Books, Books, Books

I am a read-aholic. I love books. When I was first hired in the ER I realized that for the first time in 4 years, I had time to read what I wanted to read instead of having to wade through course work textbooks and novels. Don't get me wrong - there were some great books I read for school, but there were a lot of books I never would have read in a million years on my own, and if given the choice I would never read them again.

In the last several years I have read a lot of books. Along the way I kept thinking, "I need to keep a list of everything that I have read," but I never did. Finally the other night I tried to write it all down, but I am sure I am missing a bunch. I don't have as much time to read now that I am in the office more, and because of that it takes me a lot longer to get through a single book than it used to, but I am always open for suggestions.

And without further ado, here is my rough list of things I have read over the last couple of years.

1. Harry Potter - Yes, my first time through them. I may have been 10 years behind everyone else, but better late than never. LOVED them!
2. Twilight - Yes, my first time through them. HATED them! The idea is really cool, but there is SO much missing. You could cut out 3/4 of each of those books and not lose any content. Nothing happens.
3. The Chronicles of Narnia - LOVED them! Possibly my favorite children's book series ever.
4. Hunger Games - LOVED them! Fantastic read. So unlike anything I have read in a long time.
5. The Great and Terrible Series - by Chris Stewart. Good read. 6 books in the series. Humbling story following a family from the premortal existence to their life on earth in the last days. Kind of frightening to think how easily the US or any other nation could crumble, but how the Gospel keeps things pieced together when nothing else can. I definitely recommend them.
6. The Kingdom and the Crown Series - by Gerald Lund. Good read. I never finished the Work and the Glory because there was something in the writing that bothered me. But I didn't notice it with this one. I enjoyed this series because it really brings the matter of faith home to me. Even though I have never seen Christ on earth, I know that He lives and I believe in Him with all my heart. Would I have found it so easy to believe if I lived on earth during His ministry? If I lived in Jerusalem and heard Him teach? I pray I would have. But would it have been harder to believe that the carpenter's son could really be the Savior had you grown up there? Known him? It's harder to say, but I love the people in this story and in the scriptures that literally gave up everything to follow Him. That is certainly how I want to live my life.
7. Anne of Green Gables - LOVED them. I think I may actually have one left in the series, but I am not sure. What a sweet story. Beautifully written. Wonderful characters. Charming. Clean. A breath of fresh air.
8. Deception Point - by Dan Brown. First book that has ever made my jaw literally drop from shock. I really enjoyed it. This was my introduction to the mystery thriller genre and I fell in love. I want to write these kind of books!
9. The Lost Symbol - by Dan Brown. Thumbs up.
10. Angels and Demons - by Dan Brown. Another thumbs up. I don't think you can really ever go "wrong" with Dan Brown. There are only two things that I don't love about his writing. 1. His characters have the habit of being annoyingly knowledgeable. Especially Robert Langdon. Even "experts" don't have the answer to everything, and just in the nick of time. And though I found this improbable, it wasn't enough to make me stop reading. 2. There is always some big shock toward the end. Granted, I never know what it is until it hits me in the face, and then I find myself thinking, "I should have seen that one coming." But aside from that, great books. Super short chapters so they flies by. I particularly like the historical fiction part of things. I love books that deal with things I might recognize or connect with.
11. Map of Bones - by James Rollins. Thumbs up again! He is very similar to Dan Brown in content, but his characters aren't as all-knowing as Brown's often are. I actually like Rollin's better. This one was similar to Brown in that it dealt with Catholic Relics, but it was a fantastic mixture of the history and science. Very cool.
12. Black Order - also by James Rollins. This one deals with Nazi science experiments post WWII. I really enjoyed it.
13. Marley and Me - by John Grogan. LOVED it! So so good.
14. Dewey - by Vicki Myron. LOVED it! Same genre as Marley and Me, but it's a true story about a library cat.
15. Above Suspicion - by Betsy Brannon Green. It was okay. This was one of the first LDS author mystery thrillers I had read. Not my favorite though. The plot sounded really dumb, but compared to another one I read around the same time it was tons better.
I can't recall the other book's title or it's author, but that one is the first and only book I have ever read that made me physically gag with its cheesiness. I am girl and I like a little bit of romance. I love watching chick flicks. But oh goodness - that book was horrible. I was marketed as a mystery thriller, but there was no mystery and no thrill to it. I knew exactly who the bad guy was the whole time and was incredibly annoyed that no one else had considered him a suspect - especially considering the crime in question was selling US secrets.
16. Backtrack - by Betsy Brannon Green. HATED it. Listened to it on a road trip with a friend and we only kept listening hoping it would get better, but it didn't.
17. Hazardous Duty, Above and Beyond, Code of Honor - Betsy Brannon Green. Of the Green books I read these were definitely the best. Still a little cheesy and over simplified, but pretty good.
18. The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Stick with Disney. It sucked.
19. A Time to Kill - by John Grisham. Good read. Really long, and absolutely no action. I am surprised this book held my attention because nothing happens. It was just fascinating I suppose.
20. A Banner is Unfurled - Good read. These books are written about my Great-great-great(ish) grandpa and his family. It is written by some cousins distantly related, probably by one of the other wives back in the day. We get these for Christmas each time a new one comes out. Good family history. But also great for anyone of the LDS faith. It follows the early establishment of the Church.
21. Three Cups of Tea - I haven't finished this one yet. I really enjoyed the first half, but am getting stuck right now. The story is really amazing and inspiring, but I am just at a point where it's not about the story and more about history right now and I have just having a hard time staying focused.
22. The Bourne Identity - by Robert Ludlum. LOVED it! SO different from the movie, but equally as good. They have so little in common that it's easy to love both because they are two totally different stories. They have the basics in common - a trained assassin that has lost his memory and is found in the ocean. And a girl named Marie is involved.
23. The Hiding Place - by Corrie Ten Boom. I am about half way through but I LOVE IT! Such an amazing book! The writing is incredible and what an amazing story. I recommend it!!!
24. The Long Walk - by Slawomir Rawicz. LOVED it. Absolutely incredible. It's a true story about a prisoner of war taken to a Siberian work camp, his escape, and his trek to freedom. Humbling and powerful. I definitely recommend it.

I have already thought of a couple more, but I can't remember what they were called, and they weren't very good either. I guess if anyone wants me to find out what they were called and post the title so they know to avoid them, I would be happy to do that.

Have you read anything that you would recommend?