Tag Archives: Reading List

I have seen Siri Mitchell praised around the blogsphere but had never read one of her books. When Bethany House offered a copy of her newest book for review, I jumped on it. A Heart Most Worthy is not great literature, nor does it claim to be. However, what a great weekend read! The characters were engaging, the plot was interesting, and I read the entire book in one evening.

The biggest draw of this book is the characters. They just come off as so real. They grapple with normal issues, just like the rest of us. They have good days and bad days. They go to church but aren’t sure if they have a real understanding of God. It was just so believable. The plot wasn’t as believable, but the characters really made the story come to life. If this book is a reflection of Mitchell’s other works, I will be reading more!

Thank you to Bethany House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another recent review copy received is The Walk by Shaun Alexander. I wanted to like this book; I really did. I think the main issue is just that I wasn’t the target audience.

Football references mostly worked for me because I watched football for years with my dad. However, the steps a Christian moves through in his life are completely action based. As a woman, I am more emotion based. For me, spiritual maturity is more about beliefs and emotions and the actions that come from that, rather than a desciption of behaviors that a Christian would exhibit during certain stages.

Also, if you were to look at what God prefers – actions or heart – the Bible comes out on the side of the heart.

As a woman, the book just doesn’t resonate. Hopefully it appeals more to a male audience, as I feel the book does have merit. Just not for me.

Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was delighted when I received an email inviting me to participate in the Love and Respect for a Lifetime Valentine’s Day blog tour. This gift book is a condensed version of Eggerich’s Love and Respect book, one I read several months ago. I was excited to see what the gift book offers.

The basic message of Love and Respect is that “when two become one, they have the potential of displaying God’s attributes and character” (pg 22). After all, Genesis 1:27 states that “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them.” How can we reflect the image of God? Eggerich suggests that “living out Ephesians 5:33 is the key to blending together as one to reflect the very image of God” (3).

Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband
Ephesians 5:33, NASB.
The rest of the book outlines various ways that a husband can love his wife even as himself and how a wife can demonstrate respect her husband.

Your husband knows you appreciate his desire to protect and provide when . . .

you praise his commitment to provide for you.

you empathize when he reveals his male mind-set about position, status, or rank at work.

you never put down his job or how much he makes (83).

This last suggestion is a big struggle for me. I don’t complain about how little or how much my husband earns, but I do stress about money. Essentially, overly stressing about paying bills, saving money, etc. sends the same message to my husband – that I don’t appreciate how much money he makes and how he provides for our family.

You show appreciation for your husband’s insight when . .

you thank him for his advice without acting insulted.

you let him “fix things” and applaud his solutions.

you thank him for his perception and godly counsel (92).

It’s easy to criticize when something goes wrong, but invaluable to offer a simple “thank you” when my husband does something right!

Your husband knows you value his friendship when . . .

you tell him you like him and you show it (he knows you love him, but he often wonders if you really like him).

you do recreational activities together.

you encourage him to open up and talk to you as you do things shoulder to shoulder (97).

I love this advice to tell him that you like him and then act like it! I love my husband very much. But sometimes, when I get stressed out, I treat him like I don’t even like him. This should not happen! My husband was my closest friend before he was husband and I need to be careful to protect that relationship.

And finally, one of my favorite pieces of advice:

If you listen before you answer . . .
if you think before you speak . . .
if your heart instructs your mouth . . .
then what you say will make your wife feel loved or your husband feel respected (113).
This advice really reflects another piece of excellent advice in James 1:19.

This you know, my beloved brethren
But everyone must be quick to hear,
slow to speak
and slow to anger.
I really enjoyed reading this little gift book. It reminded me of a lot of the advice offered in the full book, which I think is well worth a read. This book would make a great wedding or anniversary gift. If the couple would be willing to read the full version, that would be even better!

Disclosure – Thomas Nelson gave me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Slave was offered for review on BookSneeze and I snatched it up. I loved John MacArthur’s book The Jesus You Can’t Ignore and Slave sounded like another great read.

