Reading List from 2014

Last year one of my New Year's Resolutions was to take the time to read one book a month. Now to some of you this may seem like a meager amount of books or too many, depending on who you are. To me, this seems like a reasonable amount and an achievable goal for a stay at home mom! I used to be an avid reader, reading many more books than one a month and sometimes I would be reading more than one book at one time for leisure! Oh to have that sort of time... Well any way, I read 12 books I will share with you! My favorite was "Wild."

January - The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

Over last Christmas holiday, I ended up watching "The Aviator" with Leonardo DiCaprio on TV and was mesmerized by the movie. This book is about Charles Lindbergh's wife, Anne Morrow, and her life before, during, and after marrying Charles. What a great story about how educated she was and how she became an amazing pilot (just like her husband!) but becoming a mother and an unfortunate incident involving the death of their newborn son, destroyed their relationship. She of course prevails and finds peace with Charles, and finds her own happiness.



February - Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

This amazing woman finds herself on a three-month hike along the Pacific Crest Trail in search of herself. After losing her mother and hitting rock bottom, she uses the last of her money to buy equipment for this hike - without even ever had hiked before! It is inspiring, sad, riveting, and happy. I cannot wait to see the movie! 

March - Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippmann

This was not my favorite book to read, I thought the 'secret' would be more exciting/scandalous. This story is sad. A young girl and her friend are accused of murdering a baby as children and are released from prison many years later. They are trying to make it in the world and things turn for the worst for one of the girls who just can't shake her past.

April - Trash by Andy Mulligan

Trash is about a group of kids living in the slums of a Third World Country picking through trash to make a living. It is also a sad tale, but two of the boys find something mysterious and try to right a wrong and end up benefiting significantly from their findings! This book speaks of unfathomable poverty that was really hard for me to read, as it is described in such detail. 

May - Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews

My sister lives in Savannah, GA, and told my mom and I about these books (I have read a few!). They take place in Savannah and are super fun, short, reads that are filled with humor and hope. BeBe Loudermilk is a Southern Bell who ends up being swindled by a man who takes her entire fortune. She plays detective and tries to solve the mystery, in a hilarious manner!

June - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I don't care who you are, this book is beautifully written and will make you cry. The movie is beautiful as well, and will make you cry. I really enjoyed getting to know Hazel and Augustus and learning about their young love for each other that turns out to be resilient in the face of cancer. 

July - Looking for Alaska by John Green

I couldn't get enough of John Green from the month before, so I had to read another of his books! Looking for Alaska is extremely witty and intelligent. I laughed out loud so much and was truly touched by the strong bonds Alaska's friends form in a quest to find out what happened to her. I loved this book.

August - Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed by Glennon Doyle Melton

I originally read this book two Summers ago and just needed to read it again. Glennon is quite the story teller and I love how much raw truth she gives her audience. I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more and more than once thought she was describing my life (Target tantrums)! I also felt encouraged that maybe I'm not so bad as a wife/mom/friend when she describes her faults. If you are feeling down, or in a bad place as a mom - read this book. It will just make you happy. 

September, October, November - Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant by Veronica Roth

First of all, I am not a huge sci-fi fan, but I watched "Divergent" and loved it! What an interesting story and it had action, and complex theories and organization of its people AND my husband enjoyed the movie! So, I had to start the books. I read non-stop for a week and a half and finished all three. So, I had to take a break from reading because, geez it's hard to read that much and raise a family! These books are intelligent and filled with love and adventure. I craved more. I really enjoyed this series!

December - The Red Tent by Anita Diamant 

This book originally came out when I was in high school, and I read it over 10 years ago! I saw they were making a mini-series out of it and could not wait to watch it. The mini-series was great, but so different from the book. I had to read the book again and I loved it just as much, if not more than when reading it as a young teenager. This book is a fictional Biblical story about the only daughter of Jacob and Leah and her life. Dinah had four mothers, and many brothers. She finds true love and out of her brothers' jealousy, loses her husband. She suffers the loss of her son to her Egyptian mother in law, but starts to find her place in the world. She becomes a gifted midwife and finds love again. Although fictional, this story is beautifully told and I think it really depicts what life was like so many years ago.

Enjoy!

Brittney