Jessica Reads: February

I did not read as much as I planned for February. Sometimes life really does just get in the way. I spent most of the month preparing for a presentation that I was making at conference for a paper that I had written last semester.

Also, I spent an entire week of February fighting some kind of weird cold that zapped me of all of my energy. I basically sat around binge watching This Is Us, a show that I just discovered and super sucked me in.

But, I did manage to read a little. I wish it was more, but I will share with you what I did get through.

The first book I got through in February was The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.

Well, actually, I listened to this one. Michael asked me to give The Eye of the World at shot. And so I listened to the audiobook. I'll be honest... it is not my cup of tea. I wish I could, since there are 14 books in the series and Michael is currently on book 12, and really wants to talk about the story with someone. So, I tried. I got all the way through the first book, and I had to ask a lot of questions and have Michael explain so many things. I felt lost so much of the time. It could be that I really don't really enjoy the fantasy genre, at least not one that describes everything in such minute detail. I had a big interest in the characters and their emotions and relationships, but I didn't really care about the rest, and so much of the book was the rest.

Michael, as you know, I did get through it, and when you finish the series you can tell me everything that happened.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I have read Ready Player One before. It was a couple years ago. I don't know why this was one that I decided to go through again, maybe because of the movie that came out last year. We did see the movie, and I didn't think it lived up to the novel, but was a fun story. And then I realized, as I was reading through it again, that the movie changed so much of the story and the contest within the novel. I do recommend it if you have a love of video games, trivia from the 1980's and angst ridden teenagers. I do love the puzzle solving dynamic of the story, though I am not a fan of the main character. It could be that I just do not understand the mind of an 18 year-old boy. It was a fun quick read.

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda has been one of my favorite books since I was about 8 years old. I have read it multiple times over the years. But this time was different. My daughter Anya asked me to read to her. I was excited to do this. Although she has seen the movie that came out in the 90s, it cannot stand up to the awesomeness of the book. The movie was just plain terrible. I spent a lot of time laughing with Anya, and enjoying her shocked face at the actions of The Trunchbull. It is a fun story and I believe that every child should read it, or have it read to them at some point in their lives. 

And that's it. A mere three books for the entire month of February. Hopefully March I will dedicate more time like I intended this last month. I am in the middle of several books, so maybe I will start finishing them up. 

What have you been reading? Let me know in the comments.