9. The Courage to Start (Miscellaneous, #1)

Inspiring... now maybe I'll start running again... someday...

80 Books in 2 Months? Let's Do This...

So... my original goal was to read 100 Books from a list. Then I expanded the goal to be reading 10 books each from 10 different categories. Then I told myself I should finish them all before the end of 2010. It just sounded cool.

While I haven't failed yet, I'm well on my way to doing so. My problem isn't that I don't read. It is that I read whatever happens to be interesting; this is rarely the things that were on my original list! Maybe I just have to do something different... it's the rebel in me.

Anyway, November is almost here and we are pretty much all sickies in this house (I haven't caught it yet, Thank you God!)... so lots of time to sit and read...

Can I do it? Can I finish the 80 books that are left on my list--in just TWO MONTHS??????

78. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs (Nonfiction, Memoir/Humor, #7)

I really liked it, although at times it was a little TOO cynical for me. I look forward to reading more of the K-man.

40. The Joy Luck Club (Historical, #7)

As a mother of a daughter, although neither of us is Chinese, I loved this book and the portrayal of frail human emotion. It was a good story--engaging and uplifting.

38. The Shack (Fantasy, #8)

Very inspiring read! I loved the representation of the Holy Spirit and the concept of fractal (as I often feel my life is just a big ol' mess, but it's beautiful to Him/Her--God). The only part I didn't like was (of course) the part about the daughter. Make it through the first four VERY DEPRESSING and TRAUMATIC chapters, and the rest is great.

48. The Poisonwood Bible [re-read] (Historical, #8)

This is a re-read. Yet I gleaned so much from the reading of it a second time. It has been about 10 years since I read this novel. It was about time for another reading of it.

The book tells the story of a Southern Baptist preacher missionary and his family (wife and four daughters) who head to the Belgian Congo in the late 1950s. What I love about this book is that it subtly but effectively mocks imperialism, self-righteousness, and the hypocritical Christian. The narrative alternates between five viewpoints: the four girls and their mom.

It was definitely worth the first and second readings!

Dawn's Light (Fiction Series, #10)

Wow. All I can say is, I applaud the authors who write books in series. This final book in Blackstock's Restoration series truly completed the set. It was heart-wrenching, yet satisfying. It was NOT predictable as the rest of the books had been! It was so incredibly sad, it felt like real life. This, to me, is the mark of a good novelist. When I can read about these characters and feel that they are alive, I know it is a good novel. When I start to think I must keep reading, or something terrible might happen to them, I know it is a good novel.
Also, because I am a girl, a wedding at the end of a book is always pleasant for me.
Blackstock is an excellent author and I enjoyed reading this series of books by her!