2011 Reading Wrap up

I had a great reading year in 2011. There are so many books to read both old and new that I will never get to them all but I sure try to buy as many of them as I can. I am sad to say that I did not meet my own personal 5x4 Reading Challenge goal but came closer than last year. Perhaps I'll do better next year on my personal challenge. I did read over 100 books this year.

Absolute favorites of 2011:

1. Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith - This was a sweet book with soft humor. The dog was the best!
2. A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffery Archer - One of the best mystery books I read all year!
3.Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck :)
4. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - Why did I wait for so long?
5. The Postmistress by Sara Blake - Loved it
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Again...Why did I wait so long to read this wonderful book?
7. The City and The City by China Mieville - Weird and wonderful. This author has an unstoppable imagination.
8. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - All I can say is wow!
9. Rose in a Storm by Jon Katz - I'm always a sucker for a dog and I really liked this one.
10. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory - This wonderful historical fiction book made me want to read more by this author.

Other Favorites:

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
Chasing Fireflies by Charles Marti
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith
Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin
Velva Jean Learns to Drive by Jennifer Niven
The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
Silas Marner by George Eliot

Books out of my comfort zone:
D-Day: The Battle for Normandy by Anthony Beevor

Books I just knew I would like but didn't so much:
The Last song by Nicholas Sparks
Beaglemania by Linda O. Johnston

Some of my least favorites:
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Union Pacific by Paul Colt
All the Flowers are Dying by Lawrence Block

I'm revisiting an end-of-year survey that Perpetual Page Turner hosted last year.

Best Book of 2011I had a hard time choosing the best book I read in 2011 but decided on Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. Or Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

Worst Book of 2011 I thought I would never get through Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. Worst book might be a little harsh to describe how I feel about this one, but oh my...

Most Disappointing Book of 2011 Catalyst by McCaffrey and Scarborough. I've read many of McCaffrey's books and several of Scarborough's and have generally liked them. I fully expected to like this one.

Most Surprising (in a good way) Book of 2011 The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. I didn't think I'd like them all that much, but truly enjoyed the reading of them.

Book You Recommended to People Most in 2011
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith

Best Series You Discovered in 2011
The Holmes on the Range series by Steve Hockensmith. This is a western series with likable characters, lots of amusing situations and just plain fun to read.

Favorite New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2010
Barbara Kingsolver, Steve Hockensmith, Jo Nesbo

Most Hilarious Read of 2011
Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith

Most Thrilling, Unputdownable Book of 2011
A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin

Book You Most Anticipated in 2011
The City and the City by China Mieville. This had been on my wish list for a while and I was really looking forward to it.

Favorite Cover of a Book Read in 2011
It's hard to choose so I will put 4 of them here!

Most Memorable Character in 2011
Danny Cartwright in A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffery Archer

Most Beautifully Written Book in 2011
The Poisonwood Bible - sigh

Book That Had the Greatest Impact on You in 2011
D-Day: The Battle for Normandy by Anthony Beevor. Things should not be forgotten, such as the sacrifice of all the people involved in this action: soldiers from many countries as well as the local people.

Book(s) You Can't Believe You Waited UNTIL 2011 to Finally Read
Silas Marner by George Eliot
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Book That You Read In 2011 That Would Be Most Likely To Reread In 2012
Rose in a Storm by Jon Katz

Best Moment of Book Blogging in 2011
There isn't a single moment. I always enjoy it when people post comments and I find things in common with other readers.

Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
Oh yes, I did. I unfortunately joined 16 challenges last year. I finished 12 of them including the 100+ Reading Challenge.

Best Bookish Discovery
The book blogger community continues to amaze me, so this isn't a new discovery. But so many of the things I read make me stop and think, I love it.

LOOKING AHEAD…

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2011 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2012?
I can't wait to read The next book in the Corduroy Mansions series. It has been sitting on my shelf and I need to read it before I can go on to the third one.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2012?
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith. I can't wait to get my hands on this, the newest installment in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series!

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2012?
One goal of mine is to read books I already own and buy no (or very few) new books. Really, they are piled to the ceiling and I need to read them, not just keep on getting more! I would also like to visit my book blogger friends more and make new friends.

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish asks for your top10 favorite books of 2011. They are listed here in no particular order.

1. Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith - This was a sweet book with soft humor. The dog was the best!

2. A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffery Archer -  One of the best mystery books I read all year!

3. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga - Read it!

4. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - Why did I wait for so long?

5. The Postmistress by Sara Blake - Loved it

6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Again...Why did I wait so long to read this wonderful book?

7. The City and The City by China Mieville - Weird and wonderful. This author has an unstoppable imagination.

8. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - All I can say is wow!

9. Rose in a Storm by Jon Katz - I'm always a sucker for a dog and I really liked this one.

10. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory - This wonderful historical fiction book made me want to read more by this author.

I'm looking forward to reading about your favorite books of the year.

