101 Things Update (Need to get working)

Completed - bold
in progress - italics
failed - strike through

Crafts

1. Learn how to knit or crochet. Make two usable items. (0/2 items)

2. Organize cross-stitch stuff. Finish 2 already started projects and complete 1 new project. Frame all completed items and hang in house, sell, or give away. (0/3 projects)

3. Complete at least 8 scrapbooks. Three of these must be the following: All About Me, 101 Things, and a personal album. This albums can be any size, including mini-books. (0/8 scrapbooks)

4. Organize all craft stuff, but especially scrapbook stuff. Eliminate the stuff I no longer want or need.

5. Create a binder to collect quotes, stories, and other stuff I find interesting or inspiring.

6. edited Complete at least 500 scrapbook pages. (2/500 pages)

7. Enter Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame contest or another similar contest. Be happy with my submission whether I win or lose.

8. Create a scrapbook inspiration binder. This can include pagemaps, sketches, pages I want to make, etc.

9. Subscribe to all scrapbook magazines that I buy, instead of buying them off the rack to save money. (0/4 magazines)

10. Apply for a design team or submit layouts for publication.

11. Sell stuff that I hand make to at least 3 people. Completed - 12/05/2008

12. Scan memorabilia, girls’ drawings, etc. into computer and organize so they are easier to put onto scrapbook pages.

13. edited Post pictures of at least 50 scrapbook pages or projects that I complete on blog. (3/50)

My Health

14. Lose at least 100 pounds. Small reward after each 10 pound loss. Big reward after losing 100. (23/100 pounds)

15. Eat breakfast daily for 3 months. (0/90 days)

16. Keep food journal with daily calorie information or WW points for three months. (0/90 days)

17. Avoid soda for 30 days. (0/30 days)

18. Avoid sweets, especially candy, for 30 days. (0/30 days)

19. Get yearly physical and well-woman check-up.
(Physical - 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) (Well-woman - 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)

20. Drink 64 oz of water daily for 2 months. (0/60 days)

21. Go for 1 full month without eating out. Exceptions are when out of town and for work related functions. (0/30 days)

22. Monthly self-breast exams for 1 year. (0/12 months)

23. Get at least 6 hours of sleep every night for 1 month. (0/30 days)

24. Create exercise routine and stick to it. Must exercise at least four times a week for three months straight. (0/12 weeks)

25. Plan menu for two weeks at a time. Make grocery list and buy only what is on that list. Do this for 3 months. (0/3 months)

26. edited Cook at least 50 recipes from recipe books that I own. (0/50 recipes)

27. Find a recipe for Sesame Chicken or Orange Chicken that we love.

28. Give blood at least 3 times. (0/3)

Knowledge or Personal Progression

29. Learn how to use these four computer programs (or equally good programs) properly: Excel, Power Point, Quick Books, and Photo shop.

30. Learn how to use camera properly. Take at least 1 photo worthy of framing to hang in our home. Actually hang it.

31. Complete remaining questions in journal jar.

32. Complete an entry in one of my on-line journals at least three times a week for 1 year. (0/52 weeks)

33. Practice the piano at least one hour a week for 6 months. (0/26 weeks)

34. Learn how to change the oil in one of our vehicles.

35. Read an average of a book a week for the entire 1001 days. That is 143 books. (61/143 books)

36. Make a list of all books read during 1001 days. Write what I thought of each book in my blog. (33/143 books)

Home Cleanliness and Organization

37. Organize each room of the house. Make sure everything has a “home” and those things we do not need do one of three things with: throw away, give away, or sell. (2 bathrooms, girls' bedroom, living room, kitchen, our bedroom)

38. Organize storage unit. Decide what to keep and what needs to go. Bonus points if we can make it up to Colorado Springs to clean that one out and be able to quit paying on that storage unit. (Working on plans to get to Colorado Springs to take care of that storage)

39. Wash dishes nightly for at least 3 months straight. (0/90 days)

40. Make to-do lists and stick to them for 3 months. Daily, weekly, and monthly. (0/90 days) (0/12 weeks) (0/3 months)

41. Clean car and keep it clean for six months. Inside and out. (0/12 weeks)

42. Wash and fold all laundry at least once a week for two months. Laundry needs to be folded when taken out of dryer. (0/8 weeks)

43. Once house is organized, maintain it. Nightly clean-up before bed with deep cleaning done on each room at least once a month.

