Goal!

I challenged myself to read 30 books in 2011 and I did it! Hooray!

2011 Reading Challenge

Nicole has


completed her goal of reading 30 books in 2011!

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The Department of Lost & Found

The Department of Lost & Found by Allison Winn Scotch

Book is about a 30 year old who is diagnosed with breast cancer and is evaluating the five loves of her life as she goes through chemo.  She ends up evaluating more than just her loves, she also takes a look at her career with a high profile Senator. 

Started this book on Friday night and finished it Saturday morning.  I love Scotch's writing style...easy to read, fluid, quick.  Book is somewhat predictable, but I was okay with that!  Book club books have been a bit more on the serious side lately, so this one was refreshing.  And the fact that there is a happy ending, I liked that too.  Some people don't like to read books that are wrapped up in a nice little package, but I don't mind that at all.  Go read it. 

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

This is our August Vines 'N Spines book.  I didn't love the book; however, I did give it 3 stars on Goodreads.  Learning about Henrietta Lacks and how her cells have changed the course of history is cool, especially because not being a scientist myself, I had no idea.  She died at 31, but her cells still live today.  The book gets a bit too technical from my perspective though.  I like the idea and the story behind it, but I'm not into the science of it all.  Can't wait to hear what my other book club gals thought about it.  Glad to be finished, and am now reading for pleasure until the next book club book comes around. 

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

It only took me 1.5 days to read this book.  It was disturbingly good.  I only gave it three stars on goodreads, but for a very good reason - I had a NIGHTMARE that I was abducted the night I finished the book.  My would-be abductor was in a blue jeep - thank goodness he wasn't in a white or beige van!  

The premise of the book - a 32 year old real estate agent is abducted from an open house as she is about to leave.  "The Freak" - her abductor - takes her to a remote location and the cabin he keeps her in is completely sealed and unbreakable.  She escapes after a year and the book is told in sessions with her psychiatrist recounting what happened in the cabin.  Twists and turns follow, and I'm not about to give away the rest of the story.  Go read it, but on a sunny day while on a tropical beach somewhere.

Books Since January 31st = 10

Oops, work, life, toddler have all gotten in the way of updating this blog.  UGH!!!  I was so determined to be a good blogger, especially because of my love for books.  Maybe this will be a fresh start, or maybe I'll update the blog again in another 5 or 6 months.  

I have a list of 10 books that I have read since January 31st.  In order of reading from February - mid-June:

• Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
• Still Alice by Lisa Genova (Vines 'n Spines)
• Man in the Woods by Scott Spencer (Vines 'n Spines)
• A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Morgan
• Roses by Leila Meacham (Vines 'n Spines)
• Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (Vines 'n Spines)
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• Wish Club by Kim Strickland
• The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
• The Last Child by John Hart (Vines 'n Spines)

Five out of the ten books I have read since January 31st were book club books - as noted with my Vines 'n Spines remark.  

Into the Wild - I gave it two stars on my goodreads rating.  It was okay - kind of odd that a 24 year old would just take off and leave civilization behind.  Didn't love it.  

Still Alice - Four stars on goodreads.  This was really good - a very quick read.  Ami's choice for book club in April. It's about a female Harvard professor with early on-set Alzheimer's.  Chapters are done by the month and you see the decline of her life as she knows it, but the love that her family gives her - less her husband who I didn't like at all in the book.  Good read.

Man In the Woods - This one got two stars on goodreads.  I didn't love it.  It's about a guy who has always wandered and ends up killing a man when he stops off at a state park and sees the man brutally beating his dog.  It then goes through his guilt and how he lives with what he's done.  The writing is good, but I just didn't love it.  This was a Vines 'n Spines pick - I think by Kimberly.

A Gate at the Stairs - Two stars on goodreads for this one too.  Oh my, that's becoming a pattern. It's more about developing characters than truly writing a story.  Not good.  At all.

Roses - Three stars on goodreads for me.  If there was a choice for 3.5 stars, that's what it was really for me.  It is a love story, that spans decades.  I really did like it, it was better than good.  You have to be in the mood for some romance for this one.  It's told in three stories - Mary's story - the first story is a little too long, but the next two flew by for me.  So definitely better than a three, but because of the long winded-ness of Mary's story I gave it a 3. Oh, this was Andrea's choice for Vines 'n Spines - she always chooses great books!

Wishful Drinking - I rarely give 1 star on goodreads, but this one got a 1.  I did not like it at all.  Oh, the tragedy of Carrie Fisher's life - blah.  Didn't like the way that it was written, not impressed.  I have heard that her road show is pretty funny though.  This was a Vines 'n Spines pick by Kristin.  I didn't read it before book club, but then just went ahead and read it - I don't know why, good thing it was short.

The Girl With the Dragon Tatto - Four stars on goodreads.  Yay!  A great read - the first 100-150 pages were slow, but wow did it pick up.  I read it in less than a week.  I am putting off reading the next one in the series (The Girl Who Played with Fire) because I don't want to get sucked into it and be up reading until 2am and then have to go into work in the morning.  I think I'll start it this weekend, since I'm taking Monday off! 

Wish Club - Back to two stars on goodreads.  It was a silly little book about a book club that starts doing "magic" and things don't go as planned.  Light, easy, fairly quick read. 

The Forgotten Garden - Three stars on goodreads.  It was good, but it was long, I like books that are quick reads and get to the point.  Story about a four year old girl who ends up on a ship to Australia alone.  She is adopted by the port master and doesn't know about her life in England until her father tells her at 22.  She then goes on a search of her life before in England and we don't learn about her life until her granddaughter wraps up the tale when she goes to find out about her grandmother's life in England after grandma dies. 

The Last Child - Four stars.  I really liked this one.  I started it on Friday and finished it  Saturday night.  Quick, quick read.  And it gets to the point of figuring out who the bad guys are rather quickly, instead of at the end of the book.  I liked that.  But there is still a mystery to find out who killed Johnny's sister.  This was a Vines 'n Spines pick for June by Nicky.  She always picks great books, one of my few five star reads was her pick - The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes.  

Okay, ten books in the last four and a half months and no reviews - bad!  I'll try to be better, but I won't promise anything.  Posting to Twitter now....

The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

Well, what do you know, two posts less than thirty minutes apart.  

The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand - I liked it - a lot.  There are four couples that are the best of friends living on Nantucket - one couple is killed in a sailing accident, both drowned.  Now we learn about the secrets that the six remaining friends have after two of their own are tragically lost to them.  This one focuses on relationships, kids, affairs amongst friends, life and loss.  I liked it a lot.  I love the Nantucket setting (since I have been there before I can imagine exactly what the author is talking about).  What a great island.  This was another quick read, and it helped that I flew to Vegas for a quick weekend and finished it on the 2.5 hour plane ride out there.  It was really good, yet tragic at the same time.   I have a tight knit group of friends, so I could definitely relate to the friendship side of it.  The affair side, not so much.  

True Colors by Kristin Hannah

This is my third Kristin Hannah book.  I like her books because they read very quickly.  This one was about sisters growing up on a Washington horse farm.  One sister was beautiful, one was smart and plump, and one was a peacemaker.  It was a good book, although Firefly Lane is probably my favorite that I have read thus far by KH.  Love, sisterhood and betrayal are three common themes in the book.  Read it if you want a quick, easy read.  Sometimes I wish I had a sister and sometimes I don't.

The Language of Trees by Ilie Ruby

I loved this book.  Loved it.  Read it in two days, and I have not done that in a really long time.  I have had a hard time getting into my Vines and Spines books lately.  Just not great choices.  Well, The Language of Trees by Ilie Ruby - our February Vines and Spines book - was excellent.  A tale of a young boys death on a lake in Canandaigua while his two sisters lived is just the beginning.  Skip forward 12 years later and we get to take a look at the lives of the sisters and another parallel story of a man who grew up in town who is coming back after a long absence.  

I don't want to give anything away, so go out and buy it, Kindle it, Nook it, or whatever your preferred method of reading is.  Cheers to The Language of Trees and to Ilie Ruby. 

Been Awhile

It's been awhile.  I have lots of excuses.  Collin turned one.  Then we had Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthday #35, New Years, and before I know it it will be 2012.  I have read some books here and there.  Let me go back and think...I think I'll go from most recent, because I know what I just finished reading.

The Book Thief - excellent quick read.  A story of a girl in Nazi Germany as told from Death's perspective.  Loved it, loved the writing, loved the story.  Everything about it was wonderful.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - This was my book club's last book.  Was a bit hard to follow in the beginning because the story lines are blurred.  But in the end it was good.  Not great.  Not horrible.  I probably won't read it a second time around - or maybe I should because it's might be better?

Currently reading our latest Vines N Spines book...Man In the Woods - it's okay - I'm about halfway through and I'm not in love with it, we'll see how it ends - if I finish it. 

I have not been reading as much as I like to.  I have about 5 books piled on my nightstand looking at my longingly and asking me to pick them up.  Collin still doesn't sleep at 15 months, so I'm just plain tired after a long day at work and maybe a walk in the park after work.  Thank goodness for our 70 degree Januarys though! 

p.s. November Vines N Spines was My Name is Memory.  October Vines N Spines (my pick) The Thirteenth Tale - LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. 

p.p.s I think I know why I've neglected my blog (okay, so this is just one excuse) - I hate the font that pulls over when I bring reviews from goodreads.  I'll just have to start reviewing without any pretty pictures that come from goodreads.  Times New Roman = not my favorite font in the world.  Then nothing is consistent and it just doesn't look good.  Cheers to 2011!