“The worth of a book is to be measured
by what you carry away from it.“
~James Bryce
Today starts a new monthly series I am excited about! As you know, I am keeping track of what books I read throughout the month, and have decided that it would be fun to share with you what I read and my thoughts on each book! So for January, I read five books and am currently still engrossed in two.
My goal is to read a variety of genres – biography, theology, information (blogging, writing, etc…) , fun novels. This month I did not make it to some of them, but I have some plans for next month (can you believe that is only a few days away already??)
- The Giblin Guide to Writing Children’s Books –by James Cross Giblin – This was a GREAT resource for anyone wanting to write their way into the world of children’s books. It includes the requirements of books for each age group, advice on actual writing, getting published and after publishing. I took several pages of notes, it was so chock-ful of information! I am contemplating buying it, it was so helpful.
- An Assembly Such As This – by Pamela Aiden -It is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but from Darcy’s side of things. The author keeps true to Jane Austen’s characters while bringing in a different side of Darcy and weaving in great side story lines. A must read for anyone who loves Austen novels. She also keeps it all g-rated, which is essential if I’m going to read it! this is a favorite of mine. I stumbled upon this at a second-hand bookstore. Fell in love with it, then stumbled across the third/final book of the series at the same store a few months later. Thank goodness for the library having the second book!
- Full Disclosure – by Dee Henderson – A mystery/suspense christian novel that has you guessing every chapter. The twists and turns in the book are delightful and keeps you up at night throughout the 400 odd pages. Ann Silver is a ‘cop’s cop’. Paul Falcon works for the FBI as the top murder cop in the Midwest. A difficult case throws their lives together and as Paul gets to know her better, he realizes just who he’s falling in love with…..
- Twice Promised – by Maggie Brendan – two women answer a mail-order bride ad. The groom didn’t place the ad nor is he interested in anything other than running his business in a busy mining town. This is a sweet romance filled with situations that make you shift in your seat in sympathy with the character. I read this directly after the Dee Henderson book so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I think I would have.
- Who Let the Blogs Out? – by Biz Stone – a book all about the history of blogs and how to start your own and html coding. i admit i lost interest near the end… forget why now but the middle was fantastic information for growing your blog.
- Hans Brinker or Silver Skates – by Mary Mapes Dodge – this book was first published in 1865. This story takes place in early nineteenth-century Holland. The description of Holland is fascinating, including some Dutch words which aspects always make me enjoy a book more. There are two connecting story lines – Poor Hans dreams of winning the Silver Skates in an ice-skating race while we also see the lives of other Dutch boys whose families are a little more well-off than Hans’. It’s a great read – a bit slow for me but i love picking it up every evening to see what’s coming next. The boys just caught a man trying to steal from them in their hotel room… Captain Peter and cowardly Carl saved the day. And I just found out that it was made into a movie in the late 1960s! yes! watching that once I finish the book!
- A Northern Light –by Jennifer Donnelly , read by Hope Davis. Yes, it’s an audiobook. deal with it. In the poor, harsh and depressing setting of 1906, Mattie Gokey dreams of bigger things than her family’s farm – completing high school, going to college in New York City and becoming a writer. Along with the trials she chronicles, a backstory of the murder that inspired ‘An American Tragedy’ keeps your attention. The only thing I’m not liking about this story so far is the randomly-thrown-in cuss words. I normally don’t tolerate any in my stories but so far they are not frequent.
- Hebrew in 10 Minutes a Day –by Kristine Kershul – an easy language learning kit that my OH had from years ago. I admit that I haven’t gotten very far in it yet, but I do intend to learn Hebrew! I will prevail! hehe.
And there you have it! A review of what has occupied a good amount of my time this month. I hope you get inspired to pick up a book this coming month instead of cleaning a video game… ahem. anyway.
Happy Reading!
~Laura
isn’t this sign just too cute??
the start of a good life 
just requested An Assembly Such As This from the library!
LikeLike
you will love it! =)
LikeLike