Jessi Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 (edited) 2009: Read 48 books2010: Read 79 books2011: Read 74 books2012: Read 92 booksReading Goals - The TBR pile should be 176 or less on 1st January 2014 - I say it every year, but I must try and get it down.Unless I am going to begin reading it that minute, make a list of kindle books I want. Don't just download - the only exceptions to this rule is books I want from the Daily Deal.100 books has been my goal for three years running and it is staying for a fourth year. I came so close in 2012.Make an effort to get half my 2009 books read - 21 throughout the year is doable.Keep up with reviews! I tailed off in March/April last year... opps.Books Read 2013:1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak3. Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K Massie 4. Debutantes by Cora Harrison5. A Dance with Dragons: Dreams and Dust by George RR Martin6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Chronicles7. A Dance With Dragons: After the Feast by George RR Martin8. One Pair Of Hands by Monica Dickens9. War Horse by Michael Morpurgo 10. Modern Family 11. The Hobbit Offical Movie Guide by Brian Sibley 12. The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Canon Doyle 13. Sherlock: Casebook by Guy Adams 14. Shopping, Seduction and Mr Selfridge by Lind Woodhead 15. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 16. The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory 17. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 18. The Darling Strumpet by Gillian Bagwell 19. Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo 20. Downton Abbey: Script Book by Julian Fellowes 21. Elizabeth by Kathryn Lasky 22. Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards 23. Twelve Babies on a Bike by Dot May Dunn Edited March 30, 2013 by Jessi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 (edited) To Be Read -1 – 42: gained 2009 or before43 - 91: gained 201092 – 119: gained 2011 120 - 177: gained 2012 1. Campbell, Christy: Band of Brigands2. Foreman, Amanda: The Duchess3. Fraser, Antonia: Marie Antoinette4. Garfield, Simon: Our Hidden Lives5. Gristwood, Sarah: Elizabeth and Leicester6. Guy, John: My Heart Is My Own7. Massie, Robert: Nicholas and Alexandra8. Rees, Laurence: Behind Closed Doors9. Williams, Stephanie: Olga’s Story10. Weir, Alison: Henry VIII11. Anderson, Hans Christian: Anderson’s Fairy Tales12. Austen, Jane: Emma13. Austen, Jane: Mansfield Park14. Boyne, John: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas15. Burnett, Frances Hodgson: The Secret Garden16. Dunant, Sarah: In the Company of the Courtesan17. Fforde, Jasper: The Eyre Affair18. Furnivall, Kate: The Russian Concubine19. Gaskell, Elizabeth: North and South20. George, Margaret: Helen of Troy21. Gee, Sophie: The Scandal of the Season22. Gregory, Philippa: The Other Queen23. Gregory, Philippa: The Queens Fool24. Gregory, Philippa: The Favoured Child25. Gilbert, Henry: Robin Hood26. Grahame: The Wind in the Willows27. Lawrence, D. H: Lady Chatterley’s Lover28. Lee, Harper: To Kill A Mocking Bird29. Lewis, Hilda: I, Jacqueline30. McIntosh, Fiona: Royal Exile31. Montefiore, Santa: The Swallow and the Hummingbird32. Montefiore, Santa: The Butterfly Box33. Montgomery, L.M : Anne of Green Gables34. Nesbit, E: The Railway Children35. Ryan, Robert: Early One Morning36. Sheers, Owen: Resistance37. Sittenfeld, Curtis: American Wife38. Steel, Danielle: Silent Honour49. Thomes, Rosie: Isis and Ruby40. Tolkien, J.R.R: The Silmarillion41. Tolkien, J.R.R: Unfinished Tales42. Zusak, Markus: The Book Thief43. Adams: The Letters of John and Abigail Adams44. Brands: Traitor to his Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt45. Byatt, AS: The Children's Book46. Burstein, Andrew: Jefferson’s Secrets47. Campion, Emma: The King's Mistress48. Cast, PC: Divine by Blood49. Cheek, Mavis: Amenable Women50. Clark, Mary Higgins: The Christmas collection51. Deighton, Len: SS – GB52. Didion, Joan: The Year of Magical Thinking53. Duff, David: Alexandra: Princess and Queen54. Dunant, Sarah: Sacred Hearts55. Erikson, Carolly: Great Catherine56. Erickson, Carolly: The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette57. Figes, Orlando: Natasha’s