February 2021

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#11. THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE by Carla Buckley
★★★☆☆

If a Hallmark movie/women’s fiction novel and an apocalyptic novel had a baby, it would be this book. It follows a mother of two, who allows her soon-to-be ex-husband back into the house after an H5N1 outbreak wreaks havoc on the world. Reading about a pandemic during a pandemic may or may not have been the wisest choice, but I sure am grateful that ours doesn’t have a 50% death rate like the one in the book. Not the best novel I’ve ever read, but definitely a thought-provoking one.

#12. THE FORTUNATE ONES by Ellen Umansky
★★☆☆☆

This was a weird one. I went into it thinking that it was a dual-timeline modern day/WWII-era historical fiction, which it was…except it wasn’t. (How’s that for a description, ha!) Both stories revolve around a specific piece of artwork that means a lot to both main characters, but it proved not to be a very interesting premise. Just an okay read for me.

#13. THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF RACHEL DUPREE by Ann Weisgarber
★★★☆☆

This one was a sad story about an African American couple trying to survive as homesteaders in the harsh environment of the Badlands (in South Dakota) during the early 20th century. There were a lot of thought-provoking parts to this novel, especially about prejudice and a marriage created with two people on different pages. Solid three stars. (This fit the Historathon prompt for “A Book With a Person’s Name in the Title”)

#14. THE GIRL IN THE GREEN RAINCOAT by Laura Lippman
★★☆☆☆

I was looking for a quick change of pace before diving back into historical fiction, so I picked up The Girl in the Green Raincoat. (I rediscovered it while picking books for The Booktube Spin.) This novella, at just 158 pages, is about a pregnant private investigator on bedrest who tries to solve a case while stuck at home. A fast read, but definitely forgettable. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I guess this book is part of a bigger series and I dove in at #11. Oops! (This also fulfilled the Buzzword Readathon Challenge prompt for February, “a color.”)

#15. THE YELLOW BIRD SINGS by Jennifer Rosner
★★★★☆

The author describes the book this way: “The Yellow Bird Sings is a story about longing: the longing of a child and her mother to be connected, to be heard, to find their way home.” I had a hard time getting into the first third of the book, but was very invested in the characters after that. The ending was beautiful. P.S. Some sexual content, that most likely was true to life during that time, but still hard to read. (This was also the group read for Historathon.)

#16. THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR by Shari Lapena
★★★☆☆

Thanks to the Historathon challenge, I am learning that I need a bit of a palate cleanser before diving back into heavy historical fiction novels. This time, I went with another one unearthed due to The Booktube Spin. The story is about a couple who left their sleeping six-month-old baby home while they were at a dinner party right next door. They brought the baby monitor to the party and checked in every half hour, so nothing could possibly go wrong…right? Nope. At the end of the party, they return to find the front door ajar and the crib empty. The rest of the book is a twisty ride! Fast paced and enjoyable, but you do have to suspend belief a bit. I flew through it during a snowy weekend.

#17. THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO US by Annie Barrows
★★★★☆

Set in small town West Virginia in the late 1930s, this chunky book is about a young girl, her unconventional family, and a visitor who comes to town to work on the Federal Writers’ Project. This was surprisingly deep and hit themes like loyalty and forgiveness and truth. I especially loved the witty banter between family members. 3.5 stars, rounded up. (This fit the Historathon prompt for “A Place You’ve Visited”)

#18. THE LOST GIRLS OF PARIS by Pam Jenoff
★★★☆☆

This book is the fictional story about a group of female secret agents during World War II. It’s told in three perspectives – one is the “current” day of 1946 and the other two primarily occur two years before. I blew through it during my 24in48 Challenge and found the historical aspect of female agents riveting, but ultimately thought it was just a solid three star read. I wanted less romance and more spying! Good, but not amazing.

#19. NEVER LOOK BACK by Alison Gaylin
★★★☆☆

Another quick change of pace with a fast-paced thriller that was recommended on Youtube. This was supposed to be about a true crime podcaster researching an old case, but in reality, it didn’t have much to do with the true crime podcast phenomenon at all. Still good and twisty, but pretty dark and gritty.

#20. BENEATH A SCARLET SKY by Mark Sullivan
★★★☆☆

This 500+ page novel was about the heroic acts of a young Italian man during WWII. I thought the story was good and generally interesting, but found the writing a little too simplistic and juvenile for my taste. After finishing the book, I did a little research on the main character and apparently there’s a bit of controversy regarding how factual some of the scenes were. I found the discussion of “How much fact vs. fiction should you put into a book to still call it ‘based on a true story’?” fascinating and thought-provoking. (This fit the Historathon prompt for “A Book With No People on the Cover”)

#21. BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by S.J. Watson
★★☆☆☆

I’ve had this thriller on my Goodreads TBR since 2012! I finally found a used copy on Better World Books and…it was just okay. The premise is that a middle-aged woman wakes up each morning with amnesia, not knowing who she is, where she is and who the man is in bed next to her. The man has to explain that he is her husband and that she had an accident years ago that made her unable to retain memories. The book follows her as she keeps a journal, trying to understand what happened in her past. It was definitely a page-turner, but was another book that you probably shouldn’t think too deeply about or else the entire thing unravels in plausibility. (P.S. A lot of sexual content.)

When I embarked on this year of intentional homemaking, I imagined that I would learn things like an efficient cleaning schedule or how to get grass stains out of jeans. And while I have learned a few helpful tips and tricks so far, I didn’t realize that the books I’ve chosen have also facilitated a lot of heart work. I’m learning how to be a better me: a better wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. Hard work, but good work. Intentional homemaking seems to be much more than clean floors and a decluttered closet. This month’s highlights:

The Lifegiving Home

One of the ways Clarkson taught relationship-type manners to her family was with the words “Stop! Look! Listen!” Although this was intended toward children, I found these principles really convicting, especially when I feel distracted and pulled in too many directions:

Stop! “This is a person created by God…Breathe in the reality that the person right in front of you is more important than the dutiful tasks at hand.”
Look! “Observe the person’s personality, age, and needs to determine how you might make his or her life a little better.”
Listen! “Most people have a deep desire to be known, understood, and affirmed…Get to know their stories, listen to what they are telling you with their words, emotions, eyes, and body language.”

One more gut-punch quote: “Relationship is not primarily based on just meeting basic needs…but by really looking, really listening, making an honest effort to understand what an individual needs most and then making an effort to meet that need. This means tearing your eyes away from that computer, hanging up from that phone conversation, and actually looking at your “someone” when he or she enters a room. Machines may have distracted you from those who long for your attention every day but have become accustomed to your passivity in their lives. I think one cannot be focused on social media and still meet the longing of others for personal time and attention. If we want to show real love to someone else, we must carefully consider how to limit its influence.” (p.68-69)

Around the Year with the von Trapp Family

February’s reading was focused on Lent! Here’s a quote:

“We all should get together and work toward the restoration of the meaning of Lent. People nowadays see in it just a gloomy time full of ‘must nots.’ That is a great pity, because Lent is a solemn season rich in hidden mysteries. We must also keep in mind that Lent is only a part of the great Easter season, that it is for Easter what Advent was for Christmas, and that Lent taken by itself would make no more sense than Advent without Christmas at its end. Therefore, we should let Holy Mother Church take us by the hand and lead us – not each soul alone, but the whole family as a group – away from the noise of the world into a forty-day retreat.” (p.90-91)

This quote, especially the last part about the noise of the world, was really influential in our family’s decision to turn off the screens for Lent 2021. The television was taken off the wall, the video games tucked away, the Youtube videos put on pause. We knew that this would be difficult and no one was exactly jumping up and down in anticipation (me included!), but I’m hopeful the silence will foster more creativity, more time outside, and more time for knowledge and prayer.

Another tip in the book was about Lenten reading. She recommends a reading regimen of three parts: something for the mind, something for the heart, and something for the soul. Here are my plans (affiliate links ahead!):

Something for the mind // “This should mean doing serious research.” I think I’ll choose Reclaiming our Roman Catholic Birthright by Peter Kwasniewski for this one.
Something for the heart // “…to read a well-written biography of a saint will have the same effect on us as it had once on St. Augustine, who said, after watching saintly people living a holy life: ‘If he could do it, and he, why not I?’” I’m still working my way through Diaries of the Chinese Martyrs, which is immensely inspiring and influential! Such faith! If I finish that one, I’ll start a biography about Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi (my saint from the Saint Generator for 2021) called Wife, Mother & Mystic.
Something for the soul // “This should be spiritual reading of a high order, from the works of the saints or saintly writers.” This is where I’ll fit in my “official” reading for Lent 2021: The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Anne Catherine Emmerich.