From Amazon’s product description: “What does it mean to be a Christian the way Jesus defined it? MacArthur says it all boils down to one word: Slave. ‘We have been bought with a price. We belong to Christ. We are His own possession.'”

Unfortunately, the book got off on the wrong foot. The preface talks about an intentional translation cover up, a conspiracy, if you will. While I do believe that conspiracies exist on occasion, I find it rather suspect that multiple Bible translators have intentionally made a mistake. Perhaps it’s true, but this accusation made me wary of anything else MacArthur proposes in this book.

MacArthur believes that the Greek word doulos has intentionally been mistranslated as servant rather than slave. He writes that “whenever it [doulos] is used, both in the New Testament and in secular Greek literature, it always and only means slave” (pg 16). Both in this chapter and in others, MacArthur stresses that Christians being a slave to God is completely involuntary.

I am not a Greek scholar, but I looked up one example listed in the footnote: Revelation 1:1. Both in my Bible’s Greek dictionary and on Net Bible, I found the following definitions:

doulos
1) a slave, bondman, man of servile condition
1a) a slave
1b) metaph., one who gives himself up to another’s will
those whose service is used by Christ in extending and
advancing his cause among men
1c) devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests
2) a servant, attendant

from 1210; a slave (literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntary;
frequently, therefore in a qualified sense of subjection or
subserviency):-bond(-man), servant.

Again, I don’t know much about Greek, having never studied it. But the definition says that this word can be literal or figurative, voluntary or involuntary. MacArthur asserts that doulos only refers to involuntary slavery.

The chapters dealing with what it means to be a slave to God are actually quite good. Whether we call ourselves as Christians slaves or servants, whether it be involuntary or voluntary, we do have a specific relationship with God. One of the best summations in the book is that “a slave’s life was one of complete surrender, submission, and service to the master – and the people of Jesus’ day would have immediately recognized the parallel. Christ’s invitation to follow Him was an invitation to that same kind of life” (43).

I fully agree with the above statement. A Christian’s life should be one of complete surrender, submission, and service to the Master. The discussions detailing parallels between Roman slavery and our Christian responsibilities toward God were really insightful. Too often, the church gets caught up in grace and forgets that the Jesus who said “you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind” also said “if you love Me, keep My commandments” (Luke 10:27, John 14:15).

All of that said, I had a deeper problem with book. I walked away from it feeling incredibly depressed. As good as the message is about serving God, it was completely overshadowed by the author’s belief in predestination. MacArthur states that “God, in His infinite mercy, chose to save those sinners on whom He had set His love in eternity past” (147). There are a few other quotes that address the same issue – God chooses who He will love and only saves those people. Not only does God only love a select few, MacArthur states that everyone else has no choice in the matter; they were born into sinfulness, have no possible chance of responding to the gospel, and will die and be punished for their sins.

I don’t have all the answers. I don’t understand God completely. But the idea that God may not love me, that He doesn’t want me, and that I don’t even have a chance in becoming His daughter is repulsive. I’ve been depressed for a week because of this idea. If this idea is true, then God may have chosen me, in which case He loves me and I have the opportunity to respond to the gospel. But if God didn’t choose me, then I am unloved and will be punished for my sins even though I had no choice in the matter. Is that fair? Is that even Biblical?

I can’t recommend this book unless you are extremely secure in your beliefs and want to pick out the nuggets available. Slave does have some nuggets of truth and insight, but it is completely overshadowed by the idea that God does not love everyone nor does He want everyone to be saved.

This week I chose to memorize Romans 8:1 in response to reading this book. Another text I need to memorize is 1 Timothy 2:3, 4.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,
who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit
Romans 8:1.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth
1 Timothy 2:3, 4 (emphasis mine).

I received a reader copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

This is my last post on books for awhile. I didn’t want to make a super long post by including a look back at 2010, what I’ll be reading in January, and a list of challenges for 2011. Instead, I split it up into three posts and this is the final one.

