Previously Read Listing

Previously Read Listing

I had a request for a listing of books I’ve previously read with a rating for each. I figured out how to publish a Google spreadsheet for public view. I’ve set up the spreadsheet and have columns for what I think is the most relevant information. I will add all of my previously read books to this listing over the weekend (I’ve been keeping the list only for the past 5-6 years I think) but for now I wanted to use the basic spreadsheet as a test to see if there is any more information people would like to see included. Please let me know if you can think of anything else you’d like to see! And stay tuned for a further listing of books.

 

GOAL DAY

So the inspiration for this blog is partially due to my mom and to my husband Kris. For 2013 I had made a goal to read 50 books and I ended up reading 60. So for 2014 I challenged myself to once again read 60 books. And I also encouraged my mom to challenge herself with her quilting and set a goal for the year on how many projects she would like to accomplish. In order to track her progress through the year with her goal, I suggested creating a quilting blog. My husband Kris then encouraged me to start my own blog and write about the books I read and related topics. In case you are interested, you can read my mom’s quilting blog here: http://joanne94w.wordpress.com/

In setting our goals for the year, we decided to pick one Saturday a month that we would set aside to work on our goals together. While it is a day meant for accomplishments, it is also one of the few relaxing days my mom and I get. We try to make healthy and nutritious meals in our effort to be healthier this year. I usually exercise a little bit to help towards this goal as well. And while we did not do it today, we also sometimes spend time cleaning out parts of the basement downstairs since that is one of mom’s goals this year.

Most of her time is spent quilting and most of my time is spent reading. We put on movies that we enjoy and I get to spend time all day with my kitty Toni. All in all it is a fabulous day that I find myself looking forward to every month. Especially during tax season, there doesn’t seem to be any extra time to read and that seems to wear me down easily. As my mom says, on these goal days we are “feeding our souls with our hobbies.” I find this to be very true, when I don’t have enough free time to fit in any reading it seems to hurt my soul a bit. Reading and escaping to that fictional world helps me to deal with the stresses I have to deal with in life. I guess it helps me find my center and find peace.

Reading has always been a big part of my life. I have been a bookworm ever since I was small and that’s definitely been no secret. I got scolded almost every day in history class in my junior year of high school because my teacher always caught me reading instead of taking notes on the lecture. I’ve been teased continually that I always have my nose in a book. I even read in a movie theater while I wait for the movie to start sometimes. I worked in a library all through high school and on breaks from college, which I think only fueled my addiction to books. I carry one or more books with me at all times. I’m pretty much the definition of a bookworm.

So today was goal day and I finished book #10 for this year and started book #11. My mom is working on a cool quilt in some kind of snail pattern but it ends up looking like cats with entwined tails. Overall so far its been a great day 🙂 And Toni of course is the princess of the day!!

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2013 Recap

Out of the 60 books I read in 2013, one of my favorites was Deadline by Sandra Brown. The ending caught me completely off-guard and was such a surprise. I love a book that can shock me with a plot twist that I never saw coming. The book is about a newspaper reporter following a story about a double murder. During the course of his story he falls in love with the ex-wife of the murdered man and becomes involved with her. The story starts as a simple murder investigation but turns into a story about a terrorist group who will do anything to show the weaknesses of America and the government. The characters are very well developed and the story is a fascinating mystery. I would highly recommend.

With every book I discuss I will also include a link to the author’s website and the amazon link to where you can buy the book as well.

Author’s website:  http://sandrabrown.net/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Deadline-Sandra-Brown/dp/1455549126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391631098&sr=8-1&keywords=deadline