Showing posts with label A Year of Reading 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A Year of Reading 2011. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

2011: A Year of 300+ Books For Me, Too

Thanks for the high praise in your Reading Year In Review post yesterday, Franki! You were ALWAYS reading more than you gave yourself credit for -- you just needed the perfect tool to keep track, and Goodreads is that tool.

For me, the trusty blank book was always my perfect tool. I have a whole shelf of book-books. Combined, they list every book I've read (minus the picture books) since 1987.

This year, when Goodreads unveiled the barcode scanner in the iPhone app, I began logging EVERY book I read in Goodreads. I still kept my book-book for novels (kid and adult) and for most of this year I wrote down a key quote for each book. (Other years, I've captured the first line or I've written a short summary.)



So I read more than 300 books this year, but in the end, I'm not at all satisfied with myself as a reader in 2011. My desires for my reading far outstrip the reality of what I know I can accomplish. I'd love to do the #nerdbery or #nerdcott challenges, but I know that wanting to do either one would never make them actually happen. Heck, I can't even do the #bookaday challenges with any kind of honesty and integrity! I think part of my problem is that when I hear about everything everyone else is reading, I want to read all those books and do all those challenges, too. It's a keeping up with the Joneses syndrome, but it's also about wanting to maintain my standing in the Nerdy Book Club, and there's a little bit of book gluttony thrown in. (All right, more than a little bit...)

Well, I've got a solution for this problem: I'm going to give myself permission to admire everyone else's goals and challenges...and I'm going to carry on with my own reading.

I've upped my personal goal to 92 children's and YA novels (I read 85 last year, so 92's not a huge stretch) and 20 adult books (I only read 15 last year, so 20 will be a push for me). 92+20 will give me 112 books in 2012 for the Centurions group on FaceBook. I'll keep track of picture books again this year just for the fun of seeing how high I can run my numbers up, but they won't really count for me.

Enough with the blathering about goals. Here's a sampling of some of my 5 Star books from 2011:

POETRY

Lemonade: And Other Poems Squeezed From A Single Word by Bob Raczka
BookSpeak!: Poems About Books by Laura Purdie Salas

ABC

E-Mergency by Tom Lichtneheld

PICTURE BOOKS

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

NONFICTION

Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon

MIDDLE GRADE

Clementine and the Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker
The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson

YA GRAPHIC NOVEL

Level Up by Gene Yang
Sita's Ramayana by Samhita Arni

ADULT

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Every Last One by Anna Quindlen
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

(Ann, Anna and Annie -- quite a trio!)

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

2011: A Year of 305 Books

Mary Lee has always been my reading idol.  We were in a book club together 20+ years ago and I was always amazed at how much she read.  She was the one who encouraged me to keep a log of my reading.  Blogging with her for the past 6 years has made me realize how lucky I am to have friends who read and how important that is to my reading life.

This year, it's not so much the books I read, but more the habits I started:

As I look at my 2011 reading, Goodreads changed my life. I had used it a bit before 2010, but decided to be diligent about tracking my reading carefully in 2011. Really, I had no idea how I kept track before.  Goodreads helps me track, reflect, find book to recommend, connect with friends, choose books, etc.  It has helped me in my own reading but has also helped me become a better resource for students and teachers looking for books. LOVE IT!  I also set a reading challenge for myself on Goodreads and met it.  I was part of a Mock Newbery group and a few others that kept me up to date on the books getting the most buzz. And it was so fun to hear everyone's opinions as we read monthly books.

I also found that groups/events like Titletalk, The Nerdy Book Club and the Facebook Centurions of 2011 group were important for me as I read throughout the year. They each provided a different type of support. And I read so many amazing books because of these networks.

And, thanks to Kevin Hodsgon's recent post reflecting on his 2011 reading, I realized that Goodreads will let me view fun stats about my year of reading. How fun is this!


Here are some reading highlights. Fifty or so books I LOVED in 2011.
January-40 books
Kakapo Rescue-NONFICTION
Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood-MIDDLE GRADE

February-13 books
How I, Nicky Flynn, Get a Life (and a Dog) by Art Corriveau-MIDDLE GRADE
Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt-MIDDLE GRADE

March-24 books
Mother Goose Picture Puzzles by Will Hillenbrand-PICTURE BOOK/POETRY
Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins-NONFICTION
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai-MIDDLE GRADE
Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems by Kristine O'Donnell George-POETRY

April-27 books
Chime by Franny Billingsley-YOUNG ADULT
Bigger Than a Breadbox by Laurel Snyder-MIDDLE GRADE
Little Chicken's Big Day by Katie Davis and Jerry Davis-PICTURE BOOK
Also Known as Rowan Pohi by Ralph Fletcher-YOUNG ADULT

May-22 books
The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine-YOUNG ADULT
The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner-YOUNG ADULT
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka-WORDLESS PICTURE BOOK
Babymouse Mad Scientist and Squish by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm-GRAPHIC NOVEL
Real Revision by Kate Messner-PROFESSIONAL BOOK

June-43 books
Time to Eat/Time to Sleep by Steve Jenkins-NONFICTION
Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg-PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu-MIDDLE GRADE
The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson-MIDDLE GRADE
Big Brothers Don't Take Naps by Louise Borden-PICTURE BOOK
Hidden by Helen Frost-MIDDLE GRADE
Should I Share My Ice Cream by Mo Willems-PICTURE BOOK
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick-MIDDLE GRADE
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett-ADULT NOVEL

July-28 books
Toys Come Home by Emily Jenkins-EARLY CHAPTER BOOK
Latasha and the Red Tornado by Michael Scotto-MIDDLE GRADE
Shine by Lauren Myracle-YOUNG ADULT
A Million Miles from Boston by Karen Day-MIDDLE GRADE

August-37 books
The One and Only Stuey Lewis by Jane Schoenberg-EARLY CHAPTER BOOK
Press Here by Herve Tullet-PICTURE BOOK
Leisl and Po by Lauren Olive-MIDDLE GRADE
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George-MIDDLE GRADE
The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray-PICTURE BOOK

September-16 books
The Other Wes More: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore-ADULT NONFICTION
Waiting for Magic by Patricia MacLachlan-EARLY CHAPTER BOOK/MIDDLE GRADE
Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming-NONFICTION
Otis and the Tornado by Loren Long-PICTURE BOOK
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness-YOUNG ADULT
You Will be My Friend by Peter Brown-PICTURE BOOK

October-12 Books
Happy Pig Day! by Mo Willems-PICTURE BOOK
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen-PICTURE BOOK

November-15 books
Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet-PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY
The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems-PICTURE BOOK (2012)
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann-MIDDLE GRADE
BookSpeak! by Laura Purdie Salas-POETRY
The Trouble With May Amelia by Jennifer Holm-MIDDLE GRADE
Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri-MIDDLE GRADE
The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang-MIDDLE GRADE

December-28 books
Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor-MIDDLE GRADE
The Aviary by Kathleen O'Dell-MIDDLE GRADE
Sir Gawain the True by Gerald Morris-EARLY CHAPTER/MIDDLE GRADE
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate-MIDDLE GRADE (2012)
Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner-MIDDLE GRADE (2012)
How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr-YOUNG ADULT