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Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard, read by Christopher Cazenove

January

1. Tricky Prince Vol. 1 by Yukari Hashida, translated by MOMOSUKE Inc. ★★1/2
2. Tricky Prince Vol. 2 by Yukari Hashida, translated by MOMOSUKE Inc. ★★1/2
3. Love Beyond Time Vol. 1 by Soya Himawari, translated by MOMOSUKE Inc. ★★★
4. Love Beyond Time Vol. 2 by Soya Himawari, translated by MOMOSUKE Inc. ★★★
5. Arabel's Raven by Joan Aiken ★★★
6. Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher: The Lesser Evil by Andrzej Sapkowski, adapted by Jacek Rembiś, English adaptation by Borys Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz ★★1/2
7. 300 by Frank Miller--WRC ★★1/2
8. The Lion in the Gateway by Mary Renault--BAC & WRC ★★★1/2
9. The Scream by Joan Aiken--BAC ★★★1/2
10. Conquest: Julius Caesar's Gallic War by Tarek Ben Yakhlef, translated by Cecile Bohard & Andrew Benteau--WRC ★★
11. Story of the Everything, the Nothing, and Other Strange Stories by Gyula Gábor Tóth, translated by Adam Z. Levy ★1/2
12. The Moon's Revenge by Joan Aiken--BAC ★★★1/2
13. The Wooden Dragon by Joan Aiken--BAC ★★★
14. The Erl King’s Daughter by Joan Aiken--BAC ★★★
15. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Joan Aiken--BAC ★★★1/2
16. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle--1001 & BAC ★★★1/2
17. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Anthony Briggs--1001 & WRC ★★★
18. Frontier Wolf by Rosemary Sutcliff--WRC ★★★★1/2
19. Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander by Frank Miller--WRC ★1/2
20. The Mysteries by Bill Watterson ★★★
21. The Kitchen Warriors by Joan Aiken--BAC ★★★

February
22. Washington's Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron von Steuben by Josh Trujillo--WRC ★★★
23. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 1 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins ★★★
24. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 2 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins ★★★
25. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 3 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins ★★★
26. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 4 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins ★★★1/2
27. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 1 by Ryosuke Takeuchi ★★★
28. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 2 by Ryosuke Takeuchi ★★★
29. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 3 by Ryosuke Takeuchi ★★★
30. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 4 by Ryosuke Takeuchi ★★★
31. Mama's Sleeping Scarf by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ★★1/2
32. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 5 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins ★★★1/2
33. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 5 by Ryosuke Takeuchi ★★★
34. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 6 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck ★★★
35. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 7 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck ★★★
36. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 8 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck ★★★
37. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 9 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck ★★★
38. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 10 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck ★★★
39. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 11 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck ★★★
40. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 12 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck ★★★
41. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 13 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck ★★★1/2
42. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 14 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck ★★★1/2
43. Valmouth by Ronald Firbank--BAC ★★★
44. Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman--BAC ★★★★
45. Any Other Name by Emma Newman--BAC ★★★★
46. Something Is Killing the Children Vol. 5 by James Tynion IV ★★★★1/2
47. Something Is Killing the Children Vol. 6 by James Tynion IV ★★★★1/2
48. Something Is Killing the Children Vol. 7 by James Tynion IV ★★★★1/2
49. All Is Fair by Emma Newman--BAC ★★★★
50. Prince Freya Vol. 1 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by Emi Louie-Nishikawa ★★1/2
51. Prince Freya Vol. 2 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by Emi Louie-Nishikawa ★★1/2
52. Prince Freya Vol. 3 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by Emi Louie-Nishikawa ★★1/2
53. This Land Is a Lullaby by Tonya Simpson ★★★★
54. The Giant and the Grizzly Bear by Rosemarie Avrana Meyok ★★★
55. Prince Freya Vol. 4 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry ★★1/2
56. Prince Freya Vol. 5 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry ★★
57. Prince Freya Vol. 6 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry ★★
58. Prince Freya Vol. 7 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry ★★
59. Prince Freya Vol. 8 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry ★★
60. Prince Freya Vol. 9 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry ★★
61. Prince Freya Vol. 10 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry ★★

March
62. The Boys Vol. 1: The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis ★★★
63. The Boys Vol. 2: Get Some by Garth Ennis ★★★
64. The Boys Vol. 3: Good for the Soul by Garth Ennis ★★★
65. The Surprise by Zadie Smith & Nick Laird--BAC ★★★
66. The Long Dry by Cynan Jones--BAC ★★★★
67. Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman ★★★★1/2
68. The Last Pantheon by Tade Thompson & Nick Wood--BAC ★★★1/2
69. The Light Conjurer Vol. 1 by Gene ★★★
70. Confessions of a 35 Year Old by Tei ★★1/2
71. Three Seconds After Our Eyes Met by Rancha ★★
72. Loving You When the World Ended by Gene ★★★
73. The Gospel According to the New World by Maryse Condé, translated by Richard Philcox ★★★
74. What Kingdom by Fine Gråbøl, translated by Martin Aitken ★★★1/2
75. The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault--BAC & WRC ★★★★
76. Song for a Lute by Marguerite Vance--WRC ★★
77. Beauty's Hour: A Phantasy by Olivia Shakespear ★★★★1/2
78. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith--1001 ★★★★★
79. The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams ★★★1/2
80. My Ear at His Heart: Reading My Father by Hanif Kureishi--BAC ★★★

April
81. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym--1001 & BAC ★★★★
82. Between Two Sounds: Arvo Pärt's Journey to His Musical Language by Joonas Sildre, translated by Adam Cullen ★★★1/2
83. The Perfect Heresy: The Life and Death of the Cathars by Stephen O'Shea--WRC ★★★
84. Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson, illustrated by the author ★★★1/2
85. Asterix the Gaul by René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo, translated by Anthea Bell & Derek Hockridge--WRC ★★★1/2
86. The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country by James Tynion, IV ★★★
87. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 15 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck ★★★
88. Foster by Claire Keegan ★★★★1/2
89. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan ★★★★
90. Fool by Christopher Moore ★★★★1/2
91. Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope--BAC ★★★
92. We're Off to the Forest by Katarína Macurová, translated by Andrew Oakland ★★★
93. Chaos in Kinshasa by Barly Baruti & Thierry Bellefroid, translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger ★★1/2
94. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman ★★★★★
95. The Secret Throne by Peter F. Hamilton, illustrated by Rohan Eason--BAC ★★★1/2
96. The Homesman by Glendon Swarthout ★★★★
97. John the Skeleton by Triinu Laan, translated by Adam Cullen ★★★1/2
98. The Song of the Cathar Wars: A History of the Albigensian Crusade by Guilhem de Tudela and Anonymous, translated by Janet Shirley--WRC ★★★

May
99. The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros, translated by the author--BAC ★★★★
100. Hello Mum by Bernardine Evaristo--BAC ★★1/2
101. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry ★★★★★
102. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 6 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins ★★★
103. Six Stories and an Essay by Andrea Levy--BAC ★★★
104. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis--BAC ★★★1/2
105. Death in the Spires by KJ Charles--BAC ★★★★
106. The Last Starry Night: Vincent Van Gogh by Jamison Odone ★★1/2
107. Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch ★★
108. The Dragon Knight by Emanuele Arioli, translated by M. B. Valente ★★★
109. Banshee Origins by Jonathan Tropper, et al ★★★
110. In the Shadow of the Ship by Aliette de Bodard ★★★1/2
111. Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 1 by Yoshie Kaoruhara, translated by Leo McDonagh ★★★
112. Leonard Cohen by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Agathe Bray-Bourret ★★1/2
113. City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky--BAC ★★★★1/2
114. The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch--BAC
115. House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky--WRC ★★★★1/2

June
116. What Did You Eat Yesterday? Vol. 21 by Fumi Yoshinaga, translated by Jocelyne Allen ★★★1/2
117. The Way Past Winter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave--BAC ★★★★
118. The Hunting of the Princes by Peter F. Hamilton--BAC ★★★1/2
119. Queer Art: From Canvas to Club, and the Spaces Between by Gemma Rolls-Bentley--BAC ★★★1/2
120. Mornings in Mexico by DH Lawrence--BAC ★★★
121. Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, illustrated by Tom de Freston--BAC ★★1/2
122. Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 1 by Negi Haruba, translated by Ko Ransom ★★1/2
123. Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore, read by Euan Morton ★★★★
124. Et Cetera: An Illustrated Guide to Latin Phrases by Maia Lee-Chin, illustrated by Marta Bertello ★★★1/2
125. The World Next Door by Fritz Peters ★★★★1/2
126. Floral Estrangements: Taunt Your Rivals and Vanquish Your Enemies through the Language of Flowers by Rebecca Fishbein, illustrated by Jill De Haan ★★
127. The Headmaster by Tiffany Reisz, illustrated by Andrew Shaffer ★★1/2
128. Divine Might by Natalie Haynes ★★★
129. The Yearning Fox Lies in Wait by Nmura, translated by Leo McDonagh ★★★1/2
130. Harrow and Harvest by Barbara Willard--WRC ★★★
131. The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country, The Glass House by James Tynion IV ★★1/2
132. Go to Hell: A Traveler's Guide to Earth's Most Otherworldly Destinations by Erika Engelhaupt ★★★★
133. The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir, translated by Mary Robinette Kowal ★★★
134. Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Vol. 2 by Negi Haruba, translated by Ko Ransom ★★
135. My Noisy Roommate: The Roof Over My Head Comes With Monsters and a Hottie 1 by Kaho Ozaki, translated by Leo McDonagh ★★★1/2
136. Gothic Tales by Marquis de Sade, translated by Margaret Crossland ★★★
137. The Elsa Beskow Peter and Lotta Collection by Elsa Beskow, illustrated by the author ★★1/2
138. Pearl by Siân Hughes--BAC ★★
139. Vincent: A Graphic Biography by Simon Elliott--BAC ★★
140. Great Short Books: A Year of Reading―Briefly by Kenneth C. Davis ★★★
141. Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein ★
142. Mothman's Happy Cryptid Halloween by Andrew Shaffer ★★★
143. The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave--BAC ★★★

