Well, I didn’t make my 50 book goal this year. And I’m not upset by it. It’s not my intention to sound dramatic or whiny, but I have had a SHOCKINGLY HORRIBLE year, and there was only so much reading I could do.

I did, however, read 35 books this year. I think that’s a pretty good reading year and I’m happy with it.

After 3 years of setting a 50 book yearly goal, I’m beginning to accept that maybe 50 books a year is just too much for me.

Anyway, these are the books I read in 2011. After the list I’ll talk briefly about which ones were my favorite, and which ones I didn’t care for.

• Room by Emma Donoghue
• My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent
• Boneman’s Daughters by Ted Dekker
• Holes by Louis Sachar
• Monster by Frank Peretti
• The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
• The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
• The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
• Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning
• The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Bartlett
• Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
• Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond
• Beastly by Alex Flinn
• Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
• The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer
• The Wishing Jar by Penelope Stokes
• Real Murders by Charlaine Harris
• A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
• Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
• The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
• Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson
• The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan
• The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
• Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
• Uglies by Scott Westerfield
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Pretties by Scott Westerfield
• Tithe by Holly Black
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• Specials by Scott Westerfield
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
• The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittany Ryan
• The Gargoyle by Andrew Davison
• Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan

Okay, so, I think the best way to do this is to list the books in 4 categories.

The categories shall be labeled as such:

Category 1: Loved it, loved it, loved it. Good story, good characters, kept my attention.

Category 2: It was pretty good. I liked it. I may have had some kind of issue with it though. Whether that issue may be content, sluggish story progression, whatever. But I still really enjoyed it.

Category 3: Didn’t really care for it. It’s not necessarily a bad book, but I just wasn’t feeling it for some reason. Reasons could be I found it boring, it was too juvenile, etc.

Category 4: Oh my heavens, please let that book die a slow and painful death.

CATEGORY 1….

I am so devoted to the Stephanie Plum series that I refuse to acknowledge the serious problems that are developing due to Janet Evanovich dragging this series out. Ditto for the Sookie Stackhouse books. Total devotion. Total lack of acknowledgment to possible problems. I wuv them.

CATEGORY 2:

Important note: I was unsure about placing the Uglies series by Scott Westerfield in Category 2. I finally settled on putting them in category 2, but they could definitely have a home in category 1 as well. Really great series…and it’s appropriate and entertaining FOR ANY AGE. This is a rarity in books.

Category 3:

I normally LOVE AND ADORE Ted Dekker, so it hurt me to put his book in this category. Sad face.

Category 4:

The Gargoyle. I did not want to put this book in this section. I wanted to like it. I tried to like it. BUT DAMN.

Do you know it took the author SEVEN YEARS to write this book. Yeah. Seven years.

I wanted to like this book so bad. Just couldn’t do it.

The series by Libba Bray can just GO AWAY. UGH.

Ok, now, my most favorite book of the ENTIRE YEAR was this book……

I LOVED this book. There is another book in the series (which I just purchased) and I can NOT WAIT to read it. Another book in the series will be released in May, and I’m anxiously awaiting it as well.

Here’s a book that I started recently and just couldn’t get into (but am determined to finish at some point)……

I have a lurking suspicion that this book will appeal to me more if I just stick with it.

Neil Gaimen has a cult-like following and I’m worried about being burned at the stake for this.

And as for Mill River Recluse……

….I’m only halfway through it, but I feel as though once I’m finished it may have a home in category 1.

And that is what I read this year. To see what I have read in previous years, go over to my BOOK page.