Hello and welcome to a shocking good wrap up. I am surprised to say that I read 10 books this month. I have absolutely no idea how this has happened, but it has. This month has been a bit of a roller coaster when it has come to reading. I have read a book from literally every rating, 1-5. While I am not thrilled with reading 1 and 2 star books, it happens from time to time. The good news is I also read a 5 star book and a few great 4 star ones as well. Now, on to the mini reviews!
Little Children by Tom Perrotta
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
So, now that I have finally finished this book, I can say that I generally enjoyed it. I think what stuck out to me the most about this book is that is a satire, but a sad one in my eyes. The characters that are talked about had different plans for their lives or they are slipping away in a manner. It really is a look into society and people and kept my interest for sure, I read it in four days.
Another thing that stood out to me is how this book is set up, you can tell the author did a great job laying out this novel. The characters seems very tangible and very likely to be real people in your own community. The characters seem to be facing issues that aren’t so unlike what you might see yourself or others you know deal with. The character development as well as the plot and how they interact with one another is well done. I will say, this book will also have to questioning the morals of others and society as well.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. I feel like it is very out of my normal read for me. I don’t always enjoy books like this, but this novel did it well. I ended up giving it a solid three stars and I can see other people really enjoying it if the description interests you. I am really happy that Reg picked it for me, it was a nice change of pace in my reading this month.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I am really glad that my friend, Reg, picked this to buddy read, but I am mad it took me so long to read/get to. I really enjoy the premise of this book very much and I can see why people love this book. I was really drawn in when I did read it, but I had a really hard tome actually getting myself to pick it up if that makes sense. I feel like this was due to my mood and I think I will want to reread this book in the future when I am more in the mood for a book like this.
Overall, it was a good book and I looking forward to a reread down the road.
Cujo by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was both a very scary read and a heart breaking read. While Cujo is for sure a book that is well known by many and I was familiar with the idea of this story due to its pop culture relevance, this book turned out to be so much more. This book turned out to be more than one story and more dynamic than I thought it was going to be. I really thought it was just going to be a killer dog, but it explored so much more. I don’t want to say too much and ruin it for others, but it was a wild ride of a book.
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was such a wonderfully written book. Ron Chernow did a wonderful job at exploring the life of one of America’s. founding father’s, but also explored his family and political climate of the young nation. I felt like his biography was fair look at Hamilton, showing both his faults and good characteristics, it was realistic and didn’t just idealize the man. I throughly enjoyed learning more about his early life, which isn’t covered much in my previous reading.
Overall, I can see why this book inspired the popular play. It is a very exciting story of an individual during a very pivotal point in America’s history. Chernow does a wonderful job mixing scholarship with a plethora of sources, but also kept the book entertaining and not bogged down by facts and statistics.
Othello by William Shakespeare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
So, coming into this month I felt both better and a bit worried about reading Othello. I felt a bit more at ease because I really enjoyed a Midsummer Night’s Dream, but I remember reading Othello and really disliking it. So, I really saw things going either way.
I have to say, the start of this book kind of made me feel like The Count of Monte Cristo. It starts off with a man feeling wronged by not being promoted and is newly married. Very much sounded very familiar, which for Othello is a good thing because I loved The Count of Monte Cristo. Another work I made a connection to is A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The father in A Midsummer Night’s Dream was so upset and would not accept his daughter marrying for love and was so dramatic about it. The same happened in this story pretty much, which was kind of annoying. Only two books into this challenge and already recycling characters in a way.
More of my review at 2020 Shakespeare Challenge | February
The Langoliers by Stephen King, rating: 5 of 5 stars
God Country by Donny Cates, rating: 2 of 5 stars
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman, rating: 1 of 5 stars
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, rating: 3 of 5 stars
No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg, rating: 4 of 5 stars
Start of 2020: 51
Current: 27
- Number of Books: 10
- Number of Pages: 4,4466
- Fiction: 8
- Nonfiction: 2
- DNF’ed: 1
- Ebook: 0
- Audiobook: 0
- Paperback: 8
- Hardcover: 2
- Library: 3
- Owned: 7
- 5 Stars: 1
- 4 Stars: 4
- 3 Stars: 3
- 2 Stars: 1
- 1 Star: 1
What was your favorite read of the month?
What was the last book you read in January?
Hello and welcome to another Bujo setup post! I am very excited to show you this months spreads for two reasons. I have cut a lot of the spreads I normally had and I added a few for the new year. Some of the cuts include my blog planning. I totally removed those pages and I now use a different planner/travelers notebook. As for the other spreads, expect to see a little consolidation and a few new layouts to mark the new year! On to a look into my bullet journal!
I have been working on a temperature blanket since the summer and I wanted to track my progress in my bullet journal. So, I added the month on the top and the day on the side and I am adding a dot for the days I have crocheted. I did not fill it out before taking the picture, but I will admit I am a little behind. On the right I decided to have a meal prep idea bank for when I am stumped on what to make for my meals. These are all ones I love so I will always be happy with any of them.
Classic Bhaer 