I finally have a working keyboard! This is something to celebrate because about a week and a half ago, my adorable one-year-old daughter knocked an entire glass of water on my old keyboard, so I’ve been operating with only a mouse.
Anyway…
With the end of 2011 this weekend, I figure it’s a good week to look back at what I read this year. I read a surprising number of books considering I started the year out with a three year old, a 19 month old, and a two week old baby to take care of full time. But that’s another post for another day.
This year I read some great books, and I also read some stinkers, all on the Amazon Kindle I received for my birthday last year. The following lists are all compiled by me and are my own personal opinion.
My Favorites of 2011
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - It's way, way better than the movie.
This book touched my heart and made me cry. I don't know if this little boy's account of heaven is completely accurate, but it's a wonderful story.
The Secret Garden was one of my favorites when I was a little girl. I re-read it this year and fell in love with the mysterious, beautiful story all over again.
Goodies
I really enjoyed each and every one of these books. For a book to be a “goodie”, it must have fairly intricate, descriptive story lines and dynamic, believable characters branching out from a solid main plot and a fast pace, along with proper spelling and grammar. Otherwise, I lose interest (See “Stinkers” and “So Boring…” below).
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
- Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
- The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason
- The Secret Garden by Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett
- A Little Princess by Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Stinkers
I wanted to like all these books, really, I did. But overall, they just weren’t my bag, baby.
- Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
- Lye in Wait by Cricket McRae
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Snoozers
This list is sort of unfair because I didn’t actually read all of any of them. I found each of these books so boring that I couldn’t even finish them. Again, I wanted to like them. Most of these are classics that have been “loved through the ages.” Well, not by me. I could not even make myself finish more than the first quarter of any of these books. If you’ve read any of these and loved them, let me know so I can give it another shot.
- Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
- The Apothecary’s Daughter by Julie Klassen
- The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
- Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott
Like I said, these are all just my own opinion. I realize that the classics like Pride & Prejudice and Little Women and Wuthering Heights are well loved, but I just could not get into them.
Also, if you have any book suggestions for me based on my lists, feel free to comment below because I’m always looking to devour another good book.
Happy New Year everyone!
