February Wrap Up

Alright! What did I read this month?

I finished:

• Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. It was a gift from a friend who always finds the best books.
• The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald. Read as an audiobook. Very charming. Plus I love the title.
• Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin. A book about a transgender teen. So good. Well written and clever.
• Raising My Rainbow: Adventures in Raising a Fabulous, Gender Creative Son by Lori Duron. Lovely read, very touching.
• Spindle's End by Robin McKinley. Re-telling of Sleeping Beauty. 
• Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. I like Cinder a bit better, but very good. I'm excited to read Cress next.
• 1984 by George Orwell. This was a re-read because my student was reading it for class and I wanted to help her out. Still a good dystopia.
• The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. There has been some hype surrounding this book and it definitely lived up to it.

As usual, my actual reviews are posted on my book blog, if you are interested in reading them.

I felt like I was slowing down on my reading, but for a while there I was reading up to 5 books at once, which is just too many. Once I finished Year of Wonders, I started to feel a little more in control, though 4 is still about 1 over my usual limit. After finishing 1984, I was able to bring it back down to three and I got back up to pace.

I had to rearrange which books I read at what time. I started Worlds of Ink and Shadow, but parts of it were eerie and spooky so I had to stop reading it before bed and switch it with Cress, my "daytime" book (I work nights, hence the quotations). Anyone else do that? Nothing creepy before bed; gives me nightmares.

Completed 2016 Reading Challenges:

• A book from a debut author: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald.
• A book you received as a gift: Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.
• A book with LGBTQA+ lead character: Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin.
• A non-fiction book: Raising my Rainbow by Lori Duron
• A book with magic: Spindle's End by Robin McKinley 
• A book typically read in school: 1984 by George Orwell

Favorite Book Read This Month:
The Raven Boys followed closely by Symptoms of Being Human.

Least Favorite Book Read This Month:
Tough one, maybe 1984 because I had already read it so it was less interesting. Or Spindle's End. I like Robin McKinley, but this was not her best work.

Lastly, I am planning to participate in an Instagram Book Photo Challenge:

And please feel free to join and check out the hosts' accounts-they are all pretty awesome!

My photos will only be posted on my Instagram and book blog. Head there if you are interested in seeing my (mediocre) photos.