January Reading Wrap Up + PopSugar Reading Challenge Status

Thesis Thursday is taking a break this week because lol I’m not doing that work yet, I’m lazy as hell. Anyways. This post is as much for you as it is me, because I realized that while Michaela has been keeping track of her PopSugar reads while she’s been going along, I’ve been winging it. Even if I did make myself a wonderful TBR and everything. So. Here’s where we stand right now.

I read 9 books in January. 7 were young adult novels, 1 was historical fiction and 1 was general fantasy. Somehow, I also managed to tick off SIX different PopSugar challenge boxes as well! Here’s how:

The first book I read in 2016 was Jodi Meadow’s The Orphan Queen. I posted a very conflicted review of this book, and I’m still waiting breathlessly for The Mirror King to come out so I can figure out exactly how I feel about Wilhemina and the story as a whole. I really wanted to love this story, because I love Jodi, but something about this book just didn’t connect all the way. This is also my PopSugar book for “a book you can finish in a day.”

Switching out of YA for a second, I then read Indu Sundaresan’s The
Twentieth Wife. I read these books back in high school and remembered loving them, but I hadn’t managed to track them down again until now. What I read now is profoundly different than I remembered, and not in a good way. Read my review for more on that! This is my PopSugar book for “a book you haven’t read since high school.”

Needing a book I knew I’d love, I re-read The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead. This is one of my favorite books in her Bloodlines series. I didn’t review this book after re-reading it, though it did make it into my Favorite Books to Re-Read video that I made a few weeks ago. I also decided to count it as my PopSugar book for “a YA bestseller.”

Michaela and I recently started requesting ARCs again, and my first ARC review came with Annabeth Neverending by Leyla Kader Dahm. It’s about a girl in modern times who starts remembering a past life in Ancient Egypt. I wanted to love it, but the romance and love triangle mostly prevented me from doing so. Check out my review for more!

When I got sick over winter break, I leaned into my favorite books of all time. My number one pick is Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, which … you could sneeze into my blog’s search engine and find 6 posts related to this book. My review came out forever ago, but I still love this book SO MUCH. I recently featured it in my Worth It Wednesday series. It’s my PopSugar book for “a book that’s guaranteed to bring you joy.”

Then, of course, because I’m a huge Stephanie Perkins fan girl, I re-read Isla and the Happily Ever After as well. In all three of these companion books, Anna is my favorite and Isla my second. (There is nothing wrong with Lola, but this is how the cookie crumbles.) For more squealing, I do have an older review!

Unfortunately for me (and the entire Bibliomancy crew) I went straight for these novels to The Magician King by Lev Grossman. While Bibliomancy had a great discussion because of this book, the last 5% of this novel was the most disappointing thing I’ve ever had happen, and it completely destroyed the book for me. Sigh. Watch the hangout to find out why! (This is also my PopSugar book for “A NYT bestseller.”)

I jumped from a book I thought I would like but didn’t to a book I thought I’d hate but didn’t, and that is John Green’s Paper Towns. Michaela and I did a joint review of this, and I’ll admit to being confused as to how much I liked it, even if I didn’t love it. I think this also counted for Michaela’s PopSugar, but a different category, as I counted it for my “book about a road trip.” Go check out the video review for more!

Lastly, I read another ARC, this time Lions in the Garden by Chelsea Luna. That review won’t be out until later this month, but for a teaser: I had a rollercoaster of a reaction to that book. The review will be great! …when it comes out.

So there you have it! 6/40 for the PopSugar challenge isn’t bad in the first month! My reading is about to slow down A TON while I’m here at school but I’m excited for all the new things that me, Michaela, Betwixt the Books AND Bibliomancy for Beginners have planned for you soon!

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