Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!

In the “baby lottery” I was lucky enough to “win” a pretty awesome (and bookish) mom. My mom has always been an avid reader. When my sister and I were kids she read to us, took us to the library, and taught us the importance of reading for fun from a very young age. She encouraged our reading habits and bought us whatever we circled in the Scholastic book catalog. My mom taught me everything I know about intricate plots and how to guess what’s going to happen next in any story. And she was the one who introduced me to Harry Potter. Thanks, Mom, for encouraging, sharing, and funding my love of books, in addition to all the other million amazing things you do!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled blog post… This week’s inbox/outbox is going to be brief… I was pretty busy with work and writing this week. So, I didn’t get much reading done.

Inbox (books acquired)

• I didn’t buy any books this week, but I did add a bunch of the Locus Awards finalists to my wish list, and I spent some time figuring out which books on my wish list that I can get from Overdrive (ebook lending) at my local library. It turns out that at least 15 of the books on my to-read list are available, and many don’t even have a wait list! Even if the Overdrive UI sucks, I’m thrilled that I can borrow ebooks from my library.

Outbox (books finished)

• X-Men: Psylocke by by Christopher Yost, Harvey Tolibao — I’m still not entirely sure if I’ve read this collection of comics before, or not. I’m fairly certain that I never read the series of Uncanny X-Men comics that are provided as backstory for this collection. The Psylocke / Jubilee / Wolverine connection is especially interesting to me after reading the new X-Men series where Psylocke and Jubilee are part of this all-lady X-Men team. I really like how Marvel keeps all these stories so linked together.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• I’m still working on Americanah… I’m finding it hard to read this for more than a few hours without having to put it down to think…
• I thought I would start A Court of Thorns and Roses (new series by Sarah Maas, author of the Throne of Glass series) right away when it launched on Tuesday, but I found that I kind of want to finish Americanah first… and I want to have a nice long stretch where I can really get into it without getting interrupted, and that was definitely not this week. But I did read the first chapter…

 

And that’s it for this week…

 

(Reminder: the format for my weekly inbox/outbox posts was adopted from Book Riot’s weekly column of the same name… for more like this, go check out those…)

It is now officially my birthday month! So, let the birthday books (and book related goodies) come rolling in! I’m sort-of kidding, but I did receive some birthday presents this week… As you’ll see below, my “inbox” books this week are courtesy of “the birthday fairy” (aka: Mom).

Inbox (books acquired)

• X-Men Volume 3: Bloodline by by Brian Wood, Clay Mann, Matteo Buffagni (paperback) — Apparently the birthday fairy must be reading my blog and realized that I’ve finished the first two volumes and I’m ready for the next installment! I’m especially excited to continue with this series because I just figured out that the most recent batch of issues (which I think will make up volume 5, due out in July), are by the same author as the Ms. Marvel series: G. Willow Wilson!
• Uncanny X-Force: The Complete Collection Volume 1 by by Rick Remender, Leonardo Manco, Jerome Opena, Rafael Albuquerque, et. al. (paperback) — I wanted this because 1) Psylocke is featured in it, and 2) it has to do with the Apocalypse story, which I want to know more about before the next X-Men movie comes out (X-Men: Apocalypse). I doubt the story will be at all the same because I think the cast of characters is slightly different. But I had added this to my wish list because this is the only Psylocke / Apocalypse story line I could find. And I’m very excited for the first X-Men movie to feature my favorite character!
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy (hardcover box set) — I’ve already read the whole series, and I love it. But I only own (as my husband likes to remind me) “a perpetual license to read these books on a Kindle, or Kindle software on an electronic device…” Like many of my favorite books and series, I wanted to own a nice hardcover set of this series. So, I added this to my birthday wish list, and the birthday fairy granted my wish! Hooray!

