Christmas Books

It's that time of year again, time to reveal what was in the Christmas box of books!

This time I thought I would share via picture:

What we have here:
The Lovely Bones (this is actually the book I received in my book club book exchange...excited to read it.)
Grace for the Good Girl
V is for Vengeance
Doc
Explosive Eighteen

Not pictured, the five cookbooks I received: The Gourmet (magazine) Cookie Book, I Heart Trader Joe's Around the World, On a Stick, Pinches & Dashes (Wichita Jr. League), Ratio

Also worth mentioning: Phil received Steve Jobs, Counterfeit Gods, The Forgotten God and Unbroken.

Lots of good reading to be done! And hopefully some good eating as well.

Fall Into Reading Wrap-Up

As I sit amid 3-foot snow drifts, it's hard to believe that fall is only just now drawing to a close. I once again really enjoyed the Fall into Reading challenge hosted by Callapidder Days. And, I achieved some degree of success.

Of the 20 books on my list, I read 15 (actually, the 15th is one I will finish today). And, I read a fair number of non-fiction this time. In fact, of the 15, only 6 were fiction - A Trick of the Light, Tunnels, Joy for Beginners, One Dog Night, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, The Catcher in the Rye. Of those, both Joy for Beginners and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand were delightful. And, A Trick of the LIght was excellent. I really liked all of them.

The non-fiction on my list were also excellent - Unbroken was one of the best books I've read this year, as was One Thousand Gifts. Counterfeit Gods, The Good & Beautiful Life, The Forgotten God, Radical, and Kisses from Katie were all absolutely worth the read. Lost in Shangri-La was also good, but not quite the story that Unbroken was. Run with a Girl (book club) was the only one that wasn't really anything I would recommend to others.

Unread -

Game of Thrones - This one I did check out from the library and read a chapter or two. As much as I was hoping to like this series, I just didn't.

A Hole in our Gospel - one of these days...

In the Garden of Beasts - after reading 2 WWII books this fall, I thought this one was best saved for later.

The Summer We Got Saved - Just never got around to this one

The Good & Beautiful Community - This is one I hope to read early in 2012

I love this challenge. And, now I'm reading to move on to reading something else. Thanks to Callapidder Days for hosting. I can't wait to see how everyone else fared.

Fall into Reading - winding down

Just a few more days of the Fall into Reading Challenge. I've probably already said this, but by the end, I start really looking forward to reading something other than what I have listed. It's amazing how many other books come across my path in just a matter of months.

I hope to finish one more from my reading list (Radical by David Platt) before next Tuesday (I think that's the last day of the challenge). Just finished Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (December book club pick) and really enjoyed it. The story and the writing were delightful. And, before that, I, at long last, finished Tunnels.

I'll save my wrap-up post for when it's official...just wanted to get my progress chronicled on here a bit.

What to read next?
Here's what I have from the library:
Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos
2 Lynn Austin books
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
The Three Weismanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine
The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain

Books at home (that I own and haven't read and are high on my list):
Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton
Soul Searching by Mindy Caliguire
Matched by Ally Condie
The Distant Hours by Kate Mortenson

From CJ's school library:
Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson - read aloud??

Of course, I have all kinds of other projects I would like to/need to be working on...not sure when all this reading is going to happen.

RWR

As always, I ended up with more books from the library than I could read in the allotted time.

Returned without reading:
The Women
Bel Canto
The Candle in the Darkness
Fire by Night

Currently reading:
The Forgotten God

Still sitting on my shelf (or actually on my window seat):
Counterfeit Gods
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
The Lies We Told
The Three Weissmanns of Westport
Grace-Based Parenting
The Reason for God

At Long Last

I read "The Catcher in the Rye". Last week, we had a couple of rainy days and it seemed like the perfect weather to sit down a read this particular book. It was good, but I probably need to talk to an English teacher to really understand what the significance of the book is and why it's been so enduring. Nevertheless, I'm glad I read it.

Others that I've finished:
A Trick of the Light - Louise Penney's latest in her Inspector Gamache series. I think her books just keep getting better and better. If you like cozy mysteries, check her out.
The Good & Beautiful Life - the second of James Bryan Smith's three books. So good. I would like to read this in a group at some point.
Lost in Shangri-La - This is November's book club book.

#20

You know how I said that if I had realized there were 19 books on my Fall into Reading list I would have added another. Well, my small group had a reading assignment, so I'm making that #20.

Kisses from Katie is the story of Katie Davis, a young woman from Tennessee who moved to Uganda and is living an amazing story there. A friend's husband described her as a modern day Mother Teresa. I think he's right. And the thing is, she's just obeying God and He is really the one doing amazing things through her. She is in the process of adopting thirteen girls and impacts hundreds more through the non-profit she has started.

The book tells the story of how she got there and why she's stayed. The way she lives is challenging to say the least. The exciting thing, though, is that we all have the opportunity to impact lives like she is. The co-author wrote this at the beginning of the book:
"...I've noticed something about people who want to make a difference in the world: They hold the unshakable conviction that individuals are extremely important, that every life matters...They don't do anything to call attention to themselves, they simply pay attention to the everyday needs of others, even if it's only one person." Wow. You and I can do that too.

Plus One

I'm a little behind on my posting...

I read Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister about a month ago and was so glad I did. It was a good book and a great message, one of hope and joy (as evidenced in the title). Briefly, the book begins with a celebration of one woman's victory over cancer. Her daughter has asked her to do something outside of her comfort zone in the coming year (I won't give away what) and in turn, she challenges each of the women celebrating with her to do the same. The book is divided into their individual stories. It was fun and quick read.

Now, while I was at the library picking up that book, I read some of the reviews on the back for Bauermeister's first book The School of Essential Ingredients. Here's what it said:
"A delicate meltingly lovely hymn to food and friendship. Lillian's kitchen is a place where the world works the way it should. You'll want to tuck yourself into one warm corner of it and stay all day."

Well, with a review like that, how could I not check it out as well when it was sitting there on the shelf??? So, I paused on my FIR list very briefly (like, one afternoon) to read The School of Essential Ingredients. And, it was just as delightful as Joy for Beginners and arranged the same way, each section/chapter of the book telling someone else's story. Just lovely.

I highly recommend either one if you're looking for a light, easy, and for the most part, happy, read.

Making Progress

Okay, two more books can be crossed off my Fall into Reading list. Run Like A Girl, this month's book club selection and another non-fiction book, was finished last night. This book could have been better, though I think it will make for a great book club discussion, as long as some of the book club members have read it...Come on girls! :) You can do it. Mina (the author) says so.

And, One Dog Night, the next installment in a fun fiction series about a dog-loving lawyer, was a fast, easy read. I like Andy Carpenter (the character), and Dave Rosenfelt writes with a lot of humor. I enjoy some LOL when reading.

So, next up...I just picked up Joy for Beginners at the library. I'm still plugging away at The Good and Beautiful Life. I'm thinking the next non-fiction book I'll tackle is Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller. And, well, we'll see what next week's book club pick is for November.

Happy Reading!

On my way

Well, I've finished two of the books on my Fall into Reading list, both non-fiction. That might be the most non-fiction I've ever managed to read in a challenge.

Unbroken was excellent. It read like a novel, even with all the airplane/bomb/ammunition/stuff I really didn't understand in it. It was such a story of survival and resiliency and miracles. Briefly, it's the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner, expected to break the 4-minute mile. His life takes a drastic turn with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and America's involvement in the Second World War. Read it. It's worth it. (I kept reminding myself as I read it that it was a true story...gut-wrenching at times, eye-opening, for sure. So good.)

I will definitely be reading Hillenbrand's first book, "Seabiscuit" (even though I have seen the movie). Her writing was excellent. Of course, it will have to wait until winter.

The second book I finished on my list was even better. Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts is worth reading again. And I will. Her writing style is different from anything I've read before. And, in the beginning, I wasn't sure I liked it. By the end, there's no doubt, she's a gifted writer and a woman who really pursues God. To say the book is about gratitude sounds trite. It is indeed about gratitude but so much more than that as well. I had already read a chunk of it before the challenge started. And I may very well read it again before it's over.

What's next? I'm not sure really...maybe the first Game of Thrones book. I also have Run Like a Girl to read for book club. Whatever else I read, the first two will certainly remain two of the best.

Book Binge

I just numbered the books for the Fall into Reading Challenge to hopefully make my list a little easier to read. If I would have known I was one book short of 20, I probably would have found another to add. It's likely good that I didn't.

However, I went on a bit of a book buying binge at a conference (Formation in Christlikeness) I attended this past weekend. Fortunately, two of the books I purchased are already on my list (The Good & Beautiful Life, The Good & Beautiful Community, both by James Bryan Smith). And the others I'm really excited about. Can I really wait until winter?!?

