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Almost a year ago, I joined the Fill in the Gaps, Project 100 Challenge, hoping to read 100 books I've had on my TBR list for a long, long time. A lot of other participants focused on classics or books that everyone "should read" in their lifetimes, but I just wanted to knock books off my list that have been sitting on it, without attention for a months or years.

Below is my list, with strike-throughs on the ones I've gotten through this last 10 months and in red are the ones that I just gave up on after giving them at least 50 pages worth of reading effort.


1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
2. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
5. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
6. The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
7. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
8. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
9. Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
10. Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
11. Wild Roses by Deb Caletti
12. The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti
13. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti
14. Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
15. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
16. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
17. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
18. My Recycled Pets by Randi Berger
19. Fifteen Legs by Bonnie Silva
20. Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacie O'Brien
21. Pawprints of Katrina by Cathy Scott
22. Not Left Behind: Rescuing the Pets of New Orleans by Best Friends Animal Society
23. Dog Culture: Writers on the Character of Canines by Ken Foster
24. Bandit by Vicky Hearne
25. Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls
26. Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss
27. Leftovers by Laura Weiss
28. Once Upon a Crime by Michael Buckley
29. Magic and Other Misdemeanors by Michael Buckley
30. Tales From the Hood by Michael Buckley
31. The Everafter War by Michael Buckley
32. The Letters by Sean Hanzelik
33. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee
34. Alabama Moon by Watt Key
35. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
36. A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
36. A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
38. Crazy L

If you've never seen one of my Mini-review features, here's the synopsis: Reviews are of books that have already been reviewed about a million times by other bloggers and/or titles that I just feel don't need the full synopsis and in-depth reviews as other books I've read throughout the month. Enjoy!
 


Gone by Lisa McMann

Whole lot of buzz about this third title in the Wake trilogy. I enjoyed it and felt that it wrapped the whole series up nicely, though I did miss the whole "undercover cop" aspect that was in the previous two books. I think that added a hard edge to a rather dream-focused plot.

I think McMann creates believable characters, even if their stories are fantasy. Definitely a hard talent to achieve, but it shows in her writing.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5


Gone
Lisa McMann
224 pages
Young Adult
Simon Pulse
9781416979180
February 2010
Review copy received from publisher

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent (audio)

This was the first audiobook that I listened to this month and I enjoyed both the reader,  Mare Winningham, and the plot. I really liked the main character being a child, telling the story of her family's witch trials from her innocent eyes, and the morphing of her feelings toward her doomed mother felt incredibly realistic.

I will say that the story is dark, depressing, and understandably sad, so if you're looking for something hoped-filled, The Heretic's Daughter is not for you. Listening to it, there were some moments I found my mind drifting away, but overall, the reader, the reading, and the overall story were very good.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

The Heretic's Daughter
Kathleen Kent
Audio Book
Hachette Audio
9781600248238
October 2009
Borrowed from my local library

The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (audio)

Yeah, yeah...one of the last librarians on earth to read this book (and I listened to it), but because of the Fill in the Gaps Challenge, I finally got to it. Do I think it was worthy of a Newbery Medal? Maybe. I didn't

It's time again for my monthly Mini-Reviews feature. If you haven't checked out one of these posts before, my main reason for doing them is simply because I read too many books during the month to write out full, long reviews about each one of them. Mini-reviews consist of books that have already gotten a lot of press and don't necessarily need my thoughts to boost sales, books that I didn't really enjoy, or books that I just didn't have a whole lot to say about, whether good or bad.

Ok, that being said, on to the short-but-sweet thoughts on these titles:

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo was wonderfully sweet, as I could only expect a work from her to have been. The main characters a lovely, the story magical and fantastical, and great for another read aloud. The illustrations are simple and wonderfully done by Yoko Tanaka.

DiCamillo's stories always flow so well, appealing to both child and adult, and always leaving the reader (at least this reader) with a calm sense of satisfaction when the last page is turned.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all ages. Go buy for all sorts of gifts...Christmas, birthday, etc. It's lovely, really.

