A year of books--2013

It's a tradition now. 

For the second time in a row, I attempted to write down every book that I read throughout the year. 

I was more diligent in recording books, including the books I read to advance my professional life, my parenting life, and my faith life. 

I'm sure I still missed a few, but I think I did better this year than last. 

Before I give you my list, I want to point out this one thing: It's not up to my standards. I didn't read the quality or quantity that I wanted. So if you peruse this list and discover a bunch of cheap, easy or YA reads, it's because I needed escape this year, when I had the energy to read anything at all. I did start a bunch of more thoughtful books, but found that I didn't have the brain power for it. 

Enough excuses, here's the list. 

Sammy's year of books--2013

(YA books are Young Adult books--generally written for teenagers, however, many of the YA books have rather grown-up content)

(I have bolded the most memorable books. If you can, read them. However, they aren't all easy or nice. Some are rather disturbing. But memorable.)

Dovekeepers--Alice Hoffman

Room--Emma Donaghue

7--Jen Hatmaker

Life of Pi--Yann Martel (reread)

The Paris Wife--McClain

Home--Toni Morrison

Redeeming Love--Francine Rivers

The Girl who Fell from the Sky--Durrow

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--Rawling

Gold--Chris Cleaves

Unconventional Lives--Kody Brown and wives

The Year of Magical Thinking--Joan Didion (okay, I started this, but it's the story of her grief after the sudden death of her husband and daughter's two near death experiences-I began to imagine I had cancer--time to put the book down)

A Reliable Wife--Robert Goolrick

Kisses from Katie--Katie Davis

Gregor the Overlander (YA)--Suzanne Collins

Half the Sky--Nichoilas D. Kristoff & Sheryl Wundunn

Wild--Cheryl Strayed

The In-Between World of Vikram Lall--M.G. Vassanji

Between Shades of Gray (YA)--Ruta Septys

Septimus Heap (YA)--Angie Sage

     -Magyk Bk 1

     -Flyte Bk 2

Admission--Jean Hanff Korelitz

The House Girl--Tara Conklin

The Widow of the South--Robert Hicks

The Divergent Series (YA)--Veronica Roth

     -Divergent

     -Insurgent

      -Allegiant

Self Editing for Fiction Writers--Renni Browne

Gone Girl--Gillian Flynn

Raising Dragons (YA)--Bryan Davis

Fly Away--Kristin Hannah

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation--Michael Pollan

The Sun also Rises--Ernest Hemingway

The Fall of Five (YA)--Pittacus Lore

Nefertitti--Michele Moran

Ender's Game (YA)--Orson Scott Card

Parenting your Internationally Adopted Child

The Connected Child--Purvis

The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience--Ronald Sider

Kid's books I read with/for the kids not related to our curriculum:

The Borrowers--Norton

Owls in the Family--Mowat

Crispin--Avi

Snow Treasure--McSwigan

Total for the year: 39 read, plus the 4 more with the kids. 29 fiction, 10 non-fiction. Of the fiction 9 were YA. 

So the goals for the upcoming reading year: The entire Madeline L'Engle Wrinkle in Time Series (Five books--I got the box set as a gift for Christmas. They're beautiful.) Short Stories (I'm pretty sure I haven't read an adult short story in years). 

Have any suggestions? My book list is pretty short. I need some good titles. As you can see, I'm pretty eclectic and open to a bunch. So fire away, I'm eager to hear your favorites from 2013. 

A Year in Review: 2012

Well, it's more like: all-the-books-that-Sammy-read-this-past-year. 

It's never been a secret: I'm a reader. 

For the first time ever, I wrote down every book that I read this year. 

And now I'm going list the books that I read this year. Putting this down in writing is a bit vulnerable because you get to see the great and the not-so-great books that I read this year. Some are embarrassing, some make me proud, all of them made me think (at least a little) this year (even if it is to say "that was a terrible piece of writing"). 

I know more at the end of 2012 because of the books I read. I wish I could tell you about the books that I loved or reviled the most or explain why I read the ones that I did. Some were simply easy to read or guilty pleasures. Others were comforts. Some were suggestions or book club books. Some had very hard/big words that I had to write down to look up later. 

(Because I can't tell you everything about every book, I am highlighting my favorites. If you like books and have some time: read them.) 

Leota's Garden--Francine Rivers
Inheritance Series by Christopher Paolini
     -Eragon
     -Eldest
     -Brisingr
     -Inheritance
Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan
     -The Lightening Thief
     -Sea of Monsters
     -The Titan's Curse
     -The Last Olympian
Body Ecology--Donna Gates
No Riding your Bicycle in the House without a Helmet by Melissa Faye Green
The Aedyn Chronicles by Alister McGrath
     -Chosen Ones
     -Flight of the Outcasts
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxes
Bossypants by Tina Fey
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Unbroken by Laura Hillebrand
Born to Run 
20 & Counting by JimBob and Michelle Dagger
A Different Sky by Miera Chand
Celebration of Disciplines by Richard J Foster
In the Garden of Beasts by Eric Larson
A Searing Wind (#3 in Coming to America) by the Gears
Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah
Cinderella Ate my Daughter by Peggy Orenstein
Outlander by Diane Gabaldon (Okay, so I re-read this one It's a bit of a guilty pleasure)
Game of Thrones and Clash of Kings by George RR Martin
Winter of the World by Ken Follet
Power of Nine
The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner
     -Maze Runner
     -The Scorch Trials
     -The Death Cure

The books that I read with the kids that were not related to school:
Little Pilgrims Progress by Helen Taylor
The Secret Garden by Francess Burnett Hodges
Wonderstruck by Selznick

The Books I started with every great intention but totally dropped were:
  John Adams by McCullough
  Courage Undaunted by Ambrose
  Les Miserables by Victor Hugo


Totals: 32 read, 3 more with the kids, 3 dropped.  23 Fiction, 9 Non-fiction. Not too shabby.

 I'm compiling my list for 2013. And I'd gladly take your suggestions! 

Whatcha Reading?

I was looking around for something to read the other night and realized that I have many books with bookmarks in that I am currently in process of reading. And because I feel that if I am to share who I am on this blog, I should share what I am reading. 


This morning I made a count of those books that I am actively in the process of reading. That means these are books that I pick up in the morning, during a coffee break, in the bathroom, for devotional reading, for learning, or for whenever. Truly, I don't think I have to create an excuse to read books, just create time for it. 


So here's the books I have actively read in the past week

• Flunking Sainthood by Jana Fleiss (a lighthearted read about how hard it is to follow certain age-old spiritual practices)
• Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela (a book I picked up at the Festival of Faith and Writing. I like it, but can't articulate why, yet)
• Celebration of Disciple by Richard J Foster (This is one of those books that I have tried and tried and tried to read before but to no avail. I'm pretty sure God had to wait until this time in my life for me to even desire a life like Foster lays out. Wonderfully written, practical, and accessible--I am being moved and changed by the challenge of these words).
• The Mormon Mirage by LaTayne C. Scott (if you know much aout me, you'll know that I am fascinated by Mormon history and theology. I have been given an excuse to dive right it--and I have enjoyed re-learning! With this book, I truly appreciate the love and respect that she offers her handling of Mormon history and Doctrine.)
• The Soul Tells a Story by Venita Hampton Wright (This is my: why-is-my-writing-life-tied-to-my-spiritual-formation-and-what-do-I-need-to-do-to-grow-in-that-area book.)
• Crazy Love by Francis Chan (Hey, I got a free download of this book. And I respect Francis Chan. Only one chapter in, but I'm ready!)
• Elements of Style by Strunk & White (everyone needs to brush up on their grammatical rules. I use this book to do so. However, as I was reading a chapter last night I realized that I had no idea what the authors were talking about. Oh well.)
• and today I started reading The Girls who Went Away by Ann Fessler (This is a non-fiction book about what is called the Baby Scoop Era in the Us from the end of WWII until the passing of Roe v Wade where young women who became pregnant out of wedlock were essentially forced to hand their newborns over for adoption. Heartbreaking. Eye-Opening.)

This list does not include the books I am in the middle of with the kids (The Hobbit and The Secret Garden), nor the books on my bedside table or book basket that I have started and set down (Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxes [which only have one chapter left so it is inexcusable] and Don Quixote [which is truly hilarious] by Miguel DeCervantes) nor the many that are on the mental list of things I want to read. 


So what do you think should be next on my list? I'm open to suggestions


P.S. Half the Sky is already on the Nook waiting for me.