2015 Reading list

Just so I can reflect back on the great reads i had for 2015
{I have starred the favourites if you are after a good read} 

•  Inside the O'Briens - Lisa Genova  **
• Outback Midwife - Beth McRae
• The Dress - Kate Kerrigan   
• A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman   **
• Palace of Tears - Julian Leatherdale  **
• A Double Shot of Happiness - Judy Sharp
• The Priority List - David Menasche
• Born Survivors - Wendy Holden  **
• Through the Eyes of a Lion - Levi Lusko
• The Reader on the 6.27 - Jean-Paul Didierlaurent  **
• Outside the Lines -Amy Hatvany  **
• More than just the talk - Jonothan McKee
• The Chocolate Promise - Josephine Moon
• The Country Wife - Anne Gorman
• Claiming Noah - Amanda Ortlepp  **
• Green Vanilla Tea - Marie Williams  **
• Who Knows Tomorrow - Lisa Lovatt-Smith  **
• Gallipoli Street - Mary-Anne O'Connor  **
• The Year of Magical Thinking -Joan Didion
• The Seafront Tea Rooms - Vanessa Greene
• Before I Go - Colleen Oakley  **
• All the places to go - John Ortberg
• Lost & Found - Brooke Davis
• The Arrivals - Meg Mitchell Moore
• The Tea Chest - Josephine Moon
• Notes from a Blue Bike - Tsh Oxenreider
• A Story of Seven Summers - Hilary Burden **
• Love Your Sister - Connie & Samuel Johnson  **

28 in total

2014 reading list

My reading list for 2014 wasn't as comprehensive as past years...but I did read a couple of books out of my normal genre.....

 

So I am recording my list here for future reference....

 

Before I start at least two new ones that I was gifted for Christmas.

 

• The Art of Baking Blind - Sarah Vaughan
• Atlas Girl - Emily Wierenga
• Leaving Time - Jodi Picoult
• The Vintage Teacup Club - Vanessa Greene
• Girl 43 - Maree Giles
• Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
• Safe with Me -Ann Hatvany
• The Life List - Lori Nelson Spielman
• Flight Behaviour - Barbara Kingsolver
• Crash the Chatterbox - Steven Furtick
• The Rice Mother - Rani Manicka
• Cloudstreet - Tim Winton
• Undaunted - Christine Caine
• One Good Friend Deserves Another - Lisa Verge Higgins
• The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship - Lisa Verge Higgins
• Heart Like Mine - Amy Hatvany
• Nice Girls Don't Change The World- Lynne Hybels
• The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
• Derailed - Netta and David Jackson
• The sky Beneath My Feet - Lisa Samson

A new book and the reading list

For my birthday I received a new book.....someone knows me all too well....

I love books and I Like Love Old Clothes  .....

I like Old clothes by Mary Ann Hoberman  Illustrated by Patrice Barton

I like to keep a record of the books I have read....so here is my 2013 reads....

28 books read...5 more than last year...what great reads lie ahead this year I wonder....

Grounded - Neta and Dave Jackson
A Life More Than Ordinary - Julie Tyrie
The Photograph -Penelope Lively
Desert Flower - Waris Dirie
The Ties That Bind - Julietta Jameson
The Night Country - Bryce Courtenay
Joni & Ken - An untold love story- Ken & Joni Eareckson Tada
Making Life Rich Without Any Money - Phil Callaway
The Astronauts Wives Club - Lily Koppel
Love Does - Bob Goff
The Artist Daughter - Alexandra Kuykendall
The Designer Bag at the Garbage Dump - Jackie MacGirvin
Breaking Intimidation - John Bevere
The Storyteller - Jodi Picoult
Picking Up the Pieces - Paula Vince
Bandaid for a Broken Leg - Damien Brown
The Light Between Oceans - M.L.Stedman
The Touch - Randall Wallace
Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller
Secrets of the Tides - Hannah Richell
Meet Mrs Smith - Anna Smith
The Mothers' Group - Fiona Higgins
Days Like These - Kristian and Rachel Anderson
Ship of Brides - Jojo Moyes
Heaven is Here - Stephanie Nielson
Me Before You - Jojo Moyes
The Happiness Project
Greater - Steven Furtick

The Storyteller

Jodi Picoult has out done herself yet again.....

A wow read that won't disappoint. 

Anonymous

...." the best way to do a good deed was to do it in secret. If you commit an act of charity 

and people know you did it, it drains away the true power of the deed. If someone unknown 

does evil to you, you start suspecting everyone around you of harboring hate, and you hate 

back. But if you're on the receiving end of a truly anonymous act of love, you begin to 

suspect people around you, maybe even strangers, maybe the whole world,  of caring for 

you. You learn to believe." pg 124

An extract from my latest read......The Touch - Randall Wallace.