July
144. Stephen King: His Life, Work, and Influences (Young Readers' Edition) by Bev Vincent ★★★
145. London to Ladysmith via Pretoria by Winston Churchill--BAC & WRC ★★1/2
146. Deadpool Max: Nutjob by David Lapham ★★1/2
147. Deadpool MAX: Involuntary Armageddon by David Lapham ★★1/2
148. Deadpool MAX: Second Cut by David Lapham ★★1/2
149. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 7 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins ★★★
150. A Redwall Winter's Tale by Brian Jacques, illustrated by Christopher Denise--BAC ★★★1/2
151. The Heart of Thomas by Moto Hagio, translated by Rachel Thorn ★★★1/2
152. The Great Redwall Feast by Brian Jacques, illustrated by Christopher Denise--BAC ★★★1/2
153. The Price of Meat by KJ Charles--BAC ★★★
154. The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain ★★★★
155. Atlas of Paranormal Places: A Journey to the World's Most Supernatural Places by Evelyn Hollow ★1/2
156. Day of the Oprichnik by Vladimir Sorokin, translated by Jamey Gambrell ★★1/2
157. Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie--BAC ★★1/2
158. A Voyage Through Air by Peter F. Hamilton, illustrated by Rohan Eason--BAC ★★★1/2
159. Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles--BAC ★★★★
160. The Jewel Seed by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Peter Bailey--BAC ★★1/2

August
161. The Sugared Game by KJ Charles--BAC ★★★★
162. Subtle Blood by KJ Charles--BAC ★★★★
163. Proper English by KJ Charles--BAC ★★★★
164. The Army of Darkness Versus Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising by Erik Burnham ★★★
165. David Bowie: Rock 'n' Roll Chameleon by Martin Popoff ★★★★
166. Think of England by KJ Charles--BAC ★★★★
167. Snowpiercer, Volume 1: The Escape by Jacques Lob, translated by Virginie Selavy ★★
168. Snowpiercer 2: The Explorers by Benjamin Legrand, translated by Virginie Selavy ★★1/2
169. Barefoot Gen Vol. 1 by Keiji Nakazawa, translated by Project Gen--WRC ★★★★★
170. Barefoot Gen Vol. 2: The Day After by Keiji Nakazawa, translated by Project Gen--WRC ★★★★★
171. Barefoot Gen Vol. 3: Life After the Bomb by Keiji Nakazawa, translated by Project Gen--WRC ★★★★★
172. A Fashionable Indulgence by KJ Charles--BAC ★★★1/2
173. A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles--BAC ★★★1/2
174. Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu--BAC ★★★
175. Griso: The One and Only by Roger Mello, translated by Daniel Hahn ★★★1/2
176. A Gentleman's Position by KJ Charles--BAC ★★★1/2
177. The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt--BAC ★★1/2
178. Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry ★★★
179. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin--WRC ★★★★★

September
180. Mort by Terry Pratchett--BAC ★★★★
181. The Ballad of Halo Jones Volume 1 by Alan Moore--BAC ★★★
182. The Ballad of Halo Jones Volume 2 by Alan Moore--BAC ★★★1/2
183. The Ballad of Halo Jones Volume 3 by Alan Moore--BAC ★★★★1/2
184. The Worlds of Wes Anderson: The Influences and Inspiration Behind the Iconic Films by Adam Woodward--BAC ★★★★
185. Appalachian Folklore Unveiled by Darkness Prevails ★★★1/2
186. Cuphead Volume 3: Colorful Crack-Ups & Chaos by Zack Keller ★★★1/2
187. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara--WRC ★★
188. The Witcher Volume 8: Wild Animals by Bartosz Sztybor, translated by Stefan Kielbasiewicz ★★1/2

October
189. The Troll Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Huginn Þór Grétarsson, illustrated by Vladimiro Rikowski ★★★
190. The Ocean at Night by Isabelle Simler, illustrated by the author, translated by Michele Hutchison ★★★★1/2
191. Reynard's Tale: A Story of Love and Mischief by Ben Hatke, illustrated by the author ★★★
192. The Haunted Screen by J. M. Tyree ★
193. All The Things We Didn't Do Last Night by Maria Llovet ★★1/2
194. Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 2 by Yoshie Kaoruhara, translated by Leo McDonagh ★★★
195. Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 3 by Yoshie Kaoruhara, translated by Leo McDonagh ★★★
195. Amu Nowruz and His Violets by Hadi Mohammadi, illustrated by Nooshin Safakhoo, translated by Sara Khalili ★★★★
197. The Boy I Loved Became the Jaded Emperor 1 by Ii Oshikawa, translated by Jan Mitsuko Cash ★★1/2
198. The Spellbook Library 1 by Uta Isaki, translated by Jacqueline Fung ★★1/2
199. The Spellbook Library 2 by Uta Isaki, translated by Jacqueline Fung ★★1/2
200. Shōgun by James Clavell ★★★1/2
201. Deadpool-verse: Deadpool Corps by Various ★★★1/2
202. The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill--BAC ★★★1/2
203. Truckers by Terry Pratchett--BAC ★★★1/2
204. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 16 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck ★★★1/2

November
205. Journey's End by R. C. Sheriff--WRC ★★★★
206. Babe, the Gallant Pig by Dick Smith-King, illustrated by Mary Rayner--BAC ★★★★
207. Castle Waiting by Linda Medley ★★★★★
208. The Curious Sofa: A Pornographic Work by Ogdred Weary by Edward Gorey ★★★★★
209. Lore of the Deep by Claire Cock-Starkey, illustrated by Stacey Rozich ★★★1/2
210. The Godstone and the Blackymor by T. H. White, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone--BAC ★★★1/2
211. Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII by Joe Kelly ★★
212. Squire & Knight by Scott Chantler ★★★★
213. The Demon Headmaster by Gillian Cross--BAC ★★★1/2
214. The Provincial Lady in Wartime by E. M. Delafield--BAC & WRC ★★★
215. Moriarty the Patriot Vol. 17 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck ★★★
216. The Quiet Americans: Four CIA Spies at the Dawn of the Cold War--a Tragedy in Three Acts by Scott Anderson--WRC ★★★★

December
217. To Tilt at Windmills by Fred Thomas--WRC & BAC ★★★
218. Orbital by Samantha Harvey ★★
219. The Global Refugee Crisis: How Should We Respond?: The Munk Debates edited by Rudyard Griffiths--BAC ★★★1/2
220. Ulfhildr by Mary Thaler ★★★1/2
221. The Son by Andrej Nikolaidis, translated by Will Firth ★
222. John Constantine, Hellblazer, Vol. 1: Original Sins by Jamie Delano & Rick Veitch--BAC ★★★★
223. John Constantine, Hellblazer Vol. 2: The Devil You Know by Jamie Delano--BAC ★★★★
224. Tove and the Island With No Address by Lauren Soloy ★★★1/2
225. There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm--BAC ★★★★
226. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams, read by Martin Freeman--BAC ★★★★
227. Mistress Masham's Repose by T. H. White, illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg--BAC ★★★★
228. The Deviant Vol. 1 by James Tynion, IV ★★★
229. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 8 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins ★★★
230. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 9 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins ★★★
231. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 10 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins ★★★
232. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: The Cartoon Version by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, adapted by Hunt Emerson ★★★★
233. The Shadows of Thule by Patrick Mallet ★★★1/2
234. Armies Vol. 1: Conquering Armies by Jean-Pierre Dionnet, translated by Samantha Demers ★★★
235. Armies Vol. 2: Arn's Revenge by Jean-Pierre Dionnet, translated by Samantha Demers ★★★
236. Sharpe's Christmas by Bernard Cornwell--BAC & WRC ★★★★

British Author Challenge

Wildcard: Blast from the Past
1. The Lion in the Gateway by Mary Renault ★★★1/2
2. The Surprise by Zadie Smith & Nick Laird, illustrated by Magenta Fox ★★★
3. The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault ★★★★
4. My Ear at His Heart: Reading My Father by Hanif Kureishi ★★★
5. The Secret Throne by Peter F. Hamilton, illustrated by Rohan Eason ★★★1/2
6. Hello Mum by Bernardine Evaristo ★★1/2
7. Six Stories and an Essay by Andrea Levy ★★★
8. The Hunting of the Princes by Peter F. Hamilton ★★★1/2
9. Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie ★★1/2
10. A Voyage Through Air by Peter F. Hamilton, illustrated by Rohan Eason ★★★1/2
11. The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt ★★1/2
12. The Global Refugee Crisis: How Should We Respond?: The Munk Debates edited by Rudyard Griffiths ★★★1/2
13. Sharpe's Christmas by Bernard Cornwell ★★★★

January: Joan Aiken & Arthur Conan Doyle
1. Arabel's Raven by Joan Aiken ★★★
2. The Scream by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Ian Andrew ★★★1/2
3. The Moon's Revenge by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Alan Lee ★★★1/2
4. The Wooden Dragon by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Bee Willey ★★★
5. The Erl King’s Daughter by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Paul Warren ★★★
6. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Belinda Downes ★★★1/2
7. The Kitchen Warriors by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Jo Worth ★★★
8. The Jewel Seed by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Peter Bailey ★★1/2

1. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, read by Stephen Fry ★★★1/2

February: Emma Newman & Ronald Firbank
1. Valmouth by Ronald Firbank ★★★

1. Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman ★★★★
2. Any Other Name by Emma Newman ★★★★
3. All Is Fair by Emma Newman ★★★★

March: Welsh Authors
1. The Long Dry by Cynan Jones ★★★★
2. The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros, translated by the author ★★★★

April: Barbara Pym & Anthony Trollope
1. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym ★★★★

1. Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope ★★★

May: Portal Fantasy
1. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis ★★★1/2
2. City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky ★★★★1/2

British Author Challenge

June: Kiran Millwood Hargrave & DH Lawrence
1. The Way Past Winter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave ★★★★
2. Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, illustrated by Tom de Freston ★★1/2
3. The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave ★★★

1. Mornings in Mexico by DH Lawrence ★★★

July: Animal Tales
1. A Redwall Winter's Tale by Brian Jacques, illustrated by Christopher Denise ★★★1/2
2. The Great Redwall Feast by Brian Jacques, illustrated by Christopher Denise ★★★1/2

August: KJ Charles & Winston Churchill
1. Death in the Spires by KJ Charles ★★★★
2. The Price of Meat by KJ Charles ★★★
3. Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles ★★★★
4. The Sugared Game by KJ Charles ★★★★
5. Subtle Blood by KJ Charles ★★★★
6. Proper English by KJ Charles ★★★★
7. Think of England by KJ Charles ★★★★
8. A Fashionable Indulgence by KJ Charles ★★★1/2
9. A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles ★★★1/2
10. A Gentleman's Position by KJ Charles ★★★1/2

1. London to Ladysmith via Pretoria by Winston Churchill ★★1/2

September: The 1980s
1980: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams, read by Martin Freeman ★★★★
1981:
1982: The Demon HEadmaster by Gillian Cross ★★★1/2
1983: Babe, the Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith, illustrated by Mary Rayner ★★★★
1984: The Ballad of Halo Jones Volume 1 by Alan Moore ★★★
1985: The Ballad of Halo Jones Volume 2 by Alan Moore ★★★1/2
1986: The Ballad of Halo Jones Volume 3 by Alan Moore ★★★★1/2
1987: Mort by Terry Pratchett ★★★★
1988: John Constantine, Hellblazer, Vol. 1: Original Sins by Jamie Delano & Rick Veitch ★★★★
John Constantine, Hellblazer Vol. 2: The Devil You Know by Jamie Delano ★★★★
1989: Truckers by Terry Pratchett ★★★1/2

