Thursday, February 1, 2018

Monthly Wrap-Up: January 2018

  January 2018
Wrap-Up

Goodbye January, hello February!

I can say this was a pretty good reading month for me. I read a lot of books, re-read Artemis Fowl as planned and already found my favorite book of 2018 (so far), which was Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt. Also the books I read this month were all pretty different. Read a classic, middle grade, fantasy, thriller, nonfiction, science fiction, contemporary romance. I wonder if I can keep this eclectic thing going every month.


Picture comes from 50 Book Pledge

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty ► 4/5
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Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer ► 5/5{Re-read}
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The Madness of Cambyses by Herodotus ► 3/5
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The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle ► 4.5/5
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The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena ► 3.5/5
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Interference & Insurgency by Michelle Diener ► 4.5/5★ {My Review}
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Shadow Warrior by Michelle Diener ► 4/5★ {My Review}
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Hostage by Annika Martin & Skye Warren ► 4/5★ {Review coming tomorrow!}
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Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller ► 4/5
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Snakehead by Ann Halam ► 4/5
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Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt ► 5/5★ {Review to come April 12}



        Favorite book of the month:

Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt
Historical Fiction/Literary


In the glittering hotbed of Vienna at the turn of the 20th century, one woman’s life would define and defy an era.

Gustav Klimt gave Alma her first kiss. Gustav Mahler fell in love with her at first sight and proposed only a few weeks later. Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius abandoned all reason to pursue her. Poet and novelist Franz Werfel described her as “one of the very few magical women that exist.” But who was this woman who brought these most eminent of men to their knees? In Ecstasy, Mary Sharratt finally gives one of the most controversial and complex women of her time the center stage.

Coming of age in the midst of a creative and cultural whirlwind, young, beautiful Alma Schindler yearns to make her mark as a composer. A brand-new era of possibility for women is dawning and she is determined to make the most of it. But Alma loses her heart to the great composer Gustav Mahler, nearly twenty years her senior. He demands that she give up her music as a condition for their marriage. Torn by her love and in awe of his genius, how will she remain true to herself and her artistic passion?

Part cautionary tale, part triumph of the feminist spirit, Ecstasy reveals the true Alma Mahler: composer, author, daughter, sister, mother, wife, lover, and muse.
Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt was simply a masterpiece. It was a bittersweet story at times but oh so amazing. I finished reading with tears in my eyes even. Just wow!

Review to come on April 12 for the blog tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours



Have you read any of these books or what was your favorite book of January?


14 comments:

  1. Yay for starting off the year great! I love that you had such a diverse reading month! Happy February!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I surprised myself even. It shows how much of a mood reader I really am.

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  2. I'm glad you enjoyed Daughter of the Pirate King! My favourite book this month was Godsgrave!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Godsgrave was SO good! I can't wait for the third book.

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  3. Looks like you indeed had a nice eclectic reading month! Glad to hear you enjoyed Daughter of the Pirate King, it's been on my TBR for a while now :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I REALLY liked it. More than I thought I would. It wasn't perfect but definitely a nice read.

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  4. Replies
    1. RIGHT? I want to buy a hardcover copy of it so badly!

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  5. You did fantastic! I hope you keep the momentum going, it's nice to see such a mix of reads. Happy February!

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  6. Looks like a great reading month! The Atlantis Gene has me really interested, and Daughter of the Pirate King looks good too. Nice to see you rated them both pretty high.

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  7. OMG!! THIRTEEN books in ONE month!! I'm lucky if I can read THREE!! How do you manage to read so fast? Well, I must confess that I have this bad habit of pronouncing the words in my head as I read. I can't help it! Lol. So I think this is what slows me down.... :(

    BTW, where did you get that nice shelf widget for the books you read last month? It looks like the ones Shelfari used to have. But Shelfari no longer exists. The shelf widget on my blog (if you scroll all the way down) is really a screenshot of one of the Shelfari shelves I used to put on my blog, when i was a Shelfari member. Please, please let me know where you got yours! :) :) :)

    And now I have to say.....WOWSERS!!!! Your favorite book of the month is right up my alley!!! I MUST get it and read it!! I am a feminist, so of course I would be interested in this type of read!! I sometimes wonder how many GREAT women throughout history we never got to hear about, PRECISELY because they were not allowed to let their genius shine!! It makes me SO MAD!! So I'm adding this one to my Goodreads shelves RIGHT NOW. And I must get a hold of it just as soon as possible!! PLUS, I ADORE that cover!!

    All of your other reads look TERRIFIC, as well! Especially "Daughter of the Pirate King"!!

    Thanks for sharing!! Thanks as well for always leaving such GREAT comments on my blog!! HUGS!!!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

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  8. P.S. I have featured the cover of "Ecstasy" on this week's "Shelf Candy Saturday", on my blog. I also credited you and your blog. Thanks for featuring this book, which I hope to buy in April!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

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  9. You really did read a mix of genres and types of books in January and I love when people read a whole lot of variety. I am glad you also managed to get a lot of rereads in there too. Ecstasy sounds wonderful and I look forward to your review!

    ReplyDelete

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