Outbox (books finished)

• Ms. Marvel Vol 1 by by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona — Well, hubby was right, this is really good. I loved the story and the characters and the artwork. It’s funny and heartwarming and does a great job of addressing some of those “not fitting in” and “trying to figure out who you are / want to be” feelings that teenagers and young adults have to deal with. I highly recommend this one.
• Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on Their Decision Not To Have Kids edited by Meghan Daum (Kindle) — I really enjoyed reading this. None of the stories matched exactly to my thoughts on the topic, but it was refreshing and heartening to read others’ takes on the prospect of not having kids — especially since most of the authors were older, and many addressed the “regrets” topic in a refreshing way (basically: everyone has regrets about their life, you can’t avoid it, in order to have/do one thing you have to not have / not do something else, that’s life). I highlighted a TON of passages in this book, and I almost never highlight anything, so that’s saying something.
• The First Star to Fall (For Darkness Shows the Stars, #1.5) by Diana Peterfreund — This is a prequel novella for Across a Star Swept Sea, which I haven’t read yet. I read For Darkness Shows the Stars, and the accompanying novella. This novella (and Across a Star Swept Sea) take place in the same world, but feature a different cast of characters. I loved For Darkness Shows the Stars, but found this novella to be just “okay.” I liked it, but I found some of the tech to be a little far-fetched and I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. But, I still want to read Across a Star Swept Sea, because these between-novels novellas that have become so popular recently always seem to be made from the cutting room floor out-takes of the main story. So, usually the novels are better. That’s why these scenes and back-story bits were cut out, to make the novel better.
• The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister, #1) by Courtney Milan (Kindle) — I tore through this book. It’s a historical romance that takes place in Victorian (I think) England. What I found most cool about this book was that it 1) actually has a plot, and 2) has very well-written, complex, flawed characters. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, and not just because you are waiting for the two main characters to hook up. Plus, it’s what I might dare to call “feminist romance.” The heroine is actually a heroine and not just some dippy damsel waiting to be swept off her feet. She’s smart and independent, she makes mistakes, she knows what she wants and goes after it (and not just in the story, but in the romance as well). I highly recommend this one. Plus, it’s FREE on Kindle right now. Seriously, just go download it.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• I haven’t started Americanah yet… and it’s long… I’ll be reading that next so I can get it back to the library on time.

And now, time to get a little writing in before Game of Thrones and Silicon Valley…

 

(Reminder: the format for my weekly inbox/outbox posts was adopted from Book Riot’s weekly column of the same name… for more like this, go check out those…)

April is over and I’m a little shocked at how many books I finished. Granted, a number of them were short (novellas, a play, volume collections of comics…), but it was over 1800 pages! That’s a lot of reading in one month. At least for me.

April Reading Stats:

• Total books finished: 9 (3 comics, 2 novels, 2 novellas, 1 collection of non-fiction essays, and 1 play)
• Favorite book read: Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed: sixteen writers on the decision not to have kids
• Favorite comic read: Ms. Marvel Vol 1: No Normal
• Book(s) read by diverse authors (per my 2015 reading project): Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I wasn’t planning on reading this much in April, but I’ve been really organized about my TBR pile this year, and I think some of the new habits I picked up during my 40 day social media fast might have stuck. (TBR = to be read…)

A lot of the blogs I follow seem to have all featured at least one post (or vlog) about TBR piles recently: managing them, ignoring them, organizing them, and/or not feeling guilty about them. These posts and booktube videos mostly got me thinking about how I manage the seemingly endless list of books I want to read, how I keep track of which ones I already own (since most of my unread books are ebooks), and how I know which I might want to buy.

I’m constantly hearing about books that sound amazing and that I really want to read. If I ever hope to read all the books I want to read, I need to stay organized. Luckily, modern technology has made that pretty easy. I’ve cobbled together a decent system that relies on a combination of Amazon wish lists and Goodreads shelves. I’ll explain more, but first, let’s get one thing straight…

Being organized about what you want to read, and keeping lists and planning out how you are going to work your way through those lists may sound like something that sucks all the fun out of reading. But, I’m a planner by nature. I also happen to be a “Program Manager” by profession (that’s just basically a souped up project manager). So planning and organizing are just what I do. It’s not by accident that I ended up in this career. Being naturally talented at “Getting Things Done” seems to run in my family. Both of my parents also have (had) these super-powers, and they passed them on to me and my sister. I’m not sure if we should chalk it up to nature or nurture. Either way, it’s a pretty safe bet that we got it from them.

