My reading goal for 2017 is currently set at 110 books. I think the year could be a bit busier than 2016.

I ordered from Christianbook.com and I found 7 books I need to add to my library and 1 book to gift to a friend. Average price was $2.74 a book, I am so happy. I bought two books by Melissa Tagg (Here To Stay and From The Start), two by Amanda Cabot (At Bluebonnet Lake and In Firefly Valley), Wrapped In Rain by Charles Martin (gift for friend), Talon by Ronie Kendig, The Inheritance by Micheal Phillips (I might actually finish reading it now), and Death By Living by N.D. Wilson.

I went ahead and read The Legend of Sam Miracle, it was a fabulous way to start the new year.

I have had a Goodreads account since fall 2015, that's how I know for sure the number of books I read in 2016, and I love it. Plus I write reviews every once in a while and I actually need it for that. Anyway, it really is great for keeping track and on schedule reading.

SnowAngel

I tend to speed read; I'll race through a book and get an overall impression. If it's really good I'll go back and do it again sometime. I'd say I read about an hour or two a day...

As for how many books... my book list has a REALLY LARGE number because I'll add essays and other small stuff I might want to look back at later, but it's +100...

That's a really good idea (though I only put in books and the very few videos I watch). Being able to go back later and actually find what you vaguely remember is such a boon. As well as a physical journal that I write in, I also put my list on the computer, so that I can search it. It surprises me how much I use it. 17 years of keeping a book journal, and I only wish I had started sooner. I don't put in re-reads, as some people recommend--way too many for that, as probably half my yearly intake is re-reading.

108 (new) books this year--sad compared to some years in the past, when the average year was 250-300 new books. Mind you, I collect children's fiction, so we're talking about ~200 pages per book, vs 600-800 pages. Alas! reading and writing don't mix very well, I find; that might explain the lower number.

My sympathies, SA, most of my reading is fiction, too. Right now, though, I'm plowing through volume 2 of "Salute the Sappers" by Neil Orpen. It is a fairly detailed work on the South Africa Engineering Corps's (SAEC) work in Africa and Italy throughout WWII (so far my grandfather's been mentioned twice by name, making it worth the insane price I paid).

And now, Melty, more than 2 years later :
While browsing through said journal, I saw that this past year I read the Graustark novels by George Barr McCutcheon (using a mix of online and hard copies; all but the last one. Couldn't lay hands on it ) Have you read those ones?

Which brings me to the point of discussing Anthony Hope and the Ruritanian stories. It seems that the chief difference between the Ruritanian/Graustarkian sub-genre is that in the former, it is a British foreigner, and in the latter, an American, who provides the necessary action. The other difference is that each Graustark book ends
I liked Hope's writing, just not most of his endings. With Zenda I was ambivalent, Rupert was 'hijous;' Heart of Princess Osra did have a good ending, but oh, the agony! on the way. Let's just say that I'm glad I'll never be so beautiful as to drive men to madness or to cause

real wars, and all Narnia and Archenland, Telmar and Calormen, Galma and Terebinthia, were laid waste with the fury of the kings and dukes and great lords who fought for her favour.

as wrote a certain author of our acquaintance.

Hope's Half a Hero was interesting, in a way. I didn't mean to read it: it just happened. It's more a political "romance" and ends nastily, but with a similar element as in Rupert--a decision for good or bad, we don't know which. It wasn't until I read Phroso that I was unreservedly happy. Such a nice book--and a nice ending!

Then there was Harold MacGrath. Yes, yes and yes. As well as The Goose Girl, I read The Princess Elopes, which is the same story, written earlier and from a slightly different point of view. Still can't decide which version I prefer. And then there was The Carpet from Baghdad. I'd like to read more by him.

In my spare time...

10 books sounds like a great goal, fk! I hope you make it.

Also, I think there may be a stalker on NWeb that lives near me and keeps reading about the books I want to check out at the local library.

Well, at least they have good taste...

