2013 Wrap Up

2013 has been a terrific year. I enjoyed it so much. I had lots of good book time!

According to my Goodreads I read 86 books. I am sure there were more as I don't always remember to log every book I read. I read some really great books. Some of my favorites were The Perks of Being A Wallflower, The Storyteller, Silver Linings Playbook and The Fault in Our Stars.

I only participated in a couple of challenges this year: Thankfully Reading Weekend and What's In a Name challenge. I want to attempt more challenges in 2014. I have already decided to do the What's In a Name challenge and the Empty Shelf challenge. If you know of any other good challenges to try please tell me in the comments below. 

As always you can keep track of my reading progress on Goodreads and Twitter. Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!

What's In a Name 6 Wrap Up

Well a day before 2014 and I am finally writing about the What's In A Name challenge. I have done a terrible job of updating this during the year. But I did complete the challenge on the 26th. I enjoyed reading all the different books in the categories. I always like doing this challenge. You can check out the previous books I read here. 
The final book I read for the challenge was for the Party or Celebration in a title. I read The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs by Dana Bate. This book was not as frothy as I thought it would be. I was cringing through a lot of the book because the protagonist had a knack for getting herself in ridiculous situations. It was a quick and easy read and I enjoyed most of it. The ending was a little silly but to be expected.

I am looking forward to doing this challenge again in 2014! I will try to be better about updating the blog as I read but we all know how that will not likely happen. Check back for my end of year post soon!

Thankfully Reading 2013: Wrap Up Post

I had such a great time this year with Thankfully Reading. I definitely was able to read more than I anticipated. It was nice to enjoy some quiet time within this busy holiday. I also got to read some good books!

Finished Books
1. Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas Print Book
2. The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit Audiobook
3. Neptune Noir Edited by Rob Thomas Kindle Ebook
4. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery Nook Ebook

Partially Read Books
1. Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Marriage of the Century Print Book
2. The Christmad Carol by Charles Dickens Audiobook
3. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
4. Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margeret Stohl Print Book

I enjoyed all the above books and can't wait to finish the ones above. You can keep up with my reading via twitter or Goodreads.

Thankfully Reading 2013: Day Five

I can't believe today is the last day of Thankfully Reading and the end of the Thanksgiving holiday. It has flown by. But it's been a great long weekend although I technically worked two days. I had a photo shoot this morning with the cutest little blue eyed boy. I am considering a nap which I rarely do during the day unless I am sick.

2:00 pm

Not much to report. Just snuggling with my puppy and reading Ender's Game. It is slightly warmer today than it has been the rest of the weekend so I am happy for that! 

10:00 pm

It has been a good afternoon and evening as all I have done is read, hang out with my sister and play with our dogs. I read more of the Liz and Dick book. I am about 100 pages from being done with Ender's Game but my Nook died and I was unable to find my charger. My sister requisitioned the Liz and Dick book so I switched to a book that I was reading before Thankfully Reading weekend which is Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. It is the third book in the Beautiful Creatures series. I am enjoying this one much more than the second book in the series. 

I am going to try to read a little more before I head to bed. I will do a Thankfully Reading wrap up post tomorrow.

Thankfully Reading 2013: Day Four

I can't believe it's already day four of my Thankfully Reading. It's going to be a busy day with a photo shoot and airport drop off but I downloaded A Christmas Carol to listen to as I drive.

12:30 pm

I have had a busy morning. Had a photo shoot with an amazing family. We took photos by the river and it was COLD. Brrr. But it was fun. I was sad because the download for the Christmas Carol didn't work so I had nothing to listen to on the way to the shoot. So I am only now settling into reading for the first time today. My kitties are trying to coerce me to get in the warm bed and snuggle with them.

9:20 pm

I am exhausted. It has been a crazy weekend. I haven't had that much time to read between photo shoots, airport dropping off and photo editing. I finished Emily Of New Moon, started The Christmas Carol and Ender's Game. I  also am still reading Furious Love. My sister and her puppy are visiting me so I don't know how much time I will have to read. I also have another shoot tomorrow. 

Thankfully Reading 2013: Day Three

Today begins my Thankfully Reading Day 3. I plan in having a very relaxing day full of pjs, reading, Thanksgiving leftovers and trying to stay warm in this chilly weather.

12:30 pm

I finished listening to The Railway Children. The ending made me tear up as usual. I am still reading Neptune Noir. I also started Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century. Looking forward to finding out more about this dramatic couple. My husband has distracted me for a few hours with Homeland but it's back to reading. 

2:50 pm

It has been a glorious sun soaked (though still cold) day. I have just been relaxing. Huddling on my couch with a blanket and snuggly puppy is the best. I had to take a break from Neptune Noir because my Kindle was dying. I am enjoying the book about Liz and Dick. So interesting what an impact their relationship had on the current celebrity culture. The term paparazzi was coined out of their relationship as well as people's burning desire to know everything about celebrity romances. I am going to take a break from this book for a little bit and read Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery. It is one of my favorite books and I usually reread it every few years. I have been reading it for a few weeks and have about a hundred pages left so I think I will finish it today. 

10:30 pm 

Well it's been another great day of reading and family time. I finished Neptune Noir and almost finished Emily of New Moon. I spent the rest of the day hanging out with three of my four sisters. I am going to bed early tonight since I have a morning photo shoot tomorrow. I am excited because my sister knitted me some fingerless gloves. It will be so awesome to have those during the photo shoot. She makes such cute handmade knitted items You should check out her shop on Etsy: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/lemonsandcream

Thankfully Reading 2013: Day Two

Today starts Day Two of my Thankfully Reading weekend. It is the official start of Thankfully Reading weekend. I am looking forward to periodically checking in and seeing what everyone else is reading. I would love to discover some new books. I am surprised I was able to read as much as I did yesterday. I think I will definitely be able to finish three books this weekend.

9:30 am

I have been awake since 6 and up since 7 getting ready for Thanksgiving Day madness. I baked some pumpkin muffins and have been rearranging furniture. So excited for all my family to get here at noon. All morning I have been listening to The Railway Children and reading Neptune Noir when I get a chance. 

9:50 pm

Whew what a day! Nonstop chaos, food, family, fun, cleaning up, more food. I am exhausted! It was such a great day! Hoping to get a little more reading in before bed but we'll see how long I can stay up. I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving and a good day of Thankfully Reading!

Thankfully Reading 2013: Day One

Today begins my favorite time of the whole year: Thanksgiving prep, cooking and

Thankfully Reading

. Thankfully Reading is a time for me to take some time outs in this busy time to just relax. Although it doesn't officially began until tomorrow I always start on Wednesday.

I woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow. Just enough to see that it snowed but not enough to be pretty. Normally I would be excited but I do have an engagement shoot later today and it is cold and very windy. 

I have some cooking and cleaning to do today to get ready for the family. My sister and her boyfriend are getting in late tonight and everyone else will be here tomorrow. I am so excited. I love my family and I love Thanksgiving. 

It's 7:30 am and I am going to start reading. I will keep you updated throughout the day. Happy reading to everyone else!

8:30 am 

I just enjoyed my breakfast and started my first book

Funny in Farsi

by Firoozeh Dumas. It is a memoir of an Iranian girl living in America. It is really funny but also interesting to read how Americans attitudes changed after the Iranian revolution. I love the stories she shares of her father. He is quite the character.

11:15 am

I have been cooking all morning. I made a broccoli and cauliflower salad, herbed cheese crackers and cornbread. I am anticipating tomorrow's meal. It is going to be so delicious. We have amazing cooks in our family. I didn't let the cooking stop me from "reading" actually listening to an audiobook. I listened to

The Railroad Children by E. Nesbit

on my Librivox app. I have adored that book ever since I was young and I love listening to it in audiobook format. The narrator,

Karen Savage

does an excellent job on this book. Although, my love of the book was lessened sonewhat with the recent news that it could be

plagerized

the book still reminds me of happy childhood times spent reading. 

1:30 pm

Whew already tired and the day isn't even half way over. I just made a double batch of homemade cranberry sauce. It is the first time I have ever made the dish so I hope it turns out good. I don't actually like cranberry sauce but it is such a traditional Thanksgiving dish it must be made! I am still reading. I am about halfway through The Railway Children and 70 pages into Funny in Farsi. I think I need a quick cooking/reading break to watch last nights The Mindy Project since I forgot it was on.  

4:45 pm

This day has only been getting colder. Brrr. This afternoon I have had lots of time to read. It was too cold for engagement shoot so we had to postpone it. My sister who assists me on shoots came over and we visited for awhile since the shoot was cancelled. My dog was so excited to see her and was jumping all over the place. He loves his auntie. The rest of the afternoon I sat in my big chair with a blanket and read. I just finished Funny in Farsi. It was such a good book. I liked how she compares American life with life in Iran. Her stories about celebrating Christmas were so interesting. I have never really thought how left out cultures or religions who don't celebrate Christmas must feel. Christmas is like this big consuming holiday and is everywhere. One of the reasons I love Thanksgiving so much (besides my love of food) is it always seems to be much more relaxing than Christmas. Christmas has turned into this giant mess of consumerism and stress. Thanksgiving is still this beautiful time of thankfulness and family.  

8:00 pm

I am really tired and Thanksgiving isn't even here yet. But I have finished cleaning my house and cooked all but two dishes I have to make tomorrow. My husband made dinner which is good because I wasn't going to make anything. 

I started a new book Neptune Noir. I am a huge Veronica Mars fan. I think it is one of the best shows ever on TV. I was thrilled when they decided to make a movie and eagerly contributed to their Kickstarter campaign. Neptune Noir is a collection of essays written about the TV show and narrated by the creator Rob Thomas. Who knew there could be such interesting papers about a TV show? 

Note: all photos used in this blog post are iPhone only unless otherwise indicated

Thankfully Reading Weekend 2013

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday and the last few years I have participated in Thankfully Reading has made it even better. I hate to shop so I never go out for Black Friday.

Jenn's Bookshelves

and the

Literate Housewife

are hosting

Thankfully Reading

this year. 

I won't be able to read as much this year as I have two photo shoots plus I am hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year for the first time. Yikes. But I still hope to get some reading in. I am not going to plan what to read but let the spirit move me. I usually start reading on Wednesday. Stay tuned to my

blog

,

Twitter

and

Goodreads

to keep up with what I am reading!

Books I Have Purchased Solely Based on the Cover

I know I can't be the only one who buys books solely based on beautiful or interesting cover art. Right? Anyone? I love books and I love bookstores. I love wondering around aisles and aisles of old and new books. I always feel like there is a wealth of stories and things to dive into. Bookstores are so cozy and welcoming. Although I have learned to love my Nook there is nothing as great as a physical book.
When I am browsing in bookstores I am often attracted to books because of their covers. A following is  a short list of the books I have purchased recently based only on the attractiveness of the cover.


Palisades Park by Alan Brennert

I mean come on who can resist a vintage cover with a Farris wheel? I have lately been obsessed with reading books about fairs, high diving acts and circuses so this book was right up my alley. I love the painting like quality of the cover. I was happy that the book was just as good as the cover!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Speaking of circuses! This book had been taunting me for months every time I went to the bookstore. I love the silhouette with the mysterious art in the middle. I finally purchased the book and I love the artwork even more after reading it. And it makes more sense too!

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Ok who could resist this gorgeous cover? And it is even prettier in person and not on a computer screen. I love the frothy gown. Too bad this book was as frothy as the gown. So substance. But the cover sure is lovely to look at.

Those are the books I have purchased recently. I will have to add more later that I have purchased over the years.

What's In A Name 6 Update

I discovered I was indeed doing a challenge this year and it is What's In a Name 6. And I have inadvertently read books in every category except one. Next year I hope to plan the books per category a little better since I am somewhat embarrassed to admit I read some of these books.

The first category was a book with something you would find in your kitchen. I read City of Glass by Cassendra Clare. As I stated in my last blog post I read all the Mortal Instruments books this year even though I disliked the characters and wasn't crazy about the writing. I just had to find out what happened. So I guess I enjoyed the plots. And Magnus Bane. But other than that they were totally blah. Honestly I can't even remember what the mortal instruments are.

The next category was a book with up or down in the title. I read Man Up! Tales of My Delusional Self-Confidence by Ross Matthews. I loved this book. It was absolutely hilarious. I read it in one afternoon and laughed a lot. I remember seeing him for the first time on the Jay Leno show eons ago as Ross the Intern and I have always thought he was funny.

A book with fire in the title was City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare. Felt the same way about this as I did about City of Glass.

For a book with emotion in the title I read Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood. This book was a Free Fridays selection on my Nook. A book about a magic cookbook? Yes, please. This was a cute story and I love children's books but I think it was just a little too young for me. Now if I had read it when I was 10 (which isn't possible as it is a newer book) and was rereading it now I would probably adore it because of the nostalgia factor (ie Nancy Drew). But I didn't and don't.

In the a book with lost or found in the title category I read another Free Friday selection which was The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson. This was another YA book but I really enjoyed it. The story took a little too long to get going but once it did I was dying to find out what would happen. I am planning on reading the next book in the series.

I still need to read a book in the celebration/party category but I still have a few months. And hopefully I will update the blog again before Thankful Reading! 

Bad Blogger Part Two

Wow I am really terrible at blogging unless its for business purposes. It has been a long time since I have checked in on here. It has been a busy year with lots of photo shoots, business building, family time, decorating new house etc. It has been another slow year in reading books.

 I have been reading a lot of business books about photography and marketing. One of the best I read was The Photographer's MBA by Sal Cincotta. Such a terrific book and so helpful to my business. I also love David DuChemin's books about photography vision.

I enjoyed listening to The Three Musketeers. through my Librivox app. One of the best audiobook apps on the iPhone! I love that book so much. I first read it when I was 10 and every time I read again I discover something new. I read The Silver Linings Playbook in one night. It was so fascinating and sucked me right in. I watched the movie the next night and boy did they ruin it. What a disappointment! I had to read The Great Gatsby again before the movie came out. I decided to try a different format so listened to the audiobook. God I love that book! It is so rich and lush. I actually adored the movie and thought it was an excellent portrayal. I read the Mortal Instruments series books 1-5. Someone suggested them to me since I loved the Hunger Games. They are nothing like the Hunger Games and the writing is pretty shoddy. But I did read all 5 so I guess that says something? I don't know.

One thing I love about my Nook is that you can sometimes find out of print books. Well I was super excited to find A Girl and Five Brave Horses by Senora Carver. Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken was one of my favorite childhood movies and it is based on that (true story) book. It was such a good book! I also read Palisades Park which followed a family who worked at an amusement park during the world wars. It was so good!

I also got into reading the Game of Thrones books. They are very good. I love how the voice of each character slips around. It's almost like six books in one!

I have read a lot of YA books this year. Some good, some bad. I enjoyed the first two Caster Chronicles books. I devoured The Perks of Being A Wallflower. So, so good.

I finally read The Night Circus which I have been wanting to read forever based solely on the cover. It was so good! I enjoyed every minute of this unusual book.

I am currently reading seven different books as I just can't settle on one. This morning I started The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black and wow is it good so far! I am looking forward to the last Gallagher Girls book by Ally Carter being released on Tuesday. I will be sad to see that series come to an end.

Pretty sure I am doing some sort of challenge this year but I will have to go back and read my old blog posts to double check. Hopefully I will post again soon and not wait seven months!

What's In A Name 6 Challenge

I am trying to make more time for myself this year which includes doing lots of reading. I had already decided to do the What's In A Name challenge in December but I forgot to sign up. And its almost March. Which means I am failing in the whole time for myself thing. But nevertheless I am going to do this challenge this year because it is fun. This challenge is fun because you have to get creative. These are the categories for the challenge this year according to Beth Fish Reads:

Between January 1 and December 31, 2013, read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with up or down (or equivalent) in the title: Deep down True, The Girl Below, The Diva Digs up the Dirt
2. A book with something you'd find in your kitchen in the title: Loose Lips Sink Ships, The Knife of Never Letting Go, Breadcrumbs
3. A book with a party or celebration in the title: A Feast for Crows, A Wedding in Haiti, Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness
4. A book with fire (or equivalent) in the title: Burning for Revenge, Fireworks over Toccoa, Catching Fire
5. A book with an emotion in the title: Baltimore Blues, Say You're Sorry, Dreams of Joy
6. A book with lost or found (or equivalent) in the title: The Book of Lost Fragrances, The World We Found, A Discovery of Witches

I am going to have to look back at the books I have already read this year. I am sure I have already read some of these categories. I will update on my progress soon. Or soonish!