To give you an idea of the scope of books I’m trying to wrangle on a regular basis, let me give you some data to illustrate my point…

• As of today, I have 80 books on my (physical+virtual) TBR pile. These are books that I actually own in some form or another (ebook, paperback, and/or hardcover).
• I have another 158 books on what I call my “someday/maybe Kindle wish list” on Amazon — this is a “private” wish list of books I don’t own (yet) but might want to buy (or borrow). It’s where I dump any book that I read about, or that someone recommends to me, that sounds like something I might want to read.
• I also have another 12 books on a different “private” Amazon wish list that I am considering purchasing physical copies of (mostly comics) or that are not available on Kindle, so I’m either going to buy them at some point, or get them from the library.
• And, I have 53 books on yet another “private” Amazon wish list that are just business / economics books that looked interesting and/or were recommended. I am a reluctant reader of business books, though. So, it’s highly unlikely that I will actually read most of these. But they’re there in case I get a crazy desire to geek out MBA-style.

(you may be wondering why I keep putting “private” in quotes… technically, I should be the only one that can see those lists. But as a general rule, I am highly skeptical that anything is “private” on the internet…)

As you can see, that’s a lot of books to keep track of. The Amazon wish lists are great for managing my lists of what I might want to buy, but they don’t help manage the list of what I have already and haven’t read yet. I mostly use Goodreads for that. I typically don’t add books to Goodreads until after I actually own them. But earlier this year, I started keeping track of some “best-of” lists on Goodreads, and my to-read list had gotten a bit overwhelming.

So, I decided to organize my Goodreads shelves to make sure that the only books on my main “to-read” list were ones that I already own. For everything else that I wanted to track on Goodreads but don’t own, I added to a new “to-buy-borrow” list. Now, instead of having the default three “exclusive” book shelves (to-read, read, currently-reading), I have five (I added “abandoned” for the ones I started but never finished, and now “to-buy-borrow”). This is going to help me keep track of what I own and haven’t read yet, and now I can quickly see what I might want to read next.

After that re-organization, I ended up with 80 books on my physical + virtual TBR. Next I assigned each of these “to-read” books to one of three new shelves I made so that I could divide them into groups. The first group I’ll call my “priority” TBR list. Those are the ones I paid at least half price for, and that I know that I want to read. The second group is what I’m calling my “guilt-list.” These are the ones that I still want to read, but I know I won’t get to right away for one reason or another. The third and last group is what I’m calling my “vacation” TBR list. These are the ones that I bought on sale (< $3), or were given to me as gifts, and are likely to be fun / fast reads that I am really looking forward to diving into.

That first group, the “priority” TBR currently represents 20 of the 80 books. This is what I’m considering to be my true TBR, and it’s the one that I’m going to focus on reading by the end of the year. These are all books I’m excited about reading, and now they’re all in one (virtual) place. So, I can quickly look through the list and see what I want to read next.

I also feel a lot better with my TBR after admitting to myself that there are books on that list that I’m just not that into right now and that I may not get to for a while. Putting them on the “guilt-list” gets them out of my main TBR list, but still keeps them corralled so I can keep track of what’s there. They’re all still books I want to read, and I might change my mind and decide that I really want to read one of them right away.

Now I have a new goal for 2015. In addition to my 2015 book project, my new goal for the rest of this year is to stick to my book buying rules (outlined below), and finish as many as possible of the 20 books on my “priority” TBR list.

In general, I want to try to read the books that I’ve already purchased before I buy new books. I’m making exceptions for:

• diverse books for my diverse books reading project (that I can’t get from the library)
• books that are on sale for a deep discount (<$3)
• books that are part of a series by an author I love (where I’m willing to buy full price because I know I’m going to read it right away…)

 

And, after consulting my new Goodreads lists, this is what I’m planning to read in May:

• diverse book: Americanah
• book club: The Innocents Abroad
• from the TBR: A Court of Thorns and Roses (I’ve had this pre-ordered since Nov, and it comes out on 5/5 — so excited for this new series!), Lumberjanes Vol. 1, and Station Eleven (finally!)

