STATE OF WONDER

Author: Ann Patchett

Genre: Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2011

Personal Rating: DNF #1

Format: Audiobook

After wasting hours upon hours on a previous book I should have abandoned, I decided to not let this one go down the same path. I abandoned this one in the middle of Disc 4 of 11.  It was b-o-r-i-n-g.

FEED

Author: M. T. Anderson

Genre: YA Science Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2004

Personal Rating: 3.5/5 (good)

Format: Audiobook

Yearly Count: 8

This futuristic YA novel focuses on the relationship between Titus and Violet, both of which have a feed wired into their brains. The feed is a barrage of information from the Internet, television and smart phones combined.

I had no idea what this book was about and was pleasantly surprised at how it kept my attention. The unique plot was intriguing, and I liked the main characters. The narrator of the audiobook exaggerated the voices of a few and that ruined it a bit for me, but overall it was an interesting book.

YOU'RE NEXT

Author:  Gregg Hurwitz

Genre:  Thriller?, Standalone

Published:  2011

Personal Rating:  2.25/5
(not enjoyable +)

Format:  Audiobook

Yearly Count:  7

Mike Wingate was abandoned on a playground at the age of four; therefore, he was raised in foster care.  He had no memory or understanding of the reason why, but forges ahead with his life and becomes a loving and devoted husband and father.  Out of the blue, someone threatens Mike and his family.  Again, he doesn't understand the reason why.

I should not have spent 14 hours listening to this book!  The tiny bit I knew about it intrigued me, but ultimately it never captivated me by its plot or characters.  I considered giving up at Disk 3, but plodded on because I thought for sure I would end up liking it.  I would have been better off following my gut!  Even with Scott Brick as the narrator, who usually is a favorite of mine, annoyed me.  So, I'm chalking this one up to not good timing.  However, this is the first Hurwitz book I've read, so sad to say, I'm fairly certain I won't be picking up another one by him any time soon.
   

TEACHING WITH POVERTY IN MIND

Author:  Eric Jensen

Genre:  Non-Fiction, Standalone

Published: 2009

Personal Rating:  4/5 (very good)

Format:  Book

Yearly Count: 6

The subtitle does the job of sharing its actual content: What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do About It.

I read this for our District-Wide Book Study. It definitely had some interesting and eye-opening stats, but there wasn't any revelations regarding teaching techniques. However, revisiting this topic is never wasted time, so I'm glad I participated and will take a refreshed attitude about our students.

LUCIFER'S TEARS

Author:  James Thompson

Genre:  Mystery,
Inspector Vaara Series #2

Published:  2011

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format:  Audiobook

Yearly Count:  5

Inspector Vaara lives with his very pregnant wife in Helsinki, Finland.  He's assigned two cases with his new partner.  One case revolves around a war hero's participation in WWII and the other involves the murder of a wealthy woman.

Oh my. While I enjoyed learning more about the main character and the Finland culture, I did not enjoy the foul language and crass plot line.  The new partner definitely added some interesting scenes, as did Vaara's in-laws who came to visit, but the whole book seemed a bit odd.  However, at the same time, it had an appeal.  I'm not exactly sure what the appeal was, but it encourages me to stay on the lookout for the third in this series.  I hope all the trashy talk is out of the author's system by then.

BLOOD RED ROAD

Author: Moira Young

Genre: YA Fiction, Dustlands Series #1

Published: 2011

Personal Rating: 3/5 (just okay)

Format: Audiobook

Yearly Count: 4

Set in some type of dystopian time-frame, Saba's teen-aged, twin brother, Lugh, is kidnapped and she will do anything to save him. 

The main character, Saba, was the biggest obstacle that stood in my way of really enjoying this book. As the story progresses, she changes and grows, but she didn't change quick enough. I also was extremely annoyed with her saying, "I says" instead of "I said," and the swearing, in general, was unnecessary. Putting all of that aside (although, very difficult to do), I thought the story line was okay. I did want to know why and how Saba was going to save her brother; however, it was not all I had hoped it would be.

THE BUNGALOW

Author:  Sarah Jio

Genre:  Women's Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2011

Personal Rating:  4/5 (very good)

Format:  eBook

Yearly Count: 3

From the Author's Website:

A sweeping saga of thwarted love, murder and a long-lost painting. In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific Island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiance, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war. A timeless story of enduring passion, The Bungalow chronicles Anne’s determination to discover the truth about the twin losses of life and of love that have haunted her for seventy years.