A QUOTE

There was this phrase they kept repeating: “Many hands make work light.” The statement was true, though hard to explain. Gradually, as you applied yourself to your task, the threads of friends and conversation would grow and connect you to laborers around you. Then everything suddenly became inverted. You’d forget you were working and get caught up in the camaraderie, the sense of lightened effort. This surely must rank among the greatest of labor-saving secrets. Work folded into fun and disappeared. Friendship, conversation, exercise, fresh air, all melded together into a single act of mutual self-forgetting. – Better Off, page 31

A NEW-TO-ME BOOKISH BLOG

This has a bit of a back story. While I was organizing my books, I stumbled upon The Well-Educated Mind, which led me to thoughts about Don Quixote. (Remember when I was going to pick it back up last August?) Those thoughts led me to the question of “I wonder if anyone has actually finished the entire booklist in The Well-Educated Mind?” and then I found the blog, A Great Book Study. I’ve only perused a small portion of her blog, but am already so inspired to challenge myself with books I wouldn’t normally pick up on my own.

A BIT OF NATURE

58º and sunshine through the trees! What a welcome sight after so many cold, dreary days.

A RECOMMENDATION

I mentioned Sophie’s Jixel set on Monday, but wanted to recommend it again since some of the smaller sets may be a good Easter basket idea! Jixels are a mix of puzzle and pixelated art, reusable, and perfect for that tween/almost tween age range. They come with templates or you can create your own designs. A great non-screen, relatively non-messy creative craft!

A DEEP THOUGHT

Sometimes I like to do little things for my kids: set up a scene with the Legos they left on the living room coffee table, buy that book they’ve mentioned in passing, bake their favorite cookies while they’re out of the house or playing upstairs. I love their surprise, their excitement, their joy. Recently, as I was organizing markers and coloring books for a little craft corner, I had the thought that God, such the loving Father, does things much the same way. He sets out the beauty of nature like a multi-colored sunset or a tender moment between loved ones. He lays out all the pieces and says, “Come and see what I have made for you!” Some days I am extra aware of these pieces and my heart fills to almost bursting. More often, I begrudgingly go about my day, head down and eyes blind. What a waste. I want eyes to see.

Trying to combat the February “blahs” with some intentional gratitude and seeking out the good things around me. Linking up with Rosie again too!

My dwarf calamondin orange tree is growing new leaves, which is exciting! I also have some new growth on my little avocado tree (that I grew from a pit, one of my best frugal accomplishment wins!) and am praying I can keep both alive long enough to bring them back outside in the spring.

Trying to say yes to spur-of-the-moment craft projects. I loved the original vintage-looking metal green color of this “S”, but she thought pink with blue polka dots would look better….so here we are. This is why I don’t spend too much time on Pinterest looking at perfectly curated children’s rooms. My kids have a style all their own. (And it usually doesn’t look anything like mine, ha!)

We got more winter weather on Thursday and I think we’ve all officially reached that point where we’re just over it. This was a particularly horrible storm that was more sleet/ice than snow, so you can’t even really play outside. My oldest offered to shovel the driveway by himself because he said he likes the silence. I couldn’t agree more.

I’m still on a “cozy play spaces” kick. My youngest likes to play along my bedroom window sill, so I propped up a few pillows and dumped a bunch of Legos into a little plastic bowl. He loves it! Lots of building and pretending.

Lucy turned two right before Valentine’s Day. She is a joy to have around but creates a little havoc just to keep things interesting. This week, she somehow managed to pull her collar off and then ran for the hills! We all grabbed whatever tantalizing treats we could find (she can’t say no to pepperoni or a cheese stick) and finally convinced her to come home.

My official 1,000 Item Declutter Challenge is over, but I haven’t stopped. I think I’m combatting February by getting rid of all the things! I keep that green tub as my temporary holding cell until I can separate everything and make a plan. Right now, I have lots of outgrown clothing and toys that I need to post on Trash Nothing.

My daughter used Jixels to make Albert Einstein and family! I’ve been hearing a lot of “Zee answer is in zee question!” a la Night at the Museum ever since.

