I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by the wonderful Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by the great Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. I am linking up to Nicole of Feed Your Addiction's Monthly Wrap-Up Post, where any book bloggers who write monthly wrap-up posts can link up and visit other bloggers to see what they have been reading.
Happy New Year! I hope December ended on a high note for all of you, and January got off to a great start. We brought in the New Year in our usual quiet way. This year we gave my daughter the choice of staying up until midnight or celebrating early at East Coast time. She chose to celebrate early. I think we actually rang in the new year just before 9:30 p.m. We banged our pots and pans, enjoyed hot fudge sundaes, and I think only my husband was awake at midnight to see the actual new year begin. Did you do anything special to bring in the new year?
If you haven’t already, be sure and check out my
2018: A Year in Review post, in which I talk about some of my favorite books read this past year. Can you believe 2018 is already over? How did your 2018 in reading shape up?
I have not thought too far ahead into my reading year for 2019. My reading goals are fairly loose, which means I have quite a bit of wiggle room. And as we all know, there is not shortage of books out there for us to read. I look forward to seeing what all of you end up reading--as well as myself.
Have a Happy New Year, and here’s to another great year in books!
New to My Shelves:
All of us made out this Christmas book-wise.
Mine:
I Love Coloring
The Witches of New York by Ami McKay
This Side of Murder (Verity Kent, #1) by Anna Lee Huber
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Mouse’s:
Break the Fossil Record (Ivy + Bean, #3) by Annie Barrows & Sophie Blackall
Take Care of the Babysitter (Ivy + Bean, #4) by Annie Barrows & Sophie Blackall
Ivy + Bean by Annie Barrows & Sophie Blackall
Magic Kitten: A Christmas Surprise by Sue Bentley
Magic Puppy: Snowy Wishes by Sue Bentley
Stick Cat: A Tail of Two Kitties by Tom Watson
The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak
Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms: The Dance of the Realms by Calliope Glass, illustrated by Marco Bucci
Disney’s Nutcracker and the Four Realms: A Center Stage-Pop-Up Book
Anjin’s:
Endless Quest: Big Trouble by Matt Forbeck
Wrong Time, Wrong Place (Criminal, Vol. 7) by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
Anthony Bourdain’s Hungry Ghosts
Eat Like Walt: The Wonderful World of Disney Food by Marcy Carriker Smothers
Art & Arcana: A Visual History by Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, John Peterson, & Sam Witwer
What I Am Reading: I began my year with Anna Lee Huber’s
This Side of Murder, my first by the author. I thoroughly enjoyed this historical mystery set just after World War I. Verity is a formidable heroine, and Huber seems destined for my favorite historical mystery author list if her other books are this good.
I had thought about taking a break from the bigger classics this year after doubling up on such big ones this past year, but
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra is calling to me. Everywhere I turn lately there are references to this book and its characters, not to mention my daughter’s dance studio is putting on a ballet version this summer (not that Mouse will be performing in it--that's still up in the air). It must be a sign! I am really looking forward to giving this book a try. I am reading the Edith Grossman translation. Have any of you read it? If so, what did you think? I have seen the musical,
The Man of La Mancha, which I liked, and so I am a little familiar with the story.
[Edited to add: I just discovered Nick of One Catholic Life is doing a Chapter-A-Day Read-Along for Don Quixote. I am so out of the loop! I may have to jump in on his schedule to read the book. He always does such amazing posts about the backgrounds of the books he reads.]
Next up on my TBR pile is Pam Jenoff's
The Lost Girls of Paris. I have been avoiding signing up for too many virtual book tours, as tempting as they might be (I only did two last year), but this one caught my attention, and I am really looking forward to reading it.
What I Am Watching: On Christmas Day, we went to see Mary Poppins Returns. Mouse loved it. I enjoyed it too—although maybe not quite as enthusiastically. It was a bit darker than the original, but follows a very similar format as the first movie.
My mom was nice enough to give my husband and I that rare opportunity to go out just the two of us, and so we enjoyed dinner out and then went to see Aquaman. These superhero movies are my guilty pleasure you could say. We both liked the movie quite a bit.
For Christmas I received a copy of The Greatest Showman and so finally got to see it. I love the music. I think we all enjoyed it for the most part, although weren’t quite as blown away as we perhaps hoped to be given all the praise it’s received.
Off the Blog:
December started out quite busy for us with all things dance related.
