Author: Sara Raasch

Item: Ice Like Fire
Rating: 5
Author: Amanda Marie

January 2016 in Review

Posted January 31, 2016 in Life, Reading / 12 Comments

Things that Happened in January

It has been a stressful month. Apparently my brain needed books to manage the stress because I read quite a few books this month. And by “quite a few,” I mean “a lot.”
On the topic of the above, please pray for my sister. I can’t say more since I don’t want to share her story here, but she does need prayers.
I was able to attend my friend’s wedding in Washington, DC and it was beautiful. It was great to see so many friends that I haven’t seen in two years.
I read 17 books this month which is A LOT! I blame quite a bit of it on the traveling I did to and from Washington, DC. There isn’t much to do on a plane besides read and so I read.
My favorite book of the month (non-reread) was Illuminae and my favorite reread was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Books I Read in January

Tagged as Monthly Wrap-Up

{Review} Ice Like Fire – Meira and Winter Need Allies

Posted January 11, 2016 in Reading, Review / 2 Comments

Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch
Series: Snow Like Ashes #2
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (2015)
Hardcover (478 pages)
Via: Library
Rating:
Also by this author: Snow Like Ashes
Also in this series: Snow Like Ashes
Reading Challenges: Read 2015

Synopsis

It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.
Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?
Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?
As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world.

Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository

Tagged as 5 star, All Time Favorites, Read 2015, You Read How Many Books Challenge

2015 in Review (& End of Year and Statistics Surveys)

Posted December 31, 2015 in Life, Reading / 10 Comments

Big Things That Happened in 2015

I mentioned the school talent show in which the teachers sang Yellow Submarine.
I worked at a Catholic summer camp for the summer and had a blast. I wrote about it and shared some pictures.
I survived over a week of blinding smoke due to forest fires. It was insane. I talked about that here.
I had my very first ever Blogversary which was exciting.

Analysis of Books I Read in 2015

This was the very first year that I ever kept track of the books that I read. My stats have amazed me.

I read 141 books.
Almost all of the books I read this year were 4 or 5 stars. I must be pretty good at choosing books I know I’ll enjoy.
Over two-thirds of the books I read this year were from the library or books I own.
Over half of the books I read this year were hard copied (Paperback or Hardcover) while over a quarter were ebooks. Audiobooks made up the rest.
About a quarter of the books I read this year were debuts.

I made some pretty nifty looking pie charts in Excel (you can just pretend they are totally awesome).

Tagged as Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge, Birthday Month Reading Challenge, Catholic Book, Color Coded Challenge, Fairytale Retelling Challenge, Finishing the Series Challenge, Mythology Reading Challenge, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, Read 2015, Rereading Challenge, What's In a Name Reading Challenge, You Read How Many Books Challenge

December 2015 in Review

Posted December 30, 2015 in Faith, Life, Reading / 4 Comments

It has been a crazy month and so I don’t have a whole lot for you other than the books I read and reviewed this month. My 2015 in Review post will be coming up tomorrow and this is a lot more interesting than this one. This post is, I know, rather pathetic but here it is anyway.

Things that Happened in December

Christmas!
I am (still) kitty-sitting for my sister’s two kitties while she and the rest of my family are visiting family in another state.
Somehow I managed to read only 5-star books this month; I’m not sure how that happened.

Books I Read in December

Tagged as Catholic Book, Christmas, Jesus, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Saint John Paul II

November 2015 in Review

Posted November 30, 2015 in Reading / 8 Comments

Is November really over! It seems like this month has gone by so very fast for me. It is crazy!

Things that Happened in November

So much has happened it is hard to get it all in words. One of the students at my school suffered a stroke and is hospitalized for now. A counselor at the district high school died from an unexpected heart attack. My grandmother has been hospitalized yet again. It really hasn’t been a great month.
My religious education class (4th grade) was enrolled in the Association of the Miraculous Medal. They are all so excited to have miraculous medals.