Nate and I went to Goodwill yesterday. I always love going to Goodwill after not going for a few weeks. It gives them time to restock their bookshelves. We did REALLY well, this time. I got: Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya SisterhoodCold MountainSkinny DipMore than FriendsHouse of Sand and FogA Reliable Wife (giving it a second chance)DryThe HoursThe Moments, the Minutes, the Hours: the Poetry of Jill ScottGirl With the Pearl EarringCelebrity Detox
Nate got:The End of FaithBestialNextThe Hornet's NestMiyamoto Musashi - His Life and WritingsJuiced
18 books for $11! :)And from Goodreads, I recently received You'll Never Blue Ball in this Town Again (also a second chance) and Every Secret Thing.

He works, I read :)

my read shelf:

WIJFR: Room - by Emma DonoghueI loved it. But I found myself starting to think like Jack. (My grammar and communication skills seriously suffered during the 4 days I spent reading this book.) This book was very sad, but interesting. I couldn't stop reading it. I loved and hated Jack's Ma, all at the same time. I loved that she accepted him, regardless of his conception. I loved that she did everything she could to protect him. I hated how she couldn't understand why he was so scared of everything. I hated how annoyed she would get with him, it wasn't his fault (or hers) that he had never experienced Outside. I didn't like his grandmother, either. She had no patience for him. My favorite supporting character was Noreen, the nurse at the Clinic.
After I finish a book, I always have a terrible time trying to figure out what to read next.
my read shelf:

So, I was AWFUL at keeping up with this. I suppose my resolution for this year could be to update more frequently, but who am I kidding? Between teaching, and tutoring, and GAP, I don't really have time. But I will attempt to update more.
I did not reach my goal of 100 books. I read 50 (http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2796897-gayle-c?balloon_cat=true&shelf=2010&view=table). Apparently, 100 books was a little too ambitious. I think that my goal for 2011 is 75 books. Wish me luck!
Luckily, I have some time this week to catch up on my reading due to what my husband calls the "Snowpacolypse". But really, its only about a foot and a half of snow. But roads are icy, as South Jersey may never be fully prepared for ANY kind of snow, let alone this much.

my read shelf:

It has been ages since I posted anything. This summer has flown by, filled with work (GAP), concerts, bar-prep (Nate), packing/moving, and reading. I cannot believe that in a week and a half, school starts up again! I am heading into my (KINDERGARTEN) classroom on Monday to start setting up. I am a little nervous about the switch down to kindergarten from first grade, but I am also really starting to look forward to it.
I discovered a new library a few weeks ago. I started going to the library Nate goes to, and I LOVE it. When you put a book on hold, they will hold it for up to a week before putting it back on the shelf. (My library holds it for two days). And its HUGE. They have multiple copies of books on the shelf and its two floors and amazing. I could spend hours there! I currently have checked out: The 19th Wife, The Maze Runner, Dark Places, Envy, So Long At the Fair, The Drowning Tree, The Lady Elizabeth, Case Histories, You'll Never Blue Ball in this Town Again, Every Friday Night, and The Nobodies Album.
I can't wait to get started!

we had breakfast on at the top of the ferris wheel in Wildwood (this was taken afterwards)

Book Number 2 for SuBC = finished! I read Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn to fit the "read a book with a black cover". I ordered on Goodreads bookswap a little bit ago and just got around to reading it. But I'm glad I did - once I started, I could not put it down.
The plot: A reporter from Chicago returns to the hometown she left more than a decade ago to cover a possible serial killer (targeting young girls).
This book kept me guessing about who the killer really was. I had it narrowed down to two people, and in the last 3 chapters, they arrested one of those people. But right before the end of the book, there was a twist and it was the other person I suspected. The story is very dark and twisted, but written very well.
4 stars/5 stars :)
Next up: Go Ask Alice (book written in a diary form)

Today was the first day of TheNest Book Club Summer Challenge. And I finished my first book today! :) I finished Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky. I really enjoyed this book. I started it last night and I could not put it down.

The plot: Susan is the principal of a high school in a small town. Her teenage daughter and two of her friends pledge to get pregnant together. Because Susan has a high-profile position in the town (and directly works with other teenagers), she is put on the chopping block as a mother, and a principal. Two of Susan's closest friends are also dealing with the fall-out of their daughters being involved in the pact.

