Tomorrow...

Tomorrow I turn 35. I think the 25 year-old Allena would freak out over this milestone, but I'm mostly okay with it. Sure, it means I can't say I'm in my 'early 30s' anymore. Sure, it means that should I be able to convince Brent for one more baby {stop laughing, B}, I'll be considered 'advanced maternal age'. But my life is fantastic and 34 years and 364 days feels GREAT. Way better than 25 year-old Allena ever could have imagined.

I had high hopes when I turned 34 for how the year would be. I am so happy to say, it was even better than I hoped!

I'm thinking 35 is going to be a blast!

July Reads and Book Challenge Update

I kind of sucked it up in the reading department in July - I think our almost non-stop watching of Mad Men might have had something to do with that. {grin}

I only read 4 books and 2 of them were books I'd read before, but the 2 new books both counted toward the book challenge! I only have 2 more to go before the end of September, so I should be golden on finishing.

In the challenge, I now have 160 points out of a total 200.

Northern Lights by Nora Roberts (Read a book with 'light' or 'dark' in the title - 15 points!) - I love Nora Roberts - I have read a ton of books by her and think she is a really fun author. Her books are well-written, always have a strong female character, always have a great love story...just great. This one was no exception. 

The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss - I've read this book a few times starting in college and every few years just get an itch to read it again. Kathleen Woodiwiss is essentially the creator of the historical romance genre, and she was the Queen for a reason. This was her first novel {and my first romance novel to read} - it isn't my favorite {that title goes to Shanna}, but really anything by Kathleen you can't go wrong with.

Summer Secrets by Jane Green (Read a book with an alliterative title - 30 points!) - When a shocking family secret is revealed, twenty-something journalist Cat Coombs finds herself falling into a deep spiral. Jane Green is another gifted author that I enjoy everything she writes. This one had some good twists and turns and I really enjoyed it.

Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen Woodiwiss - I haven't read this book since the first time I read it and after reading The Flame and the Flower decided to read it again. It ranks lower on my list but is still good. I think I am drawn to it because my mom came up with the pronunciation of my name from the main character - Alaina. I find that highly amusing - they just knew I was going to be a boy but oops, I wasn't, and my mom was reading this book when I was born. So they spelled my name like my dad's middle name (Allen) but pronounced it based on this character.

So that's what I read last month. I'm already off to a great start in August with our book club book which is really something I wouldn't have picked but am enjoying!

What have you read lately?