2008 Reading Review

In 2007 Susan read 100 books and was featured in her local newspaper and that inspired me to keep track of how many books I read in a year, I didn’t think I’d get anywhere near 100 but I didn’t have a goal of any kind, I just wanted to see. I did realize that I read 2 sometimes 3 or 4 books to my first graders every day, which equals at least 200 some books a year (180 school days a year), they are picture books, but they are still books. When I first started keeping track I counted new books that I’d read to my class for the first time, however late in the year I decided that the picture books were getting in the way from my “true” reading numbers so I created another shelf on good reads for “adult” books (meaning novels and non-picture books) and stopped entering children’s books. If you count the new picture books I read this year I read a total of 122 books! Impressive!
74 of those books were novel length non-picture books! I’m impressed with myself!

Below are all the books I’m counting in my year end total. In some cases I have grouped by author, you can tell that when I get on to an author I tend to plow through everything they wrote! :)

One Book Wonders – these books are the only ones by that Author that I read:
1. One Thousand White Women: The Journals of Molly Dodd - Jim Fergus
I really enjoyed this one! It’s about the Cheyenne attempting to assimilate into White culture by requesting 1000 white women to be wives to their warriors.

2. Last Days of Summer – Steve Kluger
Another really good one – this one told in a scrapbook format – very interesting!

3. Body Surfing – Anita Shreve

4. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan – Lisa See
I LOVED this book – it’s all about a deep and true friendship between women! I have heard that her other books aren’t very good.

5. Anybody Out There? – Marion Keyes
I enjoyed this one too – and guess what? Marion Keyes has written lots of other books! I can’t wait to read some more of her work.

6. The Other Boleyn Girl – Philippa Gregory
This book was recommended to me by a friend and I loved it! I know nothing about medieval England, but this book got me interested. It was an intriguing story that kept me interested! I can't wait to read some more Philippa Gregory novels!

7. The Lake of Dead Languages – Carol Goodman

8. The Godmother – Carrie Adams
This is probably my favorite book of the year! Tessa King is a single woman who years for a family and through a number of twists and turns finds happiness.

9. A Redbird Christmas – Fannie Flagg

10. Ida B…and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save The World – Katherine Hannigan

11. Soldier’s Heart: Being the Story of Enlistment and Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers – Gary Paulsen

Non-Fiction
I don’t read much non-fiction, you’ll note they are mostly humor non-fiction

12. In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
Book club book….never would have read it otherwise. Interesting though.

13. Persian Girls – Nahid Rachlin
Wonderful memoir about an Iranian girl who had to fight against amazing odds.

14. When you are Engulfed in Flames – David Sedaris
Not the best David Sedaris, but I had to read it!

15. If you Lived Here I’d know your Name: News From Small Town Alaska – Heather Lende
Heather Lende is an obituary writer in Haines Alaska – this book is filled with stories of what life is like in a remote small “frontier” town. If you like Northern Exposure you’ll LOVE this book!

16. Camp Camp: Where Fantasy Island Meets Lord of the Flies – Roger Bennett
A walk down memory lane! Pictures and stories from various Summer Camps around the country from the mid-80s!

17. An Idiot Girls Christmas: Tales from the top of the Naughty List – Laurie Notaro
My 1st Laurie Notaro, but definitely not my last! She is hysterical! I loved the story about her taking her 80 year old Nana shopping!

Fiction – grouped by author, not sorted

18. The Third Angel – Alice Hoffman
I love Alice Hoffman, but this will not be my favorite.

19. Blackbird House – Alice Hoffman (a re-read)
My favorite Alice Hoffman – the house is the “main character”!

20. When Madeline Was Young: A Novel – Jane Hamilton

21. The Book of Ruth – Jane Hamilton
I LOVED this book! I had a very deep connection with Ruth!

22. A Patchwork Planet – Anne Tyler

23. Digging to America – Anne Tyler
One of my favorite Anne Tyler’s so far – this one is about 2 girls adopted from Korea and the connection between the familes.

24. Breathing Lessons – Anne Tyler
Pulitzer Prize Winning….I didn’t “get it” why it won, not my favorite!

25. Back When we were Grown-Ups – Anne Tyler
Everyone in this book had a strange nickname….not sure about it, kinda strange book.

Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon Novels:

Anna Pigeon is a kick ass National Park Service Ranger who gets sent to different parks and always lands in the middle of some scam or murder. They are mysteries (which I tend to not like), however they aren’t all “whodoneit” murder mysteries, and all are set in different National Parks.

26. Blind Descent - Carlsbad Caverns NP – it was this book that made me realize I should have read the Anna Pigeon books in order!
27. Hunting Season – Natchez Trace NP
28. Endangered Species – Cumberland Island NP
29. Firestorm – Lassen Volcanoes NP
30. Winter Study – Isle Royale National Park – Set in the winter on the remote island in northern Michigan where Anna and the others were snowed in, this was the perfect book for my recent trip! I finished it sitting in my room watching the wind howl and the snow blow!

Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum Novels

Susan got me started on these and I LOVE them! I read all but 3 of the Stephanie Plum novels this year! :) Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter who is rather inept – she gets herself into the funniest situations!

31. Four to Score
32. High Five
33. Hot Six
34. Seven Up
35. Hard Eight
36. To the Nines
37. Ten Big Ones
38. Eleven on Top
39.Twelve Sharp
40. Lean Mean Thirteen
41. Fearless Fourteen
42. Visions of Sugar Plums - Between the Numbers: Christmas
43. Plum Lovin’ – Between the Numbers: Valentines Day
44. Plum Lucky – Between the Numbers: St. Patrick’s Day

Carl Hiaasen’s book are usually really funny and bizarre! Unfortuently the three I read this year weren’t as good as the other’s I’d read of his! I’m hooked on him though so in 2009 I’ll finish off his body of work! All of his books are set in Florida and all involve some sort of environmental agenda.

45. Stormy Weather - good story but too many characters and they never came together.
46. Basket Case
47. Native Tongue - same characters from Stormy Weather! Better story!


Adriana Trigiani
A bunch of years back Big Stone Gap was an Oprah book and I have wanted to read it ever since so I picked it up at the library and loved it! I proceeded to read everything Adriana Trigiani has written! The Big Stone Gap books are a bit like Mitford only without any religion. Her other books are all about Italian Americans and their struggles. While the books are all similar they are also all unique.
48. Big Stone Gap
49. Big Cherry Holler
50. Milk Glass Moon
51. Home to Big Stone Gap
52. Lucia, Lucia
53. Queen of the Big Time
54. Rococo

Philip Gulley’s Harmony Series
Harmony is a lot like Mitford only they are a bit lighter – quick reads!
55. Home to Harmony – a re-read.
56. Just Shy of Harmony
57. Signs and Wonders: A Harmony Novel
58. Life Goes On: A Harmony Novel
59. Christmas in Harmony
60. A Change of Heart
61. Almost Friends
62. The Christmas Scrapbook – my favorite!

63. Run – Ann Patchett
The gal who gives me my allergy shots recommended this and I really liked it.

64. Bel Canto – Ann Patchett
This one was supposedly “better than Run” but I enjoyed Run more.

Books Read for Grad School
65. Howard Street Tutoring Manual – Darryl Morris
66. Supporting Struggling Readers and Writers: Strategies for Classroom Intervention, 3-6 – Dorothy Strickland
67. Literature Based Reading Activities – Ruth Yopp Edwards
68. Goodbye Round-Robin: 25 Effective Oral Reading Strategies – Michael Optiz
69. Assessing and Correcting Reading and Writing Difficulties – Thomas Gunning
70. Understanding Dyslexia and the Reading Process: A Guide for Parents and Educators – Marion Sanders
71. Reading Instruction that Works: The Case for Balanced Teaching (Solving Problems in Teaching Literacy) – Michael Pressley
72. Creating Literacy Rich Schools for Adolescents – Gay Ivey
73. The Literacy Coaching Challenge: Models and Methods for Grades K-8 (Solving Problems in Teaching Literacy) – Michael McKenna
74. Book Buddies: Guidelines for Volunteer Tutors of Emergent and Early Readers - Francine Johnston

Overall I’m very pleased with how much reading I did this year! In 2009 I hope to simply read more books than in 2008 – maybe 100, or maybe not. I have a number of “to be read” books here that I want to finally read – I’m tired of looking at them!
If you want to follow along with my reading adventures find me over on Good Reads! Happy Reading! 