Here is the big list of books I read last year! I tracked them all on Goodreads, a great place to find "what to read next" and be kinda social with your reading. You can see what your friends are reading and read reviews and everything. Go ahead and "friend" me if you want to; I always like to see what everyone else is reading!
My rather lofty goal for last year was 36; I read 32. Not too shabby. I went from being an occasional reader, to an every-day reader. And DH started reading every day, too. We're both still resisting getting Kindles/Nooks, but I can see the day is coming...maybe next Christmas. :)
Anyway...my 2012 reading list!
NONFICTION
Quitter, Jon Acuff
90 Minutes in Heaven: A true story of death & life, Don Piper
48 Days to the work you love, Dan Miller
Radical: Taking back your faith from the American Dream, David Platt
Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl, Lysa Teurkeurst
The Bishop of Rwanda: Finding Forgiveness amidst a pile of bones, John Rucyahana
The New Hide or Seek, James Dobson
Stormie: A story of forgiveness and healing, Stormie Omartian
In Harm's Way, Doug Stanton
Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
Another Man's War, Sam Childers
Happy Accidents, Jane Lynch
FICTION
Family Tree, Barbara Delinsky
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
The Magician's Nephew, C.S. Lewis
The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
Beezus and Ramona, Beverly Cleary
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
The Horse and His Boy, C.S. Lewis
The Giver, Lois Lowry
Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
Gentlemen and Players, Joanne Harris
The Last Town on Earth, Thomas Mullen
The Parting, Beverly Lewis
A Voice in the Wind, Francine Rivers
An Echo in the Darkness, Francine Rivers
As Sure as the Dawn, Francine Rivers
Fire by Night, Lynn Austin
The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
THE AWARDS!
Best Fiction: A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers. Actually, the whole 3-book series. It is not put-downable. Seriously. And when I finished the series, I actually felt lonely because my characters were gone!
Runner-up: The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
Best Nonfiction: Radical by David Platt. Whether you agree or disagree with the guy, everyone should read this book. It is SO thought-provoking and really made me change the way I view my life.
Runner-up: Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
Worst Fiction: The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen. What a snooze-fest!
Runner-up: The Parting, Beverly Lewis. Amish fiction is not for me. zzzzzzzz.......
Worst Nonfiction: Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch. I picked it up because I think she's hilarious and I thought it would be a funny & entertaining read. WRONG. Just a big lot of "who-cares!"
Runner-up: Another Man's War, Sam Childers. Interesting note: 1. Sam Childers lives about a town over from me. DH has met him a few times. 2. The movie "Machine Gun Preacher" is about that guy. 3. This book could have been amazing, but I don't know if the author actually had an editor or not. I'm guessing "not." BUT, the subject matter covers up for the horrendous writing style & lack of organization.
***
In 2013, my goal again is to shoot for 36 books. Among those, I want to read:
- The Harry Potter series, or at least the first one. If I like it, I'll read more. Nothing like jumping on a bandwagon about 10 years later, right?
- The second series in the Baxter family saga by Karen Kingsbury. I think they're the ones that start with F. I love KK; every single book I've ever read of hers makes me cry like a baby! I have already read the first series (Redepmtion), I want to pick it up again this year.
I don't really know what else...I want to get some current books on my list, too. Suggestions?
Currently I'm reading a self-help book; I can't resist a good self-help book every once in a while. But I should be done in a day or two and then...what do I start with?
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Fall Reading
Of all my many, many years of New Years Resolutions, I have to say that this year's have been the BEST!
Among other things, one of my resolutions was to "read more." I originally set a goal to read 24 books in 2012, but then upped it to 36. (I'm at 26 - amazing for me!) The point was to get myself in the habit of reading. And it totally worked.
Instead of staying up too late and falling asleep in front of the TV on the couch, I'll usually go up to bed around 10 and read a few chapters. SUCH a better way to go. And now that my 8yo does gymnastics, I'm finding myself with several more hours of reading time per week, when I'd otherwise be sitting there playing on my cell phone. (Words with Friends. I can only take so much of that game. Right now, I've got one game where I don't have a single vowel. And I've got another where I have all vowels and one consonant. How aggravating!)
