Last year I failed particularly at monthly updates, though I lasted for half a year so that’s not bad. So I decided to try doing it quarterly, and since we are in April, it means it’s time for the first Challenge Check-In for 2024 Q1!
The year didn’t start very well reading-wise as at the end of October I found myself in a bad reading slump, so I barely read anything over November and December and trying to get back to it in January was a total pain in the ass, especially as deadlines started to close in on me… Fun times. Thankfully that’s behind me now. Until April 1st I opened 19 books. I DNFd 4 out of 19, and 2 were rereads from previous years. All in all, not a bad place to be in, especially as I’ve set my reading goal on GR at 40 books.
Out of the 19 books, 13 were on the list I set up as my shortened TBR in my Reading Goals for 2024 post, so I did really well there. Yay! Let’s hope I’ll keep this up, lol. I think in July I’ll go back and will revise that post as we’ll get our SPFBO 10 books, and some new releases on the way.
The books I loved the most in 2024 Q1
Out of the 19 books, I gave 5👑 to 7. 2 of those were rereads. I also had 3 4.5👑 reads. Man, I was nice. Anyway, I would highly recommend them all, but I’m only going to highlight 5 that I think have a good chance of making my final top 10 of 2024! The books are listed in the order I’ve read them.
The Market of 100 Fortunes by Marie Brennan was a bit of a surprise. I picked it up on NetGalley thinking it was standalone, and also because it sounded interesting and I’ve been wanting to try Brennan’s writing for a while now. Turns out, it’s the third book of a trilogy. Oops. I still very much enjoyed it with its Japan-based setting and its cool worldbuilding. Do better than I, and start with the The Night Parade of 100 Demons.
City of Vengeance by D. V. Bishop is the first book in the Cesare Aldo historical mystery series. I still can’t believe I’ve been procrastinating reading this book. I absolutely loved it and I’m determined to catch up with the series before book 4 comes out this summer. I already read book 2, The Darkest Sin which I equally loved. I definitely highly recommend this series if you loved C.J. Sansom‘s amazing Shardlake series.
The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston is only my second book from him, and I need to do better. I love his writing and I had so much fun with his upcoming new novel. I can’t wait for people to read it. Briar is one badass female MC.
The Killing Game by Michael Dylan is the second book in the DI Wise crime thriller series. March was an excellent reading month, and I had a good run with mysteries/thrillers. I really enjoyed book 1 and book 2 was definitely a step up. Well deserved the high scores.
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall was a book I had no idea I needed. This was one of three M/M romance novels I read in a week in March. The third was the sequel, Husband Material. I need to figure out who to bribe to get an early copy of book 3. I want to know what happens to Luc and Alex next.
Man, I’m so not doing well with Womble’s reading challenge this year 😅 In 2024 Q1, out of the 3 prompts, I only finished one…
January – Lucky Dip: The Cloisters by Katy Hays. ‘A random book by someone I never read before’. I was looking for an audiobook that wasn’t fantasy, and I decided to pick this one up.
February – Lovers Meeting: The prompt for this month was to ‘read an author you’ve loved’. Which wouldn’t have been an issue, if I wasn’t so goddamn behind due to my 2-months slump. *sigh*
March – Spring Cleaning: I did a lot of mood reading in March, and though I tried to fit something to the prompt, it just didn’t happen. The ‘first book of a series you bought and now is finished (the series)’ shouldn’t have been hard, but all the first books I’ve read were for a series that weren’t finished yet so I failed again. I’ll try to do better.
This is the first year I’m taking part in the Choose Your Own Adventure: Year in Aeldia 2024 Reading Challenge which is its second year. So far I’m doing really good. I’m also taking part in the Magical Readathon that takes place in April and August. But we’ll get back to those in due time. 2024 Q1 had the following choices:
January – Rely on your strength (read physically): Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang. I cheated a tiny bit and picked a book that I read on my Kindle. I mean, that’s physical enough for me. Originally I planned to go with the other route, but then as I looked at my monthly plans, this way worked out better for me.
February – Go towards and fight an animated gargoyle (book with non human characters): The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo. This was a no-brainer. It worked out well since I had an ARC due in February anyway. And it’s about fox spirits!
March – Cut your way through wild vines blocking an ancient exit (book neither first nor last in the series): The Killing Game by Michael Dylan. I was planning to read this in February, but it was a perfect fit for the March prompt, so… This was one of the reasons I picked this route.
In 2024 Q1, I decided to add 4 books to The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge card. Here they are:
- Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez for HANDWRITTEN
- The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston for KISS MY ASS
- The Cloisters by Katy Hays for PSYCHO
- The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo for THE LEGEND OF MOTHER SWAN
Here is what my card looks like right now:
And that concludes my Challenge Check-In for 2024 Q1. On the whole, I’m doing well with my different challenges, so for now, I’m happy with my progress. Let’s hope I can keep it up for Q2 as well! I’d love to hear about how you are doing with your challenges so far, so feel free to comment below!
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