Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Books Read in 2007

2007 Reading Year in Review

At the beginning of the year I was on pace to read over 100 books. Sigh, I missed it by 8 books! I guess that is my reading goal for 2008 then, to read 100 books.

I participated in one challenge in 2007 - the Non-Fiction Five Challenge sponsored by Thoughts of Joy. At first I was really gung ho about participating in challenges, but as the year went on, I realized I just don't have the time to devote to them. This year will probably prove to be no different, but as my kids get older, maybe in future years I can be in a few more.

I had my own challenge to myself, to read book titles from A-Z. One look at my sidebar and you can see I didn't accomplish that, but I came close. I probably could have made an effort to find titles with the missing letters but I never got around to doing that. (Note: story of my life right now is I never get around to doing 9/10 of the things I want to do. (Case in point: my very infrequent posting to this blog.) I had an only child for almost 14 years, and now I have 2 little girls, and life is just so different. Wonderful, but crazy! End of note.)

So here is my list of books read in 2007, organized by the following rating system (borrowed from Carrie at Mommy Brain, I hope you don't mind Carrie!):

1 star - Terrible

2 stars - Just Okay

3 stars - Good

4 stars - Very Good

5 stars - Brilliant, Wonderful, Excellent, Fabulous

(There are actually no books listed under 1 star because if a book is a 1 star in my eyes, I don't keep reading it.)

5 Star Books

Fiction
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
With Love, Libby by Roxanne Henke
The Remedy for Regret by Susan Meissner
The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle
Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson
Winter Birds by Jamie Langston Turner

Non-Fiction
Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods by Rick Warren
A Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot
Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
At Knit's End by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

4 Star Books

Fiction
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Dear Enemy by Jack Cavanaugh
The Secret Life of Becky Miller by Sharon Hinck
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Scoop by Rene Gutteridge
I Love Claire by Tracey Bateman
Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Sisterchicks in Gondolas! by Robin Jones Gunn
Perfecting Kate by Tamara Leigh
The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler
Winter Wheat by Mildred Walker
Black Ice by Linda Hall
Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
This Heavy Silence by Nicole Mazzarella
The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson
A Girl's Best Friend by Kristin Billerbeck
Renovating Becky Miller by Sharon Hinck
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling by Neta Jackson
Death Comes as Epiphany by Sharan Newman
The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood
Calm, Cool, and Adjusted by Kristin Billerbeck
Winter Birds by Jamie Langston Turner
Summer of the War by Whelan
The Trophy Wives Club by Kristin Billerbeck
The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett
The Good Wife by Stewart O'Nan
The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock
The Cure by Athol Dickson

Non-Fiction
The Innocent Man by John Grisham
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krause Rosentahl
Arctic Homestead by Norma Cobb
The Nazi Officer's Wife by Edith Hahn Beer
An Innocent, A Broad by Ann Leary
One Small Boat by Kathy Harrison
The Color of Water by James McBride
How to Help a Grieving Friend by Stephanie Grace Whitson
Confessions of a Slacker Mom by Muffy MeadbyFerro
Confessions of a Slacker Wife by Muffy MeadbyFerro
The Joy of Knitting by Lisa Myers
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Nordies at Noon by Balwanz/Carlos/Johnson/Peters
Mason-Dixon Knitting by Gardiner/Shayne
Stitch N B---- by Debbie Stoller
For the Love of Knitting by Kari Cornell, editor
Stitch N B----Nation by Debbie Stoller
Not Tonight Darling, I'm Knitting by Hosegood
We Remember by Jeanne Marie Laskas
Don't Bet Against Me by Deanna Favre

3 Star Books

Fiction
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg
Clay's Quilt by Silas House
Showdown by Ted Dekker
Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Head Game by Tim Downs
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Vreeland

Non-Fiction
Night by Elie Wiesel
Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes in you and your kids! by Scott Turansky/Joanne Miller
A World of Love by Conroy
Winterdance by Gary Paulsen
Bryson City Secrets by Walt Larimore
Candyfreak by Steve Almond
To Love, Honor, and Vacuum by Sheila Wray Gregoire
Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair by Laurie Perry

2 Star Books

Fiction
Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
Saint by Ted Dekker

Non-Fiction
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
Homeschooling for Excellence by David and Micki Colfax
Dear Exile by Liftin/Montgomery

*****

I finished the first book of 2008 already, The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Decked Out by Neta Jackson. I loved it as I did all the Yada Yada books. This is the last one in this series. I rate it a 5.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Of course I don't mind if you borrow it! We read a lot of the same books this year - but I have to admit I'm surprised that Anne of Green Gables only got a 3 from you. (It's one of my all-time favorites.) I have a few that are on your list planned for this coming year, so I'm glad you liked them.

I like the Packers, too - unless they're playing the Seahawks, my home team who also made it to the play-offs. So I'll cheer for the Pack until we're playing them, but then all bets are off, 'kay?

Literary Feline said...

I think you did very well! I want to try and reach 100 this year too. I made it to 89 so I should be able to make it to 100, don't you think?

You're rating scale is very similar to mine. And I'm right there with you when it comes to 1 star ratings. Those are usually books I do not finish.

I hope you have a wonderful year of reading!

Much Ado said...

Wow! 92 books, I thought I was doing well with 24 and we don't even have any kids yet!!! Thanks for your recommendations....Quaker Summer is sitting on my bedside table to be read next - and actually I think I originally bought it because of your review! Happy New Year.