Monthly Inventory: February 2020

February 2020

It might be the shortest month of the year, but I sure packed a lot of reading in this past month! It helped that my work schedule (and some snowy days) allowed me to stay home and curl up on the couch with my many books.

This is the last full month I have for my Kindle Unlimited Subscription before I cancel it again so I tried my best to fit in all the books I need to read that are a part of the program. That meant I had a few binge reading sessions–which is something I haven’t been able to do in a long time!

Total for February 2020: 15 Books Read + 1 Novellas Read + 2 DNF’d

Last February: 14 Books Read + 2 Novellas Read + 0 DNFs

Standout Read (★★★★★)

I actually had two 5 star reads this month but I opted for this series finale to be the standout read. While there was an aspect or two I wasn’t a fan of, I was totally absorbed into this audiobook. I’ve never been inclined to just sit and listen to an audiobook from start to finish, but I could have with this one!

Biggest Let Down (DNF)

I’ve really enjoyed this series so far and so when I got the ARC for the newest novel, I was so excited to jump in. But this was so boring and everything was so quick in terms of the romance that I just couldn’t get into it.

Once again for Black Friday, Kindle had a promotion for new Kindle Unlimited Subscribers where you got 3 months of reading for only $0.99!!! I was hoping this deal would return after I had such a blast taking advantage of it last year.

Like I always do when I resubscribe, I wanted to see if I got my money’s worth and so I will be keeping track of all the books I read via the service. (Just like I did when completing the free trial.)

Savage Royals by Callie Rose – $5.49
My Peace by Courtney Cole – $5.26
Defiant Princess by Callie Rose – $5.99
Dangerous Games by Dylan Heart – $3.94
Maelstrom by Catherine Jones Payne – $6.99
Relent by Rachel Schurig – $5.25
Daughter of the Rivers by Catherine Jones Payne – $2.99
Broken Empire by Callie Rose – $5.49

This was by far the best month I’ve had with KU this time around! I got so many books in and definitely would have made back my subscription fee. My subscription ends the first week of March so I’m going to hopefully fit in some more books! I was offered a deal for another 3 months for the price of 1 when I cancelled but I declined since I want to shift my focus back to titles I own.

Previously posted series reviews that got updates:

You can always get the full details on all my challenges on my dedicated page but here is a quick update:

5 Year 5 Book Challenge: 2 books added | 5 of 31 Titles Read – On Track!
Goodreads Challenge: 16 books added | 25/155 Books – 1 book ahead!
Tackling the TBR Challenge: 1 books added | 1/24 Books – 3 books behind

View my Challenge Progress Here!

Sequel Month #1!

Like I did last year, I’ve decided to dedicate 4 months of 2020 to sequels! That means–with the exception of audiobooks and ARCs–every title I must read in that month needs to be a sequel for a previously started series! Approximately 69% of the books I read this month were sequels! You can see the breakdown of what I read below:

# of Sequels Read: 11 + 1 DNF + 2 in Progress
1. Now or Never by Stella Rhys (Irresistible #5) — DNF
2. My Peace by Courtney Cole (Beautifully Broken #5)
3. The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (The Folk of the Air #3)
4. Defiant Princess by Callie Rose (Boys of Oak Park Prep #2)
5. Dangerous Games by Dylan Heart (Bad Reputation #2)
6. Maelstrom by Catherine Jones Payne (Broken Tides #3)
7. Relent by Rachel Schurig (Ransom #4)
8. Daughter of the Rivers by Catherine Jones Payne (Broken Tides Novella)
9. Wanted by Betsy Schow (The Storymakers #2)
10. Reckless Fall by Ella Miles (Sinful Truths #3)
11. Tangled Promise by Ella Miles (Sinful Truths #4)
12. Broken Empire by Callie Rose (Boys of Oak Park Prep #3)
13. Rescue by Rachel Schurig (Ransom #5) — in progress
14. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas (Throne of Glass #7) – in progress
# of Series Finished: 5
1. Beautifully Broken
2. The Folk of the Air
3. Bad Reputation
4. Broken Tides
5. Boys of Oak Park Prep

While it wasn’t my best showing in terms of the % read, I’m still really happy that I finished some long overdue series and made some headway on a few others. Prior commitments like ARCs, audiobooks and my Kindle Unlimited subscription really dampened the “sequels only” motto this time around but they also contributed as well.

Cleaning Up My Goodreads Shelves:

My main mission for 2019 was bringing my “Want to Read” shelf (new to me books) on Goodreads to a number close to 400—and I was pretty darn close (422!)! I also set my “Sequel” shelf to be below 250 titles and I did do that (238)!

So this year, I’m aiming for a “Want to Read” shelf that is less than 400 titles. I’ve also set a goal to get my “Sequel” shelf below 200 titles.

	Currently	December 31, 2019
Want to Read (New)	409	422
To Read (Sequels)	225	238

GAH!! Do you see how close that “Want to Read Shelf” is!

This has been such a success for the last two years that I just had to bring it back for another year! The idea is to go through 5-10 books on your Goodreads TBR list chronologically and decide if they should stay or go. My 10 titles consist of 7 “new to me” titles and 3 “previously started series” titles.

This month:

Pass	Keep	Keep	Keep	Keep
Pass	Pass	Keep	Keep	Pass

Pass: 4 | Keep: 6

Grand Total YTD: Pass: 8 | Keep: 12

Did I give up on any too soon? Let me know in the comments below!

Once I finish up my last few Kindle Unlimited loans, I’m shifting the focus back to books I already own to help get me back on track with my Tackling the TBR Challenge.

And I’m also going to look at trying out Scribd for a month to see how it compares to other subscription services. There are a few audiobooks I want to read that are available on the service so it’s something I’ve been wanting to sign up for for awhile. If you want to refer me to the service, shoot me a message below!