So Many Books, So Little Time

August was such a crazy month!  We moved and work was insanely busy and I did not read much at all.  I am hoping life starts to slow down a bit because I am exhausted! I only read 7 books this month for a total of 85 for the year.  I am making really good progress on my challenges; I only have 5 more challenge books to read so I should be able to get to them this year.  I am planning to start Les Miserables next month and need to come up with a reading schedule for it so I don't get burned out on it. I am hoping to be able to run another 1/2 marathon in October but am having a lot of pain in my right knee.  I am crossing my fingers it gets better and I can still run.  I also am super excited for it to be fall!  I can't wait for football, hoodies, Halloween and Thanksgiving!!  Though I didn't read many books in August, I did enjoy all of them.  Here is what I read: 1.) To Tame a Highland Warrior by Karen Marie Moning 2.) The King's Da...

From Goodreads:   This book tells the tale of a twelfth-century monk driven to do the seemingly impossible: build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known. Everything readers expect from Follett is here: intrigue, fast-paced action, and passionate romance. But what makes The Pillars of the Earth extraordinary is the time—the twelfth century; the place—feudal England; and the subject—the building of a glorious cathedral. Follett has re-created the crude, flamboyant England of the Middle Ages in every detail. The vast forests, the walled towns, the castles, and the monasteries become a familiar landscape. Against this richly imagined and intricately interwoven backdrop, filled with the ravages of war and the rhythms of daily life, the master storyteller draws the reader irresistibly into the intertwined lives of his characters—into their dreams, their labors, and their loves: Tom, the master builder; Aliena, the ravishingly beautiful noblewoman; Philip, the...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish . This week's topic:  Top Ten Bookish Confessions I don't really have any confessions.  Most of the 'confessions' on my list are more like bookish idiosyncracies. 1.) I always return library books on time.- I know this doesn't sound like a confession but I am kind of crazy about making sure I turn them in on time.  I will go way out of my way to make sure that they aren't late. 2.) I don't like Sarah Dessen's books.- I'm sorry, I tried but I just don't get the appeal.  I always feel bad because so many bloggers love Dessen's books. 3 .) I can't read more than one book at a time.- It stresses me out! 4.) I HATE dust jackets.- They look pretty on the shelf but I they really get on my nerves.  I have to take them off before I read a book. 5.) I do judge a book by its cover. -Sometimes I can't help it! 6.) There have been a few times where I have ...

  Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by Tynga's Reviews .   This week I went a little crazy at the library.  I had some extra time and just wandered around waiting for something to catch my eye.  Life has been so crazy busy lately that I have no idea when I will get to all these but I am excited to read them.   (sorry for the picture quality)   From the Library: Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt The Queen's Sorrow by Suzannah Dunn Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire The Scarlet Contessa by Jeanne Kalogridis   Have you read any of these?  What books did you pick up this week?   

From Goodreads:  In the year 1792, Sir Percy and Lady Marguerite Blakeney are the darlings of British society—he is known as one of the wealthiest men in England and a dimwit;she is French, a stunning former actress, and �the cleverest woman in Europe”—and they find themselves at the center of a deadly political intrigue. The Reign of Terror controls France, and every day aristocrats in Paris fall victim to Madame la Guillotine. Only one man can rescue them—the Scarlet Pimpernel—a master of disguises who leaves a calling card bearing only a signature red flower. As the fascinating connection between the Blakeneys and this mysterious hero is revealed, they are forced to choose between love and loyalty in order to avoid the French agent Chauvelin, who relentlessly hunts the Scarlet Pimpernel. My Thoughts:  This was a surprisingly good book.  I usually expect a 'classic' to be a little difficult to read but this wasn't the case at all.  The Scarl...

From Goodreads:   On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge . Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Ni...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish . This week's topic:  Top Ten Favorite Books You've Read During the Lifespan of Your Blog Most of these are books that I gave a 5 star rating to.  Others are books that I absolutely loved but for some reason or another, they didn't quite earn a 5 star rating from me. 1.) East of Eden by John Steinbeck 2.) A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin 3.) Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch 4.) You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon 5.) Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 6.) Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay 7.) Moloka'i by Alan Brennert 8.) Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead 9.) The Summer Garden by Paullina Simons 10) Dark Lover by J.R. Ward What are some of your favorite books you've read since you started blogging?  Leave me a link so I can check out your lists!

