HRCYED 3.0: July Wrap-up

A month has gone by since HRCYED 3.0 officially began, and I did an upsy. Here I was with talks about reading more and bringing back a good reading habit. But then I bought a game. And not just any game, Blue Prince. Obviously, for a little while, the only thing on my mind was the game. I was thinking about clues, next steps, theories. My mind was thinking about everything except reading.

Usually, this isn’t a bad thing. I have multiple interests, so it’s normal to jump between them and give more attention to some instead of others. But it’s really not helpful when I’m taking part in a readathon. A reading marathon. Meaning that reading is me running the marathon, and gaming is me stopping at the first table to munch on snacks. They give energy, and it’s good to take a break, but the marathon doesn’t run by itself.

Despite the picture I’m building here, I did manage to read some books. The first was Theodora’s Tea Shop by Christy Anne Jones. I already have a review here on the blog if you care to read it. The book counts for the Choose Your Party prompt since it’s about witches. Also, the cover features a raven, which can also count for the Animal Families prompt.

Since each book can count up to two prompts at once, I’ll try to fit each book in those two prompts (when possible). This will mean that some prompts might end up having more than one book counting for it. However, I only need one book for a prompt to be complete. It’s simply easier to record every prompt the books fit regardless of whether I already completed the prompt.

Then I also reread Waking Nightmare by Carly Anne West. The second book in the Hello Neighbor series for the Food Pyramid prompt since it has some bloody ribs on the cover, and also for the Not-So-Secret prompt to read a whole book outside. I just took it to the balcony in late afternoon to read a bit while enjoying the nice weather. Summer can be exhausting, but when the temperature is just right, it’s lovely to enjoy.

And I didn’t let the first month of the readathon end without adding one more book to the record. I read The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin. I was hoping this book would count for my HRCYED Mashup, but didn’t have much luck. I chose to combine translated books with the seasons, and I thought The Healing Season of Pottery was taking place during summer. I was wrong. So while it’s translated fiction, it doesn’t take place in a single season. It doesn’t count. However, it still counts for the Regional prompt since it’s set in South Korea, an East Asian country. And there is a cat on the cover, meaning I get to count the Animal Families prompt again. According to my plan, that prompt won’t be finished there either.

As the prompts look right now:

Next month plans

I was also planning to read Insurgent by Veronica Roth in July, but I never got around to it. I was focused on finishing these three books I was already in the middle of and playing Blue Prince. However, I really need to get back into the Divergent series if I want to finish it before the new book comes out.

Also, something that I stumbled upon quite randomly is a new read-along starting this month of August on Sandra’s YouTube channel, gotathingforthings. She’s reading the Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare, and I actually have a lent copy of City of Bones. When I discovered the online book world, specifically BookTube, everyone was reading Cassandra Claire. And I know this is a book outside the genres I prefer, but I’m also really curious to see why so many people love it so much. And there’s no better time than reading it with company.

I’m not sure if City of Bones can count for any HRCYED prompts. I’ll have to read it to double-check. As for Insurgent, it will be the start of my Shiritori prompt. Since I read more than one book at a time, I want to make sure that the next book I pick up after finishing a Shiritori book is the next in line. So this means that any book that isn’t part of the Shiritori, I have to start reading it while in the middle of a Shiritori book. Does that make sense? In my mind it does. I also have a spreadsheet where I keep track of the dates when I start and finish a book, so it won’t be hard to keep track of the chain. Once I finish Insurgent, I need to pick up right away the next book in the Shiritori, which will be Thanks for the Memories by Cecilia Ahem. Maybe I’ll read both books in August. We’ll see.

I also want to get back to the A Song of Ice and Fire series, but sadly it won’t count for anything in the HRCYED. I’m still at the start of Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. It counts for the Rainbow of Words, but I don’t see myself finishing that book before the month it’s over. However, it should also be part of my immediate reading plans.

I’m leaving my mood to dictate which direction to take, and I already know that a lot of books that I’m going to read won’t count at all for the HRCYED, and that’s okay. We are just in the first month, and I already completed 5 of the 25 prompts needed. The Ain’t-Nobody-Got-Time-For-That version is a lifesaver. It takes so much pressure off and turns this challenge into something accomplishable by my reading capabilities. And that makes me excited to continue working towards the challenge.