October: Gothic Fiction
1. Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu ★★★
2. The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill ★★★1/2

November: EM Delafield & TH White
1. The Godstone and the Blackymor by T. H. White, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone ★★★1/2
2. Mistress Masham's Repose by T. H. White, illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg ★★★★

1. The Provincial Lady in Wartime by E. M. Delafield ★★★

December: Books Acquired in 2024
1. The Last Pantheon by Tade Thompson & Nick Wood ★★★1/2
2. The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch ★★★★1/2
3. Queer Art: From Canvas to Club, and the Spaces Between by Gemma Rolls-Bentley ★★★1/2
4. Pearl by Siân Hughes ★★
5. Vincent: A Graphic Biography by Simon Elliott ★★
6. The Worlds of Wes Anderson: The Influences and Inspiration Behind the Iconic Films by Adam Woodward ★★★
7. To Tilt at Windmills by Fred Thomas ★★★
8. There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm ★★★★

The War Room

Wildcard: Pick your own fight!
1. House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky ★★★★1/2
2. The Ballad of Halo Jones Volume 3 by Alan Moore ★★★★1/2

January: The Ancients (Greeks, Romans etc)
1. 300 by Frank Miller ★★1/2
2. The Lion in the Gateway by Mary Renault ★★★1/2
3. Conquest: Julius Caesar's Gallic War by Tarek Ben Yakhlef, translated by Cecile Bohard & Andrew Benteau ★★
4. Frontier Wolf by Rosemary Sutcliff ★★★★1/2
5. Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander by Frank Miller ★1/2
6. The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault ★★★★
7. Asterix the Gaul by René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo, translated by Anthea Bell & Derek Hockridge ★★★1/2

February: The American War of Independence
1. Washington's Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron von Steuben by Josh Trujillo, illustrated by Levi Hastings ★★★

March: The War of the Roses
1. Song for a Lute by Marguerite Vance ★★

April: Wars of Religion
1. The Perfect Heresy: The Life and Death of the Cathars by Stephen O'Shea ★★★
2. The Song of the Cathar Wars: A History of the Albigensian Crusade by Guilhem de Tudela and Anonymous, translated by Janet Shirley ★★★

May: The Napoleonic Wars
1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Anthony Briggs ★★★
2. Sharpe's Christmas by Bernard Cornwell ★★★★

The War Room

June: The English Civil War
1. Harrow and Harvest by Barbara Willard ★★★

July: Colonial Wars
1. London to Ladysmith via Pretoria by Winston Churchill ★★1/2

August: World War Two
1. Barefoot Gen Vol. 1 by Keiji Nakazawa, translated by Project Gen ★★★★★
2. Barefoot Gen Vol. 2: The Day After by Keiji Nakazawa, translated by Project Gen ★★★★★
3. Barefoot Gen Vol. 3: Life After the Bomb by Keiji Nakazawa, translated by Project Gen ★★★★★
4. The Provincial Lady in Wartime by E. M. Delafield ★★★

September: The American Civil War
1. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara ★★

October: American Follies (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and the Gulf Wars)
1. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin ★★★★★
2. The Quiet Americans: Four CIA Spies at the Dawn of the Cold War--a Tragedy in Three Acts by Scott Anderson ★★★★

November: World War One
1. Journey's End by R. C. Sheriff ★★★★

December: The Spanish Civil War
1. To Tilt at Windmills by Fred Thomas ★★★

Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

I'm only listing the first book I read for a country because I don't want the list to get out of hand.

2020
1. United Kingdom--Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles by Jeanette Winterson
2. South Korea--Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri
3. Equatorial Guinea--La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono
4. Iran--Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur
5. Brazil--Along the Tapajós by Fernando Vilela
6. United States--Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
7. Bangladesh--The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z. Hossain
8. Poland--Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
9. Japan--The Heart of Thomas by Moto Hagio
10. Canada--Fifteen Poems by Leonard Cohen
11. Spain--Bowie: An Illustrated Life by María Hesse
12. Nigeria--We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
13. Suriname--The Cost of Sugar by Cynthia McLeod
14. France--The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
15. Taiwan--Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin
16. Egypt--Heart of the Night by Naguib Mahfouz
17. Turkmenistan--The Revenge of the Foxes by Ak Welsapar
18. Russia--Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
19. Jamaica--Falling in Love with Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson
20. Rwanda--The Barefoot Woman by Scholastique Mukasonga
21. India--Shubh Diwali! by Chitra Soundar
22. Israel--Bear and Fred: A World War II Story by Iris Argaman
23. China--The Moon Opera by Bi Feiyu
24. Republic of the Congo--Jazz and Palm Wine by Emmanuel Boundzéki Dongala
25. Belgium--Cassio 1. The First Assassin by Stephen Desberg
26. Malaysia--Rupert Wong, Cannibal Chef by Cassandra Khaw
27. New Zealand--Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
28. Sweden--Vei Vol. 1 by Sara Bergmark Elfgren
29. Croatia--Harleen by Stjepan Šejić
30. Botswana--The Silence of the Wilting Skin by Tlotlo Tsamaase
31. Singapore--Farquhar by Joshua Ip
32. North Korea--The Red Years: Forbidden Poems From Inside North Korea by Bandi
33. Australia--Phoresis by Greg Egan
34. Mexico--Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
35. Netherlands--Rampokan Java by Peter van Dongen
36. Barbados--Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord
37. Madagascar--Beyond the Rice Fields by Naivo
38. Zimbabwe--Running with Mother by Christopher Mlalazi
39. Algeria--The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud
40. Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)--Teaching English in Swaziland: essays on the life of Gordon James Thomas by Sarah Mkhonza
41. Angola--Good Morning Comrades by Ondjaki
42. Italy--Mirka Andolfo's Mercy Vol. 1: The Fair Lady, the Frost and the Fiend by Mirka Andolfo
43. Kenya--The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi by Ngũgĩ wa Thiongʾo
44. Turkey--Soulscape by Bahadir Baruter
45. Switzerland--Lyric Novella by Annemarie Schwarzenbach
46. Germany--Lucky Luke Saddles Up by Mawil
47. Austria--Little Death by Thomas Kriebaum
48. Norway--Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen
49. Columbia--The Bitch by Pilar Quintana
50. Argentina--Petite Fleur by Iosi Havilio
51. Ireland--Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan by Declan Shalvey

2021
52. Finland--The Brothers by Asko Sahlberg
53. Burundi--Weep Not, Refugee by Marie-Thérèse Toyi
54. Zambia--The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
55. Thailand--Arid Dreams: Stories by Duanwad Pimwana
56. Indonesia--The Original Dream by Nukila Amal
57. Cameroon--Black Caps and Red Feathers by John Nkemngong Nkengasong
58. Armenia--Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan
59. Côte d'Ivoire--Queen Pokou: Concerto for a Sacrifice by Véronique Tadjo
60. Mauritania--The Desert and the Drum by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk
61. Venezuela--The Caiman by María Eugenia Manrique
62. South Africa--Cape Town Curios by Colin Cloud Dance
63. Mozambique--Rain and Other Stories by Mia Couto
64. Iceland--The Blue Fox by Sjón
65. Chad--Told by Starlight in Chad by Joseph Brahim Seid
66. Djibouti--Naming the Dawn by Abdourahman A. Waberi
67. Uruguay--The Naked Woman by Armonía Somers
68. Sri Lanka--Dressing up with Archchi by Nadishka Aloysius
69. Afghanistan--Earth and Ashes by Atiq Rahimi
70. Libya--Under the Tripoli Sky by Kamal Ben Hameda
71. Albania--Three Elegies for Kosovo by Ismail Kadare
72. Uzbekistan--The Dead Lake by Hamid Ismailov
73. Czech Republic--Animal Adaptations: Unique Body Parts by Radka Píro
74. Ecuador--Crude: A Memoir by Pablo Fajardo and Sophie Tardy-Joubert
75. Kyrgyzstan--Jamila by Chingiz Aĭtmatov

2022
76. Palestine--Describing the Past by Ghassan Zaqtan
77. Yemen--From the Land of Sheba: Tales of the Jews of Yemen collected & edited by S. D. Goitein
78. Syria--The Luzumiyat of Abu'l-Ala by Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī
79. Qatar--The Firefly by Ameera H. Al-Naemi
80. Oman--Mah and Me by Ibtihaj Al Harthi
81. Kuwait--The White Nights of Ramadan by Maha Addasi
82. Jordan--The Sandwich Swap by Rania Al Abdullah & Kelly DiPucchio
83. Bahrain--Blood & Moon by M. G. Darwish
84. Iraq--Ibn Fadlan and the land of darkness: Arab travellers in the far north
85. Lebanon--I, the Divine: A Novel in First Chapters byRabih Alameddine
86. Saudi Arabia--Wolves of the Crescent Moon by Yousef Al-Mohaimeed
87. UAE--The Sand Fish by Maha Gargash
88. Pakistan--A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie
89. Uganda--Waiting: A Novel of Uganda at War by Goretti Kyomuhendo
90. Tunisia--Goat Mountain by Habib Selmi
91. Portugal--The Tale of the Unknown Island by José Saramago
92. Tajikistan--The Sandalwood Box: Folk Tales from Tadzhikistan translated by Katya Sheppard
93. Greece--The Archipelago on Fire - Part 1 by Giorgos Vlachos
94. Kazakhstan--Behind the Silk Curtain by Gulistan Khamzayeva
95. Serbia--Cross to Bear by Marko Stojanović
96. Haiti--Blue by Emmelie Prophète
97. Vietnam--The Secret of Hoa Sen by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
98. Azerbaijan--Ballad of the Stars by G. Altov and Valentina Zhuravlyova
99. Philippines--Juan and the Asuangs: A tale of Philippine ghosts and spirits by José Aruego
100. Guatemala--Barrilete: A Kite for the Day of the Dead by Elisa Amado
101. El Salvador--Magic Dogs of the Volcanoes by Manlio Argueta
102. Benin--The Barefoot book of tropical tales by Raouf Mama
103. Cambodia--Dara's Cambodian New Year by Sothea Chiemruom
104. Laos--Dia's Story Cloth: The Hmong People's Journey of Freedom by Dia Cha
105. Nepal--Dog Named Haku: A Holiday Story from Nepal by Margarita Engle, Amish Karanjit, and Nicole Karanjit
106. Mongolia--My Little Round House by Bolormaa Baasansuren
107. Myanmar--Smile As They Bow by Nu Nu Yi
108. Bhutan--Aunty Mouse: a traditional folktale from Bhutan by Kunzang Choden
109. Panama--Christmas Surprise For Chabelita by Argentina Palacios
110. Cuba--Child of the sun: a Cuban legend by Sandra Martín Arnold
111. Mali--A Gift from Childhood: Memories of an African Boyhood by Baba Wagué Diakité
112. Liberia--Why Leopard has spots : Dan stories from Liberia by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert
113. Ghana--Sosu's Call by Meshack Asare
114. Chile--The Composition by Antonio Skármeta
115. Bolivia--Waira's First Journey by Eusebio Topooco
116. Tanzania--Shadow Dance by Tololwa M. Mollel

