Tuesday, March 22, 2011

What's On My Nightstand?

What's On Your Nightstand

Like last month and the month before, almost all of my free time has been spent studying Japanese. Yesterday I reached the 3/4 mark in the kanji book I'm working through. That's over 1,500 kanji! If I keep to my schedule, I will be done with this book on April 6th. After that, my study time will drop dramatically and I'll have more time for reading books, blogging, and quilting.

Books completed in March (links are to my reviews):
The Romanov Bride, Robert Alexander (finished in Feb. but after the Nightstand post)
The Aloha Quilt (Elm Creek Quilts, #16), Jennifer Chiaverini (finished in Feb. but forgot to add it to the last Nightstand post... oops!)
The Union Quilters (Elm Creek Quilts, #17), Jennifer Chiaverini
The Gathering Storm (Zion Diaries, #1), Bodie Thoene, Brock Thoene
Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy it: Live La Bella Vita and Look Great Too!, Teresa Giudice

Currently reading
Memoir/Autobiography/Biography - Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time, very slowly plugging away at it.

For fun - The Extra 2%: How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First. I actually won this book in Goodreads First Reads program. I entered the drawing in hopes of winning an advance copy for my father-in-law, who is absolutely obsessed with baseball. Since I won a copy, I have to read and review it! Surprisingly, I'm actually enjoying it.

Japanese Studies - Remembering the Kanji, Vol. 1: A Complete Course on How Not to Forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters

Theology - Psalms and Romans (Bible) - reading several chapters a day from whichever of the two books tugs at me.

To-read in April
Memoir/Autobiography/Biography - Bento Box in the Heartland: My Japanese Girlhood in Whitebread America, Linda Furiya

Classics - Daniel Deronda, George Eliot

Christian life - Becoming a Woman of Excellence

For fun - Love Finds You in Lahaina, Hawaii, Bodie Thoene

9 comments:

Unknown said...

You did pretty well considering your intense study of a difficult language!

Thanks for linking up --

Jennifer

Cassandra said...

Thanks! I was actually surprised at how many books I had completed. I didn't realize the number until I wrote this post. Most of it is weekend reading, though! ;)

Lisa notes... said...

Studying Japanese. Oh my. I admire you for that. I’m not a huge baseball fan, but I enjoy reading certain books on it so I’d probably like The Extra 2%. Psalms and Romans – two of my favorite books in the Bible! I’ve read A Woman of Excellence several times; a life-changer for me. Enjoy your books!

Cassandra said...

As long as people will listen, I will tell them that Japanese isn't hard. ;) It's not. It just requires time. It's a really fun language! :D

Anonymous said...

I loved "3 Cups of Tea" once I got over the hagiographic tendencies of the co-author. It's a good book and he presents a much-needed viewpoint.

And apparently there's a sequel out too. I want to read it!

Missie said...

You read as much as I do! I haven't thought about adding another language...that sound fun!

Monica said...

I read Three Cups of Tea a couple years ago, amazing story. I wonder today what has become of all his work in the middle east...I love Bodie and Brock Thoene! Skinny Italian? Is that an oxymoron? Sounds like you have some great reading ahead of you!

Cassandra said...

Thanks, Monica! I agree that Three Cups of Tea is an amazing story. For some reason though, I'm struggling to read more than a chapter at a time. I'll get through it eventually!

Skinny Italian... I thought that was an oxymoron as well but the three recipes we tried were really good! They weren't too bad on fat and calories either.

Trish said...

I didn't realize there was a new Elm Creek book out - that makes my day!