44. Make a household inventory including pictures and serial numbers. Includes catalog of movies, CDs, books, games, etc.

Financial

45. Track all expenses for 1 month. Create budget and stick to it for 1 year. (0/30 days) (0/12 months)

46. No late fees, overdue charges, or late payments for six months. (0/6 months)

47. Get credit reports and work on getting them cleaned up.

48. Get life insurance for all of us.

49. Create a will.

50. Work on investing in our future. Sign up for 401k at work.

51. Save a minimum of $3,000 in savings account to be used for emergencies as well as save money to move out of Willcox. (0/3,000 dollars)

Travel

52. Take 1 family trip just for fun. This needs to include a visit to one of the following places, or an equally fun place that we all decide on: Sea World, Six Flags, Disneyland.

53. Go to Phoenix Zoo. Visit at least two other zoos or museum type places that we have never been to. (0/3 places)

54. Go on at least 5 camping trips. (1/5 trips) (#1 - 07/2008 to Alpine)

55. Take trip to Prescott area to see if that is where we would like to move. completed March 28-29, 2009

56. Take trip to Georgia and South Carolina to visit family and friends.

Entertainment

57. Watch all movies we own and decide if we want to keep them. If the keeper is a video tape, try to replace it on DVD.

58. Try 10 new restaurants. These can be fast food or sit down restaurants, but preferably fairly inexpensive. (4/10 restaurants) (Beyond Bread, Whataburger, Schlotsky's, In-N-Out Burger)

59. Have at least two characters who are at the highest level on World of Warcraft. Breka counts as one. Lalaith is next.

60. Take at least 1 picture each day for 365 days. (0/365 days)

61. Purchase WII Fit and use it three times a week for 4 months. 0/16 weeks)

62. Put music from all CDs that I enjoy onto I-pod. Organize all music, complete with playlists. Delete songs we don’t like.

63. Compile a list of 101 “can’t believe I haven’t see yet” movies and see all of them. (0/101 movies)

64. Blog about those movies with thoughts on each. (0/101 movies)

65. Watch all movies nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards for each year completing the list. Start with movies from 2007.
(2007 - No Country for Old Men, Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood)
(2008 - Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader)
(2009 - )
2010 - )

66. Find a special way to celebrate holidays that we will all enjoy. Create new traditions.

67. Take the girls apple or pumpkin picking at least 1 time.

68. Learn how to play pool and beat one person.

69. Discover 5 new singers or groups that I really enjoy. (3/5) (Lady Antebellum, Kelly Sweet, Katy Perry)

Friends and Family

70. Send birthday cards to all friends and family members for 1 year. No misses. (0/12 months completed)

71. Get family pictures taken at least once per year. Pictures an be professional or taken by friend or family member. Frame at least 1 for hanging in home. (2009, 2010, 2011)

72. Read to girls at least 4 nights a week for six months. (2/6 months) (February, March)

73. Enroll the girls in swimming lessons.

74. Write letters to each of my siblings and parents about what they mean to me. (0/7 people)

75. Write letters to at least five friends who I have lost touch with. Visit at least one of those friends. (0/5 friends)

76. Make time to hang out with a friend at least 1 time a month for 12 months. (0/12 times)

77. Make and send out Christmas cards at least 1 Christmas during the 1001 day. Bonus points for sending out cards for all Christmases.

78. Contact all siblings monthly for 1 year. Phone, e-mail, letter, anything is OK.

79. Make and send at least 30 just because cards and 10 just because packages. (0/30 cards) (0/10 packages)

80. Write and send 3 letters of appreciation for excellent customer service and 1 letter for poor service. (0/4 letters)

81. Design family sticker or stamp and pass it around.

82. Have a date night at least once every two months for a year. (0/6)

83. Have a Mom/Daughter date with each girl at least once every two months for a year. (Sydney - 0/6) (Susannah - 0/6)

84. Do at least 3 special things for someone. Example 12 Days of Christmas, meal when sick, pay for someone’s meal, etc. (0/3 things)

85. Make at least 1 trip to visit one of my family members.

86. Have Mom and Dad over for dinner, or make them a special dinner at their place.

87. Contact most influential and favorite teachers and let them know how they impacted or changed my life.

Personal or Misc. Items

88. personal

89. personal

90. personal

91. personal

92. Read all e-mail in in-box within 3 days. Keep in-box organized for 6 months. Unsubscribe from all mailing lists that I don’t even bother opening. (0/26 weeks)

93. Get properly fitted for a bra.

94. Make an effort to cultivate new and lasting friendships by commenting on blogs, forums, being more open to new people I meet, etc.

