Monthly Roundup - November 2016

To me, November is always synonymous with 'gratitude', due to Thanksgiving and the approaching Christmas/holiday season. This month, I reflected on how thankful I am to be able to read. It blesses and enhances my life in an immeasurable way. It allows me to travel to distant lands, see inside someone else's mind, and have adventures, all while curled up on my couch. It inspires me to take action and to be a better person.

My goal this year is to read 100 books. If I take a step back, how amazing is it that I can make--and most likely achieve--that goal? Reading and books are such an amazing blessing, and I'm grateful to have that in my life.

I read 7 books this month, putting my total at 89.

1) Labirynth Lost - Zoraida Córdova (3.5 stars)
2) The Forgetting - Sharon Cameron (4.5 stars)
3) Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo (4.5 stars) (Reread)
4) Crooked Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo (5 stars)
5) And I Darken - Kiersten White (2 stars)
6) Heartless - Marissa Meyer (4 stars)
7) Arcanum Unbounded - Brandon Sanderson (5 stars)

Currently Reading:

The Forbidden Wish - Jessica Khoury
The Girl from Everywhere - Heidi Heilig
Elantris - Brandon Sanderson

(Yes, three books at once. I'm crazy book dragon)

That means I need to read 11 books in December! I think I'll make it, especially since I'm almost done with those three I'm currently reading. My TBR (To Be Read) list is a mile long, but I've got some exciting books that have become available at the library, and a couple I've been able to purchase.

What have you read this month? Let me know in the comments!

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Monthly Roundup - January 2017

In January I read 6 books, which is keeping with the pace I need in order to read 80 books this year. 1) The Reader - Traci Chee (3 stars) 2) Wayfarer - Alexandra Bracken (3.5 stars) 3) Windwitch - Susan Dennard (3.5 stars) 4) The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead (3 stars) 5) Behind the Throne - K. B. Wagers (5 stars) 6) Queen of Shadows - Sarah J. Maas (4 stars) I say that's a pretty good start to 2017! I recently started a new job, so posts have slowed while I rediscover the work/life balance, but overall I really enjoyed the books I read this month and would recommend them all (especially Behind the Throne !!! Gahh!!! Review coming soon!). My TBR pile for February is a mile long, but I'm especially excited for A Conjuring of Light, the conclusion to the Shades of Magic series by V. E. Schwab. I've also got the February Book Club pick, Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, and I'll finally finish up Empire of Storms , the latest book in Sarah

Ensnared

Ensnared by Rita Stradling I received a free ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis ( from Goodreads ) "Alainn’s father is not a bad man. He’s a genius and an inventor. When he’s hired to create the robot Rose, Alainn knows taking the money is a mistake. Rose acts like a human. She looks exactly like Alainn. But, something in her comes out wrong. To save her father from a five year prison sentence, Alainn takes Rose’s place. She says goodbye to the sun and goes to live in a tower no human is allowed to enter. She becomes the prisoner of a man no human is allowed to see. Believing that a life of servitude lies ahead, Alainn finds a very different fate awaits her in the company of the strange, scarred recluse." Review The premise sounded very interesting: Beauty and the Beast retelling in the near-future with robots and AI. But it really really fell flat. I read the first few chapters, then put it down for a couple of months .

Arcanum Unbounded

Arcanum Unbounded - Brandon Sanderson Synopsis A collection of Sanderson's "short" stories and novellas set in his Cosmere universe. Review It's no secret that Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors. His writing is stupendous, his stories are incredible and his plot twists are mind-blowing. Rarely can I figure out exactly where the story is headed, but I am always exceptionally pleased when I get there! Sanderson isn't as known for his "short" stories. Probably because they aren't short. Two of them in this collection clock in around 40k words, which is approaching the line between a novella and a novel. A few of the stories ( The Emperor's Soul, Sixth of the Dusk, Shadows for Silence ) can be read with no knowledge of his other books, and would perhaps be a good introduction to his writing. Those ones you can get individually or are published in other anthologies. I myself had already read a few of the stories, but withi

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