My baby has kept me pretty busy this year. With all the diaper changes and constant feeding, I don’t have as much time to write, photograph, or draw as much as I’d like to.
However, I do get to enjoy one hobby a lot more: reading.
During late night feeding sessions, my son can nurse easily for 30 minutes at a time. As a newborn, he’d wake me up every hour and a half to two hours to eat. As a result, I had a lot of time to rock him with one arm and read with the other. Although I can’t juggle a traditional hardbound or paperback book in one hand, I can read via the Libby App on my phone.
I think I’ve read more in the last few months than I have in the last few years combined. Here’s my current list of books I’ve read.
January
January didn’t see as much action because I was still adjusting to life with a tiny infant. I was exhausted and often turned to scrolling Reddit to keep my eyes open. However, near the end of the month, I found my groove and finished the following:
- Lightfall Book 1: The Girl and the Galdurian by Tim Probert
- Lightfall Book 2: Shadow of the Bird by Tim Probert
- Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Tress of the Emerald Sea really kicked off my reading. I realized that Brandon Sanderson had released a few Cosmere books that I needed to catch up on. And then I had the idea that it would be fun to re-read all of his collections. The old content would feel fresh in my memory for when I tackled the new content.
February
February started out with the first book that really sold me on Brandon Sanderson as a writer: Mistborn The Final Empire. While I had no problem borrowing that first book from the Libby app, it seemed that a bunch of other people were suddenly interested in reading the series, too. I had to place the second book on hold, and I ended up reading a wide variety of books while I waited.
- Mistborn The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
- Outlaws Scarlet and Brown by Johnathan Stroud
- Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate H Moore
- The Frugal Wizards Guide to Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson
- Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones (Re-Read)
- The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate H. Moore
- Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson
Of the books I’ve read this year, Radium Girls and the Woman They Could Not Silence really caught me off guard. I’m typically a light-hearted fantasy reader. I like to breeze through happy stories in search of those feel-good hormones. These two non-fiction books, however, were so fascinating and so down-to-earth and raw and real that I wanted to watch a movie adaptation.
Apparently Radium Girls does have a movie, but it wasn’t highly rated, and I didn’t want to have my perception of the book shattered too quickly, so I haven’t watched it yet.
March
March got a bit intense with reading. I had found my groove and it seemed as though I couldn’t get enough good books to fill my time with. I ended up re-reading some old favorites in addition to rereading Brandon Sanderson’s books like I planned.
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- Station Eleven by John Mandel
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Marry Ann Shafer
- Bossy Pants by Tina Fey
- Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (Re-read)
- Hero of the Ages by Brandon Sanderson (Re-read)
- The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson (Re-Read)
- Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
- Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
- Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
- Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Radium Girls in February put me in a wartime mood for a little bit, so I was happy to snag a copy of The Book Thief and the Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society fairly close together. My sister recommended that I read All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr to keep the momentum going, but alas, the waiting list for that one is particularly long. It might be a while before I add that one to my list of books I’ve read this year.
April
Halfway through April, I managed to finished my re-reading of the earlier Mistborn books and finally catch up on the latest ones in the series. I’m so glad I read the old books first because they made me better appreciate all the tie-ins in the later books.
- Shadows off Self by Brandon Sanderson (Re-read)
- Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson (Re-Read)
- Mistborn Secret History by Brandon Sanderson
- The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson
- Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
My plan after the Mistborn series was to snag a copy of Elantris and go from there, but alas, it was on hold for quite a while. I had to pivot in my plans a little, but I’m glad I could add to my list of books I’ve read so far.
What Should I Read Next?
Way back before my site crashed, I tried to do a little JenniBee book review on a regular basis. I have distinct memories of sharing my opinions on Confessions of a Shopaholic and the Elegance of the Hedgehog. I may have reviewed them too critically, however, and my dreams of creating a book club on my blog didn’t last long.
But just because I don’t run a book club doesn’t mean you can’t share your thoughts and suggestions here. If you have a favorite book you want me to read, please list it in the comment section below or shoot me a message through my contact me page. I’d love to see what you enjoy reading, and I’m looking to expand my horizons and add to my list of books I’ve read.