Have you done something anonymous lately?

Being Great

 I have read some fantastic books so far this year.....

Two in particular....

One of them was Greater by Steven Furtick

 








Another one I have just finished is Days Like These by Kristian and Rachel Anderson

 


If you don't know their story you can see a bit here....

These words in the final chapter just resonated with me and I wanted to share them 

"I think that's how you become truly great. You help others. You put yourself last so that they can go first. You don't have to have a million dollars in the bank. What is it you have in your hand? What are you good at? Are you a mechanic? Does someone you know need help with their car? Are you a gardener? Is someone you know unable to tend their garden? Are you an accountant? Does someone you know need help with their tax return? Are you a stay at home mum and you cook a mean pasta? Do you know someone who could really do with some help at mealtime? Are you a cleaner? Do you know someone who needs their house cleaned every now and then? Are you a regular dude who sees a family in a restaurant and you want to pay their bill? Do it. These are the sorts of things that make you great. These are the things that change the lives of others......"

Days Like These, pg 214-215 


I feel like I am really getting the message to challenge myself to be and do GREATER things with my life. 

Latest Read

If you haven't discovered Stephanie Nielson and her blog NieNie  Dialogues...head there now....

She has the most inspiring story of surviving against all odds....a touching , raw and totally inspiring story.....

From her blog this week......

  

"But even with all that others were willing to offer me, I realized along the way that ultimately nothing they did could make me happy.  I felt comforted by family and my faith, but peace was different from happiness.  At first I thought stubbornly that the only thing that would make me happy was for my life to look like it did before the accident.  But no one could give that to me, and no one else could make me happy. Happiness was my choice, and though it is hard won, I am the only person who can stand in the way of it."

-taken from my memoir, Heaven is Here. 

 

This is the second book this year that I have read with the message about " Happiness being in our own hands"........

Certainly makes me think about choices I make on a daily basis and think about the way I view a situation. 

There have been many times in the last eight years that I have had to make a choice to choose happiness....when everything in me wanted to do the opposite....... I think it has made  for the best way forward ...for myself and those around me.

 

My Reading list

 

Not since I was in primary school have I kept a reading log until this last year.

I recorded on my sidebar , all the completed books as I read them. I didn't have a goal in mind ..just to read..something I have loved to do forever.

I did manage to read 23 books in 2012.

Now it is a new year I wanted to keep the record of those books before I wiped the slate clean to begin a new year....maybe read 1 book more , maybe I will use my time well and read lots more....no pressure just the gentle nudge to keep reading.

So here was my read list....    

My 2012 Reading List

• The Kashmir Shawl
• The Colour of Tea
• Between The Lines
• The Piano Teacher
• Friendship Bread
• The Happiest Refugee
• Lone wolf
• Mirror Ball
• Not So Fast
• The Birth House
• Life Without Limits
• The Reckoning (The Heritage of Lancaster County #3)
• The Confession (The Heritage of Lancaster County #2)
• The Shunning (The Heritage of Lancaster County #1)
• Thunder Dog
• Heaven Is For Real
• Sun Stand Still
• One Thousand Gifts
• Courageous
• Little Coffee Shop of Kabul
• Leaving Home- Short Pieces
• Worse Things Happen At Sea
• Laura's Handmade Life 

Now to begin my 2013 list

  
I have just loaded my kindle with my second read today.....

What ya reading?

 

This year for the first time probably since I was in primary school, I have kept a record of what I have been reading for the  year.....

On my side bar I have made a list of all the books I have read this year.....

I have read some great stories,

some to be challenged,

some just for the enjoyment,

 

I have borrowed them from the library,

some I have bought my own copy,

 I have used my kindle too.......  

I read at night....

 I  read on holidays....

I read while I wait in the car.....    

I am encouraged that Meg is a reader too...

Do you read much....?

Any good suggestions for the coming summer holidays?

Gifts to read

I am a handmade gift girl......where possible my go to gift for friends, family and the kids peers is to make something from nothing....

Occasionally though time runs short on me and the busyness of life doesn't allow me to pull together that special "Bron Creation"

This was the case this weekend for our most adorable nephew who turned One....

So what to do....my very next go to gift would be a book......   

I have a heap of favourites from my teaching days and I love to share the enjoyment of those.....

Even for big kids or adults I love to find appropriate books that will be enjoyed........ 

I mean there is nothing more sweeter than book reading no matter what age you are.

