Books I've Read, 2011

+Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations by Georgina Howell (More famous than 'Lawrence of Arabia' in her time, but nobody's made a movie about her. Sad.)
+The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (reread)
+Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (reread)
+Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (reread)
+Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach
+Across the Universe by Beth Revis
+Different Seasons by Stephen King (I only read "Rita Hayworth & the Shawshank Redemption" and "The Body," but I think it counts as reading a King book. Especially since these were, in my opinion, his two best movies.)
+The Maze Runner by James Dashner
+Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Tim Hamilton (A good graphic novel, but the original is just too complex for this format to do it justice.)
+From Hell by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell (I found the chapter notes more intriguing than the actual story. Not a great sign.)
+The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (Why do I have to wait until August for the final book? I need to know how this ends NOW!!!)
+All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (reread)
+Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris (So, somehow I skipped the previous book in this series. :/ )
+All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris (OK, I didn't skip a book. I just have a terrible memory.)
+Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen
+Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell
+Delirium by Lauren Oliver
+Bossypants by Tina Fey
+Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (Interesting beginning to this series. Will definitely be continuing it.)
+Matched by Ally Condie (Yet another series I am anxiously awaiting the next installment of...)
+Specials by Scott Westerfeld (My first borrowed book using my new Australian library card!.)
+Fables: Legends in Exile by Willingham, Medina, Leialoha, & Hamilton
+Fables: Animal Farm by Willingham, Buckingham, & Leialoha
+Enclave by Ann Aguirre
+Fables: Storybook Love by Willingham, Buckingham, & Leialoha
+Luxe by Anna Godberson
+Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers by Willingham, Buckingham, Hamilton, Leialoha, & Russell
+From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris




Best Books: I always enjoy Mary Roach, and Packing for Mars is just as funny and interesting as her previous books.  I know non-fiction isn't for everyone, but I definitely recommend her to even the most ardent fiction lovers.  Tina Fey's Bossypants is another humorous gem.  All Quiet on the Western Front has always been one of my favorites, but it's not exactly an uplifting story.


Worst Book: This year's list doesn't have any real losers, but there were a couple disappointments.  As a Jack the Ripper buff, I was looking forward to reading From Hell.  While the story itself was only OK, I found the chapter notes very intriguing and often quite funny.  The graphic novel version of Fahrenheit 451 was also a bit disappointing.  This is another of my favorite novels, and though the artwork was 
great, I feel the story is just too complex for this format.


Looking forward to in 2012: As a fan of the Harry Potter series, I know the agony of waiting for the next installment of a series to be published.  So you'd think I'd avoid newly published series in order to avoid this, but it seems like I'm drawn to them like Harry to the Mirror of Erised.  (Seriously though, is every young adult novel these days part of a series?  Sometimes it's nice to read a book and be finished with the story at the end.)  Across the Universe, Delirium, Enclave, Luxe, and Matched all have just released or soon-to-be-released sequels I plan on reading.  I also need to read the final installment of The Maze Runner series, and I'll probably continue with some Sookie Stackhouse books.  They are light, entertaining palette cleansers, and vastly more interesting than the True Blood TV series.