Books

My goal of 100 books for the year is getting closer. I am at 86 books now and counting! Will I make it? I don't know, still have lots to do before Christmas!

"The 8th Confession" by James Patterson

If you have never read any of James Patterson's books I recommend The Woman's Murder Club series. But start with the first one "!st to Die" I just finished reading "The 8th Confession" it does not disappoint. I love James Patterson's writing style, the mystery and suspense in his books"

"True Colors" by Kristin Hannah

I love Kristin Hannah's books. Friday night I stayed up late to finish reading "True Colors" I loved this book. Last year I read 'Firefly Lane" by her and it was my favorite book of the year. "True Colors" was even better! I am looking forward to her next book!

"Deep Dish" by Mary Kay Andrews

I love ready Mary Kay Andrews books! "Deep Dish" is a entertaining story about two battling southern chefs. It's a great love story! Her books always make me wish I was born in the south. This one made me hungry for Pecan pie.
It is not her best work but it is worth reading!

"What I Did for Love" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

I just finished reading "What I Did for Love" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I liked this book but I was a little disappointed in the ending! I had to read the ending twice just to make sure I was reading it correctly. I'm not going to give anything away just in case you want to read it for yourself. It still is a entertaining story and I believe it is worth reading. I just didn't like it as much as some of her past books.

"A Voice in the Wind"

I read "A Voice in the Wind" by Francine Rivers for my book club. This is the first book in the Mark of the Lion book series. I had a hard time getting into it because the violence in the beginning. But I am glad I finished it and went on the read the next two books in the series, "Echo in the Darkness" & "As Sure as the Dawn". Reading this book has made me really appreciated the freedom we have to be Christians in todays world.

I have to say one good thing coming out of me being laid off, is now I spend a lot more time reading my bible. I am finding joy in reading the bible before it was always a struggle. God has blessed me and opened my eyes!

"What's AGE Got To Do With It"

I just finished "What's Age Got To Do With It" by Robin McGraw. I really liked this book because it made me realize that I don't always put my health first. For my own well being I am going to take this book to heart and make an effort to change that. I recommend this book for all ages. We as women do need to put ourselves first so we can stay healthy so we can be around for our families longer. Don't neglect yourself any longer. It you don't have the money to buy books. Do what I do, borrow them from the library. Sometimes you have to be on a waiting list for new books. But they are worth the wait because of the money you save. So go check this book out!
Happy Reading!

2008 Book Reviews

I am feeling so much better after being sick for the last five days! Wow!

I went over the books I read this last year. Last January the first book I read was "Barefoot" by Erin Hilderbrand. This book is about two sisters and a friend who vacation on Nantucket struggling with life and health issues. It was a good entertaining book. A few tears and smiles. Over all a good book. I finish the year out with "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. I have to start out that I wasn't going to read this book. I didn't think I would like it because it is about Vampires and teens. But I have to say I was surprised I really did like it. It is a love story above everything else. And Stephenie Meyer lives in my home state of Arizona so I wanted to give her a chance.

For the year I have read a total of 66 books, which is short of my goal of 100, but still a lot of books.

A few of my favorite's from the year are:

"Murder In Brentwood" by Mark Furhman. This book went into a lot more than I remember hearing on TV. It was very interesting.

"Firefly Lane" by Kristin Hannah. This is my favorite for the year. It's about friendship and life. It is a tear jerker but such a good book.

"The Story of the Titanic as Told by its Survivors" by Jack Winocour. I have always been interested in the story of the Titanic. The first hand knowledge in this book was sobering!

"Chicken Soup for the Grieving Soul: Stories About Life, Death and Overcoming the Loss of a Loved One" by Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen. Short Stories that comfort. I read this one after my beautiful niece passed away suddenly from a seizure in July. The story of the dragonfly's was the one that stood out. I believe it was chapter 3.

And a few quick mentions to "The Hiding Place", "The Shack", "Twenty Wishes"

I read a lot of good books this past year and I am looking forward to reading a lot more. To 2009!

The yada yada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson

I really liked this book that was recommended to me by Susan at http://bigsticksblog.blogspot.com/
I could relate to the main character, Jody Baxter. Which I'm not sure that's good, but I feel I was able to learn something from reading this book. And that in itself is huge!

Synopsis
What do an ex-con, a former drug addict, a real estate broker, a college student, and a married mother of two have in common?
Nothing, or so I thought. Who would have imagined that God would make a group as mismatched as ours the closest of friends?
I almost didn't even go to the Chicago Women's Conference--after all, being thrown together with five hundred strangers wasn't exactly my "comfort zone." And being placed in a prayer group of twelve women from such diverse backgrounds seemed completely awkward.
But something happened that weekend to make us realize we had to hang together. The "Yada Yada Prayer Group" was born, and we decided to meet regularly to pray for each other: knocking off each other's rough edges and learning to laugh and cry along the way! And when I faced the biggest crisis of my life, God used my newfound girlfriends to help teach me--Jodi Baxter, longtime Christian "good girl"--what it means to be just a sinner saved by grace.