I met my five-books-per-month reading goal for February, plus I read parts of lots of others.  It seems weird to think of reading as something I need to schedule, but thinking of between three and five in the afternoon (when I don’t have anything pressing going on) has helped me meet my goal.  And turning it into a goal means I don’t feel guilty taking the time to do it!

First up: Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer, which I finished up in a matter of days (because it was my daughter’s library book, and is on a perpetual waiting list so she couldn’t renew it).

I know, I know, and don’t laugh at me, y’all.  I read the Twilight Saga years and years ago back when they first came out and Emily was really into them.  The thing about those books is that they are compelling and interesting and it’s not until you read the last one that you feel cheated by the whole thing.  That’s how we felt, anyway.

But Midnight Sun is kind of fun–it’s just a retelling of the first book told from the vampire’s perspective.  Some of this was interesting–for example when it gave us access to scenes that were not in the first book.  Other parts were unbearable tedious.  Still, if you read Twilight and enjoyed it at all, you will probably want to read this.

Fiat Ordo by Elayne Miller of Annunciation Designs was my spiritual read for the month.  This is a great little book for any woman seeking to bring order into her life.  You can read it in a month, one short chapter each day, with space for journaling in response to prompts that will really encourage you to dig in and evaluate how you organize your time.  It includes the following prayer that I should probably say every day: “Lord, fiat ordo. Bring order into my heart and into my life. Give me the strength to cling to order when chaos swirls around me. Give me the humility to remain ordered to you when temptations abound, Give me the patience to sit in ordered silence rather than fill the emptiness with noise. Let there be order.”

I read Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate for my in-person book club (we are meeting outdoors, around a fire, socially distanced, and therefore have not met in a couple of months!).  I couldn’t put it down, even though parts of it were painful to read–it’s based on a true story of poor children being stolen from their parents to be adopted out to well-to-do families.

I’m averaging one Brother Cadfael book per month, with Emily thoughtfully putting them on hold at the library for me. The Virgin in the Ice did nothing to make me regret that.  I continue to enjoy the mysteries, the medieval atmosphere, and the spiritual nuggets I always find in this delightful series.

What can I say about L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables? I was probably eight years old when I first encountered this book, presented to me by my grandmother on one of my weekly overnight stays.  I seem to recall her saying she had read it herself as a child.  I read that copy to pieces, and then lost it in a fire.  But I got the boxed set for Christmas and am looking forward to reading them all, in a more thoughtful manner than usual, which already rewarded me with these two descriptions of Anne that never struck me before: “who knew and cared nothing about God’s love, since she had never had it translated to her through the medium of human love,” and “There was no ciphering her out by the rules that worked with other children.”

I’m writing this on March 1, and I am already deep into several other books with more on my shelf I can’t wait to dive into.  I look forward to sharing them with you next month!

As always, I’m linking up with An Open Book.  You can check out other great reads below!