February 2022 Wrap-up

I am happy to share that I was able to keep up the momentum with my reading, that I started last month. Do you ever just feel like you’re in the zone to read? I think that is where I am right now. While I didn’t read any 5 star books during the month of February, I did enjoy the books I read.

Total Books Read in February: 6
Total Books Read in 2022: 13

Source: Goodreads

I’ve Got Your Number
By: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4/5

Source: Goodreads

A Holly Jolly Diwali
By: Sonya Lalli
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 3.5/5

Source: Goodreads

Living Simply: A Teen Guide to Minimalism
By: Sally McGraw
Genre: Non-fiction, Self-help, YA
Rating: 3.5/5

Source: Goodreads

Heartstopper: Volume One
By: Alice Oseman
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA Lit, LGBT, Romance
Rating: 3/5

Source: Goodreads

Things You Save in a Fire
By: Katherine Center
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Rating: 3.5/5

Source: Goodreads

A Vineyard Valentine
By: Nina Bocci
Genre: Novella, Audible Original, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 2.5/5

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 6
Total Number of Fiction: 5
Total Number of Non-Fiction: 1
Total Books Sent for Review: 0
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 3
Total Library Books Read: 3

Formats Read

Physical Books: 2
eBooks: 3
Audio Books: 1

March TBR

I plan on focusing on reading both middle grade and mystery books during the month of March. 2 different read-a-thons are happening for those genres this month. And although I’m not officially participating in either, I would like to join in on some of the fun.

For more information on these read-a-thons, search March Mystery Madness and/or Middle Grade March on YouTube.

Currently Reading

Source: Goodreads

January 2022 Wrap-up

I kicked off 2022, with a very successful reading month. Fingers crossed I can keep up this momentum throughout the year. I decided to read whatever my heart desired this month and that paid off because I had a total of three 5-star books!

Total Books Read in January: 7
Total Books Read in 2022: 7

5 Star Reads of January

Pumpkinheads
By: Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Rating: 5/5

The Elite
(The Selection, 2)
By: Kiera Cass
Genre: Ya, Series, Dystopian
Rating: 5/5

A Winter’s Tale
(The Wrecck of the Florizel)
By: Cassie Brown
Genre: Nonfiction, History
Rating: 5/5

Also Read

The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
(Veronica Mars, 1)
By: Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
Narrated by: Kristen Bell
Genre: Mystery, Series, Audio book
Rating: 4/5

Open Heart, Open Mind
By: Clara Hughes
Genre: Memoir, Autobiography, Nonfiction
Rating: 4/5

An Unwanted Guest
By: Shari Lapena
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 3/5

Sent for Review

Bet on It
By: Jodie Slaughter
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.5/5

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 7
Total Number of Fiction: 5
Total Number of Non-Fiction: 2
Total Books Sent for Review: 1
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 5
Total Library Books Read: 1

Formats Read

Physical Books: 5
eBooks: 1
Audio Books: 1

Currently Reading

52 Book Club Challenge Wrap-up 2021

Although I didn’t post my progress here on my blog, I did participate in the 52 Book Club Challenge during 2021. For those of you who have not heard of this challenge or the club, the goal is to read books to match with the prompts given. What I love about this challenge is that it made me pick up books that I might not have otherwise read. Finding books to fit each prompt is easy because of the reading guide on the clubs website and the feedback from the other readers who are participating.

Here are the prompts from 2021:

So how did I do?

Well I read over 52 books this past year, however I didn’t manage to fill all of the prompts. However I did complete more than I did when I participated the previous year. The following are the prompts I completed along with the books I read for each:

1. Set in a school:
   The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas
2. Featuring the legal profession:
   He Sees You When You’re Sleeping by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark
3. A dual timeline:
   The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
4. An author that is deceased:
   Remembrance by Alistair MacLeod
5. Published by Penguin
   After You by Jojo Moyes
6. A character with the same name as a male family member:
   Abduction! by Peg Kehret
7. An author with only one published book:
   For the Love of Friends by Sara Goodman Confino
8. A book in the 900s of the Dewey Decimal System:
9. Set in a Mediterranean country:
10. Related to the word fire:
    Explosive Eighteen (Stephanie Plum, 18) by Janet Evanovich
11. A book with discussion questions inside:
    Anna’s Crossing (Amish Beginnings, 1) by Suzanne Woods Fisher
12. Title starting with the letter “d”:
    Double Dare O’Toole by Constance C. Greene
13. Includes an exotic animal:
    The Devoted (The Bishop’s Family, 3) by Suzanne Woods Fisher [an exotic bird]
14. Written by an author over 65:
    American Duchess by Karen Harper
15. A Book mentioned in another book:
    Muddy Bottom (Palmetto Island, 1) by Ashley Farley
16. Set before the 17th century:
    Catla and the Vikings by Mary Elizabeth Nelson
17. A character “on the run”:
    The Lieutenants Nurse by Sara Ackerman
18. An author with a 9-letter last name:
    Lumberjanes (Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy) by Noelle Stevenson et. al.
19. Book with a deckled edge:
    The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom
20. Made into a tv series:
    Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
21. Book by Kristin Hannah:
    Fly Away (Firefly Lane, 2) by Kristin Hannah
22. A family saga:
    The Lake House by Kate Morton
23. An ending that surprises you:
    The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
24. a book you think they should read in schools:
    Flight From the Fortress by Lyn Cook
25. A book with multiple character POV:
    The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
26. An author of colour:
    The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
27. First chapter ends on an odd page number:
    Ice Magic (Silver Blades, 16) by Melissa Lowell
28. Includes a historical event you know little about:
    We Came Here to Shine by Susie Orman Schnall
29. Featuring the environment:
    Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards
30. Watch out for dragons:
    A Royal Pain (Her Royal Spyness Mystery, 2) by Rhys Bowen [a character is referred to as the “old dragon’]
31. Shares a similar title to another book:
    Verity by Colleen Hoover
32. A selfish character:
    Tinaca Jones by Matt Boren
33. Featuring adoption:
    Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
34. A book you’d rate 5 stars:
    Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins
35. Set in a country that starts with the letter “s”:
    The Bookshop on the Shore (Scottish Bookshop 2) by Jenny Colgan
36. A nameless narrator:
37. An educational read:
    100 Ways to Motivate Yourself by Steve Chandler
38. Recommended on Book Bub”
    Stranded (Alaskan Courage, 3) by Dani Pettrey
39. An alternate history novel:
40. Found via #bookstagram:
41. An endorsement by a famous author on the cover:
    Inheriting Edith by Zoe Fishman
42. An epistolary:
    Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Martiza Moulite
43. A character with a pet cat:
    Royal Wedding (The Princess Diaries, 11) by Meg Cabot
44. Includes a garden:
    The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Nancy Drew, 4) by Carolyn Keene
45. A coming of age novel:
    The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
46. Winner of the National Book Award (any year):
47. A character with a disability:
    Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
48. A cover with a woman who is facing away:
    Buried Deep by Margo Hunt
49. A flavour in the title:
    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
50. A shoe on the cover:
    64th Man by Bryan Tucker & Zack Phillips
51. Published in 2021:
    The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
52. Re-do one of the previous 51 categories from this 2021 challenge:
    The New Elizabeth (Sweet Valley High, 63) by Francine Pascal [TV Series]

I’m looking forward to participating in this challenge again this year.

December 2021 Wrap-up

I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season and wishing you a very happy new year!

Today I am sharing my final wrap-up for the year 2021. After a couple of months with very little progress, I am very pleased with the amount of reading I accomplished this month. I even surpassed my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal!

Total Books Read in December: 6
Total Books Read in 2021: 54/52

Reading My Favourite Authors

I started this TBR back in October and I am very pleased to say that I finally completed it this month. Although these books are from authors that I have loved in the past, unfortunately none of them earned 5 star ratings.

Favourite Authors Read: 3/3

The Lake House
By: Kate Morton
Genre: Dual Timeline, Historical Fiction, Mystery
Rating: 4/5

The Notebook
By: Nicholas Sparks
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Rating: 2/5

Seasonal Reads

Two of the books I read in December were set near Christmas or were Christmas themed. The other book, features a winter sport.

He Sees You When You’re Sleeping
By: Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 3/5

Ice Magic (Silver Blades 16)
By: Melissa Lowell
Genre: Middle Grade, Series
Rating: 3/5

The Holiday Swap
By: Maggie Knox
Genre: Romance, Contemporary Fiction, ARC
Rating: 3.5/5
NOTE: I was sent a copy of Maggie Knox’s The Holiday Swap, from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Additional Book Completed

From Cradle to Stage
By: Virginia Hanlon Grohl
Genre: Non-fiction, Audio Book, Biography, Memoir, Music
Rating: 4/5

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 6
Total Number of Fiction: 5
Total Number of Non-Fiction: 1
Total Books Sent for Review: 1
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 5
Total Library Books Read: 0

Formats Read

Physical Books: 4
eBooks: 1
Audio Books: 1

Currently Reading

My Top 6 Books Read in 2021

Over the year of 2021, I read only 6 books that I gave 5 star ratings to. This isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy the majority of the books I read, I did. I actually allowed myself to read more according to my mood, rather than a more strict schedule I have stuck to in the past. There were several books I read this past year that I had very high expectations for. Many of which were from authors that I have rated highly in the past. Oddly enough none of those books made this Top 6 list. Instead the books that ended up on this list were ones I randomly picked up on a whim. I wonder how this will play out during 2022.

Here are my favourite books that I read in 2021:

Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Buried Deep by Margot Hunt

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Fly Away (Firefly Lane, 2) by Kristin Hannah

Have you read any of these books? What were your favourite books you read in 2021?

Wishing you all a very happy holidays and a happy new year!

2021 Reading Superlatives

Today I am going to share a fun wrap-up post that I’ve never done before. Here are some superlatives from the books I read in 2021.

• The one I could relate to the most:
  Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins
• The one that was the most inspiring:
  Open Heart, Open Mind by Clara Hughes
• The one that was most surprisingly enjoyable:
  Lumberjanes Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson et. al.
• The sequel I enjoyed more than the first book:
  Fly Away (Firefly Lane 2) by Kristin Hannah
• The one that was a blast from the past:
  Royal Wedding (The Princess Diaries 11) by Meg Cabot
• The one that was better as a movie:
  The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
• The one that made me hungry:
  The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
• The one I should have DNF’d but didn’t:
  Murder at Blackhead by M.K. Staple
• The one I wish I read as a child:
  Ice Magic (Silver Blades, 16) by Melissa Lowell

2021 Wrap-up: Goal Check-in

As I wrap up my posts for the year 2021, I decided to look back on my goals for the past twelve months and see how much progress I made.

At the end of 2020, I posted the following image of the books I was looking forward to reading during the upcoming year.

Here is how I did on this TBR

Number of TBR books read in 2021: 3/6

• A Royal Pain (Her Royal Spyness, 2) by Rhys Bowen
  Rating: 4/5
• Trouble and Strife by Johanne Levesque
  Rating: 2/5
• The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom
  Rating: 4/5

While I am still looking forward to reading Things You Save in the Fire by Katherine Center and A Winter’s Tale by Cassie Brown, I think that I have lost interest in reading Waiting for Summer’s Return by Kim Vogel Sawyer.

A Better Late than Never November 2021 Wrap-up

Total Books Read in November: 2
Total Books Read as of November 30, 2021: 48

Reading My Favourite Authors

I started this TBR back in October, however I finally made some progress during November.

Favourite Authors Read: 1/3

The First Phone Call from Heaven
By: Mitch Albom
Genre: Inspirational Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 4/5

Additional Book Read

Remembrance
By: Alistair MacLeod
Genre: Short Stories, Fiction
Rating: 2.5/5

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 2
Total Number of Fiction: 2
Total Number of Non-Fiction: 0
Total Books Sent for Review: 0
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 2
Total Library Books Read: 0

Formats Read

Physical Books: 2
eBooks: 0
Audio Books: 0

Monthly Wrap-up: October 2021

Total Books Read in October: 2
Total Books Read in 2021: 46

Reading My Favourite Authors

During the month of October, I chose three books from my favorite authors to read. Unfortunately October was a very hectic month for me and I completely dropped the ball on my reading. Out of the three books I picked out, I only got to one of them and I wasn’t able to finish it before the end of the month, so I will be continuing on this TBR for the month of November.

Favourite Authors Read: 0 /3

Additional Books Read:

While I wasn’t able to complete my actual TBR for the month, I did manage to finish two books during the month.

A Royal Pain
(Her Royal Spyness Mystery 2)
By: Rhys Bowen
Genre: Historical Fiction, Series, Mystery
Rating: 4/5

The Secrets of Latimer House
By: Jules Wake
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.5/5
NOTE: I was sent a copy of Jules Wake’s The Secrets of Latimer House, from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 2
Total Number of Fiction: 2
Total Number of Non-Fiction: 0
Total Books Sent for Review: 1
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 1
Total Library Books Read: 0

Formats Read

Physical Books: .5
eBooks: 1
Audio Books: .5

Currently Reading

Monthly Wrap-up: September 2021

Total Books Read in September: 6
Total Books Read in 2021: 44

Series September Challenge

For the month of September I challenged myself to read books from series that I have in progress. I was able to get to all of the physical books I mentioned in my TBR post. However I wasn’t able to finish A Royal Pain in time.

Series Books Read:

Royal Wedding (Princess Diaries 11)
By: Meg Cabot
Genre: Series, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Rating: 3.5/5

The Bookshop on the Shore
(Scottish Bookshop 2)
By: Jenny Colgan
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Series
Rating: 3.5/5

Fly Away
(Firefly Lane 2)
By: Kristin Hannah
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Series
Rating: 5/5

Sweet Little Lies
(L.A. Candy 2)
By: Lauren Conrad
Preformed by: Jenna Lamia
Genre: YA Lit, Series
Rating: 3/5

Also Completed:

Of Mice and Men
By: John Steinbeck
Read by: Gary Sinise
Genre: Classics, Audiobook
Rating: 4/5

Flight from the Fortress
By: Lyn Cook
Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Rating: 2.5/5

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 6
Total Number of Fiction: 6
Total Number of Non-Fiction: 0
Total Books Sent for Review: 0
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 3
Total Library Books Read: 3

Formats Read

Physical Books: 3
eBooks: 1
Audio Books: 2

Currently Reading