Microtech UTX-70 Spartan Thoughts

After loving the Kershaw Launch 4 so much, I've been on the hunt for other small autos. I've never tried an OTF before and have always heard that Microtech does some of the best ones. The UTX-70 has been been on my list to try for a while, but they're usually out of stock. After snagging one in April, I'll end up sticking with my Launch 4. The UTX-70 just doesn't have the same charm or appeal to me.

Design wise, this is your standard Microtech. It's a clean looking knife, though I do find the black scales to be boring. They've done all sorts of different varieties of colors and blade shapes over the years. It's much easier to find the UTX-85s in various colors for whatever reason. I'm not sure why Microtech makes these so hard to buy. This particular version is the Spartan which has a double edged tanto blade. The quality is impressive and is on par with how much you're paying. It's nice to support a USA made company as well. 

Getting onto the blade, like I mentioned this one is double edged. I've never tried a double edged knife and don't care for it all that much. I don't find it necessary and am always afraid I'll somehow cut myself on the extra edge. The steel is CTS-204P which I've never tried before. I don't care about having the highest end steel and have been more than happy with the performance. It's a nice size for EDC too, coming in at 2.41" long. That doesn't make it CA legal like the Launch 4, though they do have a CA legal version if that's a necessity for you. Most states have stricter laws regarding autos anyways so definitely be wary of that.

I've only ever tried push button autos before, so I wasn't sure what to expect from the OTF action. Getting the blade out is quick and easy, but the same cannot be said about trying to retract the blade. Either I'm just weak or mine still needs to be broken in, because I have to use two hands to slide the blade back in. The slide was designed well, with good texturing and a ramp-like shape that helps you get a good grip on it. It's a solid knife, and I've never worried that it's unsafe.

There's not much going on with the handle. It's a simple, rectangular shape (coming in at 3.22" long) with some contouring throughout. The edges of the handles could benefit from a bit more rounding in my opinion. I love the look of the Microtech logo too. Like I mentioned at the beginning, I wish these were easy to find in other colors. The black doesn't do it for me. These do have specialty hardware, so you can't take the knife apart unless you have the tool. That's probably for the best, because it'd be easy to screw up if you took it apart. I've heard Microtech has good customer service in case you do end up having problems.

The ergos are alright but not my favorite in the world. I can fit a full four-finger grip, though I can't find a natural place to rest my thumb. I'd want to rest it on the blade but I can't do that since this one is double edged. The rectangular handle does feel boxier than I'd like due to no rounded edges. Again, it just doesn't feel as good in the hand as my Launch 4.

I've got no complaints about the clip. It works exactly as it should. There's even a glassbreaker on the end of the knife. I'd probably never use it, but I guess it's nice that it's there. This is one of the few knives where I'd tolerate tip-down carry, since your thumb will be closer to slide when getting it out of the pocket.

These went for $221 which seems fair enough for what you're getting. I'm sure there's a lot of detail that goes into getting the action right. Plus, you are supporting an American made company. If you're interesting in picking one up, you have to be patient and jump on them as soon as they're up for sale. They usually go out of stock the same day which is kind of annoying.

This is a nice enough knife, but unfortunately doesn't compare to the Launch 4 that I love so much. Ultimately, I think I prefer push button autos over OTFs. It's still a well-done knife, though isn't perfect ergos wise and is much stiffer than I expected. If you're looking for an OTF, Microtech has the market locked down and puts out high quality knives. For EDC, it might not be the best option if your state has stricter knife laws. It's not as great as I was expecting considering they sell out like hot cakes. I say skip it and spend your money elsewhere. Thanks for looking!

Multitool Collection Update 2019!

My 2019 collection updates continue with my multitools. For the most part, this aspect of my gear collection has stayed pretty constant. I don't use multitools all that often, and there aren't too many innovative ones coming out. I rarely need plier-based multitools so Victorinoxs are the ones I typically reach for the most and what my collection primarily consists of.

Along with the typical Leatherman/Victorinox/Wenger multitools I have, I also threw in my one piece multitools (OPMTs) and a CRKT Eat'n Tool. Starting at the top row after the Eat'n Tool is my larger multitools, like the Victorinox Alox Pioneer, Wenger EvoGrip S11, Victorix Alox Bantam, mini pry bar, and Gerber Shard. The Shard is by far the best OPMT I've tried and is a great deal at only $5. The Pioneer and Wenger are my two favorite larger tools, and I love both of their colors. They're still compact enough to carry in my EDC pouch without weighing it down too much.

