It's Another Reading List! Why Not?!

The new year is here and I'm posting my 2014 books I hope to read! As always I over estimate my ability to read lots of books in the year (ahem, 2013 Reading List), and so there is overlap from last year (again... as always) but that's ok... I'm going to continue to plug along and think glass half full! Every year I post my reading list I read more books than I did the year before, so I'll continue to over-stretch my goal BUT increase my number by doing so! Huzzah!

As always, feel free to read along with me!


Books I have started but have not finished: (Is it weird that I start books and then put them down and come back to them later?! Sometimes it's because I want to say I've read them but just can't get into them but other times it's just because I'm not in the mood for that book until later on.)

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

Mediation and the Atonement of Christ by John Taylor

Books to Read this year

Deception Point by Dan Brown

Utopia by Sir Thomas More

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

The Servant by James C. Hunter

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas

Twenty Years After by Alexander Dumas

Any recommendations for:
A light fun book; possibly on the chick flick side or young adult.

A church book; also on the light side. I really liked reading I Sit All Amazed this year. It was an easy read, inspiring, motivating and enjoyable. I would like to find something similar.

It's the end of another great year: 2013

Review
Another great year has come and gone and I feel like I completed my "Year of Mistakes" (blog post link below) theme almost to a T (with a few responsible things sneaking in). I quit my job with several ideas of what path to take next and then throwing all of those paths out to the wind (aka: Caution to the Wind) and traveled... I traveled like nobody's business. Even though it was a year of highs and lows (for myself and for others around me) I would not change it one bit (well, if I could take away the heart ache of those that I care about I would in an instance). After traveling, my next plan was to sign up to go to Africa for 6 months to do some humanitarian work but a job opportunity snuck its way into my path and I decided to be daring and jump back on the employment path. Africa will have to wait... it is not off the table.

Travels
As traveling is something I love to do, I started a travel blog to share and journal my experiences as well as share things and tricks I've learned.

As I said up above, this year was no exception to traveling!

Pocatello

Oceanside

Boston/DC/NYC Roadtrip

Peru

Hwy1

Connecticut

My Top Favorite Things of the Year (In no particular order)
The Traveling with Friends and Family
Monthly Get-Togethers with my Group of Friends from High School
My Brother's Wedding

One of Many Lessons Learned
Timing, by Elder Oaks was shared with me by a friend and it brought me a lot of comfort. I get pretty stressed when trying to make a life decision, especially when so many options seem right, and I probably still will get stressed but this talk was a good reminder to have faith and do the small things that I have been asked to do and then other things will fall into place when and if they are supposed to.

Top Five most visited Blog Posts
Top 25 Friends Episodes
Spiritual Gifts
What is Love?
Book Reviews
2013: Year of Mistakes

Things to look forward to
I don't really have any big plans for travel or for life for 2014. Knowing me I'm sure I'll change that pretty quick but until then, I'm looking forward to enjoying the simplicity of life and doing little things like: playing with my nieces and nephews, reading books, hanging out with my family, laughing with friends, finishing little projects that always seem to get set aside, etc. No matter what, I'm excited to keep life interesting, even in the smallest of ways, and just continue to enjoy the ride.

Book Reviews: Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

Yay! I'm continuing on with my 2013 Reading List; It feels great!

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
This is the third book in the Peter and the Starcatchers series. The books are written for children but I have really enjoyed them. One of the many fun things about this series is that it unfolds how Peter Pan becomes the character we know, and how Neverland comes to be the place we wish truly existed. This book continued on with Peter's adventures and it didn't hold back as it included a flying camel, an evil creature that can steal your shadow and soul (Gasp! What! I thought he died in the last book! Nope, guess again), magic carpets and a snake that eats children. The book has two stories going on at once and it would jump back and forth between the two stories, creating cliff hangers and the "want" to continue reading. I loved how the book includes all the elements of what childhood should be; adventure, imagination, innocence, hope, loyalty, love, etc. I loved the ending to this book, it left you slightly sad (like a happy-sad) but also warm and hopeful. I would recommend this book! But you would have to read the first two first AND remember it's a children's book so plan to let your imagination soar but there will be not intellectual gain.
Originally this was the last book of the series but two more books have now been written; I'm debating if I want to read them or just end with this one.