March Reading Wrap-Up (2014)

March was another month of cold temps with just a hint of spring here and there.  These hints of spring have been treasured though as finally winter may be giving up its' hold on us.  Yay!  We have been trying to spend as much time outside as possible when the weather permits, and my kids have been loving it!  Jaxon's birthday was this month which means my oldest turned eleven.  Yikes!  It seems like it was just yesterday when he was toddling around, and now he is just a couple of years from being a teenager.  People always say that times goes fast but it doesn't click how fast until you watch your kids grow.  If it could just slow down a little bit I would appreciate that! 

March was also a successful reading month for me as I finished eight books.  Audiobooks helped give my numbers a little boost this month which was nice.  And again, I really didn't read a bad book at all so 2014 is turning into a really solid year of reading for me.  The books I finished in March are:

• Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett
• Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
• Deceiving Lies by Molly McAdams
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (audiobook)
• The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters
• Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (audiobook)
• Mind of Winter by Laura Kasischke

My favorite book of the month was really hard to choose but it came down to Crocodile on the Sandbank. This book made me laugh and was such a delight to read.  This is a series that I should have been reading a long time ago but I'm so glad that I found it now.  Magic Strikes and Kindling the Moon both came in as close seconds, but in the end Peabody and Radcliffe won out.  My unexpected blog break this month didn't help me catch up on reviews so I really, really need to focus on this in April.  I'm also hoping to continue listening to more audiobooks in April. 

I don't have many other plans for April other than lots of reading!  I need to focus on making exercising more of a priority since I started to slack off on this a bit in March.  I think I need a change of pace with that though.  Hopefully running outside will help to jump start my motivation.

What are your plans for April?  And tell me, what was your favorite read for March?

The Sunday Salon: A Reading Round-Up

Happy days!  This Saturday was the end of both football and soccer for my oldest two kiddos which means I get my evenings AND Saturdays back as of today.  Woohoo!  This was a really fun season for both of them for me to watch but I'm ready for life to slow down just a little bit.  Plus, this should mean a little more reading time for me....right??  I sure hope so!  Last week was quite busy with the end of all of these practices, my daughter turned six, and all the rest of the craziness that goes along with life.  We managed to fit in a family/friend birthday dinner and took the younger two to a Disney show for a birthday surprise.  It was lots of fun but I'm glad that we are laying low and relaxing today while watching football!

Between all the chaos I have been reading which always helps to keep me relaxed.  I actually read three books this week which is just amazing for me!  First of all I finished Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson which I read on my ipad.  This book was such a good start to this urban fantasy series but oh my goodness that ending.  I was left saying, "What??  That can't possibly be it....and then NOOOOOOO!!"  I hate when I don't see a cliff hanger ending coming but at least I already have book two loaded on my ipad ready to read.  I will definitely write up my thoughts on this one sooner rather than later!

I also finished listening to two books this week which were both rereads but my first time listening to them.  I first finished Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb and I'm so enjoying listening to this series.  It is a great way to re-experience these books from the very beginning.  I'm having fun with seeing how Robb introduces us to the main characters that become so important to these books later on.  Plus, it has been so long that I've basically forgotten most of the storylines to these books.  I also finished listening to One For the Money by Janet Evanovich.  This book was just as funny on audio as it was when I read it which meant that I was laughing at my desk while listening.  I can only imagine what my coworkers were thinking.  Ha! 

I'm currently reading the following two books:

The House Next Door is my print book and creepier than I expected it to be so naturally I'm loving it!  It is perfect reading for the gloomy, cold weather that we have been having as of late.  It is also a nice change of pace to actually be reading a book off of my own shelves.  I'm hoping to finish this one up soon though because I want to give it to my sister to read next weekend when I see her!

A Study in Silks is my current e-book and I'm already hooked which is saying something since I'm not that far into it yet!  I'm loving the references to Sherlock Holmes and I can't wait to really dig into this one!  Plus, there are steampunk elements AND magic so what more could a girl really ask for??  This is definitely my type of book!

I'm not sure exactly what I will read when I finish these two up but my plans definitely include this one:

I've heard really good things about this one so I'm super excited to read it for myself.  In audio, I need to figure out what I want to listen to next but I'm leaning towards Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  If you haven't listened to the Harry Potter books on audio, you simply must!  I adored listening to the first one and can't wait to listen to book two.  Such fun!

That's enough out of me for today.  Look for a library loot post this week since I FINALLY found the time to go (and of course then grabbed as many books as I could) and a review for a TLC book tour.  I'm off to fit a run in, bake some cookies, and of course finish up a few loads of laundry. 

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

Audiobooks......and Me?

I should start this post off by telling you how much I hate cleaning.  Except I really don't hate it since I love the results but obviously find it no fun.  But that's a sidenote and not really the point of this story.  The point is that I've been ignoring all of you.  Yes, I admit it.  Whenever I go through my Google reader I see multiple posts in regards to audiobooks that other readers have listened to and enjoyed.  Or posts where they talk about how much they just enjoy audiobooks in general.  And I can't count the number of times that it has been suggested that I try an audiobook for myself.  That listening to books is fun.  I have ignored it all.  Because if I am anything, it is stubborn and often late to the game :) 

I've decided that's all going to change.  Scrubbing my kitchen today got me thinking....and thinking some more about how maybe I should just break down and give audiobooks a go.  My house could definitely use a little extra TLC and I might not dread cleaning so much if I had a way to occupy my mind.  So I'm going to take the plunge and try my 1st audiobook.  Because I'm an audiobook newbie, I've decided the best way to go about this is check an audiobook out from the library.  One, because I'm cheap.  And two, because I have no idea how this is all going to work out for me.  I might not like it...I'm sure there is a reason that I've been hesitating for so long.  Or not.  Then I started playing around with ideas on audiobooks that I might want to try.  I've decided that for me the best way to begin is with some rereads.  That way if I can't completely concentrate (hello my lovely children) it won't matter as much since I've already read the book.  Here are a few of the books that I'm considering trying:

 I've purposely kept this list short because I just don't know yet what to try.  That's where you all come in.  Audiobook suggestions, please????  What are some AMAZING books that I should try in audio format?  And do you have any tips for a newbie like me?  I'm hoping that it won't be that hard to put books on my MP3 player but if you have any tips for that share as well.  I'm all ears.....quite literally!

Let's all hope that my house becomes sparkling clean from all of this :)  Because a girl can dream, right?