Exceedingly Mundane

I finished the second book in the Zion Covenant series, “Prague Counterpoint”, by Bodie Thoene last night. That makes #33 for the year! I started the third book in the series, “Munich Signature”. I like that these books pick right up where the last one left off… without going back and laying the ground work, explaining the characters, etc. For someone like me, who reads these books back to back, it helps to not have to skim through all that background. It’s nice to just open to the first page and hit the ground running!

I imagine that this book may very possibly be the last one I read for the year. I want to read the book that Tim gave me for my birthday, that Wendy recommended, but I’m not certain that I will make it to that one or not. Even if I don’t read it, that still leaves me at 33 for the year. 33 is sort of a nice, round number, don’t cha think?! 😀

I’m downloading Napster right now to my PC. I redeemed some of my points at one of my points place for 5 free songs from Napster. So, I have to sign up for a free trial, and download to the software and set it all up, then I can download my free songs. The only catch is that I have to remember to cancel it before my free trial runs out, or else they’ll start charging me for the darn thing.

Anyone have any suggestions for songs I can download? Send ’em on!

Right now, I have a list of “possibles” – including some country and pop songs. Any and all suggestions welcome!

It took me several days, but I finally typed up two quick reviews on the Hambones website. The first one is of Sahara, the last DVD we rented. The other book is one of the last book I finished (Vienna Prelude by Bodie Thoene), even though this review is meant to cover the entire series of books I plan to read. You can check them out, if you’re interested!

I finally finished “Vienna Prelude” by Bodie Thoene late last night. These books are longer than the ones I have been reading lately, and it took me longer to complete. It was a really good book though, and the first in a series of 6 called the “Zion Covenant”. I’m hoping our library has all six, so that I can read them all in order. This book, by the way, was number 31 on my list for the year. Yeah, me!

I have to hurry and read my other library book that I checked out “Big Cherry Holler”, since they are all due back in a few days!

I will write a review soon on Vienna Prelude on Hambones.org. I also need to write one for “Sahara” which we rented last weekend. 🙂

I finished the second book in the “Miss Julia” series yesterday afternoon. Same people and places as the first one, with a continuation of the story. I really enjoyed it. These books have a great Southern flair to them, and a charming down-home dialogue. I am looking forward to getting all of the rest of them, or at least the ones my library has, and reading them all. That was #30 for the year.

I started a new book last night, “Vienna Prelude” by Bodie Thoene. This is the first book in the Zion Chronicles. The print is smaller in these books than others I have read lately, and the book is thicker, so this one is going to take me a bit longer to read! I think it’s going to be good though. I only read a chapter or two last night, but I think it will grab my attention. We’ll see! 🙂

I finished another book night before last, “Thursdays at Eight” by Debbie Macomber. I probably won’t write a review of it and put on Hambones.org. It’s similar in tone and plot to the other Debbie Macomber book I have read – The Shop on Blossom Street. Both are about a group of 4 women who meet (this time on a Thursday morning breakfast club) and it follows their lives, and how their characters interact and their lives overlap from their new-found friendship. I really enjoy these books, good “women’s fiction”.

This book made #29 on my reading list for the year. I went to the library yesterday and got three more books to read. I’ve just added them to my sidebar. I got:

a. Miss Julia Takes Over by Ann B. Ross
b. Big Cherry Holler by Adriana Trigiani
c. Vienna Prelude by Bodie Thoene

The first book, Miss Julia Takes Over, is the second in the series of Miss Julia books. I really enjoyed the first one, and plan to read as many as they have available at my library. The second one, Big Cherry Holler, is the sequel to Big Stone Gap, which I read earlier in the year. The third one is the first in the Zion Covenant series by Bodie Thoene. Gail recommended these books to me, so I’m going to give this one a try and see if I like it.

I finished another book tonight, “Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind” by Ann B. Ross. I just entered a review of it here on Hambones.org. I really enjoyed this book, and plan to read more of the ones from this series (this was book #1). As for my list, this was #28 on my list of books for the year. Yeah, me! 😀

I finished reading my latest book “Oceans Apart” by Karen Kingsbury last night. You can find my review of it here at Hambones.org. I really enjoyed it, especially the ending. I then started a new book, by another new author I have never read. This one is called “Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind” and is by Ann B. Ross. Think along the lines of “Fried Green Tomatoes” with a grey-haired widowed woman. I read a couple of chapters before I got too sleepy, and I think I’m going to enjoy this one too!

Oh, and on the count for books read this year, Oceans Apart was number 27. Three more to go for my new and improved goal! I really probably should cut back on the reading a little and rev up on the scrapbooking stuff, but I am so enjoying reading. Takes me back to my childhood and teenage and early 20’s, when I read all the time. I hate to give it up!

I finished #26 for the year last night, yipppeeee!! I read another of the Harmony books in just over 24 hours. I picked up “Signs and Wonders” on Wednesday night and read a couple of chapters, after I had finished the Blossom Street book. I sat down during the NFL opening game last night (between the Patriots and Raiders) and finished the third book for me in the Harmony series. They read really quick, so I was able to finish it in one night. That makes #26, and I’m so happy to have met and surpassed my original goal!

Last night I finished the book I had started reading before Hurricane Katrina starting bearing down on the coast and New Orleans. The book was “The Shop on Blossom Street” by Debbie Macomber. I had already “gotten into” this book before the storm, but didn’t have much chance to read until the last day or two. I just posted my review of the book here on Hambones. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to check out more books by this author from our library. I loved the characters and the way she told the story, and (always important with me), I approved of the way the book ended!