Dance58. Follett, Ken: The Pillars of the Earth59. Furnivall, Kate: Under A Blood Red Sky60. Gill, Gillian: We Two61. Gregory, Philippa: The Red Queen62. Gordon Reed, Annette: The Hemingses of Montecello63. Harrods-Eagles, Cynitha: Anna64. Hibbert, Christopher: Victoria – a Personal History65. Hosseini, Khaled: The Kite Runner66. Kerr, Judith: Out of Hitler Time67. Lieven, Dominic: Russia Against Napoleon68. Lovell, Mary S: The Mitford Girls69. Lukyanenko, Sergei: The Day Watch70. Mantel, Hilary: Wolf Hall71. McCullough, David: Mornings On Horseback72. Mitchell, Margaret: Gone With The Wind73. Morrow, James: The Last Witchfinder74. Motley, Annette: Men on White Horses75. Norton, Elizabeth: Jane Seymour76. O’Brien, Stacey: Wesley77. O’ Grady, Paul: At My Mothers Knee78. O’Toole, Patricia: When Trumpets Call79. Pakula, Hannah: An Uncommon Woman80. Plaidy, Jean: Madame Du Barry81. Plaidy, Jean: Plantagenet Prelude82. Quinn, Kate: Mistress of Rome83: Smith, L.J: The Night World84. Snyder, Maria V: Storm Glass85. Tolstoy, Leo: Anna Karenina86. Van Der Kiste, John: Queen Victoria’s children87. Weir, Alison: Katherine Sywnford88. Weir, Alison: The Captive Queen89. Weir, Alison: The Lady in the Tower90. Withey, Lynne: Dearest Friend91. Adornetto , Alexandra: Halo92. Atkins, Dixie: Humble and Loyal93. Atkinson, Kate: Case Histories94. Chamberlin, E. R: Everyday Life In Renaissance Times95. Dickens, Monica: One Pair of Hands96. Fraser, Antonia: Love and Louis XVI97. Graham, Laurie: The Importance of Being Kennedy98. Gilbert, Elizabeth: Eat, Pray, Love99. Greene, Graham: Brighton Rock100. Harris, Charlaine: The Sookie Stackhouse Guide101. Lewis, CS: Mere Christianity102. Lovell, Mary S: The Churchill’s103. Montefiore, Santa: The French Gardener104. Morpurgo, Michael: War Horse105. Morpurgo, Michael: Peaceful Private106. Newman, Janis Cooke: Mrs Lincoln107. Nicholas, Katie: William and Harry108. Obama, Barack: Dreams of My Father109. O’Connell, Tyne: A Royal Match110. Orzel, Chad: How To Teach Quantum Physics To Your Dog111. Patch, Harry: The Last Fighting Tommy112. Parsons, Tony: Starting Over113. Pasternak, Boris: Doctor Zhivago114. Perry, Tasmina: Kiss Heaven Goodbye115. Richman, Alyson: The Lost Wife116. Sanderson, Jane: Netherwood117. Sebba, Anne: That Women118. Tremlett, Giles: Catherine of Aragon119. Trotter, Janet MacLeod: Never Stand Alone120. Adams, Douglas: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy121. Angelini, Josephine: Starcrossed122. Bach, Richard: Jonathan Livingston Seagull123. Bagwell Gillian: The Darling Strumpet124. Brown, Kate Lord: The Beauty Chorus125. Cast, PC and Kristen: Hidden126. Carnarvon, Countess of: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey127. Carter, Aimee: The Goddess Test128. Chbosky, Stephen: The Perks of Being a Wallflower129. Clare, Cassandra: City of Bones130. Clare, Cassandra: Clockwork Angel131. Collins, Suzanne: The Hunger Games132. Dickens, Charles: Great Expectations133. Doyle, Arthur Canon: The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection134. Douglas, Donna: The Nightingale Girls135. Dunn, Dot May: Twelve Babies on a Bike136. Edward. Anne: Matriarch137. Harvey, Greg: The Origins of Tolkien's Middle Earth138. Follett, Ken: Winter of the Worlds139. Foster, RF: Randolph Churchill140. Goldman, Lisa: The No Rules Handbook for Writers141. Haeger, Diane: I, Jane142. Hardy, Thomas: The Mayor of Casterbridge143. Harrison, Cora: Debuntantes144. Haworth, Eileen: Faded Dreams145. Holt, Maggie: A Nurse at War146. Huth, Angela: Land Girls147. Jackson, Nancy: The Cook's Tale148. Jones, Nigel: Tower149. King, Stephen: 11.22.63150. Kerr, John: A Dangerous Method151. Magorian, Michelle: A Little Love Song152. Magorian, Michelle: A Spoonful of Jam153. Magorian, Michelle: Cuckoo in the Nest154. Martin, George. R. R: A Dance with Dragons: Dreams and Dust155. Martin, George. R. R: A Dance with Dragons: After the Feast156. Massie, Robert K: Catherine The Great157. Massie, Robert K: Peter The Great158. McInerney, Monica: Those Faraday Girls159. McKay, Sinclair: The Secret Life of Bletchley Park160. McKissack, Patricia C: Slave Girl161. Moyes, Jojo: The Girl You Left Behind162. Newman, Michael: Socialism163. Plaidy, Jean: The Merry Monarchs Wife164. Plummer, Rosemary: The Maids Tale165. Powell, Margaret: Below Stairs166. Prentis, Evelyn: A Nurse and Mother167. Prentis, Evelyn: A Nurse in Time168. Purcell, Jennifer: Domestic Soldiers169. Rice, Anne: Interview with the Vampire170. Richards, Susan: Chosen by a Horse171. Sibley, Brian: Offical Movie Guide172. Stachniak, Eva: The Winter Palace173. Stockett, Kathryn: The Help174.Townsend, Sue: The Secret Diary of Afrian Mole Aged 13 3/4175. Tsaraidze, Alexandre: Wife Before God176. Wilcock, Penelope: The Hawk and the Dove177. Wolff, Jurgen: Your Writing Coach Edited March 30, 2013 by Jessi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 (edited) Gained 2013 -The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, ChroniclesAdams, Guy: Sherlock Casebook Barker, Pat: Union StreetFellowes, Julian: Downton Abbey: Series 1 George, Margaret: Elizabeth I Garcia, Kami and Stohl, Margaret: Beautiful Creatures Garcia, Kami and Stohl, Margaret: Beautiful Darkness Garcia, Kami and Stohl, Margaret: Beautiful Chaos Garcia, Kami and Stohl, Margaret: Beautiful Redemption Graham, John: Lucrezia Green, Graham: Writing for DummiesHarman, Patricia: The Midwife of Hope River Irwin, Margaret: Young BessIves, Eric: The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn Lanchaster, John: Capital Lasky, Kathryn: Elizabeth O'Neill, Glenda: Our Street Rogers, Hannah: The Art of Deduction Salisbury, Harriet: The War on our DoorstepShakespeare, William: Richard IIISparks, Nicholas: Safe Haven Sparks, Nicholas: The Lucky One Spence, Jon: Becoming Jane Wilson, Derek: The Uncrowned Kings of England Woodhead, Lind: Shopping, Seduction and Mr Selfridge Edited March 30, 2013 by Jessi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 Wish List Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Ok guys, I am open for business! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 You look like you mean business this year Jessi. Hope you get to your hundred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Me too - I do. I was far too inactive last year on this side. 2013 will be different Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Best of luck! I know the feeling, I was very inactive last year and am determined to do a lot better this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 (edited) I too was also inactive with my reading, here is to a better year ahead. Happy reading in 2013! Edited December 31, 2012 by Devi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Good luck with your reading goals for next year, Jessi. Unless I am going to beginning reading it that minute, make a list of kindle books I want. Don't just download - the only exceptions to this rule is books I want from the Daily Deal. I don't know if this will help you, but I've done something similar, and I have wish lists set up on Amazon for Kindle books (of course, I'm a bit OCD and have them all categorised by genre ) so that when I get a recommendation, I can add it to the wish list on the site, and that way have direct links to the books when I do decided I want to buy them. Amazon are also good at highlighting the books on your wishlist that have come down in price since you added them to the wishlist, so if you're looking at it, you can immediately see if there are bargains to be had, not necessarily on the Daily Deal page. Happy reading in 2013! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Admirable goals, Jessi! I reckon you will easily make 100 this year, especially with so many great books on your TBR pile! I look forward to reading your reviews throughout the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 Best of luck! I know the feeling, I was very inactive last year and am determined to do a lot better this year! Good luck to you too Nollaig! I too was also inactive with my reading, here is to a better year ahead. Happy reading in 2013! 