Jaqueline in Paris by Ann Mah ~ Book Review

After WWII, Jacqueline Bouvier sets off to spend her Junior year in Paris along with a group of girls from Vassar College.   After a failed engagement her mother wants her to stay behind and find a suitable, prestigious and wealthy match for herself.  But in spite of her mother's pressures Jacqueline leaves for her year abroad.  What she finds is both exhilarating and confusing.  On the one hand is the parties, the cafes, the learning of the French language, the theatres and her studies of the arts and literature.  On the other hand is a France still trying to rebuild from the war, with homes with no heat, people still very much traumatized by the war and an undercurrent of suspicion of a Communist movement trying to gain a foothold.  The family she is living with embraces her and the other girls into their home but there are secrets being held amongst the family members.  Who in Jacqueline's circles can be trusted and who plays their part well?  As a naive Jacqueline tries to navigate this new world, she will cultivate a deep love for France, it's culture, the arts and it's people and will learn lessons that will carry her into her future as the 1st Lady of America.  

This historical fiction is based on the real lives of Jacqueline Bouvier, John Marquard Jr., the de Rentry family and others in post war France.  The author describes a Jacqueline that is ready to experience every part of her year there including side trips into Vienna and Germany.  Before her fame as the first lady, was a young woman with hopes and dreams of her own, hoping to find her own love rather than the stilted marriage of prestige that her mother's society in New York was expecting for her.  Paris helped change, mature and prepare her for her future.  The descriptions were detailed of both sides of the Paris Jacqueline found and the story was captivating with intrigue thrown in through the spies and Communism.  Though if one is expecting a fast paced, action packed tale this is not that.  It is slower paced with following the main character's steps through the society and with the characters she met along the way which shaped who she became.  I enjoyed the story for the most part, knowing some of it was probably very fictionalized.  

I rated it an 8.5/10

November Reading Possibilities

I can't believe it's already almost mid-November.  Time is just racing for me and I really can't pinpoint where it has gone.  I know the time change has really knocked me for a loop and it feels like some of my reading time has been stolen by that as I get so tired so much "earlier".  Oh well.  When I do get reading time available it still has been good so that is the main point, right?  This year, I've really had to appreciate whatever time I get to do my favorite hobby, so though disappointing that I will not even be close to meeting my reading goals for the year, whatever time I have spent reading has been wonderful.  

So for November I dug into my non-fiction piles for Non-fiction November.  There was quite a few to choose from but I narrowed it down to these options and some fiction thrown in for good measure.  Some are purchased, some from Little Free Libraries, some borrowed.  My goal for the year was to read through my purchased books so I'll have to give those the priority.  I'll never get to all of these but it's nice to have choices so I can mood read which was also one of my goals for the year.  

PURCHASED BOOKS

          ~ A Woman Who Trusts God by Debbie Alsdorf

          ~ The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs (dnf at pg 59 for constant use of the Lord's name in vain)

          ~ They Turned the World Upside Down by Charles Martin

          ~ This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

          ~ When We Were Young & Brave by Hazel Gaynor

BORROWED BOOKS

          ~ Jaqueline in Paris by Ann Mah  (finished)

          ~ Between a Rock and a Grace Place by Carol Kent

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY

  

          ~ Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

RE-READ

          ~ Ribbon of Years by Robin Lee Hatcher

 

AUDIOBOOKS

          ~ Growing Up Amish by Ira Wagler (finished)

          ~ Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado (finished)

          ~ Everybody Always by Bob Goff

   spur of the moment add on:  ~From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley/Riley Keough

                                                    (dnf at 32% confusing format and constant f-bombs, don't get the                                                              hype)

Do you do Non-Fiction November?  What is your favorite non-fiction book?

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh ~ Book Review

Isadora Bentley is facing her thirtieth birthday alone by choice.  Deciding she will celebrate with a good feed of junk food she heads to the grocery store.  While at the till, she sees a magazine featuring an article entitled "Thirty One Ways to Be Happy".  Being decidedly unhappy, on a whim Isadora tosses the magazine onto the pile.  After all maybe, just maybe, her quiet, organized, lonely life might need a boost.  After reading the article and being quite skeptical of both the author and the suggestions, the university researcher in Isadora decides to make a secret research project out of the whole thing to prove both the article and it's author false.  As she takes on the different steps outlined in the article and it brings her into contact with a host of characters that seem to have the happiness that eludes her and want to prove her wrong,  Isadora finds that maybe there may be something to this ridiculous list after all, if only she could open herself to it.  

