Jessi's Reading List - 2011

[Jessi]

2009: Read 48 books

2010: Read 79 books

 

Targets: Read 100 books or more

Only buy 1 book after having read 2!

 

Read in 2011:

1. New Moan - Stephfordy Mayo

2. Jack's Widow - Eve Pollard

3. Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

4. Madonna of the Seven Hills - Jean Plaidy

5. The Great Plague - Pamela Oldfield

6. Light on Lucrezia - Jean Plaidy

7. The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy - Sofia Tolstoy

8. The Kings Speech - Mark Logue and Peter Conradi

9. Three Whys of the Russian Revolution - Richard Pipes

10. Awakened - PC and Kristin Cast

11. He's just not that into you - Greg Berhrendt and Liz Tuccillo

12. The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Alison Weir

13. My Last Duchess - Daisy Goodwin

14. Edward VII's Children - John Van Der Kiste

15. The Rights of Man - Thomas Paine

16. Bright Young Things - Anna Godbersen

17. A Home For Rose - Jon Katz

18. Divine By Choice - PC Cast

19. Dear Fatty - Dawn French

20. No Place Like Home - Pen Farthing

21. Wolf By The Ears - Ann Rinaldi

22. Boys Don't Cry - Malorie Blackman

23. Victoria - Anna Kirwan

24. Debs at War - Anne De Courcy

25. Anastasia - Carolyn Meyer

26. His Last Letter - Jeane Westin

27. The Borgia Bride - Jeanne Kalogridis

28. Gifted - Mariyln Kaye

29. Mary, Bloody Mary - Carolyn Meyer

30. Fallen - Lauren Kate

31. Kathleen Kennedy - Lynne McTaggert

32. Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves - Dixie Atkins

33. Behind the Palace Doors - Micheal Farquhar

36. Game of Thrones - George R R Martin

37. Rescuing Sprite - Mark Levin

38. Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris

39. Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris

40. A Clash of Kings - George R R Martin

41. Club Dead - Charlaine Harris

42. Summer and The City - Candace Bushnell

43. Dead to the World - Charlaine Harris

44. Dead as a Doornail - Charlaine Harris

45. Definately Dead - Charlaine Harris

46. True Compass - Edward M Kennedy

47. All Together Dead - Charlaine Harris

48. From Dead to Worse - Charlaine Harris

49. Dead And Gone - Charlaine Harris

50. A Storm of Swords: Snow and Steel - George R R Martin

51. Dead in The Family - Charlaine Harris

52. Fiennders Abbey - Jean Marsh

53. Girl in a Blue Dress - Gaynor Arnold

54. Dragons Oath - PC and Kristin Cast

55. The Family - Mario Puzo

56. Life and Laughing - Michael McIntyre

57. Communist Manifesto - Marx and Engels

58. Ricky - Ricky Tomlinson

59. Things I couldn't Tell My Mother - Sue Johnston

60. Brung Up Proper - Jason Manford

61. Henry VIII's Wives - Alison Prince

62. The Madonna's of Leningrad - Debra Dean

63. A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold - George R R Martin

64. The Secret Countess - Eva Ibbotson

65. The World of Downton Abbey - Jessica Fellowes

66. Bright Young Things - Anna Godbersen

67. Beautiful Days - Anna Godbersen

68. Letters to his Children - Theodore Roosevelt

69. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackery

70. My Early Life - Winston Churchill

71. The Everything Theodore Roosevelt Book - Arthur G Sharp

72. Wench - Dolen Perkins-Valdez

73. Emma amd Charles: The Darwins Leap of Faith - Deborah Heiligman

74. Alice and Edith - Dorothy Clarke Wilson

Edited December 30, 2011 by Jessi

[Jessi]

1 - 58: Brought 2009 or before

59 - 135: Brought 2010

 

To Be Read...

