My answer: I remember reading a lot and really devouring books as a kid.  I didn’t know much about books and authors and what I liked as far as my reading style, I just grabbed books or read what I got from the library.

Now I have a better idea of the books I enjoy and am able to find similar authors through blogs or other sites like Goodreads.  I don’t know if I read more or less as I never kept track of books when I was a kid and I do read about 100 books a year now which is quite a lot.

When I was younger I also read a lot of children’s books and I remember reading picture books which I don’t even pick up now.  I would like to go back and read some of the children’s books I missed when I was younger though.

Overall I think my reading habits have evolved as I’ve changed as a person and learned what I like to read.  Even in the past year my reading habits have been really changing because I’ve been experiencing a lot of personal growth and the things that used to draw me in no longer do.  So it’s constantly shifting and I’m perfectly fine with that because there are so many great books to read that I’m sure I’ll never be bored and always have something to read.

What about you?  How have your reading habits changed from childhood to becoming an adult?  Have your reading habits as an adult changed over the years?  If so, how?

So, any book recommendations?  I think I’ve just lost my reading momentum because I haven’t finished anything.  So something short and fast?  Or an amazing book that you just couldn’t put down, one that sucked you in from the first chapter and wouldn’t let go? I’d love some recommendations!  :-)

This is the first book I’ve ever read by Roald Dahl and I’ve heard the name many times but wasn’t really sure what to expect.  I also had no idea what the story of Matilda was about and I think I keep getting her confused with Madeleine from another children’s book by Ludwig Bemelmans.  So I decided to read this and see if I’d missed out on an awesome book.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book.  I loved the plot and how it developed because it wasn’t at all what I was expecting.  Of course some aspects seemed quite unrealistic such as how thoughtless and crass her parents were as well as the magnified abuse of Mrs. Trunchbull, the headmistress who throws children out windows.

Matilda enjoys playing tricks on her family when they mistreat her and I thought she would pull some epic prank on Mrs. Trunchbull, as opposed to the somewhat supernatural turn the book took.  I don’t know if I’d recommend this book to children because it seems to teach that you should retaliate and get revenge when people are mean to you which isn’t the most constructive way of dealing with others.

Still, it was quite satisfying to see how Matilda resolved things in the end, without using violence even.  So I had no expectations really going in and was happily surprised to find a unique story that provided a very enjoyable read.  I’m curious to see how other people enjoyed this book, especially when they were younger, and how it influenced them since I never read it as a kid.  I’d recommend it to adult readers too even if they’ve never read it. And I look forward to possibly reading other books by Roald Dahl.  Any recommendations?  :-)

My Rating:  ★★★★☆

1. Would you rather have to read backwards or read upside down?
At first I thought reading upside down meant holding a book and hanging upside down but now I realize it means holding the book upside down.  I think both of these would be incredibly challenging.  Still, I think it’d be easier to read upside down than backwards.

2. Would you rather be a man named Evelyn Waugh or a woman named George Eliot (both famous authors)?
I’d rather stay a woman and have my name be George Eliot.  These days there are lots of people with interesting names or names that are usually used for the opposite sex, so it wouldn’t be a big deal to have an unusual name like that.

3. Would you rather have to live through Stephen King’s The Shining or James Dickey’s Deliverance?
I’ve seen The Shining and am vaguely familiar with the film Deliverance but had to look it up just in case.  Now that I have an idea of both plots (not having read either book) I’d have to go with The Shining because it’s the least scary to me.

4. Would you rather permanently be two-feet tall and completely literate, or normal size and permanently illiterate?
I’d rather be really short and literate.  I can’t imagine not being able to read no matter how awesome every other aspect of my life was.

5. Would you rather read Infinite Jest or get hit in the head with Infinite Jest 10 times (it’s 1,100 pages and more than 480,000 words)?
I have no desire to read Infinite Jest but I still wouldn’t want to be hit with it.  However, rather than waste time reading it, I’d take getting hit in the head (very gently, of course) with it! 