But I've had a run of "blah" books lately. Not bad, most of them still worth reading, but just not great. Water for Elephants really ruined it for me. I'm now dissatisfied with anything that doesn't measure up!
Anyway, here are the books I've read lately...
Gentlemen & Players - Joanne Harris
I mean...it was OK. I guessed the ending long before I think I was supposed to. Not that memorable. It was fine.
The Last Town on Earth - Thomas Mullen
Again, just OK. The first 2/3 of the book was totally unnecessary.
48 Days to the Work you Love - Dan Miller
OK, this one was actually really good. I think it's going to become our standard "college graduate" gift from now on. I wish I'd read this when I was younger, and I know DH wishes he had, too.
The Parting - Beverly Lewis
My first venture into Amish fiction. It was a nice story, and kept me just interested enough to keep reading, but not so interested that I want to read the rest of the series. Just OK, overall. I thought I would enjoy it more! Maybe I should have started with one of her more popular books; I'm not writing her off altogether, but I feel no urge to read more Beverly Lewis right now.
90 Minutes in Heaven - Don Piper
Hmm. What did I think? It was fascinating. The true story of a guy who died in an accident, went to heaven, and then came back to life. Honestly, I thought there'd be more about Heaven in it...most of it was about his recovery afteward. Still really good though.
So, there's nothing really earth-shattering here. But THEN I went to a yard sale and picked up a set of books by Francine Rivers, called "The Mark of the Lion" trilogy. The first one is called A Voice in the Wind and I love it so far. Almost from the very first page, I started feeling connected to the characters. That is unheard of. Francine Rivers is a genius. I forgot how much I love her books! This one is set in ancient Rome. It makes me want to rent "Gladiator" again, actually.
What are you reading these days?
Among other things, one of my resolutions was to "read more." I originally set a goal to read 24 books in 2012, but then upped it to 36. (I'm at 26 - amazing for me!) The point was to get myself in the habit of reading. And it totally worked.
Instead of staying up too late and falling asleep in front of the TV on the couch, I'll usually go up to bed around 10 and read a few chapters. SUCH a better way to go. And now that my 8yo does gymnastics, I'm finding myself with several more hours of reading time per week, when I'd otherwise be sitting there playing on my cell phone. (Words with Friends. I can only take so much of that game. Right now, I've got one game where I don't have a single vowel. And I've got another where I have all vowels and one consonant. How aggravating!)
But I've had a run of "blah" books lately. Not bad, most of them still worth reading, but just not great. Water for Elephants really ruined it for me. I'm now dissatisfied with anything that doesn't measure up!
Anyway, here are the books I've read lately...
Gentlemen & Players - Joanne Harris
I mean...it was OK. I guessed the ending long before I think I was supposed to. Not that memorable. It was fine.
The Last Town on Earth - Thomas Mullen
Again, just OK. The first 2/3 of the book was totally unnecessary.
48 Days to the Work you Love - Dan Miller
OK, this one was actually really good. I think it's going to become our standard "college graduate" gift from now on. I wish I'd read this when I was younger, and I know DH wishes he had, too.
The Parting - Beverly Lewis
My first venture into Amish fiction. It was a nice story, and kept me just interested enough to keep reading, but not so interested that I want to read the rest of the series. Just OK, overall. I thought I would enjoy it more! Maybe I should have started with one of her more popular books; I'm not writing her off altogether, but I feel no urge to read more Beverly Lewis right now.
90 Minutes in Heaven - Don Piper
Hmm. What did I think? It was fascinating. The true story of a guy who died in an accident, went to heaven, and then came back to life. Honestly, I thought there'd be more about Heaven in it...most of it was about his recovery afteward. Still really good though.
So, there's nothing really earth-shattering here. But THEN I went to a yard sale and picked up a set of books by Francine Rivers, called "The Mark of the Lion" trilogy. The first one is called A Voice in the Wind and I love it so far. Almost from the very first page, I started feeling connected to the characters. That is unheard of. Francine Rivers is a genius. I forgot how much I love her books! This one is set in ancient Rome. It makes me want to rent "Gladiator" again, actually.
What are you reading these days?
Monday, July 16, 2012
Summer Reading List
Oh, the dreaded summer reading list. I used to have one of those from 3rd grade on up. Every summer, I would wait until about a week before school started, and then do nothing but read...cramming all the books in, and then skimming the ones that didn't hold my interest. (That was most of them.) Books like The Hobbit...all I remember is the description of Gollum, those endless songs and poems in italics, and some place called Murkwood. I'm sure if I read it today, I'd find it more interesting, but it was pure torture for me back in high school. I'm also pretty sure that at this point in my life, I'll just wait for the movie. Don't judge! ;)
Life is so ironic. NOW, I can't get enough reading done. My "to-read" list is a mile long. If I finish a book and don't have another one to start that night, I get irritated. Emergency trips to the library happen. (I'm pretty sure I'll be the last person on earth to get a Kindle! That's OK with me.)
My new year's resolution to "read more" is actually going awesome-ly. Being on Goodreads helps - it keeps track of the books I read, and it's a great place to find which books I want to read next. Tons and tons of reader reviews. Here's my profile - if you're on it too, friend me! I love to see what my friends are reading!
Anyway, this summer I've read the following:
The Bishop of Rwanda: Finding Forgiveness Amidst a Pile of Bones by John Rucyahana
Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa TerKeurst
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream by David Platt
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
(well, I read half of it. I didn't finish this one!)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
(currently reading)
It's purely coincidental that I read two circus books in a row. I don't have a big interest in the circus, really! But I have to say that Water for Elephants is my current "summer favorite" so far. I loved that book. But be warned: there's some language, which I can usually handle, but in this one there is a fair amount of using the name of Jesus as a curse word and that just makes me queasy. There is also a smattering of sexual content that in my opinion, is more detailed than it needs to be. But the scenes are short, and there are only a few. OTHER THAN THAT, the story and characters are so engrossing...I actually felt sad that it had to come to an end. And speaking of the end: one of my favorite endings ever.
My other favorite book this summer has been Radical. But it totally deserves its own post. I'll do that someday soon.
So...what are YOU reading this summer?
Life is so ironic. NOW, I can't get enough reading done. My "to-read" list is a mile long. If I finish a book and don't have another one to start that night, I get irritated. Emergency trips to the library happen. (I'm pretty sure I'll be the last person on earth to get a Kindle! That's OK with me.)
My new year's resolution to "read more" is actually going awesome-ly. Being on Goodreads helps - it keeps track of the books I read, and it's a great place to find which books I want to read next. Tons and tons of reader reviews. Here's my profile - if you're on it too, friend me! I love to see what my friends are reading!
Anyway, this summer I've read the following:
The Bishop of Rwanda: Finding Forgiveness Amidst a Pile of Bones by John Rucyahana
Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa TerKeurst
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream by David Platt
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
(well, I read half of it. I didn't finish this one!)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
(currently reading)
It's purely coincidental that I read two circus books in a row. I don't have a big interest in the circus, really! But I have to say that Water for Elephants is my current "summer favorite" so far. I loved that book. But be warned: there's some language, which I can usually handle, but in this one there is a fair amount of using the name of Jesus as a curse word and that just makes me queasy. There is also a smattering of sexual content that in my opinion, is more detailed than it needs to be. But the scenes are short, and there are only a few. OTHER THAN THAT, the story and characters are so engrossing...I actually felt sad that it had to come to an end. And speaking of the end: one of my favorite endings ever.
My other favorite book this summer has been Radical. But it totally deserves its own post. I'll do that someday soon.
So...what are YOU reading this summer?
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