Friday, February 2, 2018

January Wrap-Up

So far we've failed at the blogging thing. February resolution is to do better. Anyway so here's a wrap up from January: what I read, what I got, what I'm knitting, just a general wrap-up post to start off February.

First of all I got a crap ton of new books. I had Christmas money from my grandmother that translated into new books. Plus three from my bookish subscription boxes, and a gift from the Pastor at my mother's church. So first up are the books I bought. The  first shipment were books I ordered with my Christmas money from Amazon. Most of them I chose based on books I've seen mentioned on booktube by some of the Booktubers I enjoy. They're all YA books. I'm looking to mellow out my reading list a little bit. I'm hoping to finish some books this year instead of just starting a whole bunch I never finish.

So after finishing up the last book from last year I started Six of Crows first solely because it had the highest rating on goodreads. I loved it immediately. Honestly it's one of my favorite books. So I got halfway through the book and put in another order from Amazon to go a little crazy with Leigh Bardugo books. 
To round out the books I bought in January, I bought the first two DC Icons novels while at Costco in the middle of the month. I love DC comics, especially Wonder Woman and Batman so when I saw these two titles I had to buy them. The third book is coming out later this year and is a Catwoman one which I'm also very excited about. 
So in addition to compulsively buying books, including nearly everything Leigh Bardugo has written, I also currently subscribe to two bookish subscription boxes. The first, Coffee and a Classic, is a monthly box that includes a book as well as something to sip (you can choose coffee, tea, cocoa, or random), a mug and other bookish goodies related to the theme. The second, The Nocturnal Readers Box, is a horror themed subscription box that includes a new release horror novel, a previous release horror novel, as well as an enamel pin, high quality art print, and other horror themed bookish goodies. 

My current subscription plan for Coffee and a Classic is the Nonfiction Light subscription with random beverage. It includes  a nonfiction book, something to drink (coffee, tea, or cocoa), two bookish goodies and a bookmark. This month the book was one I actual own and have read, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. It included a sample bag of Espresso from Bones Coffee Company which was actually really good. It also included an1893 map of the Chicago World's Fair print, a Chicago pressed penny keychain, and a Ferris wheel metal bookmark. I gave the book to my brother's fiancee since she enjoys those types of books as well. I've liked my previous boxes but they seem a little lackluster for what I get in them so I'm going to skip a couple months and try out a couple different bookish boxes to decide whether I'd like to continue. 

The Nocturnal Readers Box is my favorite subscription box I've ever gotten. I put the art prints on my wall over my window and the books have always been ones I wouldn't pick up but I've enjoyed immensely. Every month it includes a new release as well as a previous release book so two books every month, along with a bunch of bookish goodies including an enamel pin and art print. This month I got a signed copy of the new release which was Everything That's Underneath by Kristi DeMeester. The previous release is Hell Hound by Ken Greenhall. The box also included a Bates Motel magnet from Psycho, a Poe-Bat-Cat pin, zombie Edgar Allan Poe coasters, Rosemary's Baby socks, a bookmark inspired by Brother by Ania Ahlborn, a key chain from Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn, and an 8x10 art print from Swan Song by Robert McCammon. This box continues to be one of my very favorites and I have yet to be disappointed by anything I've received in it. 

Finally I was gifted a copy of the devotional book Jesus Calling  by Sarah Young. I'm working my way through it since it was a very well meaning gift from my mother's pastor but I'm just not digging the daily devotional thing. 

I finished two books in January and started a third. The first book I finished was The Devil Crept In by Ania  Ahlborn. It's a horror novel that was previously included in a Nocturnal Readers Box. To tell you the truth I didn't exactly love it. I mean the book was good, it was well written and engaging but I really rather disliked the ending. It's a book with an ambiguous ending that you don't really know what to believe at the end. I'm not a fan of those kinds of endings but the book was still fairly good. I rated it a 3 stars on goodreads. The second book I finished was Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo which I did absolutely love. The characters are relateable and even though the story can be very dark in places it's still humorous and light when it needs to be. I gave it a five stars on goodreads. Finally the book I started was of course the sequel to Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom also by Leigh Bardugo. I'm only a couple chapters into the book but I loved Six of Crows so I'm expecting to love this as well. 

Knitting is plodding along as it tends to. I'm working on a blanket for my brother and his fiancee for their wedding on March 31st. It's the Hue Shift Afghan by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence in the Decor Colorway. It's 4 sections of 25 mitred squares that all angle together towards a center point and is surrounded by a knit-on border. The colorway I chose is greens and blues and neutrals. Their wedding colors are blue and green and they helped pick out the colors. So far it's not going so well. I'm only about 3/4 of the way through the first quarter so I'll probably be done with it in time for their first anniversary. 

Anyway I hope to do better with the blogging in February and not all the posts will be this long. 

Cheers!
Emma and Richelle



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