As my part of my Learn goals for 2016, I’m reading a variety of styles and genres of books in the attempt to discover new ideas and expand my horizons. My goal is to read at least 25 this year, of which I’m keeping track on Goodreads. Are you over there? Let’s connect!
I hit some sort of wall at the end of the summer. I didn’t pick up a single book for over a month! It was weird, but maybe a necessary break? Anyway, I’m back and hoping to finish the year strong. I hit my Goodreads goal of 25 books this month, but I’m aiming for at least five more.
The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith
I feel like the only person in the world who feels this way, but this book was just okay for me. I’ve never really been a J.K.Rowling fan (I could never get into Harry Potter, much to the shock of my son!) and while this mystery about the death of a supermodel was much more exciting, I still had a hard time staying interested. It sort-of felt like it was too long?
The Gap of TIme by Jeanette Winterson
This novel was a modern take on Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. I have never read that work, so I was thankful for the synopsis at the beginning of the book to get me up to speed. In case you haven’t read it either, the play revolves around a man’s false belief that his wife is having an affair and pregnant with a child that isn’t his own, thus exploring themes like jealousy, betrayal, and forgiveness. While the writing was beautiful and almost lyrical at times, I had a hard time with the sexual and graphic nature of some of the scenes. Just okay for me.
(I received this book from Blogging for Books, but all opinions are mine.)
Father Elijah: An Apocalypse by Michael O’Brien
Sometimes I think a book falls in your lap at just the right time. I actually purchased this one back in May, but it’s been sitting on my nightstand ever since. Out of the blue, I picked it up and flew through the almost 600 pages! Father Elijah is an apocalyptic novel about the Catholic Church at the end of time and is so well written, I sometimes forgot it was fiction. It was exciting, suspenseful and thought-provoking. I know it will be a book that will stay with me for awhile.