Book 11 - The Man Who Ate Everything

I was doing really well the first half of the year, then just stopped reading apparently! But I do have one more book to add to my empty shelf for 2017 - The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten. I found out about this book because the author is a frequent judge on Chopped, & I love cooking competition shows!
This book started out with him saying he had to start learning to eat anything, he did not want to be a picky eater. So he learned to cook anything! Then each chapter is a diary entry of sorts talking about learning to make a type of food. It was interesting! I would recommend it to a foodie!

I do want to continue the empty shelf in 2018! I want to read more!! If you want to join, just clear off a shelf and then fill it with books as you read them!!
Happy New Year! Be safe!

Book 10 - The BFG

Have ya'll read "The BFG" by Roald Dahl?! You need to! Hubby grew up reading this book, this exact copy, can you tell? So when the movie came out we watched it. He couldn't believe I had never read it! So I grabbed his copy off the shelf, & now I've added it to my Empty Shelf :) This is such a cute story! It is a quick read as well, being a young readers book.

Do you have a special book you grew up reading? For me it's the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Clearly :)

Books 7, 8, & 9

Yikes, have I gotten behind! Here are the 3 most recent books to be added to my Empty Shelf!

"The Racketeer" by John Grisham was a good read, I really enjoy the perspective John Grisham writes from!

"Snacks" by Marcy Smothers, I got this book for Christmas & expected it to be a snack cookbook. What it actually is, is a book of little tidbits, or "snacks", about food! How fun is that?!

"Tortillas & Peanut Butter" by Dr. Linda Sonna & Lois Sonna Mark is a book you won't want to put down! I came across this book because the writers are the sister & mom of a play-wright in Dallas we frequently watch. I saw the cover & wanted to read it; I was not disappointed! I will let the blurb on the cover speak for itself: "True Confessions of an American Mom Turned Mexican Smuggler".

So how has your year of reading going?

Books 5 & 6 A Couple More Cookbooks

My 5th & 6th books on my Empty Shelf are both cookbooks :) I'm really trying to build my recipe repertoire!

The 5th book was a birthday gift from Hubby :) Eat Like A Gilmore by Kristi Carlson. This unofficial cookbook for fans of Gilmore Girls is a great read! Before every recipe is a little blurb about what was going on in the show when we saw this dish. While the recipes are made up by the book's author and other contributors, they do seem to be right out of the kitchen of Sookie, or Emily, or Luke :) The only recipe I envisioned differently was Sookie's Muffin Bottom Pudding Pie. This book used a graham cracker crust then the muffin bottoms. I always figured Sookie would have made the muffin bottoms into a crust, no need for bread on top of bread ;) But that's the great thing about recipes, experimentation! One of these days I'll make my vision for Muffin Bottom Pudding Pie!

I believe any fan of the show would enjoy this cookbook! Have a little Stars Hollow with dinner :)

The 6th book on my Empty Shelf I actually started a while ago & Hubby found with a bookmark in it. So I finished it and added it to the shelf :) The Easy Way To Chinese Cooking by Beverly Lee. An Interesting tidbit I learned from this book was that egg drop soup is not something eaten in most Chinese households, but she still included the recipe for us :) I have never been able to pull off good Chinese food, but I'm hoping with the help of this cookbook, maybe I can try again!

Books 3 & 4

Yesterday I put 2 books on my Empty Shelf!

The 3rd book to go on my shelf this year is "The Skinnytaste Cookbook" by Gina Homolka. Have you ever read a cookbook from cover to cover? I love reading cookbooks! I get so many ideas of what foods go together, and different ways to prepare foods. I also keep a note pad close by to jot down the name and page number of recipes I would like to try. Eventually I would like to make up an index of all the recipes that sound good from my cookbooks. That way I won't have to flip through each book searching for the right meal, it will all be in one place :) This cookbook has many good recipes, and has nutrition facts for each recipe at the bottom of the page. My only complaint would be that she does not believe in artificial sweeteners, and they are necessary for us right now. But I can easily swap out for most recipes, and skip those that I cannot. Gina Homolka has a very upbeat way of writing, and reading this cookbook was enjoyable!

The 4th book to go on my Empty Shelf yesterday was "Talking As Fast As I Can" by Lauren Graham. This was such a fun read! I felt like I had found a writing buddy in this book, she too is a huge fan of the exclamation point and of going off on rabbit trails :) I loved getting a behind the scenes look at my favorite TV show! This book is written like you are sitting having coffee with Lauren Graham hearing all about her life! All Gilmore Girls fans should read this book :)

So, tell me, (sips hot tea) what have you been reading?

Book 2 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Mishchief Managed! I have not been this excited to read a book since finishing the original series! Now, this is not a book in traditional form, it is a play script. I was a little worried I would not enjoy it as much because of that, I should not have been worried! From the first page I was hooked! I read a quarter of the book when I was supposed to be sleeping that first night.

I am not here to give spoilers, I am just here to give my feeling and recommendation. With this book, I cannot recommend enough :)

So what have you read? Tell us if we should read it too! :)

Book 1 - How To Be An American Housewife

I missed writing about books, and challenging myself to read more books last year. So I decided to bring back the Empty Shelf Challenge for 2017! Click on that link to see the way the challenge works.

I have changed the name of the Facebook group to Empty Shelf Challenge, so come join us there!

Find a shelf in your home you can clear, and as you read, fill your empty shelf with the books you finish :)

Then take pics as your shelf fills up, and share them with us! You can also share what you thought about the book, and if you would recommend it. Let's talk books! :)

If you read from an E-Reader, screenshot your books! If you borrow from the library, take a pic on the shelf before you return it! Everyone can participate!

My first book to finish in 2017 was How To Be An American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway. I really enjoyed this book about a Japanese woman who has been married to an American now for many years, and is looking back on her life. This was a good work contrasting the two cultures, and how different it is to move to another country.

OK, it is your turn. What are you reading in 2017?

Book 15 - My Name Is Memory

The 15th book on my Empty Shelf is "My Name Is Memory" by Ann Brashares. This is another audiobook which I am beginning to really learn to enjoy! It's a great way to pass the time while cleaning house & cooking :) This one imparticular was very interesting, it's a love story about a guy who continues to keep looking for the love of his life through many lives. Believe me, that sounded corny to me too, but it turned out to be very well written.

We only have a little over 2 months left! How many books have you read so far for 2015?

Book 14 - Joshua & Judges

The 14th book on my Empty Shelf is Bible Book Study Commentary Joshua & Judges. I have been continuing my walk through the Bible using different commentaries as my study guides. I am really enjoying the journey! This commentary has some great tidbits in it & I learned a lot from it. However, the questions at the end of each chapter could have been left out. They felt like they were written because someone told the author he needed questions. But for such a tiny book, it has a lot of meaty content!

Book 13 - Love & Respect

The 13th book on my Empty Shelf is Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. I was in a young womens small group before I got married, & we studied this book. I have many times credited this book for helping my go into my marriage as a better wife than I might have been. However, I never actually read the entire book! So I knew I needed to rectify that!

This is a really good topic that I would recommend to anyone married or going into marriage soon. I believe this sums up the book very well, "We are not simply about helping you save or improve your marriage. Those can be very important by-products, but the real purpose behind showing love & respect to one another is to glorify God and to obey what He teaches in His Word." (pg 298)

Book 12 - Deuteronomy an Introduction & Commentary

The 12th book on my Empty Shelf is Deuteronomy an Introduction & Commentary by J.A. Thompson.

This commentary made Deuteronomy a more enlightening read in my opinion. I am truly enjoying reading through the Old Testament with a commentary as my daily Bible study. How do you prefer to delve into God's word? Let's learn from each other!

Book 11 - With Intent

There are now 11 books on my Empty Shelf! :)

"With Intent" by Laurence Henderson was a relatively quick read, which I kept putting down because I have been reading 3 different books at the same time! That is something I never do, & yet here I am doing it!

It was an interesting police investigation story, which did not end the way I would have expected.

Now I have 2 more books to finish, & then I intend to go back to one book at a time :)

Book 10 - Quicksand

The 10th book on my Empty Shelf is "Quicksand" by Iris Johansen.

This book did not have a nice tied up with a bow ending. So if you expect that, which I was, you may be disappointed. However, the more I think about it, the more I am ok with it. Life doesn't end every day with all problems solved, so why should I expect every book to give me that? This book, even on tape (not my preferred way to take in a story), held my interest and was a good "read".

Can you like a book that doesn't tie up all problems before "The End"? I'm starting to think maybe I can.

