2011: Books

My goal was to read 45 books this year including 5 nonfiction.  I just barely scraped by, finishing my last book earlier this week.  But I read 11 nonfiction books which I consider a great success.  In 2012 I want to read 50 books, and my beautiful new Kindle Fire will make this goal oh so fun.  My favorite part of my new toy so far?  It tells me what percentage of the book I have already read.  Currently I'm 12% through Jane Eyre, which means I have a lot left to go.

Excellent
1. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, AMAZING book, read more here
2. The Adventures of an Amalga Farmboy by Vern Rice, my Grandpa's memoirs, it was fun to hear stories about his life that I'd never heard before.
3. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, I think this should be required reading in high school
4. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns, has been one of my favorites for a long time
5. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, very deserving Newbery Medal winner, every child would love this book
6-12. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, obvious favorites
13. The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt, one of my very favorites, I would recommend it to anyone and everyone (and have!)
14. Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt, also a favorite, just an itty bitty notch below Wednesday Wars for me

Great
15. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
16. Joseph Smith Rough Stone Rolling by Richard L. Bushman, I kind of feel like I'm cheating the system since I read all but 20 pages of this in 2010 but I did finish it in 2011.
17. Jerusalem Interlude by Bodie Thoene
18. Scumble by Ingrid Law, not as good as Savvy but still fun
19. Danzig Passage by Bodie Thoene
20. 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny by Phillip Done, so fun to read, especially for a teacher
21. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, fascinating
22. Created for Greater Things by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, love Pres. Uchtdorf
23. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, read more here
24. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, read more here
25. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, read more here
26. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Wells, read more here
27. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen, read more here
28. Founding Mothers by Cokie Robers, read more here
29. Warsaw Requiem by Bodie Thoene
30. The 5 People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
31. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, can't wait for the next book!
32. Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of the Relief Society
33. The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball

Okay
34. Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella, fluff
35. Remembering Isaac by Ben Behunin, no characterization- every character was the exact same
36. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, I can't really put my finger on why, but I just didn't really like this book
37. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, I'm probably a terrible person for not loving this book
38. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, read more here
39. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, exactly what you'd expect (didn't help that I'd already seen the movie, haha)
40. If I Should Die by Jennie Hansen, couldn't put it down but at the end I realized I really didn't like it that much
41. If I Stay by Gayle Forman, not my favorite, but I did like the format- his side then her side
42. Where She Went by Gayle Forman, same as above
43. Grace by Richard Paul Evans, sappy but cute

Meh
44. Leaving Cold Sassy by Olive Ann Burns, unfinished and kind of depressing
45. On Becoming Babywise by Gary Ezzo, this book really made me feel like a loser