I really enjoyed this book. There were a few predictable and not-so-believable parts, but overall I looked forward to visiting with these characters and didn't freely want to put the eBook down.

I don't read a lot of women's fiction, but discovered that I really liked Jio's style. Her words captivated me from the start, and I was even swept away with the sweet romance. I'm excited about getting to her debut novel The Violets of March. Thankfully, it's sitting on my TBR shelf.  :)

My thanks go to Penguin Group USA and NetGalley for sending me this eBook.

MOCKINGBIRD

Author: Kathryn Erskine

Genre: YA Fiction, Standalone

Published: 2010

Personal Rating: 4/5 (very good)

Format: Audiobook

Yearly Count: 2

Caitlin, a 5th grader, tries to navigate through her life after the death of her brother, the person she relied upon for advice and guidance due to her Asperger's Syndrome.

This is a perfect story for both adults and children to learn about and understand the mind of a child with Asperger's Syndrome. Caitlin was delightful and did not seem fictitious at all. The narrator did a fabulous job portraying her.

HEADS YOU LOSE

Author:  Lisa Lutz & David Hayward

Genre:  Mystery, Standalone

Published:  2011

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format:  Audiobook

Yearly Count:  1

An adult brother and sister discover a body in their backyard.  They can't call the police because they are running an illicit business, so they take care of matters themselves.  The problem does not go away. They become sleuths to find the killer and the reason as to why they have been involved.  That's virtually the plot, but the authors allow us to view their conversations with one another (notes at the end of each chapter) and they really "make" the story.

I am one of the few that wasn't wowed by the first book in Lisa Lutz's Spellman Series, so I didn't jump at this book when it came out, but . . . was curious nonetheless.  I took the opportunity to listen to it when I saw it sitting before me at the library.

As with The Spellman Files, I was not impressed.  The plot wasn't anything that I was excited about, and I certainly didn't relate to any of the characters. The banter (notes) between Lisa and David was the best part by far.  Overall, it wasn't horrible or anything, but it just wasn't my preference for enjoyable reading. 

Not a great start to a new year, but there are many more books ahead.  Can't wait to add books to my Best Reads of 2012! 

BEST READS OF 2011

My following favorites (received an "excellent" or "absolutely outstanding" rating) are listed in the order in which they were read and all except two* were published in 2011.

1. *The Human Bobby (Rotter) ~ Fiction

2. Turn of Mind (LaPlante) ~ Mystery

3. Between Shades of Gray (Sepetys) ~ YA Historical Fiction

4. Guilt By Association (Clark) ~ Mystery

5. The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes (Sakey) ~ Suspense

6. Breaking Silence (Castillo) ~ Thriller

7. *Triptych (Slaughter) ~ Thriller

8. Little Princes (Grennan) ~ Memoir

9. The Homecoming of Samuel Lake (Wingfield) ~ Fiction

10. Children of the Street (Quartey) ~ Mystery

11. The Stranger You Seek (Williams) ~ Thriller
   

December Reads

100.  Trading Christmas (Macomber) ~ 3/5

The Wife's Tale (Lansens) ~ DNF

Leave (Fallon) ~ 4/5

You Survived the War, Now Survive the Homecoming (Fallon) ~ 3/5

Gold Star (Fallon) ~ 3.75/5

101.  You Know When the Men Are Gone (Fallon) ~ 3.75/5

A Jury of Her Peers (Glaspell) ~ 3.5/5

102.  The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt (Preston) ~ 3.75/5

103.  The Coffin Dancer (Deaver) ~ 4/5

104.  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Robison) ~ 3/5

A Field of Darkness (Read) ~ DNF

105.  Dead Until Dark (Harris) ~ 2.25/5

Wild Mustard (Muller) ~ 3.5/5

106.  Slipping into Darkness (Blauner) ~ 3.75/5

In My Parent's Bedroom (Akpan) ~ 3.5/5

What Language is That? (Akpan) ~ 3/5

A Very Holly Christmas (Roberts) ~ 2.5/5

Light Drizzle (Konrath) ~ 4/5

A Newbie's Guide to Thrillerfest (Konrath) ~ 3/5

One Night Only (Konrath) ~ 3/5

Millie's Fling (Mansell) ~ DNF

    

