OSR: January and February 2012

It has been a while since I've posted some reviews! I kicked off my year with a few rereads. Rereading a favorite book is like visiting an old friend, and especially in January, I like that reading comfort.

The Chosen by Chaim Potok

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reread

Rarely are the emotions that build a friendship so beautifully and thoughtfully displayed as they are in The Chosen. This is a quick read if only because Reuvan's and Danny's relationship is so compelling. Despite their religious differences their friendship is a simple one based on trust and honesty. This book teaches me so much about communication, love, loyalty, and friendship. It falls among the best work of the 20th century.


These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reread

January 25, 2012
These Is My Words evokes more raw emotion in me than almost any other book I've read; reading this book is truly a cathartic experience. Going back to this book is like visiting an old friend. I know the story so well that I'm not surprised much anymore, but I still relish every detail and every moment. This story is wonderful, exciting, comforting, familiar, and real.

For the full review including the review of the last time I read this, visit my Goodreads page.


Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a fascinating blend of text and photography. The story itself in an interesting fantasy that involves a sixteen-year-old boy trying to solve a mystery his grandfather intimated with his last words. Interspersed with compelling photography, this book takes you into a very peculiar world. I didn't feel enough resolution at the end, and so I'm hoping that Riggs plans on writing a sequel. Despite that, however, Miss Peregrine was an interesting book that kept me reading.


Increase In Learning - Spiritual Patterns For Obtaining Your Own Answers by David A. Bednar

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a great book that has revolutionized the way I learn the gospel and study the scriptures. Bednar emphasizes that we have a responsibility to take charge of our own gospel learning and that we have the duty to learn doctrine as fully as possible. The learning processes Elder Bednar outlines will take time and persistence but the effects and rewards are clear. This book hits at the heart of gospel learning and study.


Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reread

I've met few characters as honest, genuine, and vulnerable as Oskar Schell. This book had me laughing on one page and crying on the next. Oskar's journey is healing, mournful, fulfilling, and heartbreaking all at once. The emotion in this book is deep and real and intense. Oskar is a character who stays with you, and this is a book that I'm sure I'll return to again and again.


Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


With a bibliophile as the protagonist, I couldn't not pick up this book. After Alice's life takes an unexpected turn at home, she finds herself thrown into adventure. The characters were likeable and endearing, and I did relate to Alice's love of books. I was glad for the message that while books are wonderful you can't live life through them; you have to live your own life. This book was sweet and simple.


Love Life and See Good Days by Emily Freeman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I needed the message in this book to "love life and see good days." Taken from a scripture in 1 Peter, the subject of this book is about perspective and making our own happiness. This is a quick read with a direct and simple message. If we want good days, we have to take the effort to see them.

View all my reviews

I'm on my ninth book of the year, which makes me about one book ahead of my 2012 reading progress. What have you been reading this year?