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Yeah! I did not succeed in 2011. I only got 88 books read. This year I am determined to succeed! I will not get bogged down! I am in a more positive frame of mind and I have more energy, so I know I can.

Wish I could of read 88 books last year. Good luck to you.

Rachel wrote: " This year I am determined to succeed! I will not get bogged down! ..."

Or do like the rest of us and skip things like chores, sleep, etc. You know, the optional stuff.... :)

Rachel wrote: "Yeah! I did not succeed in 2011. I only got 88 books read. This year I am determined to succeed! I will not get bogged down! I am in a more positive frame of mind and I have more energy, so I ..."

Thanks!

1. Falling Together-Marisa de los Santos (for Bound Together book group) (fiction)
I liked this one a lot better than I thought I would. It seemed like simple chick lit, but it resonated with me a bit more than that.

2. The Red Pyramid-Rick Riordan (fiction, YA)
I really liked the Percy Jackson books, so I was hoping to really like this one. I didn't care for it that much. The author was trying too hard to pack too much into the book. I also didn't like the way he had two narrators, supposedly speaking into a tape recorder after the fact. just didn't work that well for me. I will probably read the second one, just to give it another try.

3. Gilead-Marilynne Robinson (fiction) (for Chicks on Lit)
I liked this one much better that I thought I would! It was a book club pic, and from the reviews I had read, I didn't think I would care for it that much, but the language just drew me in. I will definately read her other books.

4. Graceling - Kristin Cashore (YA, fantasy) (for Bound Together)
This is the first one in a series, but the author did a good job wrapping things up & not leaving the reader with a bunch of loose ends, one of my major pet peeves with fantasy books, since they all have to be part of a series. :.)

5. The Color Purple - Alice Walker (fiction) (for Chicks on Lit) (reread)
I had read this one before and forgotten a lot of it. Enjoyed this one a lot too.

6. The Sugar Queen-Sarah Addison Allen (fiction) (for Bound Together)
If you like Alice Hoffman (and I do), You will like this one. Light and fluffy chick lit, with one of the most horrible mothers I've read in a long time.

7. My Invented Country -Isabel Allende (non-fiction) (reread)
I had forgotten how funny this book is. It gets serious towards the end when she starts talking about the coup & US intervention, but I laughed at a lot in the first part.
"I must make it clear that I do not belong to that weird group of people who travel to remote places, survive the bacteria, and then publish books to convince the incautious to follow in their footsteps. Traveling demands a disproportionate effort, especially when it's to places where there is no room service. My ideal vacation consists of sitting in a chair beneath an umbrella on my patio, reading books of adventures I would never consider attempting unless I was escaping from something."

8. Valley of the Kings-John Romer (non-fiction)
This one is equally about the tombs and the archeologists that discovered them, some of them before there were archeologists. A bit dry, but that does work with the subject matter.... A very knowledgable author who makes his subject clear to the ordinary person.

9. The Paris Wife-Paula McLain (fiction) (Bound Together)
A story from the point of view of Ernest Hemingway's first wife. The name dropping gets a bit heavy in the second half. Overall, I liked it, a different look at a marginalized character. Hemingway remains a complete sob.

10. Jane Austen Made Me Do It-ed. Laurel Ann Nattress (short story collection, fiction)
A short story collection with either Jane Austen as a character, some of her characters as the main character, or inspired by her work. As with all short story collections, I really liked some, didn't like others. Definately would recommend it.

11. Wyrd Museum #1: The Woven Path-Robin Jarvis (YA, fantasy) Didn't care for this one much, won't read the rest of the series. There was this really upsetting scene about a dog that had been tortured and was still alive, and the author was very discriptive of the pain the poor dog was in. There was no payoff for this scene. It was completely gratuitous. Icky.

12. Bossypants-Tina Fey (memoir)
Very funny. An enjoyable, easy read.

13. The Boy in the Suitcase-Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis (fiction) (Bound Together)
It seems like a thriller, but it deepens into a very interesting mystery with some good psychology. I would definately recommend this one! I would say more, but I don't want to give anything away.

14. Cats' Miscellany-Lesley O'Mara (nonfiction)
Kitties!

15. Cat Getting out of a Bag-Jeffrey Brown (reread)
Just got this one back from a friend & had to reread.

16. Forever Amber-Kathleen Winsor (historical fiction) A great book, very thick. I enjoyed it very much, although I had to take a break, the casual amorality got a bit much every once in a while.

