One Hundred Years of Solitude

Today I am starting One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  This book was suggested by a friend a long time ago.  The library had lost their copy and the Book Shoppe didn't have one.  I added my name to the list at the Book Shoppe to be called if any used copies came in.  Right before Thanksgiving I got the call that a copy came in, so now I am finally getting to read it.

The book description on Goodreads says it is the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo told through the history of a family.  It says the story features love, lust, war, politics, and more.  I hope I enjoy this novel.

Finished #10

I just finished Hot Six.  This book was very action packed.  Just when you think Stephanie can't get into any more trouble, she almost gets herself killed 3 times.  I'm a little annoyed with the dialog in the book as everyone is starting to sound the same when they talk, but these books are always a good quick read.

Hot Six

Tonight I am starting Hot Six by Janet Evanovich.  It's book 6 of the Stephanie Plum series.  I liked that the 5th book ended with Stephanie torn between hooking back up with Morelli or giving it a shot with Ranger.  Can't wait to see what happens in this book.

Finished #9

I finally finished The World We Found.  When I first started reading this book I thought the story was interested.  3 friends traveling to America to visit an old college friend who is dying of cancer.  The story was a little slow going at first, but I liked learning a little about all the girls and their lives.  As the story progressed I felt that the the story shifted away from the friend with cancer, Armaiti, and started to focus more on Nishta, the one who married a Muslim.  If felt like instead of visiting Armaiti, the friends were looking for a way to save Nishta.
I understand that there were a lot of political messages in the book, but I felt like the story diverged too much from the original main idea.  There were so many things mentioned in the book (like the relationship between Armaiti and Kavita) that were left unsolved/unanswered.  I really wish we would have seen the friends be reunited with Armaiti rather than just seeing the events that led up to it.

The World We Found

The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar is one of the books that I won from Goodreads.  It's about 4 friends from India who didn't keep in touch after college.  The girl who moved to America found out she has cancer and wants the other girls to come visit her before she dies.  There are lots of secrets and political messages in the story.  It's an okay book, but not holding my attention well.  I feel like I've been reading it forever.  I need to just sit down and focus on it so I can be done and move on to something else.

Finished #8

I finished Gone Girl last night.  This was a really good book.  I especially loved the 2nd part of the book.  It didn't end like I expected it too, but it's always good to not be able to guess the ending.  Hard to discuss this one without giving too much away.  :)

Gone Girl

After 1 1/2 months on the library wait list, I finally got Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  I thought this book would come in while I was on vacation in Wisconsin and it did.  Luckily it needed picked up today, so I stopped right after work to get it.  Can't wait to start reading it.  I haven't read any reviews about it, because I didn't want any spoilers.  I do know that all of my friends that have read this book really love it.  Can't wait to start it tonight.

Finished #7

While in Wisconsin, I read You Better Not Cry: Stories About Christmas by Augusten Burroughs.  The first story was about Augusten's Christmas as a 6 yr old child.  Some parts of this story were absolutely hilarious.  He seemed to be a very naughty child and we didn't really get a sense of how "bad" his parents were.  The other stories were about different times in Augusten's life (mostly his late 20's).  Some of the stories were sad and some were weird.  I read Running with Scissors and Wolf at the Table, so I know a lot of the background stories about why Augusten doesn't visit his parents/family for the holidays.  I felt the whole book was just okay, but really liked the first and last stories in the book.  I liked learning about his new partner and the relationship he has with his brother.  And like I said, the first story was really funny.  Other all, I still prefer Sedaris.

Finished #6

I finally finished Ape House by Sara Gruen.  This book took me awhile to read, but I don't know why. I really liked it, but I must have been busy doing other things instead of reading.  I loved learning about the bonobos and how similar they act to children.  I'm also learning more sign language for work, so I liked learning about that too.  I'm really interested in reading some of the books she mentioned about apes and chimpanzees.

Ape House

Today I will be starting Ape House by Sara Gruen.  I have tried to suggest this book for book club, but they didn't seem too interested.  What I'm most interested in for this book is that it is about the Great Ape Trust in Des Moines.  I'm from Iowa and never knew this place exisisted.

Finished #5

I finished Old Town in the Green Groves last night.  It was about Laura's lost years from Plum Creek, MN to Burr Oak, IA.  There were a couple of major events during this book, so I'm surprised that Laura didn't write about them.  The Ingalls family moved many times during this book and had lots of new experiences.  We just started watching Little House on the Prairie and it all seems to be about Plum Creek.  They didn't actually live at Plum Creek very long.  Guess I'll have to see if the Little House show follows the books.