For Lent this year, I’m planning to read through Anne Catherine Emmerich’s book, The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (affiliate link). This book has been recommended to me multiple times throughout the years and I’ve never read it! To help keep me on track, I broke up the chapters and made myself another reading calendar. Sharing my plan below in case it’s helpful for someone else someday:

P.S. There’s an error in the calendar above – it’s supposed to be Wednesday, March 31!

Linking up with Rosie!

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One of my bookish goals for February was to try the 24in48 Reading Challenge! The challenge goes from 12:01AM on Day 1 to 11:59PM on Day 2 and I worked this into my schedule on Friday and Saturday. The goal is to read 24 of the 48 hours and obviously, I didn’t get anywhere near that! Even so, it was a fun way to start a winter weekend and a really good excuse to tuck away my phone. Here’s a recap:

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12

6:40 am // Good morning! I was up before the little ones, so I got in a few pages from Diaries of the Chinese Martyrs while I drank my coffee. This quote was particularly thought-provoking:

Someone has called what we were experiencing in 1949 and 1950 a persecution. But I wish to be precise toward the atheistic Chinese government. I do not wish to call persecution the confiscation of goods, the occupation of our churches, of our residences, and of our works; or the restrictions on worship, the semi-house arrest, et cetera; I wish only to call them warning signs of the persecution. At this point, the persecution was at the door, and it burst in on us like a hurricane. (p.22)

I drank about half of my mug before truly starting the day: making the bed, tidying things up and getting kids fed.

7:45 am // With everyone’s needs met, I snuck away with my breakfast (oatmeal, per usual) to read my current fiction novel, The Truth According to Us. I had to force myself to get moving after 30 minutes, but I’m so close to being done! Two chapters to go.

9:00 am // After taking a shower and starting a load of laundry, off to school we go! The bigger kids do a lot of independent work, but I stay close in case they need me or have questions. In fits and spirts, a few minutes here and a few minutes there, I continued reading and finished The Truth According to Us. It was a different story than I expected, but I liked it a lot.

1:35 pm // More schoolwork, lunch, laundry and a long conversation with my oldest boys (big kids are fun to be around) before I could sneak away for more reading! I started a new book called The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff, which is about female secret agents during World War II. After 35 minutes, I was three chapters in and hooked! So good so far.

2:50 pm // Another little pocket of time to read The Lost Girls of Paris. I loved this quote:

Grace…liked a certain order to her world, took comfort in its mundaneness. Now the whole apple cart seemed toppled. (p.49)

Me too, Grace. Me too.

5:00 pm // The rest of the afternoon was a blur! I had the night off from dinner duty (my husband made homemade pita bread and we ate it with hummus, feta and olives) and instead cuddled a sleepy 4-year-old. He fell asleep as I read a few more pages.

8:00 pm // I got into bed with every intention of making up some time and reading as long as I could…aaaand I was sound asleep by 9:30. Better luck tomorrow!

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13

6:50 am // Day two! I read more of The Lost Girls of Paris while drinking my coffee, but tore myself away to start the morning’s chores and throw in a load of laundry.

8:20 am // Finally sat down to breakfast with some homemaking inspiration. I read a few pages from Home Economics and then read the Introduction chapter to Theology of Home II: The Spiritual Art of Homemaking. I think I’m going to like this one even more than the first!

9:15 am // It is absolutely miserable outside with sleet and ice everywhere. Mark thankfully made it back safely (on our rural untreated roads!) with groceries, so I helped put everything away before heading back to The Lost Girls of Paris. I had to take a few short breaks to accommodate children, but otherwise read for almost three hours!

1:15 pm // I broke for lunch and an afternoon cup of coffee, then went back to reading. The Lost Girls is definitely a page-turner, but I haven’t decided about how I feel about it as a whole.

3:45 pm // Finished!

4:30 pm // Hoping to put in a few extra reading minutes before starting dinner, I read the first chapter of Theology of Home II. This quote was good:

Fundamentally, fruitfulness is about relationships – about sheltering, birthing, midwifing, cultivating, nourishing, and being receptive to the needs, gifts, and potential of others. It is like the conductor who knows which part of the orchestra needs his attention, when to tone things down, when to step them up, when to encourage and when to silence, when to focus in and when to let go. Such activity requires really knowing others. This type of womanly knowing can happen outside of the home, in the workplace, in schools, in spiritual motherhood, or in mentorship of others. But while certainly not limited to the home, the home is the natural environment for this sort of intimacy, knowledge, and responsiveness to take place. More and more women are beginning to make these connections and return to valuing home life. (p.33)

7:00 pm // Time for a new fiction pick. I decided to go with a recent thriller called Never Look Back. I learned about this one from someone on Youtube and I’m going into it completely blind. One chapter in and I’m not sure if I’ll like it. We’ll see.

8:00 pm // In bed and ready to get some hours in. Never Look Back is picking up speed! I read until I couldn’t keep my eyes open at 10:00.

FINAL THOUGHTS AND STATS

This challenge is a little tricky if you have children and responsibilities, but still completely doable! When I would be tempted to pick up my phone or my computer, I’d try to pick up a book instead. I was reading, but available to my family and they generally played or hung out around me. With over 14 years of motherhood under my belt, I can tune out just about anything. This was such a good challenge for a chilly, winter weekend. I think I may try it again this summer!

Total hours read for Friday: 4 hours 22 minutes
Total hours read for Saturday: 6 hours 46 minutes
Total hours read for the weekend: 11 hours 8 minutes

Total pages read: 580 pages
Books finished: 2

We’re working on two big financial goals right now: saving (a little more than) six months of expenses and paying down our mortgage! I’m happy to return to intentional frugal living as we chip away, little by little. Here’s what we’ve been up to this winter: (Linking up with Rosie again too!)

+ Last year, my husband and boys chopped up a bunch of fallen trees from our property. Even though they aren’t completely seasoned yet, we’ve still been able to keep our heat quite low when we burned the wood in the fireplace. Other frugal fireplace accomplishments: I sprinkled the wood ashes around the driplines of our fruit trees and we tried a DIY firestarter from toilet paper rolls and dryer lint.

+ I gave my daughter a haircut.

+ I buy a lot of used books and sometimes they are hardcover rejects from libraries. I carefully cut the plastic cover off the dustjacket and boom! Looks like a brand new book!

+ Groceries seem to be getting more expensive, so I worked on incorporating a little more rice and beans in our dinner rotation. I even learned how to cook dried beans – so easy and makes a ton!

+ I took advantage of ebay’s waived listing fees (I get 200 a month) and posted a bunch of unneeded and outgrown clothing.

+ I made chicken stock from a roasted chicken carcass and a bunch of vegetable odds and ends that I keep in the freezer. I used my beloved Souper Cubes (affiliate link) again.

+ I started browsing ThredUp for deals to get a head start on spring/summer clothes for my daughter.

+ After almost a decade, I finally bought new glasses last November and now I wear them almost every day! (Ironic since I hated glasses with a passion when I was in high school, but here we are.) This is saving me lots of money in contact lenses and solution.

+ I took out my soap keeper (affiliate link) once my bar of soap turned small and unwieldy. This has proven to be quite a handy purchase for stretching soap even further.

Your turn! What did you do to save a little money the past few months?

Previous Frugal Accomplishments

The weather outside is //

As I look outside my window // Good morning from our winter wonderland…kinda! Yesterday, we woke up to really heavy snow fall, which didn’t let up until around noon. It was perfect snowball consistency! Then, the snow stopped, the sun came out and promptly melted about half of it! So weird.

As I look around the house // I’m mentally making a to-do list for projects to start in the next few months. Most of our tax return this year will be going toward our financial goals, but I’m hoping to squirrel a little away for a laundry room revamp. For the amount of time I spend in there, I definitely need more storage and a better flow.

On this week’s to-do list //

– finalize early spring planting schedule
– deep clean the laundry room
– mail Valentine’s Day cards to my favorite little people (nephews and cousins)
– finish taxes
– finalize plans for Lent

Reflecting on // how much I can get accomplished when I’m not chained to my phone. This is a goal I’ve been intentionally working on since the beginning of the year and I’m making progress!

