Snow and Books (Reading Challenge Weeks 5-7)

I've had quite a few books checked out from my library that I needed to read before they expired, so I haven't been able to read the books I've chosen for my challenge in the past couple of weeks. I do have them checked out, so now that I'm caught up on my other books I'll be getting to these this week.

Week 5: A play. I chose An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde. The only copy of this my library has available online is a performance of the play, so I'll be listening instead of reading. I'm assuming it's going to be the same as listening to an audiobook. Maybe not quite.

Week 6: A Book With Magic. I chose The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.

Week 7: A book from your childhood. I've chosen Secrets Can Kill by Carolyn Keene. Nancy Drew is the reason why I'm infatuated with mysteries and always have been.

We're currently bogged down by snow here in Kentucky and I'm afraid to leave my house. My body doesn't do well with anything cold. This is the reason that I'm able to read a boatload of books in the winter. I'm not brave enough to leave my house in the winter, and most of the time I don't want to leave my bed.

Hopefully we don't get the 18 inches that's being called for. While it might be nice to experience that much snow on the ground at one time, I'm afraid of being in too much pain to enjoy it for very long. I don't want all the snow to melt, though, and have to admit I was too chicken to get out of my house and walk in it for five minutes.

Maybe I'll brave the outdoors tomorrow.

January Wrap-Up & February TBR

I read eight books in January, and for the most part, enjoyed them all.

The Host / Stephenie Meyer, 5 stars. This was the first book I read in 2015, and it was a great start to my reading year. I really liked it, even more so when it made me cry. That doesn't happen very often.

Shadow / Amanda Sun, 4 stars.

Ink / Amanda Sun, 4 stars.

Rain / Amanda Sun, 4 stars. I've really enjoyed the Paper Gods series so far, and I'm looking forward to the release of the third book.

The Angel Experiment / James Patterson, 4 stars. Really enjoyed this book, and I was glad to see that my library has the rest of the books in this series available for checkout as eBooks.

Waterfell / Amalie Howard, 4 stars.

Oceanborn / Amalie Howard, 3 stars. I enjoyed the first book in The Aquarathi series, but the ending of this one sort of ruined it. Unless I was mistaken in thinking this was a duology. If there's going to be a second book, then the ending would be fine. If it was in fact a duology, it should have ended sooner.

Austenland / Shannon Hale, 4 stars. I wasn't too sure if I was going to like this book when I first opened it and saw the format, but I did end up enjoying it.


My monthly reading challenge was to finish a series. That didn't happen (unless The Aquarathi was a duology, then it did, but I don't know). My plan had been to finish reading the Divergent trilogy, but I had a problem with my library card and couldn't log on to access my eBooks, so I missed my turn reading them.

I have deferred that challenge to this month, and will also complete the challenge that I drew specifically for February, which is to reread a favorite book. I have chosen Anne of Green Gables.


There are 13 books that I plan to read, or finish reading, this month. Five more than I read in January. Lots of reading to be done.

The Book Thief / Markus Zusak

The Archived / Victoria Schwab

An Abundance of Katherines / John Green

Paper Towns / John Green

The Goose Girl / Shannon Hale

School's Out - Forever / James Patterson

Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports / James Patterson

The Lucky One / Nicholas Sparks

The Murder at The Vicarage / Agatha Christie

Love's Abiding Joy / Janette Oke

Anne of Green Gables / L.M. Montgomery

Insurgent / Veronica Roth

Allegiant / Veronica Roth

Reading Challenge Weeks 3 & 4

Week three's was to read a duology, and I chose The Aquarathi series by Amalie Howard. I did enjoy these books, however the ending of Oceanborn threw me. Either I was off-base in thinking this was a duology, in which the ending would make sense if there will be a third book, or it just wasn't a good ending.

Waterfell - 4 stars
Oceanborn - 3 stars

Week four's challenge was to a read a book by an author that I admire but haven't read yet. I chose to read Shannon Hale. I'd heard a lot of good things about her and was high on my list. One of the available books by her at my library was Austenland.

Austenland - 4 stars

This week I'm supposed to read a book that scares me. I had a bit of trouble with this, as most of the creepy-sounding books I've come across are horror, and as a rule I avoid horror. I just don't think I can stomach it. So I decided it would be best to stick with mysteries.

I've decided on reading Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie. I've never read anything by her before, and I am thoroughly excited.