Sunday Happy New Year's Post: First Book of the Year, New Books & January's TBR List Poll

Happy New Year! Two thousand seventeen is here, as hard as it is to believe. Do I hear some sighs of relief out there? Or maybe you are like me and reserving any feelings about the new year just yet. I have a lot planned for you this week before I take a short break from blogging this January. I will be posting my 2016 Reading Survey in two parts, along with the list of recommendations some of you were kind enough to make for me last month (I want to read them ALL).

I figured if I was going to participate in Sheila of Book Journey's annual First Book of the Year 2017 event for the first time, I might as well make everyone else in the house join in as well. Fortunately, they were all excited to take part too (and with only minimal arm twisting).

Lisa See's The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane will be the first book I finish in 2017. I probably could have finished it before the start of the New Year, but I didn't want to rush it. I am loving the book so far, and am very nearly done with it. 

After finishing See's novel, I thought I would start off the year with the classic, Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, which has been calling my name for some time now. I am really looking forward to officially starting it sometime today.

My husband, Anjin, is starting the New Year with a book he got for Christmas, Maps of the Disney Parks by Vanessa Hunt, Kevin Neary and Susan Neary.

Mouse wanted to show off her reading skills, and is reading Pinkalicious: The Fantastic Machine by Victoria Kann.

My mom, who is visiting from out of town, didn't want to be left out! To start the New Year, she planned to finish reading News of the World by Paulette Jiles, but ended up finishing it New Year's Eve night, before the ball dropped. Oh well. The best laid plans. She is now reading June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, which is an amazing book I had the opportunity to read this past year.

What is your first book of 2017?

New to My Shelves: Christmas turned out to be surprisingly bookish for me. I have never received so many books as gifts all at once from my family! It helped that I made sure my husband gave out my wish list this year.

The lovely unicorn surrounded by books tote came in my stocking, and was not much of a surprise given who Santa Claus was this year. Not pictured is a Jane Eyre tote I received from my Secret Santa at work, which I am also excited about. My Christmas books included:

• Love and Freindship: And Other Youthful Writings by Jane Austen
• The Witch of Painted Sorrows (The Daughters of La Lune, Book 1) by M. J. Rose
• Silence by Shusaku Endo
• The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
• Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
• Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair That Shaped a First Lady by Susan Quinn
• Truthwitch (The Witchlands, Book 1) by Susan Dennard
• Creative Cats coloring book

And then there was my Barnes and Noble e-book settlement credit which I finally used, buying a few books that had been waiting patiently on my wish list for awhile now:

• Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Campbell Webster
• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
• Akata Witch (Akata Witch, Book 1) by Nnedi Okorafor
• Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie M. Liu (writer), Sana Takeda (artist)

So, I am happily drowning in books right now, as you can imagine.

Even Mouse got a few books and comics for Christmas. She's not quite as over the moon as I am, but she seems happy about her bookish gifts.

 Strawberry Shortcake Comic Books 1-4

 Flat Stanley Collection

My Little Pony Around Equestria and  Rosie Revere, Engineer

Princess in Black Takes a Vacation

Have you read any of these? What did you think?
Did you get any books for for the Holidays? Which ones?
How did you bring in the New Year?

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Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

Your New Year's Resolution is to read a classic novel that you have never read before. What book will it be?

There are a number of classics I would eventually like to get to, of course, but if I had to pick the top one on my list, it would be Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. It's one I had really wanted to read in 2016, but just never made time for. Eventually, I want to read all of Austen's books. She has a way of transporting me into another time and place--I have loved everything I have read by her so far.

What about you? If you were going to make a New Year's Resolution to read a classic you have yet to read, which one would you pick?

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Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Sunday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow. While I will attempt to post my review that same month, I make no promises--it may go up the following month. 

I initially planned to have you vote on these three back in November, but then I thought listening to one would be a great way to start out the year. I do not often read celebrity memoirs, but all three of these come highly recommended and I love the theme of the titles. It will  be fun to start the year on a positive note with one of these great choices.

Here are my January choices:

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes

Goodreads Summary:  

The mega-talented creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away With Murder chronicles how saying YES for one year changed her life―and how it can change yours, too.

With three hit shows on television and three children at home, the uber-talented Shonda Rhimes had lots of good reasons to say NO when an unexpected invitation arrived. Hollywood party? No. Speaking engagement? No. Media appearances? No.

And there was the side-benefit of saying No for an introvert like Shonda: nothing new to fear.

Then Shonda’s sister laid down a challenge: just for one year, try to say YES to the unexpected invitations that come your way. Shonda reluctantly agreed―and the result was nothing short of transformative. In Year of Yes, Shonda Rhimes chronicles the powerful impact saying yes had on every aspect of her life―and how we can all change our lives with one little word. Yes.

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

Goodreads Summary: 

In Amy Poehler’s highly anticipated first book, Yes Please, she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some useful, some not so much), like when to be funny and when to be serious. Powered by Amy’s charming and hilarious, biting yet wise voice, Yes Please is a book full of words to live by.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride by Carey Elwes with Joe Layden

Goodreads Summary: 

From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.

Thank you for voting!


I hope you all have a great week!  Happy Reading!

The Sunday Post is hosted by the wonderful Kimba, the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and gives us all a chance to recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. 

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 © 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.