Kate's Reading Adventure... The Best Books of 2013

Okay, I think I am about to go into withdrawal. I already have Divergent downloaded on my Kindle to start tomorrow. Over the last few days, the blog has had much reflection as I took time to think about how the books impacted me this year.

As most of the last few post have taken time to reflect on the adventure as a whole, this post is for the books (and maybe a few stats).

Without further ado, throughout the 31,000+ pages here are my thoughts on the books!

The Longest Book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
The Shortest Book: The Wastleland, Prudfrock, and Other Poems T.S. Elliot
Best Fiction: The Alchemist Pauelo Coleho
Best Classic: Lord of the Flies William Golding
Best Series: Harry Potter ( but new series Heroes of Olympus)
Best Non-Fiction: Half the Sky
Best Memoir/Biography:  The Art of Racing in the Rain Garth Stein
Best Life Help Book: Tuesday with Morrie
Most Challenging Book ( but amazing): The Book Thief
Book Everyone Should Read At Least Once:  To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee
Worst Book: Beloved Toni Morison and The Casual Vacancy J. K. Rowling

Other Favorite Books:
The Color Purple Alice Walker
Fault of Our Stars John Green
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Rebecca Wells
FISH Stephen Lundin
Outliers Malcolm Gladwell

With this post I say the end to 2013. I will be back in 2014, but the blog may look a little different. I wish you all a wonderful New Year in 2014.

Happy Reading.

100th book.. A Classic Fantasy

Tolkien is truly brilliant. After reading the entire Lord of the Ring series, I understand why many people credit  Tolkien with the modern fantasy genre. The Return of the King was an epic end to the Lord of the Rings saga.

Like Two Towers, TRTK is told over two parallel books of Aragon story and Frodo's final trip to Mount Doom. The epic battle scene are amazing on screen, however, unlike the Harry Potter final battle scenes, these were a little harder to follow. I think it boils down to the vast amount of characters in the books. Don't get me wrong. I thought this was an excellent book; I just had to work  hard to stay focused and keep up with characters.

Any true fantasy reader should read The Lord of Ring series at least once. It is a good read and shows where so many fiction writers pulled some of their inspiration. Tolkien took the time to develop a language and back story for every race in Middle Earth as well as lay out many more details in the appendices. While some are better than others, make sure you read those as well.

With this post, I am saying farewell to the 100 books of 2013. I've read over 31,000 pages and spent countless hours reading, but it has been so so much fun. I can't wait to see what the next year holds!

Happy Reading and Have a Wonderful New Year!

Next Steps

Tonight, I will crawl in bed and read for the last night of the 100 book challenge. I have about 100 pages of LOTR appendices to read. It has been an amazing ride. It is such a great feeling to know I accomplished this goal. Thanks to all my family and friends who supported me along the way. Facebook you have been an awesome way to connect so many friends and family to the blog.

As I look forward to 2014, I am taking time to create life goals and reading goals. While I do not plan on reading 100 books next year, I think I am going to read 52 books. I have spent much time debating about how to handle the blog. While I will keep my Goodreads shelf pretty up-to date with books I am reading, I think I am only going to post 3-4 times a year about the books I am reading. I have other goals and interest that I want to spend on 2014. However, I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you all. Maybe I will change my mind. 

A few Baltimore friends have asked if I would start a book club. I think I am going to put a few feelers out to friends in the area to see who is going to be interested ( I am already in one and joining another in 2014). We will see how this adventure goes.

Finally, I am so excited for some of my reads in 2014. Throughout the year many books were recommended to me. I also just had some I wanted to read. Here are some of the books I know I am reading in 2014:

Divergent Veronica Roth

The Goldfinch Donna Tartt

The Game of Thrones George Martin

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close  Jonathan Foer

Here is a link with my 2014 shelf

With that the year is almost done. Tomorrow, I will post a recap of Return of the King and the Top Books of 2013. 

Happy Reading!

The Last 50.. Reflecting Back

The time has come my friends to take a look back on the last 50 books. I am reading the appendices for the Return of the King so I feel confident in evaluating the last 50 books. It is hard to believe this adventure is almost over. Throughout the year, I enjoyed sharing my reading and thoughts with everyone. July-December brought some really great books and some really bad books. Without further ado, here are my favorite books of the last six months.

The Color Purple Alice Walker
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams
The Fault in Our Stars John Green
Bossypants Tina Fey
Ender's Game Orson Scott Card
House of Hades Rick Riordian
FISH: A Remarkable Way to Improve Morale and Boost Results Stephen Lundin
Animal Farm George Orwell
The Art of Racing in the Rain Garth Stein
The World's Strongest Librarian  Josh Hanagarne
A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams 

In case you missed it, here were the best books of the first 50.

Happy Reading!

A Little Philosophy in the Mix

In college, I had at least two classes where we discussed Machiavelli's The Prince: Western Civilization and Political Philisophy. I realize now that in my philosophy class we did read all of the Prince.

The Prince is one of those books that every reader should read at least once. I am not sure why I felt the need to read it again. There are great comments and thoughts on morality, political beliefs and right and wrong.  However, this version has a great introduction, notes, and comments section. If you have never read/discussed Machiavelli, I highly recommend this version.

While everyone has their own thoughts and beliefs on Machiavelli, I think he was revolutionary for his time on questioning the faith morality and mainstream political ideals.

I leave you with some of the more famous quotes from The Prince to ponder.

Happy Reading!


“Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.” 
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

“I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.” 
― Niccolò Machiavelli

“There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you.” 
― Niccolò Machiavelli, Machiavelli Niccolo : Prince

“The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.” 
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

“There are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; the first is the most excellent, the second is good, and the third is useless.” 
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

When a Book restores your Faith of Humanity

It is hard to believe 2013 is coming to an end and with that my 100 book challenge. They say it is good to saved the best for last and I think The World's Strongest Librarian is one of the best books I have read this year.  In Josh Hanagarne's memoir, he tells a story of battling Tourette's, finding his faith, and the importance of family. 

