Jessi began her summer reading for school a couple of weeks ago and wants to keep track of all the books that she reads from this point forward. So, I'm dedicating this post to her so that she can keep a record of what she reads each year. Hopefully this will be fun for her!

1)The Girl Who Could Fly--Victoria Forester
2)A Wrinkle In Time--Madeleine L'Engle

2011 Book Challenge

1) The Secret Life of Bees--Sue Monk Kidd
2) Prince of Thieves--Chuck Hogan
3) Water for Elephants--Sara Gruen
4) The Shack--William Paul Young
5) Blubber--Judy Blume
6) Gone, Baby, Gone--Dennis Lehane
7) Good In Bed--Jennifer Weiner
8) Chains--Laurie Halse Anderson
9) Heart of the Matter--Emily Giffin
10)Nantucket Nights--Elin Hilderbrand
11)Just Listen--Sarah Dessen
12)Go Ask Alice--Anonymous
13)A Stolen Life--Jaycee Dugard

Challenge

Okay, starting fresh this year, once again, joining J. Kaye's 100+ Reading Challenge. I'm hoping to improve on last year's number (23/100)!

1) Weight Of Silence--Heather Gudenkauf

2) Open House--Elizabeth Berg

3) The Last Song--Nicholas Sparks

4) The Help--Katherine Stockett

5) A Reliable Wife--Robert Goolrick

6) Cane River--Lalita Tademy

7) The Last Lecture--Randy Pausch

8) Summer Affair--Elin Hilderbrand

9) Food Rules--Michael Pollan

10) Someone Like You--Sarah Dessen

11) Baby Proof--Emily Giffen

12) Charlie St. Cloud--Ben Sherwood

13) Do Not Open This Book--Pascal Lemaitre

14) The Doctor's Wife--Elizabeth Brundage

2009 Wrap Up

Well, I have to say that I can't believe how fast 2009 has gone by. In January, I joined the 100+ Reading Challenge on J. Kaye's book blog and was able to read 23/100. With everything else that goes on in my life, this is truly amazing. I love to read and I think it's important to continue to make a conscious effort to continue on. I've read some absolutely great books in 2009 and look forward to what's to come in 2010. I hope to get closer to my goal this next year!!

Eclipse

(5.0/5.0)

New Moon

"Time passes. Even when it seems impossible. Even when each tick of the second hand aches like the pulse of blood behind a bruise. It passes unevenly, in strange lurches and dragging lulls, but pass it does. Even for me." (p.93)

There is not much that I can say about New Moon that hasn't already been said. This was my second time reading it (which I almost never do) and it had the same effect on me as the first. I read it last year and some I had forgotten. It's a story of love and of friendship. Stephenie Meyer did an amazing job delivering the emotion of this story. When Edward left, my body physically ached. Maybe it's because I've been there, I'm sure we've all been there. When he returned, I wasn't so quick to forget, to trust again. While he was gone, Jacob was her saving grace. Time passed, as it always does, and he was there to help her heal. Believe it or not, this story transcends time, but I believe that Ms. Meyer has told it in a unique and unforgettable way. (5.0/5.0)

If You're Afraid of the Dark Remember the Night Rainbow

"If you have butterflies in your stomach ask them into your heart" (p.7)

I purchased this book at a professional workshop and just loved the message. The illustrations are beautiful and just eye-catching. I felt the message was similar to the idea of "if life hands you lemons, make lemonade" but delivered in a beautiful way. The only drawback, if there is one is that it the audience that it seeks may not understand the message. However, if you hold onto it long enough, they will. (4.5/5.0)

Anne Frank Diary of a Young Girl

"No matter what I'm doing, I can't help thinking about those who are gone. I catch myself laughing and remember that it's a disgrace to be so cheerful. But am I supposed to spend the whole day crying? No, I can't do that. This gloom will pass. (p. 70)

Although I read this book in middle school, I really didn't have much of a recollection of it. As it turns out, I also don't think that I had the ability to appreciate it as much as I did this time. I don't think I can truly grasp the reality that was Anne's reality but am grateful that she left this legacy for the world to better understand. (5.0/5.0)

The Time Traveler's Wife

"Long ago, men went to sea, and women waited for them, standing on the edge of the water, scanning the horizon for the tiny ship. Now I wait for Henry. He vanishes unwillingly, without warning. I wait for him. Each moment that I wait feels like a year, an eternity. Each moment is as slow and transparent as glass. Through each moment I can see infinite moments lined up, waiting. Why has he gone where I cannot follow?" (p.VII)

Phenomenal, enchanting, a wonderful love story. One of the best books I've ever read. I wish that I could read it again for the first time. (5.0/5.0)

Drowning Ruth

"Ruth remembered drowning. "That's impossible," Aunt Amanda said. "It must have been a dream." But Ruth maintained that she had drowned, insisted on it for years, even after she should have known better." (p.3) (3.5/5.0)

Till Death Do Us Part

I love true crime. More than any other genre. Initially, I thought that because the crime was committed in 1967 and the book written shortly thereafter, that I wouldn't enjoy it that much. Fortunately, I was wrong. The account was very captivating. Additionally, the author, Mr. Bugliosi, the Los Angeles prosecutor at the time, provided an update at the time of printing in 2004, so I wasn't left hanging, wondering what's happened since. (4.5/5.0)

Jemima J

"Not that I'm looking for anyone, I mean, it's me, for God's sake, the woman who never has any boyfriends, and, although I know what a nice person I am, I'm not the most sociable of creatures. I wish I were, I wish I could be more like my roommates at times, but unfortunately my size dictates my social life, and my size is the one thing I can't control. I know what you're thinking, go on a diet, but it's not as easy as that, I just can't stop the cravings when they come, and somehow living on the Internet seems a far easier option than giving up chocolate." (p.49) (4.0/5.0)

Keeping Faith

No quote. Nothing stands out. I wouldn't say the book was a "page turner" but it was very close. It flowed, had good dialogue, interesting characters, interesting storyline, and then BOOM, over. I really felt cheated. It wasn't that it had a bad ending, it just ended. I really felt that storylines were just left. The custody hearing ended and then so did the book. I wouldn't recommend this book, which I rarely say because I think almost all books have redeemable qualities, and this one has some as mentioned above, but overall, I think you'll feel as if your time was wasted. (2.0/5.0)

The Road

"No lists of things to be done. the day providential to iteself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes. So, he whispered to the sleeping boy. I have you." (p. 54) (4.0/5.0)

My Sister's Keeper

"There is way too much to explain--my own blood seeping into my sister's veins; the nurses holding me down to stick me for white cells Kate might borrow; the doctor saying they didn't get enough the first time around. The bruises and the deep bone ache after I gave up my marrow; the shots that sparked more stem cells in me, so that there'd be extra for my sister. The fact that I'm not sick, but I might as well be. The fact that the only reason I was born was as a harvest crop for Kate. The fact that even now, a major decision about me is being made, and no one's bothered to ask the one person who most deserves it to speak her opinion.

There's way too much to explain, and so I do the best I can. "It's not God. Just my parents," I say. "I want to sue them for the rights to my

own body." (p. 29)

My Sister's Keeper came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. Extremely emotional at times. I liked the change in narrator with each chapter. Thoroughly enjoyable. (5/5)

In a Slump

As you can see, I have fallen behind in my reading and my Unfinished list is growing, rather than my Finished list. I think in my rush to meet my goal, I am not finding the right books for me. So, I stopped reading, turning instead to other interests to fill my time and discovered that I am a direct descendant of a Mayflower settler. I then found this book, Mayflower, which covers that period of time, and I find that I cannot put it down. Hopefully, my slump is over! I'm a fan of non-fiction anyway and it has been a long time since I have read a non-fiction book. Looking forward.

The Most Spectacular Show On Earth

"I don't talk much about those days. Never did. I don't know why--I worked on circuses for nearly seven years, and if that isn't fodder for conversation, I don't know what is.

Actually I do know why: I never trusted myself. I was afraid I'd let it slip. I knew how important it was to keep her secret, and keep it I did--for the rest of her life, and then beyond.

In seventy years, I've never told a blessed soul." (Prologue, pg 4, Water For Elephants)

Water For Elephants was a wonderful story. It had me from page one and I was hoping the ending would be as great as the story. I was not disappointed. The story is told by Jacob Jankowski and alternates between present day (at age 90 or 93, he's not sure) and the summer of 1931, at age 23, when by circumstances of fate, Jacob joins a traveling train circus. While the backdrop is very interesting and colorful, this story is so much more than a story about a circus. It's about Jacob's friendships, experiences, and passion. It's a must-read. (5.0/5.0)

Unfinished Business

So far in this reading challenge, I have started a few books that for one reason or another, I didn't finish. Some I still intend to read and others I will not. I realized today, however, that I should also keep track of these. Especially so that I can go back and maybe read them at a later date. This is the post where I will keep track of them and add to it, if necessary, as I go. Then I will link this to the sidebar so that I can find it easily. My list consists of the following:

1) Disobedience--Jane Hamilton
2) While I Was Gone--Sue Miller
3) Pride and Prejudice--Jane Austen
4) The Friday Night Knitting Club--Kate Jacobs
5) The Shack--Wm. Paul Young
6) The Devil and the White City--Erik Larson
7) Mayflower--Nathaniel Philbrick
8) The Reader----Bernhard Schlink
9) Warren Beatty: A Private Man--Suzanne Finstad

Library Loot

Going to the library when you are starved for a good book is like going grocery shopping when you haven't eaten for several days. It results in checking out more books than I can possibly read in two weeks. I even went to two libraries in the same day. Crazy. So, my loot this week is a little optimistic at best. Last night when trying to decide where to start, I became a bit overwhelmed at my choices. I read a few pages of Water for Elephants, recommended by Brooke, and was instantly hooked. The rest of my loot consists of:

1) Keeping the Moon--Sarah Dessen

2) Prom--Laurie Halse Anderson

3) The Friday Night Knitting Club--

Kate Jacobs

4) Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics--

Paula Deen

5) The Total Money Makeover--

Dave Ramsey

6) The Giving Tree--Shel Silverstein

7) Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2008

I may be in luck since Spring Break is next week and I'll be on vacation so I'll have a little more time to read.

Speak

This story is a required reading for Jonathan's 9th grade English class. When he started reading it, he said that it was good, so I read it, too. It is an excellent story and I can see why it is required in so many high school English classes. The narrative style held my captive attention. Melinda is a very sympathetic main character that may, hopefully, encourage teenagers to find compassion for an outcast, understanding that there may be more than meets the eye. It's been awhile since I read a book that was hard to put down, but Speak was just that book, young adult or not. (5.0/5.0)