TICK-TOCK MF 2020 IS ALMOST OUT 😀 Not that I expect 2021 to be so terribly different, at least in the beginning, but we can always dream, right?

I was actually planning to post a review this week but apparently these things don’t just write themselves and then I found this great tag (conveniently in time for Book Tag Tuesday), so the review will have to wait for another week. I’m also skipping the mid-month reading update I’ve been doing for the last couple of months because as of this writing I have read 933 pages and finished only two books, which for me is fairly terrible. Fortunately one of those books was Dearly, Margaret Atwood’s new poetry book. I may have mentioned from time to time that I have a deeply unhealthy obsession with Margaret Atwood’s entire fiction oeuvre. Wanna know which Cat’s Eye line was quoted in The Handmaid’s Tale season 2? I gotchu. I normally don’t read her poetry books or actually any poetry books at all, but this one kicked my reading slump clean out the door, with the result that 577 of those 933 pages were read over the last three days.

Tag questions borrowed without permission from kristin kraves books, with absolutely zero intention of bringing them back. Yarr.

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

TEMPLE AND ARCH WHERE DO I BEGIN? Well, for one thing, I’m currently knee-deep in this chunkster, which I have been reading for the better part of a month as part of a buddy read with Lori. The original plan was to be finished three days ago, but we literally only started Son of a Witch last night. No, really, this is going great.

Now that I’ve finally picked up Son of a Witch, though, I’m feeling a lot more optimistic, (1) because it’s not long and (2) because I’m actually really liking it. I loved Wicked up until I hit the Emerald City section, the dullness of which somewhat contributed to my unwillingness to proceed with the book in a timely fashion, but so far so good with Son of a Witch, even if I am only 63 pages in.

I would’ve included The Lost Queen, which also took me almost a month, but that one I actually did finish, so I don’t feel too bad about taking so long even though I did have to renew it bare seconds before it was due.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

Actually, yes. I started Gideon the Ninth last night and I was laughing my ass off by page 3 and oh god I’m in so much trouble. I had originally intended to pick this up in October as a Halloween read, but November works too because it’s giving off some pretty serious cold spooky vibes. Everyone who reads this seems to say it’s the perfect fall book, and I have to say I agree with them so far.

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

IS THERE A POINT WHERE YOU’LL START THROWING THINGS AT ME EVERY TIME I SAY THE THIRTY NAMES OF NIGHT? NO? OKAY COOL 😀 This is getting released in seven days OMG I TOTALLY DID NOT REALIZE IT WAS A WEEK TO THE DAY and I took the precaution of preordering for once because apparently it’s already in its second printing omfg I’m so excited.

I don’t think I’m waiting on anything else, aside from The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True, which I’ve already read in any case. I did manage to get my hands on a copy of The Burning God, which I’m starting to think I might’ve snatched a couple days before it was actually supposed to be released. Whatever the case it’s on my nightstand, so I’m not inclined to complain.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

Only three? Okay, let’s think about this. If for some unforeseeable reason I hit a wall and don’t manage to finish everything on my 2020 TBR, and without counting the three I’m currently reading, I would prioritize The Thirty Names of Night (obviously), Harrow the Ninth, and Black Sun.

Harrow is a priority because of Gideon the Ninth, which is currently on track to become my favorite book of the year, and Black Sun sounds amazing as well. I’ve heard good things about Rebecca Roanhorse, so I’m super excited to read her book. I like the idea of getting into series whose books haven’t all been published; it means I won’t get series fatigue by bingeing them all in a row.

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

I really cannot understate how much I’m loving Gideon the Ninth. I’m only on page 61 so far but it hooked me HARD, and that’s not easy to do. I love the writing, the humor, and the characters. Hell, I even like Harrow. I’m not entirely sure if you’re supposed to but I generally tend to side with the bad guys, so I suppose I shouldn’t really be surprised. Here’s a tiny sample of Reasons Why I Love Gideon:

“For crying out loud! Then let me dress how I want and give me back my longsword.”

“Ten thousand years of tradition, Griddle.”

“I don’t have ten thousand years of tradition, bitch,” said Gideon, “I have ten years of two-hander training and a minor allergy to face paint. I’m worth so much less to you with pizza face and a toothpick.”

And aw what the hell here’s another one:

“I won’t have people asking questions. You’ll look the part. Give me that,” commanded Harrow, and she took the fat stick of black char from Gideon’s hand. She tried to turn Gideon’s face up to hers by force, fingers grasping beneath the chin, but Gideon promptly bit her. There was a simple joy in watching Harrow swear furiously and shake her hand and peel off the bitten glove, like in seeing sunlight or eating a good meal.

ATTAGIRL GID I may like Harrow but that doesn’t mean I’m always on her side XD

Have you already started making reading plans for 2021?

Who the bloody blue hell do you think you’re talking to? OF COURSE I’VE GOT PLANS. Right now the plan is to read, at a minimum, every book I bought this year but didn’t read, plus the leftovers – if any – from my 2020 TBR. That should keep me busy for a while. When I’ve worked my way through those, I’ll start on the books that’ve been languishing on my shelves since before 2020. And, since I blasted through my 60-book goal in July and am currently two books away from hitting 100 for the year, I’ll probably set my 2021 goal at 72 books, not including mangas. I was considering setting it at 75 and then going in increments of 15 from year to year, but increments of 12 make more sense, given that this divides evenly among the months of the year.

One thing I might scrap is the monthly TBRs. As I have amply demonstrated over the last several months, I don’t do well with somebody telling me what to read, even if that somebody is me. I thought monthly TBRs were a great idea, but then I realized I could never estimate quite right, and I also have a terrible habit of reading random ass books that definitely weren’t on the list and ignoring my TBR. (See also: September.) This is why I never join book clubs: the minute they hand me the reading list, “I want to join a book club” turns into “You can’t tell me what to do.” /headdesk

Also my bookcase is becoming cluttered again so I’m going to have to either do another unhaul or restructure my house to accommodate another bookcase why was I created this way T_T

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