I loved this story.  I was immediately caught up into Isadora's world where she had built a wall around herself to protect her heart both professionally and personally as she was previously very hurt in both areas of her life.  Her determination to prove it all wrong leads to some really hilarious and heartfelt moments throughout the story.  I found myself laughing and shedding tears for her throughout.  Her character caused me as the reader to have someone to really root for hoping she would find happiness somewhere out of the list. The author did a good job of moving the story along and letting the reader into all the confusing emotions Isadora was going through in her journey.   The humor is witty and yet there were many deep  and smart moments that causes the reader to pause and think.  It was a sweet, enlightening and fun read.

Rating:  10/10

A Piece of the Moon by Chris Fabry ~ Book Review

Gideon Quidley, an eccentric millionaire, feels he is being led by God to hide his earthly treasures in the hills of West Virginia with the only clues being bible verses.  Deep down he hopes it will cause his selfish grown son to get into the Word but who is very angry with his father for not just naming him the heir to the treasure.  People have always tried to find the treasure with no luck so far.  But when a couple of radio show hosts from a small town called Emmaus give out the latest clue kind of tongue in cheek, it sets off a string of events that no one could have predicted.  As the usual treasure hunters descend upon the small town, a local pastor and estranged friend of one of the hosts goes missing looking for the treasure.  TD andWaite, the radio hosts, feel responsible and are drawn into the hunt so that they can find the pastor.  It is the last thing either wants to do.  Waite is trying to keep the radio station from shutting down and is busy with his radio program that ministers to the community and TD just wants to win the heart of the junkyard owner who is taking care of her nephew who has had problems in the past.  But now the priority is trying to figure out where the pastor thought the treasure was so that they can find he pastor.  As time is not on their side, will they be able right the mistakes of teasing the locals with the clues and find the pastor or the treasure?

I really enjoyed this story.  It has a great cast of characters who all have faults and pasts they are trying to forget or hide.  The author brings them together with the treasure hunt being the common ground. But there is so much more to the story than a treasure hunt.  It's got twists and turns one doesn't see coming and the hardships of life the characters face are relatable.   Though a tad slow in the parts that described the workings of radio station the knowledge does lay the ground work for things coming up in the story.  It's a touching, well written story that kept me engaged throughout.

I rated it a 9.5/10

October Reading Possibilities

September was a bit of a slow reading month for me.  As we head into the 3rd quarter of the year I am definitely behind in my goal of reading my 26 purchased books sitting on my stack.  It's hard not to get distracted with other books but this year was also about mood reading so there is that.  October choices 

has 2 picks from those stacks that had fall colors so were drawing me, the reread I want to do before the year is out, the book that was loaned to me from my son's girlfriend and I want to read and return as quick as possible and then a few mystery/thrillers sitting in the closet because, well, it's the October vibe.  

PURCHASED FICTION  (2024 Goal)

          ~ Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan

          ~ The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

LIBRARY BORROWS

          ~ The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple by Joanna Davidson Politano

FRIEND LOAN

          ~ Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah

CLOSET STACKS (from Little Free Libraries)

          ~ After Anna by Lisa Scottoline

          ~ Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben

          ~ The It Girl by Ruth Ware

          ~ The Guilty Party by Mel McGrath

REREAD

          ~ Ribbon of Years by Robin Lee Hatcher

AUDIOBOOK

          ~ Like a River by Granger Smith  (finished)

What are you reading this October?  Do you read scary books for the month?

That Summer in Berlin by Lecia Cornwall ~ Book Review

Viviane Alden is from an aristocratic family in England.  All her mother's goals and dreams involve marrying off her daughters well in order to keep her status amongst the aristocracy.  When Vivianne breaks her engagement to her titled fiance, it puts her mother into high gear finding her a suitable husband before Vivianne becomes "too old".  As Germany is building up their country, debutantes such as Viviane and her sister are considered to be marriageable to German men to strengthen political bonds.  With the 1936 Olympics being held in Berlin, Hitler is doing everything possible to show off his county in the best possible light to the world.  Viviane and her sister have been invited by an old family friend to come and stay with them in Germany and attend the highly anticipated event. Viviane has  no intention of finding anyone to be involved with but she is excited to bring her camera along and photograph the events she will be attending.   But before she leaves for Germany,  Viviane meets Tom Graham, a journalist,  through a friend and his thoughts on Germany's intentions are more complicated.  When he finds out she is a photographer he convinces her to get photographic evidence that tells the truth, that Berlin's Olympics are a facade and Germany is actually weaponizing behind the scenes.  As Germany is flooded with tourists being presented with goodwill and hospitality, Viviane and Tom are risking everything to show the truth.  Tom is very aware of the risks involved but Viviane seems to be taking the danger a little to lightly for Tom's liking and is taking risks that could get them both caught. 

I loved this unique take on a WWII story of debutantes who were sent from England in the '30's in the hopes that the forming of social connections between the two countries would make war impossible.  There were those who fully bought into the propoganda put out by Germany but there were a handful of citizens and those in British government who were suspicious of Hitler's intentions.  Placing journalists and photographers into Berlin to get proof was a very risky game but one that could produce the proof they needed to show the world that Germany had ulterior motives in hosting the games.  I have to admit this was a total cover buy for me though the description did sound intriguing when I bought the book. The writing turned out to be really good and pulled me in right from the beginning and kept me interested throughout.  The short chapters kept the story moving along quickly.  The twists I did not see coming and were woven into the story well with an ending I didn't guess.  I think this book is not getting near enough "talk".  Bonus was that I found out the author is local to Southern Alberta. 

This quote really stood out to me:

"Look around you.  See how happy the tourists are?  

The Nazi's have done an excellent job of creating peace and perfection and justifying such extremes of patriotism.  

How can anyone believe in war or violence or hatred when there is music and flowers and a spectacle to divert their attention, soothe their worries, amuse them?"

pg. 270  That Summer in Berlin

by Lecia Cornwall

Definitely a page turning cautionary tale of the purposes and effects of propaganda interwoven into a story of courage, love and intrigue.

I gave it a 10/10 rating

For a Lifetime by Gabrielle Meyer ~ Book Review

Identical twin sisters Hope and Grace live in both 1692 Salem and 1912 New York. Being born a time crosser is challenging at the best of times but having the ability when the beginning of the witch hunts in Salem start is profoundly difficult.  In their Salem life, they live and work in their widowed father's "Ordinary" (a place where travellers could get an "ordinary" meal and possibly lodging).  As the Salem witch trials heat up and more and more people are accused, Hope can't wait for their 25th birthday coming up where they will get to choose which time period they want to spend the rest of their lives in.  She certainly will not be choosing 1692 Salem.   Her life in 1912 is filled with adventure as she is a rare female pilot.  About to embark on a history making flight, she is ready to leave Salem behind.  Grace is a journalist in 1912 and is covering Hope's flight but is very unsure about the whole thing.  The only reason she is supporting it is for the money Hope will receive which will help their parents to keep the mission orphanage they worked a lifetime to build which Grace put in jeopardy with a expose article she had written about a shady businessman.   But in 1692 Grace is on a mission to find out what happened to their mother who mysteriously died when they were infants and wants the answer before their defining birthday.  As things unfold in both timelines, their ability to choose what they really want is put on the line.  

I think this was my favorite  of the Timeless Series and I have loved them all so far.  They just keep getting better and better. The tension of the witch trials and the excitement of the birth of aviation and women's involvement really was a compelling foil against each other for the time periods.  The added twist of having a twin with the crossover ability really added to the story.  They had distinct personalities yet were so tied together.  Gabrielle Meyer has such a way of making the time periods come alive you are really sucked into the stories.  The reader learns so much history without it being dry or boring.  This story brought out all the emotions and what happens literally made me gasp a couple of times as I was reading it.  It was hard to put down as you just have to find out what happens.  So well done, and though there is a lot going on in this story I was never lost or confused as to what was happening in timelines.  Can't wait for the 4th in the series to come this fall.

Definitely a 10/10

Something Worth Doing: A novel of an early suffragist by Jane Kirkpatrick ~ Book Review

Abigail Scott was a young 19 year old school teacher when she married Ben Duniway much to the dismay of her father who wanted to marry her off to an older man whom Abigail did not like.  Ben, for the most part, is supportive of Abigail's dreams which is unusual for a husband of the times.  But though Abigail gave up her school teaching to raise a family and help Ben in his horse training business she knows she was born for more than that.  When Ben makes some bad business decisions and then gets injured, Abigail is forced to become the breadwinner of the family.  While raising their 6 children Abigail starts a private school, runs a millinery which requires her to make buying trips, runs the farm along with trying to write a novel and owning a newspaper.  When she sees how women are treated Abigail believes that in order for women to have better lives they must be able to secure the right to vote.  Her life's focus, writing and eventual public speaking turns to fighting for women's rights and winning that right to vote.  But is the cost to her family too great?

