101 Books, 1001 Days

Like a turtle

2008-09-24T16:45:00.001-07:00

I'm still reading, just slowly... I'm in Kentucky and getting over the jetlag. I'll get back on track soon!

M

59/101

2008-09-07T00:47:00.001-07:00

I've had soooo much going on lately that I haven't as much time to read or update, but I did get through Bill Clinton's book, and although it was a little repetitive (stories of other do-gooders, what you can do, what he did, what Hillary did, etc.), overall I found it very inspirational and saved a lot of the websites and other resources that he shared in the book.

I start school this week, so I'm not going to start another book just yet... I'll update soon.

Still Around

2008-08-28T01:52:00.000-07:00

I'm reading President Clinton's book now... I especially love the following quote:

"I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life giving my time, money, and skills to worthwhile endeavors where I could make a difference. I didn't know exactly what I would do, but I wanted to help save lives, solve important problems, and give more young people the chance to live their dreams. I felt obligated to do it because of the wonderful, improbable life I've been given..."

I haven't been making very much time for reading, but I don't have much planned for the long weekend, so I should finish this book and start my next then...

Happy Labor Day!

Next Up

2008-08-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm going to read Bill Clinton's book (#59), Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World.

From The Washington Post's Book World, Reviewed by Peter Baker

58/101

2008-08-16T06:05:00.001-07:00

I'm back with a vengeance! I read Adriana Trigiani's The Queen of the Big Time from cover to cover today (and it's only 3 pm). It was sooo good (but be forewarned, the story is a tear jerker, at least it was for me!), but sadly, it is the last Adriana Trigiani book. I'm not sure what I'll read next. It's always so hard for me to find something to follow up Trigiani's books because I like them so much... I do have the following books from the library:

1) The Red Scarf by Kate Furnivall

2) Giving by Bill Clinton

3) Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir

I'm going to take a little snack break now and then figure out what I'll read next... Will update soon!

Ohhh and I almost forgot to mention my big news - I'm going back to school! I'm going to the University of Illinois at Chicago for a certificate in Nonprofit Management. I'll have to dig out a few of my grad school nonprofit books and read through them before classes start in September. More on that to come too...

Ciao!

Too many distractions!

2008-08-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

I started a new knitting project this week (out of the blue I saw some yarn in my closet and decided I needed a skinny scarf) and got a new laptop... Hubby got seasons 1-6 of the tv show, 24, and it's his birthday on Saturday... So there has been a lot going on this week (on top of unpacking and adjusting to being off the cruise ship and back in the real world), and I haven't even started my book yet. Hubby leaves for a work trip on Sunday, so I'm sure I will get plenty of reading finished while he's away... Goodnight!

M

Trifecta

2008-08-04T04:48:00.000-07:00

#55 The Story of a Marriage, by Andrew Sean Greer, was not what I was expecting. I found it through a recommendation in O Magazine, and I thought it would be a light, summer read. It was the opposite, but still a good and unique story. I have not read anything like it before, as it introduced me to life in the 1950s told by an African American woman married to a soldier. It definitely changed my "Stepford Wives" image of the era. For me, this book was a page turner. I found the story fascinating and unpredictable.

#56 James Patterson's Sundays at Tiffany's was an easy read for me. I read the entire book in an afternoon sitting on the deck of our cruise ship sailing from Greece to Croatia. Again, I found this another unique story about a girl and her imaginary friend. I was not sure what to make of this book while I was reading, but by the end, I was in tears and completely attached to the characters. I think I will read more James Patterson. I was looking at the list of all of the books he has written (I think we have Kiss the Girls somewhere in our stacks of books), and I am impressed by his range and depth. I want to try out something different by him.

#57 For One More Day, by Mitch Albom, was an okay book. I might have read this before, but I'm not sure... The story itself was probably good, but just not my style. I remember reading Tuesdays with Morrie in college and not being crazy about it either. Guess I'm just not a big Mitch Albom fan.

Next Up: Something fun!!! I'm reading Beth Harbison's Secrets of a Shoe Addict.

greetings from venice!

2008-08-02T01:03:00.000-07:00

i read two great books and countless magazines on our cruise, and i will have the third finished (and probably most of the fourth) before we get home late tomorrow night. will write more about them next week when i am home, unpacked, and settled. ciao bellas!

p.s. on a sad note, i heard that randy pausch, the author of the last book that i wrote about, passed away. my condolences go out to his family. i was very sorry to hear about his death.

54/101

2008-07-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

I just finished Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture, a collection of 61 short stories, pieces of advice, lessons learned, etc. from his life. The book is based on a "last lecture" series given at Carnegie Mellon, but Pausch was actually battling cancer and giving his last lecture. You can read more about Pausch, his life, dreams, and trials on his Wiki page HERE.

From page 149... Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.

Honestly, I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would... And I was reading it at the same time I watched the movie, P.S. I Love You, which I also enjoyed more than I thought I would. Maybe I am just getting older and am able to deal with illness and loss better, but these are both stories I would have shyed away from in the past and found depressing. Now I find them heartwarming and inspiring. I would recommend both the book and the movie I mentioned.

It's 12:30 am, and I have a long day of packing ahead tomorrow. We leave on Friday for 10 days in Italy, Greece, and Croatia! Bon Voyage! Will update tomorrow with all the books I am taking on my trip! Goodnight!

53/101

2008-07-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

This book was a quick read with just enough history and a good range of restaurants and sites to see. Too bad we're only going to be in Athens for one day on our cruise, but I will definitely be taking this book with me to use as a guide.

So I'm over the halfway mark with the number of books I am reading, and I'm not yet to the halfway mark for time, so I'm in good shape. Also, my post earlier today was the 101st which is kind of symbolic in my journey to 101 books in 1001 days!

Next Up: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Eyewitness Travel's The Greek Islands by Marc Dubin.

52/101

2008-07-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't get into this book. Mole goes into way too much detail about everything, spends way too much time talking about drinking, and has a dry sense of humor (maybe it is British humor that I just didn't get?). I really struggled to get through this one, especially the parts about slaughtering birds and sheep. I am happy to be finished and moving on...

And I'll be even happier in just 6 days when we're setting sail on our cruise to the Greek Isles and Croatia!

Next Up: Lonely Planet's Best of Athens by Victoria Kyriakopoulos

Detour

2008-07-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

I went to Dublin for the weekend and wanted a lighter airport read, so I traded the book I was reading for another Adriani Trigiani book. My #51 is Home to Big Stone Gap: A Novel by Trigiani... And with our Mediterranean cruise coming up in a little over a week, I am not going to go back to A Civilization of Love just yet. I'm currently reading (#52) John Mole's It's All Greek to Me: A Tale of a Mad Dog and an Englishman, Ruins, Retsina, and Real Greeks.

Next Up

2008-07-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

I started this book earlier today, and with all the references to philosophy and history, I kind of feel like I'm back in college in a Poli Sci or Ethics class. I've been out of college almost five years now, so it's probably good to keep that part of the brain fed. Anyway, I don't have much else to say about it yet... Back in a few days!

Visit the website HERE for an author bio, more on the book, discussion boards, and more...

Spanish Vacation

2008-07-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

Just in from Malaga, Spain, and I wanted to update on the two books I read and loved... In between seeing a Cirque du Soleil show, sightseeing, and going to the beach, I did manage to finish my two books and a few magazines. I read Milk Glass Moon (49) by Adriana Trigiani and Knitting Under the Influence (50) by Claire LaZebnik. I think, by know, I've made my feelings about Adriana Trigiani clear (and if I haven't, I thoroughly enjoy her books... see #s 41, 43, 46 and 47), and I really enjoyed LaZebnik's book too. It didn't shake up my life or move me to change the world, but it was full of loveable, fun characters (who I wish were my own friends!) and a fun, light beach read (although it did include a serious storyline about autism). I'm not sure what I'm going to read next... I do know it's 11 pm, and we had a long day of traveling across Europe, so I'm headed to bed. Will pick a new book and update tomorrow... Buenos Noches!

48/101

2008-07-01T05:05:00.000-07:00

I usually don't read short stories... Actually, I don't think I've read them since high school English class, but I enjoyed these. I found each story a little fulfilling. They left me wanting more. I wanted the rest of the story. I think a collection of short stories was a good chance of pace, but I'm more of a novel girl. I need details and dialogue and at least three hundred pages of a story to feel fulfilled. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not a huge short story fan!

I went to the library and found my copy of Milk Glass Moon (49) by Adriana Trigiani, so I guess I did accidentally return it early. We're leaving for Spain tomorrow, and I am bringing Milk Glass Moon, Knitting Under the Influence (50) by Claire LaZebnik, and a stack of magazines I've been meaning to read (back issues of O and Conde Nast Traveler). I am looking forward to relaxing on the beach in the Costa del Sol, getting a tan, and reading for the next week!

Hasta luego, Amigos!
M

Change of Plans

2008-06-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

I think I accidentally returned the wrong books to the library the other day, and it was closed today, so I couldn't call to find out. Anyway, my book is MIA, so I'm moving on until I can get to the library and see if the book is there. My new #48 is Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth. We're going out of town for the weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to get some reading time in, and I can finish this book before we leave for Spain on Wednesday. I'm going to find some fun, light beach reads for that trip!

TGIF!
M

47/101

2008-06-25T23:50:00.001-07:00

I will admit, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the others I have read by Trigiani, but I was still hooked from the start. I read the entire book yesterday, but I think I am starting to read faster because I was only up until 12:15 am finishing it, lol. Still, I feel like Ave Maria is my Appalachian Italian cousin who I am just getting to know... I can't wait to read the third book, Milk Glass Moon. I should be able to get started today...

I'm not sure how much I'll be able to read though. Bil comes tomorrow to visit for two weeks, and I need to get the house straightened up, the fridge stocked, and go for a run. #45 was really a motivator, I've been running everyday!

And on a different note, I got this email this morning from Oprah with her five books that everyone needs to read once. Visit Oprah's Book Club Website!

Continuing the Trilogy

2008-06-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

The library had both Big Cherry Holler (#47) and Milk Glass Moon (#48) by Adriana Trigiani, so I checked them both out. I just started Big Cherry Holler, and I'm already over 100 pages into it. I think I'll have them both finished by the end of this weekend. I was so happy to see Ave Maria and Jack Mac and Theodore and all my favorite characters from Big Stone Gap back! I know I just finished the first book like 15 hours ago, but still, I missed them. I think Trigiani is moving up on my list of favorite fiction authors. Before I discovered her, I wasn't a huge fiction fan, but I really enjoy her books. I can't seem to get enough of them... Speaking of, I want to get back to my book. Ciao!

46/101

2008-06-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

Another great book by Adriana Trigiani. Every time I fall in love with the characters, and I am compelled to read and read. It's bittersweet though... I read fast because I want to know what happens, but then I get to the end and I'm sad that it's over. I stayed up until 1 am finishing this book last night... I look forward to reading the whole trilogy! I'm going to have to go and see what the library has today...

Next Up: I'm not sure... I had Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat checked out from the library and sitting on my desk to read next... But I don't think I'm in the food for it. I'm going to have to look through the bookshelves and see if anything jumps out at me. I'll update later...

Now Reading...

2008-06-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

Last night I started reading (#46) Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani. I just started reading Trigiani this summer, but I really enjoy her stories... This is part of a trilogy with Big Cherry Holler and Milk Glass Moon, and I look forward to reading the whole series. You can see the Amazon page HERE. Also, you can visit the author's website at www.adrianatrigiani.com. Enjoy!

45/101

2008-06-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

I didn't find very much new information in this book. I grew up playing soccer and other sports, so running wasn't completely new to me. I go to the gym (sometimes only semi) regularly, and I like to think I'm in pretty good shape... But this book did serve to give me direction. I started running yesterday, and I also ran today. I hope to run in a 10k this fall and the Nashville half-marathon in the spring (2009). I found this book helpful as a motivator, and I think I will use it as a resource when I start running more seriously and competitively and need the running plans... I'll post on my next book tomorrow. It's 11 pm, and hubby and I drank a bottle of wine while watching movies tonight. I'm off to bed. Goodnight and sweet dreams!

44/101

2008-06-18T00:58:00.000-07:00

(I know the adorable picture doesn't really complement the serious subject matter, but my little Carter was just too cute not to share!)

Being a student of international relations and currently living in Europe, Islam, immigration, clans, civil wars... none of it was new to me, yet I found Ayann Hirsi Ali's story interesting and eye-opening. I think I was hesistant to embrace her story because she was questioning her faith, but in the end, I felt like I had grown in understanding and compassion for Muslim women, and also, grown deeper in my own Christian faith.

Next Up #45: Another change of pace (literally), I'll be reading (with the goal of starting a running program of my own) Dagny Scott Barrios' Runners World Complete Book of Women's Running.

Busy Bee

2008-06-16T01:57:00.000-07:00

I have had a busy past week and a half, so I haven't had much time to read. I think I'm just 100 pages into my book. Hubby had a four day weekend, so he's been home (and is still home today). I'll have more time to get back to my book tomorrow when he goes back to work... but I just wanted to say I'm still here... still reading (even if it is very slowly!)... and I'm still not sure how I feel about the book. I'm still on her childhood in Africa and the Middle East, which has been interesting, but something about it... I just don't know how I feel yet! More to come soon... M

Time for a change

2008-06-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

While I needed the last couple, lighter reads, I think it's time to go back to something more serious and relevant. I'll be reading Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Infidel, which is the story of a Somali Muslim who went to the Netherlands to escape an arranged marriage... In the Netherlands, she went into politics and spoke out the rights of Muslim women and the reform of Islam. I haven't read it yet, so I don't know too many of the details yet, but my friend CRM recommended this book months ago, and I finally ordered it from Amazon. If you're interested, you can read more about it HERE.

43/101

2008-06-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Lucia, Lucia, by Adriana Trigiani, and I enjoyed it as much as the first book I read by Trigiani last weekend. It was a quick read about an Italian-American family in New York in the 1950s. My parents grew up as Italian-Americans in New York during that time, so I can really relate to the characters and the stories. I look forward to reading more from Trigiani.

Not sure what will be up next, but it's 12:35 am and I'm going to bed... I'll update in the morning! Ciao bellas!

Next Up

2008-06-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

I forgot about my next book... I had a few things lined up to read, but when I stopped in the library today to talk to a friend today, another Adriana Trigiani book jumped out at me. After reading Rococo over the weekend and enjoying it, I decided to continue on with Trigiani and check out her book, Lucia, Lucia.

42/101

2008-06-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

I flew through this book in less than two hours... I started this morning and read on and off between my errands. I thought it was an interesting read about a young girl during the Spanish Inquisition, and I found the appendix section about the history of Jews in Spain helpful.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-06-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

As I was finishing up the last post, I noticed that today is the one year anniversary of when I started my 101 books project. I've read 41 books in one year (not that great, I know, but I've had a lot of distractions... a husband, two kittens, a family and friends an ocean away, one move, four trips back to the States, and many adventures in Europe), and over a year and a half to finish the remaining 60 books. It won't be easy, but it won't be hard either. As long as I stay on track and keep reading, I should be fine to reach my goal of 101 books by February 2010. I should hit 50 by the end of the summer, and maybe even be close to 70 by the end of the year... Stay tuned for updates! Ciao bellas!

41/101

2008-06-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

This book was definitely what I was looking for, a fun and light read! I really enjoyed the main character and his family's Italian-ness, all of the Italian words, characteristics, and traditions. Made me think of my Italian roots and family... I can't wait to try some of the recipes, especially the cake and icing! Yummy! The book also made me want to go to church and redecorate my home, lol. I enjoyed it and would recommend this, especially as a good summer, beach read.

Next Up: Incantation by Alice Hoffman

Next Up

2008-05-29T20:59:00.001-07:00

I found my lighter read! I am reading Adriana Trigiani's Rococo... Amazon.com has this to share:

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Trigiani (Lucia, Lucia) offers Italian recipes, family dramas and oodles of decorating ideas (if little narrative tension) in her latest novel, a feel-good story about a New Jersey interior designer tackling his dream job. In Our Lady of Fatima, N.J., plucky narrator Bartolomeo di Crespi, aka B, reigns supreme: he can doll up an ottoman with kicky trim and sparkly crystals with the best of 'em, and he decorates all the area's best houses, including the manse belonging to the mother of his putative fiancée, Capri Mandelbaum. (Really they're just friends, but Aurelia, Capri's mother, is certain they'll marry.) When the local church comes due for a major renovation, B gets the commission, after Father Porporino is convinced (forcibly, it's later revealed) that a tony Philadelphia firm won't do. But can B come up with a timeless yet innovative design for the church he loves? He calls in the experts—all of them sexy—takes trips to London and Italy, and benefits from a minor miracle amid a cast of family and friends who fight, fall in love, have babies and come out of the closet. While overlong and undramatic, the book still manages to soothe, in part because of its cozy design talk and in part because of the likable, competent B. (June 28)

My review is forthcoming... I expect this to be a fairly quick and easy read!

40/101

2008-05-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary
by Ruud van der Rol and Rian Verhoeven
for the Anne Frank House

I didn't really learn anything new from this book, after reading Anne's diary, Miep Gies book, learning about Anne Frank in school, and visiting the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, but it was still interesting. It makes a good addition to my collection!

I have got to read something happier next. I'll have to dig through my books and find something that's not about genocide to read... I need to lighten things up!

39/101

2008-05-28T04:48:00.000-07:00

The book was an okay guide book. We followed the book's recommendation and tried an Indian restaurant called Kastoori for lunch. It was in the Montmartre area, and we had just come from the Sacre Coeur on Montmartre, so we thought it would be nice. The book said it was cheap and good, so we gave it a try. It wasn't all that great. The restaurant was teeny tiny, and there was a set lunch menu, so we didn't have much choice. The food was okay, but definitely not guide book worthy. Oh and the city and subway maps in the book were helpful, just wish the city map was a little smaller and the subway map was a pullout, so we could have it more handy... Overall, the book was decent and helped us during our long weekend in Paris!

38/101

2008-05-28T04:39:00.000-07:00

I'm going to put #38, Catholic Traditions and Customs, on hold for now, and do a little rearranging with my numbers, since I finished #39 already. Gourevitch's We Wish to Inform you that Tomorrow We Will be Killed with our Families will move into #38, and Catholic Traditions and Customs will drop off the list for now. I actually have a new #39 already, and I'll be starting another new book tomorrow, but I'm not sure what yet... I'll write about those in a bit :)

As for the book, it is definitely different from other books I have read on the genocide in Rwanda. I really appreciated the history and explananions given by Gourevitch. It made me understand things in a new light. I did think the book was a little heavy on Gourevitch's personal opinions, but other than that, it was an excellent read. Should be required reading for anyone who was alive in the 1990s and doesn't know about the genocide that was taking place in Africa...

Still Around

2008-05-17T19:33:00.001-07:00

I'm actually in the States visiting family and haven't had much time to blog. I'm still around and still reading. I actually just used a Borders gift card to order these books:

"Unaccustomed Earth"
Jhumpa Lahiri

"Child 44"
Tom Rob Smith

"Knitting Under the Influence"
Claire LaZebnik

"Sicilian Feasts"
Giovanna Bellia La Marca

"The Complete Novels (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)"
Jane Austen

As for my reading, I forgot #38 in Germany, but I have #39 with me and should finish it up this week. I have been such a slacker lately!

M

37/101

2008-04-29T00:35:00.000-07:00

I just finished Sophie Kinsella's Can You Keep a Secret? I read the entire book last night, and it was really cute! It's my first Kinsella book, and I think her writing is light and fun. I felt like Emma was my best friend, and I was going through everything with her: the boys, the clothes and shoes, the dates... While I did enjoy the book and look forward to reading more from Kinsella, I do think it is time for something a little heavier. My next book (#38) will be Catholic Customs & Traditions, a Popular Guide, by Greg Dues and (#39) We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda, by Philip Gourevitch. I leave for a trip on Sunday, so hopefully I'll finish the first one by then and the second on the plane/in airports. I'm not sure what else I'll bring on my trip, but I'll update before I go!

P.S. Thanks to CJ for sending me the book! It was just what I needed after my Conference and before my trip - some good girl time!

Cookbooks galore!

2008-04-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

I just came home from my conference today, and I had two packages waiting for me. A friend who had some duplicates sent me three brand new vegetarian cookbooks, and the other box contained a Rachel Ray 30 minute veggie book that I had ordered on Amazon. So now I've got my little post-it flags, and I'm going to flip through them and see which ones I want to try first. I'll post the titles later, and no, I haven't even opened the cover of the book I am reading next. I will start it this weekend...

36/101

2008-04-17T09:16:00.001-07:00

I thought this was an eye-opening book about life in Pakistan during a troubled, tumultous time in the Middle East and an inspirational account of how one ordinary American man risked his life to bring education, vocational training, refugee assistance, and more to that part of the world... I am including the website to his foundation, as well as a few of my favorite quotes from the book.

After reading the book, I decided to visit the website to learn more about Greg Mortenson and his book. 7% of the proceeds from the book are donated to the organization. Visit the book's website here: http://www.threecupsoftea.org/

You can also visit the Central Asia Institute's website to read more about the organization, their current projects, similar organizations and projects, and even make your own contribution to the CAI: http://www.ikat.org/. I challenge you to match (or exceed!) my donation of $25.00.

A few of my favorite quotes from the book...

"I used to assume that the direction of 'progress' was somehow inevitable, not to be questioned," she writes. "I passively accepted a new road through the middle of the park, a steel-and-glass bank where a 200-year-old church had stood... and the fact that life seemed to get harder and faster with each day. I do not anymore. In Ladakh I have learned that there is more than one path into the future and I have had the privilege to witness another, saner, way of life - a pattern of existance based on the coevolution between human beings and the earth." Helena Norberg-Hodge, p. 112

Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything. Mother Teresa, p. 225

"While most of us are trying to scale new peaks," Lowe told an audience of climbers, "Greg has quietly been moving even greater mountains on his own. What he has accomplished, with pure tenacity and determination, is incredible. His kind of climb is one we should all attempt." Alex Lowe, at the time perhaps the world's most respected alpinist, introducing Mortenson at a Montana fundraiser, p. 229

Monday, already?!?

2008-04-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe (well, in 20 minutes) that it is Monday already! I feel like the weekend flew by... We rented two movies, husband had a football game, and I had to teach Sunday school and go to church... and we had dinner with friends tonight. So it was a busy weekend, and I only finished a few chapters. I do plan on finishing my book by Saturday, because I'm leaving for a conference and won't be back for five days. I've got presentations and registration to do at the conference, and I know I won't get any reading done there. Well, other than conference-related reading. So, my goal is to finish my book this week... I'm off to bed. Goodnight!

35/101

2008-04-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

After a Diet Mt. Dew and a Diet Dr. Pepper, I decided to finish up a book I started before my trip, Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies, by Suzanne Havala. I know I have been a vegetarian for fifteen years, and a Dummies series book seems kind of odd, but I haven't been cooking for that long! Since my husband isn't content eating cold green peas right out of the can and calling it dinner, I have been trying new recipes and learning to cook for the past four years or so. Anyway, this book was good. I found three recipes that I'd like to try, and I think I am going to try cooking tofu again. Every time I make it, it ends up mushy, but the book gave some techniques and pointers, so I'll give it a try! Overall, the book was okay... nothing gourmet, but a good refresher on a complete vegetarian diet.

Jetlagged

2008-04-10T03:09:00.000-07:00

NASA says you need one day for every time zone crossed to get over jetlag. I crossed six, so I get six days. I'm currently on day four. My brain is mush. I can't focus enough to read, so I'm taking a break this week. I have read a few chapters here and there, but no major progress, and I'm not sure how much I actually retained, so I might have to re-read. Will make up for it next week :)

34/101

2008-04-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

Another quick read... I finished The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs on Sunday. It was actually really good. I had put off reading it, because it didn't have the best reviews on Amazon, but I disagree! I ended up buying it at Penn Station to read on the train ride out to see my family, and I really got into the story and characters. It probably helps that I am a knitter and would like to join a knitting club when we move back to the States... I've even thought about someday opening my own yarn shop and tea cafe. So I liked it. I'm glad I didn't listen to the Amazon reviews... Actually, I think I'm going to head over there and post my own review...

Visit The Friday Night Knitting Club for more on the book! And they're making a movie based on the book with Julia Roberts... I think it's supposed to be out this summer.

Now Reading: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Next Up: Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

33/101

2008-04-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

This was a quick read... I actually finished it over a week ago at the airport on my way to Virginia, but I haven't had a chance to post. I bookmarked so many places and got so many new trip ideas. It was a really cute book and had some good travel resources too.

I'm now reading The Friday Night Knitting Club. I should finish it in the next two days, as I will be traveling, once again, and should have plenty of free time in the airports.

I'm also kind of reading a Jane Austen bio, but it's pretty slow and boring. I'm not too crazy about it, but I'll keep going and write a little more in a few days when I get home.

100 Distractions

2008-03-27T02:51:00.001-07:00

While I am thoroughly enjoying the book, I find it incredibly distracting! After nearly each place, I jump up and run to the computer to google the location and read more about it... So far, I am incorporating #21 Mercantour National Park in Southern France into a trip we are taking in June, and I am working on convincing my husband that we need to take a trip to #17 South African Game Reserve for Thanksgiving this year. I really would like to visit Zululand where the author of my book #19 Babylon's Ark runs a game reserve. Will keep you posted on the details!

M

32/101

2008-03-26T02:22:00.000-07:00

This is probably in the top twenty-five books I have ever read, and I have read a lot of books. I have read a lot of books related to the Holocaust, both fiction and non-fiction. I have visited concentration camps in Poland and Germany. I find it terribly disturbing and incredibly fascinating at the same time. I cannot seem to get enough... I guess this carries over to Africa as well, where I have read many books about the genocides in Rwanda and the Sudan. After this book, I plan on visiting Sachsenhausen, which I didn't realize is fairly close to where we live in Germany, and I will plan another trip to Krakow. I think, after Italy, Poland is my favorite place in Europe, and I would like to go back before we move back to the States.

