read with us: mmd's 2016 reading challenge

About a year ago, my sister Val introduced me to Modern Mrs. Darcy. Anne (or MMD, as we like to call her) blogs about a lot of things, and one of those things is books. So of course I like her!

Last year, Val participated in MMD's 2015 reading challenge, and this year, our sister Steph and I have decided to join her. Each month, we'll read a book from the same category, and then we'll share our thoughts here on the blog. At the end of the post, I'll tell you which category we're doing the following month, so you can join in if you'd like. (You can read all about the reading challenge here on MMD's site.)

I haven't made all my picks yet, and some I don't own, but here's a glimpse at a few of the books I'll be reading this year.

Now, I want to introduce you to my sisters. I've talked about them repeatedly, but here they are in brief:

Val came into my life when I was six years old, at a time when I desperately wanted a little sister. Unfortunately, said little sister didn't desperately want me. I adored her; she kind of hated me. That love-hate relationship continued basically until we were both adults (and trust me, the love-hate went both ways!); we didn't truly become friends until she was a senior in high school ... and now I can't imagine life without her!

I also like to take credit for her marriage to the love of her life. If I hadn't chosen Grace after finding it online (still an unusual way to find a school back in 2001), she probably wouldn't have chosen Grace herself or moved back there a few years after she graduated ... and then she wouldn't have met Greg. You're welcome, Val.

She and Greg adopted an adorable furball named Chloe last summer, and we enjoy swapping cat stories. All. The. Time.

We share a passionate love for reading, though our tastes are wildly different ... so you'll get a look at a wide variety of books through this series!

Three years after Val came along, Steph arrived ... and she did like me! Needless to say, I spoiled her. Shortly after her arrival, our mom took a secretarial job, so basically, I became Steph's second mother. We definitely had rocky times, too ... but things got vastly better after I returned home following college. (Maybe the problem was me???)

Steph did not follow us to Grace--she chose a different Grace! (Which is where our parents met. So out of our immediate family, my brother is the only one to not attend a school named Grace.)

Steph graduated last spring, and she works in insurance. She also writes a wicked-hilarious Bachelor recap on her blog, The Singing Barista.

One of Steph's passions is baking--if you live in the Omaha area and need someone to make amazing cupcakes, she's your girl! (Unfortunately, I can't eat anything she bakes anymore--maybe one day I'll get her to experiment with gluten free baking!)

Steph and I have very similar tastes in movies and TV shows (I'll always fondly remember the summer of Dawson's Creek), but I honestly have no idea what books she reads, so it'll be fun for me to see what she chooses!

I know it's late notice, but our January category is A Book You Can Finish in a Day. Join in if you'd like, and I'll be posting our thoughts on our books on Sunday!