2011: A Reading Year in Review

So here we are at the end of the year and as I reflect back I am amazed at all that has occurred. I wonder how I even found time to read. Between my pregnancy and our traveling I had little attention span and even less time. I guess that accounts for all the "light" reading I did (lots and lots of "cozy-mystery" stories). In fact, I find it interesting to note that my reading total for 2011 is only slightly higher at the end of the year than it was at the end of 2007. I find this fitting considering the fact that in both 2007 and 2011 I spent most of the year either being pregnant or caring for an infant -- those two things alone make it difficult to find quiet time to read. Still, I didn't give up my passion for books entirely, but read as time allowed. And so, as has become tradition (see my postings in 2008, 2009, and 2010.) I want to post a recap of the year by listing some statistics about the books I have read and highlight what I believe were the best and worst reads of the year. (** Note: The books that I have reviewed are hyperlinked to my review and you can view them by clicking on the title and author. ** )

TOTAL BOOKS READ IN 2011: 53 (listed here)


LONGEST READ IN 2011: Known & Unknown by Donald Rumsfeld at 832 pages.

SHORTEST READ IN 2011: Antigone by Sophocles at 116 pages.

BEST BOOK DISCOVERY in 2011: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. Recommended by a friend I began reading this book knowing nothing about its subject. In the end I came away with the feeling that Unbroken was one of the most powerful books I had ever read. Definitely worthwhile reading!

WORST BOOK DISCOVERY in 2011: The Blue Rose: An English Garden Mystery by Anthony Eglin. This wasn't an awful book, but it certainly wasn't great. It had a lot of potential, but in the end I found it full of cliches and very predictable. It was so-so and I didn't bother to look up any other books in the series.

FAVORITE CLASSIC READ IN 2011: Considering I only read a couple "classics" I don't have a long list to choose from. Still, I think I'd have to say my favorite this year was: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It has been on my "To read" list for several years and I was excited to finally read it. It was definitely a worthwhile read.

BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN 2011: Keeping up both reading and blogging in spite of how hectic my life was between traveling to family weddings and funerals, working a part-time job, taking care of my active 4 year old, and being pregnant... Oh and hosting the third annual Maud Hart Lovelace Reading Challenge during my 8th month of pregnancy.

BIGGEST FAILURE TO COMPLETE IN 2011: There were several books I picked up, began reading and then gave up. I won't list them here, but I will admit that what I consider more of a "failure" was my writing. I really slacked off in reviewing the books I read. In fact, I am ending 2011 with an even worse record of reviews than I did in 2010. As things stand right now I have 16 books un-reviewed compared to the 7 I left un-reviewed at the end of 2010. Still in debate as to whether it's too late for me to post something.. I did catch up on my 2010 reviews in early 2011, so maybe I'll catch up on 2011 in 2012. We shall see.

TOP 5 BOOKS IN 2011 THAT SURPRISED ME (in order as read):
1. The Belfry by May Sinclair
2. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
3. Chaff in the Wind by Edna Walker Chandler
4. Antigone by Sophocles
5. The Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse


GREATEST READING ACCOMPLISHMENT IN 2011: I did not read any mega books in 2011. As I look back over the year and all that occurred I think my biggest accomplishment was that I kept reading. There were so many times when I didn't have time or energy or mental ability to sit and focus, but I kept going. I read as time allowed, I read what interested me, and I read when I felt like it. In the end I have reached the end of the year and feel somewhat revived and ready to tackle a new year. It'll be interesting to see what I accomplish in 2012.

TOP 5 BOOKS I WISH I HAD READ AND PLAN TO READ IN 2012:
1. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith
2. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
4. True Grit by Charles Portis
5. Snow White by Donald Barthelme


TOP FIVE FAVORITE READS IN 2011:
1. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
2. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
3. The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne
4. Gaudy Night: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery with Harriet Vane by Dorothy L. Sayers  
5. They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie


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And so, as was the case in 2011 I will probably just strive to achieve a healthy balance in my life. I want to keep reading and I'd like to keep this blog running, but not to the extent of my family or work suffering. I guess I'll just take things as they come. To echo what I said last year: In the new year I may only read a half dozen books or I may find time to read 100. I may only review my favorites or I may review them all. Whatever happens I am sure the journey will be fun. So here's to 2012! I hope you'll stick around and see where it takes us.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010: A Year In Review

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."
~ Robert Burns

As is evident from my silence for the last month plus the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011 did not go exactly as I had hoped. It's still a little early to say whether life will permit me to return to a regular schedule of posting in this blogging world, but for now I will take what I can get.

Before we get any further into the year I thought I would return to the tradition of the last two years (2008, 2009) and recap the last year by listing some fun statistics and highlight what I believe were the best and worst reads of the year. (** Note: All books that I have reviewed are hyperlinked to my review and you can view them by clicking on the title and author. ** )

TOTAL BOOKS READ IN 2010: 53 (listed here, just over half what I read in 2009)

TOTAL PAGES READ IN 2010: 18,120 pages. (Though on average I read longer books in 2010 than I did in 2009. Ex: Average page count in '10: 341.89 compared with 2009, which had an average page count of 268.29)

LONGEST READ IN 2010: The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope at 802 pages.

SHORTEST READ IN 2010 (excluding children's books): The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald at 180 pages.

BEST BOOK DISCOVERY in 2010: Mrs. Tim of the Regiment by D. E. Stevenson. While it wouldn't win any book awards, this was a very witty and entertaining read. And it led me to read the rest of the series (four books total), which I likewise enjoyed... No... I didn't just enjoy. I grew to love the characters within. Delightful series, all worthy of a read.

WORST BOOK DISCOVERY in 2010: I do not think there was one book I read last year that I "hated," though there were a few I didn't really care for. Perhaps the Girls Night Out short stories collection. Some of the short stories were good, some fair, and some just lousy. All-in-all I was not impressed and I gave the book back to the library. In the end I consider this an improvement from 2009.

FAVORITE CLASSIC READ IN 2010: The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope

BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN 2010: Hosting the second annual Maud Hart Lovelace Reading Challenge right after participating twice in the Agatha Christie Blog Tour.

BIGGEST FAILURE TO COMPLETE IN 2010: My blog. I ended 2010 without the time to finish reviewing my reads. I left 7 books un-reviewed. Still in debate as to whether it's too late for me to post something.

TOP 5 BOOKS IN 2010 THAT SURPRISED ME (in order as read):
1. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
2. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo
5. The Classic Hundred Poems: All Time Favorites Edited by William Harmon

GREATEST READING ACCOMPLISHMENT IN 2010: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky wins this category not simply because of it's length (702 pages), but also for it's genre: Russian Literature, and it's era: 19th century. This was a hefty read, but well worth the effort. In second place, The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope for it's length at 802 pages. Another worthy read.

TOP 5 BOOKS I WISH I HAD READ AND PLAN TO READ IN 2011:
1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (this is a carry over from 2009 and 2010)
2. A Study in Scarlet by Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle
3. The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad
4. Something by Dorothy Sayres.
5. John James Audubon: The Making of an American by Richard Rhodes

TOP FIVE FAVORITE READS IN 2010:
1. Lavender And Old Lace by Myrtle Reed
2. The Blue Sapphire by D. E. Stevenson
3. So Long Insecurity, You've Been a Bad Friend to Us by Beth Moore
4. An Autobiography by Agatha Christie
5. Gentlemen From England by Maud & Delos Lovelace

TOP FIVE LEAST FAVORITE BOOKS IN 2010 (in order as read):
1. Girls Night Out edited by Carole Matthews - didn't finish.
2. The Master's Violin by Myrtle Reed
3. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
4. The Importance of Being Married by Gemma Townley
5. Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo

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In closing I turn my attention to the new year. I am excited about 2011. I think it has a lot of potential. For me as a reader, 2009 was an astounding year. I read 101 books and reviewed every single one, quite a personal achievement. On the other hand, 2010 was a difficult year. I only read 53 books, but I did so to quench my insatiable thirst for reading all the while juggling my increasingly busy life. But this year, 2011 -- I hope to achieve balance. Yes, I want to keep reading and I'd like to keep reviewing, but foremost I need to find a healthy balance between my relationships, my career, and my hobbies. I may only read a half dozen books or I may find time to read 100. I may only review my favorites or I may review them all. Whatever happens I am sure the journey will be fun. So here's to 2011. I hope you'll stick around and see where it takes us.

Best Crime Stories in 2009

Kerrie over at Mysteries in Paradise is hosting a special 2009 recap listing of the "Best Crime Fiction Reads of 2009." Some of you may recognize Kerrie's name and her blog because I linked to it several times last year for her Agatha Christie Reading Challenge Carnival.

It was nearly a year ago that I first learned of the Christie Carnival, a monthly posting where readers can link up their reviews of any Agatha Christie book they've read. As most of you know I started in early 2008 with my own personal Christie reading challenge -- to read all of Dame Agatha Christie's mystery and crime novels in order of publication. In 2009 I read 14 Christie mysteries, which brings my total read up to 22 out of 66.

However, since this post is supposed to highlight the best crime reads of 2009 I will only link to my top 10 favorites of the year... a difficult task because there's hardly been a Christie mystery that I haven't liked! Nevertheless here are my top ten favorites for 2009:

1. Death On the Nile (review forthcoming in Jan 2010)
2. The A. B. C. Murders
3. The Seven Dials Mystery
4. Dumb Witness (review forthcoming in Jan 2010)
5. Peril At End House
6. Murder on the Orient Express
7. Cards On the Table
8. Death In the Clouds
9. Why Didn't They Ask Evans
10. Murder in Mesopotamia

What about you? What were your favorite or "the best" crime stories you read in 2009? Head on over to Mysteries in Paradise and leave a comment or link up your own blog post.

2010: Looking Ahead

It's a new year and that means a fresh start. After a few months of reflection I've decided to change up the way I post on this blog.

In 2009 I had the goal to post every day, which at least two or three of those days being dedicated to a book review. Unfortunately it didn't take very long before I realized this was not going to happen. Between working 30 hours a week from home, being mom to a toddler, and wife and homemaker there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to not only read, but write several reviews in a week's time.

And so, in 2010 I am giving myself the following goals/schedule, which of course may be subject to change as life requires.

* For starters, I am not setting any reading goals. I read 101 books in 2009 and if I happen to read as many or more in 2010, then great, but I think it will be unlikely considering all of life's demands.

* I will be posting only one book review a week. It will generally be posted on Wednesday or Thursday, though this may be subject to change and as time and reading allows I may post more reviews.

* On Monday's I plan to post a run down of what I am reading and what children's books I've picked up at the library to read to my daughter.

* On Tuesday's I plan to post Tuesday Teasers and on the 4th Tuesday of the month I will post the monthly What's On My Nightstand post.

* On the occasional Friday I will post Friday Finds where I will highlight a new (or new to me) book that I have discovered.

* On either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday I will highlight the "best read" of the week from the children's books I have read to my daughter.

And of course whenever I feel like it I will share memes and other fun posts. If I stick to this schedule I will still be posting four or five times a week, but it should give me a little more flexibility and freedom, which is what I desperately need.

I hope you'll stick with me as I love to hear your thoughts about the books I'm reading as well as the ones you've read.

Happy 2010!

2009: A Year in Review

Here we are at the start of a new year, a new decade. Before we get any further into the year I thought it might be fun to recap the last year by listing some fun statistics and highlight the best and worst reads of the year. (** Note: All books that I have reviewed are hyperlinked to my review and you can view them by clicking on the title and author. ** )

TOTAL BOOKS READ IN 2009: 101 (listed here)

TOTAL PAGES READ IN 2009: 27,097 pages + 2 audio books.

LONGEST READ IN 2009: Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens at 859 pages.

SHORTEST READ IN 2009 (excluding children's books): Behind A Mask by Louisa May Alcott at 102 pages.

BEST BOOK DISCOVERY in 2009: The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett

WORST BOOK DISCOVERY in 2009: The Thin Man by Dashell Hammett

FAVORITE CLASSIC READ IN 2009: Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

BIGGEST FAILURE TO COMPLETE IN 2009: Confessions by Saint Augustine. This was selected by my book club to read along with On The Incarnation by Athanasius, which I did read. After the book club meeting where we discussed both books I realized I really had missed out in not reading this thought provoking classic. It's back on my list of books I must read.

TOP 5 BOOKS IN 2009 THAT SURPRISED ME (in order as read):
1. Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis
2. Anne of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery
3. Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
4. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
5. Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge

GREATEST READING ACCOMPLISHMENT IN 2009: This one was difficult to answer. I feel like I had many accomplishments in 2009. I could say that reading Little Dorrit was my greatest accomplishment as it was the longest book I read at 859 pages. Or I could also say that reading my way through two series: the Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery (which contains 8 books) and the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace (which contains 10 books) was my greatest accomplishment. Or maybe it was the success of creating and running the first Maud Hard Lovelace Reading Challenge. But while all of those are great accomplishments I think my greatest accomplishment was my reading and writing throughout the entire year. In just 12 months I not only read the highest number of books within a year of my lifetime (101 books), but I also sat down and put my reflections in the form of 97 book reviews. I am astounded! And exhausted.

TOP 5 BOOKS I WISH I HAD READ AND PLAN TO READ IN 2010:
1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
2. Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther
3. Emma by Jane Austen
4. Ena Burning by Shannon Hale
5. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

TOP FIVE FAVORITE READS IN 2009: This is so difficult! I had so many favorite reads this year, but if I have to list just five they would be
1. The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery
2. The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett
3. Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
4. Betsy's Wedding by Maud Hart Lovelace
5. Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson

Runners up would include: Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge, Anne of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery , A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Death On The Nile by Agatha Christie.

TOP FIVE LEAST FAVORITE BOOKS IN 2009 (in order as read):
1. The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
2. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
3. Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
4. The African Queen by C. S. Forester
5. Highland Fling by Katie Fforde

In closing I wanted to thank you (the readers of this blog) for taking time out of your busy lives to visit this blog, read my thoughts, and leave feedback. I hope you have a happy new year and that it is full of wonderfully good reads!

A Year In Review: 2008

It has been nearly 6 months since the inception of this blog, "A library is a hospital for the mind..." Since starting this blog I have read and reviewed over 50 books, but my actual total reads for the year is at 81 (excluding current reads that aren't finished and books of the Bible) since I was reading long before the idea to create this blog popped into my head.

Thinking back over some of the books I read and reviewed this year I realize not all readers may agree with my opinions posted in my reviews. In fact, I joked earlier this year about feeling a little like Roeper and Eper when I posted a negative review of the same book I had read another blogger's postive review. But that's the fun of blogging. A Library is a Hospital for the Mind is my blog and it is here that I can share my thoughts and opinions about the books I read. It is also here that you can leave your thoughts through comments or link to your own blog where you have posted your own reviews. It's a great networking and researching tool for readers. Thank you to each of the readers who take time out of their busy day to visit this blog and read my thoughts. I hope you have a wonderful new year that is full reading time and wonderfully good reads.

The following is a year in review, summary style.

** Note: All books that I have reviewed are hyperlinked to my review and you can view them by clicking on the title and author. **

SARAH'S BEST BOOK DISCOVERY in 2008
It's a tie... Either Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day by Winifred Watson or Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico and the surprise that it is the first of a four books series. (Come to think of it, I believe my friend found the Miss Pettigrew book and told me about it, so I didn't really discover it, she did.)

SARAH'S WORST BOOK DISCOVERY in 2008
Absent in the Spring by Mary Westmacott. I expected a wonderful love story written by the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, under a nom de plume.... but I missed the fact that this book and others under the name Mary Westmacott are tragedies... I found it depressing and don't plan to read any more of her books under this name.

SARAH'S FAVORITE CLASSIC READ IN 2008
This was very hard because I read so many classics this year that I loved, but in the end it's a tie between Bleak House by Charles Dickens and Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. Both were very long novels, but I loved the story plots, the characters, and the writing.

SARAH'S BIGGEST FAILURE TO COMPLETE IN 2008:
Paradise Lost by John Milton. I was supposed to read this book as part of the October book club meeting... but I never got into it. I've returned the book to my "Books to Read" list. I WILL read it one day.

TOP 5 BOOKS IN 2008 THAT I DIDN'T THINK I'D LIKE, BUT ENDED UP ENJOYING:
1. The Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. (Sorry, no review, this was a January 2008 read, pre blog. But I did review another of the series here.)
2. The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton
3. The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
4. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (I didn't love, but I didn't hate it.)
5. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

SARAH'S GREATEST READING ACCOMPLISHMENT IN 2008:
Bleak House by Charles Dickens at 995 pages. Took me just over 30 days to read.

TOP 5 BOOKS I WISH I HAD READ AND PLAN TO READ IN 2009:
1. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. (This was on my LitFlicks list to read, but never made it to my nightstand.)
2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. (I read this book years ago and wanted to re-read it for Christmas, but it doesn't look as though I'll get to it this year... next December for sure!)
3. Washington Burning by Lee Standiford
4. Nothing But the Truth by Avi
5. More Agatha Christie crime novels. (In the beginning of 2008 I set the goal to read all of her crime novels starting with the first published and working one by one through all 80 novels. In 2008 I read 8.... 72 left.... At this rate I could be reading these for the next decade!)

TOP FIVE FAVORITE READS IN 2008:
1. Bleak House by Charles Dickens
2. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
3. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
4. The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
5. Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell

TOP FIVE BOOKS I WISH I HAD NEVER LAID EYES ON in 2008:
Maybe I'm too kind, but I can't say that I hated any of these books, so they don't really fall into this category... but they certainly weren't favorites or ones I really liked... Mostly they are in my >2 category (i.e. 1 = awful and 5 = excellent).

1. Absent in the Spring by Mary Westmacott
2. The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum
3. Lost Layson by Margaret Mitchell
4. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
5. Sister Carrie by Theordore Drieser

READING BLOG(S) I AM MOST GRATEFUL FOR:
Reading to Know. I started this blog on a whim, but because of Carrie's encouragement it has become something more. Carrie also helped me host the Autumn Book Swap, which was such fun. I can't wait until our Winter Book Swap in January!
Semicolon. Because of the weekly Saturday Review I have been able to reach out and meet other bloggers and readers that I might not have otherwise had the opportunity.

READING BLOGS I THINK ARE TOP-NOTCH
In addition to the two above...
* 5 Minutes for Books
* The Bluestocking Society
* My Friend Amy
* Should Be Reading

There are so many other blogs that I could mention. If I leave a comment on your blog that means I've read your posts and generally I've added you to my bloglines list. If you have a blog that you want me to check out, please leave a comment! This list is continually growing.

So those are A Few of My Favorite Things from 2008 in the world of books. Feel free to agree or disagree and leave a comment. What are some things that you loved about the books you read this year? Anything you are looking forward to next year? Please leave a comment with your thoughts, or a link to your own post.

Last, for those interested, I have posted a list of all the books I read in 2008, which link to each review via the hyperlinked title.