Reading Challenge: Mocha Girls Read

Every year I set a reading goal through GoodReads.com Reading Challenge. This year, in addition to my usual challenge, I've committed to completing the Mocha Girls Reading Challenge. The goal is to read books that spell out MOCHA GIRLS 15, by selecting books or authors that start with the corresponding letter and/or number.

I'm a bit of an FREE eBook fiend and tend to download a lot of books. Some that I want to read sooner, rather than later get added to my "to-read" list. Therefore this year I'll combine the MOCHA GIRLS 15 challenge with my attempt to get to some of these older books on my "to-read" list by only choosing books for the Mocha challenge from books already on my reading list (If possible. Currently I have 8 out of 12 that I can pull from my list.  The remaining will come from a pre-ordered March 2015 release and other books I have in inventory, but not on my "to-read" list yet).

Just as a planning measure I'm pre-selecting books from my list I plan to complete according the criteria set forth, but may change if needed. My overall reading goal for the year is twenty-five (25) books so this Mocha Girls Challenge will consume twelve (12) of those slots.

M - Believing God Day by Day: Growing Your Faith All Year Long by Beth Moore
O – Outside (Outside #1) by Shalini Boland (Goodreads Author)
C - Day-Day (Chop, Chop #2) by L.N. Cronk (Goodreads Author)
H - The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
A - The American Lady ((The Glassblower Trilogy Book 2)

G - Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine by Max Lucado
I - I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (Maybe, this is an extremely long book)
R -Retirement Planning Checklist: The Ultimate Guide by Natalie Johnson (Goodreads Author)
L - Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs 
      by Emerson   Eggerichs
S - The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois

1 - One More Winter: A Short Story by Rebecca K. O'Connor (Goodreads Author)
5 - Five Days in May by Ninie Hammon (Goodreads Author)

So there you have it! A sneak peak at some of the books I plan to read this year. I try to mix it up and not choose all the same type books. The remaining books will be chosen randomly and/or depending upon what "My Girls" and I decide to read this year for book discussion.

I'll be updating this post throughout the year so sign-up to Follow me to keep up with my progress and reviews I'll write.  :-)

What's on your reading list? Any great suggestions?

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Book Review: Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Just a quick snippet until my full review...

I started this book and quickly began to wonder if I was going to enjoy it. It wasn't until I was about half-way through the book that the yearning to complete the book and find out how it ends finally developed in me. At this point I couldn't wait until I could read(listen) more without distraction.

I used my Kindle "Text to Speech" feature to listen to the majority of this book, but would occasionally stop to read and/or reread some sections that I had gotten distracted on. I'm actually toying with the idea to read this book through a second time.

I really enjoyed how it ended and was surprised at the end because you have an expectation of how it's supposed to end and then you see that what your THOUGHT happened...well read it! :-) 

So, It's just January and I've got two (2) books completed towards my reading goal for the year so far.  I'm currently reading the third book: "Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, and International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together" by Ron Hall, Denver Moore and Lynn Vincent (Collaborator). Whew...that's a mouthful!  I hope to complete this book before the end of the month so stay tuned for that review.  You can see more of my 2012 planned reading in my "Reading Goal": Do Audiobooks count? post.

What are you reading?

Book Review: Reinventing Rachel

Reinventing Rachel: A Novel by Alison Strobel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a story about Rachel's life and all the chaos that unfolds in a very short time frame that caused her to take some drastic steps. WOW!

Hmmm....while I can kinda see this sorta thing happening in real life it was quite a stretch for me, especially the major relocation in an even shorter time period. For a person to be as devoted to God as Rachel was the amount of time it took her life to COMPLETELY collapse was unrealistic. YET the storyline of how God was clearly using these events to draw her to a deeper and more personal and passionate relationship with HIM was by far the strongest pull on my heart.

As a believer it can be very easy to fall into a PATTERN of what we know we should do, but are we passionate about the lifestyle? Have we developed a personal relationship with Christ to the point that when we are going through difficult times in life we don't completely turn our back on God?

However, God loves us so much that HE will never leave or forsake us. A quote from the book summed this up very nice: "God's been following me like a lost puppy, nipping on my heels and trying to get me to pick him up."

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Book Description: God let Rachel Westing down. For twenty-six years she’s done everything by the book; she figures He should have her back. But then she learns her fiancé is cheating on her. Her parents are getting a divorce. And her Christian mentor has a pill addiction. Where is God in all this? Nowhere, as far as Rachel can see. Wounded, bitter, and with a shattered faith, she quits her job and goes across the country to live with Daphne—her childhood best friend whose soul Rachel once thought she was meant to save. Confident, successful, fun-loving Daphne sets about helping Rachel reinvent herself, and for a while it’s exciting. But when another tragedy shakes Rachel to the core, what little bit of self-possession she has left begins to unravel. A true-to-life story that will draw you in and keep you biting your nails until the end.

"Reading Goal": Do Audiobooks Count?

I'm a member of Goodreads.com and this will be my second year signing up for the Reading Challenge.  You can track my progress in the left panel.  Last year my goal was 12 books, which meant I had to read 1 book a month minimum. That's a very doable goal for a busy person like myself.  Here's a snapshot of what I "read".

Sometime during July, 2011 I activated a membership with Audible.com through a $1 for 6 months offer I received on my Kindle with Special Offers and so began my journey and I'm not ashamed to admit a love for listening to audiobooks.  This was a steal of a deal because I received 1-credit per month and 1 credit would get you one audiobook.  (The math: I received 6 audiobooks for $1).  So then the BIG QUESTION popped into my head -- Should I count audiobooks towards my goal of books "Read".  I decided to include them. :-)  Of the fourteen (14) books I completed only 5 were in audiobook format.  I know you're wondering, I thought you received 6 credits so why didn't I get 6 books, right?  I decided to GIFT an audiobook to a dear friend of mines. :-)

Today I decided to google the question "Do audiobooks count towards your reading goal?" and was pleasantly pleased when I saw others had the same question and the overwhelming response was "Yes, audiobooks should be counted".  One response I especially liked was that audiobooks should be counted if "unabridged", meaning the book is read in it's entirety and not shortened for the audiobook.  Unabridged books take a considerable amount of time to listen to with the average listening time being between 10-12 hours.  Interestingly, it would probably take the average reader only about 6-8 hours to actually read the book in print.

Taking this into consideration I am planning to increase my reading challenge goal to specifically include more audiobooks.  I primarily listen to audiobooks during my commute to and from work and while at home doing things such as cooking, cleaning and hobbies like sewing and crocheting.

Do you have an opinion on this subject?  Weigh in via a comment below and let me know your thoughts.

Check out some of the books on my To-Read List.  It will be interesting to see which ones I get to this year.  If you have a book recommendation for me please feel free to leave that in a comment below.  Thanks!

Cateyesmd's bookshelf: 2012-challenge

The Women of Azusa Street

by Estrelda Alexander

Selling My Soul

by Sherri Lewis

A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World

by Paul E. Miller

Freedom from Performing: Grace in an Applause-Driven World

by Becky Harling

In the Line of Fire: How to Handle Tough Questions...When It Counts

by Jerry Weissman

Water for Elephants

by Sara Gruen

Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together

by Ron Hall

Soon After

by Sherryle Kiser Jackson

Taylor Made

by Sherryle Kiser Jackson

Reinventing Rachel

by Alison Strobel

HEYYYYY!!!

Did you notice that my reading goal follows the SMART Goal technique?  Check out my other posts about goals:

5 Ways to Succeed at being YOU!

A New Year: A New Challenge!

The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography by Sidney Poitier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this audiobook in the beginning. While I knew this work was not a chronological, blow-by-blow description of Poitier's life, I didn't quite expect it to jump around the way it did. Poitier does an excellent job reading this book and it gives you the feeling of sitting around casually as he tells you stories about his life. Hearing how he consistently stayed true to his values and morals in life was so refreshing.

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