However, April's length (or the many holidays, or the fact that I've spent a lot of time in the village lately.. I don't know) has made it the best month for reading so far. I've still got a week left in April but I've already read 6 books this month. I'll probably hit 7 or 8 by the time May arrives. Which is good, because May 1 starts the Semi-Charmed Summer Book Challenge, which I think I have convinced both my PC BFF and my sissy to do with me! (This is your reminder, guys.)
During the winter I read some clunkers, but lately I've been killing it with choosing great ones to read - I think that's how I'm moving through them so fast, because they're so good! So I thought I'd give a nod to some of the great ones (or not so good ones that had some good quotes) in anticipation of the start of this challenge and because, you guys, I've read 41 books since I got to Moldova. FORTY-ONE. That's way more than I normally get through.
- "Nevertheless, each time our spirits sank, something would happen to renew our hope. Sometimes it was just a sunset. It was a beautiful sunset." - Jane Mendelsohn, I Was Amelia Earhart // This perfectly describes a bad day in the Peace Corps - maybe nothing is going right, but then, there's a beautiful sunset. Or a phone call from a friend. Or a quote in a book. Something will happen to renew our hope.
- "And even though these last nine months have been the most trying of my life, they've also been the truest." - Claire Kells, Girl Underwater // I read this just about exactly when I hit 9 months of service, so I don't think I need to explain that one any further.
- "I feel more like myself. That is all I need: to remember who I am. And I am someone who does not let inconsequential things like boys and near-death experiences stop her." - Veronica Roth, Divergent // Well, maybe boys occasionally, but definitely not near-death experiences..
- "But you will do it. It doesn't matter if you believe you can or not. You will, because that's who you are." - Veronica Roth, Insurgent
- "'You're the one who has to live with your choice,' she says. 'Everyone else will get over it, move on, no matter what you decide. But you never will.'" - Veronica Roth, Four // Particularly relevant these days, as people try to talk me out of what I believe I want to do.
- "He still had some doubts about the decision had had made. But he was able to understand one thing: making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision." - Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
- "The alchemist said, 'No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn't know it.'" - Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
- "So here we go, you and me. Because what else are we going to do? Say no? Say no to an opportunity that may be slightly out of our comfort zone? Quiet our voice because we are worried it is not perfect? I believe great people to things before they are ready." - Amy Poehler, Yes Please // Amy Poehler is such a genius. If you haven't read her book, DO.
- "That is the motto women should constantly repeat over and over again. Good for her! Not for me." - Amy Poehler, Yes Please // See? Genius.
- "The only way we will survive is by being kind. The only way we can get by in this world is through the help we receive from others. No one can do it alone, no matter how great the machines are." - Amy Poehler, Yes Please
If you can believe it, I've got a ton more.. But maybe that's enough, especially because I am still going to add my list for the #SCSBC15 to this post! If you want more inspirational quotes, just ask and I've gotcha.
10 points: Read a book you have never heard of before. (Just go to a shelf and pick a book based on the cover, the title, whatever you want!) - Michelangelo's Notebook, Paul Christopher
10 points: Read a book that has been on your TBR list for at least two years. - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Susan Cain
10 points: Read a book that won a Goodreads “Best Book” award in 2014. - #GIRLBOSS, Sophia Amoruso
15 points: Read a book by an author who is completely new to you. - The Opposite of Loneliness, Marina Keegan
15 points: Read a book by an author you have read before. (No re-reads for this one.) - Since You've Been Gone, Morgan Matson
15 points: Read a book with "light" or "dark" in the title. (Or "lightness" or "darkness.") - Dark Places, Gillian Flynn
20 points: Read a book with the name of a city, state or country in the title. - Looking for Alaska, John Green
20 points: Read a book with an animal on the cover. -
25 points: Read a book that is part of a series with at least four books. - Sisterhood Everlasting, Ann Brashares
25 points: Read a book that is longer than 500 pages long. — The Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver
30 points: Read a book with an alliterative title. (All words in the title must begin with the same letter; no exceptions for articles or prepositions. Examples: Gone Girl or Nicholas Nickleby. Yes, this is tough, which is why it's worth the most points!) - Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott
I don't have my animal book yet, and I feel as though some of the others will change when I sit in the PC library for a decade and look at every single book.. But there's the preliminary list! Now I can get back to reading, right...?
[EDIT: I've changed my alliterative category to Killing Kennedy, which Bill O'Reilly is kindly reading to me as I walk to and from work.]
[EDIT: I've changed my alliterative category to Killing Kennedy, which Bill O'Reilly is kindly reading to me as I walk to and from work.]
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