Assessing Those New Year's Resolutions
As I wrote a month or so ago, I only had one New Year’s Resolution: Read 26 books, which is 1 book every other week. I took on this goal after my friend, Heather, almost made it to her goal of 52 books last year.
Within the first few months of moving to The Little House, I found a community book club through our volunteer fire department’s newsletter. I’ve enjoyed meeting the neighbors (some of them live more than 10 miles away, but they’re still considered neighbors here) and getting together with them once a month at their homes where we enjoy some appetizers and then a potluck lunch after discussing the chosen book for the month. The eclectic pick of books ensures that I read something I wouldn’t normally pick, which is also a benefit of belonging to a book club.
The pick this month is “The Book Thief.”
I had some trouble getting into "The Book Thief." It took me at least 75 pages to get involved with the characters and to event actually figure out who the narrator was supposed to be. Although the book club discussion on it is today, I’m still in the midst of reading and will stick with it now.
I’m behind my goal of reading a book every other week. So far, I’ve read three full books this year:
“The Help,” by Kathryn Stockett
“The Longest Evening of the Year,” by Dean Koontz: I was disappointed in this one. It was a book about a woman who rescues dogs, but was probably the worst Koontz book I’ve ever read.
“Winter Moon,” by Dean Koontz: This one was ok and kept my interest.
Next month, I chose “The Lovely Bones,” by Alice Sebold for the book club read.
Also in my stack to read:
”The Shack,” by William P. Young
“A Big Little Life,” by Dean Koontz
“Breaking the Bank,” by Yona Zelda McDonough
I also have some books on my list that will hopefully, help me improve my relationship with money in my life and help us permanently get out of debt. However, I’ve been putting those off until we have more of a set budget.
What say you, readers? What are you reading, or what is on your list? Now that we’re almost 3 months (can you believe it?) into the new year, are you keeping what resolutions you might have made?
(Heads up: The next giveaway is going to be a book and it will not be a Friday giveaway, I’m going to shake things up a bit and do a giveaway on one of the other two posting days!)
If you want to read a tear-jerker story of animal rescue, click on over to my K9 Cuisine blog this morning and read how Amber’s life was saved by someone who needed her as much as she needed them.
I loved The Book Thief. It just keeps reeling you back in. He tells you within the first few pages how the book is going to end up, and I still couldn't stop!
We (my wife, 15-month old daughter, and I) are moving in the direction of minimizing our lives–which can be pretty difficult with a toddler and all her accouterments. Our other interests are around urban gardening/landscaping, and we're thinking about making our current house SMALLER this summer by tearing off a back sunporch that's just an energy drain/storage room.
Good luck with writing and building.
Thanks, Andrew, good luck with your downsizing as well!
I love books — I read everything & I love to know what others are reading so I can enlarge my possibilities. I love to read the book section of Sunday living guides not to focus on the critiques but to get more titles to peruse. I hope good old fashioned books never go out of print, I just love the way they feel in hand! Thanks for the new titles I have seen today & I'll check back in the future.
Welcome to Living Large, Patricia. Hope to see you back again. I love books too. They won't go out of print as long as there is a market for them!
so cool that you are doing this!
Kerri,
I am an avid reader, though these days, I gladly read textbooks (did you know there is an actual approved method for reading a math textbook?. Recent reads for me have included several educational based books. (Marcia Tate: Worksheets don't grow dendrites) I am also reading Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover.…now that I am out of college and making money!
Kerri-canning is a fun way to make sure you have plenty of food for winter! It is hot, can be a bit messy, but there is a definite gleam to the jars on the shelves. I would recommend, either Putting up the Harvest (old standby) or Canning and Preserving for Dummies.
I will be spending most of my summer up at the cabin, hoping to get some canning in myself-though without a garden it will be farmer's market produce. Extra hands will always be welcome, and learning while visiting is the best way!
BJ
Well, maybe you will just have to come over to The Little House and teach me, BJ!
I'll be glad to share some of the bounty!
That would also work!
Yes, I'm the one that missed my goal of 52 books last year — by one measly book. You'd think I could have found something short just to achieve my goal, but I didn't. So this year I have it all mapped out in a table I created in Word and I'm going for 54 books. I already read an extra one in January, but February isn't looking very promising for reading four books.
I love thrillers, especially thrillers where the true detective is just a lay person and doesn't work for any law enforcement agency. If you know of a good thriller writer, I would love recommendations. Thank you.
You had a very good goal, Heather and missing by one is nothing to be upset about!
I'm sure the readers here will give you some great recommendations!
The Lovely Bones is one of my all-time favorites. I got it from the library and loved the book so much that I bought myself a hard-bound copy and the paperback when I found them both at a local used book sale.
I can't wait to read that one, Alexandra.
I'm afraid if I fall behind now, I really will in the warm months. I'm planning a bigger garden at a neighbor's house this summer and will be spending a lot of time up there. Hopefully, I will also learn to can this summer.
The Roosevelt book sounds good. It's going on my list!
Oh well Kerri, it's only February– plenty of time to get up to speed on your book list! I'll be curious to hear what you think of "The Lovely Bones," and "The Shack." I read both but will keep opinions to myself so I don't taint your impressions. I am currently reading "Nothing to Fear," a history of Franklin D. Roosevelt's first one hundred days in office.It is amazing to me how similar his problems were, to Obama's. Many of my assumptions about FDR were incorrect. He was more pragmatist than ideologue and a staunch fiscal conservative when he took office. It was actually the five or so advisers he relied on for guidance who pushed him to embrace a more activist role for American government. Truly a fascinating book– and as I say, so much of it is still relevant given the problems our country faces today. Great blog– good luck with your reading!