Why do I read?

I’m just a few pages away from finishing the book I’m reading. But now the kids are waking up from naps and the quiet afternoon spent wrapped in blankets is about to come to a close. There are snowflakes coming down; probably one of the last snowfalls of the year. It is a day to stay inside with an excuse to read, and the gray skies are a fitting backdrop for the book I’m reading about the Holocaust. (The Lost Wife, by Alyson Richman). What a nice luxury to spend several hours reading! I’m learning about a different time, but mostly I read to be "entertained" by being immersed in the emotions and details of another life that comes with storytelling.

2010 Book List

• I'm clearing my book list from last year and starting new. Here is the list of what I read last year. There are a few books missing here and there as I forget quickly what I have read if I don't write it down. And if you have too much time on your hands, you may also be interested in my book list from 2008. 
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• 12/20/10 "In His Steps" Charles M. Sheldon
• 12/5/10 "Kidnapped" Robert Louis Stevenson
• 11/20/10: "Guide to Childbirth" Ina May Gaskin
• 11/5/10: "Prodigal Summer" Barbara Kingsolver
• 10/23/10: "Warren Buffett and the Business of Life" Alice Schroeder
• 10/10/10: "Twentynine Palms" Daniel Pyne
• 9/25/10: "The Farmers Daughter" Jim Harrison
• 8/12/10: "Over on the Dry Side" Louis L'Amour
• 7/23/10: "Sweeping Up Glass" Carolyn Wall
• 7/12/10: "The Tall Stranger" Louis L'Amour
• 7/7/10: "The Iron Marshal" Louis L'Amour
• 6/13/10: "Soul Murder" Andrew Nugent
• 5/23/10: "Don't Make Me Count to Three" Ginger Plowman
• 4/15/10: "Sackett's Land" Louis L'Amour
• 4/7/10: "Ride the Dark Trail" Louis L'Amour
• 3/20/10 "Vintage Caper" Peter Mayle
• 3/12/10: "More Food from Your Garden" Jacob Mittleider
• 3/10/10: "100 Garden Tips & Time savers" Walter Chandoha
• 3/5/10: "Organic Gardening in Cold Climates" Sandra Perrin
• 2/15/10: "At Bertram's Hotel" Agatha Christie
• 1/28/10: "The Tristan Betrayal" Robert Ludum

Updated Book List

I have removed my list of books read during 2008 (on the right panel) and started a new list for this year. I'm not going to include the children's books I read to Gage... that list would be really long. And it is hard to feel a sense of accomplishment for reading a book with a total of 20 words. However, I think I should get an award every time I read Dr. Seuss' Zoo book without stumbling on the words.

Since I didn't update my blog during 2009 I don't have a list of the books I read last year. But I want to keep a record of my 2008 books, so I've listed them here for posterity sake.

11/8/08: "Lies, Inc." Philip K. Dick
10/1/08: "Bowdrie's Law" Louis L'Amour
9/29/08: other short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson
9/22/08: "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" Robert Louis Stevenson
9/12/08: "Interview with a Vampire" Anne Rice
8/25/08: "The Last of the Mohicans" James Fenimore Cooper
8/6/08: "Evil Under The Sun" Agatha Christie
8/5/08: "The Red Pony" John Steinbeck
7/1/08: "Three Cups of Tea" Greg Mortenson
6/16/08: "Change of Heart" Jodi Picoult
6/14/08: "Victory Over Japan" Ellen Gillchrist
5/21/08: "Playing for Pizza" John Grisham
5/12/08: "Water for Elephants" Sara Gruen
5/7/08: "The Servant" James Hunter
4/27/08: "Friday Night Knitting Club" Kate Jacobs
3/4/08: "Tucker" Louis L'Amour
2/20/08: "Jane Eyre" Charlotte Bronte
2/1/08: "The Winter of Our Discontent " John Steinbeck

Happy Reading!