Goodreads Book Challenge, Books 20-38

It was only maybe two years ago that my reading really started picking up.  I have always been a huge reader, from childhood and on.  There have definitely been seasons of reading in my life, where I have read more or less then other times.  College was a time of less for fun reading.  Who has time for that when you’re studying and attending classes.  I will say that I loved college, and I loved most of my classes, so a lot of that reading was semi-for fun.  Probably close to three years ago I started using Goodreads to keep track of my books, what I’ve read and what I wanted to read.  Goodreads also does a book challenge and every year I’ve totally failed.  Getting really sick with Phillip, having him, surgery, moving, adjusting, deployment….yeah, the last two years were just terrible in the reading department.  This year I’m well ahead of schedule and I shouldn’t have low-balled my challenge number but I did.  So right now I just finished book number 38 of 50, and I don’t see myself slowing down anytime soon.  Make sure you check out my previous post for the first 19 books on my list.

Navy Baby (Navy #5)  Truth Be Told  Navy Woman (Navy #4)  The Winnowing Season (Amish Vines and Orchards, #2)  Grace's Pictures  Jimmy (Red, Hot & Blue, #3)
16 Lighthouse Road (Cedar Cove, #1)  Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails: How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War  Murder in the Smithsonian (Capital Crimes, #4)  Navy Husband (Navy #6) (Silhouette Special Edition #1693)  The Christian Mama's Guide to the Grade School Years: Everything You Need to Know to Survive (and Love) Sending Your Kid Off Into the Big, Wide World  Take a Chance on Me (Christiansen Family, #1)

The Soldier's Newfound Family (Texas Twins, #5)  Jimmy (Red, Hot & Blue, #3) Jack (Red, Hot & Blue, #2)  A Man For The Summer  Mission: Motherhood Hidden Under Her Heart (Chance For Love #2)

A Season for Tending (Amish Vines and Orchids #1)Hugo The Happy Starfish: The Last Bully

There have been some good books in this group here and most of them I have reviewed here on the blog.  You can find the review for one of my top five of this grouping, The Soldier’s Newfound Family, on group blog and online community, Fancy Little Things.  You can also find some of the books from this year’s challenge on my summer reading list picks over at The Homefront United.  Make sure to check those out if you’re looking  for some good books to read or add to your ever growing list.  If you don’t use Goodreads I’m telling you that you are missing out.  It changed my life…well, as far as my reading life goes.  But seriously, it changed my life.  And, as always, you can check out my bookshelf  tab up top or find me on facebook and ask me anything!!

What are you reading right now?  Do you have a reading challenge you participate in?  Do you have a favorite summer reading book, or books?

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#MilitaryMonday and Rhe’s Bookshelf : War: 8000 Miles from Home

This week’s Military Monday is also a book review post for my bookshelf. I had the pleasure of reviewing a book by a military author, still serving. He writes under a pen name, and is a married father of three.

Summary:

First Lieutenant Taylor and Sergeant First Class Stewart lead 2nd Platoon of the 147th Military Police Company from White Bluff, Tennessee during combat patrols in Baghdad, Iraq during the surge.

Join them as they strengthen their bonds with each other through teamwork, adversity, and catastrophe.

They will never forget each other as they struggle through challenges that will affect them for their entire lives.

What I thought:

I have to say, that upon diving into the book, as I often do, without checking out all the details I wasn’t quite aware that it was a novel. Truth be told you wouldn’t know if it was held in a plain brown cover. The book is really quite remarkable to read. As I’m sure most military spouses can attest to, not a lot of details are shared. I remember watching some sort of documentary and it was concerning an area of “that place with lots of sand” quite near where my husband had been previously. I learned more from that hour show then I had learned from him. He didn’t want to worry me. I get it and I love him for it. The truth of the matter is that it wouldn’t matter if we watched every show, film or documentary ever made, we couldn’t possible understand 100%. If you would like some insight into the life, the life of war, with a little bit of the real ness of it, I suggest this book. It creates a story about real (even though it is fiction) people, that are human and not just faceless soldiers fighting a war. They have emotions and feelings that drive them, like we all do. I was also a little bit partial to this book because it portrayed the lives of National Guard Soldiers, which is not often done.

I whole-heartedly give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

It is available in Paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com – click my affiliate link to the right to check it out!

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