Hope the 100 book goal goes well, Booky!

Glad to hear you're enjoying The Hobbit, Rose! Have you finished it by now? And I'm glad to hear you're doing better.

Will you adjust your reading goal if 2017 is indeed much busier that 2016, SA? Or try to meet it anyhow? And hurrah for the book splurge! I still need to read Sam Miracle, especially as I know two people who have it and would lend it to me...

Congrats on your 108 books last year, aileth!

I'm almost finished with The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp (yes, that Maria), and have been enjoying it immensely. Having grown up on The Sound of Music, it's been quite interesting to see where they took liberties and changed timelines, combined characters, etc. Another interesting thing is that only probably a third of the book is covered by the movie; the rest deals with life after.

That's wonderful you are reading Middle-earth books, Rose! And for you for re-reading The LotR, fk. ♥ Both of you, keep us posted!

Valia, I really appreciated The Story of the Trapp Family Singers; also Maria, another autobiography of her life—one that covers a broader timespan than her Trapp Family years. My mom introduced me to these books, having really enjoyed them, herself, over the years. Yes, it is interesting to see what they changed in the beloved movie.

I'm currently reading:
*The Saddest Ship by Allison Lawlor: the history of the 'coffin ship', the MS St. Louis from WW II, so sad!
*God and Churchill still, by Jonathan Sandys (Churchill's great grandson) and Wallace Henley: it's my 'waiting' book, so while it's a great read, I go through it more slowly because I don't pick it up every day.
*Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini: the story of the writing of I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Longfellow (one of my favourite Christmas carols) during the American Civil War.
*The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Jerry Root and Mark Neal

I'm also reading bits and pieces of our former pastor's recent PhD dissertation, which is and more than a bit overwhelming. But amazing too.

I'd like to start Wounded Tiger by Martin Bennett soon ... after my hubby's done with it. Mitsuo Fuchida is the pilot who led the attack on Pearl Harbour, and whose life was changed dramatically afterwards. My husband says that 'though the editing isn't very well done, the true story, itself, is fascinating.

When I'm working in the kitchen, I'm listening to FotF's Oliver Twist radio theatre production. Wonderful, as usual! We received Anne of Green Gables for Christmas (eager to listen to that). Then I want to purchase Little Women for Nellie for her birthday; also, an audio reading of Lewis' space trilogy for her. Does anyone have a good recommendation?

P.S. I just finished listening to radio theatre stories of William Wilberforce, John Newton, and Olaudah Equiano. This is a British period about which I am enthralled, with all three of them being heroes of mine, particularly Wilberforce. These dramatizations were very well done, but they concluded Wilberforce's too early, imho, and didn't see it through until the slave trade was abolished. Still, what is there is really, really good. Newton's is highly inspirational; Equiano's is so, so moving and powerful.

My sympathies, SA, most of my reading is fiction, too. Right now, though, I'm plowing through volume 2 of "Salute the Sappers" by Neil Orpen. It is a fairly detailed work on the South Africa Engineering Corps's (SAEC) work in Africa and Italy throughout WWII (so far my grandfather's been mentioned twice by name, making it worth the insane price I paid).

I really should read more non-fiction, but I love fiction and I have so many favorite authors. And fiction is usually less expensive when book shopping.

Oh, that's cool!

Will you adjust your reading goal if 2017 is indeed much busier that 2016, SA? Or try to meet it anyhow? And hurrah for the book splurge! I still need to read Sam Miracle, especially as I know two people who have it and would lend it to me...

Yes, if I have less time I will shoot for 100 books instead. But if I have more time to read I will definitely raise the bar. I think I might have more time after all...my favorite NASCAR driver is retiring, so I probably not be watching as much NASCAR on the weekends and that equals (hopefully) more time to read.

So I have four non-fiction books with bookmarks in them that I started last year and after I looked at my list of finished books for 2016 I only finished 5. So I plan to read at least 10 non fiction books this year.

