January Reading List

I didn't take as much time as I thought I would to read in January.  That was the result of spending a lot of time getting organized and not being able to find the books that I wanted to read at my local library.  I'm way to cheap to go buy a book that I might not like, so when I hesitate to go buy anything my library doesn't have because I don't want to own books that I will never read again.  Here are the books I managed to find and read.

The Bitter Kingdom (Girl of Fire and Thorns) by Rae Carson
From Amazon: "he third and final book in the trilogy takes the young queen on a journey more dangerous than any she has faced before. Elisa will stand before the gate of the enemy. And she must rise up as champion—even to those who have hated her—or her kingdom will fall. "

This was Elisa's final journey and it was wonderful.  I loved this series and am a little sad to see it end.  Can I make a request to the Movie-Gods-that-be to consider making this one into a movie? There's a ton of action, adventure, love, magic, and more, plus queens, sorcerers, loyal friends, and a handsome Captain of the Guard.  Everything you need for a wonderful series.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
From Amazon: "When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift."

This book was very confusing at first.  Due to the nature of the story, it took a while to introduce the setting and get to know the characters.  Without any back story, the reader is as confused as Thomas.  But after reading through the confusion and frustration, I enjoyed the book and was rooting for the Gladers to solve the maze.

I'm pretty excited to hear this book will soon be a movie.  You can find out more about The Maze Runner movie here.  I am going to go check out the cast and add the next book to my library wish list.

How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul) by Ruth Soukup
From Amazon Review: "Whether you've been blogging for years or just weeks, How to Blog For Profit offers solid guidance for writing great content, creating compelling images, capturing viral growth, and maximizing revenue. It is an invaluable tool for experienced and novice bloggers alike, explaining not only what it takes to create an authentic, successful, and profitable blog, but how to get there."

I read this book slowly over the month in between other books.   At the end of each chapter there is a bit of a review with actions that you can do to implement what you learned.  So I wanted to take it slowly and take each section and put it into practice.  I wasn't so good at that, but after reading it all the way through, I do have a list of things I want to work on.  I'm sure I'll go back and reread this ebook many times since there are so many good ideas in it.  I recommend it if you're a blogger.

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult
From Amazon review: "Abandoned by her mother when she was five years old, Paige O'Toole has been left with painful doubts about her self-worth. She leaves her Chicago home for Cambridge, Mass., at 18 to fulfill herself as an artist, but must work in a diner because she can't afford art school. When she marries Harvard medical student Nicholas Prescott, his parents disown him, disapproving of their Irish Catholic daughter-in-law. Again Paige is forced to sideline her creative needs and work as a waitress in order to support Nicholas until he is able to establish his career as a cardiac surgeon. Paige is soon overwhelmed by the demands of Nicholas's socially sophisticated world, and after the birth of their son, Max, she becomes emotionally and physically exhausted. Unable to communicate her terrors about herself to Nicholas, she leaves him to search for her mother, who may hold the answers to her life."
For the first two parts of this book, everything seemed so familiar, like I had read this book before.  I knew what was coming, but I couldn't seem to recall the ending.  It wasn't until I got to the end of the second part of the book that I was hating it and wanted to stop reading right then.  I think that's what had happend the first time I read the book.  I stopped.

So I decided to plug on and see what happend.  With Jodi's books, you can never be sure.  She's not really one to have a traditional Happy Ending.  I was glad that I finished it for the most part.  There were many things in the book that I liked and many that I didn't.  You could certainly read some life lessons in the book about taking your partner for granted, how we need both a mother and a father in families, and forgiveness both for ourselves and for others.  I was just glad she didn't kill everyone off like she has a tendency to do.