And now it's white outside! We got about a foot of snow on Wednesday and Thursday last week. So much for spring! Crazy Michigan weather. :​)

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo (Loved this!)

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck (I am loving this one. Travel narratives, which are one of my favorite genres, combined with Steinbeck's writing is a winning combination!)
The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler (I'm trying to savor the Steinbeck book, so I'm slipping this middle grade read in in the evenings.)
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (I'm on page 376 out of 710. More than halfway!!)

Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink by Gail Carson Levine (This was a spontaneous grab at the library. I love books about writing.)

I love living in Michigan, where we have four distinct seasons. What I don't like so much is this in-between season time. Nearly sixty degrees one day, but thirty degrees and snow the next. So confusing and hard to plan ahead. But at least those occasional warm days mean spring is not too far away!

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber (This was a wonderful memoir of finding faith and love at Oxford University.)

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo (This book is gorgeous and so good!)
Tribute to Brunei and Other Poems by John Onu Odihi (Onto the next country for my Litsy Passport Challenge.)
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (I'm on page 325 of 710. Should be over halfway by next week!)

Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck (I really liked Steinbeck's writing in The Grapes of Wrath, so I'm looking forward to this one.)

As I type this post on Sunday afternoon, I'm watching cross-country skiing. Sadly, by the time you read this post on Monday, the Olympics will be over. I'm really looking forward to watching the Closing Ceremonies tonight, but sad that I will no longer be able to have the Olympics as the background of my life every afternoon and evening. I love everyone's stories and the way they draw the whole world together. Now just another two years until we can do this all again!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (This was my February book club book, and we had our meeting on Friday. There was lots to discuss, and we all agreed that we loved this one.)
Paperboy by Vince Vawter (I have now read all the 2014 Newbery Honor books. My first Newbery goal of the year accomplished! Now I have to read all of this year's Honor books, and the winners from the 1970s. Yay for Newberys!)

Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw (Other than Act 3 being completely different than Acts 1 & 2, I'm enjoying this one. I love his wit.)
Greenwitch by Susan Cooper (I can't believe I never read this series as a kid, fantasy lover that I was. Glad I'm remedying that now!)
​Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (I'm on page 272 out of 710. I'm hoping to reach page 300 by the end of the month.)

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber (This has been on my TBR for two years. Out of the blue, one of my friends read the book, told me it made her think of me, and let me borrow her copy. I'm really looking forward to reading it!)

So I've been working for the past month or so on reorganizing my bookshelves (including getting rid of a bunch of books) and cataloging what remained. It's been so much fun!! My one-year-old son helped, too, by pulling books off the shelves every time I had my back turned. :) At any rate, the process is finally over and I'm excited to share about it. Stay tuned for a big blog post about my revamped library!

Full Moon Over Noah's Ark: An Odyssey to Mount Ararat and Beyond by Rick Antonson (This was a really interesting book about traveling in the Middle East.)
​Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (This year's Newbery winner! I enjoyed it, but wasn't over the moon about it.)

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (My book club book that I need to finish by Friday. It's so good, but so long!)
One Came Home by Amy Timberlake (2014 Newbery Honor book)
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (I'm on page 222 out of 710.)

Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw (Another one from my Classics Club list. I loved reading Pygmalion, so I'm looking forward to trying another one of Shaw's plays.)

It's Olympics time! I love watching the Olympics, and the Winter Olympics happening right now are on as the background in my house as much as possible. Although my little guy is finding that much TV to be pretty distracting, so sometimes we turn it off so we don't turn into couch potatoes. After his bedtime, though, it's time for the Olympics!

The Interrupted Tale by Maryrose Wood (I love this series!)
The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman (I love this series, too! Both series just keep getting better!)

Full Moon Over Noah's Ark: An Odyssey to Mount Ararat and Beyond by Rick Antonson (This is a fascinating book about an area of the world I know very little about.)
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (Page 179 out of 710)

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (My book club book for February. I'm so looking forward to this one!)

It's snowing!! I'm typing this post on Sunday, and it's been snowing since the middle of the night. We've gotten about five inches so far, and it's still coming down. I'm guessing there will be a snow day tomorrow (always nice for the day after the Superbowl). I'm ready to stay cozy inside with a good book! (If only my little guy will cooperate for his nap. We've been having some differences of opinion about this recently.)

A Devil to Play: One Man's Year-Long Quest to Master the Orchestra's Most Difficult Instrument by Jasper Rees (I learned so much about the French horn. This was just a fun and fascinating read overall.)
A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes (I've found a new Christian fiction author I really enjoy. Must start collecting her books!)
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (Okay, I didn't exactly read this one last week. I've been working on it since November, reading one canto a day. And I finally finished!!)

