Archive for January, 2010


Reading & Blogging Review for 2009

Whew!!  The 2009 recap!

I have this odd fascination with lists and stats as I love to go back and look at them.  As a result I couldn’t help this massively huge post. 2009 was my second full year of blogging about books.  This year marked a lot of changes in the book blogging community but most notably it marked for me a huge increase in interaction with both authors and bloggers in different bookish events.  It’s been a blast.

I must admit that I’ve felt a bit burned out the past three months.  I keep getting on the computer and then procrastinate instead of just sitting down to write. I’m backlogged about 20 reviews.  But I’ve also learned that it doesn’t matter if I post everyday so I’ve been taking it more easy and trying not to stress when I go a week without anything on the blog.  I’m excited for 2010 and have high hopes of getting that energy back because blogging about books is really one of the most fulfilling things that do.  Blogging about books is ultimately about reading books.  And reading books is what I love!

Here’s what’s happened in 2009!

Fiction

  1. The Widow’s Season by Laura Brodie
  2. The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
  3. Torn by God by Zoe Murdock
  4. Searching for Eternity by Elizabeth Musser
  5. Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy
  6. Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea
  7. **The Help by Kathryn Stockett
  8. Standing Still by Kelly Simmons
  9. The Next Thing On My List by Jill Smolinksi
  10. Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Agarwal
  11. **Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
  12. A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman
  13. Wife of the Gods, An Inspector Darko Dawson Mystery by Kwei Quartey
  14. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
  15. **Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
  16. The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
  17. The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine
  18. Losing Kei by Suzanne Kamata
  19. The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris
  20. **The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
  21. Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese (short stories)
  22. The Mechanics of Falling and Other Stories by Catherine Brady (short stories)
  23. **Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
  24. Matrimony by Joshua Henkin
  25. **The Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie Nash
  26. Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
  27. Ruby Among Us by Tina Ann Forkner
  28. Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West

Young Adult Fiction

  1. Silver Shoes by Paul Miles Schneider
  2. Boys, Girls and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman
  3. Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles
  4. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
  5. **The Dark Divine by  Bree Despain
  6. Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
  7. **Nothing but Ghosts by Beth Kephart
  8. A Loser’s Guide to Life and Love by Ann Cannon
  9. The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer
  10. The Debs – Love, Lies and Texas Dips by Susan McBride
  11. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
  12. Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis
  13. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
  14. Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
  15. **Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
  16. **Hush by Jacqueline Woodson
  17. Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick
  18. **I Hadn’t Mean to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson
  19. **Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  20. **Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
  21. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
  22. Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson
  23. Feathered by Laura Kasischke
  24. I Know It’s Over by C.K Kelly Martin
  25. **Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  26. **The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
  27. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  28. Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Steve Rolston (graphic novel)
  29. Chiggers by Hope Larson (graphic novel)
  30. Fade by Lisa McMann
  31. Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott
  32. **Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
  33. Letters from a Slave Girl, The Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons
  34. The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith
  35. The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
  36. Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen
  37. The Lightning Thief, Book One of Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan
  38. Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka

Middle Grade Fiction

  1. SLOB by Ellen Potter
  2. Binky, The Space Cat by Ashley Spires
  3. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
  4. The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
  5. Long Shot, Comeback Kids by Mike Lupica
  6. Charlotte’s Rose by Ann Cannon
  7. My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville
  8. Dessert First by Hallie Durand
  9. Secrets of a Christmas Box by Steven Hornby
  10. A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
  11. Thanksgiving at the Inn by Tim Whitney
  12. **When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
  13. The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
  14. **Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
  15. Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman
  16. Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
  17. Chess Rumble by G. Neri, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson
  18. Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
  19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
  20. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
  21. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
  22. **Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look
  23. Dork Diaries: Tales from a NOT-SO-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell
  24. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
  25. Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight
  26. Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
  27. On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
  28. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
  29. The Sisters Grimm, The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
  30. **Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
  31. Lunch with Lenin and Other Stories by Deborah Ellis
  32. Jellaby by Kean Soo (graphic novel)
  33. **Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
  34. Longhorns and Outlaws by Linda Aksomitis
  35. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
  36. The 13th Reality: The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner
  37. Holbrook: A Lizards Tale by Bonny Becker
  38. My Brother, The Robot by Bonny Becker
  39. **The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
  40. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  41. The Well by Mildred D. Taylor
  42. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
  43. The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
  44. Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
  45. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
  46. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
  47. The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
  48. **Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look
  49. **Shooting the Moon by Frances O’Roark Dowell
  50. Savvy by Ingrid Law
  51. Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman

Picture/Board Books

  1. Who Was Born this Special Day? by Eve Bunting, Illustrated by Leonid Gore
  2. I’ve Seen Santa! by David Bedford, Illustrated by Tim Warnes
  3. I Love Christmas by Anna Walker
  4. My Name is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed, Illlustrated by Catherine Stock
  5. Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
  6. Saying Grace: A Prayer of Thanksgiving by Virginia Krull, Illustrated by Timothy Ladwig
  7. Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué Rico! Americas’ Sproutings, Haiku by Pat Mora, Pictures by Rafael López
  8. Gracias Thanks by Pat Mora, Illustrated by John Parra
  9. A Birthday for Bear by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
  10. Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
  11. **The Book That Eats People by John Perry, Illustrated by Mark Fearing
  12. A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis
  13. Always My Brother by Jean Reagan and Illustrated by Phyllis Pollema-Cahill
  14. **The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
  15. **All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, Illustrated by Marla Frazee
  16. Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty
  17. Goodnight Goon, A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex
  18. Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
  19. **Where’s My Mummy by Carolyn Crimi, Illustrated by John Manders
  20. A Very Hairy Scary Story by Rick Walton and Illustrated by David Clark
  21. Dear Vampa by Ross Collins
  22. Benny the Baffled Behemoth by Melissa Leembruggen, Illustrated by Trish McKinney
  23. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
  24. Heroes by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
  25. Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully by Julianne Moore, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
  26. Crocodaddy by Kim Norman, Illustrated by David Walker
  27. **Chicken Butt! by Erica S. Perl, Illustrated by Henry Cole
  28. All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Nikki McClure
  29. **Always by Ann Stott, Illustrated by Matt Phelan
  30. There’s a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales Retold by Zoe B. Alley, Illustrated by R.W. Alley
  31. Mary Veronica’s Egg by Mary Nethery, Illustrated by Paul Yalowtiz
  32. A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
  33. An Ant’s Day Off by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Nina Laden
  34. The Christmas Crocodile by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by David Small
  35. Ella the Elegant Elephant, Ella Sets the Stage, Ella Takes the Cake and Ella Sets Sail by Carmelia and Steven D’Amico
  36. Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
  37. Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, Illustrations by Kadir Nelson
  38. Consider Love, It’s Moods and Many Ways by Sandra Boynton
  39. Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, Illustrated by Hudson Talbott
  40. Snow by Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Lauren Stringer

Non-Fiction/Memoir

  1. **A Child’s Journey Out of Autism: One Family’s Story of Living in Hope and Finding a Cure by Leeann Whiffen
  2. The Mistress’s Daughter by A.M. Homes
  3. Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement by Irene Spencer
  4. Tone Deaf in Bangkok and Other Places by Janet Brown, Photographs by Nana Chen
  5. Picking Cotton, Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo
  6. **War Child, A Child Soldier’s Story by Emmanuel Jal
  7. **They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys From Sudan by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, Benjamin Ajak with Judy A. Bernstein
  8. I Am a Star, Child of the Holocaust by Inge Auerbacher (juvenile)
  9. First Comes Loves, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown-Waite
  10. **That Went Well, Adventures in Caring for My Sister by Terrell Harris Dougan
  11. **Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
  12. Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez
  13. An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken
  14. Surviving Ben’s Suicide, A Woman’s Journey of Self-Discovery by C. Comfort Shields
  15. Zlata’s Diary, A Child’s Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic
  16. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
  17. The Voice That Challenged A Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman
  18. The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, Illustrated by George Ford
  19. Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, Illustrated by Bryan Collier
  20. Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman
  21. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges

Abandoned Books

  1. Gym Candy by Carl Deuker
  2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  3. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
  4. The Scent of Sake by Joyce Lebra

** Favorites of the year

Author Interviews

Guest Posts

Author Recipes

These were the author recipes that I collected during author interviews this past year:

These are recipes that I collected in 2008 but I made this past year:

And one bonus recipe

Top Ten Most Viewed Posts of the Year
(oddly – all written last year)

