Well, normally I would be asleep by this point in time. But since I am married to a youth minister and therefore a designated youth sponsor, I am spending my New Years at an all-nighter with about 300 junior high and high school students from some of the churches in our area. It's a crazy night. So much noise and so much going on. But everyone seems to be having a good time. But let's just say that I am very tired already. So between being tired and typing this post on my iPad, there may be a few more typos or errors than usual. It also means I can't format things the way I want to. But I may just go back in and re-do it when I've gotten some sleep. Either way, I apologize. I hope you won't judge me too badly or stop reading. That would make me sad. But anyway...
How many books and pages read:
As I said in a post a few days ago, this is the first year that I have ever tracked my reading. I have always read a lot but never really saw a need for or had a desire to keep track of titles, authors and pages. But for some reason I decided to track it this year and it has been quite an interesting experience. One that I am glad I started and hope to continue for awhile. In the last year, I read 55 books for a total of 17,289 pages (I am not counting Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix because I haven't finished it yet and actually haven't read it in a few days). In December alone I read 2,519 pages (again not counting Order of the Phoenix). I am completely astounded by those numbers and pleased that I read so much. In my mind it's nice to have a number to verify just how much reading I do and to have a number to try and beat in the coming year.
Fiction/Non-fiction:
* 34 out of 55 = fiction
* 21 out of 55 = non-fiction
Re-reads:
* 10 out of 55 (not bad!!!)
Longest/shortest:
* tie between Vanity Fair by Victor Hugo and Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling = longest (736 pages)
* How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen = shortest (85 pages)
Best book:
* Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far by Bristol Palin.... Her story was amazing and as I read her book in one day, I kept thinking about how she wrote as if we were best friends and she was just filling me in on life. It was really impressive also how she wrote so openly and with a rare, real honesty despite the way some people react to her family and their life.
Most Disappointing Book:
* A tie between Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray and The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo.... I was so bummed that I hated these two books. I had been looking forward to reading them, but they were so long, full of fluff and had no solid thread to keep me tied to the story. I wanted to give up on them, but stuck it out til the end hoping they would get better. But alas, they didn't and I was disappointed.
Most beautifully written book:
* Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.... This was by far one of the most beautiful stories of love and forgiveness that I have ever read.
Most surprising book (but in a good way):
* Not Afraid of Life by Bristol Palin.... Her honesty and real, down to earth way of talking about her family and her life was what made the book so good and surprising. She easily could have just glossed over things or painted a better picture of her family and her mistakes, but she didn't. She was real and honest the whole way through.
Most thrilling or un-put-down-able book:
* Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling.... Can't get enough of her writing and I love the stories of Harry, Ron and Hermione. I think the fact that I read the first 4 in less than a week proves that it fits this category pretty well!
Book that had the greatest impact on me personally:
* Journals of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot.... I only read the first half of it, but it was inspiring. It truly gave me a whole new understanding of journaling and have working out my faith through prayer and study of Scripture, along with allowing myself to be raw, real and brutally honest in my personal writing.
Best series discovered:
* The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson.... Words can't describe how good this series is. I'm eagerly awaiting for the release of book 4. It may be a children's series, but like Narnia and Harry Potter, it's great for any age!
Well... I think that's good for now. I won't go on too much longer. I just wanted to share some of the highlights of this year and record them for myself so that I can look back one day and see how my love of reading changes and grows the more I read. I hope the New Year is filled with even more reading. Even more new titles. Even more new authors. And a few loved re-reads. Here's to a new year and a chance to read even more!
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Here is the list of books that I read in 2012. A couple of them were started at the end of December 2011 when I returned home from my internship in South America. 55 books in total and 17,289 pages all together! I am so amazed by and pleased with this list!
December 2011/January 2012:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (re-read)
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer
The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson (only books 1, 2 and 3 since book 4 isn't released yet)
February 2012:
Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo (started)
March 2012:
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo (finished)
Revolution of Missions by K.P. Yohannan
Get Your Hands Dirty edited by Doug Priest
The Inheritance by Louisa May Alcott (re-read)
Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs
April 2012:
Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (started)
May 2012:
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (finished)
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
June 2012:
Fields of the Fatherless by Tom Davis
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Brotherhood by Jerry B. Jenkins
Candide by Voltaire
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
July 2012:
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (re-read)
Journals of Jim Elliot compiled by Elisabeth Elliot (1st half)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (re-read)
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott
August 2012:
Fatherless Generation: Redeeming the Story by John Sowers
Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far by Bristol Palin
Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
September 2012:
Going Global: A Congregation's Introduction to Mission Beyond Our Borders by Gary Nelson, Gordon King & Terry Smith
The Road to Missional: Journey to the Center of the Church by Michael Frost
Compassionate Kids: Practical Ways to Involve Your Students in Mission & Service by Jim Hancock
Ready to Go Missions by Jason Schultz
Girl Soldier by Faith McDonnell & Grace Akallo
The Mission Minded Child by Ann Dunagan
Youth & Missions by Paul Borthwick
October 2012:
Effective Engagement in Short-Term Missions: Doing it Right! edited by Robert J. Priest
Unleashed: The Church Turning the World Upside Down edited by Dudley Rutherford
Eats With Sinners by Arron Chambers
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Crispens Point by JoHannah Reardon
November 2012:
The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns
A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot
Scaling the Wall by Kathy Hicks
December 2012:
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien (re-read)
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien (re-read)
How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling (re-read)
Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling (re-read)
Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling (re-read)
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (re-read)
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