I love to read. My parents read to us kids all the time and I'm pretty sure they gave me the reading bug. We frequented our little local public library often and I still go there when I am back in my hometown. This brings me to my New Years resolution. Since my kids were born, reading for pleasure has taken a backseat. I read tons to my kids, but not much just for me. If I am reading it is to update myself on the various volunteer jobs I have taken on. So, I decided surely I can read a book a month? It proved difficult right off the bat but I made up those that I missed and loved every minute of it. Here are the books I read and my impression of them. I hope you find something interesting in the list to check out!
1. Moneyball by Michael Lewis - Yep I read a baseball book. I love sports and my husband and son love baseball and I don't know, it sounded interesting. Plus there was a movie about the book so it had to be good right? It was a pretty good book. There was quite a bit of statistical analysis talk that I don't care one bit about so those parts read slow but I loved reading about how the drafts work. And I found Billy Bean strangely refreshing. I am kind of an underdog cheerleader and in a weird way, so was Billy Bean. Now maybe one of these days I will see the movie. I can't really see it covering half of what the book does but that is pretty par for the course when it comes to books being made into movies, right? Overall, I really liked the book and recommend it to other sports lovers like myself!
2. Calico Joe by John Grisham - Okay, I know you are thinking there is a theme here but really it was a book I wanted to read and needed something quick while Lorelai was running through the library so here it is! Very different from Grisham's other books, which I like a lot, but a good different. Not at all what I expected. It is a quick read but has some pretty powerful characters. Abuse, legends, baseball code and reconciliation. Would definitely recommend it!
3. Fireproof by Alex Kava - So this is what happens when I'm in the library trying to pick out a book while chasing my daughter and trying to keep her from deshelving the entire place! I really didn't look at the book much aside from the cover. It had fire (go figure) and DC monuments in the background. Might be interesting right? It was okay albeit simply written. But it is a series! Which I didn't figure out until the end of the book when it stopped in the middle of a happening, only to tell me to tune in to the next one and that there were some previous. Let's just say I was less than thrilled with myself over my choice. The book is about an arsonist and a murderer. Who they thought were one in the same but somehow became two separate people by the end of the book. There is a female FBI agent, Maggie O'Dell, who is trying to catch them at the same time they are trying to catch her. Ta-da! Now I have to read the next probably 5 books in the series to find out what happens!
4. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery - I was looking for a new chapter book to read with Wyatt when I came across this one and just HAD to read it again! I can remember loving these books as a kid and I wasn't disappointed. If you have a girl, its a good read for you to do with her. There are so many good topics you can pull from here to discuss with your daughter. The modesty of the time, how we used to live so long ago and more. This book was actually three volumes in one and I got curious about the author and how many she wrote. I had no idea really how very old these stories are. Lucy Maud Montgomery was born in 1874! She wrote more than 1,000 stories, poems and other items over her life. I enjoy her books for two reasons. Its just plain interesting how folks lived back then and Montgomery's style of writing is very descriptive and allows the imagination to put you right with the character. Which also makes it a great read for a young girl! It was a good book when I was a kid and still is!
5. The Hunger Games and by Suzanne Collins -I had to read this just because everyone else on the planet had already read the book and probably watched the movie. I don't quite know what to say about it. I liked it and I didn't. I couldn't put it down but I also wasn't totally in love with what I was reading. ?????? I really don't like thinking about people hunting other people and the suspense (I guess that is what you call it) that goes along with it. Maybe that is why I can't give it 5 stars. I am not seeing the movie either in case you wanted to know. If I don't love the book, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to love the movie. And yes, I realize I might be the only one who feels this way!
6. Finding Jack by Gareth Crocker - I love books about dogs. And I really liked this book. It is a novel inspired by a meeting between the author and a Vietnam veteran. The veteran he met was a dog handler in Vietnam. The book was really quite heartbreaking and very touching. I love a great book about a man and his dog and the military background, however novelish it was, also added a lot to the story.
7. Heidi by Johanna Spyri - This book has been on my shelf since my Grandma Kohake gave it to me for Christmas in 1986. I wanted a chapter book to read to Wyatt before bed and since I had this one I thought I would see if it kept his attention. The language is quite different from how we speak or write today and I was afraid he would lose interest fast but he loved it! This is a great classic and I'm glad I read it again and shared it with my son.
8. No Easy Day by Mark Owen - I know there was some controversy surrounding this book but I wanted to read it and it was good. Very good. Navy Seals are amazing men. They have the ability to push themselves past points the rest of us can't even imagine. Vividly remembering 9/11 and the aftermath all the way up to the death of Osama Bin Laden, I don't really care about those who worry about the truths of the book. I do care wholeheartedly about all those in our military and thank each of them for their service. No matter their job, their stories are tremendous and important and help me better understand what they do for us every day. This is a book to read.
9-11. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder - My son is very interested in how people lived way back when. We have actually been through the first six books in the series and let me tell you. If you think you are having a bad day, read one of these. Life somehow doesn't seem so hard! I couldn't handle all the wool! It makes me itch just thinking about trying to stay warm in that stuff! Both my kids love these books. They call them the Laura and Mary books. Read them with your kids. Start at the beginning and work your way through the series. It is a fantastic piece of our history!
12. A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout - I saw a small article on the author and book in O Magazine and it seemed really interesting and wow was it. I couldn't stop reading the book. I had to find out what was going to happen next. This woman lived through hell. Literally. I don't know how she did it. I kept thinking to myself that there was no way I would have survived what she did. No. Way. This woman has a spirit that is nothing short of amazing. She is a fighter and a hero. This is a great book and if you have a book club I would highly recommend it.
I'm very glad that doing this has me reading again and even reading some wonderful books with my kids. I love that I can still enjoy some of the favorites from when I was a young reader. Happy New Year everyone and I hope 2014 is full of blessing for you and your loved ones!
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