2015 Reading Challenge - CATCH UP, part two

Two books I've recently read....

Mind of a Molester, by Kenneth Quinn

 

 

This book is written by a friend of mine. It is presented in a very informative and interesting way. It showcases and highlights a raw and open account of addiction and healing. He shares the story of his past and how he worked through it...and beyond it.

 

 

Why I Married a Murderer and How I Survived the Divorce, by Teresa Roberts.

 



 

You know... sometimes you just end up with a book in your collection...with no rhyme or reason for it being there. So you read it. That's what happened...and that's what I did.  Not impressed. This book was basically a run down of the ups and downs of dating and all the bad relationships this lady ended up in.......almost a "poor pitiful me" type thing. 



2015 Reading Challenge - Catch UP!

This past month or so has been BUSY for me.... school has just about done me in this semester. I was taking 3 classes - one of which was Biology and the teacher in that class was rough-stuff! BUT --- here it is...the week of finals... and I'm actually able to take a small breath and a quick sigh of relief as I play catch up on several things.  My hope and plan is to get back in the blogging groove now that this semester is essentially done with.

First things first.... well... easy things first, how's that.  Somehow I have managed to read during all of this semester crazy-ness!  Six books, I think... is what I need to update on. Impressive, huh? Some of them were quick reads...so it's not as daunting and impressive as it sounds.

"A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit" --- For this category I chose a book off my overstuffed bookshelf:

Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend Of Betrayal, Courage And Survival is a novel by Velma Wallis, set in northeastern Alaska.
The basic summary of this story is two old women spend the winter abandoned by their tribe in the wilderness. They survive...and thrive. It was a quick read...and not overly impressive. I suppose Alaskan legends aren't really my thing. But, this little book has been on my shelf for a little while now - so it was time to read it and move on. I will find it a new home soon...
I chose this category...because I think Alaska is someplace I'd like to visit....maybe in the form of an Alaskan cruise?

Under One Roof: Lessons I learned from a Tough Old Woman in a Little Old House. by Barry Martin. This is a heartwarming story of an unlikely friendship between the superintendent of a massive construction project and the old woman who refuses to sell her tiny house that sits in the way of the project. I'm not sure if this is the exact story that the movie 'Up' was coined after.... but, it's a VERY similar tale. I was expecting to shed a few tears with this book.... but surprisingly I didn't. It was a sweet story. 
I put this book under the "book based on a true story" category.....and passed it on to my sis.

Fixed Trilogy: Fixed on You, Found in You, Forever with You. by Laurelin Paige. Similar to the whole 50 Shades storyline, but without a lot of the physical BDSM stuff. I LOVED this trilogy. I listed to the first two via audio book then read the third one on Kindle. If you liked 50Shades.... then I'd suggest you check this trilogy out.
I, of course, put this under my "Trilogy" category.

Hudson by Laurelin Paige. This is book 4 of the "Fixed Trilogy". I could've done just fine without this one. Take it or leave it --- it didn't really add much to the other three. It was just "ok" and provided a little backstory to Hudson, the main male character in the Fixed Trilogy. I read this via Kindle. 
I put this under the "Book with one-word title" category.

There ya have it.... the handful of books I've recently read. Not sure what I'll start on next......

As for the 2015 Reading Challenge --- I've read 14 books...leaving 38 more to read!

2015 Reading Challenge - Black Like Me

For the 2015 Reading Challenge, the category "A book your mom liked" -  Well, when we asked mom what her favorite book was.... her response was that she didn't really read much, and the only book she could recall ever reading was "Black Like Me".  So, this will have to do for this category.

My thoughts. The book is a slow read....hard to get through at times...dry and slow.  But - I think the overall story behind it was interesting. Here's the summary on it from Wikipedia:

Black Like Me is a nonfiction book by journalist John Howard Griffin first published in 1961. Griffin was a white native of Dallas, Texas and the book describes his six-week experience travelling on Greyhound buses (occasionally hitchhiking) throughout the racially segregated states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia passing as a black man. Sepia Magazine financed the project in exchange for the right to print the account first as a series of articles.
Griffin kept a journal of his experiences; the 188-page diary was the genesis of the book.
At the time of the book's writing in 1959, race relations in America were particularly strained and Griffin aimed to explain the difficulties that black people faced in certain areas. Under the care of a doctor, Griffin artificially darkened his skin to pass as a black man.


One thing I found interesting...and would have enjoyed seeing worked into the book somehow, was towards the end of the book the author mentions having photos taken at some of the places he went. I would be neat to see those photos....but they weren't included in this book.

I think this book would be an interesting and informative read for anyone studying race relations and such. I certainly wonder how the experiment would be different in today's world.

2015 Reading Challenge - Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

Chelsea, Chelsea, Bang Bang....... by Chelsea Handler.

Eh.... I was a bit disappointed in this book. I love watching Chelsea on Chelsea Lately --- but this book fell flat to me.

I couldn't decide which category to put this under .... initially. I just knew I liked her ... this book was on my list to read...and it became available through BookMooch -- so I grabbed it.  It was a quick read.... it's basically a handful of short essay/stories compiled together and called a book. Again, I wasn't impressed.

So --- after reading it, I decided to use it for the category "A Book with Bad Reviews" ---- although I couldn't really find much of a bad review online.....4 stars on most websites.... but, I'm giving it a bad review! So.... I'm counting it. I did find the review below... and I think it pretty much sums up my thoughts on it as well.

"All in all, I wouldn’t go as far as recommending that you do not read this book, but if you are looking for purposeful and solid literature, this is probably the wrong place for it. If, on the other hand, you want something you can read to pass the time while your brain is completely shut off, then it will probably do. If you do decide to read it, I suggest doing it in short spurs when the mood is right; otherwise it may feel like a bit too much at once."

January Twenty Fifteen Recap

So... I'm one month into Twenty Fifteen. What has been accomplished thus far? What's been going on? Let's see....

I started the year with big plans to try new recipes. I'd say things are going good with this. I prepared 7 freezer meals - all new recipes. So far we've tried two. We had orange chicken the other night and it wasn't very good. Tonight we tried Cilantro Lime Chicken. It was pretty good. I was a little unsure on how to eat this --- the recipe ended up making quite a bit of the corn, black bean, onion mix --- so, we weren't sure if we were supposed to eat this over rice or wrapped in a tortilla or what. What'd we do? We shredded it a bit and wrapped it up in a tortilla...with rice. It was good. We'll have it again. And, for the most part, I think it's a meal that's good for you. All fresh ingredients....veggies, and chicken.... Other than the freezer meals, we've tried a few other recipes -- kale chips, which are DE-LISH right out of the oven.... but the following day, they've lost their crisp and are a bit soggy. So -- that's a recipe we'll have again.... but with plans to have no leftovers - because they don't keep well.  We also tried ranch pork chops and a few other chicken dishes. Those were all successes. We did have another FAIL - cheeseburger soup. It just wasn't as good as it appeared to be. So... trying new recipes is going well. I got my Pinterest board organized and that helped TREMENDOUSLY!! Em seems somewhat excited - and interested - that we're trying new recipes. I'm glad she's enjoying this new adventure.

My other big plan was to participate in a Reading Challenge that I came across. It's a total of 52 books - to read throughout the year. I chatted with my sis and with a friend of ours, Jen.... and we decided on New Years Eve to do this!! Jen created a facebook page for the challenge. .... and we've actually got a few other folks joining us on this challenge. How am I doing on it so far? I've completed 6 books. And I'm currently in the middle of 4 other ones. I'm impressed that I've been able to stick with this one. I enjoy reading but hardly ever have time, it seems. But - sticking to this challenge, I've had to get creative (audio books) and pay attention to my "free" time and utilize it the best I can.... reading when I'm waiting for class to start, etc... and I've made it a point to go to bed at a decent time so I'll have a few minutes to read before I drift off to sleep. I've found though, that audiobooks at bedtime doesn't work well. I fall asleep and the audiobook continues --- so I have to find my place again the next day.

I chose a "word" for the year --- REDUCE. How's that going? Well.... the ONE thing I wanted to really focus on reducing ...was my commute to work. Of course, when I chose my word -- I didn't make a huge deal about that focus .... because I didn't want folks I work with to know I was looking for something in Conway. BUT --- a great thing happened. A position became available in the Conway office -- and so I jumped on it. I started in the Conway office this week. I'm now driving 3 miles to work....instead of 30. REDUCE, I did!!  This will in turn reduce my spending ... on gas...and on food. I'm close enough now to come home for lunch - which will eliminate the many days I ate out for lunch...which is expensive.   What else have I reduced? I've reduced my soda intake....drinking water during the day at work and I figured out how to make tea, so Em and I have tea in the evenings with dinner. I've reduced my weight ... somehow....  maybe by watching what I eat?? I've reduced my food intake ... not going back for seconds as I used to, not fixing a big plate of food, etc.  I've also reduced my "idle" time. I disconnected my cable tv... which also reduced my spending by $45 a month... but, I'm limited to 4-5 channels, so I don't spend my idle time watching hours of Food Network anymore. If nothing is on tv.... news, BigBang, SharkTank.... then Pandora music is on and I'm busy doing something else or all is quiet and I'm reading (textbooks and books for the reading challenge).

Oh...and one more "thing" I started for this year... was the 52 weeks savings plan. I've been able to stick with this so far. The only problem I have .... is that I don't carry cash on me. So, "saving" the money each week... tucking it away in my piggy bank... has been a bit of a chore, to go to the bank and get the cash... but... they don't call it a challenge for nothing, right?

Spring semester started....we're 3 weeks in. This semester I'm taking online Gender Studies, hybrid (part online and part lab in class) Biology, and also one evening a week of Criminal Justice. So far things are shaping up well. The Gender Studies class is super simple.... reading articles and participating in online discussions. The Criminal Justice class...is....well... so far... a JOKE. I'm not impressed. That's another story for another post. But, let's just say ...it's not stressful or taxing. And then we come to Biology... Ehhh Gads!  I'm covered up with this class. The textbook reading is over my head, the online work (quizzes, powerpoints, lecture notes) are over my head....but I'm muddling through it. The labs in class on Saturday mornings aren't too bad. I'm not overly impressed with my teacher. But... we're only 3 weeks in --- maybe things will smooth out soon!

