Author: Eliza Eames

My Name is Eliza, I'm a 21-year-old Aussie from Outback Queensland.

I'm an avid reader & an Amateur Photographer. I also own a Beauty Salon in my home town & am a Lifeguard at the local pool during the warmer months.

"Don't let the Muggles get you down."
- Ron Weasley

Challenges/Readathons End of the Year series!

2020 Reading Goals & Challenges 📚 Wrap Up

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date January 14, 2021
No Comments on 2020 Reading Goals & Challenges 📚 Wrap Up

Today I’ll be talking about my 2020 goals/challenges & how I went. To be honest I lost focus on these challenges completely after I fell into a reading slump in March/April. After that I was simply focusing on reading what I felt like reading to try and kill the slump! So, let’s jump in.

20 Books to Read in 2020

This was a fail…. I read 4 out of the 20 books that I planned to.
Read:
Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reingten
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs
The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson

Didn’t Read:
A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kaung
Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake
The Girl King by Mini Yu
Mirage by Somaiya Daud
Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
The Devil’s Thief by Lisa Maxwell
The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley
Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chobsky
Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris
Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
Black Wings Beating by Alex London
This Vicious Cure by Emily Suvada

Big Book Reading Challenge

This one was a bit of a fail. My goal was to read 1 book from each of the following categories:
801 – 900
901 – 1000
1001+
I ended up reading 1 book between 801 – 900 and that was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which I reread twice in 2020. Which didn’t really fulfil the challenge as it was a reread & an audiobook. But oh well.

Always Fully Booked Challenges

Next was the challenges in the Always Fully Booked Planner Challenges.

Firstly, the A to Z Challenge.
A – A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
B – The Bone Thief by Breeana Shields
C – Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
D – Dead Voices by Katherin Arden
E – The End and Other Beginnings
F – Fable by Adrienne Younf
G – Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse
H – Heartstopper: Vol 3 by Alice Oseman
I – Indigo Owl by Charlie Archbold
J –
K – Kriss: The Gift of Wrath by Ted Naifeh
L – Loveless by Alice Oseman
M – The Mapmaker’s Apprentice by C.J. Archer
N – Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reingten
O – One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus
P – Pride by Ibi Zoboi
Q – Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling (reread)
R – Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
S – Sherwood by Meagan Spooner
T – Toil & Trouble (Anthology)
U –
V – The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson (reread)
W – Witches in Training by Sam Davies
X –
Y –
Z –

Now for the Little Inkling 2020 Reading Challenge.

A Book Set in Space – Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reingten
A Debut Novel – Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen
A Book with a Number in the title – Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
A Book from a celebrity book club – Fable by Adrienne Young
A book with a title longer than 4 words – The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton
A book with multiple POV – Ever Cursed by Corey Ann Hadyu
A fairytale/classic retelling – A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
A book from a genre you don’t normally read – Dead Voices by Katherin Arden
A book published before 2012 – After the Funeral by Agatha Christie
A book recommended by a friend – Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia
A book nominated for an award in 2019 – Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling
A book longer than 600 pages – European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman
A book inspird by mythology or folklore – Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
A book with a LGBTQ+ protagonist – Loveless by Alice Oseman
A book involving a heist –
A book with a non-human character – The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill
A book set in a different country than you – Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie
A novella – Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you – Odd One Out by Nic Stone
A book with a cover you don’t like – King of Ashes by Raymond E Fiest
A book with a one-word title – Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
A book with a POC on the cover – Calling All Witches by Laurie Calkhoven
The last book in a series – The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson
A standalone – Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse
A book that makes you laugh out loud –
A Book that makes you hungry –
A book with a character(s) on a quest – Nocturna by Maya Motayne
A book set in the past – The Mapmaker’s Apprentice by C.J. Archer
A book set in the future – The End and Other Beginnings by Veronica Roth
A book that’s been on your TBR for more than a year – King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
A cover buy – Ever After by Olivia Vieweg
A tearjerker – Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (reread)
A swoon worthy book –
A reread – Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
A book with a map in it – House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess
A book with desgins under the dust jacket – All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace
The first book in a series – The Watchmaker’s Daughter by C.J. Archer
A book by two authors – Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
A book set at sea – Fable by Adrienne Young
A book you meant to read last year – Fawkes by Nadine Brandes