Currently reading // a bunch of books, per usual! My non-fiction book is Wendell Berry’s The Art of Loading Brush. I just started Diaries of the Chinese Martyrs: Stories of Heroic Catholics Living in Mao’s China. I’m also reading The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows for Historathon. (affiliate links)

On the menu this week //
Monday: garlic-parmesan veggies and sausage with rice
Tuesday: turkey taco rice skillet
Wednesday: pasta with Bolognese sauce and garlic bread
Thursday: Sicilian chicken soup
Friday: meatless six layer dip and chips

Last year, I bought a vintage cookbook from 1959 (and then revised in 1972) called Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook. I originally chose it for décor purposes – the green cover is beautiful! – but after a peek at the recipes inside, I decided that this could be a really useful item too. In 2021, I’m hoping to work my way through many of the recipes and share with you along the way.

P.S. If you want a Country Cookbook of your own, I found this one and this one and this one for sale over on etsy! (affiliate links)

My first choice was a “breakfast for dinner” option: Cheese/Bacon Pie. The cookbook describes this recipe as “very rich and very delicious” and we all agreed! I’d consider this one a very creamy quiche. (I also used the crust recipe from the book, using my food processor to make the process even easier, but even a store-bought version would do.)

taken from Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook

unbaked 9″ pie shell
10 slices crisp cooked bacon crumbled
⅓ cup onion minced
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese about 4oz.
4 eggs
2 cups milk or heavy cream
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper

Sprinkle bacon, onion and cheese in the bottom of an unbaked pie shell.
Beat eggs slightly. Beat in remaining ingredients, then pour into the pie shell.
Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 300° and bake an additional 30 minutes or until a knife inserted 1″ from the edge comes out clean.
Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Tip from the cookbook: “To cut down on time, cook enough extra bacon while getting breakfast, for this main dish.”

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If you’ve read here for any length of time, you know that I am a passionate supporter of keeping snail mail alive! This is a monthly series that I hope will inspire you to start putting thoughts on paper. There’s nothing like finding a handwritten note among the piles of bills and junk mail.

February 4 // National Thank A Mail Carrier Day

I don’t know about you, but my mail carrier has been working SO hard since last March. If it’s been awhile since you’ve thanked yours, now may be the perfect time to do so.
A few cards created by small businesses:

February 14 // Valentine’s Day

Regardless of how you feel about this sometimes silly and materialistic holiday, I’m sure there are many people out there who could use a little love and encouragement. This past year has been hard for so many. Letting someone know that they are seen and loved would be a welcomed and appreciated action.
A few cards created by small businesses:

February 19 // National Caregivers Day

Caregivers have the important job of caring for loved ones who have chronic illness, disabilities, disease, or old age. They are unsung heroes! This month is a great time to say thank you for their hard work. There are a ton of great options at the shop, Senior Shower Project.

February 23 // National Banana Bread Day

Do you make a delicious banana bread? Today might be a good excuse to drop one off on a neighbor’s doorstep or someone who may need a little pick-me-up.
A few cards created by small businesses:

February 26 // Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Let’s end with a fun one to round out the month! Write a story of your own (the more imaginative, the better!) or maybe mail a beautiful anthology to a friend? This would be a fun one to add to your homeschool day too.
A few cards created by small businesses:

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I’ve been watching a lot of “Booktube” lately while I fold laundry or wash dishes because it’s a happy escape and most importantly, non-stressful and non-political! There are so many interesting people out there with such a wide range of favorite genres. Not only do these channels gush about books, but they also share lots of unique ways to read books. For February, I’m joining in on the fun!

Historathon

Historathon is a month-long readathon featuring historical fiction. The hosts created a Bingo board with nine different prompts and I was able to find five that fit out of the books I already own. (I did splurge and buy the group read book.) Here’s what I’ve got:

The Booktube Spin

Another fun one that I couldn’t resist! With this challenge, you pick 20 books from your TBR and list them by number. I tried to pick my list with books that have been on my shelves for awhile:

The creator of the challenge spun a wheel and the arrow landed on…number 15! The challenge is to read this one book by March 31.

Buzzword Reading Challenge

The prompt for February in the Buzzword Reading Challenge is “a color” and I’m planning to use Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan (mentioned above) for this. Win/win!

24in48 Readathon

So the question remains: how can I make the time to get to all of these great novels? The 24in48 Readathon may be helpful! This is a two-day reading “sprint” where you aim to read 24 out of 48 hours. There is no way I’ll be able to read anywhere near that number, but I do think it would be fun to put the screens away for the weekend and dig into a pile of books.

Linking up again with Rosie!