2014 Reading List

It's been a month since my last post. I know, slacker. It would be easy to blame the Holidays but honestly I just get discouraged sometimes and need to remind myself why I am doing this in the first place. This was intended to be an outlet for me to share my passions and hope that there is someone out there who enjoys reading about it. So I don't want to ever force myself to post because I think you can tell it when you read. So, if you are reading this Thank You! and I really appreciate your support and love.

Last year I posted a list of books I planned on trying to read in 2013. My goal was to read 20 books in 2013. I did read 20 books but diverged from the schedule and didn't make it back around to 9 books on my list. Considering I did read The Hobbit, Les Miserables, and Gone With The Wind I think I did a pretty good job. If you are interested here is the 2014 list if you want to compare to my 2013 list you can check it out here. Images and synopsis are from Goodreads.com.

1.  Gone Girl. Gillian Flynn

2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larson.
 (I know, "why haven't I read this yet?")

3. The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan

4. Why We Broke Up, Daniel Handler

5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chlosky

6. The Diviners, Libba Bray
Okay, I started this book 3 times . . .but it scares the hibbie jibbies out of me. Especially the book on tape. So I am going to gather my wits and try again because I am a BIG, BIG fan of Libba Bray (and you should be too). 

7. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sobold

8. The Sealed Letter, Emma Donoghue

9. The Dress Lodger, Sherri Holman

10. The Book Thief, Marcus Kusa
I've received lots of recommendations for this one! So I'm excited.

11. Divergent, Veronica Roth

12. The Light Between Oceans, M. L. Stedman

13. As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner

14. The House of Mirth, Edith Warton
Free with Amazon Kindle! 

15. The Beautiful and Damned. F. Scott Fitzgerald
Also free with my Kindle! I am trying this because I loved The Great Gatsby. So far, I've had to read it with my dictionary so it's a slow start.

16. The Fault in Our Stars, John Green

17. Waiting For Godot, Samuel Beckett

18. Play It As It Lays, Joan Didion

19. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

20. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey

That's it. Let me know what you think. Am I over-ambitious (I think I probably am)? Have you read any of these (or all of them)? Did you like/hate them? Please leave a comment I love to hear your thoughts.

Murder Mystery Reading List

Y'all know I love to read. I just finished another Agatha Christie book and I wanted to do something different than a standard review. Why Agatha Christie? Well, I'd love to say that it's because she is the queen of mystery and I've always loved her. But I can't say that. Because up until last year I had no idea who she was.

I have a Kindle, not the Paperwhite, or the Fire but the original Kindle they don't even make anymore. It's fabulous. But anyway, my Kindle came with a screen saver of Agatha Christie and I just Goggled her name and read her wiki post.

I've read 5 or 6 of her books, I am by no means an expert but here are the ones I enjoyed. (the images come from Goodreads) 

If you only read one, read this one! 

Title: And Then There Were None 

The book in one sentence: Ten people arrive on a private island, all of them are keeping a secret and their "host" wants them all to die. 

Thoughts: One of the most popular mysteries of all time. Does not disappoint. This was a page turner in my house, my non-reader boyfriend even enjoyed this story. I think I finished it in 2 days (and I am a slow reader). 

Title: Miss Marple Meets Murder (The Mirror Crack'd, A Pocket Full of Rye/At Bertram's Hotel, The Moving Finger) 

The book in one sentence: Four different Miss Marple mysteries in one book. 

Thoughts: My favorite was The Mirror Crack'd. In a sentence: A celebrity moves into a quaint town and throws a big shin-dig where one of the local women dies and the 'elderly' Miss Marple discovers 'who-done-it.' Miss Marple is a spunky detective with a woman's intuition. She is one of Christie's returning characters (another being Hercule Poirot). You can also catch her mini series on YouTube.

Title: The Secret Adversary
The book in one sentence: Friends Tommy and Tuppence get introduced to a secret underground criminal world when they start following the story of a mysterious Jane Finn.
Thoughts: This story is not so much a 'who-done-it' as a search for a mysterious person. The scenario is constantly changing and you never know who you can fully trust. Christie weaves web that she slowly and carefully untangles piece by piece.

Okay, so there you have it. My top three Agatha Christie books to read. They aren't my favorite books  of all time but they do offer considerable entertainment. Are you a Christie fan? Do you have a suggestion for me?