Thankfully Reading: Wrap Up

I had a great time participating in Thankfully Reading weekend.
I finished The Sixth Wife this morning and started reading The Winner by David Baldacci. I didn't have much time to read today because I had a photo shoot.
I definitely read more than I thought I would this weekend. I finished three e books, two print books and an audiobook. I read a lot more on three books but didn't get a chance to finish them.
I am looking forward to starting The Game of Thrones series this week and rereading The Hobbit. I also picked up a Ryhs Bowen mystery this weekend. Going to give it a try.
I love traditions and I am hopefully going to keep the Thankfully Reading challenge every year because it is one I really enjoy!

Thankfully Reading Weekend: Saturday

9:30 am
I am looking forward to getting in some good reading today before my photo shoot this afternoon. My husband is helping a friend move in to his new house today which means that I get tons of uninterrupted reading time! My first read this morning will be The Sinatra Club. I am really interested to find out what led Sal Polisi to write this tell all book. I assume he gets busted for his mob activities.

11:30 pm
Today was so busy! I finally finished The Sinatra Club. It was so good! Was very interesting to find out all the inside scoop. I also spent some time listening to more of The Three Musketeers audiobook.

What is your favorite bookish memory?
I would have to say one of my favorite bookish memories is that we were allowed to read at the dinner table. Most families would have frowned on that but we were able to have our books while we were eating. I appreciate the fact that my patents did everything they could to encourage us to read.

Thankfully Reading Weekend: Friday

12:00 pm

Today will be a sporadic reading day since I have some photos to edit and get back to clients so they can order their Christmas cards. I am also excited to hang out with my lifelong childhood friends tonight. One of them lives in South America now so I rarely get to see her. I decided to listen to an audiobook while editing. I am listening to The Four Million by O. Henry. I also plan on finishing up books I have been working on for the past few weeks, The Sinatra Club: My Life Inside the New York Mafia by Sal Polisi,The Sixth Wife by Jean Plaidy and a work book Your Marketing Sucks by Mark Stevens. We shall see how far I can get in any of these books. I will check in later!

11:30 pm

What a fun day! I love the holidays. I was so excited to meet my friend's 5 month old. He was the happiest baby ever! I am sad that I probably won't see him for another year.

I finished The Four Million by O. Henry on my trip and started The Three Musketeers audiobook. The Three Musketeers was one of my favorite books as a child. I love rereading books I haven't read since I was young because I just see so much more now. I am going to read a little of The Sinatra Club before bed but don't know how long I will make it because I am tired!

Which book have you been most thankful for this year?

This was a hard question as an answer didn't immediately pop into my head like it usually does. But after thinking I realized the book I have been most thankful for this year are the Nancy Drew books. I have been rereading them this year and I love how they bring back floods of wonderful memories. When I read them I flash back to when my mom pulled out all her old Nancy Drew books and let us read them. It is one of my most vivid memories. I remember exactly how I felt running out the door of our old house to our swing set and reading them. I also remember when my mom threw those books away later which breaks my heart to this day. But rereading them has been great. And I just let my mom borrow them and she is rereading them. They are just simple books with not much plot but its the memories that make them special and make me thankful for them!

Thankfully Reading: Wednesday & Thursday

I have decided to begin Thankfully Reading a day early since I won't have much time to read tomorrow and over the weekend. I am just cooking today so able to get a little reading in between dishes. I seem to do better with a running blog post so I will be checking in at various times of the day.

1:00 pm

I am starting with The Passage by Justin Cronin. I only have about 100 pages left in this book and I am determined to finally finish it. This book is finally starting to get so intense and really, really good. I was debating on whether I was going to get the next book in this series and now I know for sure I want to read it!

