First off, Happy Leap Day! Or Happy Leap Year Day!? I’m not sure what the proper title for this extra day is, but I hope you’re enjoying a little extra time this month. February was an exciting book month for me, so let’s dive right in!
I mentioned in a previous blog that I got to visit Powell’s (a Portland, OR bookstore chain) on February 1st. This visit was the catalyst for spending the last of my Christmas/Birthday gift funds on books. I was so happy to pick up a few titles in-person and then I hopped online to finish my shopping expedition. I was able to add a grand total of 12 books to my home library this month. Combine that with January’s 14 books and Decemeber’s 7, my shelves have seen quite a bit of rearranging to make space for new books. The joy of having a birthday so near to Christmas is that I get a lot of goodies all at one time… The downside of having a birthday so near to Christmas is I get a lot of goodies all at one time… and then nothing for a long time. Haha! It’s all good. I won’t be bragging about my book haul next month, but that’s okay. It was fun while it lasted!
My Kindle Unlimited subscription is finished for the time being. Some KU favorites this month were Heidi Lucy Loses Her Mind and Wish You Weren’t Here by Gracie Ruth Mitchell. Both were rom-coms, but with a twist that made them unique. I enjoyed Country Walsh’s new release, My Lucky Charm. Her Holidays with Hart series has been a fun one with more sister to go in the saga. Cinder Luna by Marie Soleil was a creative fairy tale retelling of Cinderella. I’m a sucker for fairy tale retellings and can’t wait to read the rest of this new series as it’s released. Waiting for the next book is always so hard!
I finished the Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson this month. I really enjoyed how the novella series with Janci Patterson gave a look at what was happening “back home” while Spensa was off on her own intergalactic adventures. The novellas also deepened the side characters stories so you felt more connected with them in the final book, Defiant. I was gifted the first book of the series and decided to buy the rest of the series this month. This YA Sci-Fi series is one I could see my boys enjoying down the road. I love sharing books with them when the time is right!
A few other honorable mentions… I finally read Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis. I picked up a used copy at Powell’s years ago and I’ve felt bad about how long it’s sat on my shelf. There were parts of his story that I didn’t love (boarding school sounded awful!), but parts I really enjoyed. While I am nowhere near as well read as Lewis (understatement), I appreciated how books featured so prominently in his life story. I re-read A Beautiful Disguise by Roseanna M. White to refresh myself before her new release, A Noble Scheme, is out. My copy of the book is in the mail and I can’t wait to read it before it’s actual release date. I did a little book scouting and read Adventures with Waffles and Lena, the Sea, and Me by Maria Parr. I enjoyed the tales of childhood in Norway and could see my boys reading them when they are ready for new books. Right now Owen is in a Hardy Boys phase and Graham is obsessed with Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins. We are a household of happy readers!
Top Picks for February
The Book List for February
1 Star = I did not like it. 2 stars = It was okay. 3 stars = I liked it. 4 stars = I really liked it. 5 stars = It was amazing.
Non-Fiction:
- Intentional Parenting: Autopilot Is for Planes by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, & Melissa Trevathan – 4
- Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C.S. Lewis – 3 stars
Fiction:
- Skyward Flight: Sunreach, ReDawn, Evershore by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson – 4 stars
- Defiant by Brandon Sanderson – 4 stars
- Adventures with Waffles by Maria Parr – 3 stars
- Lena, the Sea, and Me by Maria Parr – 4 stars
- But He’s My One Regret by Annah Conwell – 4 stars
- The Love Audit by Annah Conwell – 3 stars
- One More Song by Annah Conwell – 3 stars
- Out of Office by Annah Conwell – 3 stars
- The Last Taste by Annah Conwell – 3 stars
- One Last Play by Annah Conwell – 4 stars
- The Golden Goal by Annah Conwell – 3 stars
- Heidi Lucy Loses Her Mind by Gracie Ruth Mitchell – 3 stars
- Wish You Weren’t Here by Gracie Ruth Mitchell – 3 stars
- Cinder Luna by Marie Soleil – 3 stars
- My Lucky Charm by Courtney Walsh – 3.75 stars
- A Beautiful Disguise by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
- Yesterday’s Tides by Roseanna M. White – 5 stars
Amy Scott's Thoughts 