Books Read in January 2014

First month of 2014 is not off to a great start if I’m hoping to hit that 150 book goal.  A combination of stress at work, extracurricular activities, and some book fatigue slowed me down.

1. Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Saenz, finished 1/1/14  Very beautifully written YA, exploring themes of sexuality and friendship and family. Bonus points for featuring Mexican American families in a non-stereotypic but truthful way.  Truly unique and believable male narrator.  Definitely worthy of all the praise.

2. The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch, finished 1/3/14  What better way to start the new year than reading a famous inspirational book?

3. The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater, finished 1/6/14 Great start to a supernatural series set in small town Virginia. Welsh mythology, psychics, prep school boys, and ghosts, oh my.  Love the world building, love the banter amongst the boys, love the slow build romance for heroine Blue, and love the combination of snappy dialogue with grave plot lines.  Just really love this.

4. The Dream Thieves, by Maggie Stiefvater, finished 1/21/14  See above. More of the same in the second book of the quartet.  Stiefvater manages to avoid the pitfalls of middle-of-the-series books by kicking off new character arcs.  I WANT MOAR.

5. Paper Towns, by John Green, finished 1/22/14  Re-read for Book Club. Still has lots of good lines. That clever John Green.

6. Scarlet, by Marissa Meyer, finished 1/27/14 (audiobook)  Just listened to the audiobook to prep for the release of the third book in the Lunar Chronicles series, which is released in February.  The narrator for these audiobooks is pretty great.  If you haven’t started this series yet, I highly suggest it. Some of the best fairytale bending out there.  And bring on more Captain Thorne, please!

7.  The Bone Season, by Samantha Shannon, finished 1/31/14  You’ve heard of this series, yes? The one where the 21 year old student got the six-figure book deal for a series of seven? Being compared to Harry Potter?  After finishing the first book in the series, I can say that comparison is unfair to both authors.  A fair warning: this is only like Harry Potter in that there will be seven books, it’s set in Great Britain, and there’s magic.  Otherwise, you’re signing up for something completely different.

Books Read So Far in 2014: 7