Books by the Million

These are the books I got from the first two Christmases we celebrated with family. My people know me well, and I got three or four more before all of our celebrations were complete!

Last year, I started one of the Goodreads Reading Challenges -- with a goal of 25 books. Which I promptly forgot about until late September or early October. I'd read a few books in the early months of the year, but only maybe about 10 or 12 of them. I ended up finishing my challenge at 27 or 28 books for the year...

I thought maybe I'd tell you about some of my favorite books from my 2015 reading list.

All three of the books by Melanie Shankle were amazing reads. I read them in order Sparkly Green Earrings -- oh my stars... I've never laughed harder (or so I thought...)

Next was The Antelope in the Living Room -- Now I know I've never laughed so hard at a book in my life. Truly the funniest thing I've read EVER! It's a memoir about marriage, and seriously -- Melanie is my spirit animal. 

 Her latest book, Nobody's Cuter Than You -- is a beautiful portrait of true friendship mixed in with some hilarious stories. I just love the raw emotional journey of living life with these two ladies. I only wish that I find my Gulley one day!

After finishing those books, I read High Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond. (aka The Pioneer Woman) I loved this look at how she was set off to move to Chicago, and ended up falling in love with Marlboro Man. It's such an adorably romantic book and I just enjoyed it all the way through.

I finished out the year pouring through the Hannah Swensen series -- I'm on book 7 or 8 of the series, and I love them because each one picks up a couple of months after the previous one ended. So it's like you're living right along with them as their little town keeps trucking along. They are about a girl that owns a cookie shop in a small town, but she keeps being in the wrong place at the wrong time -- discovering dead bodies. They've started making these into movies on the Hallmark Channel as well -- but what's funny is that Alison Sweeney plays the lead character who in the book is a girl with frizzy red hair and is a little thicker around the middle.

These are a few of my favorites from 2015... and now I've got a goal of reading 35 books this year -- but with 12 more Hannah Swensen books at least and one of my all time favorites -- The Women's Murder Club coming out with the next installment in May... I feel like I'll be good on my goal and hopefully a bit over on those numbers. What are some of your favorites?