Spring Reading Thing Wrapup

The Spring Reading Thing is officially at an end, so it's time to do a wrap up post. Katrina gave us a list of questions that we could answer so I thought that would be the easiest way to post about it.

What was the best book you read this spring? The best new book I read was The Five Love Languages for Children. There were parts of the book that I was just amazed with, it felt like they were writing specifically about Jake. It really helped me realize that there are things he responds to more than others (Quality Time and Physical Touch mean more to him than Gifts) and I have really seen a change in him when I make an effort to do those things. The best reread would have to be Beyond One: Growing a Family and Getting a Life. This was not on my original list, but I took it with me on vacation and fell in love with it again.

What book could you have done without? There were several, actually. I never even finished 3 of the books on my list just because I couldn't get through them. I figured if I wasn't hooked within 50-75 pages, I probably wasn't going to get hooked. I stopped reading Cat's Eye, Lake Wobegon Days, and I Will Bear Witness. Although I've read Cat's Eye before, I was bored to tears (and I had the voice of a friend in the back of my head telling me how bad the book was). My uncle and I enjoy similar types of humor and he is a big fan of Garrison Keillor so it surprised me that I didn't like this one, either. I just couldn't keep myself awake, and all the "footnotes" at the bottom of each page were really distracting. And finally, I Will Bear Witness was very repetitive. It is a diary of WWII, but for the first year, every entry was almost exactly the same. I lost interest quickly.

Did you try out a new author this spring? If so, which one, and will you be reading that author again? Bitten was the first Kelley Armstrong book and I was pleasantly surprised with it. My husband, Dave, actually bought this book to read on the plane and I started reading it when he was done. He likes this stuff and I usually laugh when I see the books that he's chosen, thinking that they weren't "my thing". But I could easily see myself reading the rest of the books in this series. I also read Petticoat Ranch by Mary Connealy book (also not on my list, thank you Katrina!) and I really liked it! It was an easy, quick read which is just about all my brain can handle sometimes.

If there were books you didn't finish, tell us why. Did you run out of time? Realize those books weren't worth it? Just the three I already mentioned.

Did you come across a book or two on other participants' lists that you're planning to add to your own to-be-read pile? Which ones? I have actually saved the link to the review page so that as I need a new book suggestion, I can check out what others had to say!

What did you learn -- about anything -- through this challenge? I learned that I have a hard time finding books I like. I used to read just about anything anybody put in front of me, but now I find myself not wanting to waste my time with something I don't like from the beginning. I also realized that I might have to try some non-fiction books to see if they'll bore me as much as I think they will! And also, just because I create a list, doesn't mean I have to stick with it if I find something new or realize something else was bad.

What was the best part of the Spring Reading Thing? Reading something other than magazines. I had gotten away from reading and I had forgotten how good it feels to get invested in a character or a story line. I felt like I was reclaiming a little piece of me that I let die when I had the kids. I realized that I need to nurture my brain and imagination a little more.

Would you be interested in participating in another reading challenge this fall? Yes, Yes, YES!

This is what my reading list looked like by the end:
Bitten - Kelley Armstrong (FINISHED)
The Five Love Languages of Children - Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell (FINISHED)
At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks (FINISHED)
Winesburg, Ohio - Sherwood Anderson (FINISHED)
Cat's Eye - Margaret Atwood (STOPPED READING)
Lake Wobegon Days - Garrison Keillor (STOPPED READING)
I Will Bear Witness - Victor Klemperer (STOPPED READING)
Confessions of a Slacker Mom - Muffy Mead-Ferro (ADDED TO LIST/RE-READ - FINISHED)
14 Hours 'Til Bedtime - Jen Singer (ADDED TO LIST/RE-READ - FINISHED)
Beyond One: Growing a Family - Jennifer Bingham Hull (ADDED TO LIST/RE-READ - FINISHED)
Petticoat Ranch - Mary Conneally (ADDED TO LIST - FINISHED)
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger (ADDED TO LIST - IN PROGRESS)