Best of 2011: Books & In General

It's the time of year where I start reflecting on the previous year and looking forward to the coming one. And where I have this odd desire to write end-of-the-year posts on my blog. :) I'm going to do like last year and break them up into books, films, and music. And then I'll write about my hopes for the new year.

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,