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Erin
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Location: Australia
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| Posted: Jan 01 2011 at 12:11am | IP Logged
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I've just finished the year on an Aussie binge with Tamara McKinley.
She has written 15 novels to date. I read Summer Lightning, Undercurrents, and Dreamscapes. I'm also in the midst of her Australian history trilogy Lands Beyond the Sea and A Kingdom for the Brave I can't wait to read the last one Legacy. They are real, gritty Aussie books, although each book does have a brutal scene which is a disappointment as I would have liked to have shared these with my dd17.
Anyhow I can see 2011 will have a resurgence of my interest in Australian history, and I'm thinking I may discover some Aussie authors I haven't discovered before.
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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JuliaT
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| Posted: Jan 01 2011 at 3:31pm | IP Logged
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I haven't been reading much since the summer. I have hit a reading wall of sorts. My reading has picked up a bit in Dec. though.
My Dec. reads are:
Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage. I have been on a food history kick of late. I also read Standage's "A History of the World in 6 Glasses." I have enjoyed both books.
My Reading Life by Pat Conroy. This is Conroy's Memoir through literature. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards. A very well-written book.
Play Dead by Harlan Coben. I am a fan of Coben but his books are extremely graphic and gritty. This is one is more so.
The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley. This is a follow-up to 'Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie." I love Flavia de Luce!
The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch. This is a crime thriller with a twist--time travel. I thought it was very well done.
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Blessings,
Julia
mom of 3(14,13 & 11 yrs.old)
MusingsofaPrairieGirl
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Karen T
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| Posted: Jan 01 2011 at 5:20pm | IP Logged
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I seem to have a read a lot in December, and most of it was in the last two weeks (after school was out, ha!)
Sweater Quest by Adrienne Martini - a knitter chronicles her year of knitting an Alice Starmore (difficult fair-isle for you non-knitters) OK, not great.
Odd Thomas and Forever Odd by Dean Koontz - crime mysteries with a bit of supernatural - the main character can see lingering spirits of the dead who haven't 'moved on' yet due to unfinished business, and is able to use that to help solve crimes. There are more in the series and i have the next one ready to start. I'd never read Koontz before b/c I don't usually like horror ( thought he was like Stephen King)but I wouldn't classify this as such. In the next book, he's living in a monastery for awhile.
Two other crime novels that I read both quickly on Dec 26 (on my new e-reader!)
No Place to Die by James Thane
The Letter of the Law by Tim Green
I haven't read much in this genre in a long time so I guess I kind of got on a kick - someone recommended the Odd Thomas book to me, and then the others were cheapies to try out my reader.
I also finished Louis deWohl's Joan, Girl Soldier
Mrs. Miracle (OK) and Christmas in Cedar Cove (better) both by Debbie Macomber, just quick light Christmas reads, somewhat predictable
The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. I liked this a lot at first. I was listening to it on audiobook and it's narrated by him in first person and sounds like it is a memoir. It wasn't until I went to buy the print book for my MIL that i saw the words "a novel." I had gone through the story believing it to be true and then the ending disappointed me; I think if I'd judged it as a novel to begin with I wouldn't have felt that way.
Hostage to the Devil: Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans by Malachi Martin
this was good but really scary to read, and disgusting in a few places also, at the accounts of the possessed persons' lives, and also at what the priests were put through. I had not realized the longterm toll even a single exorcism can take on a priest. I actually only read 3 of the 5 accounts I think; I could not stomach more.
In November I had finished Frankenstein and deWohl's Set All Afire the story of ST. Francis Xavier. Also Wilkie Collins Woman in White - not sure if any of these I listed before.
I have a HUGE to-read list going for 2011, and have 5 books I'm actively reading right now.
Karen T
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Natalia
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| Posted: Jan 01 2011 at 8:26pm | IP Logged
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Since I last posted this is what I remember reading:;
The Sword and the Circle by Rosemary Sutcliff - Retelling of the Arthurian legend. Really liked it.
The House on the Cliff by D.E.Stevenson. Loved it as everything I have read by D.E Stevenson so far.
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson- a good and original detective story. The first of a series which I intend to continue.
The Post Birthday World by Lionel Shriver. Hated it!
The Red Horse by Eugenio Corti. A great Catholic WWII story. Highly recommended but it was quite and undertaking since it is about a 1000 pages long!
Emily of New Moon and Emily Climbs by L.M Montgomery. I really enjoyed the books but I got somewhat annoyed with Emily's emotional ups and downs.
