January Readings

One of my New Years resolutions was to read at least one book per month this year. I started reading "A Christmas Carol" in December and wasn't able to finish it until January, so I will count that as my first book of the year. I read it because I was looking for a book to read, it was close to Christmas, and I needed something on the shorter side since the month was close to over and I wanted to start a different book at the begining of January (that didn't work out). Overall, I liked reading the book okay. It is a classic so I'm glad that I read it. However, the language of the old day was not my favorite part of the book. I had a few quotes that I really liked from the book, but I have lost them somewhere. There were some parts of the book that were enlightening but overall, if someone were to ask me whether it was worth it to read the book, I would most likely tell them that they should just watch the play or the movie. I have seen those many times, in many adaptations. I don't think that the book had anything at all in it that is not portrayed in the thousands of plays and movies out there. Go rent it at Redbox and save yourself hours of reading.

Book number two in January was one that I got for Christmas, "I Am Number Four," written by Pittacus Lore. I had heard of the book when the movie came out last year. I didn't know much about it but it looked intriguing. While I was still reading "A Christmas Carol" Trisha picked up the book and later that day told me that she could not "get into it" because it was too "sci-fi" for her. That worried me a little because I am not the biggest fan of over the top sci-fi. I gave it a chance anyway. I started reading it and loved it from the very beginging. It is in the sci-fi category but it is not over the top. I got hooked on the book and several days after starting it, I was done with it. I loved it! I liked it because although the main character is an alien from a different planet, that is not really the focus of the book. I like the characters a lot. I liked the character development and the interpersonal relationships between them. I also really enjoyed the suspense of the story line. The plot was well developed and it reminded me a little bit of reading the first book in the Harry Potter series. Lots of background information and very little action until the very end. Partial closure by the end, but enough of a cliff to pique interest in the next book in the series. After I finished reading it, Trisha picked it up again because I liked it so much. Two days later she was done with. She loved it too. We went right out and rented the movie from Redbox. I liked the movie as well, but it was interesting to watch it while the book was fresh on my mind. There were many small differences in the movie that dissappointed me, although I still enjoyed it. I think that one of the biggest differences between the movie and the book was the action. I know that hollywood has to sell movies, and action is a good way to do that. That is one of the reasons that I was first interested in the book. However, I feel like the less dramatic book was much better written than the movie script. It still had action, it was still intense at times, but it was fitting of the story. One of my favorite characters and story lines in the book was that of Sam and his father. He is especially funny in the book and I really hope that the next book can resolve his story. What I really hope is that he finds his dad, but we shall see what happens. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good, clean, exciting read. It is a really good book! "The Power of Six" is now on my list.

My goal was to read 1 book each month, alternating between a church book or non-fiction book and fiction books. I chose "To The Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson." I realize that I only have a few more days to get it done but it has been rough for me to get into and keep interest in. I will finish it, so stayed tuned for my thoughts.