It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #51

 Hosted By: Book Journey

Here is what I finished last week:

I finally finished Bonhoeffer! It took me a little over five months but I did it! It was awesome! I also enjoyed these other books!

What I am currently reading:

I'm actually hoping to have these all finished by midnight tonight but I'm not sure if I'll actually manage it!

What I hope to read this week:

Super excited about both of these!

Blog Posts
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #50
Fall Into Reading Wrap-up
Waiting on Wednesday #42: Stealing the Preacher
Reading Challenges 2013
Book Blogger Hop: First of the New Year
What Countries Have I Visited Challenge
Stacking the Shelves #19

Hope you have a great reading week, thanks for taking the time to check out mine!
Leave your link below and I'll be sure to stop by!

Stacking the Shelves #19

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Books to Review
Flight of the Earls by Michael K. Reynolds
Ashton Park by Murray Pura
Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska by Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss
The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen
Waiting for Morning by Margaret Brownley

Books I Bought
Love on Assignment by Cara Lynn James
Don't Look Back by Lynette Eason
Wuthering Hights by Emily Bronte
Tommorow's Garden by Amanda Cabot
The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden
Lost in Las Vegas by Melody Carlson
The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter
The Preacher's Bride by Laurie Kingery

Books I Got For Christmas
Stuff Christian's Like by Jon Acuff
The Shadow of Your Smile by Susan May Warren
In Between by Jenny B. Jones
On the Loose by Jenny B. Jones
Lethal Legacy by Irene Hannon
Turnabout's Fair Play by Kaye Dacus
Rendevous by Melody Carlson
Catwalk by Melody Carlson
A Lady Like Sarah by Margaret Brownley
A Most Unsuitable Match by Stephanie Grace Whitson
First Date by Krista McGee
I Want to Live These Days With You by Dietrich Bonhoeffer


Books I Got From My Sister
Mixed Bags by Melody Carlson
Stealing Bradford by Melody Carlson
Deep in the Heart of Trouble by Melody Carlson
The Big Picture by Jenny B. Jones
My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer
It's Not About Me Journel by Max Lucado
Dirty Faith by Audio Adrenaline


Kindle Books
Torch Red by Melody Carlson
Walking on Broken Glass by Christa Allan
The Unveiling by Tamera Leigh
One Chance by Daniel Patterson
Where is God When it Hurts by Phillip Yancey
Falling in Love by Susette Williams
Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes
Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina
Hot by Laura L. Smith
Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund
Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer
Disguised For Love by J.B. Lifflander

What Countries Have I Visited Challenge

So I thought of this idea this past year and thought it would be really fun to create a challenge to see how many countries I could visit through books. This is my first time doing anything like this so bear with me! Please ask any questions you want in the comment section and I will try to reply ASAP!

         The Rules:

• Anyone can join!
• You don't have to have a blog to participate
• Your own country does not count towards your number
• The whole book doesn't have to take place in the country and you can use one book for multiple countries
• Leave a comment with the level you are choosing and leave a direct link to your sign-up post (if you have a blog) in the linky below!

      The Levels

• Tourist-Visit 5 countries
• Vacationer-Visit 10 countries
• Business Traveler-Visit 15 countries
• Adventurer-Visit 20 countries 
• World Traveler-Visit 30+ countries

I am choosing the Adventurer level! I hope you'll join me!

Book Blogger Hop: First of the New Year

Hosted this week by: Tea Time With Marce

This Week's Question:

Favorites of 2012 or Book you plan to start the new year with.

My Answer:

I have already made a post of my favorites of 2012 (HERE) so I'm going to go with which book I plan on reading first in the new year. I'm pretty sure that the first book will be The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen which will be fitting since I started 2012 with The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen!

Reading Challenges 2013

It's once again the time of year to sign-up for reading challenges! I loved participating last year and completed almost all of the ones I signed up for!
This is going to be my official sign-up post but I will probably add a page link at the top for easier access!

The Historical Fiction Reading Challenge Hosted by: Historical Tapestry I'm going for the Ancient History level which is 25+. I'm pretty sure I will exceed that since I love HF but this was the highest level they had! 1.

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

Hosted by: My Reader's Block

I'm signing up for Mt. Blanc which is 24 books from my TBR pile. I chose this level simply because I don't really have enough books to make the next one!

1.

New Author's Challenge

Hosted by: Literary Escapism 

I read so many new author's this year and I have found so many new favorites so I'm looking forward to doing it again this year! I'm going to go for 25 new authors at least for now!

1.

E-Book Challenge

Hosted by: Workaday Reads

I have been loving the ease of ebooks and while I still like real books better I have been reading a decent amount of ebooks! I'm going to go for DVD level which is 25 ebooks!

1.

Young Adult Reading Challenge

Hosted by: My Overstuffed Bookshelf

The goal of this challenge is to read YA books and I am going for the Mega level which is 50+ books!

1.

A-Z Reading Challenge

Hosted by: Escape With Dollycas

The goal of this challenge is to read a book starting with every letter of the alphabet.

A

B

C
D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Z

Y

Z

The 50 States Challenge

Hosted by: Book Obsessed

The goal of this challenge is to read a book set in each of the 50 states. I did this last year and came a little short so I'm hoping to do better this time!

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

What Countries Have I Visited Challenge

Hosted by: Me! (Click the pic for the link to sign-up)

I'm choosing the Adventurer level which is to read books that take place in 20 different countries! 

1.

Contentment Reading Challenge

Hosted by: Seasons of Humility

The goal of this challenge is to be content with what you have and take the time to reread some of your favorite books. Since I have been wanting to do some rereading this challenge is perfect for me! I chose the Floating level which is five books!

1.

Read Your Name Challenge

The goal is to read your name through the first letters of book titles. Last year I did my first name but this year I'm gonna try to do my full name!

A

B
I
G
A
I
L

L
E
E

H
A
R
T

Back to the Classics

This challenge is being held in one of my Goodreads groups and I am going for the Freshman level of 1-4 classics! I may upgrade later but I'm being cautious!

1.

Non-Fiction Challenge

Another challenge from my Goodreads group! I'm am going for the Junior/Seasoned level of 10-15 books!

1.

Waiting on Wednesday #42: Stealing the Preacher

Hosted by Breaking the Spine.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're
eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer
Bethany House-June 1, 2013

About the Book

On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can scarcely believe it when he's forced off the train by a retired outlaw and presented to the man's daughter as the minister she requested for her birthday. Worried this unfortunate detour will ruin his chances of finally serving a congregation of his own, Crockett is determined to escape. But when he finally gets away, he's haunted by the memory of the young woman he left behind--a woman whose dreams now hinge on him.

For months, Joanna Robbins prayed for a preacher. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. A man to help her discover answers to the questions that have been on her heart for so long. But just when it seems God has answered her prayers, it turns out the parson is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett to stay in her little backwoods community? And does the attraction between them have any chance of blossoming when Joanna's outlaw father is dead set against his daughter courting a preacher?

Why I Want It

I have absolutely loved every one of Karen Witemeyer's previous four book especially her last on, Short-Straw Bride. So I was super excited when I discovered that a character from that book (my fav other than the main two) was getting his own story. I absolutely loved Crockett and his story just sounds so good!

Fall Into Reading Wrap-Up

Sorry that it has taken me so long to get this post up! With the craziness of Christmas I just haven't had the time! I missed my goal of 45 books by 8. I wasn't surprised that I didn't make it since we were crazy busy these past couple months and some weeks I was barely able to read at all!

The Books

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #50

 Hosted By: Book Journey

Happy Christmas Eve!!!

Here is what I finished last week:

Loved all of these!

What I am currently reading:

No Bonhoeffer progress but I'm loving these other two!

