Another ⭐⭐⭐⭐ read for book #20!

Oof, last month was a slow reading month but I increased my page count and I must say that the books I did read were great!

"When Stars Are Scattered" by Omar Mohamed is centered in the image with four stars to the right hand side. In the upper left corner is 2025 and a clipart image of a book with the number 19 inside of it.

Omar Mohamed details his life in a Kenyan refugee camp with illustrations by Victoria Jamieson in "When Stars Are Scattered". And yes, this graphic novel did make me cry. I would recommend this book to anyone- it was a fantastic 19th read of the year! #BookSky #libraries #reader #diversereads

"To Kill A Shadow" by Katherine Quinn is centered in the image with four stars to its right hand side. In the upper left corner is 2025 and a clip art image of a book with the number 18 centered inside of it.

Been away due to illness but I did manage another read during that time! "To Kill A Shadow" by Katherine Quinn is the 1st in a YA fantasy/horror series that turned out to be so much more than I anticipated. And I was anticipating a great read so... ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The cliffhanger end has me ready for more!

Centered in the image is the front cover of the novel "The Question of Red" by Laksmi Pamuntjak. To the right hand side is four stars. In the upper left hand corner is 2025 and below that is a clip art image of a book with the number 17 inside it.

"The Question of Red" by Laksmi Pamuntjak was published in Indonesian in 2012 under the title "Amba". Much of the novel draws from Indonesian mythology and other literary works so be prepared for some side reading! I read this as a part of a StoryGraph challenge & I am very glad that I did!

In the upper-left corner is 2025 and a clipart image of a book with the number 16 inside of it. Centered in the image is the front cover of "What the Woods Took" by Courtney Gould with four stars to its right side.

"What the Woods Took" by Courtney Gould... I actually finished this book last week but never got around to posting. While ⭐⭐⭐⭐, it was a close thing- I nearly went up to 5. Wilderness "therapy" + unknown danger = an absolutely amazing read. The characters were perfection!

Part II to yesterday's infographic, just having fun 😝

A lil infographic answering some common questions. I have several challenges I am completing over on StoryGraph (which I adore and is WAY better than Goodreads, fight me).

For the first 200 pages, I was invested in the world, the plot, and the characters. But for the last 80 I felt bogged down. It definitely became a character driven story (a specialty that can be hit or miss for me), political, and slow burn enemies to lovers to the point the characters felt obtuse.

Welp, I've run into my first DNF (did not finish) of 2025. Now, I believe that every book has its person & every person has a multitude of books so I do NOT rate my DNFs but I will give a bit about why this one wasn't for me. I DNF'ed at 280 of 470. (continued in comments, I'm too wordy 😆)

"A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer" by Maxie Dara" is centered in the image with four stars to the right side. On the upper left-hand corner is 2025 and a clipart image of a book with the number 15 inside of it.

My 15th finish of 2025 is a cozy mystery by Maxie Dara! As soon as I saw the cover, I knew I couldn't pass up "A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching A Killer". Surprisingly emotional, this book has a phenomenal cast of characters who I really came to feel for- definitely worth the read!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐, easy!

The cover of "Lonely Places" by Kate Anderson is centered in the image with four stars to the right-hand side. In the upper left corner is 2025 and a clipart image of a book with the number 14 inside of it.

"Lonely Places" by Kate Anderson is a young-adult horror novel with a poignant climax- I'd also go so far as to say that it advocates for therapy so YAY! A ⭐⭐⭐⭐ read for me and as someone who loves her horror- this is a good intro to that genre if you are a bit unsure. The atmosphere is there! 🦴

^3rd five star read! Not 2nd!! Oops!

The cover of "Solutions and other Problems" by Allie Brosh is centered in the image. Five stars, with a piece of corn on each star, overlap the cover to the right side. On the upper left hand corner is 2025 and a clipart book with the number 13 inside it.

"Solutions and other Problems" by Allie Bosch is my 2nd ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ this year! I fell in love with Bosch's humor in Hyperbole and a Half so it felt amazing to step back into her world. I feel like the author and I would very much get along 😅😂

100% agreed & I'm usually a bit of a sucker for painted edges. The use of the same imagery (essentially) over & over doesn't work in my opinion.

Cover of "A Forest of Vanity and Valour" by A. P. Beswick is centered in the image with three stars to the right side. On the upper left corner is 2025 and a clipart image of a book with the number 12 inside.

My 12th read of the year is "A Forest of Vanity and Valour", the debut novel of A. P. Beswick. ⭐⭐⭐ because the pacing felt... off to me. I wanted to feel more and have more time with some parts but the potential is certainly there- I've already purchased the rest of the series on Kindle 😅😂

Your status made me look them up and YIKES 👀💀

"Full of Myself" by Siobhan Gallagher is centered in the image with four stars to the right hand side. On the upper left corner is 2025 and a clipart image of a book with the number 11 inside of it.

"Full of Myself" by Siobhán Gallagher is a ⭐⭐⭐⭐ graphic memoir that is SO relatable! The author's art style is fun- a lot of the styles mentioned were ones I may or may not have tried myself 👀😂 And seeing societal norms from another's viewpoint was validating. All bodies are GOOD bodies!

Cover of "Gustavo the Shy Ghost" by Flavia Z. Drago is centered on the image with four stars on the right-hand side. On the upper left-hand corner is 2025 and a clipart book with the number 10 inside.

The other children's book that I read was "Gustavo the Shy Ghost" by Flavia Z. Drago. I chose it as a part of my StoryGraph Genre Challenge: A children's book published after 2020 by an author of color. This book is ADORABLE and I love Gustavo's crush... ⭐⭐⭐⭐ TOO sweet & wonderful illustrations!

The cover of "Millie Fleur's Poison Garden" is centered on the image with four stars to the right-hand side. On the upper left corner is 2025 and a clipart image of a book with the number 9 inside of it.

Over the weekend, I read two children's books. The first was "Millie Fleur's Poison Garden" by Christy Mandin. This book is absolutely delightful & great for anyone (child or NOT) who feels like they don't fit in. Such a sweet read and the illustrations are stunning! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I too listen at 1.5 speed for the brain brrr 😅😆

YES! But I've come to realize that there are too many books and too little time so if I am not enjoying it- it's time to move on. Every book has its reader & I'm just not it sometimes. And that's okay! 📚

The front cover of Anthony Horowitz's novel "The Word is Murder" is centered in the image. To the left is 2025 and a graphic of a book with the number 8 inside of it. To the right are three stars.

Yesterday I finished "The Word is Murder" by Anthony Horowitz- it has SUCH a fun concept of the author as a character within the pages. Definitely worth checking out if you have enjoyed his writing before (I remember him from Alex Rider)! ⭐⭐⭐ as the pacing felt just a bit slow for a crime novel.

Figured it would be fun to share my 2024 yearly wrap up from the StoryGraph!

The front cover of "Garlic & the Vampire" by Bree Paulsen is centered in the image with four stars to the right side. In the upper left hand corner is 2025 and a clipart image of a book with the number seven in it.

"Garlic & the Vampire" by Bree Paulsen is an absolutely wonder of a middle-grade graphic novel! ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The artwork is gorgeous and the storyline warmed my cold little heart!! I definitely want to continue reading the series...

"This is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone front covered centered with four stars to the right. On the left-hand side of the image is 2025 and clipart of a book with the number six on it.

"This is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone is the sixth book I've finished this year and my first ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read! Science fiction, time travel, and a Sapphic romance- I ended up sobbing. Definitely a book I will wish I could read for the first time again!

Front cover of 'Iron Widow' by Xiran Jay Zhao is centered on a patterned background with four stars to the left. On the right side of the image is 2025 and the image of a book with a number 5 on it.

Also over the weekend, I finished reading "Iron Widow" by Xiran Jay Zhao. The sequel just came out on December 24th which I did not realize until today! I really enjoyed the book, it's a wild ride and very different but four ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I look forward to jumping back into the world with the 2nd book!