January Goals Recap

As I shared earlier here, I (Jenny) am doing monthly reading goals rather than year-long ones. January's goal was to read only classics and non-fiction. Well, I failed. I was doing well until I got a really nasty cold about mid January. I did not realize how much comfort I draw from reading <insert nerd joke of choice> until I could not read something mindless. Classics and non-fiction tend to require greater concentration and I just wanted something easy while I laid on the couch. I broke and read a  book that was a kindle daily deal which was, of course, the first book in a series that got me hooked so I needed to read the other two that are currently out. It was a slippery slope that I, honestly, did not try too hard to avoid.

I did not realize how difficult of a goal this was going to be when I made it. I am trying to be more disciplined in my reading but I think I went a little overboard for this month. Good news is that I gave myself more leeway in the rest of the months so I am feeling pretty confident about them. Oh, there was one fiction book that I was allowed to read this month - Uprooted by Naomi Novik. It was the book for book club (for me) in January so I was allowed to read it. I LOVED IT. I will be posting a review soon. In interest of full disclosure, here is my reading for January.

Wins

• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, Non-fiction. This book has been on my TBR list for a long time. Very easy to read, super fascinating material. I recommend it for anyone who likes to think. Not necessarily deep thinking, just thinking about the whys and hows of life. 
• The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, Classic. I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would! It is creepy and dramatic in a fun way. The Phantom is much scarier in the book than the movie. 
• The Lost World of Adam and Eve by John Walton, Non-fiction. Walton's The Lost World of Genesis is one of my favorite books about the Bible. It deals with Genesis 1, whereas Adam and Eve deal with Genesis 2 & 3. I did not enjoy it as much but I still really liked it. 
• Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman, Non-fiction. This is the story of an heiress, Huguette Clark, who lived through the entire 20th century. It was a sad, sad story. I would not read it again. If you are interested in American history, however, I think you might enjoy it. 
• Seven Viking Romances by Anonymous, Classic. I really, really enjoyed this book. Medieval romances are adventure stories that contain elements of the fantastic, much like modern fantasy stories. They are not romances the way we think of the genre in modern literature. They are way better.
• Marie de France Poetry (Norton Critical Edition) by Marie de France, Classic. I have been waiting for this edition to be published for 2 years. Norton Critical editions always include essays by leading scholars on the work, as well as contemporary works for intertextuality. Love, love, love intertextuality. 
• The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Classic. This book was so good. I am not a huge fan of American fiction but Wharton is someone I could easily enjoy. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys American history/fiction or well-developed characters. I do not think I would have ever picked it up on my own if my friend Ashley B. had not raved about it. Thanks, Ashley!

Fails

• Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, Fiction. I started this book in December but did not finish it it before January so I put it away. I flew home from Portland on a red eye so I blame lack of sleep on my picking this back up before the month was over. I ended up not liking it at all, which serves me right.
• The Others series by Anne Bishop, Fantasy. I really, really enjoyed this series. It is a solid fantasy series with lots of fun supernatural creatures. Bishop stays true to the world she has built, not letting hard characters become softer as the series goes on. The second one was the strongest so far, with the third being my least favorite. I am hoping she finds her stride again for the fourth. 

Neutral

• Uprooted by Naomi Novik, YA Fantasy. I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH I HAVE TO SHOUT IT AT YOU. Review coming soon!

So, that is my very long, very involved recap. My goal for February is to review 5 books on here. I already have two that I am planning on doing. Hopefully this goal won't kick my butt the way January did!