While memoirs tend to be good reads, Josh captivates the readers with his easy-following tone and quirky personal stories. His earliest childhood memories are retold and continued up until the book is published. I finished the book wanting to read more stories. These are my favorite books. When the author speaks to me like a friend, I am forever a fan.

If anyone needs a pick-me up or wants to remember the power of family or the good in an individual, I would highly recommend this book. (Thanks to numerous other book bloggers for finding this gem!) It is a great read!

Off to dive into a little philosophy before I end the year with Tolkien!

Happy Reading!

Merry Christmas Eve

It is hard to believe the year is almost coming to an end. I have 7 days left to read about 900 pages. Lucky for me I am off of work these entire 7 days. Thanks to you all who have joined me on my journey of reading 100 books. Over the next week, I hope to post about my favorite of the last 50 and my top 10 favorites. Finally, I am still debating about what next year looks like for the blog, but I will always keep reading!

My grandmother was a librarian for many years. Her love of reading was spread to my dad and aunts and then onto me. Their reading taste definitely show through in the blog. My dad will read the blog in his email, but my grandmother is not quite as technical savvy. For Christmas, I spent time printing out the blog so that she may have the opportunity to read the blog and see the books I have been reading.  Special shout out to my niece, Jenna Grace for helping me print 100+ post! I am excited for this very special Christmas gift in the morning.

I want to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas. I hope you all enjoy this time with friends and family. Maybe you will even find a few moments to read!

Happy Reading!

The English, their Tea, and Churchill

In the midst of the holiday season,  I am managing to get through these books day by day. This morning, I finished Major Pettigrew's Last Stand.  In Helen Simonson debut novel, small-town politics, love affairs, and family drama was apart of this great novel. While at first, I was worried that this book was shaping out to be similar to Casual Vacancy, it turned out to be much better with a stronger plot line and character development. 

Major lives in a small town in the English countryside. When his brother dies, his brother's heirloom Churchill gun brings the family drama on the heir to the gun. The death also brings together Mrs. Ali and Major as their similar lives intertwine throughout the village. 

While I avoid plot summaries in most of my post, this book was a great take both of English rural life as well as intercultural relationships. The characters are easy to relate and the plot moves relatively fast. This is a great read for most anyone.

Happy Reading! 

When the Silver Screen ruins the book

It is beginning to look at lot like Christmas, and in the true Christmas spirit, I read Charles Dickens famous A Christmas Carol-This weekend. It is a truly short read (less than 100 pages), but I am not sure  how I feel about this  book. I have seen about every version of the movie Christmas Carol. I know the story backwards and forwards, but I truly appreciated how Dickens conveyed character's feeling along with slight political commentary throughout the book. However, since I knew the story oh so well, I had to make an effort to compare it over and over with any of the movies.

A Christmas Carol is a book everyone should read at least once, but be sure to not compare it with the movies.

And then there were four. I am finishing up a book tonight and am racing to the finish line for the last 3 books. 

( I read the version with Chimes and Cricket on the Hearth. I skimmed both of these books. They were both interesting twist on Christmas tales. I think I may go back and re-read them.)

Happy Reading and Merry Christmas!

A little "light" reading to start the Holidays

Well, there are 9 days left of the year, and I have 4 books left. It is a true race to the finish in the mist of holiday season.  I have read two books since Friday and I am close to being back on track.

In graduate school, a professor told us that any of us in Student Affairs needed to take a closer look at Richard Arum's Academically Adrift. Well, a few years later, I finally got around to reading the book. In this extremely long study (and highly technical journal article,) a study analyzed the rising cost of tuition compared to the amount of actual learning that occurs in higher education.

While other studies have brought up some of these fears ( students are not increasing their critical thinking, students are not reading and writing enough,etc.,), I had trouble with this book as a whole because of the measurement used. I did find it interesting, yet expected, about the impact of socioeconomic factors have on success and learning in college. As a whole, I found this book to be okay, but not a earth-shattering as far as  news in the higher education world.

The best thing about this book was that it reminded me that I needed to keep reading scholarly articles in order to stay up to-date in to trends in higher education.

I just finished a Christmas Carol. 4 more books to go!

Happy Reading!

Little Girls...

I have been putting off this post for a while as Lolita was one of the weirdest books I have read in a while. In this book, Humbart falls for Lo after her mother dies. Their affair shapes Lo's life as she runs into a hard dramatic life. While I can see how the book was recognized for its writing, the content was so far off, I had a hard time reading it.

It was one of my least favorite book of the year. Before I decided if I liked the characters, they were being asked to make major life decisions. As a whole, I think I could have spent my time reading other books.

Such is life. On the whole, I am glad I only have one day left of the semester at work. The holiday season is busy and fun, but hard on the reading schedule. Over the next 10 days, I will be reading mighty fast! Here we go!

Happy Reading!

When a Time Warp meets Politics

Being There is Jerry Kosinki take on an man's unexpected fall into the world of the elites and politics. After gardening his entire life, he is kicked out of the home when the owner dies. By a chance accident he is taken in by a powerful family and rises to influence Wall Street and the President's Fiscal party.

While the book is a little far-fetched, it has some brilliant quotes and simple ideas. It is a fairly quick read, but I am not sure I followed the entire book. Good ideas and interesting mix of philosophy and fiction. Decent read on the whole.

Happy Reading!

I was dancing with my darling... to the Tennessee Waltz

... I mean Tennessee Williams. Ahh I know it has been over a week since I have updated the blog. The good news is that by the end of the weekend I should be all caught up on the blog and reading ( I am only about 1/2 book behind on reading!)

The holiday season is full of busy times, friends, family, socials, shopping, and not much down time. I am feeling it this time of year. When I usually read late at night or early in the morning, I just want to crawl into bed and sleep.

Already this month, I read two books that are not on the blog. Keeping with tradition, they will get their own post (today).

