#14 - Participate in the Hershey Library Summer Reading Program 3 times (1/3)

I participated in the Hershey Public Library's Adult Summer Reading program this past summer.  I didn't win any prizes this year, but I read a lot of books!  The reviews have been posted here, but here's a quick list of the books that I read between June 1 and August 31:

Watership Down
The Lovely Bones
House Calls
Angela's Ashes
'Tis
If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor
The Lost Symbol
Johnny Tremain
The Secret Life of Bees
If Only That Horse Were A Member Of My Church
The Shack

#66 - Do a complete organization on my gmail account (6500+ emails!)

I thought I'd post a status update on this one:  I started out with over 6,500 e-mails in my INBOX and now I am down to 1,932!  I am impressed with myself.  After I get my inbox down to 100 emails or less, I will start going through each label to make sure everything is properly, um, labeled. 

Also, I have gotten into the very good habit of labeling e-mails when they come in.  They don't necessarily get archived right away, but once they are labeled they are that much easier to find!

#64 - Put together a scrapbook/photo album for the Alaska 2009 trip

I ordered some prints a while back when snapfish was having a sale, but this week I ordered another 25 because SeeHere.com was having a sale.  When the SeeHere photos arrive, I'll have all the printed photos I need to start making a full-on scrapbook.  However, I will still need..... a scrapbook!  And some other materials.  I'm not sure how I want to present the whole thing yet, but at least the pictures are printed!

#55 - # Go to 5 new-to-me non-chain restaurants (1/5)

Mike and I went to Rancho Grande in Mechanicsburg about two weeks ago.  The place was very rundown looking from outside, but a little nicer inside.  Probably could use a paint job.

Aside from that, the staff was super friendly and attentive.  We both ordered specials (the Rancho Dinner and the Grande Dinner! haha) and were very full by the end of the meal.  I couldn't finish mine at all.  Everything was very good.  The red sauce on the burritos was a little sweeter than I usually like, but still yummy.  The chile relleno was DELICIOUS and I would love to know how they make it.  Even Mike liked it - which means it wasn't toooo spicy. 

However, as it is about a 20 minute drive to get there, and on the way you pass about 3 other mexican restaurants, I don't think we'll go there again unless we are already in the area.

Sex and the City

Sex and the City was a fun read, but having seen the show and the first movie definitely colored my reading experience.  The characters of the show were derived from this book (and before that, the New York Observer columns), however are drastically different in some cases.  That element really kept pulling me out of the stories when I would be picturing the actor that portrayed a certain character and then they would be described very differently or doing something that would be "out of character" for the TV version of the story.

That being said, I do think that the TV series and this collection of essays have a continuity of tone and subject matter.  It was fun to see a much darker Carrie Bradshaw (drugs being more of the scene than shown in the show), but it also just made me want to watch the show more.  I don't want to say that the TV show has wrecked this book, but it certainly evolved from the book and brought everything to a different level.

The Shack

I have been trying to figure out what to write about The Shack since I finished reading it over 2 weeks ago. 

I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it - and really, you should.
But, I also feel like I have so many thoughts about the book buzzing around in my head that I'm not sure where to begin or what to say at all.

The Shack starts out as a mystery novel... and then it takes a turn into... something else.  A something else that is totally worth the ride.  Not to the religious, but to the spiritual.  While there are definitely some Christian overtones, I think there is something different to take away from this book for everyone who reads it. 

I am definitely adding this one to my permanent collection and I will come back to it again.  Highly recommended, 4/5 stars.