So... I'm feeling like this year is off to a good start. I'm organized... I'm paying attention to my spending...and my eating... and ready for a good productive year. I came across a quote the other day.... and it sums up my thoughts for this year. Happy Twenty Fifteen!!

2015 Reading Challenge - Summer of My German Soldier

I chose this book for the category "Banned Book".  Discussing the challenge with a co-worker one day, we got to looking through a list of banned books and wondering why each one was banned....  We came across this one, set in "Jenkinsville Arkansas".  No worries - there is no such place. But, the storyline sounded interesting.... so I decided to bookmooch it.

It was a quick and easy read. A good story as well. I'm guessing the reason for it being banned is because it talks about Nazis and N*ggers.  The story is told from a 12 year olds viewpoint. She meets a Nazi prisoner and ends up becoming friends with him. He escapes and she provides him shelter and food.

I enjoyed it. It was neat to read about places in Arkansas that really are..... Jonesboro, Cummins Prison Farm (although it's no longer a prison "farm" per se), Little Rock, etc....

2015 Reading Challenge - The Outsiders

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

I chose this book for the category: "A book you were supposed to read in high school but didn't". I don't recall that I read it, and after chatting with my friend Melissa about this challenge - she mentioned this book that she recalled from high school. Well, if she read it in high school - chances are highly likely that I was supposed to read it as well. So, I did for this challenge.

I "read" this book as an audio book. I wasn't overly impressed with the story. It was a good story -- but nothing too spectacular in my eyes. But - now I can say I know the story....after many years of not knowing it.

2015 Reading Challenge: The Omnivore's Dilemma

 

 

THE SECRETS BEHIND WHAT YOU EAT

“What’s for dinner?” seems like a simple question. But do you really know…

- What happens to a field of potatoes destined to become french fries … or
- In how many disguises corn sneaks into your food? (Hint: it’s in your soda, your burger, and that Twinkie!)

- Do you know what that “organic” sticker on your banana actually means … or
- Where the chicken in your nugget grew up?

Do you know the secrets behind what you eat?

In this book, you’ll go undercover at the supermarket. You’ll delve behind the scenes of your dinner, and by the time you’ve digested the last page you’ll have put together the fascinating (and sometimes disturbing) puzzle of what’s on your plate and how it got there.

This young readers edition of Michael Pollan’s bestseller The Omnivore’s Dilemma includes a brand-new introduction and afterword, an exclusive author Q&A, and a variety of fresh visual “evidence.”

MY REVIEW:: I loved this book!! It was soooo interesting and informative. It certainly opened my eyes and has inspired me to really pay attention to the foods that I'm eating ...and how I do my shopping at the grocery store. It's even got me interested in shopping the local farmers markets and such. I've got to check into that ... I think there's one that goes on in Conway - but I know there's one that goes on in Little Rock. Maybe I can work that into a Saturday routine. I was just simply fascinated with this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested to know more about the foods we eat and where they come from.

2015 Reading Challenge: three little words

"three little words"  - a memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

An inspiring true story of the tumultuous nine years Ashley Rhodes-Courter spent in the foster care system, and how she triumphed over painful memories and real-life horrors to ultimately find her own voice. - Amazon blurb

This book was one tucked away in my bookcase....and I decided to read it for the challenge under the memoir category.  This ended up being a quick and easy read. It was a touching story with a great ending.

Finished in just a couple days and marked it off my list. I placed the book on bookmooch.com and have already gotten a request for it.

2015 Reading Challenge: Murder in Little Rock

 

 

"A book that takes place in your hometown" is the category for this one on the Reading Challenge. This book was a fairly quick read. I found it interesting...and actually quite fascinating to read the names of people I know or have heard of as well as places around central Arkansas that I'm familiar with. I'd vaguely heard of this story and a few random rumors and comments made over the years - but never really knew the story...so this was a brief Arkansas history lesson as well.

I'm marking this DONE on my list!  50 books to go!

2015 Reading Challenge: A Play

When I first read through the list of the 2015 Reading Challenge... one of the challenges that I thought would be a bit of a "challenge" for me would be to read a play. I'm not sure I've ever read a play before....maybe I skimmed through one in high school, but I don't recall for sure.

On the Reading Challenge Facebook group page, a new friend had posted a link to the play, "No Exit".  I thought I'd check it out and see what reading a play was all about.



https://archive.org/stream/NoExit/NoExit_djvu.txt

Not too bad. It was a quick read with only four characters...and a pretty interesting little play.

So - I'm marking this challenge DONE!  51 more books to go!

New Year, New Challenges! - Reading Challenge

The 2015 READING CHALLENGE!  The list is long... and challenging.  A total of 52 books to read. I plan to READ this year... and chart my progress and book reviews here!

http://www.popsugar.com/love/Reading-Challenge-2015-36071458