September is over, and we are practically staring down the end of the year, folks!

So as you get older, it seems your birthday just brings a ton of anxiety with it? Who coulda known? I hoped September would be a good month, since I was excited about the readathon I was hosting, but it seems I myself lost steam mid-way through the month. I had to take, not one, but two hiatuses because I was in a general slump (okay, fine, it may have been a depressive episode) and couldn’t get any reading or blogging done. Only thing that even kept me barely occupied was catching up on TV shows, and I somehow powered through but I guess even now I am not at running at 100% as before. Still, when it came to reading, my previous progress helped me still be ahead with my goals, if not even, since that is one thing I did not need to worry about on top of everything.

2019 Reading Challenge

Ruthsic has read 266 books toward her goal of 300 books.

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266 of 300 (89%)

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I read a total of 29 books this month – 15 full-length novels, 3 novellas, 9 manga volumes and 2 omnibus manga volumes! While the number indicates that I got some reading done, most of it was just me pushing through my reading slump as well as I could and some progress earlier in the month that balanced it out.

Ah-mazing!

Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar

Pretty good

The Water Dragon's Bride, Vol. 11 by 藤間麗 The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen RG Veda Omnibus Volume 2 by CLAMP A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney Sideswiped by Kim Harrison The Drafter by Kim Harrison

Try it out, maybe?

Reread

And now, onto the yearly challenges:

Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge

Progress: 80/100 books

Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy, #1) I Was Born for This Witches of Lychford (Lychford, #1) Honor Among Thieves (The Honors, #1) RG Veda Omnibus Volume 1 RG Veda Omnibus Volume 2 A Blade So Black (Nightmare-Verse, #1) After Hours, Vol. 1 (After Hours, #1) The Drafter (The Peri Reed Chronicles, #1)

Some rereads but I plan to finish those series, sooo

Status: slightly ahead

Contemporary Romance reading challenge

Progress: 39/21+ books (Grand Slam)

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 11 Shortcake Cake, Vol. 6 Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 3 No Judgments (Little Bridge Island, #1)

The romance keeps on going…

Status: challenge complete!

AtoZ reading challenge

Progress: 22/26 books

Alice Isn't Dead The Beauty of the Wolf The Daughters of Salem How we sent our children to their deaths: Part 1 Exorsisters, Vol. 1 Firestarter (Timekeeper #3) Haphaven The Infinite Noise Just For Clicks Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (Rise of the Empress, #2) Love by the Morning Star Nancy Drew: The Case of the Cold Case Only the Good Spy Young (Gallagher Girls, #4) Postcards for a Songbird Quincredible Vol. 1: Quest to Be the Best! Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee Stranger Things: The Other Side (Graphic Novel Volume 1) Through the White Wood United We Spy (Gallagher Girls, #6) V Wires and Nerve, Volume 1 (Wires and Nerve, #1) X Y Z

Nothing this month

Status: quite ahead

Cloak and Dagger challenge

Progress: 29/35 books

Status: ahead

New Release challenge

Progress: 140/200 books

The Never Tilting World (The Never Tilting World, #1) Tunnel of Bones (Cassidy Blake, #2) A Treason of Thorns The Water Dragon's Bride, Vol. 11 Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 11 BEASTARS, Vol. 3 Shortcake Cake, Vol. 6 Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1) Sword and Pen (The Great Library, #5) Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 3 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 9 (Kimetsu no Yaiba, #9) The Babysitters Coven (The Babysitters Coven, #1) Bakemonogatari, Volume 1 (Bakemonogatari: Monster Tale Manga, #1) It's a Whole Spiel A Dream So Dark (A Blade So Black, #2)

Status: a bit behind

Netgalley & Edelweiss Reading challenge

Progress: 181/100 galleys

The Never Tilting World (The Never Tilting World, #1) A Treason of Thorns The Water Dragon's Bride, Vol. 11 Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 11 BEASTARS, Vol. 3 Shortcake Cake, Vol. 6 Sword and Pen (The Great Library, #5) Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 3 Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 4 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 9 (Kimetsu no Yaiba, #9) The Babysitters Coven (The Babysitters Coven, #1) Bakemonogatari, Volume 1 (Bakemonogatari: Monster Tale Manga, #1) It's a Whole Spiel Honor Among Thieves (The Honors, #1) This Is How You Lose the Time War No Judgments (Little Bridge Island, #1) A Dream So Dark (A Blade So Black, #2)

Status: Challenge complete!

2019 Debut author challenge

Progress: 18/24 debuts

Status: on track

Audiobook challenge

Progress: 29/50 audiobooks

Status: quite behind

Monthly Keyword Challenge

Progress: 6/12 keywords

June – This Is How You Lose the Time War

– How

Status: quite behind

Dystopia Reading Challenge

Progress: 24/16 books

Sword & Pen is set in an alternate universe where the Great Library is the most powerful nation in the world.

Status: Challenge complete!

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Progress: 31/25 books (Ancient History)

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Vol 9 is set in Taisho era Japan.

Status: challenge complete!

Retellings Reading Challenge

Progress: 24/25 retellings (Fairest of them All)

– retelling of Rig Veda

– modern retelling of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Status: almost there!

Space Time Reading Challenge

Progress: 12/20 books

Honor Among Thieves is set mostly in space, This is How You Lose the Time War is a time travel novella, Sideswiped and The Drafter from the Peri Reed Chronicles has time travelers in the near futuristic world.

Status: quite behind!

Series to Finish Challenge

Progress: 14/24 series (3/12 new + 11/12 old)

– old

Ink and Bone (The Great Library, #1) Paper and Fire (The Great Library, #2) Ash and Quill (The Great Library #3) Smoke and Iron (The Great Library, #4) Sword and Pen (The Great Library, #5) – new

Status: quite behind!

Year of the Asian Reading Challenge

Progress: 30/51 books

The Never Tilting World (The Never Tilting World, #1)

The Never Titling World is written by a Filipino author.

Status: quite behind

Besides these year-long challenges, I also had four reading challenges.

Unexpected Readathon Time (Aug 29-Sep 2)

1) Something you’ve been anticipating a while – Circe
2) A book with a love story (it can be very minor or very heavy — your call!) – The Never Tilting World
3) A book with a cover you LOVE! – Circe

Sequel September (month-long)

I had planned to read at least 5 sequels and read 9 of them!

5 Star Love Readathon (Sep 16-30)

I had planned to read at least 5 books from authors I most recently gave 5 stars to, but due to my slump, I could only read 3.

Honor Among Thieves (The Honors, #1) Sideswiped (The Peri Reed Chronicles, #0.5) The Drafter (The Peri Reed Chronicles, #1)

Banned Book-a-thon (Sep 22-28)

I could not read any books for banned book week 😦

ICYMI

TTT: Books I enjoyed that are outside my comfort zone
TTT: Favorite Things to eat/drink while eating
TTT: Books on my fall 2019 TBR
TTT: Book Titles with numbers in them

Diversity Spotlight Thursday #63: Black girl protagonist
Diversity Spotlight Thursday #64: Queer rep in contemporary fiction
Diversity Spotlight Thursday #65: Bisexual rep in SFF

Book Blogger Hop: Sep 6-12
book bloggerBook Blogger Hop: Sep 13-19
Book Blogger Hop: Sep 20-26
Book Blogger Hop: Sep 27 – Oct 3

Stacking the Shelves #75
Stacking the Shelves #76
Stacking the Shelves #77
Stacking the Shelves #78

On the Pod this week #42

Shouting from the Shelftops #14

Other news

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