Susan had a solid support system, for the most part. Her friends, even when they were wrapped up in their own problems, came through when she needed them most. She appeared to understand when her friends were edgy and aloof and distanced themselves from her. I, however, got angry for her. I think that is what kept me reading this book. I wanted to see how their friendships deteriorated and then built back up again. It wasn't the pact the girls made, or even the issues they faced by being pregnant. It was the mothers' friendship I was most drawn to this time.

Overall, I give this 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Goodwill Trip #2

Nate and I went to my parents today and while we were in the area stopped by the Goodwill near them. For under $10, I got:
Velocity by Dean KoontzRise and Shine by Anna QuindlenA Man in Full by Tom WolfeThe Woman Next Door by Barbara DelinskyThe Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen KingCage of Stars by Jacquelyn MitchardBlonde by Joyce Carol Oates
Nate got:The French Cuisine of Your ChoiceKodo Ancient WaysThe Art of the Deal by Donald Trump
Nice! :)
Also, I am in the middle of Not My Daughter, and I am LOVING it. I am not quite halfway through. I HATE Pam and her daughter, even though Abbey seems like the smartest one of the group, she is not a good friend at all. I feel bad for Susan and I really understand that, even though two of her close friends are in a similar position, she is alone. I can't wait to finish it!

Goodwill Run Today

And from Goodwill I got 5 books (and Nate got 3), all for under $5.
The Emperor's Children (which didn't even get 3 stars on Goodreads...)A Summer AffairEvery Secret ThingIcy SparksA Map of the World
currently reading: Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinskycurrently singing: Tequila Make Her Clothes Fall Off (the remix)

Not Book Related - At All

I have three obsessions in my life: books, music, and cooking/eating.

I spent my morning playing around on my Zune and browsing NPR All Songs Considered online. And I found out that Hanson released another album this month!! I am hoping it is as good as Underneath, because I wasn't all that crazy about The Walk. So far, it sounds fun and catchy, but not in an "MMMBop" way. Its grown up.

The Gaslight Anthem also released a new album. I haven't listened to it yet, but Nate wasn't crazy about what he's heard so I am a little wary. We saw them in concert in October and I was a little disappointed. But I will always have a special place for them in my heart, seeing as how the lyrics from not one but TWO songs found their way into Nate's vows for me (Meet Me By the River's Edge and Casanova Baby).

currently reading: Rumors by Anna Godbersen
currently singing: Shout It Out by Hanson

my read shelf:

Last day of school was on Thursday, except for the inservice day on Friday. Next year, I will be a Kindergarten teacher :)

I haven't had much of a chance to relax yet, though. My sister graduated on Thursday night. There was a storm moving through and it was almost canceled. As it was, they told everyone that it was delayed (but it really wasn't). Luckily, Nate and I were in the car waiting for the bus when it started to hail. I was able to call my parents and tell them to move out of the bleachers before it got to them. Within 45 minutes, the skies cleared, there was a nice breeze, and my sister got her diploma at the end of the evening!

Now its time for me to decide what to read this summer. I just started Sloppy Firsts because it was reccommended so much on The Nest. I am in the middle of The Summer We Read Gatsby and I am really enjoying it. I also have 3 books coming in from Goodreads, plus 6 books that I borrowed from a friend. I cannot wait to get started!!

my read shelf:

So I am trying really hard to read Look Again but I just can't get into it. I find myself getting annoyed at stupid stuff, like the nicknames the characters have for each other. I just don't think its written all that well. I also can't get into Heart of the Matter. I am going to keep trying, though. For both of them.

I did finish Every Last One and LOVED it. I am still shocked at the plot twist. I definitely recommend it.

Also - this tylenol business just isn't going to cut it :(

my little sister, all grown up


my read shelf:

Goodwill has the best book deals :)

My Goodwill score today:
The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller
Lost by Gregory Maguire
The Summer I Dared and Looking for Peyton Place both by Barbara Delinsky
The Pilot's Wife and The Last Time They Met both by Anita Shreve
Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
The Kite Runner
Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz
A Night Without Armor by Jewel
Phantom by Terry Goodkind

Plus, I got 10 Disney movie classics for rainy day recesses. And three tshirts for Nate.

yay!!

my read shelf:

I finished The Luxe by Anna Godbersen last night. Loved, loved, loved it! I was hesitant to read it, because I wasn't sure if I would like the time period it was set in (I like historical fiction, but more along the lines of The Other Boelyn Girl). I thought the gossip columns were great and there was plenty of scandal for 1899. I cannot wait to read the next book!

