Monthly Re-Cap: January 2018

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people!

January, the month of new beginnings and resolutions and all the goals and planning. Did you set goals for the year? Feel free to share yours in the comments!

I have a new Goodreads goal, it is to read 130 books this year, and I am participating in the Blogger Shame Challenge and I am off to a pretty good start. With a reading slump from the holidays, I needed to get back on track so I started with come children's books and comics and I was back in action after that! I am hoping the rest of the year stays productive but the hubs and I are on the same work schedule now so there might be less reading time - we shall see... So far he has been wonderful about asking me if I want/need to read and I love him for it 😍. 

I am looking forward to February, there is a lot of fun stuff on my calendar but also a bunch of great books on my TBR and I am excited to do some reading.

How was your month? What are your goals? What did you read this month?

~~Books I Read in January~~
                 
        

How did I do on my January TBR?

I finished 3 of 3 WOOHOOOO!

~~Links to Some Reviews~~
Over the Garden Wall #1 Newbury Comics edition by Pat McHale (Comic) -3 stars
Lumberjanes Gotham Academy #1 by Chynna Clugston Flores (Comic) -4 stars
Monstress #12 by Marjorie Liu (Comic) -4 stars
Klaus #1 by Grant Morrison (Comic) - 5 stars
Night Study by Maria Snyder (YA, Adult) - 4 stars
The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night (YA) - 5 stars 
With Love from Me to You by Mary Manz Simon (Youth) - 3 stars
Women Who Dared by Linda Skeers (Non-fiction, YA, MG) - 5 stars
Harley Quinn #24 (Comic) - 4 stars
Harley Quinn #25(Comic) - 5 stars
The Pink Umbrella by Amélie Callot (Youth) - 5 stars
 Harley Quinn #26 (Comic) - 5 stars
Harley Quinn #27 (Comic) - 4 stars

~~Reviews Up This Month From Previous Re-Caps~~

The Mutts  Spring Diaries by Patrick McConnell (GN) - 4 stars



Reviews still on their way to you: 
 Coming soon in 2018 ...
Harley Quinn #28  (Comic)
Harley Quinn #29 (Comic)
Crafty Cat and the Great Butterfly Battle (Crafty Cat #3) by Charise Mericle Harper (MG, GN) 
My Bed by Anita Bijsterbosch (Youth)
Fish-Boy by Vanita Oelschlager (Youth) 
Lies We Tell Our Kids by Brett Wagner (Adult, GN) 
A Windy Spring Day by Wendy Dunham (Youth, MG)
Unicorn of Many Hats by Dana Simpson (GN, MG) 
The Golden Glow by Benjamin Flouw (Youth)
Fox and Racoon by Lesley-Anne Green (Youth) 

Recent Reads: Harley Quinn #26 and #27 by Jimmy Palmiotti and Frank Tieri

Harley Quinn: Surprise, Surprise Part II by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner
Series: Harley Quinn #26
Publisher:  DC Comics
Publication Date:  August 23, 2017

 

Format:  Comic
Source: Bought/Own

Rating:


 



Goodreads Synopsis: 

“MEAN STREETS!” Harley’s been doing her best to hold her corner of New York City together, but the mayor’s been doing his best to tip the whole town into corruption! Harley’s gonna have to hammer some sense into this guy once and for all…and in “Harley Loves Joker” part ten, The Joker’s vendetta against the thief who’s been scalping all his prime jobs threatens to get everyone killed!

Review: 
BAH! These Synopsis are still off and throwing me off - In HQ #26 we are in Surprise, Surprise Part II, Harley is retelling the end of the evens of the party-gone-wrong and her plan to take back her city. This was a great issue, you got the re-cap of all the fighting that went on and how Harley handled everything then you get the best ending of all... Harley is taking everything into her own hands and going to  try to oust the Mayor. 

So.. because the synopses have been wonky, the last issue was the conclusion of Harley Loves Joker at the back of this series and I am very happy about that but also a bit upset that nothing was really resolved for readers of this series, you have to buy the new series Harley Loves Joker to find out what happens... it is a good spin/lure but I think I will stick it out in this collection for now.

Harley Quinn: Master of Her Domain by Frank Tieri
Series: Harley Quinn #27
Publisher:  DC Comics
Publication Date:  September 6, 2017

 

Format:  Comic
Source: Bought/Own

Rating:


 



Goodreads Synopsis: 

Harley and the Penguin struck an uneasy truce the first time he started extending his criminal empire into New York City... but now he's plotting a massive real estate deal right in Harley's Coney Island -- including coming after her own building!

