Books for 2010

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Last night at 11:28 pm I turned the page on my last book for the year: Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. I added it to "the list" this morning. I've kept a list of books I've read since 1996. Why? I have no idea. It's kind of like collecting Hummels or bad holiday sweaters--once you start, it's hard to know when to give up the ghost.

For lack of other exciting blog material (Blair has been buried in "World of Warcraft" on his laptop for three days and I am OVER trying to have a conversation with someone who only wants to discuss why it was so unfair his character was put in prison for killing the undead), I thought I'd post my reading list for 2010. There were some highs and lows. Worst book had to be The Best of Friends: Martha & Me by Marian Pasternak. Every page all but screamed "I'm betraying the trust of a friend for money." I felt dirty reading it and had a ringing headache by the end. Not a proud moment in my life. 

One of my favorite books and the one with probably the most lingering impact was Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Loved the topic, loved the writing, loved the recipes, and found it inspiring. 

I love that there are several books on my list written by friends: Televenge by Pam Cable, The Beautiful Experiment by Christopher Laney, Whispers From St. Mary's Well by Carol Kenny and Heart With Joy by Steve Cushman. (Chris and Pam's books are as-of-yet unpublished but both have potential deals in the works and it's exciting to have been a first reader for them.)

I capped the year at 60 books. Fifty to sixty reads a year seems to be my average. I hit a low of 35 books in 1999 and apparently spent most of 2004 reading, with 84 books logged.

So here's the 2010 list. Please don't mock me for some of the titles. I'm only human. =) Looking forward to more good reads in 2011. Suggestions welcome! 

Books Read in 2010

  •         Open – Andre Agassi – 1/1/10
  • ·       The Gates – John Connolly – 1/8/10
  • ·       Televenge – Pam Cable – 1/8/10
  • ·       Good-bye Mr. Chips – James Hilton – 1/12/10
  • ·       Ida B – Katherine Hannigan – 1/22/10
  • ·       Five Alien Elves – 1/24/10 – Gregory Maguire
  • ·       The Beautiful Experiment –Christopher Laney -  1/29/10
  • ·       Under the Dome – Stephen King – 2/5/10
  • ·       Finding Water: The Art of Perserverance – Julia Cameron – 2/7/10
  • ·       QBQ – John Miller – 2/8/10
  • ·       Illusions – Richard Bach – 2/18/10
  • ·       The Tudor Queens of England – 2/25/10
  • ·       Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – Barbara Kingsolver – 3/8/10
  • ·       Beautiful Boy – David Sheff – 3/10/10
  • ·       A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius – Dave Eggers – 3/18/10
  • ·       The Monk Downstairs – Tim Ferrington – 3/21/10
  • ·       Thunder & LIghning – Natalie Goldberg – 4/7/10
  • ·       If Morning Ever Comes – 4/25/10
  • ·       Biggest Loser JumpStart – 4/15/10
  • ·       Drowning Ruth – Christina Schwarz – 4/29/10
  • ·       Cat People – Margaret & Michael Korda – 5/2/10
  • ·       Whispers From St. Mary’s Well – Carol Kinney – 5/10/10
  • ·       This Day in the Life – 5/17/10
  • ·       Strength In What Remains – Tracy Kidder – 5/20/10
  • ·       Imperfect Birds – Anne Lammot – 5/24/10
  • ·       The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver – 5/30/10
  • ·       A Tree Grows In Brooklyn – Betty Smith – 6/4/10
  • ·       The Weight of Water – Anita Shreve – 6/7/10 (re-read)
  • ·       My Brother’s Voice – Stephen Nasser – 6/9/10
  • ·       Prodigal Summer – Barbara Kingsolver – 6/18/10
  • ·       This Land is Their Land – Barbara Ehrenreich – 6/25/10
  • ·       Between A Rock and a Hard Place – Aron Ralston – 6/29/10
  • ·       A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Future
  • ·       Half Broke Horses – Jeanette Walls – 7/3/10
  • ·       The Glass Castle – Jeanette Walls – 7/4/10
  • ·       Twilight Children – Torey Hayden – 7/7/10
  • ·       Paper Daughter
  • ·       A Mighty Heart – Mariane Pearl – 7/16/10
  • ·       Julie & Julia – Julie Powell – 7/21/10
  • ·       Somewhere Inside –Laura and Lisa Ling – 7/25/10
  • ·       Saving Grace – Elizabeth Edwards – 7/29/10
  • ·       The Best of Friends: Martha & Me- Marian Pasternak – 8/1/10
  • ·       Women Food and God – Geneen Roth – 8/7/10
  • ·       Backseat Saints – Joshilyn Jackson – 8/13/10
  • ·       Heart With Joy – Steve Cushman – 8/23/10
  • ·       Room – Emma Donoghue – 9/24/10
  • ·       The Seamstress: A Memoir of Survival – Sara Tuvel Bernstein – 10/10/10
  • ·       The Boy In The Striped Pajamas – John Boyne – 10/24/10
  • ·       Raw – Anthony Boudain – 11/20/10
  • ·       The Help – Kathryn Stockett – 11/26/10
  • ·       Atticus, Scout, and Boo – 12/1/10
  • ·       Nomad – Ayaan Hirsi Ali – 12/8/10
  • ·       Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk – David Sedaris – 12/10/10
  • ·       Extraordinary, Ordinary People – Condoleezza Rice – 12/14/10
  • ·       The Maze Runner – James Dashner – 12/19/10
  • ·       Trouble With Water –  Nicole Seitz - 12/20/10
  • ·       My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space – Lisa Scottoline – 12/23/10
  • ·       Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now – Maya Angelou (reread) – 12/23/10
  • ·       A Tangled Web – Mercedes Lackey – 12/25/10
  • ·       Full Dark, No Stars – Stephen King – 12/30/10

60 BOOKS TOTAL FOR 2010