November Reading List

After a lame effort in October I got back into the swing of things with my reading for November.  I find that feeding time gives me a lot of time for reading.  This month I managed to read 7 books which brings me up to a total of 43 for the year.  That means if I want to reach my goal of 52 books I need to read another 9 in December.  I am not too confident that will happen but I will give it a shot.  This month I read

I continued on with my obsession with the Stephanie Plum series.  I have 4 more of these books on my ereader and then there are another 2 in the series that I need to get although one hasn't be released yet.  I have said basically everything I can about this series the past few months.  They are great and I am still loving the series!

Flea Market Chic is a new book I bought the other week.  I could basically live in this book.  It is all about making and decorating your home with items sourced from flea markets and op shops and secondhand.  I have found so much inspiration in this book I really can't wait until we are able to buy a house.  So many times while reading this book I said to Corey "ooh I want one of these".  I think he is dreading us buying a house now!

So now to finish of my year with a bang (hopefully!).  Fingers crossed I can get a bit of reading in during December.

October Reading List

Well, October, what a busy month you were!  I read a grand total of 1 book.  Yep, that's right people, I lonely little book.  But it's a book that I think is going to do me a lot of good.

When I first got pregnant I read a lot of reviews online about Tizzie Hall.  They were very mixed reviews.  Some people loved her advice and routines and some people were dead against them.  I avoided reading the book for a while because of some of the negative feedback I had read online.  My Aunty follows the routines in this book with her little boy and he is the best sleeper.  She advised me to read it but still I put it off.  Finally a friend from work gave me her copy and after it sat on my bookshelf for a few weeks before I finally gave in and picked it up.

I was pretty surprised with the book.  The advice seems pretty straight forward and the routines are not too strict.  Tizzie champions the idea of having a routine but she also tells you not to let having a routine force you to sit at home.  She tells you how to have a routine while also keeping it flexible so you can actually have a social life.  Being only 3 weeks we haven't been to strict on Imogen's routine just yet.  She pretty much eats on the routine in the book but the day sleeps are a whole other thing.  She usually does one or two of them but never all three.

What I have found very helpful in this book are Tizzie's tips for teaching babies to self settle.  This is a battle we are still working on with Imogen but we are making progress and that is all we can hope for.

Have any of you read this book?  Did the advice work for you?  Do you follow a routine for your babies?

September Reading List

I just realised that it is nearly November and I still haven't shared my September books with you all.  But that's ok because here they are now...

For September I continued reading the Stephanie Plum series and managed to smash through six more books.  Like I said last month these books are a really easy read and are very entertaining. I highly recommend them if you are after a mindless read that you can flick through while lazing about.  The perfect summer holiday read!  This month brings me up to 35 books for the year with 17 left for the year. I don't like my chances of getting there because for October I have only read 1 book. Slacker!!!

August Reading List

I am pretty happy with how I went this past month with my reading.  I think this month is going to be even better.  I think it is because I have found a good series that I am enjoying and am powering through all the books.  For August I read.....

The Diary of Mattie Spenser was probably my least favourite book. It was a bit of a slow read.  I am not really that into period dramas so it wasn't really my sort of thing.  I trudged through it though.  The Pilot's Wife was an awesome read! I smashed it out in a couple of days.  It was given to me by one of the girls at work and I loved it.  I think I need to investigate some more Anita Shreve books.  One for the Money is the first book in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.  Stephanie Plum is a bumbling bounty hunter who has a knack for running into trouble while trying to chase her targets.  The books are hilarious and such easy reads.  I also managed to read book 2 (Two for the Dough) and book 3 (Three to Get Deadly) in August.  Don't be surprised when my September list comes out if it is basically the rest of this series. I am enjoying them that much!

This month brings me up to 29 books which leaves me with 23 books to read in 4 months.  Fingers crossed I can get there!

June Reading List

Every time I write these posts I am baffled that another month is over and done with.  This months I managed 4 books.  Being that we are now halfway through the year we would expect that I would've read 26 books to be on track with my goal of 52 for the year.  Well I have come close to that goal with 24 books down.  This month I managed to read the following:-

With Friends Like These - This book is about a group of 4 friends and how as they grew up and got married and started having children their lives and friendships changed.  I really enjoyed this book.  I think it was because I could relate to some of the story lines having just gotten married and being pregnant with my first child.

My Name Is Memory - I loved this book!!! The concept was awesome and I think it was executed really well.  The idea of the book is that some people in the world can remember all of their past lives and can recognise souls of people that have come into contact with before.  The story centers around 1 boy who can remember who is chasing the love of his life (or lives) through their lifetimes and trying to get her to remember him.  It is a love story and it is a beautiful read!

French Children Don't Throw Food - This is the only parenting book that I have read since falling pregnant and it was really enjoyable.  It is written by an American lady who married a British guy and moved to Paris when they had a daughter and then twin boys.  She shares the differences she observed between French parenting techniques and British/American parenting techniques.  I like that this book doesn't dictate strict rules and regulations for parenting and recognises that every child and every parent is different.  A lot of the concepts that it shares make perfect sense and I will definitely be giving them a go with Squishy.  I'll report back later and let you know if they work.

Water For Elephants - If you liked The Notebook then you have to read Water For Elephants.  I love how the book is written from the perspective of the main character at two points of his life.  I thought the love story in this book was really good but I also enjoyed the relationship between the main character and the animals he cared for in the circus.  The book was interspersed with pictures of vintage circuses which I loved.  Even in black and white they really portray the excitement and theatrics of circuses in the 1920's and you can really imagine the being there.

After finishing French Children Don't Throw Food I wondered whether I should read any other parenting style books before Squishy comes along.  Are they necessary?  Are there any good ones that you have read and would recommend?

May Reading List

Winter has started off with a bang here on the Gold Coast.  This past week has been full of grey rainy days and it seems set to continue for the weekend.  This means I get to pull out all my cosy knits but it also means that I can't get any decent photos of a new knit that I have to share with you.  Fingers crossed I can get some decent light this afternoon!  So because I can't take any photos I thought I would share with you the books I read in May.

So this months reading list didn't reach the dizzying heights of last month and to be honest I'm not sure if I'll hit 7 books in a month again this year.  But the books I did read this month I did enjoy.  I read another 2 books in the Pretty Little Liars series.  There are 4 more books I think in this series but only 2 of them are out.  I can only find one on the e-reader store so I think I might get the other from the library.  Deadlocked is the latest book in the Sookie Stackhouse series.  I am addicted to these books! I rushed out and bought it the first chance I got and read it within 2 days.  I must say I got to the end and kind of went "is that it?" I was expecting more.  The Book of Lost Threads is a random book I got of my friends e-reader which I must say I chose purely because of the cover.  I really enjoyed this book. It tells the story of 4 people in a little country town who become friends and help each other deal with their demons and make some moving realizations about their lives.  It is a very moving and sweet book.

So this month brings my total for the year up to 20 for the year.  If I want to reach my goal of 52 books I need to read 4.57 books a month!  Ha ha random number.  Considering I am going to have a newborn bub for the last couple of months of the year and I assume not much reading time I think I should get a wriggle on.

April Reading List

This month was a good reading month for me.  I managed 7 books!  I think this is my best month of reading since the start of last year.

I finished up the Shopaholic series with Shopaholic & Baby.  This was a fun read being pregnant and able to relate to a lot of the stuff that was going on in the book.  Especially the overwhelming feeling of all the things you have to buy.  One of the items on my 101 in 1001 list is to reread the Harry Potter series.  I finished up Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince and now I only have 1 more book till I can cross that item of my 101 list.  The last 5 books I read are the first 5 books in the Pretty Little Liars series.  These books are so quick to read and they really suck you in.  They are about a group of teenage girls whose best friend goes missing in year 7.  In the first book they start receiving text messages revealing their closest secrets from someone who they believe is their missing friend.  It is part mystery part suspense and they having totally sucked me in.

March Reading List

I just realised last night that it is over half way through April and I still haven't posted my books that I read in March.  I am trying again to read 52 books in the year.  So far (including March) I have read 9 books.  That leaves me with 43 books to read in 9 months. Not too sure how that is going to go especially with Squishy due at the start of October. Anyways, here is what I read in March...

I could not for the life of me gets these to go in order so they are going backwards instead.  Damn blogger was not playing nice this morning.  The month of March was taken over by reading the Shopaholic series.  I really love these books.  They are light and funny and so easy to read.  There is a few more in the series but I only have 1 more on my ereader which I just finished last night.  If you are after a quick easy read I would recommend giving these a go.  And for anyone that is a little shopping obsessed the first book definitely helps to bring your spending into perspective!

February Reading List

Hello, is there anybody out there? It's me Kat. Yes I am still alive.  Things have been a bit hectic at home and with work and I haven't had any time for sewing, knitting, baking or any of the things I love to do really.  So without any creating happening in my life there hasn't really been anything to post about.  I'm trying my hardest to get back into things and have a little project I am working on for my cousin that I will be able to post by the end of the week.  In the meantime here is my reading list for February. I think it aptly reflects how little time I have had for anything lately.

Sad really isn't it. Burqalicious is a memoir young professional women who moves from London to Dubai in pursuit of a lavish lifestyle.  I really enjoyed this story because I think it exposed some of the myths that people have of Dubai.  At some points the story was a bit repetitive but it's real life so you can't really change that.

Gunn's Golden Rules was a fantastic book! I found that when I was reading this book I could totally hear Tim Gunn's voice in my head.  I love Tim Gunn and I really enjoyed this book which is basically just little bits of wisdom and advice for living a happy life.  I think everyone should read it!

Ok, so I know I said last time that I would post more often but this time I really hope I can.  I miss the blog world and I miss all my bloggy friends.  Hopefully there are still some of you here reading.

January Reading List

So this year I am reattempting my goal of reading 52 books from last year.  Last year I only made it to 40 books.  This month I have only read 3 books which is a pretty slow start to the year.  I am hoping I will beat that amount next month. But for now here is my reading list from January.

Saving Rachel was a book that was only 99c on Borders when I was buying ebooks for my new reader.  I grabbed it because of the price and I'm so glad I did because I loved the book. It's a super quick read and it sucks you in straight away.  It is a thriller/mystery type book and I must say the twist at the end is worth the read.

Seriously, I'm Kidding was the first book I bought for my new ereader after Christmas.  It is the most random book I have ever read and it is hilarious.  It is literally just random little thoughts and stories that Ellen has decided to share.  I love Ellen! Anyone who loves her tv show has got to read this book because it is hilarious.

Minxy Vintage was a Christmas present from my mum and dad.  I have read this from cover to cover multiple times and it is so inspiring.  It makes me want to cut up and customise all my clothes and shop for vintage at the same time.  Everyone needs to own this book!!!

So I am hoping in February to step it up to 4 books for the month.  Fingers crossed I can reach that goal.