3:30 pm

Well just finished The Passage. The second half of this book really saved it for me. The ending was great and now I can't wait to read The Twelve!

8:00 pm

I started Divergent by Veronica Roth this afternoon. 200 pages in and I am loving it. I don't want to put it down. That is all I can write because I am so eager to get back to it!

Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving! My cat woke me up at 7 am this morning so I decided it was a good time to start reading before heading to my parents. I finished Divergent. I loved the whole book. The story was great and held my attention. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch with my family. It was a great day full of laughter and food. We came home in the evening and it was great to curl up in my pjs with a book. I decided my next read would be Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich. I love the Stephanie Plum books, although they are all pretty much the same plot. They are light reads and I enjoy the silliness of them. I zipped through that before bed. Very thankful to have had a perfect day!

Recipe for reading

Jen at the Literate Housewife posted a

Thankfully Reading mini challenge

that asks What is your perfect reading recipe? I would have to say that more than anything I love reading in a quiet house with a warm blanket in the winter and rain. There really is nothing better. If I am reading on my Nook I love a dark room. I really like reading without any distractions but if it is a really good book I can get caught up in the action and not notice what is going on around me.

Getting Ready for the Holidays!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I love getting together with family, eating lots and just having a wonderful day full of laughter. Thanksgiving has changed over the years but I am actually finding I am enjoying it more when I am cooking. It is a sense of pride and accomplishment when my grandmother and aunt proclaims one of my dishes delicious. High praise indeed from those culinary experts! The last few years has also been fun participating in Thankfully Reading and I am looking forward to that as well. Although, I have realized that all the leisure time I was planning was not to be as I overbooked myself. But still there should be some time to squeak in some reading. I plan on starting Thankfully Reading on Wednesday since that is my cooking day. I actually picked some books out to read which I usually don't do. But I am also allowing myself to change my mind if I want to. I would love to read 4 books this weekend. That might be stretching it a bit but we shall see!
I finished the last Matched trilogy book last night. I bought it the day it came out and started reading it. But I soon realized I couldn't remember what happened in the first two books. So I went back and read Matched on my Nook and then listened to Crossed on Audible. I felt the same way about Reached as I did about Crossed. It was ok but nothing special. I loved Matched and thought it was terrific and fascinating. But the last two books were entertaining but just didn't grab me. 
I am reading The Passage now. I have been reading this book for three or four months. I am struggling getting through. I feel like the first half of the book was just setting up the second half and dragged on way too long. The book is finally picking up and starting to hold my attention. I will probably try to finish it this week. I have 300 or so pages left. 
Today I have a photo shoot and have to go to the grocery store so time to start my day!

