Last year at this time, I was suffering through the first of approximately eighty seven blizzards to hit Rhode Island in January.
This year, it is 61 degrees and sunny as hell. We've only had a brief wet dusting of snow. I like this version of winter much better.
And with that, I'm going outside:)
07 January 2012
01 January 2012
Read ALL The Books
I read 65 books in 2011 (75 if you count the teenager books I have read a thousand times, the 7 harry potters and 3 hunger games. But let's not count those, to do such would only encourage this behavior). A lot of them were really good! My top five for the year were probably: Middlesex, Swamplandia!, The Tiger's Wife, Galore, and Bel Canto. And Year of the Flood. And Night Circus. And Faithful Place. And State of Wonder. OH and Vaclav and Lena. So, top ten. Those are the ones that stand out, at least, that I would like to read again.
I'll continue keeping a reading list next year-I've already started on a good one! I'm setting 70 books (not including repeats, unless it is for sister book club).
65. The Emperor of Lies Steven Sem-Sandberg Of course I finish out the year with a book about the holocaust. This book chronicles life in the Lodz ghetto. It's good-somehow draws you in despite a certain sparseness of the language. Very depressing, because unlike most books about historical tragedies that focus on those who survived despite the odds, this one sticks pretty close to the odds and I think every major character you meet dies. Spoiler alert?
64. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Ransom Riggs
63. The Tiger in the Well Phillip Pullman
62. The Shadow in the North Phillip Pullman
61. The Ruby in the Smoke Phillip Pullman These three are a trilogy of mysteries set in Victorian London. They're fine if you like that kind of thing
60. The Book Thief Maurice Zusak A book for teenagers, about Nazi Germany, narrated by Death. I cried at multiple points, obviously.
59. The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver I read this for sister book club. Even though I've read it three or four times before, I still find new things in it, and find Kingsolver's exquisite language able to move me
58. Nightwoods Charles Frazier
57. The Sisters Brothers Patrick DeWitt I've never really read westerns before, but I liked this one!
56. When She Woke Hillary Jordan Great Premise, poorly executed
55. Faith Jennifer Haigh
54. Night Circus Erin Morgenstern I waited forever to get this from the library, and I loved it! It's so richly imagined and such a sweet story
53. Death in the City of Light David King Really fascinating book about a serial killer in Nazi-Occupied Paris. I'm not usually one for non-fiction, but I liked this one
--------------------------------------------------------------
52. Vaclav and Lena Hayley Tanner
51. The Submission, Amy Waldman
50. Divergence Veronica Roth
49. Fragile Lisa Unger
48. Rules of Civility Amor Towles
47. Before I go to Sleep SJ Watson
46. The Hangman's Daughter Oliver Pötzsch
45. The Satanic Verses Salman Rushdie.
44. Everything is Illuminated Jonathan Safran Foer
43. Love that dog/ Hate that cat, Sharon Creech
42 . Bel Canto Ann Patchett
41.The Snowman, Jo Nesbo
40. State of Wonder, Ann Patchett
39. In the Garden of Beasts, Eric Larson
38. The Redbreast, Jo Nesbo
37. Caleb's Crossing , Geraldine Brooks
36. Nemesis, Jo Nesbo
35. The Devil's Star, Jo Nesbo
34. The History of Love,Nicole Krauss
33. East of Eden, John Steinbeck.
32. The Crucible, Arthur Miller
31. A Discovery of witches, Deborah Harkness
30. Cutting For Stone, Abraham Verghese
29. 22 Brittania Road, Amanda Hodgkinson
28. The Tiger's wife, Tea Obreht
27. Swamplandia!, Karen Russell
26. The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis
25. Galore, Michael Crummey
24. Comedy in a Minor Key, Hans Kielson
23.Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides 22. Great House Nicole Krauss
21. The Children's Book A. S. Byatt.
20. Room Emma Donaghue
19. The Lady Matador's Hotel Cristina Garcia
18. The Lonely Polygamist, Brady Udall
17. Disgrace, J.M. Coetzee
16. The Wordy Shipmates Sarah Vowell
15. The Warmth of Other Suns: The epic story of America's great Migration, Isabelle Wilkerson
14. Little Bee Chris Cleave
13 Fool Christopher Moore
12. A Dirty Job Christopher Moore
10. Lolita Vladimir Nabakov
9. Super Sad True Love Story Gary Shteyngart
8. The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova.
7.Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood.