While I have seen Tennessee Williams's  A Streetcar Named Desire in person, I was surprised by the quality of writing and emotions that came across in the written drama. Plays are not always the easiest to read, but this was great. Stella, Stanley, and Blanche come alive.

It is a story of passion, love, southern culture, and family. All in all a great quick read.

Happy Reading!

December Books

Wow, It is hard to believe it is already December and that I only have 30 days left in this challenge. Luckily, I only have 9 books to go. It has been a truly amazing adventure. Meeting people, learning what other people read. All in all it has been amazing. Here are the last 10 books ( yes I realize one will not be read, but I also know that sometimes I can't get my hands on one.)

December is a challenging time month, but I know I can do it! Right now, I am currently deciding what to do with the blog and just reading in general for 2014. Yes, I will keep reading, but I am debating about how much I share and the number. I will keep you all posted. Thanks for all your support.

And now for the books:

The Return of the King- JRR Tolkien
A Streetcar Named Desire- Tennessee Williams
Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov
The World's Strongest Library- Josh Hanagarne
The Prince- Niccolo Machiavelli
Being There- Jerzy Kosinski
Academically Adrift: Richard Arum
A Christmas Carol- Charles Dickens
Major Petigrew's Last Stand- Helen Simonson

Happy Reading!

** Note to self: There is a difference between save and publish. Now this post is ready.
** Edited the list slightly due to time to get books read and time constraints.

When A Book Grows on You

There are certain books that everyone should read at least once to better understand the world. Middlesex was one of those books for me. While I was not sure how I felt about the book as I was reading it, Jeffery Eugenines puts together a story of misunderstood population that is both memorable and intriguing.

Callie becomes Cal as a family secret is discovered, and a world is discovered. While I have read and become familiar with some different lifestyles, this literary piece is an amazing piece of work to show the emotions involved.

The allusions to Greek literature and the historical references are great. While parts of the book are just weird and hard to relate, I am glad I read this book. It puts the world in perspective.

December Books are coming up. I was traveling and all.

Happy Reading!

Transcendentalism Up Close- HDT

Henry David Thoreau (HDT) was one of the founding thought provokers behind the Transcendentalism movement along with his good friend Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The idea that literature can be both a moral compass and a spiritual guide comes out of this moment. While this was a time of enlighten philosophical thought and new literary approaches in the 1830s, the writings of this era proved to be influential to various leaders for years to come.

That is enough of a history lesson this morning, I spent the last few days reading Walden (and re-skimming Civil Disobedience).  I forgot how much of a difference reading a deep thought provoking book in a classroom setting helps. While I was able to read the book, and I think glean through most of it, after taking a quick skim over Cliff notes I appreciate talking out deep/philosophical books out as you read them.

Walden is HDT sabbatical into Walden Pond. While the book is told in a seasonal cycle, he was there for a few years. During this time he emphasizes personal growth, spiritual development, and living the simple life. While there are plenty of literary analysis of Walden, I leave that for the experts. It was a hard read, but if you like philosophy read it. In other news, Civil Disobedience is something everyone should read at least once in their life.

Currently, I am reading Middlesex at the moment.

It is currently, 7 AM in my hometown. On this Thanksgiving morning, I needed to blog early before all the crazy wonderfulness of Thanksgiving starts. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

When Dogs are Personified

The Art of Racing in the Rain has been mentioned and recommend to me more times than I care to recall over the last 5 years. It is about a dog, and I am not super crazy about dogs so I skipped it. Wow, it is a truly moving, sad, well-written story. I almost gave this book five stars. First, Enzo, the dog is the narrator and recounts this heart-wrenching family story from his eyes. Human emotions are personified through his eyes as he protects his family of Denny, Eve, and Zoe through unimaginable events. The racing theme carries a nice subplot throughout the book.

Overall, Garth Stein creates memorable characters and a great plot. I highly recommend this book to all.

And now on the Walden and Civil Disobedience.

Happy Reading!

Memory Palaces

It is has been a busy few weeks over on my end, and I am finally catching up on both reading and blogging.

This weekend, I finished a fascinating read: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Josh Foer. While I had heard great things about this book, I wasn't quite sure what it was about. Literally, Josh Foer recalls his personal journey into the world of competitive memory competitions and expanding memory power with simple tricks (see Memory Palaces). There are tangents throughout the book, but the story and concepts taught in the book are pretty fascinating. It confirmed for me that humans are far more capable of many things than we make our selves out to be. 

This is not a fictional account. Josh spends a year training for these elite memory competitions where competitors memorize decks of cards, poems, faces, random information, and much more. It is a pretty quick, non-typical read. It is a great read, but I could have used less tangents. 

I just finished The Art of Racing in the Rain and am deep into Walden and Civil Disobedience. 

Happy Reading!

The Saga Continues

After a week, I finally finished LOTR: Two Towers. It was much tougher to read as it packs many details and story lines into a few days. Additionally, the first battle scenes occur in this book. Battle scenes are hard for me to read in any book, much less fantasy. It is important to remember that book is written in two sections: one that focuses on the Journey of the majority of the Fellowship and the other is on Sam and Frodo's battle into Mordor to destroy the ring. Parts of this book are amazing and you do not want to put it down. Others are so hard to read. I am glad I have read it, but I think it would have been more exciting if I would have read it before the movies came out.  I am ready to read the Return of the King to finish the series in December. 

Happy Reading!

A New Look at Satire

Don't move to Seattle, you can take a cruise to Antarctica, online personal assistants may be questionable,  nd mom's will do anything for their kids. These are just a few of the takeaways from Maria Semple's Where'd You Go Bernadette.

Semple uses tongue and cheek satire to address a few serious issues while creating a memorable story line with a few bizarre twist and notable characters. Bernadette and her husband Elgin move to Seattle. Soon after they have Bee who is brilliant. When her mother goes a little crazy and does not always adapt to Seattle,  their trip to Antarctica changes their family forever. The first 30-40 pages were a little scatter and I was skeptical. In the end, this turned out to be a great book. While I wouldn't put it in my top ten, it is definitely worth a read.

Currently, I am working hard to finish LOTR: Two Towers. I have 3 weeks off total before the end of the year so I think I still will be right on track!

Happy Reading!

When a Book Reads like a Conversation with a Friend

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns was Mindy Kaling's debut book. She writes pretty much what she thinks and how she feels and it is fabulous.

In her quirky take on life, Mindy reveals that the path to Hollywood was not smooth. She is not a size two, and "hooking up" needs to have a unified term. In short Mindy writes like she is having a conversation with you on her couch. You can laugh at loud, turn the page quickly when you remember a guilty pleasure, and just enjoy the book. I encourage you all to pick up this quick read!

Starting Where'd You Go Bernadette tonight for Book Club!

Happy Reading!

Orwell.. Satire and the Animals that took over

George Orwell is an amazing author. After reading Animal Farm, I realize just how much of a satirist he was until after reading Animal Farm. While 1984 was more of a warning of how the government can take over. Animal Farm was a satirical account of the Soviet Union rule.

The farm animal were personified into human characters. Orwell creates a story of socialism that looks good at first and then falls a part at the end. While there are plenty of critical analysis of  Animal Farm, I think everyone will enjoy the balance of light story with great political satire.

Good read. Orwell never disappoints.

Happy Reading!

Sometimes you just need a break

After reading some pretty intense books the last two weeks, I decided I wanted to read a light an easy read. Luckily, I had Sarah Jio The Bungalow on my list. I think I read the entire book in less than 24 hours. The story is captivating. While most of the story is told through a flashback, the two stories meet and mysteries are solved.

Sarah Jio brings together the perfect blend of character development, plot, and intrigue. Anne and her friend Kitty leave to serve as army nurses in the South Pacific in WWII. The stories the come together and plot twist make this a great book with a surprising twist at the end.

(PS: On a side note, I highly recommend reading this book on the beach or any tropical location.)


Currently evaluating my next book options.. can't decide off my list!

Happy Reading!

November Books

It is hard to believe it is November.  82 books are complete. 18 books left. That works out nicely to 9 books a month. I remember when I had only read 9 books and wasn't sure if I would be able to ever finish 100 books. With November and December come holidays, cold weather, and exciting football games! Reading has become a balance between work, social life, and just other commitments. I manage most of the time. I am not going to lie. I am glad October books are over. As a whole, they were not my favorite set of books. Let's hope that November books are much better.

On a side note, I am also going to try and spend a day or two updating most of the 100+ blog post. The old post don't have pictures, some need grammar and spelling edits, etc. Wish me luck!

Happy Reading!

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art of Remembering Everything: Joshua Foer
The Art of Racing in the Rain- Garth Stein
The Two Towers -J. R. R. Tolkien
Middlesex- Jeffery Eugenides
Walden and Civil Disobedience- Henry David Thoreau
Where'd You Go Bernadette - Maria Semple
Defending Jacob- William Landay
The Bungalow- Sarah Jio
Animal Farm- George Orwell
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? Mindy Kaling

(Yes, I know there are 10 books. Just in case I get ahead or can't find a book!)

A Closer Look at Racism

In graduate school,  I had the opportunity to read many books and scholarly articles on student development theory. I explored racism, sexism, and many other ideas that students (or adults) in general grapple with in this coming of age time of life. While I could go into detail about Astin, Erickson, Cross, Helms theories on student/ self/racial identity  development theories, I think it is more important to realize they are there.

This week I decided to read "Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" by Beverley Tatum. While it brought up many of the ideas that I study, it brought up real issues of racial tension and white privilege that start at a very young age. I am not sure that this book was  full of brand new information for me because of articles I have read in the past, but it is always good to be reminded. I liked that it presented research and action items without being to text-booky.

Tatum has made much progress for the community. However, much has changed since the 1990s. Racism is still part of the American culture. Students still have major discrepancies in the education system, but the more aware we are, the more change can be created.

If anyone works with people directly or wants more context in how they deal with people, I highly recommend this book!

November book list is about to come out!


Happy Reading!

RED RUM

Please pass the...Rum.. that is about how I feel after reading Stephen King's The Shining. In a true Halloween spirit, I read two haunting stories back to back. Not the brightest idea I have ever had. I am not impressed with either.

Parts of the book make you squirm and turn every page. Other parts of the book I was left wondering how in the world this related to the story. Additionally, after about 400 pages into the book, I figured out most of the story (200 pages in I figured out over half of the story). E for effort, but I have heard there are other King books that are better.

Stephen King is known for being a wonderful writer. I am just not sure I like horror writing. I think I will give him another chance...

Now I am reading Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?  It is hard to believe the end is in site. I will post November books soon!

Happy Reading!

Ghost Story within a Classic

Well, there are books that you hear about your entire life that people just tell you to read. Toni Morrison's Beloved was one of those for me even though I had no idea what it was about other than post civil war slavery.

Over the weekend, I took a break from the Shining (yes it is finished now) and read Beloved. While it was an interesting story, I am not going to stay I liked it. First, I was really confused. The story jumps around quite a bit and the characters jump around in who controls the narration. After reading a complete character list the story made much more sense.

The story takes a dark turn as the house 217 is haunted by "Beloved" the daughter of Sethe. Sethe and her daughter Denver live in isolation in a town post Civil War and work through the past that "Beloved" brings about. It is weird and hard to read at times. While the character development is amazing at times, it is just an okay book. The haunting is a little weird as well.

Not my favorite. I just finished the Shining and will blog soon.

Happy Reading!

A Look at Death

Morrie Schwartz is a truly amazing guy. Confronted with ALS he wanted to share with the world wisdom on Death and Life. While some people were introduced to him through his TV interviews, for me I met him through Mitch Albom's book Tuesday with Morrie (see blog post). I was so excited to learn he wrote down his own thoughts and words in a book called: Morrie: In His Own Words.

