Contentment Reading Challenge 2013: January

There's only a little over a week left for the first month of 2013. (So crazy!) Fellow 2013 re-readers, how is it going? Have you re-read any favorites yet?

After a little bit of indecision, I finally settled on the "Wading" level of the challenge vs. the "Swimming" level. (So my goal is to re-read 10 books rather than 15.) My first re-read of the year was Snow Angel by Jamie Carie.

The cover and the snowy/cold setting made this a great fit for the winter season!

I read Snow Angel for the first time several years ago or so... I believe it was a gift from my parents for my birthday, or something like that. I was quite enchanted by the romance and danger of the story! The heroine suffers so much, but the hero has a gentle, loving heart that is up to the challenge of winning hers. Here's a description of the book from the author's website:

"Please . . . God . . .

She whispered before collapsing.

When Noah Wesley hears the faint sound outside the door of his remote Alaskan cabin during a violent nighttime blizzard, it is no less than the voice of God that urges him to take a closer look, to discover there his snow angel.

Unconscious and more than half frozen to death, her name is Elizabeth, a beautiful young woman, fragile yet fierce, intent on discovering gold like so many others rushing headlong toward the Yukon.

But why Elizabeth is so drawn to the gold, and why she would chase it even through a pounding storm that no man would dare face, is a secret to be shared with no one, not even at the invitation of Noah’s deep-blue, trusting eyes.

Jamie Carie has penned a can’t-up-down debut novel in Snow Angel, a masterfully romantic story wherein cold and lonely hearts risk everything to be forever warmed."

The first time I read this book, the romance and adventure were new and exciting. And while it was interesting to read the story again at a different point in my life, I found that re-reading can't quite re-capture the feeling of reading the plot for the first time. However, the magic of the wild Alaskan setting was a great thing to fall in love with again!

A few months back I wrote a post about re-reading vs. re-watching. For some reason (or perhaps several reasons), I get a lot more enjoyment out of re-watching a movie rather than re-reading a book. (Check out Vince's comment below that post - he makes a great point about the difference between the two!) I think if a book is plot-driven, re-reading that book won't be overly rewarding - I mean, you already know what's going to happen! But if a book has an engaging setting or beautiful language or fantastic characters, especially with deeper layers, then there can still be something there to make re-reading worthwhile.

I don't know if I'll want to re-read Snow Angel all the way through another time, but I can say this: despite how plot-driven the books is, the setting made the re-read entertaining. And the ending - I love how the setting makes the ending stand out so beautifully!

Well, I've rambled on long enough! If you're entered into the challenge, please share what you've re-read or what you plan on re-reading first this year! And if you haven't yet signed up but are interested in learning more about the challenge, click HERE. It's not too late to join us!