Efronia: An Armenian Love Story by Stina Katchadourian (My first read for the Litsy Passport Challenge. This woman's life is incredible.)
The Interrupted Tale by Maryrose Wood (I chose this one to read during the Superbowl - that's what the game is for, right? I thought it would hold my attention better than Efronia, especially with all the background noise. This is such a fun series!)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (My current Newbery read)
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (Really enjoying this one. I'm on page 137 out of 710.)

The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman (Cannot wait to read this one!!)

This crazy Michigan weather! One day it's snowing a couple of inches, the next day it's 40 degrees and the snow is melting away. I really shouldn't complain about a reprieve of the frigid temperatures, but it's making it really hard to know what to wear from one day to the next! Ah, well. That's what I get for living in Michigan, I guess. :​)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (I finished it! And I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I really enjoyed Steinbeck's writing, especially in his descriptive chapters.)

Magic for Marigold by L.M. Montgomery (Even though I enjoyed The Grapes of Wrath, I still needed a bit of a pick-me-up after finishing it. What better than a Montgomery book?)
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (I'm almost done with this one. I'm only reading it while I put my son down for a nap, so it's taking a little longer to get through than it normally would.)
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (A chunkster for my Classics Club list. This one I'm chipping away at only over breakfast, so my progress will be slow. Right now, I'm on page 32 out of 710.)

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes (I'm hoping to slip this Newbery Honor book in next. Then this weekend is the 24in48 Readathon! I'll have a post up later this week with my stack for that. I can't wait!)

Well, my little guy and I survived a week alone! My husband was gone on a work trip from Tuesday morning to Friday night. That's the longest he's been gone since our son was born, and I'm happy to say that we all survived the separation. I know I am so blessed to have him here the vast majority of the time. Single parents are amazing. I don't know how they do it. I'm just glad our house stayed in one piece and my sanity is more or less intact!

Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (I loved rereading this one for the umpteenth time. I'm hoping to sneak in at least one more Montgomery book this month.)
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand (Another one off my Classics Club list! This play is amazing. I would love to see it performed sometime!)
The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett (I think this might actually be my favorite of his. It was relaxing and suspenseful all at the same time, if that makes any sense.)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Next up for the Classics Club. I have to admit that I'm dreading this one a bit.)
​The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (First Newbery read of the year!)

I honestly haven't really thought past The Grapes of Wrath, because that's a big, thick book, and I'm on page 2. Right now, I'm just hoping to make a lot of progress on it this week!

Apparently with this fresh new year, I've decided to tackle a long overdue project. I'm going through all of my bookshelves and getting rid of books that I will probably never read, or ones that I've read and don't need to keep. It's amazing how much space I've cleared up! It was desperately needed, because I have piles of books that need a place on the shelves - and now they will hopefully have one! I'm really looking forward to organizing the books that are left, but first I need to deal with the books I'm giving away. I'm sorting into three categories - for my Little Free Library, for the local bookstore (so I can get some credit to buy more books), and for Goodwill. I didn't necessarily intend to start this project, but I'm so glad I did!

How Did I Do in My Reading Plans for 2017?
My Year in Books - 2017 (including my top reads of the year!)

Sourdough by Robin Sloan (This was a fun read. I didn't love it like I did Mr. Penumbra, but I did really enjoy it.)
Mail Obsession by Mark Mason (For Anglophiles and lovers of random facts! This book is awesome!!)

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (One of my 2017 goals was to reread one Jasper Fforde book a month. Well, he has 13 books published, so I had to continue a bit into 2018!)

Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (I like to revisit Anne every January. This one is up this year!)

There's finally snow on the ground! Only about an inch, but it counts. And we have a Christmas tree up, covered in lights - and that's it. No ornaments this year! So far my little guy has touched it a few times and tried to hug it twice, but no damage done. Every time he sees it, he points and says, "Ooh!". We haven't put up any other decorations yet. One step at a time. But it still feels like Christmas around here!

The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel (Fascinating and really well done.)
The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (AMAZING! Just as good as the first one. Read these books immediately. Please.)
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (I don't know how I missed out on this series as a kid. I'm enjoying it now.)

The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde (The last of my Jasper Fforde "rereads" for the year isn't actually a reread. I'm so excited! A Jasper Fforde book I haven't read yet!!)
Erewhon by Samuel Butler (Still chipping away at my Classics Club list through Serial Reader. 14% complete)

Sourdough by Robin Sloan (I snatched this one off the new shelf at my library. I can't wait!)