Reading Recap: At The Halfway Mark!
Looking back at the first 6 months in reading. What is time, really?
Admittedly, I have not been as diligent in keeping up with writing about what I’ve been reading lately. So, here we go with a deep dive into the first two quarters’ worth of reading, including stats and thoughts on some of the books I’ve read.
Without further ado, here it goes…
Stats: Books, Pages, Mediums, and More
Looking back at the first half of the year regarding my reading has been an interesting exercise. I remember feeling like I hit an absolute wall in February while dealing with my first DNF [Did Not Finish] of the year and losing all that inspiration to keep on reading.
But looking at my stats and the quality of the books I was reading from this perspective, it wasn’t a terrible time for my reading. I got to read some solid horror fare that jump-started my interest in adding more horror to my TBR list [To Be Read], and I was even able to finish a pair of delightful non-fiction books.
From the months of January to March, I was able to read a total of five books. Though not a horrible number, I was still hoping to fit in a few more books, specifically a few eARCS that were dropping over the first six months of the year. And despite feeling like February was rough, it turns out March was my slump month as I finished zero books that month, listened to zero minutes of audiobooks, and read 250 pages.
April to June were my best months so far, with a total of nine books read, 1,562 pages read, and 1,148 minutes of audiobooks listened to.
In terms of medium, I listened to four audiobooks; three of the books I read were physical editions, and the remaining seven were digital. I owned nine of the books I read, borrowed 2 of them from the library, and three I got from Scribd.
In terms of how inclusive I read in the first two quarters, seven of the books I read were by BIPOC authors, three had plus-size representation, and two had LGBTQI+ representation. Though I don’t necessarily have a specific metric to meet a goal in this specific aspect, it’s something that I like to remain cognizant of.
Books: Selected Titles, Ratings, and Thoughts
Overall, in terms of the books I’ve gotten to read up to this point, I’ve been able to find some solid reads in unexpected places. As I mentioned in my January reading recap, I kicked off the year in a horror-based mood, finally being able to cross a Stephen Graham Jones title off my reading list with The Clown Brigade and discovering a new potential favorite in V. Castro.
Having just finished up Castro’s The Haunting of Alejandra in the last month and a half, I can safely say that her variety of terrifying horror, filled with engrossing imagery and commentary rooted in the reality of being a woman, I will be picking up more V. Castro in the future.
With the Harper Collins strike over at the beginning of the year, I finally finished up Olivia Dade’s Ship Wrecked, the latest entry in the Spoiler Alert verse. Though not a five-star read like the first two books in the series, it was still engaging, centering two plus-sized people as the main couple and giving us a solid slow burn in the way only Olivia Dade can.
Two of the three non-fiction books I picked were memoirs sharing two vastly different experiences, offering two fascinating stories of incredulity, shock, sadness, and resilience. You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar was a delightful read, as they share stories of the absurd, frustrating, and utterly ridiculous racism Lacey dealt with in life.
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl was another five-star read. Grohl shares stories of his life, from his upbringing and how he fell in love with music to his successes and heartbreaks. I love how the effervescence of his personality seems to shine through, offering readers a peek into how he processes everything that happens to him and how he always finds the silver lining in things and uses it as fuel to move on while honoring those he’s lost.
Opting to go for audiobooks on both was the right choice for both non-fiction books, as they are narrated by the authors themselves, and hearing how they tell it adds depth to the stories.
The fact that Spare was my one DNF is interesting because it was one of my more anticipated reads for the year. But there is something about Prince Harry’s story that didn’t sit right with me.
On the eARC end of things, I lucked out with most of the reads. Though not all new favorites, I found The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro and A Wicked Game by Kate Bateman as well as Ship Wrecked, to be a fun time.
As we step into July, I’m looking forward to finding new five-star reads, new favorite authors, and unexpected reads.
How’s your reading year going so far?