Here we are with a new year and an ocean of books on my to read list. My reading dropped off a little in 2011, I somehow only made it through 24 books, but I'm back in the saddle and ready to delve into some literature in 2012! As in the past, please feel to leave comments on books you read, opinions on my "reviews" or suggestions.
The Year in Books 2011
The Year in Books 2010
The Year in Books 2009
Currently Reading
Maine - J. Courtney Sullivan
January
The Fault in our Stars - John Green (genre: Young Adult) 16 year old Hazel is a terminal cancer patient. She's spends most of her life in and out of hospitals. She thinks she knows what the rest of her short life will be like, but then she meets Augustus and suddenly a world of possibilities erupts. Beautiful, uplifting, real, heartbreaking, I fell in love with the characters. Grade: A+
Fuzzy Nation - John Scalzi (genre: Science Fiction) My first foray into the world of audio books. I was a sceptic, but I was intrigued by the story premise and I had a few hours to kill. The story begins with Jack Halloway finding a huge deposit of precious jewels on a distant planet, but then he comes into contact with an animal that might be sentient and things get very complicated. Quick, fun read. Grade: A-
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline (genre: Science Fiction) Set in a not too distant future where the planet's fossil fuels have been depleted and people literally live inside a virtual world, OASIS, kids go to school there, people work there, fall in love there. When the creator of OASIS dies, himself a product the 1980s, he leaves his entire wealth to whomever can solve a game he created within the virtual reality. A race ensues. Loved this book! Grade: A
Graffiti Moon - Cath Crowley (genre: Young Adult) Remember when one night could mean everything? When you could chase your dreams, and find them, in the space between sunset and sunrise? In Graffiti Moon, we relive one of those nights.
Graffiti Moon is narrated by three characters: Lucy, Ed and Leo. Lucy, who's greatest desire is to meet Shadow, a graffiti artist with such talent and depth, she has fallen in love with him through his art. Ed, who is, of course, secretly Shadow, but because of a disastrous first, and only, date with Lucy, he keeps that from her. And Leo, the other half of Shadow's graffiti team, the Poet. While the boys kill time leading up to planned late night shenanigans, they help Lucy and her friends in an attempt to track down Shadow that leads them all over Melbourne, Australia.
Beyond the principals, this book was full of real, multi-dimensional characters. Lucy's parents were quirky and unpredictable, Ed's late boss was wise and funny; supporting characters Jazz, Leo, Daisy and Dylan were flawed and believable. In fact, everyone in the book, with the exception of the psycopathic villain, were absolutely relatable.
I loved the he said/she said writing style. Being inside the principal characters' heads allows readers to see both sides of the situation. I felt their longing and their anguish. A beautifully written story. Officially my first book of the year and we're off to a banging start. Grade: A+
On Deck:
Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand
A Little Wanting Song - Cath Crowley
A Visit From The Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan
Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison:
The Opposite of Me - Sarah Pekkanen
Disquiet - Julia Leigh
Truth - Robin Wasserman
Wake - Lisa McCann
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Blue Bloods - Melissa De La Cruz
Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
Still Alice - Lisa Genova
Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin
Willow - Julia Hoban
Private Life - Jane Smiley
The Domino Men - Jonathan Barnes
Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
Going forward this post will be updated after I read each book and can be reached by clicking the "What's On The Bookshelf" link at the top right of the page. I pick almost all of my books based on suggestions from friends, so please feel free to leave a comment with a recommendation at any time during the year!
Monday, January 9, 2012
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Oh how I love to read!! I have only read two of your books; Outlander and Uglies. Good luck with your list.
ReplyDeleteOkay, loving your TBR list, but you need to add a new book and put it at the top of your list. You and your hubby would both enjoy READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline. I just know it. I'm listening to the audio version (narrated by Wil Wheaton). GET IT!!!
ReplyDeleteI saw your tweet about Ready Player One! Adding it to my list!
DeleteOkay, just read the description. HOLY COW!! How did I not know about this book before?? This is exactly right up my alley. Thanks for the heads up!
DeleteI just requested "Unbroken" from the library. I'm currently rereading her first book, Seabiscuit, because we own it and I needed something to read until I can get to the library.
ReplyDeleteI just recently read "Expecting Adam" by Martha Beck. It was published in the 90's and I;ve read excerpts but hadn't read the whole thing. It's about a woman who finds out her baby has Down Syndrome and decides to carry her fetus to term, despite pressure from others in her life to terminate.
I also loved "Triangle: The Fire That Changed America" about a clothing factory fire in 1911 in Manhattan that was largely responsible for many of the labor and worker safety laws we have today.
Fiction--love Clive Cussler's NUMA series. Sue Grafton's latest letter book (V) was fantastic. And I loved "The Silent Girl" by Tess Gerritsen.
Great list... I am SO behind with my reading, over the past years... It's awful. It's all Twitter's fault!
ReplyDeleteWow, that's a big list! I haven't read a whole lot of books lately. :(
ReplyDelete