2013 Book LIst....Update

Here's my updated list. I'm doing.....okay. Not great, but okay.

The Bible
January Book Club
February Book Club---I tried, but just couldn't finish it. It wasn't my taste and was more risque than I could read.
March Book Club
April Book Club--still in progress. I'm still going to try to finish it.
May Book Club
June Book Club
July Book Club
August Book Club
September Book Club
October Book Club
November Book Club
December Book Club
I Knew Jesus Before He was a Christian   Rubel Shelly
Revolution in World Missions    K. P. Yahannan----almost there. Not quite finished.
Baby Wise Book One (reread)
Baby Wise Book Two (reread)
7 Things Kids Never Forget   Ron Rose
Understanding World Religions in 15 Minutes a Day   Garry R. Morgan
The Secrets of Biblical Wisdom   Kyle Searcy
What to Expect When You're Expecting (reread)
The Non Runner's Marathon Guide for Women (reread)
1,000 Gifts   Ann Voskamp

Big Wheels and Tractor Heels Ree Drummond

Bethany House Reviewed Books
The Guardian Beverly Lewis
Firefly Island Lisa Wingate
The Icecutter's Daughter Tracie Peterson
 
And 2 others that I'll figure out as I go. If you have suggestions for my final two, let me know!

The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy

June Book Club Book: The Soldier's Wife

After two chapters, I was in. The beginning took me awhile, though. I just couldn't get into it. Eventually, I was intrigued by how scary and frustrating the occupation of their island must have been. Yikes. I can't imagine. I was amazed that Vivienne really believed her affair with the German was unknown to his fellow officers. They lived right next door. I'm also surprised her children never heard anything. Crazy.
I can't imagine how difficult being married to a stranger would have been. Discovering his affairs....yikes. I don't think having one herself was the answer. Caring for her mother-in-law with Alzheimer's and her husband being away at war. I cannot imagine the strain. I honestly wanted her to stay with the German, though. Horrible, I know, but he was so much kinder than her husband. I did think this was well-written and enjoyed the story. Vivienne was a brave, determined, yet naive woman who did what she had to do to help others, despite her odd connections to the Germans and them living right next door.

The Guardian by Beverly Lewis

The Guardian

I can't help it. I love Beverly Lewis books. All of them. This one was no different. It didn't seem as predictable as some, and I did appreciate that. From the beginning, I wanted to hug Jodi myself. Grief is such a difficult thing and Mrs. Lewis showed so many ways, with several characters, that people approach and tackle their grief. Maryanna's skepticism was natural, but I loved the way her heart was eventually turned toward Joshua and Jodi. I enjoyed the way Mrs. Lewis used Maryanna and Jodi to help each other heal and see how different things could be. I actually got so wrapped up in this story that I cried right along with them most of the time. I wanted to shake Maryanna for staying away from Joshua for so long. I loved this book and have already passed it on. Loved it.

Firefly Island by Lisa Wingate

Firefly Island

This was my first novel by Ms. Wingate. It took me a few chapters to get wrapped up, but I ended up loving the book. Yes, it was predictable to a point, but I am a sucker for a good love story. It was definitely that. The whirlwind romance and marriage of Mallory and Daniel was a bit unbelievable, but still so sweet. Stranger things have happened. Mr. West seems to be misunderstood the entire book and his son, well, he was just plain horrible. I loved the ease with which Mallory was able to begin seeing Daniel's child as her own. If only it were that easy for everyone that marries someone with children. I was frustrated by Daniel's lack of concern for their initial living conditions and the whole job situation. Overall, though, it was a beautiful story, one I would recommend. Loved it.

The Icecutter's Daughter by Tracie Peterson

I'm a little behind. This is one of three reviews I'm cranking out tonight.

The Icecutter's Daughter tugged at me. I haven't read many of Tracie Peterson's books, but she's quickly becoming a favorite of mine. From the beginning, I was frustrated with Rurik's situation. Svea, his supposed betrothed just irritated me beyond belief. I was shocked towards the end to find her brother was as crooked as he was. My goodness. The whole story captivated me, though. I loved the simplicity of Merrill. She's so strong, yet every bit the woman she needed to be to snag Rurick. Perhaps it was a tad predictable at times, but the story was so real and appealing. I highly recommend this one and have already passed it on.

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels...A Love Story

Confession....Couldn't read the February book club book. It was not my cup of tea. At all. I replaced it with a good one. The Pioneer Woman's book, not cookbook. I am in the middle of cooking through both cookbooks, so I thought I'd give this book of hers a try. It was hilarious! I went to a book signing last spring and met her. She's every bit as funny in real life. The book chronicles her move back to Oklahoma, dating Marlboro Man and first year of marriage. The things that happen to her....
I especially enjoyed her take on her first pregnancy. I'm in the middle of my second pregnancy and it just cracked me up. Five weeks after the honeymoon, they find out they're pregnant. Oh. My. Goodness. If you get a chance to read it, do. She's definitely a country club, city girl turned ranch wife. It's an easy, super fun, hilarious read.

Book List for 2013

This year, my goal is to read 24 books. That's an average of 2 a month. I realize this may be difficult one the baby comes, but I'm going to try. I have twelve for sure because of my monthly book club. Here is a list of some others. I'm hoping to update once/month with what I've read. I'm also attempting to read through the bible again this year. This list does not include the books I hope to get ahold of for reviewing from Bethany House Publishers. I'll be over 24 if I can get more of those. Yeah!

The Bible
January Book Club
February Book Club
March Book Club
April Book Club
May Book Club
June Book Club
July Book Club
August Book Club
September Book Club
October Book Club
November Book Club
December Book Club
I Knew Jesus Before He was a Christian   Rubel Shelly
Revolution in World Missions    K. P. Yahannan
Baby Wise Book One (reread)
Baby Wise Book Two (reread)
7 Things Kids Never Forget   Ron Rose
Understanding World Religions in 15 Minutes a Day   Garry R. Morgan
The Secrets of Biblical Wisdom   Kyle Searcy
What to Expect When You're Expecting (reread)
The Non Runner's Marathon Guide for Women (reread)
1,000 Gifts   Ann Voskamp

And 2 others that I'll figure out as I go. If you have suggestions for my final two, let me know!

Back at it and flu shots

Clearly, I've been a little busy. It's been almost four months since my last post. I'm hoping to change that in 2013. We moved in with my inlaws in order to rent our place and then moved into our house 7 weeks later when we finally closed. My little one had a horrible stomach bug and two weeks later spent the weekend in the hospital with croup. On top of it all, the first trimester of pregnancy hit me hard and I was very sick. So, I'm hoping the next four months will be calmer and I'll be able spend more time keeping this going.

For starters, let's clear some things up. Doctor J has asked me to pass on some information from the doctor world.
1. The stomach flu and the flu (influenza) are NOT the same thing. Technically, they're not related. One hits your digestive system and the other your respiratory system.
2. The flu shot protects against influenza or respiratory related flus. It will not protect against the stomach flu.
3. Yes, you will sometimes get influenza even with a flu shot. They can never put all the strains in a single shot. Most times, they have to guess which will be the worst and hope they're right.
4. Your doctor's office will typically order a set amount of shots and sprays. When they run out, they run out. Reordering usually happens just at pharmacies that give the shots.
5. If you think you do have genuine influenza, go to the doctor. DON'T call him expecting tami flu over the phone. That won't happen and antibiotics can't kill the flu. Go to the doctor. They can also run a test to see if that's really what you have.

Questions? Leave me a comment.