Last year I participated in the Goodreads reading challenge, setting a goal of 25 books. I ended up reading 31 books and decided to take the challenge again this year. I kept the goal the same (25 books) as I didn't want to pressure myself to do something fun. Early in the year it was clear I had to up the goal to 30, as I was on a steady course to surpass 25 books again. And I didn't stop at 30. As of today I have read 41 books this year! Holy jumping!! In the past two years I've read 72 books, and that makes me feel really happy. I also read some really great books, and that makes me feel even happier!

To check out the 41 books I read in 2014, click on over to Goodreads to check out my list. 

The following is the Top 6 books/series I read this year, in no particular order.



The Dark Tower by Stephen King
I read the first four in this eight book series this year and I am hooked. I love Roland and his ka-tet and I can often be heard quoting the sayings of the Gunslinger around the house. I absolutely love it, and am happy there are still four more books for me to read.



The Parker Novels by Richard Stark
I realized last year that I like the genre Hardboiled. I started with Elmore Leonard and then our friend James told us about the Parker novels. He was so excited about them that I had to look them up. This year I read the first two in the series, and then books 19 and 20 (there are 24 novels in total). I am hooked. They are fun and fast.





The Princess Bride by William Goldman
I have seen the movie about a zillion times and decided to pick up the book. I read it so fast, even though I knew what was coming. I loved it as much as I love the movie. Which is a lot.





The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
I love J.K. Rowling and she has never given me a reason not to. Each book is better than the last, and this latest mystery under the Robert Galbraith pseudonym was so much fun to read. Cormoran Strike is a well written dude that I love reading about.



The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I never picked up this book before this year and somehow avoided all spoilers on what it was about. When I got to the finish it blew my mind, hitting every note I love in good drama. I loved it and totally get why people are still talking about it.




The Circle by Dave Eggers
This was a recommendation from my friend Tasha (who famously recommended to me one of favourite series: The Dresden Files). This is one of the last books I read in 2014 and I couldn't put it down. It was so fast paced and fun to read. It was a near-future dystopia where privacy was viewed as a bad thing and there were many horrifying ideas on how to make everything "open". It was really scary and really fun to read.
Posted by Jen B On Wednesday, December 31, 2014 6 comments
Between pre-Christmas sales and Christmas gifts, we currently have about 500 bags of tea in the house. Green, Earl Grey, Orange Pekoe, and herbal tea.


*Not pictured: about 100 or so tea bags that are stored in opaque jars.


Posted by Jen B On Tuesday, December 30, 2014 4 comments
I've been sick with a Christmas cold and it's been a great excuse to sit on the couch and play Lego Marvel Superheroes non-stop.

We recently borrowed a friend's Xbox 360, and I went out and bought this game for that system (it was only $20). They stopped making Lego games for the Wii (which is the console I have) so it's been two long years since I last played a new Lego game.

We'll have to give the Xbox back at some point, but I'm sure it will be long after I've completed this game 100% (I'm already at 46.6%).

These Lego games are my absolute favourite, and this one in particular is reminding me of my forgotten love of X-Men. I've only seen the first three movies, but apparently there are four more, so I'm going to catch up with the X-Men over the next little while too.

Posted by Jen B On Monday, December 29, 2014 3 comments
There were two results from the cookie decorating party with my niece and nephew. The first, was family fun time that produced 25 awesomely decorated cookies.  The second, was that I got super sick with a cold (courtesy of my niece, who has only figured out not to sneeze or cough directly on other people 3 out of every 5 times).

I sent all the cookies home with the kids, so I might have to make some more before the new year. They look like a lot of fun to eat!

Aunt Jenny's cookies:

Earl's cookies:
Liz's cookies:
All the cookies:

Posted by Jen B On Friday, December 26, 2014 4 comments

Posted by Jen B On Thursday, December 25, 2014 6 comments
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