2011 Reading Year in Review

2011-Books by Rating
**'d books are Audiobooks these are in no particular order except by rating

5 Stars
Sarah’s Key by, Tatiana de Rosnay narrated by, Polly Stone**
Snowflower and the Secret Fan by, Lisa See narrated by, Janet Song**
Madame Tussaud by, Michelle Moran
Revolution by, Jennifer Donnelly Narrated by Emily Janice Card, Emma Bering**
The Bird Sisters by, Rebecca Rasmussen
Rivermarked by, Patricia Briggs
The Peach Keeper by, Sarah Addison Allen
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by, Rebecca Skloot narrated by, Bahni Turpin & Cassandra Campbell**
The Kings Speech by, Mark Logue narrated by, Simon Vance**
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by, Ransom Riggs
I Shall Wear Midnight by, Terry Pratchett
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by, Fannie Flagg
The Eyre Affair by, Jasper Fforde
Love You More by, Lisa Gardner narrated by Kirsten Potter, Katie Macnichol,**
Trespasser by, Paul Doiron
The True Meaning of Smekday by, Adam Rex narrated by, Bahni Turpin**
The Legacy by, Katherine Webb
Dracula by, Bram Stoker narrated by, Simon Vance**
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by, Shirley Jackson narrated by, Bernadette Dunne**
We All Wore Stars: Memories of Anne Frank from Her Classmates by, Theo Coster
A Christmas Carol by, Charles Dickens narrated by, Tim Curry**

4 1/2 Star
The House on Riverton, The Forgotten Garden & The Distant Hours by, Kate Morton narrated by,Caroline Lee**
Changeless,Heartless, by, Gail Carriger narrated by, Emily Gray**
Nobodies Album by, Carolyn Parkhurst
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by, Helen Simonson narrated by, Peter Altschuler**
Left Neglected by, Lisa Genova narrated by,Sarah Paulsen**
Seer of Sevenwaters by, Juliet Marillier
You Had Me At Woof by, Julie Klam narrated by, Karen White**
A Discovery of Witches by, Debrah Harkness narrated by, Jennifer Ikeda**
The Wake of the Lorelei Lee by, LA Meyer narrated by, Katherine Kellgren**
Maisie Dobbs by, Jacqueline Winspear narrated by, Rita Barrington**
Ashfall by, Mike Mullins
The Weird Sisters by, Eleanor Brown
Ingenue by, Jillian Larkin
Hearts, Keys & Puppetry by, Neil Gaiman & the Twitterverse narrated by, Katherine Kellgren**
The Winter Sea by, Susanna Kearsley narrated by, Roselyn Landor**

4 Stars
Sidewalk Thoughts by, Mickey Renner
My Bonny Light Horseman & Rapture of the Deep by, LA Meyer narrated by, Katherine Kellgren**
Abby Cooper Psychic Eye by, Victoria Laurie narrated by, Elizabeth Michaels**
Year of Wonders by, Geraldine Brooks narrated by, the author**
O Pioneers by, Willa Cather narrated by, Kate Reading**
Live to Tell by, Lisa Gardner narrated by, Kirsten Potter, Rebecca Lowman, Ann Marie Lee**
The Prince of Mist by, Carlos Ruiz Zafron
Room by, Emma Donaghue narrated by, Michal Friedman, Ellen Archer, Robert Petkoff, Suzanne Toren**
Wicked Appetite by, Janet Evanovich narrated by, Lorelei King**
The Art of Racing in the Rain by, Garth Stein narrated by, Christopher Evan Welch**
A Northern Light by, Jennifer Donnelly narrated by, Hope Davis**
You Know When the Men Are Gone by, Siobhan Fallon narrated by, Cassandra Campbell**
The Reversal by, Michael Connelly narrated by, Peter Giles**
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by, John Elder Robison
Water for Elephants by, Sara Gruen narrated by, David Ledoux, John Randolph Jones**
Blameless by, Gail Carriger narrated by, Emily Gray**
Skellig by, David Almond
Crunch Time by, Diana Mott Davidson narrated by, Barbara Rosenblat**
Dead Reckoning by, Charlaine Harris
Smokin’ Seventeen by, Janet Evanovich narrated by, Lorelei King**
Immortal Beloved by, Cate Tiernan narrated by, Kelly Lintz**
Dragontime by, Anne & Todd McCaffrey
Forever by, Maggie Steifvater
The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life & I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies): True Tales of a Loudmouth Girl & Autobiography of a Fat Bride: True Tales of a Pretend Adulthood & We Thought You Would Be Prettier: True Tales of the Dorkiest Girl Alive& It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy by, Laurie Notaro narrated by, Hillary Huber**
The Poisoned House by, Michael Ford
Variant by, Robinson Wells
fathermothergod: My Journey Out of Christian Science by, Lucia Greenhouse
Rules of Civility by, Amor Towles narrated by, Rebecca Lowman**
Artemis Rising by, Cheri Lasota
Life by, Keith Richards narrated by, Johnny Depp & John Hurley**
Birds of a Feather by, Jacqueline Winspear narrated by, Kim Hicks**
The Night Circus by, Erin Morgenstern narrated by, Jim Dale**
The Woman in Black by, Susan Hill
Suicide Run & Angle of Investigation short storied by, Michael Connelly narrated by, Len Cariou**
Steampunk Santa (A Short Story) by, Marc Vun Kannon
Hide by, Lisa Gardner (Re-read)
Freaks (A Short Story) by, Tess Gerritsen
The Christmas Pearl by, Dorothea Benton Frank
Divergent by, Veronica Roth narrated by, Emma Galvin**


3 ½ Stars
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by, Jacqueline Kelly narrated by, Natalie Ross**
Still Life by, Louise Penny narrated by, Ralph Cosham**
Storm Front by, Jim Butcher narrated by, James Marsters**
Bloody Valentine by, Melissa De La Cruz
The Demon Trapper Daughter by, Jana Oliver
The Sherlockian by, Graham Moore narrated by, James Langton**
Lost in a Good Book by, Jasper Fforde narrated by, Emily Gray**
Water Witch by,Deborah LeBlanc narrated by, Xe Sands**
Save Me by, Lisa Scottoline
Lethal Lineage by, Charlotte Hinger narrated by, Karen White**
The Lantern by,Deborah Lawrenson narrated by, Gerrianne Raphael, Kristine Ryan**
Praise Jerusalem! by, Augusta Trobaugh
Peace Locomotion by,Jaqueline Woodson narrated by, Dion Graham**
Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories by, Bailey White narrated by, Lorna Raver**

3 Stars
The Murderer’s Daughters by, Randy Susan Meyers
American Gods by, Neil Gaiman narrated by, Dennis Boutsikaris, Daniel Oreskes, Ron McLarty, Sarah Jones,**
Paper Towns by, John Green narrated by,Dan John Miller**
I am Number Four by, Pittacus Lore narrated by, Neil Kaplan**
Running with Scissors by, Augusten Burroughs
Bossypants by, Tina Fey narrated by the author**
The Evil Genius by, Wilkie Collins narrated by, John Bolan**
The Lottery and Other Stories by, Shirley Jackson narrated by, Carol Stewart**
The Haunting of Hill House by, Shirley Jackson narrated by, Bernadette Dunne**
Deck the Halls by, Mary & Carol Higgins Clark
Mary Bolelyn Mistress of Kings by, Alison Weir
Blue Christmas by, Mary Kay Andrews


2 ½ Stars
The Twentieth Wife by, Indu Sundaresan narrated by, Sneha Mathan**
City of Bones by, Cassandra Clare narrated by, Ari Graynor**
The Winter Ghosts by, Kate Mosse
If I Stay by, Gail Forman narrated by, Kirsten Potter**
The Borrowers by, Rebecca Makkai narrated by, Emily Bauer**
The Ballad of Tom Dooley by, Sharyn McCrumb
The Red Pyramid by, Rick Riordan narrated by, Katherine Kellgren & Kevin R. Free** (This rating is for the book NOT the narration!)

2 Stars
Hungry for Happiness by, James Villa
The Bluest Eye by, Toni Morrison (This is just My Opinion no need to tell me I'm wrong!)

The Winter Sea by,Susanna Kearsley Narrated by, Rosalyn Landor

None of the descriptions I have found of this book do it justice they all make it sound like time travel and it's not so I'll just say see the pretty cover the book lives up to the cover!

The Winter Sea by,Susanna Kearsley Narrated by, Rosalyn Landor

This was a nice mix of historical fiction and a modern day story set in Scotland, this was recommended to me because I love the Outlander Series. First off this doesn’t have time travel as I’ve seen some people say it has genetic memories which was a new device for me, but it worked well. It was interesting how modern day author Carrie is writing her novel and the characters in her head tell her how the story should go then she checks the historical records and they match perfect so there is this little bit of genetic memory, possible ghost story. I have heard from authors when they talk about their writing process that the characters decide where the story goes and not the writer and how they feel like their characters come to life, so this was kind of a take on this concept.

Both the present day and historical stories are blended well with the historical story set during the Jacobite rebellion of 1708 which was very well done and researched. There is romance in both stories that kind of mirror each other but both are kind of chaste and bittersweet neither is a big passionate affair just a nice addition to the story.

I enjoyed this story very much and would recommend it to fans of historical fiction. I will be reading more by this author!

Audio production: This was narrated by, Rosalyn Landor who is always a good narrator, for this one she had a lot to live up to since this was recommended to me because I love Outlander so she had Davina Porter to live up to and I must say she did a very good job!

4 ½ Stars

Ashfall by, Mike Mullin

Ashfall by, Mike Mullin

Alex lives in Cedar Rapids Iowa his parents have left him home alone for the weekend but it’s not the weekend he is hoping it will be when something crashes into his house and burns it to the ground you’d think that would be the worst of it but it is only the beginning. A Supervolcano in Yellowstone has gone off and changed the world as we know it; Alex sets off to find his family in a trek of survival, starvation and terror. Along the way Alex’s will is tested he does find some nice people that help him along the way but he also runs into people who would do him harm. He ends up at the farmhouse of Darla and her mother but tragedy strikes there too so he and Darla set off cross country to find his family.

The vivid descriptions of our world after the volcano the ash fall, the blocking out of the sun, the noise, the snow, and just trying to survive. This book doesn’t show our government in a very good light but honestly I could see it happening. Alex is a strong willed boy but Darla is strong and being a farm girl knows things about survival that city boy Alex never could. They make a great pair and I don’t think either one could have survived without the other. It was refreshing to have a male lead character yes there is a female but she is later in the book and compliments our male lead very well.

This book was scary in the way that this could really happen and since I live only a few states away from Yellowstone it hit home a bit. This book also made me curious enough about the Supervolcano that I looked things up and watched the BBC movie Supervolcano.

One of the best quotes from this book about the inhumanity these kids saw was...

“For the first time ever, I felt ashamed of my species. The volcano had taken our homes, our food, our automobiles, and our airplanes, but it hadn’t taken our humanity. No, we’d given that up on our own.”

I enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down and look forward to the next installment in this series.

I received this book from netgalley and will definitely be buying this book for the city library I work at.

4 ½ Stars

Artemis Rising by, Cheri Lasota

Description:Torn between her father’s Catholicism and her mother’s Pagan beliefs, Eva finally chooses Paganism. She accepts the name of Arethusa but learns too late that her life will mirror the Greek nymph’s tragic fate. When they sail to the Azores Islands, her mother tells her that her destiny rests with Diogo, the shipowner’s son. But Eva sees a vision of another . . .
When the ship founders off the Azores, Tristan, a young Azorean, saves her. Destined to be with Diogo yet aching for Tristan’s forbidden love, Eva must some­how choose between them, or fate will soon choose for her.

Artemis Rising is a beautiful, seamless blend of two mythologies: the Arthurian legend of Tristan and Isolde, and the ancient Greek legend of Alpheus and Arethusa. It is a story filled with young romance, tragedy, forgiveness and attempts at redemption.

My Review
This is the story of a young girl named Eve who is raised in the US by a catholic father and a pagan mother, they are on a boat at sea when Eve’s mother Arethusa does a ritual to give Eve her mother’s name and to promise her to the moon goddess Artemis but things don’t go as planned, as tragedy strikes Eve’s/Arethusa life will never be the same.

This is a mix of 2 myths Tristan & Isolde and Arethusa & Alpheus and how your beliefs can set you on a path of tragedy and/or love and how outside forces can affect everything you do until you take control of your own life and stop living for others.

I enjoyed this book very much it has a mythical fairytale quality to it, and I thought it was well written. I found myself cheering for Arethusa & Tristan; it is a love story yet so much more. I was afraid at first it would be to romancey (I know maybe not a word but there it is) but I was pleasantly surprised by the story and the atmosphere her descriptions of the coastline & the sea made me feel like I was right there and could feel the wind. There are some scenes that made my stomach knot in fear for our heroine and that is the mark of a good book.

I will definitely read more by this author.

**I received this book from the Member Giveaway Program on Librarything**

4 Stars

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by, Shirley Jackson Audiobook

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson Audiobook Narrated by, Bernadette Dunne
Synopsis from Goodreads:We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson's 1962 novel, is full of a macabre and sinister humor, and Merricat herself, its amiable narrator, is one of the great unhinged heroines of literature. Merricat has developed an idiosyncratic system of rules and protective magic, burying talismanic objects beneath the family estate, nailing them to trees, and ritualistically revisiting them. She has created a protective web to guard against the distrust and hostility of neighboring villagers. Or so she believes. But at last the magic fails. A stranger arrives—cousin Charles, with his eye on the Blackwood fortune. He disturbs the sisters' careful habits, installing himself at the head of the family table, unearthing Merricat's treasures, talking privately to Constance about "normal lives" and "boy friends." Unable to drive him away by either polite or occult means, Merricat adopts more desperate methods. The result is crisis and tragedy, the revelation of a terrible secret, the convergence of the villagers upon the house, and a spectacular unleashing of collective spite.

