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Book Review: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is a nonfiction book by author, science communicator, and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

This book initially caught my eye because of the cover. Who wouldn’t love that cover?! It’s gorgeous.

At first I had no idea it was nonfiction. When I finally read the synopsis, I was even more intrigued. This book is DeGrasse Tyson’s quick-take on astrophysics for us laypeople without PhDs. The night sky has always been fascinating for me, but I’ve found learning about it a bit inaccessible. No longer!

Here’s that cover I’m raving about:

I LOVE any kind of cover with a beautiful night sky on it (see my review of The Smell of Other People’s Houses).

And here is the synopsis of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry from Amazon:

“What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There’s no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson.

But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.

While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.”

Finally, here’s my review of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry!

This book is fascinating. Before I get to that, though…

First of all, it definitely lives up to its name in being for people in a hurry. It’s a small and manageable size, even in hardback. Thus, it fit easily in my purse, and I totally took it to a doctor’s appointment. Plus, something I tend to love, it has fairly short chapters.

Second, it was just so interesting. Like I said, I’ve always loved the night sky. However, books about astrophysics tend to not be accessible to, as Dava Sobel says in his blurb about the book, us “non-space cadets.” I loved being able to learn so much about astrophysics in such a short amount of time.

This book is very well written, and never gets too overwhelmingly science-y, although I did get lost a couple of times.

Other awesome stuff:

I loved the chapters in this book and the narrative structure that was chronological in terms of real-time and scientific discoveries made in astrophysics. It starts with the big bang, and moves all the way through to exoplanet discoveries and “the cosmic perspective.”

Overall, 4/5 stars.

It’s an enthralling read that can be a bit too high-level at times for those of us with less background knowledge, but still provides a fantastic understand of how our universe works and our relation to it as humans.

Happy reading!

– Paperback Patronus

 

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Book Review: In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

In a Dark, Dark Wood is a psychological thriller by author Ruth Ware.

The Girl on the Train kind of put me off psychological thrillers. I hadn’t read one for a really long time, and I was starting to get excited about them again. Since people have recently really been loving Ruth Ware, I figured this book was a good place to start.

Here’s the cover of In a Dark, Dark Wood:

Love this minimal look.

And here is the synopsis of In a Dark, Dark Wood from Amazon:

“What should be a cozy and fun-filled weekend deep in the English countryside takes a sinister turn in Ruth Ware’s suspenseful, compulsive, and darkly twisted psychological thriller.

Sometimes the only thing to fear…is yourself.

When reclusive writer Leonora is invited to the English countryside for a weekend away, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. But as the first night falls, revelations unfold among friends old and new, an unnerving memory shatters Leonora’s reserve, and a haunting realization creeps in: the party is not alone in the woods.”

Finally, here’s my review of In a Dark, Dark Wood!

I really enjoyed this book.

A little beef with books like this: Number one, they’re sometimes plugged in a way that irks me. For example, Reese Witherspoon plugs this book on the front saying it’s scary.

It is not scary.

Suspenseful? Yes. Page-turner? Yes. Scary? Definitely not.

Maybe to some people that’s just semantics, but to me I was actually more nervous reading the book than I should have been, because I was anticipating it getting scary.

This also happened in a different capacity with The Girl on the Train. It was pegged as “The Next Gone Girl.” Gone Girl gave me nightmares for at least a month and I’m still messed up about it. Comparing that to The Girl on the Train.. I had it figured out about a third of the way through and found it boring. It’s not even worth making a comparison.

So stuff like that really irks me.

Don’t get me wrong, though, this book did a great job of holding back information that I wanted to know and kept me reading until I found it out.

It definitely didn’t disappoint, even though it wasn’t what I was expecting. Not only was it thrilling and mysterious, it also had a lot of character/relationship building/history that I really enjoy reading. It definitely added to the effect.

Other awesome stuff:

The characterization in In a Dark, Dark, Wood was excellent. Early on in the book, I was physically frustrated by it because I hated some of the characters so much. That’s awesome. If you can make me have a physical reaction to a character in a book, that’s good writing.

Overall, 4/5 stars.