Short Story (not counted)

Bold titles made Best Reads of 2011 list

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

FINAL 2011

MONTHLY  -  YEARLY STATS:

TOTAL:  7 - 106

Audiobooks:   5 - 69

Best Reads:   0 - 11

Books:   2 - 21

DNF:   3 - 10

eBooks:   0 - 16

New-to-Me Authors:   7 - 75

Off My Shelf:   2 - 31

Published in 2011:   3 - 41

Short Stories:   11 - 52

YA:   0 - 14

Ratings

Monthly - Yearly Stats:

5.00 =   0 - 3

4.75 =   0 - 0

4.50 =   0 - 8

4.25 =   0 - 5

4.00 =   1 - 20

3.75 =   3 - 14

3.50 =   0 - 22

3.25 =   0 - 7

 3.00 =   2 - 14

2.75 =   0 - 2

2.50 =   0 - 2

2.25 =   1 - 4

2.00 =   0 - 5

1.75 =   0 - 0

1.50 =   0 - 0

1.25 =   0 - 0

1.00 =   0 - 0

__________

average =   3.36  -  3.55 

MILLIE'S FLING

Author:  Jill Mansell

Genre:  Chick Lit, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  DNF #10

Format:  eBook

I've been reading this a chapter at a time and really trying to give it a chance (completed 36%!), but it just wasn't working for me (works for others, though - 4.5/167 reviews on Amazon).  After some internal prodding to get with it and finish it, I just couldn't give any more of my time to it, so I gave up.  I now have peace.  Whew!  (Why is it so hard to give up on books sometimes?)  In fairness to Mansell, I am not a connoisseur of chick-lit.

ONE NIGHT ONLY (3 of 65)

Author: J. A. Konrath

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: 65 Proof:
An Omnibus Collection, 2011

Personal Rating: 3/5 (just okay)

Format: eBook

(ss) Yearly Count: 52

Again, straight from the Funny Stuff section comes this story about a man who is obsessed with watching the basketball playoffs and ends up suffering for it.

After making a vocal sound of disgust, I decided that I really didn't like this story. However, I liked the fact that I was surprised - maybe shocked would be a more fitting adjective.

A NEWBIE'S GUIDE TO THRILLERFEST (2 of 65)

Author: J. A. Konrath

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: 65 Proof:
An Omnibus Collection, 2011

Personal Rating: 3/5 (just okay)

Format: eBook

(ss) Yearly Count: 51

This was another story from the Funny Stuff section. Like the title states, it's a guide to the Thrillerfest conference.

This was just okay, but I'm guessing that Konrath really enjoyed writing it. It actually could have been a cathartic experience for him.

LIGHT DRIZZLE (1 of 65)

Author: J. A. Konrath

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: 65 Proof:
An Omnibus Collection, 2011

Personal Rating: 4/5 (very good)

Format: eBook

(ss) Yearly Count: 50

This collection is composed of 65 stories written and published in a variety of magazines and anthologies. It is divided into four categories: Jack and Friends (characters from his Jack Daniels series), Crime Stories, Horror Stories and Funny Stuff.

Light Drizzle is from the Funny Stuff category, and it really was just ridiculousness. I don't usually like that kind of humor, but needed to keep reading to complete my 50th short story for the year (need to meet my goal of 52). And, lo and behold, the ending made me smile big! It was actually funny and worth the read. :)

A VERY HOLLY CHRISTMAS

Author: Sheila Roberts

Genre: Short Story

Published:  2011

Personal Rating: 2.5/5 (eh)

Format: eBook

(ss) Yearly Count: 49

A year later, we find ourselves back in Holly (On Strike for Christmas) for a very short visit.

Ummm, there wasn't much to this short story, and I feel like there was a great plotline opportunity missed.

WHAT LANGUAGE IS THAT? (3 of 5)

Author: Uwem Akpan

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: Say You're One of Them, 2008

Personal Rating: 3/5 (just okay)
Format:  Audiobook

(ss) Yearly Count: 48

Religious differences cause the parents of two girlfriends to deny them their friendship.

This was okay. It was a simple story, but not simple in its meaning.