  1. Stephenie Meyers’ New Book Release Date Announced
  2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  3. Read the First Chapter of Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn!
  4. Quotes from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
  5. Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun on Hold Indefinitely After Illegal Copy Distrubition
  6. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
  7. The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
  8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
  9. Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  10. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

Another Top Ten Most Viewed Posts of the Year
(that were actually written this year)

  1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (a preview of sorts)
  2. The Lightning Thief, Book One of Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan
  3. New York Times Bestseller List – March 15th
  4. What Everybody Wants to Know about Stephenie Meyer!
  5. Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
  6. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
  7. The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, Illustrated by George Ford
  8. Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
  9. Bloggiesta! The Unveiling of a New Upcoming Blogging Event
  10. The Sisters Grimm, The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

Some of My Favorite Posts of the Year

Random Stats

  • Shortest book title: It’s a tie between Hush by Jacqueline Woodson, Fade by Lisa McMann, and Slob by Ellen Potter.
  • Longest book title: The Voice That Challenged A Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman
  • Fiction books read: 28
  • Young Adult fiction books read: 38
  • Middle Grade fiction books read: 51
  • Fiction picture books reviewed: 21
  • Abandoned books: 4
  • Number of books read but not  yet reviewed (excluding Cybils): 26
  • Number of review books waiting to be read/reviewed (including non-Cybils picture books): 31
  • Approx number of Cybils fiction picture books I want to review: 50
  • New to me authors (excluding picture books) 95
  • Fiction/Non-fiction ratio: 157 to 21.
  • Read my own books (excluding picture books):  34
  • Library books (including picture books):  88
  • Review copies: 71
  • New to me genres: none
  • Female Authors (excluding picture books): 84
  • Male Authors (Excluding picture books):  28
  • Abandoned books: 4
  • Number of books I was supposed to read for book clubs: 91
  • Number of books that I did read for book clubs: 78
  • Number of 2009 Challenges: 10
  • Number of 2009 challenges completed: 7
  • Number of challenges I signed up for in 2010: 16 (!)
  • Number of authors I met this year: 50+
  • Number of book bloggers I met this year: 35-ish
  • First review of the year: Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka
  • Last review of the year: The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
  • Most read author this year: Jacqueline Woodson comes in at six books: Hush,  I Hadn’t Mean to Tell You This, Miracle’s Boys, Locomotion, Peace, Locomotion and Show Way. Totally not surprised.
  • Utah authors read this year

  • Compared to 2008: who has time to figure this out?  Not me! This has already taken me long enough.

Site Stats

  • 305,812 visits from 192 countries/regions since January 1st
  • Top 5 Countries: United States, Canada,United Kingdom,  Australia,  Philippines (and thus kicking out Italy who made last years cut)
  • Least 5 Countries: Togo, New Caledonia, Gabon, Anguilla, Burkina Faso, Réunion, Swaziland, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Sierra Leone, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Samoa, Norfolk Island, Andorra, Afghanistan, Faroe Islands all tied for one visitor each in 2009.
  • Top Five Traffic Sources: Google Search, Yahoo, Direct (none), Google (referral), Twitter
  • Top Five Referrals: Google, Twitter, Google Images, Blogger, search.mywebsearch.com
  • Top Five Keywords: the book thief, midnight sun release date, midnight sun book release date, the alchemist quotes, breaking dawn first chapter

Things That I LOVED This Year

Things that I Learned This Year

  • I really love children’s books.
  • But I really wish that I had read more fiction geared for adults.
  • I still have an odd obsession with reading books about horrible subject matters.
  • Sometimes it feels really awesome to not post on the blog for a week.
  • And as a result, it really doesn’t matter if I post everyday.
  • I really need to find a system that works for leaving comments on others blogs.
  • Because while I regularly read and skim my Google Reader, I want to leave a comment on everything but alas, it’s impossible.
  • I should not host giveaways anymore because I dread going to post office with two kids in tow and so it literally takes months to follow through.
  • I LOVE authors.
  • I LOVE talking to authors.
  • Authors who live in Utah are really the best of the best.  Sorry folks.
  • Going to book events is really fun.
  • My husband is really forgiving of the time I spend reading, blogging, and running off to bookish events.
  • My husband secretly likes to read and it’s awesome.
  • I’m secretly thrilled when somebody recognizes my name when I introduce myself.
  • That hearing your struggling four-year-old say his ABC’s for the first time perfectly will make you want to cry with joy.
  • I love nothing more than watching my oldest “read” a book to his little brother when they don’t know I’m watching.
  • Bloggers are even cooler in real life then they are online.
  • Readers rocks!
  • I’m incapable of keeping my houseplants alive since I started blogging.

I’ve been having fun reading other book bloggers wrap-ups.  How did you do for your reading in 2009?

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead



Posted on Jan 3rd, 2010 by Natasha Maw in Bookish Musings & Miscellany, Features, Month in Review |

“Song Man” by Will Hodgkinson


This is such a charming book on a thirty-something British man’s attempt to write songs. Especially when he doesn’t have any obvious talents in doing so. So what he has done is made a goal for himself to write some songs and record them.

And with that in mind he interviews Andrew Loog Oldham, Lawrence (from Felt), Andrew Webber, Ray Davies, Richard Hawley, Lamont Dozier, Jake Holmes, Chan Marshall (Cat Power), Keith Richards, Chip Taylor, among others about the nature, the craft and the art of songwriting. And on top of that he interviews Patti Boyd of Layla and George Harrison fame on the subject matter of being a muse.

But it is not just the subject matter of the book that makes this a charmer, but Will Hodgkinson’s personality comes through the written page, and you are rooting for this guy to make good with respect to making music. He also has great taste when it comes to songwriters. It’s nice that he chit chats with Webber on how to communicate in a song, and then noticing that underground iconic cult figure Lawrence is not that far off from Webber’s aesthetic (as well as being a lot poorer, he also lived a few blocks away from the Titan of the Music stage.)

An incredible engaging narrative and I think this book belongs to the rock n’ roll book classic category.

Posted on Jan 2nd, 2010 by Caroline Donahue and Tosh Berman in Will Hodgkinson |

Happy Palindrome Day

Well, maybe not in a literal sense, but in a numerical one. Today, 01-02-2010, is the rare palindromic date — the sort that must gladden Anna, Eve, Otto and the other residents of the Maryland town of Glenelg. I like quirky dates — like the upside down/rightside up 1961 — and was pleased to see that the new decade has provided a gift so quickly.

Here’s an article about the calendar quirk from The Baltimore Sun, noting that we’re headed for another next year, on Nov. 11. If you’re still not hung over from New Year’s celebrations, you can try some palindromic (Or is it palindromedary? No that’s Sarah riding a camel.) puzzles at this New York Times science blog. Or, if you’re a word-nerd, check out this palindrome list, which includes the classic “A man, a plan, a canal, Panama” as well as the Zen-like “Some men interpret nine memos.”

Posted on Jan 2nd, 2010 by Dave Rosenthal in Uncategorized |

Freebie Friday: Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler

anne tyler vs. stacey kiebler

I’m filling in for Nancy on an abbreviated, holiday edition Freebie Friday.

She’ll consult the oracles to pick the winner of last week’s giveaway. But in the meantime, here’s this week’s prize: Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler.

Baltimore’s best novelist explores the complexities of middle-age relationships and love in her new book, which will be released next week. It’s a quiet tale of Baltimore life — the sort that Tyler crafts so well — but has its share of twists and turns to keep readers committed.

You know the drill: To enter, tell us what you’re reading as the new year begins.

Posted on Jan 1st, 2010 by Dave Rosenthal in Uncategorized |

Happy New Year 2010! My resolutions

Happy New Year, everyone. Hope you all had a safe and happy celebration. Now’s the time to set some resolutions (besides losing those extra pounds, the most borrrrrring pledge in the world). Here are a few of mine for 2010. I resolve to:
– read at least one book from each of the continents. I’ll even try for Antarctica, though its literary heritage is somewhat spotty. That should ensure that the whole year isn’t spent re-reading the Twilight series.
– read one book by Nobel Prize winner Herta Muller, to see what all the fuss is about. (I whiffed on this last year; two books by Le Clezio are still in my TBR pile.)
– read at least one unread classic. (Yes, Nancy, that may mean that I finally get to “Pride and Prejudice.”)
– read every book assigned by my book club — before the meeting. (If you’re in a book club, that’s harder than it sounds.)
There, I feel better already.

Posted on Jan 1st, 2010 by Dave Rosenthal in Uncategorized |
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