January reads

 This year I joined a few reading challenges and started my first ever reading journal.  It is still a work in progress, but oh am I enjoying the record keeping and creativity in it.

One of my reading prompts was to read a book I knew nothing about.  I headed off to my town library where the librarians know me pretty well.  I asked them to pick something out for me.  This is what I came home with.

I have since returned City of Bones and Cinder, I mean, I can't read them all right now.  I have started the Tattooist of Auschwitz and Scythe because I was interested in both just a few pages in.  Shadow and Bone as well as Court of Thorns and Roses were books I had heard of before.  I decided to wait on them for that reason.  If you have read any of these, let me know what you think about my choices.

This month I read 2 books and listened to 7.  That far surpassed what I thought I could ever do in a month.  Here are my reading journal pages.  Remember, I am a beginner at this.  My theme is shoes.

I started off January with a plan to read these books. My reading journal theme is "shoes"; hence, the shoe boxes.

I have read them all with one exception.  Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy is not moving fast enough for me.  There is some great history in it, though.

In addition to those, I read Peter Pan, Poison Study, and Eat Like a Girl.

Here is my take on my January reads in no particular order.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo:  fantasy, fast paced, 2nd book in the series, LOVE the characters!  This was a great read for me, but I preferred the first book, "Six of Crows" better. This is a fantasy set in a rough kingdom controlled by an evil man. The characters are loveable and well developed, each having special gifts. The author is a master at surprising you with twists and turns.

The Women by Kristin Hannah:  Vietnam story about the nurses and coming home.  Intense, fast paced, educational. 5 stars for me. She is a favored author.

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon:  Historical Fiction, the main character is a real woman from history and a midwife. I fell in love with their sweet marriage and the characters. It is a stark difference in women's rights from then and now. A 5 star read for me.

A Christmas Memory by Richard Paul Evans:  Absolutely touched my heart!  It is an easy read, and a true story about the author.  It bleeds true kindness and love from a neighbor to a lonely boy. I know the title implies it is a Christmas read, but I didn't get an overall seasonal vibe from it. You could read it anytime of year. The message is love. Another 5 star read for me.

Denine by Chris Forster, our very own quilt blogger Chris.

This story is raw and true. Chris holds nothing back as she shares her life with us as a young mother dealing with not only the normal challenges of motherhood but adding a severely disabled child to her "mom" plate.  It is also a story of how a husband and wife both feel emotional pain but show it in very different ways. I learned that just because a man does not communicate his pain in the same ways as a woman, does not mean he isn't hurting too. Having spent precious time with Chris and her sweetheart in their home last May, her story is most meaningful to me. 

Peter Pan by J M Barrie

I chose this because it is a classic.  I love the characters, and the narrator did a great job. Tinkerbell and her jealous plots to be rid of Wendy made her character more dark to me than in the movies. I wished I would gave read it years ago before seeing the Disney version and the movie "Hook".  I stead of painting my own picture of the story,  my mind saw the movie characters. 

Eat Like a Girl by Dr. Mindy Pelz is an educational read about great eating habits.  It is the companion read to "Fast Like a Girl", a book that is literally changing my life for the better. I am learning how to cut bad foods from my diet and prevent dementia which is my main goal. Pelz teaches about how our amazing bodies are self healing when we do intermittent fasting properly. I am also down 21 lbs from following her teachings.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder was a 5 star read for me as well. I was riveted! I love a fast paced, intense book, and this fit the bill. The main character, a woman, goes to prison. What crime did she commit!  Murder. You have to read the book to understand her motive. She is released from prison to become the ruler's "food taster" where she is taught to detect poison in his food and eats everything before he does. 

This mystery will really keep you guessing, and you will fall in love with the characters.

Nettle and Bone by T Kingfisher is a fairy tale/fantasy. Parts of it sucked me in while other parts lost me. The ending felt rushed and underdeveloped.  Most of the book is a parody.  The Godmother is only allowed to give curses rather than gifts. The prince is not a good catch. The heroine is a strong and timid protagonist who needs the help of others to achieve her quest. The Dust Wife character is hilarious! This book pulled me from places of intense emotion in reality to mystery to fantasy to "what is going on" to unordinary love.

Disclaimer: I listen while I sew.