New Year's Resolution Update

So my New Year's Resolution this year was to read a book every week for the year. Now, I haven't been keeping close tabs on the weeks and the books BUT I have been reading a lot of awesome books and I'm ready to share them!

Book 1: The Gursney Literary Potato Peel Society

Book 2: A fabulous bread recipe book (that I can't currently remember the name to!) that although I know isn't a traditional novel is still a book! I make 8 different types of bread out of the book and a total of 13 loaves. The family favorites where Cheesy Bread, Monkey Bread, and English Muffin Bread. Mom complained that she had gained 2 pounds off all the bread I was baking.

Book 3: The Good Earth I loved this book. It's a story of a farming family in pre revolutionary China and the tale follows a man as he loses everything and gains it all back again and more. It's a beautiful book that discussed the relationships of man and Earth along with woman and society.

Book 4: Bird by Bird I really didn't like this one. It's basically tips written in novel form of how to become a writer and expand on the creativity that exists within all of us. BLAH!

Book 5: The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio: How My Mom Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less I LOVED this book. It's a true story about a mother living with an alcoholic and abusive husband and ten children in the 1950's. They are poor but they are far from unhappy. It's a wonderful book about a mother's devotion to her children and determination to make the best of everything. She supplements the families very small income by entering her jingles in competitions and as luck would have it she was quite good at it. The ending left me teary eyed and emotional.

Book 6: 1000 White Women. A fictional story in which President Grant makes a secret agreement with a Cheyenne indian tribe to trade 1000 white women brides for 1000 horses in an effort to better unite and civilize the indian race. The book is written from the intelligent and witty perspective of May Dodd, who in attempt to escape a horrible life back home volunteers for the program. Her husband is the head of the tribe and her accounts of indian life and the wilderness are quite fantastic. I also cried at the end of this one...

Book 7: The Devil in the White City I just started last night but I already like where it's going. It's a, "spellbinding bestseller that intertwines the true tale of two men" a brilliant architect who designed the Chicago World's Fair and a serial killer who uses the fair to kill his victims. Sounds exciting!

Ps: It's freezing today! And Pilar made leek soup. YUM!
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