january & february babblings!

HOW IS IT FEBRUARY? This is insane.

Well, it’s been a crazy month for me! We got some snow here in the southern US, which almost never happens where I live, so I got to miss some school and enjoy the rare winter weather!

Also, as you can see, I haven’t blogged in a while. That’s because my laptop (which isn’t at all old or anything) literally started coming apart at the hinges, so I had to take it to a computer repair shop. Then they had to order new parts for the laptop, which took FOREVER to arrive. Therefore, I went over two weeks without my laptop, and I really missed it. But now I can write again, and you know that new blog posts will be coming your way!!

I figured I’d start with a January wrap-up and my February TBR! I actually had a great reading month! And I read several new favorites this month!!! One of these books even became my new favorite book of all time, which is crazy!

January Wrap-Up:

1. Siege and Storm – Leigh Bardugo (book #2 in the Grisha trilogy)

I continued on with Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy this month, because it’s been a series that I’ve wanted to read for forever! I enjoyed this 2^nd book, but I have to say that it was my least favorite in the trilogy. It definitely had “second book syndrome,” but it was still pretty good! Also, my favorite character of the series was introduced in this book (y’all know who I’m talking about)! I rated it 3/5 stars!

2. Ruin and Rising – Leigh Bardugo (book #3 in the Grisha trilogy)

The last book in this trilogy was AMAZING. Definitely my favorite in the series!!! Bardugo wrapped everything up so nicely – it was one of the most perfect, yet devastating endings that I’ve ever read, and it really brought on the tears! 5/5 stars! I’ll have a series review of this this series coming soon!! [I have a LOT of reviews to write because my computer breaking set me back a lot.]

3. Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë

I had the pleasure of rereading on of my favorite books of all time with a book club I’m in with some fellow bookstagrammers! I read it – audiobook, which was a great experience, and the narrator that I listened to (Janet Paulson) was amazing!! This is one of my favorite classics and there are a lot of memories behind it for me, so it was definitely time for a reread. I just love the haunting, Gothic-style writing and grey characters! 5/5 stars, and a review will be coming soon!!

4. The Scorpio Races – Maggie Stiefvater

One of my favorite things is when I read a book that I didn’t really know much about and was SO SURPRISED. Like blown away. This was one of those for me!! It has become one of my new favorites, which I was so not expecting!!! It follows two characters, both with troubled pasts, and it tells the story of how they come together to overcome the odds and compete in this race with these mythical, bloodthirsty horses. Now does that sound interesting, or what? I loved the horse aspect, because I used to ride horses and know a lot about them, and the characters were so quirky, just like those from Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle series!! 5/5 stars for sure!

5. Zenith – Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings

I have been excitedly awaiting this book for MONTHS! I’ve been following Sasha and Lindsay’s journey with this book for so long, and I can’t believe that I finally have this in my hands! It was released on January 16^th, and I started it that night! It’s an epic sci-fi story with a kick-butt girl crew of space pirates, all of whom are such amazing characters! The Mirabel Galaxy was so unique, and I loved that we got to see from so many characters’ perspectives! I’ll have a review of this up soon also! 4.25/5 stars!

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – J.K. Rowling

This was a reread obviously!! I’ve been rereading the Harry Potter series on Audible, which has been such a great experience!! I don’t have much to say, because y’all know I LOVE Harry Potter! Rereading these books just give me all the feels, and the 6^th book is a great one!

7. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs

This was the most random read for me!! I’ve owned this book for about a year, and I totally forgot that I owned it! Then, I remembered it one night and got an urge to read it, and I’m SO GLAD that I did!! Another unexpected favorite this month!!! I cant wait to finish this trilogy, and I’ll probably do a series review then! It’s about these “peculiar children” with super cool abilities, time warps (in a sense), and monsters! I loved it with all my heart. 5/5 stars.

8. Strange the Dreamer – Laini Taylor

I don’t even know what to say about this book. This is the one that became my new favorite book of all time. Like from now on when people ask what my favorite book is, I’ll tell them Strange the Dreamer. It even trumped The Book Thief (which y’all know I love)! If you haven’t read this book, GO READ IT NOW. Just kidding, you don’t have to, but I really recommend it if you love whimsical fantasies and fairytales! Lazlo Strange is a character after my own heart, and the mystique surrounding this story was just incredible. The writing was fantastic, and I honestly have no complaints about this book whatsoever! It has captivated my whole heart. I would rate it 1000/5 stars. I’m totally serious!!! Obviously, a review will be coming soon!

*****

February TBR:

1. A Wrinkle In Time – Madeleine L’Engle
2. Lord of Shadow – Cassandra Clare
3. The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas
4. Peter Pan – J.M. Barrie
5. Hollow City – Ransom Riggs
6. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
7. I, Eliza Hamilton – Susan Holloway Scott
8. All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr

This is the shortest month of the year, but I feel like I can accomplish this tbr! Hopefully, I’ll also get on those book reviews and be able to catch up after my stupid computer problems. Let me know your favorite read of January and what you plan on reading in February! Thanks for reading my bookish babblings and keep reading!!

~ Rebekah