The second row is the smaller keychain sized tools I have: the Leatherman Squirt P4, Victorinox Classic, Victorinox Alox Classic, Victorinox Midnite Manager, Victorinox Alox Minichamp, and CRKT Snailor Compact. If you couldn't tell, I love the 58mm Victorinoxs. They're the perfect size for a keychain or to slip loose in the pocket. The only Leatherman I currently own is the Squirt P4 which has remained my favorite plier-based multitool over the years. I prefer it over the newer PS4, since the finish feels nicer to me and it doesn't have Leatherman's crappy scissors. One of the reasons I always stick with Victorinox is due to how great their scissors are. They cut better than any other multitool scissors I've tried, getting very precise cuts thanks to how thin they are. The Classic is my favorite 58mm tool and multitool in general, and I always have one on me either on my keys or in my EDC pouch. I still haven't carried the Midnite Manager or Minichamp much but like how they offer different toolsets than the bare bones Classic. The Snailor is a cute little keychain bottle opener that I've mostly kept around for its design. I don't drink so I never find myself needing a bottle opener.

And of course I left out one of my cooler Victorinoxs which I believe is called the Adventurer. It stays in my hiking bag the majortiy of the time. It's the largest multitool I own and has a locking blade unlike any of the other multitools I've got. The camouflage pattern looks awesome as well! 

That about wraps it up. I'm not as interested in multitools as I used to be when I first got into EDC. Victorinox makes the superior multitools in my opinion with a tool for everybody. I've never had any luck with Gerber's quality, and Leatherman focuses mainly on plier-based tools. There's a couple Victorinoxs I want to check out, but other than that, I don't see my collection changing much in the next year or so. Thanks for looking!

Urban EDC Supply/Justin Lundquist Baby Barlow Thoughts

I had the chance to check out the Baby Barlow on loan which is a collaboration between Urban EDC Supply and Justin Lundquist. If you're interested in learning more about them, here's a link to the all titanium version on Urban EDC Supply. If you want to see the different varieties, here's that link as well. I've never been too interested in traditional knives due to how formulaic they are. That's where the Baby Barlow comes in, finally adding some more innovation to the kinda dull traditional market with the addition of a front flipper, liner lock, and clip. It was fun to check out, though I'm not sure it's something I'd want to carry everyday.

Quick side note: this is a prototype and is not exactly like the final production version. This one is beadblasted while the production version is sandblasted. Apparently this one is not up to the final quality standards either, but I was very impressed with the quality and fit/finish. They'll end up shipping in early November of this year and are available for preorder at a slight discount. The all titanium version is going for $199 currently, while the versions with the G10 inserts are going for $215.

This is a Justin Lundquist design, who's also done some knives for Kizer like the Feist. It's a very classy and clean design that would function well for EDC tasks. It's a smaller knife that would work out well as a backup option. These are made by Fox Knives in Italy which is pretty cool as well. Like I mentioned earlier, the quality/fit and finish were top notch. I was very impressed with the quality and design.

The blade steel is M390 with the cutting edge coming in at 2 inches. I find 2" to be the optimal blade length for me, since it keeps the knife compact while not sacrificing usability. M390 is a great steel and performed very well. The only complaint I have about the blade involves the front flipper.

The nail nick is entirely for show, as the front flipper tab is the primary way to open this knife. As you can see in the photo below, the blade is entirely recessed in the handle. The flipper tab isn't that apparent in the photo but it's right above the pivot. The fact that it doesn't stick out that far in the photo goes to show how small it really is. I'm not sure if they had to make it that small to fit the design or if they just wanted to make it as small as possible. Either way, it's too small in my opinion and makes the knife that much harder to open. There is some jimping on the tab for grip, but it's almost too coarse and is one of the few flipper tabs I've tried that has absolutely destroyed my finger. I ended up getting a huge blister on my index finger just from flipping it in my video. I don't think dulling the jimping would help at all because it'd make the knife even harder to flip.

