What I Read - January 2017

January was a good reading month.  We were on a road trip/vacation for two weeks.  I was able to listen to several books on tape and read a few as well.  There wasn't a bad one in the bunch.

The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin - This was a very interesting book about life, death and reincarnation.  The main character, a 4 year old boy, is troubled, and keeps asking for his "other mom".  His real mom gets help and guidance from an experienced doctor in the field.   Interesting, relatable characters make this a good solid read.   3.5

The Great Hurricane of 1938 by Cherie Burns - We listened to this on our drive to Florida.  This book surprised me.  I had picked it for a Reading Challenge (Erin's 6.0) for the category a book related to your state (Rhode Island).  This book was packed with stories and details of the Hurricane.  It described events leading up to the the storm and contained many personal stories of those affected by the storm. It explained weather conditions in detail and the devastation this "surprise" storm left in it's path. I highly recommend this book.  4

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan - I enjoyed reading this book.  This one was about a young girl who was relocating and reinventing herself after a bad breakup and business failure.  She meets many interesting people (and a puffin) along the way.  She learns about herself, love, heartbreak and life on a small island.  I have picked up the sequel Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery to read on the beach this summer.   3.5

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson - I loved listening to this book.  The writing and narration by Jacqueline Woodson, was smooth.  The book is actually poetry.  It  is the story of growing up in South Carolina and New York in the 1960's/70's as a young African American girl. Close ties with her grandparents and a confusing relationship with her mother are themes. This book is short but oh so sweet.  4

The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock - I saw this book recommended on a blog and thought I'd give it a try. I listened to the audiobook. It is about teenagers living in Alaska in the 1970's.  The author kept all the teens' stories separate until the end where they all met and overlapped. This story is about young love, financial insecurity, living off the land and dealing with mental illness of a parent.  3

The Martian by Andy Weir - My husband and I have started a book club.  Each month we pick one book we both read.  Our pick this month was The Martian.  Mark Watney, an American astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after an extreme dust storm and is left for dead by his crew.  Watney must improvise in order to survive. This book had a ton of scientific information but it did not deter me at all.  It is suspenseful and interesting to see how or if Mark survives.  Highly Recommend.  4

Currently Reading - All The Light We Cannot See, Listening to Anne of Green Gables