Tuesday Top Ten

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created  at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish asks for 10 books you would love to get for Christmas. Here's my list:

1. The River of Doubt by Candice Millard. I have been wanting to listen to this book for a couple of years. I've even requested it from the library but they have yet to get it. I've put it down and one of the books to read next year for a Reading Challenge so I'm going to break down and buy it if I don't get it for Christmas. :)

2. On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. When I saw that this book was used in the making of the newest Pirate's movie, I just decided I wanted to read it. Go figure.

3.Emma by Jane Austen. The Penguin Clothbound Classic. I want to read this and these books are so pretty. What can I say.

4. Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor. I've had this Pulitzer Prize winning book on my list for a couple of years.

5. Howard's End is on the Landing: A Year of Reading From Home by Susan Hill. I need to quit buying books and read the ones I have. So I thought this one might be a springboard to that goal. Perhaps I'll go buy it.......

6. Discount Noir by Various Authors. An anthology of over 40 short mystery stories that take place in and around a big discount store (Megamart.) Sounds like fun....gotta have it.

7. You Can't Drink All Day If You Don't Start in the Morning by Cilea Rivenbark. This author never fails to meke me laugh. Out loud. Regardless of where I am.

8. Women of Magdalene by Rosemary Poole-Carter. I've seen several very positive reviews of this book on the book blogs in the past and would still like to get it.

9. A Conspiracy of Friends by Alexander McCall Smith. This is the third in the Corduroy Mansions series. This is the same author who wrote the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (which I can't get enough of) and many other books. I greatly enjoyed the first two books and will be reading this one soon.

10. I am Half Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley. This is the newest Flavia De Luce book. I just love this series and can't wait to read this one.

October Wrap up

I haven't wrapped up a month in quite a while so this will include some reading thoughts from other months.

# In October I read my on hundredth book and thus completed my 100+ Reading Challenge!

# I read 9 books in October. One was a reread: Cujo by Stephen King. It broke my heart again. Three of them were the next installment in series I keep up with.
1. Cold Vengence by Lincoln and Child (the Agent Pendergast series)
2. Eve by Iris Johansen (the Eve duncan series)
3. Ghost Story by Jim butcher (the Harry Dresden series)

I read one classic last month: The Black Tulip by Alexander Dumas. I mainly liked it for the look into the culture of the tulip growers and "tulipmania."

# In the last few months I have finished The Chunkster Challenge, The Read Your Name Challegnge, The What's In A Name Challenge, and the What An Animal 4 Challenge

While I've read a lot of books (for me) I have quite a few challenges I haven't finished. Hope to knock two or three more of them out before the end of the year..

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week we get a new theme.  This week's theme is top 10 books that should be required reading for teens. It is hard to say that any book should be "required" as I would love to see teens out there reading books that they choose. Since there will be "required' reading I feel a variety should offered in order to help them become familiar with different types of writing and perhaps find a genre they would like to read more of. It's going to be hard to choose just 10 but here are my picks:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I think this is a book everyone should read, it's one of my all time favorites.

2. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
This is not only a classic with pirates, high adventure, suspense and adventure, it is also study in moral ambiguity. Plenty of fun reading, plenty of meat to discuss.

3. Night by Elie Wiesel
The past should be remembered.

4. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
I loved this one as a teen and loved it as an adult.

5. 1776 by David G. McCullough
History that is very readable.

6. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Or any other book by this great author!

7. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
A great introduction to the fantasy genre. Perhaps they will be encouraged to go on to The Lord of the Rings. I was.

8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
They know the monster from the movies. Now read and find outr who the real monsters are.

9. Anything by John Steinbeck
Peruse his books and choose one.

10.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
This moving story of an autistic teen is a must read.

Well, there are so many great books out there it is hard to stop here.

Mailbox Monday / In My Mailbox

Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia of The Printed Page. It is now a Blog Tour, and this month, Mari Reads is hosting! WARNING: Mailbox Mondays can lead to extreme envy and GINORMOUS wishlists!!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. In this meme we share the books we've received, bought or taken out from the library.

I haven't done this in a few weeks and I've received more books than I can read this year! I hope you got in some treasures!

*From a couple of yard sales:
Whiteout by Ken Folett
Mark's Story by LeHaye and Jenkins

*From Mary's Books (a little used book shop downtown:)
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
Rebel Island by Rick Riordan (part of his Tres Navarre adult series)
The Devil in the Junior League by Linda Francis Lee

*From Goodwill:
Three Junes by Julia Glass
The Stranger by Albert Camus
I Love You, Ronnie (the letters of Ronald Regan to Nancy Regan)
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
Smash Cut by Sandra Brown

*From Half.com:
Beneath the Ice by Alton Gansky
Gone, Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane

*From Barnes and Noble:
He is Legend (a short story collection celebrating Richard Matheson)

*From the library (audio books):
Holmes On the Range - Steve Hockensmith
On the Wrong Track - Steve Hockensmith
The Black Dove - Steve Hockensmith

*From the library:
D-Day:The Battle For Normandy by Anthony Beevor
Dog Boy by Eva Hornung

Mailbox Monday / In My Mailbox

I've combined two mailbox memes, Mailbox Monday and In my Mailbox.

Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia of The Printed Page. It is now a Blog Tour, and this month, Mari Reads is hosting! WARNING: Mailbox Mondays can lead to extreme envy and GINORMOUS wishlists!!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. In this meme we share the books we've received, bought or taken out from the library.

Here are mine:

I received this ARC from Hyperion Voice:
The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy
A gripping tale of passion and courage set in World War II-occupied Guernsey,
The Soldier's Wife tells the story of housewife and mother Vivienne de la Mare,
as she is torn between loyalty and love.
A Voice Trade Paperback Original.

The cover is beautiful, the story line sounds appealing. I can't wait to get to it!

From Half.com I purchased:
Mary Called Magdalen by Margaret George
Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles by Margaret George

I recently finished The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory and thought I'd like to read more about Mary Queen of Scots This book is huge at 866 pages. While searching for this one I ran across Mary Called Magdalene and had to have it too. It is also a chunkster at more than 600 pages.

From the BOMC I purchased:
I'll Mature When I'm Dead by Dave Barry
I LOVE these collections by Dave Barry. They always make me laugh. A lot.

From the Library:
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
Already read and reviewed. It's a must read for any of King's Constant Readers. I quite enjoyed it.
Three Seconds by Roslune & Hellstrom
This international best-seller was the winner of the Best Swedish Crime Novel award. It's what I'm reading next.
Retirementology by Gregory Salsbury,, Ph.D.
This is the first of many, or at least several, retirement books I feel I'll be reading in the near future.

April Reading Wrap-Up

April was another great reading month. I completed two more challenges: The Audiobook Challenge. This one went a lot faster than I anticipated. I attribute that to the new digital branch of our library. I can sit at home and borrow books on my iPod, love it. And I completed the What's In a Name 4 Challenge.


My favorite children's book this month, read for the Read To Me Picture Book Challenge was Wet Dog. What a fun little book!


I read my second Chunkster Challenge book for the year: Jewel by Brett Lott. It also worked for the Oprah's Book Club portion of my personal 5 x 4 Reading Challenge and was the final book needed for the What's In a Name Challenge 4. It provided an interesting look at how one family delt with a child with Down Syndrome in the 40s on up. It aslo provided a look into race relations on an everyday basis in rural Mississippi and California during that time period.

My favorite books of the month were Deeper Than the Dead and Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag closely followed by The Red Queen by Phillipa Gregory. My least favorite were The Devil's Right Hand and Against Medical Advice.

Top Ten Tuesday - Most Hilarious Book Titles

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This week the theme is REWIND! Go back and pick up a theme you didn't get to participate in. I have chosen to list book titles I thought was funny.

1. You Suck by Christopher moor. What made this really funny to me was that it was about....Vampires! I can always count on Moore for a laugh.

2. Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old like a Skank: And Other Words of Delicate Southern Wisdom by Celia Rivenbark. This woman cracks me up. Her books are collections of articles and essays she writes for a newspaper.

3. Hammerhead Ranch Motel by Tim Dorsey - I have followed this series for some time. Serial killer and all time Florida trivia champ Serge Storms blows from one end of Florida to another visiting places of historical significance, dragging his stoned sidekick, Coleman, with him. Along the way they find evil doers that just need killing. Some of them very creative to say the least.

4. The Sweet Potato Queen's First Big-Ass Novel by Jill Conner Brown - I haven't actually read this one but it is one my list just because of the name.

5. Tomb With a View by Casey Daniels - This cozy-ish, paranormal mystery series is really entertaining. The first one I read, Don of the Dead, hooked me, and I thought the title was pretty cute - a nice play on words - as the dead guy who came to Pepper for help was a mafia Don when he was alive.

6. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - I re-read Pride and Prejudice before I read this just to be able to compare the two. It was great, offbeat reading fun.

7. To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn - this is one of the Chet and Ernie mystery series. With a title like that you know the main character is a dog. I can't wait till the next one comes out.

8. Big Trouble by Dave Barry - Well the title isn't particularly funny but the book is hilarious! Get it and read it.

9. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith - one of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books. Love the name, love the book.

10. So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish by Douglas Adams - This is the 4th book in the Hitchiker trilogy. What can I say? Though I didn't find It quite as funny as the first three, it was still a good read.

I just have to add these two:

11. Why Beulah Shot Her Pistol Inside The Baptist Church by Clayton Sullivan - This is one that I just knew I would like but was somewhat disappointed in. The title was so great, it made me laugh.

12. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris - What a fun read this was! If you haven't read this you should at least check it out. This isn't a novel, it is a series of essays on his childhood and life in general.

Theme Thursday - Emotion

Love this new badge for Theme Thursday!

Theme Thursdays, hosted by Reading Between the Pages, is a fun weekly event that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

•A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)

•Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading

•Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post

•It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)

The theme this week is EMOTION. Mine comes from page 15 of Jewel by Brett Lott:

"Pastor had only nodded, took off his hat, held it with both hands. For some reason I thought I could see fear in his face, as though her merely meeting his eyes were enough to destroy him, or as though she'd suddenly become someone else, a woman with standing, bearing, a voice he knew he had to listen to. "

This book was published in 1991. It is a bittersweet read so far, the struggles these people really tugs at my heart strings.