A Melodious Sonnet - Notes from a word-chaser

March TBR List // I’m Trying to Keep it Short!

March 4, 2024 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

4 Mar

February ended up being a great reading month, overall; I had five 5-star reads and two 4 ½-star reads, which feels incredible after some months with what feels like almost all sub-par books! If you’re interested, click on the pictures below to be taken to my reviews of the books, where a review is available.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt — ★★★★★

Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin — ★★★★★

Some links in this post are affiliate links. Your purchase through these links helps keep this blog going, at no extra expense to you. Thanks for your support!

March is shaping up to be a busy month for me, with several trips away planned. I’ve intentionally tried to pare down my TBR list for the month (in other words, I only have 7 books on the list, instead of the 10 I wanted to do . . . !). I’m hoping to read more than what I’ve put on the list for this month, but if I don’t, that’s okay, too.

New Releases/ARCs:

These Tangled Threads by Sarah Loudin Thomas

10 Women Who Changed the World by Daniel L. Akin

I currently have three ARCs I’m hoping to read this month, and so far, I’m enjoying them! I hope that will continue.

Publishing April 2: These Tangled Threads by Sarah Loudin Thomas. I’m still trying to figure this book out, to some extent, but it is intriguing—especially the Biltmore aspect. This is my third Thomas book, and so far, she’s been pretty good. I have high expectations for this one!

Publishing April 2: 10 Women Who Changed the World by Daniel L. Akin. This book has been a breath of fresh air for me! It’s a cross between a set of short biographies and a devotional. I’ve been taking my time as I read, enjoying getting to know these women (many of whom are unfamiliar to me), and appreciating the rich Biblical truths brought out through the biographies. Highly recommended so far!

Publishing April 16: Chernobyl: The Fall of Atomgrad by Matyáš Namai. This is a graphic novel about Chernobyl. I’ve read the first few pages, and they were fascinating. Can’t wait to get back to it!

Read Your Bookshelf Challenge:

This month’s prompt was hard! I finally found a book that had more than two points of view, but it took a while. I picked Gods & Kings by Lynn Austin. It has at least three POV, maybe more, and it’s been on my “want-to-read” list for a long time, so it’s about time I finally gave it some attention!

Just because it looks fun, I’ve decided to try to do both sides of the challenge (both Doyle and Montgomery). Although Doyle will be my “official” side for this challenge, for the L.M. Montgomery prompt, I need a book with two POV. I found out Byrd’s-Eye View by Chautona Havig fits the bill. I’ve been wanting to read it ever since it was released, anyway, so this seemed like a good chance to do that!

Borrowed Books:

I’ve had these borrowed books on my shelf since August, I think. I’m guessing it’s about time to get them back to their owners, who I will hopefully be seeing at the end of the month.

Imprisoned in Iran by Dan Baumann: I read a book about a missionary imprisoned in Sudan last year, and this one looks like it will be good, too. I can’t wait to read it!

Tomorrow You Die by Reona Peterson Joly: I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book set in Albania before, so that’s intriguing. The title is also intriguing. Another one I can’t wait to get into!

Here’s my March TBR stack:

I’m so tempted to add more to this list, but I don’t think I will. I may end up adding more later in the month, if I realize I’m running out of options.

Have you read any of the books I mentioned? What are you hoping to read in March?

What I’m Reading in February

February 22, 2024 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

22 Feb

I was hoping to get to a February TBR post this month, and that just hasn’t happened. We were away on holiday for the first few days of the month, and then when we got home, it seemed like one thing after another happened, and I haven’t had the time or brain space to sit down and think about a post until now.

So far this year, I’ve read 19 books (some of those are included in the list below). I’m not sure how that happened, aside from the fact that I read a LOT of audiobooks . . . but I’ve also read a lot of other books, too. I was also on a classics reading kick last month, which was a lot of fun! I’d like to return to that, but we’ll see how the next few weeks go.

Some links in this post are affiliate links. Your purchase through these links helps keep this blog going, at no extra expense to you. Thanks for your support!

