Book Lists

As I mentioned in last Thursday's post, I belong to a sort of "book club" that one of my close friends started with some other friends and asked me to join. We all share access to a Google Docs spreadsheet where we can set goals for how many books we want to read, keep track of what we've read and what we want to read, and comment on each other's choices. Today, as we begin to wrap up the end of the year (how is it almost 2012 already???), I thought it would be fun to show you the 57 books that I read this year (it will likely be 59 by the 1st - exceeding my goal of 50 by 9 books) and let you know my recommendations. This post won't be picture heavy (in fact, it's completely without pictures), but you will find lots and lots of lists - book lists, that is!

To start, here is a list of the books that I believe to be the top 5 BEST FICTION works that I read this year. I tried to put these in some sort of favorites order, but really, they are all equally amazing.

1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini
2. The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass
3. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
4. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
5. The Hunger Games Series (incl. Catching Fire and Mockingjay) by Suzanne Collins

Here is a list of the books that I believe to be the top 5 BEST NON-FICTION works that I read this year: (These are in a "favorites" order.)

1. King's Counsel by Jack O'Connell
2. The Big Short by Michael Lewis
3. Moneyball by Michael Lewis
4. Maphead by Ken Jennings
5. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

And here is my list of the books that I believe to be the top 5 WORST works (Fiction or Non-Fiction) that I read this year:

1. The Position by Meg Wolitzer
2. Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
3. The Keep by Jennifer Egan
4. The Whole World Over by Julia Glass
5. I Don't Know She Does It and I Think I Love You both by Allison Pearson

Want to know some fun facts? Two of Julia Glass's novels made it onto my list - one for best and one for worst. The Big Short got me started on a non-fiction kick and I'm so glad it did! The Lover's Dictionary, which I read in July, is on Amazon.com's Top 20 Books of 2011 list. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson was amazing - until I found out that it's not real and that Mortenson is a total scam artist - huge disappointment.

Mostly, I'm just incredibly proud of myself for reading all of these books this year. Now, without further ado, here is a list of all of the books that I read this year, in the order in which they were read:

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
2. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
3. Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
4. The Position by Meg Wolitzer
5. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
6. The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Baumeister
7. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
8. A Drink Before War by Dennis Lehane
9. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
10. The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini
11. The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass
12. I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson
13. A Dog's Purpose by Bruce Cameron
14. I Think I Love You by Allison Pearson
15. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Housseini
16. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
17. The Whole World Over by Julia Glass
18. The Keep by Jennifer Egan
19. Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe
20. I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass
21. Speed the Plow by David Mamet
22. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
23. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
24. The Big Short by Michael Lewis
25. Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
26. Bossypants by Tina Fey
27. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
28. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
29. Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten
30. Room by Emma Donoghue
31. The Panic Virus by Seth Mnookin
32. Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
33. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
34. Moneyball by Michael Lewis
35. The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips
36. King's Counsel by Jack O'Connell
37. Thin Rich Pretty by Beth Harbison
38. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
39. Anthem by Ayn Rand
40. Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow
41. Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser
42. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
43. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
44. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
45. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
46. The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards
47. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
48. Innocent by Scott Turow
49. True Grit by Charles Portis
50. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
51. Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane
52. Sacred by Dennis Lehane
53. Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane
54. Prayers for Rain by Dennis Lehane
55. Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane
56. Coronado by Dennis Lehane
57. Maphead by Ken Jennings

And the two remaining books I have yet to finish (but will by January 1), are:

58. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
59. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

As for 2012? Instead of setting my goal at 50 (like I did for 2011), I'll be setting my goal at 75. To get me started, here's a list of the first 10 books I plan to read:

1. Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
2. Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos
3. Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell
4. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
5. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
7. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
8. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
9. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
10. Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis

How did you all do with reading lists this past year? Do you love to read but are lucky if you read a handful of books? I'm very fortunate to have an approximately 45 minute T ride to and from work each day to spend reading and the ability to take about an hour for lunch every day to read as well. When do you fit time to read into your schedule? While I always have a book with me, do you prefer to read curled up on the couch or once you get in bed at night? I'd love to hear what works best for you and whether or not you share any of my favorites from the books that I read this year! Have a wonderful Thursday!