I've moved on to The Book Thief, which I've heard nothing but good things about. Thank goodness for 3 day weekends!!

sisterly love in the city of brotherly love
my read shelf:

Two more books at the Berlin Farmer's Market today: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and Slam by Nick Hornby. Plus a back issue of the Food Network (because somehow I missed the month of April). All for $5.

my read shelf:

Its been a little bit since I've updated. I haven't really been keeping very good track of the books I've read, recently. I do know I just finished Catching Fire. It started off a little slower for me than Hunger Games, but I still really enjoyed it. I cannot wait for August and the release of Mockingjay.

I got Ella Minnow Pea, Flying Changes, Luxe, and The Book Thief from the library last week. I am only a chapter or two into The Book Thief but I am pretty sure that I am going to LOVE it. I don't think I am even going to try to read Flying Changes. I put it on hold because it was by the same author as Water for Elephants, which I LOVE. But the first book, Riding Lessons, didn't do much for me. And I think this book is the same characters. We'll see.

And yesterday was great at the Goodwill by my parents. First, I found a Sequence for Kids game, which I grabbed up immediately. Even if I don't have a job next year, I will teach again. And its PERFECT for first graders. Then, Nate and I found a ton of books:
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty (I just ordered Sloppy Firsts on Amazon this week)
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
The Dead School by Patrick McCabe (which I never heard of until yesterday).
Nate got three books (a cookbook, an autobiography of William Shatner, and a diet book). After his student discount, our grand total was $6.54. I love Goodwill.

Also, last night, Nate hooked up the Super Nintendo from my parents house and I spent 3 hours playing Super Mario World. We just finished the Forest of Illusions level. After we get back from the Berlin Farmer's Market today, I plan on finishing off the game :)

The Graduate: Nate Caberto, JD
(quick story. I made Nate a tshirt that said "I graduated today!!" and put the school and date and he wore it to the Sugarland concert that night. The people that set up next to us started talking to Nate, and apparently the woman in the group was also a graduate from Widener, in 1991! They bought us a beer each, and Nate spent the night chatting up his new friends.)

my read shelf:

Spring Break is over. My 10 days of uninterrupted reading has ended. I am looking forward to getting back to work - I have missed my class and I'm excited to hear all about their breaks. :)

Also, I just learned how to put a book on hold online at the library and suspend it until the date I want it to come in. I think that's pretty cool. I put about 15 books on hold using this feature. Oh, and speaking of the library, I had a book on hold at a library that I don't usually visit. Nate and I were headed to my parents on Friday, so I thought we could stop at the library on the way down. I copied the directions exactly as they appeared on Google Maps and off we went. Imagine our surprise when we circled the area for FIFTEEN MINUTES and still could not find the library. I ended up canceling the hold and placing a new hold for the same book, to be picked up at my regular library. What a mess.

Army Wives is all new tonight! And Glee on Tuesday! And the last episode of Ugly Betty on my birthday :(

Yum! Wasabi flavored KitKats!

my read shelf:

13 Reasons Why

I just finished 13 Reasons Why, which fulfills a challenge for The Nest Book Club Spring Challenge (5 points, Read a book with a number in the title). This book was written with two narrators, telling the story at the same time. One story is the past and one is the present, but the past affects the present. It was written well and surprisingly not confusing to follow at all. Not the best book I've read this month, but still "enjoyable" (for a very sad topic).

Its very hard to believe that my spring break is over in a day and half. Where did it go?? Although, I am looking forward to heading back to school.

TROUBLE

my read shelf:

I finished two books in two days - I may not have enough books from the library for my whole spring break!

I read The Hunger Games in less than one day. Its a YA book about a post-apocalyptic world. I could not put it down! Normally, I have a hard time with YA books because I feel like they are too whiny and filled with teen angst. But I loved this one. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, Catching Fire. Things between Katniss and Peeta are so unfinished. And what happens when Katniss returns to her family? Are they proud of her or are they ashamed at how she's acted, the way that Peeta is? And I read the jacket cover for CF and I am already wondering why Gale is so cold towards Katniss. Unfortunately, I am #7 on the list at the library.