Next up, I started reading another Harmony book last night, “Signs and Wonder”. I only read a couple of chapters before I fell asleep though! I seem to be really tired these days. This book should go quickly though, if it’s like the other 2 in the series I have read. Each chapter is like a little short story all to itself, so they go very quickly, and it’s a really easy book to pick up and then put down and read in short intervals.

I need to make a trip to the library soon, but we’re still trying to conserve gas. Hopefully, the lines won’t be long when we need to fill up again soon! And, hopefully, most of the gas stations will be open soon. Most of the ones near us have been shut down lately.

P.S. I just realized when I went to update my reading list (Word document) on my computer, that this was #25 for the year. Yeah! Goal reached… although, I have now moved the goal to 30 books for the year. Still — yeah! 😀

I went to get my hair cut this morning, and also made a nice long leisurely visit to the library. I have blogged about this many times before, but I’ll say it again. Oh how I love the library! I always have, as far back as I can remember. I love to read, love books, love bookstores, love libraries. I can remember spending a lot of my time growing up sitting alone, reading a book. It was either that or tv (I didn’t have a lot of friends my age in the neighborhood we lived in, and my sisters went away to college when I started first grade). Books have always been wondrous things to me. A means of escape or a comfortable friend I could sit back and get absorbed with.

I can remember getting in trouble lots of nights growing up. I would dig out my flashlight and make a tent with my sheet and stay up past my bedtime reading. My mom would come in and “catch” me, and she would always, always, always fuss at me and tell me that I was going to put my eyes out and go blind. “You better turn that flashlight off!” she’d say.

Anyway, back to present day. I finished both of the Harmony books I had checked out a couple of weeks ago and returned those. I found at least 8 books I wanted to check out, but was good, and only walked out with 4. I’ve added them to my sidebar.

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I forgot to blog earlier today that I finished another book last night. I finished the first Harmony book that I had checked out from the library – “Home to Harmony”. I still need to write a short review of it on the main Hambones website.

Suffice it to say that I enjoyed it, once I finally got into it. It’s along the same vein as the Mitford books by Jan Karon, but instead of Episcopalian Father Tim, we have a Quaker pastor named Sam Gardner, who has moved back to his very small, very quaint hometown of Harmony, Indiana. The book is more a series of small vignettes, but the characters are the same and I’ve learned who they all are now, so that will make for good reading on the next couple of books in this series that I intend to read. Each chapter is like a little short story, each has a heartwarming point to make or a scripture to highlight, and so it’s nice to pick up this book and read a chapter or two and then put it down if need be. Rather refreshing after some of the things I have read!

OH, and chalk this book up as #22 on the list for the year. I think I will easily meet my goal of reading 25 books before the end of the year… I started on #23, “Just Shy of Harmony” today! 😀

I was tagged by my buddy Dawn at her blog – “Thoughts from Along the Broken Road”. It’s a music meme kind of thing, which I love! Thanks, Dawn, and I love reading your blog every day girl! 😀

Here’s the instructions:

List ten songs that you are currently digging… it doesn’t matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they’re no good but they must be songs you’re really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the ten songs in your blog. Then tag five other random people to see what they’re listening to.

And my answers… like Dawn, I love music and have hundreds of songs I listen to (on my new iPod that Tim got me in June!!). Here’s the first 10 that spring to mind:

1. Ever the Same by Rob Thomas
2. Now Comes the Night by Rob Thomas
3. Mississippi Girl by Faith Hill
4. If Something Should Happen by Darryl Worley
5. Behind These Hazel Eyes by Kelly Clarkson
6. Memories of Us by Keith Urban
7. Anything but Mine by Kenny Chesney
8. Do You Want Fries with That by Tim McGraw
9. As Good as I Once Was by Toby Keith
10. If Heaven by Andy Griggs (still love this one, reminds me of my mom)

I’ll tag some of the family and friends whose blogs we host on our website … they don’t normally do memes or quizzes, but I’ll cross my fingers and hope they play along this time. 😀

Tagging:

Amanda
Chris
Elizabeth
Shanna

Ooops, forgot to mention that I finished another book – “Shopaholic Takes Manhatten”. I am not going to post a review for it in the Reviews section of Hambones. All of these Shopaholic books are very similar, same character, same shopping extravagazas. All very light and entertaining and I enjoy them very much, but probably nothing anyone else is interested in.

That was #21, and now I’m on to my next book. I’m going to give the “Harmony” series by Philip Gulley a try. I checked 2 out from the library and started on the first one “Home to Harmony” the other night. So far, they haven’t grabbed me as much as the Mitford ones did (or did it take me a while to get into those, can’t remember!). But, I’ll keep reading, I think they will be good.

I still have it as my goal to read at least 25 books before the end of the year. That’s very attainable, considering that once I finish the two I currently have checked out from the library, that will put me at 23 completed. I might have to shoot for 30 after that! 😀

My branch of the library in Madison is closed this week for inventory. I went last Friday to drop off books and get more to read. I found one that day, but two others that I was looking for were at another branch. So, I headed over there this morning to look for these books.

This branch is older, but it’s bigger. I do believe there are a lot more books, videos and other material available at this branch. I might have to go here more often and check it out.

Anyhoo, I had read on another lady’s blog that she had read and enjoyed some of the “Harmony” books, which she likened to the Mitford series. Now, I’m a huge Jan Karon fan and I have loved every single one of the Mitford books, so I’m hoping these are as good, funny and heartwarming.

I checked out two from this series – Home to Harmony and Just Shy of Harmony. They had two or three others, so maybe I’ll have more to look forward to this fall. 🙂