Bad Blogger

I am a terrible blogger! I can't believe I didn't post one blog during 2012. It has been a very busy year with finally graduating from college and going full time with my photography business. My love of reading has definitely suffered. I have still been reading of course but I have probably read less this year than ever before. I have been making an effort to go to the library more and spend less on buying books. We moved into a new house this year and I gave away over half of my book collection. And by give away I mean it is in a giant box in the garage to give away:-)
This year I have been rereading the Nancy Drew books which I am really enjoying. They are simple reads but have so many memories. I have also been reading Jean Plaidy's books about the Tudor's (always a fascinating subject). I have been into Ernest Hemingway books too after reading The Paris Wife a fictionalization of his relationship with his first wife. I have been really into reading a lot of young adult fiction this year too. I reread The Hunger Games books in anticipation of the first movie. I loved them just as much on my third read as I did my first. I also read a lot of Maureen Johnson's YA novels. I enjoyed her tweets so much I got a bunch of her books and read them in two weeks. They are just fun reads. I also read the new Jodi Picoult (super cute fairy tale she wrote with her daughter and also her adult novel), Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner. I also love Jennifer's tweets and have been keeping up with her constant struggle to make people see that women writers are neglected. I found this cool app Viggle where you could watch tv and earn points and get rewards. That was very exciting as I used my points for Nook books. I received about $40 of free books! Sadly the app got less exciting and too much maintenance when points shrank so I don't use it anymore. But the Nook books I have read this year include The Book Thief which was a terrific book and one I have been meaning to read for years! I read a great book The Sisters about the Mitford Family. I have been wanting to read their story for years and it didn't disappoint. Absolutely fascinating family! I really enjoyed the new Shannon Hale book Palace of Stone. Great follow up to Princess Academy! I also finally read The Giver by Lois Lowry. I can't believe it took me that long to discover it. Number the Stars is one of my favorite childhood books. I also started reading the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter. Love, love those books. They are so entertaining and fun. I devoured those and the Heist Society books (guy in there is named Hale so if course I had to read!). I read the new Sookie Stackhouse book. Afraid that series doesn't hold much pleasure for me anymore. I enjoyed Below Stairs which was a true story of a maid/cook that Upstairs/Downstairs and Downton Abbey took some material from. The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy was another great read. I love how she flashed back and forth from the modern time to Nazi Germany. I love all the delicious food they are always making. Makes my mouth water! I enjoyed the new White House Chef book Affairs of Steak. I really love those books. I also read Dirk Hayhurst's books The Bullpen Gospels and Out of My League. Both great books with glimpses into major and minor league baseball life. I hugely enjoyed both books. I know I have read other books this year but I will have to check out my Goodreads page to refresh my memory!
I am looking forward to the November release of Reached by Ally Condie and the new Stephanie Plum book (yes I still love those! Guilty pleasure). I think I will do Thankfully Reading over Thanksgiving weekend this year. The weather is turning cold which means one thing. Time for my annual (sometimes semi annual) of the Betsy-Tacy books. So back to Heaven to Betsy! I will try to blog more often.

2011 Audio Book Challenge July-December

I just finished my last audio book of 2011. I have really enjoyed this challenge! I have grown to really love audio books. My library needs to get more audio books as I have almost gone through all of them! Here are the books I listened to July-December.

15. Lady Blue Eyes by Barbara Sinatra.

This was an autobiography by Frank Sinatra's last wife. It was a very interesting book with lots of fun stories. She did write about her husband with a little bit of rose colored glasses but that is to be expected. Good book!

16. First Family by David Baldacci

This was a good book about King and Maxwell and how they get enmeshed into a kidnapping of a member of the extended First Family.

17. The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain

Great collection of short stories by Twain. I enjoyed them all. I often forget how funny he was. I wasn't crazy about the narrator of the book.

18. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

This was a great novel about the search for the real Dracula. I love these types of books that just sweep you away. Excellent, excellent book!

19. Gods of Newport by John Jakes

This is a book about Newport in the Gilded Age. It is told from the perspective of both rich and poor. It started out a little slow and quickly became really good!

20. Hot Mahogany by Stuart Woods

I always say I won't read more of his books and I always do. I swear this is the last one. They are so dumb. I don't know why my library has so many of them!

21. Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

Terrific book about a senator who has an affair and how it affects his wife and daughters. I love how it skips between every person's point of view. It really helps you to know each character better.

22. Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner

This book is about a group of women who meet in a childbirth class and follows their lives. It made me never want to have children.

23. Little Dorritt by Charles Dickens

I have never ready this Dickens book so I was glad to finally dive into it. Very sad but at least it had a happy ending.

23. Paul Newman: A Life by Shawn Levy

Fascinating biography about Paul Newman

24. Simple Genius by David Baldacci

This was a great light read and I enjoyed it.

25. The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (Goal met!!)

Glad I finally "read" this. Such a funny book. I love Nick and Nora!

26. The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

I actually read this a little early but I was itching to get in the Christmas spirit. Cute little book about thieves on a train, weddings, lost love and Christmas.

27. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

The second book in the Millennium Trilogy. This was a great book and a perfect sequel to A Girl with A Dragon Tattoo.

28. Crossing Stones by Helen Frost

Book told from the perspective of three friends on the cusp and during WWI.

29. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith

The best book I read this year and the perfect book to finish the year on. I LOVED this book.

This was a great year reading audio books and I met and exceeded my audio book goal. Happy New Year!