Monday Shelfie #19: March Round Up

And just like that... it's April! But before I get into some of the fun things that I have coming up this month, here's a quick run down of what I read:

March is always a fun month because of  Canada Reads. It was said early on in the competition that only in Canada would there be a televised discussion and debate solely on books. This is one of the many reasons I love being Canadian. I didn't follow the debates as closely as I have in the past, mostly due to work commitments, but I was able to attend the final day of debates in person. Tension was definitely in the air on that final day. Vinay Virmani defended his book The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami with so much passion. When The Illegal by Lawrence Hill, defended by Clara Hughes, was announced the winner, his disappointment and devastation was clearly evident. The small consolation here is that he has optioned the rights for The Hero's Walk and will be producing a movie adaptation of the novel. 

For my #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks challenge, I crossed off a third book book with Mad Miss Mimic. I've owned this book since last May and finally came around to read it because it was the March pick for The Morning Show's Book Club. The March giveaway was Tea4Two with Janet Joy Wilson, a.k.a The Book Guru and Sara Henstra, the author of the book. The winner of this fantastic prize was announced on March 31 and it was... ME!!! I can't wait to sit down with both of these ladies over some tea and chat about how much I adored this book. It will be fangirling at its finest. The April book club pick is a touching memoir: Life From Scratch by Sasha Martin. You can learn more about this book and The Morning Show Book Club here.

As for April, the first book on my list is Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom. I'm about half way through this exhilarating ride. The book begins in the 1830s and follows the life of Jamie Pyke, now Jamie Burton, as he searches for his abducted slave, Pan. He must face his deepest fears and journey through the Underground Railroad with the hopes of saving Pan's life. 

Let's Take A Shelfie will be the final stop on Simon & Schuster Canada's Blog Tour. So, come back on April 13 to check out my review. If you can't wait that long, you can also check out all of the awesome bloggers that will be posting between now and then.

I'd love to find out what others are reading this spring. Feel free to leave the link to your March round ups and I'll check 'em out!

Monday Shelfie #18: February Round Up

Don't you just love leap years? Every four years, us book nerds get one extra day to get lost in a book. February. I'm quite happy with my February reads. I got a chance to dive into various genres and finally began my Canada Reads journey. Here's what I read:

These books also helped me cross off a few books from the reading challenges that I signed myself up for. For my #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks challenge, I crossed off a second book with Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon. 

As for my Penguin Random House Bingo card, I'm now only one book away from my goal of making a "T". The hardest part of this challenge will soon begin - the dreaded "A Book With The Author Who Shares Your Initials" square. Check out my card here.

March is gearing up to be a fun month! There are so many great books coming in the next few weeks. Look for my Waiting on Wednesday posts to see what I'm excited about reading. There's also a Top Ten Tuesday coming with my Spring TBR, so keep an eye out! 

Last but not least, CANADA READS!! Stay tuned for more reviews and (hopefully) my prediction for which book will win. 

I'm curious to know what you read this month. Feel free to let me know in the comments or drop a link to your February round up.

Monday Shelfie #17: One month til Canada Reads

Canada Reads is coming up in just over a month! Reading progress all around has been slow, but I've had to get going on these books! Last week, I read and reviewed Bone & Bread by Saleema Nawaz. You can check out my review here.

This week, I'm tackling the Illegal by Lawrence Hill, for book two of Canada Reads and The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel, just for fun.

What are you reading this week?

Monday Shelfie #16

How did the first week of February treat you? Busy week in our house with post road trip clean up, Kindergarten registrations for my #1 and of course prep and junk food indulgence for Superbowl 50. With that all behind us, we prepare for another crazy week gearing up for the NBA All Star game here in Toronto and of course, Valentines Day.

Even with all the hustle and bustle, I did manage to cross off another book from my #ReadMyOwnDamn books list and two squares from my Reading Bingo card.

As for this week, I've got a Canada Reads book and Glass Sword, the sequel to Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen on deck.

What are you reading this week?

Monday Shelfie #15: January Round Up

And just like that January is done! Going into 2016, I was a nervous. I fell into a huge reading and blogging slump over the holidays. But, I'm happy to report that I seem to have recovered.

Books I read:

2016 Reading Challenges I've joined/plan to participate in:
Last year was my first year as a blogger. What I wasn't expecting was the abundance of additional books I'd have on top of the mounds of books I've already collected from years prior. So, with that said, I decided to participate in the #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks challenge. I've lined up a ton of books that have been on my TBR list. Some classics and some newer YA titles that I've hoarded over the past few months. So far, I've managed to cross one book off my list.

