things with wings {book haul}

It may seem a little late for one final Christmas post, but Paul and I only finished Christmassing last week, and I couldn't possibly share my holiday book haul before the lovely stack was complete! Not to mention, we finally un-decorated yesterday. Hence the tree in the photos. While I received most of these books (and all of the bookish accessories) as gifts, several were purchased and one was won, but all were acquired in December and early January, and as I'll explain below, they connect to Christmas in other ways, so, behold my Christmas book haul!

I'll begin with those received as gifts:

Dragon Haven (Rain Wilds Chronicles #2)
by Robin Hobb
I flailed over volume one, The Dragon Keeper, in my last post, and also before that on Goodreads when I discovered that Robin Hobb wrote 16 books in the same world. My brother bought me volumes two and three  of The Rain Wilds Chronicles to complete my trilogy. GUYS. THERE IS ONE MORE BOOK. Now I have to go hunt it down in a bookstore... darn.

City of Dragons (Rain Wilds Chronicles #3)
by Robin Hobb
Until about 30 seconds ago, I had believed this to be the final book in the Rain Wilds Chronicles. Besides the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed book one, I want to collect all four volumes because they have lovely, simple covers.

Airs Beneath the Moon (Horsemistress Saga #1)
by Toby Bishop
Remember that book that I read out of order? This is book one, which is going to feel like a prequel since I read book two first (whoops), and then book three will be confusing because by the time I get to it, I'll have forgotten what all happened in book two, but that's okay, because flying horses. Paul (my husband) bought me this one because he knows how much I enjoyed Airs and Graces.

The Small Backs of Children
by Lidia Yuknavitch
And finally, a standalone novel. I'd never heard of this one before, possibly because it was published only last July. Something about a photo, Eastern Europe, and a writer... I received The Small Backs of Children from my brother-in-law.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is my (and Paul's) third set of LoTR, but my first copy of The Hobbit. I also have the trilogy in one paperback volume and as three separate paperbacks -- I promise, we did not intentionally collect multiple copies! But I was nonetheless very happy to unwrap this beautiful leather-bound (at least, it looks like leather) boxed set from my parents.

Recharge LED Book Light
by Mighty Bright
Even Paul's friends have figured out how much I enjoy reading (it may or may not have something to do with the hours I spend in Powell's City of Books...). This lovely little silicone book light they gave us recharges via a micro-USB charging cable. I have one word for you, folks: camping.

Bookmarks
Paul's parents gave us the adorable little polymer clay owls, made by a family friend. I received the beautiful tree of life ribbon bookmark (with a dove in the tree and a hawk, I think, on the other end) from my mom.

The Dragon Quartet Omnibus, Volume 2 (Dragon Quartet #3-4)
by Marjorie B. Kellogg
Although I haven't yet read volume one, I do own it, and I couldn't help but complete my collection. The whole quartet includes The Book of Earth, The Book of Water, The Book of Fire, and The Book of Air. I bought this omnibus and three other books in the above stack at Powell's City of Books using a gift card I received from my in-laws for Christmas (plus the remaining balance on a card left over from my birthday), so technically, I suppose you could say they were a Christmas gift...

Les Miserables
by Victor Hugo
I've been wanting to read this for years -- ever since my high school performed the musical -- and, realizing that it will probably take several weeks (if not months...) to complete, I decided to snatch up my own copy rather than borrow it from the library. As of the writing of this post, I'm 114 pages in and loving it. This was one of the four Powell's buys.

Dragonsong (Pern: Harper Hall #1)
by Anne McCaffrey
I've been told that Anne McCaffrey is the "queen of dragons." Need I say more?

The Art of Losing Yourself
by Katie Ganshert
This book was a pleasant surprise, arriving on my doorstep unannounced, apparently the result of a giveaway I had entered and forgotten about. I call it an early Christmas gift from the publisher. I'm not really sure what The Art of Losing Yourself is about, but I do know that it is Christian contemporary fiction, and I have the feeling that it might be a good summer-y read. Perhaps I'll take it camping with my fancy new book light...

The Unexpected Dragon
by Mary Brown
I happily discovered this trilogy-in-one-volume at Powell's, and was immediately intrigued by the artwork on the tattered dust jacket. Again, not entirely sure what it's about, but it involves an orphaned 17-year-old girl who encounters a "raggle-tail assortment of creatures," including a flying pig and, if the cover is any indication, a dragon. According to Goodreads, this series is actually a quartet, and book one isn't included in the volume I bought. Good grief.