95. Get professional massage, manicure, and pedicure. (0/3)

Money items

96. Purchase freezer (chest or standing) for additional storage to make buying in bulk easier.

97. Decide what I want to be when I grow up and take at least three courses that apply. (0/3 courses)

98. Take a dance class.

99. Visit a large, natural waterfall.

100. Visit at least 5 states I have never been to and actually DO something in those states. Stopping to pee does not count. (0/5 states)

101. Learn to use GPS and go geo-caching at least 5 times. (0/5 trips)

Books #29 - 33

#29 - Gabriel's Angel by Nora Roberts - From www.goodreads.com - "Pregnant, alone and on the run to protect her unborn child, Laura Malone found herself stranded on a snowy Colorado road, at the mercy of a stranger. Fortunately, Gabriel Bradley's only intention that fateful night was to provide her shelter.

She was an angel with midnight blue eyes and a shock of blond hair, and Gabe might have thought she had come out of the snowy night to save him -- if he were the kind of man to believe in such things. But ever since he had lost his beloved brother, he had lost hope. Now the only solace Gabe took was in his solitude.

Together they weathered the storm, sharing their intimate secrets and soon powerful passion. By the time the roads had cleared, a promise had been made. For Gabe understood Laura needed protection if she hoped to keep custody of her child through the coming court battle.

For her sake, he was prepared to offer marriage. But his motives weren't nearly so pure. Truthfully, this beautiful, vulnerable stranger had given him an invaluable gift. Life with Laura had given Gabe a reason for being -- courage to hope, and the power to dream that he could have the future and the family he had once dreamed of . . ."

This book was a very quick and sweet read. I enjoyed it.
#30 - In Search of Eden by Linda Nichols - This story is about a girl who is forced by her mother to give her baby up for adoption. This book is a beautiful story of a young woman in search of her past yet running from her future. Constantly reinventing herself and leaving when things get "too difficult" She has so many dreams and fears and a child she had when she was 15 still haunts her dreams. As she approaches her thirtieth birthday, she determines to reinvent her life, but before she can do that, she needs to find her baby.

Joseph North, the chief of police in Abingdon, Virginia, always tries to do what is right, to perform his duty and protect those he loves. He becomes suspicious of the new woman in town, and after checking further, he discovers she has no history. Then he finds a baby picture of his niece in her possession.

In Search of Eden is a story about law and grace, about forgiveness and redemption, about finding joy and rest in a broken world.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it so much, I looked for the other books by the same author the next time I went to the library.

#31 - Dance With Me by Luanne Rice - After more than a decade as the owner of a bakery in New York City, Jane comes home to Rhode Island to help her sister with the care of their elderly mother. Jane meets and falls in love with Dylan Chadwick, the owner of an apple orchard in town. While home, Jane hopes to find the child that she gave up for adoption while in college.

This book was pretty good. I enjoyed it but I wouldn't add it to my favorites list. I do, however, want to read more books by this author. I just need to remember that next time I am at the bookstore or the library.
#32 - The Carousel by Richard Paul Evans - Michael Keddington and Faye Murrow are young lovers who marry on the eve of Faye's departure for medical school. While the bonds of matrimony and faith pull them together, the troubles of the real world pull them apart: disapproving parents, work demands, distance, death, and an unplanned pregnancy.

This book was an enjoyable, quick read. I didn't realize that it was part of a series, so now I wish that I had read the other books first. I very much enjoyed the book and I look forward to reading more of Mr. Evan's books.

#33 - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis - The second book from the series that I read to the girls. We have all seen the movie quite a few times, and loved it. The book is very good as well. There are a few differences between the book and the movie, but they really don't seem to matter. I love this book and I love the movie.

Books #24 - #28

I am so far behind in my reviews of books. I have been reading and keeping track, but I just haven't been posting about them on my blog. I do keep track pretty regularly on Good Reads though, if anyone is interested. There will be quite a few posts this weekend updating these books. Please bear with me.

