What I Actually Read in 2010

Last year I had a goal to read fifty books, and I actually succeeded!  At the beginning of the year, I made a list of books that I wanted to read.  If you are interested, here is the original List, and the list below is what I actually read.
     I read many good books in 2010, but the top six, (in order of reading),that stuck with me the most were:


1.  A Virtuous Woman
2.  The Book Thief
3.  The Sky Is Everywhere
4.   Interpreter of Maladies
5.  Let the great World Spin
6.  The Help

1.  Strange Red Cow And Other Curious Classified ads From The Past   By Sara Bader 

2.  The Memory Keeper’s Daughter   By Kim Edwards

3.  Ellen Foster   by Kaye Gibbons

4.  A Virtuous Woman  By Kaye Gibbons

5.  Time Sex and Power: How Women’s Sexuality Shaped  Human Evolution By Leonard Shlain

6.  Shutter Island   By Dennis Lehane

7.  Prayer   By Spencer W. Kimball

8.  The Five Love Languages For Singles   By Gary Chapman

9.  The Pleasure Of My Company  By Steve Martin

10.  Northanger Abbey By Jane Austin

11.  The Book Thief By Marcus Zusak

12.  Like Normal People  By Robert Myers

13.  The Blue Castle   By  L. M. Montgomery

14.  The Elegance Of The Hedgehog   By Muriel Barbery

15.  The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society   By Mary Ann Schafer & Annie Barrows

16.  The Sky Is Everywhere  By Jandy Nelson

17.  Before I Fall   By Lauren Oliver

18.  Happens Every Day: An All Too True Story   By Isabelle Gillies

19.  The Case Of The Missing Marquess   By Nancy Springer

20.  The Hunger Games   By Suzanne Collins

21.  Catching Fire   By Suzanne Collins

22.  Looking For Alaska   By John Green

23.  My Left Foot By Christy Brown

24.  Going Bovine   By Libba Bray

25.  One For The Money   By Janet Evanovitch

26.  The Book Of Mormon: Another Testament Of Jesus Christ  By The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

27.  Two For The Dough   By Janet Evanovitch

28.  The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat And Other Clinical Tales   By Oliver Sacks

29.  Packing For Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In The Void   By Mary Roach

30.  Mockingjay   By Suzanne Collins

31.  The Financial Lives Of The Poets   By Jess Walter

32.  The Believers   By Zoë Heller

33.  Let The Great World Spin   By Colum McCann

34.  Behind My Eyes   By Li-Young Lee

35.  Interpreter Of Maladies   By Jhumpa Lahiri

36.  The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy  By Douglas Adams  

37.  The Magician’s Assistant   By Ann Patchett

38.  The Patron Saint Of Liars   By Ann Patchett

39.  The Handmaid’s Tale   By Margret Atwood

40.  Room   By  Emma Donoghue

41.  Life Of Pi   By Yann Martel

42.  Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows   By J. K. Rowling

43.  The Golden Compass   By Phillip Pullman

44.  The Subtle Knife   By Phillip Pullman

45.  The Amber Spyglass   By Phillip Pullman

46.  The Help   By Kathryn Stockett

47.   The Phantom Tollbooth   By Norton Juster

48.  Taft   By Ann Patchett

49.  This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies Of  Remarkable Men And Women   By Jay Allison and Dan Gediman

50.  From The Outside Looking In: Short Stories For LDS Teenagers   Edited By Chris Crowe

Monday's List: Podcasts Part 1

I am a big journal writer, but I am also somewhat lazy in my writing habits, so I make a lot of lists in my journal.  I could list anything from the groceries bought, to things I'm grateful for, to books I'd like to read, or non essentials I would love to buy, if I had any non-essential money lying around.  You could call me an aggressive list maker, I would be fine with that title.  I think you can learn a lot about a person from the lists they create.
     With that being said, I'd like to introduce a new feature on this blog: Monday's List.  This week list is based on the podcasts I listen to, because I love podcasts and think everyone should investigate podcast possibilities.  Most are free to subscribe to, and cover just about any subject imaginable.  All podcast mentioned here can be found on itunes for free.  The included links will take you directly to the rss feeds for each podcast.  The ratings mentioned are just my suggestions to a conservative audience, and not actual ratings.  I listen to a lot of podcasts, so I decided to split this particular list in half. Look for the second half next Monday.


