Books...

Book List 2012

2. Comfort Food - Kate Jacobs (Read January 2012) A good read, but kind of predictable. I liked Friday Night Knitting Club better.
1. The Paris Wife - Paula McLain (Read January 2012) Hemmingway got around... I had no idea. This is fiction, but based on fact and a great read.

Book List 2011

32. The Tortilla Curtain - T. C. Boyle * (Read December 2011) So heartbreaking. It's sad that the way the characters think about immigration is very real.
31. Who Was Daniel Boone? - Sydelle Kramer (Read December 2011) An In2Books penpal book for the biography unit.
30. Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin * (Read December 2011) I had heard about the CAI before, but reading about it in biography form is just inspiring.
29. Great House - Nicole Krauss
    (Read December 2011) Great 4-part book about the history of a desk. Still trying to put the pieces together.
28. What did The Ancient Egyptians Do For Me? - Patrick Catel
    (Read November 2011) An In2Books penpal book for the history unit.
27. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins *
    (Read November 2011) This is a must-read for all geeks; it is so captivating. Must read the others now!
26. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
    (Read November 2011) Such a great story, and very well written!
25. The Friday Night Knitting Club - Kate Jacobs *
    (Read November 2011) This book is marginally about knitting; it is more about family and support.... Great book!
24. My Life with Charlie Brown - Charles M. Shultz *
    (Read October 2011) I love Peanuts!. Reading Shultz's articles so much insight into his philosophy and work ethic.
23. Planting Dandelions - Kyran Pittman
    (Read October 2011) Great book about the author's emigration to the US and her adventures in family life.
22. First Year Letters - Julie Danneberg
    (Read October 2011) An In2Books penpal book for the fiction unit.
21. How I Killed Pluto And Why It Had It Coming - Mike Brown
    (Read September 2011) Yes, Pluto did need to go down. Intriguing book around the drama of astronomy research.
20. My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult *
    (Read September 2011) This book broke my heard so many times, but totally worth the read.
19. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs - Chuck Klosterman
    (Read August 2011) This is probably one of the most sarcastic books I have ever read.
18. Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog - John Grogan *
    (Read August 2011) This book was incredible and heart-breaking. Almost makes me want a dog. Almost.
17. Writing Out The Notes: Life in Great Big Sea - Bob Hallett
    (Read July 2011) Interesting insight into the music world (not just GBS), but so many references I just did not get.
16. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - Max Brooks
    (Read July 2011) This was pretty intense - a "real" account of the next world war... against zombies.
15. Diary of a Mad Fat Girl - Stephanie McAfee
    (Read June 2011) Another super quick read. And yes, quite mad.
14. Declaring Spinsterhood - Jamie Lynn Braziel
    (Read June 2011) Super quick read. Declaring spinsterhood almost sounds like a fabulous idea.
13. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen *
    (Read June 2011) Gorgeous love story. I have not seen the movie yet; hoping it is as good as the book!
12. The Zombies of Lake Woebegotton - Harrison Geillor *
    (Read May 2011) This may be my favorite zombie novel (so far, at least).
11. The Wizard of Menlo Park - Randall Stross
    (Read May 2011) Great bio of Thomas Edison, including some very interesting (and amusing) stories here.
10. It Could Be Worse. You Could Be Me. - Ariel Leve
    (Read April 2011) This is one of the more depressing books I have read this year. Wow.
9. The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson
   (Read April 2011) Book #3 is the weakest book of the trilogy, but I needed to see how the story ends. Great ending!
8. The Girl Who Fell From The Sky - Heidi W. Durrow
   (Read March 2011) Fantastic story about a girl who survives a horrible family tragedy... based on a true story.
7. What Will the Weather Be? - Lynda DeWitt
   (Read March 2011) An In2Books penpal book for the science unit.
6. The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson
   (Read March 2011) Holy cow. I'm in love with this series. Another amazing mystery that made me literally scream.
5. Committed - Elizabeth Gilbert
   (Read February 2011) This book reviews so many philosophies on marriage. This book was very eye opening.
4. Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti - Gerald McDermott
   (Read February 2011) An In2Books penpal book for the social studies unit.
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
   (Read February 2011) A great mystery... and I normally don't like mysteries.
2. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith
   (Read January 2011) I did not care for the original, but really enjoyed this version. Zombies make the story better.
1. Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Doreen Rappaport
   (Read January 2011) An In2Books penpal book for the biography unit.

Book List 2010

23. The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
    (Read December 2010) I'm not sure if I believe this is what heaven is really like, but I like the idea of it.
22. Mummies - Joyce Milton
    (Read December 2010) An In2Books penpal book for the history unit.
21. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
    (Read November 2010) I tried to read this book when I was much younger and just could not get into it then. Glad I finally read it now.
20. A Short History of Women - Kate Walbert
    (Read November 2010) Fantastic book that follows a family of women through different stages of their lives.
19. Donovan's Word Jar - Monalisa DeGross
    (Read October 2010) An In2Books penpal book for the fiction unit.
18. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
    (Read September 2010) I've loved every Neil Gaiman book I've read so far. It definitely reads like a movie (and I believe it is one).
17. Foundation and Empire - Isaac Asimov
    (Read September 2010) Book 2 of the Foundation series. Not bad, but not as good as book 1.
16. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith *
    (Read August 2010) My favorite president and my favorite fictional subject matter. It doesn't get better than this.
15. Designing the Moment: Web Interface Design Concepts in Action - Robert Hoekman Jr. *
    (Read August 2010) This was a fabulous, and very obvious, book on website user experience.
14. Stern Men - Elizabeth Gilbert
    (Read August 2010) I may be Ruth... at least partially.
13. Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
    (Read July 2010) Books by both of these authors have a knack for making me literally laugh out loud.
12. Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light - Mort Rosenblum
    (Read June 2010) This book makes me want to eat better chocolate (despite the fact that I grew up on Hershey's).
11. Foundation - Isaac Asimov *
    (Read May 2010) I finally made it through this book (after a couple of tries). Muse read the rest of the series.
10. Rain - Karen Duve
    (Read April 2010) Kind of depressing. It probably didn't help that I read this during the great Boston flood of 2010.
9. The Tao of Pooh - Benjamin Hoff
   (Read March 2010) I'd read this book before (in college), but re-reading it was an experience.
8. The Design of Everyday Things - Donald A. Norman
   (Read March 2010) This book really changed the way I think about design, and it's not even about websites.
7. Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella - Susan Lowell
   (Read March 2010) An In2Books penpal book for the fiction unit.
6. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman - Kathleen Krull
   (Read February 2010) An In2Books penpal book for the biography unit.
5. Animal Farm - George Orwell *
   (Read February 2010) I'm finally starting to catch up on the classics I somehow missed as a kid.
4. The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri
   (Read February 2010) The book is a little predictable. So many similarities between their family and mine.
3. The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler
   (Read January 2010) This is a quirky, funny, and sad book; the main character reminds me of me in a way.
2. Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates *
   (Read January 2010) Very captivating and beautiful story; Loved it as a book, but not sure if I'll see the movie.
1. Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery - Deborah Howe
   (Read January 2010) A cute kids' book about a vampire bunny.