2011: Wrap-up, Stats, and Favorite Reads!

Another year gone by, huh? It seems like just yesterday I was writing up my favorite reads of 2010 post. Now here we are again.

2011 was a big year for me. I got a fabs promotion at my lovely library where I hope to grow my career. I lost my beautiful kitty, Baby. I freaking went to BEA where I met CHUCK freaking PALAHNIUK and dined with the incomparable Beth Hoffman!  Then, I moved out of my parent's house and into an apartment with my boyfriend. I got a doggy, Dakota, who changed my life. I graduated with my Bachelor's degree. I started grad school. I got a 4.0 in my first semester of grad school (three classes too, I might add). I got my wisdom teeth out finally. I got into a car accident. So, 2011 saw many changes for me, and despite that, I kicked 2010's ASS!

Last year, I read 68 books; this year, I am currently on number 79! Heck yeah! Let me add that in both years my goal was 100, so I still failed, but I'll keep trying! My goal for 2012 is still going to be 100 and I'm determined to read it once and for all. So now, onto the favorite reads of 2011. These are in order of when I read them:

Simply From Scratch (now named A Pinch of Love) by Alicia Bessette - This was the first book I read in 2011, and still one of my favorites. This story of a young, grieving widow, a baking contest, and her precocious young neighbor stole my heart.

Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris - this WWII set novel follows the lives of three young women during the war, all in unique situations. It really surprised me and made me realize I love WWII novels.

The Chimp Who Loved Me by Annie Greer and Tim Vandehey - this animal memoir of an animal chiropractor and vet's wife cracked me up so hard. It's one of the funniest books I've read and I highly recommend it to all animal lovers.

Exposure by Therese Fowler - this timely novel about a high school sexting scandal blew me away. I couldn't stop reading and I recommend it to everyone who will listen.

Things We Didn't Say by Kristina Riggle - Wow, what an amazing and fast paced novel about a young woman and her fiance's family full of drama and a runaway teenage son. Incredible and haunting.

32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter - this book was the biggest surprise of the year for me. I didn't know what I would think of it, but holy smokes, I adored this story of Davie, an ugly duckling African American girl and her transformation into a beautiful, successful singer.

Stiltsville by Susanna Daniel - this quiet story of a marriage in its entirety grabbed hold of me. I cared so much about the characters and and their life story that I was sad when it ended.

Lost December by Richard Paul Evans - yes, RPE, you have made my "Favorite Reads" list for the second year in a row... but I just couldn't stop reading this modern retelling of the Prodigal son. I was touched by the young and rich, Luke, who loses all his money, friends, and possessions, becomes homeless, and seeks forgiveness from his father, the one person who will always give it.

I read a lot of excellent books this year, but these were just the absolute best of the best. I'm looking forward to another great reading year in 2012!

Christmas - some bad news and little book reviews.

Hi friends. How were your Christmases?

My Christmas was pretty good until the end. I did not get many bookish things but I did get a BN gift card from my boyfriend and this box that looks like an antique book that opens up all secret like from my parents which I love! I got lots of other awesome non-bookish gifts, but I know you're here for the books! LOL.

On my way home Christmas evening I was in a car accident. I was stopped behind a man who was waiting to turn left when I was slammed from behind by a 16 year old driving an SUV. I was then forced into the car in front of me. My car is a brand new Nissan and now has a lot of damage. The bumper is completely gone and the side of the car is all screwed up. I have been dealing with a lot of frustration over the past two years with the insurance companies and it will only continue. I cannot get a rental or send my car in for repairs until it is investigated and they don't know how long it will be. I am, for the most part, fine, but I've been feeling nauseous and my back is becoming stiff. I have been very emotional and frustrated and have cried more times than I can count in the past two days.

In other news, I also did two book blogger Secret Santas this year - the same two I've done for the past three years. I did the Book Blogger Holiday Swap and the Book Monsters Secret Santa. Unfortunately, I have only received one of my gifts. I'm not sure which swap it was from either, but I am really excited about the gift I received! I got a book from my wishlist called Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante. Thank you very much to my Secret Santa! I can't wait to read it! If this was you, could you let me know which swap you were from?