1. De Courcy, Anne: Debs at War (Finished: 7 April)

2. Campbell, Christy: Band of Brigands

3. Foreman, Amanda: The Duchess

4. Fraser, Antonia: Marie Antoinette

5. Garfield, Simon: Our Hidden Lives

6. Gristwood, Sarah: Elizabeth and Leicester

7. Guy, John: My Heart Is My Own

8. Massie, Robert: Nicholas and Alexandra

9. McCullough, David: 1776

10. Rees, Laurence: Behind Closed Doors

11. Soames, Mary: Clementine Churchill

12. Williams, Stephanie: Olga’s Story

13. Weir, Alison: Henry VIII

14. Weir, Alison: The Six Wives of Henry VIII (Finished: 22 February)

15. Anderson, Hans Christian: Anderson’s Fairy Tales

16. Alcott, Louisa May: Little Women

17. Austen, Jane: Emma

18. Austen, Jane: Mansfield Park

19. Austen, Jane: Northanger Abbey

20. Austen, Jane: Persuasion

21. Austen, Jane: Sense and Sensibility

22. Bronte, Charlotte: Jane Eyre

23. Boyne, John: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

24. Burnett, Frances Hodgson: The Secret Garden

25. Dunant, Sarah: In the Company of the Courtesan

26. Fforde, Jasper: The Eyre Affair

27. Furnivall, Kate: The Russian Concubine

28. Gaskell, Elizabeth: North and South

29. George, Margaret: Helen of Troy

30. Gee, Sophie: The Scandal of the Season

31. Gregory, Philippa: The Other Queen

32. Gregory, Philippa: The Queens Fool

33. Gregory, Philippa: The Favoured Child

34. Gilbert, Henry: Robin Hood

35. Grahame: The Wind in the Willows

36. Hardy, Thomas: Tess of the D’Urbervilles

37. Kaye, Marilyn: Gifted (Finished: 24 April)

38. Lawrence, D. H: Lady Chatterley’s Lover

39. Lee, Harper: To Kill A Mocking Bird

40. Lewis, Hilda: I, Jacqueline

41. Martin, Lee: Gangsters Wives

42. Mayo, Stephfordy: New Moan (Finished: 6 January)

43. McIntosh, Fiona: Royal Exile

44. Montefiore, Santa: The Swallow and the Hummingbird

45. Montefiore, Santa: The Butterfly Box

46. Montgomery, L.M : Anne of Green Gables

47. Nesbit, E: The Railway Children

48. Ryan, Robert: Early One Morning

49. Sewell, Anna: Black Beauty

50. Sheers, Owen: Resistance

51. Sittenfeld, Curtis: American Wife

52. Steel,Danielle: Silent Honour

53. Stevenson, Robert Louis: Kidnapped

54. Thackeray, William Makepeace: Vanity Fair

55. Thomes, Rosie: Isis and Ruby

56. Tolkien, J.R.R: The Silmarillion

57. Tolkien, J.R.R: Unfinished Tales

58. Zusak, Markus: The Book Thief

59. Adams: The Letters of John and Abigail Adams

60. Arnold, Gayner: Girl in the Blue Dress

61. Brands: Traitor to his Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

62. Byatt, AS: The Children's Book

63. Burstein, Andrew: Jefferson’s Secrets

64. Campion, Emma: The King's Mistress

65. Cast, PC: Divine by Choice (Finished: 25 March)

66. Cast, PC: Divine by Blood

67. Cheek, Mavis: Amenable Women

68. Clark, Mary Higgins: The Christmas collection

69. Clarke, Stephen: 1000 Years of Annoying the French

70. Dean, Debra: The Madonnas of Leningrad

71. Deighton, Len: SS – GB

72. Dickens, Charles: Oliver Twist

73. Didion, Joan: The Year of Magical Thinking

74. Duff, David: Alexandra: Princess and Queen

75. Dunant, Sarah: Sacred Hearts

76. Erikson, Carolly: Great Catherine

77. Erickson, Carolly: The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette

78. French, Dawn: Dear Fatty (Finished: 29 March)

79. Figes, Orlando: Natasha’s Dance

80. Follett, Ken: The Pillars of the Earth

81. Furnivall, Kate: Under A Blood Red Sky

82. Gill, Gillian: We Two

83. Gregory, Philippa: The Red Queen

84. Gordon Reed, Annette: The Hemingses of Montecello

85. Goodwin, Daisy: My Last Duchess

86. Hall, Coryne: Little Mother Of Russia

87. Harris, Charlaine: Definately Dead (Finished: 28 July)

88. Harrods-Eagles, Cynitha: Anna