As far as the front flipper aspect, I'm not a fan personally. It takes too much concentration to flip well, and it usually takes me 3 or 4 attempts before I get it flipped open cleanly. Sometimes I miss the flipper tab because of how small it is. Other times, it only opens partially due to not hitting the tab right. I'd rather have a normal flipper that's easier to open than the gimmicky front flipper. The Baby Barlow does run on caged ball bearings, so when you manage to flip it well, it opens very smoothly. Maybe I just needed to get used to the front flipping action. To me though, it didn't feel natural to reach around the end of the knife to flip it. That's probably the biggest issue I have with the knife overall. If it's not easy to flip, then I'm never going to want to use it in my EDC.

This version of the Baby Barlow has a titanium handle with an OD green G10 insert around the pivot. I like the insert, and the three grooves help add a little grip for your pointer finger. I'm normally not a fan of titanium handles but really like these ones due to how nicely rounded the edges are. Though there's no jimping anywhere along the handle or spine of the blade, I've never felt that the knife is too slick. Also, the liner lock is solid and had no play at all.

I was able to fit a full four-finger grip quite comfortably. Those of you with larger hands are probably looking at more of a three-finger grip on the 2.93" handle. The edges of the handles are perfectly rounded so the knife feels like it melts into your hand. I'd like to see rounded handle edges become the standard on all new knives. 

The clip is simple and works as it should. The light weight (2.4 ounces) and slimness made it a joy to carry. I had no major complaints about how it carried.

Looking at the price, the full price of $239 may seem high for what you're getting. The higher-end materials (titanium, M390, and G10) are what you typically see in knives over $200. I hear the argument that people wouldn't pay so much for such a small knife which I don't get at all. Just because a knife is small doesn't mean the price should be reduced. If anything, they require more precision/details and have smaller tolerances than larger knives would. As a classier show piece for your collection, the price doesn't seem that ridiculous compared to what some knives go for.

It was neat to check out the Baby Barlow, yet it's not the knife for me. It's nice to see some innovation in the traditional market. I hope other knife manufacturers catch on and start innovating more in the production folder market. I see this knife as more of a show piece instead of one you'd actually want to use every day. The clean design and compact size was ultimately ruined by the front flipper. Thanks for looking!

Flashlight Collection Update 2019!

I've gotta admit, these days I'm getting much more usage out of my flashlights than my knives. Light is just one of those things you can't easily replicate unless you're some sort of wizard. If it's pitch black out, you're screwed unless you've got some sort of light source on you. I use my knives mainly to open mail/packages which you can usually end up ripping open if you had to. If I could truly only carry one thing everyday, it'd hands down be a flashlight. Because of my increased usage over the past year or so, I've spent more time researching lights and expanding my collection. The majority of the newer additions have been very generous gifts, so huge thank you to those that sent them my way! Here's the current state of my collection with maybe a few random ones missing. It's almost as big as my knife collection if you saw that post a few weeks ago with 16 lights in this photo. I expect it to a change a bit by the end of the summer so I can try out a few others that have been on my list to try. I also just realized I left out my headlamp which is one of my favorite lights I own. Nothing beats having hands-free lighting. Let's get into it!

Something that surprised me when I was getting all these together was how colorful my collection is. It's kind of neat because I've got three purple ones, three blue ones, three black ones, and three green ones. That's a nice symmetry that I didn't intend to happen. I've complained for years that the standard black flashlights are so boring and thought my collection would closely reflect that market. It goes to show that companies could easily make more colorful lights if they tried. These days, I'm not going to buy a flashlight if it only comes in black. Colorful lights are much easier to see in the dark and are more fun for me to carry. Anyways, sorry for the tangent there, back to the lights.

Starting on the left side and going down is the Eagle Eye X2R, Convoy S2+, FourSevens Classic Preon P2, an Ultratac that I don't know the model of, Utorch UT01, Streamlight Microstream, and Thrunite T01. The top 2 are both 18650 lights and are extremely bright. They're not lights I'd carry on my person but could easily throw in my bag if I knew I'd need something brighter. The Preons are my favorite lights of all time, and while I don't carry the P2 that much because of the longer size, the neon green is one of the coolest colors. FourSevens did a great job making the colors pop and stand out. The rest are ones that I don't use too frequently in my EDC. I have a few of the Ultratacs scattered around my apartment and in various bags as backups. The Microstream is a classic light that maybe doesn't stand up to the higher end flashlight tech available now. I love the simple design and rubber tail cap and am hoping to upgrade to the USB rechargeable version near the end of the summer.