2023
117. Morocco--The Elusive Fox by Muḥammad Zafzāf
118. São Tomé and Príncipe--Island Moors & Native Dance by Gervásio Kaiser
119. Seychelles--Beyond the Horizon by Robert Grandcourt
120. Niger--The Epic of Askia Mohammed performed by Nouhou Malio
121. Samoa--Tales of Polynesia: Folktales from Hawai'i, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Samoa
122. Cabo Verde--WHO AM I? by Bela Monteiro
123. Guinea-Bissau--The Ultimate Tragedy by Abdulai Silá
124. Eritrea--The Conscript: A Novel of Libya’s Anticolonial War by Gebreyesus Hailu
125. CAR--African Tales: Folklore of the Central African Republic collected and translated by Polly Strong
126. DRC--The River in the Belly by Fiston Mwanza Mujila
127. Senegal--The Beggars' Strike by Aminata Sow Fall
128. Sudan--The Wedding of Zein and Other Stories by Tayeb Salih
129. Bulgaria--Natural Novel by Georgi Gospodinov
130. Gabon--Mema by Daniel Mengara
131. Malawi--Smouldering Charcoal by Tiyambe Zeleza
132. Ethiopia--The Afersata by Sahle Sellassie
133. Namibia--Desert December by Dorian Haarhoff
134. South Sudan--There Is a Country: New Fiction from the New Nation of South Sudan edited by Nyuol Lueth Tong
135. Burkina Faso--The Parachute Drop by Norbert Zongo
136. Somalia--The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert by Shugri Said Salh
137. The Gambia--Folk Tales and Fables from the Gambia: Volume 1 by Dembo Fanta Bojang and Sukai Mbye Bojang
138. Togo--The Shadow of Things to Come by Kossi Efoui
139. Comoros--The Kaffir of Karthala by Mohamed A. Toihiri
140. Mauritius--Eve Out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi
141. Romania--Whisper of the Woods by Ennun Ana Iurov
142. Western Sahara--Settled Wanderers: The Poetry of Western Sahara by Sam Berkson and Muhammad Sulaiman
143. Guinea--The Dark Child by Camara Laye
144. Ukraine--Who Will Make the Snow? by Taras Prokhasko & Marjana Prokhasko
145. Lesotho--Chaka by Thomas Mofolo
146. Sierra Leone--Hand on the Navel by Lemuel Johnson

2024
147. Hungary--Story of the Everything, the Nothing, and Other Strange Stories by Gyula Gábor Tóth
148. Denmark--What Kingdom by Fine Gråbøl
149. Estonia--Between Two Sounds: Arvo Pärt's Journey to His Musical Language by Joonas Sildre
150. Slovakia--We're Off to the Forest by Katarína Macurová
151. Montenegro--The Son by Andrej Nikolaidis

reserved 1

reserved 2

Hi - have found or ordered (good old Abe) books for nearly all categories.

I like to set up the 12 AAC and 12 BAC books in order on a cleared shelf.

Planned to order Ronald Firbank until his N-word title appeared...

>13 m.belljackson: Hi! That Firbank book was originally Sorrow in Sunlight, but his American publisher re-titled it. There are several of his books on Project Gutenberg if you'd like to try him without spending money. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/50114

Welcome back, Amanda! You were really on the ball - got your thread going even before me.

>15 drneutron: I just happened to be checking the threads as you were starting the group. Thanks for creating all of this for us again!

>14 amanda4242: Hi - checked out free Sorrow in Sunlight on Gutenberg and am surprised it got published...

>17 m.belljackson: Racial slurs weren't an impediment to publication in 1924.

I will of course be following keenly your reading again this coming year, dear Amanda.
Have a lovely end of year.

>19 PaulCranswick: And I will be following yours.

Happy New Year.

>21 Berly: Hi!

Happy New Year Reading!

>23 Kristelh: Wishing you the same!

Happy reading in 2024, Amanda!

Happy New Year, Amanda.

>25 FAMeulstee: And to you!

>26 BLBera: Happy New Year!

Hi Amanda and happy new year!

Wow, your map of visited/read countries is seriously impressive! I can't imagine even finding books from all the countries.
I'm looking forward to the BAC this year!

>28 PawsforThought: Hi! Ann Morgan's blog is a very useful resource for finding titles from around the world.

Happy New Year and looking forward to seeing you on the BAC threads!

Happy new year of reading Amanda!

8 books already - dear God!

>30 WhiteRaven.17: Thanks! And the same to you!

>31 PaulCranswick: Short books, Paul. Short books.

1. Tricky Prince Vol. 1 by Yukari Hashida, translated by MOMOSUKE Inc.
2. Tricky Prince Vol. 2 by Yukari Hashida, translated by MOMOSUKE Inc.

Dumb rom-com manga, but kind of entertaining if you don't try to apply logic.

3. Love Beyond Time Vol. 1 by Soya Himawari, translated by MOMOSUKE Inc.
4. Love Beyond Time Vol. 2 by Soya Himawari, translated by MOMOSUKE Inc.

Time travel romance manga. Enjoyable enough that I kind of what a third volume.

5. Arabel's Raven by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Quentin Blake

A collection of three stories about a girl and her troublesome pet raven. It was not quite to my taste, but was entertaining and would probably be greatly enjoyed by its target audience.

6. Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher: The Lesser Evil by Andrzej Sapkowski, adapted by Jacek Rembiś, English adaptation by Borys Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz

If you've read The Last Wish, you know the story. If you've seen the Netflix series, you know the story. There is no reason for this comic to exist except someone looking to make another buck off the franchise.

7. 300 by Frank Miller

A lot of chest thumping dialogue and weirdly fetishistic art. I'd recommend it over the movie, but don't take that for a ringing endorsement.

8. The Lion in the Gateway by Mary Renault, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges

A pretty good children's book about the battles of Marathon, Salamis, and Thermopylae. Renault has an obvious bias for the Greeks, but she doesn't show them as a perfect people and she makes the point that many of their accomplishments were possible because they had slaves doing a lot of the labor.

9. The Scream by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Ian Andrew

10. Conquest: Julius Caesar's Gallic War by Tarek Ben Yakhlef, translated by Cecile Bohard & Andrew Benteau

Caesar trounces some Gauls. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Skip it and read an Asterix comic instead.

Received via Edelweiss.

11. Story of the Everything, the Nothing, and Other Strange Stories by Gyula Gábor Tóth, translated by Adam Z. Levy, illustrated by Norbert Nagy

A profoundly awful attempt at whimsical stories. Avoid.

Received via Edelweiss.

12. The Moon's Revenge by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Alan Lee

13. The Wooden Dragon by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Bee Willey

14. The Erl King’s Daughter by Joan Aiken, by Paul Warren

15. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Belinda Downes

A pretty traditional Snow White tale, but Aiken uses some elements from the Grimms and throws in a few of her own twists to make this stand out a bit from all the others. The true draw though is Downes's intricate fabric art illustrations.

Trying to catch up before the weekend, Amanda.

>36 PaulCranswick: Always a pleasure to have you drop by, my friend!

16. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, read by Stephen Fry

17. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Anthony Briggs

It's a very good war novel buried under ~600 pages of soap opera and ~200 pages of Tolstoy's philosophy of History.

18. Frontier Wolf by Rosemary Sutcliff

19. Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander by Frank Miller

More chest-thumping dialogue and weirdly fetishistic art.

20. The Mysteries by Bill Watterson, illustrated by Bill Watterson & John Kascht

21. The Kitchen Warriors by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Jo Worth

Stats

Books
new reads: 16
re-reads: 5
1001 books (all editions): 2
British Author Challenge: 9
War Room Challenge: 6

Original language
English (Modern): 13
French: 1
Hungarian: 1
Japanese: 4
Polish: 1
Russian: 1

Translations: 8

From
Edelweiss: 2
Everand: 4
Kindle Unlimited: 2
Library: 6
Open Library: 2
Shelves: 5

pages read: 3,620
audiobook hours: 6 hours 35 minutes
average rating: 2.93 stars

Authors
female: 13 books by 5 authors
male: 7 books by 7 authors
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 1 book

Nationalities
American: 3
British: 10
French: 1
Hungarian: 1
Japanese: 4
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 1
Russian: 1

Jolly quiet over here, Amanda.

See you are busy devouring almost every book ever written in Japan!

>41 PaulCranswick: Not every book: just a couple of manga series!

Hope you have a great weekend, my friend.

>42 amanda4242: You certainly know how to go on a reading spree, Amanda.

Touching base again to keep your thread numbers ticking over and to wish you a lovely weekend, Amanda. xx

>44 PaulCranswick: Thank you, my friend. You're often more attentive to my thread than I am!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

>45 amanda4242: You do a good job visiting mine too, though!

>46 PaulCranswick: It's so much easier to pop by and say "Hi" or "Happy new thread" than it is to keep up posting about my reading.

22. Washington's Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron von Steuben by Josh Trujillo

A graphic non-fiction book (fancy way of saying non-fiction comic book) about a Prussian general who was hired to whip the American forces into shape. It would have been better if the author had stuck to the Baron and not kept interrupting the narrative with his personal commentary, but it's a decent introduction to an important figure in American history.

23. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 1 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins
24. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 2 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins
25. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 3 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins
26. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 4 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins
32. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 5 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins

27. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 1 by Ryosuke Takeuchi
28. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 2 by Ryosuke Takeuchi
29. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 3 by Ryosuke Takeuchi
30. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 4 by Ryosuke Takeuchi
33. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 5 by Ryosuke Takeuchi
34. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 6 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck
35. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 7 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck
36. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 8 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck
37. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 9 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck
38. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 10 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck
39. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 11 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck
40. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 12 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck
41. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 13 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck
42. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 14 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck

31. Mama's Sleeping Scarf by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, illustrated by Joelle Avelino

A little girl plays with the scarf her mother wraps around her hair at night.

The writing style is juvenile (writing for children is not the same as writing like a child) and the illustrations are only so-so. I couldn't help but compare it unfavorably to The Swirling Hijaab by Na'ima bint Robert, which is far more imaginative, has superior illustrations, and manages to convey the cultural importance of the titular head covering into the story in a seamless way.

I can't help but think this only got published because Adichie is already famous.

43. Valmouth by Ronald Firbank

Composed almost entirely of dialogue and adjectives. It's Modernist, camp as hell, and nigh incomprehensible at times, but I found myself kind of liking it even if I rarely had a firm grasp on what was happening.

