Ashlee - January

My sister came up with a great way to rate the books she's read this year... I'm going to do the same. I'll also add where it falls in my reading challenges. So here's what I've been reading in January...

1) Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton ***1/2

(New York, NY - 1001 Books to Read Before You Die)

I have a harder time reading (by which I mean listening) to book in the Old English style. The language is sometimes hard to follow and I find myself drifting. However... after a quick preview on Wikipedia I can usually get back into the swing of things. What I loved about this book was that the protagonist was male... and he was a little angsty. It was kind of a refreshing change.

2) The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson ***

(Des Moines, Iowa - Memoir)

Bill Bryson is the author of "A Short History of Nearly Everything," a book which I read a couple of years ago and simply adored (it gets 4 stars). I could have sworn the author was British, but apparently not. He grew up in the states and half way through college hopped across the pond and stayed. So in some ways he is British... he's been there a couple decades now. Anyway... I liked his memoir, but I like his style of writing. I think with all memoirs you take a risk... but for me at least, this one was good. 

3) A Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore 1/2

(England)

This was weird. I'm not even sure I'm glad I read it.... which is why it got only 1/2 a star. While there were parts that were very thought provoking, there were parts that were just strange and not too uplifting. So there you go. Don't read it.

4) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde *****

(England - 1001 Books to Read Before You Die - Victorian)

I loved this book!!! Even though it has the difficulty of Old English, I loved the ideas behind the novel. The power of good and evil on the soul, who we take with us, and the power of mercy.

 5) Mansfield Park by Jane Austen ****

(England - 1001 Books to Read Before You Die)

Again... I run into the Old English difficulty factor. This one is also bloody long. I was inspired to read more Jane Austen books after reading the Jane Austen Book Club last December. So anyway, Mansfield Park is not my favorite of Jane Austen's but the plot is interesting in that 'games' often do not go the way we think they will... but in some ways, our first impressions are more right on than we think.