The right side is filled with the flashlights I rotate through the most. I've got the Lumintop Tool AA, Astrolux A01, Olight i3e, Maglight Solitaire, FourSevens Updated Preon P1, Foursevens Classic Preon P1, Singfire SF-348, Spotlight Speck, and Nitecore Tube. Of this bunch, I pretty much love all of these lights. The most used have been the Preons, Lumintop, i3e, Singfire, and Tube. The Tube and i3e are some of the best values at $10 or less. I'm currently carried the Lumintop because I love the purple and green tail cap combo. So there you have it, that's my flashlight collection as of 2019. I'm happy with where it's at and feel like I have a great variety of lights. I know I didn't go to in-depth on any of these, so be sure to check out the Gear Thoughts tab if there's any you'd like to hear more about. I have a large majority of them covered there but not all of them yet. Thanks for looking!

Benchmade 380 Aller Thoughts

Benchmade doesn't have too many smaller options in their lineup. I was intrigued by the 380 Aller because of how small it was but didn't know how I'd like the friction folder aspect. I was able to check it out on loan for a week or so and wasn't all that impressed. The price tag is high for a less than perfect knife.

The Aller has a simple design that works well for EDC. I like the blue accents on the liners and around the pivot. I don't personally like the look of the knife all that much but it does function as it should. I've never been a huge fan of sheepsfoot blades. This is also one of those multipurpose knives, with a prytip/screwdriver on the end and a bottle opener on the opening tab. I never had a use for those because I already carry a multitool with me everyday. The quality was as impressive as any Benchmade I've tried. 

The blade is 1.6" long, and the steel is CPM-S30V. It was more than sharp enough for my needs. With a blade this small, I'd only use it for lighter tasks in more of a backup role. Especially paired with the fact that it's a friction folder, this knife obviously isn't meant for hardcore tasks. It's still a solid knife despite there being no lock. The choil is a little deeper so you wouldn't have to worry about the blade closing on your fingers.

The G10 scales are okay but not my favorite. They've got some cutouts in them which are more for design than adding extra grip. The texture of the G10 itself is pretty smooth. I find the black scales boring and would've liked to see some sort of color besides just the blue accents. Also, I thought the opening tab stuck out too far and was too pointy. When carrying it in the waistband, it dug into me more than I would've liked. It was easy to open and close one-handed which was an initial concern of mine. I tried a Kershaw Pub last year and found it to be awkward to open. I thought the Aller would fall to the same fate but luckily that was not the case.

The boxy design of the handle causes the ergos to suffer. Normally I can fit a four-finger grip on a knife in this size range, but this one was more of a two and a half to three-finger knife. The edges of the handles are not rounded either which makes the handles feel even more squared off. The ergos were probably my least favorite thing about the knife.

The clip is much wider than a typical clip because Benchmade designed it to be used as a money clip. I don't like it at all and probably would've taken it off completely if I had owned this knife.

I couldn't imagine paying $136 for this knife. The quality is there, yet the materials (just G10 and CPM-S30V) aren't that high end in my opinion. Benchmade always charges a premium though, so the price is in line with what they charge for their other knives. 

I've never been into friction folders and the same goes for the Aller. It's nice to finally see Benchmade do some smaller knives but this is not the one. The ergos are lacking, the clip sucks, and the price is high for what you're getting. If you're looking for a knife in this size range, the Spyderco Ladybug is far superior. Save your money and pick up something better instead. Thanks for looking!

Knife Collection Update 2019!

I haven't done any updates on my EDC gear collection in a while, so what better time to do them than this summer. In the coming weeks, I'm also going to have updates on my flashlight, multitool, and pen collection. Stay tuned for those! Without further ado, here's my current knife collection.

Starting with an overall shot of my collection, it's a little bit bigger than I'd like. A lot of these knives don't get carried that frequently and may be sold at some point. It's currently sitting at 18 knives which isn't as big as it once was. I'm thinking I'm going to try to get it down to 10 to 15 knives. After trying a ton of knives over the years, I've finally found the ones I like and don't need to have a ton of extras collecting dust.

