I wrote an article last week about my New Years Resolutions for 2021. In that article, I discussed my goal to read more in 2021. More specifically, I mentioned that I am reading one book per week. I want to start writing monthly book recaps and reviews, so today, I am going to be reviewing the four books I read in January.
I started off January by reading two classics that I had never read before: Pride and Prejudice and Little Women. My mom has been trying to get me to read both of these novels for years, and I finally gave in to her request.
I started my reading journey with Pride and Prejudice, a Jane Austen novel written in 1797. Admittedly, this was not my favorite book ever. I had already put myself at a disadvantage by watching the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film. I loved the movie, and I was very excited to read the novel it was based on. However, the book is quite different from the 2005 film.
The film watches like a more traditional rom-com with a historical 19th-century flair. The novel is also set in 19th-century Britain; however, it does not read like a modern day rom-com. To be blunt, I found the novel boring and dull. I felt like I was dragging myself through the book just to be able to say that I finished it. The book was full of old British speech that made it hard to follow and stay engaged.
Overall, I would recommend the 2005 movie if you want to watch a cheesy film, but only read the book if you like more historical period-piece novels.
Pride and Prejudice: 2 out of 5 stars.
Additionally, I have a difficult time relating to books written long ago. I have learned since starting this reading journey that I either enjoy extreme fantasy like Harry Potter or realistic fiction such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Little Women is a great book for someone who is trying to read the less boring classics and is interested in the story itself. It is much easier to read and follow than Pride and Prejudice. For this reason, I rate this book higher and would recommend it if you want to dip your feet into some older classics.
Little Women: 3 out of 5 stars.
Alice in Wonderland is very short at only 189 pages. Therefore, it only took me two days to finish. Unlike the other older books I read this month, I actually thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and never felt like I was forcing myself to read. This could be due to the fact that it is an easy childhood story or the fact that it is much more of a fantasy novel than Pride and Prejudice or Little Women.
I am incredibly happy that I read this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who has never read it.
Alice in Wonderland: 5 out of 5 stars.
I realized after reading this book why I love realistic fiction so much. There is actually a quote that the main character, Charlie, writes in the book: “The movie itself was very interesting, but I didn’t think it was very good because I didn’t really feel different when it was over.”
This quote is exactly how I feel about books, movies, and television shows. I have this need to feel different about myself or life in general after reading/watching anything. This book has that effect on me. I am consistently self-reflective after I read this book or watch the film adaptation.
If you want to have a good cry sesh or have deep thoughts about life, read this book or watch this movie.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower: 1 million out of 5 stars.
I hope you enjoyed these reviews, and I hope that you will come along on my reading journey.
I will be reviewing my reads every month, so stay tuned for my February book reviews!
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