Series: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

Item: The Sword of Summer
Rating: 5
Author: Amanda Marie

January 2016 in Review

Posted January 31, 2016 in Life, Reading / 12 Comments

Things that Happened in January

It has been a stressful month. Apparently my brain needed books to manage the stress because I read quite a few books this month. And by “quite a few,” I mean “a lot.”
On the topic of the above, please pray for my sister. I can’t say more since I don’t want to share her story here, but she does need prayers.
I was able to attend my friend’s wedding in Washington, DC and it was beautiful. It was great to see so many friends that I haven’t seen in two years.
I read 17 books this month which is A LOT! I blame quite a bit of it on the traveling I did to and from Washington, DC. There isn’t much to do on a plane besides read and so I read.
My favorite book of the month (non-reread) was Illuminae and my favorite reread was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Books I Read in January

Tagged as Monthly Wrap-Up

{Review} The Sword of Summer – A Hilarious Protagonist and Norse Mythology

Posted January 7, 2016 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
Series: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1
Publisher: Disney Hyperion (2015)
Hardcover (491 pages)
Rating:
Also by this author: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse
Reading Challenges: 2015 Mythology, Read 2015

Synopsis

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.
One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.
The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.
When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.
Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .

Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository

Tagged as 5 star, All Time Favorites, Read 2015, You Read How Many Books Challenge

2015 in Review (& End of Year and Statistics Surveys)

Posted December 31, 2015 in Life, Reading / 10 Comments

Big Things That Happened in 2015

I mentioned the school talent show in which the teachers sang Yellow Submarine.
I worked at a Catholic summer camp for the summer and had a blast. I wrote about it and shared some pictures.
I survived over a week of blinding smoke due to forest fires. It was insane. I talked about that here.
I had my very first ever Blogversary which was exciting.

Analysis of Books I Read in 2015

This was the very first year that I ever kept track of the books that I read. My stats have amazed me.

I read 141 books.
Almost all of the books I read this year were 4 or 5 stars. I must be pretty good at choosing books I know I’ll enjoy.
Over two-thirds of the books I read this year were from the library or books I own.
Over half of the books I read this year were hard copied (Paperback or Hardcover) while over a quarter were ebooks. Audiobooks made up the rest.
About a quarter of the books I read this year were debuts.

I made some pretty nifty looking pie charts in Excel (you can just pretend they are totally awesome).

Tagged as Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge, Birthday Month Reading Challenge, Catholic Book, Color Coded Challenge, Fairytale Retelling Challenge, Finishing the Series Challenge, Mythology Reading Challenge, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, Read 2015, Rereading Challenge, What's In a Name Reading Challenge, You Read How Many Books Challenge

December 2015 in Review

Posted December 30, 2015 in Faith, Life, Reading / 4 Comments

It has been a crazy month and so I don’t have a whole lot for you other than the books I read and reviewed this month. My 2015 in Review post will be coming up tomorrow and this is a lot more interesting than this one. This post is, I know, rather pathetic but here it is anyway.

Things that Happened in December

Christmas!
I am (still) kitty-sitting for my sister’s two kitties while she and the rest of my family are visiting family in another state.
Somehow I managed to read only 5-star books this month; I’m not sure how that happened.

Books I Read in December

Tagged as Catholic Book, Christmas, Jesus, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Saint John Paul II