Reading Round-Up - April and May 2010

I'm going to try something different this time for my reading round-up. I'm not quite sure what yet . . . . Let's see. . . I think I'll try writing the first few words/phrases that come to mind when I think of this book. No complete sentences. We'll see how this goes.

Here are April and May's Books:

1. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life - Anne Lamott
funny, smart, write!

2. Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy - Sonya Sones
yikes, sanity is no joke, family

3. unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity and Why It Matters - David Kinnamon
inside and outside, perspective, showing others love

4. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto - Michael Pollan
(to quote the book) "eat real food, mostly plants, not too much!" :)

5. Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven, #5) - Brandon Mull
finale, fun, yay Fablehaven!

6. The Magic of Ordinary Days - Ann Howard Creel
friendship, marriage, sacrifice


7. The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern, #1) - Shannon Hale

enjoyable, looking forward to reading more of the series, geese

8. An American Childhood - Annie Dillard
what if I wrote about my childhood, what would my story be, why is it so interesting to read about other people's lives?


9. The Only Alien on the Planet - Kristen Randle
adolescence, great read, her name is Kristen!


10. A Bright Red Scream: Self-Mutilation and the Language of Pain - Marilee Strong
not for the faint of heart, real, disturbing

11. Dear John - Nicholas Sparks
I think I'd rather watch the movie, decided I like chick flicks more than chick lit, read in a day


12. The Four Loves - C.S Lewis
who do you love, how to love, Love C.S. Lewis ;)

13. The Candy Shop War - Brandon Mull
fun, quick, passing along to the kids!


14. Have a New Kid by Friday: How to Change Your Child's Attitude, Behavior & Character in 5 Days - Kevin Leman
good ideas, sometimes overwhelming, I need to freeze time so I can work with each child individually without losing ground with the others. Ha.

15. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford
one of the best I read this month, young love - is it real?, opportunities lost

16. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
eye-opening, well-written, excellant

17. The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery
slightly pompous, enjoyable, made me smile somehow

18. The Mill on the Floss - George Eliot
long, terribly long, check it off the list :)

Hm. Well. That was interesting, eh?

And for the record, I've read 49 books so far this year!! I am thinking I might go for the 100-books-in-a-year goal, just for the fun of it. About halfway there, about halfway through the year . . . I think I might be able to swing it. 'ya think?!?

So, what have you been reading? Any thoughts on these? I've said before that I will read just about anything recommended to me, so don't be shy about making recommendations. I figure I read enough I can swallow about anything and still have time for whatever I want (as long as it's not nasty, you know).

And if you have any other thoughts, ideas, suggestions or kind criticism of my reading round-ups, please share those, too. Just be nice. Thanks a bunch! :)