January Monthly Recap and February TBR

Here's our monthly recap! 

We decided to start doing a monthly recap. Since we post and read a ton we will highlight what our favorite things were and what we hope to read the upcoming month. If you would like to see all our posts, here are our weekly wrap-ups. 

This month we decided its time to try and get back to normal book life among other things. It's slow going with the blogging... better with the reading. We have gotten mostly back to my normal for read. We hope next months wrap up will be much better than this one. 

We are just now getting back into the swing of things so we only have one  Weekly Wrap-up this month. we will get back to normal soon I hope. 

Ash's Month!

♥Saw Jesse McCartney in concert

♥Finally got back into reading

♥Read 11 books in January

♥Learning to crochet

♥Stayed the night at Texas State Aquarium

♥Went to the beach for the first time

♥Got back into blogging

♥Went out of my comfort zone and went to a mom's night out

Okay January was a roller coaster. It partially felt like it went by fast and partially felt like it dragged on forever. It was a really busy month for us.

The first weekend we had a friend over who played games with us.

The next weekend we had a couple over who played games with us. And then that Saturday I got to see Jesse McCartney in concert. It was the coolest thing ever by the way.

Then we had my brother's birthday party, we.. you guessed it! Played games. This time it was poker though.

Then the last weekend we had our aunt and uncle over and Jenn played games with them. 

AND that Saturday we spent the night at the Texas State Aquarium and went to the beach. I had never been to the beach before! It was really fun and the weather was just awesome.

Oh and I don't think we've mentioned this yet, and it happened in December. But we got a new doggo. Her name is Rikku.

Some great pictures taken in January:

Some of my favorite posts from January:
2018 a year in review
What Next? February series

January reading stats:
 YA: 6
 Adult: 1
 Picture books: 1
 Graphic Novels: 2
 MG: 1

My favorite books read in January:

5 Stars:

4 Stars:

Books I hope to read in February

Jenn-

So I dove right back into reading. Mostly audio. Still trying to get into reading my books at home. It's just hard at home. So many other things are going on. But I managed to get through some books. I also decided to dive into graphic novels this year. So I did get through a few of those too. 

We did have quite a bit of company and game nights in January, which was fun and distracting from real life. I believe we had one at least once every weekend.  Hopefully we will get some pics and posts up on Board Game Break Time. We had a lot of fun with our newest games. 

Not too much blogging has been going on. I am slowly getting back into  gear. I need to do some commenting. I am failing miserably on that and I am sorry. Will work on that asap. The reviews are coming slowly. It's almost like I forgot how to review. The discussion posts are starting back up sort of too. We have never been the greatest with those but... well... you will see how that goes. 

Games we played in January:

         

    

Favorite posts from January:

We don't have too many to choose from but I do love the What Next post we started. 
I also had fun writing these reviews 

Navigating the Stars 
The accidental Beauty Queen
and I enjoyed doing this Top Ten Tuesday: Bring it on 2019 

Reading Stats:

I am very impressed with my January reads but I need more in February. I am focusing on my series, older reviews, and new releases. Here is my list: 

25 Books Read in July 

9 Adult 
13 ya  
3 Graphic Novels

Favorite books:

I don't know what is up with me this month but majority of my reads were 5 and 4 stars. I don't know if its because I am reading my series I already love, if I haven't read in so long that every book is awesome, or I am just picking good. But its been a great month for reads for me. 

5 Star:

4 Star:

August Hopefuls:

How was your month of January? Anything new and exciting or just good ole' fun? Did you get a lot of reading done? 

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is a hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Come and join the fun and share all the book you received this week. 

Jenn:

For Review: 

Audio: 



Bought:

Michael:

For Review: 

Finn:

For Review:



Ash:

Audio:




Board Games:




What did you get this week?

       

Delightful Discoveries

Delightful Discoveries are not yet or newly published books that we have discovered recently. 

Jenn: 

The Truth About Keeping Secrets by Savannah Brown
 

Sydney's dad is the only psychiatrist for miles around their small Ohio town.

He is also unexpectedly dead.

Is Sydney crazy, or is it kind of weird that her dad-a guy whose entire job revolved around other peoples' secrets-crashed alone, with no explanation?

And why is June Copeland, homecoming queen and the town's golden child, at his funeral?

As the two girls grow closer in the wake of the accident, it's clear that not everyone is happy about their new friendship.

But what is picture perfect June still hiding? And does Sydney even want to know?

THE TRUTH ABOUT KEEPING SECRETS is a page-turning, voice led, high school thriller.

Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith

Having just been dumped by his girlfriend, British-born Hugo is still determined to take his last-hurrah-before-college train trip across the United States. One snag: the companion ticket is already booked under the name of his ex, Margaret Campbell. Nontransferable, no exceptions.

Enter the new Margaret C. (Mae for short), an aspiring filmmaker with big dreams. After finding Hugo's spare ticket offer online, she's convinced it's the perfect opportunity to expand her horizons.

When the two meet, the attraction is undeniable, and both find more than they bargained for. As Mae pushes Hugo to explore his dreams for his future, he'll encourage her to channel a new, vulnerable side of her art. But when life off the train threatens the bubble they've created for themselves, will they manage to keep their love on track?

The City of Veils by S. Usher Evans
 

For the past three years, Brynna has been patrolling the streets of Forcadel as a masked vigilante, protecting the innocent and beating up bad guys. Her current target is Lord Beswick, a slumlord businessman who keeps the townsfolk in a vicious poverty cycle. But one fateful evening, she's captured by Felix, the captain of the king's guard, and told a shocking truth: her father and brother are dead, and she needs to hang up her mask and become queen.

Before long, she negotiates a deal with Felix: attend to her royal duties during the day and continue her vigilante mission to take out Lord Beswick at night---at least until her coronation. But the politics of Forcadel are as volatile as the streets, and Brynna isn't sure whom she can trust in the castle. With two royals dead in less than a month, she must use all her wits to make sure she isn't the third.

Ash: 

The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib

The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.

Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.

Yara Zgheib's poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting, intimate journey of a young woman's struggle to reclaim her life. Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.

Look Closer by Stewart Lewis

When mysterious messages begin appearing, Tegan has the chance to save people’s lives...but can she also save herself?

Ever since Tegan's father died while serving overseas, she's been numb. But then seemingly random names start to appear in unlikely places—a cereal box, a windowsill, a food wrapper. As Tegan begins to track down people with those names, she sees a pattern begin to form: The names she sees point to people who will die that same day.

Then Tegan meets a mysterious friend of one of the dead, and they begin a desperate attempt to save these people from their fate. Tegan changes lives that summer, just like her father used to. But can she change her own?

Following by Jeffry W. Johnston
 

Alden thinks he witnessed a murder, but when the dead girl turns up alive, he must figure out the truth in this chilling novel

Alden likes to follow people. He's not trying to be a creep, he just wants to be an investigator some day, and it's good practice.

But spying on people comes with risks...like seeing popular Greg Matthews seemingly murder his girlfriend, Amy, behind the school.

But the facts aren't adding up, especially because Amy turns up a few days later...alive. Now Alden has to figure what he could have seen… and what secrets Greg is hiding.