Reading Challenge - January

Here is my update on the books I have read this month.  Follow along with what I read on my Goodreads (contact me for that info) or follow my Newbery quest at neverendingbookquest.blogspot.com.  I have listed the different reading challenges in its own tab on this blog.

A book that became a movie: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

I had recently read As You Wish (which I highly recommend) and decided to go back and reread the original book. 

A mystery or a thriller: Broken Symmetry by Dan Rix

I got this for free on Kindle.  It is about people who have the ability to go in and out of mirrors.  It as ok.

A book with a one-word title: Paperboy by Vince Vawter

This book was one of the 2014 Newbery Honor books and I really liked it.  It is about a boy who stutters and takes over his friend's paper route for the summer, during which he finds out many things.

A book set in a different country: A Day on Skates: The Story of a Dutch Picnic by Hilda van Stockum

This book is a 1935 Newbery Honor book that has become public domain.  It is set in Holland and talks about a brother and sister who go on a skating picnic with their teacher and classmates.

A nonfiction book: 41: Portrait of my Father by George W. Bush and Killing Patton by Bob O'Reilly

I don't tend to read a lot of nonfiction but I found both of these books to be interesting.  I also listened to both books on Audible.  George W. Bush was encouraged by historian David McCullough to write a book about his father because John Quincy Adams, the only ever son to ever become president after his father, had not written a book about John Adams and McCullough would have loved it if he had.  It was very interesting and I learned a lot about the state of affairs during the elder Bush's presidency.  I have also read O'Reilly's previous three "killing" books (Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy and Killing Jesus) and I really loved them.  I didn't know a lot about Patton but I do now after listening to the book.  I love how he uses a lot of first person accounts and kind of weaves a web so that you understand what was going on in the world at the time of the person's death.

A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling)

I was pleasantly surprised by this good old fashioned private detective novel after my intense disappointment with Rowling's A Casual Vacancy.

A memoir: I Am Not Spock by Leonard Nimoy

I have had this book for awhile but have not read it yet.  I loved the conversations between Spock and Nimoy.

A book with magic: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

I do like fantasy so I thought that I should really try to read some of The Wheel of Time series.  This was a first book.  It was long and bogged down in places but it was pretty good.

A graphic novel: Farscape Vol 5. Red Sky at Morning by Rockne S. O'Bannon

I was missing this volume in the Farscape comic series that tracks the crew of Moya after the events of the Peacekeeper Wars.

A book by an author you've never read before: The Dream Coach by Anne Parrish

This book was a 1925 Newbery Honor book and is public domain.  It was a little "out there" for my tastes, talking about a coach that delivers dreams to children around the world.