2015 Reading List

One of my goals this year is to read 15 books!  That seems like a big number without an idea of what I'd like to read.  So today, I'm going to share with you a list of books for the upcoming year.

I've ALWAYS loved to read. When I was a kid, you could find me curled up in the corner with a book all the time.  Getting swept away to another land or falling in love with the main character is my favorite feeling.  Even now, Phil will walk in the bedroom at 1am to me crying over a really good book.  Reading is a huge part of my life.

But, this is the first year that I've started off with a list of books I'd like to read.  I normally finish a book, and then spend the next few weeks trying to figure out where to go from there.  Or getting over not having the characters in my life anymore (anyone else do this??).  So I wanted to try something different and come up with a list of books to pick from.

Usually, I only read fiction books.  I'm a huge fan of Young Adult fiction and currently I am re-reading the Harry Potter series.  With that being said, this year I am going to try to mix it up and read from some different genres.  I think it will help me to grow in other areas of my life and maybe learn a thing or two along the way.  I'm also going to try to keep my GoodReads account up to date, so at the end of the year I can see a record of what I've read. It took me a little while to get used to using GoodReads and now I love being able to see the dates I started and finished a book.

So..here it is!  I'd love to hear any recommendations you have too!

Fiction
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Selection
The Elite
The One
All the Light We Cannot See

Business
#GIRLBOSS
Make It Happen

Spiritual
Crash the Chatterbox
Ordering Your Private World
Weird

Life
Let's All Be Brave
The Best Yes
If You Find This Letter

#faithlovestoread

One of my July goals was to finish reading “The Dog Year” by Ann Wertz Garvin.  I accomplished and exceeded that goal.  I seem to go through phases where I don’t read for a while, and then all I want to do is read.  July was a month of reading.  So I thought I would share with you the books I read and give a quick review of them.  Just click on the links if you want a synopsis of the book before reading the review.

The Dog Year by Ann Wertz Garvin

This book was recommended by a friend from MTH, Kristy (who is now an author herself!!!  Go check out her website!).  I didn't know what to expect but I always love a good pet story.  And this fit that bill.  The pets make this story even better.  If you’re looking for a book to read at the beach or over vacation, “The Dog Year” would be perfect.  The characters aren't too in depth but you get to know them enough to get attached.  And I loved the ending.  It wasn't what I expected.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene

I have heard about this book for a while now and never wanted to read it because I always figured someone would die.  I don’t usually read books where I know from the beginning someone isn't going to make it.  It’s the reason I stay away from most Nicholas Sparks books.  My friend Hannah read this book and loved it and wanted someone to go see the movie with, so I gave in and read it.  I don’t regret it for a minute.  Out of the three books I read in July, this one was my absolute favorite and I highly recommend it.  You quickly get attached to the characters and the author even surprises you with some of their actions.  GO READ IT!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

My emotions really are mixed when it comes to this book. About half way through the book, I couldn't finish it fast enough.  I had to know what was going to happen, and I had to know as soon as possible.  Then, I wasn't a big fan of the ending.  This was another recommendation from Hannah, who mentioned that the ending is not what you expect from a murder mystery book.  Which is a nice twist compared to what you normally read.  But I think I expected more after reading every little detail from the characters’ lives for 400 pages.  Overall, the book was good and I’m interested to see what they do with the movie in a couple months.  It did have some bad language, just to warn you if you decide to pick it up.

Titus

Also in July, my devotional group did a study in the book of Titus.  We used the SheReadsTruth website to walk us through this “To-Do” list for Christians.  It was one of the best devotionals we’ve done this year.  Each of us had a part that stuck out and touched our hearts.  Even if you’ve read this book before, I recommend walking through it with the ladies from SheReadsTruth.  And if you’ve never heard of that website, you should click on the link and see all that they offer.