I have made it my goal to read at least one book per month this year. I know it's not that big of a goal, but I don't want my reading to be like it was in high school--you know, where you're told what you have to read, when it has to be read by and then give a 5 page report on it's meaning. Confession: I haven't actually read a book so far. I've been listening to them on my ipod. I love listening to books because then I feel like I can still get something done, while enjoying a good read. When I was working at my old job I would love to listen to books, since my days were mostly filled with cleaning fire contents at the shop with no windows for 8 hours. Listening to my audio books brought a breath of fresh air to the day. I could educate myself while sitting at a table wiping down nick knacks and re-boxing them. So this entry is going to be a little book review of sorts (there's only 3 to blog about right now). In January I listened to The Help for the second time. It's read by Jenna Lamia, Octavia Spencer (she actually played Minnie in the movie), Cassandra Campbell and Bahni Turpin. I will never get tired of listening to that one. They do a marvelous job of representing each character. So good a job in fact that several times I would catch myself slipping into southern black maid speech when talking to people. It's a great book made even greater by the wonderful orators of the story. The second book I listened to was The Secret Garden read by Vanessa Maroney. There are quite a few out there, but I chose this particular version solely because I liked her voice the best out of them all.( And I do mean all--I literally listened to clips of all the books out there and narrowed it down to my favorites and eventually picked Vanessa). It's the first time I've ever read this book and I loved every minute. I had to go watch my favorite version of the movie (like the book, there a few movie versions too) after listening to it so I could compare. Even though I love the movie, I do recommend reading the book too as it provides more detail and insight. I love the connections between being outside/gardening and it's healing/health benefits. There is truth in that for sure. Christy was up next and was another really great read. I loved the t.v. series, and I could see all the characters from the shows and that helped make it that much better. I loved also that it was read by Kelly Martin (she played Christy in the series). Although it's different from the series, I instantly connected with it. My favorite is Ms. Alice--her advice and wisdom could be used by all, in my opinion. I love her Christian values and a lot of what she taught coincides with my own religious beliefs. She taught that God is a God of love and wants His children to be happy in this life. Those were beliefs that not many shared in that time period, especially in that area. This reading also included an interview with the grandson of Christy. For those of you who don't know, this book was based upon Catherine Marshall's (the author) own mother's life/experiences. I don't want to spoil the end for those who have not read the book, but the interview with her grandson clarifies a few things about Christy's choice on who she marries, and why it's written the way that it is. I just finished Catch Me If You Can narrated by Barrett Whitener. I wasn't sure about this one from the get go based on this man's voice, but it grows on you and isn't so bad after a minute or two. I have to say, I honestly wasn't really interested in this book, but I got it for free on my ipod, thanks to my husband's friend Calvin (who actually put quite a few books on it for me before my husband gave it to me for a birthday back when). I've been trying not to go too crazy on buying audio books off itunes as it can get expensive, so in an effort to conserve I ended up picking this to listen to. I digress... I know there is movie based on it and I've heard it's pretty good. This book is written by the con-man himself and he tells his story from when he started conning up until he gets caught. I don't know how he was able to pull off half the stuff he did, but man!, it's kinda scary. I guess there's a good reason we have so many precautions for everything these days--you can thank people like Frank W. Abignal Jr.! It was an entertaining read learning about his life as a con-man and all the scams he pulled and how he pulled them off. He was very charismatic, astute, and resourceful. Combine that with a lot of luck and bam-you have a formidable con-man. I'm curious as to how he got to where he is now in life--I think he works for banks or the FBI or something as a fraud expert. The book kind of leaves you hanging at the end. I don't know if I would recommend buying the audiobook(unless you're too lazy/busy to actually read, like me), but I wouldn't say no if it were a thrift-store purchase or rented from the library. :)
I'm currently looking for a new book to get into, so if you have any suggestions-especially of good audiobooks, please feel free to let me know!
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