Well, back in 2010 one of my favorite Christmas gifts was a Nook, since it got me back interested in reading for fun and gave me a way to look like I was doing work so I could read in court... whoops.
I started reading whenever I had a spare moment and even tried out a few book clubs..although none of them worked out. I really wanted to be able to discuss some of the books I read with other people so a friend and I decided to start our own book club earlier this year-Les Lecteurs and the rest was reading history!
I downloaded the GoodReads app and began tracking the books I read on there, and just discovered I successfully completely my reading challenge of 25 books this year.... I was delightfully and nerdily excited.
I read a lot of great books this year, some of which could be considered some of my favorites. I read a wide variety, from teen literature, to new authors, mystery to romance but I can say of all the books there was only one that I didn't enjoy and refused to finish.
My top five are listed below, but if you are interested in my complete list just ask or add me as a friend on GoodReads ;)
1.) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn- I loved every minute of this fast paced murder mystery. They're making it into a movie and I cannot wait to see how they portray it on the big screen.
2.) The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho- This short yet moving book helps makes sense out of a lot of life's intricacies. I will probably read this one over and over again.
3.) Envy by Sandra Brown- The story was well written and kept me intrigued the whole way through. I love plot twists.
4.) The House Girl by Tara Conklin- I just finished this one recently and I love how the author weaves the story together and takes us between the past and present with each chapter without it getting too confusing.
5.) The adult in me wants to say that my number 5 is To Heaven and Back by Mary C Neal, I love her account of traveling to heaven and back, but the teenager in me wants to say the entire Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I loved to hate all the characters and was completely sucked into this fantasy world of angels, fairies and other worldly magic. I can't wait til the final book in the series comes out because I truly enjoyed reading books 1-5 and cannot wait to get my hands on the other related series of stories about this world.
I'm not quite sure how many books I will challenge myself to read in 2014, but I am looking forward to more Les Lecteurs book club meetings, discovering new artists and using the $50 Barnes & Noble gift card I got for myself with unused debit card rewards points. That was indeed a Merry Christmas present to myself.
Happy Reading everyone :)
I am the exact same way. I love reading! But I've gotten too busy to sit and read all day like I used to. And it's ironic because I've been craving a good book to read over this Winter Break and you've answered my prayers lol, so thank you. I will definitely be looking into these and friending you on Good Reads :)
ReplyDeleteI love books, and I have to force myself to make time. I need to figure out how to post the link to my goodreads acct in this post. I should figure it out hopefully today so we will be able to find each other on there. Hope you are enjoying your holidays!
DeleteThe Alchemist was really good and I recommend it to everyone that asks me what's a good book to read. It was definitely a book that has changed my life and when I'm down, I refer back to the sections that I marked.
ReplyDeleteI have House Girl and Gone Girl but I haven't gotten a chance to read it like I want.
I've read stories about people who said they've visited Heaven. Books like that also make getting through my troubles easier. I've read 90 minutes in Heaven which had me crying and hopeful at the same time and I've read Dinner with a Perfect Stranger. Both of these books have helped me deal with the death of my family members and to just remain hopeful.
I do hope to read more in the coming year. It soothes me and helps me pass time.
I will have to check those two out. Thats how I feel about The Shack. I feel like books really helped me alot this year with getting over sadness. They provided a good escape and im so glad you recommended the alchemist to me. In this day it seems like books hold less value than they did before. I hope we as a people dont forget the benefit they hold.
DeleteI love that you are such a reader. I got a couple of books for Christmas. I'm excited to start them :)
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