2015 TBR Update #9

So it's been a (long) while since I've done one of these updates, but I'm going to try and do them on Mondays on a regular basis. Not only so you can stay up to date on my reading challenges, but also my TBR progress for the months.

So my December TBR has 9 official books. Out of those, I have completed 0 this week.

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I have 8 left to read:

• The Many Lives of John Stone by Linda Buckley-Archer
• A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
• The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
• Winter by Marissa Meyer
• The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
• Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty
• Anne & Henry by Dawn Ius

I have also read:

• The Watchmen of Port Fayt by Conrad Mason (4/5 strawberries)
• Attack on Titan Vol. 12 by Hajime Isayama (5/5 strawberries)

I am currently reading 4 books:

• The Many Lives of John Stone by Linda Buckley-Archer
• A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
• Byzantium by Stephen R. Lawhead
• Attack on Titan Vol. 13 - Hajime Isayama

I have caught up on 0 series, and I have started 1 new series/trilogies/duologie (Tales of Fayt).

For my 2015 Reading Challenge, I have completed 24 items:

• A book with more than 500 pages: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
• A book that became a movie: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
• A book published this year: Firefight by Brandon Sanderson
• A book by a female author: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
• A mystery or thriller: Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz
• A book with a one-word title Ticker by Lisa Mantchev
• A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet: Slaves of Socorro by John Flanagan
• A book based on a true story: Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz
• A book at the bottom of your to-read list: The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
• A book based entirely on its cover: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
• A book you can finish in a day: Beneath the Stone Forest by Jordan Quinn
• A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit: A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab
• A book set in high school: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
• A book with magic: Thursdays with the Crown by Jessica Day George
• A book by an author you've never read before: Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne
• A book you own but have never read: Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
• A book with bad reviews: Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernen
• A graphic novel: Locke & Key Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez
• A book that made you cry: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
• A classic romance: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
• A book you started but never finished: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken
• A book set in the future: The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

I have 12 planned reads that I have yet to complete:

• A book of short stories: Clockwork Fairy Tales by Various Authors
• A book with a number in the title: Survival Colony 9 by Joshua David Bellin
• A book written by someone under 30: Wolfsblood by Hazel West
• A book with nonhuman characters: The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck
• A book set in a different country: Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
• A nonfiction book: Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand
• A book a friend recommended: Impossible by Nancy Werlin
• A trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, Requiem by Lauren Oliver
• A book that was originally written in a different language: Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier
• A popular author's first book: The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver
• A book that scares you: Asylum by Madeleine Roux 
• A book based on or turned into a TV show: A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

I have 15 categories to still plan and complete:

• A book your mom loves
• A book more than 100 years old
• A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't
• A memoir
• A book with antonyms in the title
• A book that came out the year you were born
• A book from your childhood
• A book with a love triangle
• A book with a color in the title
• A book that takes place in your hometown
• A book set during Christmas
• A book written by an author with your same initials
• A play
• A banned book
• A book that won a prize:

Hedgehog Life: 11.23.15 - 11.29.15

Hello! Hello, hello, hello, and hello! I'm trying once again to get back into blogging! Let's see if it actually happens this time!

This Week I Read:

• The Watchmen of Port Fayt - Conrad Mason (4/5 strawberries)
• Attack on Titan Vol. 10 - Hajime Isayama (5/5 strawberries)
• Attack on Titan Vol. 11 - Hajime Isayama (5/5 strawberries)
• Attack on Titan Vol. 12 - Hajime Isayama (5/5 strawberries)
• Noragami: Straw God Vol. 5 - Adachi Toka (4/5 strawberries)
• Fairy Tail Vol. 6 - Hiro Mashima (4/5 strawberries)
• Ouran High School Host Club Vol. 2 - Bisco Hatori (4/5 strawberries)

The manga/anime obsession continues. ;-) But I'm starting to get a rhythm back into my reading, so I'm hopefully going to start balancing manga and novels out so I don't neglect either of them. Manga is great to read before bed, so those are starting to turn into my nighttime reads, to help me fall asleep, but also ensure that I don't stay up too late reading (though don't get me wrong - they are bloody addicting and sometimes it's just a little too easy to not stop until I'm finished).

Since last I've been on the blog, things have been crazy busy. I was only unemployed for two weeks before I found another job offer! And got accepted! The week I started my new job, I got a nasty, nasty cold. That was fun. Then on top of getting used to my new job and trying to shake the cold (which refused to let go), I started the arduous task of bed shopping. My mattress is so old it's practically like sleeping on a slab of granite these days. So a new bed - frame and all - was a must. Good news: I found one I liked pretty much the first place I looked. It's supposed to arrive tomorrow (yay!).

Then I also decided to do NanoWrimo this year. Which meant even more time was taken up writing. I didn't go into it with any real plan or intention of actually finishing, but I did a surprising amount of writing in November and I'm rather proud of myself! Of course, that ate into my reading time as well. School is also being wrapped up, so my professor has been dumping extra homework on all of us. Easy enough, but it takes time.

Finally, dancing has been taking up even more time - and it isn't slowing down come January. On top of the group classes and socials I attend, a friend and I are going to start taking private lessons twice a month. And two pairs of dance shoes have decided to quit on me this month. Can't say I blame them; I'm turning into one of the twelve dancing princesses! ;-) Poor shoes.

Amid all of this craziness, there's some good news. I got a new shelf for my bedroom that has been converted into my manga shelf (see pictures below! Yes, I actually remembered to take them this time!). 

The shelf in full

The bulk of my manga collection!

My hours are likely being increased at work come December, so I made the decision to not go back to college next quarter. The remaining classes I want to take, I can take them elsewhere. And it's also no longer feasible for me to attend on-campus classes. I'm actually glad to not be going back. I enjoyed my one-class quarter, and it helped replace bad memories with good, but I would rather concentrate on my job and hobbies now.

With December, though, I am going to truly try and get back into videos and blogging and all of that good stuff. I miss it a lot. I probably should wait until January. December is the craziest time with Christmas and all that. But I'm going to try anyway!

Keep reading, my friends!

2015 Bookshelf Overview

Hey, all!

So once again I've been pretty absent from my blog. I know I said I was going to get back into it, and I have every intention of doing so! I just can't even begin to tell you guys how crazy my life has been lately. Anyway, I thought as a good way to get back into things, I'd give you all an updated overview/tour of my bookshelves! I hope you enjoy!!