Happy New Year, book readers! Last year I read 63 of 50 books. I should yitch that goal up a bit, but I don’t want to stretch all the way to 60 because then it’ll seem like an assignment or chore. Let’s do 55.
My biggest obstacle to reading is my addictive tendency toward phone games. I will download a game that’s supposed to be “casual” and play it until my eyes bleed.
I recently downloaded Wordscapes which SEEMS all peaceful until Friday, when you get dumped into a weekly tournament with 49 other people for fake coins. I’m genetically disposed to be a competitive asshole (ask anyone who loves me) so I bang away at this game rather than read. And during the week I bang away at the game to earn fake coins so I can redeem them for clues so I can win the weekly tournament. I’m THISCLOSE to uninstalling Wordscapes.
I did come in 5th out of 50 people last night. It’s not first, but I’ll accepta top 10% placement.
Other “casual” games I have uninstalled because I become obsessed:
- Words with Friends
- HQ Trivia (I downloaded and immediately realized what I was getting into)
- All Candy Crush games
- Bejeweled
- I Love Hue
- 2048
- Pyramid Solitaire
- Cooking Fever
- Diner Dash (yes, a second cooking time-management game)
- and let’s not forget Farmville, a game I spent actual real life dollars on.
If I stay away from the games, I’ll hit that 55 book goal easy.
Onto the books! I use the Goodreads system to rate books, which is:
- One star: did not like it
- Two stars: it was ok
- Three stars: liked it
- Four stars: really liked it
- Five stars: it was amazing
December was light because I was either baking, wrapping, socializing, or sleeping. I finished only 2 books since last post.
Eric (Discworld #9) — by Terry Pratchett
My slow crawl through this series continues with the long-awaited return of THE LUGGAGE from the dungeon dimension it was stuck in 4 books prior. Oh, and Rincewind the Wizard too. Eric, a thirteen year old dabbling in demonology, summons Rincewind back to the Disc and demands 3 wishes: to be the ruler of the world, to meet the most beautiful woman in history, and to live forever. You can’t always get what you want, Eric.
Four stars. Of course it’s delightful! In retrospect I should have given it three stars because I had to look up some of the details. I never take stars back though, even if the author is dead.
Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating — Christina Lauren
This hold came along surprisingly quickly. So many people have loved it on the previous linkups that I jumped on it. It’s a romcom wrapped up in a book. Josh Im and Hazel Bradford knew each other in college. When they meet again in their mid twenties, they KNOW they would never be compatible, so they instead focus on becoming best friends and trying to hook each other up with great blind dates.
Four stars because the hot parts were hot and the shmoopy parts made me smile. I probably would have given it five stars if not for the REALLY CONTRIVED plot point that should have at least warranted a conversation between Josh and Hazel.
Currently reading: Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life — Emily Nagoski
I might have to physically hit up a library this week because I’m far down the list on every ebook hold. And the next one up is SQPR: A History of Ancient Rome and … I’m not sure if I want to read 600+ pages on Rome.
All of my book lists and reviews are on Goodreads.
This a part of the Show us Your Books linkup from Jana Says and Life According to Steph. If you want to read more bloggers gush about the books they’ve read this month, click the button below and have fun!
What are you reading?
Previously:
2018
January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December
i really liked josh and hazel, so i’m glad you did too 🙂 i am so with you on addictive games, i can play for hours and get obsessed very easily. thankfully my obsessions don’t normally last too long, right now i only have the wordscapes game and candy crush. i also keep them in a little folder so i can’t see them all the time lol.
The folder is a fantastic idea. I just have them all on one separate screen but maybe I need to hide them a bit.
Josh and Hazel is normally the kind of book I hate but I found myself loving it.
I have the same problem with phone games. Which is why I only have one on my phone that I actively play.
I loved Josh and Hazel, warts and all.
I used to play Words With Friends. I have played solitaire obsessively too.
There was a solitaire game I had once upon a time that let me play solitaire against other people for fake money. It triggered the worst in me and reminded me that I need to always always play solitaire alone.
I read Eric so long ago that I actually have no memory at all of it!
That SQPR book is supposed to be really good, but yeah 600+ pages is a commitment…
If I can’t get into SQPR, I’ll DNF it and move on. That’s the peril of long library hold list. I just checked physical books out of my local-local library yesterday, so I’m sure ALL of my holds will come in.
Ohhh, I’m so bad with the phone games. My biggest pitfalls are Two Dots, Toy Blast, and Angry Birds Blast (clearly, I like to blast things!). But like Kristen I keep them in a folder so I don’t see them all the time. ANYWAY. I’m on the wait list for Josh and Hazel and it will be my first Christina Lauren book so I’m looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about!
Two Dots! That was another one that I couldn’t put down! (look at me turning a book post into a discussion on phone games!)