November's Nightstand

Edited: Oops, I am a week late for Nightstand!

What’s on Your Nightstand? happens on the FOURTH Tuesday of every month. It’s a great chance to let others know what you like to read, and to find new bloggers. 5 Minutes For Books hosts this monthly carnival.

I finished 13 books from last month's stack. Many are still sitting on this month's stack.  I got distracted with a few other books that found their way into the house. 

This month I have seven books (on right stack at the top) that I agreed to review so they will come first.  Not sure how that happened as all year I have been so careful with accepting review copies so as not to have more than 3 a month.  Oh well, most of them are by favorite authors that usually deliver quick reads.

There are quite a few new to me authors as well:  Myla Goldberg, Wallace Stroby, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Carrie Ryan, Danielle Ganek, Karl Marlantes, Kelly O'Connor McNees, Ruth Rendell, Lesley Kagen, Sonya Hartnett and Nicci French.

What's On Your Nightstand?

What’s on Your Nightstand? happens on the FOURTH Tuesday of every month. It’s a great chance to let others know what you like to read, and to find new bloggers.  5 Minutes For Books hosts this monthly carnival.

I missed last month due to being on vacation.  Before I went on vacation, I returned all my library books and it has been great going back and replenishing my stacks.  I have had a hard time getting back into the swing of reading after being gone for 3 weeks, but I hope this selection will help me.

I've got a wide variety to choose from.  I am looking forward to reading The Help as it has been topping favorite lists all year.  Three of the books are for upcoming tours: The Black Madonna by Davis Bunn, Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry and Crestmont by Holly Weiss.   I've got two audios on the stacks, and will start listening as soon as I finish up The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (on my iPod) and Deliver Us From Evil by David Baldacci (in the car). Both are in the final chapters.

Check out my two giveaways #1 Old El Paso Taco Night (cute serving dishes and taco seasoning) and  #2 1000th post (chocolate and Starbucks).  Both ending this weekend.

What's On Your Nightstand?

What’s on Your Nightstand? is hosted by 5 Minutes For Books and happens on the FOURTH Tuesday of every month. It’s a great chance to let others know what you like to read, and to find new bloggers with the same taste in books as you have.

I missed last month's Nightstand due to being out of State.  I had a stack as usual and read a variety of books.  My favorites were The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and A Breath of Snow and Ashes (audio).

I've had a great August of reading so far completing 29 books.  The long summer day provides for hours of reading!  I am happy to report that so far, I have NOT dropped one book in the pool while reading on a raft.  A few favorites this month have been audios Mississippi Jack and An Echo in the Bone.  I cannot recommend Katherine Kellgren and Davina Porter enough!!

There is, as always, quite a stack to choose from for my reading pleasure.  I am looking forward to reading The Bishop, the fourth book in the Patrick Bowers series by Steven James, I Curse The River of Time by Per Petterson, Mr. Rosenblumn Dreams in English and Decit by Brandilynn Collins.

I have a few new to me authors on this stack as well:  Linda Castillo, Holly Black, Shannon McKenna and more.

I have two weeks to enjoy before the Fall schedule gets back into full swing.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate! 

What's on Your Nightstand?

The fourth Tuesday of the month is 5 Minutes For Book's What's On Your Night Stand? where we get together to share what we've read last month, and what is on our nightstand for the coming month.

I did not get through last month's stack as well as I would have liked.  Many of the books are still on the stack which has caused me once again to have a towering stack to get through this month.   I am not committed to as many book tours this month which will help get through the stack.

I am still successful with my yearly goal of keeping up-to-date with my reviews.  It has become a habit to sit down and compose the review before I start another book. 

As you can see I have gone overboard at the library and if you look closely you will see two copies of two titles.  Yikes!  At times, I am blonder than I pay to be! 

I've actually got two non-fiction books on the stack!  My library is hosting summer reading bingo and one of the squares is a non-fiction book.  I am looking forward to reading Scout, Atticus and Boo.

May's Nightstand

5 Minutes For Books hosts this monthy get together to share what we've read last month, and what is on our nightstand for the coming month.

This week is my youngest son's last week of high school!  It is bittersweet.  I am more than ready to leave this season behind, but sad that our time together will be changing.  I have been busy getting his photo scrapbooks up-to-date and it has slowed my reading down just a little bit. 

Last month I managed to get through most of my stack.  I did abandon two books.  One due to just not caring what happened next (Arcadia Falls) and the other (Wolf Hall) too hard to follow with all my other distractions.  Will try that one again.

My favorite reads of the month: Both Ted Dekker books, South of Broad, Beguiled, Her Mother's Hope, Indivisible, She Walks in Beauty and Marcelo In The Real World.

This month's stack has quite a few YAs and some new adult releases as well a a few authors that are new to me. I've got a good start on The Map Of True Places, it is very good so far.

Listening to In The Belly of The Bloodhound by L.A. Meyer in the car and Breath of Snow and Ashes on the iPod.

