The list has a lot of romances, as always. I went back and read some older Nora Roberts that I had not read. I realized that there are quite a bit Roberts I have not touched and decided to remedy that. Interspersed in the list are some award winners and non-fiction. I also read some YA and sci fi/fantasy.

Total books read in 2011: 67
Most books read in one month: May, 11
Least book read in one month: February, 2
Worst book read: The Debutante’s Dilemma by Elyse Mady – I could have bought the whole stuck between two lovers at the same time thing, but the ending just did not seem plausible to me. It was all a bit silly and made me realize that the menage genre was definitely not for me.
Best new to me book: I read a lot of great books this year. A plethora, you might say, so choosing one is really hard. So hard in fact, I am completely cheating and putting four books here.
One is a series and one is non-fiction. This is my list so stop complaining. The fiction series is an older Nora Roberts: Sea Swept; Rising Tides; and Inner Harbor. – I fell in love with the family in this book. The non-fiction goes easily to Everything I Know About Love I Learned From Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell. – I am a huge fan of Sarah. I even have a picture of us when she came to ALA last year. I have shielded my share of scoffers for my reading tastes, but this book reminded me why romance novels are not just good, but great for the soul.
Best reread: The Bride by Julie Garwood – I have a whole shelf of old Garwoods and they are my go to books when nothing else appeals. What is not great about a man in a kilt?
Worst book I did not finish (and thus it is not on this list): Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard – all around awful.

Books Read
January – 3
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale by Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, and Chris
Samnee
Goose in the Pond by Earlene Fowler

February – 2
Fallen by Lauren Kate
Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas

March – 3
Start Your Family by Steve and Candice Watters
Torment by Lauren Kate
Betrayed by Claire Robyns

April – 3
Sea Swept by Nora Roberts
Rising Tides by Nora Roberts
Inner Harbor by Nora Roberts

May – 11
A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts
Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts
Heart of the Sea by Nora Roberts
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison
The Spurned Viscountess by Shelley Munro
I Wish (The Witches of Desire) by Wren Emmerson
Collision Course by Zoe Archer
Blue Galaxy by Diane Dooley
The Spiral Path by Lisa Paitz Spindler
Blood of the Maple by Dana Marie Bell

June – 7
Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator by Janni Nell
The Bride by Julie Garwood
Almost Innocent by Jane Feather
Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik
The Debutante’s Dilemma by Elyse Mady
The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale by Christine Bell
The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourne

July – 5
The Lion’s Lady by Julie Garwood
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
Ashes by Ilsa Bick
Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers
X-Isle by Cosby, Nelson, and Scott

August – 4
Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman
Offworld by Robin Parrish
Superman: Red Son by Miller, Johnson, Plunkett, Robinson, Wong
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

September – 7
Defying Convention by Abby Niles
Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
Undeniably Yours by Shanon Stacey
Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey
Cat’s Tale: a fairy tale retold by Bettie Sharpe
Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt
Tankborn by Karen Sandler

October – 7
The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
Sparks in the Cosmic Dust by Robert Appleton
The Outlaw Bride by Kelly Boyce

November – 8
My Lord Jack by Hope Tarr
Goddess With a Blade by Lauren Dane
Captive Bride by Bonnie Dee
Everything I Know About Love I Learned From Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Born In Fire by Nora Roberts
Born in Ice by Nora Roberts
Born In Shame by Nora Roberts

December – 7
Daring to Dream by Nora Roberts
Holding the Dream by Nora Roberts
Finding the Dream by Nora Roberts
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Brighid’s Choice by P. C. Cast
Altered Destiny by Shawna Thomas

Mob Rule Learning is reviewed over at ForeWord.

These kinds of things make me do one of two things: make me think, “Hey, I wrote that!” or look behind me for that smart person being discussed; she sounds interesting.

–Jane, is occasionally interesting

It is both hilarious and touching to read how romance has impacted its readership. I am almost halfway through the book and I just finished the section on the top 9 romance heroes. I was a little meh on the list as I read it as none of my favorites were listed, until I got to the top two: Jamie Fraser from Outlander and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. *swoon* Both books are my two favorites of all time and by extension the heroes are two of my favorite as well.

Outlander is one of the books that I bang people over the head with until they read it. When I was in grad school, my roommate, the only other person I had met up until that point that read as much as I did, had never read Outlander. It was too much romance for her and I never did succeed in forcing that book upon her.