I'm also doing the 50 Book Pledge. I read a total of 79 books last year, so I've upped my goal for 2016 to 75.

Finally, because I know I won't be able to just read the books I have at home, I also decided to partake in the Penguin Random House Canada's #ReadingBingo.  January is off to a running start and I've given myself two different goals with this one. See my previous post for details.

I would love to hear about which challenges my readers have decided on. Feel free to drop me a note and let me know!

Monday Shelfie #14

Well, this year is off to a running start! I managed to read four books last week. Each one with a different theme and completely different feel. Here's what I read:

This week, I'll be kicking off my #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks challenge starting with The Reason You Walk by Wab Kinew. Wab Kinew was announced as this year's Canada Reads host for the second year in a row. I thought this would be a great way to kick it all off as I'm planning to read the short listed books prior to the debates which take place from March 21 - 24. The second book I have on deck for this week is Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon. I have heard nothing but glowing reviews for this book so, I'm extremely excited to finally get started.

What are you reading this week?

Monday Shelfie #13

I surprisingly met my goal last week of reading two books. I'm hoping to keep the momentum going.

I'm still making my way through The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey. My on the train reading hasn't been as productive due to all of the delays. I'm hoping this week will be different. Although, I am having a bit of trouble with this one.

The second book I have on my list for this week is Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard. Last year, I fell in love with her debut novel Red Queen. This book is a compilation of two short prequel stories about two prominent characters in the trilogy. The second instalment of the series, Glass Sword, will be released on February 9. It's one of my most anticipated books of 2016.

What's on your list for this week?

Monday Shelfie #12: Baby Steps...

Getting back in to the groove of reading and reviewing has been a tough mountain to climb, in fact, I still have yet to strap on my backpack. With that said, I'm taking baby steps. Gone are my ambitious days where I would pledge to read 5 or 6 books a week. With work in full swing and caring for my threenager and adventurous one year old, reading time is at a minimal. But the fight goes on...

Here's what's jumping off my shelf this week:

To and from work I'll be attempting to read the Productivity Project by Chris Bailey.Living in a fast paced world and for me, working in an even faster paced industry, leaves very little time for fun. My goal is that after I finish reading this book, it will help organize my thoughts and help make small changes to my everyday life. These changes, I hope, will keep me focused on using my time wisely and result in even more precious time spent with my family.

Book #2 is an ARC that comes courtesy of HarperCollins Canada. This is Where The World Ends is a YA contemporary novel by Amy Zhang. This was a book that I requested last year after I read Falling into Place. I really admired Amy Zhang's writing. Her characters felt so real and believable. I'm hoping this carries on to her latest novel. 

What are you reading this week?

Monday SHELFie #11

New month, new reading challenge! As I mentioned in a previous post, I'll be taking part in the Paperback Summer challenge hosted by Sophie at Reviewed the Book and Suze at Librarian Lavender. I'm setting up a goal of 30 over the course of the challenge, though I think my total count will be a bit higher (I still have a few ebooks and digital galleys that I want to get through). 

The challenge only takes into account physical books (I'll also be including ARCs in my count). I will be keeping track of my Paperback Summer books here.

Here's a sneak peak at a few titles that I'll be reading over the course of the challenge, in no particular order:

What are your reading plans for the summer?

Monday SHELFie #10

Last week was a very exciting week because I achieved my main reading goals for 2015 which was to read 50 books this year. I knew I would reach my goal, I just didn't realize how quickly I would get there. It's an achievement I'm definitely proud of. I'm hoping I can get just as much reading in the second half of the year given that my maternity leave will be ending in a couple months. Here are the remaining challenges I have set for the year:

• Complete HarperCollins' SavvyReader 50 Book Pledge 
• Diversify my reading to include:
• Fiction Novels
• YA
• Poetry
• Childrens' Books
• Read more books by Canadian Authors:
• Read and review the 5 Canada Reads finalists 
• Complete Random House of Canada's 2015 Reading Bingo  (12/25 squares)
• 2015-2016 Drop Cap Challenge
• Read all 26 Penguin Drop Cap editions by December 2016 (0/26) 

As for my weekly summary...

Books I reviewed last week (click the cover to read my review):

This week's TBR list:


As usual there's a chance my TBR list will change depending on my mood. What books do you have on the go this week?