1.  60 Second Psych      Rated PG
     A weekly 1-2 minute commentary on the latest developments in in the science of brain and behavior from Scientific American
2.  60 Second Science     Rated PG
     Leading science journalists provide a daily minute commentary on some of the most interesting developments in science.  From Scientific American
3.  B&N Meet The Writers Video Interviews     Rated PG
     Watch as your favorite authors discuss their inspiration and influences, their favorite books and the reason they write.  http://www.barnesandnoble.com
4. Best Of YouTube     Rated PG
     The best of YouTube without searching through all the other random crap.  Best of YouTube
5.  Celebrity play list Podcast     Rated PG
      Artists, actors, and musicians, and others in the public eye expand on their favorite music in their own words, and play short sections from the songs.  It's really just a promotional tool for iTunes,  but I like it.  Each episode is usually 15-25 minutes long.  It's a good way to find new music.  Celebrity Playlist
6.  The Dog Trainer's Quick and Dirty Tips     Rated G
     The dog trainer explains how to get the polite behaviors you want, and then turn those behaviors into lifelong habits.  Good advice for training dogs of all ages.  The Dog Trainer
7.  Everything Creative-Exploring Creativity     Rated G
     This podcast explores creativity through interviews with artists and creative people of all types. I don't really think of bobsledding as being creative, but this program argues otherwise. Each episode is unique in that the interviewee from one episode becomes the interviewer in the next episode.  Everything Creative
8.  The House Call Doctor's Quick and Dirty Tips     Rated PG
     No topic is off limits as Dr. Rob Lamberts answers your most pressing medical questions with his trademark humor and straightforward advice.  House Call Doctor
9.  KQED The Writer's Block     Rated PG-13
     Weekly reading series featuring writers and performers of all stripes reading the latest short fiction, non-fiction, theater and poetry.  I have found a lot of good books through this podcast.  The Writer's Block
10.  LDS General Conference     Rated G
     This podcast is automatically updated after every general conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Mormons), to give you the latest general conference addresses.  The archives go back several years, so there is a ton of goodness to keep a person occupied, and edified.  LDS General Conference
11.  MacBreak Weekly     Rated PG  
      Because I love me a Mac; always have, always will.  The latest Mac news from the top journalists covering Apple today.  Funny in unexpected ways, this podcast can be a little on the long side at times, but it is worth having on in the background.  MacBreak Weekly
12.  MacWorld Video      Rated G
     Weekly video tips from Apple experts.  Valuable info, short and to the point.  MacWorld Video
13.  The Mortified Shoe Box Show     Rated PG-13 (possible swearing)
     A comic excavation of the strange and extraordinary things we created as kids.  Witness adults sharing their own letters, lyrics, poems, journals, lame rap songs, and home movies, pictures, and more.  How much do I love The Mortified Shoe Box Show?  Enough to keep it in my list of podcast subscriptions during the twenty two period in which no shows were produced.  I knew if I waited long enough, I'd be richly rewarded.  It is always a happy day at my house when a new Mortified comes out.  Mortified Shoe Box
14.  The Moth Podcast      Rated PG 13 (possible swearing)
     The Moth features true stories told by people from all walks of life to a live audience.  Engaging, funny and touching, sometimes just plain sad, but always interesting.  The Moth
15.  New BYU Speeches     Rated G
     Brings the newest Tuesday devotional and forum speeches given at BYU to your computer or ipod.  There is also a podcast that steams classic BYU speeches, but for some reason, I had a hard time concentrating on those speeches, although I know there is a lot of quality there as well.  http://speeches.byu.edu/rss/podcast2.xml
  

And While We're On the Subject...