If you’re looking for an interesting thriller but you don’t like scary books, this is for you!

Happy reading!

– Paperback Patronus

 

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Monthly To Be Read List: March 2018

It’s the third month of the @theunreadshelf Project 2018, and my reading month has started out… slowly. Especially considering that I read 13 books in February and 23 books in January. So far in March I’ve finished two books. Two. I’m not kidding. It’s the 12th.

This is partly why I’ve decided to still post my March TBR even though we’re already a third of the way through the month. I’m hoping it will give me some motivation to get out of my reading slump.

However, there is some good reason for my drastic slowdown:

  • report cards
  • report cards
  • report cards
  • report cards

You get the gist.

Also, I’ve committed to a couple of different reading challenges this month which I think are actually slowing me down and not keeping me motivated. The first is part of the Unread Shelf Project 2018 – Whitney, the creator, sets a challenge each month. This month, she challenged project participants to read a book that’s been on their unread shelf for a really long time, and if you don’t finish it by March 31st, you have to give it away.

I chose Robinson Crusoe for the March challenge.

I got it from my Mom as part of my 18th birthday gift of tons of books she loved alongside a bunch of classics. I’ve meant to read it for ages, so I figured no was as good a time as ever. However, it’s taking me a really long time to get into it, and I’m now about 50 pages in, so I’m fifty pages behind (my edition is ~300 pages and March is 31 days long).

I also decided to take part in my first readalong.

@theperksofbeingnoura is doing a March readalong for City of Bones, the first book in Cassandra Clare’s “The Mortal Instruments” series. I have meant to try this series for a while now, and I serendipitously picked it up at a used book store early in March and then saw the announcement about the readalong. It was perfect! The pace of the readathon is about 1 chapter per day, and as it’s YA, I can easily keep up with that.

However, between reading City of Bones and trying to keep up with Robinson Crusoe, I haven’t been reading anything else, except briefly reading The Bad Beginning, which didn’t take very long as it’s children’s lit. I find that I read a lot slower if I have to divide my attention between more than one book at once. Anyone else feel like that?

Hopefully, now that report cards are complete (good riddance!), I think I can get back on track. Plus, I’m going to Cuba with my mom for the last week of March and that’s pretty much going to be sand, sun, ocean, and reading!

So, without further ado, here’s my March TBR.

 

Where I’m at, and what I’m looking forward to!

The one book I’ve finished so far this month is The Sisters Brothers. It was the Breakfast Book Club pick for February, and we met on the first weekend of this month to talk about it. I really loved it!

I think I’m most excited to read Furiously Happy and The Female of the Species this month. Also, my most anticipated 2018 release, Obsidio,  comes out this month. It’s the last installment in the Illuminae trilogy. Oh, and by this month, I mean the 13th, TOMORROW! It’s so close I can taste it!

I highly doubt I’ll finish all these books, but…

I’ve really been enjoying setting huge TBRs and picking from them based on my mood. We’ll see how it goes moving forward!

Time to get cracking on some more reading and blogging!

Happy reading, book badgers!

– Paperback Patronus

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: February 2018

My January Wrap-Up was probably my most amazing ever, and February had a lot to live up to. I ended up reading 13 3/4 books, which doesn’t come close to January’s 23. However, the month did have 3 fewer days and no weeks off work like I had in January. Either way, I’m still proud of reading more than my target of 10 books per month, because it means that I’m still on pace to achieve my 2018 reading goal of 110 books!

So, here it is, my February Wrap-Up!

Descender Volume 5 – Jeff Lemire & Dustin Nguyen ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Saga Volume 8 – Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Invention of Wings – Sue Monk Kidd ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mirror in the Sky – Aditi Khorana ⭐⭐
I’ll Give You the Sun – Jandy Nelson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Talking as Fast as I Can – Lauren Graham ⭐⭐⭐⭐
In a Dark, Dark, Wood – Ruth Ware ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Darker Shade of Magic – V. E. Schwab ⭐⭐⭐⭐
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – E. L. Konigsburg ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fairest – Marissa Meyer ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Winter – Marissa Meyer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Child Finder – Rene Denfeld ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Sisters Brothers – Patrick DeWitt ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (This book I didn’t quite finish, hence the 3/4).

