Books of 2011

Let's see how many books I read (start to finish) in 2011. Also: a couple-sentence review (no spoilers, so no worries):

1. 1.3.11       The Turning by Justin Scott.  Probably one of the worst books I actually finished. Ever.
2. 1.6.11       The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman.  A great idea and an interesting story, but I wished it had taken a more personal form. Copying the simple story-telling of the bible left the characters way too dry for my taste. I just didn't care.
3. 1.10.11     Grave Site by Charlaine Harris.  Though I enjoy the Southern Vampire Mysteries (indeed, I was hoping for a new series I could devour), this was lacking the spark of those books. It was a run-of-the mill mystery, could have been written by any of those popular mystery authors. Not a bad book, but definitely lacking something that makes it unique, memorable or (I hate to say it) interesting.
4. 1.13.11     Dexter is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay. I'm kind of in love with Dexter. I recognize that the writing isn't actually the best, most eloquent or most riveting, but that dark wit gets me every time.
5. 1.16.11     Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris. Again, hoping for something Sookie Stackhouse-esque, but I was disappointed. The book was mediocre--the only thing that makes it memorable is the very frustrating way it wraps up. I HATE writers who do this and I think I may stay away from Harris for awhile. Very pissed about her cop-out ending.
6. 1.24.11     Portobello by Ruth Rendell. I didn't think I'd like this one, since it's more of a character study than a book that follows a simple plot. But I really, really enjoyed it. Best I've read so far this year, for sure. It's just kind of a look at a handful of people, how weird they are and how they're vaguely connected to one another. Doesn't sound interesting at all, does it? But it was. Give it a chance!
7. 2.5.11     Crooked Little Heart by Anne Lamott. My mother gave me this book, that she picked up at a used book sale. I didn't think I'd like it, but I did. It was about a mother and a daughter (and a handful of peripheral people) dealing with some stuff. The girl's a great tennis player and has this weird hobo-stalker guy following her around and creeping her (and her folks) out. The only thing that bothered me is that it is so--clearly--a hippie's daydream in terms of how people talk to/relate to one another. Everyone was always wanting to go for long walks and talk about deep issues using flowery prose--that really made me want to gag. People just aren't like that. Maybe a few people are like that, but to write EVERYBODY in this community like that was a HUGE (and obnoxious) reach.
8. 2.7.11     The Ruins by Scott Smith. This was a great horror novel, breezed through it in just over 24 hours. Not great literature, for sure, but it was a page-turner. Every now and then we all need a good, mindless page-turner, right?
9. 2.13.11    Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.  Read this aloud to the kids. Bugger's too young, but she liked falling asleep to the sound of my voice, so she'd ask for it when she got tired. Monkey got really, really into it and by the end we had a marathon reading-night (nearly 3 hours) 'cause she wouldn't let me put it down in all the excitement. I don't plan on advancing in the series for a couple of years, 'cause they get kind of scary and violent (and my monkey's kind of sensitive), but the first book is comparatively mild (I read 'em all--to myself--when they came out, years ago). Loved reading it to my girls.

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