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Did you get any books or bookish things for Christmas? Any new discoveries? And tell me, am I the only one who is continually deceived by quartets posing as trilogies?

mini book reviews: dragons, Ireland, and YA

The Dragon Keeper (Rain Wild Chronicles #1) 
by Robin Hobb

Too much time has passed since the powerful dragon Tintaglia helped the people of the Trader cities stave off an invasion of their enemies. The Traders have forgotten their promises, weary of the labor and expense of tending earthbound dragons who were hatched weak and deformed by a river turned toxic. If neglected, the creatures will rampage--or die--so it is decreed that they must move farther upriver...

Thymara, an unschooled forest girl, and Alise, wife of an unloving and wealthy Trader, are among the disparate group entrusted with escorting the dragons to their new home. And on an extraordinary odyssey with no promise of return, many lessons will be learned...
(from the back cover)

This novel was every bit as wonderful as its beautiful, simple cover suggests. The narrative seemed a little detached, at times -- I didn't relate well to many of the characters -- but I loved Thymara and Alise, and reading the novel from multiple perspectives (yes, it alternated between more than two) was fascinating and surprisingly easy to follow. And goodness, what a unique plot! If the front cover didn't convince me to buy this book, the back certainly did! You may or may not have seen my flailing on Goodreads over the discovery that The Dragon Keeper is one of 16 books set in the same world, with characters that overlap here and there... I will definitely be reading more of Robin Hobb!

4/5 leaves

Only the River Runs Free (The Galway Chronicles #1) 
by Bodie and Brock Thoene

It was four o'clock on the afternoon of December 24, 1841, in the village of Ballynockanor, County of Galaway, Province of Connaught, Ireland. It was after mass on the first day of Advent that the old woman, Mad Molly Fahey, had told Father O'Bannon (as well as ever farmer, farmer's wife, and child) that a great miracle was coming to visit the poor of Ballynockanor....

When a stranger crosses the river and enters the village on Christmas eve, Molly proclaims that he is the herald of freedom and change. Is this quiet man the spark that will stoke the fires of Irish nationalism and bring freedom in a troubled time? Or will he bring the destruction of an entire way of life?
(from the back cover)

I really enjoyed learning more about Ireland's history -- specifically, the tension between Catholics and Protestants -- through this novel. Bodie and Brock Thoene have a wonderful talent for painting vivid characters that help bring a story to life. However, Only the River Runs Free has a strong emphasis on politics, and I found it a bit boring in places. Although I enjoyed it overall, I might stick with the Thoenes' biblical fiction in the future (The A.D. Chronicles is amazing).

3/5 leaves

Graceling (Graceling Realm #1) 

by Kristen Cashore

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight -- she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

(from Goodreads)

I have some mixed feelings about this one. The first three chapters consisted mostly of info-dumping, and I was afraid I'd embarked on a very long, boring journey. But it got better! Katsa fleshed out and became human and relatable, humor reared its fuzzy blue head, violence was questioned, tension built, bad things happened, happy things ensued... In the end, I think it's safe to say I really really liked it. I love Katsa and Po and Raffin. And I'm really enjoying the sequel, Bitterblue, so far.

A caution, though: There is one paragraph of sexual content, and the overall morals regarding sex are a bit questionable, which is especially disappointing in light of the wonderful morals surrounding killing. I'd almost label Graceling New Adult rather than YA, due to the content.

4/5 leaves

a year of unkowns {2016}

2016 brings with it uncertainty. There is "I hope" and "maybe" and "what if," all wrapped up in a potential life change of somewhat enormous proportions. Enormous as in moving to another country. It all hinges on an application my husband and I sent in well ahead of the deadline, and so now we wait. And wait. And wait. We don't know specifics -- it's all pretty vague, but what happens if we are not accepted is even more so. I'm terribly impatient, and I like to have things planned out. But right now I'm reveling in these unknowns, trying to take advantage of this upcoming break from the monotony of routine. Life is happening. And whatever 2016 brings, I'm ready.

