january: 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

this month i read:

the circus train, by amita parikh (i actually finished this in late december, but forgot to add it to the list, so i'm rolling it over!  this was a book of the month club pick about circuses (interesting), disability issues (interesting - and not something i know a lot about), and set in the lead up to WWII (i enjoy historical fiction) - this was a great combination and i liked this book, but didn't love it - it wasn't one where i was rushing home to read or thinking about it a lot when i wasn't reading.  so i'd recommend it, but it won't make my favorite books list for this year!)

once there were wolves, by charlotte mcconaghy (i really liked this book, a gift from my mom, who also introduced me to migrations by the same author which i read last year.  i really like her strong, flawed female protagonists and her stories about the ways that people and animals are intertwined.  she isn't an author that i hear a ton of buzz about, but i really really like her writing and would highly recommend this!)

wishin' and hopin', by wally lamb (this was a cute holiday story by an author i really enjoy.  i listened to the audiobook, narrated well by the author.  this is kind of a throw away book for me - i can see myself in a few years trying to remember if i've read it or not - but it was nice to read a book by wally lamb that i hadn't read yet.)

beloved, by toni morrison (i read this along with an english class at the school where i work, and i was bowled over by it.  toni morrison deserves all the accolades she has won, and the way this story was put together was incredible - she did things with writing that most authors can't do.  i loved talking about this with the students and being led through some of the more challenging parts by the teacher.  i told the students i was joining class because it seems like all well read people should have read beloved, and i hadn't.  i stand by that - if you haven't read this, get ready for a book that kidnaps you from the first chapter and expects a lot of its reader.  thank goodness i had the class discussions to make sure i was up for the task.  a brilliant book!)

we are all completely beside ourselves, by karen joy fowler (i had heard that if you read this book, you shouldn't read any reviews - you should go in totally blind.  that intrigued me - and i LOVED booth by the same author - so i did it: went in blind.  and i'm glad i did, because the twist happens about 1/3 of the way into the book and was worth being in the dark about.  this was not as good as booth, in my opinion, but i did think about it a lot while i was reading it and am glad i finished it!)