Oh I did manage a special Aunty Bron made card to go with my non handmade gift....... 

 

Things I am Loving - Book Week edition

 It's Friday ....again...

I am loving that Book Week has come and gone and was successful for all concerned....except if you ask the little guy who said he was beat in the parade competition by an ELF.....he was not happy.....oh dear and I thought it was all just fun and games......

Anyway..... Pirate this year was the request...

so pirate it was......

 I had a few other great ideas but when the little guy has an idea and after all he is the one wearing the costume.....I let him lead the way.


So I am loving that this year there were clear ideas and they were executed days before the event.. my only rule is that we have to create the costume from what we have or can create....harsh...maybe but I am sure the whole point was not to go and buy an expensive dime a dozen costume.

 So here's to another year of Book week costumes and that fun was had all round......

 Joining in here with other today.


I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something you can be thankful for..no matter how simple it is.

The Happiest Refugee

This is my latest read.......my hubbie made the comment that I hadn't put down my Kindle much in the last few days....

It was a great read.....a really inspiring tale of Anh Do and beginning with his journey as a toddler on a boat from Vietnam to Australia, to begin a new life with his family.

Wow the tales of overcoming such trials and mixed with his comedic humor made this a compelling read.

I highly recommend this book .

Now any suggestions for my next  read???

A new read.....

My youngest sister was showing me last week a book she was gifted.....
It looked like a really lovely read....

I tracked down the blog written by the author and have enjoyed reading through some of the archives.....
Today I had the opportunity of using a gift voucher to purchase my own copy of

Down to Earth.....

while waiting for our car to be serviced today, I was able to pour through the first third of the book.....

it covers all sorts of areas of living simply..... 

...not necessarily frugal either..... 

I think so many of us are truly looking for more and more ways to be self sustaining in little ways....
some manage to do it in bigger ways.... 

the greatest thing about this book is the author is Australian and this is just a record of how they do simple and live the life that they are in control of..... 

 

From what I have poured over today I would highly recommend this being on your reading list...

or at least check out her blog here.

Do You Read?

 Are you a reader?

Do you read every day?

Are you a book or magazine reader?

Do you use an e-reader or are you a die hard book person?

I love to read always have...just don't always make the time ...

I have made it a personal goal to read consistently this year. I am keeping a list of my read books on the side bar ....

My latest finished read is this one.....

What a great inspirational read this was......loads of great advice and encouragement to tackle life head on and make the most of what we have.....

Now...what to read next.....

I have a book on order at the library so maybe it will be the next on my list.

 

Book or Movie???

Are you a book reader or movie watcher?

 

Do you see the movie first then read the book?

 

maybe you read the book and forgo the movie version

 

 

When this book came out in 2004 I "gobbled it up"...

 

it was given to me at a very emotional and painful time in life.....

 

I struggled to read the book without shedding a bucket load of tears and having many "ponderful" moments.....

It began the journey of reading what is now my favourite author......

 

 

Then the movie came out in 2008. I wasn't interested in seeing the movie...I was so affected by the book I thought the movie would spoil the act of reading such a story......

Last night I had the opportunity of catching the movie on TV....

I watched it

 Sad movie, good watch 

But no where as good as the book...

if fact I am disappointed now that I watched it...

it was so different to the book story line...

characters just weren't as passionate as those in the book.....

I am definitely a book girl  and those really good reads will stay just that for me next time.

How about you?

My Creative Space

 This week I needed to send a gift to a friend....

but 

I find myself unable to send /gift books without  a  bookmark to go with it.

 As I was getting ready to photograph it all wrapped I noticed something extra.......

We {well alright the little guy} found him a much more suitable home....

Hope "my new friend" enjoys her gift.

This is one of my very favourite books, both that I have read and that I love to gift.

Joining in with other creative peeps here.



If you're a mummy and need some perspective and a giggle check out this article.....


fits perfectly with my gifted book I sent off today.

Something I'm Reading

Something I'm Reading -  Photo a Day

I am loving my awesome Kindle ,I received for Christmas 

{currently loaded with  Courageous}

and the other awesome read

One Thousand gifts.

I have decided to keep track of my reading for 2012 with a list down the side.....

count so far, these two are books No. 5&6.

A Must Read

I have just finished reading this most beautiful book.

Having grown up in Australia I loved that it was sooooo Australian. Written heart felt by two Australians who endured all that life has to dish up.......

10/366

The Good Thing: Owning and reading the most wonderful book I have read in a long time.

The Good Thing for: Definitely for me...do yourself a good thing and read it for yourself.

Book No.2 for 2012