Everyday Goddess

Books I Read in 2012

OK, I'm letting go of the 12/12 annual reading goal (12 fiction and 12 non-fiction). I made it in 2009, and surpassed it in 2010, but both those years contained a fair bit of unemployment and then a fair bit of commuting 20+ miles through the wilds of Los Angeles listening to audio books.

Previous lists here.

It's simply not a realistic goal for me with my current life configuration, although reading remains a priority as one of my few hobbies, an important part of education and continual life and self improvement, and also as a source of film adaptation dreaming. Film adaptation being the only form of screenwriting I personally enjoy doing.

This year I read 16 books, 9 fiction and 7 non-fiction. Not too shabby, although one of these was Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which admittedly I read on one lunch break. Here's the list, from most recent back. A star indicates that I read it with my book club. My favorite books this year were 1, 4, 6, and 12.

1. Directors Tell The Story by Bethany Rooney
2. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Lucia Graves (Translator) *
3. Devil Said Bang (Sandman Slim #4) by Richard Kadrey
4. My Brain Made Me Do It: The Rise of Neuroscience and the Threat to Moral Responsibility by Eliezer J. Sternberg
5. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
6. Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro
7. Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
8. Red Shirts by John Scalzi
9. Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach  *
10. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole  *
11. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
12. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Gia-Fu Feng (Translator), Jane English (Translator)
13. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller *
14. Billenium by J.G. Ballard
15. Townie by Andre Dubus III *
16. The Tao of Dating by Alex Benzer

So... a new 2013 goal. I think 12 would be a good goal, but not enough of a challenge. I want to say 18, but maybe that's stretching it, considering I only hit 16 this year.

It's challenging to land on even numbers. I find odd numbers more appealing generally, although my favorite number is 2... I really like numbers that are divisable by 3 and 9, so actually, I think I will say 18. New goal, 18 books in 2013, 9 fiction and 9 non-fiction. I've already started my first book of the year, so I'm going to try to get cracking on that.

What was your favorite book you read this year?

Books I Read in 2011

I am sad to report that I did *not* meet my annual goal of 24 books (12 fiction and 12 nonfiction) this year. By my way of counting (where I lump series together if they are easy to digest and I tore through them straight) I read 18 books (9 fiction and 9 nonfiction). Still pretty good, but there were nonreading months this year, clearly.

Hat tip to my friend Zandria who read 27 books this year. (How have I not finished Packing for Mars yet??? Someone sent it to me as a present this year, and I haven't read it yet, for shame. Definitely on the short list for 2012.)

And my friend Rebecca hit my goal (and her goal!) of 24 books for the year. Click her book category to see all the different books.

My previous lists are here: 2010, 2009, 2008.

I list my books in backwards order, so the most recent read first. A star indicates that I read it with my book club. My favorite books were 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13.

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
2. Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
3. Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life by Karen Maezen Miller
4. Sandman Slim / Kill the Dead / Aloha from Hell by Richard Kadrey *
5. Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá *
6. Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
7. The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence by Gavin de Becker
8. If Love Is a Game, These Are the Rules: 10 Rules for Finding Love and Creating Long-Lasting, Authentic Relationships by Cherie Carter-Scott
9. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan *
10. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell *
11. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey
12. My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1) by Rachel Vincent
13. Bossypants by Tina Fey *
14. American Gods by Neil Gaiman *
15. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell *
16. Start with Why by Simon Sinek
17. Dracula by Bram Stoker
18. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde *

I should mention that I do follow a bunch more comic books - Buffy, Dollhouse, Orchid, The Guild, House of Night... but it's difficult to list them here the same way I do novels and nonfiction. Y: The Last Man I listed because I literally sat down and read it all from beginning to end, thanks to a very generous friend who gave me all the books. Likewise, I read a fair bit of poetry, a lot of Rumi this year, but I didn't completely finish any poetry books this year.

Did you read anything awesome this year? Did you post a list? Link it up in the comments; I'm looking for 2012 suggestions!

Books I read in 2010

As always hat tip to the awesome Zandria, who already posted her 2010 list.

My previous lists are here: 2008, 2009.

In 2009 I made my annual goal of 12 fiction and 12 nonfiction books. In 2011, I surpassed it! Thanks to audio books during the big commute and the joyous discovery of a book club that suits me. I read 15 fiction and 14 non-fiction books in 2011, and this is with counting a couple young adult series as 1 "book" each.

I list my books in backwards order, so the most recent read first. A star indicates that I read it with my book club, and if I did a review I'll link to that as well.

"Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

"The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You've Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong" by David Shenk

"Fame: A Novel in Nine Episodes" by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Carol Janeway *

"Big Girls Don't Cry: The Election that Changed Everything for American Women" by Rebecca Traister   review

"The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon" by David Grann *

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Steig Larsson, translated by Reg Keeland *

"Pride And Prejudice" by Jane Austen

"Brazen Careerist" by Penelope Trunk

"Here Comes Another Lesson: Stories" by Stephen O'Connor   review

"Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth" by James M. Tabor

"Orbit: A Novel" by John J. Nance *

"The Day I Shot Cupid: Hello, My Name Is Jennifer Love Hewitt and I'm a Love-aholic" by Jennifer Love Hewitt

"The Forgotten Garden: A Novel" by Kate Morton   review

"Fly by Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the Miracle on the Hudson" by William Langewiesche

"The Late, Lamented Molly Marx: A Novel" by Sally Koslow   review

"East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart" by Susan Butler

"Welcome to the Monkey House: Stories" by Kurt Vonnegut *

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury *

"Columbine" by Dave Cullen *

"Meeting Your Half-Orange: An Utterly Upbeat Guide to Using Dating Optimism to Find Your Perfect Match" by Amy Spencer   review

"Pudd'nhead Wilson" by Mark Twain

"Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal" by Ayn Rand, Nathaniel Branden, Alan Greenspan, Robert Hessen

"The Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James

"The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection" by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler   review

"Hunger Games Trilogy" by Suzanne Collins *

"It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken: The Smart Girl's Break-Up Buddy" by Greg Behrendt, Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt

"The Chronicles Of Prydain: The Book of The Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, The High King" by Lloyd Alexander

"My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-Up" by Russell Brand *

"The Crimson Portrait: A Novel" by Jody Shields   review from 2007, this was a reread

Hey, I see I met another goal for the year, which was to do at least six reviews on my blog. It's difficult because review books are sent in paper form, and the easiest way for me to read something is often via audiobook. Sometimes it's difficult to find time to read the traditional way. In fact, I have a book I'm hoping to review in January, and I think it's going to be a bit of a challenge. Still this year, same goals, so I'd better get crackin'!

24 Books in 2009: Done.

In 2008, I read 19 books, 12 Fiction and 7 non fiction. In 2009 I resolved to read 24 books, 12 fiction and 12 non-fiction. This was a big challenge for me. When I got laid off, I fell hopelessly behind. Somehow more time = less reading. But I found salvation in my new position and an hour-long commute. Audiobooks to the rescue! I totally made it! (Can you tell that Audible had a classics sale?)

Update:  I was inspired to do this the first time by my friend Zandria. Here's her list for 2009.

Going backwards in time, here's what I read in 2009, with links to my review if there is one:

"Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High" by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler   review

"The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl" by Timothy Egan

"Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries" by Naomi Wolf

"Cosmic Critiques: How and Why Ten Science Fiction Stories Work" by Isaac Asimov & Martin Greenberg

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde

"Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business" by Thembisa S. Mshaka    review

"Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

"Around the World in Eighty Days" by Jules Verne

"I Will Teach You To Be Rich" by Ramit Sethi  (I highly recommend the audio book, which is read by the author.)

"The Painted Veil" by W. Somerset Maugham

"Oil!" by Upton Sinclair

"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

"Septimus Heap, Book Four: Queste" by Angie Sage

"Into the Beautiful North: A Novel" by Luis Alberto Urrea   review

"The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals" by Michael Pollan

"Best Intentions: A Novel" by Emily Listfield   review

"Casting Spells" by Barbara Benton

"He's a Stud, She's a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know" by Jessica Valenti

"Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need" by Blake Snyder

"The Little Giant of Aberdeen County" by Tiffany Baker  review

"Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love" by Sue Johnson   review

"Tulips in the Sand ~ A Riley Matthews Mystery" by Caryn Gottlieb Fitzgerald   review

"Chaos: Making a New Science" by James Gleick   not a review

"Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen

I only review books I am sent specifically for review, but James Gleick's book on chaos theory inspired a post, so hence: "not a review."

And here's two more books I reviewed, but didn't want to count as having "read" since they're not really meant to be read cover to cover:

"Your Astrology Guide 2010" by Rick Levine and Jeff Jawer   review

"Everyday Astrology: How to Make Astrology Work for You" by Gary Goldschneider   review

There were definitely times this year I thought I wouldn't reach my goal. Still, I think I will keep the same goal for 2010. I can't resist the symmetry and the challenge of it. With one wrinkle - I am rewarding myself for reaching my goal by tearing through (and thoroughly enjoying!) The Chronicles Of Prydain. Because they are short, and I imagine I will be through them all by the end of January, I intend to count the five books as one for purposes of my annual goal.

But, of course I *could* always count them as the five books that they most certainly are. So we'll just see how that goes.

Books I Read in 2008

I'm so inspired by Zandria's post (34 books last year!), that I decided to do my own round-up of what I read in 2008. I'm *really* hoping to kick it up a notch this year, so this seems to be a good way to start. Interestingly, while Zandria has numerous books on her list that I've been wanting to read, we don't have even one overlap.

My totals were 12 fiction, 7 non-fiction. I'm aiming for 12/12 in 2009, which is one of each, per month. I'm going to list the books in backwards order, so the most recent read is first. I've linked to my review where applicable. The main link off the title is to Amazon with my seller code. Here goes:

"The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel" by Kathleen Kent  review

"The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference" by Malcolm Gladwell

"Everything Bad is Good for You" by Steven Johnson

"My Name Is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare" by Jess Winfield  review

"When Will There Be Good News?: A Novel" by Kate Atkinson  review

"Sleep Is for the Weak: The Best of the Mommybloggers Including Amalah, Finslippy, Fussy, Woulda Coulda Shoulda, Mom-101, and More! (Blogher Book)" edited by Rita Arens

"The Day I Turned Uncool: Confessions of a Reluctant Grown-up" by Dan Zevin

"Advanced Screenwriting: Raising Your Script to the Academy Award Level" by Linda Seger

"Unpredictable" by Eileen Cook  video review

"The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)" by Rick Riordan

"Sleeping with Ward Cleaver" by Jenny Gardiner  video review

The Blue Star: A Novel by Tony Earley  review

"It's a Jungle Out There: The Feminist Survival Guide to Politically Inhospitable Environments" by Amanda Marcotte

"Going Gray: What I Learned about Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood, Authenticity, and Everything Else That Really Matters" by Anne Kreamer  video review

"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

"The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America" by Erik Larson

"Signed, Mata Hari: A Novel" by Yannick Murphy  video review

"The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2)" by Rick Riordan

"Beginner's Greek: A Novel" by James Collins  review