I am pretty sad that my second gift never came. I put a lot of thought into the packages I sent out and I have not heard back from the swaps about what to do in this situation. This has not happened to me before. Any ideas? Jenni has posted about the package I sent her and I was really excited about the goodies I sent to her. I sent her three books from her wishlist, two books that I picked out, and a cat bookmark because she is a fellow catlover! I have not seen anything from the second girl who I sent a package to yet, but it was delivered and I hope she likes it!

So that is my Christmas drama and despair haha! I hope you had a better Christmas than me. I have tried to look on the upside about the accident, which is this - my Dakota dog usually rides in the car with me, but Charles (my boyfriend) and I drove separately that night, and I asked him to take Dakota with him. This must have been fate, a real miracle. If he had been with me, I don't know what would have happened, but he could have gone through the windshield and died, so I am grateful that my sweet dog is okay.

Sorry that this post is all over the place. I just want to do some mini reviews of my final Christmas books of the year:

In The Nine Lives of Christmas by Sheila Roberts, we meet Ambrose, an old cat on his ninth and final life. He hopes to make this final life count, and when he is rescued off the street by a firefighter named Zach, he wants to pay him back. Ambrose works tirelessly to get Zach and Merilee, the sweet cat lover from the Pet Palace, together in time for Christmas. I thought this book was really adorable and I loved Ambrose. The narration switches from Ambrose's POV and Zach's, and I particularly enjoyed hearing from Ambrose who had me laughing. If you're a cat lover looking for a sweet little story, this would be good for you. I rate it 3.5/5.

The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne, follows two young brothers, Molar and Aaron, as they volunteer at a children's hospital during the holiday season. They make friends with some of the children patients and participate in the Christmas pageant. Most importantly, they learn the true meaning of Christmas. I liked the lessons in this story and the nostalgic feeling, as Molar is recalling the whole story as a flashback from his childhood. However, I didn't feel very interested in the story and felt that it was kind of dry. For me, this book was okay. I rate it 2.5/5. I do, however, highly recommend Milne's other novel that I read and loved, The Final Note.

Check out my Guest Post!

I'm over at The Oliva Reader today talking about the five books that influenced my life. Hint, it has Ramona and Jen Lancaster (who'da thunk?), plus some other fabulous books too.

Check it out!

Top Ten Tuesday (5): Bookish Christmas Wishlist!

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday hosted by the Broke and the Bookish! Today is about what books you hope Santa brings this Christmas!

I don't get books for Christmas. Once in a while, I'm lucky and I'll get one or two, but basically I don't. One, my family/friends don't really know what books I already have or not, and two, they all say I have too many books... and to that I say BEAT IT. You can never have too many books. So this list is basically hypothetical, save for the first item. These are the books I would love to get for Christmas, AKA books that are at the tippy top of my wishlist.

1. Barnes and Noble / Amazon Gift Card - Usually, I'll get at least one BN gift card each year which is excellent and almost as good as getting an actual book. I sometimes even log on Christmas night and order new books. Can't wait... oops. My number one choice for book shopping is Amazon, but I've never gotten an Amazon gift card before, so I'm perfectly happy with BN. :)

2. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks - I have almost all of his books and this is his latest which needs to be added to my collection and read sooner rather than later. WANT!

3. The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian - I love scary.

4. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling - She's hilarious on The Office, AND, best of all, I saw her speak at BEA and she was DA BOMB. I need this book stat. I actually MIGHT be getting this one for Christmas, but only because my best friend asked me what I wanted, I told him this, and he loves her too. In fact, he won an autographed copy of this book off of nbc.com. JEALOUSSSS.

5. The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler - Because it just sounds SO good and intriguing.

6. Best Kept Secret by Amy Hatvany - It sounds amazing. That's why. I was going to buy it myself, but fundage is low, suckas.

7. Close Your Eyes by Amanda Eyre Ward - She rocks, this book sounds amazing, that is all.

8. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan - sounds creepy and cool.

9. The First Husband by Laura Dave - I've been wanting to read this one since it first came out. My mom said it was really good.

10. Roam: A Novel With Music by Alan Lazar - this book is told from the POV of a dog, and I'm a sucker for anything dog related. This sounds really incredible.