Old Town in the Green Groves

I am really glad I started the Little House books again.  I'm really excited for the show on Friday, so I grabbed 2 more in the series.  Old Town in the Green Groves is by Cynthia Rylant and is about Laura's lost years.  She never really wrote about this time in her life except for a couple journal entries.  I'm interested in this one because Rylant said this is when the Ingalls family moved to Iowa.

Finished #4

I just finished High Five by Janet Evanovich.  These books are so unbelievable, but still hilarious.  I love the crazy shannanigans that Stephanie Plum gets herself into.  I also liked how she now has a heating romance between both of the guys that are constantly coming to her rescue.  I'll definitely be reading more of these throughout the year.

High Five

Today I started the 5th book, High Five, in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.  I was against reading these at first, but they are getting quite entertaining.  I've grown to love Stephanie's character as well as some of the supporting characters.  I still don't think I could read all 18 books in a row, but 1 or 2 at a time is a nice break for easy reads.

Finished #3

I finished On the Banks of Plum Creek today.  I really liked this story.  It was fun to learn about them building their house and going to school for the first time.  I can picture spoiled Nellie from the tv show.  After reading this book I really wanted to watch the show, but it isn't on instant play on Netflix.

On the Banks for Plum Creek

I had to give up on Great Expectations for awhile.  We have tickets to see "Little House Christmas at Plum Creek" on November 9th, so I thought it would be the perfect time to start reading the Little House series again.  I'm on #4 On the Banks of Plum Creek, by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  This book reminds me a lot more of the Little House on the Prairie show.  I'm really excited to see the play.

Finished #2

Here is the review I wrote for Goodreads:  I received this book from a First Reads giveaway. I really agreed with a lot of what Gene Robinson said in this book, but I have always believed that gays should have the right to marry. There were some parts of the book that I found really repetitive and that really didn't stick to the topic of the chapter. I don't know if this book would change anyone's mind about gay marriage, but it did reaffirm some of my beliefs on civil rights in America. I'm still not quite sure that the title makes sense for the book. Yes, God Believes in Love, but it seemed that Robinson's main point was more for marriage equality, not a religious right for gay marriage.

God Believes in Love

Today I started one of the books I won from the Goodreads Giveaways.  It's called God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage.  It's written by Gene Robinson who is an openly gay Bishop.    I'm only about 15 pages in, but so far it is interesting.  It talks about Gene's life before becoming a Bishop.  I'm interested to learn more about the struggles he went through and how he is able to remain a strong Christian even when faced by hatred from so many.

Great Expectations

Today I plan to start Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  This is our November book club pick.  I have never read this story, but it was mentioned in several good books I have read recently.  I've never read any novels by Dickens, so I'm excited to see what his writing is like.

Finished #1

I just finished book #1, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.  This took me a little longer to finish than I hoped since we had visitors this weekend.  I really wanted to like this book, but the story felt too scattered.  Rather than just being about Rose and her ability to taste feelings in food, there were too many random story lines.  There is a mystery about her grandmother, her parents, and her brother.  Also her brother's friend George is one of the main characters although I don't really know why.  I am still confused by what happened to her brother.  Feel like I can't really picture what was described.  Towards the end things are a little wrapped up, but I didn't feel there was a solid conclusion.  I would recommend this to someone who likes unique stories.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

My first book for this year's challenge is The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender.  This is the story of a little girl feeling her mother's emotions by eating a cake she made.  The description kid of reminds me of Like Water for Chocolate.  I really liked that book, so I'm hoping that this book is good too.  Jerra recommended it to me a long time ago and I finally found it at the library.

Year 4

Wow!  I can't believe this is the 4th year of the Book Challenge.  This is something I wish I would have started right after graduating college.  There are so many good books out there.  I absolutely love reading.  Can't wait to start the challenge again!

Finished #50!

I just finished book 50 with a few hours to spare.  The Light Princess by George MacDonald was a good story.  It was a type of fairy tale, or didactic tale according to Levi.  It was about a princess who has a spell cast on her by her aunt where she loses all her gravity.  She can only get in touch with gravity when she swims in the lake with a prince.  It's a really weird and whimsical story.  Very interesting.  I would recommend to people who like unique stories.  It was about love, revenge, and sacrifice.

So glad I completed the challenge.  Can't wait to start a new year tomorrow.

