1 Month Left

So there is only 1 month left in 2010. Even though I already accomplished my goal of 50 books in a year. I set a new one to try to do 70 this year. That comes out to be 10 more this month. I know, I know, it's crazy.  But here is the breakdown...

1. Forgotten God...it's an audiobook (that still counts!) and i'm already 33% done, I figure I will finish it on one of my walks with Schmuffin or my trip down to Myrtle Beach for New Year's.
2. Black Rednecks & White Liberals...I'm 75% done...it's a hard read, but if I read a little bit each day I'll finish in a couple weeks.
3. The Hour I First Believed...this is by Wally Lamb. I really liked his other 2 novels when I was in high school. But, they are hard to read. I don't want to say that they are dark or twisted. But they are in a way a little depressing. But usually they are uplifting and reflective. I think I'll read through it quickly though it is a big book. I'm 12% done.
4. Generation Kill...so interesting! I need to finish this for book club (we picked it like months ago). I'm 27% done.
5. NIV Bible...I'm SO determined to finish this. I don't want to rush through it though. If I don't finish it by the end of the year, I'm ok with that. I do have to read like 6 chapters a night to finish. I'm halfway done with it so far. 
6. Faith Tango...I should be able to finish this by the end of the week, I only have 92 pages left.
7. The Final Detail...I'm 100 pages in, I'll easily be able to finish this by the end of the month. So funny. I love the Myron Bolitar character. He had this funny monologue about the song from Sound Of Music, "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things." He was like, "whiskers on kittens??? Really. That's one of your favorite things. Raindrops???" I found it comical mostly because Grandpa Fisher was watching it over Thanksgiving and it made me think of it again. 
8. Middlemarch....UGGHHH. This book is so long. I'm 54% done and I need to read a lil bit each day to finish. Like 2% a day. 
9. Financial Peace...This is the 2nd time I've read this book. It's a quick read. I haven't been keeping up with the book in accordance with the Financial Peace Class/Video Series that we're doing with our small group. But I'm confident I will finish this book by the end of the month as well. 
10. In 50 Years We'll All Be Chicks...I haven't started this yet, but it's by Adam Carrolla and I'm sure it's hysterical and I have a feeling it will line up with my conservative values. We'll see..

What I'm Reading 11/15/2010

My job is getting in the way of my leisure time. Don't you just hate when that happens??? I just haven't found the time to read as much as I've liked this fall. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving & Christmas Break. I plan on doing a ton of reading to finish up the year. In the past week and a half, I was able to finish The Twelfth Card by Jeffrey Deaver, One False Move by Harlan Coben, & Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen.

Ice Cold was THE BEST book in the Rizzoli & Isles series. So good. I read the first 50% of the book in one night. It was suspenseful and genuinely scary. I was so creeped out -- the thought of being trapped in a snowstorm of an abandoned cult community where there may or may not still be people or there may or may not be reminisces of a mass suicide -- that is some freaky stuff. Great book. Highly recommend it if you are a murder mystery junky like myself.

One False Move w/ Myron Bolitar - always funny, always a good read.

Twelfth Card was also entertaining and had some good twists. I never go wrong with a Lincoln Rhyme novel.

I just started Faith Tango & Generation Kill. Faith Tango is an anti-legalistic view on devotions for couples. Generation Kill is the book we picked for book club months ago that I only started getting around to reading. It's a true account about a reporter who follows a group of recon marines in the Iraqi War. It's a long book and might take me a while to get to, but it's interesting so far. It's also really interesting to think back to 2002 when the war started, when we had a different president, and what was going on in my life. It's weird because I can remember sitting on a friend's sofa watching the coverage on TV on Free Rita's day. We were discussing why we thought the war was sad, but necessary. I can remember texting my husband (back then we were just friends) and commenting on it. So it's weird to be reading this book and seeing the attacks on Baghdad from their perspective. It's surreal.

The Four Loves

Approximately 6 years ago I purchased the audiobook, The Four Loves by CS Lewis on iTunes. (it's an original recording so it's CS Lewis's voice) I tried listening to it while I went for walks but always zoned out or couldn't understand what he was saying. So it just sat there on my iPod for years. Recently, I tried listening to it again on one of my many car rides to Myrtle Beach. I've matured a lot and have grown a lot in these past 6 years and have to say I'm so glad I picked it up again. Maybe with what I know now I can connect to this book in ways that I couldn't 6 years ago. It is still hard to get through, just the way he talks/writes and it's always hard for me to listen to books on tape, period. He offers a critique of each of the four types of loves described in the bible. Storge which is affection. Phileo which is friendship. Eros is the "being in love" like we know it in a romantic relationship, not necessarily a lustful or sexual love. And lastly we have agape which is the most charitable form of love. Lewis believes this is the love that should be unconditional and the way God loves. It was an interesting book, I learned a lot. It challenged me in some ways and it was a nice expansion on the different types of relationships in my own life and how I view love.

Murder Mystery Junky

Now that school has started my brain has just been fried. Dealing with kids all day, when I come home I don't want to think all day. I just want to relax and read. So I've been defaulting to mystery books and beach-read books. I finished The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen on Monday night and picked up Twelfth Card by Jeffrey Deaver last night. (I had put it on hiatus). Don't get me wrong, they are both good books and well written. The Tess Gerritsen series that inspired the Rizzoli & Isles tv show is fantastic. Can't wait to read the last one! But they are "easy reads" compared to Middlemarch or Black Rednecks & White Liberals. I'm learning a lot more with these last two, but moving very slowly through them. I'm convinced I'll finish these and the bible by 2011.

I'm wired

It's late for me to still be up, but I can't sleep. I should be exhausted it was plyometrics day for P90X. But I took a nap when I got home from work. I tried to finish up my daily bible reading but wound up falling asleep. (The Book of Joshua seems to be just a bunch of lists). I did get that reading in after dinner, but now I'm hungry & I can't sleep.

Just finished Back Spin. Perhaps these Myron Bolitar novels are getting a little predictable. But they are still too good for me to give them up. It's not ALL predictable, they just seem to be following the same format. I'll come back to this thought after I finish #5.

Just started The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen. This one might be a little too gruesome. Vanish was gruesome in a different way, but this one I might caution a reader against if they are sensitive to gore.

No Laboring on Labor Day

I did drive 9 hours, squeeze in a session of P90X plus Ab Ripper, and cook up a storm this evening -- but for the weekend as a whole I relaxed and enjoyed myself down in Myrtle Beach. Just me, the hubby, and the dog. Dreams do come true.

I was able to finish Next by Michael Lewis. Man, I love that guy!!! I'm infatuated with every book he reads, I may talk him up TOO much. So go in thinking he is mediocre so I don't get your hopes up. I would love for him to "rewrite" this book 10 years later. He talks about what is being done with computers and the Internet back in 2001. Imagine what he could write about now. I would love for him to go back and interview the "kids" in the book and see where they are at. Why is it that the young embrace technology so much and the old are so afraid of it? Is it because we don't like change? I see the dangers of the Internet -- for safety reasons and for social reasons. But I'm still convinced more than ever that I am getting a lot out of it. Overall, Next was a quick/interesting read that tells a lot of neat stories. I wasn't really impressed with how it ended, I think it's a story that never really ends to tell you the truth. Maybe that's why I thought it fell short. But definitely worth it for all those ML fans out there.

I made a huge dent in Back Spin. I just love that Myron Bolitar. So awkward & funny. I'm 82% done. By the way...does anyone else hate how the kindle just shows you what percent you've read and not the actual page number? Doesn't that mess up citing sources when you write papers? Does MLA have a new format for Kindle sources? I digress...

I listened to Private by James Patterson to and from MB and also while I took Schmuffin for a walk. Finally a good James Patterson book again! It's been a while. Or maybe it's Maxine Paetro, but either way, good stuff. I really like the main character, Jack Morgan. (or was it Jake?) I'm hoping they write another one about him. The ending kind of left room for more. Maybe. But there were a lot of characters and the book was long enough where they were able to develop, a little. There was a lot going on so I wasn't bored. Also, because there was a lot of conflict it kept you guessing on what was happening and how each story line would get resolved. I recommend it higher than any other recent JP's I've read. Oh, and also! Not as dirty or morbid as Postcard Killers or Swimsuit. So I appreciated that. Here is hoping for a sequel!