#24 - Girls In Trouble by Caroline Leavitt - Sara Rothman is the only child of Abby and Jack. She has alot going for her. Sara and her parents hope that she will be able to go to Harvard. Like many young girls do, Sara falls in love with Danny, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. She gets pregnant and after finding out, Danny disappears.

Sara, against her parents' wishes, chooses a set of parents for her baby. Together they decide on an open adoption. Everything about George and Eva heartens Sara, who is desperately in need of heartening. Their house is filled with light and sunshine and comfortable old chairs and Oriental rugs. Sara and Eva bake bread together, share books, laugh and talk. Sara really enjoys spending time with both of them. After the baby is born, Sara spends more and more time over at George and Eva's house. Eva and George love their new baby. They are overwhelmed with the task of parenting and they grow impatient with Sara's dependence. Sara is desperate to discover a role for herself in the universe of being a teenage mother, rather than a normal high school student. She kidnaps her baby and after she gets caught, George and Eva move away, taking their baby.

Sara grows up and so does her baby, Anne, as well as Danny, and George and Eva, and Sara's parents, Abby and Jack.

This part of the book was my favorite. I loved how the story came together in the end.

I really enjoyed this book.
#25 - The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis - Shortly after we watched The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I purchased all of the novels in one book. I started reading them but never finished. This time I started reading them to the girls. I always loved my mom reading to me when I was younger, so I really wanted to start reading to the girls. I hoped that they would love it as much as I did. They have really enjoyed it so far.

This is not the first book written in the series, but it is the first book chronologically (Narnian time) and also the first book in my big book.

"The Magician's Nephew" tells of the creation of Narnia by the great and powerful Aslan, and the temptation of a son of Adam, by a deceiver, with an apple from a forbidden tree. This is the story of Digory and Polly, two friends who, upon an accidental meeting with Magician wanna-be Uncle Andrew, find themselves in a head spinning adventure involving other worlds, magical rings, an evil sorceress, a cabby and his horse, talking animals, and a collection of fauns, satyrs, dwarves and naiads. We learn about the first King and Queen of Narnia, a heroic quest, a miraculous cure, and the planting of a tree and a lamp post, both of which we will need to move on with the series.

I think that it really helped to start out with this book and all three of us really enjoyed it.
#26 - Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos - I really loved this book. It really touched me. Here is a review from Amazon that really sums up the book well for me.

"The book has two main characters, Cornelia and Clare. Cornelia is 31 and manages a trendy coffee shop in Philadelphia and has smart, interesting friends, and she's really amusing when she's around them (and a little mean, which always helps the humor). But she's not very courageous, even though she wants to be. And she's lonely. Clare, the other main character, is 11, and she's incredibly courageous, but what's happening to her is so terrifying, it's hard to tell if she'll make it. Her father is out of the picture, and her mother is suffering a manic break. So Clare is worse than on her own--she's on her own and singlehandedly trying to keep her whole world from deteriorating, literally, into madness. And she's failing.

It's hard to see how anybody could help Clare out of her trouble, much less directionless Cornelia. But that's where the love of "Love Walked In" comes in. When Cornelia and Clare find each other, their love for one another transforms them. They become brave, remarkable characters who will linger in memory for a long, long, time."

This book is certainly a keeper. I found it at Bookman's and I'm glad I did because now I do get to keep it. I am sure that I will read it again from time to time. I am also willing to lend it to anyone who might want to read it, just so long as I get it back. :)
#27 - PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern - I decided to buy this book after I watched the movie. I liked the movie OK, but didn't care for the choice of Hilary Swank for the title character. Something about her can really bug me. I hoped that I would enjoy the book more than I enjoyed the movie. I did in some ways, but it was hard for me to imagine anyone other that Hilary as Holly and that really bugged me. I did enjoy the book, but I wish that I would have read it before I watched the movie. I won't put too many details about the book in here because I'm sure that most have seen the movie. Most people really love both the book and the movie, I just didn't find Hilary believable in the role.
#28 - After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spead My Wings, and Flew Away by Joyce Carol Oates - Jenna is in a tragic accident with her mother on the Tappan Zee Bridge. Her mother and the driver of the other car are killed, leaving Jenna a survivor, but at what cost? The circumstances of the accident are unclear. What Jenna does remember leads her to believe she might have been responsible. As Jenna struggles to recover from her injuries, she lives in a drug-induced haze. Her father, who remarried years ago, has a new family. Jenna certainly doesn't feel welcome in his home, so she's told she will be living with an aunt and uncle. Her mother's house is sold and her new home comes complete with two cousins, a new school, and the sometimes nosey concern of a small town.

Attempting to cope with new surroundings and the death of her mother sends Jenna into a tailspin of emotions. She meets new friends, but gravitates to those who help her forget with pills and alcohol. An accidental overdose lands Jenna in the emergency room and under the care of a therapist. Despite the care and concern of her caregivers, her life continues to spin out of control.

Finally there is the arrival of Crow with his dark and mysterious side. Jenna finds she can talk to Crow about things she can't say to anyone else. Does he care about her? Does he have the answers to get her back on track?

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the story but the execution was lacking. I didn't care for the author's style of writing and found it very irritating. It took me forever to get through this book, and that is very unusual. I am a pretty quick reader, but this one took me much longer than it should. The writing style just didn't hold my attention for very long and it was very disjointed and annoying. I am glad that I finished it because I wanted to know the end of the story, but it was not enjoyable getting there.

A Little Update

I was just looking through my goals this morning and ran across the one for watching all of the movies nominated for Best Picture for the years while doing the list. I am supposed to start with 2007 movies. I just wanted to put the list here so it would be easier to keep track of. I will bold the ones that I have seen so far. (The * is the picture that won.)

Atonement -- Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers

Juno -- Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers

Michael Clayton -- Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers

* No Country for Old Men -- Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers

There Will Be Blood -- JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers

Now I need to go through the rest of the goals and update them. I need to find a good, convenient way to keep track of these. I thought that putting them on the sidebar would be perfect, and it is nice to be able to look at them there, but it is kind of hard to actually update the stuff on the sidebar. I need to create a table or something. I don't know. I will think on that one.

Books 22 and 23

Book #22 - Amazing Grace by Danielle Steel - Here is a blurb about the book found on www.goodreads.com.

"In the earthquake’s aftermath, the lives of four strangers will converge.… Sarah Sloane, the beautiful wife of a financial whiz, watches her perfect world fall to pieces…. Grammy-winning singer Melanie Free, the event’s headliner, comes to a turning point in her life and career…. Photographer Everett Carson, a former war correspondent whose personal demons have demoted him to covering society parties, finds new purpose amid the carnage…and Sister Maggie Kent, a nun who normally works in jeans and high-tops with the homeless, searches through the rubble–and knows instantly that there is much work to be done….

As the city staggers back to life, a chain reaction of extraordinary events will touch each of the survivors.… For Sarah, it begins with the discovery of a crime and a betrayal, then a strength she never knew she had. For Melanie, volunteering at a refugee camp will open new worlds of possibility. And Everett will be shaken by the unlikely relationship he forges with Maggie, who helps him rebuild his shattered life–and upends her own in the process. But as a year passes, and the anniversary of the earthquake approaches, more surprises are in store–as each discovers the unexpected gifts in a tragedy’s wake…and the amazing grace of new beginnings."

I loved this book. Danielle Steel has been, for quite a while, one of those authors who I have read but haven't really shared with other. Kind of like a guilty pleasure type of thing. This book was so different from her normal books. It was good enough to make me share the fact that I do enjoy the guilty pleasure books, but this one was so much more than that. This book was such a quick read for me. I just couldn't put it down. This book left me with another one of those warm, fuzzy feelings and it was very inspiring. I love the characters in this book. I wanted the book to go on and on because I just didn't want to let go of these characters. The book seems to have very mixed reviews, probably more on the bad side than the good, but I really liked it a lot.

Book #23 - Between Sisters by Kristen Hannah - And yet another blurb from GoodReads.com.

"Meghann Dontess is haunted by heartbreak. Twenty-seven years ago she was forced to make a terrible choice, one that cost her everything, including the love of her sister, Claire. Now, Meghann is a hotshot divorce attorney who doesn’t believe in intimacy—until she meets the one man who can change her mind.

Claire Cavenaugh has fallen in love for the first time in her life. As her wedding day approaches, she prepares to face her harsh, judgmental older sister. It is the first time they have been together in more than two decades. Over the course of a hot Pacific Northwest summer, these two women who believe they have nothing in common will try to become what they never were: a family."

