Exceedingly Mundane

I finished another library book this afternoon, “Rejoice” by Karen Kingsbury with Gary Smalley. This was book 4 in a series of 5 books in the “Redemption” series. I went on ahead to the library after that (since Tim was at his last golf lesson for a while :mrgreen:), with the intention of checking out the last book in the series. But, someone had beat me to it! It was checked out of the branch I went to. I should have looked online before I left, to see which branch had a copy available, but I didn’t. Actually, I was too excited about going :grin:. I love books, love the library (I’ve blogged about it ad nauseum before), but this time I had something else to be totally excited about – I took my new Palm PDA with my library list on it! 🙂 Yes, I was in a hurry so I could go into the library and browse for the books on my list. Sorted by author, library branch, ranked in priority of what I wanted sooner than later, and even (gasp), if they were books for me or Tim. Needless to say, my Tim list is, um, rather short. 😯 He is not “into” reading these days, and even though I have bought him books lately, they sit on the bookcase shelf collecting dust. Me, on the other hand, I have over 50 books on my library list! 🙂

Anyway, I digress. This makes #23 so far this year, with a total of 8,545 pages read. I couldn’t restrain myself, and rather than checking out my normal 3 books for a 3 week time period, I went ahead and got 4. I’ve been reading 3 in about 2 weeks or less, and the ones I picked out are mostly light, entertaining or quick reads, so I splurged and got 4 books this time. I’ve listed them on my sidebar. They are:

1. Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
2. A Thousand Tomorrows by Karen Kingsbury
3. Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
4. Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich

Yippee, I can’t wait! New books to read

I finished another library book last night, “The Summerhouse” by Jude Devereaux. It was good, not great. Definitely not the best book I have read lately! It had some “time travel” in it, so reading it on the heels of “The Time Traveler’s Wife” was probably not the best idea. Too much of that motif in one short span of time. 😀 I seem to be reading a lot of books lately about groups of women friends who get together, either for book clubs, for later-in-life reunions, etc. Perhaps I need to branch out more! I’ll try to work on a book review and post it on Hambones.org later today 🙂

For the record, that makes book #22 for the year, with a total of 8,198 pages read. Up next is book 4 in the series of 5 books in the Redemption series by Karen Kingsbury. I’m going to finish these soon, I think. After that, I will probably head back to the library for more books. Now that I have my handy dandy Palm PDA with my library list on it (tons of books that I *might* want to check out), all categorized by branch, author, who recommended it, etc. Yup, I’m a book nerd AND a gadget nerd, great combination, yes?!

Tim had to work late again last night, so I stayed up late and finished my latest book from the library – “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger. This was a whopper of a book, both in size (518 pages) and storyline. It’s the story of Henry, who has Chrono-Displacement disorder (he travels through time, without any control over it, of where he goes, when he goes, what happens to him, etc), and his wife Claire, whom he first meets when she is six years old. It flips around in time and place, back and forth throughout their lives. A very interesting concept, and a very different kind of book to read. I really liked it (didn’t LOVE it, but I really liked it). I had read several really good things about this book, on other people’s blogs and also at several message boards. It is a “Today Show Book Club Pick” from a couple of years ago, and also seems to be a popular pick for book clubs all over the country. I can certainly see why, it brings up a lot of interesting topics that could be discussed. 🙂

For the record, this makes book #21 for the year, with a total of 7,836 pages read. I have 2 more books from the library and now have to figure out which to read next! So many books, so little time

A book tag I shameless swiped from Laura at her wonderful blog, The Noodle Incident. I love any and all things “bookish” 😀

1) Total number of books I own? I actually have no idea. Probably 150 or more, but that would include cookbooks and some old paperbacks that I probably need to donate or take to a used bookstore. I’ve actually worked hard over the years to not buy many books. Bookstores and buying books is a terrible addiction for me, like crack to a junkie or alcohol to an alcoholic, or the sound of a casino and slot machines to a person with a gambling problem. I could easily own 1000 books and never blink an eye. But, I’m very practical and realistic. I normally only read a book once. So, it makes more sense (money and space wise) for me to patronize my library. Which I do, relentlessly. I’ve probably checked out over 100 books in the last few years (that I could have easily bought, if I’d allowed myself). Whew – long answer!

2) The last book I bought? The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

3) The last book I read? Currently reading “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger. The last book I completed was “Return” by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley (book 3 in a series of 5).

4) 5 books that mean a lot to me?

I just finished book number 3 in a series of 5 books, the “Redemption” series by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley. These are really good books, and really easy to read. This one just took me a couple of days to read, a quick but really good novel. I love books that track characters through their lives, trials and tribulations, but that always end with a positive message (gotta love Christian fiction). I am looking forward to reading the last two in this series soon. I like to space them out though, so I may read something else in between them, so I don’t get burned out. 🙂

For the record, this makes #20 on the year, with a total of 7,318 pages read. I went back to the library today, and got more books. I’ll add them to my sidebar soon – I got:

Tim and I went shopping after we left the library, and also had dinner out. I’ll blog about that tomorrow. Oh, and I bought a book at Family Christian Bookstore, which I will also add to my sidebar soon. As always – so many books, so little time!

I finished another book last night, “A Circle of Grace” by Penelope J. Stokes. It was good, although not great, but I really enjoyed it. I need to add a review to Hambones, but basically, this book is a story of 4 college friends, who spend 4 years together, then go their separate ways to live their lives. They keep in touch through the years with a “circle journal” that they pass around between them, to write about their lives and relationships. Except, no one completely tells the truth until they have an unexpected reunion some 30 years later. I love books like this that traces a character’s life, where you get to see what happens to them and those around them.

This book had an oddity to it – it made me shed a few tears at the ending. I don’t normally cry a lot at books (The Notebook being the notable exception, I bawled at the end of that book), but this one was a tearjerker at the end. A good tearjerker, but a tearjerker none the less. 😥

This brings my book count to 19 so far for the year, with a total of 6,972 pages read. Up next to read is the third in the Redemption series, by Karen Kingsbury with Gary Smalley. This one is entitled “Return”. I was on the waiting list at the library for several weeks for this book, so I guess I better get busy and get to reading… and then take it back, someone else may be on the list behind me, waiting for it. 🙂

I finished another library book today, “Beyond Tuesday Morning” by Karen Kingsbury. This brings my count so far this year to 18, with a total of 6,614 pages read.

This book was a sequel to a book I read a few weeks ago, “One Tuesday Morning”, which is a Christian-based fictionalized account of the events leading up to, during and after 9/11. The characters were continued in the second book, and I actually enjoyed this one more than the original. It was a little more believable, although it was still stretching the plot a bit. They’re very good books though, and remind us of so many of the more important things in life.

Up next is a book by a new-to-me author, Penelope J. Stokes. Gail read her book “The Blue Bottle Club” and really enjoyed it and recommended it to me. I couldn’t find that particular one on my last trip to the library, so I got another by Stokes, called “Circle of Grace”. I don’t think I’ll get much reading done this weekend, so it may be early next week before I get a chance to read much of it. I hope it’s a good one also! 🙂

I’ve been trying to catch up on my to-do list today. I tend to procrastinate on so many things! Today, I have:

Whew, feels good to get caught up again!

I stayed up late last night and finished my latest book, “The DaVinci Code” by Dan Brown. I can honestly say that this is the best book I have read so far this year, and I’ve read some good books, some that I have really enjoyed. This book, however, was very gripping, a real page-turner. I can definitely see how it’s going to be a great movie. Lots of action and thrilling cat and mouse moves. It has the “darker” side to it, the conspiracy theories that it tries to espouse, along with some parts of the “cult” that are not very seemly, but those are not major issues for me. I can read over those and not be affected. I’m not going to let this book, or any other piece of fiction, change what I believe in my heart, and so I was able to take that line of writing with a grain of salt. Having done that, I thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly, enjoyed this book! A definite must-read. It was so hard to put it down and go do something else, or even go to sleep at night!

OK, that makes #17 on the year, with a total of 6,314 pages read. Up next is the sequel to “One Tuesday Morning” by Karen Kingsbury, called “Beyond Tuesday Morning”. After that, I’m reading a book by a new-to-me author named Penelope J. Stokes. Also, I picked up another book at the library yesterday. I had my name on the waiting list for the 3rd book in the Redemption series by Karen Kingsbury. There were 2 people ahead of me and I’ve been waiting several weeks. The library called to tell me it was in, and my turn, so I picked it up yesterday. It’s called “Return” and I’ll be reading that one after the other two. Whew – my favorite saying still applies: “So many books, so little time!” 🙂

I finished my last book from the library last night, “Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons” by Lorna Landvik. That makes #16 for the year, with a total of 5,825 pages read. I need to post a review for it on Hambones.org. Actually, I need to post several book and movie reviews. I seem to really be procrastinating on those! 🙂

This was a good book and I enjoyed it, although I know of several people who would not enjoy it. It covers a book club, a group of 5 women living on the same street in Minnesota, who get together to read books, eat, drink and gossip, and in the process, form a friendship that spans 4 decades. It follows their lives, their marriages and relationships, their children, and draws on the times. The sixties cover sex, drugs and the Vietnam conflict. Some of the 70’s, as well. There’s drug use, out-of-wedlock and interracical babies, spousal abuse, gay relationships and other issues current with the times. It was a good book, and I love to see characters developed and how their life unfolds. I’d probably give it a 7 out of 10.

Next up, I am trying to start “The DaVinci Code” by Dan Brown. I think I’m about the last person on the planet to read this book. I am going to approach it as a piece of fiction, not some assault against facts that I know as a Christian. I wanted to read it before the movie came out, and I saw a preview recently, so I think the movie comes out this summer. I need to get a move on! Also up is a trip back to the library. I’ll post more when I get more books lined up to read next. 🙂

I finished another book yesterday, the third in the Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross, entitled “Miss Julia Throws a Wedding.” Another good light, charming, Southern book about an elderly widowed woman in North Carolina and the charming friends and family she gets into various and sundry escapades with. Very light and entertaining, which I was totally in the mood for. I enjoyed it 🙂

That makes #15 for the year, with a total of 5,421 pages read. Next up to read is another light story of friends through the years, “Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons” by Lorna Landvick. I hope it’s good! 🙂

I finished “Warsaw Requiem” this morning – the sixth and final book in the Zion Covenant series by Brock and Bodie Thoene. It was a really long book, but good. I was really hoping that it would tie up the series more at the end, but I was rather disappointed. Each book seemed to tie up a couple of loose ends (one character would make it to freedom, another would die, bad guys and good guys alike). I had expected that the last book of the series would tie up the main characters better, not just leave them hanging like there was going to be another book. So, on that point, I was disappointed.

Overall, however, I was not disappointed in the series. They were very good, great characters, some real, some fictitious, and based on all factual events of pre-World War II Europe and Hitler’s expansion into countries like Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. I would recommend these books to someone who has the time to invest in them, 6 long books.

As for the stats, this makes #14 for the year. This book was a whopping 508 pages (of a very small typeset font), so that makes 5,113 pages read so far this year. Up next to read – “Miss Julia Throws a Wedding”, which should be much lighter and more entertaining, and a nice break from the heaviness of the Zion Covenant books.

I just spent a happy hour or so browsing my local library, and checking on some books I wanted to check out. I have started reading the same series that Gail just finished, the “Redemption” series by Karen Kingsbury. I got the first two books with no problem, but have had trouble getting the third. First off, they seem to be very popular books and have trouble keeping the copy/copies they have on the shelf. Mostly, for this third book, there is only one copy left for all branches, so it stays checked out. I got on the waiting list though (there’s one or two people ahead of me), so hopefully I will get it in a month or so.

In the mean time, I had no problem finding other books to check out! On the contrary – I spend time finding tons of books, then have to sit down and narrow down which ones I want to get today. I try to limit myself to 3, and that is usually plenty for me. We can check them out for three weeks, so that’s an average of one per week. Sometimes do-able, and sometimes that is pushing it. 🙂

OK, I’ve updated my sidebar, but in case you’re interested in the books I got, click on the extended entry to read more about them.

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I finished another Karen Kingsbury (contemporary Christian writer) book last night, called “One Tuesday Morning”. This book is a fictitious account of a firefighter and a businessman on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, in the World Trade Center. It centers around their families and friends, and the events leading up to, during, and after 9/11. While I enjoyed this book, I found it harder to read than most of the other Karen Kingsbury books I have read. This one was harder to believe, more far-fetched, in light of the actual events of that day. That said, it was a good book with a great message, as always. I’ll try to get a review up in the Reviews section of Hambones soon.

That makes book #13 so far this year, with a total of 4,605 pages read. I have finished all the books from my last library trip, so I’ll be headed back out this afternoon, more than likely, to get more. Look for new books in the sidebar soon, and I may post again as to what I get and will read first. Going to the library or bookstore is always sort of a rush for me. I think I have a book addiction!

I was so happy to see this book out on the “New Arrivals” shelf at my library on the last visit. It’s not often that I read a book on the NY Times Bestseller list, much less one that just came out (I blogged here that I was the first one to check it out!). This was definitely a different kind of book for me. I normally read what I call “women’s fiction” – very light, entertaining and quick, or lately, more Christian fiction by authors such as Karen Kingsbury. So, this book about a courtesan and her dwarf in Renaissance Italy in the 1530’s was something a little different.

Having said that, I really enjoyed it. It’s good for me to break out of my norm and read something different. This book, being historical fiction, had a different tone and cadence to it, but I got used to that fairly quickly. It has a very small amount of bad language or references (but considering the subject matter, she is a courtesan, it was to be expected), but not so much that it distracted me. I really enjoyed it, and I will put Sarah Dunant’s initial bestseller on my list to try to read in the future (“The Birth of Venus”).

For the stats: this is book #12 for the year, with a total of 4,272 pages read. I have entered a review of it on Hambones.org. In the mean time, I’ve started the last book I have from the library (due next week), another Karen Kingsbury book. This one is very current, it’s a fictional account of 9/11 and looks to be very, very good.