Monthly Wrap-Up: January 2018

  January 2018
Wrap-Up

Goodbye January, hello February!

I can say this was a pretty good reading month for me. I read a lot of books, re-read Artemis Fowl as planned and already found my favorite book of 2018 (so far), which was Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt. Also the books I read this month were all pretty different. Read a classic, middle grade, fantasy, thriller, nonfiction, science fiction, contemporary romance. I wonder if I can keep this eclectic thing going every month.

Picture comes from 50 Book Pledge

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty ► 4/5★

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Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer ► 5/5★ {Re-read}

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The Madness of Cambyses by Herodotus ► 3/5★

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The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle ► 4.5/5★

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The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena ► 3.5/5★

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Interference & Insurgency by Michelle Diener ► 4.5/5★ {My Review}

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Shadow Warrior by Michelle Diener ► 4/5★ {My Review}

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Spartacus and the Slave Wars: A History From Beginning to End by Hourly History ► 4/5★

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Hostage by Annika Martin & Skye Warren ► 4/5★ {Review coming tomorrow!}

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Byzantine Empire: A History From Beginning to End by Hourly History ► 3/5★ {My Review}

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Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller ► 4/5★

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Snakehead by Ann Halam ► 4/5★

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Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt ► 5/5★ {Review to come April 12}

        Favorite book of the month:

Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt
Historical Fiction/Literary

In the glittering hotbed of Vienna at the turn of the 20th century, one woman’s life would define and defy an era.

Gustav Klimt gave Alma her first kiss. Gustav Mahler fell in love with her at first sight and proposed only a few weeks later. Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius abandoned all reason to pursue her. Poet and novelist Franz Werfel described her as “one of the very few magical women that exist.” But who was this woman who brought these most eminent of men to their knees? In Ecstasy, Mary Sharratt finally gives one of the most controversial and complex women of her time the center stage.

Coming of age in the midst of a creative and cultural whirlwind, young, beautiful Alma Schindler yearns to make her mark as a composer. A brand-new era of possibility for women is dawning and she is determined to make the most of it. But Alma loses her heart to the great composer Gustav Mahler, nearly twenty years her senior. He demands that she give up her music as a condition for their marriage. Torn by her love and in awe of his genius, how will she remain true to herself and her artistic passion?

Part cautionary tale, part triumph of the feminist spirit, Ecstasy reveals the true Alma Mahler: composer, author, daughter, sister, mother, wife, lover, and muse.

Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt was simply a masterpiece. It was a bittersweet story at times but oh so amazing. I finished reading with tears in my eyes even. Just wow!

Review to come on April 12 for the blog tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Have you read any of these books or what was your favorite book of January?