Again, that’s a total of 13 3/4 books!

Did I Meet My TBR Expectations?

I once again didn’t read everything I had planned to. I didn’t get around to posting a February TBR here on the blog, but I did post a photo of it on Bookstagram, so here it is:

I put 17 books on my TBR and ended up reading 8 of them, so it was pretty good I think! I’ve started really enjoying setting a huge TBR not only to see if I can meet a big goal, but also because I like to have a lot of choices so that I can pick my next read by mood. It’s worked well for me so far.

The Unread Shelf Project 2018 February Challenge

Over at theunreadshelf, the February challenge was to look into the diversity of your unread shelf. I discovered, unsurprisingly, that most of the books I own, and the books on my unread shelf, are by white people. I hope to make it a focus to read more diversely in the future!

Notable Reads This Month

Overall, my favourite books of this month were Winter and I’ll Give You the Sun. Shoutout to The Invention of Wings for also being awesome and for being the second book by Monk Kidd that I’ve absolutely loved (I’m looking at you, The Secret Life of Bees). Shoutout also to The Child Finder for being absolutely haunting.

As for ratings, this month was a pretty mixed bag as well!

What’s Next?

I’m hoping to be back on the blogging train pretty solidly for the next couple of weeks, so expect some reviews ASAP! Plus, I’m headed to Cuba for the last week of March with my mom and I’ll have little to no internet access, so I’ve got to be ultra productive before I go! Hopefully, on April 1st when I get home, I’ll be posting an even more impressive wrap-up than I did in January, thanks to my two-week Spring Break away from work!

Happy reading!

– Paperback Patronus

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: January 2018

In December my wrap-up was pretty impressive. I read 15 books, which I think was a record for me. Consider that record smashed, in fact, annihilated, this January. Again, I had a week off work just like I did in December, which helped. I also participated in my first read-a-thon, and several of the books were poetry anthologies, but I’m still very proud of coming in hot with 23 books read in the first month of 2018.

Without further ado, here’s my January Wrap-Up! Kicking ass and taking names!

Harry Potter: A History of Magic – The British Library ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Journey Through A History of Magic – British Library ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Caraval  – Stephanie Garber ⭐⭐⭐
Rebel of the Sands – Alwyn Hamilton ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#GIRLBOSS – Sophia Amoruso ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chasers of the Light – Tyler Knott Gregson ⭐⭐⭐
Our Numbered Days – Neil Hilborn ⭐⭐⭐
Helium – Rudy Francisco ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Braving the Wilderness – Brené Brown ⭐⭐
Quiet Girl in a Noisy World – Debbie Tung ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Graduate – Charles Webb ⭐⭐
Depression & Other Magic Tricks – Sabrina Benaim ⭐⭐⭐
Adultolescence – Gabbie Hanna ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Just Little Things – Nancy Vu ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry – Neil deGrasse Tyson ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dear Ijeawele, Or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
whiskey words & a shovel volume I – R. H. Sin ⭐⭐⭐⭐
whiskey words & a shovel volumes II-III – R. H. Sin ⭐⭐⭐
Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Commonwealth – Ann Patchett ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sara J.  Maas ⭐⭐⭐
Lily and the Octopus – Steven Rowley ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In total, that’s 23 books! Also, I didn’t read everything I’d planned, as usual (see my January TBR). However, I did read far more books than I expected!

2018 Challenge:

This year I’ve set my Goodreads reading challenge goal to 110 books, 10 more than last year’s 100, which I beat by 5.

Overall, my favourite books of this month were Station Eleven and The Hate U Give. Shoutout to Lily and the Octopus for also being awesome and making me ugly cry.

Compared to last month, this one was a bit of a mixed bag as far as how much I enjoyed everything I read. It’s doing my string of 5-star reviews some good!

Stay tuned for some upcoming reviews, and finally, happy reading!

– Paperback Patronus

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Where Have I Been + 24in48 Read-a-Thon

So, Paperback Patronus, where have you been?!?!

