My first book club meeting!

You guys, I helped start a book club! For real! I have always, always wanted to be in one. Last night was our first meeting. As with most things, for me, it was a little awkward at first since I didn’t know everyone really well (the three of us that started it all invited 1 or 2 of our own friends so we would have more diversity and meet new people) and I had no idea what to do at a book club. However, after diving into homemade brownies, cheese and crackers, and breaking open the wine, everything started flowing much easier.

After everyone revealed what they love the most about reading, we all discussed our #1 book choice that we wanted to read this year. There are 10 of us in the group so we each got to pick one book automatically and then we drew 2 random ones for the last picks. Here’s what we came up with! They all ended up being fiction but they are still so different!

September: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
October: Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
November: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
December: The Giver by Lois Lowry
January: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
February: Life of Pi by Yann Martel
March: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
April: Merlin Trilogy (just the first book) by Mary Stewart
May: The Selection Series: The Selection, The Elite, The One by Kiera Cass
June: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
July: Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
August: The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)

I’m so excited! Read along with us if you’d like! I’ll try to update about each book as we read.

Series :: What I’m reading and you should too!

Back in 2008 I watched the movie The City of Ember and really liked it. I forgot there was a book version until about a year ago when I saw it at Goodwill. I bought it, read it, and really liked it! I also didn’t realize it was a series until I finished it, so naturally, I got the others at the library and loved them as well. It’s an interesting idea; post-apocalyptic.

The City of Ember

 The People of Sparks

The Prophet of Yonwood

The Diamond of Darkhold

I also just started this book this morning and I’m really excited to get in deeper. I’m totally an introvert so I can’t wait to read this and see how it can be of help to me.

Introverts in the Church

I am finally getting to the 3rd book in The Mortal Instruments series. I had it on hold for so long that I forgot about it until I went to the library yesterday and there it was waiting for me! Unexpected, fun surprise. I hate going so long in-between (series) books because I read so much that I usually forget most of what happened previously and have to rely solely on what the author provides in the next book. I’m only about a chapter in but it’s good and the last book is slowly but surely coming back to me!

The City of Glass

Story time with Pappy!

We were FaceTiming with my parents and Solace was whining because she wanted me to read to her instead of talk to Pappy (this girl could read all day. And she does, in fact. She rarely plays with her toys) I grabbed a book on my end and started flipping through it but my dad grabbed an instruction manual for the new vacuum they bought and told Sol this story:

Once upon a time, a vacuum broke into these poor people’s house and started vacuuming up all their stuff! They had nothing left! But he couldn’t get into the neighbor’s house, you know why? His cord wouldn’t reach! And then, like all good things, it reached its 90 day warranty and completely broke! Ah!

Here’s to random stories that fully entertain my daughter :) I love modern technology for times like these.

 

Series :: What I’m reading and you should too!

I just finished both of these books. At first it took me a bit to get into it, as with all new series, because there is so much back story and new elements introduced but after I got everything straight, I could not put them down. It’s written from a 13-year-old boy’s perspective and it’s obviously fiction. :) The second book just came out last year and I haven’t heard about a third book yet, but there better be one!

Ashtown Burials

I love N.D. Wilson. He wrote Notes from a Tilt-a-Whirl and the 100 Cupboards series (which I also loved).

City of Ashes

I also finished this book (which is part of another series that I wrote about in my first Series post). I liked them both and am waiting on the third to be available at our library. I picked up the fourth one and am hoarding at home until I can read it. As with the above books, it takes a bit to understand the back stories and new “magical” stuff. These are full of vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and, of course, young love. Haha. I’m so immature. But it’s so fun.

That’s all I’ve got for now!

Series :: what I’m reading and you should too!

We’ll see how long I can keep this up. I figure since I love reading and read so many different books, I should tell you all about it too. You’re welcome. :)

Current read(s)/recommendation:

It’s been taking me a while to get through this book but not because it isn’t interesting or not helpful. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. I would really encourage anyone to read this…and to re-read it, and read it again.

Nick brought this book home from a conference and when I spotted it, I stole it from the pile immediately. How could I not read this? It’s been so great. I love the fiction interwoven with real life.

One thing you will learn about me is that I love youth fiction/fantasy. I can’t get enough of it. I just started this book so I’m not very far in, but it seems interesting. We’ll see.

Past read/recommendation:

This was a hard book to get in to but worth it once you got going. This might be my favorite non-romantic classic. I love the old crazy woman in her wedding dress. I’m pretty sure they made a movie recently but I haven’t seen it yet. Helena Bohnam Carter is in it so I’m not sure why I haven’t!