New Releases/ARCs:

While the City Sleeps by Elizabeth Camden

This month, I’ve had a few ARCs to read. Those have taken highest priority in my reading list.

Released February 6: Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin. I loved this story! Fascinating history, sweet romance, an intriguing mystery . . . there was a lot to love here. If The Wednesday Wars wasn’t my top read of the month so far, I think Embers could be this month’s favorite pick.

Released February 13: While the City Sleeps by Elizabeth Camden. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as Embers, but it was still a fun history/mystery/romance read.

Releasing February 27: Return to Eden by Paco Roca. I haven’t started this graphic novel yet, but I’m hoping to in the next day or so. It sounds intriguing; I believe it’s a true story, based on the author’s mother’s life after the war. I’ve hardly read anything about Spain in recent years, which makes me interested in the story, and I’m really hoping it won’t have anything icky in it!

Read Your Bookshelf Challenge:

This month’s prompt says I need to read a book under 250 pages. I’m going to go with a super short book this month, Selina by Pauline Cartwright (47 pages long; it’s an early chapter book), and if I have time to do something more after that, I may end up swapping out books later on. I wouldn’t normally go with such a short book, but it fits the prompt, and it’s one I own but haven’t read yet—and I have a goal of working through some of the books I own this year.

Library books:

I got to go to the library near the end of January—the first time in a year or more for me! What a treat! Even more of a treat, I found some books by authors I’ve wanted to try for a while or old favorite authors, but titles I haven’t read yet, so I ended up checking out three books. I’ve read one, am almost through another, and have yet to start the third.

The one I’ve finished: The Brontë Plot by Katherine Reay. I’ve been wanting to try her books for a while. This wasn’t my most favorite read ever, but I’m excited to read more of her works. I loved all the references to classics that she wove into this story, as well as the way she told a story of transformation and hope.

The one I’m currently reading: Seacrow Island by Astrid Lindgren. She’s one of my favorite authors from childhood (Pippi Longstocking was a particular favorite), and this book is the most darling story! I’ve laughed more with this book than almost any other book this year (The Wednesday Wars was also pretty funny), and am absolutely delighted at the whimsical way this story is told. I’m currently trying to convince Mom to read this aloud before it goes back to the library. 😉

The one I haven’t started yet: Her Mother’s Hope by Francine Rivers. Rivers has been slightly hit-or-miss with me, but for the most part, I’ve enjoyed her works. It seemed like a good time to take the chance to read another of her books.

Audio Books:

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

I still have quite a bit of gardening ahead of me this month, so I’ll be turning on audiobooks to keep myself entertained through that.

First up: Christy by Catherine Marshall. I’m re-reading this book as an audiobook. SUCH a good story. Thoroughly enjoying it again!

And if I have time: The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. I just recently got Les Misérables in print, so I’m hoping to start reading it soon(ish), but for now, I’m content to get my classics in audio format. I’ve heard mixed feedback on this one, so I’ll be interested to see what I think about it.

Here’s my (physical) February stack. It looks pretty small, but if you count in the ebooks and audiobooks I’ve read/am reading this month as well, it would be quite a bit taller.

I’m also hoping to have a peek at the Brighter Winter Reading Challenge yet this month, but I know my time is running out . . . I just haven’t had enough time to even really think about it. I believe I did manage to fill in about seven boxes last month, but I haven’t had time to look at the list for quite a while. If you manage to complete the challenge, or even part of it, I’d love to know what you read for it!

What are you reading this month? What is the best book you’ve read so far in February?

My Top 5 Books from 2023 (+ 2024 Bookish Goals!)

January 10, 2024 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

10 Jan

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been eagerly anticipating being able to sit down and write this blog post. It’s taken longer to get to it than I initially hoped, but I can’t wait to share these titles with you.

