Books Read in January

This is one of the strangest winters ever.  That tiny dusting of snow in the photo is all that we've seen in January; yesterday and today it was 60 degrees outside!  I'm not complaining, but it does seem weird.

I think my reading year is off to a good start, though!  Here's a recap of what I finished in January:

• Great House by Nicole Krauss, a novel by the author of A History of Love.
• Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls, a half-novel, half-memoir about the author's grandmother.
• Divergent by Veronica Roth, a hot teen dystopian novel.
• The Novice: A Story of True Love by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Thai folktale that illustrates the tenets of Buddhism, listened to on audio.
• Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick, a wholly unique and amazing middle-grade novel.

I'm still in the midst of an audio book and an adult novel, as well.  So, I read 2 grown-up novels, listened to another, and read one teen novel and one middle-grade novel - a nice variety.  I enjoyed all of these books - do I have to pick a favorite?  Wonderstruck stands out, as it was just so captivating and one-of-a-kind.  Half Broke Horses was my grown-up favorite of the month (but even grown-ups will find Wonderstruck compelling).

I am already making progress on my 2012 Reading Challenges, with one dystopian novel this month and one for my What's in a Name? challenge.  So far, I have visited 3 states and 2 countries in my reading: Arizona, Illinois, Minnesota, Israel, and Thailand.  All in all, a good reading month.

What were your favorite books read in January?