46. Something Is Killing the Children Vol. 5 by James Tynion IV
47. Something Is Killing the Children Vol. 6 by James Tynion IV
48. Something Is Killing the Children Vol. 7 by James Tynion IV

44. Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman
45. Any Other Name by Emma Newman
49. All Is Fair by Emma Newman

I'm really enjoying this series; I'm enjoying it so much that I actually bought the last two volumes.

53. This Land Is a Lullaby by Tonya Simpson, illustrated by Delreé Dumont

54. The Giant and the Grizzly Bear by Rosemarie Avrana Meyok, illustrated by Thamires Paredes

50. Prince Freya Vol. 1 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by Emi Louie-Nishikawa
51. Prince Freya Vol. 2 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by Emi Louie-Nishikawa
52. Prince Freya Vol. 3 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by Emi Louie-Nishikawa
55. Prince Freya Vol. 4 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry
56. Prince Freya Vol. 5 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry
57. Prince Freya Vol. 6 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry
58. Prince Freya Vol. 7 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry
59. Prince Freya Vol. 8 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry
60. Prince Freya Vol. 9 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry
61. Prince Freya Vol. 10 by Keiko Ishihara, translated by John Werry

A village girl who is a dead ringer for the prince secretly takes his place after he is assassinated. She then, with no training whatsoever, goes into battle against an invading army. Oh, and all of the prince's guards fall in love with her for no apparent reason.

I think Ishihara's knowledge of Europe, its legends, and the art of storytelling itself comes from low budget medieval fantasy films.

Stats

Books
new reads: 39
re-reads: 22
1001 books (all editions): 2
British Author Challenge: 13
War Room Challenge: 7

Original language
English: 23
French: 1
Hungarian: 1
Japanese: 33
Multiple: 1
Polish: 1
Russian: 1

Translations: 37

From
Edelweiss: 4
Everand: 7
Kindle Unlimited: 2
Library: 28
NetGalley: 1
Open Library: 2
Shelves: 17

pages read: 11,257
audiobook hours: 6 hours 35 minutes
average rating: 3.01 stars

Authors
female: 29 books by 11 authors
male: 26 books by 10 authors
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 6 books

Nationalities
American: 7
British: 14
Canadian: 2
French: 1
Hungarian: 1
Japanese: 28
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 6
Nigerian: 1
Russian: 1

Oh my goodness how do you read so much ☺️ I’m so envious haha

>53 KB23: Short books and comics make me look like a speed reader.

>54 amanda4242: Still a fabulous effort!

>54 amanda4242: Kelly is right, Amanda. You make yourself look like a speed reader!

>55 KB23: Thanks!

>56 PaulCranswick: :)

62. The Boys Vol. 1: The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis
63. The Boys Vol. 2: Get Some by Garth Ennis
64. The Boys Vol. 3: Good for the Soul by Garth Ennis

It's not bad, but I like the TV series more.

65. The Surprise by Zadie Smith & Nick Laird, illustrated by Magenta Fox

Eh. It's got the same message as a zillion other picture books, but isn't as well written as most of them. The pictures are cute, though.

66. The Long Dry by Cynan Jones

This is not some romantic pastoral novel: this is a realistic look at the cycle of life and death, told with unflinching honesty. Very highly recommended.

67. Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman, read by Armie Hammer

Love this book.

68. The Last Pantheon by Tade Thompson & Nick Wood

69. The Light Conjurer Vol. 1 by Gene

An inept conjurer longs to become a hero.

This one got off to a rocky start, with annoying character introductions and really abrupt scene changes. I'm glad I didn't give up because the characters did improve and the story is kind of fun. This isn't likely to be a series I'll fall in love with, but I would happily read the next volume.

Received via NetGalley.

70. Confessions of a 35 Year Old by Tei

A slow-moving romance that is slightly redeemed by the last ~30 pages. The art is good, but the translation leaves something to be desired: whoever/whatever did the translation seems to have a poor grasp of subject-verb agreement.

Received via NetGalley.

71. Three Seconds After Our Eyes Met by Rancha

In the note at the end of the book the author writes, "the story is a sloppy one" and "the love progression is slow to the point of irritation." I cannot argue with that assessment and would add that it's also wordy and confusing.

Received via NetGalley.

72. Loving You When the World Ended by Gene

It's the end of the world and a hotel waiter and a spoiled rich boy might be the only two people left in the world.

I assumed this would be a drama given its post-apocalyptic setting, but it's actually more of a comedy. It's a fun read in a dumb rom-com way if you don't take it too seriously.

Received via NetGalley.

73. The Gospel According to the New World by Maryse Condé, translated by Richard Philcox

The publisher describes this book as having "beauty, vivacity, humor, and power," but I don't think any of those words are really applicable; I would use words like passive, remote, dry, and unoriginal. It really isn't a bad book and I do kind of like it, but I can't help but think my time would have been better spent re-watching Life of Brian.

Received via NetGalley.

>60 amanda4242: Love the Life of Brian comment, Amanda. Starting my day with a smile.

>61 PaulCranswick: Glad I could help you start your day on a bright note!

I will be interested to see what you make your 75th book, Amanda.

Have a lovely weekend.

>63 PaulCranswick: It will probably be either The Last of the Wine or The Dragonbone Chair...unless something else catches my attention!

Happy weekend!

>64 amanda4242: A couple of heavyweights there.

>65 PaulCranswick: I thought it was time to read something other than comics.

74. What Kingdom by Fine Gråbøl, translated by Martin Aitken

75. The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault

76. Song for a Lute by Marguerite Vance

Vance apparently could make up her mind if she wanted to write a historical novel, a history, or a commentary on the last years of the Wars of the Roses; the result of her waffling is this forgettable children's book ostensibly about Anne Neville (although she's barely in it).

77. Beauty's Hour: A Phantasy by Olivia Shakespear

78. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

79. The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams

Could have been about two hundred pages shorter, but it still clicks along surprisingly well.

80. My Ear at His Heart: Reading My Father by Hanif Kureishi

Stats

Books
new reads: 56
re-reads: 24
1001 books (all editions): 3
British Author Challenge: 18
War Room Challenge: 9

Original language
Chinese: 4
Danish: 1
English: 36
French: 2
Hungarian: 1
Japanese: 33
Multiple: 1
Polish: 1
Russian: 1

Translations: 43

From
Edelweiss: 4
Everand: 9
Kindle Unlimited: 2
Library: 30
NetGalley: 6
New: 1
Open Library: 3
Shelves: 25

pages read: 15,014
audiobook hours: 14 hours 18 minutes
average rating: 3.08 stars

Authors
female: 35 books by 16 authors
male: 33 books by 15 authors
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 12 books

Nationalities
American: 11
British: 21
Canadian: 2
Danish: 1
French: 2
Hungarian: 1
Japanese: 28
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 8
Nigerian: 1
Russian: 1
Taiwanese: 4

Congratulations on passing 75 books already, Amanda.

>70 PaulCranswick: Thanks!

Congrats on zipping past the goal!

>72 drneutron: Thank you!

>67 amanda4242: Belated congratulations on reaching 75, Amanda!

>74 FAMeulstee: Thanks!

Wishing you a great weekend, Amanda.

Add my congratulations on passing 75 reads this year! Awesome.

>76 PaulCranswick: Thank you! Hope your weekend went well!

>77 elorin: Thanks!

>78 amanda4242: I managed to finish 6 books in the last week which is exceptional for me, Amanda.

>79 PaulCranswick: Well done!

81. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

An excellent book. I will definitely by reading more Pym.

82. Between Two Sounds: Arvo Pärt's Journey to His Musical Language by Joonas Sildre, translated by Adam Cullen

The narrative is a bit choppy, but the art more than makes up for it; Sildre's use of line to evoke music is exquisite.

Received via NetGalley.

83. The Perfect Heresy: The Life and Death of the Cathars by Stephen O'Shea

A little hard to follow due to the number of unfamiliar names and O'Shea's habit of skipping around a bit, but it's a decent introduction to the subject.

84. Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson, illustrated by the author

A childhood favorite, although I like the short film slightly more.

85. Asterix the Gaul by René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo, translated by Anthea Bell & Derek Hockridge

Asterix comics are always wonderful.

86. The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country by James Tynion, IV

*shrugs* I'll read the next volume to see if it picks up.

87. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 15 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck

88. Foster by Claire Keegan
89. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Keegan gives me hope for the future of the literary novella.

90. Fool by Christopher Moore, read by Euan Morton

Revisiting a favorite.

91. Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope

The women are mostly unrealistic and the men are completely insufferable.

92. We're Off to the Forest by Katarína Macurová, translated by Andrew Oakland

The illustrations are cute and it has a good message, but I don't think it's particularly memorable.

Received via Edelweiss.

93. Chaos in Kinshasa by Barly Baruti & Thierry Bellefroid, translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger

94. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman, read by Suzanne Toren

One of my favorite books about books.

95. The Secret Throne by Peter F. Hamilton, illustrated by Rohan Eason

Don't be put off by the abysmal cover art; this is very good portal fantasy that will appeal to both kids and adults.

96. The Homesman by Glendon Swarthout

Bleak, but excellent.

97. John the Skeleton by Triinu Laan, translated by Adam Cullen

98. The Song of the Cathar Wars: A History of the Albigensian Crusade by Guilhem de Tudela and Anonymous, translated by Janet Shirley

Stats

Books
new reads: 70
re-reads: 28
1001 books (all editions): 4
British Author Challenge: 21
War Room Challenge: 12

Original language
Chinese: 4
Czech: 1
Danish: 1
English: 47
Estonian: 2
French: 4
Hungarian: 1
Japanese: 34
Multiple: 1
Old Occitan: 1
Polish: 1
Russian: 1

Translations: 50

From
Edelweiss: 7
Everand: 13
Kindle Unlimited: 2
Library: 35
NetGalley: 7
New: 2
Open Library: 3
Shelves: 29

pages read: 18,398
audiobook hours: 27 hours 9 minutes
average rating: 3.17 stars

Authors
female: 41 books by 21 authors
male: 44 books by 24 authors
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 13 books

Nationalities
American: 16
Belgian: 1
British: 24
Canadian: 3
Danish: 1
Estonian: 2
French: 3
Hungarian: 1
Irish: 2
Japanese: 29
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 9
Nigerian: 1
Russian: 1
Slovak: 1
Taiwanese: 4

Wow I don't think many in the group will be able to say that the country from which they read the most books this year is Japan, Amanda.

>86 PaulCranswick: Those manga series do tend to add up.

99. The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros, translated by the author

100. Hello Mum by Bernardine Evaristo

101. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

102. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 6 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins

103. Six Stories and an Essay by Andrea Levy

104. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis

I decided to go with a re-read of my second favorite* Narnia book for May's BAC theme, mostly because it has one of the best opening sentences in all of literature: "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."