This book was based on the true story of Abigail Scott Duniway who worked for over 40 years for women's suffrage in the state of Oregon.  Her life of persistence and vision in the face of insurmountable odds speaks to how deeply she felt the importance and passion of what she considered her mission. The story is very well researched, documenting how hard it was for women and much admiration comes from me to women like Abigail who fought so hard in those very tough times for all women but I must admit I was just not pulled in.  There was something about the pacing of it that did not make it flow for me making it a bit choppy.  I found the personality of Abigail grating throughout the book and very selfish at times and therefore could not cheer on some decisions she made.  I felt for her family at times who's needs always came second to Abigail's and that of her work.    And because of that I felt conflicted throughout the story.  While admiring and realizing it is because of the work of women like her that I have certain rights as a woman today, I also didn't connect with her or much liked her and the way she at times treated her own family.  The book is definitely worth reading, however, just to gain the sense of the uphill climbs these women faced, the sacrifices they personally made and how hard they worked and for how long to gain the right to vote for all women. 

I rated it a 7.5/10

Just For the Summer by Melody Carlson ~ Book Review

Ginny Masters is the manager of a boutique hotel in Seattle.  Even though she had no schooling for it, she learned the job from the ground working through the different departments until she finally was given the job of managing.  Her intuition and empathy have given her the tools to make the hotel what it is today, but the work has taken over her life.  She has been with Hotel Jackson for almost a decade in spite of it ornery and demanding owner, Diana Jackson.  Yet again Ginny finds herself having to fix the mess her boss made accommodating her wealthy friends, Ginny has had enough.  When she runs across a job swap opportunity, she throws caution to the wind and applies.  It's only for two months, but it sounds like the break she needs away the city. 

Meanwhile in Idaho, Jacqueline Potter would give anything to get out of managing her grandfather's boring fishing lodge.  After earning her degree in hospitality, Jacqueline finds it all beneath her.  She wants the big city lifestyle and paycheck.  So when the summer job swap comes to her attention she applies thinking it is her way out of this arrangement with her grandfather.

Both women think the job swap will be the answer to their woes.  But is it as simple as all that?

This was a fun, sweet read.  After the heavier subject of the previous read, I was wanting something more light and fun.  This fit the need perfectly.  Though a couple of the characters were super frustrating and unlikeable, the contrast to the other characters is what made it fun.  The author did a wonderful job of describing and contrasting the two settings also.  A great summery vacation read with a satisfying ending.

I rated it a 9/10

Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb ~ Book Review

Sophie Duval got her love of the perfume business from her father.  She learned everything she knows from him.  But now that her father has passed away, she is struggling to carry on the family business.  Her mother, who never understood the passion of the business, and Sophie's wealthy boyfriend want her to sell the business and move on but Sophie cannot bear the thought.  She believes in what her father created, not in phony chemically derived scents that are becoming more popular as they are cheaper to make and sell.  All she needs is a breakthrough fragrance.  When one of the world's biggest stars, Grace Kelly,  steps into her shop to avoid paparazzi during the Cannes film festival, little does Sophie realize the unexpected encounter and her willingness to hide Grace from James Henderson, the persistent photographer, will change her business and her life in more ways than one.

I really enjoyed this story.  The history of Grace Kelly's whirlwind romance and wedding to Prince Rainer is a great backdrop the main love story.  Though that was a huge part of the story, I thought the authors were able to make Sophie's own story stand out well and not get lost in the midst of Grace Kelly's history and the two were merged well.  Through Sophie's story you learn more of the perfume industry and through the story of James Henderson the reader gets a glimpse into the life of the early paparazzi.  James, on assignment from England,  was the one  who sent Grace fleeing into the perfume shop in the first place.  His side of the story brings an interesting perspective of the life of those trying to take pictures of the rich and famous.  The setting is lovely and story is sweet and this would make a great summer beach read.

