January Book Round-Up

My goal this year is to finish 52 books – one for each week of the year, so for January I realistically had to finish 4 books and start a fifth one, which I managed to do, despite not seeming to have much time spare for reading!

RATINGS:
Dire – don’t waste your time
OK, but nothing to write home about
Very good – worth a read
Excellent
Superb – read it immediately!

BOOKS FINISHED:
1. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons – Watchmen (RC)
I pretty much guessed I would enjoy this graphic novel which was chosen for the January Reading Circle, despite not really getting into the film when I saw it a few years ago. I loved the clean lines of the artwork and the clarity of writing.

2. Daniel Keyes – Flowers For Algernon (RC)
I thought I’d get a head start on February’s Reading Circle choice. I read the short story version of this novel when I was in school and loved it. This extended version was every bit as good as I remembered – poignant and moving. I look forward to discussing it next month.

3. Caro Ramsay – Absolution
This was actually a gift from Christmas 2009 that I seemingly took forever to get round to reading. I’m glad I did though, as it’s a very good read and a strong debut novel. It did something that most crime novels don’t any more-it surprised me…

4. Jane Austen – Persuasion
It’s only taken me, oh, about eight months to read this novel! In the meantime I watched the BBC adaptation of it and, although I found it a little dull to watch, the story engaged me enough to persuade me to keep on with the novel, despite finding it incredibly dull to read. I persevered and got there in the end. I would have awarded only two stars if not for Wentworth’s letter which merited an extra star! It has now replaced Emma as my least favourite of Austen’s novels (I still have Sense and Sensibility to read), but I’m still glad I read it and it was better than some others I’ve finished in the past!

5. Richard Castle – Heat Wave
In the TV show Castle, we see a writer tagging along with NYPD’s finest homocide team.The result is a novel called Heat Wave. This is that novel. It’s not a long book, it’s not a brilliantly written book, but it’s a whole lot of fun to read, especially if you’re a fan of the show. It even has an “author picture” of Nathan Fillion on the back cover and the bio and dedication are both written in character. It kept me engaged and kept me guessing, so I’ll definitely get hold of the sequel.

BOOKS STARTED (carrying over to February):
Alan Hutcheson – Boomerang (FOR REVIEW)
Stuart MacBride – Shatter the Bones (Logan McRae 7)
Richard Laymon – No Sanctuary

I’ll need to finish four books in February to stay on track, but as I have three books already started, I’m hoping I won’t find that too hard to do. I plan to finish four and hopefully start another couple to carry over into March…