not expecting to like it very much because the beginning dragged a bit but then different pieces started falling into place. I’m still trying to write my review for this. It deserves a review. I understand why so many individuals praise Bardugo. I have all of the books Grishaverse books on my TBR and cannot wait to get started on them.

I will try to catch up on my backlog of ARCs. I was doing really well and reading them ahead of their publication dates but I had to switch my attention to work because of an impending meeting, which also led to a bit of blogging slump. That week ended up toppling what little progress I was making at bringing up my ratio NetGalley. I am trying to stay hopeful here but darn it if more great books aren’t already coming out!

I will finally read Cinderella is Dead (2020). Completing this book has remained elusive for some reason. Okay…let’s be honest. I’m a total mood reader so I keep jumping on new books instead. I need to jump on this book though.

Trope-ical Readathon: March 2021 Wrap Up

April 2, 2021April 2, 2021 itsKoo2 Comments

Start Date: March 01, 2021
End Date: March 31, 2021
Completed: 14/16 Prompts
Switched: 4/14 Books
Points: I forgot to keep track

Alas, Trope-ical Readathon has come to an end. I only got to participate in a few sprints on Twitter because my schedule didn’t always align and then I’d forget as well. The sprints are helpful and allow interaction between participants. The madlibs were fun to partake in as well. I’m thankful to all the hosts for taking their time to help participants in obtaining their reading goals! I know they helped me complete a few of the books on here.

What I Hoped vs. How It Went

I’m disappointed I wasn’t able to complete all the prompts, but I learned that a readathon during the school year is harder than it looks. I’m surprised I completed as many as I did.
I’ve been trying to read Cinderella is Dead for the longest time, and it has continued to evade me! Argh!!
I was really excited about my buddy/group read. So what actually happened?
No one was really motivated to read it so luckily another friend reached out during the beginning of the month. He invited me to attend a virtual book club, and I’m so glad he did because I friggin’ loved Ninth House. I’m still trying to complete the review so I can gush about how I much I enjoyed it.
We Free the Stars was a tome. It was wonderful! I’m still trying to put into words how much I liked it. When I finished it, I had to hug it and sigh multiple times.
I read additional books and did some rereads, but they didn’t fit the prompts. I hit a reading slump in the beginning/middle of the month due to work and other things, so rereading was helpful.

Final Trope-ical Readathon TBR March 2021

I had so much fun and am already looking forward to August! If you participated in the readathon, I’d love to hear about your experience. Or, if you know there are some more interesting readathons out there, let me know about them too! I’d love to participate in some more.

Reindeer Readathon 2020: Wrap Up

January 5, 2021March 4, 2021 itsKooLeave a comment

Started: December 1, 2020
Ended: December 31, 2020
Exchange: 8/10
Total points: 130/225

I started off strong, beginning my first book, The Impossible Girl, as soon as it hit midnight in my time zone. I was optimistic. I knew I was going to get this done! I was going to commit to my TBR. Unfortunately, I only kept to my TBR for that one day because I found Sleeper, and it spiraled from there. Do I have regrets? NEVER!!! (hahaha).

I tried my utmost to complete The Burning God and We Hunt The Flame. I successfully completed We Hunt the Flame but was unable to complete The Burning God and opted for a different book. Being on West Coast time, I completely forgot to turn in my points for Comet! ACK! I was unable to complete The Christmas Star (500+ pages), thus unable to get the extra points with Sleighing It despite reading Break Me with the hope that I’d complete all the prompts so that I’d be able to get points for it.

I had fun doing this and participated in the card exchange. The chat on Twitter was great! Participants were super supportive of one another and that helped me get through the prompts. Although I didn’t stick to my TBR, I read some good books.

THE FINAL LIST

Congratulations to the winning team!
I look forward to participating in Reindeer Readathon 2021. It will be here before I know it!

Trope-ical Readathon: August 2020 Wrap Up

September 4, 2020April 17, 2021 itsKooLeave a comment

I participated in my first readathon, Trope-ical Readathon. The organizers JenJenReviews and Rob did such an awesome job. The bar has been set high and I look forward to more readathons in the future. It was fun to feel part of a community and reading together especially because my IRL communities do not read very much.

In total, I read a whopping 38 books…and a half. I didn’t think I would make the 16 for the readathon and then I created a reading log…Needless to say, I was surprised. Don’t even get me started on the half because my friends decided it would be fun to reconnect just as I was trying to finish the other half (I love them…but why….) and then the clock struck 12.

I CONFIRMED I WAS A MOOD READER.
I knew I was a mood reader but this confirmed it. I always joke that I am afraid of commitment. To an extent, I guess that’s true. I was set on reading all the books on my list but I couldn’t do it because it depended on how I felt at that particular moment. Of the original 16 books I planned to read, I switched out 9. Down to My Soul (trope: part of series) was moved to fulfill a different challenge (trope: strange names). What does this mean? I have a commitment rating of 43.8%, but if Down to My Soul is not counted, my rating would be 50%. Not bad for reading but relationships…well, I’d even be scared of me. (HAHAHA)

I won’t go into detail for each book except for a few.
My ratings are below.

Today Tonight Tomorrow
I knew it was going to be good but it was even better than I expected. I’m still trying to finish my review on this one because I loved it so much.

My Soul to Keep
Kennedy Ryan is heading into favorite authors territory. After I finished reading, I kept rereading parts of it because I was still trying to come to terms with the feelings it stirred up. It was by no means perfect but it was close. And, to feel a love like that…sigh.

The Sun is Also a Star
I’m a serial rereader but I think this is a book where the first time will always be the best. I’m not even sure if I will be able to reread this. I’m trying to put my review for this one together too. I have to admit that I spent a few minutes bawling after I finished it.

Waiting for Tom Hanks
I enjoyed it but it was not as good as I hoped it would be. I connected with the main character and her love for the holy trinity (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail). Mine is more of a dynamic duo because I leave out When Harry Met Sally but I was annoyed by her as well. I wonder if it was because I saw myself in her…that would mean I’m annoying…hahaha

SEPTEMBER EXPECTATIONS
I’m probably slowing down a bit in September since school has started and grading will take up more time. With school fully online, it also seems like meetings are lined up nearly every few days so, again, less time to read for fun. With what time I do have, I might concentrate on bringing my Netgalley ratio up since I was approved for a few more books. I am also committing myself to reading The Poppy War (September) and The Dragon Republic (October) to get ready for The Burning God (November). I joined a Discord group so I hope that will motivate me to read it.

itsKoo reviews

Tag: wrap up