Looking at just the fixed blades, I've got a Mora Companion, Mora Eldris, and Esee Izula. The Companion normally stays in my car bag, though I might start using it for outdoors stuff since it's the largest knife I've got now. The Eldris is one I still haven't used it that much, despite how much I like the size and ergos. The Izula is my all-time favorite fixed blade and is the knife I always bring when I go hiking. It's a perfect knife in my eyes and is a great value at only $50.

Folders obviously make up the bulk of my collection. They're the easiest for me to carry every day, with most of them having blades less than 2.5" inches. I've found that's all the blade I ever need in my EDC these days. The oddball on the far left is the Boker Subcom which is a great small option. I didn't think I'd like the boxier ergos at first, but it's grown on me a lot over the years. Starting on the top row from left to right, I have the CRKT Eros, Kershaw Launch 4, Spyderco Cat, Benchmade Proper, CRKT Drifter, CRKT Ripple, and Ontario Rat 2. Of those knives, the standouts are definitely the Eros, Launch 4, Proper, and Rat 2. Finishing off with the bottom row, I've got the Spyderco Cricket, Spyderco Ladybug, Kershaw Cinder, Blade-Tech Ratel, CRKT Jettison, Sanrenmu 681, and Cold Steel Mini Tuff Lite. The Ladybug, Cricket, and Mini Tuff Lite are the ones I've carried the most out of that bunch. 

If I had to rank my top five favorite knives, it'd go the Ladybug, Rat 2, Launch 4, Eros, and Mini Tuff Lite. The Ladybug was one of my first real knives and is a perfect, people-friendly knife. The Rat 2 is easily the best mid-sized knife I own. I've tried so many other mid-sized knives, yet always come back to the Rat 2. Nothing beats it in terms of the price, compact size, and smooth action. The Launch 4 is the best auto I've tried. The color options and small size make it another perfect knife for me. The Eros is the one I've had for the shortest amount of time compared to the others, but it managed to quickly impress me. It's one of the best flippers, and again, the smaller size is what draws me in. Lastly, the Mini Tuff Lite has perfect ergos and is another lightweight smaller option. That's the general theme of my collection. Small knives with FRN/plastic handles are my go-tos. I love the neon green scales too! I know I didn't go into much depth about every knife here, so if you'd like to hear more of my thoughts on each one, check out my Gear Thoughts tab. I've reviewed the majority of these but haven't gotten around to some of them yet. Thanks for looking!

Spyderco Pingo Thoughts

A few years ago I had a Spyderco Squeak and was very impressed by it. Since then, I've always had an interest in trying more of Spyderco's slip-it knives which is where the Pingo comes in. I like the design as a whole, though there are a few major issues that make it a less than optimal EDC option for me.

The Pingo is collaboration between Anso/Voxnaes that I love the look of. The orange is an awesome color too! They came in black FRN and titanium as well, though it has been discountinued so I'm not sure if they're as easy to find anymore. It was designed to be Danish legal due to restrictions on locking knives/blade lengths and knives that can be opened one-handed. The size is perfect for a smaller EDC option and one of my favorites aspects of the knife. This particular one does have a quality issue that ruins the knife for me. For some reason, it takes an insane amount of pressure to close the knife. I know it's not normal since I didn't have the same experience with the Squeak. There's no way it's an issue of the knife still needing to be broken in either. You should be able to see what I'm talking about in the video that's coming soon. If this was my knife, I'd send it in to Spyderco to see if they could fix it. Other than that, it didn't have any other quality issues. The Pingo is a Maniago, Italy Spyderco which is neat. 

Getting onto the blade, you're getting a 2.35" N690Co blade with a cutting edge of 2". That's the perfect size for most basic EDC tasks. It's a good slicer, and the sheepsfoot blade looks good/performs well. With this being a two-handed opening knife, the Spyder hole is for cosmetic purposes. I've seen people do the zip-tie mod to make a thumb stud, but honestly I don't see the point. It's not that big of a deal to open the knife two-handed. Since this particular one is so tight, I've never had any worries that it'd accidentally close on my fingers. There is a half-stop which seems as strong as the Squeak's. 

FRN is probably my favorite handle material. I love how lightweight it is, and all the color options. Spyderco used their checkered texture for the FRN opposed to the bi-directional texture that most of their other FRN knives use. I like both variations of FRN, but I do think I like this checkered texture more. It's more subtle than the bi-directional texture and still provides good grip.