I’m kind of curious how my TBR list and wish list numbers compare with other readers out there. So, if you are also geeky and organized about how you manage your TBR lists, let me know! How many books are on your list?

Between work book club, Kindle deals, and library holds, my reading inbox sort of exploded this week. My TBR pile has officially reached out of control status. I could pretty much stop acquiring new books at this point and still have more than enough to read for the next year. But what fun would that be?

Inbox (books acquired)

• Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch (Kindle) — This went on sale for $1.99 and I happened to have a couple of credits for declining my Prime 2-day shipping option. So, I grabbed it. I was going to just let it pass, but I re-read the description, and anything that is said to be a cross between Game of Thrones and Graceling immediately gets my attention, especially when it’s essentially free. I really want to drop everything and start reading this right away, but I have a couple of books I need to at least try to read first…
• Uncle Vanya by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Kindle) — The work book club picked this for the next book to read. It’s actually a play, and it was free on Kindle because it’s in the public domain. So, I decided to download it and try to read it in time for the discussion next Friday…
• The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain (Kindle) — This is another work book club pick, also free on Kindle, also relatively short. So, I downloaded it and I’m going to see if I can squeeze it into my busy reading schedule… I really like Mark Twain, so I’m going to really try to read this one before the discussion. I have at least a month, so I should be able to manage it.
• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Kindle, library) — I wasn’t really expecting to read this one so soon, especially after I just finished Half of a Yellow Sun. But, my hold just came up at the library. So, I guess I’m reading this as my “diverse read” for May…

Outbox (books finished)

• X-Men Volume 2: Muertas by Brian Wood, Terry Dodson, Kris Anka (paperback) — What I enjoyed about how the plot of this new comic is developing is that it is now not only featuring an all-female X-Men team, but in this volume we have added an all-female sisterhood of “baddies.” This is starting to get good…
• The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle Book 1) by Maggie Stiefvater (Kindle) — I really liked the characters in this, and the story featured a unique combination of plot elements (Welsh mythology, private school, southern culture, witchcraft, psychics, murder…). Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I’ll probably eventually get around to reading the others in the series, if for no other reason than I like the characters and I kind of want to see what’s next. But I didn’t instantly fall in book-love with this series. I didn’t really expect to, I don’t read many “witchy” books (what might otherwise be contemporary fiction where witches and psychics are a real part of the real world, as opposed to part of some secret magic world eg: Harry Potter). But if “witchy books” are your thing, and you haven’t read this series yet, you should definitely pick this up. (Kindle lending is actually enabled on this one. So, if I know you IRL and you want to borrow it, let me know and I’ll hook you up.)
• Uncle Vanya by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Kindle) — So, I read it. I have no idea why I read it. It was a fast read because it’s 1) a play and 2) short. There is a somewhat surprising (for the time it was written in) environmental theme. But that’s pretty much a side conversation and barely a part of the plot. The main theme, as far as I can tell, is that life is miserable and pointless and then you die. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a harsh interpretation, but it’s not a very hopeful play.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• I want to finish Psylocke and the Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed essays before the end of the month…
• And then I guess I need to get started on Americanah so I can get it back to the library before it’s due…

In a related note, this morning I was drinking my tea, enjoying the sunshine, and thinking I might start reading a little of Ms. Marvel Vol 1. I read the first page, laughed, showed it to my husband, expecting him to also laugh and then give it back. But then he just kept reading it. I ended up reading something else while Ilistened to him laugh and waited for him to finish it. Part way through he asked, “Is there more of this? Or is this it?” So, I’m thinking he likes it…

This just in: As I was typing this, he finished it and said, emphatically, “It’s really good.” Then handed it back to me and added, “And I just read the whole thing.” Yes. Yes you did.

