It’s been a great month for curling up with a good book. I’ve spent a lot of cold winter nights wrapped up in one story or another and managed to finish four books since last month! For some people that is a rather average, small looking number but for me it’s huge since most of my reading happens at night before falling asleep, which a lot of times is just for half an hour or so.

Anyway, if it isn’t obvious I’m linking up again with the ladies at 5 Minutes for Books to share with you the books on my nightstand, both literally and figuratively. What I’m reading, what I read recently and what’s coming up next.

Since last month I read the following books:

1. A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle – Finished January 28, 2014 – I don’t know if I would have enjoyed this story as much if I weren’t such a huge fan of the BBC series, Sherlock, but since I can’t (yet) go back in time and unsee the show, I’ll just have to base my feelings of the book around the fact that I’ve seen the show also and thus knew the major plot points. However, the original story is actually quite a bit different from the tv show’s version and there were things I genuinely liked about each. I didn’t really care for the middle part of the book where they leave Sherlock and Watson to further explain the back story of characters that I won’t name here, cause you know, spoilers. But at the same time, I think the backstory was necessary so overall, I did enjoy the book and I’ll definitely be reading more of Doyle’s Sherlock stories soon.
2. Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz – Finished February 4, 2014 – It’s hard to judge this book fairly having already seen the Lifetime tv show based on the book, however loosely. There are some things about the show I liked better and some things I liked in the book, but having seen the show first I couldn’t help but prefer it. I found the characters on the show to be more fully fleshed out and well rounded and a little more likable to boot, but there were aspects to the book that I found really interesting and I love how it intersected with another of Cruz’s series, the Blue Blood books. The cliff hanger ending has me intrigued to read more, but maybe not right away.
3. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (February Book Club) – Finished February 17, 2014 – I’m glad I finally took the time to read this book – I started it once years ago and left it unfinished, balking at the complexity of the many stories being told in one book. I think appreciated it now more than I would have back then anyway. This is a fantastic story that touches on a lot of subjects that anyone can relate to – from being a mother to a daughter, a sister, a wife – hardships faced, adapting to new cultures and continually learning to pick up the pieces of our lives and start anew when needed. I think this will be a book that stays with me for a long time.
4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – Finished February 19, 2014 – I read this book basically in one day – it was a mad, crazy, obsessive daylong reading spree in which putting the book down felt painful and wrong until I’d finished. My apologies to the children, husband and pets neglected on February 19, 2014.In many small ways, it felt like this book was written exactly for me – like the author had captured a piece of my soul and put it on paper. While I can’t necessarily relate to the WHOLE story (don’t have a twin sister or a psychologically diagnosed mental illness – also don’t write fanfiction and am significantly older than 18) – so much of it I could definitely relate to and I quickly found myself rooting for Cath and waiting for certain plot events to come about. I, simply put, loved this book and kinda wish I could read it all over again today. – Full Review –

Right now I am reading The Last Word, book six in the Spellman series by Lisa Lutz. I puffy hearts adore this series and it’s just the right mix of comforting familiar characters and relatively easy to read writing – but a story that likely won’t completely consume me which was a priority because I’m still trying to keep the story line of the Red Tent in mind until our book club meeting tomorrow night and I’m still reeling a little from Fangirl and I can only handle So Many riveting plots at once mentally. The Last Word is terrific so far (despite the shambles that Izzie seems to have found herself in once again) but I can mentally set it aside when necessary.

After I’ve finished that and the book club meeting tomorrow is behind me, I’ll likely pick up March’s book club pick, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, because at 624 pages it could likely take me awhile to finish and I want to give myself plenty of time. If I manage to finish it in time, I’ll likely pick up one of the following:

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell because seriously. No explanation needed.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs because the first chapter totally pulled me in when I picked it up a few days ago and I only put it down because it was pulling me in too much (see my paragraph above about the book I’m reading now).

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle because it’s the next book in the kindle anthology that I’m slowly working my way through.

Or you know, one of the other 8 million books crowded around my nightstand, vying for my attention. And god forbid I break down and buy something new…

What’s on your nightstand right now?