Non-Bookish Post: 3 Things from 2018

Hello,

2018 was the year that I told myself to face one of the things I'm scared of -- getting out of my comfort zone. It was a year where, I have to admit, I didn't change a lot but I did learn a few things. It wasn't very eventful but also a couple of noteworthy things happen.

get ready for a lengthy and (partly) dramatic post.

Winter 2019 TBR

Hi,

This year, instead of doing a monthly TBR included in my monthly wrap up, I decided to make a seasonal TBR instead. So this is my TBR for January to March. This is kind of a way of talking about books I want to read for specific challenges I am doing as well as my personal reading challenge.

I'll also take one TBR book from last year's TBR or book haul just for the fun of it :)

Before my TBR, here's my Winter Bookish Bingo card so far. I hope to get through more of this this January. Aside from the five books listed below, I will still be picking out other books to complete this bingo card :)

[REVIEW] Perfect Blue

title: Perfect Blue (Pāfekuto Burū: Kanzen Hentai)
author: Yoshikazu Takeuchi;  Nathan A. Collins (translator)
genre: adult fiction, thriller
published: February 6, 2018 by Seven Seas (first published in March 1991)
format: paperback, 288 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Kirigoe Mima is in the third year of her career as a pure and innocent pop idol. Feeling like something big needs to change, she plans to give her image a major update. When the new Mima is revealed, complete with a sexy outfit and a risqué photo book, one of her most obsessive fans refuses to accept her transformation. To restore Mima to the innocent girl of her debut, he puts a terrifying plan to action that throws her life into chaos and mortal peril.

horrifying, disturbing, and nightmarish obsession

This landed on my radar because of Satoshi Kon who directed the anime adaptation of this novel. Satoshi Kon is the author of Opus, a metafiction novel I read late last year as well as directed and written the the psychological thriller anime Paranoia Agent.

2019 Reading Goals

Hi,

In 2018, I failed all of my personal reading challenges. So this time around, I decided to lessen my challenge, retain some of them, and pick out 2 new challenges based on the books I usually read and the books I read in 2018.

I will be doing a monthly check-in for this just so I KNOW I'm actually doing them unlike before. In 2018 I set goals and ended up forgetting them mid-way or so. But this time, I'll do my best to actively blog and post updates so that I can have my goals accounted for especially my reading challenges.

I also added a book buying challenge. Instead of doing a monthly book buying ban, this one seems better. It's a testing for this year but I hope it works out well :)

[MINI REVIEWS] Crime Fiction Edition #1

title: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot #1)
author: Agatha Christie
genre: crime fiction
published: October 30, 2012 by William Morrow
format: paperback, 247 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Fully Booked
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

Hercule Poirot solves his first case in the Agatha Christie novel that started it all, now in a fully restored edition that features a “missing chapter” along with commentary from Christie expert John Curran. 

Who poisoned the wealthy Emily Inglethorp and how did the murderer penetrate and escape from her locked bedroom? Suspects abound in the quaint village of Styles St. Mary—from the heiress's fawning new husband to her two stepsons, her volatile housekeeper, and a pretty nurse who works in a hospital dispensary. 

With impeccable timing, and making his unforgettable debut, the brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is on the case.

My Year in Books 2018

Hi,

Since it's already 2019, instead of doing a December wrap up, I decided to just do a 2018 wrap up. Esther @ Bite Into Books tagged me to post my Goodreads Year in Books.

I like Goodreads's yearly summaries and generally the nerd-iness of the numbers. I added a few stuff below just for a personal count. A reminder for myself on how much I've been spending on books and not exactly reading them. Really hoping I can get through my reading goals this year including this Beat the Backlist Challenge!

I read 16,972 pages across 57 books

AVERAGE LENGTH: 297 pages

[READING CHALLENGE] Beat the Backlist 2019

Hi,

I've been seeing this challenge around and I thought that it really won't hurt to join in the fun. I've been hoping to get through books that have been sitting on my shelf for YEARS now and this is, obviously, the perfect challenge for me.

For my tentative to-read-list, I decided to go with 10 physical books and 10 eARCs I have. The physical books are divided by adult and YA fiction. And the eARCs are divided by those I received in 2018 and those I received 2017 and earlier.

Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge is hosted by NovelKnight. I will try and participate on other challenges such as the weekly photo challenge. However, I will surly join the Hogwarts Mini Challenge under team Hufflepuff :)