Fashion & Fiction: February 2018

#theunreadshelfproject2018 - February update

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

One of my reading goals this year is to read more books from my shelves, whether they be my physical shelves, the shelves on my Kindle or Nook, or the shelves on my Goodreads account. To help keep me accountable, I will be loosely joining in with #theunreadshelfproject2018 on Bookstagram and checking in here, on my blog, monthly to see how I am progressing with my goal.

I crossed two books off my shelves in February, one off my physical shelf and one off my Goodreads shelf.

PHYSICAL (14)

Between Shades of Gray

Salt to the Sea

The Alice Network

Reading People

~~The Chemistry of Calm~~

~~Jane and the Wandering Eye~~

Kristin Lavransdatter

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

Gilead

A Share in Death

The Five Love Languages

How to Hug a Hedgehog

I am Malala

For Times of Trouble

KINDLE (5)

Brideshead Revisited

Whose Body

Cloud of Witness

Unnatural Death

Angelfall

NOOK (2)

A Timeless Romance Anthology - Mail Order Bride collection

Murder on the Orient Express

GOODREADS (161)

The Book Thief

The Thorn Birds

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Jayber Crow

An Ember in Ashes

The Once and Future King

The Wednesday Wars

The Beekeepers Apprentice

The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery

I Capture the Castle

Sense and Sensibility (The Austen Project #1)

The Girl Who Wrote in Silk

Flight of the Sparrow

The Gilded Years

Dead Wake

A Prayer for Owen Meany

Amy Snow

Hannah Coulter

The Sea of Tranquility

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

The Girl in the Castle

The Time in Between

Ballad of the Whiskey Robber

The Eyre Affair

Gift from the Sea

Poison Study

Northanger Abbey (The Austen Project #2)

Emma (The Austen Project #3)

My Brilliant Friend

The Year of Living Danishly

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap

The Penderwicks

Honeymoon Hotel

The Night Circus

Home

Lila

Code Name Verity

The Marvels

Moon Over Manifest

Enchanted Islands

At Home in Mitford

The Sweetness of Forgetting

The Big Rock Candy Mountain

Into Thin Air

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

My Life in France

My Berlin Kitchen

The Professor and the Madman

Quartet in Autumn

The Muse

A Clearing in the Distance

Winter Solstice

Wolf Hall

Gods in Alabama

The Historian

The Winds of War

Team of Rivals

One True Loves

Atonement

The Tea Rose

The Night Watch

Night

Life After Life

Saint Maybe

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Mindset

Walk on Earth a Stranger

The Anatomist's Wife

A Portrait of Emily Price

Grave Mercy

Death at La Fenice

A Study in Charlotte

A Beautiful Blue Death

Flight of Dreams

From Doon with Death

The Coroner's Lunch

Raven Black

A Test of Wills

The Cater Street Hangman

The Crossing Places

Whispers Beyond the Veil

The Mangle Street Murders

The Kitchen House

First Impressions

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

Legendary

Another Day in the Death of America

The Essex Serpent

Caroline

The Other Alcott

Big Stone Gap

The Time Traveler's Wife

The Name of the Wind

Possession

The Atlas of Forgotten Places

Uncharted
~~Force of Nature~~

Birds of a Feather

The Likeness

Loving Lucianna

Terms of Endearment

Three Wishes

Still Me

The Horse Dancer

The Dark Inquiry

A Perilous Undertaking

The Austen Escape

The Precious One

A Fall of Marigolds

Margarettown

Lady Crenshaw's Christmas

Origin

The Dollhouse

~~The Secret of the India Orchid~~

The Lady of Bolton Hill

The Fairest Beauty

The Silent Songbird

My Cousin Rachel

The Goose Girl

The Suspect's Daughter

Jane Austen's First Love

Prodigal Summer

Orphan Train

Dawn at Emberwilde

The Hearts We Mend

44 Scotland Street

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window

The Forgetting Time

The Sea House

A Conspiracy in Belgravia

Magpie Murders

The Secret Garden

Hum if You Don't Know the Words

Caleb's Crossing

For Darkness Shows the Stars

The Moonstone

The Day the Angels Fell

Six of Crows

The Princess Bride

Rules of Murder

The Bear and the Nightingale

The Hate U Give

Eleanor Oliphant is Just Fine

The Mountain Between Us

This Must be the Place

Luck, Love and Lemon Pie

The Madwoman Upstairs

The Bean Trees

The Aviator's Wife

East of Eden

In Dubious Battle

Britt Marie was Here

The Seven Sisters

Jane of Austin

Unequal Affections

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

A Wilder Rose

Everything I Never Told You

The Great Halifax Explosion

Emma in the Night

The Railway Children

2018 Reading Goals - February update

February was another great month for my reading goals. Here is how I did.

What I've Been Reading - February 2018

Welcome to What I've Been Reading, where I share my (quick and personal) thoughts on what I've been reading this past month. For specifics (plot summary, etc.) about each book, click on the provided links or book images.

This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell (4 stars)

I really liked this book. I went into it completely blind. I didn't know anything about its premise or its author, Maggie O'Farrell. These facts made for a surprising read and I ended up loving so much about it. I loved how the story unfolded, jumping from time and place and character with each new chapter. It felt almost like a collection of short stories. And I loved the writing. It was different and fresh and simply enjoyable. If you enjoy books about complicated family relationships, I think you will like this one. Definitely recommend. I personally will be seeking out more of O'Farrell's work. (Caveat - Foul language is not a constant in this book, but the f-word is used fairly frequently.)

The Great Alone: A Novel by Kristin Hannah (4 stars)

I have such mixed feelings about this book. I really liked it, but it was hard to read. It dealt with some very difficult themes. I often found myself putting it down because of this. Eventually, despite its difficult content, its characters and their stories completely pulled me in and I couldn't put it down. Ultimately, there is so much to recommend. Fascinating setting, strong female characters, the strength of the human spirit, love and so much more. (Caveat - If you are an HSP, you may want to read its description before diving in.) If you've never read Kristin Hannah before, please read The Nightingale. It is so, so good.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (5 stars)

I can't believe I had never read this classic before. It was beautiful. Such a simple tale, yet full of such meaning. If you haven't read it yet, please do. I wish I had read this to my kiddos when they were younger. It would have been a great one to read aloud to them.

Force of Nature by Jane Harper (4 stars)

I had high expectations for this book. I loved Jane Harper's first book, The Dry. It was so, so good. This one was good as well, just not quite as good. I hate to say that. The story was great. I just wish the main detective for both books, Aaron Falk, had a larger presence in this second story. I missed him. I really hope Harper continues with this series though. I will definitely read them. If you haven't read The Dry yet, I recommend it.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (4 stars)

This collection of short stories was fantastic. I really liked it. Jhumpa Lahiri's writing style is simple, but beautiful and her stories are so real. I can't quite put my finger on what I loved so much about this collection, but Lahiri was amazing and drawing me into her stories. I felt like I was right there, living with her characters, feeling all of their feelings. It was wonderful. I can't wait to explore Lahiri's other work. I hope you do too.

The Chemistry of Calm: A Powerful, Drug-Free Plan to Quiet Your Fears and Overcome Your Anxiety by Henry Emmons (4 stars)

I needed this book. It was great. It was filled with such good information, all written in a very readable, relatable way. I took a lot of notes and can't wait to put what I learned to practice. Though this book is geared toward those with anxiety, I think everyone could benefit from it.