The Light Princess

I am starting book #50 that I need to finish by tonight.  The Light Princess by George MacDonald is one of the books Levi had to read for his children's literature class.  It's a short book, but Levi said it was a really good story.  I'm hoping I can finish it by tonight to finish the challenge.  :)

Finished #49

I stayed up until midnight last night finishing Four to Score.  I thought this was the funniest of the Stephanie Plum series so far.  I've heard they just get more funny into the series.  I really loved that Morelli and Lula were bigger characters in this book.  Sally was pretty funny too.  I'll probably grab number 5 in a couple of weeks.

Now, on to the last book....

Four to Score

I am starting the 4th book in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.  It is called Four to Score.  I can't really remember were the 3rd book left off, but I want to say that Stephanie and Morelli were getting closer.  I'm interested to see how much more crazy Stephanie's life can get.

Finished #48

I just finished #48, the perks of being a wallflower.  I really liked reading the letters from Charlie.  I felt like I could relate a lot more to Charlie than I could to Bridget Jones in her journal entries.  Charlie's story was very sad, but I loved that he was able to find a group of friends to fit in with.  I also loved that his brother and sister truly cared about him even though they sometimes acted like they didn't.  It was a sad story, but I'm glad I read it.

the perks of being a wallflower

I started the perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.  It's about the life that Charlie lives in high school.  Charlie writes letting describing his life, thoughts, and feelings.  I've only read 3 of the letters so far, but I already feel like I like Charlie.

Finished #47

I finished book #47, The Pact, last night.  Like all of Picoult's books you were torn over who to side with.  This one didn't give me the moral pull right away, but did in the last couple of chapters.  I recommend for anyone who likes Picoult's other books.

#47

I started The Pact by Jodi Picoult yesterday.  It's the story of a teenage suicide pact between a boyfriend and girlfriend.  The girl died, but the boy didn't, so the boy is under investigation for homicide.  Picoult's books always make me really mad, but I usually read them pretty quickly, so I'm hoping this was a good pick for me.

Finished #46

I finished Bridget Jones's Diary last night.  This book is similar to the movie, but didn't make Mark seem quite as dorky in the beginning.  This book is the perfect example of why it's good to read.  I didn't like the life she lived or her character or even friends, but it's a life I get to live through books that I will never get to live in real life.  :)

Bridget Jones's Diary

Last night I started Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding.  I got a bunch of books at Half Price Books a few months ago and this is one of them.  Since I have 2 1/2 weeks to read 5 books, I need to read some shorter books, or books that I am sure will hold my attention.  Since I've seen the movie, I'm hoping this book will go fast.

Finished #45

I finished The Wedding my Nicholas Sparks today.  This was a good idea for a story, but I just find his writing so predictable.  When I finished the Notebook, I thought Noah died at the end, but this book said that he lives at least 4 yrs after Allie dies.  This story was about a man and woman falling in love with each other again.  I wanted to be surprised by the ending, but I feel like I called it from the first chapter.
I know I'm a "book snob", but I really don't have any desire to read anymore of Sparks' novels.

The Wedding

Even though I didn't like The Notebook novel as much as I liked the movie, I thought I'd give The Wedding a shot.  It's kind of a sequel to The Notebook, but talks about Noah and Allie's daughter and her husband.  I was going to borrow this from a friend, but I saw it laying in the garage sale pile, so I decided to start it today.

Finished #44

I just read The Giver by Lois Lowry for the first time.  It's books like this that make me love reading.  The story makes me absolutely sick and mad, that I can't stop reading it.  I admire the courage shown by Jonas in the book.  I wish it didn't end the way it did, because I really want to know what happened with the memories.

Finished #43

I finished The Absolutist yesterday.  This was the 1st book I won from goodreads.  It's the story of a soldier named Tristan who delivers some letters to the sister of one of his friends who was killed in the war.  While there Tristan tells Will's sister about what really happened in the war and how Will died.  This story was really sad.  It has to deal with secret relationships, cowardism, loneliness, politics, and more.  I just can't imagine what it would be like to fight in a war.  I felt very sorry for the main character (Tristan) in this book.

The Absolutist

I am starting The Absolutist by John Boyne today.  This is the first book I won from goodreads.  I read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by Boyne last year and really liked it.  The Absolutist is the story of a soldier named Tristan who is taking letters back to the sister of a man named Will that he fought alongside in WWI.  Tristan has a secret that he is finally willing to share when he returns the letters.  I'm really curious to see what happened between these men during the war.

Finished #42

I just finished The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.  I already knew the story from watching the movie, but the book just seemed different.  I haven't seen the movie in a long time, so I can't really pinpoint how it is different.  I just feel like the book told a love story, but I didn't really connect with the characters.  We knew they love each other, but didn't learn a lot about them.

This is one time that I really enjoyed the movie more than the book.  I think a lot of times this happens when I see the movie first and I want to connect to the book characters like I did the movie.  I guess I just wanted more details.

The Notebook

Tera picked The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks for our September book club pick.  The book snob in me wanted to stay away from all Sparks' novels, but I will give this one a shot since it is for book club.  I do really like this movie and the book is usually better than the movie, so I'm hoping I enjoy it.  I've heard it is a quick read too, which will help me finish up the 50 book challenge.  :)

Finished #41

I just finished Shades of Grace.  It's supposed to be about a women who gets Alzheimer's at the age of 61, but there is so much more to the story.  It's about a daughter falling in love with a doctor, a granddaughter with diabetes, the grandma's secret past, and more.  I felt like there were too many side stories and wish it would have focused more on the grandma's disease.  It seemed like the daughter, Francine, was the main character in the story.  I also didn't like all the sexual parts between the daughter and the doctor.  Just felt like cheesy romance novel writing to me.  Any way, this book was okay, but not one of my favorites.

Shades of Grace

I am starting Shades of Grace by Barbara Delinsky right now.  This is the October book club pick that I am reading early since my friend had a copy.  This is a book about a newspaper columnist who gets Alzheimers.  My friend Stephanie said it was a great book, so I hope she is right.  I recently read 'Still Alice' and liked it, so I'm hoping this one keeps me interested.

*Not to be confused with Shades of Grey :)

10 books to go!

I have 9 weeks to read my last 10 books for the challenge.  This year has been a struggle with not having a lot of free time to read and picking some really boring books.  I should have some extra free time once the kids start school.  I know I can do this.  Can't wait to read some more!

Finished #40

I finished The Underneath by Kathi Appelt last night.  This was a book suggested by Mason and it was really good.  The story is about animals: A cat and kittens, a bloodhound, a 100 ft foot alligator, a giant snake, and a few humans.  This story was very dark, but warm at the same time.  I think the biggest message was about loneliness and finding friends in unusual places.  It was very strange, but I love a good unique story.  I'm a little surprised that 3rd graders read this.  I can see how it would be a little much for some kids that age.

The Underneath

Mason read The Underneath by Kathi Appelt last year for school.  He loved it and keeps telling me I need to read it.  It caused lots of debates in his classroom, so I'm interested to see what it is about.  I hope I like it as much as he did.

Finished #39- Finally!

After 3 weeks of of and on reading, I finally finished Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.  I liked the story, but it just didn't seem to hold my attention as much as I wanted.  I think it's because I just finished some more action themed books, so the classics seem to move a little slower.  I really liked the characters Beth and Jo.  I really didn't care for Amy at first, but she turned out good in the end.  I love how close the March family was.  It really makes me hope to have a strong bond with my kids as I grow older.
I might try reading Little Men, but I'll have to catch up on some other books first.

Little Women

Today I am starting Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.  This is just one of many classics that I have yet to read.  It's the story of the 4 March sisters during the Civil War.  I'm excited to read another classic.

Finished #38

I finished The Death Cure by James Dashner last night.  This is the final book in The Maze Runner trilogy.  This book had many twists like the other 2.  While I liked the ending, it wasn't what I expected.  I still feel like I am missing some of the important things that Thomas and Teresa remembered.  I am going to have to read book 1.5 to see if they are mentioned in there.

The Death Cure

I started The Death Cure (3rd Maze Runner book) last night.  It starts out with Thomas secluded from everyone else and it's hard to figure out what will happen.  They of course throw a twist in right away.  Sometimes I am able to figure out what is happening in a book, but I can't in the Maze Runner series.  It just seems so bizarre.  Really creative story.  I'm curious to see how it will all end.  And I just found out he made a prequel, so I'm going to have to read that too.

Finished #37

I finished The Scorch Trials by James Dashner on Friday.  It is the 2nd book in The Maze Runner Trilogy.  I felt like this one was a lot quicker read.  It didn't have as much description at the beginning and jumped right into the story.  There were a few new characters introduced that added a lot to the story.  This one was even more suspenseful than the first.  I also felt more of a Hunger Games feel in The Scorch Trials.

Finished #36

I finished The Maze Runner while we were in Wisconsin.  This book was really interesting.  It was about a fake word created by a government agency called WICKED.  Teenage boys are locked in a world and have to figure their way out of a maze.  There are lots of twists and challenges along the way.  I don't want to give away to much.  Mason and I both really liked it.

Finished #35

I finished A Room of One's Own a few days ago.  It was a classic essay by Virginia Woolf.  The best word to describe this book is "boring".  It didn't match the description at all.  I think it only talked about Shakespear's sister for 1 paragraph.  It was a lot of comparisons to famous classic books and comparing the writing styles of men and women.  I did learn a few interesting facts about some writers, but this book is too boring to recommend to anyone.  If you feel the need to read it, start on page 46.

A Room of One's Own

Our next book club pick is A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf.  Sarah requested that we read a classic since she always hears people talk about them, but wants to be included in the conversation more.  She picked this one because it is short.  I went to the Book Shoppe and bought it today.  I'm going to try to read it quickly so some other book club member can borrow it.  I have never read anything by Woolf, so I'm curious to learn if I like her style.  In this book, Woolf imagines that Shakespeare had a sister with equal talent and genius, but who is never discovered.

The Maze Runner

Today I started The Maze Runner by James Dashner.  This book was recommended to me by my friend Stephanie.  She loved The Hunger Games and said that this is a similar series.  I'm only a few pages in, but so far it is holding my attention.  I'm curios to see what this world is that Thomas entered.

Finished #34

I just finished The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer.  It is the second book in the "Child Called It" series.  It covers the period of Dave's life that he was in foster care/juvenile hall (ages 12-18).  While his life wasn't as bad during this time, he still had many struggles.  His biggest problem was that he couldn't be himself and that he was trying to impress other kids by doing bad things.  It was an interesting book.  I loved seeing how he fit in with different families.

Finished #33

I finished A Child Called It this morning.  This story was sickening and sad.  I can't believe this really happened.  Most of all, I can't believe that a mother would torture 1 child, but treat the others normally. It makes you wonder if the story is completely true, or possibly a little embellished from a child's point of few.  There is criticism for the book saying that one brother disputes the events, but another brother says that some of it happened.  I just can't believe that the brothers and dad would let the mom treat the boy like this without doing anything to help.  Hmm.  I'm going to read the next book in the series which is about David's years in foster care.

A Child Called It

Mason came home with a summer reading list from school.  One of the series on the list is the "Child Called It" series.  The teacher made a note next to this saying it is a very scary and sad story and to make sure your child is mature enough to handle it.  Mason was really determined to read it and liked the book.  He wants to read the next one.  Reading the back the story sounds really interesting.  I want to read it and then discuss it with Mason.  I'm preparing myself to cry during this story.

Finished #32

I finished Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter this morning.  I am really surprised at how much I like this book.  Usually I'm not much of a history fan and I am kind of sick of the vampire craze, but this book was great.  I love reading about Lincoln's life and all the vampire stuff added in.  I can't want to read Grahame-Smith's other book.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

I started Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith on Monday.  I am really enjoying this book.  It's interesting to get some facts about Lincoln's life while having the added vampire hunting journal added in.  I'm about half way done and still liking it.  I am looking forward to reading his other book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Finished #31

I read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton while we were in Florida. I absolutely loved this book. There were so many twists to solving the true identity of Nell. I have to say that some of the twists were very surprising, but I did guess the last one. There were some things that I thought were going to happen that didn't. I really loved the characters of Cassandra and Christian. I would love to see another book about what happens to them.

Finished #30

I finished the 3rd Stephanie Plum book, Three to Get Deadly, this morning. I love that Stephanie is learning more about being a bounty hunter, but not enough to stay out of trouble. The grandma still makes me laugh and I'm still waiting for a Morelli/Plum hookup. I'm going to take a little break from these and them maybe read a couple more after vacation.

Finished #29

I finished Two for the Dough a couple days ago. For some reason I am having trouble logging into the blogger. Anyway, I love the grandma in this series. I can't imagine having a crazy grandma like that who wants to be in on all the bounty hunter stakeouts. I liked this book, but it didn't feel as suspenseful to me since Stephanie has so many people watching her back now. I did start the 3rd book already.

Two for the Dough

The first Stephanie Plum book was a good quick read, so I thought I'd try the 2nd one. People keep telling me they get funnier the further in the series you get. Hope I keep enjoying them.

Finished #28

I finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie on Tuesday. I really enjoyed this mystery book. I loved the character of Flavia. She was so smart, sarcastic, and a little odd, but in a cute funny way. She seemed so independent. I also loved how all the sisters were so different. Really great story. I hope to find the other books in this series.

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

I am starting The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. This is a crime story about an 11 year old girl named Flavia who is an aspiring chemist. Murder comes to her town and entertains her. I've heard a lot of people who have read this book and liked it.

Finished #27

I finished One for the Money yesterday. I was really surprised that I really enjoyed this book. It was a very quick read and had funny little things thrown into the story line. I have heard that the series gets better, so I'm excited to try the next few books at least. Stephanie's grandma and Morelli were my 2 favorite characters. I hope they make an appearance in the next book.

One for the Money

Last night I started One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. This is the first book in the Stephanie Plum series. It is the book club pick for June (since it is also a movie). I know some people that really love these books and say they are funny and others that can't stand them. I grabbed this one and the next one just incase I love it. So far it's providing background for the characters, but still interesting.

Finished #26

I finished Choke on Wednesday night. This book was interesting in the sense that it was weird. It was also gross and vulgar. If you have a weak stomach or any morals, you probably wouldn't like this book. I really like that Palanuik feeds off of weird addictions to write his books. I think he is creative in his writing style, but this wasn't one of my favorites. I felt like the story just kind of trailed off and didn't have an ending to go with all the storylines.

Choke

Today I am starting Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. I was looking over our bookshelf trying to find something to read and this one caught my attention. I read Fight Club and Lullaby and liked both of those, so I hope this one is good too. This book actually sounds really weird. It is about a guy who is trying to find a way to pay for medical care for his mother. He starts a scam were he pretends to choke on food while dining in upscale restaurants. He is saved by patrons and usually receives checks to support him after this incidents.

Finished #25

I just finished Little Bee. This book was beautiful. I loved the writing style and the characters. I think it was the perfect story for how you can find at least a little good in every horror story. It's one book that I wish wouldn't have ended, but sometimes it's best to just let a story not have an official ending.

Little Bee

Today I am starting Little Bee by Chris Cleave. This was supposed to be the book club pick for May, but we changed it to Hunger Games since most of the club either saw the movie or read the book. I'm not really sure what this book is about. On the back cover it says it is about 2 women faced with a terrible choice who meet again 2 years later. I've heard it's a very good book, so I hope I like it.

Finished #24

I just finished autumn's promise, the last book in the Sugarcreek series. I'm not sure why there were only 3 instead of 4. Seems like they had a new story starting with Caleb in the 2nd to last chapter of this book. Anyway, this book was much more interesting than the 1st 2. I just really like the Lilly character and loved the love story between her and Robert. This one didn't seem as predictable as the first 2. But it did still have the cheesy unresolved happy ending that the other 2 books had. I wouldn't recommend the whole series as entertaining, but I did like the 3rd book.

autumn's promise

autumn's promise is the 3rd book in the Season's of Sugarcreek series. In this book, the main character is once again Lilly Allen (the non-Amish girl who was pregnant in the 1st book). She started working at the local restaurant in the 2nd book and had an Amish man who showed an interest in her. In the 3rd book, we will find out more about Robert and if there is a chance for love between him and Lilly.

Finished #23

I finished spring's renewal last night. I liked the main character, Clara, in this book. It was interesting to learn about her past and what she thought was her future. The tragedy in the book is not what I expected, but was a way to show more of the love story between Tim and Clara. I just think these books lack excitement. But on to #3 to learn more about Lilly (the pregnant girl in the first book) and her new love interest.

spring's renewal

I am starting the 2nd Sugarcreek book, spring's renewal. This is the story of a school teacher named Clara, who was scarred in a fire and is convinced no man will ever love her. A man named Tim comes to town as a favor to his aunt and uncle and is immediately drawn to Clara. When tragedy strikes, Clara and Tim wonder if they have the faith to risk everything for love.

Finished #22

I just finished winter's awakening. This was basically the same scenario that is in every book ever written about the Amish. A non-Amish family moves to town and one of those kids thinks they might be in love with one of the Amish kids. Also a little hostility between the Amish neighbors and the new neighbors as they can't decide if they should be friends. Very basic story and characters. There was the conflict during the middle and then every thing seemed to get resolved too quickly.
I am going to read the next book in the series since I grabbed it at the library a few days ago. But really I thought the book was just pretty boring.

Winter's Awakening

Today I am starting Winter's Awakening by Shelley Shepard Gray. This is the first book in the Seasons of Sugarcreek series. This book was recommended to me by my sister in law. All I know that it is a love story in an Amish community.

Finished #21

I finished Still Alice by Lisa Genova last night. The book was interesting, but kind of jumbled. I don't know if it was meant to be written that way to feel like you are in the mind of someone with Alzheimer's. It was a good story, but I felt like it ended to quickly. I also caught myself going back to re-read sections and then started to worry that I was losing my memory.

Still Alice

I started Still Alice by Lisa Genova yesterday. This book was recommended by a friend who loves to read. It's about a woman who is a professor of cognitive psychology. She starts having some memory problems that she thinks are related to menopause. After visiting her doctor, she discovers that she has early alzheimers.
I'm about 90 pages in and excited to keep reading.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I am starting The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. I really liked Wonderstruck. Levi and the boys read this book a few years ago, but Mason got it at his school library and wanted to read it again. I think I will read it with Norah during the day, so we can see the movie soon.

Finished #20

I just finished running away to home by Jennifer Wilson. My friend Julie recommended this book. Jennifer is her friend from Des Moines who is a travel writer. She decided to move her family to Croatia for a year to trace her ancestral roots. This was an interesting story about how different life is in other countries and how great we have it in America. There were many struggles faced by Jennifer's family in the book, but they had a good time too. Just amazing how different life is there, but also how similar people act. I have to say that I didn't like the focus on drinking and partying, but I guess I'll always just be outnumbered when it comes to that.

Finished #19

I finished A Prayer for Owen Meany this morning. This book was both wonderful and sad. It has restored my love for John Irving. It's a book based on friendship, family, and faith. It took me a long time to finish the last 50 pages, because I kept crying through the paragraphs. Owen Meany makes me want to be a better person.
The book was nothing like the movie Simon Birch. In the movie, the begining was the same, but Owen ended up becoming a hero at the age of about 12. I'm glad that the story and Owen's life was longer than that in the book.

A Prayer for Owen Meany

I just started A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. I love most of Irving's novels, but have never read this one. It's about a little boy (Owen) who is really tiny and always picked on by other kids. He has a great spirit that keeps him from telling on all the other kids. So far it seems as if the narrator is telling the story of his friendship with Owen and how Owen becomes a hero.
I saw the movie Simon Birch a few years ago. It is supposed to be based off of the Prayer for Owen Meany novel. I really only remember the beginning and end of the movie, so even if those are the same as the book, the middle will be a surprise. And I do remember that the movie was incredibly sad.

Ahh!

I am so far behind. I might have to go back to Little House on the Prairie or cheesy vampire books to catch up.....

Finished #18

I finished the Pawnee book. Some of it was really funny, especially the foot notes. I really do love Parks and Recreation, so it was fun to hear Ron and Leslie and the others talk about the town. A few parts were really boring, but it would be a good book to lay out on the coffee table for guests to look through.

Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America

I started Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America by Leslie Knope on Sunday. I took it to the gym and read about 50 pages while on the elliptical. So far some parts are very funny. I love Parks and Rec, so it's interesting to see all the local places and people mentioned in this book. Here is my favorite part so far: "Do you enjoy the feeling of having a billion tiny shards of glass rubbed into your eyeballs by a diseased ape? If so, head on down to the festering bowels of the Pawnee Public Library." I love the parks and library rivalry on the show.

Finished #17

I just finished The Paris Wife. Some parts of the book were really interesting, but others were really boring. I've only read one of Hemingway's books, but knew he had many struggles in his life. I am just really upset with how he treated Hadley, his first wife. I feel sick to my stomach after how it was ended. What a troubled soul. I do think I may pick up another Hemingway novel after reading this just to learn more about the books that were mentioned.

The Paris Wife

I'm starting The Paris Wife by Paula McLain tonight. This is the story of Ernest Hemingway's first wife. I don't really know much about Hemingway, but am excited to learn more about his life. This is the March book club pick for YMCA book club.

Finished #16

I just finished Wildflower Hill. I LOVED this book. I liked hearing parts of the story from Beattie and then figuring out other clues as Emma found them. The racist Christians in story had me so angry, but they also forced me to keep reading. I was sad when the story ended and really wanted to know more in the Epilouge.

Wildflower Hill

I started reading Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman yesterday. I am about 150 pages in and I am really loving the story. I just found out how Emma's grandma got to Wildflower Hill, so I'm curious as to how she became the owner. This book is really holding my attention so far.

Finished #15

One Day was a blah book with boring chic lit cliches. I didn't like any thing about this book except when I was done reading it. After all the horrible back and forth relationships and affairs, there wasn't even a happy ending. I will I would have stopped after the first chapter.

One Day

Today I am starting One Day by David Nicholls. I don't really know much about it except that it is supposed to be a "funny love story". It was recommended by someone in town so I'll give it a try. I also saw that it is a movie.

Finished #14

I read Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner yesterday. It was a really short book and was just a sarcastic twist on some popular fairy tales/bedtime stories. I felt like if you read one, you read them all. It's a quick book so it's worth reading, but I wouldn't waste my time searching for the book.

Finished #13

I just finished 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' by Jonathan Saffron Foer. This is one of the best books I have ever read. I love Foer's writing style. He tells many stories inside of one big story. 'Everything is Illuminated' was like that too.