However, about a year after I graduated, got a job, and moved to a different city, my friend and former roommate called me. Instead of the usual greeting, she said, “I want to marry Jamie Fraser!” I giggled gleefully, knowing full well the rabbit hole she had fallen into. Honorable, but flawed, men in kilts. Be still my heart.

There are two heroes not on Sarah’s list that are on mine:

Fenris from Castle of the Wolf
I can not tell you all the ways I love this book and its characters. I have reread it almost every year since first discovering it, thanks to the Smart Bitches. Why do I love Fenris? On the surface he is a snarling, uncaring, and crippled beast, but underneath he is a man who wants only to protect his family and live a dignified life (and find love, though of course he does not know THAT… yet). There are so many scenes in the book that reveal the true heartache of the hero and his struggle to be a better man for the heroine, Celia. The main characters strive to be better in different ways because they love their partner enough to want to be worthy of them. Isn’t that really what true love is?

Mr. Rochester from my real life
I am not talking about Mr. Broody Pants on the Moors by Bronte. I am talking about my Mr. Rochester who recently performed the very important quest of rescuing a silver earring from the drain of the sink, the man who refills my beer (that we homebrewed together!), who does the dishes, loves my cooking, calls me out when I am being less than I can/should be, rolls his eyes at my bad jokes, is a total nerd (just like me but in different ways), makes me laugh, is a wonderful dad, and can still kiss me senseless. Every girl should be as lucky as me.

Whoever your favorite romance hero is, I hope you visit him soon, in the pages of your favorite book or when you lay your head next to his at night.

–Jane, everyone needs a little romance

Ever since I read When Christ and His Saints Slept, I have been a fan of Penman. British history has long been a favorite of mine and no one does the English royal court like Penman. Penman does a great job of keeping all the Williams, Georges, and Johns separate for you so you know who is doing what.

Lionheart is the story of Richard and the Third Crusade to the Holy Land. With all the fighting between the French and English kings, it is a wonder there was a crusade at all. Penman shows Richard to be both an inspiring leader who leads men fearlessly into battle and a caring man who loves the women in his life in their own way. This crusade was personal to Richard, like the journey to the promised land was personal to Moses. Penman goes beyond the king to the man and what drove him to do the things that he did during this early part of his reign.

As always, Penman’s language, storytelling, and attention to detail draws you in, making you experience life in the midst of a crusade.

Recommended for fans of Penman and History alike

(minor spoilers)

Alex is hiking in the woods, and has just met up with two other hikers, an older man and his granddaughter, when a loud boom in the sky makes everything go haywire. After the initial chaos, the older man is dead and Alex is left in the company of an 8 year-old girl and a dog.

The loud boom, an EMP of some kind, has altered the brain chemistry of the survivors in strange ways. Everyone of middle age has died, leaving old people and a very few people younger than 30. Most of the survivors in the under 30 crowd turn into animalistic cannibals, like zombies, but alive and breathing. The book follows Alex, Ellie, and later Tom, as they navigate through the dangers of the forest. It is a great story and a very interesting new take on zombies. There is, of course, a Lord of the Flies undertone, as the trio encounters various people along the way.

The only thing that I disliked about the book was the 8 year-old, Ellie. For much of the beginning she is annoying and uncooperative. She is the TSTL, Too Stupid To Live, character, who despite her idiocy, seems to escape fatal consequences to her choices, due in this story to the benevolence of her companions. I almost stopped reading the book, so annoying were her mistakes. Ellie does become less annoying as time goes on, when she finally realizes she needs to stop being such a brat because their lives are all at stake. Hello? People eating zombies?

I like that Bick leaves some questions unanswered and she has set up the next book nicely, though you will be facing a cliff on the last couple of pages.

Highly Recommended for lovers of survival and zombie stories

A few highlights:
Books read: 33
Most read in one month: June, 8
Best new (to me) book: The Stand (April)
Best new series: The Hunger Games (October)
Best reread: I reread two great books this year, but My Sweet Folley by Laura Kinsale (September) takes the cake
Worst book read: tie between Stolen by the Sheikh (May) and How to Wed a Baron (October) both were WowBad for their own reasons

January
Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman – One of my favorite historical fiction authors and a decent read. I liked When Christ and His Saints Slept better though.

April
The Stand by Stephen King – I kept getting this book recommended to me and now I know why. It was fantastic.
Memories of the Future by Wil Wheaton – Snort your drink funny, a must read for any STNG fan. I can not wait for the next installment.

