Book 6: Kissing in Manhattan

This was an odd book, I almost gave up after the first chapter.  I decided to give it one more and there was some potential. Some chapters were better than others, it's one of those where each chapter is a character's story and the characters would come together throughout.  It was ok.  Thinking its going back to the used book store. 

Book 5: More Charlotte Mason Education

Rereading this since our school year starts tomorrow.  I will review when I finish, will keep reading fiction while I read this. 

Book 4: The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax

I wanted to like this book, but it was only ok.  About an older woman who becomes a secret agent and is sent on a mission in Turkey.  It was funny and cute at times but it just wasn't my type of book. 

Book 3: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

 

This was such a surprising book.  I had wanted to read it for years and just never got around to it.  I was worried that I wouldn't like it.  I found it at the used book store (along with a few others) on a trip to Jacksonville on Sunday, so I went ahead and bought it.  I ended up really enjoying it.  An autistic (I think, he is special needs and I'm guessing autistic) teenage boy comes across his neighbors murdered dog and decides to be a detective and solve the mystery.  He ends up solving a few mysteries and also deals with his parent's separation.  In my opinion this book is a must-read.  My teenage daughter already took it to her room.

Book 2: A Hundred Summers

 

I was looking forward to this book, it has been on many must-read summer lists.  I thought it would be a great beach book.  It does have a good plot but it was very predictable even though it does have many twists.  I very much looked forward to this book coming to an end.  The most exciting part was the hurricane, which is based on a real hurricane that hit New England in 1938.

Book 1: Agnes Grey

 

This was a short, easy read.  It started out really good, but then became pretty boring.  Agnes is a governess to rotten children who have even worse parents.  She is abused and unappreciated but bears it all with meekness and patience.  She at last finds love and presumably lives happily ever after.

More birthday books

 

My kids are awesome, they bought books from my Amazon wishlist and I spent some more birthday money.  I love new books!  

New books!

The first of the birthday books :)

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, and my own challenge

I recently read Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch.  I really wanted to love this book, unfortunately it was a little boring.  I loved her passion for books and I felt for her losing her sister.  Even though the book wasn't all I hoped it would be, it did inspire me. I loved the idea of reading a book a day.  Right away I thought it would be perfect, I'm about to turn 39.  I had a hard time turning 30.  Really hard.  Now 40 is looming.  Where has the time gone?  What better way to end my 30's and enter my 40's than with an impressive book challenge?  I love reading, I always have.  There have been years when raising my 4 children, that books had to take a backseat, however now I had babies to read to!  Then I decided to homeschool them and of course we used a literature approach to learning.  I still read aloud to my youngest two (13 and 14 years old) on an almost daily basis.  Now that they're all teenagers (I have an almost 18 and a 19 year old as well) I have a lot of time to read. 

As much as I wanted to read a book a day, I am realistic.  I'm not that fast of a reader and there are too many days that life takes over and I don't get much of a chance to read.  We will have company, I can't read a whole book when we have family in from out of town.  I thought about it and talked to my oldest daughter and have decided that 200 books will be a good goal.  It will be challenging and rewarding.  I may not reach the goal, but no matter what, I still win.  I look forward to reading new and different books that I wouldn't normally pick up.  I look forward to buying new books, making use of our local library, but most of all I look forward to not dwelling on the fact that next year I will be 40.  I will lose myself in stories, I will learn, I will grow. 

I changed my url to sandwavesandbooks.  My favorite place to read, besides my bed, is the beach.  It's so relaxing and the perfect place to be transported to another time and place.  I plan to list each book I read and maybe write a line or two about them.  I'm not much on writing reviews.  If anyone decided to do a similar challenge, please leave a comment and let me know, I'd love to follow you.

Monday update

I finally finished Cloud Atlas on Friday.  I also went to the library with my youngest daughter and picked up 5 books.  One I already set aside because it was just drivel.
My other picks were
Breakfast at Tiffanys and 3 other short stores by Truman Capote (read and enjoyed)
March by Geraldine Brooks (currently reading and enjoying)
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

After I drop my oldest daughter off to babysit later this afternoon, I am headed to the beach with my youngest 2 to enjoy the sun, waves and of course, read!