Top Ten Books of 2011

I reached my goal of 40 books in 2011, the highest number I've managed in a year since I was a teenager. I thought I'd share my favourites from last year with you here. I'm not including re-reads (but if I did, you'd find some Harry Potter books and a certain Locke Lamora on this list as well).

10. Tripwire by Lee Child
Third in the Jack Reacher series. This kind of action series is my guilty pleasure (though I don't really feel guilty). I do love a good action hero, and Reacher is one of the best.

9. Hard Spell by Justin Gustainis
This first book in a new paranormal series really impressed me. I was invested in the characters and the story, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

8. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
It was impossible not to notice all the buzz about this book when it was released but at the time I didn't think it would be my cup of tea. I picked it up late last year because the price was reduced, and decided to read it over Christmas. It turned out to be the surprise of the year and I loved it.

7. Heat Wave by Richard Castle
I'm a big fan of the TV show Castle, and this book was just like reading an episode of the show.

6. The Christmas Scrapbook by Philip Gulley
I love Gulley's Harmony series with its small-town setting and its quirky characters. This will most likely be an annual Christmas read for me.

5. Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
The Spellmans are one of my favourite fictional families and this second book in the series was just as hilaroius as the first.

4. Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
I don't know why I waited so long to read the sequel to Incarceron, because this YA series is very, very good.

3. The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
I absolutely loved this magical, whimsical story about love, belonging and cakes. (And how pretty is that cover?)

2. The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale by Christine Bell
If you've been reading my blog the past year, chances are you've heard me rave about this book before. I just had so much fun reading it, and the characters and the story have stuck with me almost a year now.

1. A Scottish Ferry Tale by Nancy Volkers
I'm not usually a fan of romance novels, but this wonderful love story went straight to my heart. I could identify with the main character on several levels, and the magical Scottish setting captivated me.

Are any of these on your favourites list as well?

Top 5 Books of 2011 - So Far

As half of 2011 lies behind us (seriously, what happened??), I thought I'd share my top 5 reads of the year so far. I've read some really good books this year and the lowest rating I have given is 3 out of 6, so I've had a good year so far. It's always hard making a prioritized list, but here it is.

1) The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
This was actually a re-read, but it was just as fabulous the second time around. I am in love with everything about this book; the plot, the characters, the setting, the cover... In fact, I am so much in love that I'm completely incapable of writing a coherent review, which is why I never have.

2) The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale
I said in my review in May that this novella was the most fun I had had reading a book all year, and that sentiment still applies. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this twisted tale, and had it been a full-length novel it would have pushed poor Locke down from first place without question.

3) A Scottish Ferry Tale by Nancy Volkers
This was such a sweet romance novel. I loved the story and the characters, and as I had just spent a week in Scotland before reading this one, the setting was very vivid.

4) Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
The second book in the Spellman Files was just as funny as the first one. Isabel Spellman is a great narrator; crazy without being over the top. If you like Stephanie Plum, you'll love Izzy Spellman.

5) Heat Wave by Richard Castle
If you like the excellent TV series Castle, you are sure to like this first installment of the Nikki Heat series written by the fictional Mr. Castle himself because it feels just like watching an episode of the show.

There you have it; my five best reads of the year so far. It will be interesting to see how many of these are still on the list in six month's time.

What are your top 5 books so far this year?

Wrapping Up 2010

Goodbye 2010 – you were rather non-descript and un-exciting and I do not think I shall miss you. Hello 2011 – new and shiny, I hope you live up to the expectations.

Here is a wrap-up meme I found over at Book Memes and Quizzes on LiveJournal.

The first book you read in 2010: In its entirety: Past Secrets by Cathy Kelly

The last book you finished in 2010: Julemysteriet (The Christmas Mystery) by Jostein Gaarder

The first book you will finish (or did finish!) in 2011: Slottet i Pyreneene (The Castle in the Pyrenees) by Jostein Gaarder

Your favorite "classic" you read in 2010: Actually, I don't think I read any books that would classify as "classic" last year. Shame on me.

The book series you read the most volumes of in 2010: Nancy Drew Mysteries by Carolyn Keene (2)

The genre you read the most in 2010: Mystery/thrillers

The book that disappointed you: Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich

The book you liked better than you expected to: Ice Station by Matthew Reilly

The hardest book you read in 2010 (topic or writing style): Bad Debts by Peter Temple. Aussie slang is not always the easiest to understand.

The funniest book you read in 2010: The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

The saddest book you read in 2010: The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle

The shortest book you read in 2010: Christmas in Harmony by Philip Gulley (84 pages)

The longest book you read in 2010: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (766 pages)

A book that you discovered in 2010 that you will definitely read again: The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore

A book that you never want to read again: The Burglar and the Blizzard by Alice Duer Miller

And finally, make a New Year's Resolution: I always make a general resolution to read more books in the new year than previous year, which means 38 or more for 2011. I will try to read 40 books this year.

Now on to the statistics (sorry, no fancy diagrams this time)!

I read a total of 37 books in 2010. I was hoping to reach 40, which would be a new record in recent years, but a busy December and a cold took care of that. Of these were 35 fiction and 2 non-fiction (I'm not sure everything in Constable Across the Moors by Nicholas Rhea is entirely true, but let us call it a semi-memoir). Yes, I read for entertainment.

I read 33 books in English (1 translated from German) and 4 in Norwegian. This explains why I did not have time to read more books, because after all I do read slower in a foreign language. The genre I read the most was mystery/thrillers with 15 books, followed by fantasy with 7 books.

For my top ten books of 2010, see my list for the Top Ten Tuesday meme.

Since the list of books read is not all that long, here it is complete with links to reviews:

1) The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
2) Past Secrets by Cathy Kelly
3) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
4) The 5 Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly
5) Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
6) Heartbeat: Constable Across the Moors and Other Tales of a Yorkshire Village Bobby by Nicholas Rhea
7) Irish Girls About Town by Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, Cathy Kelly et al
8) The Spider Sapphire Mystery by Carolyn Keene
9) Det niende prinsipp by Gert Nygårdshaug
10) De dødes båt by Knut Nærum
11) Atlantis Found by Clive Cussler
12) Siste akt by Nils Nordberg & Klaus Hagerup
13) Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
14) Talk to the Hand by Lynne Truss
15) Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen
16) Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
17) Under Gemini by Rosamunde Pilcher
18) Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
19) Ice Station by Matthew Reilly 
20) The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
21) 16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber
22) Eleven On Top by Janet Evanovich
23) The Secret River by Kate Grenville
24) The Heretic's Treasure by Scott Mariani
25) The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
26) The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
27) The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake
28) The Mystery of the 99 Steps by Carolyn Keene 
29) Bad Debts by Peter Temple
30) The Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt 
31) 'Twas the Night by Sandra Hill, Kate Holmes, Trish Jensen
32) The Burglar and the Blizzard by Alice Duer Miller
33) Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
34) Christmas in Harmony by Philip Gulley
35) The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
36) Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzled (ed.)
37) Julemysteriet (The Christmas Mystery) by Jostein Gaarder

November Summary

Photo taken by my father

I can't believe we are already well into December. I have waited for this Christmas a long time, as I was in Australia this time last year. Even though it was a great experience, I have to say I do prefer celebrating Christmas in Norway. ;) I have nothing under control yet; still have lots of presents to buy, floors to scrub, cookies to bake, cards to make... Only twenty days to go!

November was a great reading month for me, I think the best this year. I finished three novels and two novellas, which is rare for me. I hope I will get to read at least that many during the holidays when I don't have to work. My favourite November read has to be Incarceron and my least favourite The Burglar and the Blizzard.

Also, All About {n}'s Holiday Reading Challenge started in November, and I jumped at the chance to read some holiday-themed books. I would have done that anyway, but this year I think I will read more than usual because I feel like I am on a mission.

Read in November (links go to reviews):
Bad Debts by Peter Temple
The Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt
'Twas the Night by Sandra Hill, Kate Holmes & Trish Jensen
The Burglar and the Blizzard: A Christmas Story by Alice Duer Miller
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Other posts of interest:
Booking Through Thursday - Borrowing
Top Ten Tuesday - Holiday Books
Top Ten Tuesday - Fictional BFFs
Book Beginnings On Friday (8)

How was your November? Are you stressed out about Christmas yet?

October Summary

Okay, can the person who ran away with the last half of October please give it back?

October was another bad month reading and blogging wise. I started out well with some good books, but then I lost my momentum and haven't felt like reading much in two weeks. Instead I've been working, watching TV and stitching Christmas presents (need more time!). The last weekend of October I went to Oslo with one of my very best friends to see Mamma Mia! on stage and had a great time.

Read in October:
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz - 5/6
The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake - 4/6
The Mystery of the 99 Steps by Carolyn Keene - 4/6

Carrying over into November:
Bad Debts by Peter Temple
Summer Lightning by Tamara McKinley (will have to start this from the beginning again)

Reviews posted:
The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake

Other posts of interest:
Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Authors
Your Favourite Christmas Themed Books?
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'll Never Read
Top Ten Tuesday: Fictional Crushes
Booking Through Thursday: Foreign

September Summary

Whoa, is it really October already? Time passes way too quickly now, I'm running out of time to finish my Christmas cross-stitch projects!

September wasn't the best of months for me book-wise. I felt a bit under the weather for the first part of the month, and then I received a huge project at work which took all my time for almost two weeks. So I only finshed three books:

The Secret River by Kate Grenville
The Heretic's Treasure by Scott Marian
The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle

I fell head over heels in love with The Last Unicorn. Expect a gushing review sometime soon.

I posted these reviews:

Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich
The Secret River by Kate Grenville

I also finished the BookCrossing "Kick in the Butt" Challenge by reading 10 of my TRB books between 1 April - 30 September.

Other posts of interest:

Top Ten Tuesday - Favourite Words
Top Ten Tuesday - Books I'm Dying To Read
Top Ten Tuesday - Book Quotes
Booking Through Thursday - Series

Like I said, I need to get stitching this month (I have three Christmas presents I'm hoping to finish before Christmas Eve for a change), so I might not get much more reading done this month. Maybe this is the time to check out audio books?