My Monthly Wrap-Up | September 2020

Posted on by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Hello ladies & gentlemen,

The month has come to an end and it’s time to do a quick wrap-up of what has been done.

Reading Breakdown.

Novels read: 8 (↑4).
Comic books read: 16 (↑1).
Manga volumes read: 6 (↓6).

BOOK REVIEWS.

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells.
The Black Song by Anthony Ryan.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman.

COMIC BOOK REVIEWS.

Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 3): Greetings From Gotham by Peter J. Tomasi.
Digital Mini Reviews | What Do You Do When You Crave For Ghosts, Vampires, Cowboys, and Spies?
Batman: Curse of the White Knight by Sean Murphy.
Kabuki Omnibus Vol. 3 by David Mack.
Manor Black by Cullen Black.
American Gods (Vol. 3): The Moment of Truth by Neil Gaiman.
Digital Mini Reviews | Sometimes You Need a Light Read In-Between Dark Stories.
No One Left to Fight by Aubrey Sitterson.
Hex Wives by Ben Blacker.

TV SERIES/MOVIE REVIEWS.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

MISCELLANEOUS POSTS.

Blogging: Why Are Reviews So Unpopular?
Doom (2016) Video Game Review.

TOP BOOK.

Creator David Mack has some of the best artwork in the business and I can’t wait to dive into the third omnibus to see what else he was able to learn and improve on over the years!

Check out my review for more on my thoughts!

LEAST FAVOURITE BOOK.

Let’s just say that my excitement for this one progressively died as I flipped through the pages. The artwork just couldn’t save it either.

Check out my review for more on my thoughts!

TOP MOVIE.

A visceral and gut-wrenching French dramatization by director Denis Villeneuve of the 1989 Polytechnique massacre (located at the University I’ve been attending for the past years) masterfully captured in a black-and-white rendering with a stellar cast performance showcasing both our vulnerability and our helplessness as mere spectators of the horrors of a hopeless killer indoctrinated by an anti-feminist agenda.

 5 stars outta 5.

CURRENTLY READING.

 I had a blast with the first book and I’ve only been hearing phenomenal things about this sequel while I was reading it myself. I doubt M.R. Carey could’ve disappointed me with this one any way.

I should have a review with my thoughts on this one soon.

PERSONAL LIFE.

Here goes another month of 2020! I don’t even know how it’s possible. Thinking back at these past weeks, I feel like I haven’t done much but a lot at the same time. One cool surprise was that I got confirmation of what we shall call a job “promotion” that should shake things up for upcoming months until 2021. I’ve been waiting for this for a while now and I’m glad that it’s happening. The paperwork is currently being completed and hopefully they get that done sooner rather than later.

This month also saw me finally succumb to the idea of indulging ebooks as part of my life going forward. A couple of months ago, I discovered how accessible digital comic books were and how it allowed me access to even more reading material than ever with the convenience of it all within the palms of my hands, especially for books that I know I wouldn’t have paid for unless heavily discounted in the far future! I won’t fall for the trap that is NetGalley for the time being, as I already have so many amazing physical books to check out, but I’m definitely going to be more accepting of the idea of reading digital books moving forward. Don’t be surprised if you see me mix things up on my blog with reviews of digital books! I wonder how long it’ll take before I become like some of you guys, completely transformed into a 100% digital reader! 😮

To conclude this month, I was invited to host a giveaway on my Instagram account by the wonderful people at Simon and Schuster Canada! It is exclusive to Canadian residents, so if that’s you, go check it out for a chance to win Fredrick Backman’s latest novel Anxious People!

Thank you all for checking out my monthly wrap-up and don’t forget to check out any posts that might interest you or that you might have missed out on!

Stay tuned for my Monthly Anticipation post coming out soon. 😉

So what’s going on with y’all? What have you discovered this month? What are your thoughts on the books/TV series/movies I’ve checked out?

Yours truly,

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Published by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Reader. Reviewer. Researcher. Criminology Ph.D. Candidate. Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Want to know more? Connect with him!

32 thoughts on “My Monthly Wrap-Up | September 2020”

  2. Kabuki in the top book spot this month, I love it! 🙂 I’ve begun reading the next volume, enjoying it so far. The Polytechnique movie must really hit home, scary stuff. There are some unwell people out there. Congratulations on the job situation. I hope that all works out for you. As for ebooks, I really like having them as part of my reading fare, though I still prefer good old dead tree books. One feature of ebooks I appreciate is the onboard dictionary so I can instantly lookup words just by holding my finger on them. I get so used to it I sometimes find myself pressing down on a word in a paper book and then instantly feeling stupid. 🙂

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    1. Look forward to exchanging notes on the third omnibus soon too! 😉 I definitely recommend the movie if you’re curious enough. It was quite a historical tragedy for us… Thanks, Todd! I appreciate it. 🙂 I’m 100% with you there. Nothing will ever top a good dead tree copy. Hahahaha I can imagine myself doing the same. But I have to admit that I love the highlighting feature. It’s going to be SOOO useful for writing reviews. 😮

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  3. Congrats on the promotion! That’s so cool! 😀😀 Well, one thing I can say is that I will never turn into a digital reader myself. Tried it a few times, but it never works for me. I just love my normal books much more!😀😀
    I never heard about this film by the way, and I’m a huge fan of Denis Villeneuve, so I will try and track this one down. But I can imagine that not being a very easy film to watch😢
    Hope the next month will bring you good things, and of course I look forward to your posts!😊😀

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    1. Thanks, man! I appreciate it! Hahahah I like how you employed the word “never” without reinstating the “never say never” thoughts as usual! 😉 I used to think I could never get into them but I’ve decided to give them a good try now and it’s been working wonders, allowing me to read more than ever!