My current stack of library books:
Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson
Bunker Hill by Nathaniel Philbrick (non-fiction)
The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines (non-fiction)
The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice #1) by John Flanagan
The Burning Bridge (Ranger's Apprentice #2) by John Flanagan

SnowAngel

I don't think I'd heard of Maria before, Jo; I'll have to keep an eye out for it, thanks. Does it cover some of the same material as The Story of the Trapp Family Singers?
All of the books you're reading sound quite interesting.

Well, regardless of how your book goal for 2017 shifts, SA, I hope you make it! What non-fiction books have you read and enjoyed? I hope you like Leepike Ridge and the Ranger's Apprentice books. I've read the first four or five RA books, but then kind of lost track of them and didn't have time/interest enough to track them down and figure out where I was. Mel loves them, though.

I realized I never said anything about my book goals for 2017. I don't have a set goal or number of books to read, though I would like to make it at least halfway through my unread books shelf(shelves...). Other goal is to continue to pare down books as I read them and to make some (hard!) decisions about whether I actually want/need copies of everything I have. Even with the second bookshelf, I've managed to mostly fill up the shelves in my apartment, and I've still got a lot of books on shelves in my parents' house, not to mention boxes more of books... And that's not to mention the three library booksales I plan to go to this year and books coming out this year that I'll acquire...

Also, this isn't really a goal, but I need to keep better track of my books: I've got books loaned out to various peoples and I can't find my copy of KoA, which shouldn't be loaned out since everyone I would've loaned it to has read it and/or owns it. I did finally find my copy of Dandelion Fire...turned sideways on a shelf in the apartment. Anyone else have problems losing books?

I'm currently reading The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson. Once I finish it (...or maybe while I'm working on it), I'm going to try to hit a few unread books before I go back to the library and/or hit up some friends/sisters for books. Maybe more Sanderson... I'd like to read some more Lewis and Sayers this year as well. I also need to do a reread of The Westing Game as the homeschool drama club is doing a version of that as their spring play.

Well, regardless of how your book goal for 2017 shifts, SA, I hope you make it! What non-fiction books have you read and enjoyed? I hope you like Leepike Ridge and the Ranger's Apprentice books. I've read the first four or five RA books, but then kind of lost track of them and didn't have time/interest enough to track them down and figure out where I was. Mel loves them, though.

Most of the non-fiction books I have read are about the WWII, Band of Brothers and the like. My brother has been collecting military non-fiction for years and he has quite a few books about WWII. On the other side of non-fiction I love Elisabeth Elliot's books. I would like to reread several of her books this year.

I also have a commentary on John by Michael Card (the singer and songwriter) that I really should read. Even though I have had the book for over two years, I have only read the first couple chapters.

I finished Leepike Ridge, it was good. I didn't enjoy it as much as his other books, but it was worth reading.

I am trying to find more books for my bookworm younger sisters that's how I stumbled on the Ranger's Apprentice. I thought I read a lot as a tween/teen, my sisters are always reading. Of course as cold as it is January why would anyone want to do anything, but drink tea or coffee and read good books. I haven't started the series yet.

My Christianbook.com order arrived today, but since I haven't made much progress on my library books I probably won't be reading my new books until next month. I am currently reading The Magnolia Story and Bunker Hill.

SnowAngel

I don't think I'd heard of Maria before, Jo; I'll have to keep an eye out for it, thanks. Does it cover some of the same material as The Story of the Trapp Family Singers?

It's been a few years since I re-read them, but yes, the Trapp Family Singers is focused on the family years, while Maria expands on her life before, as well. Really, really interesting!

This week I'm beginning Wounded Tiger, yay (hubby's nearly done ).

SA, most of my non-fiction has been WWII as well. Though I haven't read anything about the Band of Brothers and I tend to go more towards biographies/accounts written by women, for some reason (maybe because I feel like I've gotten more of the overview of the battlefields through school). But I go in waves: several years back I read several books about the occupation and the Holocaust, a few years ago I read a lot about women in the military, and last year I read mostly about women in the Resistance.
I'm glad you liked Leepike Ridge, though I agree it's a bit rough, which makes sense as a first (I believe) book.
Oooh, I didn't know Michael Card had written any books! I love his music. Do let me know how the commentary is, please.
Hope you like the Ranger's Apprentice series. How old are your younger sisters? And what books do they enjoy?
I agree about January being a good time to read books and drink tea. If only I had more time to sit...

Thanks, Jo! I hope you enjoy Wounded Tiger. What did your husband think of it?

There was a little discussion among a few of us recently about Charles Dickens' works, especially whether A Tale of Two Cities was great or terrible. I haven't read it, though I've enjoyed most of the few Dickens I've read (Bleak House, Little Dorrit, Great Expectations---exception was Hard Times). I've got Dombey and Son on my to-read shelf, as well as Oliver Twist. The latter I'm fairly familiar with, while the former I know very little about.

This week, I finished reading The Rithmatist, The Scoop & Behind the Screen, and The Documents in the Case.
The Rithmatist: I enjoyed, though I don't think I was as enamored by the idea of chalkings as a number of other folks. But I liked the main characters and loved

The Scoop & Behind the Screen: This book was a collection of two short stories written by members of the Detection Club, with each author writing a chapter (or two). The authors included Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, so that was pretty fun. The story themselves were pretty interesting too.
The Documents in the Case: This was written by Dorothy L. Sayers and Robert Eustace. It's another mystery story, written almost entirely in the form of letters, along with a few statements. It was pretty interesting and clever how the story unfolded.

Not sure what book(s) I'll pick up next. May have some more time than usual to read over the weekend/start of next week, so hopefully I'll get through a couple of books (...or maybe just a long book, like Dombey and Son or Middlemarch ).

Thanks, Jo! I hope you enjoy Wounded Tiger. What did your husband think of it?

He really liked it. A powerful biography, he said. The only complaint, as I mentioned above, was the editing was quite poor in places. Which can certainly be distracting.

As many of you already know, biographies/autobios are my favourite genre, by far. Even though the fiction I love I really love with a passion (Tolkien & Lewis, and a few select others), but aside from that, I could live without most of the reads in that genre ... unless it's well-written historical fiction, such as the Thoene books or The Lemon Tree, for a couple of examples.

I finished God and Churchill last night. It is now one of my (many, ha) favourite books. Excellent, excellent: historically, theologically, and a strong statement on leadership ... of course, being The Bulldog! There is nothing forced about the book, which my hubby and I both really appreciated. We have my dad's copy, but we're going to have to get our own!

Hoping to start Wounded Tiger tonight!

P.S. This isn't a book, per se, but I am having a re-listen to the audio drama of "C.S. Lewis at War", which is the story of how Mere Christianity came to be, as it was developed from Lewis' talks for the BBC during some of the most horrific days of WW ll. So, so good.

I like hearing about the different biographies you've been reading, Jo! That's a genre that I've been neglecting in recent years, so I appreciate hearing about good titles.

I forgotten to mention this in my last post, Valia, but Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates was actually one of my favorite books as a kid. Looking back, I'm having kind of a hard time pin-pointing why. I believe it was one of the first books I read that was set in a real country where English was not the dominant language, and I think it made an impression on me because of that. (Another one of my childhood favorites was Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson, set in the Amazon, so I think I may be onto something there... the Amazon and Holland were on my shortlist of places to visit when I was young, entirely due to reading those books.) I think I also liked the characters; I can remember admiring Hans. Anyway, I'm inspired to reread it again sometime and see if I enjoy it as much as I did so many years ago!

In other news, I finished The Hobbit, and I decided to read Kenneth Oppel's Airborn for a change of pace before starting The Fellowship of the Ring. I'm about 4/5 of the way through and I've been enjoying it! I'll probably read the rest of the trilogy at some point.