Back to the book... I fell in love with all of the characters. I cried when they died. I became frustrated when they didn't do what I thought they should. At the end, I felt myself wanting more... This book would definitely make a good movie. They are offering a book club for this book at our library, and I wish I could attend (I will be out of the country during the first two sessions). I would really enjoy discussing this book with others and answered all of the discussion questions found in the back of the book. I really, really liked this book!

Next Up: Another change of pace, I will be reading 100 Places Every Woman Should Go by Stephanie Elizondo Griest. It is kind of long, but looks like should be a quick read since it dedicates 2-3 pages for each of the 100 places suggested. I wonder how many of them I have already visited?!?

31/101

2008-03-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

So the story ended up being a lot heavier than I picked up on in the first chapter. I feel like I could really relate to it though... dealing with the illness and death of a parent, loving and losing a cat that was a cherished part of the family, and discovering your parents are people too who made mistakes and weren't the perfect people you thought they were as a child. I like the way she wrote, and I was into the story from the beginning. Once I started, I didn't put it down for two days. I thought it was a pretty good book.

Next Up: The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff. I'm going to start it in the morning. It's 11:30 pm, and we're just getting in and settled from the Easter Vigil Mass. Time for bed. Goodnight and sweet dreams! Easter Blessings!

Next Up

2008-03-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

I started this one tonight, and it's the reason I am up so late (it's almost 11 pm). It was so cute, I had to read all the way through the first chapter. After the last two serious, spiritual/philosophical books I read, I needed something different! I am not sure if this one is necessary lighter, because it deals with family issues, fear of loss, etc., but so far, it has been an easy read, and I've really gotten into it... Read what Amazon has to say about it HERE.

30/101

2008-03-20T04:58:00.000-07:00

I received this book as part of my training to become a Eucharistic Minister, and I read it this week. I really enjoyed it. It was so easy to read, but so spiritual and relevant. Good book! I'm not sure what is up next... Will update shortly!

Waiting to be Read

2008-03-17T04:54:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I don't think I am going to buy another book for the rest of the year. These are just a few from the top of my bookshelf/piled on the floor next to the bookshelf that are waiting to be read:

A Concise History of Italy (Duggan)
Catholic Customs and Traditions (Dues)
Conceived Without Sin (Macfarlane)
Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury)
Great Fortune (Okrent)
House of Gold (MacFarlane)
In the Line of Fire (Musharraf)
Island of Hope, Island of Tears (Brownstone)
Pierced by a Sword (Macfarlane)
Take Command (Perdew)
That was Dachau (Zamecnik)
The Call of Service (Coles)
The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila (St. Teresa)
The Power of a Positive Wife (Ladd)
The Power of a Praying Wife (Omartian)
The Power of a Praying Woman (Omartian)
The Ultimate Volunteer Guidebook (Maxwell)
Three Cups of Tea (Mortenson/Relin)

I think I am going to take $10/month that would have gone toward books and donate them to a good reading/literacy-related nonprofit. Suggestions are welcome. I will make a $100 donation to a worthy book cause and not purchase any more books for the remainder of 2008.

29/101

2008-03-17T04:32:00.000-07:00

As noted in my previous post, I did not like this book. I disagreed with much of what Tolle had to say, but in the end, I am glad I read it. It was something different. I tried it, and now it's time to move on...

Next Up: Being Holy Week, I think it is a good time to read a book about the Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian Life, so I am reading The Joy of Being a Eucharistic Minister by Mitch Finley.

A New (Twisted) Earth

2008-03-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

I started reading with an open mind and am trying to stay that way, but I am having a really hard time... I have concerns about Tolle's beliefs and interpretations of Jesus' words and actions, and I find myself disagreeing with most of the content. On top of that, I feel like I am in an intro Philosophy class with a cooky new age professor. I am going to keep reading because I started the book already and want to hear what else he has to say, but I will do so with caution.

A few other Catholic perspectives:
#1
#2

28/101

2008-03-12T03:27:00.000-07:00

Seriously, if it weren't for my husband, I would be on a plane right now to India... or a train to Italy. Really, Italy is like six hours away. I want to be there, NOW! Not really feeling Indonesia, but heck, I'd go anywhere after reading this book. I just want to TRAVEL! Gilbert's experience was incredible, her writing style is so personal and real, and I loved this book! It's seriously the best book I've read in a while... Next Up: A New Earth (another Oprah book club book)

$$$

2008-03-10T06:49:00.001-07:00

From msn.com:
5 Money Books to Change Your Life

27/101

2008-03-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

Finished reading Ian Mcwan's Atonement tonight, and it was just okay. A friend recommended reading it before watching the movie, so not knowing much about the story, I bought the book and started reading... slowly at first, but things picked up after the first 100 pages or so. Just not my kind of book.

Next up: Eat, Pray Love by Gilbert.

P.S. I'm back home in Germany now.

Slacker

2008-02-26T13:49:00.000-08:00

Nothing new to post about reading, but I did have a wonderful time in San Antonio and am now in Nashville visiting family and friends. Will try to incorporate some reading time each night before bed. Just because I'm not at home doesn't give me an excuse to be a slacker, or does it?!?

Oops

2008-02-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

There were some good movies on the plane yesterday, and I didn't get nearly as much reading done as I had anticipated. Okay, I'll confess... I only read the first chapter of Atonement. The good news is that I made it to San Antonio, and so far, everything is going well. Meetings and all that fun stuff start tonight.

Chugging Along

2008-02-19T01:29:00.001-08:00

For some reason, it took me forever to finish The Camel Bookmobile (#26). I don't think there was any particular cause. The story was good, although I am not a big fan of writing each chapter as told by a different main character. Maybe that was why I could never get into The Poisionwood Bible? I tried to read it twice and could never get past the first couple of chapters. Either way, The Camelbookmobile was a good book. I enjoy reading about Africa and hope to visit one day, and I work in the nonprofit sector, so that makes the book all the move relevant. It might have taken me a while, but it was worth it. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

I leave on a 2+ week trip on Wednesday, and I will be spending plenty of time on planes and in airports, so I've picked out three (lightweight so they don't take up too much room in my suitcase) books to take with me:

#27 Atonement (Ian McEwan)
#28 Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)
#29 A New Earth (Eckhart Tolle)

I'm challenging myself to finish all three books by the time I return home on 3 March. Will update then!

M

Free money book!

2008-02-13T09:20:00.000-08:00

Oprah.com is offering free download of Suze Orman's book in a PDF doc. The offer is only open until Thursday, 14 February 2008, evening, so check it out now. Click HERE!

A New Earth

2008-02-04T07:39:00.000-08:00

Are You Ready to Be Awakened? I am. Count me in... I just ordered my copy from Amazon, so hopefully it will arrive in time for the first class on March 3.

For the first time ever, you can join Oprah and Eckhart Tolle, the best-selling author of The Power of Now, as they teach A New Earth in Oprah's worldwide classroom live Monday nights on Oprah.com.

By reserving your seat for this 10-week interactive webinar, you'll be able to:
Watch and participate in the live classroom webcasts
Ask Oprah and Eckhart Tolle questions before and during class
Connect with others who are seeking to become more aware of themselves—and the world around them.

Download and save your thoughts in an exclusive workbook
Access the classroom video archives…and more!
How to Reserve Your Seat:
You’ll need to be a member of Oprah.com and Oprah’s Book Club.

If you're not already a member of Oprah.com, you'll need to join now. During the registration process, you'll have the opportunity to become a part of Oprah's Book Club.

JOIN OPRAH.COM

Re: Book #23

2008-02-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

Beah, who wrote about his time as a boy soldier, is having his story questioned. Beah defends his memories saying he wrote the book to the best of his recollection. He was only twelve years old when he became a soldier in Sierra Leone, Africa. Read about this HERE. Whatever happens with this, I think Beah was telling a story that needed to be told and drawing attention to a cause that should be at the center of the world's stage. How much longer can we pretend that the African continent is not enveloped in turmoil and despair?

#25

2008-01-31T05:36:00.001-08:00

I thought it was definitely good preparation for this weekend's Super Bowl, but kind of bad planning on my part reading it at the end of the season. I might have to skim it again in the fall before the season starts back. In any case, I really learned a lot from this book. Robinson Peete writes clearly and answers many of the questions I have often had while watching football but did not feel comfortable asking my husband/dad/brother who was watching with me.

I am excited for Sunday's game so I can show off all my newfound football knowledge, especially the histories of the teams (I studied up on the Giants and Patriots), the history of the Super Bowl, and this past season's records and benchmarks (those weren't in the book, I googled some to find the current stats).

Guess it's time to get back to the bookmobile book, although I have a feeling it isn't going to be as entertaining as the football book. Review to come in the next couple of days... And I got four new books in the mail and another from the library today, so there should be plenty of reviews forthcoming.

