January Book Review- Great Reads of 2021

These January great reads have been some of my favorites in quite a while. I devoured the first two books in less than two weeks via Audible. I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2021 brings my way to read and enjoy.

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There’s not much that I love more than a great read on a cold day.  January for sure has delivered on some cold days for us here on the farm. While things have been busy with the farm, blog, work, and life in general, I always can seem to find a spare few minutes to read.  

I am a big believer in using your time wisely for the things you love.  So car rides to and from work are a free thirty minutes that I can have to myself to unwind, relax, and enjoy.  While I much prefer the feel of a book in my hands, I have learned to appreciate the art of story-telling through audible.  

I have been a subscriber to audible for almost two years now and in that time I have devoured quite a few books. You can check out my top reads from 2020 here. I typically stick to books that are focused on personal development, growth, and psychology.  I am fascinated with how the brain works and have loved listening to lectures as well as books on this topic.

New Year, New Books! 

This year however, I had a need for something different.  Starting in January I began reading some science fiction books through Audible. I am not sure what prompted this change in direction other than a name drop of one of the books in an Audible brain lecture that I listened to.  For some reason it stuck and I had to listen to the book.  

Sometimes it is good to break free from the norm.  It keeps life interesting, and I have been so happy with my branch off this month. In addition to the two books that I am reading on Audible, I am physically reading another classic fantasy book that if you have not read I highly recommend.  

I hope you all enjoy my review of the books I have so enjoyed in January and give them a try even if you think science fiction and fantasy may not be your thing.  You never know what you may love until you try something new. 

Great Reads #1- Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

The book opens to find Arthur’s life turned upside down, his home in the throws of destruction for the creation of a bypass. A bypass that he didn’t know was ordered.  The irony of this is not lost when Earth is destroyed mere seconds later to make way for an intergalactic bypass that was also secretly, and as we later find out, mistakenly ordered. Arthur soon finds himself in a situation he never dreamed possible.

In the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, you will follow the travels of Arthur and his unique band of friends as they hitchhike through the galaxy.  The group has some close calls, but always seem to escape just in the nick of time. Arthur survives planet destruction only to become the target of Vogons, ancient Magrathian missiles, and some unassuming mice that want to disect his brain to find the ultimate question to the Universe.  Throughout his travels, the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a source of galactic knowledge for Arthur in this very unfamiliar place.

This science fiction comedy will have you in stitches as you navigate the galaxy like never before. I recommend listening on Audible as Stephen Fry is a master of voice and makes the story come to life.  This was a great novel to break through into reading science fiction.

#2- Ender’s Game

Ender Wiggin is a very special six year old boy.  He is intelligent and kind and a third.  Ender’s birth was commissioned by the government in a time where households were only allowed to have two children.  He was commissioned to save the world from the Buggers, a highly intelligent insect like alien race, a third and final time.  

While Ender’s older brother and sister are uniquely gifted, they do not have the combination of empathy and strength that little Ender displays.  Ender is taken from his family to become a soldier for the International Fleet.  An elite group of individuals that’s mission is to end the Buggers once and for all.   

Ender’s Game chronicles his journey through battle school and command school as he learns what it means to be all alone with a whole world depending on you.  This emotional science fiction novel by Orson Scott will have you entrenched in the mind warp the battle school commanders put this young soldier into. It is one of my favorite reads.

Great Reads #3- The Hobbit

The third and final book of my January review is a classic fantasy novel that most of us are already familiar with, The Hobbit.  I have watched its movie counterpart numerous time, but never sat down to read the book.  When I asked for the book for Christmas, my husband did one better and bought not just the Hobbit and the trilogy, but five more books that begin the journey into the underworld. 

While I am not completely finished with this book yet as I am reading they physical copy and cannot devote hours on end to reading like I would like, it so far has exceeded my expectations.  I am a proponent of books over movies and this one has not disappointed.

The story chronicles the journey of our dear Bilbo Baggins, a stately unambitious hobbit who wants no part of adventuring.  Gandolf the great wizard however has other plans for Bilbo and quickly entwines him in the plans of dwarves for an amazing adventure to reclaim the treasure of their ancestors from Smaug, a deadly and fierce dragon. This fantasy novel, much like the movies will keep you engaged from start to finish.

Over the next few months, I will likely be reviewing all eight books I currently have in my J.R.R. Tolkien collection so stay tuned for more!  I hope you all find something you like here, share on if you do!  I would love to hear what you are reading or recommend for my next book review.  Remember always take a few minutes for yourself to rest and reset with a good book!

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