So if YOU get any of these books for Christmas and decide you don't want them... you can go ahead and send them my way. ;)

Review: Lost December by Richard Paul Evans

Title: Lost December

Author: Richard Paul Evans

Genre/Audience: Christmas fiction, adult

Publication: 2011

Source: Library

Summary: When Luke graduates college with his MBA, his father is ready to hand over the reins to his Fortune 500 company, Crisp's Copy Centers. Luke has other plans though, and breaks his father's heart by refusing the business and running off to Europe with his friends and his million dollar trust fund. After just 40 days, his trust fund is completely gone, spent on extravagant luxuries and gambled away by his "friend" Sean. Now that he's broke, all of his friends, including his girlfriend, leave him. Alone, broke, and living on the streets, a kind man takes him in and saves his life. Shortly after, Luke takes an entry level job at one his father's copy centers, only to learn that the business has been handed over to a corrupt man, Henry Price, who has ruined the giving and generous spirit his father worked so hard to provide for his employees. While working there, and keeping his identity a secret, he meets and falls in love with a struggling single mother. When she is fired by the horrible Henry Price, Luke decides it's finally time to go home again and face his father, hoping for forgiveness and love. This is a stunning modern retelling of the story of the prodigal son.

My Thoughts: Simply amazing. Richard Paul Evans melts my heart every single time. I don't know how he does it, but he truly has a way with words and the power to create stories that will tear at your heartstrings and stick with you for a very long time. I loved this story of redemption, regret, and forgiveness. Most of all, I enjoyed the unfaltering love between parent and child, and the generosity and kindness shown to Luke during his time of need, by a stranger, Carlos, who picks him up off the street and gets him back on his feet.

Luke's character was incredibly strong developed and in depth. I enjoyed watching him grow and make up for his transgressions by adopting his father's giving and generous spirit for his own. This book is simply beautiful. I have just two small complaints though that brought my rating down slightly from a 5. The first would be with the story line with Rachel, the single mother he meets in the copy center. I really liked this twist in the story, however, she goes from hating him one second, to loving him the next. I would have liked to see this develop at a more reasonable rate. Also, when Luke returns from Europe, he is told that his father has disowned him, which is why Luke ends up on the streets. However, [*start spoiler* when he is reunited with his father, he is overjoyed to see Luke and welcomes him back with tears of joy, so clearly, he did not in fact disown him. I am assuming this was a lie Henry made up in order to keep Luke away so he could take over the company, but this is never explained. I would have liked an explanation for this, even if my assumption is correct. *end spoiler*]

Other than these two things, this story is basically pure gold! I cannot recommend it enough! This is my fourth RPE book and it will NOT be my last. He never disappoints and has easily become one of my favorite authors.

My Rating: 4.5/5

Want to read my other RPE reviews?

Promise Me

The Christmas List

The Gift

The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo

Title: The Christmas Wedding
Author(s): James Patterson and Richard DiLallo

Genre/Audience: Christmas fiction, adult

Publication: 2011

Source: Library

Summary: Gaby is a widow with four grown children who live all over the country. They haven't come together for the holidays since their dad died. But this Christmas, they're reuniting because Gaby is getting married... but to who? No one knows, not even the groom! Three different men have proposed to Gaby, and she's decided she will marry one of them but she won't reveal who until the wedding on Christmas day. Interwoven with Gaby's story are the stories of all four children, each facing an obstacle of their own.

My Thoughts: There are a lot of negative things I could say about The Christmas Wedding: it's very corny, it's BEYOND farfetched, it's silly, and most of all, do any of us honestly think that a one Mr. James Patterson is actually writing all of these books he supposedly pens with other unknown authors, that come out every single month? I think not. Let's just say, I wholeheartedly believe the man slaps his name on these books to boost sales. But that's another discussion for another day.

Despite all of these things in this rather ridiculous story, I... found myself really liking it and flew threw it in less than two days... I guess it helps that there are like... two words per page. But yes, I was actually quite engaged in the story. Like a lot of other readers, I wasn't particularly fond of Gaby, the mother and bride because who honestly tells three men who have proposed, "please wait a few weeks, and on the day of the wedding, I'll tell you who I chose?" Seriously?! That ain't right! And who gets married on Christmas, in a big elaborate wedding? Your non-related guests should be with their families. So, I thought she was pretty annoying and rude, but her four children were all really likeable characters and I loved reading their stories. Lizzie's husband has cancer, Seth is an aspiring author, Claire just dumped her abusive husband, and Emily is a high powered attorney in New York. They were all really different, but they all faced certain challenges they had to overcome. I also like the feeling of family in this story but would have liked to see the siblings interact more together - sometimes it didn't even seem like they were related. But I did like all of them coming together - part of the reason Gaby concocted the ridiculous wedding was to get the family all back together again.