I read 82 books last year—32 more than I hoped to read at the beginning of 2023. I’m pretty sure that’s the most books I’ve ever read in a year, so I’m pretty stoked about that! And I came across some stand-out, blow-it-out-of-the-water stories, which I’m planning to share with you today. But before we get there, it’s time for a few stats (because I’m a nerd like that):

Total books read: 82
Total nonfiction: 18 (23% of total)
Total audiobooks: 11 (13% of total)
New-to-me authors: 39
Most books by one author: 4 books (Chautona Havig)

My 2023 reading goals recap:
Read 50 books — 82 read — YES!
Complete 1 reading challenge — YES!
Read 15 physical books — 42 read — YES!
Read 7 nonfiction books — 19 read — YES!
Read 4 books from my classics list — 7 read — YES!

(Some links in this post are affiliate links. Your purchase through these links helps keep this blog going, at no extra expense to you. Thanks for your support!)

I had a hard time narrowing down my top five books of the year. I considered doing ten, but several of them tied so closely that I decided to just go with the ones that made a big impact on me, that I loved reading, and that I was still thinking/talking about weeks or months after finishing them. Here they are, in the order I read them:

He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox

May: I adored Amanda Cox’ The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery when I read it in 2021, and He Should Have Told the Bees was an automatic “definitely want to read this one” when I saw it was coming out. It was so good. Rich and insightful, with strong characters and a well-written faith element. Everything you want in a good Christian fiction story. If you haven’t read this yet, you ought to. Just sayin’.

July: I picked up Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate on a whim one afternoon, and wow…I did not expect such a powerful story! Heartbreaking, poignant, hope-filled, and rich in characters and setting, this is the kind of historical fiction I love to read. It isn’t a Christian story, but is well worth the time spent reading it.

The Warsaw Sisters- A Novel of WWII Poland by Amanda Barratt

September: I’d never read an Amanda Barratt book before picking up The Warsaw Sisters, but I want to read more now! Of all the books I read this year, I think this was the toughest one to get through, but it was so good, too. Mystery, family, unthinkable horrors, and realistic history are all pulled together into this unforgettable story. I don’t know if I’d ever want to read it again, but it was worth reading at least once. It brought World War II Warsaw to life for me in a way I’d never experienced before.

The Jesus Revolution by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn

November: I’ve loved Ellen Vaughn’s writing for several years now, but didn’t pick Jesus Revolution up until recently. I’m so glad I took the time for it. It’s a very encouraging, powerful read about how God can change people’s lives—and how He wants to work through us if we’re willing to let Him work.

November: I’ve been interested in the Duggar family’s story for a while, so it was special for me to get to read Jill’s perspective in Counting the Cost. An encouraging read that gave me room for thought about my life and upbringing, too. I found this book both interesting and inspiring.

That’s that for my top five reads of 2023! Three of the books were published in 2023, the other two in the not-too-distant past. They’re all good; I’d highly recommend them if you are looking for a new read.

And now, for my 2024 reading goals! I admit; I went a bit wild with the list this year, but I am hoping to be able to spend a good amount of time reading this next year. I guess we’ll see! In no particular order, I’m hoping to…

Read 75 books
Finish/catch up on reading 6 series (I am currently in the middle of 23 different series, and am about to start several more…gulp!)
Complete the 2024 Read Your Bookshelf Challenge
Read 6 classics
Read 12 books I own, but haven’t read yet
Read 5 backlisted ARCs (I have a list of ARCs I got years ago that I never took the time to read; it would be nice to finish those off)
Read 4 craft/learning books—ones on writing, history, etc.
Read ⅓ of our collection of Josephus’ writings (I’m aiming for close to 300 pages)

I’m also hoping to do the 2024 Buzzword Reading Challenge, the 2024 Beat the Backlist Challenge (I’ve copied out the 24-grid Bingo board, although I switched out some prompts for others because I didn’t like some of them), and the Brighter Winter Reading Program. I’d also love to join an online book club of some kind, but that’s still in the idea stage at this point. 😉

Have you read any of these books? What were your top favorite reads from last year? Do you have reading goals for 2024?

January 2024 TBR // A Stack Far Bigger Than I Can Read

January 5, 2024 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

5 Jan

I’m back! I’ve been dreaming of getting on here and writing ever since the Christmas holidays started (which last 2–3 weeks here in New Zealand), but it turns out holidays can be pretty busy. So while I’ve done little bits and snatches of writing over the last few weeks, I haven’t spent as much time or completed as many projects as I was hoping to do. But that’s alright. People, relationships, and gardens are more important than blogging, right?

Today, I’m looking forward to sharing my reading wrap-up from December (I read a LOT of books!), and then in a few days, I’ll share my top five books of 2023—so keep an eye out for that. I read a lot of books last year, but those five are the ones that pulled me in, didn’t let me stop reading, and begged to be on the list when I went to compile it a little while ago. I can’t wait to share that with you!

Here’s what I read in December: (I’ve linked to my reviews of the books where possible, but haven’t had time to review most of them yet.)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis — ★★★★★

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor — ★★★★★

I was thrilled to be able to complete almost all the books on my December TBR, most of which were selected to finish a couple of reading challenges. I did have to make one last-minute substitution (Light of Mine instead of Gods & Kings; I ran out of time), but overall, it was a very satisfying reading month for me.

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And now, for my January TBR list!

I’m starting this year with high reading hopes. Last year’s reading went far better than I was hoping (I ended up getting to 164% of my main reading goal last year!—as I mentioned above, stay tuned for the post about that early next week), and accordingly, I’ve decided to go for slightly bigger goals this year. We’ll see how that goes.

This month, I’m going to try to leave part of my January TBR open-ended. I’m participating in the Brighter Winter Reading Challenge, and while I’ve found books to fit this month’s prompts, I’ve already swapped some around or exchanged them for other books—which makes for a rather muddly TBR stack. However, there are still a few books that I definitely want to read this month, so I those will become my “official” TBR list.

New Releases/ARCs:

Releasing January 16: The Search Party by Hannah Richell. This was one of those rare cases in the reviewing world where the publisher sends you a book, even when you don’t ask for it. I enjoy the odd thriller, though, so I was excited to read it. I started it on the 1st, but unfortunately, by the time I got about 25% of the way through the book, I decided I had to DNF it because of the language and the fact that it included a bedroom scene (not what I want to read, unfortunately 😕). Now I’ll have to find another thriller to read, because I was all psyched up to read one, and had to quit! Any suggestions?

Releasing February 6: All My Secrets by Lynn Austin. This is a Lynn Austin book. Need I say more? I do love that it looks like it will involve an older lady and a young woman—I love books that incorporate older generations!

Releasing February 6: Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin. I read my first Sundin book last year and loved it, so when I saw this was coming out, too, I wanted to read it. Can’t wait to dive in!

Country Bird by Angela Harrison Vinet and Janis Hatten Harrison

Releasing February 20: Country Bird by Angela Harrison Vinet. I got this book for two reasons—1) the pictures are gorgeous, and 2) it reminded me of my grandma’s love of birdwatching. I can’t wait to read it—it looks like it will be a fast, interesting read.

Published last year: How to Stop Binge-Watching and Start Living by Frank Degenaar. I read a good part of this book last year, but haven’t finished it yet. It’s SO good; I just got burned out on digital books for a while and had to take a break. I’m looking forward to finishing it this month if I can!

Read Your Bookshelf Challenge:

If you haven’t seen this reading challenge yet, you ought to check it out. This year, Chantele is doing a flowchart-style challenge, which I think is a lot of fun. I’ve decided to go with Doyle for these first three months, so I needed a book with a dog (or dog-like animal) on the cover. I chose to read The Call of the Wild by Jack London, a book I’ve owned for quite a while but never read. So far, it’s an interesting story (I finished chapter one last night)!

Brighter Winter Reading Challenge:

I have a goal of checking off at least seven boxes from this challenge this month; if I read a lot, I may get up to ten or twelve, but that’s pushing it (especially with my list above!). I’ve picked out a few books that would fit the categories I’m interested in, though, but may end up swapping out books partway through the month. I’m allowing myself free rein for this one, and am planning to read as the mood strikes me.

Here are my current possibilities:

Read a book by an Anabaptist author: I picked Seventeen-Ounce Miracle by Rachael Lofgren. Mom reviewed this book several years ago, so I wouldn’t have to write a review, hence an “easy” read for me.

Read a book in which the main characters are a family unit of 4+ children: Fruitlands by Gloria Whelan (a story about Louisa May Alcott’s young life) is an old favorite of mine which I’d love to revisit!

Read a book set in the continent of Africa: I’ve been wanting to re-read Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw (a childhood favorite) for several years now; maybe this is the time to do that?

Read a book in print that you first heard read aloud. (must be 100+ pages): The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare has been on my TBR list about 3 times in the last 6 months, I think…I’d still like to read it since I haven’t gotten to it! We’ll see.

Read a Newbery Award or Newbery Honor chapter book: We have several of these I haven’t read yet, but I picked out Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. I know nothing about it, but it looks interesting!

Read a book by an author who uses three names: Three of the books above (Country Bird, Mara: Daughter of the Nile, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond) all fit this category, and you’re allowed to use the same books for two different categories, so I think I should be able to accomplish this one.

Read an author’s best known work: It’s been 5-6 years since I last read Ready or Not by Chautona Havig; I’d love to read it again. I think it’s her best-known book, but there are other authors’ books I could choose for this space, too.

Read a novella. (100-180 pages in length): I realized I still haven’t read The Secret Place of Thunder by Alicia G. Ruggieri; I should rectify that problem this month! We’ll see if I can make the time to do so. 🙂

Read an American classic: I already mentioned I’m planning to read The Call of the Wild by Jack London, which fits this category perfectly; yay!

Whew; that’s a lot of books! I’m looking forward to what I’ll get to read this month. While I’d love to get through all of them, I know that’s impossible (unless I get knocked out with a nasty flu all month or something…no, I sure hope I don’t!), but I’ll see how far I can go, and mostly just try to focus on enjoying being able to read in general.

What are you hoping to read this month? Are you planning on joining a reading challenge this month/year? If so, what are you planning to do?

End of 2023 TBR // Trying to Finish ALL the Reading Challenges + October Recap

November 18, 2023 by Esther Filbrun · 2 Comments

18 Nov

October ended up being a tough reading month for me. I realized, after putting together my October TBR list, that it could potentially be a difficult reading month—I had a lot of advanced reader copies (ARCs) to get through. Although it’s taken me years to recognize it, while I love being able to read new books before they come out and support authors better as the books are released, I also struggle to enjoy reading when I feel like I have to read (rather than just read for fun). I don’t know if that makes sense or not, but that’s the way it is.

What I read in October:

I managed to get through six books in October, so I guess that isn’t too bad, even if it wasn’t what I was hoping for! Four of the books below are ones I got for review; of the other two, The Night the Angels Came was a recommendation from a friend (my favorite read of the month), and Siberian Haiku was a book I got from the library. Movie-made Romance is the newest book—it was released today!

As always, if you’re interested in my thoughts about any of the books, clicking on the cover will take you to my review.

The Night the Angels Came- Miracles of protection and provision in Burundi by Chrissie Chapman — ★★★★

A Million Little Choices by Tamera Alexander — ★★★★

After struggling in my reading last month and during the first half of this month, I’m so ready for some light, easy reading! I still have a couple of ARCs I hope to get to in the remainder of the year (ideally, all six I currently have . . . but that’s a bit unrealistic), but over the next six weeks, I’m planning to focus on more just-for-fun books and hope that gets me back into the reading groove enough that slipping the ARCs in here and there won’t slow me down too much.

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New releases I am planning to read:

There are three ARCs I have that have either already been published or will be published soon, so those three are going to be on my TBR list in the next six weeks.

Releasing January 17, 2024: The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold. I’m already reading this one—hoping to finish in the next day or two. I’m really enjoying the story, but I think I’d enjoy it a lot more if it weren’t for the fact that I’m feeling somewhat burned out on review books right now. Oh, well. Highly recommended, if you get a chance to read this! I love all the cooking that’s woven through this story (although I’m still searching for the streusel!).

