Good Reads in January

One of my goals for 2011 is to read 25 books. i thought i'd share with you each month what i've read to help me keep on track! i am not really good at summarising stories, but i will try and give a brief outline. i should point out that some of the books i'm reading at the moment have been made into films and will be released this year, which is why i'm trying to read them now! i find that films almost never do books justice so i like to try and read the books first if i can. If i saw the film first, i would probably never bother to read the book. i like to have a picture in my head of the characters when i'm reading and if i know which actor is going to play someone then my imagination gets overridden.

The Saga of Darren Shan, Vampire Mountain

Much to the disgust of some of my friends, i am a huge fan of young adult fiction. i love books about vampires,werewolves, wizards, fairies etc etc If it's a fantasy land that i can get lost in then i'll probably like it. The Darren Shan books are aimed at a slightly younger audience then 'young adults', but i still enjoy them. They are really easy, quick reads and i like the humour of the vampire, Mr Crepsley. This is the fourth book in the series. In the first Darren Shan becomes a Vampires Assistant. 

Never Let Me Go 

i'm not sure what to say about this book without giving away the main spoiler. And i'm still not sure what i think of it. i did kind of enjoy the book, but i wasn't gripped and i was a bit disappointed with the ending. There are some interesting themes though which are worth exploring. 

Water for Elephants

This is a new favourite. It's the best book i've read in a long while, I read it in 2 sittings, which is very rare for me! It's told by a grumpy elderly man, Jacob, living in a home who tells the story of the time in his early 20's when he loses everything and jumps on a train to discover it's a travelling circus. He soon gets immersed in circus life where he becomes the vet. It's set in the great depression era of the 1930's and you really do get transported to that time, which is probably why i liked it so much. It's clear that Gruen did a lot of research! This book has some cruel characters and some that you'll grow rather fond of (Rosie, the elephant was one of my favourites) but they're all very real. You also begin to like both Jacob at 23 and at (what he thinks might be) 93. It's a story of love and of hate, and one you should definitely read. 

i just started The Host  last week & so far i'm not loving it. i actually bought this a few years ago when i was obsessed with the Twilight saga & even got it in hardback (i hate reading hardbacks) because i wanted to read it so much, but it's just sat on my bookshelf. i'm struggling to get into it but i don't like to give up on books so i'm going to give it a bit more time. 

i usually have a non fiction book on the go which i dip in and out of. At the moment it's The Happiness Project which is resonating with me. i'll let you know what i think of these two when i'm done.