Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

˚.🎀: january plans:

1. A book with a title that ends in A, T or Y: The House in the Cerulean Sea
2. A book connected to something you read in 2023: Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes
3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the final list: Yellowface - a book found on a goodreads friends tbr
4. A book related to something mentioned in the lyrics of What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong: The Immortalists
5. A book set in one of the 25 most beautiful cities in the world: Such a Fun Age

reviews:
the house in the cerulean sea
amor, teoricamente
things have gotten worse since we last spoke & others misfortunes
o paciente
vamos falar de amor

that was such a good reading month! 2 five stars, no ratings below 3 stars and only 1 dnf. yellowface didn't work for me at all, so i decided to read "an ember in the ashes" for the third challenge. i am a little behind, but i hope i can catch up in early february!

as for plans for the next month (you can see below): rereading an old favorite, it's a part of my 2024 priority tbr, i'm sooooo late to the party, and am thinking of reading a self published brazilian book but didn't choose any yet.

update: i decided at last to read "o teu cheiro de mar" by l. black for the ninth challenge. it's a adult romance set in rio de janeiro and the author just made it a book (it was a novella before). a brazilian influencer i really like (readingwithma) it's reading and liking it so far.

˚.🎀: february plans:

6. A book with wings on the cover: Strange the Dreamer
7. A book with a pronoun in the title: Alone With You in the Ether
8. A book by an author from Canada, Australia or New Zealand: Big Little Lies
9. A book with fewer than 2024 ratings on Goodreads: O Teu Cheiro de Mar

Have you started Strange the Dreamer yet? I'm reading that book for the same prompt. If you're interested, we could do a buddy read for it. (Read it at the same time and chat about it)

though i read more than january, quality wasn't going up too. 1 two stars, 3 three stars, 6 four stars, and no five stars sadly. good things is i didn't dnfed any books also. for this challenge, i'm still currently reading o teu cheiro de mar, but i'm positive i'll end til the end of the week.

plans for march (see below): it's also on my 2024 priority list and i've been seeing everywhere (so i'm taking as a sign), saw khalilah's review and immediatly added to my tbr (but i'm sure if i take too long to read i'll won't like), once again! very late to the party, and it's my last try with marissa meyer.

˚.🎀: march plans:

10. A history or historical fiction book: Kindred
11. A book with an X connection: Convenience Store Woman
12. A book that has been on your TBR for over a year: We Were Liars
13. A book that is on a Five Books List; reader’s choice of which list: Cinder

i feel like my biggest challenge doing this in order is when i dnf something. i usually dnf a book around the 40 - 60% mark, and it takes a while to get there. in january, i dnfed yellowface and got a bit annoyed bc my reading plans would slow down (and they did). this month, i dnfed o teu cheiro de mar. thank god O Retorno de Olga Valacio was so fast paced i finished in two or three days, but it's frustrating nonetheless.

i don't have big updates especially when it comes to aty this month. i'm horribly late to my reading plans and this month just has been really mid quality wise which impacts on how much i pick up new books. for the dnf thing, i decided to put some second choice so it becomes easier for me and less stressing, we'll see if it'll work out.

plans for april (see below!): can't! stop! hearing! about it! everybody is LOVING it, i'm really curious. also fits the popsugar "cozy fantasy" challenge; have been thinking of picking up in this trans rights readathon but wasn't able to :( it fits popsugar #41; in my culture cats are known for having 7 lives. heard so many great things about it and it's on my 2024 priority list!; mostly bc it fits popsugar #12 and i'm wondering how good it actually is.

for the spoilers section: on my fall tbr; 2024 priority list; short quick book to get if i dnf; been wanting to reread & finish the series!

˚.🎀: april plans:

14. A book with a main character who is Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
(view spoiler)[ Mexican Gothic (hide spoiler)]
15. A book whose author’s name includes one of the 4 least used letters in the alphabet (JQZX): All Boys Aren’t Blue
(view spoiler)[ Magnolia Parks (hide spoiler)]
16. A book related to the phrase "It's Raining Cats and Dogs": The Seven Year Slip
(view spoiler)[ Cat Among the Pigeons (hide spoiler)]
17. A book involving intelligence: Remarkably Bright Creatures
(view spoiler)[ Thunderhead (hide spoiler)]

these have been quite rough months, not only reading wise but personal wise too. i'm finding that, for now, it's better if i have a loose tbr to get more mood reading. as of right now i'm 24/52 books!