89. Hibbert, Christopher: Victoria – a Personal History

90. Hosseini, Khaled: The Kite Runner

91. Ibbotson, Eva: The Secret Countess

92. James, Eloisa: Desperate Duchesses

93. Katz, Jon: A Home for Rose (Finshed: 24 March)

94. Kerr, Judith: Out of Hitler Time

95. Lauren, Kate : Fallen (Finished: 24 April)

96. Leroux, Gaston: The Phantom of the Opera

97. Lieven, Dominic: Russia Against Napoleon

98. Lovell, Mary S: The Mitford Girls

99. Lukyanenko, Sergei: The Day Watch

100. Mantel, Hilary: Wolf Hall

101. McTaggart, Lynne: Kathleen Kennedy - Her Life and Times (Finished: 6 May)

102. McCullough, David: Mornings On Horseback

103: McIntyre, Michael: Life and Laughing

104. Mitchell, Margaret: Gone With The Wind

105: Morris, Theodore: Colonel Roosevelt

106. Morrow, James: The Last Witchfinder

107. Motley, Annette: Men on White Horses

108. Norton, Elizabeth: Jane Seymour

109. O’Brien, Stacey: Wesley

110. O’ Grady, Paul: At My Mothers Knee

111. O’Toole, Patricia: When Trumpets Call

112. Oldfield, Pamela: The Great Plague (Finished: 25 January)

113. Pakula, Hannah: An Uncommon Woman

114. Plaidy, Jean: Light on Lucrezia (Finished: 27 January)

115. Plaidy, Jean: Madame Du Barry

116. Plaidy: Jean: Madonna of the Seven Hills (Finished: 22 January)

117. Plaidy, Jean: Plantagenet Prelude

118. Pollard, Eve: Jack’s Widow (Finished: 12 January)

119. Quinn, Kate: Mistress of Rome

120. Romanov, Olga Alexandrovna: 25 Chapters Of My Life

121. Schlink, Bernhard: The Reader

122. Smith, Douglas: Love and Conquest

123: Smith, L.J: The Night World

124. Snyder, Maria V: Storm Glass

125. Stiefvater, Maggie: Shiver (Finished: 18 January)

126. Tolstoy, Leo: Anna Karenina

127. Tolstoy, Sofia: The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy (Finished: 1 February)

128. Van Der Kiste, John: Edward VII’s children (Finished: 15 March)

129. Van Der Kiste, John: Queen Victoria’s children

130. Westin, Jeane: His Last Letter (Finished: 9 April)

131. Weir, Alison: Katherine Sywnford

132. Weir, Alison: The Captive Queen

133. Weir, Alison: The Lady in the Tower

134. Withey, Lynne: Dearest Friend

135. Wilson, Dorothy Clarke: Alice and Edith

Edited December 30, 2011 by Jessi

[Jessi]

Wish List:

Anderson, Laurie Halse: Chains

Anthony, Evelyn: Imperial Highness

Anthony, Evelyn: Victoria and Albert

Brodie, Fawn: Thomas Jeffeson: An Intimate History

Beer, Edith Hadn: The Nazi’s Officers Wife

Bower, Sarah: The Book of Love

Croft, Christina: Most Beautiful Princess

Dreifuss, Jerome: The Romance of Catherine and Potemkin

Eastland, Sam: The Eye Of The Red Tsar

Erickson, Carolly: The Favoured Queen

Erickson, Carolly: Rival to the Queen

Feldman, E: Lucy

George, Margerat: Elizabeth I

Graham, John: Lucrezia

Graham, Laurie: The Importance of being Kennedy

Gregory, Kristiana: Catherine: The Great Journey

Godbersen, Anna: Beautiful Days

Gulland, Sandra: Mistress of the Sun

Harris, Charlaine: Grave Sight (McRecommends)

Hibbert, Christopher: The Borgias

Hough, Richard: Victoria and Albert

Jenoff, Pam: Almost Home

Jenoff, Pam: The things we Cherished

Kearns Goodwin, Doris: The FitzGeralds and the Kennedys

Keynes, Randel: Creation

Lasky, Kathryn: Marie Antoinette

Lasky, Kathryn: Elizabeth

Larsson, Stig: The Millennium Trilogy

Meyer, G J: The Tudors

Morrison, Toni: Beloved

Nagel, Paul C: The Adams Women

Plaidy, Jean: Louis the Well Beloved

Plaidy, Jean: The Thistle and The Rose

Puzo, Mario: The Family

Rohan, Zina: The Officers Daughter

Stachniak, Eva: The Winter Palace

Tufft, Ron: Red Cloth, Yellow Cloth

Williams, Charles: The Last Great Frenchmen

Whittle, Tyler: Albert's Victoria

Edited April 24, 2011 by Jessi

[Jessi]

