autobiography |

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading is hosted by the fabulous Sheila over @ Book Journey. Start the new year off with a good book recommendation!

I feel great about how much I accomplished in 2011. I had record views and subscribers to my blog in 2011. Hoping to break those records in 2012! I read 107 books and finished another novel. I joined a new writing group that I love and I ran a half marathon and felt great. I challenged myself by doing things outside my comfort zone like going hang gliding, going to Book Expo America for the first time by myself and surviving Comic Con NYC solo too.

Not too shabby… Now on to making 2012 even better! 🙂

I’m starting the new year off with a race, some reading, and football. Ahhh…perfect! Here’s what I’m reading this week:

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel – This is my first experience with Oppel although I’ve heard a lot about his books before this. Oppel is an excellent writer and quickly brings his readers into the world of Victor Frankenstein as a brooding teen discovering the dark arts of alchemy for the first time. The story is engrossing and adventurous while still staying true to who Frankenstein would be if Shelley were to write him as a much younger man. I’m listening to this one on CD and the narrator is very good making the experience even better.

Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet – I’m always on the lookout for a good mystery. I especially love a good mystery this time of year when I can snuggle under a heap of blankets next to a cheery fire and get lost in an English village where some dastardly deed has been done. The problem is wading through piles of mediocre mysteries to get to those treasured few that shine above the rest. So when I saw one of my favorite mystery authors Louise Penny write a blurb on the latest Malliet novel, I knew I had to pick up the series. This is the first one in a series set in England and features the sharp Detective Inspector St. Just. It’s a perfect blend of readability, eccentric characters, and murder. Already looking forward to reading the next in the series. 🙂

Mud, Sweat and Tears by Bear Grylls – Bear Grylls has to be one of the most interesting men around today. A former member of the British Special Forces before breaking his back in three places after a parachuting accident in Africa, he now stars in the reality show Man vs. Wild where he survives through a combination of determination and wilderness knowledge in desolate locations around the world. I’m just beginning this autobiography and am looking forward to learning more about this rugged man.