My Review:

Why haven’t I ever read anything by Shirley Jackson before?? I don’t know but that will be remedied very quickly! This is a great book! It has the feel of a ghost story because these two sisters are like living ghosts and actually there were times in this that I wasn’t sure if they weren’t ghosts. (And honestly still not sure after finishing it)

This is a short book but packs a great punch, even though one of these sisters did something horrible you love them anyway with all their quirks and strange ways. Gosh this is a hard review to write because I don’t want to give anything away but I want you to know I loved this book and you should read it too!

I highly recommend this book on audio Bernadette Dunne was a great narrator and really brings Merricat & Constance to life.

I guess all I can say is read/listen to this book what are you waiting for??

5 stars

The Poisoned House by, Michael Ford

Young Abi is an orphaned servant girl in the house of Lord Greave, the head of the household staff Mrs. Cotton, is the sister of the late lady of the house who rules with an iron fist. It has been a year since Abi lost her mother who was nurse/governess to Lord Greave’s son Samuel, Abi and Samuel grew up together and were closer than master & servant should be. In the year since her mother died Lord Greave has been slowly losing his mind and Samuel went off to war and came back injured. The worst thing is that Abi is seeing the ghost of her mother but what is she trying to tell her.

I really enjoyed this book it was hard to put down; it had just the right amount of spookiness and mystery. The build up to the reveal was great and what you think is going on is actually quite different then you are led to believe. The whole atmosphere of the story really took you back to 1856 Victorian England, the big house with its ghosts plus a little upstairs/downstairs. Abi was a great character as were the rest of the household staff I ended up really liking them and thought the postscript was a great touch!

If you like Victorian gothic with ghosts give this book a try!

I received this book from netgalley.

4 stars

fathermothergod:My Journey Out of Christian Science by, Lucia Greenhouse

Title: fathermothergod:My Journey Out of Christian Science Author: Lucia Greenhouse

Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

Imprint: Crown

Pub Date: 08/09/2011

ISBN: 9780307720924
Category: NONFICTION - ADULT: Biography & Autobiography

Description from publisher:
Lucia Ewing had what looked like an all-American childhood. She lived with her mother, father, sister, and brother in an affluent suburb of Minneapolis, where they enjoyed private schools, sleep-away camps, a country club membership, and skiing vacations. Surrounded by a tight-knit extended family, and doted upon by her parents, Lucia had no doubt she was loved and cared for. But when it came to accidents and illnesses, Lucia's parents didn't take their kids to the doctor's office--they prayed, and called a Christian Science practitioner.

fathermothergod is Lucia Greenhouse's story about growing up in Christian Science, in a house where you could not be sick, because you were perfect; where no medicine, even aspirin, was allowed. As a teenager, her visit to an ophthalmologist created a family crisis. She was a sophomore in college before she had her first annual physical. And in December 1985, when Lucia and her siblings, by then young adults, discovered that their mother was sick, they came face-to-face with the reality that they had few--if any--options to save her. Powerless as they watched their mother's agonizing suffering, Lucia and her siblings struggled with their own grief, anger, and confusion, facing scrutiny from the doctors to whom their parents finally allowed them to turn, and stinging rebuke from relatives who didn't share their parents' religious values.

In this haunting, beautifully written book, Lucia pulls back the curtain on the Christian Science faith and chronicles its complicated legacy for her family. At once an essentially American coming-of-age story and a glimpse into the practices of a religion few really understand, fathermothergod is an unflinching exploration of personal loss and the boundaries of family and faith.

My Review:
I didn’t know much about Christian Science when I started this book except for the fact that they don’t believe in going to doctors that the Lord will heal them however, I did not realize it is the symptoms of an illness or sickness itself that they don’t believe in.

I also don’t understand when they say things like have you tried science when referring to Lucia who wants to get her eyes checked, isn’t medicine science? So, I do not understand the name Christian Science when they don’t use Science like going to the doctor.

This book was a rare and fascinating look into a religion that I had little previous knowledge of and Lucia’s narrative on her family and upbringing alternately makes your heartbreak, makes you angry and makes you shake your head in disbelief that anyone could believe some of the things after going through what they went through in the latter part of the book. I felt so bad for Lucia and her siblings but also even through it all, her parents.

What was amazing is how her parent’s belief in this religion impacted the extended family too and how her parents virtually cut themselves off from any non-believer so no one could see what was really happening. Also Lucia confused feelings of wanting to get help for her mother and wanting to protect her parents must have been so hard I don’t know how she stayed sane through it all.

This was a great read and was very hard to put down, if you like memoirs about different religions or dysfunctional families I highly recommend this book it is a fascinating read.

4 Stars


Full Disclosure: I received this book from netgalley