I have four official days of work left until summer break.
Which basically means I'm sitting at my desk and browsing Amazon and adding 100 more books to my wish list that I'll read when I retire.
And also working on a literature review and other documents pertaining to completing that DNP degree that has been hanging over my head...
but since scholarly articles aren't the most summery reading material, we'll just skip right over that...
I did count the books piled in my bedroom floor and if I read a book a day I can get through them by the end of July.
But that's not counting the books on the shelf in the workout room or the books on my Kindle...
My goal of 125 books a year means that I need to read roughly 10-11 books a month. I'm right on target for this goal, as I've read at least 10 books most months.
But how on earth did I become the girl that reads 20 books at a time????
So, here you have it:
The Last Long Night, the 5th book in the Bregdan Chronicles, a series set during the Civil War. This is a great series and if you're a historical fiction fan or if you loved Gone with the Wind (Guilty!!!) you'll enjoy this book. Carrie's ambition to go against the expectations in her society make me want to stand up and cheer for her. There are eight books in the series and they are all fairly long, so this series will probably be in my reading list all year.
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy is another book set during Civil War times. This book focuses on four women who really lived during the Civil War and the roles that they had during that time.
Another non-fiction book I'm reading is Five Days at Memorial, which tells the heart-wrenching story of the events at downtown Memorial Hospital in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I had read an article by the author and actually had one of my classes discuss it last year, and this book is very interesting. As a nurse, I can't imagine the hardships that were faced. I received a complimentary copy of this book from blogging for books, so I'll be doing a book review on it as soon as I finish.
I Am Malala is the story of a young girl who was targeted by the Taliban. It was a book read for April but I didn't get finished. Fascinating story. Highly recommend it.
This one will come as a shock to many, because I'm not sure how I could go this long without reading it... but since JK Rowling is coming out with a new Harry Potter book this summer, I decided to jump on board and started Harry Pott. I'm currently reading Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, the third in the series, and I'm not sure where I've been for the last however many years, because the books are amazing. Just plain mindless reading, which is great for summertime. Guess I'll be doing some movie watching as well!
Outlander is another series that people have raved about to me that I'm just now starting. I'm about 100 pages into book one and it has taken me awhile, but just last night I was thinking, "I hate to put this down", so chances are it'll be a quick read. There are seven other books in the series!
Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf is a book I got free from net galley, so there will be a review on it once I finish reading it. It's great, though! Suspenseful, with believable characters. Stay tuned because it's a good one.
Ready or Not by Chautona Havig is a book I got free from kindle a while back. I'm going to be reviewing the fourth book in this series, so I started with this one, the first, because the beginning is a very good place to start (channeling my inner Sound of Music). This book is about a young lady who inherited her sister's eight children. She's funny, smart, and I'm loving it so far! The only thing I don't like about it is the typeset for my Kindle, which is smaller, so it's hard to read at night, which is when I do most of my reading... but that's workable!
My sister's book club introduced me to Joanna Fluke's Hannah Swenson series and I am in love. I'm currently reading the third book, Blueberry Muffin Murder. Hannah is a baker who conveniently finds dead bodies in her small town. It's not very realistic at times, but reminds me of a Janet Evanovich book without the curse words. Highly recommend these for fun summertime reading!
Still rotating between two devotions on my Kindle- One Year Alone with God and Love is A Verb, two devotionals. Love is a Verb has yearlong devotions and I am doing one a day so I'll be writing about this one in December. One Year Alone with God goes into some of the names and characteristics of God, and has three short devotions on each topic, so I usually read all three together.
Wendy Blight's I Know His Name goes into the names of God as well. I started this book for the P31 OBS Bible class, but fell behind (surprise!) It's an indepth study that takes more than just five or ten minutes a day... but it is so good. I love Wendy's infectious personality. Her desire to dig in deep in the Scriptures inspires me!
Sheila Walsch's The Shelter of God's Promises is one that I've just started for a facebook book club, and I'm enjoying it. Walsch has an easy to read narration.
Tricia Goyer's Made with Love is another facebook book club read. This one is about a young girl who wants to open her own pie shop. I'm just two chapters in, but it's a good read. Sometimes you just want something that doesn't make you think, you know?
Chasing God by Angie Smith is not one of those type of books. This one is being read by another facebook book club (I may or may not have a problem). I LOVE Angie Smith. Her story is so inspiring, and she writes with so much heart. This book is basically about how we spend so much time looking for God in what we read and listen to that we miss Him, and I have been so guilty of that! Thought this went well with my word purpose, and living more intentionally.
Yet another facebook book club read is Julie Presley's Stones of Rememberance. I'm just a couple of chapters into this one as well, but the main character has lost her sister to a tragic death and is trying to find her way.
And, because it's summertime, Elin Hildebrand's Barefoot. I love her books. She makes me feel like I'm at the beach. This one is about two sisters and a friend who travel to their Nantucket summer home in the midst of difficult situations. One sister is facing a medical crisis, the other is facing a professional crisis, and the friend (who one sister doesn't seem to like) is pregnant but her cheating husband doesn't know it. Y'all.... drama at it's best. (Note: I also have two more Hildebrand books in my bedroom stacks, because it's summer, and if I'm not going to the beach I might as well read about it from my hammock/poolside/boat on the lake/ ATV).
One of the suggestions on the reading challenge was to read a commentary, so I'm reading Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah slowly. I've enjoyed reading the commentaries, but it's sometimes been hard to find time to sit down with my Bible and go line by line, which is what I've been doing. It does give you a new perspective on what you're reading.
Holly Gerth is one of my favorite authors and I'm reading a short book by her called The Do What You Can Plan. It's about taking small steps to work toward your big-time goals. I just finished her You're Already Amazing Lifegrowth Guide, and am reading through her You're Already Amazing again, as the three of these books all go along the same theme.
Books I've Read this Year for my reading challenge:
A Book about Christian living: Fervent by Priscilla Shirer... a book on prayer. I haven't always had the best prayer life, and this book gives Scripture suggestions to help guide prayers. It goes along well with Armor of God, which I just finished.
A biography: Off Balance by Olympic Gold medalist Dominique Moceanu.
A children's book: The Secret Garden
A book published in 2016: Unashamed by Christine Caine
And books I plan to read for the reading challenge suggestions, which are currently on my Kindle or my bedside table:
A classic novel: My Antonia
A book someone tells you changed their life: Sun Stand Still
A book about theology: Probably Mere Christianity by CS Lewis
A book with "gospel" in the title
A book your pastor recommends: The Balanced Church
A book 100 years old: Uncle Tom's Cabin
A mystery or detective novel: Sherlock Holmes
A book about a current issue- not sure yet
And I have two books on my nightstand that are movies (y'all know I have to read the book before the movie) : Room, and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
And since it's summertime, lots of beach-themed books and, of course, Gone with the Wind.
Again.
A lot of reading. If only I had more time. I'd love to hear your suggestions!
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