Thankfully Reading Weekend: Friday

12:00 pm
Today will be a sporadic reading day since I have some photos to edit and get back to clients so they can order their Christmas cards. I am also excited to hang out with my lifelong childhood friends tonight. One of them lives in South America now so I rarely get to see her. I decided to listen to an audiobook while editing. I am listening to The Four Million by O. Henry. I also plan on finishing up books I have been working on for the past few weeks, The Sinatra Club: My Life Inside the New York Mafia by Sal Polisi,The Sixth Wife by Jean Plaidy and a work book Your Marketing Sucks by Mark Stevens. We shall see how far I can get in any of these books. I will check in later!

11:30 pm
What a fun day! I love the holidays. I was so excited to meet my friend's 5 month old. He was the happiest baby ever! I am sad that I probably won't see him for another year.
I finished The Four Million by O. Henry on my trip and started The Three Musketeers audiobook. The Three Musketeers was one of my favorite books as a child. I love rereading books I haven't read since I was young because I just see so much more now. I am going to read a little of The Sinatra Club before bed but don't know how long I will make it because I am tired!

Which book have you been most thankful for this year?
This was a hard question as an answer didn't immediately pop into my head like it usually does. But after thinking I realized the book I have been most thankful for this year are the Nancy Drew books. I have been rereading them this year and I love how they bring back floods of wonderful memories. When I read them I flash back to when my mom pulled out all her old Nancy Drew books and let us read them. It is one of my most vivid memories. I remember exactly how I felt running out the door of our old house to our swing set and reading them. I also remember when my mom threw those books away later which breaks my heart to this day. But rereading them has been great. And I just let my mom borrow them and she is rereading them. They are just simple books with not much plot but its the memories that make them special and make me thankful for them!

Thankfully Reading: Wednesday & Thursday

I have decided to begin Thankfully Reading a day early since I won't have much time to read tomorrow and over the weekend. I am just cooking today so able to get a little reading in between dishes. I seem to do better with a running blog post so I will be checking in at various times of the day.

1:00 pm
I am starting with The Passage by Justin Cronin. I only have about 100 pages left in this book and I am determined to finally finish it. This book is finally starting to get so intense and really, really good. I was debating on whether I was going to get the next book in this series and now I know for sure I want to read it!

3:30 pm
Well just finished The Passage. The second half of this book really saved it for me. The ending was great and now I can't wait to read The Twelve!

8:00 pm
I started Divergent by Veronica Roth this afternoon. 200 pages in and I am loving it. I don't want to put it down. That is all I can write because I am so eager to get back to it!

Thursday
Happy Thanksgiving! My cat woke me up at 7 am this morning so I decided it was a good time to start reading before heading to my parents. I finished Divergent. I loved the whole book. The story was great and held my attention. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch with my family. It was a great day full of laughter and food. We came home in the evening and it was great to curl up in my pjs with a book. I decided my next read would be Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich. I love the Stephanie Plum books, although they are all pretty much the same plot. They are light reads and I enjoy the silliness of them. I zipped through that before bed. Very thankful to have had a perfect day!

Recipe for reading
Jen at the Literate Housewife posted a Thankfully Reading mini challenge that asks What is your perfect reading recipe? I would have to say that more than anything I love reading in a quiet house with a warm blanket in the winter and rain. There really is nothing better. If I am reading on my Nook I love a dark room. I really like reading without any distractions but if it is a really good book I can get caught up in the action and not notice what is going on around me.

Getting Ready for the Holidays!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I love getting together with family, eating lots and just having a wonderful day full of laughter. Thanksgiving has changed over the years but I am actually finding I am enjoying it more when I am cooking. It is a sense of pride and accomplishment when my grandmother and aunt proclaims one of my dishes delicious. High praise indeed from those culinary experts! The last few years has also been fun participating in Thankfully Reading and I am looking forward to that as well. Although, I have realized that all the leisure time I was planning was not to be as I overbooked myself. But still there should be some time to squeak in some reading. I plan on starting Thankfully Reading on Wednesday since that is my cooking day. I actually picked some books out to read which I usually don't do. But I am also allowing myself to change my mind if I want to. I would love to read 4 books this weekend. That might be stretching it a bit but we shall see!
I finished the last Matched trilogy book last night. I bought it the day it came out and started reading it. But I soon realized I couldn't remember what happened in the first two books. So I went back and read Matched on my Nook and then listened to Crossed on Audible. I felt the same way about Reached as I did about Crossed. It was ok but nothing special. I loved Matched and thought it was terrific and fascinating. But the last two books were entertaining but just didn't grab me. 
I am reading The Passage now. I have been reading this book for three or four months. I am struggling getting through. I feel like the first half of the book was just setting up the second half and dragged on way too long. The book is finally picking up and starting to hold my attention. I will probably try to finish it this week. I have 300 or so pages left. 
Today I have a photo shoot and have to go to the grocery store so time to start my day!

Bad Blogger

I am a terrible blogger! I can't believe I didn't post one blog during 2012. It has been a very busy year with finally graduating from college and going full time with my photography business. My love of reading has definitely suffered. I have still been reading of course but I have probably read less this year than ever before. I have been making an effort to go to the library more and spend less on buying books. We moved into a new house this year and I gave away over half of my book collection. And by give away I mean it is in a giant box in the garage to give away:-)
This year I have been rereading the Nancy Drew books which I am really enjoying. They are simple reads but have so many memories. I have also been reading Jean Plaidy's books about the Tudor's (always a fascinating subject). I have been into Ernest Hemingway books too after reading The Paris Wife a fictionalization of his relationship with his first wife. I have been really into reading a lot of young adult fiction this year too. I reread The Hunger Games books in anticipation of the first movie. I loved them just as much on my third read as I did my first. I also read a lot of Maureen Johnson's YA novels. I enjoyed her tweets so much I got a bunch of her books and read them in two weeks. They are just fun reads. I also read the new Jodi Picoult (super cute fairy tale she wrote with her daughter and also her adult novel), Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner. I also love Jennifer's tweets and have been keeping up with her constant struggle to make people see that women writers are neglected. I found this cool app Viggle where you could watch tv and earn points and get rewards. That was very exciting as I used my points for Nook books. I received about $40 of free books! Sadly the app got less exciting and too much maintenance when points shrank so I don't use it anymore. But the Nook books I have read this year include The Book Thief which was a terrific book and one I have been meaning to read for years! I read a great book The Sisters about the Mitford Family. I have been wanting to read their story for years and it didn't disappoint. Absolutely fascinating family! I really enjoyed the new Shannon Hale book Palace of Stone. Great follow up to Princess Academy! I also finally read The Giver by Lois Lowry. I can't believe it took me that long to discover it. Number the Stars is one of my favorite childhood books. I also started reading the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter. Love, love those books. They are so entertaining and fun. I devoured those and the Heist Society books (guy in there is named Hale so if course I had to read!). I read the new Sookie Stackhouse book. Afraid that series doesn't hold much pleasure for me anymore. I enjoyed Below Stairs which was a true story of a maid/cook that Upstairs/Downstairs and Downton Abbey took some material from. The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy was another great read. I love how she flashed back and forth from the modern time to Nazi Germany. I love all the delicious food they are always making. Makes my mouth water! I enjoyed the new White House Chef book Affairs of Steak. I really love those books. I also read Dirk Hayhurst's books The Bullpen Gospels and Out of My League. Both great books with glimpses into major and minor league baseball life. I hugely enjoyed both books. I know I have read other books this year but I will have to check out my Goodreads page to refresh my memory!
I am looking forward to the November release of Reached by Ally Condie and the new Stephanie Plum book (yes I still love those! Guilty pleasure). I think I will do Thankfully Reading over Thanksgiving weekend this year. The weather is turning cold which means one thing. Time for my annual (sometimes semi annual) of the Betsy-Tacy books. So back to Heaven to Betsy! I will try to blog more often.

2011 Audio Book Challenge July-December

I just finished my last audio book of 2011. I have really enjoyed this challenge! I have grown to really love audio books. My library needs to get more audio books as I have almost gone through all of them! Here are the books I listened to July-December.

15. Lady Blue Eyes by Barbara Sinatra.

This was an autobiography by Frank Sinatra's last wife. It was a very interesting book with lots of fun stories. She did write about her husband with a little bit of rose colored glasses but that is to be expected. Good book!

16. First Family by David Baldacci

This was a good book about King and Maxwell and how they get enmeshed into a kidnapping of a member of the extended First Family.

17. The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain

Great collection of short stories by Twain. I enjoyed them all. I often forget how funny he was. I wasn't crazy about the narrator of the book.

18. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

This was a great novel about the search for the real Dracula. I love these types of books that just sweep you away. Excellent, excellent book!

19. Gods of Newport by John Jakes

This is a book about Newport in the Gilded Age. It is told from the perspective of both rich and poor. It started out a little slow and quickly became really good!

20. Hot Mahogany by Stuart Woods

I always say I won't read more of his books and I always do. I swear this is the last one. They are so dumb. I don't know why my library has so many of them!

21. Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

Terrific book about a senator who has an affair and how it affects his wife and daughters. I love how it skips between every person's point of view. It really helps you to know each character better.

22. Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner

This book is about a group of women who meet in a childbirth class and follows their lives. It made me never want to have children.

23. Little Dorritt by Charles Dickens

I have never ready this Dickens book so I was glad to finally dive into it. Very sad but at least it had a happy ending.

23. Paul Newman: A Life by Shawn Levy

Fascinating biography about Paul Newman

24. Simple Genius by David Baldacci

This was a great light read and I enjoyed it.

25. The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (Goal met!!)

Glad I finally "read" this. Such a funny book. I love Nick and Nora!

26. The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

I actually read this a little early but I was itching to get in the Christmas spirit. Cute little book about thieves on a train, weddings, lost love and Christmas.

27. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

The second book in the Millennium Trilogy. This was a great book and a perfect sequel to A Girl with A Dragon Tattoo.

28. Crossing Stones by Helen Frost

Book told from the perspective of three friends on the cusp and during WWI.

29. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith

The best book I read this year and the perfect book to finish the year on. I LOVED this book.

This was a great year reading audio books and I met and exceeded my audio book goal. Happy New Year!

What's In A Name 4 Wrap Up

Well it is New Year's Eve so I need to do finish up my What's In A Name 4 post! I did finish this challenge and these are the rest of the books I read for this challenge.

Number in the Title--

13 Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson.

This book was really good. It was about a girl whose Aunt died and left her 13 blue envelopes. Sh had to go to Europe and travel and follow the path her aunt left her through the letters. She had to finish the tasks in one letter before she moved on to the next. It is a book that captures your attention and doesn't let go.

Jewelry or Gem in the Title--

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

I loved this book. I have wanted to read this for years and I finally sat down and read it in October. It is one of the first mystery books ever written. It is told by a variety of characters and is so witty and funny. I highly recommend this book! It is amazing.

Size in the Title--

The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett

I love the Thin Man movies so I finally decided to read the book. I listened to the audiobook. It is a very funny who dunnit set during prohibition! Nick and Nora Charles unwillingly solve a murder and get entangled with bootleggers, gangsters and wealthy people. However, the chapter on cannibalism was unnecessary and gross! But altogether a really good book.

This challenge probably would have been more interesting if I had deliberately read the books for the challenge but it just happened that I read books that fit into that category. I think for What's In a Name 5 I will pick the books at the beginning of the year that I will read. That might make it a little more challenging.

Thankfully Reading 2011: Wrap-Up

It has taken me awhile to write my wrap up post since I have been so busy with school. I happy with the reading I got done over the weekend. It wasn't as much as I had planned but I was able to read a couple of books I had been wanting to read for awhile.

I read the last half of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. This book was wonderful. I really enjoyed it. It was very suspenseful at the end and I caught myself holding my breath through some of it.

Next I read Pegasus by Robin McKinley. I bought this Nook book as soon as it came out but knew that was a book I would want to be able to read in just a few days. I am glad I waited. It was a terrific book! Once again she created this magical world that sucks you in. Love it!

Next I started on The Girl Who Played With Fire audio book. I basically just listened to this when I was driving or cooking. This is another great book. I haven't finished it yet but I am having a hard time turning it off when I have school work to do.

The next book I read was Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy. This was a good book. I always enjoy the mishaps and adventures of Ollie.

I started on The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurt but I haven't had the chance to finish it yet.

I am happy with all the reading I got done over Thanksgiving and I am hoping when school lets out next week I will have a very Merry Reading December!