Reading Challenge 2024!

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

It's that time again, where I set myself a reading challenge for the year.

Last year, I set myself the challenge of reading 6 books, and surprisingly, I completed my challenge and read an extra book, so I read 7 books last year. As always, I read books that weren't a part of my challenge, but all that matters is that the challenge was completed.

This year I have set myself the challenge of reading 9 books, this years challenge should be a lot easier to complete as most of them are manga's.

This years books include: Volume 1, 2 and 3 of Natsuki Kizu's Given, Volume 2 of Haro Aso's Alice in Borderland, Volume 1 and 2 of Mingwa's BJ Alex, Volume 5 of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's Heaven Official's Blessing, Volume 1 of 945's The Dangerous Convenience Store and Tim Burton's Animated Classic The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Back to last years books, lets have a look into which books I completed in last years challenge.

My first book was Volume 1 of Alice in Borderland by Haro Aso. I started reading the series because I loved the live-action and wanted to see how they both differed and how much was used for the live action. The first volume covers the first 2 episodes of the live-action, with the first game being completely different, and character meets also being changed.

Eighteen-year-old Ryohei Arisu is sick of life.

School sucks, his love life is a joke, and his future feels like impending doom. As he struggles to exist in a world that can't be bothered with him, Ryohei feels like everything would be better if he were anywhere else. When a strange fireworks show transports him and his friends to a parallel world, Ryohei thinks all his wishes have come true. But this new world isn't an empty paradise, it's a vicious game. And the only way to survive is to play.

The first game starts with a bang, but Ryohei manages to beat the clock and save his friends. It's a short-lived victory, however, as they discover that winning only earns them a few days' grace period. If they want to get home, they're going to have to start playing a lot harder.

My second book was Heaven Official's Blessing Volume 3 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. As expected I loved this story and the illustrations are stunning. A Majority of volume 3 is set in the past, so I enjoyed getting to know more about Xie Lian and his gang and how he ended up being kicked out of the heaven realm for the first time.

Something to Fight For, Someone to Live For.

Gods should never meddle in the affairs of mortals, but Xie Lian is not one to follow the rules when lives are at risk. He spits in the face of heaven and it's laws and descends in a fury to save his country from drought and civil war. Yet this golden child gets a harsh dose of reality when he discovers just how little one individual - even a God - can do to save a crumbling nation.

As the people reject and betray him, one young soldier stands by Xie Lian - a boy with a face wrapped in bandages and a fierce loyalty in his heart.

In this chaotic past, can an unbreakable bond grow from the ashes of unimaginable destruction?

My third book was Heaven Official's Blessing Volume 4 by by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. Personally for me, this so far is the most heart breaking volume in the series. When I finished it I was too scared to even start volume 5. Saying that as I expected, like with the previous volumes, I loved it. I couldn't put it down.

Fates Aligned, Bodies Intertwined.

The Reverend of Empty Words, a monster that feeds off the fears of the fortunate, is hunting Xie Lian's friend, the wind master Shi Qingxuan.

Knowing that his abysmal luck inoculates him from the creatures power, Xie Lian doesn't hesitate to throw himself into harms way - to Hua Cheng's horror and panic. But another one of the four calamities may be closer than anyone knows, and even a ghost as powerful as Hua Cheng can lose control under the right circumstances. With his inhibitions gone, will desire overtake him?

My fourth book was Mira Grant's Deadline. I love this book series, it's one of my favourites and I love how the perspective changes to Shaun and how he's dealing with the events of the first book of the series. No matter how many times I read this book, my heart still breaks with parts of the story.

NOTHING STAYS BURRIED FOR LONG...

Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organisation he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has.

But when a researcher from the Centre for Disease Control fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun's relieved to find a new purpose in life. Because she brings news: the monster who attacked them may be destroyed, but the conspiracy is far from dead.

Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.

My fifth book was Blackout by Mira Grant. This is the 3rd and final book in the newsflesh series. This one switches between Shaun's point of view and Georgia's. I would say I was shocked about one of the twists in the book but I wasn't, there something for me that it was kind of obvious and it was a twist I liked. The other twists, I also loved and wasn't expecting, which made me love this book even more.

THE WORLD DIDN'T END WHEN THE ZOMBIES CAME.

WE JUST WISHED IT HAD.

The conspiracy that rules post-zombie America is alive and well. The same can't be said of the bloggers who dared to tell the truth as they found it. Now, with too much left to do and nor much time left to it in, Shaun Mason and his team must face mad scientists, zombie bears and rogue government agencies - and if there's one thing they know is true in post-zombie America, it's this:

Things can always get worse

Blackout is the conclusion to the epic near-future trilogy that began with the Hugo-nominated Feed and it's sequel Deadline.

My sixth book was Reflection: A Twisted Tale by Elizabeth Lim. While I did enjoy reading this book, it did take me about a year and a half to finish it. It was really easy to read, but I just ended up reading other books before going back and finishing this one. But I finally did. I love Mulan, so it was nice to read an alternate story for what happened when Captain Shang was on death's door.

What it Mulan had to travel to the underworld?

When Captain Shang is mortally wounded in battle, Mulan must travel to the Underworld, Diyu, in order to save him from certain death. But King Yama, the ruler of Diyu, is not willing to give Shang up easily.

With the help of Shang's great lion guardian ShiShi, Mulan must find Shang's spirit and leave by sunrise, or become Kimg Yama's prisoner forever. Mulan, still disguised as the soldier Ping, wrestles with the decision whether or not to reveal her true identity to her closest friend.

Will Mulan be able to save Shang before it's too late?

My seventh and final book for 2023 was Love Is An Illusion Volume 1 by Fargo. I originally read this online and loved it, so when I saw they were physically releasing it. I knew I had to get my hands on it and read it again. The illustrations are stunning, I love that its mainly in black and white, but there's pops of colour every now and again.

An Omega with Alpha-tude

Hye-sung spent his entire life believing he was an alpha, the jackpot of the genetic lottery. His world is flipped upside down when he learns that he's not a dominating alpha, but a submissive omega instead!

His frustration redlines whenever he crosses paths with the handsome Dojin, a true alpha. Supposedly, Dojin can't stand omega's, but sparks fly when he butts heads with Hye-sung, and their explosive arguments set off an unexpectedly spicy relationship. Is their sizzling chemistry truly just pheromones?!

So there was my 2023 reading challenge results, and now it's time to get stuck into 2024's challenge. We're off to a good start as I have already completed my first book.

CHALLENGE START!!

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye