tjblue's 2015 reading

Hi!! Tammy here!! Boy it's cold again today in Wisconsin!!!! I live with my boyfriend, 17 year old son, 3 dogs and 1 cat (our fosters, a doggie and kitty became a permanent family members). Despite the rough last few years still at the same company, helping manage CBRF's for the mentally ill. 2014 was a pretty trying year!!! The higher ups seemed to take notice that some of us were still there and have made a few changes. Happy about that!!!

I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time on LT last year!! As I mentioned above work sucked!! The last 6 months of the year I helped a few a family members and friends make major moves. My uncle had a few health issues. Also my sister Tracy and her family moved in with us in September and they are still with us. :-) Made for an interesting end of the year!!! But I keep going!!!

This year I think my main goal will be 50 books. Lately I have been thinking about learning Spanish. I have had a few starts and stops, but really want to focus on this since half of my family (though they don't leave near) only speak Spanish. Also Alberto and I don't really have any mutual friends, since I don't speak Spanish. Hard to do the couples thing when I can't really take part in a conversation. :

I've seen my book choices change over the last few years. I usually enjoy horror, some biographies or American historical fiction. When I joined LT in 2009 I moved towards world wide historical fiction and more non fiction. Last year I read almost only non fiction.

I'm not quite sure what my mini goals will be, but I will figure that out as the year progresses. So here I go!! Happy Reading to everyone in LT land!!!

NonFiction--

1.Making Your Own Gourmet Coffee Drinks --Tekulsky
2.How to Learn Any Language--Farber
3.The Big Tiny--Williams!!
4.Tiny House Living--Mitchell
5.Animal Wise---Morell
6.American Ghost--Nordhaus
7.Hand to Mouth-- Tirado
8.Bad Luck Way--Andrews
9.The Beekeeper's Lament--- Nordhaus
10.Unlikely Loves--Holland
11.Silent Voices--Okin
12.Whispers and Shadows: a Naturalist's Memoir--Apps
13.In My Neighborhood---Dearlove and McIntyre
14.The Crops Look Good--DeLuca

Fiction--

1.American Boy--Watson !!!!
2.Justice--Watson!!!
3.The Member of The Wedding--McCullers
4.Gray Mountain--Grisham
5.The Heart of Things--Hildebrand
6.In The Cage--James
7.See How Small---Blackwood
8.Wildlife--Ford
9.Pitcairn's Island--Nordhoff andHall
10.As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust---Bradley
11.Orphan Train--Kline
12.Main Street-- Lewis
13.Crossing To Safety--Stegner
14.This House Of Sky--Doig
15.Split Image--Parker
16.Go Set A Watchman--Lee
17.Night and Day--Parker
18.Blind Spot--Coleman
19.Shotgun Lovesongs-- Butler
20.Little House In The Highlands--Wiley
Spanish----

1.My First Spanish Phrases---Kalz

AAC Challenge--

January--Larry Watson---American Boy
Justice
--Carson McCullers---The Member of The Wedding
February--John Hildebrand---The Heart of Things
---Henry James---In The Cage
March---Richard Ford----Wildlife
April--Louise Erdrich--
May--
June---Sinclair Lewis--Main Street
July--Wallace Stegner--Crossing To Safety

--Ivan Doig--This House Of Sky
August --Ursula Guin--Gifts
September--Flannery O'Connor--
October--Larry Mcurty

Favorites

Welcome back!

My goodness - you have been and still are pretty busy! Welcome back to a new year of reading, Tammy!

Hi Jim!!! Thanks for setting the group up again!!! What would we do without you?!!!!

Hi Joanne!!! Thanks for visiting me!!! Yeah what can a person do, just keep going.

Started off the year with my son totaling his car last Thursday. Not sure if this is an omen for the year or just getting the bad part out of the way already. It was a snowy evening. I let him drive to Taco Bell with the new girlfriend. It's only about 25 blocks from our house. Told him under no conditions could he leave the city limits. Needless to say he didn't listen to mom, tried to drive to the high school the long way around on the little country road. Realized it was a bad idea, tried to turn around and slid into a light pole. Both he and his girlfriend are fine and her mother still likes him. But he has no car, which is ok with me!!!

I'm trying to continue with the American Author Challenge and started 2 Larry Watson books, American Boy and Justice. I like his style of writing and am enjoying them both!!!

Oh, boy, I'm really not looking forward to the Early Driving Years with Charlie, I have to say. Relieved to hear that your son is okay, though!

Thanks Amber!! I knew it would happen sooner or later. Ty is a good kid, but he is a boy that often acts and thinks later. Also he has to learn almost every lesson on his own, he has a hard time listening and learning from others' experiences or mistakes.

Yay!! I finished a book!!!

1.American boy by Larry Watson 4 stars

>8 tjblue: Well, at least he does learn from the mistakes, eh? That better than repeating them!
And congrats on Book #1!

Yea, Amber I agree.

Are you enjoying the warmer weather?

2.Justice by Larry Watson. 4 stars

>11 tjblue: I *am* enjoying the weather! Who knew that 35F could feel so tropical! Ha!

3.The Member of The Wedding by Carson McCullers. 3.75 stars
4.Making Your Own Gourmet Coffee Drinks by Mathew Tekulsky3 stars

5.Gray Mountain by John Grisham 3 stars. I used to love Grisham's books. :-( This one seemed just so so.

5.The Heart of Things by John Hildebrand. 4 stars

Hi Tammy! Just stumbled upon your thread. Good luck with learning Spanish!

Hi Rachel!!! Thanks for visiting me!!!

6.In The Cage by Henry James. Not going to give it a rating,but I didn't like it. :-(

7.How to Learn Any Language: Quickly, Easily, and On Your Own
By Barry Farber

8.My First Spanish Phrases by Jill. Kalz

9.See How Small by Scott Blackwood

10.The Big Tiny: A Built-It-Myself Memoir by Dee Williams 4 stars

I find the tiny house movement interesting and I very much enjoyed this memoir!!!

11.Tiny House Living: Ideas for Building & Living Well in Less than 400 Square Feet by Ryan Mitchell 4 stars

12.Wildlife by Richard Ford. 3 stars

13.Pitcairn's Island by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall 4 stars

I didn't realize until I was almost finished that this was the last book in the trilogy, but I think it stands on its own. I picked it because I think Pitcairn would be an interesting place to visit. ow I can go back and read the first two.

14.As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust by. Alan Bradley. 4 stars

15.Orphan Train by Christina Baker Cline 4 stars

16.Animal Wise: The Thoughts And Emotions Of Our Fellow Creatures by Virginia Morell. 4 stars

17.American Ghost by Hannah Nordhaus 3.75 stars

18.Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America by Linda Tirado 3.75 stars

19.Bad Luck Way : A Year on the Ragged Edge of the West. 3.75 stars

20.The Beekeeper's Lament by Hannah Nordhaus 4 stars

21.Main Street by Sinclair Lewis. I have to think about this one. I liked parts of it and some parts I didn't like at all. Ugh. It me a month to read it,but I'm glad I stuck with it and finished.

22.Crossing To Safety by Wallace Stegner 4 stars

23.Unlikely Loves:43 Heartwarming True Stories from the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer S. Holland 3.5 stars

24.Silent Voices: People with Mental Disorders on the Street by Robert L. Okin

25.This House Of Sky: Landscapes Of A Western Mind Ivan Doig. 4 stars

26.Whispers and Shadows: A Naturalist's Memoir by Jerry Apps 5 stars

27.Gifts by Ursula Le Guin 4 stars

28.In my neighborhood: Celebrating Wisconsin Cities 4 stars

29.Split Image by Robert B. Parker 3.5 stars

30.Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee 3.75 stars

>33 tjblue: I've added this book to the tbr pile.

Hi Linda!!! It was a cute little book. I bought it for my great-niece who is 7. She said I could read it before she read it with grandma.

31.Night and Day by Robert B. Parker. 3.5 stars. Oops. I think I read these last two in the wrong order.

32.The Crops Look Good: News from a Midwestern Family Farmby Sara DeLuca 4 stars. I vvery much enjoyed this and didn't want it to end.

33.Blind Spot A Jesse Stone Novel by Reed Farrel Coleman 3.75 stars

34.Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler 4 stars

35.Little House In The Highlands by Melissa Wiley 4 stars