January Reads

So in January I read 5 books, the most I have read in January since I started keeping count. Go me! This was definitely a month of good books for me as you can tell by my ratings. One new author for me this month (Carolyn Parkhurst) and 4 I have read before.

I read....

Aunt Dimity's Christmas by Nancy Atherton - 4 stars - I barely started this in December. It was a great book, not just as a Christmas book but as a mystery as well. It reminded me why I love this series so much. It had been a few years since I read it and I am so glad I got back into it.

Don't Drink the Water by Susan Rogers Cooper - 5 stars - So, so good! SRC is my favorite mystery writer and this was one of her best. I have tried to space out her books as there are only a few left in the series (she doesn't just churn them out like some authors) and I am down to two left now.

Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst - 5 stars - I heard a recommendation for this book a few years ago and am so glad I listened. This book just sucked me in. It was funny, heart wrenching, thought provoking and an all around great read.

2nd Chance by James Patterson - 4 stars -I read the first in The Women's Murder Club series last year and was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it. This one was very good too. For personal reasons there was a story line in this one I didn't care for but that's just me. It was a really good book, very entertaining and kept me guessing.

Aunt Dimity Beats The Devil by Nancy Atherton - 4 stars - I started and finished the month with Ms. Atherton. This was a wonderful book that made me laugh and also was quite emotional. I figured out some bits but others just threw me for a loop. Another great addition to the series.

Happy Birthday to me and here's my word.

Happy Birthday to me! Today's my birthday and I love it. I have had two days of early celebrations and today is the big day. It's been great so far.

So I still hadn't picked a word for this year. I kept thinking maybe it would be trust again. And then today I was thinking about how blessed I was and started looking for a quote to share. The quote I found made it clear to me what my word needed to be. First, the quote:

"Gratitude, like faith, is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it grows, and the more power you have to use it on your behalf. If you do not practice gratefulness, its benefaction will go unnoticed, and your capacity to draw on its gifts will be diminished. To be grateful is to find blessings in everything, This is the most powerful attitude to adopt, for there are blessings in everything."

Alan Cohen

That hit so close to home for me. I think I'm a pretty grateful person. I try to look for the good in things but I do let things get to me more than they really should. I, like everyone else, have not had a perfect life. I have had struggles and dark times and suffered loss. But oh the joys I have had and continue to have. If I stop and think about it I truly feel amazed. And all those struggles and hardships got me to where I am. They molded me and shaped me. If I had a pretty uneventful life I don't think I would even halfway appreciate what I have today.

So this year my word is gratitude. I am going to work on being grateful, in looking for the blessing in everything, in not letting little things get to me so much. Because no matter what happens I have a life so full of love it takes my breath away.

My Reading Goals for the Year 2011 Recap and Reading Goals for 2012

So my goals in 2011 were:

1. Read 40 books - Surpassed it by reading 43 books

2. Read mostly from my 2011 box of books (Picked out ahead of time) - For the most part, yes.

3. Finish all books carried over (I actually already completed this so yae me!)

4. Try some new authors - Yep, I read book/stories by 12 new (to me) authors in 2011.

So going forward, my reading goals for 2012 are:

1. Read 45 books

2. Read mostly from my 2012 boxes of books (Picked out ahead of time)

3. Finish all books carried over (Down to one and that one may take awhile as it's a short story/essay book which I am taking my time with).

4. Read a lot from series I have already started.

5. Try some new authors I already have books by. I actually have authors & books picked out for this. They are:

Allison Brennan - The Prey

Wendy Corsi Staub - Don't Scream

Tami Hoag - Ashes to Ashes

Robyn Carr - Virgin River

Mariah Stewart - Dead Wrong

Kay Hooper - Touching Evil

Lisa Gardner - The Perfect Husband

Lisa Jackson - Hot Blooded

Elizabeth George - A Great Deliverance

Meg Cabot - Queen of Babble

Looking forward to the year of reading ahead!