The Nutcracker performances went well, and I am so glad my brother and his wife were able to come, as well as my mom and aunt. I was able to get off work early one afternoon to attend Mouse’s school holiday concert. It was a lot of fun seeing the five second grade classes come together to perform. We had a small, quiet Christmas, which was nice. Not that our Christmases are every rambunctious and loud events. Mouse was all smiles, which made this mother’s heart glad. We finished off the month by attending
Disney On Ice: Dare to Dream show, which we enjoyed, Mouse especially. It is back to school this week for Mouse. Getting her up tomorrow will be hard, I am sure. We all had a nice visit with my mom and are sad to see her go.
Our new tree topper
New napping spot?
Disney on Ice (too bad those books aren't real . . . )
One of our house guests over the holidays
December in Review:
Here is what I finished reading in December:
- Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
- A Holiday Gaslight by Mimi Matthews
- A Brazen Curiosity by Lynn Messina
- Wishing Crossing Station by February Grace
- Educated by Tara Westover
- Tales of the Fae by L.J. Hamlin
I ended up reading all three of my December TBR List selections last month. Of the three, the regency mystery, A Brazen Curiosity was my favorite. Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll (be sure and vote in this month’s)!
I also finished my two year-long reads, Les Misérables and War and Peace. When I finished War and Peace, I felt such a sense of accomplishment. It was a long journey, but well worth it. I loved Les Misérables. I can see myself reading it again someday.
I hadn’t intended to read the memoir Educated any time soon, but my mom loaned me a copy, and I started it one afternoon since it was the closest book around. It’s gotten much love since it came out this past year, and I can see why.
Then I was so close to hitting the 60 book mark for the year, that I slipped in the book Tales of the Fae, which is comprised of three romantic short stories. There wasn’t much to them, and I ultimately was disappointed. But, hey, I reached 60! Overall, December turned out to be a good reading month. I managed to finish more than three books!
On the blogging front, I was able to post more than I anticipated, but I was not able to do much blog visiting, unfortunately. Too little time on the computer. I hope to remedy that this month. I have missed our visits and seeing what you all are up to.
This Past December In Reading Mews:
Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your December? Do you have anything planned for this month?
Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:
My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Sunday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise).
I thought I would start off the year with a poll featuring books in three of my favorite series. I am anxious to read all of these and hope to get to them this year. Which do you think I should read first?
Magic Rises (Kate Daniels, #6) by Ilona Andrews
Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.
Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.
Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap… [Goodreads Summary]
Etched in Bone (The Others, #5) by Anne Bishop
New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop returns to her world of the Others, as humans struggle to survive in the shadow of shapeshifters and vampires far more powerful than themselves…
After a human uprising was brutally put down by the Elders—a primitive and lethal form of the Others—the few cities left under human control are far-flung. And the people within them now know to fear the no-man’s-land beyond their borders—and the darkness…
As some communities struggle to rebuild, Lakeside Courtyard has emerged relatively unscathed, though Simon Wolfgard, its wolf shifter leader, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn must work with the human pack to maintain the fragile peace. But all their efforts are threatened when Lieutenant Montgomery’s shady brother arrives, looking for a free ride and easy pickings.
With the humans on guard against one of their own, tensions rise, drawing the attention of the Elders, who are curious about the effect such an insignificant predator can have on a pack. But Meg knows the dangers, for she has seen in the cards how it will all end—with her standing beside a grave. [Goodreads Summary]
The Mortal Word (Invisible Library, #5) by Genevieve Cogman
In the latest novel in Genevieve Cogman's historical fantasy series, the fate of worlds lies in the balance. When a dragon is murdered at a peace conference, time-travelling Librarian spy Irene must solve the case to keep the balance between order, chaos . . . and the Library.
When Irene returns to London after a relatively straightforward book theft in Vienna, Bradamant informs her that there is a top secret dragon-Fae peace conference in progress that the Library is mediating, but that the second-in-command dragon has been stabbed to death. Tasked with solving the case, Vale and Irene immediately go to 1890s Paris.
Once they arrive, it seems that the murder victim had uncovered evidence suggesting that he may have found proof of treachery by one or more Librarians. But to ensure the peace of the conference, some Librarians are already hostages in the dragon and Fae courts. To save the captives, including her parents, Irene must get to the bottom of this murder—but was it dragon, Fae, or even a Librarian who committed the crime? [Goodreads Summary]
Thank you for voting! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!
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