6. Would you rather have Scarlett O’Hara as your wife or as your mother?
I’d rather have her as my mother because if she annoyed me, I could always choose to spend less time around her.  If she were my wife, I’d probably have to see her every day which might drive me nuts.

What about you?  What would your answers be?  And make sure to check out 101 Books on Monday to see Robert’s answers, they always make me laugh.

Total Books Read:

Total Pages Read to Date: 9,236
Total Books Read to Date: 38

This was a slow reading month for me as I didn’t read many books and the ones I did read were mostly quite short.  I was very busy too which meant I didn’t get around to reading that much.  On top of that I just wasn’t drawn to many books so perhaps I’m in a reading slump.  But I hope to do much more reading in May and discover a lot of wonderful books!

How was your month of reading?  What were the best books you read?  Can you recommend me something I simply won’t be able to put down?  :-)

This is the story of David and Goliath as seen from Goliath’s side of the Valley of Elah. Quiet moments in Goliath’s life as a soldier are accentuated by Tom Gauld’s drawing style, which contrasts minimalist scenery and near-geometric humans with densely crosshatched detail reminiscent of Edward Gorey. Goliath’s battle is simultaneously tragic and bleakly funny, as bureaucracy pervades even this most mythic of figures. Goliath displays a sensitive wit, a bold line, and a traditional narrative reworked, remade, and revolutionized.

I don’t remember where I first saw this book, on a book blog probably, but as I recall the person who read it was raving about it.  And, I thought I remembered that it had a really high rating on Goodreads, although when I looked again recently, it was 3.98 which is still high, but I thought it was higher than a 4.

Anyway, what I’m saying is that I had a very high impression of this book but when I read it I didn’t feel as strongly as I’d anticipated.  In fact, I just didn’t see what the hype was about and I finished the book feeling pretty apathetic; not let down or disappointed, just nothing.

The book is quite minimalist with little dialogue or text and no page numbers even.  The art is quite minimal as well and I’ve seen some people say this is what makes it so good.  I didn’t get the same feeling though and I also didn’t feel a strong attachment or connection to the character of Goliath even though the story is told from his perspective.  He doesn’t provide the narration though so maybe that was part of the problem.

I honestly don’t get what this book is about or why it was written.  I didn’t see anything unique or new to the story and it only took me a few minutes to read through or else I would have felt like I wasted my time.  Still, I’m glad I picked it up to see if it was for me.

I’d recommend this if you’re looking for a very quick and easy read, or if you love minimal art and graphic novels.  It just didn’t do it for me but I know that it has a lot of value and will be enjoyed by others.  It’s super short so it’s at least worth a try to see if it’s a book you’ll love.

My Rating:  ★★☆☆☆

I’d been hearing about this book for quite a while and, having been interested in alternative modes of healing for a long time, really wanted to read it.  I wasn’t disappointed at all and really loved this book.  I even want to go back and re-read it to apply some of the techniques and try them out on myself.

Prior to reading this book I didn’t know much about Louise Hay other than that she was a pretty influential woman and started Hay House Publishing.  After reading this I felt like I got to know more about her.  I had no idea about her difficult childhood and how she stumbled into teaching and healing.  I also didn’t know she cured herself of cancer which I found impressive because she actually practices what she preaches.

I’ve always been drawn to alternative methods of healing and what I read in this book definitely resonated with me.  I feel like any illness can be healed and that a state of well-being is our body’s natural state.  I highly encourage anyone to read this book if they are interested in alternative healing or want to learn more about particular reasons behind challenges they have in their lives.

My Rating:  ★★★★★

Abraham has helped us to understand that our dominant intent in every day is to get into the Vortex! And now, they have lovingly and specifically guided Jerry and Esther Hicks in the creation of an innovative and valuable tool that promises to get us into the Vortex right now . . . and that tool is enclosed in the Getting into the Vortex User Guidein the form of a 70-minute CD.

