What I Read Wednesday: Edition 0003 – 2016 in Review.

Hello everyone! Hope you’re doing well. Long time no see, right?! *facepalms* Long story short, had a bad reaction to my meds, which put me in a funk for a while, then it was Christmas holiday time, where I spent time with the fam & then got sick, then I had to rest & recoup, and I’m just now feeling like I’m getting back to normal. Disappointed I didn’t finish Blogmas, but it is what it is. *shrugs*

So, let’s talk about some fun things, like BOOKS!! Ah yes, books; my loves, my friends, my pathways to adventure! For 2016, my goal was to read 50 books, and just like with 2015, I FAILED AGAIN!! XD

To be honest, reading 43 books out of a 50 book goal isn’t that bad, BUT the majority of books (a good 26) are all manga, so I was a bit sneaky trying to hit the goal! XD Here’s everything I read in 2016!

I’ve read both mangas, Fruits Basket and Hana Kimi, many times. If you’ve ever been interested in manga and wanted to give a shōjo series a go, I’d recommend both of these. They are adorable and cute, but most importantly, they are both a completed series!

While 2016 took me back to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with the release of Cursed Child, I think my favorite book that I read this year was actually Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The premise of the book was interesting (young boy traces the path of his grandfather’s past, meets some peculiar children, fights monsters, time travels, and learns more than he ever thought he would), and the addition of vintage photographs throughout made the story come even more alive.

Feel free to check out my 2016 Year in Books over on Goodreads for more statistical info, and links to all the books pictured above! 🙂

So now that 2016 is over, it’s on to 2017, and my goal for this year is to read 70 books! “AMANDA!!” I hear you exclaim, “you’ve failed the last two years, why on Earth would you add another 20 books to your goal?” Well peeps, if you noticed, at the end of 2016 I started the Hana Kimi manga, and only read the first three books. So, of course, starting off 2017, I just had to finish the series, and I did! The rest of the series was literally 20 books, soooooo technically I still only have a 50 book goal for the rest of the year! XD < doges > Ahhh, much logic, such sense. < / doges > Eighteen days into the new year, this is my current 2017 reading status:

*fist pump of awesomeness* Let’s hope I keep this momentum going through the year! As mentioned in previous WIRW posts, feel free to friend me over at Goodreads, where you can see all kinds of bookish activity! Please share any recommendations, or books you are currently reading, in the comments! ❤

Blogmas Day 13: What I Read Wednesday – Edition 0002 – Maintaining the Status Quo!

Well, it’s “What I Read Wednesday” time again, and I STILL have SIX books on my currently reading list…and the majority are still the same books! *facedesks* If you’d like to see my previous post about those, you can click here.

I didn’t make much progress on those, BUT since I did finish The Amazing Book is Not on Fire: The World of Dan and Phil, I felt like starting something different, so I started to re-read one of my favorite mangas ever, Fruits Basket! This is also technically Dan’s fault, since he recently made an anime rec video, where he talked about the Fruits Basket anime (yes, I own it, and YES, it’s good too!), and I thought to myself, “Self, you need to re-read this manga!”, and so here we are!

If you’re not familiar with this manga series, let me learn you some things! XD

This is Tohru Honda, our heroine:

As the manga opens, we find out that Tohru is living on her own (IN A TENT!!), having lost her mother the previous year; (she would have been staying with her grandpa, but his house is being renovated). The land she has her tent on belongs to the Sohma family. Tohru meets Yuki and Shigure Sohma, who live nearby (and Yuki is Tohru’s schoolmate) and through a series of events, they invite Tohru to stay with them, until the renovations on her grandpa’s house are complete.

The shenanigans kick off with the arrival of Kyo Sohma, who has an intense rivalry with Yuki, and their fight leads to the revelation of their family secret to Tohru; that some members of the Sohma family are possessed by the spirits of the Chinese zodiac, and when physically weak or hugged by a member of the opposite sex, they change into their zodiac animal!!

Of course, they eventually change back into human form, but when they do, there’s a surprise…

I’ve read this series quite a few times, so I’d definitely recommend this. Overall, it’s a story about life; dealing with love and loss, friendships and family, being true to yourself by just being yourself, with a good balance of comedy and drama throughout.

This week, I’ve already read the first four volumes, and am almost done with volume five. Luckily, next week, I am on vacation *nances about*, so I’ll probably have this series finished by next Wednesday, and hopefully, maybe have one or two of the other longtime “currently reading” books completed. *fingers crossed*

As mentioned in my previous post, feel free to friend me over at Goodreads, where you can see all kinds of bookish activity! Please share any recommendations, books, or manga you are currently reading, in the comments! ^.^v