Fall Into Reading Part ?

December 21st is finally here? It went entirely too quickly.

Okay. Here's the problem with my reading. I've read entirely too many books that aren't on my list in the sidebar, and I can't remember what they are called. So I'll quickly cover the ones I do remember.

Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger - I liked it, but the end really ticked me off because it's a total cliffhanger. His books usually don't end that way. Grrr.

The Mermaid Chair by Susan Monk Kidd - She wrote the Secret Life of Bees which was wonderful. This one? Not so much. The story was predictable and was about an adulterous relationship... with a MONK for goodness sakes! Sheesh. I should have just watched tv for an hour to get that fill...

The Sea by John Banville - it's a Man Booker Prize Winner. Short for "really slow and boring and you just want to finish the book so that you can put it down and say 'Why on earth did I spend my time reading that?!'". Or something like that.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini - I really liked this book. It was very much along the lines of LOTR, but written in a way that children could understand and appreciate its color and story. Yes I am a LOTR lover. But it's okay to make room for another trilogy in my book.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie - of course it is good. Look at the author! But it is the first introduction to Hercule Poirot and it is full of clues that make you look back and say, "I should have known" or in my case "I guessed right! Woo hoo!"

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain - I'd never read it before. I tried the internet sight that Beck recommended where it would send you a little bit every day. It was supposed to take 142 days to complete it. I think I took 30, which was too long for me. I'll just never be an e-book type person. I like the feel of the book in my hot little hands.

The Husband by Dean Koontz - I am a Koontz fan. I like his ability to spin a good yarn and to keep you wanting to turn the page for more. It actually got me because I didn't guess who was the dastardly character in this book. Yeah, I like it when they get me. I recommend it for a nice, scary, what-is-going-on? read.

That's all I can recall, because did I write any of them down? Noooo. (I'm such an idiot.) I'm the type who walks by a book in the library and just picks it up because it caught my fancy. I had several that did that to me this month. Oh well.

Now to those on my side bar: I finished all except two entries, one of which is not my fault. I can't get Broken For You at the library until something like 2008, so it's just going to have to wait. And I didn't finish the Narnia Series. I'm on the fourth in the series, so there's still hope that I'll get it done before the end of the year. Oh, never mind. I'm going to take my time to read through those.

Affinity - I pulled this one off of someone else's list, but I don't remember whose list it was. It was mysterious and readable, but when I was done, I just didn't like it. Can't explain much why. I just didn't.

The Bookman's Last Fling by John Dunning - No not in the way you're thinking. Sheesh. You perverts. This book is a series about Cliff Janeway, a good cop who was forced into retirement due to his loosing his cool now turned antique bookman. I like this series because Cliff is funny, real and not everything is wrapped up in to a pretty little bow. The stories usually follow a realistic investigation where those who are asking are given lots of unusable information, but with hard work and a lot of luck, they can sometimes find some answers. The characters are likable and the plot is believable - two plusses in my book. If you choose to read this series, I suggest that you start with Booked To Die, not because the books can't stand alone, but because other characters and situations will make flow in the reading.

Captivating - What a beautiful perspective on women. How we were made to be thought of as God's masterpiece, how we long to be noticed as beautiful, how we each want to accepted. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend that all the women read it. Maybe you too can be a lot more relaxed when it comes to being you.

Financial Peace University - I think every person should read this book. Better yet, if you can take the course, you will find the encouragement from others to get your spending life in order and to create a plan to have yourself debt-free. It takes time. It takes will-power. It takes determination. But as you start paying off debt, you feel more free as a person, as an employee, as a couple (in our case.) Does it work? You bet. Mr. Right and I have already paid off 2 medical bills and a small credit card. And we feel SOOO GOOD! So I definitely recommend this book!

Sheet Music - I love a book that starts off by saying that it is written for couples only - and married couples at that! It takes a good hard look at the who, what, when, where, why and hows of sex in a marriage. I loved it! And my favorite part was all the homework that I made for Mr. Right and me. You know me... I've got to be the A+ student. It's a great resource, especially if your sex life isn't so exciting and you want it to change. It's all written from a Christian point of view, so the situations and wording should not offend.

Bible (Galatians - Revelations) - I did it! After 2 years, I finally read my Bible all the way through. I have to say, God gave me such insight and enlightenment as I read through to the end. Verses that I had heard but didn't know the entire context around suddenly made perfect sense. I found books that I love and situations that made me stop to think about how it applied to me present day. I found myself praying more and praising God more as I went through my days. I'm heading back to Genesis to start over again. This book really is THAT exciting!

Katrina asked us to answer these questions:

The best book I read this fall: The Bible. I really did find it the most inspiring and the most challenging literature to comprehend.

The book I could have lived without: Toss up among Affinity (see above), March and A Rift In Time.

Whether or not I would have read more without the challenge: Since I read so much, I don't think it affected my intake. I may be reading more AFTER the challenge...

The best thing about joining the challenge: I'm going to have a nice LONG reading list! Yipee!

If I discovered (and enjoyed) a new book or author after reading someone else's list: Not yet, but I bet that is in the works...

Any other insights, enjoyments, thoughts or impressions: I love anything that convinces others to read more. I'm so looking forward to trying new books and to seeing how books help to define each other - tastes, preferences, etc. I really can't wait to do it again and I hope even more will join in the fray of expanding minds - and my reading list!

I'd like to thank Katrina at Callapidder Days for thinking of this whole idea. It's been encouraging to have so many others on the same quest: Reading for fun!

Previous Fall Into Reading Posts

The Beginning

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4