Then there is the Reading Rainbow Challenge
Red – Clown in Cornfield by Adam Cesare
Orange – The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Katie O’Neill
Yellow – Heartstopper: Vol 3 by Alice Oseman
Green – A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
Blue – Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
Purple – Nyxia Unleashed by Scott reingten
Pink – The Avant-Guards: Vol 1 by Carly Usdin
White – One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus
Black – Pandora’s Legacy by Kara Leopard
Gold – King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
Silver – Sherwood by Meagan Spooner
Bronze – Pride by Ibi Zoboi

Lastly, the On the Cover Challenge
A Tree – Nyxia Unleased by Scott Reingten
A Sword – Fence: Vol 1 by C.S. Pacat
2 or more People – One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus
An animal – The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill
Mountains – The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Katie O’Neill
Fire – The Bone Thief by Breeana Shields
Water – Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Mythical Creature – The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill
Wings – Witches in Training by Sam Davies
Moon or Stars – Dead Voices by Katherin Arden

Are you happy with the progress you made on your 2020 reading goals/challenges?
I definitely could have done better with the big books challenge & 20 books to read in 2020. Hopefully I do better in 2021! I will be discussing my 2021 reading goals in a post coming soon.

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Tags Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Bookish, Books, Reading Challenge

End of the Year series!

Worst & Most Dissapointing Books of 2020

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date January 14, 2021
1 Comment on Worst & Most Dissapointing Books of 2020

Today I am going to chat about the worst & most disappointing books of 2020. Usually I write two seperate posts for these categories but this year there is only 3 books that fit the category of ‘worst books’. This year I really stuck to the idea that if I’m not enjoying then DNF! So, I didn’t finish too many books that I really didn’t enjoy. 2 of the ones on the ‘worst’ list are Graphic Novels as they are super short, so I do finish those even if I’m not loving it because they only take an hour or less usually.

Worst Books I Read in 2020

Firstly we have Kriss: The Gift of Wrath which is a Graphic Novel which I received on NetGalley. This one was just confusing. I couldn’t follow what was going on and didn’t understand most of it. I rated this on 2.5 stars!
You can find my full review HERE!

Next I have The Celestial Gate which was just straight up not what it was advertised as. The synopsis is completely different to what actually happens & I break it down in my review, which you can find HERE! Besides the synopsis issue it was bland and not well written. My other complaint is that it is very heavily religion based which because of the synopsis was not what I was expecting. I went in keen for a YA adventure book but instead got a very religious booked based on reincarnation & a quest to find god….. Not what I signed up for.

EverAfter is another graphic novel & this one is translated as far as I know but, so I can’t be sure if it’s the translation that is the issue here or just the actual story. I was so damn confused though! The cover makes it look like a whimsical kind of story but then inside it’s actually about mental health & zombies??? I figured out that there is a zombie apocalypse happening but that is literally all I know. Nothing was explained, it was hard to follow & just left me confused.

Most Dissapointing Books I Read in 2020

The End and Other Beginnings by Veronica Roth

Just like most of these books I just expected more. I love Divergent by Veronica Roth and I expected to at least like half of these stories however I ended up liking 2, disliking 2 & feeling meh about the other 2. So I only enjoyed 2 out of 6 which is not great… I expected better but was just left disappointed.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky by Mackenzi Lee

The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky is a novella for the Montague Siblings trilogy which I have so far loved book 1 & 2 in the series. This one however just let me underwhelmed & also cringing for most of it… I was disappointed with this one compared to all her other works that I have read which have been amazing!

I don’t know if there is a technical term for what this book is but it is basically a graphic novel novella bind up for The Backstagers Vol 1 & 2. I loved The Backstagers Vol 1 & 2! This however was confusing & kind of pointless. I expected simply a 3rd story but it’s a heap of little stories which I just didn’t see the point off and the characters started to annoy me in this when that wasn’t the case for Vol 1 & 2… Wasn’t impressed with this one and I’d recommend just reading Vol 1 & 2.

How can the same person write The Themis Files, which were gripping, emotional & unpredictable, and write The Test, which was bland and predictable… I don’t get it. This was a short story and I really didn’t care for it. This one left me underwhelmed and I was so curious for this one as The Themis Files is just soooo good!

This one I still rated a 4 however for me it didn’t quite live up to the hype. I hear such amazing things about Branden Sanderson & yes this book was good but it didn’t blow my mind. So was slightly dissapointed.

This is another one that was being hyped so much and there was such positive feedback but I was not impressed. I rated this one 3 stars and I was honestly just confused and blown away by the ‘big reveal’. It just felt kind of ridiculous & was not expected at all. I guess it can get bonus points for unpredictability but that’s about it for me.

