Below is my list of Books Read in 2011. I'll (generally) not include picture books or extremely "Young Reader" books that I may read with my kids...but at the same time, I may include them if the mood is right.

I have an annual goal of reading 50 books or ~1 book/week. Last year I read (and posted about) 44 books.

Over the summer my weekly reading fell down a bit.  Fall and winter were also a bit spotty.  So sadly I didn't hit my goal and I was down from my 2010 stats, but I still read a bunch of good books.

I'll be getting my 2012 goal and post together shortly.  In the meantime, let me know what you read in 2011? Any great books I should add to my "to read" pile?

Here's the list of what I read in 2011:

1. A Lion Among Men
2. The Learning eXplosion
3. The Elves of Cintra
4. Matched
   
5. The Name of the Rose
   
6. The Tale of Desperaux
   
7. Crucial Conversations
   
8. The Scorch Trials
   
9. Tuck Everlasting
   
10. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
    
11. The Lost Hero
    
12. Oliver Twist
    
13. Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark
    
14. The Red Pyramid
    
15. Casino Royale
    
16. The Gypsy Morph
    
17. A Room With A View
    
18. The Invention of Hugo Cabret
    
19. The Orphan of Awkward Falls
    
20. Stranger in a Strange Land
    
21. Rangers Apprentice Book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan
    
22. Rise of the Darklings (The Invisible Order Book 1)
    
23. The Good Earth
    
24. The Death Cure
    
25. The Throne of Fire
    
26. The Man in the Iron Mask
    
27. Doc: A Novel
    
28. Jacob T. Marley
    
29. Batman: The Killing Joke
    
30. Flygirl
    
31. The Maltese Falcon
    
32. Peter and the Starcatchers
    
33. The Shakespeare Thefts
    
34. The Star Shard
    

I also have a "to read" list on Goodreads but it certainly isn't in any particular order.

Thanks.

What are YOU reading?  Did you have a favorite book read in 2011?

From a high level, The Star Shard could be summed up as a fairly typical adventure book set in a medieval fantasy world. I received this book from Amazon Vine and found that it differentiates itself in many unique and intriguing ways that make it a fresh and fun read.

First of all, the setting is unique. Rather than dealing with our standard rolling hills, plains, mountains and forests, most of this book is set in the moving wagon city of Thunder Rake. The Rake is essentially a HUGE wagon that literally contains an entire city upon its back. The exact dimmensions aren't given but as our characters navigate the city, you quickly realize the enormity of this place. And yet, there is a large sense of claustrophobia as everything is built close together and vertically in order to optimize every bit of available space for homes, workshops, businesses, operational areas and the other main aspects of any city. Around the edges of the wagon, huge walls run up the sides to keep inhabitants (and buildings, possessions, etc) from falling off.

Not only do the walls serve to keep things from falling off the wagon, but they act as prison walls for some of the inhabitants. Our main character in the story is twelve year old Cymbril...and she is a slave on the Rake. She doesn't know much about her past other than that she was sold to the master of the Rake and it is her lot to spend her days at the beck and call of the master. When the Rake is traveling, this means mundane chores. When the Rake arrives at its destination and opens its doors for market days, that means she is to sing and entertain the people coming to shop.

Cymbril is a fun character. She has some of the stereotypical qualities of a character in a fantasy adventure: no parents, no memory/knowledge of her past, a couple of mementos from her parents (which have intrinsic and monumental value), more comfortable with the "outsiders" or animals than with the main class of folks. She is also extremely curious and adventurous. In the times when she's not working, she spends hours exploring the Rake and investigating the forgotten areas or the smaller areas that have been obscured as newer buildings have been built. She's very impulsive and makes many mistakes by leaping before she looks.

Shortly after being introduced to Cymbril and the world of the Rake, we're introduced to the catalyst for the story...a boy named Loric...a magical Fey creature who is brought to the Rake and sold into slavery. Cymbril's heart goes out to him as she relates to the injustice of his enslavement. She also finds herself drawn to him out of pure curiousity.

You can likely guess some of the paths the plot takes as Cymbril gets to know more about Loric. They scheme and plot. He tells her about her mementos and what he knows of her past. He sheds light on some of the other inhabitants of the Rake and opens her eyes to the world of magic and things going on right under her nose.

As to my reaction to the book, mostly I really enjoyed it. I had a little nagging sensation in my head that, for some reason, didn't resonate with the tone/voice/style of the writing...which seems odd because the writing is generally very simple and fluid, so I'm honestly not sure what it is that bothers me about it...maybe a re-read will help clear the cobwebs for me. :)

I did enjoy this book. The plot was fun and fresh. I am impressed with the overlapping and intersecting elements throughout the book and the way the author reveals them over time. I also thought it was very fun that the author worked with a musician to include sheet music and Lyrics for two of the songs that Cymbril sings through the book. I'm not enough of a musician to try and actually play the pieces, but I may have to seek out someone with adequate talent to play them for me. It was also refreshing to have a strong (yet young and naive) girl character as the lead in this adventure. Add to that the intriguing and fresh setting and this provided a fun read.



3.5 out of 5 stars


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The premise to this book sounded like tons of fun. I went into it expecting a "riveting" and intense recounting of the various attempts (successful and failed) to steal the First Folio over the years. What I ended up reading was indeed interesting but not nearly as compelling or intriguing as the numerous marketing blurbs and synopses made me expect.

First, I must applaud the author and his team. They have done astounding detective work to track down, identify and extensively catalog the known First Folio's out in the world. The amount of detail put into this effort is truly mind boggling. The knowledge and expertise that the author and the team have is amazing.

The book gives an initial overview of WHAT the First Folio is and what its significance is in the literary world. This description is interesting and educational. From my own studies, I'd heard the basic overview before…the comparison of the Folio versus the Quarto, the timing of how the Folios came about, etc. The overview also goes into the rarity of the Folio as a medium and with regards to the Shakespeare Folio specifically.

After the overview of the Folio history, the rest of the book follows the history of some of the known copies of the Shakespeare Folio still in existence. It is amazing the degree of detail recorded about these books…not only about their history and lineage of ownership, but also about identifying characteristics (down to creases or stains on specific areas of specific pages).

Each chapter was usually focused on the specific history of one of the known surviving Folios, though some chapters were more thematic in describing similar events or occurrences that happened to numerous Folios.

There were dozens of fun and interesting stories of theft, vandalism, fraud, mistaken identity (both of ownership and of the Folio itself) and more. Some stories were more interesting than others and the amount of research and detail for each story was always impressive.

Where the book was lost on me was the narrative style. For some reason, I never did find myself gripped by the writing, even by the most exciting or intriguing of the histories. I think this was partly due to the number of stories and the rapidity of their telling. Even with the amount of details involved, each story usually only covered a few pages and often only a few paragraphs. Add to this that the language was often steeped in scholarship and focused on presenting everything as factual as possible, and these brief stories read more like a history textbook than an exciting retelling of intrigue and suspicion (as promised by the summary).

I still found the book to be very interesting and informative. It told me a lot more about the Folios than I ever knew before and it also gave me a ton of interesting little tales of intrigue within the book world. But the book never hit home for me as the compelling read I was expecting based on the synopsis. I suspect it will have a narrow audience that may be even more narrow due to maintaining so scholarly and deep. I feel like it could have broadened its appeal by providing more engaging narratives and I'm sure this could be done without sacrificing the academic nature of the book.

This isn't a bad book…in fact, it is an excellent book. But it's certainly not going to be for everyone. I'm worried that the publishing and marketing team of this book is going to lose its audience by presenting the book as something it's not. The title, the synopsis, the quotes/blurbs, etc all suggest that you're looking at a literary thriller. If you go into this book looking for an academic thriller from someone like Eco (or the more pulp-fiction version like Brown), you'll come away disappointed. If you go in looking for a scholarly analysis on the Folio, then this book is a masterpiece and will leave you very fulfilled.


3 out of 5 stars


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Merry Christmas!!!

Our Christmas festivities this year were a little different in terms of scheduling, but still a lot of fun. Lynette went in for her second hip surgery less than a week before Christmas, so we knew ahead of time we'd have to do most of our "out-and-about" activities well before Christmas itself.

As per our normal tradition, we set up our decorations and trimmed the tree on the weekend after Thanksgiving. Both Lynette and I have a bunch of ornaments from our childhood as well as dozens that we've collected in the 15 years we've been married. Then add to that those ornaments chosen by, given to, or made by our kids, and we have a hodgepodge of decorations.

We have no set theme on our tree...rather, it's a jumble of old wooden ornaments, new plastic ornaments, glass globes, paper trees and stockings, Disney rides and figurines, Hallmark pop-culture decorations, and much much more. It's all over the place...and very clearly ours. I love it.

During the first week of December, we had a fun filled windstorm in our community which delayed a few of our pre-Christmas activities, but mostly gave us a nice teaching lesson for the kids as we worked together as a community to help and serve others.

We then made our trip to Salt Lake to see the lights on Temple Square and the plaza. I still think there are fewer lights than there used to be, but that's probably just the crotchety old man in me talking. The lights were gorgeous and we had a nice time walking around and taking in the sights and sounds.

It was a cold night. We bought some hot cocoa and cookies from a little street cart but even that didn't help warm up little Andrew enough and we had to speed walk through the last few hundred yards back to the car to get him home and warm.

The fairpark hosted a Dickens Festival again. I'm so glad they've decided to bring this back. I have fond memories of the festival from my childhood and I love being able to share it with my kids. While it is, to a large extent, a bunch of booths and vendors trying to fleece the public with overpriced gifts, there are still those diamond-in-the-rough treasures you may find. Besides...the entire thing is themed Victorian London.

So even though many of the booths are something you may find in a mall, they at least have that Dickens flair to them. And there are a few booths that embrace the authenticity both in their mannerism and their wares. This seemed especially true of the food booths and some of the clothing booths. Plus...they have Father Christmas...and he is amazing.

We also made it up to Ogden to see their annual Christmas Village down by City Hall. Once again, it was a cold night so we cut it a little short, but it was very fun. We love looking at all the cute little houses each decorated with a different theme or motiff by a company or community group.

About mid-month, we went to our local "care center" for the elderly. The primary was in charge of putting on a home evening lesson for them. A couple of their teachers gave talks and the kids sang a bunch of Christmas songs. I was caught a little off guard when Jason got up to sing a solo...so I didn't get a full video of him singing, but he did great. They all did. It was a very cute night and everybody had a good time.

We did manage to get out and visit grandparents and cousins, though sadly Lynette didn't get to make all the visits because of her surgery. The kids had a ball playing with their cousins and getting to open a few gifts prior to Christmas day.

Once Lynette had her surgery, we stuck with more indoor activities...making gingerbread houses, watching Christmas shows, relaxing and playing games and the annual reading of the Christmas story from the Bible complete with some impromtu costumes and acting from the kids. :-)

Christmas morning was a little more subdued than normal as we let Lynette hobble in first on her crutches and then the rest of us gathered around and opened gifts, laughed and played together. It was actually nice that it was more relaxed as that made it easier to convince the kids to get dressed up for Church. There were a few seconds of reluctance but I assured them their toys would still be there after we came back. So we went over to Church for a lovely Christmas morning program and then came home and just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company.

In the days after Christmas, we've played a few new board games, watched a few new movies and played with new toys.

Jason has recently taken a passion for Airsoft guns (hence his starring role in the "Christmas Story" Jibjab video I posted recently) and so he and I stepped outside for a little Airsoft war. I nicked him a few times in the cheek and gave him a couple of welts. He smacked me in the forehead really well once and left a little red spot. The kids and I also got out to see a movie (their vote was for the new Chipmunks film...definitely not my first choice, but it was a fun outing).

I have had a ton of fun these past few weeks spending time with family and celebrating our lives and our love. I love the Christmas season for its power to bring us together even more than usual.

I also love what Christmas truly stands for. I am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and what He means to me and my family. I chatted a little with the kids the day after Christmas and asked for some of their favorite moments...I loved the answer Andrew gave about how excited he was to watch Jason open the present Andrew had picked out. He truly had the joy of giving. And I think they're starting to understand more about Christ and His role in our life and the world...His selflessness and love.

I hope all of you have had a fabulous Christmas season and that your lives are truly blessed.

It's no secret that Peter Pan is one of my favorite children's stories, Disney movies, etc. I've sometimes been told I suffer from Peter Pan syndrome and while I don't know all the ins and outs of what that means, but I definitely have plenty of immature tendencies and am willing to revel in the joys of childhood more than your average stuffy adult. Anyway, when I heard about Peter and the Starcatchers, I was stoked.

This book (the start of a series) is a re-imagining of the Peter Pan story. This book is the story of how Peter became the Peter Pan that we know….how he (and others) got to Neverland. Where the magic came from. How he and Captain Hook became rivals. Basically a new beginning of a new and fresh telling of the Peter Pan adventures.

I had encouraged my two boys to read the book at the same time as me so we could talk about it. Unfortunately, the book starts out a bit slower than they were in the mood for and they both gave up about 40 pages in. Now that I've finished the book, I have encouraged them to push through…letting them know that they are nearly to the point of exciting adventure that goes on nearly non-stop through the end of the book.

The opening few chapters have a lot of character and plot development that is very interesting and creative and even a bit suspenseful, but not very action packed or exciting right away. Granted, as compared to the original Peter Pan story, the opening here is probably more enticing to young readers. :-)

I really had a lot of fun seeing Peter grow into the Peter Pan I know and love. I also loved the way the pirates were portrayed (particularly the Captain)…they were much more violent and repulsive than sometimes portrayed. This made them feel more realistic (and more frightening and threatening).

I thought that the way Peter was transitioned into being Peter Pan was handled very smoothly and made for a natural and fun presentation. It also answered a few of the somewhat ambiguous questions from the general Peter Pan mythos.

The writing style was a lot of fun…dark and creepy at times, witty and humorous at others. For the sake of younger readers (and their 21st century short attention span), it might have been better to have one exciting action scene closer to the beginning. But as an adult reader and one who grew up with slower paced children's stories, I found it perfectly acceptable and I hope I can get my boys to give it a second chance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to diving deeper into the series to find out what happens next.



4 out of 5 stars

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