Releasing November 28: The Boy from Clearwater by Yu Pei-Yun and Zhou Jian-Xin. I’m really excited about this graphic novel! It’s a true story about a boy who grew up in Taiwan. This is a two-part book; the first part is set in the 1930s, and the second in the 1950s. I’ve hardly read anything about Taiwan, so I’m looking forward to learning a bit of history from this story!

Released September 2021: Manga Classics’ Les Misérables by Victor Hugo and Crystal S Chan. I’ve loved the Les Misérables story for quite a while now, so when I saw this, I wanted to read it, since most of my exposure to the story thus far is a TV series I watched. Unfortunately, after having a peek inside at the graphics, I don’t really like the artistic style, but I’m looking forward to reading the story itself.

Read Your Bookshelf challenge:

For my two final books for this reading challenge, I decided to go easy on myself and pick books that should be super-quick, fun reads for me. Who better to do that with than Chautona Havig’s books? I’ve enjoyed her books for ages, but haven’t read many of hers this year. Both of these, Adoring April and Dial W for Wrangler, promise to be fun reads.

Peanut Blossom’s Book Bingo:

Sweet and Sour by Carol Kendall and Yao-Wen Li

I realized I only have five spaces left before my bingo board is filled up! It was fun narrowing down my choices with this one.

A banned book: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. Mom read this book to us when I was 9 or 10, and I remember it as a gut-punching, well-written book about racism and hope. I’ve been wanting to re-read it for quite a while, so when I saw it fit this category (this was banned by Californian schools for quite a while), I jumped at the chance.

A book I saw someone reading: Sweet and Sour: Tales from China by Carol Kendall and Yao-Wen Li. I’ve always been a sucker for fairy tales and old legends, and I know this was a hit for the brother who read it recently. Plus, it’s short—win-win!

An author who has my initials: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. I thought this would be a tough category to find a book for, but then I spotted this book on the shelf. It’s one I read for school years ago, and have been wanting to re-read, so that fits perfectly!

On display at the library: Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar. This was a difficult category to find a book for! Usually, anything on display is something I’m not interested in, but I found this one in the “newest” category on Libby, and I figured that’s close enough to count! I’m looking forward to hearing Jill’s story—I’ve been intrigued about this book ever since it was released last September.

A book that is the author’s first novel: Gods & Kings by Lynn Austin. I’ve been wanting to read this for at least four years now, and as far as I can tell, this is Austin’s first novel. Yay! Can’t wait!

2023 Buzzword Reading Challenge:

The Wise Woman and Other Stories by George MacDonald

I was thrilled to see that two of my books for the Peanut Blossom list also work for this challenge!

A book with a flavor-related word in the title: Sweet and Sour: Tales from China by Carol Kendall and Yao-Wen Li

A book with the word “other” in the title: The Wise Woman and Other Stories by George MacDonald. I was supposed to read this book in school, but never got around to it. Over this last year, I’ve gotten more interested in MacDonald’s writings, and am eager to get into this one if I can make the time to read it!

A book with weather-related words in the title: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

A book with the word “good” in the title: What Good is God?: In Search of a Faith that Matters by Philip Yancey. I’m pretty sure I’ve only ever read one Yancey book—but I’ve been collecting his works for years now. I don’t think I ever even read the back cover of this book, but upon perusal, it reminds me somewhat of The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken, which made a profound impact on me several years ago.

Three borrowed books:

I doubt I’ll be able to get to these, but since they’re on my TBR shelf, I thought I’d include them as well. I’ve borrowed them from a friend, so I really ought to read them . . . but there are only so many books one can read in a few weeks!

Whew! That’s a lot of books! I’m certain I won’t get through all of them, but I’ve decided (to borrow a phrase from Chantel Klassen) to treat this list as a “pile of possibilities” and see where the mood takes me as I close out my reading for the year.

Here is my digital TBR “stack” at the moment:

And my physical TBR stack for the end of November and December:

Have you read any of these books? Do you have any other suggestions to add to my stack? (Because . . . why not, right? 😀 )