January Wrap-Up/ February TBR

Hey everyone! So my original plan was to write a post each weekend between my January TBR and my wrap-up. Obviously, that didn’t happen, though I did sit down to write each post, they never quite were finished. With school starting back up, I didn't realize how busy I would be. Even if I only post every other week, that’s still better than nothing, right?

During January, I only finished two books. The first was a collection of short stories by Alice Munro called Too Much Happiness. I’m not really into short stories, but I’ve been putting off finishing it since May. I’m glad I did, and I want to read more by her, but it’ll have to wait until I feel like reading more short stories. The other book I finished was Civil War Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott. This was the first book we read for my American literature class, and it was a good introductory text to reading about the American Civil War, which we will be doing through the course of the semester. I hope to have review of this up this month, so you’ll hear more from me about this.

Right now, I’m still reading The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I did make progress in it this week, but I’m not making any guarantees to finish it this month. In all honesty, I probably won’t get to it until June with my graduation in May and my wedding in June unless I feel like neglecting all of my work and finishing it. I also have two books I’m hoping to finish either right as this month ends or the very beginning of February. They are Who Would Have Thought It? By Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton and Good-bye to All That by Robert Graves, both of which are for my classes this semester. I’m planning on at least reviewing Ruiz de Burton and possibly Graves. Both are pretty good.

As for nonbookish things I did in January, my fiancé and I celebrated one year of being engaged. We were unfortunately both sick, so it wasn't as much fun as it would've been if we were well. I also went back to school for my last semester of undergraduate. As of right now, I am still planning on going back for my master’s degree this fall, but I’m trying not to rule out any possibilities. Also, we found a house we really like, which hopefully he’ll get to move into in the upcoming month.

I really can’t believe it’s almost February; it feels like January just started. Soon, it will be spring and I’ll be so close to being done! I’m really excited, but I've got a lot to do before then and a lot to read.

I’ll start by finishing the two books I’m currently reading now, see above. Then, in my American lit class, we’re reading The American by Henry James and The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells. We’re getting into realism in America this month. I haven’t read anything by either of these authors, and I’m excited to start. As for my capstone course, we’re going to read The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. I've read some of his stories before, and I’m not a huge fan. However, I’m willing to give him a chance to wow me. Reflecting back, though I’m not a huge fan of him, Hemingway’s an author I’m glad to have read so I can give an informed opinion about him, even if I don’t like him. I’m interested to see him in a different medium and see if I like him more as a novelist than short story author. I know this book has something to do with World War One, which makes it a little more appealing than his other books. The other book we’re reading in the capstone is The Good War by Studs Terkel. I know nothing about this book either, except I believe it is about World War Two, based on my knowledge of the course. Also, we’re watching Casablanca this month, which while it isn’t a book, I’m still excited to watch it again.

Lastly, I really need to get through the three books I’m reading for my honors project this month. Those are Testament of Youth, Not So Quiet, and One Woman’s Freedom. I’ve read the first two before, and I’m looking forward to reading the last one. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get them all read.

And I think that’s all I’m going to be able to handle reading this month. What did you read this month? What are you reading next month? Let me know in the comments.