April Wrap Up

I seem to be in a bit of a reading slump, but this month I did end up getting some things read.

1. "Stolen Grace" By Arianne Richmonds (Freebie on Kindle)
2. "Loving my Angel By Violet Haze (Kindle freebie)
3. "Father Goriot" by Balzac Honore  ( Kindle)
4. "The Nightwatch" by Sarah Waters (This was VERY good, but to show JUST how much of a slump I'm in it took me 25 days to read 524 pages!)
5. "The Moonstone" By Wilkie Collins (Audio...I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd actually read it instead of listened to it.)

So, I got 5 done, but they were short kindle freebies or one Audio. And the one I did read in hardcopy took me forever to finish! I'm sure hoping next month is much better!

Thank you so much for the comments! I really appreciate them. I didn't even think anyone read this blog! It's nice to know at least a few do! Thank you! I'll be posting my May TBR list soon!

Weekend Reads

Well, last night I finished The Time Traveler's Wife.  It was SO good!! So, what am I going to be reading this weekend?

 I started "The Finishing School during the week, and I use the term "Started" loosely, here as I am only about 5 pages in. So I think I will try to get a bit more into this one this weekend. Then, I decided since I'm done with "Time Traveler" I want to start the next book on my TBR for this month. "Forbidden Fruit".

 

I am sadly behind already on "The Count" so I need to try to get caught up in it as well.  So, that is what I will be reading this weekend, and probably into next week.

 

What will you be reading?  Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you will be reading this weekend, I love to hear from my readers!

 

Happy reading!

January 2015 To Be Read

So, Welcome to 2015!! And here is my list of books I would like to try to get through this month. Now that the Holidays are over, and things are settling down, I feel like maybe I can a bit more reading in.  Let's hope!

so for January these are the books I would like to get to:

1. Finish "The Time Travelers Wife"  I started this one last month, but only got about 150 pages in. I'm enjoying it so far, and would like to finish it this month.

2. "Forbidden Fruit" by: Erica Spindler I've had this one on my TBR shelf since 2008, and it's time I read it and moved on!

3. "Finishing School" by Gail Godwin, I bought this one when I was in Jr. college at a library book sale for 25 cents! So somewhere around 20 years ago! And it's time I got it off my shelf!!

4. "Tong Lashing" By Peter David. This is the 3rd book in the "Sir Apropos of Nothing" Trilogy. I read the first two books in this series a few years ago, and want to finish it up this month.

5. "The Bonfires of the Vanities" by Tom Wolfe  I am slowly trying to work my way through the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die"  list by Dr. Peter Boxall. This one is on it, and I had planned to finish it last year, but never got around to it. So hopefully I'll pick it up this month.

6. "The Count of Monte Cristo" By: Alexandre Dumas  Every year I pick a classic chunkster to read throughout the year. I try to read 10 pages a  day so about 300 pages a month. It's slow, but it's a yearly process.  Last year I read Middlemarch by George Eliot, the year before Don Quixote, and before that "Anna Karenina"  I have heard really good things about this one, so I'm really excited!  Sitting at 1243 pages, I'm guesstimationg this one will take me well into at least April to finish, and that's if I stick with my 10 pages a day goal, which I hardly ever do. But I give myself the entire year so I have some (a lot) of wiggle room!

So, those are all the books I hope to either start, finish or both this month!! Please feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you are planning to read this month, or if you have read any of these books and what you thought of them!

Hope everyone's new year is off to a great start! Thank you for reading!





December Monthly Run down

This month was a VERY slow reading month for me! I only read 4 books, and one was a freebie novella on my Kindle.

I read
1. "Evergreen" by Richard Taylor This was the short Novella. It was fun, but just something to fill in time while waiting for my hubby to run an errand while I waited in the car! (4 out of 5 stars)

2. "Christmas on Main Street" By JoAnn Ross A book with 4 Christmas short stories in it. A fun and light read to get me in the holiday spirit! (5 out of 5 stars)

3. "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card.  I think I would have enjoyed this one more had I not fallen into my slump about the time I picked this one up. It is less than 400 pages and took me 19 days to finish!! It was good, I was just having one of those times, when everything else seemed to be catching my attention everytime I picked this up! I will be continuing on with this series. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

4. "Knit the Season" By: Kate Jacobs.  A fun light holiday read that also took me WAY too long to finish because of before mentioned slump.( Rated this one 4 out of 5 stars)

I was hoping to also finish "The Time Travelers Wife" By Audrey Niffennegger, but with my slump, and holiday stuff, that just wasn't in the cards. I did, however, start it, and am enjoying it so far. And will definitely be finishing it in January.

That's all for now! I will be posting a January TBR post soon! Thank you for reading! Happy New Year!!

Reviving this blog!

I haven't posted here in forever! But I'm still reading....infact this year I read 83 books! I wanted to try to reach 85, but that isn't going to happen. I seem to be in a huge reading slump right now, and then with all the holiday stuff...nope, not gonna happen!

Next year, I do want to post to this blog regularly, to include:

Monthly TBR's
Monthly Rundowns
Reviews
Weekly Reads
Book hauls

So thinking about  6-8 posts a month! We will see if that happens!

Here are a few plans I have for reading in 2015:

-Read 50 books (This is quite a bit lower than I usually set my yearly goal, however I read SO much this year, that I neglected a few of my other beloved hobbies and so next year, I would like to focus more on some of them, by not reading so much!)

-Clear my TBR shelf of books that have been on it since 2008 and before. (I have about 35-50 of these. Some that have been on there almost 20 years. It's time they stop taking up room, so I can buy more new books! So I'm either gonna read them, or donate them!)

-Only buy 2-3 books a month  (Not quite putting myself on a full on ban, but this year I bought over 130!!! So, slowing down, for sure.)

-Last but not least: post here on my book blog more!

So, that's it.

We will see what happens!

Merry Christmas all my readers, if I have any left! And Happy New Year!

Wow! Gotta Get Caught Up!

Well, I have not posted here in about 7 months!!! I have been busy, moving internationally, but I have still been reading. Just no time to post here. So, here is my list of books read since my last post, each book is linked to its page at goodreads.com, so you can click on it and see it's information.

APRIL
- Joy In the Morning
- High Five
- Big Girl
-The Guardian
- The Truth Seeker

MAY
-Sweetwater creek
- Fox's Earth
- Downtown
- The Protector
- The Language of Letting Go
- The Hunger Games

JUNE
- The Stranger Beside Me
- The Healer
-The Marriage Plot

JULY
-And Never Let Her Go, Thomas Capano: The Deadly Seducer
- Hot Six
- The Rescuer

AUGUST
- Getting to Happy
-The Seville Communion
- Married by Mistake
- Love Regifted
-The Diary of Darcy J. Rhone

SEPTEMBER
- Ghost Moon
- Witch in Cabin Six
- Babysitters on Board
- Low Pressure
- Black Beauty
- Creepy
- The Book Thief

So far this year I have read 47 books, with a page total of 17,019.

I have seriously been thinking about shutting this blog down, as I don't really keep on top of it, and I keep track of all my reading endeavors at Goodreads.com.

We shall see.

Book Review: Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul

Title: Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul
Author: Various
Pages: 308
Personal Rating: 4/5

From the Back Cover: A Tribute to the women who uphold the written and unwritten oaths of service and of marriage.

All military personnel swear an oath to uphold the constitution and protect our country, while their spouces take the unwritten oath to live a life of frequent moves, lengthy separations and endless anxieties.  Their commitment requires a unique blend of patriotism, dedication, hard work and, most of all, flexibility.
The stories in Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul are written by military family members and the courageous women who themselves serve int he military.  Each page celebrates the women who unite with kindred spirits to raise families,maintain homes and uphold the most positive attitudes when faing the fears of losing a loved one.
This special volume celebrates the unique bond between military wives and their spouses and their dedication to home and country.

Personal Thought and Reflection: It was hard for me to get through this book. As a military spouse this book hit a sensitive nerve in my heart, and I found myself with tears streaming down my face after reading many of these stories. I chuckled at some, as I shared some of these women's stories as my own. The hardships and tribulations that a family goes through when you are a military wife are many, and it was great to read these stories and know that we are truly not alone. Many women have gone before us and made the same such sacrifices that we ourselves have made, and many more will do so after our spouses have left or retired from the military. This book truly reiterates the fact that the military becomes your family, when you are far from home, your fellow military members and their families become your family. You call on them, and help them also in time of need. Personally I feel this, as my family has been stationed in Japan for the past 4 years. There is a family-like feel shared between the people who serve with you in a far away land. This book will touch the hearts of any patriotic person, not just spouses of military members.