Fourth Quarter Reading

I could have read so many books while I was traveling, but for whatever reason I just really wasn't in the mood to read on my trip (and a lot of this quarter). That being said I did finish a respectable number of books this quarter.

Excellent

1. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. After Macy's dad dies of a heart attack (in the middle of a run), she attempts to control the rest of her life. She becomes a perfect student and starts dating a perfect boyfriend. Then her boyfriend leaves for the summer and tells her they should take a break and her perfect life suddenly falls apart. This may be my favorite Sarah Dessen book yet. It's not significantly different from any of her other books that I've read (they're all great!), but something about this one just resonated with me.

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. Just as Harry is packing his bags to go back to Hogwarts at the end of the summer, a house elf named Dobby shows up and warns him not to return. Sure enough, terrible things start happening and no one knows who or what is responsible. All of the Harry Potter books are excellent on their own, but the illustrations by Jim Kay just make them that much more enjoyable. Plus I'm loving seeing them through fresh eyes as Corbyn listens to them for the first time.

3. Wonder by R.J. Palacio. August has never attended public school because of his severe facial abnormalities. He is starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep and wants nothing more than to be treated like everyone else, but most of his classmates (and some of their parents) can't get past his extraordinary face. This was a book club book that I decided to listen to in the car with the kids. We started it before my trip and the kids were extremely patient to wait until I got home to finish it with me. We loved it!

Great

4. Once and For All by Sarah Dessen. Louna works for her mom's wedding planner business, but has been cynical about happily-ever-afters ever since her first love ended very tragically. Will Ambrose be the guy to change her mind? This is Sarah Dessen's latest book and while I didn't love it as much as The Truth About Forever, it was definitely worth reading.

5. Someday Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham. Franny is a struggling young actress trying to make it in New York City. She only has six months left of her three-year deadline to make something of her career and she's starting to panic. After finishing Once and For All on my first flight (of eleven) of my trip, I carried this book around and didn't even crack the cover until after I got home. I'd been wanting to read it since I read about it in Lauren Graham's memoir, so I don't know why it took me so long to start. It was fun to read this book and think about how it was probably pretty accurate being written by an actress who struggled at first to get her career going. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was worth reading.

6. The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg. After graduating at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. Soon after beginning her apprenticeship, she must face (and defeat) a dark magician to save her teacher's life. Originally this book intrigued me because of the author's last name. Turns out it was written by the sister-in-law of the missionary I was writing when I met Rog, Elder Reed Holmberg. I later came across it again and actually read what the book was about and thought it sounded interesting (and Disney had just bought the rights for it, so there's that). I really enjoyed the story although the writing didn't flow well for me and I didn't feel like I could read it quickly. (It was her first novel, so maybe this improves in her subsequent books.) I kind of slogged through it, but I really loved how it ended and was glad I persevered.

Good

7. The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl. A little girl with a magic finger turns her neighbors into birds when their hunting exploits makes her angry. This book, like Esio Trot, is a short story published as a book. Not my favorite of Dahl's books, but not terrible either.

And again not counting these toward my total, but here are the books I read with Peyton this quarter.

Samantha Saves the Day and Changes for Samantha by Valerie Tripp. The last 2 Samantha books (of the original 6). So fun to read these with my little girl!

Samantha Saves the Wedding, Samantha and the Missing Pearls, and Samantha's Special Talent by Valerie Tripp and Sarah Masters Buckey. 3 new (to me anyway) short stories about Samantha.

My 7 books this quarter brings my total for the year to 28. That's 4 more than my goal of 24! I also completed Modern Mrs. Darcy's 2017 (Reading For Fun) Reading Challenge.

A book you chose for the cover: That Summer by Sarah Dessen (Third Quarter). I knew I wanted to read one of Sarah Dessen's books and I ultimately grabbed this one because I liked its cover best (of her books on the shelf at the library that day).

A book with a reputation for being un-put-down-able: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (First Quarter). I only know one person who didn't like this book. It's definitely one that's hard to put down after you start reading it.

A book set somewhere you've never been but would like to visit: Paris for One by Jojo Moyes (First Quarter). I've always loved France because of my love for ballet. It kills me that I can now say I've been to Europe, but I haven't been to Paris!

A book you've already read: My Story by Elizabeth Smart (Third Quarter). This was my third time reading this book (and surely not my last).

A juicy memoir: Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham (Second Quarter). I'm so glad this challenge led me to this book. I heart Lauren Graham!

A book about books or reading: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly (Third Quarter). This was my original pick for "a book you chose for the cover" because the cover is absolutely beautiful, but it's the only book I read about books (without stretching it to put Matilda in this category). I tried to read the Book Thief, but couldn't get through it.

A book in a genre you usually avoid: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (Third Quarter). I'm not actually sure what genre this book is from, but it definitely wasn't a book I would have picked for myself. I might be stretching it, but in my mind that means it must have been in a genre I usually avoid.

A book you don't want to admit you're dying to read: The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg (Fourth Quarter). I initially resisted reading this book because of my background with the author's brother-in-law, but really genuinely thought it sounded like an interesting story.

A book in the backlist of a new favorite author: Someday Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham (Fourth Quarter). I wanted to read this book after reading Lauren Graham's memoir. (I also could have picked any of Sarah Dessen's books I read this year for this category.)

A book recommended by someone with great taste: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (First Quarter). I have such great success reading books Janssen suggests and she was spot on about this book.

A book you were excited to buy or borrow but haven't read yet: Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown (Third Quarter). Oh how I loved this book (especially the audio version), but my oh my it took me a long time to get through it!

A book about a topic or subject you already love: Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage (Third Quarter). I didn't know what book I could read for this category and then it hit me. Duh, a book about the gospel!

I'd say it was a pretty good year of reading for me - especially the first and third quarters!