Good Morning! How is everyone doing this last day of 2011?
I stayed up WAY too late… I think I went to bed about 1:30 a.m. I have been reading our January book club pick, Henry’s Sisters… and honestly – I can’t seem to put it down! I am really excited for this review!
BUT – put it down I must because it is tradition around here that the first book of the year is a big deal – and every January 1 I finish a book I have been planning and hope it is wonderful to kick off the New Year! (That book will be revealed tomorrow)
In the meantime, I thought I would post a few of our pics from last weekend for Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot meme.
One of my gifts - this sign says FRIENDS. I love it!
Al (hubby) opening up the boots I picked out for him
Justin opening his "large" gift. The boys always get several smaller priced gifts and then one larger one.
Justin (College Son) loves his new KINDLE!
Brad, (Navy Son) will be here this next weekend (WWWOOOOO HOOOOO!!!) for a couple of weeks. Our little Christmas tree will remain up so we can do Christmas with him once he gets here… we are thinking maybe next Sunday and hopefully Justin can come back for this too 🙂
One more picture…
Yesterday was our first real snow accumulation of the season. When I was leaving our driveway I thought the tracks looked like two hearts. I like that.
I will probably have three posts today… I need to put up my WHERE Are You Reading map finals for 2011 and I have so many reviews piling up due to my posting about other things… like challenges, and recaps, and “best of’s”…. 😛
This is the post I have sooooo been looking forward to… but also dreading, as I knew it would take some work. The recap of the year as far as counts, and challenges…
Looking at the chart above that put me at a total of 140 for the year. With a combo of books and audio, in most months I was able to listen to more audio then I was to read. Actually, some of the months surprised me at how little I had read.
As for 2011 Challenge Wrap Ups…
Success! AT 140 I achieved and over achieved this challenge!!!
Success!!! This challenge I had set at the highest level… OBSESSED – which was 20 audio books. I ummmmm…. I… came in at 64. 😯
Fail: This was such a good challenge for me and I did accomplish a couple… but old habits die hard and I found myself doing what I usually do… purchasing the coveted book… and placing it on the “someday” shelf. 😳
Half Fail: This challenge was where I was suppose to find books that I really wished I had read and then do so… I started out well, but then stopped keeping track….
I think a fail… this did not count outdoor biking or it would have been a win! 😀
Success!!! My goal was to read/listen to 30 library books in 2011. I finished at 32.
My Where Are You Reading Challenge post will be a separate one as that is my own challenge.
Sipping Earl Grey this morning… not sure why, but craved it over the sharpness of coffee today. 😀
I am staring at the bottom right corner of Asus (Laptop) at the date. 12/30/11.
Really? 😯
I had such big plans for finishing out the year… books to complete, reviews to write, challenge recaps, plans for 2012, book and audio counts, wrap up of 2011 challenges and enter the new…. and here I am… December 30th… and so much to do. 😀
On the bright side, I have all of next week off which will be a great catch up time in many life things. That will be helpful 😀
This morning I am going to share what Challenges I will be participating in for 2012. Why do challenges? They are fun and stretch you in your reading experience. They are also a great way to connect with other challenge participants and meet like minded readers.
Like I could pass on this one! 😛 There are four levels to this challenge:
Flirting-Listen to 6 Audio Books
Going Steady- Listen to 12 Audio Books
Lover- Listen to 25 Audio Books
Married-Listen to +++ Audio Books
I will be going for Married level. It sounds like there will be occasional audio giveaways (SSSQQUUUEEE!!!)
The WHERE Are You Reading Challenge was so much fun last year that I will be hosting it again. I loved watching my map fill up – reading in all the states… well, not all of them… 😀
YAY! I need this one. My hubby bought me the NOOK E Reader last Christmas… as in a year ago Christmas. I had read one book on it… which, he pointed out. 😯 SO I am trying to intentionally put more time in on the NOOK.
Levels:
Floppy disk – 5 ebooks
CD – 10 ebooks
DVD – 25 ebooks
Memory stick – 50 ebooks
Hard drive – 75 ebooks
Server – 100 ebooks
Human brain – 150 ebooks
I am aiming for the CD level.
They are creepy and they’re spooky…. oh, ok.. not all of them! This is a fairly new genre for me and I am LOVING it! I am hosting this challenge hoping it will get others to dabble in it as well. 😀
Levels:
1-3 Dytstopia Books read in 2012: beginner
4-6 Dystopia Books read in 2012: Intermediate Post World Trainee
7-10 Dystopia Books read in 2012: Leader of Your District
11+ Dystopia Books read in 2012: SURVIVOR!
I am going for SURVIVOR!
I am super excited about this one! I was just thinking of how cool a challenge would be on blogger favorite reads and then…. I found one! Reading with Tequila has this AMAZING list of book which will be great motivation for me to read some of the greats!
The Levels: Level I – Read 5 books from the 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation List Level II – Read 10 books Level III – Read 15 books Level IV – Read 20 books Level V – Read 20+ books
Here are the books I would like to read off the list:
1. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
3. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
4. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
5. A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
6. Black Girl, White Girl by Joyce Carol Oates
7. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
8. Fire by Kristin Cashore
9. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
10. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
11. The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
12. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
13. Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
All of these books are in house except #6 and #7.
This one is more of a personal challenge that I am creating that anyone can hop on board with…. I am still working out the details on this but have an idea brewing… if you are interested in knowing more – click on the challenge pic and leave a comment on the original post. I will make sure you are notified when I reveal the idea. 😀
That’s it… the only other one I would like to be a part of is a Library Challenge but have not seen one yet although I have been told there is one out there.
How about you… up to any bookish challenges for 2012?
When 17 year old Alex Morales knows life has changed forever, he was working at Joey’s Pizza. His major concerns at the time was getting elected for senior class president and keeping his grades up to get into the college of his choice. His family owned an apartment complex and along with his two younger sisters, Alex lived there with his mom and dad.
Who knew that an asteroid would hit the moon knocking it closer to the earth and causing life as he knew it to change forever. His father who was away at his grandmothers funeral never returns home. His mother who was working at the hospital is not heard from either. Suddenly Alex is fighting for the survival of himself and his sisters in what fast turns Manhattan into a deadly wasteland.
Alex tries to hold it together and make the best choices while he waits hopefully, for one of his parents to return…. but time keeps on going by and life… is not getting any easier.
This follow-up book to Life As We Knew It is told during the same time frame as Miranda’s story was. The difference is Miranda was in Pennsylvania when the meteor hit, and Alex was in New York. By reading this story you find that New York, was much worse.
A much darker tale of the human need for survival, Alex’s story is haunting. New York is in a panic. While Alex has food in the apartment, it quickly runs out. No stock piling from grocery stores happened like it did in Miranda’s story. Alex instead finds food by checking the abandoned apartments, and eventually doing a little something he calls “body hunting” with his friend Kevin where they find the fresh dead (sorry, but there it is) and take anything of value from them… shoes, jewelry, clothing, wallets… to barter for food.
Alex’s sisters are younger, Julie is extremely needy and panicky, Bri has health issues and needs a lot of attention.
While this can leave a gruesome image (and did), I had to think what would life be like if we only had ourselves to count on. All outside sources as gone – no stores, no hospital…Life As We Knew It and I applaud Susan Beth Pfeffer’s vision to recreate the story but this time, there are no parents to turn too, and this is not a safe community.Alex and his family have a strong Catholic faith which wavers throughout the book – but never is set aside, not even in the worst of times.
If you enjoy Dystopia, this is a series you much check out.
I listened to this on audio checked out from my local library
Had a pretty full day yesterday, but a good one too… work, hanging out a bit with College son before he heads back to Mankato, went to the gym, had a missions meeting, and dragged myself home to read a bit. Today I have a full work day as I am off from work after today until the 9th of January. I rarely take time off just for the sake of doing it, but I need to get some writing done, and then mid January I will go to full-time while our office manager has her baby.
As I was flipping through my year in review recap, I seen a couple posts I had early 2011 that were kind of fun and I think worth repeating. One was the “Where are they post?”
last year i did a post where you had to say where your books were and how many… this was for us to share the number of books that are lying around our homes in places other than boxes or shelves… for instance here is what I seem to have going on as I do a quick count:
kitchen table: 8 books
kitchen counters: 2 books
upstairs living room recliner: 4 books
front room by rocking chair: 1 book
downstairs family room recliner: 3 books
bedside table: 2 books
decorative hall table: 1 book
Antique buffet table in living room: 12 books
GAH! I think that about does it. That is all the books I have that are not in the reading room on the shelves, or in boxes from book sales.
How about you? Does your home show you are a reader? 😀
I have been looking forward to doing this post for WEEKS! Yes, I know it is a lot of work to go through everything I have posted in 2011, but as of late I have been thinking “Dang. I have read some great books lately!” That leaves me wondering about all the books I have read this year that I am not even recalling right now but truly probably need a SHOUT OUT as the best of the year…. I also… may occasionally label a bad post… or an UGH. 😛
Join me now as we jump on the internet express and go back back back to…. (all pics are clickable and lead back to the posts/reviews)
January 2011
Good: Yes it was a COLD Minnesota January when I finally caved and allowed myself a listen of an audio about a dog. I had no idea that choice would leave me raving the rest of the year about it! 😀
Good: If Shiver was impressive, Linger was icing on the cake. A worthy second to this trilogy and best book of January.
Is anyone else getting pumped up for the New year? I really am! I have my first book of the year all picked out (that… is another post 😉 ) and I am ready to jump into a clean Where Are You Reading Map… but mostly I am looking forward to getting back in fighting shape and hopefully kicking a little booty in 2012.
I used to blog quite a bit about my work outs and what I was doing to keep fit. Through emails and comments many of you let me know how much you appreciated that and how motivating you found it to be. Of course, that just inspired me to write more. 😀
Then after I got hurt in June, I stopped two things I love – Group Power (weight lifting) and Kick Boxing. I still had bike rides happening so I was doing a little something… but that all stopped in September and I have been pretty much stagnate since. Not cool.
I really want to make 2012 exceptional. I completed a lot of bike rides (one 50 mile one in a cast) and hope to do even more this coming year.
So training for me…. starts right away. And of course, you are invited to join me. 😛 I will be updating you here each Tuesday morning going forward with calories burned, and what I did to shake it up. I will be linking my post over at Mari’s Checkpoint meme at Bookworm With A View. Mari is someone who inspires me so I am hoping between what I am doing here and what she is doing there will keep me on track.
So what am I working for? Many things…regained strength, muscle tone, and weight loss. My big challenge will be May 19th. Myself and three of my good friends are signed up for this:
😯
Yup. I have work to do….
If you are interested in staying motivated to be sure to sign up over at Mari’s Bookworm With A View Checkpoint meme/ You can also leave me a comment here letting me know you are interested in keeping up with goals and posts…. I have an idea brewing but need to think it through a bit more. 😀
I blew the 20,000 calorie challenge but am starting again in January….
As if Summer for a girl without many friends is not hard enough, Kristina’s parents are thrilled when Hester’s parents invite Kristina along to spend time at their horse camp. Yes, Kristina adores horses… but everyone seems to not be getting the clue to is that Kristina and Hester pretty much loathe each other.
When a cruel prank goes wrong… Kristina finds that somehow she has found her way back to Bernovem, the magic land she has experienced before but was beginning to think that perhaps it had all been a dream. Her friend, Prince Werrian is there to take her hand and show her around and when a chance to sail with Werrian to his homeland of Tezeral, Kristina thinks maybe this summer will not be so bad after all…
It has been over two years since I read The Magic Warble, the first book in this series. I remember I was excited by Victoria Simcox’s writing and enjoyed her book very much. When Victoria contacted me to read this second book I immediately said yes.
There are several things I like about this book. One is that immediately I get a sense of Narnia. What I mean is I get that “other world” experience as Kristina and Werrian connect again to share an adventure. Werrian is very “Prince Caspianish” and that.. is a good thing. 😀 I also enjoyed the story behind the Black Shard, a mysterious stone that gives off images of things happening in other places… And of course I am a sucker for the talking horses, mice, dogs and more that make this an overall delight to read.
When I finally did get the time to sit down and read this book in the midst of the busy season, I only meant to read a little of the book. What actually happened? I sat down and read it from beginning to end in one sitting… finding no place safe in the book to stop reading as something was always happening ad I had to know why…
Why was Kristina constantly feeling ill?
Why was Hester so mean ALL THE TIME?
What was going to happen once they arrive in Tezerel?
WHAT is up with that crabby gnome Elzwur???
If you were ever a fan of Narnia, these books will take you back. Be warned… I believe there is another book (there must be!) coming. In the end – all is not resolved and while it was a fulfilling read… I find myself wondering excitedly what will happen next.
Author Victoria Simcox has graciously offered a signed copy of The Black Shard to be given to one of my readers! Leave a comment here and you will be entered into the giveaway. I will choose a winner later this week.
Good morning! Happy After Christmas! (Really though… isn’t it?) I mean the rush is over…. no more shopping for that (hopefully) perfect gift. The parties, the gift exchanges, the food (oh – dont get me started on the food…. “Hello gym membership?” :razz:)
I for one am happy to be basking in the aftermath… enjoying a snow free (SSQQQQUUUEEE!!!!) winter so far here in Central Minnesota, enjoying the down time of the season and some good reading time. 😀
Besides my lovely Cricut and cartridges from my hubby, I also received an assortment of gift cards to some of my favorite stores. I have a lovely coffee mug from Caribou Coffee, a gorgeous engraved wine stopper, a beautiful friendship sign, gloves, a book safe, and of course…
books.
My College son plucked a couple titles off my wish list on this blog and under the tree I found this:
I have so much to do these last few days of 2011… my year in review post will go up with week (it has been a good reading year!) Recap of the challenges… the good, the bad, the ugh…. the two challenges I am hosting as well as….
a fun third one too 😀 Hint… it will work well with Mari at a Bookworm With A View‘s new weekly Checkpoint. 😀
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme. I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment telling me how many you visited. **You do not have to have a blog to participate! You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.
I hope everyone had a happy Christmas/Holiday/Weekend. I sure did. College Son has been all ours all weekend and that’s rare and nice. We watched movies, are WAY too much and had a great time. I thought I would put this post up last night like I usually do… but honestly – I just took a day off from the internet and the blog and being unplugged ….
was nice. 😀
As for what I read and accomplished this past week:
I did not get as much book time in as I had hoped but plenty of audio while cooking cleaning, gift wrapping, and tree assembly 😀
So this week I am hoping to clean up several books I have lying around that I would like to clean up before we go in to the new year. Because next week…. next week I am treating myself to a week of books I have waited too long to read!
However – I am adding a little audio to my week and here is what is either playing now… or playing soon:
“The murderer is with us–on the train now . . .”
Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. One of his fellow passengers must be the murderer.
Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man’s enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again . . .
Ok…. perhaps a little cheesy, but I have never had the pleasure or reading or listening to an Agatha Christie book and I really wanted to do so before the end of 2011.
Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can’t figure out if it’s for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.
The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father’s death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn’t answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?
I read Hush Hush (the first in this set of books) over a year ago. It has taken me way too long to get to this one!
The biggest thing to happen to Skary, Indiana, is renowned horror novelist Wolfe Boone–or, “Boo,” as the locals fondly call him. For the past sixteen years, the reclusive writer has been the town’s greatest attraction, having unintentionally turned the once-struggling Skary into a thriving tourist-trap for the dark side: from the Haunted Mansion restaurant, famous for its “bloody fingers” (fries splattered with ketchup) to Spooky’s Bookstore (where employees dress like the walking dead).
But when a newly reformed Wolfe suddenly quits the genre and subsequently starts to pursue Skary’s favorite girl-next-door, Ainsley Parker, the little town made famous by his writings becomes truly horrified. Soon, a scheme is plotted to put the fright back into Skary–and get their most famous resident out of love and back into the thrill business.
I read Rene Gutteridge last winter and enjoyed her… now looking through the audio at my local library I find her again and this book is the first in a trilogy…. I am…. curious… 😀
So that I think is safely it. I want to go into 2012 really clean on half read books so my work is cut out for me this week 😀 I have so much to do this week with a year-end recap of what was great this past year, Challenge results, and a couple great challenges I am hosting myself. It all should be a good time. 😀
I look forward to seeing what you accomplished this past week. 😀 Add your post below where it says “click here”
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Also – be sure to check out the Middle Grade version of Its Monday What Are You Reading:
Book Journey 