May
Beyond Heaving Bosoms by Sarah Wendell and Candy Tam – Exactly the mix of high and low brow humor and commentary I expect from these ladies and a must read for anyone who loves romance or wants to know why so many other people do.
Stolen By the Sheikh by Trish Morey – Train wreck. It was so bad I could not stop reading it.

June
White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison – A great book in The Hallows series with all the fun you expect from Harrison.
His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls – Amusing but not great. One of those romances that makes you want to shake the main characters a bit.
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr – An interesting take on the fairy world.
A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist – A good read and, though labeled as inspirational romance, it was not annoyingly so. I liked it.
Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik – I love, love this series so I loved this book as well.
Castle of the Wolf by Sandra Schwab – An almost yearly reread for me now and always worth it.
What a Scoundrel Wants by Carrie Lofty – A sort of meh romance involving Will Scarlet of Robin Hood.
Jungle Heat by Bonnie Dee – This was my first, and probably only, foray into the male/male romance arena. While the story was ok, I read the sexy bits pretty fast. I guess this sub-genre is not for me.

July
Chew: vol. 1 – Taster’s Choice – A great graphic novel about a guy who is clairvoyant when he eats things, including people. Yum!
Chew: vol. 2 – International Flavor – A great second part to the series. I am going to have to finish these.
Hexed by Michael Alan Nelson – Fabulous graphic novel about a young thief named Lucifer. I loved it! More please. Plus, I actually got to meet the author and he was lovely.
Song of Seduction by Carrie Lofty – The writing was superb and the weaving of the musical elements was nice, even if the main characters made me batty at times.

August
Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacy – I will never look at an ATV in the same way again. The supporting characters in this one were well developed.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan – I was really disappointed by this book, mainly because the main character is so selfish.
Pegasus by Robin McKinley – Wonderful. Please hurry and write the next part, please!

September
The Red Tree by Caitlin R. Kiernan – Spooky with some fun twists. Read by yourself in the country if you can handle it.
Tomboy Bride by Harriet Fish Backus – A true story of a woman who followed her assayer husband to some of the more famous mining communities in North America. Very interesting.
My Sweet Folly by Laura Kinsale – A reread with Kinsale is always a good one.
Kansas Troubles by Earlene Fowler – Another fun mystery and quick read in the Benni Harper series.

October
How to Wed a Baron by Kasey Michaels -Pick any annoying romance trope and this book has it plus a heroine that is so annoyingly virginal I almost threw up a few times.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Great, fabulous, loved it. Post-apocalypse meets Lord of the Flies. Awesome.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins – I read the whole series in about a week.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins –
Heat Wave by Richard Castle – I got this as a gift and never would have bought it, but it was actually very amusing. It was like reading a Castle episode and I love me some Castle.

November
There Is A God by Anthony Flew – A notorious atheist writes about his journey to God and the rationale behind it. Great book and very readable.
Uncertain Magic by Laura Kinsale – I have read a lot of Kinsale and this was the first one that I have been meh about. Definitely skip this one in favor of one of her other ones.

December
Black Sanction Magic by Kim Harrison – Another good Hallows book.
Rakes and Radishes by Susanna Ives – I wrote a long review for this book and I really enjoyed it. A fun read.

I originally wanted to read this book because of the title. I knew this book was either going to be good or good bad. While I love a good romance the ones that are good bad can be just as fun. Because it is from Carina Press, my bet was on good and I was right.

Henrietta, raised by two Mathematicians, is very smart but has unfortunately read too many romance novels and given her heart to a man lacking substance but not good looks. Kesseley, the Earl, neighbor, and childhood friend of Henrietta agrees to help her win back the wayward lover, though he himself is in love with the damsel. This is not a unique plot line, but the characters are amusing and lovable. Throw in some eccentric society Dames, a disapproving Momma, and a Beauty/Heiress and you have a few plot twists and bends that make for a very nice story. The author is crafty enough that she even turns some of the villains into likable characters. I read it in 24 hours and would have finished it faster had I not been interrupted by a family needing my attention.

While the characters were great and the story diverting, what made this novel truly a joy was the way that Ives uses the serial romance novel, with the gothic rake hero and the damsel in distress, as a background to the plot and a foil to the characters in the story. It was infuriating to see the smart Henrietta get caught up in creating a gothic romance of her own life, though the reader knows she surely most posses better sense. Kesseley reveals the darker aspect of a rake’s character by starting down a path he then has trouble not only navigating but escaping. While the characters each get their romance genre moment to act out, they are also discussing the latest in a series of gothic romances taking London Society by storm. Ives weaves together wonderfully both the lack of sense in gothic romances and the good sense her characters use to extract themselves out of their own romantic tangles.

Recommended, just make sure you have the afternoon free to sit on the couch

This year, I surprised myself with the amount of books read: Sixty! I can only attest to the escape they gave me from diapers and dishes and I promise I never let the Bairn fend for himself while I read. Well, not long anyway.

This was the year of the series. I reread a few goodies (Harry Potter and Outlander) and scorched through some new ones. In fact, I would hazard to say the majority of the list are books in a series.

Here is my list. Enjoy and please consider keeping track yourself and sharing your literary finds at the end of 2010.

Total Books Read – 60
Most Books Read in One Month – 9 in August
Least Books Read in One Month – 1 in November
Average Books Per Month – 5

Best Book Read (hands down no contest!) – World War Z by Max Brooks. Zombies with a real world twist. I loved, loved, loved this book. Everyone should read it.

Best Second (or third!) Round Read – Castle of the Wolf by Sandra Schwab. I read this for the 3rd or 4th time and I have to say that it just never gets old to read such a great gothic romance!

Book that surprised me by not being as ridiculous as I thought the premise sounded: Kiss of Fire by Deborah Cooke. Shape-shifting dragons and star-fated romance. Sounds all kinds of terrible, I know, but I assure this series is fabulous!

If you want to know which books were bad, they will not appear on this list. Taking Nancy Pearl’s advice, I refuse to waste precious time on bad books. I give them about 50-100 pages and then move on. I did throw a few down in disgust, but I have blocked them from my mind and thus this list. This list is, therefore, books that were good enough to be finished, savored, enjoyed, and, some of them, read again next year.

January – 3
Stone of Tears – Terry Goodkind
Blood of the Fold – Terry Goodkind
Temple of the Wind – Terry Goodkind

February – 2
Voyager – Diana Gabladon
Soul of the Fire – Terry Goodkind

March – 3
Faith of the Fallen – Terry Goodkind
Lie By Moonlight – Amanda Quick
For My Lady’s Heart – Laura Kinsale

April – 4
Pillars of Creation – Terry Goodkind
The Red Scarf – Kate Furnivall
Mr. Darcy’s Diary – Amanda Grange
Naked Empire – Terry Goodkind

May – 6
In the Shadow of the Ark – Anne Provoost
Castle of the Wolf – Sandra Schwab
The Hidden Heart – Laura Kinsale
The Black Knave – Patricia Potter
Fountain of Dreams – Josie Litton
Mr. Knightly’s Diary – Amanda Grange

June – 8
Chainfire – Terry Goodkind
The High King’s Tomb – Kristen Britian
World War Z – Max Brooks
Captain Wentworth’s Diary – Amanda Grange
The Demon’s Librarian – Lillith Saintcrow
Twilight – Stephanie Meyer
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 – David Petersen
Her Man of Affairs – Elizabeth Mansfield

July – 8
Phantom – Terry Goodkind
Before Midnight – Cameron Dokey
Love is Hell – Marr, Westerfeld, Larbalestier, Zevin, Stolrz
Peter and Max – Bill Willingham
The Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 2: The Burning Bridge – John Flanagan
The Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 3: The Icebound Land – John Flanagan
Confessor – Terry Goodkind
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall – Bill Willingham

August – 9
The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – J. K. Rowling
The Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 4: The Battle for Skandia – John Flanagan
The Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 5: The Sorcerer in the North – John Flanagan
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J. K. Rowling
Kiss of Fire – Deborah Cooke
Kiss of Fury – Deborah Cooke
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J. K. Rowling

September – 8
Kiss of Fate – Deborah Cooke
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – J. K. Rowling
Halfway to the Grave – Jeaniene Frost
One Foot in the Grave – Jeaniene Frost
At Grave’s End – Jeaniene Frost
Tribes – Seth Godin

October – 4
The Starfish and the Spider – Brafman and Beckstrom
Crowdsourcing – Jeff Howe
Ready for Responsibility – Dr. Bob Barnes
The Wisdom of Crowds – James Surowiecki

November – 1
Fool’s Puzzle – Earlene Fowler

December – 4
The Girl Who Played With Fire – Stieg Larsson
Irish Chain – Earlene Fowler
Shiver – Maggie Stifvater
Wikinomics – Don Tapscott

–Jane, thinks life without books would be a terrible life indeed

It was with great reluctance that I promised to read her latest offering, a mystery by a writer in Sweden who wrote three novels, delivered them all to his publisher at the same time, and then promptly dropped dead. Stieg Larsson’s novel, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, deserves its place among the bestsellers. It is a wonderful book.

