Christian Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2010 - final count

I read 10 books for this during December.

So for the year I read 74 books!!

They are:

1. The Confidential Life of Euginia Cooper by Kathleen Y'Barbo
2. Pieces of Silver by Maureen Lang
3. Remember Me by Maureen Lang
4. New Mexico by Janet Lee Barton
5. The Tapestry by MaryAnn Minatra
6. The Masterpiece by MaryAnn Minatra
7. The Heirloom by MaryAnn Minatra
8. Texas Brides by Cathy Marie Hake
9. Battles of Destiny Vol. 3 by Al Lacy
10. Battles of Destiny Vol. 4 by Al Lacy
11. A Place Called Home by Lori Wick
12. A Song For Silas by Lori Wick
13. The Long Road Home by Lori Wick
14. A Gathering of Memories by Lori Wick
15. Gingham Bride by Jillian Hart
16. Look to the East by Maureen Lang
17. Love Awakens the Heart by Lori Wick
18. The One Forever Promise by Lori Wick
19. Ransome's Honor by Kaye Dacus
20. Angel's Den by Jamie Carie
21. The Husband Tree by Mary Connealy
22. Pasadena Primises by Rachel Druten
23. Brides of the Empire by Darlene Minrup
24. The Raven Saint by M L Tyndall
25. Woven Hearts by Cathy Marie Hake, Kelly Eileen Hake, Kathleen Paul & Susan Downs
26. The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Coleen Coble
27. Florida Brides by Muncy G. Chapman
28. Louisiana Brides by Kathleen Y'Barbo
29. Veiled Joy by Colleen L. Reece
30. In Tune With Wedding Bells by Grace Livingston Hill
31. Where Two Ways Met by Grace Livingston Hill
32. The Centurion's Wife by Davis Bunn & Janette Oke
33. The Puritans by Jack Cavanaugh
34. The Colonists by Jack Cavanaugh
35. The Patriots by Jack Cavanaugh
36. The Adversaries by Jack Cavanaugh
37. The Pioneers by Jack Cavanaugh
38. The Allies by Jack Cavanaugh
39. The Victors by Jack Cavanaugh
40. The Hidden Flame by Davis Bunn & Janette Oke
41. The Country House Courtship by Linore Rose Burkard
42. Though None Go With Me by Jerry B. Jenkins
43. The Bride Blunder by Kelly Eileen Hake
44. Found Treasure by Grace Livingston Hill
45. Outlaw Marshal by Al and Joanna Lacy
46. Cassidy by Lori Wick
47. The Affectionate Adversary by Catherine Palmer
48. The Bachelor's Bargain by Catherine Palmer
49. Wild Heather by Catherine Palmer
50. English Ivy by Catherine Palmer
51. Sweet Violet by Catherine Palmer
52. The Courteous Cad by Catherine Palmer
53. Sabrina by Lori Wick
54. Jessie by Lori Wick
55. The Crimson Cipher by Susan Page Davis
56. Wildflower Bride by Mary Connealy
57. Deadlock by Al and Joanna Lacy
58. Marina by Susan K Downs and Susan May Warren
59. Oksana by Susan K Downs and Susan May Warren
60. To Catch a Thief by DiAnn Mills, Carol Cox, Kathleen Y'Barbo and Lisa Harris
61. The Omega Deception by John F Bayer
62. Ransome's Crossing by Kaye Dacus
63. Doctor in Petticoats by Mary Connealy
64. A Convenient Wife by Anna Schmidt
65. The Substitute Guest by Grace Livingston Hill
66. Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang
67. The Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis
68. Patterns and Progress by Amber Miller Stockton
69. An Old Fashioned Christmas by Sally Laity, Loree Lough, Colleen L Reece and Tracie Peterson
70. A Victorian Christmas Tea by Catherine Palmer, Dianna Crawford, Peggy Stocks and Katherine Chute
71. Wrangler in Petticoats by Mary Connealy
72. A Treasure Reborn by Pamela Griffin
73. Aunt Crete's Emancipation by Grace Livingston Hill
74. Love from Ashes by Yvonne Lehman

2010 Reading Challenge - the final count!

So, 2010 is almost over and it's time for the final book count for the 2010 Reading Challenge!

First things first.

This week I read 10 books!!

They were:

• A Victorian Christmas Tea by Catherine Palmer, Dianna Crawford, Peggy Stocks, and Katherine Chute
• Virtually Eliminated by Jefferson Scott
• Forever Christmas by Christine Lynxwiler
• Wrangler in Petticoats by Mary Connealy (Sophie's Daughters #2)
• For Better or Worse by Jennifer Johnson
• A Treasure Reborn by Pamela Griffin
• Aunt Crete's Emancipation by Grace Livingston Hill
• Rise and Shine by Liz Curtis Higgs
• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada
• Love from Ashes by Yvonne Lehman

I didn't get Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald finished.

Now, for the grand total. For the 2010 Reading Challenge I read

182 books!

That was 22 books more than my target.

I really enjoyed this challenge and most of the books I read were really good.

Teaser Tuesdays - December 28

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I just couldn't miss doing the final teaser for 2010!

So here it is:

A Treasure Reborn by Pamela Griffin

'Penny transferred her feelings to the kettle as she scrubbed it out hard and hoped that a woman from his past had not already laid claim to Derek's heart.'

Merry Christmas

To all my readers ...

Merry Christmas!

And may God richly bless you!

Remember that the reason Christ came at Christmas was to die for our sins.

Take some time to thank Him for His gift of salvation and eternal life.

2010 Reading Challenge - week 51

I read 2 books for the challenge this week. There was another book, but I'm not including is in the challenge because it's not specifically a Christian book.

They were:

• Patterns and Progress by Amber Miller Stockton
• An Old Fashioned Christmas by Sally Laity, Loree Lough, Colleen L Reece, and Tracie Peterson

I'm still reading:

• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada (this will be finished on Dec 31)
• Rise and Shine by Liz Curtis Higgs (just a few more days and I'll be finished)
• Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald (I'm not sure I'll get this finished)
• A Victorian Christmas Tea by Catherine Palmer, Dianna Crawford, Peggy Stocks, and Katherine Chute (just the last of the 4 to go)

Next week I'll post my final total!

Teaser Tuesdays - December 21

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I thought about putting up a Christmas teaser, but then I thought this might be more fun.

Rise and Shine by Liz Curtis Higgs

'Wrinkles not only come from time and the sun but also from laughing at the absurdities of life, which increase exponentially as we mature. They come from looking surprised when your child hands you a woolly worm she found on the porch. They come from smiling when you see an old friend who is as wrinkled as you are. They are the road map of experiences that you alone have enjoyed.'

Blog Plans for 2011 continued

As I mentioned in my last post about blogging plans for 2011 I have been thinking about doing something relating to a song from 'The Sound of Music'.

Did you guess which song?

Yes, it's 'My Favourite Things'.

So this is the plan :
Every week on a nominated day (I haven't decided which yet), I will post something about one of my favourite things. There will be a button on the side, so feel free to follow along and join in. I can't promise I will look at everyone's posts because I will be very busy next year starting a new career (yes, I have finally given up on going back to accounting).

Copy this code to your website to display this banner!
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Blogging in 2011

I really enjoyed the reading challenges that I participated in this year, so for 2011 I'm joining another one. This challenge is hosted by 'Seasons of Humility', and is called 'The Contentment Reading Challenge 2011'.

The purpose of this challenge is to re-read some of the books that are already on your shelves, and be content with things you have rather than keeping on buying new books. There are a few different levels to this challenge, but I have decided to go for the highest and re-read 20 books from my shelf.

If you would like to join in please have a look at the guidelines.

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

I've also been thinking about doing something of my own for next year, but I'm not going to tell you about it yet, because I haven't quite worked it out. Let me just say that it sort of springs from a song from 'The Sound of Music'.

2010 Reading Challenge - week 50

I finished 4 books this week. One of which was a single volume containing 7 books.

They were:

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis (7 books in 1)
• Sweet Harmony by Janice Hanna
• Everybody Wanted Room 623 by Cecil Murphey
• Everybody Called Her a Saint by Cecil Murphey

I am still reading:

• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada
• Rise and Shine by Liz Curtis Higgs
• Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald
• Patterns and Progress by Amber Stockton

Friday Fill-Ins #204

So...here we go!

1. What in the world were they thinking to bring back some of the current fashions.

2. I am well fed.

3. Go tell it on the mountain.

4. No Christmas cards sent but many received.

5. I keep wishing I was a kid again.

6. Believe it or not.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a Christmas party, tomorrow my plans include volunteering to do gift wrapping again at a local shopping centre and Sunday, I want to enjoy church in the morning and then our church family Christmas celebration in the evening!

2010 Reading Challenge - week 49

Ok, so I got my weeks mixed up and I've had to go all the way back to week 15 and change the titles of my posts to the correct week. What a frustrating thing, because you have to go and edit each post one at a time and re-publish it. Why did I do it, well I was thinking about how long we actually have left in this year and it didn't match up to the week number, so I went back to all my posts for this and realised that I had said week 15 twice!

Now, to get back on track!

This week I officially finished reading just 1 book:

• Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang (The Great War #2)

However, one of the books I'm currently reading is The Chronicles of Narnia which although has been put in a single volume, it actually contains 7 books, of which I have finished 3.

So I'm reading:

• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada
• Rise and Shine by Liz Curtis Higgs
• Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis

Friday Fill-Ins #203

So...here we go!

1. I wish there was such a thing as a money tree.

2. Mmmm... chocolate...that's what I'm thinking.

3. Please bring yourself and we'll have a great time together.

4. God is so amazing.

5. One of my fondest hopes is that I will get married and have children.

6. God you have provided for me what I needed once again and I just wanted to say thank you.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to being at home, tomorrow my plans include finishing something I started today and Sunday, I want to enjoy church and whatever else ends up happening!

600th Post Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to:

CarolNWong!

She is the winner of Treasure of Blue Heon Lake by Susan Page Davis and Megan Elaine Davis, from my 600th Post Giveaway.

Carol, there should be an email in your inbox now!

Thank you to my sister for drawing the winner.

Teaser Tuesdays - December 7

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis

'My Dear Lucy,

I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be

your affectionate Godfather,

C. S. Lewis'

For something different, this is not actually part of the story, but the dedication at the beginning of the book. I just found it very interesting. Not everyone reads the dedications, but they can give insights into the author and why they wrote the book that you would otherwise be unaware of.

And for another piece of trivia, do you know what the author's initials stand for?

Clive Staples!

No wonder he wanted to be called Jack!

2010 Reading Challenge - week 48

I finished 3 books this week.

I have now read 165 for the year (5 above my target).

They were:

• Dominion by Randy Alcorn
• Deception by Randy Alcorn
• The Substitute Guest by Grace Livingston Hill

I'm still reading:

• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada (year-long devotional)
• Rise and Shine by Liz Curtis Higgs
• Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald
• Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang (The Great War #2)

And don't forget my giveaway! You only have a couple more days to comment on the post to be in the draw.