Happy Catholic

2008-01-27T12:10:00.000-08:00

http://happycatholic.blogspot.com/ is a blog that I visit regularly, and today, I noticed a link to her book blog that I thought I'd share: http://hcposts.blogspot.com/2008/01/read-in-2008.html. Enjoy!

On a side note, I took a short break from the book I was reading to read a book in preparation for the upcoming Superbowl. I've always been interested in football and followed whatever teams the men in my life like (hubby likes the Chiefs, dad likes the Giants, brother likes the Titans, etc.), but I thought it was time to take it to the next level. So this week, I'm reading Holly Robinson Peete's Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game: A Woman's Guide to Loving Pro Football.

GO GIANTS!!!

Back Home in Germany

2008-01-22T01:49:00.000-08:00

And Rome was awesome! Fortunately, I think we brought the nice weather back to Germany with us, because it is sunny and looks really nice outside today. Too bad I'll be in all day unpacking and doing laundry... I also plan on starting my new book since I finished the one I was reading on the plane this morning.

I was really into the book at the beginning and middle, but the end kind of left me hanging. It was a departure from my usual read, and I'm glad I gave it a chance. I have tried reading Jodi Picoult before, and I couldn't really get into it, but this book was good. I think I'll give her another chance!

Next I'm reading Masha Hamilton's, The Camel Bookmobile. It is about a young, female librarian from New York who goes to Africa to work with a bookmobile that brings books to Kenyan villages on camelback. See what Amazon has to say HERE.

Read about the actual Camel Book Drive and see how you can donate to Kenya's Mobile Library HERE. Here is a short excerpt from the website:

"Though The Camel Bookmobile (HarperCollins, April 2007) is a novel, the camel-borne library actually exists. It operates in Kenya’s isolated Northeastern Province near the unstable border with Somalia. It brings books to a semi-nomadic people who live with drought, famine and chronic poverty. The books are spread out on grass mats beneath an acacia tree, and the library patrons, often barefoot, sometimes joined by goats or donkeys, gather with great excitement to choose their books until the next visit. I visited the region and walked the bush with the camel library, and you can see pictures and a short video.

But of course, the bush is hard on books and the traveling library needs more. The books they have are written in either English or Swahili, both of which are taught in school."

Tagged!

2008-01-22T01:40:00.000-08:00

Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

I picked up my next read, The Camel Bookmobile, by Masha Hamilton. Turning to page 23, I find... "What happened with one another seemed to be a portent of what would happen with another. Scary Boy was right, though, Matani thought as he rubbed the ache in his stomach. It was clear that Matani was done."

I'm tagging the following five people:
Bethany
Rayann
Celeste
Amy
Nadine

Greetings from Rome!

2008-01-21T07:29:00.001-08:00

We're having a great trip so far. The weather has been beautiful (until today), the food is great, and we are really enjoying our marriage retreat and sightseeing. We've made some new friends, done some shopping, and taken sooo many pictures that we can't wait to share! Hope everyone has a wonderful Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and YAY GIANTS!!! Really looking forward to the Super Bowl now!!!

I've made quite a bit of progress on my book so far, and I hope to finish it up at the airport and on the flight home. I don't normally read much fiction, as you can tell from my book list and reviews, but I am really getting into this book (Tenth Circle). More to come when we're back in Germany tomorrow.

M

Almost unbelievable

2008-01-14T01:26:00.000-08:00

I believe his account of his life as a child soldier in Sierra Leone, but Ismael Beah's story is almost unbelievable to someone who has never traveled to Africa or personally experienced war. Being married to a soldier myself, I know how war can transform a person, how hard it is for a soldier to talk about what he has seen or done in battle, and the many casualties of war, both civilian and soldier, on and off the battlefield. Beah's story opened my eyes so that I can only begin to imagine what he lived through. I think it took a lot of courage, on his part, to put his story into words and on paper. Beah wrote with such emotion and clarity, as if he had been keeping a diary through his entire experience. He wrote about painful memories, especially the loss of his family, his friends, and his childhood, and I really admire him.

Toward the end of the book (page 200), he is fifteen years old and returning from his first trip to New York where he spoke at the UN on his experiences as a rehabilitated child soldier, and he says, "Because if I was to get killed upon my return, I knew that a memory of my existence was alive somewhere in the world." Since then, Beah has done so much more than provide just a memory of his existence. Throughout the book, he ponders why he was the only person from his family to survive and why he was not killed during battle, and it is now clear that God had a bigger purpose for Ismael Beah. He was able to escape Sierra Leone and eventually make his way back to New York where he attended the United Nations International High School and then college. He spoke on the effects of war on children and works for children's rights. Beah is an inspiration and a source of hope for anyone who feels they are in an inescapable place or situation.

After such a graphic and heavy read, I thought it was time for a complete change of pace. Next, I will be reading a book by Jodi Picoult. I have heard so much (good stuff) about her, so we'll see if her writing lives up to her reputation. This is not a book I would normally read, but I got it off the freebie shelf outside the library, so we'll give it a try. My #24 book is The Tenth Circle, by Jodi Picoult.

#23/101

2008-01-09T01:03:00.000-08:00

I received this book for Christmas, and I've been wanting to read it for a while. I am taking a class on Morality at church right now, and we've been talking about our responsibility to the human race, to the dignity of each person, and to acknowledge the suffering and pain going on in the world. I've made it one of my goals to pay more attention to what is happening in Africa, and this book will help me to learn more about what has happened in Africa and what is happening now... Here's my #23, A Long Way Gone, by Ismael Beah.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T23:24:00.001-08:00

My Top Five Books of 2007

Some of these are from before I started this blog, and others are already on here and reviewed. Either way, these are my top five for the year (in no particular order):

1. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini

2. Dreams from my Father, Barack Obama

3. Full of Grace, Johnette S. Benkovic

4. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini

5. The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri

I just watched the movie that is based on The Namesake, and it was pretty good. There was a lot of the story that was left out, and I thought that detracted from the story. I watched the movie with my husband who has not read the book, and I found myself constantly explaining what was going on to him based on what I remembered from the book. So the book is great, the movie is okay. If you're going to watch the movie, read the book first. I think it'll make it much more enjoyable!

I hope everyone has a wonderful, blessed New Year! I plan on reading more, and I've already started my first book of the New Year. #22 is The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You by Michael Dubruiel, and it's actually really interesting. I am learning a lot of things about Mass and the Catholic Church that I look forward to bringing into my Sunday school class this year. I teach fourth graders, and I think they'll have fun learning the origins of the word "mass" and more. Dubruiel combines fun facts with doctrine and his real life experiences to present information about the Mass in a new and interesting way. I can't wait to read the rest!

Prayer for the New Year:

Dear God,
Bless our family and all its members and friends;
Bind us together by your love.
Give us kindness and patience to support each other;
And wisdom in all we do.
Let the gift of your peace come into our hearts,
And remain with us.
May we rejoice in your blessings for all our days.
Amen.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T06:52:00.000-08:00

Our company left yesterday after a wonderful two week visit full of great company, good food, and trips to Eastern and Southern Germany. Like I thought, I didn't get much reading accomplished while they were here, but it's a new year, our house is quiet again, and I plan on doing a lot of reading. I received several books for Christmas and will post soon when I decide what to read... I hope everyone has a happy, blessed New Year, and 2008 is filled with all the love and happiness you desire!

M

Replaced

2007-12-13T01:23:00.000-08:00

Ugh, I started reading Lost City Radio, and I realized that I have checked it out from the library before and not been able to get into it... So I'm took it back to the library this morning and picked up a book for our upcoming trip to the German Alps: The Land of Ludwig II by Peter O. Kruckmann.

Also, my inlaws arrive on Sunday, and then we're going to be crazy busy. Hopefully I'll find some time to read, but I am not counting on making too much progress until the new year...

M

Taking a break from the books

2007-12-06T23:27:00.000-08:00

Taking a break from the books to blog about Christmas, and it's a list of "101" things, so I figured it kind of fit in here. I borrowed this from Amy's blog and made a few revisions, including a new addition at the end! I know it's long, but at least skim through it, some of the ideas were new to me and things I'd like to try... 18 days until Christmas!

1. Volunteering at school or participating in a literacy program
2. Putting on a Christmas play to be performed at retirement center3. Baking a pie with your Children for a lonely neighbor
4. Saying I love you-even to someone who isnt acting loveable at the moment!
5. Sending a card to a dear friend or relative.
6. Giving a a message to special someone.
7. Caroling in your neighborhood to benefit a nonprofit.
8. Giving flowers to the person in your life who will least expect them!
9. Making dinner for a friend in need.
10. Buying a pointsetta and taking it to church
11. Giving sweets on a special occasion either homeade or store-bought
12. Holding hands with your spouse, children, or another loved one
13. Traveling somewhere new, either far away or nearby bed and breakfast
14. Decorating your home for the holidays
15. Going for a walk in the snow or making a snow angel.
16. Learning how to say Merry Christmas in a new language.
17. Making hot cocoa and savoring every drop!
18. Vising a nursing home with your children.
19. Reading a child a bedtime story.
20. Going to a christmas tree farm and cutting down your own tree to decorate
21. Making a wreath from outdoor greenery.
22. Driving a sick realative to see the wonder of Christmas lights
23. Taking a child to a reindeer farm
24. Handing out candy canes on your way to work
25. Building a snowman
26. Taking children to see Santa
27. Volunteering to wrap presents for someone else
28. Serving food to a homeless at a church mission program.
29 Donating old jackets the needy.
30. Taking eggnog to the postman.
31. Mailing a fruitcake to someone.
32. Tying a christmas card to a balloon and letting it go.
33. Giving your pet a special treat.
34. Forgivng someone especially if its hard.
35. Wearing a Santa hat and jingle bells
36. Going for a sleigh ride
37. Pulling children on a sled or go sledding yourself!
38. Baking a Turkey to share with others
39. Hanging Mistletoe
40. Decorating your co workers desk
41. Picking up trash on your street
42. Giving your employees a bonus.
43. Throwing a holiday party
44. Sending a singing a email
45. Writing a surpise love note
46. Going ice skating with a friend
47. Serenading someone on the subway.
48. Offering to help carry bags for someone
49. Babysitting for friends
50. Wearing a holiday tie
51. Putting Christmas lights on your lawn
52. Giving up your seat on the bus.
53. Putting a present under your tree
54. Treating a friend for his or her favorite meal
55. Being part of a community cereomony
56. Making paper snowflakes
57. Painging a picture of your family5
8. Going to a pageant or another Christmas performace
59. Making a video and showing it your friends.
60. Giving a complimenta day.
61. Having a snowball fight
62. Giving someone a Christmas cactus
63. Lighting a candle at Church
64. Spraying a pine scented air freshner
65. Seeing a favorite holiday movie
66. Offering to shopping for an eldery person
67. Celerbrating the true spirit of Christmas with your family
68. Making Christmas cards wfor your friends
69. Giving someone a hug
70. Telling someone a secret
71. Giving an admirer a kiss on the cheek
72. Putting up a Nativity scene
73. Making tin foil stars and hanging them around the tree
74. Buying balloons for a child
75. Helping deliver presents.
76. Calling distant family members
77. Buying a Christmas tree for someone who dosent always have one
78. Sharing Bible verses
79. Building a fire in the fireplace in and outdoor firepit.
80. Listening to Christmas songs
81. Wearing holiday jewlery
82. Faxing a holiday greeting
83. Baking cookies to share with any teachers you know!
84. Buying your dog a holiday sweater or reindeer antlers.
85. Helping a friend decorate her house for her party
86. Putting on icicle lights to dnagle from the roof.
87. Hnaging stockings on the mantle
88. Putting out cookies and milk for Santa!
89. Remembering to have an apple or a carrot for Santa's Reindeer
90. Taking someone to a Christmas candlelight service
91. Making bows for presents
92. Shooting fireworks
93. Wearing glittery makeup or getting a new makeover!
94. Making a friend a holiday sweater.
95. Knitting a scarf for a friend
96. Giving a co-worker a basket of fruit
97. Shoveling's someone's driveway
98. Putting fake snow on the windows.
99. Buying a Pointsetta for your mother in law or lonely neighbor.
100. Smiling more often-it will bless everyone around you.
101. Leave me a comment on this blog to brighten their day!

Back Online!

2007-12-05T02:24:00.000-08:00

Our internet is finally back up at home. Living abroad and not speaking enough of the language, especially technical words and phrases, makes it hard to call tech support when your internet goes down! It is back up though, and (((fingers crossed))) that it doesn't happen again!

I'm still reading Full of Grace, but I also picked up another book at the library yesterday and started reading it this morning. So #21 is Daniel Alarcon's Lost City Radio, set amidst a civil war in South America.

With the holidays quickly approaching, I am trying to get some reading in before things get really busy. My inlaws will be here to visit in less than two weeks, and they will be here through the end of the year. I'd really like to finish twenty-five books by the end of 2007. We shall see...

This is what Amazon has to say about the two books I am currently reading:

Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life - Godly womanhood and femininity are the focal points in this book by Benkovic, founder and director of a Catholic communications ministry called Living His Life Abundantly. Using Mary, the mother of Jesus, as her prime example, Benkovic shows how Mary's faithful example of obedience provides a model for the spiritual lives of women today.

Lost City Radio - Set in a fictional South American nation where guerrillas have long clashed with the government follows a trio of characters upended by civil strife. Norma, whose husband, Rey, disappeared 10 years ago after the end of a civil war, hosts popular radio show Lost City Radio, which reconnects callers with their missing loved ones. So when an 11-year-old orphan, Victor, shows up at the radio station with a list of his distant village's "lost people," the station plans a special show dedicated to his case and cranks up its promotional machine. Norma, meanwhile, notices a name on the list that's an alias her husband used to use, prompting her to resume her quest to find him. She and Victor travel to Victor's home village...

Catching Up

2007-12-04T02:04:00.000-08:00

Our internet is down again, and I can't access Blogger from the library anymore, so I haven't been able to post in a little while. Fortunately, our neighbor offered her computer, so I am taking this time to get caught up...

The Book Thief (#18) - It took me a few chapters to get used to the idea of "Death" narrating a story about the Holocaust, but once I did, I could hardly put the book down. I read through the 500+ pages in just a few days.

After The Book Thief, I read Babylon's Ark (#19) by Lawrence Anthony. It was about the wartime rescue of the Baghdad Zoo, and I found it really interesting. I was actually a little disappointed in myself at the end... After Katrina, the first thing I did was make a donation to the Humane Society to help rescue animals, and I even offered to foster or adopt some of the animals displaced by the storm... And when my husband was deployed to Iraq, he had a pet cat that I sent food, toys, and treats to, but... I didn't think of the animals in Iraq during the invasion. These animals were in the middle of Baghdad, trapped in their cages, kidnapped by looters to sell on the black market, and without water and food for weeks. Anthony did a really good job telling their story and his story about his role in helping get the zoo back open.

Now I am reading Full of Grace (#20) by Johnnette S. Benkovic. It is about women's spirituality, and I thought it was a good choice to kick off the Advent season that started on Sunday and lasts through Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-24T03:18:00.000-08:00

Finished this a few days ago, but our DSL is down at home... I'm at the library now trying to get caught up on some emails, so this is going to be a short review. I thought the book was okay. It was written in the 1950s and is comprised of Carlos Levy's essays, observations, interviews, etc. from his travels to Sicily. He is an Italian himself, but he is not Sicilian, so he has a different perspective than other books I've read about Sicily. It wasn't the best book I have read on Sicily, but it did have some interesting pieces on the peasants and how they live and are treated in the Sicilian countryside, on farms and in the mines. The book is translated from Italian, and some of the parts don't make too much sense, but it is interesting to read the footnotes about the Italian and Sicilian words. I'd give it three out of five stars!

I've already started my next book (#18/101)... I am reading the Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and I think it will be a quick read, because so far, it is very good. Here is a very brief summary from http://www.booksamillion.com/:

"Set during World War II in Germany, Zusaks groundbreaking novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing, encounters something she cant resist: books."

Up Next

2007-11-11T09:08:00.001-08:00

Now I'm reading Carlo Levi's, Words Are Stones: Impressions of Sicily, in hopes that reading of my warm, sunny Motherland will help me to overcome the dark and dreary days that we've been been having all too often here in Germany... This is #17 on my list of 101 books.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

2007-11-11T08:01:00.000-08:00

#16/101

Yesterday I picked up reading on page sixteen, and today I read all the way through the 360+ pages. I don't know what it is lately, but it has been taking me a while to get interested in a book and then when I do, I read the entire thing. So today I finished, A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini. I've read a lot of "Middle Eastern" fiction lately, and it's all so new and fascinating to me... i.e. Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion, when the Taliban came, their customs and religion, the food, the carpets, the literature, etc. I also find it very depressing. All of the stories are so tragic and heartbreaking, and this book is no different. I cried a little in the beginning and then pretty solidly throughout the last 1/3 of the book. Not that crying determines whether it is a good book or not, but it definitely takes skill to write in such an emotion-provoking manner. I would definitely recommend this book, and after, The Kite Runner, and now, A Thousand Splendid Suns, I look forward to seeing what Khaled Hosseini writes next!

And this is what Amazon has to say... "Afghan-American novelist Hosseini follows up his bestselling The Kite Runner with another searing epic of Afghanistan in turmoil. The story covers three decades of anti-Soviet jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny through the lives of two women. Mariam is the scorned illegitimate daughter of a wealthy businessman, forced at age 15 into marrying the 40-year-old Rasheed, who grows increasingly brutal as she fails to produce a child. Eighteen later, Rasheed takes another wife, 14-year-old Laila, a smart and spirited girl whose only other options, after her parents are killed by rocket fire, are prostitution or starvation. Against a backdrop of unending war, Mariam and Laila become allies in an asymmetrical battle with Rasheed, whose violent misogyny—"There was no cursing, no screaming, no pleading, no surprised yelps, only the systematic business of beating and being beaten"—is endorsed by custom and law. Hosseini gives a forceful but nuanced portrait of a patriarchal despotism where women are agonizingly dependent on fathers, husbands and especially sons, the bearing of male children being their sole path to social status. His tale is a powerful, harrowing depiction of Afghanistan, but also a lyrical evocation of the lives and enduring hopes of its resilient characters."

Lost and Found

2007-11-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

I know it sounds like a sorry excuse, but I haven't been able to read for the last couple of days because I misplaced my book, lol. Actually, I left it out where I always do (on the coffee table, I think), and my husband went on this crazy cleaning spree the other day, and (how dare he?!?) put it on the bookshelf! I looked all over the floor, tables, counter, etc. before finding it in the middle of a stack of books this afternoon. And... I won't lie, with the change in time, it is getting dark so early here. I am not a big fan of winter in Germany (although the snow is pretty). The days are so short and so dreary. I haven't seen the sun in forever, and it is really depressing. So when I am home and have free time, I am more inclined to nap instead of read. Bad, I know!

15/101

2007-10-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

I finished #15, The Ladies Auxiliary, which was about the small, Orthodox Jewish community in Memphis, Tennessee. I have a read a lot about the Holocaust, but that is really the only perspective I have read about Judaism. It was interesting to read a modern account of the faith, and it was unlike anything I have ever read. It wasn't the best book I have ever read, but it was definitely fascinating to read about their beliefs and customs. Growing up Catholic in Nashville, Tennessee, I could definitely relate to being a religious minority in the Protestant-dominated Bible belt, but it was also nice to see some of the Southern ways that I grew up with incorporated into the story. I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars!

I really need to make more time for daily reading. Lately, I have been starting a book and then not picking up for a few weeks... and then when I do pick it back up, I spend a whole day or two and read it all the way through. It works okay, but I would rather spend 30-60 minutes at a time reading. I think it would help break up my day and also, be a nice way to relax in the evenings.

As lazy as this may sound, I haven't been reading before bed, because we don't have any lamps in our bedroom so we use the overhead light, and I don't like getting all warm and cozy in bed and then having to get back up to turn off the light after I finish reading. Yeah, I said it was lazy!

I'm not sure what I'm going to read next year. This evening, I have some homework to do for my German language class, and I want to work on my Religious Ed lesson plans for Sunday. Maybe later I'll check out my bookshelf and pick out my next book... By the way, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Hope everyone has a fun, safe day!

Madelyn

My Bookshelf

2007-10-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

I just received another order of books from Amazon today, and I thought I'd share the next couple of books on my bookshelf that I plan to read...

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life by Johnnette S. Benkovic

What is the What by Dave Eggers

The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila by Saint Teresa

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

As always, recommendations are welcome and greatly appreciated! I am always looking to add to add good books to our collection. Yesterday, I organized our bookshelves and even made room for more books, and I've made a lot of progress with the book I am currently reading. I should finish it up tonight or sometime tomorrow.

Conde Nast Traveller

2007-10-23T15:10:00.001-07:00

I realize that it is a magazine and not a book, and I'm not counting it toward my 101 books. However, we are new subscribers, and both Jared and I have really enjoyed it so far. There isn't too much that we can enjoy reading as a couple, but this has been great for both of us and our relationship. With each issue, we have so much to talk about, and we have so many more travel destinations to add to our places-to-see list. I think it's really going to help make our next year and a half overseas, and even when we move back to the States and continue to travel the world, more interesting! If you haven't read it before, I would highly recommend checking an issue out... http://www.cntraveller.com/

Slacker

2007-10-13T02:27:00.000-07:00

I know my last post assured everyone that I was on track and would meet my goal, which I will, but I really only wrote that blog to assure myself. I've been so busy lately with traveling and my volunteer positions that I haven't had as much time to read as I would like. Correction, I have had time, I just haven't made it a priority. So I leave tomorrow for a weeklong church retreat, and I am adding two books to my packing list. Since it is something that makes me happy and relaxed, I will find more time to read in my busy schedule.

Still on track

2007-10-10T01:24:00.001-07:00

I just checked my progress, and I have 2 years, 4 1/2 months to read 87 books. That is an average of a little over 2 books per month, so I shouldn't have any problem meeting my goal to read 101 books in 1001 days!

Happy Columbus Day!

2007-10-10T01:13:00.000-07:00

We're back from our Columbus Day weekend in Ireland, and it was wonderful!

Unfortunately, I did not find as much time to read as I would have liked... I did read two other books: #13 Irish History, by Seamas Mac Annaidh and #14 The Guide for Daisy Girl Scout Leaders. We picked up the book on Irish history at the Waterford Crystal Factory in Waterford, Ireland, and the other book is one I am reading in preparation for my first Daisy troop meeting on Thursday! I think the unplanned reads are sometimes the best!

Blog for the Environment

2007-10-09T03:15:00.000-07:00

October 15, a week from today, is Blog Action Day, and the theme this year is the environment.

If you have a blog and want to join in, all you have to do is use that day to post something related to the environment, in whatever way, shape, or form you prefer. You can pick an environmental issue that has meaning for you and let us know why it's important. Organize a beach or neighborhood cleanup and tell us about it. If you're into fiction writing, give us a story with an environmental theme. Have a podcast, videoblog, or photoblog? Join the fun!

The idea here is to have a mass effect on public awareness by sharing as many ideas in as many ways as possible.If you're game for participating, go register your blog with the 7,000+ other blogs (with 5 million readers!) that are already signed up. Also, see the Blog Action Day blog for more on how bloggers can change the world.

Moving On

2007-09-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

I finished reading Amirrezvani's, The Blood of Flowers, and I have to admit, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Like I said yesterday, it took me a few pages to get into it, but once I did, I could hardly put it down. The ending wasn't what I had hoped for, but it was still good.

I'm not sure what I will read next... My to-read stack is growing with each trip to the bookstore or visit to Amazon.com. I am looking for something light and quick. The Old Testament and The Blood of Flowers were both heavy reads, and I need a change of pace. I think I'll go with one I picked up off the freebie shelf outside the library. It's called, The Ladies Auxiliary, and it is written by Tova Mirvis.

Let's see what Amazon has to say about it...

"The world of this confident, insightful debut novel is the tightly knit Orthodox Jewish community of Memphis, Tenn., a social structure that unravels when an unconventional New York convert settles there with her five-year-old daughter. Newly widowed Batsheva Jacobs is both shockingly modern and fervently spiritual. She lovingly raises her daughter, Ayala, in the Orthodox tradition, but she sings loudly and enthusiastically at shul (perhaps a sign of unseemly ego), visits the mikvah to cleanse herself (an act that raises eyebrows, since she has no husband), and she wears flowing clothes that show her figure. All of which is noted suspiciously by the local women whose common goal is to preserve tradition. In Memphis, where Shabbos dinner includes fried chicken and black-eyed peas, that task isn't easy. ..."

In case you are wondering, I am still on track to meet my goal of 101 books in 1001 days. With approximately 29 months to go and 89 books to read, I need to read just over 3 books a month to stay on track. And on that note, I am going to say goodnight and retire to bed with my new book to get started...

Slow and Steady

2007-09-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

It took about 12 pages of reading, but I finally started to get into The Blood of Flowers. Now I'm on a roll and halfway through it. I don't really have much of an opinion yet to write about, so here's a review from Amazon...

From Publishers Weekly: In Iranian-American Amirrezvani's lushly orchestrated debut, a comet signals misfortune to the remote 17th-century Persian village where the nameless narrator lives modestly but happily with her parents, both of whom expect to see the 14-year-old married within the year. Her fascination with rug making is a pastime they indulge only for the interim, but her father's untimely death prompts the girl to travel with her mother to the city of Isfahan, where the two live as servants in the opulent home of an uncle—a wealthy rug maker to the Shah. The only marriage proposal now in the offing is a three-month renewable contract with the son of a horse trader. Teetering on poverty and shame, the girl weaves fantasies for her temporary husband's pleasure and exchanges tales with her beleaguered mother until, having mastered the art of making and selling carpets under her uncle's tutelage, she undertakes to free her mother and herself.

A few more unexpected reads

2007-09-18T04:36:00.000-07:00

Finished #10 and #11... After months and months, I read all 1000+ pages of the Old Testament. I am going to take a little Scripture break so that I can focus on preparing my upcoming Sunday school lessons and Catechist formation class. I do plan on returning to the Bible and finishing the New Testament soon though... I also read Ireland for Dummies in preparation for our upcoming trip to Ireland. I haven't really gotten into the Blood of Flowers yet, but I've been busy and kind of distracted. I'll have to give it another try tonight before bed. Anyway, just wanted to update. I know it's been a while, but our internet is still down at home, so it is hard to find time to blog. I'll try to write (and read) more... Madd

Unexpected Read

2007-08-27T03:01:00.001-07:00

In preparing for the new religious ed school year, I was going through my boxes and bags of supplies and materials, and I came across, The Faith-Filled Classroom. I decided to go ahead and read it before I started my lesson plans for the year. It had some really nice inspirations and a great ice-breakers section. It really motivated me to get excited for the fourth grade class I'll be teaching this year!

LOVED The Namesake!

2007-08-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

I highly recommend this book! I really loved it and look forward to reading more of Lahiri's books and short stories. I also want to see the movie that is based on the book that was released earlier this summer.

Big thanks to Kathy for letting me borrow the book for my plane ride back from the States last week. I think this is the first book we've both liked and agreed about, lol.

Next up:

The Blood of Flowers

Anita Amirrezvani

Goodreads

2007-08-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Checkout my reading list on Goodreads - where you can see what your friends are reading.

www.goodreads.com

Moving on

2007-08-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

After my second unsuccessful attempt to read The Poisionwood Bible, I just decided to pass on it right now. Before I left Louisville (oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I'm back in Germany now!), K gave me a book by Jhumpa Lahiri called The Namesake (the new 8/101). I started it on the plane, and so far so good. I'm excited to really get into it once I sleep off this jet lag and can function like a normal person again! In the meantime, here's what Amazon has to say about it...

"Any talk of The Namesake--Jhumpa Lahiri's follow-up to her Pulitzer Prize-winning debut, Interpreter of Maladies--must begin with a name: Gogol Ganguli. Born to an Indian academic and his wife, Gogol is afflicted from birth with a name that is neither Indian nor American nor even really a first name at all. He is given the name by his father who, before he came to America to study at MIT, was almost killed in a train wreck in India. Rescuers caught sight of the volume of Nikolai Gogol's short stories that he held, and hauled him from the train. Ashoke gives his American-born son the name as a kind of placeholder, and the awkward thing sticks.

Awkwardness is Gogol's birthright. He grows up a bright American boy, goes to Yale, has pretty girlfriends, becomes a successful architect, but like many second-generation immigrants, he can never quite find his place in the world. There's a lovely section where he dates a wealthy, cultured young Manhattan woman who lives with her charming parents. They fold Gogol into their easy, elegant life, but even here he can find no peace and he breaks off the relationship. His mother finally sets him up on a blind date with the daughter of a Bengali friend, and Gogol thinks he has found his match. Moushumi, like Gogol, is at odds with the Indian-American world she inhabits. She has found, however, a circuitous escape: "At Brown, her rebellion had been academic ... she'd pursued a double major in French. Immersing herself in a third language, a third culture, had been her refuge--she approached French, unlike things American or Indian, without guilt, or misgiving, or expectation of any kind." Lahiri documents these quiet rebellions and random longings with great sensitivity. There's no cleverness or showing-off in The Namesake, just beautifully confident storytelling. Gogol's story is neither comedy nor tragedy; it's simply that ordinary, hard-to-get-down-on-paper commodity: real life. --Claire Dederer"

7/101

2007-08-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

I finished Miep Gies book about Anne Frank's family when they were in hiding. You can get it from the Anne Frank House online shop at www.annefrank.org.

I think I'm going to go back to the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and give that another chance. I fly back to Germany on Tuesday, so I'll have plenty of time on the plane to read. I'm about 1/4 of the way through it, but I just can't get into the story. I'm going to try though...

Halfway

2007-08-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

I'm halfway through the Anne Frank book. It's a really good, quick read for me. Miep Gies is a clear, simple writer, but she writes with a lot of passion. It's interesting reading about Anne's story from someone else's perspective. Should finish it tomorrow...

Still reading

2007-08-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

Trying to maintain a little normalcy in my life right now even though all I want to do is lay in bed and cry... I miss my cat :(

I did finish Flies on the Butter (#6/101). It was a decent story, but nothing great... It wasn't a bad airport read when I was flying to and from Kansas City. I picked it up on the freebie shelf outside the library, so I didn't expect too much from it anyway.

I am now reading Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family. I bought this book last Summer when I was at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. It is written by Miep Gies, the women who hid Anne Frank's family. If you've seen the movie Freedom Writers, the class reads Anne Frank's diary and then meets Miep Gies at the end. I am usually more of a fan of non-fiction, and anything about the Holocaust (or any genocide, actually) piques my interest, so this should be a quick read...

I know I'm a little off schedule with the number of books I've read, but I'm not too worried. I knew I'd get a little behind on this trip and have to play catch up when I get back to Germany in a few weeks.

So sad

2007-08-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

My precious kitty passed away yesterday. I'm sure if you're on here reading this, you already read our other blog, but if not, please look at Buddha's Tribute. I am just devastated at the loss of Buddha. I have spent just about every day of the last eleven years with her, and I am having a really hard time imagining life when I get back home to Germany (I'm still on my trip to the States) without her... I do take comfort in knowing that she did not suffer, and she received more love in her short life than most people get in a lifetime. She was my baby, my best friend, my battle buddy, and my companion...

Rest in peace my sweet little princess Buddha

6/16/96-8/2/07

Vacation

2007-07-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

I've been on vacation for two weeks now, and I have to admit, I am not getting nearly as much reading done as I had hoped. I had been trying to read the Poisonwood Bible, but I just couldn't get into it. So today I started Flies on the Butter by Denise Hildreth. It's a much lighter read, and I'm flying through it. Not bad for a book I found on the freebie shelf in front of the library. Hopefully it will help me get back on track. I need to finish it and read three more in the next two weeks to stay on track. Wish me luck! Will post a review soon...

Mother Teresa

2007-07-07T02:29:00.000-07:00

Four and five down...

After finishing Don Cheadle and John Predergast's Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond, I started the equally motivating and inspirational book by Mother Teresa, A Simple Path. The book is about Mother Teresa's work all over the world (120+ countries), especially in India, where she ran homes for lepers, TB patients, the mentally handicapped, the destitute and dying, and orphans. She worked with the poorest of the poor, while treating everyone with respect and dignity and judging no one. Her writing is as simple as her life, but just as special. Her words have a way of making you feel good inside and closer to God, and I feel blessed to have chosen this book. It's going to be a tough act to follow... I'm not sure what I'll read next, but I leave tomorrow for five weeks in the States, so I'm sure I'll do plenty of reading on the plane. I know I always say this and never actually do it, but I think I'll try to find something light and fun to read next...

Never Again

2007-07-07T02:20:00.000-07:00

"A President will not necessarily act alone to do the right thing. In fact, failure to act is the rule, not the exception. But if citizens, through their actions, show that they support stronger U.S. action to end genocide, our leaders will be more confident to take actions." (p. 184)

This book is an eye opener for anyone who is not aware of the genocide taking place in Darfur. Don Cheadle and John Prendergast are so honest and down-to-earth in their writing, and that is what makes this book, along with the power and emotion of the events taking place in Darfur, so moving and inspirational. They offer straight-forward, simple solutions that we can all be doing to help stop the genocide... I remember when I first learned about the Rwandan genocide, I was shocked that it had happened during my lifetime. To me, genocide was what happened during the Holocaust, and that was sixty years ago. I never thought it could happen today, but it has, and it is, and this book offers solutions to stop the genocide today and make sure it does not happen in the future.

Here are some websites to check out to learn more about the crisis in Darfur:

www.enoughproject.org

www.savedarfur.org

www.darfurscores.org

www.standnow.org

www.genocideintervention.net

www.sudanreeves.org

www.darfurisdying.com

www.crisisgroup.org

Another one down!

2007-06-26T05:26:00.000-07:00

So I finished the book this morning while I was at the gym. To respond to Celeste's comment, I thought it was okay. I thought it was really interesting to read about life in Iran before and after the Revolution... What I didn't like as much were the references to books she taught in class, mainly because I haven't read those books. I think I may read Lolita and The Great Gatsby, and then I might try to reread it. In the back, there is a suggested reading list, along with discussion questions. I found them to be somewhat helpful, but I think the book would have been much more enjoyable if I had been more familiar with the characters and stories in those other two books...

I'm not sure what I'm going to read next... I just picked up Don Cheadle and John Predergast's Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond. I think I'll read that and then move on to something a little lighter and summery.

2 down, 99 to go!

2007-06-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

We're all moved to our new place in Wiesbaden, but we don't have internet yet. I'm at the library, so this is going to be short. I just wanted to update that I finished Living History, and I've moved on to my third book, Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi. Will write more about it soon...

M

Some progress

2007-06-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Despite the move, I am still trying to make time to read. I am 2/3 of the way finished with Hillary's book and look forward to finishing and beginning #3/101 this weekend!

M