February 2020 TBR

Hello, February. It tends to be the coldest month of the year here in Tennessee. It is the month of love and self-love and lust and romance and happily ever afters and new beginnings whether with someone or on  your own. It is the month of candy and cards and flowers. It is the month of red and pink and white. It is a month of friendships and most importantly, it's a month for reading books. It is also leap year this year so we are graced with an extra day to read. Yay us!

Let's talk about goals for the month:

Planting Flowers: Positive self-talk will continue not only with myself, but about others with a special focus in building positive relationships at work. At least once a week I will take time just for myself and not feel guilty over it whether it be a walk without the dog or a bubble bath. 

Health and Wellness: This month is mostly a continuation of last. I want to eat as clean as possible and drink a ton of water. I will continue my Barre Blend (ballet meets yoga meets cardio meets pilates meets strength training) and my outdoor adventures with my pup, Kaylee. I'm looking forward to the days getting longer as I don't like walking in the dark  in the area where I live. If my knee starts feeling better, I might incorporate a little running with my daily dog walks. Kaylee loves to run.

Writing: I've been so inspired by this "Art of War for Writers" by James Scott Bell these past few weeks that I am going to cut my brainstorming phase down a little and start getting into writing scenes and really diving deep into who my Lead character is, her motivation, and where I want to take her. I normally would create biographies and do lots of planning, but I'm going to allow her to find herself in the dialogue and see where she takes me. This is all about her after all. 

Reading: Reading seems to be my biggest category and so far, its the category that I have achieved the most with. Last month I kicked my goals in the teeth. This month is a little different. The main reason is because I have a MASSIVE classic to cover for BBC and we're extending the read over at least two months. This book is of course The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. This will be my first attempt at this monster and I am really enjoying it so far. It's very good, but I read classics at a much slower pace.

Minus when Count will be finished, there are 14 other books I would like to read this month. I have a small handful that I would like to get to but am not sure I will, and I have a bunch of lighter romance/comedy books to fill in any slums in my reading. As with last month, my first few days will be slower. I want to read these books for enjoyment, so if they're not bringing me joy, they will probably get DNF'd. Only time will tell there.

Currently Reading (as of Feb 01, 2020):

1) The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell
2) The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
3) Dreams Made Flesh (The Black Jewels, #5) by Anne Bishop
4) The Last of August (Charlotte Holmes, #2) by Brittany Cavallaro

Must reads for this month:

5) The Invisible Ring (The Black Jewels, #4) by Anne Bishop
6) A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
7) The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
8) A Fatal Grace (Armand Gamache, #2) by Louise Penny
9) The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
10) Heartless by Marissa Meyer
11) Tangled Webs (The Black Jewels, #6) by Anne Bishop
12) The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
13) The Case for Jamie (Charlotte Holmes, #3) by Brittany Cavallaro
14) A Question of Holmes (Charlotte Holmes, #4) by Brittany Cavallaro
15) The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

Books I'd really like to get to this month:

16) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
17) The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
18) To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Bonus books if I get really ambitious this month and need more to read:

19) Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin
20) The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
21) Twisted Sisters by Jen Lancaster
22) Demon Glass by Rachel Hawkins
23) Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
24) My (not so) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
25) Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins

Audio books expected in through my Libby app:

26) White Night (The Dresden Files, #9) by Jim Butcher

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Of all of the books this month, as I have mentioned before, "The Count of Monte Cristo" is my biggest challenge and will likely hold the most feelings of accomplishment. I don't know how I have spent the majority of my adult life not getting spoiled of the plot of this book, but I am going in blind. So far, it's been the best way to go. No spoilers please!

Have you ever had a book that was extremely hyped and it leaves you anxious and itching to read it in one sitting? The following four books are the ones I am most excited to read this month:

A Beauty and the Beast retelling, because who wouldn't be down for that?

Book two in the Armand Gamache series. Possibly the BEST crime book series I have ever read. 

A King Arthur retelling from Guinevere's perspective. Badass.

Is this cover not gorgeous? New Orleans in 1872. City is ruled by the dead. Everything about this book feels dark and haunting. If I wasn't so excited to read it, I would probably wait until closer to Halloween! But alas, I will not be waiting.