Odd One Out was super disappointing for me! I read Dear Martin & loved it! So I was excited about reading some of Nic Stone’s other works but this one was just bad. This features a very toxic relationship & also person & neither of which were really rectified or discussed. I’m glad that this author has grown since writing this but it still makes me hesitant to read more by this author.

What book disappointed you the most in 2020?

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Last Year I Was Reading...

Last Year I Was Reading… # 16

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date January 7, 2021
No Comments on Last Year I Was Reading… # 16

So, I’m joining a weekly feature that is kind of like a Throwback Thursday! Last Year I Was Reading… was created by ReadingMaria!

Take your current read and compare it to what you reading this exact time last year. Which one do you like better? What is different about the books? Any special facts/things you want to make note of or bring attention to? Be sure to link it back to my blog so I can see them!

This Year I Am Reading…

I am struggling a little with this one! I started reading physically but this has that kind of flowery writing style that I’m personally not a fan of. So I ended up swapping to the audiobook but I am struggling keeping occupied with it. I’m getting bored I guess. I will finish it as I have already read 45% and I’m in a ReadAThon and don’t want to have wasted 5 days on a book to not even complete a challenge with it… So I’ll finish it but I’m not loving it.

Last Year I Was Reading…

The End and Other Beginnings is an anthology, so it’s difficult to rate as a whole as it was 6 individual stories. Overall though, I was disappointed as out of the 6 stories there were 2 good ones, 2 average ones & 2 not great ones. So that’s 4 that weren’t amazing & only 2 that were… So overall a disappointment.

This is a hard one as The End and Other Beginnings was disappointing & I’m not loving The Ten Thousand Doors of January. At the moment I think I’m going to choose The End and Other Beginnings purely because of the two stories in the anthology that I really enjoyed!

What are you currently reading? Are you loving it?

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Hauls

Way too many books! 📚 December Book Haul

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date January 6, 2021
2 Comments on Way too many books! 📚 December Book Haul

So I will be talking about all the books I received in December. This is a lot but majority of these books were purchased in previous months and just finally came in! I only actually purchased I believe 8 or 10 physical books in December itself and some of them haven’t even arrived yet! Anyway, let’s jump in!

Hardcovers

Paperbacks

Subscription Box Editions

Firstly I got the OwlCrate edition of Among the Beasts and Briars which is stunning! You can actually still purchase this on their website at the time of writing this post anyway. Find it HERE.

Then I got the LitJoy Crate edition of Soulswift which was in the November box. This one is also still available and you can find it HERE!

Audible

Firstly, this cover is really not great… I grabbed this one on Audible because the audiobook on Scribd had bits missing. This can happen sometimes and it’s easiest to just let Scribd know and then they can rectify the issue. They are simply provided and file by the publisher, so unless you tell them they have no idea.

Scribd Audiobooks Saved

Scribd eBooks Saved

eBooks Purchased

What did you pick up in December that you are really keen for? I’m the most keen to pick up The Cousins by Karen M. McManus! Just waiting to land on a Bookopoly ReadAThon prompt it will fit!

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Wrap Up

The month of Graphic Novels! 📚 December Wrap Up

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date January 3, 2021
8 Comments on The month of Graphic Novels! 📚 December Wrap Up

Today I am sharing all the books I read in December! I did read a fair few issues of Graphic Novels in December, which is why I was able to read 30 books in December. 3 of those were audiobooks, 4 were physical books & the rest were Graphic Novels. For Graphic Novels I count them how I read them depending on what’s available to me. So if I read them as individual issues then I count them as individual issues. If I read them as Volumes then that is how I count them.
I also DNFd 2 books in December so I will mention those as well. Let’s jump in!

Graphic Novels

Physical Books

Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker

Audiobooks

DNFd

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu I DNFd because the writing just isn’t for me. This book has a lot more flowery/lyrical style writing than Marie Lu’s other books & I’m personally not a fan of that style. It makes it difficult for me to get into the story & I get impatient with it. So just not my thing.
Star Daughter I do plan to give another go. I got a decent way into this one on audiobook but I just wasn’t really in the mood for audiobooks as the time. You can see that I only listened to 3 this month when I usually listen to a lot more! I also haven’t been in a fantasy mood. So I was just struggling with this one at the time.

What did you read in December?!

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End of the Year series!