The Magician's Elephant
Kate DiCamillo
208 pages
Middle Grade
Candlewick
9780763644109
September 2009


Another "magical" book, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, is an adult fantasy title that I picked up after reading so many positive reviews about it. Honestly, it's Harry Potter for adults. A magic school, magician-filled, with an infiltrator attempting to bring evil over good.

Long and at times quite wordy, I skimmed through some pages, though thought it was an overall enjoyable read.

The Magicians: A Novel
Lev Grossman
416 pages
Adult Fiction
Viking Adult
9780670020553
August 2009


A book I really did not enjoy this month, Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo, was a huge waste of my time. And especially so, because I listened to it on audio (and only stuck with it because I needed something to get me through the three miles every day).

Absolutely predictable from the very beginning, filled with the same charcters and plot you would find in just about any beach read mystery, except with less thrills. Do I dare compare to the latest James Patterson novels? Don't waste your time on this one. Well, I shouldn't say that, maybe you like this type of thing...goodness knows lots of people do, this book is selling like hotcakes, hence the reason I thought it would be a good read! Oh and did I mention it got a starred review from Publisher's Weekly? Maybe it really was just me.

Sworn to Silence
Linda Castillo
336 pages
Adult Fiction
Minotaur Books
9780312374976
June 2009


City of Bones by Cassandra Clare was a great start to the Mortal Instruments series I've been wanting to pick up this whole year. It was a fast paced read and I can certainly see the appeal to teens.

I did feel it was too long and could have used a good 75 pages cut. I'm not entirely sure why all these middle grade/ya authors feel the need to have 500 page books, it's not a contest to see who can write the thickest volume!

This one I read for the Fill in the Gaps Challenge.

City of Bones
Cassandra Clare
512 pages
Young Adult
McElderry
9781416955078
February 2008

Alright, that's it for mini-reviews this month! If you want more info on any title or to buy any of them and help make this unemployed lady some money, click on any of the book covers above to link to Amazon.

I'm a self-proclaimed food addict. My husband and I are constantly trying to find new, off-the-beaten path restaurants, I have almost every nighttime Food Network show set to record on my DVR, subscribe to a bunch of food magazines, and am one of those that actually like to cook and attempt to produce edible recipes. And of course....I like to read about food in fiction.

Erica Bauermeister has created magic in The School of Essential Ingredients. Magic in the form of a cooking class, held at our main character, Lillian's restaurant. Lots of different types of people sign up for Lillian's class, characters like Claire, a young, overwhelmed mother, looking for a bit of an escape, Tom a handsome man mourning the loss of his wife, and Antonia, a kitchen designer looking to find herself in her work.

Each of the character's come to Lillian's for a reason and through the therapy of chopping, dicing, mixing, and cooking, they each find answers, though of course, not always the answers they're looking for. Some relationships are made and some are broken, all interwoven with amazing descriptions of the sights, sounds, tastes, and textures of the food. Food is most definitely center stage, even if at times it seems to be placed on the back burner (yep...totally meant to put that pun in there).

When I first picked up The School of Essential Ingredients, I knew I was going to enjoy it from page one. Bauermeister may never have published a novel before, but after reading the amazing writing she has managed to produce, the lovable, multi-demensional characters, and all that fabulous food description, she's definitely going to have a fan following, itching for another book.

I read this for the Fill in the Gaps, Project 100 challenge.

The School of Essential Ingredients
Erica Bauermeister
256 pages
Adult Fiction
Putnam Adult
9780399155437
January 2009

Let Go: Live Free of the Burdens All Women Know, written by best-selling author and Women of Faith speaker, Sheila Walsh is going to be a book I'm constantly recommending to my women friends from now on. This book is such an eye-opening, comforting read for Christians and an encouragement for those non-believers.

Through this book, Walsh wants women to "live free of the burdens all women know," by using the word of Jesus to help let go of "stuff" we've been holding onto. She breaks up this goal into chapters, each focusing on a typical part of a woman's life that is difficult to let go of. Whether it be living in the past, a forgiveness issue, loneliness, bad relationships, etc. she covers it all and does so in such an incredible way, you'll honestly feel like a friend is just having a conversation with you. I can't imagine that is a simple task to accomplish for any author, especially those of self-help books, but Walsh comes across as a good friend rather than someone preaching to you about how to best get your life on track.

Personal examples and accounts from other women help to solidify the message in each chapter, with lots of Scripture woven throughout the pages as well. There are also a few discussion questions and a prayer at the end of the chapters, in case you're reading it with a group, though the discussion questions can also be done as a devotional. That's how I used it. Not only will you be encouraged to help yourself get out of a rut, but you'll also learn more about the Lord's word in the process.

My favorite chapter was probably "The Trap of Unforgiveness," in which Walsh looks at how forgiveness is portrayed in the Bible and just why it's so hard for us to forgive each other throughout our lives. The manner in which she writes about not letting the hurt someone dealt you sit with you for the rest of your life (holding grudges), hits home and I believe that each person reading the book will take something incredibly personal away from it.

I've never read a book by Walsh before this, but you can bet I'll be reading more of her very soon. I highly recommend this for libraries, as gifts, and as a permanent fixture on your bookshelves.

To learn more or to purchase, click on the book cover above to link to Amazon.

I read this one for the Fill in the Gaps challenge.

Let Go
Sheila Walsh
224 pages
Christian Non-Fiction
Thomas Nelson Publishing
9780849901355
February 2009

Oh how I love green living books. Anything that can teach me how to live a more eco-friendly life AND be interesting to read is right up my alley and Ed Begley Jr. has put out a fantastic book (and a great tv series) all based around living green.

Living Like Ed: A Guide to Eco-Friendly Living has a great balance between tips on how to actually incorporate simple steps into your daily life, with commentary from Ed and his eco-reluctant wife, Rachelle, making it pretty funny, as well as educational. From the simple, like using rain barrels as water catchers, composting, and recycling, to the more complex, like installing solar panels, riding a bicycle to generate energy, and driving an electric car, Begley teaches us how to do it and expresses both pros and cons to each tip.

An easy, quick, and interesting read, I would recommend this one to anyone looking for some fun eco-tips or just to brush up on what you're already doing right.

I read this one for the Fill in the Gaps challenge.

To learn more or to purchase, click on the book cover above to link to Amazon.

Living Like Ed: A Guide to an Eco-Friendly Life
Ed Begley Jr.
240 pages
Adult Non-Fiction
Clarkson Potter
9780307396433
February 2008

I'm not really going to "review" this book, so many of you have already read it, but since I had it on a challenge list I wanted to at least give my thoughts on it.

Such a Pretty Girl is the story of a teen forced to live in the same place as the man that sexually abused her as a pre-teen. Her mother loves him and thinks he is "all better," no longer having the urge to have sex with his daughter. Determined to get him off the streets and out of her life in order to feel safe, Meredith begins devising plans to land him back in jail.

A tough, gritty read, but a great fictional account of sexual abuse within families. Written by Laura Weiss, this young adult novel is definitely for the more mature, but exhibits a strong lead female that encourages girls to really stand up for themselves. I definitely appreciated that it was not overly graphic when describing the abuse to Meredith.

I read this for the Project 100 Challenge.

To learn more or to purchase, click on the book cover above to link to Amazon.

Such a Pretty Girl
Laura Weiss
224 pages
Young Adult
MTV
1416521836
January 2007

I was watching the news a couple of weeks ago and saw this human interest story on several community groups across the country that began reading this book together, determined to transform their lives and start living in the "now." Well I was sold, added it to my Project 100 list and was able to find it at the library. I really want to start living for now, not putting things off until "later" or "someday" and that's exactly the point of this book.