OK, I realized by looking at this blog that it seems that I love almost every book that I read. That is not true. The problem is that for this goal I have to finish the book for it to count. I don't finish all of the books that I start, but I don't blog about them either, since they weren't finished. I honestly do not finish all of the books that I start reading. So one of these days I will have to write about the ones that I didn't care for.

This is another book that I loved. I love the characters and I really felt while reading the book, that I knew them. I loved that the relationship of the sisters wasn't perfect, but that I could still feel that they cared for each other. I think that at times it is easy to lose that connection with the ones that we love. Maybe the people involved don't have much in common or something tragic has happened to make it hard to continue the relationship. Maybe it is just that people change and sometimes it is hard to change and continue to keep the relationship going through that change. This book made me feel that even though there are those things, that there are ways to show that we care and ways to come together and learn from those experiences. I have really had a rough time connecting with people as I have changed. In the past few years I have gone through quite a few changes, questioned many things about my beliefs and just myself. I am not anywhere near the end of that path that I am on, and I am struggling. This book just made me feel better about that. It may seem weird, because this book to some might be just a light read, but it really touched me in a time that I really needed it.

Books 20 and 21

I am so far behind on my reviews of the books I have read. I am still reading, a lot, but I haven't been keeping up with the reviews. So there will be quite a few in the next few days or so.


Book #20 - The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks - This book is about an ex-marine, Logan Thibault, who gets out of the military after three tours of duty to the Iraq war. During one of his trips to Iraq he finds a picture of a woman that he comes to believe is his good luck charm. After getting out of the Marines, he walks from Colorado to Hampton, North Carolina to see if he can find the woman from the picture.

I found this book really good. It was one of those that I just couldn't put down. I know that many people don't like Nicholas Spark's books because of one reason or another. I am not one of those people. I love his books and I have never been disappointed with even one of them. This one I loved as well. I can't give a good reason why I loved the book, I just did. It is a feel good book for me. I love those kind.


Book #21 - Tithe by Holly Black - Here is a little blurb about the book from Amazon:

"Sixteen-year-old Kaye Fierch is not human, but she doesn't know it. Sure, she knows she's interacted with faeries since she was little--but she never imagined she was one of them, her blond Asian human appearance only a magically crafted cover-up for her true, green-skinned pixie self. First-time author Holly Black explores Kaye's self-discovery and dual worlds in her riveting, suspenseful novel Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale."

Sydney is starting to get older and has been having and harder time lately finding books she wants to read. We have started trying to find books in the "Young Adult" section, so I am trying to read a few of those books so that I have a better frame of reference when helping her to find books. There are a few things that I don't care to have her reading about yet, especially since she is only 11, so I want to know a bit more about the stuff that is out there right now. I do enjoy the "Young Adult" books too from time to time, so this isn't torture for me.

This book came from that section in the library. It sounded interesting from the blurb so I started there. The book took a while to get into. It isn't very long, but it did take me quite a while to get through it. It just wasn't catching me. I didn't find the writing to be very engaging and it turned out to be a book much more about teenage drama with the faerie stuff thrown in to possibly appeal to the "goth" kids. As I got over the half-way point, the story started to draw me in a bit more, but I still wouldn't add it to my "must read the rest of the series" list.

Books 17, 18, and 19

The book thing has not been going so well lately. It seems like the books that I picked the last couple of times at the library weren't good choices for one reason or another. I did finish these three books before the blah books hit, but I just haven't posted about them.

Book #17 - A Perfect Day by Richard Paul Evans - This book was pretty good. I enjoyed most of it. Here is a little blurb from Amazon:

"Almost 10 years ago, Evans's first novel, The Christmas Box, became an enormous bestseller, thrusting him into the international spotlight. In his present novel, good guy protagonist Robert Harlan writes a novel titled A Perfect Day, about his wife, Allyson, and her relationship with her beloved father. The book comes out to popular acclaim, rockets up the charts and thrusts Robert into a new life of fame and fortune. An extended book tour, constant interviews, the adulation of millions of women, and a greedy Hollywood agent soon begin to erode his perfect marriage to the patient, loving, beautiful Allyson. There have been other books about authors self-destructing after great success-Youngblood Hawke by Herman Wouk, to name a notable example-but it's a story that seems timeless, still able to enthrall readers. Evans freshens the material by bringing in a hipster angel with attitude ("Actually, angel folklore is the height of nonsense, right up there with the Easter Bunny") and some bad news for Robert: in 40 days he's going to die. Robert begins to see his life in a new light, realizing that his pre-fame love for his wife and daughter is what he has wanted all along. But is it too late? Robert learns man's purpose on earth ("It's about learning how to love") and returns to hearth and home, hoping Allyson will take him back before he dies. The inevitable twist is clever, the writing throughout assured, the sentiment unapologetic and the author confident that he knows just what his readers want and that he's the man to give it to them."