All that just to say: the below goals are dependent upon where I end up and what I end up doing and whether it leaves time for what I have planned, because, frankly (unfortunately?), reading and writing are not exactly top priority for me. They are hobbies. Seeing as how my specific reading goals didn't pan out so well last year, I'm sticking to good ol' fashioned numbers this time around.

reading:

35 books

I considered upping the number again, especially since I went well above 35 last year, but given the uncertainties, I figured a modest goal made the most sense. Keep track of my progress on Goodreads, if you like! Depending on how life goes, I might up the number in a few months...

writing:

100,000 words
In searching for a motivator along the same vein as NaNoWriMo, I happily discovered WriYe. It's a spinoff of NaNo, but it lasts the whole year, and you pick your own word count goal. If you decide to sign up, please do friend me! My username is SerenaPoetree.

miscellaneous:

spend more time outside
learn to knit socks
finish the One Year Bible
practice yoga regularly
start a healthy (early) morning routine
others... ?
I've been toying with the idea of monthly goals -- choosing something(s) to focus on for one month, rather than stretching a pile of resolutions over a full year and then watching them fizzle out somewhere around spring or summer. If this idea continues to nag me, I might have something more to say come February.

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What does 2016 look like where you stand? Have you set any goals -- reading, writing or otherwise?

more than just a number: 2015 reading goals wrap-up

Back in January, I listed six reading goals for the year in attempt to broaden my reading horizons. I wanted to read more classics, and to continue reading nonfiction and poetry. I'd never listened to an entire audiobook (that I can think of), so I wanted to try that out, too. It was an experiment, and, well, I didn't do that great, even though halfway through the year it seemed I would easily reach all of my goals. Overall, though? I think I did pretty well. Check out that grand total at the end of this post!


7 nonfiction -- 7

I expected to be reading a lot of devotional-type books, but instead, my nonfiction pile is all over the place. But maybe that's a good thing! I learned a lot from The Romani Gypsies and Unbowed, and I don't think I gave any of these lower than a four-leaf rating. Definitely not less than three leaves.


3 classics -- 2

Sadly, I never mustered up the courage to attack Les Miserables. I did, however, receive a big surprise in that I enjoyed Far from the Madding Crowd much more than I had expected to. On the other hand, I had been looking forward to reading Watership Down, and was greatly disappointed.


1 book of poetry -- 0
So, I read a few poems from several different books, and I had very good intentions, but this one didn't happen. I was already reading too many books at any given time (typically about three or four), and it seemed a book of poetry might be the straw to break the camel's back.


1 audiobook -- 0
I tried. And I fell asleep. Turns out audiobooks just aren't for me. Although, I still might try to "re-read" the Chronicles of Narnia via audiobook while continuing to teach myself to knit. It might work better with books I already know well.


The One Year Bible -- 1/2
Um, well, this is awkward. I'm still in the month of June, if I'm remembering correctly (it's been awhile since I've cracked that spine...). I kept missing days, and then I forgot about it altogether. This is going on the list to finish next year. But if you're looking for a good way to read the Bible in one year (and you're more dedicated than I am...), this is a good option! I do like the layout and organization.


miscellaneous fiction to add up to 35 books -- 40
Clearly, I read a lot of fiction this year. And much as I would like to paste an image here of all of the novels I've read in 2015, it would be a very large picture. If you would like to see all of them, check out my year in books.


grand total: 49 books

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What reading (or other) goals did you set for 2015, if any? Did you reach them all, or fall short, as I did? How do you feel about audiobooks?

Christmas inspiration {a list}

Last week, I began collecting posts that inspired me on some level, realizing that though I haven't written a Christmassy poem this year, I can still share inspiration. And what better way to do it than to spread the cheer to other bloggers? Check out these wonderful holiday posts, with a few of my poems from years past tacked on the end because I just couldn't help myself.

a poem (this one's a must-read)
The Cwtch: Mountains and Mary's

Christmas recipes (gingerbread people, apple taffy salad, and more!)
Curious Wren: Holiday Recipes

a festive to-do list (if you're just not feeling the Christmas spirit yet)
The Quiet People: A Festive To-Do List

creative gift-wrapping ideas (eco-friendly!)

Hello Natural: 6 Eco-Friendly Gift Wrap Ideas

Jolabokaflod ("Christmas Book Flood" - a wonderful Icelandic Christmas eve tradition)
NPR: Literary Iceland Revels in its Annual Christmas Book Flood

from the archives (more poems)
Poetree: Blessed Elizabeth
Poetree: Gifts

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What has inspired you this holiday season?