BTT: Replay

This week's Booking Through Thursday question asks:

Have you ever finished a book and loved it so much you went back and started re-reading it again? (And if so, please give us the titles!)


This is a simple one for me.  No, I've never done that. There have been books that I dearly loved and wished they'd never end, but for me, there are just too many fabulous books out there that I want to read for the first time.  I rarely ever re-read books, with only a few exceptions - the classics.  Right now, actually, I'm re-reading TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, but the first time I read it was almost 30 years ago, so does that even count?! I'm enjoying it so much and re-discovering things in the book, its like I'm reading it for the first time.

As I'm writing this, I realize though, there may be one book that I re-read right after I finished it and that was when I was a young girl and the book was CHARLOTTE'S WEB. However, I don't know if I finished it the second time around.

How about you? Have you ever loved a book so much you re-read it right after you finished it? Be sure to check out the Booking Through Thursday blog to read more thoughts on this topic.

[TSS] My Summer Reading List

Hello and thanks for stopping by today! Its been a busy weekend for me so far and I'm looking forward to relaxing today and enjoying some reading time. I kicked off my weekend Friday with a margarita night with my two best girls: my sister and my best friend. It was a beautiful, breezy night so we sat on Linda's front porch listening to the wind chimes and just having some 'girl time'. The best part was there was no driving involved since Linda and Brenda live in the same community. We simply stumbled over to Brenda's, where I spent the night. Her daughter graduated from high school Saturday and we had to get up super early for that. Since I can't drive, it was easier for me just to spend the night. It was a great ceremony and as it turned out, I got to see several of my friend's kids graduate. It was a lovely day.

So here we are staring summer in the face and its getting hotter by the day.  It's the perfect time to pick some good summer reads and there are a few that I am especially looking forward to. I don't read a lot of 'chick lit' but there are times when that is exactly what I'm in the mood for. I've been reading some pretty heavy stuff lately and its time to read something light and fun.

New Summer Releases I'm Excited About
There are two books that were released on June 7th that are definitely on my radar. The first is Mary Kay Andrews' SUMMER RENTAL. I am a huge fan of hers. I have all of her books and they are like crack to me. As soon as they come out, I devour them and then it feels like forever waiting for the next one! Her trademark Southern Fiction, mixed with witty and fun characters always make for a great read. It is perfect for this time of year and I'm sure I'll be reading it by the pool very soon.

Another summer read I'm definitely getting is BEST STAGED PLANS by Claire Cook. I have not read anything by this author and I just don't know how that is! I've read some great reviews and I'm really looking forward to this one as well.

Tying Up Loose Ends
One thing I have to do, though, is finish a couple books I've had to put aside for some ARC's. I am looking forward to getting back to Sarah Waters' THE LITTLE STRANGER and FINDING NOUF by Zoe Ferraris, which just got lost along the way somehow. I'm also half-way through the audio version of STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens, which is very good. I also have the audio of THE SNOWMAN by Jo Nesbo that is patiently awaiting my attention!

I'm also on the waiting list for CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER by Tom Franklin at the library, but by the looks of it, its going to be awhile yet. There are also a few books on my shelves here at home I'd like to read before the end of the year: THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN, THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE and QUEEN OF PALMYRA, just to name a few.

Aside from the two new summer releases, I'm not planning to buy anymore books for a long while. Not until I get some of the ones read that I already own. And I own some really great books! I'm getting a little nervous because my eye disease seems to have progressed over the last month or so and I can see a big change in my vision. I really want to get some of the books on my shelves read before I can't see the writing anymore. That is going to require a lot of restraint because I LOVE to buy books!!

So, for the most part, that is what my reading schedule looks like for the foreseeable future. I'm sure I'll be making changes because even as I sit here and write this post, I'm thinking of ANNA KARENINA and THE BOOK THIEF that I also have on my shelves! One thing is clear: I need to get busy!

What summer reading do you have planned?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upcoming Book Reviews:

• THE STORM AT THE DOOR by Stefan Merrill Block (TLC Book Tour) June 15th
• THE CYPRESS HOUSE by Michael Koryta  TBA

W.W.W. Wednesdays

W.W.W. Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and to play along, all you have to do is answer these simple questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What are you planning to read next?

Here are my responses:

• What are you currently reading? I just started reading THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE by Stieg Larsson and loving it already! The characters were so well developed in the first book and the story takes off right away.

• What did you recently finish reading? I finished two books, which is not the norm for me, but they were both fantastic! The first one was THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson and the second was PRAY FOR SILENCE by Linda Castillo. I will be posting my reviews in the coming days, so please come back. I also posted my review of A RELIABLE WIFE by Robert Goolrick and you can find it here. This book caused some varying reactions and it's been interesting reading how differently people feel about it. It's definitely a book that gets people talking. Have you read it?

• What are you planning to read next? There are two books I'm planning next, one being non-fiction. It is FORGIVING TROY by Thom Bierdz. He is one of the actors from The Young and the Restless whose brother, Troy, beat their mother to death in 1989. Troy is mentally handicapped and this is Thom's story of how he and his family have dealt with this tragedy for the last twenty years. This is an award-winning book that I'm sure will leave an impression. The other book I'm planning to read is QUEEN OF PALMYRA by Minrose Gwin. I have to credit Ti from Book Chatter and Other Stuff with this choice. It was because of her rave review that I chose this book, plus the fact that I really enjoy books set in the south. I'm very anxious to start this one!