Part of the reason why I picked up Airborn to read is because it has a steampunk setting, and recently the setting of one of my novel ideas has shifted from slightly steampunk to significantly steampunk, and I figured I ought to get more familiar with the genre. Anyone have any recommendations on good novels with steampunk settings?

😀 SA, most of my non-fiction has been WWII as well. Though I haven't read anything about the Band of Brothers and I tend to go more towards biographies/accounts written by women, for some reason (maybe because I feel like I've gotten more of the overview of the battlefields through school). But I go in waves: several years back I read several books about the occupation and the Holocaust, a few years ago I read a lot about women in the military, and last year I read mostly about women in the Resistance.

I have stuck mostly to books my brother has read, but I am looking to branch out more this year. Do you have any books about women during WWII that you recommend?

Oooh, I didn't know Michael Card had written any books! I love his music. Do let me know how the commentary is, please.

Oh, yes, Mr. Card has written quite a few books. My Dad and brother both love his books, I think my Dad has most if not all of his books. We have actually meet Mr. Card and have several autographed books including that commentary.

Hope you like the Ranger's Apprentice series. How old are your younger sisters? And what books do they enjoy?

One's an almost a teen that acts like a teen and mid teens. Everything! One teen sis has read The Count of Monte Cristo twice, I settled for watching the 1934 movie. They love Gilbert Morris, Michael Phillips, George MacDonald, L.M. Montgomery, J.R.R. Tolkien, the Nancy Drew books, etc. Basically anything they are allowed to read, they will read and enjoy.

Every time I have tried to sit down and read lately my brother interrupts me just because he can, it took me four days to read The Ruins of Gorlan.

I finally finished The Ruins of Gorlan on Wednesday, then I started and finished The Burning Bridge Thursday. I'm not sure if the teen siblings should read them or not,

I picked up books 3-6 of the Ranger's Apprentice at the library today, I am definitely not reading my new books until February. I started The Icebound Land on the way home for the library.

I haven't yet finished the first chapter of Bunker Hill, so far it has been a lot about Boston before Bunker Hill.

Rose, I haven't read much that's steampunk, but I think Curio by Evangeline Denmark counts. And I enjoyed it.

SnowAngel

SA, when my family started reading Ranger's Apprentice, my dad read them out loud--and the language was easy to edit out that way. (So unnecessary in this context.) I... feel like it got better after book two but I may be misremembering.

I recently finished Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (and yes, that's the book that inspired the movie). It was very readable, doing an excellent job of grounding what was happening in the larger context of the era and also explaining the significance of the work the ladies did.

Valia, I read The Floating Admiral, which was also a group effort by the Detection Club. I remember how the story twisted and turned with each author's style.

Rose, I've read a few steampunk-type stories...

• G.K. Chesterton's The Ball and Cross is an early example and has more meat on its bones than some. Airships! Duels! Frenemies![/*28k02qir]
• The Tripods Attack! by John McNichol is another one with a neat concept. Airships! Alien invasion! Plucky hero(es)! Escapades! (Unfortunately, I was not as fond of the formatting in the book. It was a bit dense and hard to read so... ) [/*28k02qir]
• Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series (Mister Monday, Grim Tuesday, etc) does a fun job of dividing the genre up into types and giving you a slightly different flavor in each installment while furthering an overarching story. [/*28k02qir]
• Curio by Evangeline Denmark and Incarceron by Catherine Fisher are different takes on the puzzle-box prison, the first going more Old West and the other Baroque[/*28k02qir][/list28k02qir]

I feel like I'm probably missing some super obvious example from my reading list, but that's a start.

We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost - how long ago! -- G. K. Chesterton

I recently finished Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (and yes, that's the book that inspired the movie). It was very readable, doing an excellent job of grounding what was happening in the larger context of the era and also explaining the significance of the work the ladies did.

I will be definitely be buying this book. Good to hear a report from someone who has read it. Thanks, Mel!