 

(Reminder: the format for my weekly inbox/outbox posts was adopted from Book Riot’s weekly column of the same name… for more like this, go check out those…)

The inbox is growing out of control… this was a big week for book acquiring, and a slow week for book finishing…

Inbox (books acquired)

• Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller (signed, hardcover special edition) — My Indiespensible shipment arrived this week! This was the main book in this month’s shipment, and it’s a beautiful hardcover without a dust jacket (which is awesome because I hate dust jackets). I read the blurb for this when it was announced as this month’s pick, and got excited because this one (unlike the last few months) is squarely in my wheelhouse — it’s about a girl, drilled from a young age in the ways of survival by her father, a survivalist, and then taken into the woods and told that they are the only survivors of an apocalypse-type event. But, of course, there’s more to it than that… Also, it’s published by Tin House in Portland who also did Glaciers, which I really enjoyed. I’m pretty excited to read this one.
• The New and Improved Romie Futch by Julia Elliott (paperback, ARC) — This pre-release copy was also included in my Indiespensible shipment. It comes out in October. My husband needed something to read so I gave him this and he devoured it in two days. He liked it and is encouraging me to read it soon so we can pass it on to one of our friends who he thinks will also enjoy it. I don’t know much about what it’s about except that it takes place in the south and involves some human enhancement / modification experiment that goes awry.
• Lumberjanes Vol. 1 by by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke Allen, Shannon Watters — (paperback) — This is the comic I meant to buy last week when I accidentally bought X-Men Vol 2, instead. This volume includes the first several comics in this new series and is being raved about by the Book Riot people, who haven’t steered me wrong yet.
• Boomerang by Noelle August (Kindle) — You may remember that I added this one to my watch list a few weeks ago. It dropped to $0.99. So, I grabbed it. But, I’m saving this one for when I really need an awesome ooey gooey romance.
• The Duchess War by Courtney Milan (Kindle) — This one is also currently being raved about over at Book Riot and when I clicked on it to add it to my watch list, I noticed it was $0 on Kindle. Yep, FREE. So, I immediately downloaded it. It needs to get put into the queue, and I may not get to it for a while, but I couldn’t pass up free, especially after reading the glowing reviews from the Book Riot editors.

Outbox (books finished)

• Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Kindle, library) — This is horribly overdue at this point, and I will probably end up with a decent library fine for keeping this book too long. Still, I’m glad I stuck with it and finished it. This is the first truly diverse book I read this year in that it is both set in Africa (Nigeria), and is written by a Nigerian novelist. I felt like I should have been reading this book with a map next to me, and I felt a little lost because this wasn’t something I remember learning about in world history. I am left with a sharper awareness of my privilege and my ignorance of so much of what happens and has happened in the world.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• After watching The Internet’s Own Boy, a documentary about Aaron Schwartz, this weekend, I remembered that I had a copy of Cory Doctorow’s Information Doesn’t Want to be Free about the state of copyright and digital rights. I bought it after watching his author talk when he came to Google, but now I’m even more interested in reading this…
• I’ll probably also return to (and hopefully finish) The Raven Boys… and maybe dig into some of those comics that I’ve been buying but haven’t got around to reading yet…
• I also found out this week that the third book in Poseidon’s children series by Alastair Reynolds is coming out in the UK this month. Amazon in the US has finally listed the paperback for pre-order, but still no sign of the Kindle version… but, the second book, On the Steel Breeze, has been buried in my TBR pile for a while now. I’m moving it up to the top so that I’m ready to read book three — plus, I’m overdue for some good space opera sci-fi.

There are so many good books that I want to read and there is never enough time for reading! Maybe now that I’m not going to swim meets every other weekend (because short course yards season is over), I can go back to reading without guilt during the week because I’ll have more time for writing on the weekends…

 

 

(Reminder: the format for my weekly inbox/outbox posts was adopted from Book Riot’s weekly column of the same name… for more like this, go check out those…)

I’ve been really busy with work this week and I’ve barely had any free time. Then I was competing at the Pacific Masters short-course yards championship swim meet on Saturday and Sunday. So, I’ve had to squeeze in my reading around the edges, and just managed to do enough to get some recharge time so I’m not biting people’s heads off… Still, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t enough. 🙂

Inbox (books acquired)

• X-Men Volume 2: Muertas by Brian Wood, Terry Dodson, Kris Anka (paperback) — I didn’t actually mean to buy this yet, but it happened to be in my cart when I was buying something else from Amazon, so… I guess I’ll be reading this next volume of the all lady X-Men team featuring Storm, Psylocke, Jubilee, and friends.