The Pingo isn't the most comfortable knife in the hand for me. The big problem is the pointed part where the curve ends and the butt end of the knife begins. My fourth finger hits right where the point is which is insanely uncomfortable. Spyderco should've smoothed out the curve some more. The handle is reminiscent to the CRKT's Pilar, where the Pilar's curve is more subtle but is still slightly too pointy for me. This problem with the ergos is probably due to the fact that I've got smaller hands. My first three fingers are slightly too cramped in the curve, yet two fingers in the curve is too spread out. The length of the handle is long enough for a four-finger grip for me, but I imagine it's more of a three-finger knife for those with larger hands. I'm not going to want to use a knife that has bad ergos, so the handle design is a huge flaw for me.

There is about a quarter-inch section on the blade before the handle that I suppose you could use as a choil of sorts. It does have some jimping on it, but I'd still be afraid that my finger would slip into the edge during use.

The Pingo uses Spyderco's infamous wire clip which is probably my favorite clip. It doesn't scream that you're carrying a knife and rides very deep in the pocket. The knife carries extremely well thanks to how lightweight (1.9 ounces) and small it is (3.45" closed). I haven't had any problems carrying it in the waistband.

Like I mentioned in the beginning, Spyderco discontinued these so I don't think you can find them as easily anymore. When they were still being sold, they were priced around $50 which is fair enough for what you get. 

I like the idea of the Pingo, but the flawed ergos mean I'd never want to carry it. I'm not that bummed that it was discontinued; however, I'd still like to see them do more slipjoints. The Roadie has been on my list to try for a while. If you have to carry a non-locking knife due to laws, this might be worth a look. I personally liked the Squeak a lot more. Otherwise, if you're just looking for a smaller option, go with something like the Dragonfly or Cold Steel Mini Tuff Lite. I don't personally recommend it but at least it was fun to try. Thanks for looking!

What I Read: May 2019

May was a good month all around, since there's no more school for the summer and I found some good books, movies, and TV shows. I finally found another 5 star book and some neat graphic novel series. Let's just get into it!

Some of the standout graphic novels I read this month that all got 4/5 star ratings were Brawl of the Wild by Dav Pilkey, Exorsisters Vol. 1, Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom, and Royal City Vol. 1. The most surprising of those was definitely Royal City. I just found it randomly on the Hoopla app and was sucked into the drama of this family from a small industrial town. I'll probably try to read the next two volumes in June. Also, after reading Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys as a kid, it was neat to read a graphic novel version of Nancy Drew solving mysteries. All of these had great art and were fun reads.

I watched The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies in May and finally got around to reading the books by Anna Brashares too. I read all five books of the series and didn't think they were well-done. The writing was cringey, and the characters were annoying. I gave the first four in the series 2/5 stars but the last one got a 1/5 rating because I was over them at that point. Continuing with the theme of YA books, I also read Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus (3/5). It was a murder mystery where the killer reveal didn't surprise me at all. Still, it was enjoyable to read and better than her first book that I read last year, One of Us Is Lying. A couple other 3/5 star reads for me were The Last Stone by Mark Bowden and The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson. Apparently that second one is the book that the TV show Longmire is based off of. Just like Two Can Keep a Secret, it's a murder mystery that was predictable. It kind of dragged at times but I did like the main character Walt. The Last Stone was a somewhat interesting true crime, though it mostly focused on the interviews and interrogation techniques used on the suspect. A few that I didn't enjoy this month were The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey (1/5), The Library Book by Susan Orlean (1/5), and Dataclysm by Christian Rudder (2/5). They all were such a slog to get through. I did find one 5/5 star book: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It was a romance novel about this fictional actress who wanted to give the story of her life to a journalist. I didn't know much going into it and probably preferred it that way. It was a quick read because of how well written and engrossing it was. I liked Evelyn as a character and found myself wanting to hear more about her life. I highly recommend it! It didn't read like any of the other romance novels I've read so don't let that deter you if you're not a romance person.

With another month down, I'm now at 160 for the year with 28 of those read this month. My unofficial goal for the rest of the year is to hit 365 books read. I'm ahead of my original goal of 200, so honestly at this point, I want to see if I could theoretically read a book a day. It's something that'd be neat to cross off my bucket list and never have to do again. We'll see if that ends up happening. Thanks for looking!