February 2018 Recap

(Let’s all pretend I’m posting this recap at the end of February rather than the beginning of March).

It’s cliché I know, I even started my first recap of the year with this, but where has the month gone?! February is the shortest month of the year and this year I could really tell because I’m struggling to think of what I did with myself over the last twenty-eight days. It was a bit of a mixed month for me, but overall there was more good than bad.

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Books I Read

Wires and Nerve: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer – Four stars
Check out my review here.

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton – Five stars

Tales from Sand and Sea by Alwyn Hamilton – Four stars

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner – Four stars

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray – Five stars

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green – Four stars

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor – Five stars

Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor – Five stars

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Again (as of the end of February at least) I’m on track to complete my Goodreads Reading Challenge of 125 by the end of the year. However I’m thinking of lowering it. I don’t know if I can reach my goal and the thought of falling behind is giving me low-key anxiety issues. I’d rather lower my challenge to an amount I know I can read but still try to 125 books.

The best book I picked up in February was really hard to narrow down. Last month I bemoaned how long it took me to finally have a five star read but this month there were a couple of outstanding and incredible books I got through. I think I’m going to have to go for Daughter of Smoke and Bone. This was a re-read for me but it was just as magical and enchanting the second time around as the first.

The worst book I picked up this month was again another really hard choice because all the books I picked up were good. Tales from Sand and Sea was good, don’t get me wrong, but as a collection of short stories from the Rebel of the Sands trilogy I didn’t really have any expectations for it and all in all it was kind of forgettable compared to the other books I picked up.

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My WIP

To everyone out there who knows how much of an epic procrastinator I am it’s probably going to come as no surprise when I say I’m still a little behind compared to where I wanted to be on my WIP. My original plan was to start writing in March but currently I am only halfway into my plan/research stages (it was the naming of my characters which has thrown me off schedule).

Now my plan is to finish my plot outline, finish naming all my characters (God help me), and finish expanding my world before starting the actual re-write of my WIP in April. Just in time for Camp NaNoWriMo (do you see what I did there).

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Life in General

I splurged and had afternoon tea with my best friend in London. We’d waited months for a table for Cutter & Squidge’s Genie’s Cave Afternoon Tea to open up, but let me tell you it was well worth the wait. The food was incredible and we are definitely going back there again, they do different themes every few months and come summer there’s going to be something new.

I also made it to the Harry Potter History of Magic exhibition at the British Library, something else I’d waited months for. It was amazing, there was a different room for each class Harry had at Hogwarts filled with historical and cultural facts that J.K. Rowling had used to create the world.

The Beast from the East (God I hate that name) hit the UK, and then Storm Emma came along afterwards bringing snow, snow, and even more snow to the UK. I know other countries out there have it worse than what we’ve had in the UK, but we’re a country that’s never prepared for extremes in weather, and it’s been horrible. It’s March and there’s supposed to be blossom on the trees but we still have snow on the ground.

Sorry, rant over.

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After January I seem to have hit the other extreme in book hauls and didn’t buy much in February, but wait until you see the books that will be in my March haul.

Books

• Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
• Harry Potter: A History of Magic by British Library

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Fairy Loot

• The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

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OBSIDIO! OBSIDIO! OBSIDIO!

Can anyone guess what book I’m excited for this month? There are some incredible March releases but Obsidio is at the top of my every list, as soon as I have it in my hands I’ll be getting started on it. I’m also planning more re-reading; I want to finish the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series and in preparation for Obsidio I’m going to be picking up Illuminae and Gemina again as well.

I start my new job on Monday (I am both nervous and excited) so it may be a bit of a struggle at first juggling my increased workload with blogging but I have faith in my time management skills. I hope to end March on track when it comes to blogging and ready to start the re-write of my WIP.

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I hope everyone else had a good February, and I hope you all have an even better March as well.

Let me know what books you’ve read during the second month of the year, and if you’ve found yourself wondering where this month has gone? Does anyone have any big plans for March, they don’t have to be blogging or reading plans, and who else is beyond excited for the release of Obsidio?

Happy reading!