Fourth and Final Quarter

The end of the year! And this was by far my best quarter. Not only did I read MORE books than another quarter, but also I felt like I read better books. And, as usual, the double-speed audiobooks are my best friend.

Also, I was on the Cybils committee for Easy Reader and Early Chapter Books this year (look for the short list to be announced later this week), so I read 35 books around 100-ish pages, that I didn’t list here. But, you know, I just want to give myself credit for that SOMEWHERE.

• • Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

I feel like everyone absolutely loved this book. And I only thought it was fine. Kind of lost me about halfway through.

• • Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

A solid YA book about a girl writing letters to a guy on death row, confessing that she too is a murderer, except she didn’t get caught. I read this on the plane on the way to NYC and then handed it off to Kayla.

• • Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I really really loved this book about a twin going off to college by herself, and trying to navigate her complicated family life, balance her wildly popular fan fiction writing, and possibly fall in love.

• • Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake by Frank W. Abagnale

You might guess I am one of those “the book is always better” people. In this case, the movie was better (Catch Me If You Can is one of my favorite movies).

• • A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff

I wouldn’t be surprised if this got a Newbery nod next month. That said, I didn’t really love it. Savvy was much better.

• • Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

Some YA reading for my trip to Cincinnati and Pampers in October.

• • Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson (full review here)

Yup, still love this book.

• • Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O’Reilly

This sparked my interest in reading more about Kennedy and since then I’ve read. . .well, no other books about Kennedy. But I have big plans too!  

• • Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Just One Day wasn’t nearly as good as the If I Stay books, and this one wasn’t nearly as good as Just One Day. Oh well.

• • Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley (full review here)

This YA graphic novel about food, cooking, and eating was completely delightful. I’m not much of a graphic novel reader, but I immediately requested her other book from the library.

• • The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford

I read How to Say Goodbye in Robot back in Boston and I still remember how depressing it was, and how miserable I felt after reading it. This one, about a girl studying abroad in 1980s Communist Russia who falls in love, despite all the warnings about relationships with people trying to get themselves to the US, was better.

• • Homeward Bound: Why Women are Embracing the New Domesticity by Emily Matchar (full review here)

Still thinking about this one

• • Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O’Reilly

Not a lot new here, since I’ve read a lot about Lincoln, but I still was hoping somehow there’d be a different outcome.

• • Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson

I have a hard time with books where the plot hinges on someone misunderstanding something or being a complete idiot (seriously, you’re going to promise your awful mother to do ANYTHING SHE WANTS? No. That’s stupid). Still a fun read.

• • Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson

I loved Hattie Big Sky and this was a very worthy sequel, even if it did take me six months to get around to finally reading it.

• • Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

This will always be one of my favorite books. It’s nice when something is excellent every time you read it (this was #3 for me).

• • From Scratch: Inside the Food Network by Allen Salkin

Really very interesting.

• • Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card

Just as good, maybe better, than Ender’s Game.

• • Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card

Hmm, I just about lost faith in the Shadow series in this one.

• • Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card

Better than Shadow the Hegemon.

• • Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo

This is SO not my kind of book and I never would have read this myself, but I read it for bookclub and it was quite a bit better than I expected.

• • Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

I couldn’t find ANYTHING available to listen to, so I downloaded this series which I read back in 2010 and listened to it all again. Deeeelightful and fun.

• • The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

This is a solid series – even the second book is good.

• • Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

I maybe possibly cried a little during the end of this book.

• • David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell always delivers. It wasn’t my favorite (Outliers and What the Dog Saw are better, I think), but it’s still fascinating.

• • Year of No Sugar: A Memoir by Eve Schaub

This was pretty eye-opening. I’ll review it in full when it comes out in April.

• • The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

When I finished Year of No Sugar, I clicked over to this on my Kindle and ended up reading the whole thing. I liked it less the second time – without the element of surprise, I found it a little flat, although the dialogue still made me laugh.

• • Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier

Unbelievably, the middle book of this series was the best. Also, I’m all about teen romance, but this one was a bit swoony even for me.

I’m excited about all the reading I have planned for 2014 (more of it, for one). Any books you’d like to suggest? I’m all ears.