In my spare time

Hi everyone...I am so happy to tell you that I have found some spare time. I can't believe it...and I know you will all be surprised. So let me first explain to you what I am going to do with my spare time. I have been challenged...not that I don't enjoy the challenge and that I do this anyway...but I am always up for a goal. So I am going to do the 9-9-9 challenge! That means that I picked 9 categories and in each category I have chosen 9 books...that means I will read 81 books on 09...there it is...the 9-9-9 challenge.

Now let me tell you about my spare time...if I force myself to get off the computer by 2 am...then I have about an hour to read so that I can get up at 7 am. The morning spare time I try to read my Bible. If I put myself in 'time out' (potty break) then I can usually hide for about 10 minutes. I also have spare time when I pick big girl up if I go early and sit in the line. I know you are all wondering how in the world I am going to accomplish my goal...but I am going to try hard. I debated on doing this at all, but when I sat down and wrote down the books I have already read...I figured I would give it a try.

I am not sure if it is the challenge, my love for reading and books, or that froggy mom is just so darn encouraging...but I am up for the challenge. Plus...we trade books all the time...so this should be fun.

So I am going to post my list of books that I am going to try to read. This does not count my daily Bible reading and my 2 bible studies that I am involved in...this is strictly 'spare time' reading. And froggy mom...if you see any that you want to read, let me know and I will pass them on. I don't have all the books yet...but I will let you know. I will post my list, then you will see a new element on the side of the blog that I will keep you updated on the books I have read. Here you go:

I. Classics
1. A tale of two cities – Charles Dickens
2. The Island of Doctor Moreau – HG Wells
3. Tom Jones – Henry Fielding
4. Le Morte D’Arthur: King Arthur and the Legends of the Round Table – Thomas Malory
5. The Castle of Otranto: A gothic story – Horace Walpole
6. Cecilia, or memoirs of an Heiress – Frances Burney
7. Ms. Dalloway – Virginia Woolf
8. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
9. The woman in white – Wilkie Collins

II. Science and History
1. Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage – Alfred Lansing
2. A Sand County Almanac – Aldo Leopold
3. Sensory Exotica – Howard C. Hughes
4. The lives of Ants – Laurent Keller
5. The Essential Aldo Leopold – Curt D. Meine
6. Auschwitz a new history – Laurence Rees
7. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn – Eric Ives
8. The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey – Candice Milllard
9. A Delusion of Satan: The full story of the Salem witch trials – Frances Hill
III. Biography
1. Vivian Leigh
2. The Diary of Virginia Woolf Volumes 1-5
3. Marlee Matlin ‘I’ll Scream Later’
4. Edgar Allen Poe, His life and legacy – Jeffrey Meyers
5. John Adams – David McCullough
6. Beatrix Potter: A journal – Beatrix Potter
7. The Unabridged journals of Sylvia Plath
8. Survival in Auschwitz – Primo Levi
9. Called out of Darkness: A spiritual Confession – Anne Rice

IV. Books I have wanted to read
1. The Importance of being Earnest – Oscar Wilde
2. The Monk – Matthew Lewis
3. The Stolen Child – Keith Donohue
4. Jungle book – Rudyard Kipling
5. The man in the Iron Mask – Alexandre Dumas
6. The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
7. Sybil – Flora Rheta Schreiber
8. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall – Anne Bronte (oxford classic)
9. The Last Dickens – Matthew Pearl

V. Books I LOVE to re-read
1. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen (actually I love ALLof her books)
2. Harry Potter Series (audiobooks)
3. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
4. Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen
5. Dracula – Bram Stroker
6. Interview with the Vampire – Anne Rice
7. Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
8. Lord of the Rings Trilogy – JR Tolkien
9. A wrinkle in time – Madeleine L’Engle

VI. Recommended for me
1. Acts (life lessons) – Max Lucado
2. Bible Moms: Life lessons from mothers in the Bible – Amber Swenson
3. A Treasury of Royal Scandals – Michael Farquhar
4. The Shack – William P. Young
5. Sookie Stackhouse series (read 1-4 and need a break) – Charlaine Harris
6. Courageous Leadership – Bill Hybels
7. Texas Garden Almanac – Doug Welsh’s
8. One Tough Mother: it’s time to step up and be mom – Julie Barnhil
9. Better than Good – Zig Zeigler

VII. Fiction
1. Inkheart series – Cornelia Funke (Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath)
2. Twilight Series – audiobooks
3. Serena – Ron Rash
4. The last Lecture – Randy Pausch
5. Running with Scissors – Augusten Burroughs
6. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun – JRR Tolkien
7. The Children of Hurin – JRR Tolkien
8. The Italian – Ann Radcliffe (oxford world classic)
9. Skin – Ted Dekker

VIII. Books to read with the girls
1. Princess Bride – William Goldman
2. Matilda – Roald Dahl
3. Jude Blume (Fudge-a-mania, Sheila the great, Tales of a 4th grade nothing, Superfudge)
4. Charlotte’s Web – EB White
5. The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
6. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – Judi Barrett
7. The Mouse and the motorcycle – Beverly Cleary
8. Pippi Longstocking – Astrid Lindgren
9. Freckle Juice – Judy Blume

IX. Saw the Movie…want to read the book
1. The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas (actually a re-read that I love)
2. Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
3. Vanity Fair – William Makepeace
4. A Beautiful Mind – Sylvia Nasar
5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
6. The other Boleyn girl – Philippa Gregory
7. Anna Karenina – Helen Edmundson
8. A streetcar named desire – Tennesse Williams
9. The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas