Here is a quick recap of my life in 2011:
-I took my required public speaking class. Not only did I survive it, but I miraculously managed an A! :) I even got to work my interests into my speeches. I talked about my sewing machine, the transition from silent films to talkies, homeschooling, etc.
-I participated in my first sew along. I had so much fun and love the finished product. I also did another sew along. I hope to participate in some more in 2012.
-I turned twenty and realized that I didn't feel quite as grown up as I expected to by this age.
-I spent a couple of days acting like a teen vampire movie star after I had my wisdom teeth out.
-I graduated from college on a dark, stormy night in a speedy ceremony. :)
-I started on my very first quilt. Yes, still working on that one, guys.
-I learned how to knit.
-I had an amazing, successful Christmas season in my Etsy shop!
It was a pretty good year, I think. :) And book wise, it was definitely a good year for me. I didn't exactly complete all of my reading goals for this year, but I'm very happy about what I did complete.
In 2011, I have read 90 books so far, but there's a possibility that it'll hit 91 or 92 before the weekend. That's about thirty more books than I read last year, but still a little short of my Goodreads challenge of 100 books. I'm okay with that. :) I also had a goal of twenty rereads, and I only accomplished 14.
I won't list out every book I read like I did last year, but you can click on the Goodreads link in the above paragraph for a list if you're curious. :)
This year I ventured out a little from my usual reading. I fell in love with memoirs, for one thing. I didn't really read any classics, but I read a lot of good Christian fiction and YA dystopian. And children's literature. I read or reread three series or trilogies: Harry Potter, Little House on the Prairie, and the Hunger Games.
I've been trying in vain to narrow my favorite books, of those I've read this year, down to just a few. Remember that these aren't necessarily books that were released in 2011 (though some were), just ones I read this year.
{Click on the title to read my review: My Life in France, This Fine Life, Stargirl, Across the Universe, The Wilder Life, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, Wonderstruck, The Sweetest Thing, The Peach Keeper, A Distant Melody. Also, though I forgot to add pictures: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay}
This year was also the first year that I kept track of all of the books I read, with a brief review and rating, in a little Moleskine notebook. I've got a special reading journal to use next year, which I'm so excited about. :) But more about that later.
Next up: movies!
What were your favorite books that you read or reread this year?
Until next time,

I *also* turned 20 and had my wisdom teeth out this year!
ReplyDeleteI love that you have a reading journal. I keep a similar type of thing in a Word document but I don't think I could ever do it that neat by hand!
I'm so glad you liked "The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland..." because I thought it rocked so hard. But everybody I've loaned it to has been like, "Meh." It seems to be the kind of novel people either love or hate. I thought it was totally enchanting! I think I read that it's going to be a trilogy? I'm psyched to see where she goes with it. It reminded me a lot of The Wizard of Oz, which was a book I looooved (so different from the movie - even though I like them both). Also, I have GOT to read The Wilder Life. I've picked that thing up so many times and I never get out of B&N with it. That needs to change pronto. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm working on my own retrospective post as we speak! :) Loved This Fine Life -- SUCH a good book! Happy almost 2012!
ReplyDeleteGreat list of books! I read the Poisonwood Bible and Bean Trees, both by Barbara Kingsolver, and loved them/]. I also just read the amazing true story, They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky.
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