This book has what every book should contain, characters that take hold of you from the first page and then refuse to let go. The mystery plot, while intriguing, definitely takes a backseat to the cast of characters that weave through Larsson’s creation. The writing is superb and Larsson’s use of chronological time to move the characters forward is a nice touch.

The two main characters, Blomkvist and Salander, catch at the imagination for very different reasons. Blomkvist, a journalist who is found guilty of liable at the beginning of the book, is an underdog without a clear path. One reason I kept reading was because I wanted to know what had happened to bring him from celebrated journalist to pariah in the woods. I fell head over heels in love with Salander who is smart, brooding, hilariously vindictive, misunderstood, and trouble in black. The mystery of her character is what made me devour this book.

Throw in these two characters, good writing, and a dysfunctional, wealthy family with more secrets that Harry Potter’s chamber (forgive me, we have been binging on Harry Potter at the Rochester household for the past couple weeks) and you have one heck of a great novel. Even if it is a mystery.

Highly Recommended: for lovers and haters of mysteries alike, this one is a definite keeper

Some background: As a rule, I do not generally like Christian fiction. Normally, I find it annoying, badly written, and preachy. I have never understood why Christian fiction authors get so sanctimonious and preachy. Do they not realize that their audience has already had their “Come to Jesus” moment? Can someone just write some Christian fiction in which the characters have a strong faith but are not completely obnoxious about it? Thanks.

Over the years, there have been a few exceptions, but honestly, I tried to remember the titles and they escaped me completely, except for Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I loved that book.

I had high hopes for Samson’s book. I tried to buy it before we went to Costa Rica so it could be one of my vacation books. I am very glad now that I was unable to get it in time for the trip. It is out of print so getting my hands on it was not simple. I ended up ILLing (Interlibrary Loaning) from my local library.

I actually knew by the end of the first page that I would dislike The Highlander and His Lady and I was sad because I wanted it to be good. Alas, wanting did not make it so. I only got a little over 100 pages in when I put it down in disgust. I have multiple objections to this book.

It is historically inaccurate when dealing with social situations and dialog. This book is supposed to take place before the second Jacobite uprising in 1743 but the characters frequently do things that no person of their rank in society would be allowed to do. The main character, Jenny, meets Kyle at a social gathering and accepts a dance from him without being introduced. After dancing, they proceed to spend the entire rest of the party talking only to each other. Jenny frequently goes scampering about the countryside with a man who is not related to her, Kyle, and without a chaperone of any kind. They spend hours alone in each others’ company. After Kyle’s return to school in Edinburgh the two exchange letters before they are formally engaged and hide their exchange from no one. It appears that half the town knows Kyle is writing to Jenny. None of this would have been acceptable in society at the time.

I do not think that Samson even made an effort at the dialog as it was so general that it could have been placed in any time period in any country.

The reader is also supposed to suspend belief that Jenny’s father has succeeded in secreting his bastard daughter, Jenny, away from English society merely by placing her in the Highlands and changing his title from Lord Loxingham to Mr. Loxingham. London might be far away, but not that far away, especially if Lord Loxingham was quite as busy in parliament as the story makes him out to be. Scottish and English politics were quite entangled and I find it hard to believe that no one found out this dirty little secret.

The relationship between Jenny and her father, Lord/Mr. Loxingham, is sickeningly sweet. Before she meets her husband to be, her father is the most handsome wonderful man on the planet, bla, blah, blah. It was irritating.

And lastly, I think perhaps Christian romance is just a bit too chaste for me. I hate to admit it, but there it is. I have read entire romance novels in which no actual sex takes place and I thought they were fun and amusing, but none of them were Christian fiction. And this book was definitely not in the fun and chaste category.

If the first 100 pages are any indication, I can probably sum up the rest of the book. Kyle and Jenny marry (surprise! he already knew of her dubious parentage), there is a war, Jenny is afraid for Kyle, Kyle is afraid for Jenny, they are afraid for their way of life, the war is over, Scotland loses and gets ravaged, but their love shall conquer all. Praise God!

Not Recommended: For the love of all that is holy, skip this one and read something else.

As an aside, if anyone would like to recommend some good Christian fiction that is worth reading, please share with the rest of the class

–Jane, so wanted it to be good