Wednesday, December 28, 2011

My Annual Book Post - 2011 List

Welcome to my fourth annual Books I Read in the Last Year post.
Here's the books from 2008, from 2009, and from 2010.

Since 2008, I've been keeping a list of the books I read. It's actually helpful since I can't remember anything and so when someone asks me what I've read lately...I have nothing to say. Which is so silly since I have definitely read something lately. So now I keep the list in this post yearly, but also in Google Docs so I can access it from my phone. I have a few friends who share the Doc with me...which I suppose is my own version of GoodReads, which I fail to update regularly ever.

I'm trying not to get hung up on the fact that I only read 68 books this year. (I'm actually in the middle of what would be both 68 and 69 but the pressure got to be too much, so they will be 1 and 2 for 2012, I guess!) I had a busy patch in the fall when I didn't read many books...there was also a nursing baby who didn't let me get much sleep...

And now, onto the list. The books I read in 2011:
(K = Kindle, *=Library Book, YA=young adult)

1.Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (K)
2.The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa*
3.Debt Free for Life by David Bach
4.Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (K)
5.One is Not a Lonely Number by Evelyn Krieger (young adult)
6.Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos*
7.Term Limits by Vince Flynn*
8.Someone Called Eva by Joan M. Wolf* (Young adult)
9.A Time to Love by Barbara Cameron (K)
10.Hush by Eishes Chayil (K) (young adult)
11.Spousonomics by Paula Szuchman and Jenny Anderson (K)
12.Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (K)
13.A Scattered Life by Karen McQuestion (K)
14.Favorite by Karen McQuestion (K)
15.Life on Hold by Karen McQuestion (K)
16.Her Perfect Revenge by Anna Mara (K)
17.Community by Peter Block
18.Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy*
19.A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness*
20.Lies I Told My Children by Karen McQuestion (K)
21.Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene*
22.The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (K)
23.The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen*
24.Light Fell by Evan Fallenberg*
25.The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom*
26.The High King of Montival by S. M. Stirling*
27.Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein*
28.Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano*
29.Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
30.Never Let Me Go by Kazuro Ishiguro (k) (I guess this is young adult)
31.The Lost Art of Reading by David Ulin*
32.Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares (k)
33.Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (k)
34.Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva
35.State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (k)
36.The Safe-Keeper's Secret by Sharon Shinn* (YA)
37.Divergent by Veronica Roth (k) (YA)
38.The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (k)
39.The Truth-Keeper's Tale by Sharon Shinn* (YA)
40.Night Road by Kristin Hannah (k)
41.The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman*
42.The Dream Maker's Magic by Sharon Shinn*
43.Gateway by Sharon Shinn*
44.Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (K)
45.Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn (k)
46.Bumped by Megan McCarthy (k) (YA)
47.Possession by Elana Johnson* (YA)
48.Suddenly in the Depths of the Forest by Amos Oz*
49.Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (K)
50.A Long Vacation by Jules Verne*
51.Take Me With You by Carolyn Marsden*
52.Kindred Spirits by Sarah Strohmayer*
53.In the Garden of the Beasts by Eric Larson (k)
54.Luminous by Dawn Metcalf* (YA)
55.Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (k)
56.Shine by Lauren Myracle*
57.Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson (k)
58.Delirium by Lauren Oliver (k)
59.Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (K)
60.Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater*
61.The Wedding Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini*
62.Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
63.Blessings and Baby Steps by Ilana Grinblat
64.1000 Mitzvahs by Linda Cohen
65.Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper
66.The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card
67.Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
68. The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma

I have stopped making predictions of what I hope to read in the future, because it seems like when I say that I'm planning to read a book...I manage not to do so. Therefore, I'll just tell you what I'm in the middle of - 11/22/68 by Stephen King and also A Matter of Magic by Patricia Wrede.

So, what did I like this year? It was a pretty good year for reading! Two of my favorites were right at the beginning - House at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet as well as The Housekeeper and the Professor. I definitely recommend both of those! I liked A Discovery of Witches and I'm waiting patiently for the sequel (I think it comes out in July). Sarah Addison Allen is one of my favorite authors, and she is usually good for a book each year. The Peach Keeper did not disappoint me. Now that I read back over the list, I almost have to tell you which books I didn't like rather than ones that I did, because I really enjoyed so many of them. Language of Flowers, Unbroken, The Red Garden, Night Road, Divergent....I say it again, it was a good year for reading.

So what's on your bedside table? What do you think I should read in 2012 that I haven't read?

If you want to follow along, I track the books over in the left-hand sidebar of my blog throughout the year. I'm also on GoodReads but, like I said, I seldom rarely never update it.

5 comments:

shk42 said...

What should you read? Hmmm? The Stand by Stephen King, Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith, The Siege by Stephen White (but not so much on the last one.) What did you think of the In the Garden of the Beasts? I've been thinking of adding that one to my pile.

Anonymous said...

I read Cinderella Ate My Daughter this year and loved it. All of her books are terrific.

Coolum accommodation said...

Hi,This is a good post, indeed a great job.. You must have done good research for the work, i appreciate your efforts.. Looking for more updates from your side.Thanks

Jewaicious said...

What an impressive list!

There are lots of good reads on it.

Chanalesings said...

Thank u for sharing. Gonna put some of these on hold in my library!