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.

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.

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!)

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

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!

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!

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!

Reflecting back.. the First 50

Can you believe that 6 months ago I decided to start reading 100 books in one year? It has been quite a journey and an adventure. Whether it is a conversation stater, a laugh, or just sometime to read a great book that I have always wanted to read, I have truly enjoyed the last 6 months!

If you want to see what books were read by month, check out this link.

Like any adventure, life doesn't always go as plan. I almost always swap out at least one book because I didn't have time to go find it or I just didn't have time to read that many books that month. Life happens. Plans change, a trip comes up, you get sick, other parts of your life need more time. That is okay. During this first month, I had to find of balance of making reading and the blog important, but not the center of my world. (Some people will attest to the fact that I do always have a  book in my bag though)

Many of the books have been amazing and have shaped my perceptions. I often get asked what were some of my favorites. That is so hard because I love to read, but here are my top 12.


Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone  (all of them)
Life of Pi
To Kill a Mockingbird
Lord of The Flies
Outliers: The Story of Success
Half the Sky
Blackberry Winter
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Tuesday with Morrie
The Book Thief
The Alchemist 
What Color is Your Parachute?


As you can see the blog has had some updates. I am still in the process of adding pictures to my favorite post and cleaning up tags and labels to them all. I know I know. I need to spellcheck and proofread 100 times over. With that being said, over the last week I learned that there are some great book blogs out there. It has been great to see their pages and learn all the great things I can do with this blog to help others find great books.  (Maybe in a few weeks I'll try and spotlight a few of my favorites). If there is something you want me to add to the blog or if you have any suggestions please let me know. (I am going back and adding the tags: 3 star, 4 star, and 5 star to all reviews!)


Finally, I just wanted to say thank you. This is my first attempt at a blog. Everyone has been so supportive. I hope you all have found new books you want to read and rediscovered your love of reading!

And we are off to the last 50 books!


Happy Reading!


Kate

July Books

Six months ago, I decided I would challenge myself and see if I could read 100 books in one year! I am excited to say that I am almost half way there! It has been a great adventure and challenge. Tomorrow,  I hope to post a recap. For now here are the July Books!

The Little White Horse
Maus II
The Google Resume
Love in Time of Cholera
Much Ado About Nothing
Out of Oz
Who Moved My Cheese


Scaling back to 8 books after a back to back 9/10 month reading! Excited for a little bit slower pace.

Happy Reading!

June Books

Here are the June Books. This looks like a pretty good list with many recommended from friends, recent list etc. Overall, I am pretty close to being on track. At the end of May, I was at 40 books toward my 100 book goal. I think I can read 10 books this month to stay on track! 11 books are below just in case I run into trouble finding one. Also this month, I plan to go through and update, add content to older post, and sharpen up the blog. Feel free to send me any suggestions.

Thanks for all your support and I hope your reading journey is going well!

Kate


 Inferno Dan Brown

A Lion Among Men Gregory Maguire 

 The Rook Daniel O'Malley
A Passage to India, E.M. Forester
A Bend in the Road, Nicholas Sparks
Cat's Cradle Kurt Vonnegut
Outliers: The Story of Success Malcolm Gladwell
 The Alchemist  Paulo Coelho
The Wind in the Willows
Flowers for Algernon David Keys

(Family vacation was amazing. I only read 2.5 books though. The Lovely Bones post is coming up next)

Happy Reading! Almost done with Inferno!

May Books

April lead it self to some great books and some great weather. Now May is here and vacation and the beach are in sight! I cannot wait to read and catch up on my 2 % I am behind. It is hard to believe I have read 31 books. It has truly been a great run. As you can see, a few books were left off from April. Here is the new May list. It is a little lighter and longer than normal and may spill into June as I am going to be at the beach and traveling some!

Enjoy!

Lord of the Flies William Golding

The Book Thief Markus Zusak

The Audacity of Hope Barark Obama 

Gone Girl Gillian Flynn

The Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk Kidd

7 Habits of Highly Effect People Stephen Covey

Catch 22 Joseph Heller

The Secret Rhonda Byrne

The Lovely Bones Alice Seabold

Happy Reading!

March Books- Challenge Accepted!

I am beyond excited it is March! February, I do believe, was my least favorite month in Baltimore. I moved and had other life hiccups. Reading is officially behind. March is a time to catch up. In short here are the next TEN books I hope to read. Hopefully, I will even read them in the 28 days. (That is 2.8 days a book)

There are some of my favorite books this month and a few new ones! Here is to hoping this month goes much smoother.


(About 50% done with The Purpose Driven Life- Target Date March 14/15)
Cormac McCarthy- The Road
J K Rowling- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Sarah Jio- Blackberry Winter
Mitch Albom- Tuesday's with Morrie
Sophia Kinsella-I've Got Your Number
John Knowles-A Separate Peace
What Color is Your Parachute?
J K Rowling- Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
R. Hall, D. Moore- Same Kind of Different as Me
Art Spigelman-Maus


Happy Reading! (PS I get to read on the beach and on a plane this month! PUMPED!)

