Melephant

I audio booked this one on my way to/from work. There were quite a few times that I would sit in my car just to hear one more chapter. This past week, when I got home, my husband came out to greet me and I wouldn’t get out of the car because I was almost at the end of it. So that tells you a little bit about how I felt about this book.

On one of the last CD’s, it gets really sad. I got to work just on time one day just as I got to one of the really sad parts, and I didn’t want to leave it at that. I have to say, if your going to be audio booking this one, make sure you don’t have to stop listening to it on a sad note if you have somewhere to go. It may just ruin your day.

6/210

I have to say, I really enjoyed this book.

I picked this one up from the library, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Wendy Wax is a new author, and I have to say, I wasn’t sure what I was going to think of this book.

Her writing style reminded me of many other authors that I have read in the past, and I really enjoyed how she made you feel like you were part of the story. In the end, I was rooting for the main character to get what she wanted and for everyone to remain friends.

I really enjoyed the twist that the book took in the end, which I didn’t expect.

Read it, I promise you will like it!

5/210

OK, so I haven’t actually read this book yet, but I had this overwhelming feeling to blog about it before reading it.

My friends and I joke about someone calling one of those “de-clutter your house” TV shows on TLC so that they may help me throw out some of my books/yarn/clothes. Don’t get me wrong- I do not have a dirty house. But it is cluttered. I have a library in which I keep all of (OK, most of) my books, but the shelves are starting to overflow with books/pictures/mementos.

So now I might actually be able to de-clutter my house all by myself! Yay!

My husband is going to be soooo happy when he sees me reading this book. I am requesting it right now from the library, love!

This was a super quick read that I completed in just one sitting.

I have read one other book by Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and I have to say, I did not like that one. I found it to be boring and while the premise was OK, the story itself was blah.

I couldn’t have felt more different about this other book if I wanted to. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

In this book, Albom weaves a beautiful story from past to present, going through the up’s and down’s of “Chick’s” life from a little boy to a young man to an adult. The story is beautifully written and at times had me close to tears.

I am interested in reading his other books now, in hopes that they are similar to this one and not The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

4/210

I really enjoyed this one.

Donna VanLiere is the same author who wrote the Christmas Shoes books, and I really enjoyed her writing in that series. I am glad that I picked this one up from the library.

This story is entirely true, and details her difficulty in conceiving a child. It is a heartfelt story that really made me think about what it is to be a mother.

I would recommend this book for someone who is having difficulty in conceiving, as it might show some insight into adopting and what it means to be a parent.

3/210

Instant Love- what a concept.

I am not quite sure how I heard about this book, more an intertwining collection of stories than a novel. I think I may have heard a review about it somewhere that peeked my interest, and that was it- I was hooked.

Jami Attenberg takes the essence of what it is to love someone and be loved by someone and makes you feel empathy for the characters in her stories.

While I enjoyed the intertwining stories, I felt at times lost and at other times confused by what was going on. I was wondering why some characters were mentioned in some stories in which that had nothing to do with the plot of the story and gave no insight into the story. I think that at times she tried too hard to intertwine the stories, when they might have been better as a collection of short stories instead.

All in all, it was an entertaining book, and I would like to read her newest novel, The Melting Season, when it comes out this month.

2/210

I enjoyed Ann Brashers other series, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and thought what a great idea to continue the series, but with new characters.

I know that it is a young adult book, but I have to say, it was still a fun read. Light and easy, it made me reminisce about my childhood and think back to those good friends that I lost touch with throughout the years.

1/210

OK, so as soon as I finish one Challenge, I began my own Challenge. I am hoping to read 210 Books in 2010…

I wasn’t sure how many books I will actually be able to get through this year, but my goal is pretty steep. I figured why not make it a challenge that is actually challenging?

So there it is- wish me luck!

I hope to get most of the books that I read using my Bookswim membership, and the rest either from my library or my stash.

I will keep you updated as I do it, and review my books on MelephantReads as well as Goodreads, if your interested.

So, here it goes…

1. 3 Willows by Ann Brashers

2. Instant Love by Jami Attenberg

3. Finding Grace by Donna VanLiere

4. For One More Day by Mitch Albom

5. The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax

6. Grace by Richard Paul Evans

7. The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center

8. The Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble

9. The Mr. and Mrs. Happy Handbook: Everything I know About Love and Marriage by Steve Doocy with Corrections by Mrs. Doocy

10. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

11. Matchless by Gregory Maguire

12. The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

13. Wolves in Chic Clothing by Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman

14. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

15. The Christmas Pearl by Dorthea Benton Frank

16. Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews

17. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

18. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

19. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

20. Emotional Fitness for Intimacy: Sweeten and Deepen Your Love in Only 10 Minutes a Day by Barton Goldsmith

21. On Kindness by Adam Phillips & Barbara Taylor

22. Home in Time for Christmas by Heather Graham

23. Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot by Max Lucado

24. Christmas on Mill Street by Joseph Walker

25. Happens Every Day: An All-Too-True Story by Isabel Gillies

26. You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas by Augusten Burroughs

27. Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert

28. How to Save Your Own Life: 15 Lessons on Finding Hope in Unexpected Places by Michael Gates Gill

29. The Soul of Medicine by Sherwin Nuland

30. The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty by Peter Singer

31. How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman

32. Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman by Lisa Scottoline

33. The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

34. Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach- Narrated by Sandra Burr

35. Still Life with Chickens: Starting Over in a House by the Sea by Catherine Goldhammer

36. Pilgrims by Elizabeth Gilbert

37. Think! Why Crucial Decisions Can’t Be Made in the Blink of an Eye by Michael R LeGault

38. It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh

39. Celebrity Detox by Rosie O’Donnell

40. Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty

41. Find Me by Rosie O’Donnell

42. Just 15 Minutes a Day: Meditation for the Rest of Us by Suzanne Weinman

43. When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris

44. 15 Minute Abs Workout by Joan Pagano

45. You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up: A Love Story by Annabelle Gurwitch & Jeff Kahn

46. It’s Not That I’m Bitter . . . Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World by Gina Barreca

47. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

48. The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start: Lose Weight, Get in Shape, and Start Living the Biggest Loser Lifestyle Today! by Biggest Loser

49. Direct Red: A Surgeon’s View of Her Life or Death Profession by Gabriel Weston

50. Have a Little Faith: The Story of a Last Request by Mitch Albom

51. Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty

52. Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo? And Other Questions I Wish I Never Had to Ask by Jancee Dunn

53. Lift by Kelly Corrigan

54. You’ve Been Warned by James Patterson, Howard Roughan

55. The Accidental Mother by Rowan Coleman

56. Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle by Brian Dennis, Mary Nethery, Kirby Larson

57. If the Shoe Fits by Stephanie Rowe

58. Coffee And Kung Fu by Karen Brichoux, Lisa Lelas

59. Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich

60. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

61. The Gift: A Novel by Cecelia Ahern

62. Winging It: Dispatches from an (Almost) Empty Nest by Catherine Goldhammer

63. Making the Cut: The 30-Day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You by Jillian Michaels

64. This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women by Jay Allison & Dan Gediman

65. Life as I Know It by Melanie Rose

66. Someone Will Be with You Shortly: Notes from a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Lisa Kogan

67. Hot Stuff by Janet Evanovich, Leanne Banks

68. It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather B. Armstrong

69. The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

70. Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs

71. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

72. Beach Chair Diaries by Janet E Spurr

73. Marriage and Other Acts of Charity: A Memoir by Kate Braestrup

74. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

75. Seven Year Switch by Claire Cook

76. Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez

77. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

78. Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom by Kristin van Ogtrop

79. Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers

80. English as a Second Language by Megan Crane

81. When Did I Get Like This? by Amy Wilson

82. Love, Loss, and What I Wore by Ilene Beckerman

83. I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

84. Insatiable by Meg Cabot

85. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

86. Forever… by Judy Blume

87. Naked by David Sedaris

88. More Information Than You Require by John Hodgman

89. The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

90. The Last Time I Saw You: A Novel by Elizabeth Berg

91. I Drink for a Reason by David Cross

92. Cars From a Marriage by Debra Gallant

93. Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

94. I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President by Josh Lieb

95. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris

96. Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich

97. Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

98. Husband and Wife by Leah Stewart

99. Precious by Sapphire

100. The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman

101. Knit in Comfort by Isabel Sharpe

102.  The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins

103. An Unfinished Marriage by Joan Anderson

104. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

105.  Prospect Park West: A Novel by Amy Sohn

106. Vintage Veronica by Erica S. Perl

107.  Frumpy to Foxy in 15 Minutes Flat by Elycia Rubin, Rita Mauceri

108.  Through the Heart by Kate Morgenroth

109. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

110. Uncharted TerriTORI by Tori Spelling

111. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

112. Flirting in Care by Alisa Kwitney

113. Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story by Sue Monk Kidd, Ann Kidd Taylor

114.  The Island: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand

115. What We Do for Love by Ilene Beckerman

116.  It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons by Franklin Habit

117. Something for the Pain: One Doctor’s Account of Life and Death in the ER by Paul Austin

118.  Her Last Death: A Memoir by Susanna Sonnenberg

119. Cherries in Winter: My Family’s Recipe for Hope in Hard Times by Suzan Colon

120. Happy: Simple Steps to Get the Most Out of Life by Ian K. Smith

121.  Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell

Happy New Year!!!

Nick and I had some friends over for New Years Eve, and our friend Mac captured this “family photo” of Nick, Ditto and I. We are in our basement, also known as our party space.

I have to say that while I enjoyed the Holidays, I am glad that they are over. I feel like I haven’t had any time to myself in the past few weeks, and it will be nice to be able to read some more and relax now that they are over.

Nick and I went to see Avatar in 3-D this weekend, and I have to recommend it to everyone. It was a great movie, and even better in 3-D. The theater was so crowded that we had to sit separately, and we had to buy our tickets really early that day because they all sold out. But it was really worth it.

I am all finished with the 2009 Fall/Winter Challenge. I finished in 2nd place, and I have to say, it was a lot of fun!

I think that I am all Challenged out, though, so instead of doing another read along with everyone challenge, I am going to make my own personal challenge instead. I will be sure to keep track of the books that I read and review them on MelephantReads as well as Goodreads, if your interested.