What I hope to read this week:

I really want to finish the What Katy Did books so I can say I read all of the books I owned prior to 2012 and I'm hoping to get the chance to reread my favorite Christmas book!

Blog Posts
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #49
Top Thirty Books I Read in 2012
Waiting on Wednesday #41: Follow the Heart
Meet the Blogger
The Shadowed Onyx by Nicole O'Dell
Book Blogger Hop: A Failed Goal

Hope you have a great reading week, thanks for taking the time to check out mine!
Leave your link below and I'll be sure to stop by!

Book Blogger Hop: A Failed Goal

Hosted this week by: Tea Time With Marce

This Week's Question:

What book were you determined to read this year and you still didn't pick up? Is it at least on your bookshelf or ereader?

My Answer:

My goal for this year was to at least read all of the books that I owned prior to 2012, and at this point I have 3 that are still unfinished. I am currently reading one of them and I will do my utmost best to finish the other two!

The Shadowed Onyx by Nicole O'Dell

About the Book

Seventeen-year-old Joy Christianson is the life of the party. But when her best friend commits suicide, Joy's already wavering faith slips completely out of reach-and darkness and depression lay claim to her soul. A group of "friends" lead her to the Onyx, meant to help her let go of the past and bring her into harmony with reality, and Joy finds herself embarking on an ominous journey of witchcraft. Caught in a world of evil and shadows, Joy isn't so sure there's a way out and soon finds herself at a crossroads. Will Joy find the hope and light her heart longs for? Or will her dejected soul remain forever in the shadows?

My Thoughts

Once again Nicole O'Dell tactfully dealt with a difficult subject. Witchcraft is something most people either don't believe exists or try to ignore. But it is very real and not something to be ignored or taken lightly. Nicole did a great job of showing just how easy it can be to get drawn into this evil practice and how hard it is to escape once you are trapped. Everything was well done, the plot, characters, and the message. I love how this author presents these hard to talk about subjects in a way that clearly depicts them but keeps it to a place where a more sightly younger audience can still read them.

About the Author

Youth-culture expert, Nicole O'Dell, resides in Paxton, Illinois, with her husband and six children--the youngest of which are toddler triplets. She's the founder of Choose NOW Ministries (www.choose-now.com), dedicated to battling peer pressure and guiding teens through tough issues while helping parents encourage good decisions, and host of Choose NOW Radio: Parent Talk and Teen Talk (www.choosenowradio.com), where "It's all about choices!" On air, O'Dell covers peer pressure, dating, purity, drugs, alcohol, modesty, popularity, and anything else that comes up along the way. Nicole writes and speaks to preteens, teenagers, and parents about how to prepare for life's tough choices.

Meet the Blogger

I found this on Kaye Dacus's blog and it looked fun so I figured I'd go ahead and do it! So hear is some random information you may or may not want to know about me!

Do you usually sleep with your closet door open or closed? Well since my "closet" is outside my room I don't really notice if it's open or not, but it does tend to be open simply because I forget to shut it!

Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels? I have never actually spent the night in a hotel so I can't really answer this one! But I don't think I would unless I really loved the smell!

Where is your next vacation? We don't really do vacations that much so I have no clue!

Who do you think reads these? People who want to know people better!

Do you have a calendar in your room? Yes! I have it right above my computer table and I always keep track of what we are doing on there!

What’s your plan for the day? Watch my niece, read, chill, and whatever my parents decided to do!

Are you reading any books right now? Always! I'm currently reading The Rancher's Courtship by Laurie Kingery and Bonhoeffer.

Do you ever count your steps when you walk? Rarely and usually only when I'm carrying something heavy!

Do you ever dance even if there’s no music playing? I don't usually dance at all so no.

Do you chew your pens and pencils? Eww no!

What is your “Song of the Week”? I have been listening to a variety of country music lately but the one song I keep listening to is Come On Christmas by Matthew West!

Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Depends on the shade and the guy.

