Angels, Asking and the Arkenstone

With the start of the year, I've been continuing with my reading goal:

050. Read 3 books per month for 1 year

I started on this goal in July, so now I'm 7 months in!

Here's what I read in January, as usual marked out of 5 according to my overall enjoyment of the book.

Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (5/5)

I've read this before, but after listening to BBC Radio 4's adaptation during the festive season, I decided to read it again.

The antichrist has been brought into the world to start the apocalypse. The angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley, who have an Arrangement and quite like the world thank you very much, set out to find the antichrist (they lost him) and stop the apocalypse happening.

This is an entertaining book with lots of typically British humour, clever plot devices and a whole bunch of lovable characters. Yes, even the antichrist. It also has Queen references.

I may or may not have dug out Queen's Greatest Hits after reading this book...

The Art of Asking - Amanda Palmer (5/5)

Some may remember that I blogged about Amanda Palmer's TED talk of the same title a while ago. This book is like an expanded version of the talk. In it, Amanda explains how by simply asking (and trusting), she has made some great stuff happen. I can't put to words how fantastic and inspiring this book was, not to mention interesting, but I didn't give it five out of five for nothing. I'll definitely be reading this one again. You should read it too.

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (4/5)

This was another re-read. The last time I read it was around 2000/2001, when I wanted to wade through The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings before I saw 'Fellowship of the Ring' at the cinema (I didn't).

The Hobbit is about a small and hairy fellow named Bilbo, who is a hobbit and goes on an adventure with a bunch of dwarves to reclaim treasure and the under-mountain halls that were lost to a wicked dragon. There's also goblins, elves, men, and more.

What you won't find in this book (unlike in the films) is female characters. Seriously. I didn't realise until I saw a mention of it online, and having read the book again, have found it's true. Women are mentioned, but they play no role in the storyline.

I'm half inclined to deduct a point for that, but gender of characters aside I enjoyed The Hobbit. It only gets 4/5 because it took me a while to get into the story.

And that's it for January! I finished the last book on the 12th, and am now giving my brain a break from reading until February arrives!