This unique recording contains four powerfully guided daily meditations that have been designed to get you into the Vortex of Creation in four basic areas of your life: General Well-Being, Financial Well-Being, Physical Well-Being, and Relationships.

I absolutely adore all the Esther Hicks books I’ve read and this one is along the same lines.  It’s hard to say one is better than the other, but this one just builds on the ones I’ve already read and I’ve gained so much insight already.

This book is short and sweet and acts as a guide for the accompanying CD which contains 4 meditations.  The meditations are only 15 minutes and, according to the book, just listening to one of them for 15 minutes a day is enough to begin creating change in your life.

The benefit of the book is that is explains how listening to the meditations will help you. The book breaks it down and makes understanding the Law of Attraction and creation so easy and simple.

So far I’ve only listened to 3 of the 4 meditations and I have to say they are so relaxing and make me feel incredibly good.  Usually I listen before going to sleep and I drift right off to sleep afterwards and have wonderful sleep.

I’ve also noticed that I’m feeling much happier and at peace in my day to day life.  Both the book and CD encourage you to put your attention on your breath, something I find myself now doing anytime I feel bad or stressed.  And it actually works!

So I’m absolutely thrilled to have found this little gem!  I highly recommend it to anyone who also loves the Hicks material but hasn’t read this one yet.  If you want ways to implement the Law of Attraction, this would work for you too.  Or if you just want a great guided meditation CD, this could also work for you.  I can’t recommend it highly enough!

My Rating:  ★★★★★

From New York Times bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina) and critically acclaimed artist Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, North 40), Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults.

I’d been hearing about this book since it came out and just now finally got a copy from the library.  I have to say it was a little bit of a let down though after all the rave reviews, high Goodreads ratings, and other hype.  I loved Brian K. Vaughan’s previous series, Y: The Last Man, so I was excited about this one.

So maybe it was my expectation that resulted in feeling slightly disappointed, but I just wasn’t blown away by it.  I really enjoyed the story, I liked the characters, the world was unique, and I’ll definitely read the next one.  But I’m just not raving over it and telling every one to read it.

Perhaps the story will develop even more and add more depth and interesting twists so I’ll keep reading and see how it goes.  Still, it was a fun and unique read and I’d recommend it to fans of science fiction and graphic novels.

The second volume comes out in July so I’ll be on the lookout for a copy of that and it should be a really fun and easy read.

My Rating:  ★★★☆☆

CAN MEN AND WOMEN REALLY BE “JUST FRIENDS?

IF YOU ONLY HAD ONE HOUR LEFT TO LIVE, HOW WOULD YOU SPEND IT?

WHAT PARALYZES YOUR CREATIVITY? WHAT FUELS IT?

Based on the wildly successful website SoulPancake.com, this book urges you to explore philosophy, creativity, spirituality, love, truth, science, and so much more. With bold questions, intriguing challenges, and mind-bending art, SoulPancake creates a space for you to stimulate your brain stem, spark your soul, and figure out what it means to be human.

I adore reading books on spirituality and any that address what this book refers to as “life’s big questions.”  When I found out Rainn Wilson had a book I knew I had to read it. I’d heard of him and SoulPancake when he was on Oprah a few years back talking about it.

This book isn’t preachy and doesn’t even give a perspective on things.  It’s just full of intriguing questions that get you thinking and lots of interesting quotes.  It’s more like a graphic novel too in that it has mostly pictures.  So it’s a quick, fun, and easy read that gives you a lot of food for thought.

I can see this making a great coffee-table book or something to discuss with friends.  I got this book from the library so couldn’t write in it but there were sections for you to make lists and do some writing to answer questions for yourself.  This book was so fun and I’d recommend it to anyone, even if they’re not that interested in spirituality or discovering the meaning of life.

My Rating:  ★★★☆☆