So yeah, this book had a lot of flaws, was pretty outlandish, and the main character was selfish and unlikeable, buuut, it was still fun to read, I've got to admit. I just couldn't turn away, even though the whole time I was kiiiind of thinking, "what in the HELL?" I also think this book didn't really have a whole lot to do with Christmas and could be read any time of the year.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Chick Lit Challenge 2012!

I don't usually sign up for challenges and whatnot, save for the Goodreads yearly reading goal challenge, but I signed up for this one! It's the only one I am doing and is hosted by the fabulous Samantha over at Chick Lit Plus. Basically, you read at least 12 chick lit books in 2012!  I signed up because there are fabulous prizes, and because chick lit is both my favorite, and highly underrated! I am looking forward to finding tons of new chick lit books to read. Head over there and check it out if you are interested in joining me and tons of others. :) And check back here if you'd like: I'll be tracking my books for the challenge on this page.

Review: Christmas on Nutcracker Court by Judy Duarte

Title: Christmas on Nutcracker Court

Author: Judy Duarte

Publication: 2011

Genre/Audience: Christmas fiction, adult

Source: Library

Summary: Small town Fairbrook, California is home to Carly, a single mother and her two boys, Josh and Mikey. She works hard as a hairdresser to stay afloat, but can barely make her rent payments on time and can hardly make ends meet. She wants to make Christmas special for her boys, but just doesn't have the money. Worse still are the incidents she keeps having with Max Tolliver, a new bachelor and aspiring novelist, who insists her boys keep letting his dog out of his yard, though they vehemently disagree.  Fairbrook is also home to the Diamond Lils, a woman's social group that meets weekly for poker games and gossip. They've also decided to do a little matchmaking this Christmas, to find Carly a man, like Grant, the wealthy single businessman who lives across the street. Carly's not looking for romance, just a little hope to give her boys what they need this holiday season, but sometimes love takes you by surprise...

My Thoughts: Overall, this was an enjoyable, cute, and festive story. I especially like the cover. To me, that cover embodies Christmas, and I want to live on a street just like that someday! I liked the storyline with Carly, Max, and her boys the best (including the dog, Hemingway) and enjoyed reading about them a great deal. However, this book had a ton of other side stories going on as well that I didn't enjoy as much. To me, the focus should have been entirely on the Carly story, but it split time between Carly and each of the four Diamond Lils. I was really invested in Carly and her boys, and kept hoping they would have a wonderful Christmas and that Carly would find some way to get out of debt. I liked her hardworking nature and compassion. Buuut, each time I really started getting into it, it would shift to one of the other characters which was kind of frustrating. If you're looking for a heartwarming and hopeful story this holiday season, you may want to pick up Christmas on Nutcracker Court. I would recommend it but with some reservations, being that I wish there were less characters and side stories going on.

My Rating: 3/5

Review: This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman

Title: This Beautiful Life

Author: Helen Schulman

Genre/Audience: Contemporary fiction, adult

Publication: 2011

Source: Library

Summary: The Bergamot family, Richard, Lizzie and their two children, 15 year old Jake, and precocious six year old Coco, adopted from China, have just moved to New York City from a quiet life in small-town Ithaca, New York. Richard is a big shot college administrator, meanwhile, Liz stays home with the kids. Life is quiet, with the kids at their elite private school, until one night at a party, everything changes. Jake tells an eighth grader, Daisy, she is too young for him. To try and prove him wrong, she e-mails him a pornographic video of herself the next day, which Jake innocently forwards to a friend. From there, it spirals out of control as the video goes viral. Jake finds himself in serious trouble while the whole family falls apart.

My Thoughts: I was extremely excited to read this book because it sounded a lot like one of my favorite reads of 2011, Exposure, by Therese Fowler. While it was pretty well written, the story was underwhelming for me. It certainly wasn't bad but it was not great and I was anticipating something extraordinary. I felt that it could have been a lot more exciting, and that it moved pretty slowly. However, the writing was excellent, so props for that.