Morrie: In His Own Words is a great reflection on Life and Death. It is literally written on his death bed. With that being said, it was a little hard to read. It was a little dark and sad. The message is good, but I would read this in context with Tuesday with Morrie to understand his story. Good advice though!

Sorry this post is about a week late, I was distracted. I just finished up Beloved and I am about half-way done with The Shining. My goal is to finish The Shining and Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria. I will then have 18 books left for the last two months of the year. Exciting!

Happy Reading!

Weird Can be Good

First off, I guess I should apologize or make a disclaimer. I did not realize how much fantasy fiction I was cramming into one month.  If I hear a famous book is becoming a movie, I try to read the book before the movie comes out. Ender's Game comes out in 10 days; I guess I cut it pretty close since I just finished the book Saturday morning.

Everyone should read this book. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is a truly remarkable book. It was written in the late 1970s. After reading The Hunger Games and looking into some other child against the government books, I can see how much the book has influence other writings.  In the book, population is controlled. Kids can be given to the government. Ender was born for this very purpose. While the book starts off very weird and confusing, the development and growth in the story is amazing. Card crafted a great science fiction novel. The technology of the time was just starting to move forward. The book was so advanced.

All in all it is a great book. Take time to appreciate the moment, and read the book before the movie comes out!

Finished.. Morrie in His Own Words and Starting The Shinning!

Happy Reading!

Percy is Back

While I love Harry Potter, there is another Young Adult fantasy series that I love: Percy Jackson and the Olympians and then Heroes of Olympus. I have read all of the first series and the fourth book of the second series came out last week, The House of Hades.

I finished this book last week, but I have waited almost a week to blog. It is hard to share my thoughts on this particular book without taking into account the entire series. I am not even sure where to start except to say that I loved the book and love how Rick Riordian creates stories. Each plot weaves into a grand story that has an epic conclusion. The story and characters have been great.

While I would not recommend to start with this book, I would highly recommend the series as a whole and to start: The Lightning Thief . Percy knows he is different. He eventually is taken to Camp Half Blood where he learns he is a demigod and saves the world multiple times throughout the first series. Each has a purpose. The second series ties in Camp Jupiter and Roman Mythology. If you like mythology, young adult, or just a good story, I encourage you to check it out.

Finished Ender's Game this weekend. Starting Morrie in His Own Words.

Happy Reading!

Learning how to FISH!

I can't remember when I heard about the FISH philosophy the first time, but I do know when I fully understood and appreciated the philosophy was during our Leadership Guide training at UT and it changed much of my perception on interacting with others. During this time I watched the video and went through some of the facilitation exercises. I finally read the short book that started it all, and it was amazing. FISH! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale, by Stephen Lundin 

The book center's around a work/morale philosophy that started at the famous Pike Place Fish Market. In this story Mary Jane has to revamp her department's culture. After a visit to Pike Place, she meets Lonnie and readers get an inside view of how she implemented FISH and changed office morale and their corporate culture.

While this may seem like a business management book, it is not. It is practical advice about how to not be the victim, seize the moment, and enjoy the day. I love this book. Everyone should explore the FISH Philosophy. Here is their official website: FISH! (There is a clip of the video here)

For me it started with a video. While it is hard to remember these ideas everyday, I know my weeks are better when I do.  Seeing the impact of choosing your attitude,being present, PLAY, and making someone's day is amazing. Try it!

Happy Reading!

Finally finished the Fellowship

Good news, I am pretty much on track for my 100 books with 76 books down. Bad news, I am two blog post behind. So I am taking my lunch break and writing a quick post.

Since I was about 15, my family has encouraged my to read the Lord of the Ring series. I read the Hobbit, but stopped with the rest. I picked up Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Rings two other times over the last two years, but I never read it. Finally over the last week, I finished it and was so excited.

Frodo's journey of courage, strength, and trials was great to read. However, I have seen the movie multiple times. I know the end result. Sadly, I did not have the luxury of creating all of the worlds and characters in my head. The story is always good, but it was a very intense and detailed book to get through.

While I will say every avid reader should read this book at least once, I may only read this book only once.


Finished FISH and starting The House of Hades tonight!

Happy Reading All!

Do you need proof to believe?

Wednesday, I picked up Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. (Side note: Lynn Vincent from Same Kind of Difference as Me was a contributor.) I am not sure what I was expecting as the book has had much hype and media over the last two years since its release.

Heaven is for Real takes a look at a family's life after a little boy almost died from appendicitis. While near death experiences are powerful and are valid, everyone has their own understanding of faith, heaven, and beliefs.  People pray and their answers do not always come right away.

While it was a sweet book, it very much preached a one way to heaven mentality. While I am not saying I have all the answers, I am not sure I want to take this book as my view of heaven. It is an okay read,but not a book I would read again.


Currently finishing The Fellowship of the Rings. Excited for some upcoming books trying to finish this book this weekend!

Happy Reading!

October Books

Wow it is hard to believe, we are heading into the last stretch of 2013 and the last 27 books. That is technically 9 books a month. I am not sure how the last months will play out, but I am excited. Choosing some of the last books has been interesting. Goodreads is my savior. It is great to take in suggestions and filter out what I want to read this year and what I want to read in the future.

Right now, I have 11 books on the October list. I am not sure how far I will get on the list, but I would love to knock out 10 with the holidays coming up. We will see. Thanks for always reading the blog and supporting me along the way. As always, send me your suggestions, feedback!

On a side note, I spent the weekend at the Baltimore Book Festival. It was amazing.

Keep Reading!

Happy Reading!

Fellowship of the Ring,  J.R.R. Tolken  (I am still working on this from September)
The House of Hades, Rick Riordian
Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Trip to Heaven and Back, Todd Burpo
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
Morrie in His Own Words, Morrie Schwartz
Fish:A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results, Stephen Lundin
Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?  Beveley Daniel Tatum
Beloved, Toni Morrison
The Shinning, Stephen King
Middlesex,  Jeffery Eugendies

The Classic Key to a Girl Becoming a Woman

Growing up, I loved to read Judy Blume. I read many of her books growing up. Somehow I missed Are you There God, It's Me Margaret? When I started reviewing list of must read books, It came up multiple times. I decided it was time to check out this classic.

