The Year in (Book) Review(s)

2011 was a year of ups and downs, that's for sure.
I'm always going to remember it as the year that I learned about Juvenile Arthritis the hard way. It was also the year that Barry worked the least so far in our marriage, but we still survived. I made many new friends, read lots of books, started babysitting, and overall, had a pretty good year.

Let's talk about the books, shall we? (I'm not actually going to review them, that would take too long.) In 2011 I joined a book club for the first time in my life. I almost joined three, but quickly realized that was impossible. I love my (one) book group. Not only am I being introduced to new books, I've made new relationships with women I admire. It's awesome.

I'm really glad that I've found time to read. Once I got a hang of the whole parenting gig, I discovered that I could sneak in a few minutes with a book each day. It became really easy once Emma started napping long enough for me to finish a few chapters. Ah, the life of a mostly-stay-at-home-mom.

Here are the books I read in 2011. The ones with * are from the book club, the rest are just me. I liked them all and would recommend any of these if you're looking for something to read.

1. Scapegoat - Daphne Du Maurier*
2. Hunger Games -Suzanne Collins (Probably my favorite series. I'm so excited for the movie to come out in a few months!!!)
3. Catching Fire  - Suzanne Collins
4. Mocking Jay - Suzanne Collins
5. I Am Nujood; Age 10 and Divorced - Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui*
6. Magic Hour - Kristin Hannah* (A new favorite author, her characters always appeal to me and her stories are great. They get me hooked and teary-eyed every time.)
7. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
8. Austenland - Shannon Hale (A really fun read.) 
9. Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah
10. Child of the Jungle - Sabine Kuegler*
11. The Checklist Manifesto - Atul Gawande
12. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
13. Persuasion - Jane Austen
14. Lady Susan - Jane Austen
15. Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell* 
16. True Colors - Kristin Hannah
17. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde* (My pick. This is a fun series that my brother introduced to me a while ago.)
18. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
19. Heaven is for Real - Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent
20. Lone Survivor - Marcus Luttrell* 
21. Unlocked - Karen Kingsbury* 
22. Wish You Well - David Baldacci*
23. Night Road - Kristin Hannah
24. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams*
25. Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams
26. Life, The Universe, and Everything - Douglas Adams
27. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish - Douglas Adams
28. Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams 
29. The Story of the Other Wiseman - Henry Van Dyke*
30. Take Me Home From the Oscars - Christine Schwab (This was very interesting because it gave me a peek into a life of fashion and television, but it also gave me valuable insight regarding Rheumatoid Arthritis and what it can be like to live with this frustrating disease.)

Thirty books in 365 days? Not too shabby. That's not even counting the books I read to Emma!

I hope 2012 brings you lots of literary joy!