How much did I read in 2020? 💫 Reading Stats!

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date January 1, 2021
2 Comments on How much did I read in 2020? 💫 Reading Stats!

Today I am going to share my 2020 reading stats! For those curious, I use both Goodreads & an Google Sheet to track my reading all year! Let’s jump straight in!

Total books read in 2020?

152. 36 of those were rereads

Total books DNFd in 2020?

11. I will be doing a post talking about all the books I DNFd in 2020. So keep an eye out for that.

How many new authors did I read from in 2020?

39.

Total pages read in 2020?

45,464. Which is actually less than last year but 5,000ish.

Average pages read per month?

3789.

Total 5 star reads?

25 & this does not include rereads.

How many 2020 releases read?

Now let’s jump into the pie charts!

Books Read by Month

Pages Read by Month

Books Read by Genre

Books Read by Age Group

Books Read by Format

Books Read by Page Length

Books Read by Publication Year

Books Read by Star Rating (not including rereads)

And no, I don’t have any books rated under a 2 stars because if I’m. not liking a book I DNF it.

LGBT+ Representation

This list only includes the MAIN LGBT as I chose one identity for each book. This also may not be accurate because I only decided to add this to my tracking sheet in about September or something, so I had to go back and try and remember or look at what other people had marked it as on Goodreads.

Goodreads Stats

Now I’m going to share a few of the things that Goodreads tracks that I don’t.

Shortest & Longest books I read

Most & Least popular Read according to Goodreads

Book I read that has the highest Goodreads rating

My first Goodreads review of the year, which I just thought was funny!

Well those are my 2020 reading stats! I will be doing a seperate post in the future talking about how my 2020 reading goals went, so keep an eye out for that one!
Let me know in the comments what your most read genre was in 2020!?

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🎄 Blogmas 🎅🏼 Last Year I Was Reading...

Last Year I Was Reading… #15 🎄Blogmas Day 31

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date December 31, 2020
2 Comments on Last Year I Was Reading… #15 🎄Blogmas Day 31

So, I’m joining a weekly feature that is kind of like a Throwback Thursday! Last Year I Was Reading… was created by ReadingMaria!

Take your current read and compare it to what you reading this exact time last year. Which one do you like better? What is different about the books? Any special facts/things you want to make note of or bring attention to? Be sure to link it back to my blog so I can see them!

This Year I Am Reading…

Belle Révolte YA LGBT Fantasy Standalone and I’m currently 23% into it. This one is very intriguing so far but at the moment we are just kind of building the scene, so while it is enjoyable I’m not 100% into it right now. I do think it’s going to be good though, but we will see.

Last Year I Was Reading…

The Darkdeep by Ally Condie & Brendan Reichs

The Darkdeep is book 1 in a MG Fantasy Horror series that was super fun! It was very atmospheric & creepy book and I loved it! I rated this one 5 stars and also loved the sequel! I really need to get to book 3, The Torchbearers now that it is out!

Overall I am enjoying Belle Révolte but I’m going to have to give this round to The Darkdeep as it was so fun & creepy!

What are you currently reading? Are you loving it?

Purchase any of the books mentioned from BOOK DEPOSITORY! World Wide FREE shipping and awesome prices? Can’t say no to that!

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🎄 Blogmas 🎅🏼 End of the Year series!

Top 8 📚 Historical Ficiton & Non-Fiction 🎄 Blogmas Day 29

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date December 30, 2020
4 Comments on Top 8 📚 Historical Ficiton & Non-Fiction 🎄 Blogmas Day 29

Today is the last Top 8 I will be posting in 2020 and I’m talking about both Adult & YA Historical Fiction & Non-Fiction books! Let’s jump in.

1. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Salt to the Sea is a YA Historical Fiction that follows 4 POV, a pregnant Polish girl, a Lithuanian Nurse, a Prussian solider who are fleeing the advancing Red Army onto the Wilhelm Gustloff as well as a Nazi Peon who is working on the Gustloff. The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff in the Baltic Sea on January 30th 1945 is the single most tragic maritime disaster resulting in 9,000 people dying, of which 5000 were children.
Salt to the Sea is an absolutely beautifully written story. It is the most heartbreaking and impactful story I have read making it my all time favourite Historical Fiction. I highly recommend and the audiobook is also amazingly done and features a cast of 4 narrators, one for each POV.

