Book Review: January Books

It is my goal to read 30 books in 2015, and so far, I'm off to a great start.  In January, I read 3 books.  According to my challenge on Goodreads.com, I am have completed 10% of my goal, and I am one book ahead of schedule.

When I shared my book review of Reshaping it All, I actually did a vlog!  I thought it would be fun and easier to continue to do those.  That has turned out not to be true for me.  Alas, I think it may end up working best for me to just share all of my books at once for a monthly reading update.

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Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly

I listened to this one on Audible.  I really enjoy listening to audio books on my commute to and from work.  It makes me feel like I'm still doing something productive during my driving time.  I did not like this one as much as I liked Killing Kennedy, but I still really enjoyed it.  It was fascinating to hear the history behind the Lincoln assassination.  What I liked least was that a few chapters droned on about Civil War battles and issues, and I didn't feel it was specifically relevant to the story of Lincoln.  Don't get me wrong, I actually do like learning about Civil War history, but I just didn't feel it was necessary or specific to the story being told.

I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

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Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I got a bit out of control when I was placing my order for our Fall Book Fair.  When I very quickly used up my $50 from our PTO, I took to using my bonus points and money to spend on my next Scholastic Book Order.  Cinder is the first in a series called The Lunar Chronicles.  I certainly love my YA fiction, and it's no secret that I'm a big fan of fairy tales, so this seemed like something I should try.  I was able to score the first two books in the series from the book order.  (Cinder and Scarlet).  At first, I wasn't so sure I could get into this Cinder is a cyborg mechanic in New Beijing in a world centuries after ours.  The more I read, the more the story began to grow on me, and I couldn't put it down.

I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

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Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

This was another Audible purchase.  My tastes on Audible tend to lean toward nonfiction and comedy.  I can't seem to bring myself to listen to fiction, fantasy, or other genres yet.  I also feel compelled toward these comedy memoirs because everyone seems to love them.  I feel like I should read them.  After reading Tina Fey's Bossy Pants and Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Having Fun without Me? And Other Concerns, I decided that LISTENING to these is the way to go.  Since I haven't been super familiar with any of these women other than I know who they are and some of their biggest work, I found that reading their books didn't impress me.  I needed to HEAR them tell their stories.  Listening to Amy Poehler tell her story was wonderful.  The audio book was a super fun recording of her story including a live reading of the last chapter of the book.  She had a few other celebrity guests and even her parents record parts of the book with her.  It was fun to hear about her life and career.  The book is definitely funny because I'm pretty sure Amy Poehler couldn't write a book that wasn't.

I also gave this one 4 out of 5 stars.  

I am currently working on 3 different books.  I normally don't like to do this, but here's how it happened.  I started reading The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (the second in the Maze Runner Trilogy).  Scott took it to work to read and lost it.  So I had to order a replacement.  In the mean time, I read other books.  Then I finished Cinder and started reading Scarlet.  Unfortunately, I don't have a ton of free time for reading these days, so that's slow-going.  BUT I also have my monthly credit from Audible, and I have lots of time to "read" in the car.  So I am also listening to The Life of Pi by Yann Martel--the first fiction book I'm listening to!  You can keep track of what I'm reading and my progress on Goodreads.  I'll certainly have something to share with you at the end of February! 

What are you reading lately?

Book Reviews

So today, you get a two for one!

Thanks to a free trial of Audible that came to me in my GoodReads newsletter, I started listening to audio books on my work commute.  (I was sick and tired of all of the music on my iPod, and it was too early to start listening to Christmas music.)  The first book I listened to was Eat, Pray, Love (because that was the book that gave me the free trial.

I also got a bonus credit when I created my account.  I'm pretty sure it was Kristin who wrote a review on Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly.

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It was one of the first books I came across as I was looking for a second book so I decided to download it.  I am pretty much fascinated by the Kennedys, and this book did not disappoint.  I learned a lot more about the famous First Family, and the history of the time period.  (I'm also pretty much obsessed with the 60s.)  I probably could've done without Bill O'Reilly's voice as the narrator, but that's only a minor issue.  I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

After finishing this book, it was still too early to listen to Christmas music.  I made due with other stuff for awhile, and then on October 24th, I got my next Audible credit.  So I downloaded Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan.

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Jim Gaffigan is a comedian whose specials Scott and I have caught on TV from time to time.  I think he's pretty funny.  This is actually his second book.  The first one is called Dad is Fat.  This book had me laughing out loud at times.  I even found myself talking to Jim as he narrated.  He'd say something about a certain food or restaurant, and I'd find myself saying things like, "Oh my goodness, it does!"  Or "Yes, they DO!"  It was truly a book I could relate to, and it was definitely funny!  If you're looking for a funny story about something we all just love, I would recommend this one.  I gave it 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

Currently Reading:
Son by Lois Lowry (The final book in The Giver series)