back to the beginning....

So, I have read some books in 2014.

As usual my goal was to complete 100 books - but this year I also set some mini-goals. I'm trying to increase the quality of my reading, rather than just the quantity.

• 12-20 Non-Fiction
• 6 Pulitzer Prize winners (Novel (1917-1947)/Fiction (1948-present))
• 6 Books that I already owned and had not read
• 6 "Classics" (we're using a very loose definition of Classic, here)

So, roughly a third of my reading was supposed to be more focused, and the remaining 2/3 was going to be my usual willy nilly selection process.

I'm not sure if it was focusing on the mini-goals that slowed me down, or if Life just happened with more vehemence this year, but I didn't get anywhere close to 100 books completed. The sale of my childhood home and my parents moving in with me temporarily before relocating out of state,  joining a Master's Swim Team that works out three nights a week, lacing up my running to shoes to train for a 5k, and then a 10k, and a half marathon early next year, designing and remodeling a closet (despite having zero knowledge or related skills, gaining two new roommates and taking multiple road trips with/to see my niece and nephews might have had something to do with it. At any rate, I'm not feeling too terrible about it. Here's a look at a couple things I've read this year.

Mudhouse Sabbath (Lauren Winner)

Girl Meets God continues to be one of my all time favorites, so I'll probably continue to pick up Lauren Winner's books. I may not always agree with her, but I appreciate her perspective and the honesty with which she works out her faith. This is a short quick read, a collection of vignettes related to her attempt to incorporate some of the spiritual practices from her Jewish background into her practice of Christianity.

 

 

 

Feeling Sorry For Celia - Ashbury/Brookfield #1 (Jaclyn Moriarty)

I unearthed this book while cleaning out a shed at my parents house. I'd been wondering where it was, so obviously I had to sit down and reread it, even though it fulfills none of my stated goals. I love everything about this book. Quirky, witty, scatterbrained but loveable characters; light, humorous, teen angst; epistolary format; how could I not? It's like it was written for me. A description (from the author's website):

Life is pretty complicated for Elizabeth Clarry. Her best friend Celia keeps disappearing, her absent father suddenly reappears, and her communication with her mother consists entirely of wacky notes left on the fridge. On top of everything else, because her English teacher wants to rekindle the "Joy of the Envelope," a Complete and Utter Stranger knows more about Elizabeth than anyone else.
But Elizabeth is on the verge of some major changes. She may lose her best friend, find a wonderful new friend, kiss the sexiest guy alive, and run in a marathon. So much can happen in the time it takes to write a letter...

 The sequel (A Year of Secret Assignments) is also fun. There are apparently two additional books, which I will at some point need to hunt down. (Side note: it's really confusing when books have different titles in different countries) Two thumbs up.