What else did I get? Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton, Soul Searching by Mindy Caliguire and The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight. The latter two authors were both speakers at the conference...ditto for James Bryan Smith. So much to read. Too bad the bathrooms need cleaned. :)

Fall Into Reading '11

Wow...can you believe it's already fall? Although after the very hot (most 100+ degree days EVER) summer we had, fall is more than welcome here.

I'm excited to participate in the Fall into Reading Challenge hosted by Callapidder Days for the third year in a row! Yay.

My list is perhaps a bit of a work in progress still. I'll show you what I've got, but you might check back for possible changes (basically, I think the following is a bit too ambitious given the busy fall we have at our house).

Here it goes:
1. A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny - Her mysteries are perfect for fall.
2. Something by Timothy Keller - There are several to choose from and I'm wanting to leave my options open. I ended up choosing Counterfeit Gods.
3. The Good & Beautiful Life - I've been working on this one for awhile, hope to finish it soon
4. One Thousand Gifts - Ditto on this one. Great book!!
5. Game of Thrones Book 1 - I'm curious what all the hype is about, even though this does not exactly sound like my thing
6. Tunnels - Jr. Fiction that I've been meaning to get to forever...and if I do, I'll probably need to add the next three in the series to my list.
7. The Forgotten God by Francis Chan - This book goes right along with some of the things I'm learning, looking forward to reading it.
8. Joy for Beginners - A book from my Amazon wish list, a little lighter than some of my other selections...perhaps.
9. Unbroken by Laura Hildebrand - Waiting for me at the library as I type.
10. One Dog Night by Dave Rosenfelt - Another quick, easy read to balance out some of the non-fiction. Love this fun mystery series.
11. In the Garden of Beasts - This one may not happen this fall, but I want it on my list anyway, so I don't forget to read it later.
12. A Hole in our Gospel - This has been on my list for every challenge. I got part of the way through this spring and put it down. Time to pick it back up.
13. The Catcher in the Rye - Another repeat...I want to read a classic each fall. This year, this is it.
14. The Summer We Got Saved - Maybe I should save this for summer?
15. The Good & Beautiful Community - The final book in the series by James Bryan Smith.
16. Radical by David Platt- Have this on my Kindle, started it just recently, will definitely finish.
17., 18., 19. Book Club Books - Run like a Girl is the choice for October. November was Lost in Shangri-La. Finally, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand for December.

Whew. That's plenty. Now, head over to Callapidder Days and see what everyone else is reading!

Derailed

I haven't been doing quite as much fiction reading lately. The result is a growing pile of library books. Because every time I go, I can't help but bring a few things home with me. But, I haven't been finishing anything to take back. (We did, however, watch the first 2 seasons of Veronica Mars, courtesy of the library...that cut into my reading time.)

Today, a couple books will go back without reading:
An Amish Love - was never in the mood for hokey.
Amaryllis in Blueberry - never did figure out what this one was about.

Just finished and ready to return:
The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther - this was September's book club pick. We read a book set in the Middle East last month (Son of Hamas) and I was a little slow to read this one, since the setting was similar. The book was good, though, just not a speedy read.

Still in the pile:
Divergent by Veronica Roth - I'm excited to read this one. It's very likely next up.
Call me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Bel Canto - by Ann Patchett - on my tbr list for a LONG time
Candle in the Darkness & Fire by Night by Lynn Austin
The Women by TC Boyle

Still reading:
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
The Good and Beautiful Life by James Bryan Smith
Radical by David Platt - this one's on my Kindle

Recently purchased:
66 Love Letters by Larry Crabb

What are you reading? What do you want to read?

Harry Potter Overload

Well, I did it. I re-read all seven Harry Potter books. In case you wondered, that's the third time I've read #1-#6 and the second time I've read #7. They're still delightful.

Now, I'm ready to see the movies. And, on Saturday night we had dinner with some friends and they just happened to own them all (minus the new one, of course) and sent them all home with us. Now, I think I've mentioned before that we don't watch many movies, so to have a pile of 7 waiting to be watched...this could take awhile.

After an intense two weeks spent at Hogwarts (ha), I didn't feel much like reading anything. So, it's been slow going since then. I've collected quite the pile though.

Currently reading:
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
The Good & Beautiful Life by James Bryan Smith
The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure - memoir by a woman who explores the world of "The Little House on the Prairie", very interesting read as a person who LOVED those books as a child

Waiting in the wings (to be read or returned):
Son of Hamas - book club book for August
Ratio - a cookbook of sorts that is unfortunately requested by another library patron, preventing me from renewing it for weeks on end
Unlocked - Karen Kingsbury's latest, don't think I'm actually going to read this one
In This Mountain - the next Mitford book, I think I'm officially further along in the series than my first go-round
An Amish Love: Three Amish Novellas - probably every bit as hokey as it sounds, but a girl needs options, right?
Amarylis in Blueberry - I know nothing about this book, just grabbed it off the New Release shelf at the library
Finally, and the only non-library book in the pile, Tunnels - I told one of my book club members I would read this series and started the book, got distracted and really want to get back to it...especially since I bought the next two books in the series.

That's all, folks.

Something about Summer

I know I've said this before, but there is just something about summer and books for me. No other season holds the same reading appeal as summer. Maybe it's due to the library reading program when I was a child that rewarded my obsession, er, I mean habit. Maybe it was the fact that during college and even for quite some time afterward, summer was the only time I got to read for fun. Whatever the cause, summer says reading to me.

And, this summer has meant lots of trips to the library...obviously. (Sometimes I think my blog title should be "What I picked up at the library today"...boring, I know, but it sure captures what I write about). I'm thinking of abandoning the library books though and digging out one of my favorite series. Yep, Harry Potter, here I come.

The release of the final movie has made me want to read the series again. I've never seen any of the films, but I'm getting the itch to see what all the hype is about. Before I do that, though, I think the books deserve one more reading.

I probably should ask my husband's permission before embarking on this project. It's a whole lot of pages. Hmmm...maybe not. I'm afraid he might look at me like I'm crazy. (And he'll figure it out quickly enough).

One other reason I have for re-reading the books - I would like to read them with my soon-to-be sixth-grader in mind. He's asked about reading them, and I've put him off for now. So, this would give me an opportunity to evaluate whether or not he's ready.

So, Harry, Hermione and Ron, here I come. Can't wait to spend some more time with you!

In the Pile

First of all, I really enjoyed the "Uglies" series by Scott Westerfeld. If you liked the Hunger Games, I think you would enjoy this teen sci-fi series as well. It doesn't quite match up to the Hunger Games, but really, that's a tall order, don't you think? So, check it out...Uglies, Pretties, Specials and Extras.

I went to the library to return a few things and can't leave without taking home some replacements.

On my nightstand:
Ratio (a book about cooking) by Michael Ruhlman
In This Mountain by Jan Karon
Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult...better purchase some tissues
Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury...they were talking about this book on the radio a few days ago
Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa...my book club book, haven't convinced myself to read it yet. This is not good, because book club is mere days away.

Also, on my nightstand, not from the library:
The Help...I want to re-read this before the movie comes out in August
Tunnels...started it and may need to start over.
The Hole in our Gospel...ditto. I was doing really good about reading this for awhile. Need to get back to it.

Obviously, that's more than enough to keep me reading for awhile.

What are you reading?

A Trip to the Library

It's time for a trip to the library again. We have a stack of things to return and I'm in need of a few new books for the TBR pile.

I had a dream last night that I showed up at book club in July without realizing I never read the book, didn't even check it out. So, first on my list, is a book by Mario Vargas Llosa. We are free to choose any book that he has written, so I think I'll just see what's there. (This might necessitate a trip to the main library, as the branch I usually visit doesn't seem to have any of his books).

Also, I'm hoping they have in Pretties by Scott Westerfeld. I really shouldn't read it until I read The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson series) so that my son can read it. To be honest, I'm not terribly excited about reading it. Thus, the procrastination.

We'll see what else finds its way into the pile. Stay tuned.

Spring Reading Thing Wrap-Up

Summer is here! And spring is past. Although in Kansas, it's felt like summer for a few weeks now. Spring apparently made an early departure.

I basically didn't do so well on the Spring Reading Thing hosted at Callapidder Days. It wasn't that I didn't read. As you can see from the list on the sidebar, I did plenty of reading. I just didn't want to read what was on my list. Sometimes a list works for me and sometimes it doesn't.

I set my goal pretty low...just 6 books. I knew I would read others. How did I do?

I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (book club) and Left Neglected. I checked out Green but didn't get it read before needing to return it. And, I have a good start on The Hole in Our Gospel and am about halfway through The Good and Beautiful God.

Even though I didn't do so hot on my list, it's still fun to participate in these challenges and gets me thinking about what I'm going to be reading.

And now, on to summer...my favorite reading season of all.

If you want to see how other readers did, go here!

I lost my list!

Oh man, I haven't done a very good job keeping my list for 2011 in the sidebar updated recently. But, I had a piece of paper sitting by the computer with all the books I had read listed, just waiting for the day I would finally update this blog.

Well, I'm ready to update my blog, but my list is nowhere to be found! Aghhh. So, I've come up with a few that I read but am definitely missing some. Bummer. I'm hopeful that the library can look up what I recently checked out, because all the books were from there. We'll see.

What I'm reading now...

Well, I just finished "A Homemade Life", which is my book club book for this month. I'm hosting, and it was my second time reading it. This time I felt like it read more like a cookbook. The first time it seemed more like a memoir. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the group thinks.

Still working on "The Good and Beautiful God" and the next Mitford series book (also a re-read for me).

With most of my free time these days, I'm watching 11- and 12-year olds play baseball.

Happy Reading!

Read this book!

I've used this title before. I really mean it this time.

Get "Heaven is for Real" and read it! Wow. Not only is the story amazing, but it also references my hometown (the likelihood of this in your average book is pretty slim, since I grew up in a very small town near the Kansas-Colorado border).

Last night, I fell asleep while Phil was finishing this book. I woke up at about 11:00pm. He finished shortly thereafter and insisted that I read it (I was already planning to. I checked it out from the library for myself but let him have first dibs). At midnight, I still wasn't asleep, so I picked up the book (I have a couple others I'm in the middle of, but neither were particularly appealing at midnight). I didn't put it down until I was finished. And, I have no idea what time that was.

It is a very fast read and an amazing story about a little boy who got a glimpse, or perhaps more than a glimpse, of heaven. It's particularly a timely read for anyone who attends our church, as we're studying the book of Revelation.

Read this book. Really. :)

Request Crazy

I went a little request crazy at the library lately, and they're all becoming availabe at the same time.

Here's what I picked up yesterday:
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
On Borrowed Time by Dave Rosenfelt

Here's what is waiting for me now:
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
The New York Regional Morman Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker

And, I still have 5 more not yet available! And 5 others that were already in my possession that still need read. Some are going back unread. :(

Magazines

Do you keep magazines? I do. I am, perhaps, a magazine hoarder. I have every issue of Taste of Home ever delivered to my mailbox, probably close to 10 years worth at this point. Unfortunately, it's not just Taste of Home. It's pretty much every magazine I've ever laid hands on...cooking, running, reading, life. It's a problem.

Before we moved to Kansas, I did purge my Real Simple magazines, tore out anything I wanted to keep and put the rest in a pile to donate to the library. I had set aside, oh, maybe 8 that I really wanted to keep. Unfortunately, my dear husband who was taking the magazines to the library for me didn't know there was a distinction between the two piles and donated every last one. Tears may or may not have been shed.

One magazine that I no longer receive but cannot bear to part with is "Bookmarks". It rates and reviews all kinds of literature and is a priceless resource for readers. (It's also kind of pricey, which is why I no longer subscribe). My favorite feature is the article where they highlight a book club each issue. It's fun to see what other book clubs have enjoyed reading, what they haven't liked and how they're structured.

Recently, I was looking through some of my mom's old issues (she's still a subscriber) and noticed that in several issues the featured book clubs mentioned "The Other Boleyn Girl" as one of their favorites. I figured it must be worth a read.

I'm disappointed to say that it was not a book I enjoyed and not one I would recommend others read. Perhaps it's because it was so long (not normally something I dislike) and about a story that I already knew the end of. If you don't know the story of Anne Boleyn and Henry the 8th, you may find it more enjoyable, but reading 600 pages and knowing the end of the story...not my favorite thing. The story is told from the perspective of Anne's sister, Mary, and follows history to some extent. I know the author took great liberties, though. I didn't stop reading, so it obviously wasn't horrible, and parts were fascinating. But, I think what disturbed me the most was the complete and utter excess and self-indulgence of the royalty in that time period. Wow. It was repulsive.

Anyway, I don't normally post about books I don't like, but this one made quite the impression. After finishing, I read one of CJ's books that he LOVED, City of Ember. And, then I read it's sequel People of Sparks. They were great books with really good messages.

What's next? I don't know. I'll probably tackle either Green or Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I am reading The Hole in Our Gospel...and committed to reading some of it each day. It's about that time.

happy reading!

Spring Reading Thing 2011

Can you believe that spring has arrived? I have to tell you if there is one season where I am inclined to read less rather than more, it is spring. I'm not sure why but I think it has to do with getting out of the rut of winter, and I definitely do a lot of reading in the winter.

Nevertheless, I am going to participate in Callapidder Days Spring Reading Thing. It's an easy challenge. Just make a list of books you want to read this spring and then read them. :) Want more information? Go here.

What's on my list? I'm going to try to keep it shorter this time.

Non-Fiction:
The Whole Life Adoption Book (this has been on numerous lists)
The Hole in our Gospel (this one too)
The Good and Beautiful God

Fiction:
Green by Ted Dekker
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (book club, a re-read for me) by John Berendt
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

There are others on my nighstand and on my library list. But, this is it for my list...for now.

Want to see what others are reading? Check out all the links HERE. (I'll let you in on a little secret...my favorite part of the challenge: finding out about new books/authors from the other readers).

March Reading

Ack...I'm kind of falling behind on posting and feel like I've forgotten what I've read recently.

Let's see. My book club picked "Room" by Emma Donoghue which was already sitting in my TBR pile. I waited to read until last week, so that hopefully I would remember a little more of it than last month's book (Bridget Jones's Diary -which I read too soon). Another book on the list for this month was "The Summer We Got Saved" - definitely one I hope to get at the library.

Also, this month I read Robert Whitlow's Tides of Truth series, three books about a female law clerk set in Savannah, GA. They were super quick, light reads. I actually got the first one on my Kindle for free and used the text-to-speech feature to listen to it as I drove to my parents'. The computer-generated voice takes a little getting used to and occasionally had some pretty funny pronunciations...for example, it pronounced Zach phonetically. So, once I started reading the books, I couldn't help but call him Zach (with ch- as in church).

I'm also taking part in a read-a-long of Jane Eyre hosted over at We'll Always Have Books. I'm a bit behind but should finish before the end of the month.

I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting something...

What's next?

I'm looking forward to book club on Thursday where we'll pick a book for April. I also still have "Green" and "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" from the library. I've started "The Other Boleyn Girl" and need to get back to it. And I'm waiting on about 5 books from the library. I'll save those for the next post.

Happy Reading!

February Reading

I love it when I go to the library and find books that I didn't even know I wanted to read. Or even books that I had considered reading or found intriguing but hadn't yet requested. I really like those library trips.

This past week I ran to the library on Tuesday when snow was falling frantically from the sky. Mostly it was to pick up a couple books on hold that had to be picked up or I risked losing them (and owing $1 for each). My two books on hold: Green by Ted Dekker and The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. When I ventured over to the new arrivals shelf, I found two more books: Roses by Leila Meacham and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender.

I devoured Roses - don't judge the book by its cover. It's not one I would have picked up based on its appearance, but the back cover compared it to Gone with the Wind but set in Texas, a rather generous comparison in my estimation, but nevertheless I enjoyed the saga...a lot. And, I've just started The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake and it is also a delightful book.

Also on my nightstand:
Green
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
Sabotaged by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Jr Fiction)
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

Happy Reading!

Slow Recovery

So, I just finished "World Without End" by Ken Follett, the 1014-page sequel to "The Pillars of the Earth". A book that size requires a sizable investment of reading time. I actually finished it early this week and I just haven't been able to bring myself to pick up a new book. It is hard to follow stories that span 1000+ pages with one of C's Jr. Fiction books that I need to read, or almost anything else. So, I'm not quite sure what will be next.

It will likely be next month's book club book...which is being chosen at book club tonight...which I am not at...sad. I had to travel for work this month, which is preventing me from taking part in what I am sure is a great discussion about Princess Di's life. I'm looking forward to hearing what book we'll be reading this next month (and actually got to cast my vote early).

Other possibilities for the next book to be read: Sabotage by Margaret Peterson Haddix, The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns or...? Anyone have any suggestions?

The Book Box

The book box was filled with good things. Here's the quick recap:

• Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
• Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon
• A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
• The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
• Perfect One-Dish Dinners by Pam Anderson
• Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?

I've got some good reading ahead of me in 2011. Right now, on my nightstand: The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown (January book club) and Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

I added a list on the sidebar of this blog to track what I read during 2011. See that for my most recent reads.