April's Nightstand

5 Minutes For Books hosts this monthy get together to share what we've read last month, and what is on our nightstand for the coming month.



Last's months stack produced some really good reads.  I highly recommend -  YAs: Fat Cat, Before I Fall, Blue Plate Special and The Uglies series; Adult: Italian for Beginners, A Matter of Class, Brava Valentine and The Broken Teaglass.

The current stack has quite a few books I am looking forward to reading:   Wolf Hall,
The BoneMan's Daughter, Her Mother's Hope, South of Broad, Beguiled, The Bride Collector, Fantasy In Death and Dirty Little Secrets.

I am listening to the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead Until Dark, in the car and A Breath of Snow and Ashes on my iPod while I exercise.

Stop by Friday for my giveaway during Blogmania's 24 hour extravanganza.

March's Nighstand

5 Minutes For Books hosts this monthy get together to share what we've read last month, and what is on our nightstand for the coming month.


I made it through most of  my last month's stack.  Just a couple had to go back before I got to them.

I especially enjoyed True Blue, Things Worth Remembering, The Endless Forest,  Alice I Have Been, Tainted and YAs - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian,  Uglies.

This is my stack for March.  Another great variety to choose from.  Almost finished with Fat Cat and its great.

Still doing well with my goal of keeping current with my reviews.

Be sure to stop by for my 3rd Blogoversary Giveaway on Sunday.

February's Nightstand

5 Minutes For Books hosts this monthy get together to share what we've read last month, and what is on our nightstand for the coming month.

This month's stack while having plenty of books is not a large as usual.  I have been trying to focus on reading the books I have checked out before the first due date instead of being the queen of renewals.

I am looking forward to contining the Cat Royal series with Cat Among the Pigeons by Julia Golding and ending the Wilderness series (I believe) with The Endless Forest by Sara Donati.

Again, I have quite a few YAs on the stack.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian comes highly recommended as well as Jacob Have I Loved.

Two books I've read since last month's nightstand, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James and The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova were fantastic.

Have a great reading month!

January's Nightstand

5 Minutes For Books hosts this monthy get together to share what we've read last month, and what is on our nightstand for the coming month.

Since last month's Nightstand I was able to get 28 books read.  I finished the year and began the new year reading some really great YAs.  A couple of them that I highly recommed even if you normally don't read YA are: Swim the Fly, How To Say Goodbye In Robot,  Into The Wild Nerd Yonder and Love You Hate You Miss You.

Also loved Look Again and Exposure.

This month, as usual, the stack is huge as I had a bunch of requested books all arrive within days of each other.  Glad my library has a liberal renewal policy.    I've got three started - The Secret Diary of Charlotte Bronte, Bog Child and Once in a Blue Moon.  All three so far are off to a great start that I can't decide which one to stick with to the end.

One of my reading goals for the year was to keep up with my reviews and I am glad to report that so far I am up-to-date with them.

December's What's On Your Nightstand?

5 Minutes For Books hosts this monthy get together to share what we've read last month, and what is on our nightstand for the coming month.

Last month I had 19 books on my stack and read 13 of them as well as 11 more that I picked up as the month progressed.  I have reviewed all 24 books and am caught up on my reviewing and hope to continue to be as the year ends.

Since it is close to Christmas I prettied up my stack of books that I hope to finish before the end of the year.

The Secret of Everything
Princess at the Midnight Ball
A Girl Named Zippy
My So Called Family
How To Say Goodby in Robon
If The Witness Lied
Academy 7
The Girl On Legare Street
Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have
Peace, Love and Baby Ducks.

Here is my stack to begin 2010.  Many are "new to me authors", Cybil nominees, and quite a few were requested books that once again all arrived at the same time.  I am sure I will begin January with many renewals!  ;o)

May you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and many hours of reading!!

What's on Your Nightstand? happens on the FOURTH Tuesday of every month.

What's On Your Nightstand?

5 Minutes For Books hosts this monthly book chat sharing what we have read the past month and what we have sitting on our stacks waiting to be read.

Last month I completed 23 books: two audio books ten young adult books, 1 children's book and ten adult fiction books.   Two were review books (Bride Backfire and Green). Eleven were new to me authors.

I read Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli for a challenge without knowing its subject matter and was pleasantly surprised.  The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson was another book read without knowing ahead of time what it was about and it was great.

Eight of the books dealt with death in one form or another:
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
Notes From The Dog by Gary Paulsen
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
Kisses and Lies by Lauren Henderson
Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur
She’s In A Better Place by Angela Hunt
so I am looking forward to lighter reads in December from my stack:

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
T4, A Novel In Verse
Holes
Secrets She Left Behind
The Magician's Elephant
A Girl Named Zippy
I, Alex Cross
The Fiery Cross (audio)
Blood Game
Wishin' and  Hopin'
Cutting For Stone
Waiting For You
The Girl On Legare Street
Princess of the Midnight Ball
A Rogue of My Own
Hope In A Jar
Lost and Found
Double Minds
Kiss

What's on Your Nightstand? happens on the FOURTH Tuesday of every month.

