2011

My 2011 list was longer, probably because I had a Kindle the whole time... except for the last two months, which slowed me down. I take a spin class on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I always do about 15 minutes on the elliptical before the class and stupidly, one Thursday, I left my Kindle on the shelf below the machine. Because I was in the class and then had a magazine to read on the way home, it wasn't until around 9pm that I realized I didn't have my Kindle. I called the gym but no one had turned it in. Clearly, this was a bad sign. I had previously left it at my local gym and someone turned it in right away. The spin class was not at my regular place and clearly they have a less honest clientele. The manager was great. He tried to get into the security feed, but because of where I was, he just couldn't see if someone picked it up. This was right before Thanksgiving, so I spend about five weeks reading regular books that I got out of the school library where I teach. I have tendinitis in my dominant hand, so holding books isn't easy for me. Luckily, on Christmas morning, I got a Kindle touch, which I love. And hopefully won't leave anywhere. Seriously, who really wanted my Kindle? Anyway, here's the 2011 list:

1. The Radleys, by Matt Haig, (January 3-January 6)
2. The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise, by Julia Stuart (January 6-8)
3. Reckless, by Cornelia Funke (January 9-January 11)
4. Her Royal Spyness, by Rhys Bowen (January 12-January 14)
5. In the Name of the Wind, by Patrick Ruthfuss (January 14-January 24)
6. Looking for Alaska, by John Green (January 25-29)
7. A Royal Pain, by Rhys Bowen (January 29-30)
8. Royal Flush, by Rhys Bowen (January 30)
9. Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan (January 31-February 8)
10. The Matchmaker of Perigord, by Julia Stuart (February 8-14)
11. Royal Blood, by Rhys Bowen (February 15-February 19)
12. A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness (February 19-February 27)
13. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum (February 26-Mach 3; mini-term)
14. The Pirates in an Adventure with Scientists, by Gideon Defoe (February 27- ; mini-term)
15. Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro (February 27-March 3)
16. Murphy’s Law, by Rhys Bowen (March 3-March 5)
17. The Wise Man’s Fear, by Patrick Ruthfuss (March 6-18)
18. Twenties Girl, by Sophie Kinsella (March 18-20)
19. The Carrie Diaries, by Candace Bushnell (March 20-22)
20. The Postmistress, by Sarah Blake (March 22-23)
21. Death of Riley, by Rhys Bowen (March 23-24)
22. Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, by Ayelet Waldman (March 25)
23. The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag, by Alan Bradley (March 25-26)
24. The Sherlockian, by Graham Moore (March 26-31)
25. Sweet Valley Confidential, by Francine Paschal (March 29)
26. For the Love of Mike, by Rhys Bowen (March 31-April 1)
27. The Princess and the Goblin, by George MacDonald (April 1-April 6)
28. Red Hook Road, by Ayelet Waldman (April 6-April 10)
29. In Like Flynn, by Rhys Bowen (April 11-April 15)
30. Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (April 15-18)
31. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen (April 19-28)
32. The Miracle Inspector, by Helen Smith (April 28-May 2)
33. The Weird Sisters, by Eleanor Brown (May 2-May 9)
34. An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green (May 9-May 15)
35. Three Girls and Their Brother, by Theresa Rebeck (May 15-May 19)
36. The Hangman’s Daughter, by Oliver Pötzsch (May 19-May 25
37. A Red Herring without Mustard, by Alan Bradley (May 25- June 2)
38. Sisterhood Everlasting, by Ann Brasheres (June 14-17)
39. Miss Peregrin’s School for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs (June 17-June 19)
40. The Magician’s Assistant, by Ann Pachette (June 20-June 30)
41. Dead until Dark, by Charlaine Harris (June 30-July 2)
42. Decades, by Ruth Harris (July 2-7)
43. Godchildren, by Nicholas Coleridge (July 7- 11)
44. A Dance with Dragons, by George RR Martin (July 12-17)
45. Mini Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella (July 25-27)
46. The Plucker, by Brom (July 31-August 2)
47. The Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles (August 2 – 5)
48. Then Came You, by Jennifer Weiner (August 6-7)
49. Roboapocalypse, by Daniel Wilson (August 7-9)
50. The Magician King, by Lev Grossman (August 10-15)
51. Room, by Emma Donoghue (August 17-18)
52. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, by Mark Haddon (August 18-20)
53. Something from the Nightside, by Simon Green (August 24-27)
54. Maine, by J. Courtney Sullivan (August 27-29)
55. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand (August 29-September 4)
56. The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern (September 4-10)
57. Naughty in Nice, by Rhys Bowen (September 10-13)
58. This is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper (September 13-17)
59. The Abstinence Teacher, by Tom Perrotta (September 18-21)
60. The Midnight Palace, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (September 22-26)
61. Girls in White Dresses, by Jennifer Close (September 26- 28)
62. The House of Tomorrow, by Peter Bognonni (September 29-October 3)
63. Miss Timmins School for Girls, by Nayana Currimbhoy (October 3-9)
64. The Lords of Discipline, by Pat Conroy (October 9-20)
65. Commencement, by J. Courtney Sullivan (October 20-22)
66. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling (October 23-26)
67. The Infernals, by John Connelly (October 27-November 1)
68. I am Half Sick of Shadows, by Alan Bradley (November 2-6)
69. Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry (November 6-7)
70. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place II: The Hidden Gallery (November 7-11)
71. Matched, by Ally Condie (November 11-16)
72. The Messenger, by Lois Lowry (November 20-21)
73. I see you Everywhere, by Julia Glass (November 22-27)
74. The City and the City, by China Mieville (November 28-December 7)
75. The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides (December 8-18)
76. 22 Britannia Road, by Amanda Hodgkinson (December 18-23)
77. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury (December 23-26)
78. The Pursuit of Love, by Nancy Mitford (December 27-29)
79. The Fairy Tale Detective, by Michael Buckley (December 29-31)

I read a bunch of graphic novels over the summer, but my husband won't let me count those in my books of the year list. He tries to read one book a month, but reads a lot of graphic novels, so really, he should let them count since he reads more comics than books.

There were lots of good 2011 books, but my favorite was The Night Circus, but Erin Morgenstern. It was so beautifully written. I've recommended it to a bunch of people who didn't love it like I did, but that's okay. It literally made me cry.