We had a really busy weekend, so I got very little reading done. I did make some progress on The Thorn Birds, and I continue to like this book very much. My goal is to finish The Thorn Birds and Daughter of Joy by the end of February bringing my romance total for the month to eight books, and my total for the year so far to sixteen.
Next month I'll be reading mysteries...March is Mystery Month for the Cupcakes War Reading Challenge 2012 which is hosted by Brenda at Curling Up With a Good Book. I've started downloading books to my Kindle Fire and searching out books that I may want to read. There are a couple I'm pretty sure I will read to kick off mystery month.
They are...
This one will be a group read for the reading challenge. Source: Goodreads
I was planning on reading Home Front by Kristin Hannah next, but I finished Like Water For Chocolate yesterday afternoon, and I haven't gotten my hands on a copy of Home Front yet. It's checked out at the library at the moment, and I'm sure there's a waiting list anyway. So I looked through my bookshelves and came across The Thorn Birds. It's been a recommendation on Goodreads for me for a while, and since it's considered a romance and it's been on my TBR (to be read) list for a long time I figured I'd read it now. It seems like every book I've read lately has been on my TBR, which is a very good thing since my TBR list is forever long. It feels nice to finally be making some progress on it. Now if I would just stop adding books I might be able to tell (:
The Thorn Birds is a long book, over 600 pages I believe, so I will probably read other romances while I'm reading it. I'm setting a goal for myself of at least 50 pages a day on this one in hopes that I will make steady progress and finish by the end of February.
I'm hoping to purchase Home Front today, and start reading it as well.
My latest order from amazon.com came in the mail today.
The first one is The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing by Anne K. Edwards. I purchased this book for fairly obvious reasons. I do a book blog and would like to learn how to do a proper book review.
If you're an experienced reviewer, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing will serve as an excellent reference tool and amalgam of resources. If you're a beginner, this book will show you how to write a well-written, honest, objective and professional book review. It will also teach you:
How to read critically
How to differentiate the various types of reviews
How to rate books
How to prevent amateurish mistakes
How to deal with ethics and legalities of reviewing
How to start your own review site
How to publish your reviews on dozens of sites and even make money while you're at it, and much more
If you're an author, publisher, publicist, bookseller, librarian, or reader, this book will also bring to light the importance and influence of book reviews within a wider spectrum.
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The second book is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I purchased this book because it's been on my "to be read" list for a long time. I'm also participating in a reading challenge that will focus on the romance genre during the month of February. I've read several books by Rivers and, I've never been disappointed. So I'm anticipating loving this one.
California's gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.
Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.
Then she meets Michael Hosea, a man who seeks his Father's heart in everything. Michael obeys God's call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel's bitter expectations, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw.
But with her unexpected softening comes overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband's pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael does...the One who will never let her go.
A powerful retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea, Redeeming Love is a life-changing story of God's unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love.
I checked out several books from the library in preparation for a reading challenge I'm participating in this month called the "Southern Belle Challenge". It is hosted by Brenda Gail over at Curling Up With a Good Book. September is to be a month of all things Southern: books, magazines, recipes, movies, and lots of sweet tea
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is one of the books I check out and the book I chose to kick off the challenge with. The library's copy of the book was published in 2002 and donated to the library in 2005. It doesn't say who donated. It simply says donated. It isn't in bad condition, but it is obvious it has been read many many times. Let's just say it's fragile. When I opened it the first time, I noticed that the first four or five pages have pulled away from the spine of the book. I think eventually all of the pages will start falling out. The front cover is starting to come off a tiny bit, and if not for the protective covering the library puts on all their books, this book would have worn out years ago. I think all of these things are signs of a good book...you can tell it's been read by many many people. It makes me wonder how many people have read this copy of the book. What were their lives like on the days they read this book? What made him or her choose it?
I chose it for 3 reasons:
1. My sister, Beth, has read it and said I would like it.
2. It was on a list that Brenda Gail posted...Southern Belle Challenge Book Choices
3. I have seen the preview for the movie and thought it looked interesting. I haven't actually seen the movie though, although I'm sure I will soon.
From the very first words to the last I was hooked. The Secret Life of Bees is set in 1964 South Carolina. Lily is a motherless girl with a cruel father. The only person in the world she has to depend on is her African American nanny, Rosaleen, whom she loves and who loves Lily in return. When some unexpected events force Lily and Rosaleen to go on the run Lily follows one of the only clues she has regarding her mother, a picture of Mary, mother of Jesus, with the town Tiburon, South Carolina written across the back. When they get there they are taken in by three black sisters who live in a bright pink house, keep bees, and sell honey. It's here with these sisters that Lily finally discovers the truth about her past, and it's also the place where she finally finds the Mother she's always yearned for.
August said, "Listen to me now, Lily. I'm going to tell you something I want you always to remember, all right?" Her face had grown serious. Intent. Her eyes did not blink. "All right," I said, and I felt something electric slide down my spine. "Our Lady is not some magical being out there somewhere, like a fairy godmother. She's not the statue in the parlor. She's something inside of you. Do you understand what I'm telling you?" "Our Lady is inside of me," I repeated, not sure I did. "You have to find a mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this part of ourselves inside."
I really loved all the characters in this book. I loved Rosaleen for her brave in your face honesty. I could use a little of that myself. I liked June (one of the sisters) for her stubbornness. Some people think being stubborn is a bad thing, but I tend to think sometimes being stubborn is a very good thing. I liked May (one of the sisters) for her innocence, and I loved August (another sister) for her calmness, her failure to judge others, and for her patience. All of which are things I aspire to be in my own life. Most of all I loved Lily for just being Lily. She wasn't whiny or over dramatic. She was an "it is what it is" kind of girl. I enjoyed her humor.
Parts of the book made me cry and parts made me laugh. Sue Monk Kidd did such a great job describing the setting for us. I could almost feel the heat, smell the grass, and hear the humming of bees.
I know this book has been out for several years, but if like me you missed it somehow, give it a try. I think you'll be glad you did.
I plan on renting the movie in the very near future!
After I picked my daughter up today, we went to the library. She's been wanting to check out some Goosebumps books, and I wanted to get some books myself. She ended up getting ten "Goosebumps" books.
A couple days ago I told you about a reading challenge I'm participating in during the month of September. It's called the "Southern Belle" challenge, and the idea is to read books set in the South. It is hosted by Brenda Gail at Curling Up With a Good Book.
I got four books from the library today to get me started...
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
