The Girl Who Wrote in Silk
: I actually read this book at the end of December, but I loved it SO much that I wanted to be sure to share it here. It tells the story of Inara Erickson who finds an elaborately stitched piece of fabric hidden in the house in her deceased aunt’s island home. As it turns out, Inara’s life is tied to that of Mei Lein, a young Chinese girl driven from her home a century before. The book goes back and forth between the two women and the storytelling is fabulous. I devoured this book in two days and can’t stop talking about it.
A Man Called Ove: A Novel
: This is my book club’s March select. I wanted to get it read right away so I could share my copy. Thankfully it was easy because it was one of the best books I have ever read. Ever. It is about an old man who on the exterior is a curmudgeon, but beyond that exterior has an incredible story. I don’t want to share to much, but trust me when I say, if you like fiction, you must read this book.
Winter Garden
: After reading The Nightingale
I promptly went to the used bookstore and bought every Kristin Hannah book I could find. Several people recommended I start with Winter Garden, so I brought it with me on my beach trip this past weekend. It’s nearly 400 pages, so I thought maybe I would make a dent. No, I read the whole thing in two days. It tells the story of two daughters who never really knew their mother Anya’s story. As they dig in, they learn about Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago.
Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
: I think about the principles in this book every single day. If you are interested in being more productive, using your time better and just changing the way you look at projects, this book is a must-read. (It’s a great companion to The Fringe Hours.)
In addition, I continued my daily/weekly journaling in the following:
The 52 Lists Project: A Year of Weekly Journaling Inspiration
Q&A a Day for Moms: A 5-Year Journal
Q&A a Day for Kids: A Three-Year Journal
What did you read this month?
For more book inspiration, check out my 2016 reading list and my profile on GoodReads.
I am always, always on the search for great books. Thank you for sharing your list. I look forward to downloading a couple of these. Have a great rest of your week.
I think I am going to have to add a few of those to my ever long to read list!
In January, I read The Secret Lives of Bees (highly recommend), Dorothy Must Die (a fun, dark reimagining of Oz), Water for Elephants, Coming Clean, How She Does It, Louisa May Alcott: An Intimate Anthology, Wives and Daughters, and Slaughterhouse-Five.
I loved Water for Elephants!
I absolutely loved The Lake House by Kate Morton, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and also read The Girl Who Wrote In Silk 🙂
I got all these recommendations from you! Thank you from one voracious reader to another!
Thanks for sharing your book list! I’m committed to recording my reading this year. 🙂 I finished Money by Tony Robbins (a mega book so I started it before January). I also read The Calling of Ella McFarland by Linda Brooks Davis and Habits: The Mother’s Secret to Success by Charlotte Mason
I read The Fringe Hours! I also read For the Love. I am currently reading Philomena. I loved your book and I have now carved out time to read each evening and I look forward to it each day. I can’t believe I am on my 3rd book this year!
I really liked the Winter Garden, too. It was so sad and stark at certain points, and really gave me a feel for how incredibly HARD it was during the War. I guess I’d not ever read anything that sparked that feeling for me (and I surely never learned any of it in school). Yes, fiction, but I am sure there are elements of truth in some of the historical aspects.
Only mentioning it as a caution in case someone else is thinking of reading it: I was a bit put off by some of the (what I felt were unnecessary) bedroom scenes, but that is a personal preference to not need to know what people are doing in their bedrooms 😉 Other than that, I thought it was fantastic.
I loved Winter Garden. I think I might need to re-read it! I have The Nightingale on my side table waiting for February break! Thanks for the book list. I have several of them on my own list now!
I always love your suggestions! I’ve read all of Kristin hannah’s books and they’re all great. I finished eight in January, and am moving to my eight for February! I’m in the middle of The Snow Child (fiction) and Concussion (non fiction), and highly recommend “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson! it was excellent.
(PS: Also reading The Night Circus, the 5th Wave, Savour by Shauna Niequist, The Murderers Daughters so far for February. I’m going to add the Man called Ove to my list.
Just read “My Grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry ” by Fredrik Backman . One of the best books I’ve read ever! Getting ready to read “The Boston Girl” by Anita Diamant
You’re the second person in less than 24 hours to recommend A Man Called Ove and Nightingale — off to the library I go to see how many holds are on them. 🙂
The Girl Who Wore Silk, A Man Called Ove, and The Winter Garden all sounds great. I am adding them to my list right now. How fortunate to have read only great books in January! 🙂
My favorites from January were George by Alex Gino and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. George is MG and Simon is YA.
The Winter Garden was available for checkout from my e-library. I was not sure if it was worth the read, but I have heard good things about the author. Thanks for the tip! love and hope your way!
LOVED these book choices! leaving for vacation on Saturday,
and came back to scan your blog for more suggestions. Thank you!!