2011 Book List & Reviews

• I've always wanted to keep track of the books I read over the course of a year. Here's my first attempt. If I blogged about it, I'll link to the post. Usually my blog post isn't a review, but inspired by the book.

Of course I read a lot of books for the kids, but this will be books I read on my own. As you can see from the list below, I read quite a variety of books. I'm pretty open when it comes to the genre of books I read. As long as the story seems interesting.

Genres I Like to Read: Food related memoirs, fiction, or non-fiction books, Literary fiction, Historical fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Modern fantasy, parenting, cozy mysteries, some self-help, cookbooks, craft books.

Publishers and PR reps: If you'd like for me to review your book, please contact me here.

January

• Take the Cake
• The Swan Thieves
• Murder Between the Covers (Dead-End Job Mysteries, Book 2) I love reading cozies. Cozies are murder mysteries, usually with a regular woman turned detective. This series is new to me. 

February

• Shatter (The Children of Man) by Elizabeth C Mock. Very well written fantasy novel. I read this on my Kindle app. I think a paper version would have been easy so I could flip back to different chapters. There are a lot of characters with many subplots that intertwine, so I would have liked a quicker way to refer back.  

March

•  Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English: A Novel by Natasha Solomons. This was a very satisfying read. Mr. Rosenblum is a German Jew who immigrates to England during WWI. He's given a pamphlet on how to be English and follows it to the letter. This book inspired my post on how I wish I had a manual of some sort when I lived in rural Louisiana.
•  Pretty Neat: The Buttoned-Up Way to Get Organized and Let Go of Perfection by Alicia Rockmore and Sarah Welch. They turned me on to the term "org porn" and made me confess my book addiction.

April

•  29: A Novel by Adena Halpern. Inspired post: When I'm 75, I'm Going to Be One Hot Old Lady.

May

•  Good Enough Is the New Perfect: Finding Happiness and Success in Modern Motherhood by Becky Gillespie and Hollee Temple. Made me realize that cleaning my toilet at 3AM is probably not such a good idea.
• Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away by Christie Watson. This tells the story of a young girl living the good life in Nigeria until her mother catches her father with another women. Her new life with her maternal grandparents is a bit hard to adapt to. Another From Left to Write selection. My post: I Never Meant to Marry a Black Man.
• The Taker by Alma Katsu. I met the author at Book Blogger Con. She has great energy and is fun to talk to. The novel delves into the supernatural world. It's dark and lusty. I read the book on the train ride back from New York City. It comes out in September.

June

•  The Sound of Wild Snail Eating by Elizabeth Tova Bailey. Another book club selection of From Left to Write. My post here about being all bugged out.
• In Stitches by Anthony Youn
• Attempted a 48-hour book challenge.
• The Passage by Justin Cronin. Post apocalyptic novel about vampire like creatures. Was a bit creepy but I loved this book! Read my review on From Left to Write.
• Unexpected Circumnavigation by Christi Grab. Have you ever wanted to travel around the world on a boat? My post for From Left to Write's book club this month.
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Another winner for me. I'm looking forward to the movie in August!

July

• Robopocalypse. Post apocalyptic as well but this time with super smart computers. It was quick read and didn't involve too much thinking. Review on From Left to Write.
• Soul of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman. Ruhlman attempts to find out what makes a chef a good chef and shares his experiences with Michael Symon and Thomas Keller as case studies. The foodie in me found it fascinating.
• Lucy by Laurence Gonzales. I saw this ebook on my library shelf and was intrigued. Sadly when I read the reviews on Amazon, I accidentally read a very integral fact about the novel and was thus spoiled. That annoyed me for about 50 pages or so until the spoiler was revealed. But overall a very enjoyable read and an interesting look at how our society views humanity.

August

• The Land of Painted Caves: A Novel (Earth's Children) by Jean M. Auel