Book Lists

I recently had this crazy idea. After reading a friend's blog back in January where she shared a list of the 52 books she read during the year...I kind of want to read 52 books in a year too!
At first I thought it was crazy...but then I thought about it some more. I already love reading and she didn't read a book each week of the year. Some months she read 8 books and others she read 2. So far this year, I'm only three books behind...
So far I have read (not in this order...this is just the order I remembered them):

The Count of Monte Cristo
Princess of Glass
Revolution
Mansfield Park
Room with a View
Wuthering Heights
Bridge to Terabithia
Tuck Everlasting
The Gable Faces East

I also found this list of Newberry Medal award winners and books who didn't win but were honored...I think that is a great list of quick reads that just might make it possible for me to really read 52 books in one year!

And since we are talking about book lists...I found this great link to book lists for kids!

Christmas Reads

I love reading to my son, especially when there is a holiday coming up! When I was little my dad would read "A Story a Day Until Christmas" every night in December until Christmas Day and we all loved it! I've tried to do the same thing with my son, but with all meaningful stories rather than fun ones. I'm not opposed to fun Christmas stories though--we still read them! In my search to find more Christmas books, I have found a couple of book lists that have some fun looking books on them! Check out the lists here and here. Also here is a great collection of stories you can print off to do your own "A Story a Day Till Christmas!"

What are your favorite Christmas time books and stories?

I Capture the Castle

I just finished reading "I Capture the Castle" by Dodie Smith and thoroughly enjoyed it! It is a narrative, as seen through the journals of Cassandra Mortmain. It has a bitter-sweet ending--it was not the ending I expected at all, to me it was so sad for three different characters. It does have quite a bit of language though, and a couple parts or things about it I think could have been left out and it would be better.
But I loved the narrative, and how it was so different from other books I've been reading lately. I really wish there was a sequel! I want to say more about this book--but I won't, in case you decide to read it. If you do read it though, I would love to talk about it with you!

Not Like I Imagined

I recently finished reading the "Percy Jackson" series by Rick Riordan. They were great, I really enjoyed reading them and had a hard time putting them down to be an good wife and mother...
So I read the 5 book series over the past month or two and was very surprised when last week while enjoying a free bowl of ice cream at Cold Stone, I glanced over at the movies playing at the dollar theater...and saw "Percy Jackson" listed as one of the movies there!
We went home, I looked it up online and watched the trailer...and sure enough it was the same Percy Jackson I had just finished reading about. 9:35 showing? No prob. We went. Just like that. Probably only because it was my birthday. :) It was my honey's first time in a movie theater...he did really well. He fell asleep half way through, and other than not liking how loud it was during a couple really loud monster parts...he didn't have any problems!
Anyway, the movie was fun...but nothing like the book. Books are always better. The worst part for me was how completely OFF all of the characters looked from how I had imagined them in my head. Every. Single. One. I didn't like how they changed the storyline either, but I guess it made the movie more interesting. Go read the book, and then if you want...watch the movie. :)

April Reads

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

A friend of mine suggested that I read this book, I had never heard of it before and I didn't even know what it was about. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was about a young man living at the same time as Jesus Christ. I didn't want this book to end, and thought it was perfect that I read it over Easter weekend!



5 Children and It by E. Nesbit

This is another book I had never heard of before and was a lot of fun! Five children discover a sand fairy near their new home which grants them a wish each day. To find out what else happens though, you'll have to read it!



The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

I had seen the musical of The Scarlet Pimpernel five years ago and enjoyed it and it was fun for me to read the book now. I didn't remember a lot of the things that happened in the musical, and thoroughly enjoyed the book so much more than I expected! I didn't want to put it down! It was filled with mystery, passion, disguise, suspense...oh it was just great! I would say more, but I don't want to give anything away if you don't know the story!

Love Stories

I have loved the book Guess How Much I Love You? ever since I was first introduced to it in a Spanish class...we obviously read it in Spanish and I loved it. Here are a couple other great love books to read to your little one...or maybe even your significant other. I love the idea of giving children's books with meaningful words to Mr. Wonderful...I did it for Christmas when we were dating. :)

Good Reads

I have been wanting to read A Tale of Two Cities for a long time and I finally did it! I really loved this book. Even though I already knew the basic story, I was so caught up in the 'mystery' parts of the book and wanted to know how the characters stories all connected in the end. It was so heartbreaking to read of Sydney Carton, and so striking the difference between good and evil. I highly recommend it.



The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a book that I just heard of randomly when someone mentioned how much they liked it on facebook. I'm always on the lookout for a good book, so I put it on hold at the library and really knew nothing about it when I started reading. It is composed all of letters and notes which I wasn't too sure about at first and was a little bit confused about too--not knowing who the different characters were yet and who was writing to whom. But I loved this book! It tells about what life was like during the German occupation of the English Channel Islands during WWII. Although there are very sad parts, I thought it was very touching and had a sweet, happy ending. Once I got into this book, I didn't want to put it down, it was a very quick read.

Book Lists

I. Love. Reading.
Reading more books is not a goal I have to set for myself. However I would like to read better books. I usually love to read young adult fiction--entertaining and quick. This year I would like to focus more on reading classics and gospel centered books like the one pictured above. The Provo Library has this list of 111 classic books and another list of 100 years of reading. But I know there are books I would like to read that are not on these lists. What are your favorite books? Classics, gospel, just for fun...anything!