The story is timely and realistic, but it didn't draw me in. I thought it was going to center around the video incident, and how it affected the families of those involved, but it didn't seem to be that way for me. It appears to from the outset, but I think a lot of the problems weren't really linked to the video incident as intended. The Bergamot's fell apart, with Richard and Liz constantly fighting and Jake getting suspended, but I feel like the incident wasn't the cause of the problem. Yes, it was why Jake got into trouble, but I feel like the marriage was crumbling because of the move to the city and the roles Liz and Richard found themselves in. Both were highly educated with PhDs, and Liz gave up her career in order for Richard to flourish in the city. Furthermore, we never see inside Daisy's head which I feel should certainly have been included. It's almost as if the video incident wasn't even necessary to the story - it's just a story of a family crumbling. That's certainly fine, but the premise made it sound otherwise, so I was disappointed. I wanted to see more about how the video really affected everyone on a more emotional level, especially Daisy. I also wanted to see more from Jake and how he felt. A bright spot of the story, though, was Coco, the six year old daughter adopted from China. Her character is probably the best developed, even though she's a small character. She's very outgoing, funny, and a bit of a wild child.

I couldn't help but compare this story to Exposure the whole time I was reading. If you're looking for a story centered around a scandal of this sort, you need to read Exposure ASAP! I wouldn't say, don't read This Beautiful Life, because it wasn't bad, but I wouldn't highly recommend it either. It's just not very memorable or exciting. 

My Rating: 3/5

Review: Love Times Three by Joe, Alina, Vicki and Valerie Darger

Title: Love Times Three: Our True Story of a Polygamous Marriage

Author(s): Joe, Alina, Vicki, and Valerie Darger and Brooke Adams

Genre/Audience: Non-fiction, memoir, adult

Publication: 2011

Source: Library

When I first saw this book at the library, I was like "holy smokes, things are about to get crazy up in this book!" Mehhh, kind of, but not so much.

Love Times Three is the story of the Darger family, Joe and his three wives Alina, Vicki, and Valerie (who are twin sisters) and their approximately two dozen children. They are Independent Fundamentalist Mormons who embrace polygamy, despite society shunning their culture.

I'm a huge fan of memoirs and have been fascinated by polygamy ever since I read Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall when it first came out several years ago (HIGHLY recommend. Elissa's story is fascinating). Since reading it, I have read several more titles about the FLDS and their corrupt leader, the infamous Warren Jeffs. The Darger's make it clear they do not associate with Jeffs and that while all of them are Mormons, as Independents, they are much different than the FLDS.

I enjoyed reading about how this polygamous marriage worked and how they care for so many children all in one home. This memoir touches on a lot of things such as their childhoods, religion, jealousy, individual relationships with Joe, and relationships with each other, as sister wives. Each of the four adults take turns narrating (sometimes telling the same stories and growing repetitive), and even some of their oldest children narrate small sections at the end.

I did like that the book touches on so many topics. What especially intrigued me about this story is that Joe married two twin sisters - Vicki and Val. Vicki and Alina (cousins) courted then married Joe together, then ten years later, they invited Val to join the marriage. Sound strange? It is... to me, but not to them. I'm quite baffled, but I do like trying to understand other lifestyles. They state that Joe loves them all equally. They also state that all three women love each other's children as much as they love their own biological children. I'm not sure how I feel about these statements and if I believe them, but ah well, it's a nice thought.

I did have some problems with this book though. I felt that the Darger's were extremely guarded in telling their story. I was hoping for a much more revealing and forthcoming memoir. They are probably guarded due to the fact that polygamy is illegal; however, they are already making their polygamy public by publishing this book, so they may as well have just dived right in, you know? Oh well. I also was kind of sickened by how the three wives treat Joe like he's some kind of god. They all seem to worship the man and think he can do no wrong. I don't know if that's really how they feel, or if they just wanted to portray him in such a light in this book, but either scenario is kind of disturbing to me. Yes, there were some instances where they talked about fights they had with him or whatever, but for the most part, their worship-like relationships with him made me pretty uncomfortable.

All in all, this was quite an interesting book, but not as forthcoming as I would have liked it to be. It was worth the read, but in the future, I'll be on the lookout for similar memoirs that are more in depth and revealing. I'm hoping the Darger's will have started a trend, and that more polygamous families will open up and really share their stories, which was the case with the FLDS after Stolen Innocence was released.

My Rating: 3/5