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The Backlist-A-Thon was a month long readathon that ran from 15th of January to the 15th of February!

There were 10 prompts and the potential for 155 points (if my maths is right 😅). I managed to read 7 books and got 115 points! I’m super happy with this, especially as I’ve read a lot of books which have been sitting on my shelves for years ♥

What I Read:

 

The Diviners; Libba Bray

• Read an older anticipated release (10 pts)

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The Diviners was wonderful! The writing is lyrical and downright beautiful. And the characters immediately jump off the page. I will say I’m not such a big Evie fan, but Memphis, Theta, Henry and Jericho (oh my god I love this giant bean) are some of my new favourites.

The story keeps you gripped right up until the end. The supernatural elements are fascinating and I’m excited to continue with the series!

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Parade’s End; Ford Madox Ford

• Read a book that has been on your TBR for at least six months (10 pts)

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There is a reason why this is seen as one of the greatest novels set in WWW1. Its just that I’m not smart enough to truly engage with the lives of these middle class tories. The love story, the emotions, those were the only aspects I could truly comprehend. The last chapter of Some Do Not had me close to tears. Beautiful ♥

It’s interesting how we often learn about certain events after they’ve happened in conjunction with some future thought or occurrence, but there were so many times that I was like “how did we get here?”… twenty pages later “oh okay I get it now”.

The other issue is that I felt the last book “The Last Post” was unnecessary. And the above reasons are why. It felt concluded, and the love story remained poignant and sweet.

I’m proud that I read this 800 page beast, but the BBC series is what sticks with me more

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Hell’s Horizon; Darren Shan

• Read the book you’ve been wanting to read but haven’t gotten around to for whatever reason (15 pts)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A “detective” novel set in a gritty, magical and ruthless city. I really enjoyed following Al and meeting those around him.

This book has been on my TBR for forever and I’ve put it on so many readathon TBR posts 😅 I don’t remember anything from the first book, but thankfully, I was able to understand everything that was going on ♥

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Rebel Belle; Rachel Hawkins

• Read a book that was a gift or recommendation that you are unsure you’ll like (20 pts)

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Rebel Belle was a fun, fast paced read. The concept is interesting and you want Harper and David to succeed. I just didn’t think there was enough depth. And the ending was incredibly lacklustre for all the set up we had.

Overall, this isn’t a bad book, but it’s not a new favourite by a long stretch. I’m happy to have delved into this little southern American town, but I’m also happy to leave it at book 1.

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These books are ones I’ve already talked about in my January Wrap-Up:

 

The Supernaturalist; Eoin Colfer

• Read the book that has been on your TBR the longest (20 pts)

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Elantris; Brandon Sanderson

• Read a book you’ve been avoiding because it intimidates you (20 pts)

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The Book of Joan; Lidia Yuknavitch

• Read a book that you’ve been avoiding because of mixed or bad reviews (20 pts)

⭐⭐

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How did you do in the Backlist-A-Thon?

Thanks for reading! I hope you’re having a lovely day~