2013 will hopefully be a lucky year for us all! Good luck with your reading goals for next year, Jessi. I don't know if this will help you, but I've done something similar, and I have wish lists set up on Amazon for Kindle books (of course, I'm a bit OCD and have them all categorised by genre ) so that when I get a recommendation, I can add it to the wish list on the site, and that way have direct links to the books when I do decided I want to buy them. Amazon are also good at highlighting the books on your wishlist that have come down in price since you added them to the wishlist, so if you're looking at it, you can immediately see if there are bargains to be had, not necessarily on the Daily Deal page. Happy reading in 2013! That does definately help, thanks so much for the heads up (I'll be doing the categorising thing too!). Hope you have a good year too! Admirable goals, Jessi! I reckon you will easily make 100 this year, especially with so many great books on your TBR pile! I look forward to reading your reviews throughout the year. Thank you - I so hope I can get there - fourth times a charm??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Good luck with your reading in 2013, that is a pretty large TBR list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 Thank you - hopefully it won't remain so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 That's a heck of a list Jessi, good luck and have a fantastic 2013! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 (edited) Thank you And off we go - The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky (3.5/5) Ok so the first book of the year is The Perks of Being a Wallflower. If I am honest, I kinda feel that this was a book I thought I was going to enjoy more than I actually did. I begun it in the last week of December thinking it was going to bump up my read pile one more, but I found it a chore to get through the first half of the book. That said, it did get a lot more interesting in the second half, after the protagonist Charlie embarks unwittingly on a relationship. The issues raised (mental health) and the diary form of the book were interesting though, especially the way they were portrayed. By the end of the story, I came to appreciate the detail in the book, Charlie’s quirks, what was important to him and his attempts to ‘fit in’ (when all his friends wanted him to be was himself). Once it got going, I enjoyed The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Just took me a while to get into. I kind of feel as if it was different to what I normally read, and its always good to branch out a little! Edited January 2, 2013 by Jessi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 I read Wallflower only a couple of weeks ago, and I had much the same feeling as you about it. I should actually write my thoughts down somewhere, as I had an unusual issue with the book. I found myself not really understanding any of the conflict that I think people are supposed to feel, as I'm in fact exactly like Charlie, and in the situations he was in, I would have acted exactly the same way. So when someone (Sam, I think) turned around at the end and basically said, 'you shouldn't have let x do y to you' and so on, I was thinking, 'oh. Well. Okay then. I would have done the same as Charlie.' So in that regard, I think I kind of missed the point of the book, until Sam spelt it out for me. Aside from that though, I really enjoyed it, but as you said, it's a book I thought I was going to enjoy more than I actually did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 Yeah, I kind of think I missed it too - because thinking about it now, even though he kept a lot inside, Charlie was one of the only honest characters in the book - he followed his own morals throughout unless he was asked not to by a friend. I don't know if I agreed with Sam looking back, even in regards to the kiss at the end of the park night. It was a thought provoking read, but I feel like I expected more of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 That's actually exactly what I was thinking of, the kiss. I mean, Charlie later said he didn't want Patrick to do it, but he didn't seem to mind at the time because he felt like he was being a friend by doing it. And maybe that wasn't what Patrick needed or really wanted, but at the end of the day there's something to be said for just outright telling people what they can do for you, rather than later accusing them of not somehow intuitively knowing that they should have done the opposite. Did that make ANY sense? Lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Had to laugh when i read the