I've discovered that posting only two times a week (rather than four) means that I don't post very many reviews (like, pretty much none). In a way, I'm okay with that, because who really has time to write all these reviews? But on the other hand, I love having that record of my reading and my opinion to look back on. So I thought I would write a few two sentence reviews of books I've recently read.

Well, after a week of mostly 80 degree days, it's finally starting to feel like fall. I even had my first cup of hot chocolate on Saturday morning. I am ready for fall colors and crisp air (and lots more hot chocolate!).

God's Bestseller: William Tyndale, Thomas More, and the Writing of the English Bible - A Story of Martyrdom and Betrayal by Brian Moynahan (This was a really interesting read.)
Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (A short, poignant, Newbery winner)
The Fifth Avenue Artists Society by Joy Callaway (Not entirely what I was expecting, but still a book that kept me turning pages to the very end!)

The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove (What a unique and fascinating premise for a book - the world has been "disrupted", so different countries are living in different ages.)
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (I'm a little over halfway through this audiobook.)

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows (This one is due back at the library on Thursday. I'm desperately hoping I'll be able to renew it, because I've been waiting impatiently to read it since it came out!)

Now that I have a kid, my reading time is more limited. I'm still reading more than I thought I would, but that's not consistently the case. Some weeks I can get through two or three books. Other weeks I'm lucky if I get through one.

That happened most recently with my September book club book - Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas. It took me almost a week to get through what normally would have been a couple-day read. I found myself not liking the book very much, getting annoyed by little things that I probably wouldn't have noticed if I had read it faster.

It got me to thinking - can how fast or slow I complete a book actually affect my opinion of the book?

In the case of Prayers for Sale, I think the answer is absolutely yes. If I had been able to get through the book in just a couple of days, I probably wouldn't have been irritated by the author constantly dropping hints about the unnamed matter that the main character had to deal with before she moved in with her daughter. I probably wouldn't have thought that the thin overarching plot was just an excuse to lump together a bunch of short stories and character sketches. I probably would have been drawn into the story more, rather than feeling distanced from the characters and events. I probably wouldn't have felt that it was so predictable, because I wouldn't have had as much time to ponder over the plot.

Please don't think that Prayers for Sale is a bad book. It's actually really good, as evidenced by the opinions of everyone else in my book club. I really think that the fact that it took me a whole week to read influenced my opinion of it.

Knowing this about myself makes me doubt my opinions of other books that have taken me a long time to read. I'll have to remember that that's a factor.

I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this. Have you disliked a book that took you a longer or shorter time to read than it normally would have? Or have you liked a book more than you expected because of the length of time it took you to read it?

It was a fun, but busy, week last week. My college roommate visited for a couple days. She lives in Florida, so this was the first time she got to meet my little guy. I loved watching him get to know her. However, he seems to be teething in earnest now, so he's been pretty cranky. Hopefully those teeth will show up soon!

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (This was a hauntingly beautiful book. Such a unique premise and atmosphere. I will definitely read other books by this author - as soon as they're published!)

God's Bestseller: William Tyndale, Thomas More, and the Writing of the English Bible - A Story of Martyrdom and Betrayal by Brian Moynahan (I have to admit that I'm finding the chapters on the development of the English language more interesting than the hunting-the-heretic chapters. I'm such a nerd.)
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (I just started this one on audio yesterday. This is my first book by this author. I've heard good things about her books!)

The Fifth Avenue Artists Society by Joy Callaway (I picked up and put down this book twice at the library before finally deciding to take it home with me. It looks so good!)

School started this past week - without me. The first day of school felt incredibly weird. It was the first first day of school since preschool that I haven't been in a classroom. I know I've made the right decision to stay home with my little guy, and I'm sure I'll get used to it as the school year progresses. I'm planning to help out in the school library one day a week. That should be a fun way to still see the kids and to share my love of reading!

Story Thieves by James Riley (Loved this book. Immediately put the next book in the series on my TBR.)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (This is my first time listening to the audiobooks. I wasn't sold on Jim Dale as a narrator at the beginning, but he's slowly growing on me.)
The Private World of Georgette Heyer by Joan Aiken Hodge (This was a really well done biography of a very private author.)
The Invention of Sarah Cummings by Olivia Newport (This is my just-in-case book that sits next to the rocker in the nursery. Because of this, It's taken me a couple of months to get through it, but I really enjoyed it.)

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (I've heard so many good things about this book. I'm really excited to finally read it!)

God's Bestseller: William Tyndale, Thomas More, and the Writing of the English Bible -- A Story of Martyrdom and Betrayal by Brian Moynahan (I just realized as I typed this that the subtitle has a subtitle. That is some serious nonfiction right there.)

Okay, so I'm kind of breaking the rules. Not only am I once again doing a Top Ten Tuesday post on Thursday (hence the "misspelled" title of my post), but I'm also doing last week's topic. I figure if I'm only going to do one of these every few weeks, I might as well pick the topics I like. Last week's topic was a back to school theme. For the first time in a very long time, I didn't go back to school this fall because I am now a stay-at-home mom. But previous to that, I taught for ten years. So for this post, I decided to compile a list of books that my classes loved to have me read aloud.

It's been a slow reading week. Why is it that some weeks I'm able to zoom through several books, and other weeks I can barely make it through one? I guess I should just be glad that any reading gets done at all with a little one around the house, right? :)​

My 31 in 31 List - Update #3 (and Revision/Extension)

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas (Our book club book for September.)
The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder (The September read for the Little House Read-Along.)

Story Thieves by James Riley (I'm only about 20 pages into this one, but oh my goodness, it's so good. A middle grade novel for book lovers!)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (The next installment in my first audiobook experience of Harry Potter.)

The Private World of Georgette Heyer by Jane Aiken Hodge (Georgette Heyer is one of my favorite authors, yet I know nothing about her life. Time to remedy that!)

Last year, I turned 31 years old. I came up with a list of things I wanted to accomplish before my 32nd birthday. Well, that birthday has now passed, and I can confidently say that I did not achieve all of those things. Not even close. So I've decided to extend the deadline for another year, and add one item to the list. It will now be my 32 in 32 list.

Here's how I did. ​Items in bold are completed. Items in italics are still in process. Items that look normal - yeah, those didn't get done.

So I've got a lot to do still in the next year. But I'll keep chipping away at this list. As I said when I started this project, anything I accomplish is more than I would have done without this list, even if everything doesn't get done!