Monthly Wrap-up: January 2019

Total Books Read in January: 5

Total Books Read in 2019: 5

The World’s Best Jokes for Kids Volume II: Every Single One Illustrated
By: Swerling & Lazar
Genre: Childrens, Humor
Rating: 3/5

Murder at the Flamingo (A Van Buren and Deluca Mystery, #1)
By: Rachel McMillan
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Series
Rating: 3/5
Note: I was sent a copy of Murder at the Flamingo from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Years Before “Anne”
By: Francis W.P. Bolger
Genre: Non-fiction, Biography
Rating: 3.5/5
Quick Thoughts: I enjoyed this book about the early career of Lucy Maud Montgomery, more than I anticipated.

Everything, Everything
By: Nicola Yoon
Genre: YA Lit
Rating: 4/5

Murder in the City of Liberty
(Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery, #2)
By: Rachel McMillan
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Series
Rating: 3/5
Note: I was sent a copy of Murder in the City of Liberty from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 5
Total Number of Fiction: 3
Total Number of Non-Fiction: 2
Total Books Sent for Review: 2
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 2
Total Library Books Read: 1

Challenge Update

2019 New Release Challenge: 2
2019 TBR Jar Challenge: 1

Formats Read

Physical Books: 2
eBooks: 2
Audio Books: 1

February TBR

From my TBR Jar:

Sent for Review:

Currently Reading

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Monthly Wrap-up: December 2018

Total Books Read in December: 8

Total Books Read in 2018: 41

A Christmas Cracker by Trisha Ashley
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 3/5

A Lancaster County Christmas (Lancaster County Secrets) by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Genre: Christian Fiction, Amish Fiction
Rating: 3.5/5

Visions of Sugar Plums: A Stephanie Plum Holiday Novel (Stephanie Plum, #8.5) by Janet Evanovich
Genre: Audio Book, Mystery, Contemporary
Rating: 1/5

Pretty Little Liars (Pretty Little Liars, #1) by Sara Shepard
Genre: YA Lit, Mystery
Rating: 3/5
Quick Thoughts: Pretty Little Liars was a quick young adult novel that wasn’t exactly as suspenseful as I anticipated. Although I enjoyed it well enough, I found some parts to be somewhat lame. Still Sara Shepard set the stage for a mystery I am interested in uncovering.

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, #1) by Louise Rennison
Genre: Young Adult Lit
Rating: 3/5
NOTE: This was a re-read.

The World’s Best Jokes for Kids Volume I: Every Single One Illustrated
By: Lisa Swerling & Ralph Lazar
Genre: Childrens, Humour
Rating: 3/5
NOTE: Sent for review.

The Tea House on Mulberry Street
By: Sharon Owens
Read by: Caroline Winterson
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Audio book
Rating: 3/5

Summer Baby: A Novella (The Summer Series, Book 3)
By: Beth Labonte
Genre: Novella, Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 3/5

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 8
Total Number of Fiction: 7
Total Number of Non-Fiction: 1
Total Books Sent for Review: 1
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 3  
Total Library Books Read: 3

Formats Read

Physical Books: 2
eBooks: 3
Audio Books: 2 

January TBR

From my TBR Jar:

Follow me on Instagram @melissaleesredhousereviews to see the video I posted where I chose my January TBR jar book.

I also plan to read:

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

Monthly Wrap-up: October 2018

Total Books Read in October: 5
Total Books Read in 2018: 29

Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Rating: 4/5

 

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler 
Genre: Contemporary, Literary Fiction
My Rating: 2.5/5

 

Her Royal Spyness (Her Royal Spyness Mystery, #1) by Rhys Bowen
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Series
My Rating: 3.5/5

 

The Lightkeeper’s Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol 
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Rating: 5/5

Toward the Sunrise (Until the Dawn 0.5) by Elizabeth Camden
Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Romance
My Rating: 2.5/5
Quick Thoughts: Toward the Sunrise was a quick novella introducing some of the characters in Elizabeth Camden’s Until the Dawn series. I enjoyed the historical setting as well as the brief parts set in New York City. The romance was just alright, but I found the main character to be entitled and overly bold. I have yet to decide if I will continue on with this series.