The book I finished yesterday was While I'm Falling. It was a good book, but I was anxious to finish it, not because it was un-put-down-able, but instead because I wanted to move on to my next book. It was a solid read, with good character development and a nice pace. But it wasn't overly gripping.

Last night, Nate and I rented The Watchmen and An Education. Both movies are based on writing, one a comic book and the other a book by Nick Hornby. We only saw The Watchmen. Maybe we'll watch the other before we go to the his parents house later today.

Today is Easter, so Happy Easter!




my read shelf:

Spring Break started at 1:45 today! And since I have 10 whole days with nothing important to do and nowhere important to be (with the exception of my sister's visit in the middle of the week and my visit to the Body Works exhibit at the Franklin Institute tomorrow), I made sure to stop at the library on my way to pick up two more books I had on hold.

I got:
Hunger Games. I have read so much about this book on The Nest boards that I couldn't resist borrowing it from the library. I am only 10 pages in, but so far I think its going to be a quick read.
Columbine. I also heard about this on The Nest.
While I'm Falling. I saw this on display at B&N when it first came out. I didn't have any money at the time and made a list of about 15 books that I wanted to get. This was one of them.
Nanny Returns. I enjoyed The Nanny Diaries. I thought it was a cute book. So far - I hate this one. But I will try to get through it.

My thoughts on my upcoming unemployment? Maybe, finally, I can read the books on my bookshelf :)
That's a positive outlook, right??

my read shelf:

two more!

So I just finished The Law of Similars. I felt that everything happened a little too quickly. I think that the relationship between the "homey" and the dad could have been fleshed out a lot. Seriously - who falls in love after 2 dates?? It held my interest though. I kept hoping for more details, though. 3 out of 5.

I also finished House Rules. I keep reading Jodi Picoult books, in the vain hope that she will return to the writing of her early books, when it wasn't so damn predictable. I figured out the "twist" less than halfway through the book. It was a lot of work to finish this one, but I trudged on. I enjoyed Jacob's character, though, which is why I kept reading. I couldn't stand his mother and I just felt bad for his brother. 2 out of 5.

I also just found out that the library does digital audio book downloads! So I downloaded Water for Elephants, First to Die, and a Dean Koontz book.

Up next: Water for Elephants (already starting listening on my way to work today - and LOVING it)
While I'm Falling (picking up at the library tomorrow)

Two more down!

Okay, so I just finished Sometimes Mine by Martha Moody and Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby.

I've never read anything by Nick Hornby before, but I've seen High Fidelity and it was one of my favorite movies in college. I am also a huge fan of About a Boy (the movie). But I wasn't sure if I'd like his writing style, as I had tried to read Fever Pitch and never got through it. This time I went for the audio book. And I loved it. The ending was a bit far fetched, but I loved the development of Annie and Tucker and Duncan. Overall, I give it 4/5.

I adore Martha Moody. I read Best Friends right after college and instantly related to it. I felt that way about my college roommate at the time (we were super close, but we were drifting in different directions in our lives.) so I read the whole book in two days. Office of Desire took me a little bit longer to get through, and in my opinion was considerably darker. Sometimes Mine is the most recent book. It had a lot of the darkness that Office of Desire had. Genie is so lonely, and I felt her loneliness. I felt the unraveling of her life. There were certain plot points that echoed some from Office of Desire, which annoyed me at first. For example, Howard's insatiable need to increase profits for the practice, but he was not careful about these decisions. But in the end, these plotlines were necessary for the end of the book. I was torn between loving Karn and hating her, even though she's the wife, not the mistress. And Mick - I did not like him. I think that his personality conveyed in the book was boring. All he talked about was basketball, and in the end that protected him from talking about his cancer. I give this book 3.5/5. Office of Desire is still my favorite Martha Moody book.

Up next: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. And I'm thinking about listening to The DaVinci Code because I cannot get through the book. I've been trying for 5 years. (I loved Angels and Demons).

10/100 (possible spoilers)

10% to my goal! That's not awful. I guess all these snow days are serving a purpose. I just finished Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah. Normally, I enjoy her books. They are easy reads, even if they tend to be on the sad side. I liked this one, but not as much as Firefly Lane. After reading that, and True Colors, this one was a little predictable. I knew, the first time he was introduced, what was going to happen between Joe and Meghan. I also had a feeling what the diagnosis would be, after the second headache. The relationship between the sisters, which was supposed to be the focus of the book, developed and resolved too quickly in my opinion. All of a sudden, there was the problem. And then Claire gets sick, and the problem is gone. When she is healthy again, they are best friends like before. Yay for the happy ending and all but...

I just got The Other Queen by Phillipa Gregory, Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby (an audiobook. I've liked the movies made out of his books [About a Boy, High Fidelity, Fever Pitch], so I'm going to try an actual book this time), and The Law of Similars by Chris Bohjalian. I also just ordered The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette and Shutter Island (I kind of want to read the book before I see the movie). So, if there is really going to be another snow storm on Wednesday (and I hope there ISN'T), I should be prepared. :)

9/100

Finished two more books - Hate List and Chasing Harry Winston. The first one took me back to being an angsty teenager, which was pretty unnecessary. It was about a girl whose boyfriend becomes a school shooter. Its a young adult book, and for the genre written well. I read The Hour I First Believed the week it was released and loved that one. So for me, while it was a quick read, it is not a favorite.

Chasing Harry Winston is a cute, fun read about 3 girlfriends living in NYC. Its by the same author as The Devil Wears Prada and I really enjoyed it.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

This is - what? Book 7 for the year? I really enjoyed it. It was a quick read, light and funny. Much better than Undomestic Goddess (which I've read good reviews for - but I just can't). I liked the friendship that developed between Sadie and Lara. It was a little predicatable, but I don't really mind that too much.

I am currently in the middle of two books - Here's the Deal by Howie Mandel and The Tattooed Girl by Joyce Carol Oates. My goal is to finish at least of them by tomorrow so that when I go to the library to pick up my book on hold (NEVERLAND J. M. Barrie, the Du Mauriers and the Dark Side of “Peter Pan” By Piers Dudgeon) I can return two books. I have two more books on hold that haven't come in yet. Hate List, which from what I've seen on TheNest boards is considered a YA. And also Juliet, Naked by Nicholas Hornby on audio. I am hoping that by the time I get there at least one more of those is available (preferably the audio book).

Thank goodness for snow days? Sort of.

The Time Traveler's Wife

This is one of my all time favorite books. I know that it tends to be either a love it or hate it book, but I absolutely love it. I think it is the most beautiful love story I have ever read. He always ends up back to Claire.

Anyway, Nate and I rented the movie last night. It was good (meaning, it still had me sobbing at the end of it). However, it was not nearly as good as the book. It was a lot more jumbled up than the book, and it moved much more quickly (which I guess makes sense). It skipped details that were important.

Overall, this is a case of the book is definitely better than the movie.

And another thing - ENOUGH WITH THE WHITE STUFF OUTSIDE! While its great that I am able to catch up on my reading, I am tired of being stuck inside.

6/100?

Okay, so since my last post over two weeks ago, I have finished The Summer of Naked Swim Parties (pretty good, quick read), The Secret Between Us (finished in one day. I definitely enjoyed this one. The struggle between the mother and the daughter was well developed.), and Mistaken Identity (not the most well-written books, but one of the saddest true stories I've read.).

As much as I hate returning books to the library without finishing them, I took Undomestic Goddess back today. I couldn't get through it. I was about halfway through and just felt like I was trudging through mud. It never grabbed my attention, I didn't want to know what was going to happen next, I didn't care if she and Nathaniel got together, if that rich couple found out who she really was, if the law firm asked her back.

In its place, I checked out the following:
Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me by Howie Mandel (very excited to read this, as I have a mild OCD)
The Tatooed Girl by Joyce Carol Oates (I adore her. One of my favorite books is We Were the Mulvaneys, before it was made into a Lifetime movie. She spoke at my college while I was a student there, and I missed her because I had an exam that night.)
The Deep End of the Ocean by J. Mitchard (I am a sucker for the Oprah Book Club picks)

This week is going to be busy. Going to try to squeeze as much reading in as possible. Looking forward to the three day weekend that comes with Presidents' Day :)

I really need to catch up this weekend

Okay, so last Tuesday I went to the library for the first time in at least a year. Normally I buy all my books, but if I plan to read 100 books this year (which, to do, I need to get my butt moving), I would easily spend $1500-2000! I love the library, though. I love the plastic book covers on the hardbacks, I love browsing the bookshelves, I love the way library books smell. I love the thought of how many other people have read the exact same book. So, the sooner I finish the 3 I checked out, the sooner I get to go back. Hopefully that means Tuesday.

