After a really great third quarter I continued strong in October and November, but completely lost steam in December (when I was newly pregnant and trying to get through Christmas). I still managed to get in a good number of books before then though.
Books I Read
Books I Listened to
Excellent
1. The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels - A Love Story by Ree Drummond. This was my pick for book club in October and a reread from the first quarter of 2015. It was every bit as good the second time reading it. I made the Pioneer Woman's Apple Dumplings for our book club meeting which was an excellent decision.
2. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. This is a re-telling of Lady Jane Grey's story except they take all sort of liberty with the story (history be darned). I decided to read this one when it showed up on Janssen's list of 10 Most Recommended Titles. I took her advice and listened to it and I definitely wasn't sorry I did!
3. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen. Ruby is a seventeen year old who has basically been taking care of herself and her alcoholic mom for years. But when her landlord discovers that her mom has disappeared, she gets turned into social services and is sent to live with her sister. Ruby is used to being on her own and has a hard time accepting help or getting close to anyone. Can she unlock her heart and let people in? I listened to this one on Libby and basically found every excuse to listen for a few days until I finished.
4. I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel. This is a collection of essays about being a reader. I picked it because I needed a collection of essays for the 2018 Reading Challenge and I was so delighted I did. I listened to it because that was the only way I could find to read it for free and I enjoyed it that way (although now that I've listened to it, I wouldn't mind owning a paper copy of it either).
5. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Mary Lennox is an orphan who is the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. She's sent to live with her uncle at Misselthwaite Manor where a mysterious, abandoned garden transforms her life and the life of her cousin. This is a classic I had never read and I quickly discovered it's a class for a reason!
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling. After Harry's name mysteriously emerges from the Goblet of Fire, he must compete in the Triwizard Tournament. We were planning on reading this one after Christmas when we thought we'd be getting the illustrated version, but then I found out Jim Kay was going to be taking two years to illustrate this one, so we decided to read the regular version instead and start in October since we didn't have to wait for Christmas anymore. It's a bummer we didn't get to read the illustrated version, but the kids enjoyed this one nonetheless.
Great
7. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella. Poppy has just lost her vintage engagement ring and then her phone gets stolen. She grabs a cell phone out of the top of a trash can and starts using it as her own to track down the lost ring. She soon learns the phone belongs to a business man whose assistant just quit. She convinces him to let her keep the phone and pass along the messages for him. This was a book club pick that I had been considering reading anyway since it also appeared on Janssen's list of 10 Most Recommended Titles. Like all Sophie Kinsella books, it has it's moments that are just completely ridiculous, but overall I enjoyed it.
Books I Read to Corbyn and Peyton
Nanny Piggins and the Accidental Blast-Off and Nanny Piggins and the Rival Ringmaster by R.A. Spratt. Two more Nanny Piggins books that were just as crazy and fun as the other Nanny Piggins books. We've now read all of the Nanny Piggins books that our library has (although there are 3 more plus a Christmas one). I may have to order the rest from Amazon because the kids are basically obsessed with them!
Books We Listened to in the Car
The Salamander Spell by E.D. Baker. Grassina, Emma's magical aunt, is herself a teen in this prequel to the Frog Princess books. She and her sister, Chartreuse (Emma's mother from the other books) are vying to see who will get the family's inherited magical skills as they navigate the intricacies of being a princess.
The Dragon Princess by E.D. Baker. This is the story of Emma's daughter, Millie, who is trying to survive being a magical princess who happens to keep turning into a dragon. When she cannot stop her own magic any other way, she and three friends (one vampire, one troll and her cousin, a young wizard prince) set off for the Frozen North to see the Blue Witch to see if she can help her learn to gain control of her dragon magic.
Dragon Kiss by E.D. Baker. Audun is on a quest to find Princess Millie, and to become human in order to win her heart. But The Dragon King has set out a number of tasks Audun must perform before he is permitted to even try to woo Millie.
A Prince among Frogs by E.D. Baker. Princess Millie and her fiancé, Audun, are busy preparing for their wedding when Millie's baby brother, Felix, is kidnapped and trapped in a swamp full of other frogs. With all the adults busy fixing problems elsewhere in the kingdom, it's up to Millie and Audun to find him, but they need all the help they can get to fight the family's oldest nemesis, the wizard Olebald.
My 7 books this quarter brings my total for the year to 24 which is always my goal (although it could be way more if I counted all the books I read and listened to with the kids). I used to never listen to books and I wouldn't have counted listening to books toward my total, but as I've found that I actually do enjoy listening to books (if I don't hate the narrator), I've changed my opinion on this matter.
Here are the books I read (or listened to) for the 2018 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge:
A classic you've been meaning to read: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Fourth Quarter). I can't believe it took me so long to read this classic!
A book recommended by someone with great taste: To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (First Quarter). Janssen talks about this book all the time. I'm so glad I listened to her and read it!
A book in translation: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (Third Quarter). I had no idea what I would read for this category and then I found out this book we were reading for book club was translated from Swedish.
A book nominated for an award in 2018: Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (Third Quarter). This book won the Newbery Medal this year. It was delightful!
A book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection: I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel (Fourth Quarter). I'm pretty sure Anne Bogel (who is Modern Mrs. Darcy) put this category on here, so we'd all read her new book (and I'm so glad she did).
A book you can read in a day: The only category I didn't get done. Who actually has time to read an entire book in a day?! (Not me!) I was planning on reading Walk Two Moons (a favorite from my childhood) during Christmas break, but we were just too busy in Utah for me to do much reading (let alone read a book in a day).
A book that's more than 500 pages: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (Fourth Quarter). I had started reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on my own for this category, but stopped when I started reading the Goblet of Fire to the kids.
A book by a favorite author: Still Me by Jojo Moyes (Third Quarter). This is the fourth book I've read by Jojo Moyes and I've enjoyed them all (although After You was a little depressing).
A book recommended by a librarian or indie bookseller: The One and Only Ivan by Catherine Applegate (First Quarter). A librarian at the Happy Valley library recommended this one to us (after I told her the kids loved Wonder) and I'm so glad she did!
A banned book: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (First Quarter). It totally boggles my mind that all the Harry Potters were and continue to be banned books.
A memoir, biography, or book of creative nonfiction: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (First Quarter). Such a great memoir by the creator of Nike.
A book by an author of a different race, ethnicity, or religion than your own: Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis (Third Quarter). Rachel is a Christian, but not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This book was #1 in the Religion & Spirituality category, so I figured I could count it for this category.
I'd say it was another great year of reading!
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