Books...

I have been reading a lot of amazing books lately. This page is a fairly complete list of all of the books I have read over the past couple of years (i.e. since I started keeping track). Most of these books are adult books, but some are children's books (geared towards 8-10 year olds) for the In2Books program.

All of the books listed here are pretty great, but my favorites are starred. Enjoy!

Currently Reading

I have no idea. Suggestions?

Book List - 2012

  1. Plants Bite Back! - Richard Platt (Read March 2012) An In2Books penpal book for the fables unit.
  2. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins * (Read March 2012) Book 3. Better than book 2. Not as great as book 1, but really good. I want to say something about the end here, but I wont.
  3. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick (Read February 2012) It's Bladerunner, at least in voice and premise, but not quite. Crazy futuristic world; worth the read.
  4. Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson * (Read February 2012) A very honest book about a fascinating man. A must-read for Apple fans (and non-fans for that matter).
  5. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins * (Read February 2012) Book 2... almost as good as book 1. So many twists and turns... I need book 3 to come in now!
  6. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs - Jon Scieszka (Read February 2012) An In2Books penpal book for the fables unit.
  7. Comfort Food - Kate Jacobs (Read January 2012) A good read, but kind of predictable. I liked Friday Night Knitting Club better.
  8. 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

  1. 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.
  2. Who Was Daniel Boone? - Sydelle Kramer (Read December 2011) An In2Books penpal book for the biography unit.
  3. 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.
  4. Great House - Nicole Krauss (Read December 2011) Great 4-part book about the history of a desk. Still trying to put the pieces together.
  5. What did The Ancient Egyptians Do For Me? - Patrick Catel (Read November 2011) An In2Books penpal book for the history unit.
  6. 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!
  7. The Help - Kathryn Stockett (Read November 2011) Such a great story, and very well written!
  8. 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!
  9. 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.
  10. Planting Dandelions - Kyran Pittman (Read October 2011) Great book about the author's emigration to the US and her adventures in family life.
  11. First Year Letters - Julie Danneberg (Read October 2011) An In2Books penpal book for the fiction unit.
  12. 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.
  13. My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult * (Read September 2011) This book broke my heard so many times, but totally worth the read.
  14. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs - Chuck Klosterman (Read August 2011) This is probably one of the most sarcastic books I have ever read.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. Diary of a Mad Fat Girl - Stephanie McAfee (Read June 2011) Another super quick read. And yes, quite mad.
  19. Declaring Spinsterhood - Jamie Lynn Braziel (Read June 2011) Super quick read. Declaring spinsterhood almost sounds like a fabulous idea.
  20. 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!
  21. The Zombies of Lake Woebegotton - Harrison Geillor * (Read May 2011) This may be my favorite zombie novel (so far, at least).
  22. The Wizard of Menlo Park - Randall Stross (Read May 2011) Great bio of Thomas Edison, including some very interesting (and amusing) stories here.
  23. 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.
  24. 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!
  25. 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.
  26. What Will the Weather Be? - Lynda DeWitt (Read March 2011) An In2Books penpal book for the science unit.
  27. 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.
  28. Committed - Elizabeth Gilbert (Read February 2011) This book reviews so many philosophies on marriage. This book was very eye opening.
  29. Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti - Gerald McDermott (Read February 2011) An In2Books penpal book for the social studies unit.
  30. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson (Read February 2011) A great mystery... and I normally don't like mysteries.
  31. 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.
  32. 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

  1. 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.
  2. Mummies - Joyce Milton (Read December 2010) An In2Books penpal book for the history unit.
  3. 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.
  4. A Short History of Women - Kate Walbert (Read November 2010) Fantastic book that follows a family of women through different stages of their lives.
  5. Donovan's Word Jar - Monalisa DeGross (Read October 2010) An In2Books penpal book for the fiction unit.
  6. 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).
  7. Foundation and Empire - Isaac Asimov (Read September 2010) Book 2 of the Foundation series. Not bad, but not as good as book 1.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Stern Men - Elizabeth Gilbert (Read August 2010) I may be Ruth... at least partially.
  11. 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).
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. The Tao of Pooh - Benjamin Hoff (Read March 2010) I'd read this book before (in college), but re-reading it was an experience.
  16. 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.
  17. Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella - Susan Lowell (Read March 2010) An In2Books penpal book for the fiction unit.
  18. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman - Kathleen Krull (Read February 2010) An In2Books penpal book for the biography unit.
  19. Animal Farm - George Orwell * (Read February 2010) I'm finally starting to catch up on the classics I somehow missed as a kid.
  20. The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri (Read February 2010) The book is a little predictable. So many similarities between their family and mine.
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery - Deborah Howe (Read January 2010) A cute kids' book about a vampire bunny.