17. I'm a Stranger Here Myself-Bill Bryson (nonfiction)
A collection of newspaper columns. Some of them seem a bit dated now, but I still laughed a lot at several things.

18. The Mischief of the Mistletoe-Lauren Willig (fiction, historical romance)
I did enjoy this one. I am working my way through her books.

19. Birdsong-Sebastian Faulks (historical fiction)
I had a lot of problems with the first section of this book. I rolled my eyes alot at the romance/sex scenes. And the foreshadowing was a tad heavy (like sledgehammer). But once it got into the World War I part, it drew me in and I could see what all the acclaim was about.

20. Maine-J. Courtney Sullivan (fiction, chick lit)
(Bound Together)
Well, the grandmother reminded me of my grandmother. This is not a good thing.
I didn't care much for it.

21. Salt: A World History- Mark Kurlansky (nonfiction) (bound Together)
I did enjoy this one but it did go on a bit long.

22. The Bone Collector-Jeffrey Deaver (mystery) (Bound Together)
I thought this one was very suspensefully and it drew me in. I did not care for the final reveal of the bad guy or the big confrontation scene at the end, but other than that, I really liked it.

23. My Name is Mary Sutter-Robin Oliveira (historical fiction)
Set in the era of the Civil War, this novel follows Mary Sutter, who wants to be a doctor, but since she's a woman, can't find anyone who will teach her. But then the Civil War comes along, and the military needs all the help they can get. Warning: don't try to read while eating. Plus, how in the world did anyone survive the Civil War? I would definately recommend this book.

24. Homer's Odyssey-Gwen Cooper (nonfiction, animal)
OK, first off - no animals die in this book! (yes, Amy, I'm looking at you!) Unusual in true life animal stories, all the animals that start the book, end the book. This is a story of a little blind kitten that finds a good home with a loving person- a must for all cat lovers!

25. Curiosities of Literature-John Sutherland (nonfiction) A collection of essays & articles about literature- fun stuff, not boring, with interesting stuff about writers & works. Easy read.

26. Outwitting Squirrels 2nd ed. - Bill Adler Jr. (nonfiction, nature) Sometimes quite funny. I learned more about squirrels and bird feeders than I thought possible.

27. Jenna Starborn-Sharon Shinn (fiction, Science fiction) Jane Eyre in outer space. Literally. She follows the plot to the letter. Some readers enjoyed that, some didn't. I liked it. I will probably read more from this author.

So, I am behind on posting here. Let's get to it!

28. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin (YA)
One of my favorite books in childhood. I picked it up cheap & decided to re-read. It still packs a punch, and I would still recommend it to YA readers - or any readers.

29. Dog On It-Spencer Quinn (mystery)
A noir type mystery told from the perspective of the detective's dog! The author does a very good job, a lot of animal books tend to be very cutesy, but not this one. He does a remarkable job with the main character's point-of-view, being reallistic without too sweet. Recommended for dog and cat people!

30. The Fault in Our Stars-John Green (YA) (for Bound Together)
Teens with cancer. John Green. Yes, I cried. A lot.

31. The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon - Leann Sweeney (mystery, cozy, cats)
Another addition to the series. I didn't like it as much as previous entries, but still cute & cozy.

32. I am the Messanger-Markus Zusak (YA)
I didn't like this one as much as The Book Thief, but since the Book Thief is one of the best I have ever read, it's still good. I didn't care much for the ending however, seemed a bit of a cop-out.

33. Arcadia Falls-Carol Goodman (historical fiction, fairy tale themes) (for Bound Together)
I liked this one, but there were too many endings! Too complicated at the end. But I would still recommend it.

34. The Wilder Life-Wendy McClure (non-fiction)
Not what you were thinking! It refers to the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. It's similar to Eat, Pray, Love and Julie & Julia. Basically, the author becomes semi-obsessed with re-reading the books, then anything she can get her hands on about the author & her family, and goes on road trips to the real places in the books and the various homes/tourist attractions. I really liked this one since I loved the books when I was younger. It made me want to buy & reread all of them!

35. Secretariat-William Nack (non-fiction, horse racing)
A well-written book that explains all that goes into horse racing (very different from the Black Stallion books) from conception and bloodlines to then end. I read this one during Triple Crown season, and it definately added to my enjoyment & knowledge. Especially since Secretariat is still making the news!

36. The Warmth of Other Suns-Isabel Wilkerson (non-fiction) (for Bound Together)
This book focuses on the Black Migration from the South to other parts of the country, the North & California. I found the first part hard to read because of the descriptions of the absolutely horrible things that were done. I could only take a little of that at a time. The book is really well written and I enjoyed it as a whole.

37. Summer Island-Kristin Hannah (chick lit) (for Bound Together)
Blech.

38. The Sherwood Ring-Elizabeth Marie Pope (YA)
I read this when a youngster, and enjoyed it now as well. A different take on ghosts.

39. Lone Wolf-Jodi Picoult (fiction) (for Bound Together)
My first Jodi Picoult book, and enjoyed it a lot, especially all the wolf parts. It did make me cry.

40. The Lifeboat-Charlotte Rogan (historical fiction) (for Bound Together)
I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to any book club-it's a fast & easy read that is good for discussion.

41. One Hex of a Wedding-Yasmine Galenorn (mystery, new age)
Cute supernatural mystery, part of a series.

42. How To Moon a Cat-Rebecca M. Hale (mystery, cozy, cats)
Not as good as the other books in the series, but a cute kitty dream sequence.

43. The Things They Carried-Tim O'Brien (fiction) (for Bound Together)
Very intense. Hard to read emotionally. Short stories from Vietnam from US soldiers point of view.

44. City of Thieves-David Benioff (historical fiction) (for Chicks on Lit)
Novel about the seige of Leningrad. Horrible things happen, somewhat intense. Definately not funny as the blurbs on the cover say-I'm not sure what book they were reading, but it wasn't the same one I was.

45. The Lost Hero: the Heroes of Olympus: Book One - Rick Riordan (YA)
Back to Greek & Roman gods, where he belongs!

46. The Girl Who Played with Fire-Steig Larsson (fiction)
OK, I liked this one better than the first one, primarily because the author focuses more on Lisbeth and less on Swedish economics and furniture. It moves faster and not as much graphic violence.

47. Death Comes to Pemberly-PD James (mystery, Jane Austen)
This was a huge disappointment. I was bored! I thought that Elizabeth and Darcy would have more of a role in untangling the mystery, but they were both so passive, I wanted to shake them. I would not recommend this one. And I ususally like PD James.

48. Midwives-Chris Bohjalian (fiction) (for Bound Together)
I liked the way the author kept you in suspense to the end as to what really happened, and I thought the characters were very well done.

49. Lily Dale: the town that talks to the dead-Christine Wicker (non-fiction, supernatural)
I really liked the way the author handled the subject matter and the way she wrote about a challenging subject; not ridiculing it but not believing blindly either.

50. Deadlocked-Charlaine Harris (fiction)
Latest Sookie Stackhouse book. not as good as the earlier ones in the series.

51. Zombies vs. Unicorns-ed. Justine Larbalestier & Holly Black (YA, short stories)
The title says it all. Short stories alternating between zombies and unicorns.

52. Blood Lite -ed. Kevin J. Anderson (short stories)
Gory, supposed to be humerous, short stories related to the supernatural.
As with all short story collections, some work, some don't. Some I like, some I don't.

53. What Was Lost-Catherine O'Flynn (fiction) (for Bound Together)
Still not sure about this one.

54. A Night Like This-Julia Quinn (romance)
Ok, but not as good as her earlier works.

I don't know if it's just me, but I have found a lot of authors lately that I liked the earlier works much better than the newest releases. I don't know if I'm getting jaded or the authors are running out of ideas in their assorted series.

Oh! and over half way now!! Yeah!!

Been reading a lot lately, however not finishing much. Book club picked some long ones for July!

55. Elvis, Jesus & Coca-Cola -Kinky Friedman (mystery) I thought the mystery part was ok, but I would give 6 stars to the postscript part about his real kitty. All pet lovers should read it!

56. A Game of Thrones (Book #1: A Song of Fire and Ice) (fantasy) ( Bound Together)
Loved it! And now I'm going to have to get to the rest of the series.

57. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay-Michael Chabon (historical fiction, Pulitzer Prize winner) (Bound Together- book that starts with A)
I really enjoyed this one; it was long but read quickly.

Finally finished some books-some long ones!

58. The Dovekeepers-Alice Hoffman (historical fiction) (Bound Together)
I really enjoyed this one, even though I knew going in there wouldn't be a happy ending. I think this may be her best book so far. Very rich in the details.