I finished Audrey, Wait! this morning. For a YA book, it was pretty good. I was a little annoyed at the grammar mistakes that were left in the book when it was published, and the fact that one character was named one thing and then a paragraph later (and all subsequent mentions of the character), she had a completely different name! But the book reminded me of being young, although my teenage years were nothing compared to Audrey's and her friends. It made me think of what it was like when I was 17 and just starting to date a boy. And then it made me really glad that I am in my (late) 20s, married and not dating ever again :)

The other two books that I am working on are The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinsky and The Undomestic Goddess by the shopaholic girl. I have started several books by BD, but have never managed to finish one. I definitely think I will finish this one, and While My Sister Sleeps. I also liked the Shopaholic series, and I am pretty sure this book will be a quick, easy read.


3 down, 97 to go...

2 Down, 98 To Go

I just finished The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc. It was a good, quick read. Its set in Louisiana in the 1950s, right outside of New Orleans. I might be slow to pick up on things, but I never guessed some of the plot twists. I plan to check out the other two books, The Southern Belle's Handbook and The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell. The Handbook is referenced constantly throughout Sissy's book, although it was written AFTER this book.

The Borders Express by my parents is closing, and they are having a 50% off everything sale. I bought Sleeping Arrangements by Madeline Wickham. I think I am going to go back later this week and see what else I can pick up.

Also, Nate and I have a bet going. He has a goal of 75 book by December and I have a goal of 100 books by December. Whoever reaches their goal first is getting a Kindle for Christmas! Just a little more incentive :)

Next up: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

1 down, 99 to go

With the Bengals-Jets game in the background, I have finished my first book of 2010, Your Heart Belongs to Me. The quick summary on the back of the book was a little misleading, as it says

One year after the heart transplant that saved his life, thirty-five-year old Ryan Perry has never felt better. He's getting back everything he nearly lost forever - his business, his life, and with luck, his beloved girlfriend. Miracles do happen. Then the unmarked gifts begin to arrive - a box of candy hearts, a heart-shaped pendant. Most disturbing of all is a graphic heart-surgery video and its chilling message: Your heart belongs to me. Ryan is being stalked by someone who feels entitled to everything he has. She's the spitting image of the twenty-six-year old donor of the heart beating steadily in Ryan's chest. And she's come to take it back.

This plotline doesn't start to form until page 200, more than halfway through the book. The plot leading up to it is intriguing, and important to the culmination of all of the sub-plots. However, I was disappointed when I first started reading, as it was not what I was expecting.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and give it 3.5/5

Tomorrow I am going to resolve my library card issues and pick up The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown from my dad. Until then, I am going to catch up with Jennifer Lancaster and her book Bitter is the New Black (which does not count towards my 100 books of the year, since I started it several months ago).

First Book of the New Year

Your Heart Belong to Me by Dean Koontz


Okay, so tecnically I started it before January 1st, but only by a couple of days. I am about halfway through and so far I like it. The only other Koontz book I've read is Life Expectancy, which I LOVED. This one is sufficiently suspenseful. It is not a book that I can read when I am home alone at night, though.

Nate is also reading a Dean Koontz book, The Taking. He started it on Friday night and stayed up until 5 in the morning reading it. He should be finished it by tonight. He reads much faster than I do, apparently.

I need to get a move on it if I plan to read 100 books...that's a book every 3 days, and I'm already behind!!

This is how it started...

Nate and I rented Julie&Julia during my Winter Break. If you aren't familiar with the book or the movie, basically Julie Powell makes a personal goal to make every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year and blogs about it. Also during my Winter Break, I spent a lot of time lurking on The Nest's Book Club message boards and became inspired to challenge myself. I have set a personal goal to read 100 books in 2010 and I set up this blog to help me keep track of what I'm reading and what I'm thinking as I read it.

Wish me luck...