The Read-at-Home Mom Report: March 2019

I read an insane number of books in March. My original plan was to make it a slower reading month than February, but then a variety of things made it busier than usual. 

For one thing, between review copies and a few local book sales, we added a lot of picture books to our collection this month, and I read a lot of them with the kids as soon as they came into the house. I also participated in two picture book challenges on Instagram, one focused on the rainbow, and one where the goal was to read five picture books per day for a week. Though we read a lot of books we'd previously read (which I didn't count on Goodreads), we also read some books we owned but had never read before. So nearly half the books I read this month were picture books.

The other major factor contributing to the huge number of books I read is that it was also #MiddleGradeMarch on Instagram. I originally set out to read just five books, but once I saw what other people were reading, I got inspired to read more and doubled that number. Additionally, I did some Lenten reading and finished two books for book club, and then finished out the month with a two-day read-a-thon (#8intwo). When I counted it all up, I had read 27 novels and nonfiction books. 

I really hope to have a much slower reading month in April, even if it is nice to be a bit ahead of the game on some of my goals. But here is my list of March reads, which I'll be linking up for It's Monday! What Are You Reading? with The Book Date and Unleashing Readers/Teach Mentor Texts and for the March 2019 Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up at Feed Your Fiction Addiction. 

Books Read 

Lily Lo and the Wonton Maker
by Frances Lee Hall
Format: Paperback
Genre: Realistic fiction (middle grade)
Source: Ann Jacobus
Review: On Instagram (⭐⭐⭐⭐)


Life of Fred: Apples
by Stanley F. Schmidt
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Math textbook
Source: Inter-library loan
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)


Corned Beef and Casualties
by Lynn Cahoon
Format: Audiobook, read by Susan Boyce
Genre: Cozy mystery  (novella)
Source: Public library (Hoopla app)
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐)


The Porcupine Year
by Louise Erdrich
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Historical fiction (middle grade)
Source: Personal collection
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐)


A Girl from Yamhill
by Beverly Cleary
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Memoir (middle grade)
Source: Personal collection
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Night Watchmen

by Helen Cresswell

Format: Hardcover

Genre: Fantasy (middle grade)

Source: Personal collection
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐)

From Potter's Field

by Patricia Cornwell

Format: Paperback/audiobook, read by C.J. Critt 

Genre: Mystery/thriller

Source: Personal collection

Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Field Notes on Love 

by Jennifer E. Smith

Format: Digital ARC

Genre: Romance (YA)

Source: NetGalley

Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Restaurant Weeks Are Murder 

by Libby Klein

Format: Digital ARC

Genre: Cozy mystery

Source: NetGalley

Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Miss Hickory

by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey

Format: Hardcover

Genre: Fantasy

Source: Personal collection

Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Gentle Traditionalist

by Roger Buck

Format: Hardcover

Genre: Religious/Catholic

Source: Personal collection

Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)


Hello, Universe
by Erin Entrada Kelly
Format: Ebook
Genre: Realistic fiction
Source: Public library (Libby app)
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐)


Cause of Death
by Patricia Cornwell
Format: Audiobook, read by C.J. Critt
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Source: Public library (Libby app)
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐)


Sweeping Up the Heart
by Kevin Henkes
Format: Digital ARC
Genre: Realistic fiction
Source: Edelweiss+
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐⭐) 

The Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer: Special Edition for Young Readers
Selected and Adapted by A. Kent Hieatt and Constance Hieatt
Illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Classic
Source: Home library
Review: On Instagram (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)


Humanae Vitae
by Pope Paul VI
Format: Ebook
Genre: Religious/Catholic
Source: Formed.org
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐)


Searching for and Maintaining Peace
by Fr. Jacques Phillipe
Format: Paperback
Genre: Religious/Catholic
Source: Inter-library loan
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)



The Crossover
by Kwame Alexander
Format: Audiobook, read by Corey Allen
Genre: Realistic fiction/novel in verse (middle grade)
Source: Public library (Libby app)
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐⭐)


Three Children and Shakespeare
by Anne Terry White
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Realistic fiction
Source: Inter-library loan
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Murder Once Removed
by S.C. Perkins
Format: Digital ARC
Genre: Cozy mystery
Source: Netgalley
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)


Hard Times
by Charles Dickens
Format: Paperback
Genre: Classics
Source: Used book sale
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐)



Park's Quest
by Katherine Paterson
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Personal collection
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐)


A Beautiful Mystery
by Louise Penny
Format: Paperback
Genre: Mystery
Source: Personal collection
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)


Noah Green: Junior Zookeeper and the Garage Sale Pet
by Carolyn Leiloglou
Format: Paperback
Genre: Realistic fiction
Source: Carolyin Leiloglou
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐)


In This House of Brede
by Rumer Godden
Format: Ebook
Genre: Literary fiction
Source: Personal Kindle collection
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)


Murder Lo Mein
by Vivien Chien
Format: Digital ARC
Genre: Cozy mystery
Source: NetGalley
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐)


Murder with Peacocks
by Donna Andrews
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Cozy mystery
Source: Public library (Hoopla app)
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)


Picture Books (with links to Goodreads reviews):

• Noah Builds an Ark by Kate Banks, illustrated by John Rocco (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Birds by Carme Lemniscates (⭐⭐)
• B is for Baby by Atinuke (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• You Are Light by Aaron Becker (⭐⭐)
• Canticle of the Sun by Fiona French (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Circle by Mac Barnett (⭐⭐)
• Snakes Are Hunters by Patricia Lauber (⭐⭐⭐)
• How We Learned the Earth is Round by Patricia Lauber (⭐⭐⭐)
• Rock Collecting by Roma Gans (⭐⭐⭐)
• No Measles, No Mumps for Me by Paul Showers (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Sunshine Makes the Seasons by Franklyn M. Branley (⭐⭐⭐)
• Fireflies in the Night by Judy Hawes (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Danger -- Icebergs by Roma Gans (⭐⭐⭐)
• Shadow Story by Nancy Willard, illustrated by David Diaz (⭐⭐⭐)
• Once There Was a Tree by Natalia Romanova, illustrated by Gennady Spirin (⭐⭐⭐)
• Dudley Pippin by Philip Ressner, illustrated by Arnold Lobel (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) 
• A Brief History of Life on Earth by Clemence Dupont  (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• A Green Place to Be: The Creation of Central Park by Ashley Benham Yazdani (⭐⭐⭐) 
• Angry Cookie by Laura Dockrill, illustrated by Maria Karipidou (⭐⭐⭐)
• Smile: How Young Charlie Chaplin Taught the World to Laugh (and Cry) by Gary Golio, illustrated by Ed Young (⭐⭐⭐)
• Rosie and Rasmus by Serena Geddes (⭐⭐⭐)
• A Piglet Named Mercy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris van Dusen (⭐⭐⭐)
• A New Home by Tania de Regil (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Hello! I'm Here! by Helen Frost, illustrated by Rick Lieder (⭐⭐⭐)
• Inside Outside by Anne-Margot Ramstein (⭐⭐⭐)

Blog Posts Published

• 5 Reasons I Listen to Audiobooks at Double Speed

Challenge Progress

• Alphabet Soup: 0 read in March, 18 of 26 read total 
• Alphabet Soup Author Edition: 3 read in March, 18 of 26 read total
• #CathLit: 4 read in March, 8 of 19 read total
• Cloak and Dagger: 8 read in March, 23 of 55 read total
• Craving for Cozies: 5 read in March, 15 of 51 read total
• Library Love: 4 read in March, 19 of 60 read total
• Mount TBR: 8 read in March, 23 of 36 read total
• RMFAO Audiobooks: 4 read in March, 18 of 25 read total
• Goodreads Goal: 52 read in March, 119 of 400 read total