2011 Book List

This year I want to read. I love hearing stories. When I read a great book I gasp and cheer out loud. I write down quotes from books like what the characters said is advice from a friend. I give commercials of books to my students to get them reading. I pass my favorite books on to other people so they can share in what I loved so much.

I want to keep track of what I've read so I can keep track of all these great books.

January
1. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
2. The Academy by Ridley Pearson
3. Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

February
4. Gone by Michael Grant- I loved it at the beginning but then it got a bit to science-fiction for my liking.

March
5. The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels- A Love Story by Ree Drummond- I couldn't put this book down and ate up this love story between Ree and the Marlboro Man. What started as 40 chapters on her blog has become one of my favorite books.
6. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult- Never shying away from hot topics, Jodi tackles homosexuality and adoption of embryos in her most recent novel. I am always impressed by the background work that goes into her books and I learn about the topic as I read.  Here's my sister's review of the book on Book Love.  I agree with Katie's sentiment, "I hope that Sing You Home will inspire conversation, provoke questions, and make all of us question why we believe what we believe."


April
7. Delirium by Lauren Oliver If you like YA fiction you have to read this book. In Lena Haloway's dystopian society love, or amor deliria nervosa, is a disease that is cured in all citizen's at age 18. Lena gets infected the summer before her cure. I immediately wanted to become friends with the characters Lena, Alex, Hana, and Grace and cheered them on until the final page.

September
8. The Power Of Six by Pittacus Lore- Sequal to I Am Number Four I loved the back and forth between the stories of John Smith and Marina. I loved little Ella who reminded me of Rue from Hunger Games.

October
9. The Death Cure by James Dashner- Oh. My. Gosh. I couldn't put the book down from the first page. The final installment in the Maze Runner series it kept me guessing and cheering on the characters although I wish I could figure out if I like the ending.
10. Matched by Ally Condle- Another story of a dystopian societ, a modern day version of The Giver. I got caught up  in Cassia's story as the Society tried to control every aspect of her life and she was pulled between Xander and Ky. "We can't give you the life you want," my father says, his eyes wet. He looks at my mother and she nods at him to continue. "We wish we could. But we can help you have a chance to decide which life you want."

December
11. Crossed by Ally Condle- Sequal to Matched, I loved following Cassia and Ky's story further. Not as good as the first one but I'm still a fan and will read the third book. My students are hooked on all of the YA trilogy series.
12. Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis with Beth Clark- Oh my goodness. One of my favorite books of the year and one that will leave a lasting impact on my life. Katie, at just 20 years old, has moved to Uganada and adopted 14 orphan girls because she is saying yes over and over again to God's call on her life. Check out my more detailed review.