2010: 107 books brought

 

Books Aquired 2011:

January

Cast, PC and Kristin: Awakened (Finished: 8 February)

Gilbert, Elizabeth: Eat, Pray, Love (given to me)

Greene, Graham: Brighton Rock (given to me)

Logue, Mark and Conradi, Peter: The Kings Speech (Finished: 3 February)

February

Berhrendt, Greg and Tuccillo: He's just not that into you (Finished: 12 February)

Parsons, Tony: Starting Over

Kalogridis, Joanne: The Borgia Bride (Finished: 11 April)

March:

Adornetto, Alexandra - Halo

Atkins, Dixie: Katherine of Aragon Atkins,

Dixie: Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves(Finished: 10 June)

Blackman, Malorie: Boys Don't Cry (Finished: 4 April)

Farqhar, Michael: Behind Palace Doors

Meyer, Carolyn: Anastasia (Finished: 7 April)

Meyer, Carolyn: Mary, Bloody Mary (Finished: 24 April)

Gray, Sarah: Wuthering Bites

Godberson, Anna: Bright Young Things (Finished: 19 March)

Kirwan, Anna: Victoria (Finished: 5 April)

Orzel, Chad: How To Teach Quantum Physics To Your Dog

Perkins-Valde, Dolen: Wench

Prince, Alison: Henry VIII's Wives

Rinaldi, Ann: Wolf by the Ears (Finished: 1 April)

Sebba, Anna: Jennie Churchill

Shawcross, William: Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother

Tremlett, Giles: Catherine of Aragon

April

Bushnell, Candace: Summer and the City

Kennedy, Edward: True Compass

Lewis, C S: Mere Christianity (given to me)

Levin, Mark R: Rescuing Sprite

Lovell, Mary S: The Churchills

Montefiore, Santa: The French Gardener

Nicholl, Katie: William and Harry

Obama, Barack: Dreams of my Father

May: None

June:

Martin, George R R: Game of Thrones

Martin, George R R: A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow

Martin, George R R: A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold

July:

Harris, Charlaine: Dead and Gone

Harris, Charlaine: All Together Worse

Harris, Charlaine: Dead to Worse

Harris, Charlaine: Dead in the Family

Sibley, Brian: Peter Jackson

August:

Atkinson, Kate: Case Histories

Cast, P.C and Kristin: Dragons Oath

Graham, Laurie: The Importance of Being Kennedy

Hibbert, Christopher: The Borgias

Hyams, Jacky: The Real Downton Abbey

Marsh, Jean: Fiennders Abbey

Puzo, Mario: The Family

Edited November 27, 2011 by Jessi

[Ben]

I insist you get right onto reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. One of my favourite books over the best couple of years and I feel that anyone who hasn't read it is missing out. Anyway, best of luck for your reading in 2011 and I look forward to reading your reviews.

[Kylie]

Great reading list Jessi!

 

The below are some of my all-time favourite books. You have other great reads there too, but I just tried to limit myself to what I think are the best.

16. Alcott, Louisa May: Little Women

17. Austen, Jane: Emma

22. Bronte, Charlotte: Jane Eyre

23. Boyne, John: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

24. Burnett, Frances Hodgson: The Secret Garden

26. Fforde, Jasper: The Eyre Affair

39. Lee, Harper: To Kill A Mocking Bird

46. Montgomery, L.M : Anne of Green Gables

58. Zusak, Markus: The Book Thief

104. Mitchell, Margaret: Gone With The Wind

 

I'll be very interested in your thoughts on The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, which is on my wish list.

[Jessi]

Thanks guys – I am determined to try and get through the Book Thief this year!

What’s The Year of Magical Thinking about Kylie?

Good luck to the two of you as well!

[Jessi]

New Moan - Stephfordy Mayo (3/5)

In the end I was not as impressed by this book as I had thought I was going to be and didn’t find it very funny. It had its moments for sure but as a fan of Twilight, I just didn’t find this parody to be very clever. The names were probably the best bit.

[Kylie]

What’s The Year of Magical Thinking about Kylie?

 

Erm, I'm not even particularly sure, but it's on the Rory List so it's on my wish list. I remember hearing a couple of people on TV recently saying that the book has helped them in times of trouble.

