Tag: Color Coded 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).

2015 formats2015 covers2015 star ratings2015 debuts2015 source

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November 2015 in Review

Posted November 30, 2015 in Reading / 8 Comments

Month in Review

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.

Books I Read in November

The Heart of BetrayalThe Painter's DaughterSapphire BlueWinter
Emerald GreenA Court of Thorns and RosesEverneathJesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives
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{Review} The Painter’s Daughter – Married to a Stranger to Escape Scandal

Posted November 25, 2015 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

{Review} The Painter’s Daughter – Married to a Stranger to Escape ScandalThe Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen
Publisher: Bethany House (2015)
eARC (464 pages)
Via: NetGalley
Rating:
Also by this author: The Secret of Pembrooke Park, A Castaway in Cornwall
Reading Challenges: 2015 Color Coded, Read 2015

Synopsis

Sophie Dupont, daughter of a portrait painter, assists her father in his studio, keeping her own artwork out of sight. She often walks the cliffside path along the north Devon coast, popular with artists and poets. It’s where she met the handsome Wesley Overtree, the first man to tell her she’s beautiful.
Captain Stephen Overtree is accustomed to taking on his brother’s neglected duties. Home on leave, he’s sent to find Wesley. Knowing his brother rented a cottage from a fellow painter, he travels to Devonshire and meets Miss Dupont, the painter’s daughter. He’s startled to recognize her from a miniature portrait he carries with him–one of Wesley’s discarded works. But his happiness plummets when he realizes Wesley has left her with child and sailed away to Italy in search of a new muse.
Wanting to do something worthwhile with his life, Stephen proposes to Sophie. He does not offer love, or even a future together, but he can save her from scandal. If he dies in battle, as he believes he will, she’ll be a respectable widow with the protection of his family.
Desperate for a way to escape her predicament, Sophie agrees to marry a stranger and travel to his family’s estate. But at Overtree Hall, her problems are just beginning. Will she regret marrying Captain Overtree when a repentant Wesley returns? Or will she find herself torn between the father of her child and her growing affection for the husband she barely knows?

Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository

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{Review} The White Rose – Running and Magic and Romance

Posted November 16, 2015 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

{Review} The White Rose – Running and Magic and RomanceThe White Rose by Amy Ewing
Series: The Lone City #2
Publisher: Harper Audio (2015)
Audiobook
{8 hours and 31 minutes} (320 pages)
Rating:
Also by this author: The Jewel, The Black Key
Also in this series: The Jewel, The Black Key
Reading Challenges: 2015 Color Coded, Read 2015

Synopsis

Violet is on the run. After the Duchess of the Lake catches Violet with Ash, the hired companion at the Palace of the Lake, Violet has no choice but to escape the Jewel or face certain death. So along with Ash and her best friend, Raven, Violet runs away from her unbearable life of servitude.
But no one said leaving the Jewel would be easy. As they make their way through the circles of the Lone City, Regimentals track their every move, and the trio barely manages to make it out unscathed and into the safe haven they were promised—a mysterious house in the Farm.
But there’s a rebellion brewing, and Violet has found herself in the middle of it. Alongside a new ally, Violet discovers her Auguries are much more powerful than she ever imagined. But is she strong enough to rise up against the Jewel and everything she has ever known?
The White Rose is a raw, captivating sequel to The Jewel that fans won’t be able to put down until the final shocking moments.

Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository

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October 2015 in Review

Posted October 30, 2015 in Life, Reading / 8 Comments

October 2015 in Review

Things that Happened in October

  • This month has been utterly insane at the school. With short week and then assemblies and homecoming week and red ribbon week and everything that goes with all that. I definitely need a break and, hopefully, things will calm down in November.
  • Life has just been crazy. Enough said.
  • Blogversary!

Books I Read in October

Encountering TruthThese Broken StarsThe White RoseA Mad, Wicked Folly
The CommanderGreen RiderSnow Like Ashes
GracelingFirst Rider's CallRuby RedThe High King's Tomb
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