reading goal | Ad Librum Aeternam

Hello, lovelies!

I figured it would be fun to share my January readings with you, and perhaps you'd find some inspiration for your own reading! A few days ago, in the end of January, I posted my Reading Wrap-Up on Instagram. However, surprise! I finished one more book on the very last day of the month. So, I adjusted the number here in this article, which is 6 books read in the month of January.

Ready to learn more about the books I've read?

Keep scrolling, dear!

(They're not in order of completion.)

Fairest of All (Villains, #1) – (In French: Miroir, Miroir)

I checked out Miroir, Miroir (the French version) from my local library. I was skeptical about liking this book since I don't like Snow White, although I loooove Disney in general. And unfortunately, I ended up giving the book a rating of 3.5 stars, which was "ok". I wouldn't read it again, and I couldn't wait to get farther in the Villains series to reach Ursula and other villains I prefer (like Gaston and Hades, too!)

Fun thing: the books get way better after this one, you'll see why I know that later on in this article!

The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Trilogy, #1)

This book was a book club pick from the first book club I ever joined! 🙂 Not only did I have a blast reading The Bear and the Nightingale, I also had a lot of fun chatting with others in the club! I gave this intriguing, slow-paced story with strongly defined characters in a magical Russian wintry setting a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5.

You can read my review on Goodreads and Fable.

Now, I can't wait to read the other two sequels!!

The Godfather Lover's Guide to Sicily – ARC

I've had the pleasure to receive an e-ARC of this book from Pen and Sword Books and NetGalley! I've finished reading it in January, and you'll get to know all about it in my review on March 30th! For now, I can tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed it; it was like having a tour guide being friendly to me while taking me on a Sicilian and Godfather tour. I learned so many details relating to the movies, as well as information on Sicily, its towns and people and culture.

I might not be a big Godfather movies lover, but I sure am one of this book!

Stay tuned for a review on March 30th!

Teach the Torches to Burn – Draw Challenge

This book has been on my bookshelves for about a year now. A Romeo and Juliet gay retelling? I'm all for it!

So, I randomly picked Teach the Torches to Burn as the first book to read in my Draw Challenge!

I can't tell you much about it now, because I'll soon post the review, BUT it sure defied my expectations (both in good and bad ways) and it gave me my fill of gay romance as well as friendship. It was not what I expected, and I found it slow at the start, but then I began to enjoy it until I would gladly pick it back up to resume my reading. Needless to say, this book surprised me, and for a forbidden historical gay romance, it's really good!

Stay tuned for my review of Teach the Torches to Burn soon in February!

The Conjurer's Wife – ARC

This was the first short story I've read from Amazon Publishing, and it didn't disappoint! Sarah Penner wrote an intriguing plot with a strong main character, Olivia, that I still think about. The plot twist is mind-blowing in my opinion, and I'd definitely take a whole book on Olivia. Also, if you want an Italian historical setting, look no further, because this story takes place in Venice in the 19th century.

I gave this book a grand rating of 5 stars out of 5 in my review.

Honestly, I recommend it to mysterious fantasy lovers as well as fans of historical fiction.

The Beast Within (Villains, #2) – (In French: L'Histoire de la Bête)

Beast Within, The-Villains, Book 2 : Valentino, Serena: Amazon.ca: Books

And surprise! That's how I know the Villains series gets better after the first book. I'd checked it out from my library in French, too. I've finished The Beast Within on January 31st, and I didn't stop reading it for a whole week. I was simply pulled back in every time I wanted to read. It was crazy! Not only is this book very entertaining, it also gives us behind-the-scenes to the Beast's past and experience as a Beast. I loved the cameos, and his friendship with Gaston is so lovely AND tragic; it explains a few scenes in the movie, too. However, I do think the ending is too cheesy and well rushed… Still, this book is worth a 4.5 stars out of 5, easy.

P.S.: I'm now reading Poor Unfortunate Soul with Ursula, yay! And let me tell you, it's quite amusing and informative about her.

