For my kindred spirits out there that like to read, here is my book list from 2011 and my thoughts about them. I have to add four more books to end the year. All four were good books.
Unraveling Anne
Saville, Laurel December 12, 2011
*** Interesting true account of Anne Ford, fashion designer, model, died homeless, murdered.
The Bloody & Brave History of Native American Warriors & the Women Who Supported Them
Sabin, Edwin L December 10, 2011
*** Good book if this kind of stuff interest you. :)
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
Millard, Candice December 15, 2011
***** One of my favorites! If you like history, this one is great! All about President Garfield and his assasination. Candice Millard also wrote 'The River of Doubt' about Teddy Roosevelt that I absoultely loved.
The Silence of Trees
Dudycz Lupescu, Valya December 20, 2011
**** Loved this book too. Very interesting to learn the customs of other nations in a well written story.
The Secret Holocaust Diaries
Bannister, Nonna November 13, 2011
*** ok book, about the holocaust obviously.
Pearl Buck in China
Spurling, Hilary November 13, 2011
*** I love Pearl S. Buck, so I liked this one, but not for everyone. I would suggest reading 'The Good Earth' or 'Fighting Angel' first.
Unlikely Friendships
Holland, Jennifer S. October 12, 2011
**** really cute, quick funread about animals.
Empire of the Summer Moon
Gwynne, S. C. October 12, 2011
***** loved it! Not for everyone. Historically based about the last of the Comanches.
The Dummy Line
Cole, Bobby October 12, 2011
**** Really liked this one, nice fiction with good story
The Watery Part of the World
Parker, Michael September 29, 2011
*** not really an easy read but good book. Interesting.
Born to Run
Mcdougall, Christopher September 29, 2011
***** great book! About runners, but so much more. None fiction and I would recommend it for anyone.
The Devil's Rooming House: The True Story of America's Deadliest Female Serial Killer
Phelps, M. William September 1, 2011
*** crazy book about just what the title says. Interesting.
Far Away Home
Denning, Susan August 26, 2011
*** nice fiction, good filler novel.
The Mill River Recluse
Chan, Darcie August 26, 2011
**** really like this one, sounds boring and is rather predictable, but good read.
Blood on the Tracks (Kindle Single)
Holland, Cecelia August 26, 2011
**** true story, about the 1877 railroad strike.. I love historical novels about history we never learned about in school or just skimmed over.
The Fearless Mrs. Goodwin (Kindle Single)
Mitchell, Elizabeth August 26, 2011
*** good historically based book about first female cop in New York
Fever Dream (Pendergast)
Preston, Douglas, Child, Lincoln August 26, 2011
**** fiction series that I love! Detective series with a little supernatural thrown in.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
DiCamillo, Kate August 24, 2011
**** yea it's a kids book about a rabbit doll and it's great.
Read This Before Our Next Meeting
Pittampalli, Al August 9, 2011
**** work related and would be nice if it worked.
Nothing Daunted
Wickenden, Dorothy August 8, 2011
**** loved it! Historically based about two teachers who go west to teach school.
Horses Don't Fly: A Memoir of World War I
Libby, Frederick July 24, 2011
**** loved it! Historically based.
As I Lay Dying
Faulkner, William July 24, 2011
**** classic Faulkner
Galore
Crummey, Michael July 24, 2011
*** bizarre book, interesting with nice twist at the end. Fiction.
Bridge to Terabithia
Paterson, Katherine July 24, 2011
**** yep kid book again and I loved It.
A Stolen Life
Dugard, Jaycee July 12, 2011
*** Interesting,but hard. Not well written, but gets better as you go along and I found that at the end it was like watching the author grow and mature as the woman she was never allowed to be.
The Glass Castle
Walls, Jeannette July 11, 2011
**** absolutely loved it and really like the author. Great non-fiction about author's life
My Mother's Lover (Kindle Single)
Dobbs, David July 11, 2011
*** fun quick 99cent read
Those Who Save Us
Blum, Jenna June 30, 2011
**** very good book! Once again about the holocaust.
State of Wonder
Patchett, Ann June 8, 2011
**** very good book, non fiction, about a friendship and what we all do for those special friends.
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
Larson, Erik June 6, 2011
**** love this author and recommend 'the Devil and the White City' by him also if you have not read it. Great book about Berlin during WWII, interesting angle.
Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
Burpo, Todd, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo May 24, 2011
**** loved it, about what the title states.
When Ghosts Speak: Understanding the World of Earthbound Spirits
Winkowski, Mary Ann May 24, 2011
**** very interesting, this lady is the basis for the TV show 'the Ghost Whisperer'
Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?: A Rock 'n' Roll Memoir
Tyler, Steven May 13, 2011
**** love Steven Tyler.....crazy but interesting.
The Floor of Heaven: A True Tale of the Last Frontier and the Yukon Gold Rush
Blum, Howard May 2, 2011
**** great historically based about the Yukon and the gold rush.
Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II
Zuckoff, Mitchell May 2, 2011
**** loved this book, true story, plane crash during WWII.
Just Kids
Smith, Patti April 22, 2011
*** liked this one but Patti is one strange chick.
The Saint (Kindle Single)
Broudy, Oliver April 22, 2011
*** nice fun 99 cent read
The Paris Wife: A Novel
McLain, Paula April 22, 2011
**** really like this one, about Hemmingway.
109 East Palace
Conant, Jennet March 29, 2011
***** one of my absolute favorites this past year, about the atomic bomb.
The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival (Vintage Departures)
Vaillant, John March 26, 2011
**** hard read but great book about the Siberia lands and the tigers that roam there and the people.
A Discovery of Witches: A Novel
Harkness, Deborah March 26, 2011
*** crazy science fiction, fun to read if you like this line of fiction,
The Works of James Fenimore Cooper (32 books) [Illustrated]
Cooper, James Fenimore February 15, 2011
**** only managed one of these so far 'Last of the Mohicans' loved it! Awesome read.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel
Ford, Jamie February 13, 2011
**** liked very much, about china town after WWII
Cutting for Stone
Verghese, Abraham February 13, 2011
*** whew, hard read, but ends up very good. Not for the faint of heart.
Half Broke Horses
Walls, Jeannette February 13, 2011
**** again, now love this author. This one is about her crazy mom and grandparents.
Ascend (Trylle Trilogy, #3)
Hocking, Amanda February 5, 2011
*** crazy supernatural fiction, got tired of them after this third one.
Room: A Novel
Donoghue, Emma February 3, 2011
*** interesting book, came out right before Jaycee Dugards book, so I think the author was trying to play off of that situation.
Shadowfever: A MacKayla Lane Novel
Moning, Karen Marie January 19, 2011
*** another fun fiction, supernatural. I like these better than the Amanda Hocking series. Mindless reads, which equals a good thing for me.
Dreamfever: The Fever Series
Moning, Karen Marie January 19, 2011
*** see above
Torn (Trylle Trilogy, Book 2)
Hocking, Amanda January 16, 2011
*** see above
Switched (Trylle Trilogy, Book 1)
Hocking, Amanda January 16, 2011
*** see above
Complete Books of Enoch: 1 Enoch (First Book of Enoch), 2 Enoch (Secrets of Enoch), 3 Enoch (Hebrew Book of Enoch) (Book of Enoch / Books of Enoch)
Nyland, Dr. A. January 13, 2011
** hard reads but interesting if you are interested in biblical history.
Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War
Marlantes, Karl January 13, 2011
**** really good book about this war.
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Wilkerson, Isabel January 7, 2011
**** great book about the south and the Afican Americans, their plight and flight to the North to escape the oppressive South.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Hillenbrand, Laura December 28, 2010
***** my favorite book from this past year. About WWII, but so much more. Lovely ending.
I have read other books this past year, but these are the more notable ones and the ones I would recommend. Some were actual real hardback books that I now struggle through occasionally. Yes I have become a complete Amazon slut, and I have trouble holding real books and having to turn real pages. All of the books listed can be found on Amazon and have a kindle edition.
Happy reading.