Good question.

Since I started book blogging, I’ve never been away for this long!

It’s been about three weeks since I last posted, and a lot has happened since then (and a lot of reading)!!

Unsurprisingly, I’m behind on my reviews. So first, I’d like to give you a list of what’s for sure coming up on the blog in the next couple of weeks!

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World – Debbie Tung
A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sara J.  Maas
whiskey words & a shovel volumes I-III – R. H. Sin
Dear Ijeawele, Or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Commonwealth – Ann Patchett
Lily and the Octopus – Steven Rowley
A Darker Shade of Magic – V. E. Schwab
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler – E. L. Konigsburg
In a Dark, Dark Wood – Ruth Ware
Talking as Fast as I Can – Lauren Graham
I’ll Give You the Sun – Jandy Nelson

Yes, I’ve read that many books since I last posted!! More on that soon!

Now, where have you been?

Short answer: reading!

Long answer: I have been hunkered down in a partly SAD-induced hibernation period (as much as is possible when you have a full-time job). It’s now day 24 in a row here in Vancouver that it has rained. It has been dark, grey, and sad. I have generalized anxiety disorder and am very prone to depression in the winter, commonly known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. The way it manifests itself for me is usually the following: I essentially wake up in the morning, struggle to get out of bed, head to work, do my day, and then head home. I go for my run, get soaked in the rain and come home feeling like a drowned rat (although it does help my mood). Hot shower, snack, and then bam! I’m in my pj’s, back in bed with a coffee and a book.

A typical scene from my slew of rainy runs this past month.
A typical scene from my month of spending my time at home exclusively in my pjs, reading and drinking coffee.

Thanks to SAD…

My reading hibernation has done wonders for my TBR pile. I’m definitely not complaining about that! But I have been much less motivated and enthusiastic than usual about my job, my activities, and life in general. This too shall pass, but I’d like the sun to come out sooner rather than later, thanks!

On a happier note, my next post will be my January Wrap-Up, where I’ll be detailing the twenty-three books I read in last month. That’s right, 23!! Proud reader, right here. 

But I just haven’t been wanting to sit up and write on my laptop about reading. I just want to read!!!

There’s another thing that did wonders for my TBR pile, and that’s what I’m going to tell you about next!

The 24in48 Read-a-Thon

I participated in my first read-a-thon in January, and loved it. So, when I discovered the 24in48 read-a-thon and realized it would  be happening in January, I had to sign up! The premise is that in a period of 48 hours, you try to read for 24 hours, which is no small feat.

They have lots of challenges running through their website, and you can win prizes if you take part. You can also win rewards if you read for 24 hours!

I had a busy weekend planned for the weekend of this read-a-thon, so my goal was simply to read as much as possible, knowing that it was unlikely that I would achieve 24 hours of reading. In the end, I made it to just over 13 hours! Not too shabby. The next one that they’re running will be in July, so I’m hoping to take part in that one and beat my current record of 13 hours.

Finally…

Soon, in another post, I’ll be talking about The Unread Shelf Project, which is something that has really improved my reading and Bookstagram experience this year!

Stay tuned, and happy reading!

Alongside the post about The Unread Shelf Project, I’ve got tons of blog posts lined up and coming soon!

– Paperback Patronus

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Book Review: Just Little Things by Nancy Vu

Just Little Things: A Celebration of Life’s Simple Pleasures is a lovely little book by Nancy Vu.

First, how did I discover this book?

I bought it as part of my Boxing Week haul. Indigo had a lot of graphically-based books, like Adultolescence and Quiet Girl in a Noisy World, on sale. This book was one of the ones in that class, and it caught my eye. Partly because of the title, and partly because of the colour.

Here’s the cover of Just Little Things:

Pretty cute! I love the small bar of colours — the inside of the book is also very colourful.

Here is the synopsis of Just Little Things from Amazon:

“Seeing a baby yawn

Drawing on a foggy window

Finding a curly fry mixed in with your regular fries

These and 247 other little things that make everyday life a joy are collected in this delightful, surprising, and heartfelt book. Based on the popular website, this book will strike a chord in anyone who is open to celebrating the little moments of greatness all around us.”

Finally, here’s my review of Just Little Things!

This was a really lovely book. It’s a quick read: I devoured it in one relatively short sitting. The whole time I was reading it, I just felt incredibly content. I found myself looking around the room, smiling at all the small things in my home and in my heart that make me feel warm and happy every day.

I find that especially in the winter, I often become overcome by the darkness and the wet, and I just wish I could sleep my days away under three duvets. This book really helped me remember all the things I love about my life, even when I haven’t seen the sun in days (if you needed a reminder, I live in the Pacific Northwest in a temperate rainforest).

Other awesome stuff about this book:

I really liked the formatting. In case you haven’t noticed yet from my earlier reviews, the physical feel, smell, look, and formatting of books can make or break my opinions about them. Also, I love pretty covers, and I love inventive and creative designs inside them.

Accordingly, this book does really well on the visual front. Each page has a full-colour background, and all of them are in varied colours. Then the “little thing” is written in big type, centered on the page. It’s simple, bright, and easy to read.

Overall, 5/5 stars.

This was a quick, super-enjoyable read that really helped me to get back to regularly thinking about all the awesome little things in my life and how happy they make me. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone!!

Definitely happy reading!

– Paperback Patronus

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My First Read-A-Thon!

This past Saturday, the 13th, my friend on Bookstagram, @yannesreads, hosted a 24-hour read-a-thon.

What’s a read-a-thon, you ask?

You’re asking the right person! Essentially, it’s a set time on a set date in which participants who sign up read as much as they possibly can. In this case, the read-a-thon was 24 hours long. People usually decide between two types of participation.

Type A: Full-Tilt

This type of participant will attempt to read for the entire 24-hours without stopping for sleep. Props to them, I could never do it. I’ve only pulled three all-nighters in my entire almost-27-year lifetime, and each of them destroyed me physically for about a week.

Type B: Passive

This type of participant, aka me, will attempt to read as much as possible during the 24-hour period while still sleeping and doing other regular life activities.

So, how’d it go?

I really enjoyed this. I often have weekend plans to read. However, I more often just get cozy with my face in my phone most of the time. Having the extra motivation of a read-a-thon and posting about it on my Bookstagram really gave me that kick I needed to get off my phone and in between some pages. Here’s what I read!

Books I read during the read-a-thon:

The Graduate – Charles Webb

I started this book on Friday evening and finished it on Saturday, the day of the read-a-thon. My review of this one appeared a few days ago. I won’t spoil it, but it wasn’t very good.

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert’s Story – Debbie Tung

I’ll be posting my review of this graphic novel soon! I LOVED IT. Story of my life.

Braving the Wilderness – Brené Brown

I’ve also read Rising Strong by Brené Brown, and compared to that, this book was a disappointment. Review coming shortly!

Just Little Things – Nancy Vu

This was a lovely little “break book” in between finishing Braving the Wilderness and starting Astrophysics…. It was such a sweet little reminder of all that is good about life. Short review coming soon!

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry – Neil DeGrasse Tyson

I read about half of this book on the read-a-thon day. I finished it two days ago and will be posting a review soon, it was pretty great!

Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel

This one I barely started in the evening, but so far it seems like it’s going to be amazing!!!

What’s Next?

I’m glad you asked!! I really enjoyed participating in this read-a-thon, so now I’m planning to host my own! I’m not sure when, because I’ve got a very busy few weeks coming up (hello, parent-teacher!), but all you lovely people who read this blog will be the first to know!

Happy Reading!

– Paperback Patronus

 

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Book Haul: Boxing Week 2017!

This is my first blog Book Haul post, so here’s the deal:

Bookstagram members are, once again, likely pretty familiar with these. However, for those of you who aren’t, any time we get books in the mail, which we call Book Mail, we like to share what we’ve gotten. Usually, if it’s at the end of the month,  or for a particular event or time period (like Black Friday or Boxing Week), we call it a Haul.

So, without further ado, here’s my Boxing Week Book Haul, which I’m over the moon about!

It was so big, it came in three different packages, the last of which arrived Monday this week.

Now, here’s a list of all the titles and links to their Amazon pages (and my blog reviews, if they’re up already):

Dark Tower 1-3 Boxed Set – Stephen King
Sapiens & Homo Deus Boxed Set – Yuval Noah Harari
Journey Through A History of Magic – British Library
Just Little Things – Nancy Vu
Furiously Happy – Jenny Lawson
The Female of the Species – Mindy McGinnis
Talking as Fast as I Can – Lauren Graham
Commonwealth – Ann Patchett
A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sara J.  Maas
Fierce Kingdom – Gin Phillips
Helium – Rudy Francisco
Depression & Other Magic Tricks –
Our Numbered Days – Neil Hilborn
Adultolescence – Gabbie Hanna
Chasers of the Light – Tyler Knott Gregson
The Alice Network – Kate Quinn
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Hardcover House Editions) – J. K. Rowling
The Child Finder – Rene Denfield
Quiet Girl in a Noisy World – Debbie Tung
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry – Neil deGrasse Tyson
Magpie Murders – Anthony Horowitz
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
whiskey words & a shovel volumes I-III – R. H. Sin
Dear Ijeawele, Or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie
My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward – Mark Lukach
Project Semicolon: Your Story Isn’t Over – Bleuel

Evidently, I dove into this haul pretty quickly!

I have already read Dear Ijeawele…, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, whiskey words & a shovel I, Quiet Girl in a Noisy World, Adultolescence, Helium, Our Numbered Days, Depression & Other Magic Tricks, Chasers of the Light, Just Little Things, and Journey Through A History of Magic. Phew!

I think that the next book I’ll be reading from this haul is The Child Finder. It’s been all over Bookstagram, and I’m in the mood for a bit of suspense.

Finally, other things I’m really excited about:

I’ve never read any Stephen King before. However, I saw the Dark Tower movie and really enjoyed (a lot to do with Idris Elba, but also to do with the storyline!), so I think the Dark Tower books might be my gateway into reading Stephen King!

Also, I’ve never read any Agatha Christie books either. I didn’t particularly want to see the movie, because it wasn’t rated very highly. And it has Johnny Depp in it. But the story really intrigued me, so I’m excited to read the book! Maybe it will make me want to read more Christie mysteries, too!

 

Now that I’ve shared this with you, I’m off to start a reading-filled weekend!

Happy reading!

– Paperback Patronus

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Monthly To Be Read List: January 2018

I got a lot of books during Black Friday sales that I’m really excited about, so I had a pretty ambitious To Be Read (TBR) stack for December, and I’m doing the same for January.

Without further ado, here’s it is, pictured with the beautiful book lamp my husband got me for christmas! It opens like a book and is insanely satisfying.

Harry Potter: A History of Magic – The British Library
The Invention of Wings – Sue Monk Kidd
Caraval  – Stephanie Garber
Rebel of the Sands – Alwyn Hamilton
#GIRLBOSS – Sophia Amoruso
Lily and the Octopus – Steven Rowley
The Wonder – Emma Donoghue
The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas
Braving the Wilderness – Brené Brown
I’ll Give You the Sun – Jandy Nelson
The Graduate – Charles Webb
Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel
This Song Will Save Your Life – Leila Sales
Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls – Lynn Weingarten

Where I’m at, and what I’m looking forward to!

As it’s already January 6, I’ve finished three of these! I read Harry Potter: A History of Magic first, Caraval second, and Rebel of the Sands third. Reviews upcoming for all of them! Out of the three, I enjoyed Rebel of the Sands the most! I think my next read will be #GIRLBOSS! I’m feeling some non-fiction.  I think my most highly anticipated reads of this month are The Hate U Give and Station Eleven, which both come highly recommended from friends and Bookstagram alike.

It’s highly possible that you think there’s no way I’ll finish all of these…

You might be right, but I’ve already read three and I read 15 books in December! I’d bet on myself for this one.

Now that I’ve shared this with you, I’m off to keep working on all the reviews I need to post thanks to my warp-speed holiday break reading spree!

– Paperback Patronus