Fall Into Reading Wrap-Up Post 2012

I cannot believe we've almost come to the end of 2012! Where did this year go??
Well, for this challenge, I set out to finish up my reading goals for 2012 and get some books off my TBR pile. I think I was more successful with the first goal than the second.

My original list (see the original post here):
Finish - The Strong-Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson
Finish - Unlocked by Courtney Milan - COMPLETED
Awakening by Karice Bolton (The Watchers Trilogy #1)- COMPLETED
Persuasion by Jane Austen (2012 Goal book) - COMPLETED 
Home Improvement by Charlaine Harris (this one has been on my shelf for awhile)
Divergent by Veronica Roth (Divergent #1) (this has been on my to-read list forever!) - COMPLETED
Out for Blood by Kristen Painter

So, out of these seven books, I completed only four! This seems a little sad, but I did read Persuasion which was one of my 2012 Goals to read one Jane Austen novel this year. Also, I was planning to read Out for Blood but my pre-order has yet to come (!!) which is annoying, so I need to contact the Book Depository to find out where it went - so that was a little beyond my control. I didn't finish The Strong-Willed Child, but I did watch a whole video series on Bringing Up Boys by Dr. Dobson, so I think it might have been a little Dobson overkill to read this book also.

Then there are all the OTHER books I read that I didn't have on my original list:
Legions by Karice Bolton (The Watchers Triology #2)
Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Divergent #2)
Abby: Mail Order Bride by Verna Clay
Promise by Kristie Cook (Soul Savers #1)
The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund
Wool Omnibus (Books #1-5) by Hugh Howey
Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund
The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund
A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer
A Change of Fortune by Jen Turano
The Apothacary's Daughter by Julie Klassen
Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert
How Do You Tuck In A Superhero? by Rachel Balducci

So I had 13 books that I read that were not on my original list, which makes for a total of 17 during the course of Fall Into Reading 2012. I think that was a pretty successful reading challenge - even if I didn't read the books I was planning on!

Reading Goal Completed!!

I've done it! Even having a baby this summer, I've managed to finish my goal of 50 books read this year. This includes Sisters of the Quilt which was a Trilogy  but only counted as one and Wool which was five novellas in one. I was not sure I could do it - as you can see from my reading list,  I didn't finish a single book in July. AND I still have a couple weeks left - 60 books for next year maybe? =)

“It is not true we have only one life to love, if we can read,

we can live as many lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish.”

- S.I. Hayakawa

Update:
I didn't want to make a whole new post, so I'm placing my 2012 Reading List here. =)
December:

• Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (Chapter's 1-5, Lunar Chronicles #2)
• The Queen's Army by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #1.5)
• Glitches by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #0.5)
• Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #1)
• How Do You Tuck In A Superhero? by Rachel Balducci
• Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert
• The Apothacary's Daughter by Julie Klassen
• A Change of Fortune by Jen Turano

November:

• A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer
• The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund
• Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund
• Wool Omnibus (Books #1-5) by Hugh Howey
• The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund
• A Wreath of Snow by Liz Curtis Higgs
• Promise by Kristie Cook (Soul Savers #1)

October:

• Abby: Mail Order Bride by Verna Clay
• Persuasian by Jane Austen
• Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Divergent #2)
• Divergent by Veronica Roth (Divergent #1)
• Legions by Karice Bolton (The Watchers Trilogy #2)

September:

• Awakening by Karice Bolton (The Watchers Trilogy #1)
• Unlocked by Courtney Milan
• Twice A Bride by Mona Hodgson
• Almost Amish by Kathryn Cushman

August:

• Inescapable by Nancy Mehl
• Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer
• My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade
• Finding Our Way Home by Charlene Ann Baumbich

July: - Nothing!

June:

• Bridesmaid Lotto by Rachel Astor
• The Marriage Bargain by Sandra Edwards
• Midnight Sun by M.J. Fredrick
• The Spy Who Left Me by Gina Robinson
• The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
• Underworld by Meg Cabot (Abandon Trilogy #2)
• Overbite by Meg Cabot (Insatiable #2)

May:

• The Messenger by Siri Mitchell
• Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz
• Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
• Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James
• Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

April:

• The Marriage Pact by M.J. Pullen
• A Better Reason to Fall in Love by Marcia Lynn McClure
• The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall

March:

• The Lure of Shapinsay by Kristen Holle
• Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride by Sandra D Bricker
• Bad Blood by Kristin Painter (House of Comarre' #3)
• Intentions of the Earl by Rose Gordon
• Lioness Arising by Lisa Bevere
• Mrs. Tuesday's Departure by Suzanne Anderson

February:

• Sisters of the Quilt The Complete Trilogy by Cindy Woodsmall
• The Soulkeeper's by G.P. Ching

January:

• I'm in No Mood for Love by Rachel Gibson
• Jessicas Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
• Mr Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo
• Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer (Daughters of Caleb Bender #1)

51/50 The Magical Adventures of a Single Life by Kristen McGuiness

Currently...

1. I just finished the second book in the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth. I can't believe I have to wait A YEAR to find out what happens. Seriously... this is why I usually wait until the whole series is out before I start reading it.

2. I have a lot left to unpack from our move, but I've squirreled most of it away into the back bonus room so that Malachi is the one who has to look at it most of the time. =)

3. I have been spending WAY too much time on Pinterest lately.

4. I am planning a Jane Austen bunco party at my house next month - and getting super excited about all the fun prizes and food and decoration I'm going to have.

5. Our new house has a fireplace with a mantle! I've been super excited to decorate it. Here's the beginning of my Fall mantle:

Oil lamp from Grandma's | Harvest jar candle | Picture of Malachi | 3 votives covered with burlap | Pumpkin 

pillar candle w/ acorn & leaf ring from World Market | Two old frames from Grandma's | Malachi's baby 

pumpkin from the Cider Mill | Hurricane holder from Partylite | Leaf garland from Dollar Tree 

I have a burlap project to finish it off.... but I've either misplaced or used up all my burlap...

6. I'm trying to get through the BBC's version of Jane Austen's Persuasion. Usually I don't like to watch a movie before I read the book, but Austen novels are the exception. I've decided the novels are so involved that it actually helps me keep it all straight to watch a movie first. So... the next book on my list is Persuasion, which will fulfill one of my Fall reading goals and 2012 goals. =)

7. Last night I baked my first pumpkin recipe of the season - Banana Pumpkin Muffins. The recipe said it made 12 muffins, so I doubled it. We got almost 3 dozen muffins... hmm...

8. My friend Lisa came over a couple days ago and helped me cut Malachi's hair with our clippers. I usually spend about $18 every couple months to take him to the local children's salon. He has a crazy cowlick in the back and it always grows out weird. I'm thinking I can do this... and save myself some money and cut the cowlick back whenever it needs it, rather than when I have the money. Apparently I need to get some thinning shears though....

Fall Into Reading 2012

Fall Into Reading 2012
This is my 3rd year joining up with this low pressure reading challenge. This event runs September 22 - December 21st.
Want to join the fun? Visit Callapidder Days for the details!

Last year I didn't make it though my whole list and I'm not going to be too crazy with my list this year. Having a three-year-old and a new baby kind of kills most of my reading time. One thing I'd like to do is read a Jane Austen novel I haven't read yet though. That was part of my 2012 Goals, so I could get two things done at once.


My list:

• Finish - The Strong-Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson
• Finish - Unlocked by Courtney Milan
• Awakening by Karice Bolton
• Persuasion by Jane Austen (2012 Goal book)
• Home Improvement by Charlaine Harris (this one has been on my shelf for awhile)
• Divergent by Veronica Roth (this has been on my to-read list forever!)
• Out for Blood by Kristen Painter (currently pre-ordered!)

This seems like a very small and sad list compared to my previous FIR lists. But I'm hoping that's it's doable. =)

2011 Reading Goals/Challenges Wrap Up

I'm going to apologize in advance....

you may not really be interested in this post, but I need to post it somewhere

so I can keep track of what I did last year. =)

I attempted five reading challenges in 2011.

Page to Screen Challenge - Goal: 5 books, Actual: 3 60% Completed

Nicholas Sparks Challenge - Goal: 3 books, Actual: 2 67% Completed

1st in a Series Challenge - Goal 6 books, Actual: 6+ 100% Completed

Spring Reading Thing - Goal 10 books, Actual 8 (+6 others)

Fall Into Reading - Goal 11, Actual 7 (+1 other)

I also had a Goodreads goal of reading 60 books this year....I completed 57, 

which I pretty proud of considering I read all those HUGE Outlander books.

And FINALLY,

here is my list of books I read in 2011:

December:

• Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier
• The Lady of Bolton Hill  by Elizabeth Camden
• Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
• Cloudy with a Chance of Marriage by Kieran Kramer
• Mine Is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs (for publisher review)

November:

• A Wedding Invitation by Alice J. Wisler (for publisher review)
• Fracture by Megan Miranda (ARC) Good Choice Reading Book Tour
• Valley of Dreams by Lauraine Snelling (for publisher review) didn't finish
• Legend by Marie Lu (ARC) Good Choice Reading Book Tour
• Flesh and Blood by Kristen Painter

October:

• A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner
• Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

September:

• How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal
• Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (ARC) Good Choice Reading Book Tour
• Blood Rights by Kristen Painter (ARC) Good Choice Reading Book Tour
• Indelible by Kristin Heitzmann (for publisher review)

August:

• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• The Apothecary by Maile Meloy (ARC) Once Upon A Twilight Book Tour
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• An Echo in the  Bone by Diana Gabaldon

July:

• Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh (for publisher review)
• Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right by Kieran Kramer
• Laird of the Mist by Paula Quinn
• An Unlikely Suitor by Nancy Moser (for publisher review)

June:

• Abandon by Meg Cabot (ARC) Once Upon A Twilight Book Tour
• A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
• Stillettos & Scoundrels by Laina Turner Molaski (ARC)

May:

• Ravished by a Highlander by Paula Quinn (Children of the Mist #1)
• The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks
• When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer (The Impossible Bachelors #1)
• Maid to Match by Deeane Gist
• Larkspur Cove by Lisa Wingate (for publisher review)
• Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
• The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

April:

• Courting Miss Amsel by Kim Vogel Sawyer (for publisher review)
• Insatiable by Meg Cabot
• Happily Ever After by Susan May Warren

March:

• Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse #10)
• Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse #9)
• Seduced by a Highlander by Paula Quinn
• The Scent of Jasmine by Jude Deveraux
• Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
• The Making of a Duchess by Shana Galen
• Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
• A Hand to Hold by Kathleen Fuller

February:

• An Honest Love by Kathleen Fuller
• Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
• Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
• Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
• A Word to the End Time Church by Georgie Newman

January:

• A Man of His Word by Kathleen Fuller
• All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Happy Reading in 2012!!

Book Review: Girl with a Pearl Earring

Book Details:
Title: Girl with a Pearl Earring
Author: Tracy Chevalier
2001, Plume
ISBN: 0-452-28215-2
Genre: Historical Fictions


Book Summary (from Goodreads):
Girl with a Pearl Earring centers on Vermeer's prosperous Delft household during the 1660s. When Griet, the novel's quietly perceptive heroine, is hired as a servant, turmoil follows. First, the 16-year-old narrator becomes increasingly intimate with her master. Then Vermeer employs her as his assistant--and ultimately has Griet sit for him as a model. Chevalier vividly evokes the complex domestic tensions of the household, ruled over by the painter's jealous, eternally pregnant wife and his taciturn mother-in-law. At times the relationship between servant and master seems a little anachronistic. Still, Girl with a Pearl Earringdoes contain a final delicious twist.


My Review:
This book was on my list of Page to Screen books to read for this year's reading challenge. A book I normally wouldn't have picked up most likely. I did enjoy this book, although I really know nothing about the painter or the time period.


Griet was a young, but intelligent girl who, through a family tragedy, ends up working as a maid for the famous painter, Vermeer's, household. She is hired to clean the studio and becomes increasingly pulled into the actually work - grinding paints and such. She is very fascinated by her master, Vermeer. That in itself is a little frustrating to me... because she seems to sense the wrongness of it, but can't shake the attraction even as it causes increasing issues within the household.


This is a very interesting novel, based on real characters. We really have no idea who The Girl with the Pearl Earring was - and this is an inspired fictional take on a historical event.

Reading Challenges Update

I've been having a lot of fun with the reading challenges I signed up for 

at the beginning of the year - but man! - they're hard to finish!

I didn't think they would be, but apparently I tend to get distracted! =)

I think Nicholas Sparks and Page to Screen are doomed... I just didn't get to them.

Although I am currently reading Girl with a Pearl Earring to get one more for the Page to Screen challenge in.

1st of a Series was pretty easy... I had that one completed awhile ago.

I'm frantically reading as many books as possible by the end of the year to make my 60 books in a year, but I may fall one or two short... I just don't think I have enough time with the holidays this week. =)

I will definitely be doing some challenge next year.... I may be more careful in my choosing though!

Fall Into Reading 2011

Yay! I love Fall Into Reading! This is going to be my 2nd year joining up with Katrina over at Callapidder Days for this event. I also did her Spring reading event, Spring Reading Thing. It's not too late to join!


Fall Into Reading a very low pressure reading challenge running September 23rd - December 21st! Basically I have a bunch of books on my shelves that I want to get through, and this will be a great motivator to DO IT!


Usually I break up my list by month, which usually does me pretty well. Its easy to see if I'm on track, but I think I'm just going to make one big list this time and see how that goes.

1. Finish That's My Son by Rick Johnson
2. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (must read - someone gave me this to read...)
3. Fracture by Megan Miranda (ARC tour)
4. Cloudy with a Chance of Marriage by Kieran Kramer
5. The Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden (DONE!)
6. Dark Lover by JR Ward
7. The Lady's Slipper by Deborah Swift
8. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier
9. Legend by Marie Lu (ARC Tour)
10. Mine Is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs (publisher review)
11. A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner (publisher review)

Added: Flesh and Blood by Kristen Painter (House of Comarre bk2)
A Wedding Invitation by Alice J. Wisler (publisher review)

Friday Findings #4

A little compilation of what I've found of interest

in my wanderings throughout the

blogosphere and general WWW this week.

• I'm going to be joining in on Callapidder Days Fall Into Reading challenge again this year! I love this low-stress challenge.
• Loved the FREE PRINTABLES in this post on Pantry Makeovers
• I'm all about this cute blog lately with her Scarf Pins and DIY Tile Coasters
• Doesn't this Baked Applesauce look yummy? I think I need to find some more apples to make some.

What did YOU find of interest this week?

Spring Reading Thing 2011 Wrap-Up

Wrap up for the Spring Reading Thing over at 
Callapidder Days!
Well, I didn't do quite as well as I'd hoped in some respects -

but I read a lot more books than I planned on!

Here's my Original Post

My original list of books included:

3 Sookie Stackhouse books - completed

2 books for publisher reviews - completed

2 stand alone's - completed

The only thing I didn't finish was my goal of finishing the last 3 books in the Outlander series. I finished one, I'm 63% through the second and (obviously) have not even started the last one.

Although this kind of bums me out (I really like to complete my goals!), I think I under-estimated the SIZE of the last three books in this series. All of the books in this series are VERY long, but the last two are over 1000 pages each. The one I'm currently on, An Echo in the Bone is 1439 pages long and I'm at about 900 something.

I also read a bunch of books in between each Outlander novel, waiting for my friend to finish it and give it to me. =)

Sooooo.... I actually completed an additional SIX books that weren't on my original list.

Yay! It was fun and I'll be doing this again in the Fall!

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Spring Reading Thing 2011

I think I may be crazy, but I'm going in on ANOTHER reading challenge. Hosted by Katrina over at Callipidder Days, Spring Reading Thing 2011 consists of our own books that we want to get read this Spring!

Spring Reading Thing runs March 20th - June 20th!

Want to join in the fun? Click on the event button below!

For my own list, I decided to read 3 books a month because I'm planning on reading these GINORMOUS Outlander Series books. I also want to finish up the Sookie Stackhouse series that's out and fit in a couple other books along the way. I like to break my list down by month.

My Original List:

March

Finish reading The Scent of Jasmine by Jude Deveraux

April

The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
Courting Miss Amsel by Kim Vogel Sawyer (for publisher review)

May

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Larkspur Cove by Lisa Wingate (for publisher review)

June

An Echo In the Bone by Diana Gabaldon (depending if my friend finishes it first!)

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (if I can get a copy-due out May 3, 2011)

The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

Alternate if one of my other books isn't available:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Added to my list:

Seduced by a Highlander by Paula Quinn

Happily Ever After by Susan May Warren

Insatiable by Meg Cabot
Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist
When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer
Stillettos & Scoundrels by Laina Turner Molaski

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Book Review: Safe Haven

Book Details:
Title: Safe Haven
Author: Nicholas Sparks
2010, Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-44654759-8
Fiction

Book Summary (from the jacket cover):
When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor,k Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.
But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her ... a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathetic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards ... and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

My Review:
My mother-in-law and I are both big Nicholas Sparks fans. One of us always gets his latest book and loans it to the other to read. It's one of the few common interests we share. So when she handed me this one and said, "This one wasn't my favorite.", it made me kind of nervous. It's been sitting on my bookshelf for several months waiting for me to get up the courage to read it.

I'm not sure what she didn't like about it, whether it was the story line or the way it was written, but I thought it was a fairly typical Nicholas Sparks novel. Rather dark and depressing for the most part. I think that the storyline of Katie was especially sad and depressing - her dark secret kept popping up, of course. Alex's story was rather sad also, his wife had died a couple years earlier of a brain tumor and he was left with two young kids to raise.

If you read too many Nicholas Sparks books, you realize that someone almost always dies. I was dreading who was going to die right up until the second to last chapter in this one - sometimes I  can't believe I like these books because I'm really more of a happy ending reader! Amazingly - I was actually pretty happy and satisfied with the ending to this book.

All in all - if you're a Nicholas Sparks fan, this book will probably not disappoint. I would say the storyline is a little more depressing than some others - definitely not in league with The Notebook. It reminded me more of The Choice. Not one of my favorites, but not my least favorite of his either. =)



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Book Review: Beezus and Ramona

Book Details:
Title: Beezus and Ramona
Author: Beverly Cleary
1955, HarperCollins
ISBN:978-0-06-191461-4
Genre: Children's Fiction


Book Summary (from the back cover):
Big sister Beezus Quimby tries to be patient with her little sister, Ramona, but it isn't easy, not when Ramona powders her nose with marshmallows and invites her class to a party without telling her family. Sometimes Beezus doesn't like Ramona, but the girls are sisters and that means they will always love each other - just not every single minute.


My Review:
Awww.... who didn't love the Ramona books when they were little. As part of my Page-to-Screen Challenge, I'm re-reading Beezus and Ramona. I watched the movie at the beginning of the year, so it's been a few weeks in between. There are some definite differences.


The Ramona in the book is only four-years-old. The Ramona in the movie is more like eight-years-old or so. I do believe (if I can remember back that far) that many of Ramona's antics in the movie (the toothpaste in the sink for instance) is from another one of the books in the Ramona series, like Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Regardless, I felt that Ramona in the movie did very good justice to Ramona Quimby in the book.


Beezus and Ramona, the book, is told from Beezus perspective and she struggles with the fact that Ramona is always being naughty, causing problems and constantly being the center of attention. This makes Beezus resent her little sister and sometimes she doesn't even love Ramona. Like the back of the book describes though, Beezus comes to realize that they are sisters for forever and it's okay to be frustrated with Ramona sometimes.





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Reading Challenge: 1st in a Series

Okay... I'm really starting to get into these reading challenges. Not that I've progressed too far in the two I've joined already, but this one is right up my ally. I love series and so I thought this one was perfect.

Hosted by Katy @ A Few More Pages

I'm going to go with level 2 on this challenge - "Series Lover" which is six books that are a first in any series.

I'll keep a running list here - I've already read a couple "firsts" this year:

1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander Series)

2. A Man of His Word by Kathleen Fuller (Hearts of Middlefield Series)

3. The Making of a Duchess by Shana Galen (Sons of Revolution Series)

4. Happily Ever After by Susan May Warren (Deep Haven Series)

5. When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer (The Impossible Bachelors Series)

6. Ravished by A Highlander by Paula Quinn (Children of the Mist Series)

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