Blume as always does an amazing job blending together a short plot and character development with few pages. She leaves the reader wanting more. Even better, every girl and woman can relate to her coming of age story of "becoming a woman." Finally, her religious crisis and need for answers reminds of that we don't always have all the answers. There is some God out there that everyone interprets differently.

It is truly a brilliant coming of age book. I encourage you to pick it up.

Happy Reading!

When A Book Causes Stress

Most of the time I think I am pretty productive person and manage life fairly well. I know I can always improve and streamline the process, but I make it work. When life gets crazy for future reference, I do not recommend reading a book with multiple action items that you cannot act upon immediately. David Allen's Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity is a good book in theory, but I am not sure people live there lives like this realistically.  Technology and instant communication drives our input range to new highs. While I agree there are some great take aways from this book, some would take days and weeks to complete stop your current system to implement.

Focus on week to do list.
Keep paper handy to empty your mind.
Create a system for managing work flow.
Act on items that can take under 2 min,
Remember a "Do it, Delegate it, or Defer it" mentality.

There is more advice in the book. All is good, but I am not sure I could suddenly implement this all this week. Hence this book stressed me out reading, but it was a good read. Overall, check it out if you want to know more.

Finished Are You There God It is Me Margaret? I hope to put the post up in the morning.

Hard to believe September is almost over.

Happy Reading!

Laughing All the Way

Sometimes you just want a light read and a time to laugh. Sometimes you can stay up late and read a book in 1 or 2 nights. For me this book was Tina Fey's Bossypants. It was fabulous!

While I have heard from multiple people that the Audio book is great, I decided to read it. I literally laughed so hard I was crying at points. Tina Fey writes like she is sitting next to you. It is refreshing to see how she became such a great comedian from such a humble background, yet she never forgets her roots.

I highly encourage all to read this book. If you are not a fan of comedy, this may not be your favorite, but it is well worth the 2-3 hours it will take you to read.

Happy Reading!

Jumping into Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Still aiming for 9 books in September. Cross your fingers.

When I Don't Agree with Mainstream.

If you haven't noticed, I like to read. For the most part, I tend to read fairly mainstream books, classics, and a little bit of everything in between. Sometimes I stray and find a treasure. For the most part, I like a book to represent humanity but still end well. Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner which has been praised universally was a rough read this past week.

While the writing was one of the better books I have read this year, the story and up and down roller coaster of the plot left me disliking Amir and the overall climate of the book. The book reminds us that there is an innate good and evil and each of us and there is incredible power in forgiveness.

The Kite Runner has  received praise from all over. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it was not what I received. Read this book, but be warned it is not all sunshine and rainbows. It is a critical look at two different worlds of pre 9/11 Afghanistan and even pre/post Russian Afghanistan.

I am about to finish Bossypants. It is hilarious! Love it!

Gladwell..Round 2

A few days ago, I finished Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.  It was a good book, but it was not earth-shattering. I loved Outliers, but The Tipping Point, I realized, was full of ideas and concepts I had heard and learned most of my adult life. A few people can influence thousands. One change can impact many. I studied marketing and communication in undergrad, and these brillant ideas are researched in school.

I am not saying his anctodotal stories are not great, but I think this book has changed over the last ten years. Social media and technology has revolutionized the impact of connectors and maverns. We are no longer six degrees away from any one person, but closer to two or three.

Overall, if you want to understand the value of an idea and influence, read the book. Otherwise, I think this book has been updated over the last few years.

Happy Reading!

Finishing Kite Runner soon!

Cuckoo's Calling.. Different type of Character Development

After about a week of reading and socializing, I finally finished J. K. Rowling's The Cuckoo's Calling. It was a good book, but it was very detailed oriented and character driven.

Strike and his assistant Robin re-open a tragic case of a suicide or possible murder of a famous model in London. Overall, the book seemed to drag a little bit. I had a hard time getting through the first 200 pages. However, the last half of the book was great. The Cuckoo's Calling is much better the Rowling Casual Vacancy, but it was still not the magic of Harry Potter.

I'm about to finish The Tipping Point.

Happy Reading!

When you Fall for Characters..

 Reflecting back on The Fault in Our Stars by John Green my mind went so many places. First off this was a great book. While two young lovers fight cancer, Green is amazing at creating characters you love and keeping the plot moving.

Hazel and Gus travel in search for answers to the end of a novel. This search and quest for answers reminds me so much of myself. Occasionally, I have stayed up for hours creating entire stories and what if scenarios about the end of a book. There is nothing better in a book then when you can connect with a character. Hazel learns an important lesson that is good for us all to remember that many characters are imprints of authors life. There is a time and reason for the end of a book. Usually we just have to accept this.

I just kind of rambled here. Starting Cuckoo Calling Tonight!

Happy Reading!

Big Brother is Watching You

George Orwell's 1984. I am not sure I have the words to describe this book. I both love and hate this book at the same time. Everyone should read this book at least once. Orwell articulated a negative utopia and dictatorship government so well.

Orwell balances character development with plot and interesting twist as well as a dire warning. This mixture is the key reason I love this book. Orwell truly wrote a great  book. However, the idea of a totalitarian government taking over the world, lying and manipulating the past gets under my skin. In high school, I liked this book and said that was interesting. Today, I grasp with the idea that someone could come up with these ideas of how the government could control people.

Everyone should read 1984 at least once. Everyone should understand how the government works. More importantly, 1984 highlights the important of words and literary works to show knowledge and truth. I hope this book reminds you all to read and share the power of learning!

Happy Reading! Starting  The Fault in Our Stars

September Books..

September... this just might just be one of my favorite months of the year! New semester starting, Football in the air, New TV episodes, and amazing Fall weather. Wait where does reading fit into this! My goal is to read 9 books this month, but it is my birthday month so I get to do what I want, right?

In order to read all the books I can and enjoy the month. I am reading books that I want. Only a few of my classic themes will emerge. For the most part I am reading books that I have been excited about for a while!



1984- George Orwell
The Fault of our Stars- John Green
The Fellowship of the Rings- J. R. R. Tolkien
The Cuckoo's Calling- J. K. Rowling
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference- Malcolm Gladwell
The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini
Bossypants- Tiny Fey
Are you There God? It's Me Margaret- Judy Blume
Getting Things Done. The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Enjoy!

Happy Reading!

Sharing your Story and Owning your Past

As August comes to an end, I finished The Glass Castle. The Glass Castle is a memoir by Jeanette Walls. In her personal account of a not so perfect childhood, the reader is given a glimpse into the life of living below the poverty line.

Walls lived a life of supporting her siblings, dealing with an eccentric mother and an alcoholic father. They lived a nomadic life across the southwest and eventually into West Virginia. Almost every horrible thing that could happen to a family happened. It is inspirational and amazing to see how Walls survived and succeeded after her past.

She mentions struggling with her past and not accepting it. Our past shapes who we were, are, and will become. The story is a great reminder that everyone has a past that is not perfect. Jeanette wrote a beautiful story as she accepted hers. I would encourage everyone to give this book a try, you won't be disappointed.

September books will be posted tonight or in the morning! Currently reading and old favorite: 1984

Happy Reading

Diving into Some Poetry

The end of summer is near. School officially started today. The semester if going to be a busy one. Right now, I am working hard to stay motivated to read. I have two more books to finish this month and then it is my birthday month. For my birthday, I am breaking all the rules and reading books that I want to read. (I am so so excited. There are some popular books. Books getting much buzz! etc)

But back to poetry, I finally dived into T. S. Elliot. I am pretty sure I read Prufrock in high school. The Wasteland, Prufrock, and Other Poems were all good reads, but here is the thing. I love novels. I can appreciate there is a time and place for poetry. There are great lessons in humanity in each of these stories. Poetry is just not my thing.

T.S. Elliot is very talent and has a great style. The Wasteland takes a certain type of reader and deliberation to truly appreciate. I for-one though will probably not be reading much poetry in the near future.

A Completely Different Take on Surviving the Holocaust

 When I picked up Anita Diamant's Day After Night, it was primarily because I loved The Red Tent. While this book, is set-up in a similar manner,  the context and characters are completely different. Four Jewish women have survived the Holocaust amiss horrendous circumstances.  The story unfolds as the 4 women are taken into a post-war camp in Palestine.  Each woman has their own strength, secrets, and stories. In the end, their friendship is one of the highlights of the book as they search for a new life in Palestine.

As a whole, this book was good, but not amazing. The characters were well-developed, but occasionally it was hard to follow the plot. The end of the book wraps up well, and overall I would call Day After Night a good book.  Read it if you are a fan of Anita Diamant or historical fiction.

Learning to Love Yourself First

 In the middle of a truly inspiring week, I managed to (almost) read Alice Walker's The Color Purple . When I first decided to read this book, I took it at blind faith that it was going to be a good book because of the press and honors around it. Within the first 20 pages, I was hooked. While the southern colloquialism took a moment to adjust, the letter format made this book a great quick read.

My heart broke for Cecil and Nettie. Shug was a truly captivating character. Alice Walker did not steer away from any issue of the early 20th century black culture. From abuse to violence, to overcoming adversity, Walker addresses many of these tough issues and leaves  the reader with a compelling story. I highly recommend this book to everyone. It is worth a read once in your life time.

Happy Reading!

Starting Wolf Hall soon!

Away for the Week

Hi Friends,
Just to let you know, I am at an amazing Leadership Institute this week helping students redefine leadership and become change agents! ( LeaderShape)  It is an amazing, great week. However, it is a huge time commitment. Reading (some) and blogging (completely) are being put on hold.

Currently, I am reading The Color Purple and will be back on the blog and reading train this weekend!

Happy Reading!

Kate

We Don't Talk About That

I grew up in a pretty conservative town. My family was pretty open and pretty dynamic. I went to church every Sunday and never really took the common long break from church that young adults sometime experience. I always had a pretty open view of faith, family, Christianity, and even sexuality. While I grew up in the end of the fad of True Love Waits, the idea that we should try something new in approaching spirituality was starting to surface as I entered high school.  .

Why in the world does this belong in the middle of a book blog? Well in my last book I just read Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Young Adults Speak Out about  Sexuality, Christianity, and Spirituality. It was a great book and brought back so many memories of college for many reasons. First, I should say I know one of the editors and one of the essayist. We talk about spirituality and sexuality in my college ministry bible study and even in open discussion. I learned to be comfortable in my own skin with many topics and ideas because it was okay to talk and discuss these ideas.

Reading this book on many topics was more like a gentle reminder of ideas I heard but may had forgotten.   Hard topics are addressed: the Hookup culture, porn, homosexuality, infertility. If you are looking for a clear right and wrong answer book, this is not the book. Answers are not always given which I agree. There is not a one size fits all faith or answer to some of these pressing issues.  It is a great jumping off point for a small group discussion or a more upfront discussion with friends.

Overall, I liked the book. Essays are collected from people across the different spectrum of life to address challenging issues. This book is not for everyone and may be better suited if you have a venue to talk about these ideas with others though.

Happy Reading!

Starting the The Color Purple, but I am at a Leadership conference all week so post and reading may be few and far between.

Even the Smallest Souls Make the Journey

Yes- this is the version I have!

While I am 90 percent sure I read The Hobbit as a 10-11 year old, I do not remember any of it. My aunt gave me the entire series a few Christmas ago. I tried to read them then, but life got in the way. Now, I am finally going to read all of the Tolkien novels in order within a few months of each other. Today, I finished The Hobbit.

