January Wrapup/February TBR

You know what my favorite part of the month is? The beginning, when everyone is posting their wrapup and TBR’s of the month past and new month. So here I am doing the same.

In the month of January I finished City of Ashes, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Divided in Death, Beautiful Lies, The Lady in the Tower, and The Scorch Trials. I also read, but haven’t finished, A Dance with Dragons and The Fiery Cross.

I loved all of the books I read this month. You can see what City of Ashes, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Divided in Death, and The Fiery Cross were about in my January TBR (along with links to their Goodreads pages). The Lady in the Tower is a book by Alison Weir focusing on the fall of Anne Boleyn and those in her circle. Anne Boleyn has always interested me, as she has interested many others with the story of her life and tragic fall. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner is the second in the Maze Runner series, where Thomas and the Gladers deal with many other terrible trials, because what they had to deal with in the first book was not enough. The only problem I had with the book Beautiful Lies was that I really was never sure what that book was exactly about. But I loved it so I didn’t mind too much. I’ll just re-read it one day.

Now for the February TBR List!

I’ll be continuing The Fiery Cross, the fifth book in the Outlander Series. I discussed this book in last month’s post. It’s still great, it’s just also really long.

I’ll be reading book three in the Mortal Instruments Series, City of Glass, by Cassandra Clare. City of Bones and City of Ashes were both wonderful, and just like last month I really couldn’t wait to start City of Glass, so I started it earlier this week, and it’s been great so far.

Continuing in the Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan, I’ll be reading book two, The Sea of Monsters. I absolutely loved The Lightning Thief and both started and finished it on January 1, devouring the entire book in a matter of hours. I expect to finish this one quickly too. Percy’s quests are wonderfully written and who doesn’t love PercyBeth?

I’m on to book nineteen in the In Death Series by J.D. Robb, Visions in Death. Eve and Roarke and Mavis and Peabody and all of the other recurring characters are wonderful and when I was reading Divided in Death it was like I was seeing old friends I hadn’t seen in a few months, as I hadn’t had time to read the series in a while. I can’t wait to see what happens to them all in this book. I will slowly but surely make my way through this huge and ever-growing series, enjoying every book.

I’m starting a new series this month by Deborah Harkness, the All Souls Trilogy, starting with the first book, A Discovery of Witches. I’ve heard lots of good reviews on it and bought the first book on Black Friday. I can’t wait to start this one.

So there we go. All the books to read! And this month I’m apparently only reading series books. Or at least that’s all on my TBR list. I also get kindle library books from both the Amazon Kindle Library and the Maryland e-library. And sometimes get books from the real library. Although now that class has started, I have a feeling I’ll be reading my microbiology textbook and lab book a little more than other books. But I do have my commute from campus in Germantown to home where I can read whatever I want, so that’ll help. Seeing as my commute home is TWO FREAKING HOURS, most of it by bus and Metro. Reading is the best way to pass it.

Keep reading guys. It’s a wonderful and important part of life. And frequent bookstores, dammit! They’re a wonderful place to pass time and too many of them are closing! Sorry. I don’t mean to yell, so I’ll stop now.

Goodreads links for this month’s books:

The Sea of Monsters

City of Glass

Visions in Death

A Discovery of Witches

The Fiery Cross

With a Change of Plans Comes Hurricane Irene

So I was supposed to leave for school a week ago, but because money problems are a bitch, here I am still at home in Maryland. And boy has it been a week. First, I experienced the first earthquake I’ve ever been awake for (we had one last year, but I slept right through the thing). And now I’ve got the adventure of Hurricane Irene bearing down on me. And I’ll tell you one thing, if bitch cuts my power during True Blood… well, I don’t know what I’ll do, but I’ll be pissed!

This is the first major hurricane Maryland has been threatened with in a long time. We’ve had a few ones make small landfall in my lifetime, but nothing like this. So what will I be doing this weekend? Why, taking advantage of course! I’ll be going over all of my 2011 September Issue magazines (InStyle, Glamour, Elle and of course, the big one, Vogue. Which I had to buy at the store because the U.S. Mail Service is taking for-frikking-ever to get my issue to me!). I’ll be working on some posts courtesy of Ricky’s NYC. And I’ll also be working on a post about Tresemme’s dry shampoo and waterless foam shampoo. Can’t promise that anything will get posted this weekend. I might get a power cut. Or I might get evacuated, God forbid. Plus I’m also working my way through the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. I admit it, the tv show (Game of Thrones, on HBO), brought me to the books, because I wanted more after the season ended. Those books suck you in and don’t let you out. And I’ll be eating and watching movies for as long as I can. And I may or may not have my fingers crossed that we’ll have the power cut at work for one reason or another… But I can neither confirm nor deny that.

But you know who I don’t envy? My sister. Who is camping this weekend. Poor kid. Hope they don’t get rained out. It’s rained out camping trips that made me hate camping.

So, everyone who is in Irene’s path, stay safe! If they tell you to evacuate, GTFO! And everyone who’s not in the path of the bitch, be glad. It’s gonna be one hell of a weekend.