Thursday, December 29, 2011

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.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

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, December 20, 2011

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.