Book 9 - Love

The 9th book on my Empty Shelf is "Love" by Leo Buscaglia. This was a short but really good read! I finished it on the drive to San Antonio :) It is by a college professor who realized what his students really needed & wanted to learn is how to love. So he started an extracurricular class about love & was amazed how many people showed up! This book had some interesting insights, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Book 8 - The Pulpit Commentary Leviticus & Numbers

The 8th book on my Empty Shelf is "The Pulpit Commentary - Leviticus & Numbers"

I finished Exodus last year, & have really enjoyed reading through the Bible using commentaries. The Pulpit Commentary is so full of great info, but that means I was working through it very slowly! I was recently given the entire set of Pulpit Commentaries (Thank you so much to The Family Who No Longer Lives Downstairs!!), & I am very excited to read through them all! However, I am going to space them out with other commentaries as well, mainly because that one took me so long to get through!

How many books have you read this year? I am currently in the middle of 4, so we shall see which ends up on the shelf next!

Book 7 - The Book of Virtues

The 7th book on my Empty Shelf, "The Book of Virtues" by William J. Bennett, is a book I have been reading to my nephew before his nap time every time I get the chance to keep him :) It has 2 children on the cover, and in every aspect appears to be a book for children. Well, you know what they say, "Don't judge a book by it's cover." He is young enough, his mom & I felt, that I went ahead & finished the book with him. However, this book may not be appropriate for older children who can understand a little more what you are reading them. All the stories have good 'Virtues' in the over all theme, but some of them are a little rough getting there. For example one of the 'faith' stories was about a priest who was in a concentration camp during the holocaust. He gave up his life to save the life of another man, but to tell that story they gave some very detailed accounts of what people were going through in the concentration camp! So I would say this is a book for the more mature. The next book I read to Luke will be a little more child friendly :)

Book 6 - Dreamland

"Dreamland" by Kevin Baker is the 6th book on my empty shelf!

The back of the book describes it as, "A dazzling masterpiece of literary historical fiction, 'Dreamland' delivers a sweeping yet intimate portrait of immigrant New York in the early part of the twentieth century."
What that description left out is how gritty & depressing this intimate portrait was. This book focuses on Coney Island, and the characters both performing &/or visiting. These people's lives are neither good nor easy. This book was not easy to read! There was more than once that I had to put it down because it was more than I could handle that day. However, in saying that, I will also say it was very well written! It wouldn't have bothered me so much had it not been so real.
Have you ever read a book that while it was well written, you can neither claim to have liked it, nor necessarily recommend it? That's how I feel, that & very ready for an upbeat book!

Book 5 "Just Like Heaven"

I listened to "Just Like Heaven" by Marc Levy while organizing my craft room (once the room is finished I promise to post pics!). I now have 5 books on my Empty Shelf! This story was not something I expected, but it was enjoyable & easy to follow along with while I was preoccupied. It is a movie, but I have not seen it. This is not a story I would read again, just wasn't that intriguing. But I do like having something going in he background while doing my house work :)

Book 4 "One in the Spirit"

The 4th book on my Empty Shelf is "One in the Spirit" by David C. K. Watson. I was excited to read this book from the preface on the very first page! "No one group within the true Church of God has a monopoly of the Spirit's presence. ('One in the Spirit' David C. K. Watson)" I have witnessed first hand people believing only their denomination has the power of the Holy Spirit, it made me very uncomfortable, even though I was a member of this person's denomination at the time. So this book's beginning made me excited to read more!

I quickly found out that this book was not good for my regular bedtime reading! It regularly had me up searching for a pen to underline a point, or had me stopped in my tracks pondering a humbling thought. I felt it was a short, but powerful read!

I don't know if it is still in print being copyrighted in 1973, but if you can get your hands on a copy, I recommend it! I will let you borrow mine if you don't mind my underlining :)

Book 3 "There's No Place Like Here"

The third book on my Empty Shelf is an Audio Book. I was given a small stack of audio books from a friend, & I decided to try one out while cleaning this week. I think it helped me stay productive :)

"There's No Place Like Here" by Cecelia Ahern was a good book! I would like to find it in written form so I can read it, as I feel I get more understanding when I'm the one reading.

It is about a little girl who's school mate goes missing, which leads her to panic in search every time anything goes missing, like her socks. She grows up with this panic, until she also goes missing. This book was nothing like what I was expecting just from the cover, it was so much more!

So what do you do to keep yourself on task while cleaning or doing household chores? Listening to Audio Books might become my new thing!