2015 Reading Challenge: February Update

My goal of reading 100 books in 2015 seems to be going well. I read 9 books in February. According to my challenge tracker on goodreads, I am near where I need to be in order to read all 100 by the end of the year.

I've recently gotten a subscription to Scribd which lets me read as many books from its catalog as I want each month. So far, I've been happy with the service. Plus, since I'm currently living abroad, I don't have as much access as normal to books in English. I do try to read in French as much as possible, but it is more difficult for me.

Here's what I read this month.

Harry Potter et l'Ordre du Phenix - J.K. Rowling
Still reading Harry Potter in French. I finished the 5th book early in the month, but I haven't been able to move on to the 6th one yet because who ever borrowed it hasn't returned it yet even though it was due two weeks ago.

The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli
My book club decided that we should read this. I have to admit that it isn't my type of reading. While I do find political science interesting, I'd have to know more about it to understand why this book is important and how the thoughts in it have shaped different leaders. 

Hyperbole and a Half - Allie Brosh
This book was written by Allie Brosh. You might have seen her blog with the same name. Chances are that you've seen some of the memes based on what she's created there. I enjoyed her mix of writing and web comic on her site, and for that reason, I wanted to read her book when it came out. Her sense of humor is quite particular. While I did like reading parts of the book, she deals with some heavy topics like her struggles with depression. Lots of people find her writing on this subject to be very relatable, so I'd definitely recommend this book for some people. However, for me, it was interesting, but difficult to read at points.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Benjamin Franklin
As the title of the book implies, this is an autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. I remember reading an excerpt of it in high school and wanting to read more. It was a slow read for me, but I learned some things about an important figure in American history.

Wishful Drinking - Carrie Fisher
This memoir is by Carrie Fisher who is best know for playing Princess Leia in Star Wars. Since she was the daughter of two incredibly well known celebrities, her childhood and life was extremely different from most people's.

The Dress Doctor - Edith Head
Edith Head is a costume designer who won 8 Academy Awards for her costume designs. The list of stars and films that she designed for it too long to list, but you'd recognize names like Audrey Hepburn and Ginger Rogers on it. This book was adapted from her autobiography and includes her advice about how to dress for different occasions as well as tales about stars from the golden age of Hollywood. While the specific instructions about what to wear might not work as well today, I found this book to be an entertaining, easy read.

Fortune's Fool - Mercedes Lackey
I've talked before about how much I enjoy the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. It's a type of fairy tale re-telling, and I like the way the the author handles mixing the different tales together while still keeping the reader unsure of exactly how the story will end.

The Sleeping Beauty - Mercedes Lackey
Another book in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. I'd definitely recommend these if you enjoy reading fantasy or fairy tales.

Lettre du Mon Moulin - Alfred Daudet
The teachers at one of the elementary schools where I work recommended this book when I told them I wanted to read more in French. It's a collection of short stories that describes life and culture in the south of France during the 1800s. I found it easy to read because I could stop between stories and because the subject changes frequently from day to day happenings to folk-tales to observations. If you're looking for a mid-range level French book to read that the French public will be familiar while, this is a good choice.

So, those are the books that I read in February. I don't have quite as many French books as I'd like on the list. I'll have to make more of an effort to read more in French during March. Now that I have Scribd it's much easier for me to read in English while I'm here. Actually, in order to stay on track with my challenge, I probably need to read as much as possible during March and April because I think things will become much busier once I return home, and I won't have as much time available for reading.

All of these books are available on Amazon. It's an affiliate link, so a portion of the price of anything that you buy after clicking on the link will go to support this blog and allow me to buy more books to read!

What did you read in February? Do you have any suggestions for my reading list?