And the first book on my new Kindle, a Spanish book, Los Pazos de Ulloa by a 19th century Spanish author, Emilia Pardo Bazan. I just finished it today and it has sent me on a quest for more of her books and more Spanish novelists.
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Natalia
http://pannuestrodecadadia.blogspot.com
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Chari
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I wrote most of this so long ago...but I feel so "undone" here.......that I must this posted, so I can move on 
This list represents the time since Easter through the end of the year....2010, that is.
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I guess I went on a Nicholas Sparks spree in the Spring........I think I needed some twaddle after an austere Lent
True Believer.....fair...not really recommending
The Wedding...this was a good book. I highly recommend it for anyone who has been married at least ten years......to remind them how to "care for the marriage".....it is an excellent story....oh, and "sort of" a sequel to The Notebook....which is also a good story.....better than the movie that everyone seems to love......
A Walk to Remember......this was a re-read, to see if my teen could read it.....she could.........plus, she wanted to see the movie.......I had thought the writing was better...but, it IS a story from a teen's POV.....the book is so much more than the movie....much better. It is a beautiful story...but the writing is only fair. Still, worth the read.
The Last Song.........my dd and I had got stuck watching this movie on the big screen......everyone acted well except that ol' Miley Cyrus....  ugh...she is unattractive, has too deep of a voice to be pleasing to the ear and is a mediocre actress.......I sure hopes she improves if she is going to continue to be given parts! This story was originally written as a screenplay so Cryus could have a movie to do. The book is better than the movie....but not necessarily worth reading unless you have nothing else.
I wonder if The Last Song was inspired by his sister's life....... cannot remember. Or maybe it was A Walk to Remember........in either case, she died young, of cancer.
Dear John........I read this because I wanted to see the movie. The book is way better than the movie. I think if you have an autistic child....you might enjoy this a bit more......because of the way autism is portrayed. It shares the life story of an autistic adult who was never diagnosed......
I did not realize that Nicholas Sparks was a Catholic......that was interesting to discover. He does not seem to use it much in his writings. He had quite a few tragic incidents in his life. That might make him more compassionate than the usual guy. I just wish he would write more happy endings.......
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Hertzberg & Francois......we have been making this bread for at least a year.....based on an article...it was delightful to read it for real. so.worth.making.
How to Say it to Boys: Communicating with Boys to help them become the best men they can be by Richard Heyman, Ed.D.........could be useful raising boys...things to think about anyway. Secular.
Sandy: The True Story of a Rare Sandhill Crane Who Joined Our Family by Dayton O. Hyde
........I loved this book. I am one of the strange people who loves to read true natural history stories. With the sandhill crane as my favorite bird.......it made it even more fun.....plus, it took place just north of here.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.....I was intrigued by this when I first saw it released at Border's.........then, when I saw it was a movie.......I remembered that I wanted to read it. It was well-written and a story with some serious issues to think about. Very emotional. Now, to remember that I want to see the movie.
The Restless Flame by Louis de Wohl.......I read this while I was reading Saint Augustine's Confessions.......just to have a basic story-line to follow. Whenever I read something crazy de Wohl said that Augustine had said or done.....I would not believe it was true......the author must have made it up ......only to find it later in The Confessions....and that it was true.  Excellent story....as are every other de Wohl I have read.
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Boxall..........I looked at every page. I read some. I do not agree with all of the choices. And, though I have read 1000's of books in my life..........I have only read 50 of these.......that is, when I finish the last of The Confessions and Walden. ;) This is where I found the inspiration to read The Betrothed. I wrote a blog post here I used the book to create the girls' World Literature reading list.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.....a re-read because our library was having issues and I could not stop thinking about it........another blog post here
The Story of the World's Literature by John Albert Macy (1925) I skimmed a lot of it. It was an old volume I found at my library. I want to read all of it some day.
Mark Twain's first published book: The Innocents Abroad...you can see my blog post here
The Last Dive: A Father and Son's Fatal Descent into the Ocean's Depths by Bernie Chowdhury .........this accidentally made it into my library bag.......by the librarian. I was skimming it and ended up reading most of it. I learned so.very.much about the science of diving. I am glad to have read that and now am 100% sure that I or my children still under MY care, will never be diving. The writer did an excellent job of telling the story, including a lot of science to satisfy me.
I think there is something else......but perhaps it is only stuff I was reading through to this year.
Okay....that's it.......now I can be caught up. 
I think I may start keeping track on my blog of my reading for the year.........we'll see.
now...back to the 2011 list.......
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Chari...Take Up & Read
Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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4Real Forums : Book Club
Topic: Our 2010 Booklist!