Here is another (much smaller) website featuring book reviews.  Actually it's a blog, and anyone can be a contributer.  The site needs more contributers in my opinion, so if you love reading,writing, and sharing your opinions-go for it!

This Year's Reading List

Have you heard of http://www.goodreads.com/?  The site concept is  social networking somewhat similar to Facebook.  Invite your friends, see what they are reading, write reviews on the books you are reading, and give book suggestions to those with similar tastes. If you like to read, but constantly find yourself searching for that great book; that will hold your attention, entertain, and teach you, then Goodreads is a great place to end your search.
       Goodreads also plays host to hundreds of groups that you can join to participate in online discussions,  and give recommendations.  I recently joined the group "50 books a year" which is quite a commitment, but I am excited by the challenge.  So here is my list of 50 for 2010, in somewhat random order.  As I was making this list, I actually found it hard to limit myself to fifty, but then of course, reality set in:).
*please forgive the muddled writing in pretty much all of my posts.  One of these days, I might actually post before 1:30 a.m., and then you will be amazed by my clarity--if nothing else.

1.  A Virtuous Woman By Kaye Gibbons

2.  The Book Thief  By Markus Zusak

3.  The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat  By Oliver Sacks

4.  Happens Every Day By Isabel Gillies

5.  The Believers By Zoe Heller

6.  A Gate At The Stairs By Lorrie Moore

7.  Brooklyn  By Colm Toibin

8.  The Man In The Wooden Hat  By Jane Gardam

9.  The Financial Lives Of The Poets  By  Jess Walter

10.  Time, Sex, and Power  By Leonard Shlain

11.  The Memory Keeper’s Daughter By Kim Edwards

12.  The Lupus Book By Daniel J. Wallace M.D.

13.  Strange Red Cow By Sara Bader

14.  A Grief Observed By C.S. Lewis

15.  The Known World  By Edward P. Jones

16.  Tomorrow Will Be Better By Betty Smith

17 & 18.  This I Believe 1 And 2 by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman 

19.  The Collected Stories of Gabriel Garcia Marquez

20.  Reading Lolita In Tehran by Azar Nafisi

21.  The Reivers by William Faulkner           

22.  The Nick Adams’ Stories By Ernest Hemmingway

23.  Will In The World by Stephen Greenblatt

24.  J M Barrie And The Lost Boys by Andrew Birkin

25.  On Writing By Stephen King

26.  Minders Of Make Believe By Leonard S. Marcus

27.  Caramelo By Sandra Cisneros

28.  Prayer By Spencer W. Kimball

29.  Exuberance By Kaye Redfield Jamison

30.  Touched With Fire By Kaye Redfield Jamison

31.  The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy  By Douglas Adams

32.  My Left Foot by Christie Brown

33.  A Certain Slant Of Light by Laura Whitcomb

34.  Like Normal People by Robert Myers

35.  Coming Of Age by Studs Terkel

36.  The Good Earth By Pearl Buck

37.  Imperial Woman By Pearl Buck

38.  The China I Knew By Peal Buck

39.  Growing Up With Cerebral Palsy  By Mark Smith

40.  Outliers By Malcolm Gladwell

41. The 7 Habbits Of Highly Effective People By Steven R, Covey

42.  Bonds That Make Us Free By Terry Warner

43.  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle  By Barbara Kingsolver

44.  In Defense Of Food By Michael Pollan

45.  Eat To Live By Joel Furman M.D.

46.  Cesar’s Way By Cesar Milan

47.  Women And Money By Suse Orman

48.  The Five Love Languages  By Gary Chapman

49.  The Elegance Of The Hedgehog By Muriel Barburry

50.  The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins