37/101

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!

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

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?!?

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

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

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

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

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.