I gave it a 9.5/10

The Women by Kristen Hannah ~ Book Review

Frankie McGrath is a young woman barely out of her teens from a well to do California family where they live a typical all American lifestyle.  Image is everything in their circles and the men in the family serving their country are upheld highly.  Women go to school and then marry and become mothers.  That is the way of things. For various reason her father never did serve but has a family wall of heroes in his study of all the men in the family who served.  When her brother Finley gets drafted to the Vietnam war everyone is very proud and throws him a huge going away party.  But once he is gone, Frankie is at loose ends without her beloved brother and so she makes a rash decision to take her nursing degree and sign up with the Army Nurse Corp  hoping to see her brother in Vietnam.  Thinking her family would be proud, she is shocked when her father is angry and her mother is devastated.  When she arrives in Vietnam she is immediately thrown into the middle of the destruction and horror of what the war really is.  Nothing like the upbeat letters her brother had sent home.  When she finally comes home she does not find the rest and peace she hoped for or deserved for her 2 years of service on the front.  She comes home to a country divided, full of protests and is spat on when in uniform.  Her parents refuse to talk about Vietnam and what she experienced.  In fact, wherever she turns, people deny that women were even over in 'Nam.  As the anger in her builds, Frankie fights a whole other battle within herself away from Vietnam that has everything to do with being in Vietnam.

This is the most talked about book at the moment in any of the fb book groups that I am a part of.  The author first conceived of it more than 20 years ago but felt she wasn't, at that point in her writing, to do it justice.  She finally wrote it now.  It is intense.  Very, very intense.  So many trigger warnings but a story that must be told.  I was just a child when this war was being fought and I really had no idea. The story for me had 3 parts:  The first being the background of Frankie's life growing up in the idyllic American dream.  Then her two tours in Vietnam as a combat nurse.  And the last part being her experiences returning to a divided America who's government had been lying to them about the war.  The author does not hold back on the horrors experienced by the soldiers or the medical teams that tried to save their lives.  There is lots of descriptions of the combat and the injuries that came into medical units and what they had to do to save the men's lives.  The author did a good job in telling the story of the women who were over in Vietnam helping to save lives and the strong friendships that were formed amongst the nurses and the medical teams and other relationships that were formed.  She also did a really good job of relaying the experience of PTSD, from what I can tell as I've never had it or known anyone who did.  But she was able to bring in my emotions as the characters experienced it in the story.   It certainly opened my eyes to how easy it is to make wrong choices and decisions when experiencing and reliving the horrors that someone in combat does.  I learned a lot about a war I really knew nothing of.  The only thing that kept this from a 10 star read for me was I felt there was some repetition of things.  I especially remember one specific paragraph that jumped out at me because I felt it was literally copied and pasted from an earlier part in the story.  But that being said, it is an important book that finally tells the heartbreaking story of the women and and men who fought in an un-win-able, awful war and who for years to come were certainly not held as heroes.  

A note: if you want/need to know the trigger warnings before getting into this story email me as I didn't want to give spoilers in the review.

I gave it a 9/10 rating

March 2024 Reading Picks

Whew, February was a slow reading month.  Only one book and one audiobook.  That is not the norm for me.  But the book I did read was so good and left lots to think on so it really wasn't a book to zip through.  When it was finished I couldn't pick up another for a few days after.  Hopefully March I'll be back on track.  There is so many good books to choose from with my 2024 Reading Goal of reading my purchased books down to zero.  I've really been enjoying totally mood reading through them.  I've found it fun at the beginning of each month to go through that pile and see which are drawing me while in the back of my mind knowing I will get through most of them this year.  So for March these called my name:

PURCHASED BOOKS

          ~ The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

          ~ The Women by Kristin Hannah  (finished)

          ~ When We Were Young & Brave by Hazel Gaynor

          ~ Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon

          ~ Meet Me In Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb  (finished)

          ~ A Piece of the Moon by Chris Fabry

LIBRARY HOLDS

          ~ Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson

       

NON-FICTION

          ~ When You Love a Prodigal: 90 days of grace for the journey by Judy Douglass

Any good books on your radar this month?  

February 2024 Reading Picks

Here it is mid February and I just realized I did not do my post for my February books to choose from.  I have all the books picked out, picture taken and then totally forgot about it.  Oh well such is my life.  But better late than never.  It's a busy month for me with work but hopefully I can keep plugging away at my goal of reading my purchased books down to zero this year.  My audiobook reading is also all over the board as I borrow them from the library and if I happen to not be finished with it, if someone has it on hold, it automatically returns at then end of my borrow time.  So it's been a back and forth experience with those as I have to once again put a hold on it and wait for my turn in the queue.  But I like "reading" in the car so I am going to continue trying to make headway in those through the year.

