What I read in Feburary, and what I hope to read in March.

I read five books in February:

Winter by Marissa Meyer. This was the conclusion of "The Lunar Chronicles," and I enjoyed it. It was a good conclusion to the series, though there was a little too much kissing for my taste.

On Writing Well by William Zinsser. This is a nonfiction book on how to, well, write well. Specifically, how to write nonfiction well. William Zinsser is a genius and I think that every person, whether a writer by choice or for school, should read this book.

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. My friend lent me this book because she loves it. I did not love it. This is the first book that I've ever rated one star. It wasn't because of content issues or plot holes... It was because the writing was SO. BAD. It was written completely in passive voice and the author told us everything. He showed us nothing. Ugh.

The Wanderer by Sharon Creech. Sharon Creech is my comfort author. She writes middle grade books and she was my favorite author when I was twelve. I still love her stories and return to Replay, Bloomability, and Ruby Holler often. I own three of her other books that I've only read once each. I'm trying to get rid of some books (I'll give you a moment to gasp in surprise and disgust) so I wanted to reread this one and another one to see if I wanted to keep them or not.
The Wanderer is about a girl who sails to England with her three uncles and two cousins. I enjoyed the story, but thought it was weaker than some of her other books, so I'm putting it on the "giveaway" pile.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. This book uses my favorite type of storytelling: a story within a story. Sal, the main character, is on a road trip with her grandparents but, as they travel across the country, she tells her grandparents the story of her friend Pheobe. The two stories intertwine and it's great. This one is staying on the shelf.

This month, I already finished a book.

Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech. When I was younger, I thought this was the weirdest Sharon Creech book because there was a ghost... or not a ghost? Anyway, reading it now, it's not as strange, and it's going back on the shelf.
It's cool because Sharon Creech's first book, Absolutely Normal Chaos, is about a girl named Mary Lou Finney. She is also a side character in Walk Two Moons. Chasing Redbird is connected to Walk Two Moons as well because the main character, Zinny, was Sal's best friend before Sal moved away.
In Bloomability, the main character's two aunties write to their niece about Zinny, who is clearing a trail in the woods.

Here's what's on my nightstand right now:

DUN DUN DUN... I'm taking on The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien this month. Wish me luck.

Q-In-Law by Peter David. This is a Star Trek novel that introduces the two most formidable forces in the galaxy to each other: Q, omnipotent being, and Lwaxana Troi, daughter of the fifth house, holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed. If there is anyone in the galaxy—other than Kathryn Janeway—who can take on Q, it is Lwaxana. Their interaction has been hilarious so far.

Below Q-In-Law is a biography on George and Ira Gershwin that I started reading last summer and never got around to finishing. One day... For now, it doesn't fit on my bookshelf, so it stays on my nightstand. Below that is that Tintin book that I can't seem to finish, even though there's only about fifteen pages left.

I'm a little conflicted about to read next, though. On one hand, I'd love to reread The Penderwicks again.

On the other hand, I have three other books I need to read soon so I can decide if I want to get rid of them or keep them.

The first is a Christian murder mystery that I got with a gift card at the Christian bookstore. Sometimes, Christian bookstore buys can be great (Crater by Homer Hickam) and sometimes they can be "eh" (No Place Like Holmes by Jason Lethcoe).
Next is The Mysterious Benedict Society, which I have read before. I really loved it, but I'm not sure if I love it enough to keep it on my shelf.
Finally, there is The Hero of Ages, the final book in the Mistborn trilogy. I'm determined to give this book a second chance, but if I don't end up enjoying it, I think I will get rid of it and the second book in the series and just keep Mistborn: The Final Empire.

I'll probably end up reading The Penderwicks again.

What are you reading right now?

Nightstand Books. But, first, What I Read in January.

Nightstand Books is a meme hosted by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt. On the first Wednesday of every month, we share the books that currently reside on our nightstands!
But before I share my nightstand, I want to share what I read in January:

1. A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck (audiobook).
My family and I listened to this on our way home from Minnesota after Christmas. Richard Peck wrote two of my favorite books EVER: A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder. A Season of Gifts if the third installment in the "series," in that it follows the character of Grandma Dowdel out of the 1930s and into the 1950s. I highly, highly recommend these books if you are looking for a light, hilarious read filled with small-town charm.

2. The Martian by Andy Weir.
This book—originally self-published, and then picked up by a publishing company—gained even more popularity than it had originally when the movie came out last October. My dad and two of my friends read the book and gave it glowing reviews, so I decided to pick it up, too. I wasn't disappointed! The Martian is about an astronaut who is stranded on Mars after his teammates presume him dead. He uses his ingenuity and training to survive on the Red Planet. The book is, I have heard, very scientifically accurate. It is also very entertaining. My only complaints are the strong language and the occasional innuendos.

3. Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson.
One of my goals for 2016 is to read forty (which I just changed to thirty) minutes of nonfiction a day. I started by reading the above book about Dmitri Shostakovich, who is one of my favorite composers. M.T. Anderson's book astounded me. It was so good that I have a hard time talking about it. It was as much about Russia's history in the first half of the 1900s, and about the suppression of the arts under Stalin's reign, and about the power of music, as it was about Shostakovich's life. Whether you are interested in Dmitri Shostakovich's life and music (as I was), or are interested in Russia's revolutions and Russia's part in World War Two, I recommend this book to you.

3 and 4. Joseph Stalin by Sean McCollum and Joseph Stalin by Janet Caulkins.
After reading about Stalin as a "side character" is Symphony for the City of the Dead, I wanted to know more about his life. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any long biographies about him, so I had to settle for two short books designed for school children doing reports. As such, these books were fact-filled and dull. Though I didn't appreciate the dry writing, I did enjoy the information.

5. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
This year, the calendar in my room is book-themed. Each month features a different classic, and I am trying to read them all. January's book was The Great Gatsby. Every time I read it, this book improves in my opinion. The first time I read it, I couldn't see past the plot, which focuses on several people having affairs. The second time I read it, I had more context about the 1920s and was also able to appreciate the themes in the story. This time, F. Scott Fitzgerald's prose captured by attention. He writes so beautifully. Here is my favorite quote: "The wind had blown off, leaving a loud bright night with wings beating in the trees and a persistent organ sound as the full bellows of the earth blew the frogs full of life."

6. Star Wars: Shattered Empire
This comic book is a part of the Journey to the Force Awakens movement, which aims to fill in the thirty years between "The Return of the Jedi" and "The Force Awakens." Shattered Empire has several stories which directly follow the destruction of the second death star. The central character is Poe Dameron's mother. Both my dad and I thought this comic was just "meh." You're not missing much by skipping it.

So, what's on my nightstand this month?

On Writing Well by William Zinsser.
This is my current nonfiction read. As the title suggests, it is about writing well. Specifically, writing nonfiction well; however, some of his points can be applied to fiction writing as well. If you write nonfiction, if you write fiction, or if you just write papers for school, I recommend this book to YOU. Yes, you. It has fabulous tips, and William Zinsser is (or, was, as he died last year) an entertaining narrator.

Winter by Marissa Meyer.
Winter is the final book in the Lunar Chronicles, which is a series of fairytale retellings. I've been trying to get through this book since November, when some friends and I went to the launch party. It's so long! This is a great series if you're looking for something Star Wars-y and romantic.

Below Winter is my journal, and, below that, are two other books on writing that I am planning on reading this month. Below those, is a poor, discarded, Tintin book that I started reading last spring and never finished. Finally, on the bottom of the stack is a book about the Gershwin brothers that I also started last year and never finished.
I'm also reading a book called The Explorer's Guild by Jon Baird and Kevin Costner, but I think I'm going to bring it back to the library because I'm just not enjoying it as much as I hoped I would.

What are YOU reading this month?