January 2020 Wrap-up

January TBR Pile (16/30):

1. Book of the Month Club: The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell ✓

2. BOTM: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

3. Girly Book Club: The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan ✓

4. Friend Book Club: The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey ✓

5. OBM Book Club: Invisible Women by Criado-Perez

6. Unread Shelf Random: Labyrinth by Kate Mosse

7. Goodreads To Read Random: Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

8. TBR Jar Random: The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen Flynn

9. Theme 1: Wool by Hugh Howey ✓

10. Theme 1: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

11. Theme 1: Wither by Lauren DeStefano ✓

12. Theme 2: Kate Chopin by Emily Toth

13. Theme 2: The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O’Meara

14. Theme 2: TBD

15. Carryover: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness ✓

16. Comics: Daybreak ✓

17. Kindle Unlimited: Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid ✓

18. Kindle Unlimited: Friends without Benefits by Penny Reid

19. Library: The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas ✓

20. Library: Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren ✓

21. Library: The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Adams

22. Library: Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs by Caitlin Doughty

23. Library: The Toll by Cherie Priest

24. Library: The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang

25. Added: The Hunger by Alma Katsu ✓

26. Added: Packing for Mars by Mary Roach ✓

27. Added: Billie Holiday by Carlos Sampayo and Jose Munoz ✓

28. Added: Wolfpack by Abby Wambach ✓

29. Added: Lady Mechanika Vol. 4 ✓

30. Added: Lady Mechanika La Dama de la Muerta ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 4973 pages
Pages Remaining: 565,460 pages

Current Read - Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez; The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O’Meara; Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Books I Gave Up On (0) 

Books bought/received (4)

I took advantage of a special Book of the Month deal and got two books this month.

• Things in Jars by

• The Silent Patient by

I grabbed the Kindle edition of The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey for book club.

And I received Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin from a friend for an exchange.

February TBR Pile:

1. Book of the Month Club: Bringing Down the Duke by Eva Dunmore

2. Girly Book Club: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer

3. Friend Book Club: Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker

4. OBM Book Club (Jan): Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez

5. OBM Book Club (Feb): The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz

6. Unread Shelf Random (Jan): Labyrinth by Kate Mosse

7. Unread Shelf Random (Feb): Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

8. UnRead Shelf Selection (Feb): Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

9. Goodreads To Read Random (Jan): Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

10. Goodreads To Read Random (Feb): The Revenge of Lord Eberlin by Julia London

11. TBR Jar Random: The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen Flynn

12. Theme 1: Well Met by Jen DeLuca

13. Theme 1: The Year of Living Scandalously by Julia London

14. Theme 1: ???

15. Theme 2: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

16. Theme 2: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

17. Theme 2: Kindred by Octavia Butler

18. Comic: The Complete Phonogram

19. Ebook: Friends Without Benefits by Penny Reid

20. Library: Drive Thru Dreams by Adam Chandler

21. Library Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha

22. Series: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

23. Carryover: The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O’Meara

24. Nonfiction: Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs by Caitlin Doughty

25. Nonfiction: Mississippi River Tragedies by Christine A. Klein, Sandra B. Zellmer

26. Mystery: Queen of Hearts of Rhys Bowen

UnRead Shelf Plans

For February, the prompt is a book gifted to you. I’m putting Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi as my choice. As for the strategies, February is all about weeding out books you don’t want anymore. This is perfect as this month is our moving month. I’m hoping to unload at least 5 books from my currently Unread Shelf.

Movies watched

• Zombieland 2 - Such a delight to watch!

• Strangers on a Train - Great classic Hitchcock movie!

• Double Indeminity - Another great classic movie.

• Freaks - Pretty interesting scifi movie.

• Burglar - J’s pick. I had never seen this one. Funnier than I thought it was going to be.

• Last Christmas - The entire plot was super spoiled in the trailer, but I still enjoyed it.

TV Shows watched

• The Bachelor S24 - Ugh! The manufactured drama this season has been dialed way up. Not sure I like this.

• Doctor Who S12 - Jodie as the Doctor is really growing on me.

• His Dark Materials S1 - Finally! We get to where everything was leading to. So good…

• The Mandalorian S1 - My my that was quite a season ender.

• Below Deck S3 - Guilty pleasure show

• Below Deck: Med S1 - Ditto

• The Good Place S4 - Oh Goodness! I can’t believe this show is over. Love it so much.

• Superstore S5 - Continue to enjoy this little sitcom.

• Letterkenny S8 - Thank you for returning to comedic gold for the second half of the season!

• War of the Worlds BBC 2019 Mini series - I really liked that this one was sent in Edwardian times. Not such a fan of the weird timeline for the present sections.

• The Magicians S5 - I’m really intrigued about where they are going this season.

• The Witcher S1 - We sped through the 8 episodes of this season. Loved it! I can’t wait for season two.

Comments - Thankfully I started out the year strong with my reading. I often top 20 books in the first month, but I’ve slowed down my reading in favor of larger books and specific ones I want to read. Moving to mood reading again will hopefully results in a better reading year in terms of quality if not also quantity.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Wool by Hugh Howey

Title: Wool (Silo #1)

Author: Hugh Howey

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 2013

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 528

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Monthly Theme

In a ruined and toxic future, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo’s rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside.

His fateful decision unleashes a drastic series of events. An unlikely candidate is appointed to replace him: Juliette, a mechanic with no training in law, whose special knack is fixing machines. Now Juliette is about to be entrusted with fixing her silo, and she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants have never dared to whisper. Uprising.

This series has been on my list for awhile now. Overall I did enjoy the story, but I was slightly confused about the form. I thought it would be one continuous story. Instead we get a bit of jumping in characters and timelines. In the end, I did enjoy the story and the world created. The silos are an interesting concept. I had hoped to learn more about the apocalypse. Maybe in the continuing stories.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lady Mechanika Vol. 4

Title: Lady Mechanika Vol. 4: Clockwork Assassin

Author: Joe Benitez, M.M. Chen, Peter Steigerwald, Mike Garcia, Beth Sotelo

Publisher: Benitez Productions 2018

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 88

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

When a series of brutal murders linked to Mr. Lewis' past leads Detective Inspector Singh to Lady Mechanika's doorstep, the Inspector is finally forced to consider: is Lady Mechanika a crime-fighting hero or a cold blooded killer?

Oooohhhh… this volume was amazing. I loved reading the further adventures of Lady Mechanika. I got really wrapped up in her relationship with Mr. Lewis. I love the interplay between those two. I am also interested in the ongoing involvement of Inspector Singh. I can’t wait to pick up volume 5.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Snowy Videos

I’m intrigued

Kate McKinnon is a delightful treasure.

I loved this comic series so much. Hoping the TV show does it justice.

Interesting video. I really need to get on my big tattoo plan…

This video series is fascinating.

Lady Mechanika La Dama de la Muerte

Title: Lady Mechanika La Dama de la Muerte

Author: Joe Benitez, M.M. Chen, Peter Steigerwald, Mike Garcia, Beth Sotelo

Publisher: Benitez Productions 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 88

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

After suffering a tragic loss, Lady Mechanika takes a trip to a small Mexican village just in time for their Día de los Muertos celebration. But the festivities turn truly deadly after the arrival of the Jinetes del Infierno, the mythical Hell Riders. Collects the complete Lady Mechanika Day of the Dead special, La Dama de la Muerte.

Ooohhh… I love this series so much. And this side adventure was perfect. The art was absolutely amazing. We get the trademark action sequences. Plus we learn just a bit more about Lady Mechanika. I must dive into the next volume quickly.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey

Title: The Glittering Hour

Author: Iona Grey

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 480

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

Selina Lennox is a Bright Young Thing. Her life is a whirl of parties and drinking, pursued by the press and staying on just the right side of scandal, all while running from the life her parents would choose for her.

Lawrence Weston is a penniless painter who stumbles into Selina's orbit one night and can never let her go even while knowing someone of her stature could never end up with someone of his. Except Selina falls hard for Lawrence, envisioning a life of true happiness. But when tragedy strikes, Selina finds herself choosing what's safe over what's right.

Spanning two decades and a seismic shift in British history as World War II approaches, Iona Grey's The Glittering Hour is an epic novel of passion, heartache and loss.

This was our book club selection for January and I didn’t quite know what to think of it. I ended up absolutely loving this book. I actually ended this book in sobbing tears. It was just so good with an amazing emotional connection to the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the part o the story focused on Selina’s life during the 1920s. I don’t read many book set during the 1920s and it was really a fascinating time period to highlight. I feel like I need to read more books set during the 1920s. I really wanted a bit more focused on Alice and her life, but overall I was still very engaged in this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas

Title: The Art of Theft (Lady Sherlock #4)

Author: Sherry Thomas

Publisher: Berkley 2019

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

As "Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective," Charlotte Holmes has solved murders and found missing individuals. But she has never stolen a priceless artwork—or rather, made away with the secrets hidden behind a much-coveted canvas.

But Mrs. Watson is desperate to help her old friend recover those secrets and Charlotte finds herself involved in a fever-paced scheme to infiltrate a glamorous Yuletide ball where the painting is one handshake away from being sold and the secrets a bare breath from exposure.

Her dear friend Lord Ingram, her sister Livia, Livia's admirer Stephen Marbleton—everyone pitches in to help and everyone has a grand time. But nothing about this adventure is what it seems and disaster is biding time on the grounds of a glittering French chateau, waiting only for Charlotte to make a single mistake...

Another amazingly inventive Lady Sherlock book. I love Charlotte so much, but was glad that this book featured all the other beloved characters. Olivia has really grown on me throughout the books. I loved that the setting of this volume moved out of England and into Paris. A change of scenery is often jus the thing for a series. And oh my, the twists and turns of this one were great. After all the revelations, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Lady Sherlock

• #1 A Study in Scarlet Women

• #2 A Conspiracy in Belgravia

• #3 The Hollow of Fear

• #4 The Art of Theft

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #2

Reading: Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez. This book is infuriating (in a very informative way), but still makes me so mad.

Watching: J and I binged The Witcher this past week. Oh so good…

Listening: Catching up on my podcasts. I’ve really been digging The To Read List lately.

Making: Working on the overall design for our new house. Been watching a ton of YouTube videos and making wish lists. Closing is this Friday!

Feeling: Unfortunately, I caught that cold that all the kids had. I hate blowing my nose every two minutes.

Planning: Finally nailing down the our activities for the Kindergarten Valentine’s Day party.

Loving: Every once in awhile, my nose clears and I can breathe. It is glorious!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Mike Shinoda "Fine"

His new music has such weight. I’m really digging it.

Life Right Now #3

As I look outside my window: The sheet of ice that is our street is a bit ridiculous. I’m not a fan of getting in and out of our house right now…

Right now I am: Watching a movie while constantly blowing my nose. Colds are crap.

On my bedside table: Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez; Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo; The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen Flynn

On my tv this week: We watched most of S1 of The Witcher this past week. Lots of fun. Good fantasy series. I also watched a ridiculous amount of Below Deck while sick.

Listening to: Podcasts. The usual.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Shrimp Pasta

• Tuesday - BBQ Chicken, Apple, Bacon Quesdaillas

• Wednesday - Leftovers

• Thursday - Jani Me Fasule

• Friday - Broccoli Beef

• Saturday - Avocado, Mozzarella, Bruschetta Chicken

• Sunday - Black Bean Soup

On my to do list: I imagine I have a ton of little tasks to do. I also need to work on the house timeline and some of my big projects.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Nothing. Although I do need to finish out a work project.

• Tuesday - Romp n Roll class; Girly Book Club

• Wednesday - Romp n Roll; Book Club

• Thursday - Dentist appointment; Final house walkthrough; Arthur’s friend’s birthday party

• Friday - House closing

• Saturday - Visit to new house to do measurements

• Sunday - Nothing…

What I am creating: Slowly working on some Memory Planner pages. My creativity has taken a hit to focus on house ideas.

My simple pleasures: A hot cup of tea. A snuggly blanket. A really good exciting book. (I think I’ve been repeating these for awhile now, but as it’s winter, this seems appropriate.)

Looking around the house: I’ve been doing a bit of cleaning out areas in preparation for our move. We’re not going to pack everything up in proper boxes to move a mile down the road, but I do need to decide what to pack properly. I’ve been mentally planning out van trips with groups items to move. We’ll see how it goes.

From the camera: I got my BFC Exchange package this week. My sender really nailed it this quarter! I can’t wait to have a cup of tea, affix my pins, and read this new book.

Wolfpack by Abby Wambach

Title: Wolfpack: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game

Author: Abby Wambach

Publisher: Celadon Books 2019

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 112

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

Based on her inspiring, viral 2018 commencement speech to Barnard College’s graduates in New York City, New York Times bestselling author, two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA World Cup champion Abby Wambach delivers her empowering rally cry for women to unleash their individual power, unite with their pack, and emerge victorious together.

I pulled this book on the recommendation from the Omaha Public Library. It’s a slim volume full of great advice. I really liked Wambach’s positive outlook on life filled with strength. It only took me a few minutes to read, but it was a lovely experience.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Packing for Mars by Mary Roach

Title: Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

Author: Mary Roach

Publisher: W.W. Norton 2010

Genre: Nonfiction - Science

Pages: 334

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

The best-selling author of Stiff and Bonk explores the irresistibly strange universe of space travel and life without gravity. From the Space Shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA’s new space capsule, Mary Roach takes us on the surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

How have I never actually read this one? I love Mary Roach’s books and her wit. This is a great collection of topics relating to our desire to conquer space. I especially loved the chapters detailing the early attempts to get to the moon. Roach writes with such wit while conveying tons of factual content. I really enjoyed this book a lot. I don’t think it’s quite as good as Spook but it may be my second favorite of her books.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Billie Holiday by Carlos Sampayo and Jose Munoz

Title: Billie Holiday

Author: Carlos Sampayo and Jose Munoz

Publisher: NBM Publishing 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 80

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library; Monthly Themes January

Born in Philadelphua in 1915, and dead too early in New York in 1959, Billie Holiday became a legendary jazz singer, even mythical. With her voice even now managing to touch so many people, we follow a reporter on the trail of the artist on behalf of a New York daily. Beyond the public scandals that marred the life of the star (alcohol, drugs, violence...), he seeks to restore the truth, revisiting the memory of Billie. Through this investigation, Muñoz and Sampayo trace, through the undertones of racism, and in the wake of the blues, the slow drift of a singer who expressed the deepest emotions in jazz. By internationally renowned Argentine artists, featuring Muñoz' strikingly raw heavy blacks, this is not just a biography but a spell-binding art book tribute.

This was a recommendation from the Omaha library for a biographical comic. Billie Holiday was a musical genius who led a very harsh life. I thoroughly enjoyed this comic interpretation of his life and work. This is certainly an adult comic with adult themes. I could only digest a few pages in one sitting. But it was oh so good. Put me in the mind to listen to some Billie Holiday and drink a cocktail.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Title: The Family Upstairs

Author: Lisa Jewell

Publisher: Atria Book s2019

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

First read from my UnRead Shelf and I was a bit disappointed. The story moves along at a fast clip, but I wasn’t super invested in the characters and the ending left much to be desired. I was intrigued by the family mystery and the identity of the baby. wanted to know what happened in the house on Cheyne Walk. I kept reading because I really wanted to find out what happened. And yet, I found myself not really caring about the book after I finished it. Libby was a bit of a limp noodle throughout causing me to not quite care about her. As for the ending, I’m not a fan of the very sinister last chapter. I don’t need my books to always have a happy ending, but this ending was a little too dark. I won’t be keeping this book on my shelf.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Lawrence "It's Not All About You"

Love this catchy tune!

Life Right Now #2

As I look outside my window: There is a sparkling layer of snow on the ground right now. Sparkling because there is a layer of ice on top. Not the best for driving, but it really looks pretty.

Right now I am: Relaxing after dealing with a sick kid for the past few days.

On my bedside table: Packing for Mars by Mary Roach, The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas

On my tv this week: The Magicians is back! I am still gutted about Quentin’s death, but so excited to see where the story goes.

Listening to: Podcasts like usual…

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Orecchiette with Sausage, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Broccoli

• Tuesday - Sega Wat (Spicy Ethiopian Beef Stew)

• Wednesday - Buffalo Chicken Nachos

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Teriyaki Shrimp Fried Rice

• Saturday - Vegetable Beef Soup

• Sunday - Broccoli Beef

On my to do list: Check with Millard about moving schools, buy a birthday present for Arthur’s friend, check in with the exchange, clean out another closet.

Happening this week:

• Monday - No school, not sure what we’re going to do…

• Tuesday - RnR Open Play

• Wednesday - Errands probably; Maybe Backyard Playworld after school

• Thursday - RnR Parent’s Morning Out

• Friday - RnR Gym Class

• Saturday - Arthur’s friend’s birthday party

• Sunday - Kid’s Symphony

What I am creating: Nothing new really. I spent most of yesterday completing some leftover card kits to clear out my stash. I told myself that once I cleaned these out, I could play with my new stamp sets.

My simple pleasures: A bit of quiet time after a hectic work project.

Looking around the house: We started cleaning out areas in preparation for moving houses. We’re working on a timeline and moving plan that involves minimal boxes and only one day of hiring movers.

From the camera: My little reader

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Wither (The Chemical Garden #1)

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 2011

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual; Monthly Theme January

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males born with a lifespan of 25 years, and females a lifespan of 20 years—leaving the world in a state of panic. Geneticists seek a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Yet her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement; her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next; and Rhine has no way to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive.

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

This one has been on my list for years at this point. I finally dove in and read this story in just a few days. I wouldn’t say that I absolutely loved this book, but it was a solid young adult science fiction book. Rhine is a decent heroine put in an impossible situation. Even though I like Rhine, I loved Jenna and Cecily. They are great side characters. Linden is a wet blanket, but I guess that’s his role in the story. I just wished that Gabriel was a more compelling character and love interest for Rhine. Maybe in book two? I think I’ll continue the series, but I’m not going to rush out right now.

The Chemical Garden

• #1 Wither

• #2 Fever

• #3 Sever

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter Bucket List Update #1

And on to 2020! Let’s start the year off right with some fun and some organization!

1. Read 45 books

2. Plan and execute a fun Valentine’s Day Party

3. Buy and Complete a jigsaw puzzle

4. New house vision board

5. Eat at 5 new-to-me restaurants

6. Attend a theater performances

7. Movie Month February

8. Weekly Game Day/Night - In progress

9. Make a seasonal door hanger/wreath

10. Swim at the gym 5 times

11. Have an indoor picnic

12. Host a craft day

13. Plan a weekend getaway

14. Visit a new-to-the-boys museum

15. Spend an afternoon at a local bookstore

16. Make ice cream sundaes

17. DIY Spa Night

18. Buy fresh flowers biweekly

19. Go mini-golfing

20. Make a new dessert

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

Title: The Hunger

Author: Alma Katsu

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2018

Genre: Horror

Pages: 376

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Horror

Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere.

That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the isolated travelers to the brink of madness. Though they dream of what awaits them in the West, long-buried secrets begin to emerge, and dissent among them escalates to the point of murder and chaos. They cannot seem to escape tragedy...or the feelings that someone--or something--is stalking them. Whether it's a curse from the beautiful Tamsen Donner (who some think might be a witch), their ill-advised choice of route through uncharted terrain, or just plain bad luck, the ninety men, women, and children of the Donner Party are heading into one of one of the deadliest and most disastrous Western adventures in American history.

As members of the group begin to disappear, the survivors start to wonder if there really is something disturbing, and hungry, waiting for them in the mountains...and whether the evil that has unfolded around them may have in fact been growing within them all along.

Oooohhhh. This was absolute terrifying and I loved every single page of this one! I am fascinated by the real life story of the Donner Party (I even had to stop at one of the historical markers to take a picture). The Hunger is the perfect book to weave together the real facts and a more fantastical element. I spent so many pages of this one so so hungry. Katsu has mastered the art of suspense. I completely loved this book so much. I definitely already put Katsu’s next book on hold at the library.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Ugh Hannah B! I can’t believe what she did on The Bachelor this week. So wrong.

• We had a plumbing emergency last night. So not fun to deal with while finishing dinner and getting the boys ready for bed. Really hoping there’s not too much damage.

• After this work project is over, I’m going to craft for like three days straight.

• I think I need to do a library ban for February. Not starting the year off reading my own shelves like I wanted.

• Winter is a horrible time to attempt making bread. The dry air is killing my rise!

• Honda and the DMV finally got their crap together to get our license plates switched over. Waiting 7 months for mine. Ridiculous!

Next up on the TBR pile: