February 2018
Looking back at the month of February, I didn’t get everything done that I wanted to. I blame a few key factors.
First, the Winter Olympics were on! I’m OBSESSED with the Olympics, and in particular the Winter ones (the Canadian in me likes the ice sports what can I say!). For those who follow me on Twitter you probably got annoyed with all my retweets but Canada had a great games and I’m not sorry 😉
Secondly, I went away on an extended vacation and I wasn’t able to read as many books (or watch as much Olympic events) as I would have liked. I still managed to squeeze a few reads in while en route so I was in a good place once I returned. Which is important because:
Third, my “big city” library card from university expired mid month so I had a lot of books I wanted to get through. Thanks to eBooks and some strategic planning, I still have a mountain load of eBooks waiting to be read in the next two weeks. Which means, my 2018 Reading Challenges went by the wayside but I got through a lot of titles I had had sitting on my TBR for years so I consider that a win!
Total for February 2018: 21 Books Read + 7 Novellas Read
Last February: 13 Books Read + 4 Novellas Read
DNF’d: 3 Books
Standout Read (★★★★★)
It’s no secret I’m a huge Monica Murphy fan. I haven’t had the greatest luck with her YA stuff lately but I always enjoy her New Adult titles and this one was no exception. No one else could write this story like she could and it lived up to my every expectation!
Biggest Let Down (DNF’d)
I was SO SO excited to read this one! It had Shakespeare; forbidden love and was set in Toronto! I really wanted to love this one but I couldn’t tolerate the petty heroine and the not-burning-at-all slow burn romance.
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Previously posted series reviews that got updates:
You can always get the full details on all my challenges on my dedicated page but here is a quick update:
5 Year 5 Book Challenge: NONE | 2 of 25 Titles Read
Goodreads Challenge: 29 books added | 55/190 Books
52 Sequel Challenge: 5 Titles Added | 11/52 Sequels
Tackling the TBR Challenge: 4 books added | 8/36 Books
View my Challenge Progress Here!
In February 2017, I created a challenge for myself to bring my “Want to Read” Goodreads Shelf to 500 books. By the end of December 2017, I had brought the shelf down from 1205 to 511 books! The ultimate goal for 2018 is to get that number lower than 500 and also bring down my “sequel” shelf as well.
I’ve seen this meme floating around and thought it was a great idea to help me tackle my TBR list and reach that less than 500 goal. The idea is to go through 5-10 books on your Goodreads TBR list chronologically and decide if they should stay or go. I usually do a big Goodreads Purge twice a year but I like the idea of doing a little bit at a time and have decided to do this on a monthly basis.
This month (7 New Series + 3 Previously Started Series):
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Pass: 2 | Keep: 8
Did I make any mistakes? Let me know in the comments below!
I’m taking part in the Take Control of You TBR Pile Challenge, hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer for the month of March. The challenge is simple: read books that have been published before March 1, 2018! That won’t be hard for me since I have a list of backlisted titles I have out from the library and it lines up with my reading challenges for this year. There aren’t any new releases for March that I have on my immediate radar either and I only have 1 ARC that will be published this month.
For me, I’m only going to count titles that I’ve already added to Goodreads. These means sequel novels for newly started series (even if they were published before March 2018) will not be counted though the inaugural novel will be counted.
My Goal: 15 Titles
You can track all my progress on my 2018 Reading Challenge Page here!
You can still join in on these discussions:
- Trope Thursdays: Slow Burn Romance
- Movie Mondays: Fifty Shades Freed
- Discussions: Lessons Learned from Blog Tours
Here are some of my favourite posts that I’ve come across the past month:
- Cristina @ Girl in the Pages discusses Feeling Guilty for Reading
- Valerie @ The Innocent Smiley shares some tips for Surviving a Book Buying Ban
- Analee @ Book Snacks lists some great YA Books Featuring Families
- The Goodreads Blog posted an interesting post about DNFing Novels
Each month I have a list of 11 books I’ve selected to read for that particular month. These books include review copies and reading challenge picks. Here are some of the books I have ready to go for March:
What were your biggest reading or personal accomplishments of the past month?
Leave a comment below!
It looks like you had a good month! I watched a lot of the Olympics, too, but not as much as I have in years past. I recently cut a lot from my TBR on Good Reads and it feels so much more manageable now (I’ll still never read them all, though, haha).
Stephanie’s Book Reviews recently posted…Back from Hiatus
I know what you mean about the TBR list. I tell myself it’s manageable but I know in my heart it really isn’t 😛 But it does give you a sense of relief when you make those cuts.
You did a great job. Should never feel bad for reading books that you want to read.
Rachael Turns Pages recently posted…Small Great Things Paperback Giveaway
Thanks! All and all it was a good month. I had just wanted to get a few more titles off my TBR but I’m happy with everything I read.
I’m glad you had a vacation!! <3 Sometimes it good to give ourselves a break.
Poulami @ Daydreaming Books recently posted…Monthly Wrap Up: February 2018!
It was so nice to escape reality for a little while!
Thanks for the shout out, Lauren! 🙂
Cristina @ Girl in the Pages recently posted…Mini Reviews | Hello, Sunshine and Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave
Anytime!