Does reading a bunch of books make the years fly by? If it does, then I ought to slow it down a notch so I could get some more work done. No, that’s a terrible idea. Anyway, five books in a month is damn fine going for me, and all of these books varied in pretty much every area you can think of. It would have been six books, but Revival is quite large. Then there's the question of what the hell to read next month. I made a list of suggestions below, but knowing me, (and I do know myself quite well) I'll end up reading something not on the list. This is the January wrap up.
The Wrap Up
Agent 6 ends the awesome Child 44 trilogy with a bang the size of an atomic bomb. Following the traditions set in the last two books, Agent 6 hosts an entire story all on its own, bringing in new equalizers from the Cold War, exploring new themes such as the civil rights movements, and the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. All of which is as interesting as it sounds. I’ve always been fascinated by the Cold War, and it’s brought to life in Agent 6. Agent Yates and Jesse Austin becoming amazing new characters to the series. Bright Lights, Big City. I probably don’t need to jabber about this book, but dammit, I just love it. The best book I’ve ever read. There, I said it. Next up was Shovel Ready, a genre gut-buster, and a hard-boiled story about a ravaged New York, hit men, and virtual reality. For the most part, I loved it, but around the middle it got confusing and I’m still not exactly sure what happened at the end, but still, it’s a great new read and I’m keen to read the forthcoming sequel, Near Enemy.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry yielded no surprises for me. Before I turned the first page I knew I wouldn’t like it. That’s not to say it’s rotten trash, because it’s not. The writing is topnotch, great dialogue spoken by believable characters, but I never warmed to the story. I wasn’t the ideal reader for the book, and I just couldn’t care one way or the other. In the right hands, this book would be fantastic. Happily, John Steinbeck perked me back up with Of Mice & Men, a book I haven’t read since school. Simply wonderful, as only Steinbeck knows how. Beautiful writing, characters I loved, and a setting I absolutely adore in anything. California. Makes me want to reread The Grapes of Wrath and the rest of his work. Now, I would have finished six books if I hurried my butt with Stephen King’s Revival, but it’s rather long. And that’s fine by me. I’m not a speed-reader, if there is such a thing, and I’m slowly absorbing the book. I don’t need to tell you it’s excellent, it’s Stevie King. He’s unable to write a bad book. I’m over halfway done with it, and so far I’m loving it. Following Jamie Morton’s family in their small town is great, and the sense of a large family is written perfectly. Then there’s the descriptions of music in the 60s, dating on hilltops, and living as a junkie. I love it all. It reminds me of 11.22.63, a book I’m jonesing to read again.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry yielded no surprises for me. Before I turned the first page I knew I wouldn’t like it. That’s not to say it’s rotten trash, because it’s not. The writing is topnotch, great dialogue spoken by believable characters, but I never warmed to the story. I wasn’t the ideal reader for the book, and I just couldn’t care one way or the other. In the right hands, this book would be fantastic. Happily, John Steinbeck perked me back up with Of Mice & Men, a book I haven’t read since school. Simply wonderful, as only Steinbeck knows how. Beautiful writing, characters I loved, and a setting I absolutely adore in anything. California. Makes me want to reread The Grapes of Wrath and the rest of his work. Now, I would have finished six books if I hurried my butt with Stephen King’s Revival, but it’s rather long. And that’s fine by me. I’m not a speed-reader, if there is such a thing, and I’m slowly absorbing the book. I don’t need to tell you it’s excellent, it’s Stevie King. He’s unable to write a bad book. I’m over halfway done with it, and so far I’m loving it. Following Jamie Morton’s family in their small town is great, and the sense of a large family is written perfectly. Then there’s the descriptions of music in the 60s, dating on hilltops, and living as a junkie. I love it all. It reminds me of 11.22.63, a book I’m jonesing to read again.
February TBR
Revival will be the first book to finish, and then after that I want to start a book my brother lent me, Midnight Express. He loves the movie, and he read the book in about two days. He’s not a massive reader, so if he reads a book that quick, it has to be good. In fact, recent books he’s recommended have been unreal. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest being one of them, along with The God Delusion. Once Midnight Express is all said and done, I reckon I’ll start Foxglove Summer, the next part of the ‘Peter Grant’ series. I’m surprised with myself I didn’t read it right away. Peter Grant’s got to be mad as hell after Broken Homes. After that, I think the next book club read is going to be A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemmingway. I’ve read it before, but I didn’t think much of it. Maybe revisiting it will change my mind. I hope so. I can tick off more books I’d like to read this month such as, The Great Gatesby, 11.22.63, Misery, and Lord of the Flies, but they’ll probably move on to next month. Time will tell.
Reading five or so books I month is hard work for me, but something I want to keep doing. My plan is to read fifty books this year, and so far I’m at five. I know that’s nothing compared to others, but we can’t all be fast-readers. My pace is fine, and as long as I’m enjoying it, that’s all that matters. I doubt I’m ready for a read-a-thon or anything like that, but maybe one day I’ll join in on the fun. But, until then, I’ll stick with the slow parade.
Songs of the Week:
Reading five or so books I month is hard work for me, but something I want to keep doing. My plan is to read fifty books this year, and so far I’m at five. I know that’s nothing compared to others, but we can’t all be fast-readers. My pace is fine, and as long as I’m enjoying it, that’s all that matters. I doubt I’m ready for a read-a-thon or anything like that, but maybe one day I’ll join in on the fun. But, until then, I’ll stick with the slow parade.
Songs of the Week:
- 'Fortunate Son' by Creedance Clearwater Revival
- 'It Came Out of the Sky' by Creedance Clearwater Revival
- 'Travellin' Band' by Creedance Clearwater Revival
- 'Bad Moon Rising' by Creedance Clearwater Revival
- 'Caught Somewhere in Time' by Iron Maiden
- 'The Black Market' by Rise Against
- 'Methadone' by Rise Against
- 'Haunted' by Taylor Swift
- 'Long Live' by Taylor Swift
- 'Never Grow Up' by Taylor Swift