*If anyone is wondering, my ranking of the series is:
The Silver Chair
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Magician's Nephew
The Horse and His Boy
The Last Battle

105. Death in the Spires by KJ Charles

This one's quite the page-turner! Unlike Charles's other works it's very light on romantic relationships, but it still has the same wonderfully written characters and attention to historical detail I've come to expect of her writing.

Received via NetGalley.

106. The Last Starry Night: Vincent Van Gogh by Jamison Odone

107. Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch

This was...not good. Aaronovitch seems to have half-assed the research because his main character, a female American FBI agent, does not come across as a convincing FBI agent, American, or female. Oh, and he set the story in Wisconsin, named a character after a recent governor of that state, and then has not a single character comment on it.

I hope that if Aaronovitch writes more books set in the US he does some in-depth research, or at the very least gets some Americans to read the manuscript so he doesn't make so many ridiculous errors.

Received via NetGalley.

108. The Dragon Knight by Emanuele Arioli, translated by M. B. Valente

109. Banshee Origins by Jonathan Tropper, et al

110. In the Shadow of the Ship by Aliette de Bodard

There is so much rich material for a novel here! We have a dangerous sentient ship, disappearing children, twisted family dynamics, cult-like behaviors, and a mysterious beauty captivating our heroine. Unfortunately ninety-six pages is not enough for the story to reach its full potential; it's still a very good read, but it could have been an outstanding one had it been longer.

Received via NetGalley.

111. Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 1 by Yoshie Kaoruhara, translated by Leo McDonagh

A cop and a gangster team up to unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance and supposed death of a woman with ties to both of them.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The two leads are interesting and their clashing and evolving dynamic makes me want to read the next volume.

Received via NetGalley.

112. Leonard Cohen by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Agathe Bray-Bourret

I'm struggling to understand why the author thought Leonard Cohen, a man whose writings famously mingled spirituality and sensuality, would be a good subject for a book aimed at very young children.

Skip this one and let kids discover Cohen when they're old enough to appreciate his genius.

Received via NetGalley.

113. City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky

114. The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch

This is miles better than Aaronovitch's last novella set in America and he did two things that really helped sell the setting: he set it in the 1920s and made the narrator British, so any errors can be chalked up to changing times and/or a non-American narrator.

And what a narrator! Augustus Berrycloth-Young sounds like he's stepped out of a Wodehouse story and just makes the entire book sparkle. I hope we get to see more of Gussie and his adventures.

Received via NetGalley.

115. House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky

>87 amanda4242: Not only the manga books!

Stats

Books
new reads: 86
re-reads: 29
1001 books (all editions): 4
British Author Challenge: 28
War Room Challenge: 13

Original language
Chinese: 4
Czech: 1
Danish: 1
English: 60
Estonian: 2
French: 5
Hungarian: 1
Japanese: 36
Multiple: 1
Old Occitan: 1
Polish: 1
Russian: 1
Welsh: 1

Translations: 54

From
Edelweiss: 8
Everand: 16
Kindle Unlimited: 2
Library: 36
NetGalley: 14
New: 2
Open Library: 5
Shelves: 32

pages read: 22,786
audiobook hours: 27 hours 9 minutes
average rating: 3.20 stars

Authors
female: 47 books by 27 authors
male: 52 books by 30 authors
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 16 books

Nationalities
American: 18
Belgian: 1
British: 33
Canadian: 3
Danish: 1
Estonian: 2
French: 5
Hungarian: 1
Irish: 2
Japanese: 30
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 11
Nigerian: 1
Russian: 1
Slovak: 1
Spanish: 1
Taiwanese: 4

>91 PaulCranswick: And May was a bit of slow month for me!

>93 amanda4242: May was a disaster reading wise for me with only 2 books finished.

>93 amanda4242: Maybe try some comics? Asterix books go fast and they always put me in a good mood.

>95 amanda4242: I can feel the reading mood coming back, Amanda.

>96 PaulCranswick: Well grab a book and a cup of coffee and get going!

>97 amanda4242: Ok boss, bye for now!

>96 PaulCranswick: Finished a couple of books in the last day so I am getting going again a bit, but of course not to Amandan standards!

Bought a book by Kiran Millwood Hargrave yesterday and will try to get to it this month.

Have a great weekend.

>99 PaulCranswick: Congrats on getting through some books!

Happy weekend.

116. What Did You Eat Yesterday? Vol. 21 by Fumi Yoshinaga, translated by Jocelyne Allen

117. The Way Past Winter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

118. The Hunting of the Princes by Peter F. Hamilton

119. Queer Art: From Canvas to Club, and the Spaces Between by Gemma Rolls-Bentley

120. Mornings in Mexico by DH Lawrence

Beautiful descriptions of place, but i don't think the more anthropological aspects have aged as well.

121. Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, illustrated by Tom de Freston

122. Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 1 by Negi Haruba, translated by Ko Ransom

I really like the premise of a hero team forcing a group of subjugated monsters to fight for ratings purposes, but I found the execution lacking; the story was confusing in places and the action sequences hard to follow. I'll read the next volume to see if things improve, but I don't see myself following this series.

Received via NetGalley.

123. Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore, read by Euan Morton

124. Et Cetera: An Illustrated Guide to Latin Phrases by Maia Lee-Chin, illustrated by Marta Bertello

A brief look at some interesting Latin phrases.

Each phrase has an English translation, an attribution, and a short explanation of how it was used. I really appreciated Lee-Chin not filling the book with well known selections; although she does include phrases that are still commonly used in either Latin or English translation (carpe diem, swan song), she introduces the reader to a wide variety of more obscure phrases.

Although the text is interesting, Marta Bertello's illustrations are the true draw here. Each entry is accompanied by a black, white, and red drawing that perfectly illustrates the phrase.

Received via NetGalley.

125. The World Next Door by Fritz Peters

126. Floral Estrangements: Taunt Your Rivals and Vanquish Your Enemies through the Language of Flowers by Rebecca Fishbein, illustrated by Jill De Haan

Five stars for Jill De Haan's gorgeous floral illustrations, the only redeeming feature of this book.

Author Rebecca Fishbein's writing does not in any way live up to the quality of De Haan's illustrations. Fishbein gives only the barest of information on each flower and her attempts at humor would not be out of place in the kind of sitcom that gets axed mid-season. I was also greatly disappointed that almost all of her sources are blogs and none are from before the twenty-first century.

Received via NetGalley.

127. The Headmaster by Tiffany Reisz, illustrated by Andrew Shaffer

Yes, I read this one solely because of the cover of the tenth anniversary edition. That 1970s Gothic romance vibe was too hard to resist!

The story is a bit low on Gothic elements and I was able to deduce the final twist within the first few chapters. Still, the characters are pretty good, even though the heroine is oblivious to everything except the comeliness of the titular headmaster.

I probably won't seek out anything else by Reisz, but I don't regret reading The Headmaster.

Received via NetGalley.

128. Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes

This is not one of Haynes's better books. She frequently rambles on for pages without coming to a point, especially when trying to use a pop culture example to illustrate a myth. I also think her analysis strips the myths of much of the nuance found in ancient sources.

While Divine Might isn't a bad book, I would recommend Haynes's podcast over it.

Received via NetGalley.

129. The Yearning Fox Lies in Wait by Nmura, translated by Leo McDonagh

130. Harrow and Harvest by Barbara Willard

131. The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country, The Glass House by James Tynion IV

A waste of some excellent characters.

132. Go to Hell: A Traveler's Guide to Earth's Most Otherworldly Destinations by Erika Engelhaupt

What a great concept for a travel book! In each short entry Engelhaupt gives a good overview of the site, with historical and scientific information, as well as tips for visiting. And the liberal addition of color pictures makes this book as much a pleasure to look at as it is to read.

The destinations are broken into three thematically linked sections and were selected based on different "hellish" ideas: cultural associations with an underworld/otherworld (Pluto's Gate, Turkey); extreme environment (Danakil Depression, Ethiopia); uncanny features (Blood Falls, Antarctica); or inherent danger (Cape York, Queensland, Australia). I do wish there had been a bit less organization, as reading about the same types of places all in a row got a little tedious, but that's a very minor complaint.

Received via NetGalley.

133. The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir, translated by Mary Robinette Kowal

The mystery and the rising sense of dread had me racing through this one in just a couple of hours, desperate to know how it ends. The horror that had been building throughout the book started to pull together in the last few pages and then...the book stopped with no payoff. It's so disappointing since another five or ten pages to give the story a true ending would have made this one a small masterpiece.

Received via NetGalley.

134. Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Vol. 2 by Negi Haruba, translated by Ko Ransom

Wordy and confusing. Dropping the series.

135. My Noisy Roommate: The Roof Over My Head Comes With Monsters and a Hottie 1 by Kaho Ozaki, translated by Leo McDonagh

A workplace rom-com about two guys working for a real estate agency specializing in relocating supernatural entities isn't something I ever would have thought of, but what a delight it turned out to be! The two leads, Osuke and Nijio, are appealing and the cases they work are entertaining. I will definitely be reading volume two when it becomes available.

Received via NetGalley.

136. Gothic Tales by Marquis de Sade, translated by Margaret Crossland

The Gothic novellas in this collection, while not exactly to my taste, are well written and comparable to other works in the genre of the era.

I found the short stories included much more to my liking. They aren't Gothic stories, but are better described as fabliaux: short tales of irreverent and bawdy humor. Several of them had me laughing out loud.

Recevied via NetGalley.

137. The Elsa Beskow Peter and Lotta Collection by Elsa Beskow, illustrated by the author

The text is almost unbearably twee, but the illustrations have a certain appeal.

138. Pearl by Siân Hughes

Troubled child becomes troubled teen becomes troubled adult. It's the plot of trashy TV movie tarted up to appeal to judges of literary prizes.

Received via NetGalley.

139. Vincent: A Graphic Biography by Simon Elliott

The text is a super simplified biography of Vincent Van Gogh, which, if not for some very adult incidents it covers, could easily be a children's biography. It's facile, and the conceit of the book being narrated by Van Gogh's sister-in-law is unnecessary and often intrusive.

The layout is closer to a picture book than a comic. I found the art terrifyingly soulless and not at all appropriate for a book about one of the greatest painters the world has ever known.

Received via NetGalley.

140. Great Short Books: A Year of Reading―Briefly by Kenneth C. Davis

141. Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein

The first word that springs to mind when I think of Study for Obedience is "prolix," which is not a word I would ever think could be applied to a work that's only about 200 pages long.

The publisher is touting this as a book for fans of Shirley Jackson, but the only thing it has in common with any of Jackson's works is an unreliable narrator who should be under the care of a mental health professional.

Just skip this one unless you want to read a book that makes you wonder if the author got paid by the comma.

Received via NetGalley.

>105 amanda4242: Haven't read the Sian Hughes book yet but I did have the displeasure to read Sarah Bernstein's book last year. Can't remember why I thought it awful but prolix didn't spring to mind.

>106 PaulCranswick: Bernstein is one of those writers who won't use one word if they can use fifteen instead.

142. Mothman's Happy Cryptid Halloween by Andrew Shaffer, illustrated by the author

I was not impressed by Mothman's Merry Cryptid Christmas, but I must confess that the Halloween entry in the series has charmed me. I'm not sure if I'll ever become a big fan of Mothman's holiday adventures, I would be interested in reading further entries in the series.

Received via NetGalley.

143. The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Stats

Books
new reads: 113
re-reads: 30
1001 books (all editions): 4
British Author Challenge: 36
War Room Challenge: 14

Original language
Chinese: 4
Czech: 1
Danish: 1
English: 80
Estonian: 2
French: 6
Hungarian: 1
Icelandic: 1
Japanese: 41
Multiple: 1
Old Occitan: 1
Polish: 1
Russian: 1
Swedish: 1
Welsh: 1

Translations: 63

From
Edelweiss: 9
Everand: 21
Kindle Unlimited: 2
Library: 40
NetGalley: 28
New: 2
Open Library: 6
Shelves: 35

pages read: 28,464
audiobook hours: 38 hours 49 minutes
average rating: 3.16 stars

Authors
female: 63 books by 41 authors
male: 63 books by 37 authors
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 17 books

Nationalities
American: 27
Belgian: 1
British: 43
Canadian: 4
Danish: 1
Estonian: 2
French: 6
Hungarian: 1
Icelandic: 1
Irish: 2
Japanese: 35
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 11
Nigerian: 1
Russian: 1
Slovak: 1
Spanish: 1
Swedish: 1
Taiwanese: 4

144. Stephen King: His Life, Work, and Influences (Young Readers' Edition) by Bev Vincent

I'm on the fence about this one. On the positive side, it contains a great deal of good information about King and his work presented in an accessible and appealing way for young adults. On the negative side, many of the entries about his books are just spoiler filled summaries.

Despite its limitations, I think I would recommend this one to young readers who are just discovering King's books.

Received via NetGalley.

145. London to Ladysmith via Pretoria by Winston Churchill

This is not the book to read if you know next to nothing about the Boer War as Churchill assumes his readers are already familiar with the conflict, but it is incredibly well written. I had always assumed that Churchill's Nobel was awarded for reasons other than literary merit, but I am happy to find that I was wrong in my thinking.

146. Deadpool Max: Nutjob by David Lapham
147. Deadpool MAX: Involuntary Armageddon by David Lapham
148. Deadpool MAX: Second Cut by David Lapham

149. Drops of God: Mariage Vol. 7 by Tadashi Agi, translated by Robert Harkins

150. A Redwall Winter's Tale by Brian Jacques, illustrated by Christopher Denise
152. The Great Redwall Feast by Brian Jacques, illustrated by Christopher Denise

151. The Heart of Thomas by Moto Hagio, translated by Rachel Thorn

153. The Price of Meat by KJ Charles

154. The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain

The Book Censor's Library is an exceptional work that combines the horrors of 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 with the whimsy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Highly recommended.

155. Atlas of Paranormal Places: A Journey to the World's Most Supernatural Places by Evelyn Hollow

Even for pseudoscience this is poorly written. There are several entries where Hollow doesn't even talk about alleged supernatural phenomena about the place in question; she also swings between treating other cultures' practices as inherently "spooky" and giving self-righteous lectures on not judging other cultures based on your own biases.

Steer clear of this one.

Received via NetGalley.

156. Day of the Oprichnik by Vladimir Sorokin, translated by Jamey Gambrell

157. Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

158. A Voyage Through Air by Peter F. Hamilton, illustrated by Rohan Eason

159. Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles

160. The Jewel Seed by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Peter Bailey

Stats

Books
new reads: 125
re-reads: 35
1001 books (all editions): 4
British Author Challenge: 44
War Room Challenge: 15

Original language
Arabic: 1
Chinese: 4
Czech: 1
Danish: 1
English: 93
Estonian: 2
French: 6
Hungarian: 1
Icelandic: 1
Japanese: 43
Multiple: 1
Old Occitan: 1
Polish: 1
Russian: 2
Swedish: 1
Welsh: 1

Translations: 67

From
Edelweiss: 9
Everand: 24
Kindle Unlimited: 2
Library: 42
NetGalley: 30
New: 5
Open Library: 8
Project Gutenberg: 1
Shelves: 39

pages read: 31,677
audiobook hours: 38 hours 49 minutes
average rating: 3.14 stars

Authors
female: 69 books by 44 authors
male: 73 books by 43 authors
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 18 books

Nationalities
American: 30
Belgian: 1
British: 52
Canadian: 5
Danish: 1
Estonian: 2
French: 6
Hungarian: 1
Icelandic: 1
Irish: 2
Japanese: 37
Kuwaiti: 1
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 11
Nigerian: 1
Russian: 2
Slovak: 1
Spanish: 1
Swedish: 1
Taiwanese: 4

Congratulations on your 2x75 already, Amanda.

Missed seeing you post recently. xx

>114 PaulCranswick: Thanks!

My home internet has been unreliable for the past few weeks so I haven't been on LT as much as usual.

161. The Sugared Game by KJ Charles
162. Subtle Blood by KJ Charles

Finishing up the trilogy of pulpy espionage thrillers set in the 1920s. Very entertaining.

163. Proper English by KJ Charles
166. Think of England by KJ Charles

A delightful pair of country house murder mysteries.

164. The Army of Darkness Versus Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising by Erik Burnham

165. David Bowie: Rock 'n' Roll Chameleon by Martin Popoff

I was very pleasantly surprised by the high standard of the writing in this book: there's a lot of really interesting biographical information, and Popoff provides thoughtful analysis of Bowie's albums.

The layout is excellent, and the number and quality of the photos make this a treasure for any Bowie fan.

Received via NetGalley.

167. Snowpiercer, Volume 1: The Escape by Jacques Lob, translated by Virginie Selavy
168. Snowpiercer 2: The Explorers by Benjamin Legrand, translated by Virginie Selavy

One of the rare cases where the movie is far superior to the books.

169. Barefoot Gen Vol. 1 by Keiji Nakazawa, translated by Project Gen
170. Barefoot Gen Vol. 2: The Day After by Keiji Nakazawa, translated by Project Gen
171. Barefoot Gen Vol. 3: Life After the Bomb by Keiji Nakazawa, translated by Project Gen

What a brutal experience! The author, himself a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing, spares no one: the Americans who dropped the bomb, the Japanese for starting the war, and the authorities and civilians who actively persecute the displaced people of Hiroshima are all targets for his rage.

172. A Fashionable Indulgence by KJ Charles
173. A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles
176. A Gentleman's Position by KJ Charles

I thought some nice Regency romance would be just the thing to cheer me up after reading the first three volumes of Barefoot Gen, and then the Peterloo Massacre occurs halfway through the first book in the series. *sigh* Anyway, I did like the series and I do appreciate when historical novels treat history as more than just decoration.

174. Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

175. Griso: The One and Only by Roger Mello, translated by Daniel Hahn

What little story is in this book exists only as an excuse for the pictures, but what pictures! Mello takes us on a worldwide journey of art history in just a few gloriously illustrated pages.

Recommended to those looking for a picture book full of sublime images.

Received via NetGalley.

177. The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt

178. Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry

Pales in comparison to Lonesome Dove.

179. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

Completely deserving of all the accolades.

Stats

Books
new reads: 143
re-reads: 36
1001 books (all editions): 4
British Author Challenge: 53
War Room Challenge: 19

Original language
Arabic: 1
Chinese: 4
Czech: 1
Danish: 1
English: 106
Estonian: 2
French: 8
Hungarian: 1
Icelandic: 1
Japanese: 46
Multiple: 1
Old Occitan: 1
Polish: 1
Portuguese (Brazilian): 1
Russian: 2
Swedish: 1
Welsh: 1

Translations: 73

From
Edelweiss: 10
Everand: 27
Kindle Unlimited: 2
Library: 46
NetGalley: 32
New: 6
Open Library: 9
Project Gutenberg: 1
Shelves: 46

pages read: 36,694
audiobook hours: 38 hours 49 minutes
average rating: 3.19 stars

Authors
female: 77 books by 45 authors
male: 83 books by 50 authors
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 19 books

Nationalities
American: 32
Belgian: 1
Brazilian: 1
British: 61
Canadian: 6
Danish: 1
Estonian: 2
French: 8
Hungarian: 1
Icelandic: 1
Irish: 2
Japanese: 40
Kuwaiti: 1
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 12
Nigerian: 1
Russian: 2
Slovak: 1
Spanish: 1
Swedish: 1
Taiwanese: 4

180. Mort by Terry Pratchett

Discworld always delights.

181-183. The Ballad of Halo Jones Volumes 1-3 by Alan Moore

Halo Jones may very well be my favorite Moore creation.

184. The Worlds of Wes Anderson: The Influences and Inspiration Behind the Iconic Films by Adam Woodward

Barring Fantastic Mr. Fox and the sublime Grand Budapest Hotel, I find Wes Anderson's films to be mannered to the point that they are damn near unwatchable; however, I cannot deny his visual style stands out in the sea of dreck Hollywood mass produces each year. The Worlds of Wes Anderson gives a glimpse at the myriad works of art he draws on to create his films, and shows the director utilizing a long-established visual language to tell his tales.

Recommended mostly for hard-core Anderson fans, but casual viewers of his films will also find much of interest in this book.

Received via NetGalley.

Dropping by to say hello and try not to be slack-jawed at your continued reading exploits. xx

>121 PaulCranswick: Hi! Killer Angels caused a bit of a reading slump, but I'm rallying!

>122 amanda4242: I was a bit surprised by your low grade for it. Whilst it didn't blow me away, I thought it was decent enough.

>123 PaulCranswick: I thought the characters were poorly written--I had to keep flipping back to the character list to keep everybody straight--and I wouldn't have even known there was a battle going on if it wasn't for the occasional casualty reports. Truthfully, I found it harder to get through than War and Peace.

>124 amanda4242: One thing that we can agree upon is the lauding of the book for its battle scenes - I didn't really get the feel of the battle from the book only the ruminations of its participants. I did find the various imagined points of view of Longstreet, Lee and Buford was interesting.

>125 PaulCranswick: Longstreet's chapters were my favorite because he was about the only one who was written distinctly enough for me to remember him!

Your reading is always impressive, Amanda.

Regarding Wes Anderson I've not seen enough of his films to really be able to say much, but I loved Moonrise Kingdom and I really enjoyed his recent collection of Roald Dahl shorts. Unlike seemingly most of the rest of the world, I didn't care for The Royal Tenenbaums.

>127 PawsforThought: I didn't like The Royal Tenenbaums either, but I did enjoy some of the Dahl shorts.

>126 amanda4242: Agree entirely with that, Amanda.

Have a great coming weekend.

