Quote of the Day

I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor.


-The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Halfway there!

My goal for 2011 is to read 100 books before Dec. 31.  I recently finished book #50.  I am now working straight into book #51!  

Half Price Books

Everyone should find a Half Price Books near them!  It's a great place to find discount books, movies, and music ... and they always have a great collection of items under $3 which for someone on a budget is a great way to get books for less!!!

Here is their website so you can find one near you!

http://www.hpb.com/

eReader

For Christmas / my anniversary this year my husband got us a Barnes and Noble Nook. After all my painstaking research on prices and features, I felt the Nook was the best option for us. It's definitely one of the cheaper options but includes many neat features, like a LendMe feature that allows you to share books with other friends who have Nooks. And also the Read in Store feature that allows you to read any book for 1 hour for free on your device inside a Barnes and Noble store. That feature alone I could get excited about and have already tried it out myself this past Friday night. The device is really neat and seems to work great so far. I also love that you can get eBooks from your local library on the device as well. I've put a few on hold but have yet to get those.

For anyone who is an avid reader and has shelves and shelves of books at home this might just be a great gift for an upcoming birthday, anniversary, graduation, or any other event. They seem to be staying pretty steady at the price points they are now, but there are constantly new models and updates coming out.

I personally prefer the e-ink screen that looks very similar to the words and look of a page out of a book. They now have color options though for people who read a lot of magazines and children's books. However, these usually have LED screens which are harder on your eyes, and they also drain the battery much quicker.

They are pretty neat devices and come in all kinds of price points, ranging from less than $100 all the way up to about $800 if you include the iPad and other tablet PC's in the mix.

I'm sure even more new models and cool features will become available in 2011, and hopefully a lot more free ebooks for the devices as well. Right now, there are some modern free ebooks that authors have chosen to make free plus over 1 million books that have already made it to the public domain, including most of the classics like Dracula, Jane Austen books, Mark Twain, Alice in Wonderland, War and Peace, etc.

If you're thinking about getting an eReader all I can say is so far I love mine and can't wait to read some more on it.

Anyone else have thoughts on loving or hating the ereader? Book selection? Which model is the best?

A New Year

Well, a new year has come and that can only mean one thing ... challenges and goals set for ourselves. This year my personal challenge is to read 100 books before 2011 is over. I have already found myself watching TV just a little bit less and reading a little bit more. (Both of those things in and of themselves are great for us.)

Does anyone else have any reading challenges for this upcoming year?

Book Count ...

I'm up to 39 books read for the year ... and #40 is going to be the Pelican Brief. If you've read it let me know what you think about it!

I haven't decided on what my aim for the # of books by the end of the year, but I think I can make it at least 50! So, help cheer me on for the last 4 months of the year!!!

Book Review ...

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

This book was definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time! It was extremely thought-provoking. From the way he made you feel like you were right there in the 12th century to the vivid imagery of the time period!

By far the best part of the book was the realistic battle between good and evil. This was no magical Harry Potter version of good and evil ... but the real battle that waged for centuries, and still wages today, between those that who will stop at nothing to achieve power and wealth, and the good God-fearing people that were caught in the endless web of treachery and violence of the time.

At times in the book, it seemed a bit boring, but once the story started to come together it was difficult to put down. I even read the last 20 pages on my way to and from church on Sunday so I wouldn't miss the epic ending.

In the end like most stories of its kind, evil is destroyed and good wins out, but not in the typical fairy tale way we are used to. It ends with bloodshed, not only of the evil, but the good as well. Follett doesn't give us the Cinderella ending we have become accustomed to, but a feeling of peace that all has been resolved and evil has been outdone.

This was definitely an epic story and I believe will be considered a "classic" someday! If you haven't already picked up a copy head to your local bookstore or favorite book-buying website and get reading! It's an action-packed story of cathedrals, monks, war, love, and the desperate attempts of the wicked to prevail over the Godly.

*Also, if you are reading, or have read this wonderful book, check out the Starz Mini-Series that is airing right now. Mine are all DVRed and ready to go, but I haven't had an opportunity to check them out yet.*