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 5
Total Number of Fiction: 5
Total Number of Non-Fiction: 0
Total Books Sent for Review: 0
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 2
Total Library Books Read: 3

 

Formats Read

Physical Books: 1
eBooks: 4
Audio Books: 0

 

Currently Reading

 

Monthly Wrap-up: September 2018

Total Books Read in September: 4
Total Books Read in 2018: 24

Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs #1) by Jacqueline Winspear
Narrated by: Rita Barrington
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Series
My Rating: 4/5

 

The Law of Dreams by Peter Behrens 
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Rating: 2/5
Quick Thoughts: Peter Behrens The Law of Dreams follows an orphaned boy during the Irish potato famine, as he forges a new life for himself. Many historical fiction novels I’ve read doesn’t delve far into why immigrants leave them homelands. However this book did and for that I found it interesting. Unfortunately I struggled with some of the disturbing content and found it quite long. I didn’t feel as if I got to know our main character as well as the people he came across on his journey.

 

Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
My Rating: 3.5/5

 

Deadly Voyage: R.M.S. Titanic, Jamie Laidlaw, April 14, 1912 by High Brewster
Genre: Middle-grade, Historical Fiction
My Rating: 4/5

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 4
Total Number of Fiction: 4
Total Number of Non-Fiction: 0
Total Books Sent for Review: 0
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 3
Total Library Books Read: 1

Formats Read

Physical Books: 2
eBooks: 1
Audio Books: 1

 

Currently Reading

 

October TBR

Monthly Wrap-up: August 2018

Total Books Read in August: 3
Total Books Read in 2018: 20

Tide and Tempest (Edge of Freedom, #3)
By: Elizabeth Ludwig
Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction
My Rating: 3/5
Quick thoughts: Tide and Tempest was an interesting end to the Edge of Freedom series. I enjoyed the time period, New York city setting and being reunited with characters from the previous two novels. However this wasn’t my favourite book in the trilogy as I didn’t find the main characters to be as interesting as others. I also felt that the end was rushed. I would still recommend Elizabeth Ludwig’s novels to fans of Christian historical fiction.

 

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
By: Becky Albertalli
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
My Rating: 3/5

 

An Amish Kitchen
By: Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kelly Long
Narrated by: Heather Henderson
Genre: Amish Fiction, Christian Fiction
My Rating: 4/5

 

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 3
Total Number of Fiction: 3
Total Number of Non-fiction: 0
Total Books Sent for Review: 0
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 2
Total Library Books Read: 1

Formats Read

Physical Books: 1
eBooks: 1
Audio Books: 1

Currently Reading

 

September TBR

 

Monthly Wrap-up: July 2018

Total Books Read in July: 3
Total Books Read in 2018: 17

Ebb and Flow by Heather Smith
Genre: Middle Grade, Poetry
Rating: 4/5

A High-End Finish (A Fixer-Upper Mystery, #1) by Kate Carlisle
Gene: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Series
Rating: 2.5/5

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Rating: 4/5

The Stats
Total Number of Books Read: 3
Total Number of Fiction: 3
Total Number of Non-fiction: 0
Total Books Sent for Review: 0
Total Books Read from My Shelves: 1
Total Library Books Read: 2

Formats Read
Physical Books: 2
eBooks: 1
Audio Books: 0

Currently Reading

2018 Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

June marked the 6th month of the year. So lets freak out and see where we are with our reading..

This tag was originally created by Chami at IsThatChami.

Best book(s) I’ve read so far in 2018

Save the Date by Morgan Matson
Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy 
Hopeless (Hopeless, #1) by Colleen Hoover

 The best sequel I’ve read so far in 2018.

Rumors (Luxe, #2) by Anna Godbersen

New releases I haven’t read yet, but want to.

A Daring Venture (Empire State, #2) by Elizabeth Camden
Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West

Most anticipated release for the second half of 2018.

The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

My biggest disappointment.

The Road Home by Beverly Lewis

Biggest surprise.

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Favourite new to me authors.

Colleen Hoover
Morgan Matson

Newest fictional crush.

None.

Newest favourite character.

Andreas (Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy)

Book that made me cry.

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

 Book that made me happy.

Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres 

Most beautiful book I’ve bought/received.

Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy was given to me by my mom.

Favourite book to movie adaptation I’ve seen this year.

None.

Favourite review I’ve written so far.

The Meeting Place (Song of Acadia, #1) by Janette Oke & T. Davis Bunn

Books I need to read before the year ends.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 

 

Did you participate in this tag? If so please leave me your links in the comments below. 

Monthly Wrap-up: May 2018

Look at me, getting my wrap-up posted on time, haha. After a late start to Spring, we are definitely getting much warmer temperatures. Normally I’d use this as an excuse to hibernate, but lately I’ve been a bit more active.

Charlie is now 13 months old and is become more and more mobile each day. He sure keeps us on our toes.

Once again I read 2 books this past month and made good progress on another one. I am happy to say that I read my first 5 star book of 2018. I can’t believe it took me so long. Hopefully there will be more to come..

Total Books Read in May: 2
Total Books Read in 2018: 11

Save the Date by Morgan Matson
Genre: YA Lit, Contemporary
Rating: 5/5
Note: I was sent an ARC of Save the Date by Morgan Matson, from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. 

More than 50% by Hilda Chaulk Murray
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 3/5

The Stats

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

Formats Read

Physical Books: 1
eBooks: 1
Audio Books: 0

Hosted by: Book Date 

Monthly Wrap-up: April 2018

I am a couple of days late getting my April wrap-up posted because of technical difficulties. First of all, the power cord for my laptop bit the dust a couple of weeks ago. And second my internet has been very finicky lately. Thankfully I was able to buy a new cord and my connection seems to be working at the moment.

April was a busy month. We had family visiting from out east, there were several birthdays and I have starting working more hours. We also had some pretty crazy weather and still had snow on the ground until about a week ago.

Charlie turned 1 on the 19th. I can’t even fathom how fast the past year went. I’m now a mommy to a toddler! We had a double birthday party for him and my dad (who was celebrating his 60th). It was a wonderful day.

Unfortunately April was also a month of tragedy in my country; first with the Humboldt Bronco’s bus crash and then the van attack in Toronto. I’d like to send my condolences to all those who are involved.

The Road Home by Beverly Lewis 
Genre: Amish Fiction, Christian Fiction
Rating: 2.5/5
Note: I was sent a copy of The Road Home by Beverly Lewis by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. 

Rumors (Luxe, #2) by Anna Godbersen
Genre: Historical Fiction, YA Lit
Rating: 4/5

The Stats

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

Formats Read:

Physical Books: 1
eBooks: 1
Audio Books: 0

 

Currently Reading

 

Monthly Wrap-up: March 2018

Hello and welcome to my monthly wrap-up for the month of March.

I turned 31 years old on the first of the month. Unfortunately the flu went through my house and we had to post-pone my birthday celebration. Once we were all feeling better, we had a nice family dinner. My favourite part was receiving my first birthday card that said “Mom”.

Charlie turned 11 months old on the 19th. He is doing great and learning so much everyday. His current favourites include; monkeys, ABC Kids TV videos on Youtube and trying to copy everything his Pop does. This morning he will have his first visit from the Easter Bunny, along with a turkey dinner with family.

You may recall that several weeks ago, I posted a 21 Day Anxiety Challenge. Well the flu interrupted my progress, but I have completed some of the tasks, just not in the order listed on the image I shared. My progress with the challenge includes:

• Spend 20 Minutes Outside. I’ve been going out on walks several times a week.
• Get hydrated. I’ve been taking a water bottle where ever I go, that I sip on throughout the day.
• Take a long bubble bath. Nothing calms me down like a relaxing bath, paired with a good book.
• Snuggle with an animal. My cat Nova starts off his day with cuddles every morning.

I really hope to do some meditation and yoga during the month of April.

I’ve started to use my Instagram more during the month of March. If you would like to follow me click the link below:

https://www.instagram.com/melissaleesredhousereviews/

Books Completed

Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks
♥♥.5       2.5/5
Genre: Short Stories, Fiction

Everything She Lost by Alessandra Harris
♥♥    2/5
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense
Note: I was sent a copy of Everything She Lost by Alessandra Harris, from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Meeting Place (Song of Acadia, #1) by Janette Oke & T. Davis Bunn
♥♥♥♥         4/5
Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

The Stats

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

Formats Read:

Physical Books: 1
eBooks: 2
Audio Books: 0

Total Books Read in 2018: 7

Currently Reading

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter.

Links

Book Date