It’s Monday, What are You Reading? February Wrap-up

It’s Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday, and it’s March, and winter just keeps coming! Seriously, I can’t complain too much given the trouble New England has had this winter. Here in lovely DC we just get a little bit of snow, ice, and drizzle. Enough to make it difficult to get to work, but not enough to keep you home (except for the schools, which seem to close for everything).

So to lift my winter doldrums a bit, here are five non-bookish things that made me happy this month.

• Agent Carter – loved this show. My husband is a Marvel fanatic, but honestly I’m getting an eensy bit tired of all the car chases and shootouts. Not only is Agent Carter about a strong woman, but I love the 40’s setting. Hope she comes back soon!
• Hibernation – While I hate winter, the one thing I like about it is the slow-down pace, the days where you just don’t leave your house. I’m a hermit at heart. And when it’s spring I feel like I have to run around but in the winter, I’m happy to sit by the fire and read.
• Cooking – I’ve been oddly domestic lately, which I guess goes with the hibernation. Loving my new slow cooker (and accompanying new cookbook). The husband and I have had fun experimenting with new recipes. I’ve also been exploring the world of “healthy” baking (which husband has not appreciated so much). More to come on that front.
• School — My classes on child development and learning motivation have been pretty fascinating, although the amount of reading and papers is a bit much. I actually have two professors this term where you can’t get away with not doing the reading.  So I’m trying to stay on top of things, especially while it’s miserable out.
• My new Kindle – a few months ago I bought the new Voyage. I waited before giving it a review, because it was acting buggy for a while. This Kindle isn’t a huge leap ahead of the Paperwhite, which is already pretty awesome, except for one BIG thing: buttons on the side allow me to read with gloves on. And not those little touch-screen gloves, but my big giant comfy winter gloves. And the origami cover that stands up is pretty cool too.

It says something, I guess, that my five non-bookish things are pretty bookish.

Here’s what I posted or read in February:

• The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• Mistress Firebrand by Donna Thorland
• Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs
• How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
• Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
• The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
• Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood
• Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
• The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

My favorite read this month? Tough call, but I have to say How to Be a Woman. Caitlin Moran is completely awesome, and this is a book I’ll be quoting for a long time.

The book I liked least?   Surprisingly, I liked but didn’t love The Knife of Never Letting Go.  But I’m being picky, it was a really great reading month.

I also wrote about going to the BEA conference and got some great feedback. I’m leaning towards going, but with slightly lower expectations.

Here are the books I read for challenges:

• TBR Pile: Olive Kitteridge, The Knife of Never Letting Go
• Library: Stone Mattress, Everything I Never Told You
• Blogging: The BEA Bloggers Conference, Should I Go?

What I’m reading now: Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat, and Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell (the first book in the Wallander series, recommended by a good friend).

So, happy Monday! Hope it’s warm where you are. What are you reading?