Reading Update...

Okay... so one of my goals this year was to get back to reading. I hadn't done that much last year and I really miss it. My goal is to read 50 books this year and after a math correction from Sin that means I need to read just over 4 books a month. It sounded like quite a bit.

So how did I do? Well, as of January 31, I completed 9 books with 3 in process. Not bad for me! I think I deserve a great big Hoo Yah! for that one... I probably only read 9 books last year total... okay, it was probably a few more but trust me, not many more.

This was my January reads... I suck at giving descriptions and evaluations but will try...

1. Blue Water by A. Manette Ansay - I rarely read books like this. Most of my reading involves Romance with some mystery or high drama thrown in. In this one, a couple have to face losing their only child to a drunk driver who happens to have been the wife's best friend in high school. The couple not only have to deal with the driver but also with family and small town WI. They decide to pack it all up and set sail for open water... live aboard their boat and leave the rest of it all behind. Of course, it is never that easy. Because although they have said good-bye to family and friends, they still have to face and deal with each other. Then a wedding back home brings the wife face to face with her old friend again and she finds that running away never works and she must face her past before she can deal with the present. I liked this book... not my favorite... there were times when I wanted to reach thru the pages and smack them but all in all not bad... B+ ...

2. Darcy's Story by Janet Alymer - I have a confession to make... I love Pride and Prejudice, well the movies at any rate. See, I have NEVER read the novel. I have always shied away from reading historicals. I know there are people out there who love them and read almost nothing else. But for me, I always tend to get lost in the language differences. However, since I know the story frontwards and backwards (at least from the film versions... and I am told that the Colin Firth P&P stays very true to the book), reading Darcy's Story was very easy. It is basically Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's point of view. I love seeing how he interacts with Elizabeth and what he is "thinking" about her. Also, in P&P we don't get to see much of his relationship with his sister, Georgiana. However, in this telling, we do. I know that there are others who find lots of fault with it... stealing from Jane Austen, language inconsistencies, etc but I have to admit... I loved it! ... A ...

3. Jacob: The Nightwalkers by Jacquelyn Frank - This book brought me back to my comfortable romance genre, albeit in a paranormal version. This is the first in a new series, The Nightwalkers. From the title, you may think at first that they are Vampires... not true, although they do admit to Vampires walking the earth in this book. The Nightwalkers are in fact demons. Not your Satan, fire and brimstone demons... but rather a race of beings who live in the night. Part of their way of life includes protecting humans. And because of this, love of any sort is forbidden between demons and humans. Jacob, the Enforcer, is the one demon responsible for making sure that demons do not stray and attempt to interact with humans. However, there is trouble abound for the Demons in the form of the necromancers who are trying to obliterate the Demons. It is in tracing a demon who was summoned by a necromancer that Jacob meets Isabella. Theirs is a great story and a true love match. I loved reading how they grow and learn about each other and themselves. It is a paranormal so you truly need to let your imagination flow and just go with it. I really liked this book and can't wait for the next installment... Gideon.... A- ...

4. Dawn Undercover by Anna Dale - This was a young adult book that K2 desperately wanted me to read. We have talked about writing our own stories (she is actually working on hers). The story idea I have is for the Young Adult genre however I am having issues with the characters in the story being minors but yet having to protect themselves. Do they carry weapons? Kaitlyn told me to read this book for ideas on how to possibly cure some of those issues that I was having. Dawn is a lonely little girl who is going thru life basically unnoticed by everyone. All she wants is to be noticed. However, her ability makes her the perfect candidate for S.H.H (Strictly Hush Hush, a spy organization). A plan is underway to catch the largest spy against Britain in ages however, every spy sent in to capture him has been found out. Their last efforts are to send in a spy that Murdo Meek would never suspect... a child. I would definitely recommend this book to parents of elementary school children. It is a fun read and Dawn discovers more about herself along the way.... B+ ...

5. For One More Day by Mitch Albom - This is my first Mitch Albom book. I haven't even seen the television versions of his books. He always struck me as someone similar to Nicholas Sparks... good writer however huge tearjerkers... a person can only take so much at one time. I had bought this book for our grandma but she had already read it, so a perfect opportunity for me to give it a try. This is the story of Chick Bennetto who always favored his dad while growing up... even after his dad leaves them. Years later, Chick's life is falling apart... besides battling alcoholism, the final straw comes when he finds out his daughter got married and never told him til after the fact. Chick decides to end it all and returns to his childhood home to do the deed. There he meets his mother (who died 8 years earlier) and treats him as if nothing has happened. Through his visit with his mother, he learns of family secrets, what his mom had to endure being a divorcee and he can finally ask for forgiveness from her. I liked it... it was a fast read... and definitely provided food for thought regarding second chances and how we treat others...even those we claim to love... A-...

6. The Silver Child by Cliff McNish - This is the first in a trilogy and another young adult book recommended by K2. This is one of her most favorite series which she claims is better than Harry Potter... of course, she hasn't read HP, either. In this first book, we meet 6 kids who are compelled to leave home and travel to Coldharbour... an abandoned town that consists mainly of a garbage dump and child gangs. Something starts happening to each of the kids...physical changes for some...mental, psychic changes for others. And all of them can hear The Roar. They don't know why these changes are happening to them or what the Roar is but they know it can't be good. This first book is about their coming together and forming a pseudo family of mutants who will soon have to go to battle against the Roar. A very interesting plot to a story.... I think it is different being a mom reading this than being an 11 year old kid reading it. My heart was breaking during one scene when one of the boys starts physically changing at home... and the mom doesn't know how to help him. I definitely will read the next two books to see where this is all going... and what exactly is the Roar... B+...

7. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamilo - This is a children's book that K3 and I did together as a read aloud. What a wonderful story! It is the story of Despereaux Tilling, a very tiny mouse who happens to fall in love with the human princess. However, when he lets his feelings be known, the mouse community decides that he must be banished to the dungeon, which is basically a death sentence. We also learn about a poor servant girl who is not very smart and falls under the spell of an evil rat out looking for revenge against the princess. The story brings all the characters together for the final climax. What I found most interesting about his book is that even though it was a children's book with the obligatory happy ending... the book was not always happy itself. Terrible, some sad, some scary happen along the way. The author writes an intelligent book for children and treats them as smart human beings. A great story...with some very nice lessons learned... A+ ...

8. North by Northanger or the Shades of Pemberly (A Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery) by Carrie Debris - Okay so this month I really was on a P&P kick. There were other more recent stories involving Lizzie and Darcy after they married that I put on hold at the library. However, in my wait I came across this series and decided to give it a try. This is the third in the series but I don't think it matters all that much where you start. In this book, Lizzie is pregnant with their first child and trying to settle in at Pemberley. However, she is having some problems coming into her own as the former Mrs. Darcy is still well loved (despite her having died 18 years prior). Then Lizzie finds a letter from the former Mrs. Darcy addressed to her, the current Mrs. Darcy. This starts off a whole mystery that many are interested in dating back to an old friendship of Mrs. Darcy's and some lost ivory statues. We get to re-visit with many of the favorite characters from P&P... Lydia and Wickham, Mrs. Bennet and of course, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. This isn't any great piece of literature but it is a fun read.... a mystery with familiar characters. I liked it... B+ ...

9. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull - Let me just say AWESOME book! This is definitely a young adult/children's book but it is still a fantastic read! K3 recommended this book to me.. it is her favorite in her young life so far. This is the story of Kendra and Seth and their 2 week visit to their grandparents house. They know there is something strange going on and because Seth has trouble obeying the rules, they soon find out that things are VERY strange in Fablehaven. Their grandparents are caretakers of a preserve where fairy tale creatures are free to roam and be safe. However, not all of the creatures are necessarily good... even the ones that seem good and wholesome, like the fairies, are not. Unfortunately, their stay coincides with the summer solstice, the night when all the creatures become "party animals". Again Seth disobeys and begins a chain of events that lead to his grandfather and other caretakers being taken. They must then work to free them from the clutches of the witch and her demon. Some parts were a bit scary for younger kids but a great book... with the sequel (you knew it was coming) due out later this year. I can definitely see this being made into a movie.... A+ ...


So there you have it... my reading selections for January. Maybe you will find something for yourself or a child in your life... maybe not. I am just thrilled to be reading again... and enjoying it!