Kerry and Chris Shook, a husband-wife team, came up with One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life, and it has obviously been extremely successful. Using the mindset that one only has thirty days left to live, they encourage the reader, through different categorical chapters, to live now and not later. To not put off telling someone you love them, forgiving a friend for an argument, or taking that vacation until someday.

Very much based on God's word, this title may not appeal to everyone. Bible verses are on almost every page, encouraging the reader to really look to what God has said for us to do in our lives and do those things immediately, not waiting until it's too late. This was a wonderful aspect of the book for me, but again, it's not for everyone. I think the cover and inside flaps kinda leave out the religious aspect of the content.

A wonderfully inspiring read, this is one I highly recommend for individuals and book groups. Great for libraries and home shelves.

There is also a devotional journal and a guide/workbook that you can purchase along with One Month to Live to help you really get the message...I just read the book, so I can't give my opinion on those.

I read this for the Project 100 challenge.

To learn more or to purchase, click on the book cover above to link to Amazon.

One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life
Kerry & Chris Shook
240 pages
Adult Non-fiction
Waterbrook
9781400073795
February 2008

I have SO much reviewing to still do for this month it's not even funny. So for the ones I don't have a whole lengthy review to give, I'm just doing a short synopsis and whether or not I enjoyed it and think it's worth your time. For tonight I have two adult reads and a classic.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, is a story we all know from our childhood, mainly from watching the amazing movie. I had never picked this book (or any of the subsequent books in the series) up, but when I did for the read-a-thon I was pretty surprised...and a bit disappointed.

Though cinematic versions of books are often very different from the original plot, this one really through me for a loop. I was really surprised at how the story played out and all the changes that had to be made for the movie, to make it enjoyable to a large audience. The book was kinda boring, very hard to read in places (the text is right on top of illustrated pages), and the characters each very different from what I knew. Dorothy's slippers weren't even red, they were silver!

I was pretty disappointed in this one, as it didn't hold my attention well at all. It's a classic though, one that is much loved all over the world, so this is obviously not the opinion of many!

I read this one for the Project 100 Challenge.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 100th Anniversary Edition
L. Frank Baum
320 pages
Middle Grade
HarperCollins
9780688166779
August 2001

My next read, Together: A Novel of Shared Vision was written by Tom Sullivan and Betty White. I was a tad bit disappointed when I received this one and it wasn't a memoir like I had originally thought, but I picked it up anyway, always in for a good dog story.

In it, a young, active man named Brenden takes a terrible fall while hiking down a mountain and injures his brain to the point where he is left permanently blind. He grudgingly begins working with a guide dog, one that hasn't worked out with anyone else, and they eventually become best friends, though not without lots of trials and work.

Unfortunately, this one didn't totally hold my interest either and was a tad boring in parts too. I don't think the part of the dog was written exceptionally well, so he didn't come off as the strong character he was supposed to.

That being said, if you enjoy dog stories, it would be a nice choice. And the reviews on Amazon are ALL five stars, so it very well may have just been me that wasn't totally enjoying it.

I read this one for the TBR Challenge.

Together: A Novel of Shared Vision
Tom Sullivan with Betty White
240 pages
Adult fiction
Thomas Nelson publishing
9781595544568
June 2008

Finally, one that I LOVED was A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick. This is the first in a series about a small quilt shop and the women that frequent it/run it. I seem to be drawn to "crafty fiction," as I've really enjoyed Jennifer Chiaverini's books, as well as Debbie Macomber's "Blossom Street" series. Something about women making things with their hands just appeals to me. Quilting, knitting, cooking, I love it all.

Basically, when Evelyn Dixon's marriage ends in Texas, she packs her bags and moves to New Bern, Connecticut, where she buys a run down old shop and starts her own quilting store. While struggling to run a failing shop and try to make friends in the process, Evelyn learns she has breast cancer, giving her yet another thing to fight for. Her new girlfriends band together to help save both Evelyn and her shop.