Overall, this was a great book. After the first 50-60 pages, the book moves relatively fast. On a sad note, I did see the movie at Christmas time so some of my pictures were created for me (but I  had seen LOTR 1-3 already as well). Bilbo Baggings is ever the mighty little hero that you want him to be. The adventure scenes I was able to create in a way. In all it is a great combination of character development, themes, and plot into an adventure story for the ages. While I could sit here an elaborate on the class system and the blind search for treasure, the importance of foresight and wisdom, etc, there are thousands of experts who are great at this.

My advice is do not miss out on this literary treasure.  My Harry Potter nerd-self came out and loved the influence I saw on JK Rowling. It was amazing. Tolkien (and C. S. Lewis) were true fantasy pioneers!

Happy Reading!

An Then It Was Gone...

Source:Goodreads

Summer.. what I wonderful time to test my dedication. The good news is I am write on track with reading. The bad news is.. I am at least a post behind on the blog. However, I hope to get all caught up, before I leave for a great week away this weekend.

Last week, I finished Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Numerous people had recommend this book to me over the years and I kept putting it to the side. Well, in all of about 48 hours, I read this classic. It was great, weird, entertaining, bizarre, and everything in between. By no means, is it the best book I have read this year, but it is a great fast read to enjoy reading. If you ever want to laugh at yourself, the world, nature, or just the way things work, read this book.

In short, the world is destroyed. An alien saves an Earthman as they hitchhike across the Milky Way. There is a twist at the end and the book is continued into one of the more unconventional trilogies of the time.  While I am not sure I will finish the series this year, I will read it another year.

I just finished The Hobbit and plan to start Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Young Adults Speak Out About Spirituality

Happy Reading!

A Not So Common Look at Poverty

I come from a long line of readers. My grandmother was librarian. I grew up with about 8-10 completely full bookcases of books in my house. My dad still gives me books. The House on Mango Street was not originally on my radar but I decided I should read it for dad.

Sandra Cisneros is an amazing writer and brings a great voice to this young girl who experiences poverty and a rather hard life in Chicago. The voice throughout the piece was amazing. Overall, the story would take an interesting turn and you feel like you have a front row seat to this world.

As a whole, this book would still just sit at a 3.5 stars. Great writing, decent plot, but the character development is lacking with an extremely short book. In fact, I had to read carefully to keep track of all of the characters. This is a good quick book. Read if you like to explore the new fiction/ memoir type books!


I just finished The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I'll try to blog again today. Next up- The Hobbit!

Happy Reading!

August Books.. Summer Ending!

It is hard to believe 7 months and over 50 books have past. July was a social month for me, so I only read 7 books. August I have big plans! Reading is an adventure. New books are added and changed. Things happen. My Goodreads shelf is the first to be updated. Feel free to follow  me there as well. My Currently reading shelf will have all of my To Be Read books left for the month. Every two months also has its own shelf.

Finally, this weekend, fingers cross, I am going to go back and import pictures and ratings for Jan.-May post.  Those are my months update! Let me know if you have any feedback!

Kate

The Glass Castle- Jeannettee Walls
The Hobbit- J.R.R. Tolkien
The Color Purple- Alice Walker
Day After Night-Anita Diamant
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams
Oh God, Oh God:Young Adults Speak out About their Sexuality and  Christian Spirituality
Four Quartets- T.S. Elliot
The House on Mango Street- Sandra Cisnenos


Happy Reading!

Reading for work.. Google Resume

Last year,  I started working with technical students. I bought The Google Resume: How to Prepare for a Career and Land a Job at Apple, Microsoft, Google, or Any Top Tech Company in order to better understand my students and some of the issues in which they were facing. While I flipped through part of it last year, this week, I read it cover-to-cover. In all it is a good book. It has basic advice on how to be successful at any entry-level job. The career advice is not earth shattering as long as you accept that a very important job search tip is to complete research a company.  
While this book is not for everyone, it serves its defined purpose: to help you succeed in working with technical companies. It had great advice and great resources.


(Check them out: http://www.careercup.com/ or http://www.thegoogleresume.com/)
If this falls into your career path, check it out. It is a good fast read!
Happy Reading! August Books coming up!

Love On a Boat

Happy Summer! Reading in the summer is both the best and worst thing. I can sit and read pages in no time while wasting hours not reading.

I FINALLY finished Love in Time of Cholera. All in all not my favorite book. It is beautifully written ... but the plot and characters are not memorable. The story is not great, and love finally comes together at the end.

If you like Gabriel Garcia Marquez or historical romance, you may like this book. For the average reader, it is just the story of two lovers who are told their entire life they cannot be together.

I could have skipped this book.

Happy Reading!

Secret Confession

I have a confession to make... I love to read... but more than loving to read... I love the thrill and excitement of discovering new books. When I decided to read 100 books of 2013, I discovered my planning nature quickly took over. Over 85 books were on the list within 24 hours. I discovered the magic of Goodreads and started organizing everything I read and wanted to read in 2013.

Here is the thing...Goodreads, friends, bookstores, and now new bloggers exposed me to great books that I am dying to read. While I try to mix it up and keep to the books I pick out each month, sometimes I discover I need something different or I am really excited about a new book.  Now in July, I miss my strolls through used book stores (The Book Escape is amazing in Baltimore- You can't beat McKays in Tennessee)  and browsing Amazon and Target for new books.

Some of my books...

So forgive me, if I delve off from my list or if I move a book to a different month. I believe I will be a life long reader. Ideally, I will read them all at some point. Many books I just keep adding to my Goodreads shelf.  It looks like I have about 43 books left to choose from. I encourage you to check out my Goodreads to-read shelf. Let me know if there is a book that I am missing, or I should try to include this semester.

Let me know your suggestions!

Maybe, I will even  take a planned month of reading off( gasp) and read for fun...
Hope to finish.. Love in Time of Cholera tonight!


Happy Reading!