From Goodreads:  In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he’d completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, not to mention triathlons and a dozen critically acclaimed books, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and—even more important—on his writing. Equal parts training log, travelogue, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and takes us to places ranging from Tokyo’s Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston among young women who outpace him. Through this marvelous lens of sport emerges a panorama of memories and insights: the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer, his greatest triumphs and disappointments, his passion for vintage LPs, and the experience, after fifty, of seeing his race times improve a...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish . This week's topic:  Top Ten Book Romances That You Think Would Make It In The Real World 1.) Rose and Dmitri from the Vampire Academy series -Despite how rash Rose can be, her and Dmitri seem to have a pretty loving and stable relationship. 2.) Tatiana and Alexander from The Bronze Horseman -Tatia and Shura survived everything that could be thrown at a couple, of course they can make it in the real world! 3.) Tris and Four from Divergent- After reading Insurgent, it was plain to see how much love and respect these two have for each other.  They could definitely survive in the real world. 4.) Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice- These two don't have the traditional storybook romance, they grew to love each other instead of falling head over heels.  It makes me think they have a chance in the real world. 5.) Anna and St. Clair from Anna and the French Kiss- Anna a...

From Goodreads:  Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth of York trusts that her beloved father's dying wish has left England in the hands of a just and deserving ruler. But upon the rise of Richard of Gloucester, Elizabeth's family experiences one devastation after another: her late father is exposed as a bigamist, she and her siblings are branded bastards, and her brothers are taken into the new king's custody, then reportedly killed. But one fateful night leads Elizabeth to question her prejudices. Through the eyes of Richard's ailing queen she sees a man worthy of respect and undying adoration. His dedication to his people inspires a forbidden love and ultimately gives her the courage to accept her destiny, marry Henry Tudor, and become Queen. While her soul may secretly belong to another, her heart belongs to England. My Thoughts:  I like that The King's Daughter is a Tudor era novel without having the usual played out story and characters.  This book focuses on Eli...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews . I can't believe it's Sunday already!  Time is flying right now.  I picked up a couple books from the library this week and bought a couple as well.  My orthodontist (yes, I am an adult who has to go to the orthodontist) gives out tokens for every visit and after so many tokens, you can get a Hastings gift card and I finally got one after my last visit. I guess it's supposed to be a treat after all the suckiness of having braces. Here is what I picked up this week: Purchased: The Iliad by Homer The Odyssey by Homer From the Library: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Can't wait to read this!!!) The Sisters Who Would Be Queen by Leanda de Lisle Have you read any of these?  What books did you get this week? 

From Goodreads:  Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country’s throne, has been for centuries an enigmatic figure shrouded in lurid myth. Was she the bereft widow of legend who was driven mad by her loss, or has history misjudged a woman who was ahead of her time? In his stunning new novel, C. W. Gortner challenges the myths about Queen Juana, unraveling the mystery surrounding her to reveal a brave, determined woman we can only now begin to fully understand. The third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, Juana is born amid her parents’ ruthless struggle to unify their kingdom, bearing witness to the fall of Granada and Columbus’s discoveries. At the age of sixteen, she is sent to wed Philip, the archduke of Flanders, as part of her parents’ strategy to strengthen Spain, just as her youngest sister, Catherine of Aragon, is sent to England to become the first wife of Henry VIII. Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her handsome yo...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews . Oh my, this week has been insane.  We moved on Tuesday and it has been a huge ordeal.  It is going to take a lot of time to get situated and comfortable again.  I didn't get any reading done after about Monday so I am going to have to catch up on that while trying to get the new place in order. I did get one book this week.  I actually broke my book buying ban and purchased an ebook (after moving 5 huge boxes of books, I am struggling with the idea of buying physical books right now). Purchased ebook: Monster in My Closet by R.L. Naquin (I have heard good things about this book AND it was under $6.  You can't beat that!) What books did you pick up this week?

From Goodreads:  After the bloody French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon’s power is absolute. When Marie-Louise, the eighteen year old daughter of the King of Austria, is told that the Emperor has demanded her hand in marriage, her father presents her with a terrible choice: marry the cruel, capricious Napoleon, leaving the man she loves and her home forever, or say no, and plunge her country into war. Marie-Louise knows what she must do, and she travels to France, determined to be a good wife despite Napoleon’s reputation. But lavish parties greet her in Paris, and at the extravagant French court, she finds many rivals for her husband’s affection, including Napoleon’s first wife, Joséphine, and his sister Pauline, the only woman as ambitious as the emperor himself. Beloved by some and infamous to many, Pauline is fiercely loyal to her brother. She is also convinced that Napoleon is destined to become the modern Pharaoh of Egypt. Indeed, her greatest hope is to rule alongside him...