Sunday, March 19, 2017

Winter Bingo Wrap Up

Well, it was my first time playing Bookish Bingo, hosted by Bekka from Pretty Deadly Reviews.  I didn't get many books read this winter, but did manage to eek out a Bingo.  Here it is...


Set Abroad: The Man from Beijing by Henrik Mankell
Romance: Dear Mr. Darcy by Amanda Grange
Free
Blue Cover:
Stone Mattresses by Margaret Atwood
Unreliable Narrator: Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Simple

Also read...
GR Choice Nominee: The Trespasser by Tana French 
Not YA: The Cozy Life by Pia Edberg
Super Hyped: The Gifts of Imperfection by Brenea Brown

If you want to play along this spring, go to Pretty Deadly Reviews and sign up.

Friday, March 3, 2017

March Reading List


Here's what I'm looking forward to reading in March.
  • Still Mine by Amy Stuart was on my reading list way back last June, but I never got around to giving it a try.  It looks like a good mystery, so I'm looking forward to giving it a whirl.
  • Children of God by Mary Doria Russell is the sequel to my favorite read of 2016- The Sparrow.  I've had this copy for probably six months now, and finally decided it's time to give it a read.  I'm not expecting the same magic of The Sparrow, but I'm looking forward to seeing where this book takes those characters.
  • Soul Shift by Steve Deneff is nonfiction book all about spiritual transformation.  It details how we sabotage our efforts to change and how to shift your mindset.  It's been on my shelf for a while, but I feel like I could really use it now.
Have you read any of these?  Or have a recommendation for me?  Feel free to drop me a note in the comments letting me know.

Thursday, March 2, 2017

February Book Recap


February wasn't as good of a month for reading as I was hoping it would be.  To be honest, I've just been trying to survive the winter.  I haven't felt like doing much of anything- no reading, no cooking, no sewing.  Just working and occasionally going out to see friends.  My coping skills for winter consist of drinking coffee, eating chocolate, and napping.   I'm looking forward to spring though.  We just got more snow yesterday, but I feel optimistic that it can't last much longer.

Anyhow, on to the recap!

The only book I read was Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.  It was funny and entertaining, if not a little predictable.  But, I liked the combination of letters, faxes, emails, and even medical bills used to tell the story.  I'm glad I finally read it,

What I added... well, my birthday is in February so some of these were gifts and a couple had been on my search list for a while.

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence and Practicing His Presence by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach as well as The Passenger by Lisa Lutz were all birthday gifts, although you really couldn't get much different than devotions written by a 17th century monk on being present in even mundane tasks and a thriller about two women on the run from their past.
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis is a book that I've been hunting for quite a while, so I was excited to find this one and Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs by Heather Lende on Bookmooch.

Jo Nesbo is an author I've been wanting to read for a while, but I wanted to start the series at the beginning, so when I found The Bat at a used book store while on my weekend out of town, I snapped it up.  Definitely worth the $4 price tag.

So, while I added quite a few, all of these were ones I've been wanting to read.  I'm excited about that.  Totals for 2017, I've read five, added eight.