>129 PaulCranswick: Cooler weather has made my weekend wonderful!

Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

185. Appalachian Folklore Unveiled by Darkness Prevails

186. Cuphead Volume 3: Colorful Crack-Ups & Chaos by Zack Keller

187. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

I do not understand the near universal praise for this one.

188. The Witcher Volume 8: Wild Animals by Bartosz Sztybor, translated by Stefan Kielbasiewicz

Eh. I feel like I've read this story about a zillion times already.

189. The Troll Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Huginn Þór Grétarsson, illustrated by Vladimiro Rikowski

190. The Ocean at Night by Isabelle Simler, illustrated by the author, translated by Michele Hutchison

191. Reynard's Tale: A Story of Love and Mischief by Ben Hatke, illustrated by the author

192. The Haunted Screen by J. M. Tyree

I could have lived with the narrator being an asshole in need of antipsychotics if the story had been good and the ending not a complete cop-out.

Received via Edelweiss.

193. All The Things We Didn't Do Last Night by Maria Llovet

194. Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 2 by Yoshie Kaoruhara, translated by Leo McDonagh

195. Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 3 by Yoshie Kaoruhara, translated by Leo McDonagh

195. Amu Nowruz and His Violets by Hadi Mohammadi, illustrated by Nooshin Safakhoo, translated by Sara Khalili

197. The Boy I Loved Became the Jaded Emperor 1 by Ii Oshikawa, translated by Jan Mitsuko Cash

Generally cute, but I found it hard to keep track of the timelines and some of the characters. Still, I liked it enough that I'll pick up the next volume from the library if it's available.

Received via NetGalley.

198. The Spellbook Library 1 by Uta Isaki, translated by Jacqueline Fung
199. The Spellbook Library 2 by Uta Isaki, translated by Jacqueline Fung

I really like the premise of a library that houses magical creatures inside books and the training aspects are fun, but the characters don't have much depth and the action sequences are hard to follow. Still, I did like it enough to give the next volume a shot.

I got the first volume from NetGalley and the second was free to read on the publishers website.

200. Shōgun by James Clavell

I can certainly see why it's popular! I mostly enjoyed it although the last chapter was kind of a let down.

201. Deadpool-verse: Deadpool Corps by Various

The first 2/3 weren't bad, but the last third wasn't great.

202. The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill

The story isn't exactly original, but it's well told with good atmosphere.

203. Truckers by Terry Pratchett

204. Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 16 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck

Stats

Books
new reads: 166
re-reads: 38
1001 books (all editions): 4
British Author Challenge: 60
War Room Challenge: 20

Original language
Arabic: 1
Chinese: 4
Czech: 1
Danish: 1
English: 121
Estonian: 2
French: 9
Hungarian: 1
Icelandic: 2
Japanese: 52
Multiple: 1
Old Occitan: 1
Persian: 1
Polish: 2
Portuguese (Brazilian): 1
Russian: 2
Swedish: 1
Welsh: 1

Translations: 83

From
Edelweiss: 13
Everand: 30
Kindle Unlimited: 2
Kodansha: 1
Library: 52
NetGalley: 36
New: 7
Open Library: 9
Project Gutenberg: 1
Shelves: 53

pages read: 41,406
audiobook hours: 38 hours 49 minutes
average rating: 3.19 stars

Authors
female: 86 books by 50 authors
male: 98 books by 61 authors
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 20 books

Nationalities
American: 37
Belgian: 1
Brazilian: 1
British: 68
Canadian: 6
Danish: 1
Estonian: 2
French: 9
Hungarian: 1
Icelandic: 2
Iranian: 1
Irish: 2
Japanese: 46
Kuwaiti: 1
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 14
Nigerian: 1
Polish: 1
Russian: 2
Slovak: 1
Spanish: 2
Swedish: 1
Taiwanese: 4

Don't forget your own home base, Amanda!

Trust that you have had a lovely weekend.

>135 PaulCranswick: I haven't forgotten! Just let me finish this book...

My weekend went well, and I hope you enjoyed yours.

Have a lovely long weekend dear Amanda. Thank you for your presence and friendship in this special group. It would not be the same here for me without you.

>137 PaulCranswick: Thank you, my dear friend. I'll visit your thread once I've recovered from all the cooking I've had to do today.

>138 amanda4242: I hope you manage to avoid the washing up at least!

>139 PaulCranswick: That I've managed to avoid, barring the knives and the things I was reusing.

Well done on 3x75, Amanda.

>141 PaulCranswick: Thank you!

Last weekend before Christmas, Amanda - hope it is a good one.

>143 PaulCranswick: I'll count it good if I don't have to bake anymore!

Enjoy your weekend, Paul.

205. Journey's End by R. C. Sheriff

206. Babe, the Gallant Pig by Dick Smith-King

207. Castle Waiting by Linda Medley

208. The Curious Sofa: A Pornographic Work by Ogdred Weary by Edward Gorey

Despite the title, this picture book contains no salacious images or text. Anything lascivious is a product of the reader's own mind.

209. Lore of the Deep: Folklore & Wisdom from the Watery Wilds by Claire Cock-Starkey, illustrated by Stacey Rozich

210. The Godstone and the Blackymor by T. H. White, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone

This memoir of White's time in Ireland has some lovely descriptions and fun scenes, but it feels like there are huge gaps in the narrative.

211. Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII by Joe Kelly

I'm used to bonkers logic in Deadpool books, but this one just made no sense.

212. Squire & Knight by Scott Chantler

213. The Demon Headmaster by Gillian Cross

214. The Provincial Lady in Wartime by E. M. Delafield

War has just been declared and everyone is keen on doing their part...except nothing is happening yet and the glut of volunteers spend their days trying to find something to do besides wait. It's all silly shenanigans, and the six hard years of war that would follow the end of the book make it seem very naive.

215. Moriarty the Patriot Vol. 17 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, translated by Adrienne Beck

The series is clearly starting to wrap up in this one. I'll miss it, but it's time for it to end.

216. The Quiet Americans: Four CIA Spies at the Dawn of the Cold War--a Tragedy in Three Acts by Scott Anderson

>144 amanda4242: Hahaha

>145 amanda4242: Did you like Journey's End?

Stats

Books
new reads: 176
re-reads: 40
1001 books (all editions): 4
British Author Challenge: 64
War Room Challenge: 23

Original language
Arabic: 1
Chinese: 4
Czech: 1
Danish: 1
English: 132
Estonian: 2
French: 9
Hungarian: 1
Icelandic: 2
Japanese: 53
Multiple: 1
Old Occitan: 1
Persian: 1
Polish: 2
Portuguese (Brazilian): 1
Russian: 2
Swedish: 1
Welsh: 1

Translations: 84

From
Edelweiss: 13
Everand: 30
Kindle Unlimited: 2
Kodansha: 1
Library: 59
NetGalley: 37
New: 7
Open Library: 11
Project Gutenberg: 2
Shelves: 54

pages read: 43,788
audiobook hours: 38 hours 49 minutes
average rating: 22 stars

Authors
female: 90 books by 54 authors
male: 106 books by 68 authors
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 20 books

Nationalities
American: 41
Belgian: 1
Brazilian: 1
British: 74
Canadian: 7
Danish: 1
Estonian: 2
French: 9
Hungarian: 1
Icelandic: 2
Iranian: 1
Irish: 2
Japanese: 47
Kuwaiti: 1
N/A (multiple authors, unknown, etc.): 14
Nigerian: 1
Polish: 1
Russian: 2
Slovak: 1
Spanish: 2
Swedish: 1
Taiwanese: 4

>147 PaulCranswick: I liked it very much. And I could definitely see the resemblance to the last series of Blackadder!

>149 amanda4242: I glad you saw that too, Amanda. Even the idea for the character of Baldrick was definitely pilfered from the cook. George was there in the young idealist too.

>150 PaulCranswick: Yep. And now I'm going to have to dig out my Blackadder DVDs!

217. To Tilt at Windmills by Fred Thomas

This memoir is heavily supplemented by entries from the diary Thomas kept during his time with the International Brigades during the war. It's a lot of hurry up and wait, interspersed with complaints about the food and the confusion of battles. Nothing groundbreaking, but interesting reading.

Received via NetGalley.

218. Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Blandly goes where genre writers have gone before.

219. The Global Refugee Crisis: How Should We Respond?: The Munk Debates edited by Rudyard Griffiths

A transcript of a debate over having open door immigration for refugees, with Louise Arbour and Simon Schama for, and Nigel Farage and Mark Steyn against.

As someone whose experience of debates is mostly American politicians insulting their opponents and monologuing, it was nice to see a debate that was well moderated and (mostly) stayed on topic; although the two sides were very much opposed, they were willing to concede when their opponents made a valid point.

As for my opinion of how well the debaters performed, I found the pro side to be well meaning, but generally blindly optimistic regarding cultural integration, while the con side made some valid points regarding security, but their arguments carried more than a hint of xenophobia.

220. Ulfhildr by Mary Thaler, illustrated by Niv Sekar

Perfectly nails the feel of an Old English epic.

221. The Son by Andrej Nikolaidis, translated by Will Firth

Repulsive.

222. John Constantine, Hellblazer, Vol. 1: Original Sins by Jamie Delano & Rick Veitch
223. John Constantine, Hellblazer Vol. 2: The Devil You Know by Jamie Delano

224. Tove and the Island With No Address by Lauren Soloy

225. There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm

A secret organization combats entities that cannot be remembered.^*

This is a very effective horror novel, and wasn't at all difficult for me to follow despite the trippy premise.

^{*Think The Silence from Doctor Who}

226. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams, read by Martin Freeman

227. Mistress Masham's Repose by T. H. White, illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg

I'm not quite sure why this is listed as a children's book since it assumes the reader is familiar with Gulliver's Travels, and I can't imagine many children have read it. (I am willing to believe that children in the 1940s were better educated than they are now, but I'm still a bit skeptical that they had read Swift.) As an adult who has read Gulliver, I found this book a delight.

>153 amanda4242: Congratulations on 3x75

>152 amanda4242: Loved your description of Orbital - Nice to chuckle before bath time!

>153 amanda4242: Thanks!

Orbital is just so unoriginal in its theme and so weak in character that I can't understand why people are going gaga over it. Science fiction writers have been doing the same thing far better since forever.

>155 amanda4242: Yes, I was thoroughly unimpressed as well. Not badly written but no plot and I got no sense of the characters either.

>156 PaulCranswick: I was utterly unsurprised to discover Harvey has a PhD in creative writing; like so many with such degrees, she produced a work that is entirely devoid of creativity and designed to appeal to awards panels.

>157 amanda4242: A number of her other books have appeared on the shelves in my local store. I might try something else by her but I just didn't think her work was that inspired or inspiring.

Thinking of you at this time, Amanda

>159 PaulCranswick: Thank you, my friend. And thank you for being a more consistent visitor to my thread than I am!

>160 amanda4242: Hahaha no problem.