PURCHASED BOOKS

          ~ Universe of Two by Stephen P. Kiernan (finished)

          ~ Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

          ~ When We Were Young & Brave by Hazel Gaynor

LIBRARY BOOKS

          ~ The Year of Jubilee by Cindy Morgan

          ~ The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (bookclub)

AUDIOBOOKS

          ~ Making It So by Patrick Stewart

          ~ In His Image by Jen Wilkin

          ~ Becoming Free Indeed by Jinger Dugger Vuolo (finished)

NON-FICTION

          ~ They Turned the World Upside Down by Charles Martin (also a purchased book choice)

Any good books on your radar this month?

January 2024 Reading Picks

Here it is the middle of the month and I realized I didn't do a post to log my reading choices for the month.  For 2024 I chose a more relaxed approach to my reading.  It just seemed right for this year somehow.  My one big goal is to read my pile of 27 purchased new books to zero.  I have way more books than that, all gleaned from library sales that I only paid a dollar or two for (not counting those as a purchased book) and all the books I've collected from Little Free libraries.  But this year the focus will be the ones I shelled money out for.  And the others will be a bonus.

So here's my selections for this frosty January.

OLDEST AND NEWEST PURCHASED BOOK

          ~ A Silken Thread by Kim Vogel Sawyer  (finished)

          ~ The Last Exchange by Charles Martin  (finished)

LIBRARY BOOK

          ~ The Year of Jubilee by Cindy Morgan

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO  (audiobooks on the go)

          ~ Making It So by Patrick Stewart

          ~ On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor by Jaime Jo Wright (finished)

          ~ In His Image by Jen Wilkin

NON-FICTION

          ~ When You Love a Prodigal: 90 Days of Grace for the Wilderness by Judy Douglass

              (devotional)

          

          

A goal I forgot to mention in my Reading Challenge Goals for 2024 was to write my reviews as soon as I can after I finish a book.  I got behind last year and then got overwhelmed with it and never did catch up.  I missed writing reviews for five or six of them and now it's hard to remember what exactly the book was about and how I really felt about it.  Which is a shame because I really do that for my own benefit.  Hopefully this year I'll stay on better top of that.  

Anyway, any interesting reads that you are into this month?

2024 Reading Challenge and Goals

New Year, time for a new reading challenge.  How did 2023 go in the reading department you ask?  Not too bad. I missed my Good Reads goal of 40 books by two, but I did get a lot of the other goals accomplished. So onto a new year.  In looking back over what I did read last year, even though I did manage 15 of the books off my own shelves a lot of those were books that I got a Free Little Libraries or I found at library sales for a couple of bucks.  I only read 5 of the books I actually purchased either full price or discounted price at BookOutlet.  This kind of really surprised me.  That's why I kind of like setting goals because then I can see what's happening with the books I actually shell out hard earned cash for.  Though one look at my overflowing new purchase book bag should have been a major clue!!

And believe it or not, I actually forgot two books that were sitting in my non-fiction stacks.  These books have all been purchased over the last 4 - 5 years.  So this is going to be my goal for this year.  There are 26 books total and my goal is to read them to zero.  Meaning reading this stack is going to be first priority before I put any more books on library hold or reach for ones that are second hand that I've gotten for free.  I'll put a goal of at least 2 per month from this pile before I can get a library book or another from my free books pile.  That way it will still let me get to some of those throughout  the year.  I may surprise myself and chug right through this stack without looking elsewhere.  We'll see how it plays out.  Now the bigger trick is going to be not purchasing anymore this year.  Yikes.  

And  one more goal I am inserting in here at a later date is to keep on top of my reviews.  Last year I got a bit behind and then overwhelmed with being behind and so about a half dozen books did not get a review.  I really do this for my own benefit so it's kind of disappointing that I do not have a description and how I felt about those books but at this point if I can remember what it was about I don't really remember how I felt about them other than whether I liked them or not. So no more procrastination!

Do you have any reading goals this year or are you a total mood reader?

Do you have a crazy to read pile too or am I the only one that can't resist having a stack of brand new books?