[Jessi]

Its sounds quite good from the title - I'll google it

[Jessi]

Jack’s Widow – Eve Pollard (2.5/5)

I found this fictional account of the life of First Lady Jackie O to be a bit of a mess if I am honest. It was hard to follow, with lots of generalisation about how the lady herself felt. I also felt there was too much self pity going on and didn’t feel as if until the very last page Pollard gave her any real strength of her own. While I understand this was just imaginary, I do think when you take a historical character on, you have to write them with that responsibility in mind and should write them tastefully. One event in the novel particular makes me feel that Pollard just did not do this. The plot was needlessly complicated and the over lapping plots and characters destroyed what could have been a very good book. The tale of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis needs doesn’t need sensationalising – just taste and good story telling. A bit of a fail in my view.

[ladymacbeth]

 

What’s The Year of Magical Thinking about Kylie?

 

 

I think this was about a woman whose husband died and how she got through the following year. I may be wrong though - have not read the book.

[Jessi]

I am yet to google it - it's on my to do list.

[frankie]

Coincidentally I just borrowed The Year of Magical Thinking from the library today (I'm also interested in the book because of the Rory Gilmore reading challenge). The blurb says that Joan and John's (her husband) only daughter Quintana is in the hospital in a choma, and after they visit her in the hospital on New Year's Eve and are sitting at the table to have dinner, John has a heart attack and dies. So ladymacbeth got it right.

[Jessi]

Ok wicked It does sounds good - might have to go on my wish list

[frankie]

I just finished The Year of Magical Thinking and to me it was a disappointment But you might still like it so don't go by my thoughts

 

Edit: The book is on your TBR list already, had you forgotten about it?

Edited January 17, 2011 by frankie

[Jessi]

Yes, I had completely - I now remember picking it up from uni!!! I am such an idiot some times...

 

I just read your thoughts, and its certainly given me food for thought over whether to go for it or not. I think I will just to give it a just see whether I agree with you! Especially as I already have it!

Edited January 17, 2011 by Jessi

[frankie]

Yes, I had completely - I now remember picking it up from uni!!! I am such an idiot some times...

 

Hehe, don't worry, I've done the same thing a couple of times, there are a couple of titles on my TBR which I can never remember having acquired already

 

I'm looking forward to your thoughts when you get to reading the book

[Jessi]

Shiver – Maggie Stiefvater (4/5)

I really, thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very Twilight like but without the repetition of the word perfect. Though lacking in vampire, this book about werewolves for me hit the spot entirely after a couple of books I struggled with. Sam and Grace had a very tender romance and it was easy to read and enjoy. I am defiantly going to read the rest of the series. Over all, very good!

[Jessi]

Madonna of the Seven Hills – Jean Plaidy (4.5/5)

I ADORED this book and it has been one of the very best Plaidy I have read. Telling the story of Lucrezia Borgia, it really, really did bring the characters to life for me absolutely. Anyone who knows of the Borgia family, will know there lives were a web of decite, lies, murder, religion and quite possibly (and some would say likely) incest. Against the back drop of fifteenth century Italy, this superb novel shows Plaidy at her very best I thought and will be reread time and time again!

[Jessi]

The Great Plague – Pamela Oldfield (3/5)

A nice, quick and easy read. it was part of the My Diaries, history series. Quite good.

[Janet]

Have you read any others in that series? They look good.

[Jessi]

Yeah, I have read 7 or 8 now and I really enjoy them.

[Jessi]

Light on Lucrezia – Jean Plaidy (4.5/5)

Oh I once again adored this and was not disappointed at this book as a sequel to Madonna. Once more there was complex relationships as well as emotional depth. Lucrezia’s much questioned relationship with her brother and her father were written with such brilliance. Ceasre was such a interesting if sadistic man. The way he and Lucrezia was written was very believable. My only criticism is that the books were not long enough!

Edited February 3, 2011 by Jessi

[Jessi]

The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy – Sofia Tolstoy (4/5)

Whoever said that when a couple wed, the passion died, clearly has not read the story of Tolstoy and his wife. Sofia’s diary reveals a very strong, fiery woman who knew her own mind and wished she knew her husband’s. As much as Tolstoy obviously wound his wife up something chronic, and I think Sofia at a time tried the patience of a saint, there was a genuine love story between the two of them. Her thought provoking journals give a insight not only into the private life of one of the greatest novelists of all time, but also the country and the century they were living in. really, very interesting, even though some of it is grating at times when Tolstoy often wrote of her desire to die in what seemed to be moments of madness. However I think she was a overall sympathetic character; her grief for her youngest son was heart breaking to read.