So this month there was a ton going on in my personal life. My adorable husband thought it would be sweet to redo the living room for my V-day present. Points for being just so awesome! Six hundred dollars and a lot of stress later, we are still not quite finished. Furniture is expensive guys! And the stuff the bought had to be put together (most of it, anyway). Also, there’s getting rid of the old. That part is not fun. I felt like we did really well money wise, though. We have a new love seat (a futon hybrid that the “mattress” is attached, but it lays out like a bed and has arm rests that can curl up), tv stand, two desks, shredder, totes, side stand and two new bookshelves. All this, though, seriously went into my me time, and thus reading time. I ended up reading 62 hours and 10 minutes this month, which is down from last.
From Netgalley I read:
- The Pho Cookbook, Andrea Quynhgiao Nguyen Which was a very informative look at my favorite soup including some history.
2. Always, Sarah Jio. Kailey Crane has finally moved on after having her heart broken ten years ago. She’s engaged to marry an amazing man and has a great job. One night she stumbles upon Cade, the one that broke her heart. But nothing is like she thought. What if he had never meant to leave her, but couldn’t find his way back? What really happened ten years ago? With the choice of her new steady love or the man that set her world ablaze, who will she pick? I loved this one. 
3. Everything Love is, Claire King. A sweet story about the many forms of love one finds in their life- mother, friend, lover. Baptiste is in the business of helping others find happiness, but ignores his own. When he discovers something handed down from his birth mother, everything changes. 
4. Wonder Woman, Rebirth #1, Greg Lucas. A good, short comic with great graphics and a fair plot. Seemed a bit slow, though. 
From First to Read:
1. The Forgotten Girls, Owen Laukkanen. A fantastic Stevens/ Windermere book. A body is found in the snow- a young girl, a train hopper. As they look into this mystery, they find other women- none of which would be searched for. How do they all tie together, and can they catch the killer before he strikes again? 
2.The Idiot, Elif Batuman. Selin is going to Harvard in 1995. There is so much to figure out! No longer one of the brightest stars, she has to find her place in the college community, deal with new friends, roommates, classes whose curriculum she has never even heard of, email, and Ivan… her first crush. I loved this book.
3. The Roanoke Girls, Amy Engle. A family with a terrible secret. I am still reeling. 
Books I bought:
1.The Christmas Mystery, James Patterson and Richard DiLallo. Moncrief, book 2. You get to see some of his past, and he and K. become closer. I liked this one more than the first. 
2.French Twist, James Patterson and Richard DiLallo. Moncrief book 3. While working on their own case, Luc discovers that his friends need him. Someone is threatening them, and their horse.
3. Hidden, James Patterson and James O. Born. Mitchum, once in training to be a navy seal, is now PI to his quiet home town. When his niece turns up missing, he will stop at nothing to find out what’s going on. What he finds, though, is more than he ever dreamed.
4. Malicious, James Patterson and James O. Born. Mitchum, book two. His brother is accused of murder. In order to clear his name, Mitchum will have to find the killer, and discover what’s happening in the parts of the community that he has tried to ignore. 
5. The House Husband. He is the perfect husband. The perfect father. Or is he? 
The most surprising book of the month:
Roanoke girls, Amy Engel.
Favorites:
The Forgotten Girls, Owen Laukkanen
Everything Love Is, Claire King
So that’s me for February. What did your month look like?
Garabrandtreviews 