2. A Tale of Two Murders by Heather Redmond

A Tale of Two Murders is the first book in an Adult Historical Mystery series following a young Charles Dickens as he works as a journalist.
I love when basically any genre is combined with mystery, so they one was amazing! I also loved that it featured an interpretation of a well known person as the MC. This one was really well written, gripping & completely unpredictable. I really need to continue this trilogy!

3. The Montague Siblings by Mackenzi Lee

The Montague Siblings is a YA Historical Diverse Fantasy series. It was originally a duology but now there is a third book coming out, so I am super keen for that to release in 2021! Book 1 in the series follows Monty, who is a ‘gentleman’ that has no interest in going away to a fancy boarding school & then return to take over the family estate and also has a huge crush on his best friend Percy. Book 2 follows Monty’s sister, Felicity, who is trying to avoid an unwanted marriage and go to medical school instead. However only men can be trusted with the secrets of science. Book 3 will follow Percy and I’m so keen.
This trilogy so far is super fun, full of adventures and things going wrong. Book 1 features alchemy & book 2 has pirates and I’m keen to see what craziness will be thrown into book 3! Highly recommend if you’re looking for a fun diverse historical fiction.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Of course this one made it to this list. The Book Thief is a YA Historical Fiction that is narrated by death. This one shows each of the times death comes close to our main character, Liesel. This is beautifully and also very interesting written. The story is heartbreaking and emotional and I just love this book so much!

5. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

They Called Us Enemy is my most recent read on this list as I read it earlier in December. This one is a Historical Non-Fiction Graphic Novel which follows George telling his childhood experiences of being in American Concentration Camps during WWII. Even though George was American born, his parents were Japanese and he of Japanese descent. In 1942 President Roosevelt ordered that anyone of Japanese descent be rounded up & put in ‘relocation centres’.
This graphic novel has gorgeous illustrations but it is also beautifully written. It is a very impactful story and also a unique one to me as I have never read a WWII book based around what a Japanese person dealt with, or what it was like in America during WWII. Highly recommend!

6. Sherwood by Megan Spooner

Sherwood is a YA Historical Fantasy Retelling of Robin Hood. Sherwood follows Maid Marian as she finds out that Robin of Locksley is dead leaving the town without a protector. The sheriff’s right hand intends to take his place as both Lord of Locksley & Marians fiancé. Marian finds herself stepping into Robin shoes and becoming the symbol of Robin Hood the mysterious protector of Locksley.
This is such an interesting concept & it was very well written. I loved Marian as a character and this world and time period was so vivid! Definitely worth the read.

7. Fawkes by Nadine Brandes

Fawkes is a YA Historical Fantasy that I also mentioned in a previous top 8 post! Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague & Igniters believe that Keepers caused the plague. Our main character Thomas has caught the plague and his eye has turned to stone & it will soon spread. His Keeper father tries to recruit him for a mission that will hopefully end the plague and save him. However, doing so will destroy the family of the girl he loves.
This one is such an interesting concept. A plague that slowly turns people to stone. This world is very well developed and atmospheric. I loved the characters and I also enjoyed the discussion of racism in this one as it was both historical accurate as well as being questioned. Highly recommend.

9. The Complete MAUS by Art Spiegelman

I’ve also talked about MAUS in a previous Top 8 recommendations post but it is definitely worth the love! Another Historical book set in WWII but this one is not just based on a true person. It is the true story in graphic novel form. MAUS follows Art Spiegelman as his grandfather and him discusses what his grandfather, Vladek, and his wife endured during WWII as a Jewish family.
This is harrowing, heartbreaking and just amazingly done. I also loved that Art used different animals to represent the different groups in the graphic novel. I Highly recommend reading this one but just know that it is a hard book to read.

What Historical Fiction or Non-Fiction book do you recommend to people the most!?

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🎄 Blogmas 🎅🏼 End of the Year series!

The Books I Wish I Read in 2020 🎄 Blogmas Day 28

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date December 29, 2020
6 Comments on The Books I Wish I Read in 2020 🎄 Blogmas Day 28

Today I will be sharing all the books that I really wish I had gotten to in 2020. Like yesterday’s post I am not going to go into detail about why each of these individual books are on this list because I will just be repeating myself over and over again. These are all on here because I really wanted to read them but I either ran out of time, hit a reading slump or wasn’t being drawn to that particular genre at the time. There will be a decent amount on Fantasy on here for this reason as I wasn’t in a fantasy mood towards the end of the year, so a lot of the fantasy books I was super keen for didn’t get read. Let’s jump in!