I am Issuing A Challenge ....

Reading a great friends blog last week, I issued myself a challenge.  But, I'll get to that.  I'm jumping ahead of myself here, don't worry - it happens a lot.

Let's see .. where can I start .. Oh I know.

I Love To Read.  Which is an understatement - I devour books at such a rate, the local library couldn't keep up with me, I had to special order (or inter/intra library loan) books to keep me reading.  Sounds stupid, how can you read every book a library has - truth is, I didn't, I read a good chunk of them .. staying away from romances, and other books that didn't strike my fancy.  I did give each book I checked out a chance, if by the third or fifth chapter, I wasn't interested - I didn't finish it.  Now that it costs money to check books out of the library (I'm not a citizen of the town it's in, therefor, I have to pay a fee per year) I no longer hold a library card - I hope to have one again this year, but for now, I'm okay.  For my birthday last year, my mom and dad gave me the gift of my OWN library, a Kindle.  I currently have 134 books and 23 Samples (the first few chapters or something) on my Kindle.  Not to mention the dozens if not hundreds of books I have on my shelves.   There are hundreds of free (or inexpensive) books available for download.

I digress.  So yeah, I read.  A LOT.  I enjoy it, it's my escape and my sanity.  Especially on the occasion when Emily is being a typical pre-schooler and whining incessantly, or napping, and Mike's either working, or watching something on the television that doesn't interest me (which happens more often than not actually).  Reading is such a large part of my identity, that I have issued myself a challenge.

Upon reading a blog a dear friend had put up - listing the books she had read last year, I decided - her wish to read 52 books this year, was going to be my goal.   I may not enjoy all of them, but I will read 52 books, one book per week, in 2011.  It may average out to a book every few days, or a book takes me a little longer than a week to complete, but that is my goal.

So far?  I'm on pace.  I have completed three books this year.   

 1) Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich

This is Ms. Evanovich's newest series - in which she expands upon some characters from the "Plum" series.  Not nearly as good as that series, but definitely better than I expected.  It takes place in Marblehead and Salem Massachusetts, and completely embraces the Paranormal history of said towns.  I can't wait for the next one to come out, and know that she won't disappoint.  

 2) Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

I have read every single book ever written by this woman - and she never fails to make me laugh.  This is her latest book in her "Stephanie Plum Series" ... let me tell you - if you ever want to escape and laugh at the ridiculousness some people will go through to make ends meet - you need to read these books.  Her Heroine Stephanie Plum, is a female bounty hunter, from the "Burg" in New Jersey.  Her trusty sidekick, reformed "ho" Lula, never fails to make you cringe, and laugh out loud all in the same sentence.  

3) Percy Jackson & The Olympians:  The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan..

This is the first book in a series of five that my oldest nephew has been trying to get me to read - for ages.  Just like Harry Potter and the Twilight Saga, I held out for as long as I could (translation:  Until they made the first movie)  and just like Harry Potter and the Twilight Saga - I enjoyed this book very much.  It's far fetched, like any good fiction read is, and entertaining.  I highly recommend checking it out.  It may have been written for "adolescents" but the innocence and imagination held within the pages of this book, made me feel like I was 10 years old, reading under my blankets with a flashlight, long after my parents thought I was asleep.

Next on my list to read:

To The Rescue:  Stories from Healthcare - Workers at the Scenes of Disasters by Nancy Leigh Harless & Kerry-Ann Morris

Unbillable Hours:  A True Story by Ian Graham

As well as the book my book club ladies and I choose for this months reading.

I'll keep you posted on what books I am reading, or will be reading, and what I think of them as I go.  It's very rare to find a book I don't enjoy, or cannot get through.  I hope you take some of these titles and check them out yourself.

Until next time, 

Happy Reading!