31 Dec 2011

YES!!!!!!!!!! IT'S A 100+ READING CHALLENGE WRAP.

Many of my fellow bloggers have asked how I manage to read such a lot. Well ........

Contrary to the popular belief amongst certain of our friends I don't sit with the mouse in one hand and a book in the other.

Ok, so I do read a lot but then I have the luxury (or not) of being able to do so.

I say the luxury OR not of being able to read a lot as it really is a mixed blessing that I am able to so. Part of me longs to be able to say alas I don't have the time to read as I need to do such and such, that I need to get to X, Y and Z but the reality is due to my health problems I'm unable to work, find getting out and about difficult, and so, with daytime telly being one of the other really viable option, spend most of my days blogging and reading.

Combined with the fact that I don't sleep very well and so often spend a lot of nighttime hours with book in hand, and read a fair few books aimed at children/young adults, it means I generally read two to three books a week, more if I'm sleeping really badly or it's a shorter book or aimed at younger readers.

Anyway, onto my post proper and my .......

wrap.

It's been an amazing year book wise, I've travelled far and wide, met many different peoples, both human and otherwise over a wide period of time ........ and I've loved every minute of it - well, almost every minute of it.

And so to wrap up I thought it would be fun to award some trophies .............

  • My favourite book(s): The Help by Kathryn Stockett - Simply unputdownable. The Ship Of Brides by JoJo Moyes - A fictionalised account of actual events, totally memorable. Alone by Lisa Gardner - Probably the cleverest book I've read this year.
  • My least favourite book(s): The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald. Too political for me.
  • Best loved character(s): Harry Dresden in Grave Peril, Storm Front, Fool Moon, and, Summer Knight by Jim Butcher - Wizard, Private Investigator, and all round nice guy who is not without his failings.
  • Best villain(s): Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. Such a tyrannical character made all the worse because the abuse is aimed at such vulnerable individuals. Judge James Gagnon in Alone by Lisa Gardner. A man totally corrupted by the power money bought him.
  • Book(s) I was most disappointed by: Mrs Hartley And The Growth Centre by Philippa Gregory - A huge fan of this author I felt so let down by this particular novel. Room by Amanda Donoghue - An enjoyable enough read, it just did not live up to all the hype in my opinion.
  • Book(s) that most surprised me:The History Of Lucy's Love Life in 10 1/2 Chapters by Deborah Wright. I had expected to enjoy this but not to the degree I did. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - I was surprised by just how strongly I felt about certain characters.
  • Best series: The Dresden Files, starring Harry Dresden, by Jim Butcher. I love the story lines, I love the characters, I love the humour.
  • Author(s) I'd like to read more of: Paulina Simons - I really enjoyed her book Eleven Hours and hear all of her books are good reads. Aliza Kellerman - Having read Prism which Aliza co-wrote with her mother Faye Kellerman I'd like to see what she can write as author in her own right. Jodie Picoult - I'm participating in the Jodi Picoult Project and I'd like to see if all of her books are of the same formula as My Sister's Keeper and Sing You Home.
  • Most nostalgic read:The Pebbles Go To Town by Michael Cooper - The first book I ever bought.
  • Favourite cover(s):




So, what are your memorable reads of 2011? What have you liked/disliked? What would you recommend as a good read?


PS. Oops! Nearly forgot ....... the links to all of the books mentioned above as well as all the other books read for this challenge can be found by clicking HERE. Here's to happy reading in 2012.

14 comments:

Betty Manousos said...

aw, i would highly recommend your brilliant reviews, tracy.

happy new year!

Carol said...

The Help is a lovely read.

JoJo's book Ship of Brides is going on my wishlist.

Happy 2012! dear blog friend

carol

The Bookworm said...

Happy and Healthy New Year Petty!
I hope to read The Help this year, I enjoyed the film version. One of my fav reads in 2011 was To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal.

Mary (Bookfan) said...

I read The Help a couple of years ago - liked it. And 'Cuckoo's Nest'?! It's been eons since I read it or saw the film but it's right up there in my favorite books list. Nurse Ratched - talk about someone in the wrong job!

Happy New Year!

Alexia561 said...

Great wrap up! While I'm sorry that you aren't able to get out and about as much as you would like, I'm thankful that you have the time to blog. I always look forward to your posts, and please know that you're very special to an awful lot of people!

Here's to a happy and healthy 2012!

chitra said...

Happy New Year PW, happy to see your message . Best wishes

Kelly said...

Congratulations on completing your 100+ challenge!!

You'll be pleased to know, thanks to your glowing review earlier in the year, Ship of Brides is sitting in my TBR stack for this year! I'm looking forward to it.

Wishing you and yours all the best for 2012!

Joan said...

i agree with alexia , a great wrap up for the end of 2011, and two more books to add to my wish list.
I,m also gratefull that you enjoy spending your time blogging and reading, as i certainly enjoy reading all your blogs. look forward to what 2012 has to bring and wishing you and your family all the best
joan

Full-On-Forward said...

Wife is reading The Help right now and loving it. I am reading Blogs! Especially great ones like yours!

Happy 2012 Tracy and here's to another year of a growing friendship!!!

John

Golden Eagle said...

Great challenge wrap-up!

Oh, and I love that cover for Ash; I've just seen the black one with the photo of the girl in the center before.

Happy New Year!

Suko said...

Wonderful wrap-up post, Petty! And a very happy New Year to you!

Jenners said...

You rocked this challenge! Wishing you a wonderful 2012 filled with 5 star reads!

Arti said...

You are one great reader and even a greater reviewer! I totally love reading your reviews, they provide such insight into the quality of the books...
Look forward to reading more of your blog in 2012.
Wish you and your family a very happy and joyful 2012 Tracy :)

carol said...

Great list. I agree, The Help was a great book. I read in 2010, I think, but it's still one I'll recommend to people.