February 2018 in Review

Usually February is the longest month of the year for me. I am not sure why--I mean, it is actually the shortest month. This year though it seemed to go by at a fairly clip pace. I think a lot of that had to do with just how busy I was. With mandatory training at work and still being short staffed on top of it being the busiest time of year work volume wise, pressures are still high. Girl Scout Cookie sales are still very much under way. Girl Scout meetings, karate, and dance kept us running around.

It was a month of good news and bad news for Mouse. She learned her Girl Scout troop will be disbanding at the end of the season. With a couple families moving away and another couple whose families are growing, there aren't enough girls staying to make it possible for us to stay together.  Mouse is heartbroken as she really loves her troop. That news is tempered, however, by the fact that she may be able to join the troop of a friend she's known since infancy. It is in the next town over, so not exactly ideal, but it is the most viable option for us. Having to work around my work schedule can be an obstacle in and of itself.

Also in Mouse news, Mouse auditioned for The Wizard of Oz this past Saturday. The cast list came out Tuesday, and Mouse is beyond excited (and I am hoping my hair doesn't turn completely gray in the next few months). Our dance class schedule will be full from now until the summer production. Unfortunately, Mouse will have to discontinue karate for the time being as a result. Mouse will be playing both a munchkin and a flying monkey. She was not too sure about the monkey given it's a bad gal role, but I think we've worked through her concerns.

For those of you following my mother's exploits, she spent a week in Greece earlier this month and had a marvelous time. I do not think she wanted to come back. It was a much needed break for her. Her visit with the oncologist and more tests this past week did not bring good news, however. She and her doctors had hoped to start the radiation treatment this next month, but that isn't a possibility at this time due to the new findings. My mom remains optimistic, but I think we are all feeling frustrated as well. Both of my grandmothers and at least two of my great grandmothers suffered from breast cancer too. Not only am I worried about my mom, but, I cannot help but how much higher my own chances are of developing it.

Blogging wise, it was a rather lax month here at Musings of a Bookish Kitty. I have not had much time to devote to the computer, which translates into not being able to polish and prep posts. And frankly, when I did have a moment to blog, I often decided I would rather read instead. When the reading mood strikes, it's best not to ignore it. Besides, it helps calm my brain, which has been working overtime as of late.

As for my reading, February seemed to the series continuation month. The majority of my reading was picking back up with beloved series. Thanks to all of you who voted in my February TBR List Poll, I finally dived into Anne Bishop's Marked in Flesh, which I loved. I could not help but also read the two other books up for vote in the poll though, and followed Bishop's book up with both of those. It turned out that it was another great reading month for me over all. Not a dud in the bunch! The downside is that my reading has fallen off a bit since I finished Weiss's book. Part of it is not having a lot of time to devote to reading with all the craziness that is going on right now. Hopefully it will not last.

Here is what I finished reading in February:

Solely For Me:

• Sweep in Peace (Innkeeper Chronicles, #2) by Ilona Andrews
• One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles, #3) by Ilona Andrews
• The Prime Minister's Secret Agent (Maggie Hope, #4) by Susan Elia MacNeal
• The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
• Marked in Flesh (The Others, #4) by Anne Bishop
• The Lost Plot (Invisible Library, #4) by Genevieve Cogman
• Pressed to Death (Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, #2) by Kirsten Weiss

Some of the Books I Read With My Daughter (Guess which ones we read over and over again.): 

• The Princess and the Pizza by Mary Jane Auch and Herm Auch
• You! by Sandra Magsamen
• The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton
• A Library Book for Bear by Bonny Becker and Kady MacDonald Denton
• In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey
• The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas and Helen Oxenbury
• Max the Brave by Ed Vere

Book Reviews Posted in February (but not necessarily read in February):

• Bookish Thoughts: The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
• Bookish Thoughts: Claws for Concern by Miranda James
• Bookish Thoughts: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Non-Book Review Posts in Feburary:

• Where Is Your Bookmark? (Best & Least Best of January & a Peek into Clean Sweep)
• Weekly Mews: Welcome February! (Vote in My February TBR List Poll)
• Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest Which I Still Haven't Read
• Weekly Mews: A Quiet Weekend & My February TBR Winner
• Wishing for Wednesday: Lake Silence & Darkest Night
• Wishing for Wednesday: So Many Good Books!
• Blog All About It: Red
• Where Is Your Bookmark? (A Peek at Pressed to Death & My First and Last Reads as a Book Blogger)
• Wishing for Wednesday: Death of an Unsung Hero & The Witch Doesn't Burn In This One

Challenge & Read-Along Updates:

#COYER Winter Switch ~

The Strict:

• Mrs. Claus: Not the Fairy Tale They Say edited by Rhonda Parrish
• Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley
• The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams
• Claws For Concern by Miranda James
• The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

The List: 

• Sunday Sugar by Q. Gibson
• Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
• Vanished (Black Hat Series, #4) by Karen E. Olson
• Clean Sweep Chronicles, #1) by Ilona Andrews
• Sweep in Peace (Innkeeper Chronicles, #2) by Ilona Andrews
• One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles, #3) by Ilona Andrews
• The Prime Minister's Secret Agent (Maggie Hope, #4) by Susan Elia MacNeal

The One With a Twist (so far):

• Marked in Flesh (The Others, #4) by Anne Bishop
• The Lost Plot (Invisible Library, #4) by Genevieve Cogman
• Pressed to Death (Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, #2) by Kirsten Weiss

I am doing about as well as I hoped with the COYER Winter Switch, thankfully. I did better on the list portion than I anticipated. The final phase, The One With a Twist, will be ending on March 9 so I have a little more time to fit something else in.

What's In A Name Reading Challenge ~ No new progress to report.

The Grand World of Books Reviews Bingo ~ No new progress to report.

Unruly Reader Bingo ~ No new progress to report.

2018 Witches and Witchcraft Reading Challenge ~ I have read three books so far to go towards this challenge.

• Clean Sweep Chronicles, #1) by Ilona Andrews
• Sweep in Peace (Innkeeper Chronicles, #2) by Ilona Andrews
• One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles, #3) by Ilona Andrews

2018 Discussion Post Challenge ~ I did not manage a discussion post this month.

2018 Blog All About It Challenge ~ It was all about "red" in February, and I posted a list of some of favorite things that come to mind when I think of the color red. (Blog All About It: Red)

Les Misérables Read-Along ~  I started off the month ahead and slipped behind before catch up again. I am back to being all caught up now. I find I prefer to read this one right before bed when I can swing it. I find it very calming and engaging.

War and Peace Read-Along ~ If only this was as easy to read as Les Misérables. I am a little behind, but not too far.

Throwback Thursday Photo of Mouse and our cat Parker

How was your February overall? How did your February shape up reading wise? What was your favorite book you read in February? What have you been up to?

I am linking up to Nicole of Feed Your Addiction's Monthly Wrap-Up Post, where any book bloggers who write monthly wrap-up posts can link up and visit other bloggers to see what they have been reading. (The event picture will take you directly to Nicole's wrap up sign-up for February.) 

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