Monday, January 4, 2021

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan. 4, 2021)

 It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

Other Than Reading... 

This was another excellent, quiet week. It snowed 5 inches on Wednesday but wasn't really a problem. Without wind, it was just a nuisance event. It covered the roads and slowed travel just a little. I wasn't planning to go anywhere in any case. I don't think I left the house all week. 

My brother is out this morning trying to sweep the snow off the solar panels so that we can make some power if the sun ever comes out. He's using a roof rake and hoping he can clear them. He's a little concerned that there might be a layer of ice under the snow from the pre-Christmas blizzard. 

I really enjoyed listening to and reading the Vorkosigan series again all in one big lump. I read them as they were published with at least a year between them before. I only made one mistake in the order I reread. CAPTAIN VORPATRIL'S ALLIANCE really should have been read before CRYOBURN.

Now I'm on to reading new books including my February review books which include new titles by some favorite authors. I'm also planning to listen to the rest of the Chronicles of Elantra series. 

2020 Report

2020 will be mostly remembered for being the year I discovered audiobooks. Starting in February I listened to 171 of them. It was also a big year for rereading. I reread 160 books - mostly as audiobooks. 

I read a total of 308 books this past year which totaled 117, 809 pages. I reviewed 89 books this year. Only 10 of the books I read actually came off my TBR pile which I define as books I had prior to the start of 2020.

I added 355 books to my collection in 2020. 196 were Kindle books and 98 were audiobooks. 95 were Review books on my Kindle. As of today, 137 of my new additions are still marked TBR but 26 of them are review books which already have places on my reading calendar.

I still have 2254 books marked To Read including quite a number that have been unread since I started my LibraryThing account in 2008. As I look over that list, I see that many of them are books in a series but that don't start that series which means that I would probably need to start the series at book one in order to successfully read the ones on the TBR pile. It might actually be easier to just pull those which are print books and donate them to get them off my stack. Unfortunately, I already have one medium sized cardboard box and three full paper grocery bags in need of finding a new home sitting in my home library and nowhere to donate them.

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

I don't plan to write reviews for my Vorkosigan reread. Some of the later ones have already been reviewed on my blog way back in the misty past. These were just for fun and to revisit a world and characters I really like.
  • Winterfair Gifts by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine; Audiobook) -- This novella takes place at Miles and Ekaterin's wedding and brings together again characters from Miles's time with the Dendarii Mercenaries. It really stars Taura and Armsmen Roic since the two of them solve a mystery that could derail the wedding. 
  • A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine; Audiobook) -- This story directly follows KOMARR but shifts the setting to Barrayar where Miles is secretly courting Ekaterin. At least, he is keeping it a secret from her but not from anyone else. It also introduces Butterbugs and has a political fight for seats in the Council of Counts. It was in turns funny, romantic, and political.
  • Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine; Audiobook) -- This story takes place on a belated honeymoon for Miles and Ekaterin which is interrupted by a mission from Gregor to solve a problem with the Komarran Fleet in Quaddiespace. One thing leads to another until things escalate to an almost-war with Cetaganda. I especially liked seeing Ekaterin growing into herself.
  • Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine; Audiobook) -- Miles is investigating for Emperor Gregor on Kibu-Daini and, naturally, the investigation uncovers lots more than was expected leaving Miles to do his usual over-the-top things and solve the problem and change the world. I won't be reviewing this one since this is a reread for me.
  • Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine; Audiobook) - This reread and first listen finally stars Lord Ivan Vorpatril who has be a side character in the Vorkosigan books since the beginning. I liked that Ivan finally finds a woman who is right for him and a job that really suits him. This was quite humorous in a way that Bujold usually isn't without skimping on the action.
  • Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine; Audiobook) - This final Vorkosigan book circles back to the beginning by starring Cordelia. It was a wonderful story about grief and healing, finding new love, and finding a new future. 
  • The Flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine) - This novella stars Lady Ekaterin Vorkosigan and takes place in Vorkosigan District. I liked that Ekaterin got to star in this story. I won't be reviewing it.
  • Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg (Mine) - This Kindle First historical fantasy got set aside for my Vorkosigan reread which doesn't mean it wasn't an intriguing story. I liked the characters especially Elsie and thought the worldbuilding was intriguing too. My review will be posted on January 23.
Currently
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Bought:
I have the first book and want to finish this series.
  • Network Effect by Martha Wells - I have the novellas but haven't read them yet and couldn't pass up this Kindle Deal.
  • King's Ransom by Suzanne Brockmann - Used to love this series and want to continue it.
Two new collections.
Review:
What was your week like?


23 comments:

  1. We got some snow too, same- just enough to be a nuisance! Happy New Year!!!

    A lot of people love audiobooks- I should try 'em again.

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  2. It's been raining here so all of our snow is gone. The Iron Raven is a book that I want to purchase and read! I love that series. :) Hope you have a great week!

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  3. Wow on all of these books. ENJOY them all.

    I haven’t been out of the house for at least two weeks.

    We had a bit of snow, but not much.

    Congrats on 308 books read and 171 audio books. That is amazing.

    Have a wonderful week, Kathy.

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  4. I would love a little snow! Nothing crazy, just something to make it pretty. :) Plus we are studying the Arctic right now so it would fit nicely. Lol.

    I haven't read LKH in a really long time. Is Rafael the Rat King? I always liked him.

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  5. You read so many audiobooks. I may have to try them again. I hope you have a great week and Happy New Year!

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  6. Our snow has begun to melt a bit, but I had to shovel 2 days in a row. Resting today!
    What a great variety of books - so many sound intriguing. Happy New Year and a wonderful year of reading ahead.

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  7. I discovered audiobooks this year, too. I haven't read quite the number you have (wow!) but I think I will get through quite a number this year.

    You do have a lot in your TBR. That may be a new record.

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  8. Wow, you fell for audiobooks in a big way! I enjoy listening while I walk, then continuing the same book in print. Hope your brother was able to get the solar panels cleared... and you got some sun so they could work! Have a good week.

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  9. Congrats on the great number of books read! Enjoy the New Year, and I see several tempting books. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  10. I'm amazed you read so many books! That's wonderful! Happy 2021.

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  11. Sounds like you got a lot read in 2020. I read a lot more than usual too. Wishing you a happy and healthy new year!

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  12. Ooh nice! I'm excited for Finlay Donovan is Killing It! In the middle of The Iron Raven myself and loving it so far! Hope you enjoy your reads for this week!


    Here's my Monday Wrap-up

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  13. We got snow too and I was glad for it because it brightened the day. Wow, you reread a lot of books. I'm not a re-reader at all. I hope you have another great year reading and listening to books!

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  14. We had a bit of snow, but nothing horrible. Due for a dry week.

    I love how organized you are with your books. I do pretty well, but nothing like how organized you are.

    Thanks for sharing your books. Hide in Place and Read Herring Hunt caught my eye.

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  15. What a stellar year of reading for you Kathy!
    It’s been overcast/raining here for weeks so our solar panels aren’t doing much at all despite it being the middle of summer.

    Wishing you a great reading week, and a happy new year 🥳

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  16. Happy New Years! It sounds like you had a great 2020 in terms of reading! (Melinda @ A Web of Stories)

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  17. That's a lot of audio books. Its funny, I like the added dimension that audio with a good narrator gives to a book but I can read so much faster than they can talk.

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  18. Happy New Year! Five inches of snow would bring the UK to a grinding halt, we get large amounts of snow so rarely that we don't have the equipment to keep most roads clear and accessible.
    I do love having books by favourite authors to look forward to, so I hope you really enjoy them. Happy reading.

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  19. I didn't realize that you hadn't been an audiobook listener before last year. I've been hooked on audiobooks for years, so much so that I sometimes think I should cut back on listening to make more time for print and ebooks! Rereading a favorite series or listening to one that you've read in print before sounds like the perfect way to spend time when essentially homebound during the winter!
    Thanks for visiting my blog!

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  20. I've yet to try audiobooks. I probably will at some point though :)

    Colletta

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  21. Boo, snow! I dislike snow so much. And sounds like a great year in books! I wish I could listen to audiobooks, but I have enough trouble understanding someone talking in person, so audio books don't work for me. Thanks for stopping by! Happy reading!

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  22. I'm impressed by the number of audiobooks you listened to last year. I'm lucky to get through one a month. I listened more when I was driving but since I've retired, and with COVID, I'm not in the car near as much. Have a great weekend.

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  23. WOW!!! 308 books total in 2020 and 171 audios??? That is one amazing reading year for you! Did you read more because of the pandemic or is that normal for you? My audio time dropped way off (for both books and podcasts) because my whole family was suddenly home 24/7!

    Sounds like you are losing the battle with adding > 300 new books and only reading 10 from your TBR pile! I read 44 TBR books but somehow my TBR bookcase still has double rows! And I hear you on the books to be donated piling up - our local library closed their monthly used book drop-off until April.

    Hope that 2021 is another outstanding reading year for you!!

    Sue

    Book By Book

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