bit about keeping up with your book reviews that's so like me i always intend to keep up with them but inevitably fall behind & then the back log starts to feel like unfinished homework. I do love reading other peoples reviews though so this year i am going to try harder to keep on top of things & keep a tidy book log You've got some great books on your list Jessi. Happy reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 Thanks! You too! Thats exactly what it feels like when you get behind - in fact last week, looking at the list, I tried to think of what I'd say about books I read 6 months prior and drew a complete blank! :/ whoops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 That's actually exactly what I was thinking of, the kiss. I mean, Charlie later said he didn't want Patrick to do it, but he didn't seem to mind at the time because he felt like he was being a friend by doing it. And maybe that wasn't what Patrick needed or really wanted, but at the end of the day there's something to be said for just outright telling people what they can do for you, rather than later accusing them of not somehow intuitively knowing that they should have done the opposite. Did that make ANY sense? Lol! Complete sense! Totally agree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 The Book Thief - Markus Zukas (5/5) Read the Book Thief, they said. It’s a great book, they said. You’ll enjoy it, they said. (What they left out was that it will emotionally destroy you in the process...) I got to the end of The Book Thief today during lunch, in the cafeteria on lunch. If I had been on my own then I would have simply sobbed. As it was, I couldn’t. But as I closed the book, I was left a little dazed. I haven’t read such a good book for months. I feel in love with the ideas of the book as much as the characters. How you could build something evil or loving on words, and how they could make or break you. How they could save lives and kill at the same time. The language, the music and the colours. The community. This was what brought it to life for me. But maybe I did fall in love with the characters a little more, especially spapa. As soon as he sat up with Liesel for the first time and played to her, I loved him. When he taught her to read, struggling to do so himself, I loved him more - and when he helped anyone for practically nothing, and gave bread to the Jews, and saved Max - he just stole my heart. As did mama in a very different way. No one can really resist a real battleaxe character, least of all me. Even when she was at her cruellest and crudest, there was always a sense there was something softer underneath and as the tale unfolded, and this was found to be absolutely true. That heart aching image of her holding the accordion in the middle of the night will stay with me. Along with Max and Rudy, the three of them made this an incredibly memorable novel and the ending killed me - especially the part about Rosa being beautiful. But it was Roberts final act that first brought tears to my eyes. The fact Liesel got to live a long and happy life was the real pay off and I suppose as soon as I read the words Nazi Germany, I knew it was not going to happily ever after - but part of me was still surprised by just how devastating the ending was. Death as the narrator - wow. I suppose I just did not expect him to be so human, though, I found myself think ‘you’re lying’ when he tried to give me warnings about what was coming - I just couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to - just like in my own life. But that wide perspective, seeing nothing and unable to influence events except too be at the end was... wow. My heart actually ached a little bit for death too. I thoroughly recommend and am ashamed I left it languishing on my shelf for three years. It’s a great book. You’ll enjoy it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I'm so glad you loved the book thief too! It's an amazing read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Great review of The Book Thief. I really like Rosa, but it did take me a while to warm to her. Under her brash and hard exterior, she was a very caring person who only wanted the best for others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.