February Books

Can it be that we are almost done with January? Lucky for me, we still have 5 whole days! That means I will finish Fahrenheit 451 and start the first book of February (which is a good thing because I have an a lofty goal- 8.5 books in 28 days)

Thanks for all your support! It is hard to believe there have been over 400 views in a little over 3 weeks! I enjoy checking to see what many of you are reading on Goodreads. On my Goodreads shelves, every two months will have its own shelf so you can see what books are coming up. As I catalog books I own and read, I add them to shelves. If you are in the area, let me know if you want to borrow a book.Additionally, check out your local library or utilize the Amazon Kindle Lending Library. If you look there are millions of books at your fingertips!

While much more of my free time these days is spent reading and reflecting on books, I also am taking more time to reflect back on how I was able to get where I am today. I hope you are enjoying my journey. If you have feedback, suggestions, or comments, feel free to send them my way!

Keep reading, Keep Sharing. Keep Reflecting.

 Happy Reading!

February Books
(Please check out the link for Author attribute, where to buy, and more info)

Strengths Based Leadership (If you buy the Kindle version, you also get to take StrengthQuest)
*The Purpose Driven Life (1 chapter per day for 40 days)
The Great Gatsby
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Road
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
I am America and So Can You!
Gulliver's Travels

Plan, Read, Reflect, Repeat

I can't believe we are almost two weeks into the new year (and two weeks into reading) and a little over one week into the blog. It has been so much fun connecting with many of you over Facebook, Goodreads, or any other method. Feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, and opinions however you feel most confortable. For anyone taking on their own reading challenge, I hope everyone is making great progress.

In the last two weeks, I've learn a few things.

1. Time Management is Key 
• I'm not saying reading is necessarily a new hobby, but it does take planning and time in order to be successful. I might also add goal setting. You can't just say I want to read 100 books, you have to determine how many books to read each month as well as about how much time to spend reading each day to meet these goals.
2. Live Life on a Give and Take Spectrum
• So you may not meet your target reading goal every night or eat the perfect diet every day. A friend may come in town or someone may cancel dinner plans. Don't be so hard on yourself for daily goals that you miss the fun in life. The end goal and happiness is way more important (but never get to far behind)
3. Bring People with You on Your Adventure
• Any adventure, challenge or goal is more fun when you are sharing it with others. I am floored by the number of views the blog has had. Even better many of you have joined Goodreads and I have had the pleasure of taking a peak at what many of you are reading. Keep reading, sharing, and joining me on my adventure. I promise we will all have fun.
4. Never Try and Pick Out All of Your Books at Once
• Goodreads is like Pinterest for readers. There are over 1 million books and counting on the site. The more time I spend looking through list, friends books, and recommendations, the more books I want to read. While about eighty percent of the books on my 100 books shelf will stay, I think I may swap a few books that are also on my to-read shelf. Only time will tell.

It has been a great few weeks of reading. I am almost through with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

As Week 3 approches, I am excited to start The Purpose Driven Life and Killing Lincoln!

Happy Reading!

January Books

While I don't think reading 100 books will be easy, I do think it will be a challenge. I have put in a few books that I love and have read before, but I also have but in books that I decided not to finish.

So how do you actually read 100 books in a year? You plan and plan ahead. My friends and family will laugh at this as I have been planning my whole entire life.  You have to balance long books with short books. Classics with thrillers. Plays with fantasy.  Here is the method to my madness:

1 Life Help Book
2 Classics (or more)
2 New Fiction
1 Biography/Non Fiction
2 Books of a Series
1-2 Random (adjust to size)

On average 8-9 books should be read in a month.

This month the lucky books are (Please check out my Goodreads shelf for the complete list, Author Credit and More)

Life of Pi (Completed 1/2/13)
To Kill A Mockingbird
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Killing Lincoln
The Purpose Driven Life
The Night Circus
Fahrenheit 451

Happy Reading!

100 Books of 2013

After careful deliberation, 95 of the 100 books have been chosen. It took me about 4 days and some good time going through my bookshelves, list, and my new favorite site. Goodreads.

The list can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/Katereads100list

The goal is to read about 8-9 books a month. I will post about the books I am reading as well as start the month off with the books of the month.

Most months will have part of a series, a life help book, some classics, good fiction, and light books.

If you want to create  your own reading challenge,  sort your own reading list, or follow this reading list, I encourage you to use Goodreads. It is a great resource of reviews, places to buy books, author information, and you can follow friends.

If you are starting a similar reading journey let me know!

Happy Reading!

Introduction to 100 Books

So I am not a big believer in New Years Resolutions, but I am believer in setting goals and challenging yourself. I also just happen to love reading. 19 years in school ( MCHS, UT Knoxville (BS Communication) and FSU (MS Higher Education)) just wasn't enough to cover all of the great books or give me enough time to read. Now that I have had my break from school, I've decided to take 2013 to read classics that should have been read, old favorites that I love, new books that have come out, life books that are talked about many times, and just general books in which I am interested. The list will be published in a post later this week. A little over 80 books have been chosen  for the year, but I know that I always find great books I want to read or a great new book comes out during the year so there is a little leeway to add new books.

Please note you are welcome to join me and share your thoughts. All books are not for everyone and I will include a separate list of some of my favorite books of the last 5 years that I am choosing not to re-read even though they are fabulous. Enjoy the list.

Special thanks to my family, friends, and teachers who shared many of these books with me and instilled a life-long love of reading.

To see more comprehensive list including some inspirations for where some of these titles came, check out these two great reading list blogs: Rory Gilmore's Reading List and 30 Books before You are 30 list on Divine Caroline and Flavor Wire.