Quick Lit: January 2015

My library haul from a trip in mid-January

In 2015 my Goodreads goal was to read 36 books -- 3 books a month -- after only reading 24 the year before. I came so close, finishing 31 books. So my goal for 2016 is also going to be 36 books (and that doesn't count the books I read to/with my kids).

(I try to post a few times a month what my kids are reading too, click here to read those reviews)

I'm starting off well -- I finished 5 books already in January. Yay!

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Cinder and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I have a tendency to jump on a best-selling-series bandwagon after all of the books in the series have been published (Harry Potter, Divergent, etc). And boy am I glad I waited on these, because I am just eating them up. In fact, I requested book 3 at the library as soon as I started book 2... and I'm still anxiously waiting (delivery day is tomorrow!). I had a friend ask what book I was reading, and it sounded really strange for me to explain "well it's a dystopian/futuristic book, and there's this girl who's a cyborg - you know, part robot part human - and it's a little like the story of Cinderella, but there's this plague..." These have been a great easy-read for when I only have a few minutes here and there, and I love the fairy tale undertones in each one.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

The January/February topic in the RTFEBC is the Arctic, and some discussion came up in the Facebook group about Arctic books for adults. This one came highly recommended, and my library had it on the shelf so I gave it a try. It took a couple days for me to get fully immersed in the story (it was difficult with my small snippets of reading time), but once I did I just couldn't put it down. It's been a long time since I last stayed up late to finish a book! The bits of Arctic homesteading appealed to me, as well as all of the feelings of longing for a child (I had two miscarriages before my girls were born). It's a great novel that I don't think I would have picked up without others' glowing recommendations!

Four by Veronica Roth

I was a Divergent junkie when I read the trilogy. It wasn't like it was a new concept, there has been lots of dystopian YA lately. But I really liked the series, and was impressed by the first movie when it came out (though I have yet to see the others! ahh!). So when I needed something last week to tide me over until my library holds came in, I saw this book in the YA section and picked it up. It's essentially a prequel to the trilogy, a collection of short stories told from the perspective of the main character named Four. I don't think it would appeal to anyone who hasn't read the original trilogy, or at least the original book, but for fans like me it was a fun quick read.

In fact, I'm going to count it for the MMD 2016 Reading Challenge as "a book you can finish in a day". (I didn't read it in one calendar day -- mom-life is way too crazy for that -- but I did finish it in a 24-hour time span! :)


I also read The Year of Miss Agnes for the RTFEBC, and counted it only because it was the first time I've read it and I didn't actually read it with my kids. I wouldn't usually count an easy chapter book like that. :)

Are you on track with your reading goals for the year
or have you already fallen behind? :)

Linking up with Anne Bogel's February Quick Lit!

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