Though these types of novels are always predictable, they're a comforting sort of predictable. Bostwick's writing was superb and her characters believable and lovable. The sequel comes out in a couple months, which I'm now eagerly anticipating!

I read this one for the Spring Reading Thing Challenge.

A Single Thread
Marie Bostwick
288 pages
Adult fiction
Kensington
9780758222572
November 2008

To learn more, or to purchase, click on the book covers above to link to Amazon.

I had been seeing a lot of people blogging about their lists for the "Fill in the Gaps 100 Project" and (of course) had to find out what all the buzz was about. Basically it's just making a list of 100 books you want to read/should read and finishing them up within 5 years. Yep FIVE years. Ya got time people, why not join? Go HERE for more details.

Now most of the lists that are up are pretty ambitious. These readers are serious about getting some fantastics classics read in the next five years, some have a sprinkling of romance, others some YA. Mine? I took a veeeerrry casual approach. These are literally all books that I really want to read, and think I actually WILL read. I could list every classic there is...as I think it would be great for me to read all those, but I know I never will. My list also has a lot of books that will be good knowledge for my career, that I feel I should have a knowledge base for when recommending books to kids and parents. There is a bunch of non-fiction that I want to get to, as well as some adult titles that have been recommended over and over and I've never picked up. A couple are the end of a series that I just haven't gotten to and one is a re-read that I know will never be picked up if I don't commit somewhere.

If you want to participate, follow the link above, and let me know where your list is...I would love to see what others are reading!!

My Project 100:

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
2. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
5. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
6. The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
7. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
8. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
9. Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
10. Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
11. Wild Roses by Deb Caletti
12. The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti
13. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti
14. Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
15. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
16. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
17. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
18. My Recycled Pets by Randi Berger
19. Fifteen Legs by Bonnie Silva
20. Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacie O'Brien
21. Pawprints of Katrina by Cathy Scott
22. Not Left Behind: Rescuing the Pets of New Orleans by Best Friends Animal Society
23. Dog Culture: Writers on the Character of Canines by Ken Foster
24. Bandit by Vicky Hearne
25. Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls
26. Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss
27. Leftovers by Laura Weiss
28. Once Upon a Crime by Michael Buckley
29. Magic and Other Misdemeanors by Michael Buckley
30. Tales From the Hood by Michael Buckley
31. The Everafter War by Michael Buckley
32. The Letters by Sean Hanzelik
33. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee
34. Alabama Moon by Watt Key
35. The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer
36. The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer
36. The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer
38. The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
39. Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
40. Things Hoped For by Andrew Clements
41. Things That Are by Andrew Clements
42. Frindle by Andrew Clements
43. Mercy by Jodi Picoult
44. Memoirs from a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
45. Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
46. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
47. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
48. The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
49. Hoot by Carl Hiaason
50. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
51. Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
52. Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull
53. Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull
54. Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
55. The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig
56. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
57. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
58. The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld
59. So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld
60. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
61. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
62. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
63. Living Like Ed by Ed Begley
64. Green Christmas by Jennifer Basye Sander
65. Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano
66. Wake up and Smell the Planet by Grist Magazine
67. Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Gelman
68. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
69. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
70. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
71. A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict by John Baxter
72. The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel
73. The Mysterious Adventures of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
74. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
75. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
76. The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
77. The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian
78. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
79. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
80. Ever by Gail Carson Levine
81. Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock
82. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
83. The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller
84. Letters from the Inside by John Marsden
85. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
86. Marked by P.C. Cast
87. Betrayed by P.C. Cast
88. Chosen by P.C. Cast
89. Untamed by P.C. Cast
90. Hunted by P.C. Cast
91. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
92. The Alchemyst: Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
93. The Magician: Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
94. The Sorceress: Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
95. One Month to Live: 30 Days to a No-Regrets Life by Kerry and Chris Shook
96. One Year to an Organized Life by Regina Leeds
97. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
98. America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money by Steve and Annette Economides
99. A Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
100.An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore