What Does Carol Channing Know Anyway?

Whoever wrote that "Diamonds are a girl's best friend" must have had an awfully shallow gal. In our house, not much makes me happier than a good book. Books help keep your brain from turning to mush (important when you spend all day with a 4 year old), help you unwind (did I mention that 4 year old?) and are the perfect opportunity for a little "me time".

With reading in decline in the USA I made a goal for myself to read 100 books in the year 2008. This may sound like a tall order, but in reality that is only 2 books a week. I am a quick reader, and can easily finish a novel in 3 days, quicker if I am really into it. Since 1998 I have attempted to keep track of all the books I have read. Some years I read like gangbusters, while others I simply did not record many of the books I completed. All in all, I actually wrote down 297 books that I have read in the past 9 years- and that is not counting the ones I read multiple times (Harry Potter Series, Gone with the Wind etc.) In 2006 alone I read 78 books!

I wish I could say that all that reading was spiritually uplifting, brain energizing, or at least literary classics. However, I am a huge fan of junk fiction... and my list is full of popular authors-especially in the Forensic Science and Medical Mystery genres. I don't think there is a book out there by Patricia Cornwell or Kathy Reichs I have not read. That being said, I also have a very eclectic list of authors that I really enjoy that are worth mentioning. Maybe you will get an idea for some reading yourself in 2008.

(I'll be doing a week of authors sort of like I did the musicians and games.)