Review: 
Yup, you read that correctly, this issue of Harley was taken over by Frank Tieri, all well and good but is did feel a bit off. I was about 2 pages in when I had to flip back to the cover to see what was going on... and later in the comic even Harley calls it out. Apparently the writers needed a bit of a break so Frank happily stepped in to help out. The issue was an ok installment but it wasn't anything spectacular. The reason for the 4 stars was because Quinn was just as confused and outraged as I was about the writer swap AND because the last issue ended on such a high note I was ready to jump into this one and was duped. 

Instead of a follow up to the last issue, you get Harley dealing with an Eminent Domain crisis and the Penguin, overall an ok issue.

Recent Reads: The Pink Umbrella by Amélie Callot

Source: From Librarything Early Reviewers and Tundra Books in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alter my opinion or review.

The Pink Umbrella by Amélie Callot, Illustrated by Geneviève Godbout

Publisher:  Tundra Books
Publication Date:  January 2, 2018

 

Format: Hardback

Rating:


 



Goodreads Synopsis: 

Perfect for fans of Amelie, this is a charming story about the power of friendship, love and pink polka dots to turn rainy days into sunny ones and sadness into joy.

When it's bright outside, Adele is the heart of her community, greeting everyone who comes into her cafe with arms wide open. But when it rains, she can't help but stay at home inside, under the covers. Because Adele takes such good care of her friends and customers, one of them decides to take care of her too, and piece by piece leaves her little gifts that help her find the joy in a gray, rainy day. Along with cute-as-a-button illustrations, The Pink Umbrella celebrates thoughtful acts of friendship.

Review: 
This book called to me with its bright cover and adorable illustrations. This artist also did the illustrations for another children's book that I really enjoyed recently and this one did not disappoint either. The book is about a woman that runs a cafe and loves it. She has regular customers that she loves to share her days with but one thing she really dislikes is rainy days. 

Weird things start to appear at the cafe all for rainy weather and she finds herself confused and interested in what is happening and who left the items. The book is an adorable tale about love and it was beautifully done. While I think the colors and the story is wonderful as a children's story, I think it will also touch the hearts of the parents reading it as well.

Building the Book Pile #269

Welcome to Building the Book Pile!  A Weekly meme inspired by Stacking the Shelves

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

And back into an eh reading mood. I have been getting through comics and children's books just fine but YA and anything with more than 50 pages has been slow going. I started Otherworld which I have heard  great things about and it is good so far but I haven't really wanted to really sit with it and get into it further. I have a few audiobooks so maybe those will help get me back on track again ... :/

Work as been really busy lately and maybe that is the problem. By the time I get home I don't want to do anything so I haven't been reading. All that being said it got a little warmer here in VT we are having a 40 degree weekend - nice and warm for this time of year. I hope it sticks around for a bit.

How has your week been?

Share about your week with me in the comments below!

 

  Giveaways  on Cover2CoverBlog!
None right now.

Coming up on the Blog

Recent Reads: The Pink Umbrella by Amélie Callot (Youth) - coming this week, I promise.

Recent Reads: Harley Quinn #26 and #27 by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner (Comic)
January 2018: Monthly Re-Cap
February 2018: TBR Pile
Recent Reads: Harley Quinn #28 and #29 by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner (Comic) 

Books Received this Week

 

  All Summer Long by Hope Larson from Netgalley and First Second Books for Review

Pop! by Jason Carter Eaton from Netgalley and First Second Books for Review

Dragon's Future (Dragon Courage #1) by Kani J. Wyatt for Review

A Summer of Witches by M. Ganendran for review consideration.

Have you missed anything lately?

Week of January 20 -January 27

Recent Reads: With Love, from Me to You by Mary Manz Simon (Youth) - 3 stars

Recent Reads: Women Who Dared by  Linda Skeers (MG, YA, Adult, Non-Fiction) - 5 stars
Bloggiesta To Do List - for Feb 3-4

Recent Reads: Harley Quinn #24 and #25 by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner (Comic) - 4 and 5 stars

Comment and leave me a link to your Round-up/ STS/ Weekly...anything, post and I will happily stop by and say hello!

Happy Reading!

