Friday, December 30, 2011

Our books for 2012

After a successful round of reading 12 books from our To Be Read (TBR) pile in 2011, we're back to do it again in 2012!

Jenny's Books
Here is a screen cap of the books Jenny has chosen:

(click to see that bigger)

In alphabetical order, they are:
  1. All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren (9.30)
  2. The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam
  3. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (10.13)
  4. The Book of Night Women by Marlon James
  5. Bound by Sally Gunning (2.8)
  6. Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile (3.31)
  7. Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory by Peter Hessler (7.21)
  8. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (12.9)
  9. Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II by John Dower (12.25)
  10. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes (5.18)
  11. Private Life by Jane Smiley (7.6)
  12. Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott (1.12)
  13. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson (11.18)
  14. We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will be Killed with our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch. (4.25)

    Kelly's Books
    Here is a screen cap of the books Kelly has chosen:

    (click to see that bigger)

    In alphabetical order, they are:
    1. The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler (Completed 11.30.12)
    2. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (Completed 2.16.12)
    3. At Home by Bill Bryson (Completed 12.23.12)
    4. Don't Know Much About History by Kenneth C. Davis
    5. Double Fold by Nicholson Baker (Completed 10.16.12)
    6. Four Spirits by Sena Jeter Naslund (Completed 11.05.12)
    7. Historic San Francisco by Rand Richards (Completed 1.31.12)
    8. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
    9. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (Completed 9.18.12)
    10. Nox by Anne Carson (Completed 12.29.12)
    11. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (Completed 4.29.12)
    12. Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley (Completed 3.26.12)
    13. The Venetian's Wife by Nick Bantock (Completed 9.22.12)
    14. Wonder Woman: The Complete History by Les Daniels (Completed 12.27.12)
    We each have 14 books on our shelves -- 12 months, plus two alternatives, just in case we cannot bear to get through a couple of them. We will then write about them on this blog, crossing 'em off on this list and linking to our reviews.

    This is part of the 2012 TBR Pile Challenge at Roof Beam Reader -- thanks for lighting a fire under our butts last year and keeping the fire burning this year as well!

    8 comments:

    1. So glad you both are joining us again this year!

      Jenny -
      I'm reading Margaret Atwood in 2012 as well (The Handmaid's Tale). I actually purchased The Blind Assassin even earlier than the other, so maybe I'll end up reading both. I didn't realize Charlie Wilson's War was a book.. interesting! I definitely hope to read Sin in the Second City someday as well.

      Kelly -
      I hear good things about The Art of Racing in the Rain. I'm DEFINNITELY reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell sometime in 2012. I even have it sitting face-out on my shelf so I am reminded to pick it up SOON. Lol.

      Looking forward to your reviews and to checking-in throughout the year again. Good luck!

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    2. Thank you, Kelly, for including me on this excellent list. I'm honored. Happy New Year!

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    3. K,

      I'm a little intimidated by my own list. You may have noticed that HALF of my choices are non-fiction. I guess if I have a reading goal, it's to read more non-fiction. I enjoy it, I certainly buy a lot of it, so I might as well read it.

      My tentative plan is to do a non-fiction book every other month. I'm going to make sure to START with non-fiction, because that way I'll have a novel for next December. It was really hard to get through that last book of the year, so I'm going to want it to be easier---which means novel.

      Any plans for how you're going to tackle this year's pile?

      J

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    4. PS...have you had any time to check out the Subtext app? (I mentioned it in my end of year post, I think.) I would LOVE to try this with you if you're interested.

      J

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    5. Bryan -- Thanks for dropping by! I'm looking forward to reading your book. :)

      Jenny -- No idea yet how I'm going to tackle the list. I picked relatively easy books this year because:

      1. I rarely feel compelled to "push" myself when it comes to reading anyway (I guess that makes me a troglodyte, but I am what I am) but, more importantly:

      2. since I'm moving across the country this year, I figured I'm going to have a LOT on my plate to deal with outside of the reading. I have a feeling keeping up with my books this year is going to be a real challenge.

      In fact, I'll probably front load the year with the shortest and/or easiest looking stuff, since we'll be putting the house on the market soon and that's going to be a lot of work. Soo... I guess I have a small notion of my first-half plans, at least.

      I looked at Subtext. Seems like it could be cool, although I do have some fears about the footnote distraction factor. I *think* you can limit it to just people that you're interested in (for instance, for me, I only want to see what you're saying), but with the "community" thing, I can see that being overwhelming.

      I think it depends on the book -- we probably could have used such a thing during The Marriage Plot. Do you have a particular book in mind?

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    6. Way to go, Jenny! You've been linked up in the "final stretch" post that just went live today, and you've been entered into the giveaway prize.

      Come on, Kelly - you can do it! :D

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    7. Hey, Jenny -

      Can you send me an e-mail, please? I have some very awesome news for you! roofbeamreader(at)gmail(dot)com

      -Adam

      ReplyDelete