6. Faithful Place, Tana French.
5. The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People who Read them, Elif Batuman.
4. Purgatorio, Dante Alighieri.
3. The Scarpetta Factor, Patricia Cornwell.
2. Bite Me, Christopher Moore.
1. Devil in the White City Eric Larson.
I'll continue keeping a reading list next year-I've already started on a good one! I'm setting 70 books (not including repeats, unless it is for sister book club).
65. The Emperor of Lies Steven Sem-Sandberg Of course I finish out the year with a book about the holocaust. This book chronicles life in the Lodz ghetto. It's good-somehow draws you in despite a certain sparseness of the language. Very depressing, because unlike most books about historical tragedies that focus on those who survived despite the odds, this one sticks pretty close to the odds and I think every major character you meet dies. Spoiler alert?
64. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Ransom Riggs
63. The Tiger in the Well Phillip Pullman
62. The Shadow in the North Phillip Pullman
61. The Ruby in the Smoke Phillip Pullman These three are a trilogy of mysteries set in Victorian London. They're fine if you like that kind of thing
60. The Book Thief Maurice Zusak A book for teenagers, about Nazi Germany, narrated by Death. I cried at multiple points, obviously.
59. The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver I read this for sister book club. Even though I've read it three or four times before, I still find new things in it, and find Kingsolver's exquisite language able to move me
58. Nightwoods Charles Frazier
57. The Sisters Brothers Patrick DeWitt I've never really read westerns before, but I liked this one!
56. When She Woke Hillary Jordan Great Premise, poorly executed
55. Faith Jennifer Haigh
54. Night Circus Erin Morgenstern I waited forever to get this from the library, and I loved it! It's so richly imagined and such a sweet story
53. Death in the City of Light David King Really fascinating book about a serial killer in Nazi-Occupied Paris. I'm not usually one for non-fiction, but I liked this one
--------------------------------------------------------------
52. Vaclav and Lena Hayley Tanner
51. The Submission, Amy Waldman
50. Divergence Veronica Roth
49. Fragile Lisa Unger
48. Rules of Civility Amor Towles
47. Before I go to Sleep SJ Watson
46. The Hangman's Daughter Oliver Pötzsch
45. The Satanic Verses Salman Rushdie.
44. Everything is Illuminated Jonathan Safran Foer
43. Love that dog/ Hate that cat, Sharon Creech
42 . Bel Canto Ann Patchett
41.The Snowman, Jo Nesbo
40. State of Wonder, Ann Patchett
39. In the Garden of Beasts, Eric Larson
38. The Redbreast, Jo Nesbo
37. Caleb's Crossing , Geraldine Brooks
36. Nemesis, Jo Nesbo
35. The Devil's Star, Jo Nesbo
34. The History of Love,Nicole Krauss
33. East of Eden, John Steinbeck.
32. The Crucible, Arthur Miller
31. A Discovery of witches, Deborah Harkness
30. Cutting For Stone, Abraham Verghese
29. 22 Brittania Road, Amanda Hodgkinson
28. The Tiger's wife, Tea Obreht
27. Swamplandia!, Karen Russell
26. The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis
25. Galore, Michael Crummey
24. Comedy in a Minor Key, Hans Kielson
23.Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides 22. Great House Nicole Krauss
21. The Children's Book A. S. Byatt.
20. Room Emma Donaghue
19. The Lady Matador's Hotel Cristina Garcia
18. The Lonely Polygamist, Brady Udall
17. Disgrace, J.M. Coetzee
16. The Wordy Shipmates Sarah Vowell
15. The Warmth of Other Suns: The epic story of America's great Migration, Isabelle Wilkerson
14. Little Bee Chris Cleave
13 Fool Christopher Moore
12. A Dirty Job Christopher Moore
10. Lolita Vladimir Nabakov
9. Super Sad True Love Story Gary Shteyngart
8. The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova.
7.Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood.
6. Faithful Place, Tana French.
5. The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People who Read them, Elif Batuman.
4. Purgatorio, Dante Alighieri.
3. The Scarpetta Factor, Patricia Cornwell.
2. Bite Me, Christopher Moore.
1. Devil in the White City Eric Larson.
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