59. No Ordinary Time-Doris Kearns Goodwin (history)
I liked this one too. An interesting perspective on a very well covered time period.

60. Sword at Sunset-Rosemary Sutcliff (historical fiction)
I just didn't click with this book like I thought I would, and I'm not sure why. I would recommend it, though. A very realist view of the King Arthur saga.

61. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest-Stieg Larsson (fiction)
Loved it! Finally finished the trilogy.

Stupid computer keeps eating my posts :.(

62. Moby-Duck - Donovan Hohn (nonfiction)
Best nonfiction book I've read in a while-a must read. Very well written.

63. Five Children and It- E. Nesbit (childrens fiction)
and 64. The Enchanted Castle-E. Nesbit
I had read a great deal about the author and how her work influenced a great deal of children's writers, so when I saw these at the local B&N, I decided to give them a try and I am glad I did! Not really happy about the ending of The Enchanted Castle, but overall I enjoyed the books, and can definately see the influence in some of the other writers that I have read. Even though it's considered Victorian (I think) literature, I didn't find it difficult to read at all.

Now off to find some short fast reads to get my numbers up!

65. Defending Jacob-William Landay (fiction, thriller) (Bound Together)

66. In the Time of the Butterflies-Julia Alvarez (historical fiction) (Bound Together)

67. Animal Dreams - Barbara Kingsolver (fiction) (Bound Together)

68. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot (nonfiction) (Bound Together)

69. Enduring Love - Ian McEwan (fiction) (Bound Together)

70. Who Killed My Daughter? - Lois Duncan (nonfiction)

71. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn (fiction, thriller) (Bound Together)

72 Cinderella ( as if you didn't already know the story) - Barbara Ensor (YA)

73. The White Queen - Philippa Gregory (historical fiction)

74. Shakespeare's Champion (Lily Bard series book 2) - Charlaine Harris (mystery)

75. The Perfect Elizabeth - Libby Schmais (fiction/chick lit)

76. New Mexico Ghost Stories - Antonio R. Garcez (nonfiction, supernatural)

77. Shakespeare's Christmas-Charlaine Harris (Lily Bard series book 3)

78. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman (ya)

79. Tantalize - Cynthia Leitich Smith (YA)

80. The Giver - Lois Lowry (YA)

81. How To Tail a Cat - Rebecca M. Hale (mystery, Cats & Curios series)

82. Shakespeare's Trollop - Charlaine Harris (Lily Bard series book 4)

83. Calling Invisible Women-Jeanne Ray (fiction) (Bound Together)

I did finish reading these books in time, but I just didn't post in time (due to some personal issues). I did complete my goal!

84. Gastronaut - Stefan Gates (nonfiction, food) (bound together)

85. Chasing Vermeer-Blue Balliett (YA)

86. The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World-E.L. Konigsburg (YA)

87. Promises To Keep-Charles de Lint (urban fantasy)

88. The Sherlockian - Graham Moore (historical fiction)

89. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie-Alan Bradley (mystery)

90. Shakespeare's Counselor (Lily Bard book 5)-Charlaine Harris (mystery)

91. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society -Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (historical fiction)

92. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith (horror, alternative history?)

93. The Diary of Mattie Spenser - Sandra Dallas (historical fiction) (bound together)

94. The Weight of Silence - Heather Gudenkauf (thriller?) (bound together)

95. Route 66 AD-Tony Perrottet (nonfiction, travel)

96. The School for Dangerous Girls - Eliot Schrefer (YA)

97. The Housekeeper and the Professor-Yoko Ogawa (fiction) (bound together)

98. The Madonnas of Leningrad-Debra Dean (historical fiction) (bound together)

99. The Dud Avacado-Elaine Dundy (fiction)

100. What the Night Knows-Dean Koontz (horror) (bound together)

101. Heat Wave-Richard Castle (mystery)

102. A Murderous Procession- Ariana Franklin (mystery)

103. Bobbie Faye's (Kinda, Sorta, Not Exactly) Family Jewels-Toni McGee Causey (fiction)

104. Al Capone Does My Shirts-Gennifer Choldenko (YA)

105. Fire in the Hole and Other Stories (aka: When the Women Come Out to Dance) - Elmore Leonard (short stories)

106. Doubletake-Rob Thurman (urban fantasy)

And done!!!