I started listening to The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis, it's actually his voice in the recording. I bought this from iTunes probably 6+ years ago back when iTunes first started putting out audio books and I just couldn't get through it. Not that it was bad it's just that my mind often wonders while listening to books on tape. Plus his voice is a little hard to understanding. It's such a deep topic that you really have to be listening (isn't that so true of all CS Lewis books?). I'm halfway through and he has discussed affection type of love and friendship type of love. Fascinating stuff. He says that friendship is actually the easiest. If you think about it, that's kind of true. Affection is often most seen within the family and can be unhealthy at times because there is something selfish about it. To be honest, I'm going to have to listen to it again. I'm hoping book club will read it some time so we can flesh it out. But it's book that you could bring up at cocktail parties so I'm all for that.

What I've Read 08/21

I read Vanish this past week and the week before that Body Double, both by Tess Gerritsen. (#4 & #5 in the Rizzoli & Isles series). Body Double was good. Vanish was too, but a little disturbing. But what I'm noticing about Gerritsen's books is that they are all so much more than murder mysteries. Each book has a different theme. Vanish was focused on sex trafficking. Body Double had to do with kidnapping of newborn babies. None of them are enjoyable topics, but each book is at least interesting and unique. That's something very good about her books. I like the TV series, but the books are way better.

Earlier in the summer I read The Apprentice & The Sinner which were also very good.

While traveling to and from Myrtle Beach I listened to some audio books. In the past I've zoned out while listening to books while driving so I didn't think I would make it. But I've been getting into book swapping on goodreads and I accidentally swapped for the CD version of Swimsuit by James Patterson instead of the actual book. When I received it in the mail I was disappointed at first, but then decided to put it on my iPod and listen on my car ride down to SC. It went very well and made the 10 hour drive go by much faster. I paid attention the whole time. It wasn't the greatest book and it wasn't even a good James Patterson book, but it entertained me for that short time. On the ride home I listened to Postcard Killers which was pretty morbid but also did it's job for the trip.

When I came home from Africa I finished Drop Shot and Fade Away within a few weeks of each other. This was book #2 & #3 of the Myron Bolitar series. I enjoy this series more than I enjoyed Harlan Coben's other book I read; Caught. These books are funny and suspenseful. I recommend them as a good "non-gory beach read".

Knowing Scripture was a nice little book by R.C. Sproul. It was rejuvenating. It encouraged my passion for scripture and it's a book I would recommend to a friend. Plus it was short and simple so you can ready it quickly. Another plus is R.C. Sproul is rock solid.

We are helping out on the leadership team for the young married couples group at our church. It's called The Union. One of the other leaders recommended doing Love & War by John & Stasi Eldredge as a study. I hadn't even heard of it and I really like Wild @ Heart and Captivating so I decided to read it on the plane ride back from Africa. It was great. There might be some skeptics who don't like John Eldredge's philosophy, but I hope they can look past that to read this book. It was really great. I was shocked to learn about all the crap Stasi & John went through in their own marriage. They have really overcome a lot. The chapters on how Satan destroys marriages was really opening. It's so easy to buy into lies and make agreements that we think are based on truth when they aren't. I think every couple should read this book. The DVD series seems kind of cheesy so we haven't decided if our group is going to go through it. But the topics and teaching are very relevant.

While in Africa I read No Mercy by John Gilstrap. It only cost me $3.99 kindle edition and it was a good book. It's about a Private Investigator-slash-Vigilante who is investigating the disappearance of his ex-wife's current husband. It gets pretty messy and it's entertaining the whole time. I plan on reading the follow-up book Hostage Zero soon. I already have that on my kindle which I got for cheap.

While in Africa I got read a book about Africa called Dead Aid. It's written by Dambisa Moyo who is a woman from Africa. I forget where, but I think she's from Zimbabwe. It was fascinating and it was cool to see first hand the issues that she talked about in the book. But it definitely convinced me that throwing money at Africa and just giving the people things isn't helpful. There is so much more going on there then one book can explain, but I think the author zeroes in on the problems and 4 practical solutions.

What I'm Reading 08/31

I'm currently reading Back Spin by Harlan Coben, it's the 4th book in the Myron Bolitar series. I find the lead character to be incredibly funny and enjoyable in all of the series. I haven't really gotten into this one yet, but all the previous books have been good so I know I'll enjoy this one as well. If anyone likes good mysteries without the gore and horror this is the series to read.

I started Black Rednecks & White Liberals by Thomas Sowell 2 weeks ago on vacation. It's hard to read, but very interesting. I feel that I'm learning about race, culture, and slavery. My eyes were opened to a handful of things. The book is split into parts and the first part is about how old Souther "cracker" culture is similar to the inner-city black gangster culture of today. The second part was about middle man minorities which was less entertaining to read but still something I appreciated learning. I'm now reading more about slavery in the third part. So far, so good. When I get more motivated I'll read more.

The Tweltfth Card by Jeffrey Deaver is another Lincoln Rhymes novel. It's the 6th one, but I've completely read them out of order. So far, it's intriguing, but that's all I have so far.

Middlemarch. Yup, still trudging through. I'm halfway done at least! I just need to read 3% a week to finish it by the end of the year and I know I will do it. I can't wait to share that joy with book club, they will be so impressed. I'm actually starting to enjoy it. The characters are interesting and the concept of how they are just so stuck in their society and all it's expectations is becoming obvious to me.

Next: The Future Just Happened by Michael Lewis. LOVE HIM. So ML travels around the country and talks to all these people (back in 2000 when the internet wasn't at all what it is even today) who are using the internet to do incredible things - like help people or make money. The best part is the first two stories are about 15 year old boys. Their parents don't even know how to use the thing. But these teenagers are whiz kids. The first kid from New Jersey made like $800,000 doing day trades and it was so incredible that the SEC had to step in.

I'm also going through the bible-in-a year-plan. I'm only about 30% done with. I had to double up and do the bible-in-half-a-year-plan. The plan is good, you read from a different book each day of the week. I'm happy that I'm going through it. Some of the Old Testament books are hard to get through. So reading multiple chapters at once is hard to get through, but having them all together like that helps tell the story better.

I did it!

Done and done. Ok, so i'm not really stopping -- I'm gonna keep going. But I DID complete my goal of 50 books. Woo hoo!!! So thankful that I had this summer to do all this reading.

I've even set a new goal I'm trying to keep reading but squeeze in about 35 NonFiction books (I've already read 29) and 30 Fiction (I've already ready 22). We'll see...

Summer of Bliss

It's back to school time. To be honest, this summer was just so wonderful that I do not want to return to work. I was spoiled. I got to do a lot of traveling, spend time with people I love, spend quality alone time, go to the beach, and best of all READ READ READ. I crushed books this summer. It was phenomenal. Unfortunately, I returned to school thinking I could continue at this pace and am sadly realizing those days are over.

What I'm Reading 07/21

It's depressing to be home from the beach and not have as much time to read. But that's life, I guess? (I'll have PLENTY of time to read on my 16 hour flight to Africa on Sunday!!!)

Finished, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress. Very Funny. Especially since I know a little bit about the Mennonite culture. Sent a copy to my sister-in-law since I think she'll enjoy it.

Also, finished The Surgeon. Very good, I'm going to keep watching the series on TNT and continue reading the books. I'm onto #2: The Apprentice where they introduce Dr. Isles. It's interesting, the first book had nothing to do with the TV show, but now the storyline is all over the 2nd book. I think this means there will be less surprises. Oh well.

I'm enjoying No Angel. To be honest, the author isn't a very good writer, but it's an intriguing story. What's stranger is that he has a co-author, but you can't really tell. Sometimes he lists out what he did that day, like a checklist, and just leaves out all the emotion. What was he going through? What was he feeling? What was the dialogue? I do think, at least, you get an authentic feel for what the undercovers are like and what the Hells Angels are like.

What I'm Reading & What I've Read 07/14/2010

Currently I'm reading Mennonite In A Little Black Dress. Very funny. But I don't think just anyone will find it funny. It's only funny if you yourself have a mennonite background, married into a mennonite family, or live in a heavily populated mennonite area.

She (a recent divorce-ee who's husband left her for another man so she moves back in with her parents at the age of 43) cracks jokes about the food, the culture, their cheapness, etc. It's so great. I'm definetely recommending this to my family members, they will get a kick out of it.

I finished Sh*t My Dad Says last night. HILLARIOUS. Really really really funny. For everyone (not just Mennonites). I was literally laughing out loud the whole time. I was at the beach belly laughing on my beach chair. It was great.

We were watching The Closer on TNT (best tv channel) earlier this week and the season premiere of Rizzoli & Isles came on. So I watched it. I found out it was a book series [How funny is it that Angie Harmon did Women's Murder Club -- based on a book series by James Patterson just before this project? It's like the same exact role. But that's cool cause I like her.] right before the show started so I wavered on whether or not to read the book first. But I didn't feel like waiting. So I watched the show and now I'm reading the book. The Surgeon is the first of eight. So far, it's very different from the show and I don't feel like there are any spoilers, (the show didn't give anything away) so that's good. However, they keep portraying Jane Rizzoli as plain & unattractive and that is most definitely not Angie Harmon.

The Burning Wire was good. Lots of unexpected twists. I don't know how much more JD can go with Rimes & Sachs, but I'll keep reading them. I'm looking forward to switching it up with Roadside Crosses w/ Kathryn Dance.

The Heir was "iiiiight". Pretty much because it was free. If I had to pay for it, I would have been disappointed. It held my attention, at least.

Quarterlife Crisis was disappointing. Not like her other books. Less informative, less character development. Plus, just really depressing. I feel like it could be so much more powerful dealing with the content that it's a bout. But instead it was just blah blah blah.

What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Sex was so so so lame. I will NOT be recommending it to my husband. Okay, there was an occasional good page or chapter. But the author was super cheesy. The best part was the opening page. Sheet Music was much better. I even thought that was cheesy, but not as cheesy, if that means anything.

What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us is the best book I've ever read. This was true 5 years ago and it's true today. I just reread it this week. So powerful. It really changes your perspective of how you look at life, womanhood, motherhood, love, career, and marriage. I have so much respect for Danielle Crittenden and wish she had more books that I could read. I recommend this to any and everyone female I know.

Coach, by Michael Lewis was good. But it was more "simple & cute" than good. It was very very short. Too short. I just can't get over how stories just seem to fall in his lap. I wish this book had more to it or that he could follow up about it. Sports have such an impact on our lives. Coaches can really shape and mold us. (for the better & for the worst). I wish he would touch more on that. I finally realized that ML's wife, Tabitha, is really Tabitha Soren. Which is kinda cool. ML, once again, lives an incredible life. But I think it also means he's kind of liberal which disappoints me tremendously. But so far, his books don't lean that way (too much). So I'll keep on loving him.

Okay, finally, the last book I need to touch on is Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben who also wrote Caught. It stars Mylon Bolitar the sports agent/detective/FBI agent/crime solver/funny man. My mom mentioned these books to me and I gave it a try. Came across the first novel @ Costco and went for it. I've already purchased the 2nd one. I found the first to be a good mystery, but also comical. Win, his loyal sidekick, is a pretty great wingman if you ask me.

Wait, one more. The Husbands & Wives Club is a book about couples therapy. It's a real story where an author follows a psychiatrist and her marriage group for a year plus. It's very moving. Some of these couples carry SO much baggage into their marriage, it's hard to imagine they are really living. But at the end all the couples stay together, so that's pretty powerful. It just goes to show that your marriage can survive if you are willing to stick it out. Though, I think a lot of these marriages are pretty unhealthy and may not make it later on down the line, I found the book to be interesting. I did not know that couples group therapy was very rare nowadays. Most couples therapy is just with the couple. It was cool to see the impact that "group" had on each individual. It also made me appreciate my own marriage that much more.

So, that means I read 13 books since being on Vacay! Woo hoo. Which brings my total to 36 books in less than 27 weeks. Wow! I am cruising. I'll need this because I don't know how much reading I'll get done in Africa or once the school year starts. So this is awesomeness.

I heart ML

Once again, I've read another great book my Michael Lewis. In the past, when you play those games -- "if you could have dinner with any person who would it be?" I never really knew who to pick. But now I really think I would pick Michael Lewis. He's the greatest. I finished reading Home Game 2 days ago. It's about his journey into parenthood. Hilarious. His overall message was that you don't really feel the way you're supposed to feel until you actually start taking care of another human being. And it's in doing that that you learn to love your kids. And that makes sense to me.

Hot Topic

Just finished Sheet Music by Dr. Lehman. Get it, sheets? Bed? Sheet music. Anyway, it was good, but not great. For starters, he was super cheesy. He was real, and honest. He made valid points and painted a beautiful picture of intimacy in marriage. But he was say the corniest things which made me not want to take him seriously. Though, I do think he is an expert on the subject. I enjoyed the book and will give it to my husband to read. As well as a lot of other married couples. I strongly believe that even couples with healthy marriages and healthy sex lives can benefit from this book. It help reaffirm the importance of how men and women treat each other. As a wife, I have such an important role in how I inspire and encourage my husband with my actions.

Currently reading The Burning Wire by Jeffrey Deaver and Quarterlife Crisis by Alexandra Robbins.

I'm confindent JD will be good, as always. Lincoln Rhimes always is, but it is too early to be certain. However, a little dissapointed in AR. Pledged & Overachievers were very good. This is kind of boring, depressing, and repetitive. However, this was her first book, written close to 10 years ago.

Born To Run

I just finished "Born To Run" by Christopher McDougall and it literally brought tears to my eyes as I was reading it. It got into some logistics about running such as the evolution of some of Nike's running shoes and how some of the "elite" ultra runners got into the sport. This was all very interesting and cool. However, the most amazing story was about the actual races and the pivotal race in Copper Canyon which was the climax of the whole book. What a monumental event which people risked their lives to be a part of. Plus McDougall's story in itself was really cool. I left feeling very inspired. Yes, I want to run an ultra marathon now. But I'll push that dream to the side for now. It's not THAT big of a dream. I do want to start with just running another marathon. Maybe I'll shoot for Philly in November??? We'll see...

For all my running friends out there this is a MUST READ.

Myrtle Beach Read-a-thon

Leaving to go camping tomorrow, then after 2 to 3 days in VA, I'll head down to the beach in SC! woo-hoo!

I plan on staying for 9 days (just Schmuffs & I) and just reading & relaxing the whole time. Very pumped.

My goal is to read 10 books in July.

I also plan on finishing middlemarch this year. I swear. It's going to be tough, but I'm gonna make it happen.

Also, I'm going to pick back up my goal of reading the bible in a year. I spend so much time reading, why can't I devote some of that time to reading the bible? Next week marks the half-way point of the year. So instead of doing a bible in the year, I can do the bible in half a year. I'll just double up each day. It'll be like 3 to 7 chapters a day. I can make that happen.

Looking forward to all these exciting plans.

What's In Store For July

Post-Mexico Progress

Best. Vacation. Ever.

Everything I wanted. Plus all the reading I got to accomplish just made my world.

I finished The Big Short the day before we left on the trip. I didn't like the way it ended. I want to know more about what happened to all the guys who bet against the mortgages. Plus it was hard for me to understand everything that went on in Wall Street. It's just over my head. But, once again, Michael Lewis tells a great story.

On the plane and the first couple days in Mexico I read The Girl Who Played With Fire on my kindle. And BTW, I love my kindle. Sometimes it was tricky taking it to the pool and being paranoid about water. But I got over it. I was more concerned about rain. When it started raining there was no place to take cover. If I had a normal book that would be okay to be a lil wet, but not the kindle, not my baby. I think Millenium #2 was really good, but not as good as #1. Some good twists, good surprises, but not my fave. I think that when #1 is great & #2 is good, then that means #3 will be fantastic. I'm going to start that in Myrtle.

On Wednesday I started Caught and finished it by the end of the day. (good, it's nice reading a thriller by a different author for once, it switches things up)

On Thursday I read Sail by James Patterson. (good, not great, but JP is always entertaining)

On Friday I started Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (via Kindle) and finished it on the plane ride back yesterday. (very good, as I was reading it I thought it was his best -- better than Outliers, but I got a little bored at the end. The stuff on Sesame Street, AIDS, crime, Airwalks, all really just fascinating, but I zoned out during smoking. I found the material on the different types of people; salesman, mavins, connectors real cool too)

I'm currently working on The Sleeping Doll by Jeffrey Deaver (via Kindle).

So that brings me to...25 weeks past and 22 books read!!! I did a nice catch up job this week (love having summers off!)

I think I will be able to crush through books in Myrtle Beach as well. If I try to do 50 in 52 weeks, then I feel like I'm only 1 week behind. I will try to change that this week.

Meh-he-Co Book List

Here are some books I want to read in Mexico:

A Picture Is Worth A 1,000 Words

What I've Been Up To

Here are the books I read in April/May and my brief reactions.

The Blind Side. Phenomanal. Had NO idea it was based on a book when I saw the movie (though I knew it was based on a true story) had no idea that the book was by none other than Michael Lewis. Blown away. Better than the movie. Shows that the movie was true to form. Make me want to live life like the Tuohys. I really admire them. Also, loved all the stats about football. Similar to Moneyball. The focus isn't JUST on Michael Oher. It gives the whole picture. I want to adopt an inner city child now. For rizzle. I also got my book club to read it which makes me the bomb.

Blink - Not as good as Outliers, but still interesting. The most memorable part for me (as I think about it now) was when he talks about the coke/pepsi taste testing. However, the concept of thin-slicing has become a regular idea in my circle of friends.

Liar's Poker - Not as good as Moneyball or Blind Side. However, it proves two things. Michael Lewis can write great stories about some blah topics and that he lives an incredible life. The fact that he worked at Salomon Brothers and was a "success" there before he came an author proves that he has something special. Also added to the fact that he was friends with the Tuohys in college tells me that he's a cool guy. I want to meet him.

The 9th Judgement - blah. So pumped that a Women's Murder Club book finally came out (too bad they cancelled the TV show) but this one just didn't feel write. Unique plot & storyline but the last 20 pages were forced and all over the place. Didn't make a lot of sense. However, I'm loyal so I'll read #10 when it comes out.

The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo - Awesomeness. Was a lil boring in the beginning, but got REAL good. Also had a scene that scarred me and almost made me put the book down for good. But I'm glad I hung in there. It was a good thriller and I'm ready to read the sequel.

Middlemarch (unfinished) - Ok, maybe I'll finish this book by the end of the year. I'm on page 200. Book club decided not to follow through (but I'm 200 pages in) but I'm gonna stick it out (even if it takes me forever). A lil boring and not pleasing.

What Wives Want Their Husbands To Know About Sex - Super cheesy and there are parts I just can't agree with. But I'm gonna read it through. Some of the language is ridiculous. I get there points, but they don't seem authentic. Which is a shame because I had high hopes for it after reading the first page.

Your Love Is My Drug

I've just been in love with reading this year.

I've always loved reading and I've always wanted to "better" myself, become more educated, and have a positive influence on others. I feel like my adventures with books this past year have really helped me to do that.

I've been so busy reading that I haven't done any blogging. I'll make efforts to change.

Meanwhile...I got a kindle for my birthday!!! Best gift ever! It came with an awesome case (courtesy of my mommy). I've already download a handful of books included The Big Short (Michael Lewis, of course). It's like a follow-up to his 1980ish Liar's Poker that talks about Wall Street, the economy, the mortgage industry, the crash, etc. There is something about the way he writes that I really connect with. I don't get stocks & bonds at all, but his characters are riveting. I want to be them, I want to know them, I want to emulate them.

What I'm Reading 04/19/2010

I think I'll finish up The Last Song this week. So far I really like it, better than Dear John. I've been reading it while on the elliptical or walking on the treadmill. I'm on page 200ish

Middlemarch is good too. Hard to read, but still good. I do like the characters. I'm on page 150ish.

It's a love story, baby just say yes!

I've been craving some good romance novels lately. Don't read too much into that. Every love story that parallels how I feel about my husband just makes me love him more. Though we are nothing like Edward & Bella, I did just adore those twilight books. Maybe because I understood what he would do to fight for her. That's something I can appreciate even though they are cheesey teen novels.

Anyway...love stories. It's been a while since I've read a good love story (a while since I've read Twilight) so I was craving some and decided to go with Dear John. The movie preview hooked me, so i decided to read the book. It was good. Don't over think it, "it is what it is" and you can't expect it to be too complex or thought provoking. But it was good. Quick read. Made me cry a little. I'm trying to decide if all Nicholas Sparks books are alike. There is always some Christianese character, someone always dies, etc. But this theory isn't finalized yet. I'm going to read Last Song and find out. I'll let you know...

Meanwhile, I just started Middlemarch. Stupid book club picked this over Blink. (yeah, all 900 pages of it). But I'm on page 30 and I'm already drawn to Mr. Casaubon as Dorathea is. So i'm in, no longer how long it takes me to read it all.

Ronald Reagan isn't a love story, or at least it's not mean to be, but I am falling in love with The Gipper. Dinesh D'souza you rock my world as always!

What I'm Reading 03/11/2010

In LOVE with Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. But then again who doesn't love books about STATISTICS!??!!? He's a great story teller. He takes data, numbers, birth dates, etc. and turns it into an adventure. I would put him in the same category as Michael Lewis. They take all this dry research and somehow make it captivating. I'm currently reading a chapter about geniuses. Gladwell is saying that, based on studies, you don't need to be ridiculoulys smart to be successful, you just need to be smart enough. There is a big different between those who have an IQ of 70 & 100, but once your IQ is above 150 there isn't much different between the "success" of a person with an IQ of 150 and an IQ of 180. What's more important is one's ambition and "practical intelligence" than "general intelligence".

Still haven't finished What's So Great About Christianity. This book talks about science for 5 straight chapters and philosophy for the rest. I just hope I can finish it by book club at the end of the month.

What's In Store For March

So far so good

I'm on pace to read my 50 books this year, thankfully because I finished two books tonight.

In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day is a good read because it's quick, easy to digest, but applicable to your life. I do think the author over-did the whole chasing lion metaphor. Sometimes he was cheesy. But his stories were powerful & real, so i can appreciate that.

History Of The World in 6 Glasses was beyond interesting. I felt like I learned a lot. I loved how he kept it open at the end by introducing water as the 7th glass. It made me appreciate little things like the history of Coca-Cola and how it shaped America.

What to read next?

What I'm Reading 02/06/2010

I've read 4 books so far this year. That's all I've got. I'll keep you posted.

#2

So I finished book #2 of 2010. Yay! Trail Fever was really really interesting. I got this behind the scene look at John McCain and Bob Dole. New found respect for JM. But I'm feeling pretty anxious for an inspirational candidate in the 2012 election. Looking for someone that the party can rally behind. Maybe a lil RJS!?!? Apparently if Pat Buchanan had one the primary he would've taken Santorum as his running mate. Also, I'm really interested in Morry Taylor, aka The Grizz. That guy has some crazy ideas.

What I'm Reading 01/25/2010

I finished Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test earlier this month and our book club met for it's 4th meeting this past Friday night. It was awesome. Even with the new members we've added our group is really fun. We ate sushi @ Sukura and then headed to Annie Bailey's after. I've got to say, good wine, good books, good friends, & good conversation, what more is there?

Reflections on Kool-Aid Acid Test

(1) Don't really agree with their message, but I love this whole idea of a group coming together, being part of a larger purpose and being committed to each other. I can embrace that.

(2) My 2 favorite characters were Sandy & Faye. But I think it's because I don't know enough about them. I think of Faye as this quiet strength in the group. I really wish Tom Wolfe had gone more into detail about Sandy.

(3) You know, I'll always be on the bus... :-)

I'm almost finished with Trail Fever. I really like Michael Lewis. I know he's a liberal atheist journalist. But I still really like his books. Moneyball is one of my top 5. Trail Fever is fascinating. I feel like I know so much more about specific politicians because I've been given this behind the scenes look.

We're reading In A Pit With A Lion On A Snow Day with The Living Room and I'm really feeling that. Simple, but meaningful. I recommend it. I'm on chapter 5.

What I'm Reading 01/01/2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

So, I successfully read 20 books in 2009. I didn't accomplish my goal, but it's still an awesome job. I'm not giving up! I WILL read 50 books this year :-)

Here are the books I'm currently reading as we start 2010.

Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
What's So Great About Christianity
Crazy Love
Sacred Sex