I am also currently reading Amazing Dad: Letters from William Wilberforce to his children. I can hardly imagine a father today writing letters such as these, but I sure wish they did. The beauty of the language back then, alone, was a treat, but add the great depth of wisdom and insight into each, along with his eternal perspectives and ... what wonderful and timeless treasures! These were written after his kids had left home to pursue further formal education. The letters soundly give the reader a glimpse into Wilberforce's strong love and concern for his children—most of all for their moral and spiritual lives. Plus, Wilberforce was a most practical, compassionate, highly-motivated man, his wisdom being replete with 'hands on' suggestions, often accompanied by relevant Scripture. A favourite read, indeed! And one I can glean so much as a parent.

Jo, I'm glad he liked Wounded Tiger (minus the poor editing ). Have you finished it?

Rose, the abridged version of Hans Brinker was a favourite when I was growing up too. I would love to hear if you like it as much now as you did then!
re: Airborn: I also remember Kate being an interesting character and I was conflicted about whether I actually liked her or not.
Steampunk, mmmmm...I actually am not sure what beyond Airborn (and Mel's listing of Keys of the Kingdom) I've read is steampunk. I kind of think the Wax & Wayne series by Brandon Sanderson might qualify as having a steampunk-western flavor, but you should really read the Mistborn trilogy first... Oooh. Not sure if the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy by D.M. Cornish is quite steampunk, but it's good. Mel, any thoughts?
OH. Also, The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson probably doesn't quite fit steampunk either, but it has gears and chalk drawings that come to life and high-speed trains while trams cost a penny a ride. Airman by Eoin Colfer might not quite fit steampunk either, but maybe...?

SA, I have found pretty much every book I've read about women in WWII interesting. That said, if you want a pared-down list of recommendations, I'll give you one (disclaimer: It's been a few years since I read most of these books):

Dance with Death by Anne Noggle (a collection of short interviews with WWII Soviet Airwomen)
An Officer and a Lady by Lt. Col. Betty Bandel, one of the first WAAC officers (mostly a collection of letters)
Winning My Wings by Marion Stegeman Hodgson (I believe she was a WASP, or at least a precursor to one)
Navy WAVE: Memories of World War II by Lt. Helen Clifford Gunter
Victory Harvest by Marion Kelsey (a Canadian woman follows her husband to England and joins the Land Army)
When I was a German by Christabel Bielenberg (an English ex-pat's account of life in Germany under Hitler)
Berlin Diaries, 1940-1945 by Marie Vassilitchikov (a White Russian in Germany during WWII)
An American Heroine in the French Resistance: the Diary and Memoir of Virginia d’Albert-Lake by Virginia d’Albert-Lake[/list3k7tsdeh]
I've got more recommendations, including some about women in WWI, Resistance & Holocaust accounts, and some non-fiction (mostly letters and first-person accounts) about women in the first half of the 20th century. If you want more.

SA, about meeting Michael Card and the autographed books. That's very cool!
I'm trying to think if I have any suggestions for books for your sisters. Would they be interested in any Elizabeth Gaskell, perhaps North & South or Cranford? The books might be geared a bit younger than your sisters (especially the older one), but I've enjoyed some of Phyllis Whitney's mysteries and the Three Investigator mysteries. Not sure either if they'd like the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy (Mel, would that be the right age?), as it's rather full of monsters, but it's good and has some lovely Christian themes poking through.
Have they read all of L.M. Montgomery's books? I just finished rereading three of her short story collections.

Mel, please see the two questions above about Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy.
Glad to hear you enjoyed Hidden Figures. And The Floating Admiral was mentioned in the forward as the first of these group compilations, but I haven't found a copy yet.

I ended up picking up Middlemarch by George Eliot and am now about halfway through. I'm finding it more interesting than Mill on the Floss but everyone is still getting themselves into bad situations and I don't see how it will end happily without some deaths and/or changes in heart.

Poetry in the moonlight was a dangerous thing.