In EL&IC, Oskar is a 9 yr old who is trying to find out more about his father who died in the 9/11 attack. Oskar goes on a mission to search for a secret behind a key that he found in his father's closet. Oskar wanders around New York on his own at first (and then later with a neighbor). His explorations reminded me a lot of the boy in 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time'. There is also the story of Oskar's grandmother and grandfather, which kind of reminded me of 'Wonderstruck'. These were 2 other books I really liked, so I loved that this book reminded me of them. It's a wonderful story and I recommend the book to everyone. Definitely my favorite book I have read in probably the last year.

Finished #12

I finished Sheet Music by Kevin Leman last night. Today I read the Q&A's in the back. Normally I am not a fan of "self-help" type books, but when Trisha told me about this one, I just had to read it. Most of my life I have felt that sex is a chore. I felt I was only doing it to have babies, but once we decided to not have any more babies, I just felt like I was doing it so my husband wouldn't cheat. If you don't know, my husband's family is full of cheating people. While I want to trust him completely, all the family affairs are always in the back of my mind. This one of the things that led to my depression the past few months.

While reading this book I learned that there are other women out there who feel the same way. Dr. Leman describes the differences between sexual desire/fulfillment in men and women. I felt that he was describing me to a T. I loved learning about why sex is important to men and can now understand how it can make our marriage stronger. Our marriage wasn't in trouble, but I just didn't enjoy sex. After a week of this book I got a new attitude about it and really feel that things are working better.

It took a few weeks to read this, because we are reading it together as a couple. I recommend it to anyone who feels that they are just "too pooped to whoop". :)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I am starting Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Saffron Foer today. I have no idea what this book is about. I just know that I loved his book Everything is Illuminated. And that there is a movie out about this book. Levi asked me to get it from the library, but they didn't have it, so I had to do an inter library loan. I'm hoping we can go see the movie after we both finish the book. :)

Finished #11

I finished Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres last night. I love Ellen. This book had a few laugh out loud moments for me (mostly jokes about Harry Connick Jr.), but mostly it just made me smile. I love how positive Ellen seems. Her humor is also very clean which is why I like her better than other comedians. I've never found people who have to say the "F" word every other word that funny. It was a cute, quick read and I will definitely be picking up her other books some time.

Seriously...I'm Kidding

I just got Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres. It was on reserve from the library for quite some time, so I'm excited to finally get it. I love Ellen, so I'm sure it will be a great read.

Finished #10

Midnight Alley was felt filled with too many storylines. It's drifting away from vampires and just adding too many crazy things. It was probably supposed to be suspenseful, but it felt really boring and long (even though it was only 240 pages). I'm going to take a break from this series for awhile.

Midnight Alley

Midnight Alley is the 3rd Morganville book. These books keep getting more unbelievable, but are very addictive. I love that they are helping me to catch back up in the challenge, but they are really pretty awful. I need to see what happens because there is always a huge cliffhanger at the end of the previous book. I will read this one, but think I need to take a break from them after this one and read something more intellectual.

Finished #9

I finished Dead Girls' Dance last night. It wasn't as good as the first Morganville Vampire book. It seemed really scattered in the plot. The story is coming even more stupid and unbelievable, so of course I need to read the 3rd one.

Dead Girls' Dance

I started reading The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine a couple days ago. It's the 2nd book in the Morganville Vampire series. I'm almost ashamed to admit I'm reading these, but they are very addictive. I'm already over 1/2 way through and a dance has only been mentioned once in one sentence. Maybe that will come into the plot soon.

Finished #8

I just finished The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. The idea that a dying man wrote this book and lecture is very sad and that's all I could think of through the book. I really liked a lot of the messages that he gave throughout the book, but during the middle some of the computer science/sci fi stuff got really boring. I could relate more to his experiences with his family than with his work. While most of the book was sad, the last page was incredibly sad and I couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
I think I like Mitch Album's books better overall, but this had a good family message in it.

The Last Lecture

I am starting The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. It's the story of Pausch giving a lecture at Carnegie Mellon. Pausch was diagnosed with terminal cancer and wanted the lecture to be something that his family, friends, and students could remember about him and the importance of life. I know a lot of people who have read this and say it's a great book.

Finished #7

I just finished Glass Houses, the first Morganville Vampire book. It was extremely cheesy and unbelievable, but I still want to keep reading. The first book ended with a very suspenseful sentence, so I'll probably going to the library to grab the 2nd book on Tuesday.
PS. Why can't there just be books about vampires? Why do they have to combine them with so many other crazy things?