While I’ve enjoyed the majority of my reading this year, I wanted to make a change for 2011. I don’t want to read books simply because they have colors in the title or because they fall into a specific fiction genre. Instead, I want to read books that will encourage my relationship with God, strengthen my marriage, and teach me something about the world that we live in and the people I interact with. With that in mind, I found several challenges that match my goals for 2011.

Operation Deeper Faith – This challenge is going to be my biggest focus in 2011. Personally, I feel that without spending time reading the Bible, all other reading is pointless. The first part of the challenge involves studying one book of the Bible and reading it in numerous translations. I own 3 translations and have access to many more (Bible Gateway is a great resource). I’m going to commit to reading one book of the Bible in six different translations.

The second part of the challenge involves reading theology books. I am committing to reading at least 10 theological books, or one each month. I’m very excited about spending some time reading books about the Bible and seeing what other people have learned in their studies. Coincidentally, this part of the challenge lends itself well to the following challenge.

Off the Shelf – The goal is to read books I already own but haven’t read. I’m going to attempt the Trying challenge level, reading 15 books from my bookshelves. If I complete January’s to-read list, that will be three books complete already.

Foodie’s Reading Challenge – From the website: “Together we’ll explore the world of good food writing. That may take the form of a cookbook or a biography or even a novel centered around food.” Sounds like fun! I’m aiming for the Epicurean level, attempting to read 7 to 9 books. I have several cookbooks in mind and I love reading travel/food memoirs.

When picking out books to read each month, I want to read one book from each of several different categories:

Christian Living – to will help me develop as a Christian
Theology – to learn more about God
Homemaking – to develop specific skills as a homemaker
Marriage – to encourage me to be a better wife
Memoir/Autobiography/Biography – to learn from other people’s experiences
Health/Cookbooks – to learn to be a better cook

These categories will overlap at times. However, I want to utilize my reading time to learn something, to become a better person, and ultimately to be equipped to serve others better. 2011 will be a great year!

I didn’t finish everything. Oh, well! I read some books this year that I wouldn’t have otherwise, mainly Jane Austen sequels and a lot of Christian non-fiction. Next year’s reading list is going to look drastically different, as evidenced by my Nightstand post this month.

Christian Historical Fiction Challenge – COMPLETE! I read some good books in this genre but most were mediocre. If I’m going to read fiction, though, this is the genre I’m drawn to. I can’t figure out why, when I rate so many of the books as just average reads. The ones I really enjoyed are in bold.

1. Distant Dreams (Ribbons of Steel, Book #1) – Pella, Judith
2. The Outsider: A Novel – Gabhart, Ann H.
3. Bachelors Puzzle – Pella, Judith
4. Sister’s Choice – Pella, Judith
5. How Do I Love Thee? (Ladies of History, book #4) – Moser, Nancy
6. Just Jane (Ladies of History Series #2) – Moser, Nancy
7. Eighth Shepherd (A. D. Chronicles #8) – Thoene, Bodie
8. Her Mother’s Hope (Marta’s Legacy, #1) – Rivers, Francine
9. Michal – Smith, Jill Eileen
10. The Apothecary’s Daughter – Klassen, Julie
11. Lady of Milkweed Manor – Klassen, Julie
12. The Inheritance – Alexander, Tamera
13. A Lady Like Sarah (A Rocky Creek Romance, #1) – Brownley, Margaret
14. The Hope of Refuge: A Novel (An Ada’s House Novel, Book #1) – Woodsmall, Cindy
15. A Bride Most Begrudging – Gist, Deeanne
16. A Bride in the Bargain – Gist, Deeanne
17. Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen – Edghill, India
18. The Centurion’s Wife (Acts of Faith Series #1) – Bunn, Davis
19. Ninth Witness (A. D. Chronicles, Book 9) – Thoene, Bodie
20. The Hidden Flame – Bunn, Davis
21. The Courteous Cad – Palmer, Catherine
22. All the Way Home – Tatlock, Ann
23. A Measure of Mercy (Home to Blessing, #1) – Snelling, Lauraine
24. Masquerade – Moser, Nancy
Extra – In My Father’s House (Shiloh Legacy #1) – Thoene, Bodie
Extra – The Carousel Painter – Miller, Judith McCoy
Extra – In the Company of Secrets – Miller, Judith McCoy
Extra – Though Waters Roar – Austin, Lynn
Extra – Hannah’s Hope – Kingsbury, Karen

Biblical Fiction Challenge – I didn’t do as well on this challenge as I thought I would, mainly because I started a few Biblical fiction books and dropped them. I don’t mind a good retelling of a Biblical story, but only when it is faithful to the original. I don’t understand why authors drastically change Bible events. Honestly, I wasn’t impressed with any of the Biblical fiction I read this year, even though I really enjoyed the earlier A.D. Chronicles books.

1. Eighth Shepherd (A. D. Chronicles #8) – Thoene, Bodie
2. Michal – Smith, Jill Eileen
3. Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen – Edghill, India
4. Ninth Witness (A. D. Chronicles, Book 9) – Thoene, Bodie
5.
6.

Christian Non-Fiction Challenge – COMPLETE! Surprisingly, I was really strong in this category. I enjoyed a number of the books and look forward to reading more in this genre. Again, books I highly recommend are in bold.

1. How Women Help Men Find God – Murrow, David
2. Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement – Spencer, Irene
3. 3:16: The Numbers of Hope – Lucado, Max
4. Radical: Take Back Your Faith from the American Dream – Platt, David
5. Intimate Issues: Twenty-One Questions Christian Women Ask About Sex – Dillow, Linda
6. Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment – Osler, Mark
7. Loving Your Man Without Losing Your Mind – Davis, Susie
8. Love Is A Flame: Stories of What Happens When Love Is Rekindled – Bell, James
9. Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, the Respect He Desperately Needs – Eggerichs, Emerson
10. The Jesus You Can’t Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ – Jr., John F. MacArthur
Extra – Treasures from Bible Times – Millard, Alan R.

Jane Austen Challenge – COMPLETE! Loved this challenge! I think Jane Austen’s books are brilliant. Fantastic character development, interesting plots, and very funny writing. The sequels and spinoffs… not so great. I’ll probably avoid them in the future.

1. Emma
2. Emma & Knightley: The Sequel to Jane Austen’s Emma – Billington, Rachel
3. Pride and Prejudice
4. Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma – Birchall, Diana
5. Sense and Sensibility
6. The Third Sister: A Continuation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility – Barrett, Julia
7. Northanger Abbey
8. An Assembly Such as This – Aidan, Pamela
Extra – (Related, but doesn’t count toward the challenge) Jane Austen’s Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades & Horrible Blunders – Ross, Josephine
Extra – The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World – Sullivan, Margaret C.
Extra – Just Jane (Ladies of History Series #2) – Moser, Nancy
Extra – Duty and Desire – Aidan, Pamela
Extra – These Three Remain – Aidan, Pamela

Colorful Reading Challenge – I failed miserably on the Colorful Reading Challenge. I didn’t start early enough in the year and I had a hard time locating quality books that contained colors in the title. Unfortunately, I’ve learned that this type of arbitrary book selection is not my type of challenge.

1. A Blue and Gray Christmas – Medlicott, Joan
2. Kidnapped: or, The Lad with the Silver Button – Stevenson, Robert Louis
3. Cooking Green – Keyhoe, Kate (still in progress but will finish before the end of the year)
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Memorable Memoir Challenge – COMPLETE! I really enjoyed reading memoirs. I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy them! Not all memoirs are good, but most of the ones I read were enjoyable. Those I would recommend are in bold.

1. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia Gilbert, Elizabeth
2. A Year in Provence Mayle, Peter
3. Sweet Mandarin: The Courageous True Story of Three Generations of Chinese Women and Their Journey from East to West Tse, Helen
4. Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement Spencer, Irene
Extra – A Thousand Days in Venice – de Blasi, Marlena
Extra – Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life – Kingsolver, Barbara
Extra – Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran – Saberi, Roxana
Extra – Grand Obsession: A Piano Odyssey – Knize, Perri

South Asian Author Challenge – Failed challenge due to bad planning.

1. The Sari Shop Widow – Bantwal, Shobhan
2.
3.

Chunkster Challenge – This challenge is not over until January 31, 2011 but I don’t think I’ll be able to finish it. I have a chunkster on my reading list for January (Bleak House) but I don’t intend to read two books of that length in only a month. If the Bible qualifies for this challenge (which I don’t believe it does, as it’s a collection of books), I read it twice this year!

1. The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home – Bauer, Susan Wise
2.
3.

Support Your Local Library Challenge – Almost every book I read was from the library. And I supported my local library by paying a few more late fees than I’m used to… One month I wracked up $10.50 in late fees. It’s easy to do when you have 30 books checked out and they are three days late!

100+ Reading Challenge – I thought I would easily finish this challenge, reaching 100 books. I might have, if I hadn’t started dropping books that I wasn’t enjoying. I didn’t think it was worth plowing through a book I genuinely didn’t like just to obtain a larger number at the end of the year. My time is worth more than that! But I still did pretty well in 2010.

1. All Through the Night – Bunn, Davis
2. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia – Gilbert, Elizabeth
3. Distant Dreams (Ribbons of Steel, Book #1) – Pella, Judith
4. A Year in Provence – Mayle, Peter
5. The Outsider: A Novel – Gabhart, Ann H.
6. Jane Austen’s Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades & Horrible Blunders – Ross, Josephine
7. The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World – Sullivan, Margaret C.
8. The Swiss Family Robinson – Wyss, Johann D.
9. Bachelors Puzzle – Pella, Judith
10. In the Time of the Butterflies – Alvarez, Julia
11. Sister’s Choice – Pella, Judith
12. Shanghai Girls – See, Lisa
13. June Bug – Fabry, Chris
14. How Do I Love Thee? (Ladies of History, book #4) – Moser, Nancy
15. The Wisdom Of Eleanor Roosevelt – Wigal, Donald
16. Sweet Mandarin: The Courageous True Story of Three Generations of Chinese Women and Their Journey from East to West – Tse, Helen
17. In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto – Pollan, Michael
18. How Women Help Men Find God – Murrow, David
19. Mona Lisa in Camelot: Jacqueline Kennedy and the True Story of the Painting’s High-Stakes Journey to America – Davis, Margaret Leslie
20. Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage – Andersen, Christopher P.
21. Now and Always – Copeland, Lori
22. Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement – Spencer, Irene
23. Knit the Season: A Friday Night Knitting Club Novel – Jacobs, Kate
24. Emma – Jane Austen
25. Emma & Knightley: The Sequel to Jane Austen’s Emma – Billington, Rachel
26. Just Jane (Ladies of History Series #2) – Moser, Nancy
27. A Thousand Days in Venice – de Blasi, Marlena
28. Beguiled* – Gist, Deeanne and Bertrand, J. Mark
29. The Silent Gift – Landon, Michael
30. 3:16: The Numbers of Hope – Lucado, Max
31. Radical: Take Back Your Faith from the American Dream* – Platt, David
32. Pride and Prejudice – Austen, Jane
33. Eighth Shepherd (A. D. Chronicles #8) – Thoene, Bodie
34. Intimate Issues: Twenty-One Questions Christian Women Ask About Sex – Dillow, Linda
35. Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma – Birchall, Diana
36. Her Mother’s Hope (Marta’s Legacy, #1) – Rivers, Francine
37. Michal – Smith, Jill Eileen
38. The Apothecary’s Daughter – Klassen, Julie
39. Lady of Milkweed Manor – Klassen, Julie
40. The Perfect Match (Deep Haven Series #3) – Warren, Susan May
41. The Inheritance – Alexander, Tamera
42. Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment – Osler, Mark
43. The Inheritance – Alexander, Tamera
44. A Lady Like Sarah (A Rocky Creek Romance, #1) – Brownley, Margaret
45. The Hope of Refuge: A Novel (An Ada’s House Novel, Book #1) – Woodsmall, Cindy
46. A Bride Most Begrudging* – Gist, Deeanne
47. A Bride in the Bargain* – Gist, Deeanne
48. Loving Your Man Without Losing Your Mind – Davis, Susie
49. An Amish Gathering: Life in Lancaster County – Wiseman, Beth
50. Sarah’s Garden (Patch of Heaven Novel) – Long, Kelly
51. Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen – Edghill, India
52. Blind Hope: An Unwanted Dog and the Woman She Rescued* – Meeder, Kim
53. Love Is A Flame: Stories of What Happens When Love Is Rekindled* – Bell, James
54. The Centurion’s Wife (Acts of Faith Series #1) – Bunn, Davis
55. How Sweet It Is – Wisler, Alice J.
56. How to Read a Book – Adler, Mortimer J.
57. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life – Kingsolver, Barbara
58. Leah’s Choice: Pleasant Valley Book One – Perry, Marta
59. The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment – Jacobs, A.J.
60. Ninth Witness (A. D. Chronicles, Book 9) – Thoene, Bodie
61. The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had – Bauer, Susan Wise
62. Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, the Respect He Desperately Needs – Eggerichs, Emerson
63. Cooking Basics for Dummies – Miller, Bryan
64. The Hidden Flame – Bunn, Davis
65. Real-Life Homeschooling: The Stories of 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home – Barfield, Rhonda
66. The Courteous Cad – Palmer, Catherine
67. All the Way Home – Tatlock, Ann
68. Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran – Saberi, Roxana
69. The Jesus You Can’t Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ* – Jr., John F. MacArthur
70. A Measure of Mercy (Home to Blessing, #1) – Snelling, Lauraine
71. Grand Obsession: A Piano Odyssey – Knize, Perri
72. Masquerade* – Moser, Nancy
73. The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands – Schlessinger, Laura
74. The Great Conversation: The Substance Of A Liberal Education (Great Books Of The Western World, Volume 1) – Hutchins, Robert Maynard
75. The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays – Wilde, Oscar
76. The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home – Bauer, Susan Wise
77. In My Father’s House (Shiloh Legacy #1) – Thoene, Bodie
78. A Blue and Gray Christmas – Medlicott, Joan
79. Letters to Juliet – Friedman, Lise
80. The Carousel Painter – Miller, Judith McCoy
81. The Sari Shop Widow – Bantwal, Shobhan
82. In the Company of Secrets – Miller, Judith McCoy
83. Treasures from Bible Times – Millard, Alan R.
84. Kidnapped: or, The Lad with the Silver Button – Stevenson, Robert Louis
85. Sense and Sensibility – Austen, Jane
86. The Third Sister: A Continuation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility – Barrett, Julia
87. Northanger Abbey – Austen, Jane
88. An Assembly Such as This – Aidan, Pamela
89. Duty and Desire – Aidan, Pamela
90. Though Waters Roar – Austin, Lynn
91. Hannah’s Hope – Kingsbury, Karen
92. These Three Remain – Aidan, Pamela
93. Cooking Green – Keyhoe, Kate (still in progress but will finish before the end of the year)

Later this week I’ll post my reading plans for 2011. I will be attempting something very different than past reading experiences and am really looking forward to getting started!

Edited to Add:
94. ちょうちょ – A Little Kippers book (English title Butterfly). It only took two hours, but I finally finished reading my first preschool book in Japanese!