The Big Game's On Read-a-thon

I used to have to watch the Super Bowl for school, analyze and pick it apart. When I graduated I didn't really have the desire to watch it anymore. Football has never been my game. Baseball is my passion and always will be. And don't even get me started on the (mostly sexist) commercials. So today instead of checking out the big game I will be participating in Jenn's Bookshelves the Big Game's On Read-a-thon. I am not pre picking books to read or setting a goal. I just plan to enjoy some books from my (large) TBR pile. I am starting to read this morning so I will keep checking in throughout the day. Happy reading everybody!

10 am
The two books I am starting off with today are See How They Run by Ally Carter and Rosemary The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Lawson. See How They Run is the second book in Carter's Embassy Row series. I always enjoy her YA books. She gives a lot of depth to her characters and I love the teennage spy/international intrigue/secret society elements in this series. I have always been fascinated with the Kennedy family and always saddened by the way Rosemary was treated so I definitely wanted to read Rosemary when I heard it was coming out. I am listening to that one on Audible while doing things around the house and cooking. I am planning to make some delicious chicken noodle soup for me and my mother in law to eat while my husband goes to his super bowl party.

11:30 am
I finished See How They Run which ended on a cliffhanger. I need to remember to stop reading her books until the next one is out! The next book I am reading is A Wilder Rose by Susan Witting Albert. It is a fictionalized account of Rose Wilder Lane's life but based off of her letters and diaries. I love all things Laura Ingalls Wilder (except the awful tv show) so I have been so excited to read this book. It also made me realize I still haven't read Pioneer Girl the annotated bibliography of Laura Ingalls Wilder so I went and grabbed it from Amazon with my birthday gift card. Thanks to Amazon Prime I will have it Tuesday. I am really excited. Ok going to settle I with A Wilder Rose and a cup of lavender chamomile tea!

7:00 pm

I just finished eating dinner and I am stuffed. It took me a couple of hours to make the soup but it was worth it in the end. It was delicious. I added too many noodles but I still enjoyed it. 

I am halfway done with A Wilder Rose. Currently I am reading about her time during the Great Depression. It is very sobering to read about how difficult it was with so many people losing their money, homes, jobs and a lot of people not even having food. The book says that the Little House books may never have been published if it wasn't for the Depression because Rose actually had time to write them since she wasn't getting that much work. I also found it interesting how much she seems to hate Roosevelt and all his programs. There is so much good stuff in this book as far as history goes. I also am interested in the relationship between Laura and Rose. The book is mainly based on the fact that some people think that Rose is the actual author of all the Little House books using only her mothers bare boned outlines. I have heard this before and have never known if it is fact or rumor. As soon as I finish this book I am going to investigate!

I listened to the Rosemary Kennedy book the whole time I was making the soup and it is just tragic. I like the way Kate Clifford Lawson talks about the way people with disabilities and mental illness were perceived at the time. I had no idea moron and idiot were used to categorize people and were medical terms. And interesting to hear how Joe Kennedy Sr. and Jr. initially thought Hitler's ideas were good. 

10:50 pm

I just finished A Wilder Rose. It was such a good book. If you aren't a huge Little House fan you probably won't enjoy it as much as I did.  But I loved it. The book seemed well researched with just a light dramatization. There is so much more to this book than the story about Laura and Rose and the writing of the Little House books. I loved the background information and the history and events surrounding the book. 

I am on chapter five of Rosemary. World War II has just started. Interesting how Joe Kennedy was a huge isolationist. It's sad how he put Rosemary's letter in the diplomatic pouch because he didn't want anyone to see how childish she wrote. 

I am starting Legend by Marie Lu as my last book of the night. I have had this one on my TBR list for awhile and I am looking forward to reading it. I love that the first chapter has gold writing. I am not sure if I have ever seen that in a book before. I will add a little wrap up tomorrow.