Do you still watch cartoons? Not by choice but sometimes when babysitting

What do you drink with dinner? Iced tea

What do you dip chicken nuggets/tenders in? Ranch!

What is your favorite food/cuisine? I'm a pretty picky eater so I'm more a fan of just your run-of-the-mill home cooked meals!

Name three movies you watch over and over and still love. I have so many I could name but I'll try to pick three! Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Yours, Mine, and Ours (Lucille Ball version), and On the Town

When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? This summer/fall when my best friend was visiting fam in California

Can you change the oil on a car? Nope\

Favorite thing to eat for breakfast? I can never eat much when I first get up so I usually have toast and sometimes a banana!

What is your usual bedtime? I used to be a crazy night owl staying up past 6am but I've changed that some and I try to be in bed by midnight.

Are you lazy? Sadly yes I can be rather lazy if I want to!

Afraid of heights? Slightly.

Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? Nanny and then a mom-still want these!

Hot tea or iced tea? Iced definitely! The sweeter the better!

Tea or coffee in the mornings? Tea, I hate coffee!

Favorite kind of cookie? Peanut Blossoms or Cream Wafers

Can you swim well? Nope, can't swim!

Can you hold your breath w/o manually holding your nose? Uh...yeah

Who do you want to see right now? My sis whose been in Texas for the past year and my best friend!

Waiting on Wednesday #41: Follow the Heart

Hosted by Breaking the Spine.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're
eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Follow the Heart by Kaye Dacus
B&H Books-May 1, 2013

About the Book

Set during the Industrial Revolution and the Great Exhibition of 1851, Follow the Heart is a “sitting-room romance” with the feel of a Regency-era novel but the fashions and technological advances of the mid-Victorian age.

Kate and Christopher Dearing’s lives turn upside down when their father loses everything in a railroad land speculation. The siblings are shipped off to their mother’s brother in England with one edict: marry money.

At twenty-seven years old, Kate has the stigma of being passed over by eligible men many times—and that was before she had no dowry. Christopher would like nothing better than to make his own way in the world; and with a law degree and expertise in the burgeoning railroad industry, he was primed to do just that—in America.

Though their uncle tries to ensure Kate and Christopher find matrimonial prospects only among the highest echelon of British society, their attentions stray to a gardener and a governess.

While Christopher has options that would enable him to lay his affections where he chooses, he cannot let the burden of their family’s finances crush his sister. Trying to push her feelings for the handsome—but not wealthy— gardener aside, Kate’s prospects brighten when a wealthy viscount shows interest in her. But is marrying for the financial security of her family the right thing to do, when her heart is telling her she’s making a mistake?

Mandates . . . money . . . matrimony. Who will follow the heart?

Why I Want It

Well I have loved the previous 8 books I have read of Kaye Dacus's so I'm sure this one will be no different! I also have been starting to become a fan of this time period so I'm excited about that aspect! And lastly it just plain sounds good!

Top Thirty Books I Read in 2012

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Ok I know that jumping from 10 to 30 is a pretty big leap but I have read 225 books so far this year and I have loved so many of them so thirty is actually a major cut down! So I give you my favorite 30 books of 2012 in the order that they were read!

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
Heiress by Susan May Warren
In Too Deep by Mary Connealy

The Shadow of Your Smile by Susan May Warren
Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig
Firethorn by Ronie Kendig

Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren
Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren
Bourne by Lisa T. Bergren

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Submerged by Dani Pettrey

So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones
I'm So Sure by Jenny B. Jones
Baroness by Susan May Warren

 To Win her Heart by Karen Witemeyer
Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer
When the Smoke Clears Lynette Eason

 Tributary by Lisa T. Bergren
Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones
There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones

 Over the Edge by Mary Connealy
Fairer Than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott
Trinity: Military War Dog by Ronie Kendig

 Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund
The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund
You Don't Know Me by Susan May Warren

A Change of Fortune by Jen Turano
Deadly Pursuit by Irene Hannon
Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden