Category Archives: 2023 Reading Challenge

October 2023 Recap: Books and Cookies and Gymnastics, Oh My!

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Hello to November, and sub-90 degree temperatures in Phoenix (32 degrees Celsius for my non-American friends)!! The holidays are approaching quickly, and with it, the end of the 2023 challenge and preparations for 2024 (you’re gonna love some of our categories).

Still, I have 2 more months left to finish the 2023 challenge, and I think I just might make it this time. For the month of October, I finished 5 books, getting me to 51 for the year to date. Let’s talk about what I read.

The first book I finished in October was The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, a fantastic historical fiction following two main characters – Charlie, a wealthy American college student who finds herself in Europe after World War II, trying to find her cousin who went missing in France during the war… and Eve, a shy half-French filing clerk whose unassuming appearance, attention to detail, and facility with languages gets her tapped to join an all-female network of spies in World War I.

The story alternates between the 1940’s and the 1910’s, as the two women’s lives intertwine in interesting ways, spotlighting the horrors of war and the underappreciated heroism of the historically factual Alice Network. I could not put it down for the last 2/3 of the novel, and I’m so glad I chose it for prompt #55, Read a book that takes place in at least two different decades. [5 stars]

Next up was Brandon Sanderson’s final Secret Project, The Sunlit Man. This is a very heavily connected Cosmere story, featuring a character we’re introduced to in the Stormlight Archive – so readers will catch more of the references if they’re current on that series. Par for the course, Sanderson has created another fascinating world with its own ecology, its own rules, and its own form of “investiture” (the stuff that powers the magic). Our main character is has a background in engineering, so there is a fair amount of discussion of the science of how this world works, and it is very cool (or as it happens with a superpowered sun, very hot).

Our main character finds himself trapped on an unfamiliar world, where sunlight is fatal and the only way to survive is to stay on the move – so the pace of the story is fast, and constantly moving. The last 2/3 of the story sucked me in and I couldn’t put it down. [5 stars]

After that story, the next one I chose was quite the change of pace – literally. The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton is very slow paced, but the writing style is descriptive and poetic. The story itself is a feminist-leaning fantasy retelling of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy King Lear, with a shift of focus from the titular king to his three daughters. The setting is changed from medieval England to an island where magic is infused in all of nature – the stars foretell the future, the trees speak a language that can be learned by wizards, and the waters that spring from deep within the island are sacred.

I’d never read the source material before, but it is clear throughout that this is a Shakespearean tragedy in the telling, and the events of the novel lingered with me after I finished. I chose it for prompt #53, Read a book that has a letter Q in the title, because it was highly recommended by a YouTube channel I follow. I was tempted to rate it higher, but honestly there were pacing issues – aside from the overall slowness of the story, there were several flashbacks that interrupted the main plot and fleshed out information we already knew – as well as some scenes that felt unnecessarily descriptive, and some elements of the story that felt like they were hinting at additional information or would become more important that never played out. Still, it was a very interesting read. [4.25 stars]

After that I selected another fantasy, but a shorter, quicker read – David Eddings’ The Belgariad series is often recommended for epic fantasy fans, and the first book in the series, Pawn of Prophecy, has a lot of the classic epic fantasy tropes: a good vs. evil conflict, young sheltered protagonist being taken on a journey to escape pursuit by enemies, obscure prophecy, hidden royalty (several times over, it seems), and lots of travel. I picked it up on sale for Kindle a few weeks ago, because I wasn’t looking forward to my original choice for prompt #39, A book by an author named David/Dave. This was far more up my alley, and I’m very much looking forward to continuing the series. [4 stars]

Last up, I finished The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan, the first in a planned trilogy that I found through the recommendation of another YouTube channel. The novel was a solid fantasy tale that explores law and justice in an empire on the brink of collapse – the point of view character is a 19 year old clerk being trained by an Emperor’s Justice, a position that travels the remote regions of the empire and wields the power to investigate, convict, and execute punishments on behalf of (and answering solely to) the Emperor… as well as some intriguing arcane powers.

The pace of the story is a touch on the slow side, especially to start, and is told from the perspective of the point of view character much later in her life, so there are frequent (a little too frequent) asides that indicate when things are about to go disastrously wrong. It wasn’t a favorite, but the world was interesting enough to make me want to continue the series eventually. And it was an obvious choice for challenge #58, Read a book with the word “Justice” in the title. [3.5 stars]

Aside from the reading, I rewatched a couple of the Phase 1 MCU movies, finished season 2 of The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime, started Loki season 2, and finally finished season 1 of The Last of Us. The Wheel of Time season 2 was quite a bit better than season 1 in production value and writing, and the changes in the story from the books generally made for an exciting show. I’m really looking forward to season 3, because they have indicated it will be a much closer adaptation of book 4 of the series, which is my favorite of the books. Loki has been fun so far, although it hasn’t drawn me in as a must-watch. And The Last of Us was extremely emotional, and extremely well-done.

Other activities for the month included a couple of gymnastics meets for my honorary niece, making a couple of batches of oatmeal blueberry cookies (seriously – my favorite… I use this recipe and replace the raisins with dried blueberries), and kitty snuggles. Also, there were 5 weekends, and each weekend featured new nail art. Best photos of October below!

And that is my October update! Once again, I beg you for comments! Talk to me – have you read any of these books? Or if not, what have you been reading lately? Are you also unreasonably attracted to Tom Hiddleston after watching Loki? What is your favorite MCU movie? How about your favorite type of cookies? Hit me with your opinions!

The Linzthebookworm/Logophile 2023 Reading Challenge

Level 1: Book of the Month Club [11/12 complete]
1. Read a book recommended to you on social media or by a friend – Recursion – Blake Crouch
2. Read a book under 300 pages – The Courts of Chaos – Roger Zelazny
3. Read a book with a female main character – Tress of the Emerald Sea – Brandon Sanderson
4. Read a book by an author whose name is Samantha, Sam, or a variant – Seven Blades in Black – Sam Sykes
5. Read a book that was written by an author from your home state
6. Read a book you meant to read for last year’s challenge – Have We Met? – Camille Baker
7. Read a book with a basic shape on the cover (examples: circle, square, heart, star, diamond) – Call It What You Want – Brigid Kemmerer
8. Read a book you got from Project Gutenberg, a library, or another nonprofit source – The Blue Castle – L.M. Montgomery
9. Read a book about a hobby you enjoy or want to pick up (fiction or nonfiction) – The Bullet Journal Method – Ryder Carroll
10. Read a book that starts with the first letter of your name – Daughters of the Lake – Wendy Webb
11. Read the next book in a series you haven’t read in a while – The Lost Metal – Brandon Sanderson
12. Free Space – Pick any book! – The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England – Brandon Sanderson

Level 2: Casual Reader Club [11/12 complete]
13. Read a book by Mary Faulkner (or one of her aliases)
14. Read a book of short stories or a novella – Ford County: Stories – John Grisham
15. Read a book that involves a lot of traveling – Swan Song – Robert R. McCammon
16. Read a book published in 1998 (25 years ago) – Ship of Magic – Robin Hobb
17. Read a book with a yellow cover – The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock – Jane Riley
18. Reread a book you have recommended to someone else – The Imperfect Disciple – Jared C. Wilson
19. Read a book by Dean Koontz – Intensity – Dean Koontz
20. Read a book with a one-word title – Slayer – Kiersten White
21. Read book 1 in a trilogy – The Armored Saint – Myke Cole
22. Read book 2 in a trilogy – A Heart so Fierce and Broken – Brigid Kemmerer
23. Read book 3 in a trilogy – Red Country – Joe Abercrombie
24. Free Space – Pick any book! – Mad Ship – Robin Hobb

Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club [11/12 complete]
25. Read a book that takes place somewhere you’d like to live – Revenge of the Nymph: The Faeries Vol.2 – Ramon Terrell
26. Read a book recommended by whatshouldireadnext.com – The Lion of Senet – Jennifer Fallon
27. Read a book by an author who shares a first or last name with one of your friends – The New York Trilogy – Paul Auster
28. Read a book with a neon-colored cover – Exiles – Ashley and Leslie Saunders
29. Read a book that has under 1,000 reviews or ratings on a website or app – Joshua: Man of Fearless Faith – W. Phillip Keller
30. Read a middle grade book (8-12 age range) – Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones
31. Read a book with the word “Time” in the title – The Last Time I Lied – Riley Sager
32. Read a book about a famous criminal(s) – Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde – Jeff Guinn
33. Read a movie novelization book (movie to book, instead of book to movie) – The Phantom Menace: Star Wars: Episode I – Terry Brooks
34. Read a fiction or nonfiction book that motivates you to be a better version of yourself – Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are – Shauna Niequist
35. Read a self-published book – Duel of Fire – Jordan Rivet
36. Free Space – Pick any book! – Yumi and the Nightmare Painter – Brandon Sanderson

Level 4: Speed Reader Club [10/12 complete]
37. Read a book that is over 600 pages – The Stone of Farewell – Tad Williams
38. Read a book from ListChallenge’s Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge – The Art of War – Sun Tzu
39. A book by an author named David/Dave – Pawn of Prophecy – David Eddings
40. Read a “Dark Academia” novel – The Secret History – Donna Tartt
41. Read a book with a title that starts with the letter V – Vanishing Acts – Jodi Picoult
42. A book set in Asia or an Asian-inspired culture
43. Read a book with a cat on the cover – The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern – Lilian Jackson Braun
44. Read a folklore book or book based on folklore – American Gods – Neil Gaiman
45. Read a book where the main character is a dancer – Someone Else’s Life – Lyn Liao Butler
46. Read a book by a new author – Dead Man’s Hand – James J. Butcher
47. Read a book that involves a conspiracy
48. Free Space – Pick any book! – The Sunlit Man – Brandon Sanderson

Level 5: Overachiever Club [8/12 complete]
49. Read one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2022 (any category) – Ordinary Monsters – J.M. Miro
50. Read a book where the main character is a villain or anti-hero
51. Read a book that has a title that is punny and/or alliterative – Murder’s No Votive Confidence – Christin Brecher
52. Read a “found family” story – The House in the Cerulean Sea – T.J. Klune
53. Read a book that has a letter Q in the title – The Queens of Innis Lear – Tessa Gratton
54. Read a book that has an illustrated cover – Naomi and Her Daughters – Walter Wangerin, Jr.
55. Read a book that takes place in at least two different decades – The Alice Network – Kate Quinn
56. Read a book about an entrepreneur (real or fictional) – Family Money – Chad Zunker
57. Read a book that takes place in Alaska – Northern Lights – Nora Roberts
58. Read a book with the word “Justice” in the title – The Justice of Kings – Richard Swan
59. Read a book involving dinosaurs
60. Free Space – Pick any book!

September 2023 Recap: Nope, Still Hot.

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Happy October! It’s officially fall in the northern hemisphere, and we all know what that means in Phoenix… Absolutely nothing. It’s still hot. Although we do start cooling down nicely at night during the month of October, so by the end of the month, I should be able to break out my hoodie at night.

I’m still on pace to actually finish the full reading challenge this year (for once), as long as I can keep from getting too bogged down in long books. For September, I finished 5. Let’s talk about them!

My first read of September was my choice for challenge #40, Read a “Dark Academia” novel: The Secret History by Donna Tartt. One of the Discord servers I hang out in now and then was having a literature discussion and giving suggestions for novels that fit with the “Dark Academia” aesthetic. The Secret History was one of the most frequently recommended, along with If We Were Villains, and happened to be the first one that came up on my Paperback Swap wish list. The story centers around a private liberal arts college in Vermont where a poor young man from rural California ends up being accepted into a very exclusive – almost cult-like – program studying Greek, classic literature, and philosophy.

The book starts out talking about the death of one of this small group, and then goes back to set up the main character’s arrival at the college, his attempts to be invited into the exclusive classical studies program, and his struggles to be accepted by the other students. Richard’s story is at times harrowing, riddled with the kind of bad decisions college students can’t seem to help making, and ends in tragedy. It was very well written, and at times a good bit disturbing. There were scenes where the characters’ paranoia had me on the edge of my seat as well. [4 stars]

After that, I jumped into a novel I’d been looking forward to since I found it on the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2022 list (yep, that’s challenge prompt #49): Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro. The premise in itself sounded interesting – a story about children with supernatural gifts having to face forces that could threaten the world itself… but the first review blurb Amazon listed read “Charles Dickens meets Joss Whedon in Miro’s otherworldly Netflix-binge-like novel.” —The Washington Post

I had to read it. And within the first chapter I was getting serious vibes of The Nevers. It was very tense, full of horror and betrayal and a rather philosophical through-line of what it is to be a monster. A sequel is scheduled to be published next year sometime, and I definitely have to pick it up – not just because of the cliffhanger ending, but because I need to know what happens to this band of misfits. [4.5 stars]

My next read of September was one that I’d been planning to read for ages – Neil Gaiman’s classic American Gods. I had heard a lot about it, so I knew the premise was similar to a lot of other stories – Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles comes to mind – in which every culture’s gods and mythological figures were actually real and walking among us. The Iron Druid series is pretty hilarious, though, while this story is violent and gritty and tense.

Gaiman’s writing pulls you in as the story ranges all across the United States, including some landmarks that I recognized pretty well (Cairo, Illinois being one of them). It was an absolutely perfect choice for challenge #44, Read a folklore book or book based on folklore. [4.25 stars]

After American Gods, I burned through The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune in two nights – I’d been seeing recommendations for the past couple of years, and it seemed to fit pretty well for challenge prompt #52, Read a “found family” story. This book was, in a word, adorable. Six misfit magical children and their unusual caretaker in an orphanage on a remote island are visited by a caseworker from the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, who is a very by-the-book employee with a tender heart whose life is about to change forever…

This book made me laugh, made me “awwww”, and made me want a baby wyvern as a pet. In retrospect, it wasn’t a perfect story, but it left me with a big smile. [4.75 stars]

And then for something completely different, I picked up a tight little fast paced thriller, with plenty of twists and tension and surprises. Family Money by Chad Zunker follows an entrepreneur whose wealthy attorney father-in-law is kidnapped in front of him while on a trip to Mexico, and a burned body wearing his belt buckle and rings was found the next day. While trying to settle his father-in-law’s affairs, he uncovers a mystery about the source of the seed money to start his business, and each secret uncovers more secrets and lies.

This was my Amazon First Reads selection from February of 2022, and it fit perfectly for challenge prompt #56, Read a book about an entrepreneur (real or fictional). [3.75 stars]

For other media, Amazon Prime gifted us with the second season of The Wheel of Time (all but the season finale, which airs on October 5th)… This season has been quite an improvement on the first season – effects, pacing, and writing all seemed to have gotten a lot better, and there have been some spectacular episodes for actor performances. The storylines were still a departure from the books – but the “heart and spine” of the book story is still recognizable, and I’m really excited for season 3, which we’ve been told is more faithful to the Book 4 story (and that’s my favorite of the book series). And I’m continuing to watch Veronica Mars, The Last of Us and Lost for the first time alongside a few reaction channels. I’m still pretty early in these shows but am enjoying them so far!

Aside from that, it was a pretty quiet month – I bought myself a couple of new t-shirts from Redbubble, added another custom MoviePalette to my collection (I now have 3 of my favorite Buffy episodes hanging above my television), and attended my honorary niece’s first gymnastics competition of the season (she did quite well!). See also photos of Miss Fred being adorable, and being a little brat.

And that’s a wrap for my monthly wrap-up! Come chat with me in the comments – what have you been reading? See any good movies or TV shows lately? What’s your favorite pumpkin spice find for fall?

The Linzthebookworm/Logophile 2023 Reading Challenge

Level 1: Book of the Month Club [11/12 complete]
1. Read a book recommended to you on social media or by a friend – Recursion – Blake Crouch
2. Read a book under 300 pages – The Courts of Chaos – Roger Zelazny
3. Read a book with a female main character – Tress of the Emerald Sea – Brandon Sanderson
4. Read a book by an author whose name is Samantha, Sam, or a variant – Seven Blades in Black – Sam Sykes
5. Read a book that was written by an author from your home state
6. Read a book you meant to read for last year’s challenge – Have We Met? – Camille Baker
7. Read a book with a basic shape on the cover (examples: circle, square, heart, star, diamond) – Call It What You Want – Brigid Kemmerer
8. Read a book you got from Project Gutenberg, a library, or another nonprofit source – The Blue Castle – L.M. Montgomery
9. Read a book about a hobby you enjoy or want to pick up (fiction or nonfiction) – The Bullet Journal Method – Ryder Carroll
10. Read a book that starts with the first letter of your name – Daughters of the Lake – Wendy Webb
11. Read the next book in a series you haven’t read in a while – The Lost Metal – Brandon Sanderson
12. Free Space – Pick any book! – The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England – Brandon Sanderson

Level 2: Casual Reader Club [11/12 complete]
13. Read a book by Mary Faulkner (or one of her aliases)
14. Read a book of short stories or a novella – Ford County: Stories – John Grisham
15. Read a book that involves a lot of traveling – Swan Song – Robert R. McCammon
16. Read a book published in 1998 (25 years ago) – Ship of Magic – Robin Hobb
17. Read a book with a yellow cover – The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock – Jane Riley
18. Reread a book you have recommended to someone else – The Imperfect Disciple – Jared C. Wilson
19. Read a book by Dean Koontz – Intensity – Dean Koontz
20. Read a book with a one-word title – Slayer – Kiersten White
21. Read book 1 in a trilogy – The Armored Saint – Myke Cole
22. Read book 2 in a trilogy – A Heart so Fierce and Broken – Brigid Kemmerer
23. Read book 3 in a trilogy – Red Country – Joe Abercrombie
24. Free Space – Pick any book! – Mad Ship – Robin Hobb

Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club [11/12 complete]
25. Read a book that takes place somewhere you’d like to live – Revenge of the Nymph: The Faeries Vol.2 – Ramon Terrell
26. Read a book recommended by whatshouldireadnext.com – The Lion of Senet – Jennifer Fallon
27. Read a book by an author who shares a first or last name with one of your friends – The New York Trilogy – Paul Auster
28. Read a book with a neon-colored cover – Exiles – Ashley and Leslie Saunders
29. Read a book that has under 1,000 reviews or ratings on a website or app – Joshua: Man of Fearless Faith – W. Phillip Keller
30. Read a middle grade book (8-12 age range) – Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones
31. Read a book with the word “Time” in the title – The Last Time I Lied – Riley Sager
32. Read a book about a famous criminal(s) – Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde – Jeff Guinn
33. Read a movie novelization book (movie to book, instead of book to movie) – The Phantom Menace: Star Wars: Episode I – Terry Brooks
34. Read a fiction or nonfiction book that motivates you to be a better version of yourself – Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are – Shauna Niequist
35. Read a self-published book – Duel of Fire – Jordan Rivet
36. Free Space – Pick any book! – Yumi and the Nightmare Painter – Brandon Sanderson

Level 4: Speed Reader Club [8/12 complete]
37. Read a book that is over 600 pages – The Stone of Farewell – Tad Williams
38. Read a book from ListChallenge’s Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge – The Art of War – Sun Tzu
39. A book by an author named David/Dave
40. Read a “Dark Academia” novel – The Secret History – Donna Tartt
41. Read a book with a title that starts with the letter V – Vanishing Acts – Jodi Picoult
42. A book set in Asia or an Asian-inspired culture
43. Read a book with a cat on the cover – The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern – Lilian Jackson Braun
44. Read a folklore book or book based on folklore – American Gods – Neil Gaiman
45. Read a book where the main character is a dancer – Someone Else’s Life – Lyn Liao Butler
46. Read a book by a new author – Dead Man’s Hand – James J. Butcher
47. Read a book that involves a conspiracy
48. Free Space – Pick any book!

Level 5: Overachiever Club [5/12 complete]
49. Read one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2022 (any category) – Ordinary Monsters – J.M. Miro
50. Read a book where the main character is a villain or anti-hero
51. Read a book that has a title that is punny and/or alliterative – Murder’s No Votive Confidence – Christin Brecher
52. Read a “found family” story – The House in the Cerulean Sea – T.J. Klune
53. Read a book that has a letter Q in the title
54. Read a book that has an illustrated cover – Naomi and Her Daughters – Walter Wangerin, Jr.
55. Read a book that takes place in at least two different decades – The Alice Network – Kate Quinn
56. Read a book about an entrepreneur (real or fictional) – Family Money – Chad Zunker
57. Read a book that takes place in Alaska
58. Read a book with the word “Justice” in the title
59. Read a book involving dinosaurs
60. Free Space – Pick any book!