Outbox (books finished)

• Among the Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund (Kindle) — This is a novella prequel to For Darkness Shows the Stars, which I read back in November, and tells some of the story from Kai’s perspective. This takes place after he leaves, and explains more of how he ended up where he did. Reading this made me miss these characters and this world. I really enjoyed FDStS. Now I want to read the second book and the other companion novella, even though that one features a different story set in the same world. I think Elliot and Kai make an appearance, but the main cast is new.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• Half a Yellow Sun is due back to the library, and I need to finish it…
• I had a random and sudden urge to read something slightly dark and with magic this week. Something “witchy.” Luckily, I had the first book in the “the Raven Cycle” series: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. Of course, just after I started it I remembered that Half a Yellow Sun was due back to the library soon and I should be reading that instead. So, I put it down, but I plan to get back into it this week.
• I’m also still in the middle of Psylocke and that book of essays on not having kids. And Ms. Marvel is waiting, as well…

Happy reading!

This was a slow book week (as expected). And I (shockingly!) did not acquire any new books this week! I know. Are you amazed? I am amazed.

Maybe instead of telling you about the books I bought this week, I’ll just tell you about the books I added to my wish list this week…

Inbox (books acquired)

• No books bought or borrowed this week… instead I just added these four books to my watch list for future purchasing (or borrowing):
  • The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute by Zac Bissonnette — I found this one on a “best of March” book list post on Book Riot. I grew up during the Beanie Baby craze and had quite a few of these cuddly critters. So, of course this captured my attention. I’m surprised they have enough material for a book on this topic, but the review in the blog post made it sound fascinating, so I added it to my list. I’ll probably try to get this one from the library…
  • Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan — This was also listed in that “best of March” Book Riot post. I’ve seen this one around and it sounds like your basic (new adult?) romance novel. But, the Book Riot reviewer raved about the author’s writing style and how she enjoyed reading about this culture. It reminds me of that Psy song that was so popular a few years ago… this one might be worthy of a vacation read, especially if I can catch it during a price drop…
  • Chase Me by Tessa Bailey — This one is DEFINITELY a “new adult” romance novel, and also from that Book Riot March round-up post. It’s only $2.99, but I’m adding it to my list and saving it for when I need a fast and flirty fun read. Last time I was in the mood for something like this I had to fall back on a re-read because I couldn’t find one with a description that didn’t make my eyes roll. The description for this one is equally cringe-worthy, but I’m ignoring that and basing my interest solely on the recommendation in the review — specifically on the fact she said this book was “funny, and “the love interest was “ernest and sincere,” and it “embodies what modern romance is all about.” I’m interpreting that as a sign that the love interest will not be a Edward-Cullen-like overprotective stalker dude and the romance won’t be overly dramatic.
  • The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (The Inheritance Trilogy Book 1) by N.K. Jemisin — This was recommended to me by a friend, and then I saw this series featured in a Book Riot blog post and decided it was time to add it to the list. I might actually break down and buy this before I see a price drop, but only after I work through some of the books I’ve already bought and haven’t read yet…

Outbox (books finished)

• X-Men, Vol. 1: Primer by Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel (paperback) — I really like what they did here. This volume also includes the Uncanny X-men comic where Jubilee first appears and what I think was the formative idea for this grouping. I hadn’t read that one, even though it did feature Psylocke as one of the main characters. I like the team they assembled, and, even if this first story line was a little weak, I can sense they are building up to something, and I’m psyched to read the next volume.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• I’ve been reading (and enjoying) the essays in Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids… 
• I’m about half-finished with X-Men: Psylocke — I’ve read the four Psylocke spin-off comics, but this volume also includes (bonus!) the three or four Uncanny X-Men comics that serve as backstory for the Psylocke spin-off…
• And I completely neglected Half a Yellow Sun this week, so I’ll probably be ignoring those other two books and focusing on this one next week because it’s probably due back to the library soon…

My plan was to read less this month so that I could spend more of my free time writing. But that plan didn’t work out so well in practice this week. Instead of reading, I just spent more time procrastinating on writing. Then I beat myself up because I “wasted all this time” and didn’t enough writing done *and* I could have been reading. So, my plan needs work…