Book List 2012

This year, I decided to read a book a month. I used to be a huge reader, but have virtually read nothing since having kids. Tom gave me a Kindle for Christmas and so I started the year by reading a book I bought just for my Kindle. I really didn't think I would like it, but I soon became a huge fan. I could start a book on the Kindle, read a little on my phone while waiting in the Kindergarden pick up line and then finish it up on the iPad. I love how it all syncs to all of my devices. I was hooked after that first book and started scouring the library for free books.

I got sucked in to a few Amish series by Beverly Lewis early in the year. Something about a nice, feel good book made the winter go a little faster. Then, I was asked to join a book club with some other moms. That took my reading to another level! Before, I generally read for total pleasure and stuck with murder mysteries and Amish love stories. Now, I get to read one book per month that stretches my comfort zone.

I would love to review each book on here, but that's just not going to happen. Most of these I would recommend although some are tougher to stick with than others. I'm going to try to write a few words about each book here.

Here is my list. I hope to finish one more this year to take me to an even 20. Next year, my goal is two books a month. I know this pales in comparison to what some take on in a year, but for me, it's a good number.

Abrams Daughters Series - Beverly Lewis - Books 1-5 - Easy Reading - Romance/Mystery/Christian

Don't Blink - James Patterson - Typical James Patterson - Mystery

Heritage of Lancaster County Series - Beverly Lewis - The Shunning, The Confession - Easy Reading - Romance/Mystery/Christian

Amish Country Crossroad Series - Beverly Lewis - The Postcard - Easy Reading - Romance/Mystery/Christian

The Paris Wife - Paula McClain - Book Club - Historical Fiction - Chronicles Ernest Hemingway and his first wife in Paris

Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand - Book Club - Biography of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete and WWII airman who was lost at sea and spent time in a Japanese POW camp - highly recommend 

Three Weeks with My Brother - Nicholas Sparks - Book Club - True Story - Chronicles Nicholas Sparks journey around the world with his brother and retells stories of their childhood - grab your Kleenex

Stay Close - Harlan Coben - Typical Harlan Coben - Mystery/Suspense

The 500 - Matthew Quirk - Mystery/Suspense - slow starter and unremarkable

Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell - Book Club - great book on success and the factors that contribute to highly successful individuals - great book for business AND for moms - highly recommend

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini - Book Club - Set in Afghanistan - follows Afghani women from 1959 through the present - tough read because of the circumstances however great read to gain perspective into the Afghan culture, history and the application to today's war - highly recommend 

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - Book Club - follows a little girl in Nazi Germany through WWII - also a tough read but good for historical perspective - not sure I could recommend it, but I'm glad I read it

The Last Cavaliers Series - The Crossing Series - Gilbert Morris - Easy Reading - Historical Christian Fiction - follows a boy as he joins the Confederate Army under Stonewall Jackson - I really enjoyed this one 

Same Kind of Different as Me - Ron Hall & Denver Moore - Book Club - Non-Fiction/Christian - true story of a Louisiana Sharecropper/homeless man and a wealthy art dealer and his wife who formed a friendship - another major tear jerker - I cried my eyes out - highly recommend