Spring Reading Thing, 2012

When I heard people saying that today was the first day of Spring, the first thing I thought of was "Ooops -- I gotta get my Spring Reading Thing post ready."  So -- a little late -- here we go:

A couple of my 2012 goals involved reading. In fact, I wrote an entire post just about my reading goals for 2012. I need to write an update on all of those, but I've done pretty well on keeping track of my reading, which was one of the things that I wanted to do, and I've also purposed to do more personal reading (not review books for 5 Minutes for Books), and I've done well with that as well.

So unlike months' past, I actually have a fairly good idea of some of the books I'll be reading over the next few months.

I love audiobooks! Here are a few in my queue (all for review):

• Illusion: A Novel by Frank Peretti -- some of the early reviews I've read have criticized this book for its lack of Christian imagery, but I'm excited to check it out.
• Out of Sight, Out of Time is the latest book in the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter that Amanda has been reading. I've wanted to check out Ally Carter, and Amanda likes audiobooks as well, so I think she'll like listening as well.
• Ten Things I Hate About Me is another YA book for Amanda and me. Randa Abdel-Fattah writes about an Australian/Muslim girl (and I think she is/was one as well). Amanda's reading her first book now, which I got her when I knew this was coming, and she's really enjoying it.
• I haven't read Harlan Coban in some time, so when I saw his new audiobook Stay Close, I was excited to try it.

And the fiction books on my pile for the next few months are ready and waiting as well:

• The Land of Decoration: A Novel by Grace McCleen which is being compared to Room (we'll see about that)
• Sarah Pekkanen's These Girls: A Novel, which will be my first by her.
• Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is one I've been meaning to get to, and I know I will
• More Than You Know: A Novel -- set in the 1960s looks interesting, but is really really long
• The World Without You: A Novel by Joshua Henkin, whose first novel I really enjoyed
• The Cottage at Glass Beach: A Novel is a new one by Heather Barbieri, who wrote The Lacemakers of Glenmara (which I never got around to reading)
• A friend recommended Emily and Einstein: A Novel of Second Chances, and I saw that it was coming out new in its paperback printing, so I was able to get a review copy. LOVE the new paperback cover.

Nonfiction -- I have quite a few of these actually in progress (the first 5 actually), and others I need to get on:

• Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
• Jesus + Nothing = Everything
• Just a Minute: In the Heart of a Child, One Moment ... Can Last Forever by Wess Stafford
• Mitali Perkins, a favorite kidlit author wrote Ambassador Families: Equipping Your Kids To Engage Popular Culture, and it's been very practical
• Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke
• Making Babies: Stumbling into Motherhood a memoir by acclaimed novelist Anne Enright
• Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son by another powerhouse writer Anne Lamott
• Paris in Love: A Memoir by Eloisa James
• I've Had It Up to Here with Teenagers which is sometimes true, so I'm hoping for some lighthearted yet practical advice from Melinda Rainey Thompson

There will be more, and that sure seems like a big list to handle in the next few months, but we'll see how it unfolds.  See what others are trying to read at Callapidder Days' Spring Reading Thing.