My reading year is not off to the best start but that’s ok. There’s still a long way to go. I haven’t bought any new books at least. I’ve listened to mostly audiobooks in the month of January though which doesn’t help that format of 30% or less being audiobooks. I also borrowed all of the books from the library via Libby and one from my uncle so I haven’t tackled those already own books on my shelf and in my kindle. I’m going for a 1 in 3 reading ratio for books I already own.
I Suck at Girls by Justin Halpern
I listened to this book on audio. It’s about 4 hours long. I decided to check it out because both my husband and I enjoyed his first book, Sh*t My Dad Says. In this book, Halpern has decided to ask his girlfriend to marry him and asks his dad’s advice. He then reflects on all his experiences with the opposite sex over the years. This one was funny but I didn’t like it nearly as much as the previous book.
Rating: Ok
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist
Shauna Niequist’s name has popped up on my radar a lot recently. She has been a guest on a few of the podcasts I listen to regularly. When I saw this audiobook as recently added to my library’s catalog, I put a hold on it.
I enjoyed the audio version which is read by Niequist herself. This book has so many key insights that it would be nice to have a physical copy on hand to refer back to for inspiration and reminders. I especially loved the story of the dying man who dresses up in a tux to deliver his wedding toasts on a video for his children. Its so easy to get wrapped up in work or our own minds and lose touch with what is really important now, thinking there will always be time to get to that, to spend more time with our loved ones.
Rating: Liked/Loved
Porch Rocker Recollections of Summerville, South Carolina by Margaret Scott Kwist
This book is a coffee table book my uncle gave me to read through about Summerville’s history. The book is split into different chapters covering the different time periods since Summerville’s founding. Each chapter has a personal story or Porch Rocker Recollection at the end of it. I loved the old photographs throughout the book. It was wonderful to learn about how history, particularly the Civil War and then their big Earthquake affected the town and founding families. I enjoyed seeing how the current city can still be traced back to the original streets with some of those buildings still standing. It was also fun to learn about the old plantations and see so many of those names pop up now as subdivisions are developed on those old lands. I wish there was still a train that ran between the city and Charleston.
Rating: Liked
We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Change Their Lives Forever by Benjamin Mee
I randomly stumbled on this book when I was trying to stock a selection of audiobooks my library offered. I enjoyed this audiobook. It was the longest one I listened to this month. I had seen the movie that is based on this story a long time ago. It might be better to say the book inspired a movie because the two are really nothing alike.
Benjamin Mee is British and purchases a zoo with his mother and other sibilings after his father died. His wife Katherine was alive and lived at the zoo before passing away from brain cancer. That loss threw him into the work of getting the zoo up and running again while saving the lives of as many of the animals as possible. The zoo is still a success!
Rating: Liked
Dogwood Hill by Sherryl Woods
This is the twelfth book in Woods’ Chesapeake Shores series. I only have two to go!
This story follows Aidan Mitchell, ex professional football player who has come to Chesapeake Shores to coach high school football. He meets Liz March, who is also fairly new to town and owns the pet supply store on Main Street. They both have secrets and are hesitant to get involved with one another. The entire O’Brien family seems to take part in their match making though.
I liked this story especially the character of Archie the dog who Liz rescues and then Aidan adopts. I was surprised it took me as long as it did to get through the book. It may have been a case of the wrong timing for this story. It was a good addition to the series but again not my favorite.
Rating: Liked
Killing Jesus by Bill O’Reilly
I listened to this book as an audiobook. I originally borrowed this book via Libby because I was interested in learning more about the history of Christianity. It was my first Bill O’Reilly book and I was relieved that current politics were left out of it. I’m not sure which genre this book fits into. Some of it is based on historical facts but the way the story is told is more of a fictional retelling. I found the parts about Ancient Rome, Julius Caesar, and the emperors who followed him to be the most interesting parts.
Rating: Ok
Book Stats for the month of January
Total Books Read: 6
3 Female Authors and 3 Male Authors
Nationalities: 5 American and 1 British
5 Nonfiction and 1 Fiction
Format: 1 Physical Book/ 4 Audiobooks/ 1 Ebook
Source: 1 Borrowed Book/ 5 Libby Library Books
Total Pages Read: 474 pages
Total Hours Listened: 23 hours and 29 minutes
What did you read in January?
