February was a pretty good reading month for me. I still find that I have way too many books I’d like to read than what I have time for. I have to prioritize by when it becomes available at the library, or who I borrowed it from. And then sometimes I read things on a whim such as the Hunger Games books this month. Here is what I read:
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Not the first time I’ve read this, but with the movie coming out soon, I wanted to read it again. The book is so clever in how it presents the issues of fighting/war. It is so horrible that children are thrown together in the arena and forced to fight to the death. In a way, you want them all to live. Yet I found myself still rooting for Katniss, and almost relieved when characters like Clove perished. Am I as bad as the capitol people in the book? Perhaps. I thought I was pro-life in every circumstance…and I am…but I still got caught up in the events of the story. Very thought provoking. I’ll probably write more on this later.
The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry
After reading so much nonfiction in January, I was in dire need of a quick fiction novel where I didn’t have to think much…just sit back and enjoy. I have enjoyed Steve Berry’s books in the past, and decided to check out his most recent book from the library. I wasn’t disappointed. It’s not real quality literature, but it was fast paced and kept me interested…even reading late into the night after my husband was asleep…perhaps not a wise decision these days since my toddler wakes up early no matter what. I still maintain that Berry’s first few novels are my favorite. The Amber Room and The Romanov Prophesy are definitely his best. This one was another Cotton Malone adventure, and it was just what I needed. I was surprised to find that privateers actually played a large role in helping the colonies to win the revolutionary war.
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
As I’ve said before, I like to stay up to date in the children’s literature world. This was my third read of Eragon. I enjoy fantasy novels, and while this one may be classified as “young adult,” I find that it is a very fun read. My husband got me the fourth book in the Inheritance cycle for Christmas, so I am doing a reread of the series as preparation for that fourth book!
Eldest by Christopher Paolini
Again, I am just trying to get through this series on my way to the fourth book, Inheritance. However, I am thoroughly enjoying this read through. I had forgotten a great many things in the three or so years since I last read this book. I like how the main character is not perfect. It makes the story seem more real…even though it is a fantasy novel.
The Litigators by John Grisham
I hadn’t really wanted to read this book so close to The Jefferson Key but it couldn’t be helped because of when it became available at the library. When I was in high school, John Grisham was one of my favorite authors, but I feel that I have outgrown him. At least I’ve outgrown his formulaic novels where a young southern lawyer takes on a big corporation. Recently, though, he has been branching out a bit, and I think this has been a good thing. Innocent Man and The Confession were excellent reads. This book was somewhat of a return to his old style in that it was back to young lawyers taking on big corporations. However, this book was delightful in that it was much more character driven rather than action driven. No one was running for their life. There were (almost) no thugs. Just a couple of joe-shmoe lawyers with big problems. More like real life. I think it was definitely worth the read.
Images of America: Hillsboro
One day at the library Elias picked out one of the “Images of America” books. I thought it looked interesting, and went to the catalog to see if there were any others. I found this one of Hillsboro. It was interesting to see the development of the town. Trains and rail were a lot more prominent than I had thought very early on. It also gave some fun facts of why certain areas are named what they are.
Hunger Games Official Movie Companion
My mom got this book, and loaned it to me for a couple nights to look through. It made me even more excited to see the movie. The book just talked a bit about how the movie was filmed, and how the actors where chosen. It was a “just for fun” book.
Periodicals
World Vision Spring – I was particularly saddened to read that U.S. mainstream media only spent 0.2 percent of its coverage for the famine in the Horn of Africa. I was encouraged to read that many of the communities which are supported by World Vision in Kenya were not affected as much as surrounding areas due to education about irrigation techniques, farming techniques, and supplies given by WV.
National Geographic Magazine October 2011 – I started reading this magazine months ago and got distracted by other books and crafts. There was a particularly interesting article about the development of the adolescent brain, and why teens act the way they do. Maybe I should file it away and get it out again in ten years or so.
Sojourners February 2012 – My brother got me a subscription to this magazine for Christmas. I found one issue in our church library last September or so and was hooked! I had only read one issue before this, so I couldn’t wait to actually have a subscription. The focus of this issue was the global slave trade, and how we can try to end it using nonviolent means. There was a particularly interesting article about the Christian churches in China, and how they are trying to help women who are sold into marriage or sexual slavery there. I think this magazine will be excellent not only in social justice issues, but also helping me to gain a more global perspective.