I did find parts of it a little too much. Who the "angel" actually turned out to be was pretty irritating. I was actually pissed off for the main character in the book. I actually really enjoyed the book up until that point and then I was just mad. It is hard for me to decide if I enjoyed the book enough to look past the crappy part or if the crappy part kind of ruined a really good story for me. At least I don't feel like I wasted my time reading the book though.

Book 18 - Alone, Together by Jack Weyland - Here is another blurb from Amazon:

"This heart-wrenching and heartwarming story about the challenges of growing up will have you rooting for two struggling young people in their search for happiness and for each other. Madison, the only Mormon in her high school, isn’t part of the in-crowd. But when she wins a free makeover, she learns some skills that give her the self-confidence she has always lacked. What she has to decide now is whether it is more important to look good or to be good. Josh, a substitute on the high school basketball team, makes an unlikely last-second shot to help his team win the state championship. But unexpected hardships and an untimely death in his family mar his senior year and leave him wondering if there isn’t more to life. Can these two youth who grew up basically alone find happiness together?"


Book 19 - Adam's Story by Jack Weyland - And another Amazon blurb:

"Elder Roberts knows that he and his companion are out of their area. But he has only a few months left on his mission in New Jersey, and there’s one door he just has to knock on. His mom’s parents, who haven’t seen him since he was a baby, live there. Maybe, just maybe, he can get them to accept the gospel like their daughter, Charly, did more than twenty years ago. And maybe he can find out something about his mother who died when he was a baby, and discover a little more about himself in the process. In this humorous and tender sequel to the novels Charley and Sam, best selling author Jack Weyland finally reveals what happened to Adam their only son. "

I saved my review of both books for the end because it is more of a discussion about the author than the individual books. Growing up I loved Jack Weyland and all of his books that he read. All of his books have the same formula. LDS person has a fairly good life, does something "bad" or against church teachings, learns lesson and becomes a better person, lives happily ever after. Growing up I loved a story that had a clean, happy ending. I loved that all of the people in these books lived happily ever after. I guess the one exception that I can think of would be in Charly. That one didn't end as happily.

I checked these books out remember how I loved to read his books growing up. I found that now that I am in a different place in my life, the formula really irritated me. I noticed that the stories are pretty much all the same formula, which I didn't notice back when I loved them, and it bugged me that I loved them so much growing up. I don't feel like I wasted my time really, but I do feel like I'm done reading his books. Normally I don't mind authors who have a "typical formula" but for some reason this one really irritates me right now.

So, now for the books that I have started and not finished. This honestly doesn't happen to me that often. I usually enjoy most any book enough to at least finish reading it. I don't know what caused my funk, but I seem to be in one. I started "Little Earthquakes" by Jennifer Weiner. I think that if I were in a different frame of mind, I might have actually enjoyed this one more. I enjoyed some parts of it, but I just couldn't get into it. Then I started "The Gargoyle" by Andrew Davidson. I had heard on a few different reading threads on some forums that people really enjoyed this one. It started out so good. I loved the beginning parts and I had such high hopes for it. I finally had to stop reading it though. The author is one of those that puts way too much detail into the story. My enjoyment of the book got bogged down in all of the details. I would be reading along and it would just feel so tedious to keep going. Then I would get to a part that would just flow and would really keep my interest. That would last through that bit of the story and then the boggy details would return. It took me more than a week to go about 100 pages into the story. I am a very fast reader, so this was not normal. I actually found myself dreading reading. That was not normal and I did not like that feeling. I love to read and I don't want to dread it. So, I finally just stopped reading it.

Now I am reading "The Pursuit of Happyness". This one is going pretty good so far. I also just bought the newest Nicholas Sparks book. I can always lose myself in one of those books, so I'm looking forward to reading that one. I know that some people don't like Nicholas Sparks or his "formula" but I find myself loving his books and formula. Hopefully one day I won't look back and really dislike it like I have done with Jack Weyland's. Hm....