Books

I love to read, and will read basically anything that’s recommended to me. In 2010 I decided that each year I wanted to make a point to read more books than I had the year before – and any books I re-read do not count toward this goal (although I may consider amending this rule in the future). I’m keeping track of all the new books I read each year on this page for any readers who might be interested.

I am also including a link to my GoodReads profile, which lists all the books I’ve read in the last few of years. I think I only started recording them when we moved to Charleston in 2006, but I added some others I had read shortly before I started keeping an official record.

If you want my thoughts/opinions on a specific book, feel free to let me know!

Book Lists:
2009 Books
2010 Books
2011 Books

2012 Books:

**Recommended Reading

1. The Romanov Prophecy – Steve Berry
2. Crossed – Ally Condie (Matched #2)
3. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – John le Carré
4. The Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)
5. The Sea of Monsters – Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2)
6. The Titan’s Curse – Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3)
7. The Battle of the Labyrinth – Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4)
8. The Last Olympian – Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5)
9. Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey – The Countess of Carnarvon
10. City of Light – Lauren Belfer
11. Americans in Paris – Charles Glass
12. Wild* – Cheryl Strayed
13. The Wind Through the Keyhole – Stephen King (The Dark Tower #4.5)
14. Leading at the Edge* – Dennis N.T. Perkins
15. Deadlocked – Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse #12)
16. The Snow Child* – Eowyn Ivey
17. Think of  a Number – John Verdon (Dave Gurney #1)
18. Lost in Shangri-La – Mitchell Zuckoff
19. The Bronze Horseman*- Paullina Simons (Tatiana and Alexander #1)
20. Tatiana and Alexander* – Paullina Simons (Tatiana and Alexander #2)
21. The Summer Garden* – Paullina Simons (Tatiana and Alexander #3)
22. Shut Your Eyes Tight* – John Verdon (Dave Gurney #2)
23. A Perfect Blood – Kim Harrison (The Hollows #10)
24. Bloodline – James Rollins (Sigma Force #8)
25. A Game of Thrones – George R. R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire #1)
26. A Clash of Kings – George R. R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire #2)
27. A Storm of Swords – George R. R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire #3)
28. A Feast for Crows – George R. R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire #4)
29. Double Cross – Ben MacIntyre
30. 11/22/63 – Stephen King
31. Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
32. James Potter and the Hall of Elders’ Crossing – G. Norman Lippert (James Potter #1)
33. James Potter and the Curse of the Gate Keeper – G. Norman Lippert (James Potter #2)
34. The Lady of Secrets – Susan Carroll (The Dark Queen Saga #6)
35. Team of Rivals* – Doris Kearns Goodwin
36. Outliers* – Malcolm Gladwell

Quotes:

“How strange that I feel so much more a part of the world so far from the world that I have known”
— Jeffery Hantover (The Jewel Trader of Pegu)

“Being slow means that you control the rhythms of your own life. You decide how fast you have to go in any given context. If today I want to go fast, I go fast; if tomorrow I want to go slow, I go slow. What we are fighting for is the right to determine our own tempos”
— Carlo Petrini (quoted in ‘In Praise of Slowness’)

“…few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart. Those first images, the echo of words we think we have left behind, accompany us throughout our lives and sculpt a palace in our memory to which, sooner or later – no matter how many books we read, how many worlds we discover, or how much we learn or forget – we will return.”
— Carlos Ruiz Zafón (The Shadow of the Wind)