What books have captured your attention this week?

Musing Mondays: Reading Resolutions

Today's Musing Mondays post is about New Year reading. . .

With the New Year here already, do you have any reading resolutions or goals (challenges aside) for 2010? Perhaps a new author? Genre? Want to read more non-fiction? Want to write more reviews?

I do have a few reading goals for this year - I don't like to use the word 'resolution' though. That sounds too formal for me. The main goal is to spend more time reading the books from my own shelves. I have some terrific books there and I need to get busy reading them before buying any more or borrowing from the library. A couple in particular are THE POISENWOOD BIBLE, THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE and of course, THE BOOK THIEF, which I bought recently. Sounds like a good start to 2010 to me!

I'm also planning to finish the Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris that I am really loving. Who knows, I may even break down and start reading the Twilight series. There are a few non-fiction books I have my eye on that sound interesting. One in particular is David Sedaris' ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY. I've had a few friends tell me it is really funny. I think I'm going to get the audio version as I've been told it is great.

I haven't completed my 2009 wrap-up post yet (I'm a little late to the party on that one!) but I plan to have that in the coming days. Last year I read a lot of debut authors and I think this year I want to read some authors that are not new, but are new to me. For instance, Elizabeth Berg, Beth Kephart and Michelle Moran to name a few.

I have noticed that there are so many challenges out there it must be hard to keep them all straight. Luckily, I don't have to. I don't do challenges. It's simply too much pressure for me. I don't plan my reading out that far in advance to know what I'm going to read a head of time. My reading choices change with my mood and I don't want to feel obligated to read a book simply because I joined a challenge. What I mean to say is, if I'm reading a book that I'm not really in the mood for, but feel I have to, I will more than likely not have as good a reaction to the book, than if I read it simply because I was in the mood for that book. I hope you can make sense of what I am trying to say. I don't mean to be a challenge snob, they are just not for me.

I'm looking forward to 2010 and all the wonderful stories that await me. Do you make reading resolutions? What plans do you have for this year? Musing Mondays is hosted weekly by Rebecca at Just One More Page. You can click here to find out what reading resolutions other book lovers have made.

Friday Finds 7.17

What great books did you discover in your travels this week? Friday Finds is hosted weekly by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Here are my finds for the week:

DIRTY LITTLE ANGELS by Chris Tusa. I discovered this debut novel over at Diary of an Eccentric. You can read Anna's review here.

BOUGHT by Anna David. I discovered this very interesting book while visiting The Literate Housewife's blog. Her review is here.

CROSSING BLOOD by Nanci Kincaid (Deep South Books). I read Missy's review at her blog, Missy's Book Nook. This is a YA book that has been out for awhile, but the mixed race storyline interests me. You can read Missy's review here.

What books caught your eye this week?

Facts About My Books

I decided to take a break from my usual Thursday book meme and do something a little different today.  I found this short meme from 2005 on a website called Making Light and thought it was interesting and fun.  I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you'd like to play along, leave me a comment to your post with answers about your books.  OK, here goes . . . 

Number of books I own -

At last count it was 147.  I've recently gone through some older books and traded them at the local used book store, so I'm confident that's an accurate number. 

Last book I bought - 

I bought two books yesterday. They are both by the same author, Kaye Gibbons.  One is  ELLEN FOSTER and the other is the sequel, THE LIFE ALL AROUND ME BY ELLEN FOSTER.  These books may not appeal to everyone as the subject matter, especially in ELLEN FOSTER, is kind of dark, but I enjoy reading edgy, intense stories that make a bold impression.  

Last book I read - 

THE LAST BRIDGE by debut author Teri Coyne.  I read this book in two days, which is unusual for me, but I couldn't put this one down.  It's not a big book, only 225 pages, but again, the content is intense and at times disturbing. (Am I sensing a pattern here?) This book grabs your gut and doesn't let go. At least that's how it was for me. 

Five books that mean a lot to me - (not counting the Bible, which is the most important!)

LONESOME DOVE - I'm a sucker for a great western novel and this is one of the best.  I was completely captivated by the story and group of unforgettable characters. Larry McMurtry is an amazing storyteller.

THE FIRM - When this book came out in 1992 I devoured it. No one had ever heard of John Grisham.  This was his first published novel. (A TIME TO KILL was actually his first novel, but was considered too racial) I told anyone who would listen about this amazing book and that it should be made into a movie.  The rest is history! lol

LORD OF THE FLIES - This was required reading for me in high school and even though I found it to be strange, it opened my eyes to a whole world of literature I hadn't explored at that young age. 

THE THIRTEENTH TALE - I just read this book earlier this year and fell in love with Diane Setterfield's amazing talent.  Her storytelling and prose made a huge impression on me. i just loved it. It is one of my all-time favorite books. 

INFIDEL - This memoir by Ayaan Hirsi Ali had such an impact on me.  I'm close to her age and reading about her life as a young Somali girl in Africa made me so thankful to be an American. Her candor of how she feels about Islam and the Muslim religion opened my eyes and my heart to a culture I previously had been ignorant about.  It's possibly the most astounding book I've ever read and she is undoubtedly a strong and couragous woman.

Ok, now it's your turn!  Don't forget to leave me a comment with a link to your answers.