2016 Reading Challenges - Final Update

Hi Everyone!
I'm pleased to announce that I have actually finished all of my reading challenges!

I told you a while ago that I had finished the Bethany House Challenge.

With the Anne of Green Gables challenge, I decided that I had already read the final book earlier in the year - Blue Castle. Plus I had actually had enough of reading her books. Not that I don't  like them (they are childhood favourites), but I was ready to move on to other things.

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With Christmas reading, came the end of the 2016 ABC Soup Challenge.

A - Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery
B - Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson
C - Crime Scene Jerusalem By Alton Gansky
D - The Director's Cut by Janice Thompson
E - Every Storm by Lori Wick
F - Falling Like Snowflakes by Denise Hunter
G - Greetings From the Flipside by Rene Gutteridge and Cheryl McKay
H - A House Divided by Robert Whitlow
I - In Harm's Way by Irene Hannon
J - Jennifer by Dee Henderson
K - Kilmeny of the Orchard by L. M. Montgomery
L - Lethal Beauty by Lis Wiehl
M -  A Murder Among Friends by Ramona Richards
N - Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island (Lonely Planet Guide)
O - One More Wish by Robin Jones Gunn
P - The Pounamu Prophecy by Cindy Williams
Q - The Quilt by T Davis Bunn
R - Rest Assured by Vicki Courtney
S - Seaside Blessings by Irene Hannon
T - Twice Stolen by Susanne Timpani
U - Undetected by Dee Henderson
V - A Victorian Christmas Cottage by Catherine Palmer, Debra White Smith, Jeri Odell & Peggy Stoks
W - Water's Edge by Robert Whitlow
X - XXIII Olympic Games: The Official Pictorial History, Los Angeles
Y - You Are Special by Max Lucado
Z - Zen Doodle Unleashed by Tiffany Lovering

The final book was for the letter V.

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My other reading goal for the year was to read at least 120 books. I made that yesterday!
There will be a couple more finished by New Years Eve, but I'm happy to have reached that goal.

These books included both fiction and non-fiction and all of the books included in my other reading challenges.

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I don't know if I will be doing any reading challenges next year (other than setting my self a goal of a number of books to read for the year).
I know I won't be doing another ABC Challenge, although I know that is being run again next year.

So stay tuned for news on that account.

Book Review - Breaking Free by Jennifer Slattery

Breaking Free by Jennifer Slattery

(Thank you to Jennifer for my review copy.)

Sometimes it takes losing everything to grab hold of what really matters. 

Women's ministry leader and Seattle housewife, Alice Goddard, and her successful graphic-designer husband appear to have it all together. Until their credit and debit cards are denied, launching Alice into an investigation that only leads to the discovery of secrets. Meanwhile, her husband is trapped in a downward spiral of lies, shame, and self-destruction. Can they break free from their deception and turn to the only One who can save them? And will it be in time to save their marriage?

Jennifer Slattery is an inspiring contemporary novelist whose stories of hope, love, and grace resonate with real people. She is the author of compelling contemporary romance novels such as Beyond I Do, When Dawn Breaks, Intertwined, and Breaking Free. She also writes for Crosswalk.com and devotions for her personal blog, JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud; Internet Cafe Devotions; and Takin' It To The Streets, a ministry serving Omaha Metro's working poor and homeless. When not writing, she enjoys hanging out with her teenage daughter and real-life hero husband, as well as serving in her church.



My Thoughts

This is a hard hitting book. It is a look at the way addictions and a negative family legacy can result in a downward spiral - not just for the individual, but for the whole family. Even families who look like perfect church-going people can have hidden sin, addictions and a lot of serious problems. Yet through all of this, the story brings hope, along with friends and strangers willing to help and pray.