      I definitely recommend it, despite how tragic the movie is. I’ve seen all of his movies now and it’s one of his best work for sure.

      Looking forward to your posts as well, Michel! Stay safe and strong, my friend. 😀

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    1. Nop, I’ll be doing some novels here and then. It’ll depend on the books, which will usually be new releases too. I’ve been limiting myself a lot by being a physical copy reviewer over the years, so I can only imagine what I can manage to read by having access to ebooks/ecomics now! 😀

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    1. Hahahaha as much as I respect your own life of an e-reader, I can’t see myself ONLY sticking to it. Life would have to forbid me from owning physical copies for that to happen! 😀 I can’t wait to share my thoughts on The Trials of Koli too! Happy reading, Maddalena! 😀

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  11. I’m sure I say this every time, but I love that you show your reading trend. That’s really fun.

    Congrats on your promotion! How exciting- and I’m sure most deserved! I don’t know how you balance work, graduate school, reading, and blogging at the same time. I’m sure you have friends and family and other hobbies in there, too! It’s amazing.

    I doubt you’ll ever become 100% e-Reader. You like the physical aspect of graphic novels and comics too much. Yes, it’s easy to get them via Hoopla (I’ve started to read a TON there, too, now — I blame you. Got me hooked, you did!), but there’s something so satisfying about those glossy illustrations… I do appreciate that you embrace the possibility, however.

    Do you use the library for your books often? I find that, as an avid library user, I don’t get to be choosy in format if I want to be choosy in content. For example, my library only has one copy of a Newbery Award winner I want to read. It’s on this weird portable MP3 player that only contains this book. It requires I have a AAA battery and a set of headphones with a cord! I wonder how much longer these forms of media will be viable…

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    1. It not only forces me to go through a couple of books that I need to get around to soon, but it definitely does highlight the books that you guys can expect to see on my blog hahah

      Thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words and the support, Jackie! 😀

      You’re 1000000% right hahahah I can’t see myself turning 100% e-reader unless I have some kind of medical condition forcing me to go digital or something. Physical books just bring me much more joy to ever be completely replaced. But I do appreciate the features that come with e-reading (e.g. highlighting, note-taking, etc.)! So practical!

      I haven’t made full use of my libraries before the pandemic but have been wanting to do so ever since the pandemic started (which coincided with when I started to read digital comics, and now books). At least the apps I use all make use of my library card (e.g. Hoopla)!

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      1. Oh, I do a MUCH better job taking notes and highlighting quotes for my blog when I read on an eReader. Well. When I read on a eReading device. My Hoopla app doesn’t let me highlight or take notes, which is disappointing. It’s quite frustrating, actually. I’ve gotten to spoiled with other eReader functionality! XD

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    1. Yep, I did know of it. First through the grapevines throughout elementary, then as historical facts through high school. I have been to that wing just to see the place but I didn’t have classes there since I didn’t study in things like engineering and whatnot. There was another shooting too here at Dawson, with one victim, that happened IN my life though and it’s still weird to know that THAT event once took place at that college…

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    1. Humble Bundle is amazing for those comics!!! I remember getting it, finding the price (donation) too good to pass on hahaha But I’m with you. Having both is so cool! 😛 Thank you so much, Heather. I appreciate it. Have an excellent month of October! Stay safe! 😀

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  14. A huge congrats with the promotion, that is amazing!! eBooks are definitely a slippery slope. It took me aaages to get my first Kindle, being the old-school type, who loved paper copies. Fast forward – today my “reading” is probably 80% audiobooks, 15% eBooks and the rest physical copies (the latter is only used for technical nonfiction, where I have to write notes and underline). What is worse, all my old paper copies are gone and I now have a Marie Kondo’ish approach to physical books. So watch out!! 😛

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    1. Thank you so much! Oh boy, oh boy. When I heard about Kondo’s rule for libraries at home, I died. I’m already stating it out there that I won’t ever go full out 100% e-reader!!!! I love physical books too much!!! I’m… now… going to go pray that I don’t turn into you next! 😛

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  15. I am always so impressed with how much you read and post in a month! And congrats on your promotion! That is exciting. It’s nice to hear something good actually happen in 2020. And I’m so glad you got into ebooks/comics! Getting an ereader definitely changed my life for the better.

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    1. Hahaha I appreciate it, Stephanie! Your reading habits also impress me a lot! The number of books alone blows my mind! 😉 I’m definitely appreciating ebooks/e-comics a lot lately. I think it’s definitely going to change my reading a lot for 2021! Exciting stuff. 😀 Happy reading, Stephanie!

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