Happy Valentine’s Day!!! We are currently experiencing #snowmaggedon2017 which has mostly shut down Halifax (this happens SO rarely). We got over 4 feet of snow yesterday and more overnight. It took Brian and I over an hour to shovel the driveway last night, and there’s more out there this morning! The kids had a snow day on Friday, then we laid pretty low on Sunday because Lucy had a stomach bug, and yesterday we couldn’t go out in the blizzard so I am going STIR-CRAZY!!! We’re home again today, but hopefully back to routine tomorrow!!!!

I’m so blessed to be able to spend Valentine’s Day with my three loves though. Molly is so excited about it and has been drawing hearts and talking about love non-stop for the past two weeks. We had heart-shaped pancakes this morning and we’ll probably try to do a craft or two this afternoon.

Linking up with Steph and Jana on this LOVEly day to chat about books!!! I expected to read more lately, but honestly only a few books this month (5ish weeks!) really grabbed my attention. I’m not sure why that is…I think a few of the books I read just took awhile to get into. I found myself reading a chapter, and then checking Facebook or Instagram….and then falling asleep. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I only felt like I really read three (ish) books that kept me thinking about them like crazy while I wasn’t reading them. Anyway…happy Show Us Your Books day!!!

The Best Books I Read this Month

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve seen Ruta Sepetys and this book recommended all over the blog world in the last year, and then it also won the Goodreads Choice award in 2016 so it has been on my to-be-read list for awhile. I agree with all the other fans out there – this book was incredible. I had no idea that this event actually took place. It makes me wonder how many other little WWII stories are out there that have not been shared widely. The multiple points of view really built this story for me, and I felt horror, sadness, and hope for all of the characters at different points in the story. It was a relatively quick read compared to other WWII novels I’ve tackled – I think the short chapters really helped to build the story. I would highly recommend this amazing story.

Loyalty by Ingrid Thoft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m so glad Steph recommended this series to me because this first book was really good! There’s not much that is unlikeable about Fina Ludlow’s character. She is smart, sassy, and good at her job. Her relationships are interesting. She’s surrounded by men, but she is powerful. There were some possible triggers in this book, but it was still really, really good. I will absolutely read the others in this series at some point.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am really glad that I was told beforehand that this book was a bit slow at the beginning, because I really found it hard to get into until about the halfway point. It was a great thriller though, and sadder and more intense than I was expecting (I completely expected it to be more focused on something that it was not). Highly recommend it if thrillers with a twist are your kind of thing.

Other Enjoyable Books

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took me a long time to read this book, but that wasn’t because it wasn’t good. There was just so much detail in the narration and some of the language was meant to be savoured. In some ways, it feels like one of those books in which not much seems to happen, but that’s not really the case at all. It’s just one person’s story and reflections over the course of about a year. It reminded me of the storytelling in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and some of the subject matter also felt similar.

It’s in His Kiss by Julia Quinn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Almost done the series of the Bridgertons…I loved Hyacinth’s character and the subplot in this story. I turn to this series when I need a fun break from whatever else I’m reading and I have yet to be (too) disappointed. The Bridgertons are a fun family!

Valley of the Moon by Melanie Gideon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book didn’t grab me the way I expected it to, and although I did like it enough to finish it, it fell a bit flat for me. I’m not sure why…maybe it just came to me at the wrong time (during a bit of a book slump). I usually love it when books jump back and forth between time periods but this one left me feeling a bit torn. The concept is still great, and the characters were mostly very likeable. I’m glad I finished it, because the ending was really very good.

Winter Storms by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I quite enjoyed this conclusion to the trilogy. I’m not usually the biggest fan of “Christmassy” stories, but this series was a quick and fun read around the holidays. I loved all of the family dynamics. It was fun to follow along with everyone and easy to picture oneself on Nantucket with all the crazy Quinns for Christmastime 🙂

Miracle On 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Although this romance trilogy is totally fluffy and at times a bit sappy, I love the characters, I love the NYC setting, and the friendships are unbeatable. This was a cute conclusion to the series. I think the world could use some more people like Eva in it.

The Best Mistake Mystery: The Great Mistake Mysteries by Sylvia McNicoll
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great little book and I know my daughter will enjoy it in a year or two. The characters were sweet and I loved the dog parts. Probably good for about age 8. I’m reading a few books in this age group here and there because I have an avid 5 year old reader and I want to keep her in books!! Thanks for the copy of this, Netgalley 🙂

Any Time, Any Place by Jennifer Probst
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fun, quick, contemporary romance read. I like these ones that are in a series because you can see where the next story is going. I hadn’t read the first in this series but this was still fine as a standalone. The characters were fun, the female protagonist is strong and sassy, and the extra twist was interesting to see resolved. Thanks for the copy of this, Netgalley 🙂


Year of No Clutter by Eve O. Schaub
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was not quite what I was expecting, but it was motivating to read about someone else’s attempts to clear their clutter. It also made me feel better about some of the stuff that I *haven’t* kept around for years, haha. Thanks for the copy of this, Netgalley 🙂


I’m currently still reading The Count of Monte Cristo (ugh I might end up giving it up because my motivation to read it is almost zero – my attention span just isn’t there these days), Red Rising (trying so hard to get into it! 40 pages in!! Tell me it is amazing, please!!!), and I started The Kitchen House but the library is taking it back (digitally) tomorrow so I’ll have to pause that one!

What have you been reading lately!?