In Conclusion

Tah dah! That makes my reading wrap-up hit 6 books in January! I think that's pretty awesome, since I usually read up to… two or three books. Of course, I have still been recovering from my open-heart surgery, and I was not working yet. So, that sure helps!

I hope these books have inspired you to try a few of them, or guide you into the direction of your next read, loves!

Is there one that caught your eye? Why? Do leave a comment!

See you next post, darlings!

With the New Year beginning and a sweet new decade, how can we succeed at our goal of reading more?

I have structured this article according to two main reading patterns. The first readers are what I call the “Hoppers”. I’m part of them without a doubt! Hoppers will read several books at the same time, gleaning one for an hour or two, then switching to another one the same day or the next day. We take a while to finish a book because of that, but there are solutions to finishing more books, which I’ll go over in this post.

The other readers are the “Dedicated”. Why do I call them like this? Well, they are dedicated to one book and one book only when they read. They won’t switch books until they’ve finished reading that one. Obviously, they finish books more rapidly than the Hoppers, but there are still solutions to implement to read more during the year.

Now, shall we take a look at how to achieve this?

For the Hoppers

Surprisingly enough, the methods I tried which worked aren’t the ones most people will tell you to do: focusing on one book at a time. Why? Because we just can’t do it! Gosh, that’s why we’re Hoppers! It lacks diversity and surprises. Okay, but what actually works? Well, my friend, I’ve got an answer for you since I’m a Hopper too (hello fellows, if you’re one!).

The solution I found to deal with the increasing number of ARCs I received and books I bought is to trick myself with some structure. I said structure, not focus. Here’s how it works:

You pick three books (ARCs included, though I suggest one or two, not all three) that you want to hop to and from.
Pick two books that you’ll be able to hop to only when you’re sick and tired of reading the three others.
Look at how much time you can read per day, then divide it by three.
Finally, jump freely between the three chosen books from the beginning according to the divided time. Remember: it’s in the order you choose!
If you’re growing restless because you’re “always reading the same three books”, fear not for you had chosen two rescue books! Pick one and read, then go back to the three you chose first the next day.

It’s a funny system, but it completely works with me. And I’m quite the Hopper as I can read 15 books at the same time… But this system that I built from trials and errors has helped me review more books and read more in general.

Trust your Hopper friend (that’s me).

Tell me in the comments if you think this is a good idea for you or if you’ve tried it! I’d love to discuss this trick with you.

For the Dedicated

Let’s be honest here, since you’re a Dedicated person, you finish many more books than Hoppers. So what could possibly improve this situation? It seems impossible.

Well, I may have an idea: better time management, if possible. Due to our busy lives, it’s not always easy to make the time to read. I’m pretty sure you’re reading in-between meetings and a short time either in the morning or in the evening. Perhaps you’ve got an hour in total, which is good. But what if you could squeeze in fifteen more minutes, half an hour or more?

Here are my suggested steps you can take in order to free up some time for more reading:

Take note of what your typical week looks like with everything scheduled.
Observe how much reading time you have.
Then, examine which activities might not be priorities for you (let’s assume reading is one priority).
Identify which activities you could either remove or shorten in their duration.
Apply the shortened time or removal, and try to read during this newfound time, to see if it fits you better.
Enjoy reading more books!

P.S.: If this doesn’t work, try switching for different activities to shorten or remove. Perhaps the ones you cut out were actually more important than you thought. Don’t let go, you can do it!

In Conclusion

Whether you’re a Hopper or a Dedicated reader, there are ways to optimize the amount of books you read. It can be through tricking yourself in reading fewer books at the same time while still maintaining that “free roam” feeling, or it can be through better time management. I know you can do it! May your new reading year be full of achievements and pleasure.

I hope these solutions have been helpful.

Please do leave a comment about what type of reader you are and what you think of these tips. I’d love to discuss this with you!

See you next post!