What's On Your Nightstand?

5 Minutes For Books hosts What's On Your Nightstand.

Last month got off to a slow reading start for some reason, but as the month progressed I gained momentum and have 20 books read with three days of the month left. A couple of the books were over 500 pages, which takes a bit more time to consume.

Willow by Julia Hoban and Hate List by Jennifer Brown were the best of the YAs. Of the adult fiction read I really enjoyed Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber, The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer and The Devil's Punchbowl by Greg Iles.

I am behind on my reviews with 8 needing to be done.

Here's my stack for this month. I've just started The Children's Book and Trust No One (near the bottom on the right)and both have my attention!

November's What's On Your Nightstand?

Time again for 5 Minutes For Book's monthly "What's On Your Nightstand?" Winter is a great time to read all snuggled up with a favorite quilt, a favorite hot drink and a book or two!



I am looking forward to finishing the Twilight series, I'm half way through Breaking Dawn as of last night. There are a couple of "new to me" authors on my stack. It is always fun to discover new authors. As many of you know, I stack my books by due date, but it is very hard for me to keep my hands off the book almost at the bottom! I really want to start the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers after hearing so many rave about them!

My sons (21 & 17) have asked me to find another series to begin reading together. Any suggestions? We had a great time reading and discussing the Twilight books.

October's What's On Your Nightstand?

It is that time of the month (not that one) for 5 Minutes For Books What's On Your Nightstand.

My stack is a bit smaller this month because I am trying to finish up the Library books I have checked out. I have a huge stack of books that I own that are piling up and I want to get them read. They get pushed aside for the ones that have a due date.


Last month I read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett and loved it! Also good was A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly and Twlight and New Moon by Stephanie Meyer. I'm pleasantly surprised by the Twlight series. There have been a few times that I have rolled my eyes, but also HAD to keep reading.

I am looking forward to reading Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer, Finding Stephanie by Susan May Warren and finishing the Lady of Liberty series by Tracie Peterson.

Check out my book giveaway for the Bloggy Giveaway.

What's On Your Nightstand & Giveaway

It is time for September's WOYN hosted by 5 Minutes For Books.
I can already tell that my reading has slowed down a bit with the start of school. Last month's stack have all been read and of the 16 books the ones that (in my opinion) were the best are:
The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Nighttime by Mark Haddon
Silent In The Grave by Deanna Raybourn
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Sister's Choice by Emilie Richards

I am not reading much this week as I am visiting Boston and doing all the tourist things!

My stack is as usual stacked according to due date. In honor of my birthday on Friday tell me which book(s) I took to Boston with me and every correct entry will be entered for a Starbucks Gift Card. The winner will be drawn on Sunday.

For a bonus entry tell me of which book my daughter said, "You are not taking that one with you on this trip!". She is going with me and last year when we went to Seattle I laughed the whole ride there reading Lean Mean Thirteen.

Check out another giveaway on my Fall In Reading post over on my other blog.

Please be sure I have a way to contact you with your entry.

What's On Your Nightstand - August

I was surprised to see that I read all the books that were on my nightstand last month. It's those lazy days of August around the pool! Out of my stack the ones I enjoyed the most were: A Slender Thread by Tracie Peterson, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Nifenegger, Song Not Yet Sung by James McBride and of course Pride and Prejudice!! Two of the books (Thirteenth and Time Traveler's) seemed to be on every one's reading lists (except mine) and one day they were both at the Library so I grabbed them! I recommend them both as great books.

This month I am looking forward to reading Truffles by The Sea, The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Nighttime, Sister's Choice and Twenty Wishes.

The books are stacked by due date! I try to read them in order, but sometimes I just can't stand it and pull one! If that happens, I have two books going at the same time so as not to accrue too much in late fees!!

Check out what is on the nightstands of other bloggers at 5 Minutes For Books -We're Reading Into Everything.

What's On Your Nightstand - July

5 Minutes For Books - "We're Reading Into Everything" is hosting this monthly carnival.
The guidelines are simple:
*Write a post on your own blog (or feel free to play along in the comments if you don't have a blog).

*You can simply post a picture, or tell us how and when these books got into your to-be-read pile, or give a mini-review of the books in progress.

*Link up to this post (please use the permalink that will take us directly to that post, not the main page of your blog).

*Read around through the links and find out "What's on Their Nightstand?"

My stack has not quite made it to my nightstand as of yet. It usually sits on my stairs 'cause I'm too lazy to carry the stack upstairs! All of these books are from the Library. Many of them I am reading for the many reading challenges I am in, some of them I picked up because they looked good or were recommended somewhere in blogosphere. I have been reading Debra White Smith's books based on Jane Austen's books and have thoroughly enjoyed them. The first one I read was based on Northhanger Abbey, the second on Pride and Prejudice and I am reading Possibilities based on Persuasion.


Check out what is hanging out on nightstands all over by stopping by 5 Minutes For Books.