2015 Reading Goals

Well, the last two years I have not met my reading goals. I feel like I have a legitimate reason since my family was a much more pressing priority, but I so want to get back on track.

This year I have set a goal of reading 25 books, but I hope I blow past that number. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself, though.

Also, I'm going to participate in the Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge. They have a Goodreads group set up with discussion boards to help with ideas on how to complete each task. I'm looking forward to reading books I wouldn't normally even think about picking up.

My first task of the new year is to finish the three (yes, three) books I started in 2014 but haven't finished yet.

I invite you to join me in a brand new year of reading wonderful books!

Book #7: Ever By My Side by Dr. Nick Trout

This book was yet another win from the First Reads program from GoodReads.com! I had not heard of Dr. Nick Trout when I saw this book, but I can never resist an animal memoir. I signed up and was thrilled when I won.

Dr. Trout has written a lovely memoir in "Ever By My Side." It isn't just a look back at the pets in his life, but more of a memoir tracing his journey from a young boy in England, wanting to please his father; becoming an adult and following his own path; to moving to the United States and starting his career and family.

I found it very touching how much Nick as a boy (even later as a grown man) wanted to please his father. He shows a strong bond between the two of them and my heart ached when he had to tell his dad that he wasn't going to be the kind of veterinarian his father wished he would be. Instead of being the country vet, he wanted to be a surgeon and that is what he did. Not to mention, he did it in another country across the ocean.

It was also very touching to see how he reacted differently to the varied pets in his life. His grandmother's dog, Marty, left quite the impression on him! Dr. Nick Trout gave me reason to believe that when I take my own pet to the vet, the doctor has probably been in my shoes at one time or another. I guess you could say, this book humanized the veterinarians in my life.

I will certainly be reading more books by Dr. Nick Trout. In fact, I just added his book, "Tell Me Where It Hurts" to my to-read list. I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

This was a book that I received for free from the author. Winning a copy in no way influenced my review of the book or the author. The opinion expressed in this review is my honest opinion about the book.

A New Year, A New Challenge

After (barely) successfully completing my reading challenge for 2010, I feel like I'm ready to step things up a bit. A very little bit. Last year I read and reviewed 30 books. Most of them were books I enjoyed and some of them I absolutely fell in love with. Since things went so well in 2010, I will challenge myself to read and review 35 books in 2011.

There is a change I would like to make to my reviews. I feel as though I should develop some kind of rating system for my reviews, so that is at the top of my list for 2011. I'm not sure when it will be implemented, but I will be creating it in my mind as I go along.

Something I am also hoping to accomplish with my reading this year is to get caught up on a couple of series I have been reading. First, I want to get up to speed in the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. This really shouldn't be hard, but I also want to pick up the "Between the Numbers" books as well. Because of this, I may be reading several of these books in a row this year.

Another series I discovered this year was the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. I would love to work through that series as well.

I appreciate all the suggestions I get via Twitter and Facebook about books I should read. I look into each of them and if I think they suit me-or even if I don't, but the suggestion came from a reliable source-I add them to my "to-read" list on Goodreads. I enjoy feedback from readers of books I have reviewed, so please add a comment if you have read a book that I have posted about. Just remember, if there is a spoiler in the comment, give a heads-up first!

Another First Reads Win!

I love to browse through the giveaways on Goodreads. I came across "Unlucky Stiffs: New Tales of the Weirdly Departed" by Cynthia Ceilan and knew immediately that I had to sign up and try to win it. Guess what? I won it!! Not only that, but it came autographed and personalized. I was immediately impressed. It became my 29th book of the year.

Not surprisingly, this is a book about strange ways people have died. I am, in case you don't know me personally, a little twisted. My husband has told me for years that I'm morbid. Either way you look at it, this book was perfect for me. Some stories made me chuckle, others made me groan. And yes, some made me cackle with laughter.

Some of the people died from freak accidents and many others brought it upon themselves. Nothing is too terribly graphic, nor are there a lot of details. You can leave all that up to your imagination!

If you are intrigued by death, this is a book you will enjoy. You might not want your neighbors to know you're reading it, though. They might think you're a little weird.

This was a book that I received for free from the author. Winning a copy in no way influenced my review of the book or the author. The opinion expressed in this review is my honest opinion about the book.

Book #22: A First Reads Win

I saw a review of "Bound" by Antonya Nelson in the Kansas City Star one Sunday and was intrigued. It was partially set in Wichita around the time that a long-quiet serial killer had reappeared on the scene. Being from Wichita and living there during that time, I wanted to read the book. It happened that it was part of a "first reads" giveaway on Goodreads. I entered and was one of the lucky winners of a copy of the book.

In "Bound", Catherine Desplaines is married to a cheating husband, going innocently about life, when she learns that her high school best friend has been killed in a car accident and has given custody of her teenage daughter to Catherine. My expectation was that the story would center on the relationship between Catherine and this new child in her life, but that relationship didn't begin until there were about 40 pages left in the book. Instead, the book focuses on Catherine and her memories of this long ago friend that she was no longer in touch with. It also spends a great deal of time on the teenage girl and the cheating husband-all separate from Catherine. It was an interesting plot development that I enjoyed, even if it wasn't what I anticipated.

There were several scenes of Wichita that were described throughout the story. I paid very close attention and they all seemed to be accurate except for one detail. Ms. Nelson speaks about the newspaper in Wichita and calls it the Wichita Eagle-Beacon. At one time this was the name of the paper, but at the time in which the book was set, the paper was called (still is, in fact) the Wichita Eagle. If there were any other inaccuracies, they didn't catch my eye.

This was an enjoyable book to read, although I didn't become very attached to any of the characters in it. I never felt especially connected to Catherine, which surprised me. I never felt like she needed my sympathy for the life she had now or in her past. It was as if she was comfortable with it, so I didn't need to feel sorry for her or her situation.

This was a book that I received for free from the publisher, Bloomsbury. Winning a copy in no way influenced my review of the book or the author. The opinion expressed in this review is my honest opinion about the book.