Recent Reads: Harley Quinn #24 and 25 by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner

Harley Quinn: The Family Circle

Series: Harley Quinn #24
Publisher:  DC Comics
Publication Date:  July 19, 2017

 

Format:  Comic
Source: Bought/Own

Rating:


 



Goodreads Synopsis: 

“THE PARENT TRAP”! Harley has faced every challenge even she could possibly imagine, but can she survive…a visit from her parents?! And in “Harley Loves Joker” part eight, the duo’s new headquarters comes with some unforeseen complications!

Review: 
Last we left Harley, her parents are in town and and they were having dinner on a dinner cruise. It happens though, that the Sportsmaster and Clock King are trying to rob this particular dinner cruise - too bad for them. Harley takes it upon herself to help them off the boat.

This was a good end to the Family Circle installments, Harley realizes that she loves her parents even though she wasn't prepared for them to be here and that they are proud of her. It was a touching comic for the Quinn series and I enjoyed it. The ending was ominous though, a call is being made to put another hit on Harley.

And in the Harley Loves Joker snippet we see Harley freaking out about the cost of her new hideout for Joker. 

Harley Quinn: Surprise, Surprise Part One
Series: Harley Quinn #25
Publisher:  DC Comics
Publication Date:  August 9, 2017

 

Format:  Comic
Source: Bought/Own

Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis: 

“BIRTHDAY!” It’s an oversize anniversary issue as Harley’s entire cast of crazy characters comes together to celebrate the birthday of cyborg senior citizen Sy Borgman…but is there actually a bigger secret behind this gathering? And in “Harley Loves Joker” part nine, Harley’s spent a fortune building out The Joker Gang’s new hideout, and now they’re gonna have to take drastic measures to pay the bill!

Review: 
This was a fun and action-packed issue of Harley. Harley is tasked with occupying Sy while the others set up for a surprise birthday party for him. The surprise is extra exciting and then the merriment gets more crazy when a team of hit-men start pouring in from all sides. Harley is her wonderful violent self and sends many of them off into the bright light.

In Harley Loves Joker, Harley is still coming to terms with how much she owes on her new pad and how to come up with the money without Joker knowing. Still not a huge fan of these taking up space in the series that I am reading but it seems to be coming to an end.

Mini Bloggiesta To Do List - Feb 3-4

"The idea behind Bloggiesta is to spend four days working on perfecting your blog and connecting with other bloggers who are doing the same thing. Spread the word and get all your friends to come and fiesta with us!"

-Join in using the Button Below-

Mini Bloggiesta Winter 2018  Officially Starts February 3 and runs for the Weekend.
Get your To-Do Lists ready!

Here is my to do list with a lot of the repeat offenders (I not for this event a lot of this would never get done):

• Back up the blog
  
• Update my "Reviews by Author" Tab  
• Cross post onto Amazon and Goodreads as needed
• Update my TBR spreadsheet with recent books in/out 
• Clean up my email inbox 
• Prep some spring reviews - need to do some reading first :/
• Visit as many Bloggiesta blogs as possible (IF NOT ALL) to cheer people on :) - up to #12 is done
  

 (I will be using strike through to show the tasks completed)

Added Items:
If I think of anything else, I will add as I go down here:

Recent Reads: Women Who Dared by Linda Skeers and Livi Gosling

Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers and Rebels by Linda Skeers and illustrated by Livi Gosling

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Publication Date:  

 

Format:  Hardback
Source: Own/ Won from a Facebook Giveaway

Rating:


 



Goodreads Synopsis: 

Women have been doing amazing, daring, and dangerous things for years, but they’re rarely mentioned in our history books as adventurers, daredevils, or rebels. This new compilation of brief biographies features women throughout history who have risked their lives for adventure—many of whom you may not know, but all of whom you’ll WANT to know, such as:
• Annie Edson Taylor, the first person who dared to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel
• Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman who dared to fly in space
• Helen Gibson, the first woman who dared to be a professional stunt person
• And many more!
This is the perfect read for anyone who wants to know what it means to explore, discover, play, climb, and fight like a girl!

Review: 
This book is a great one to pick up and put down in between doing things or reading another book. It would be great as a coffee table book addition or it is best for young women looking for role models. This book is a combination of tales about 52 miraculous women in history from all over the world. They have done awesome things for the furthering of women's rights and just for the heck of it. 

Each woman gets a two-page spread with an illustration of her on one side and a page about her life and accomplishment. The spreads are concise and easy to read and adult and younger readers will all really enjoy them. I learned some amazing things from this compilation and I loved reading through all of them. I can't wait to pass this one to a friend.