The books I read in 2011

Happy New Year, my beloved blog readers!

I hope that you’ve all been having a superb day, and that 2012 will prove to be an amazing year for each and every one of you *hug*

Following the trend of the last two years, I shall again be sharing with you the books that I managed to read this year. Since I only read 57 books in 2009 and 57 books in 2010, I decided that I wanted to break out of this ‘pattern’ and set myself a goal on Goodreads: to read (*dramatic pause*) 100 books in 2011.

And did I make it? Well, ……

…I managed to bump it up to 145, so I think things didn’t turn out too badly

I’m really quite pleased with myself, especially if you factor in that I got married in May (i.e. two-week honeymoon in Scotland with virtually no reading) and that I have spent most of the year working (as opposed to a chunk of 2010 when I was still job-hunting and, accordingly, sitting at home with a lot of free time on my hands).

If you’re not in the mood to scroll through the looong list below and peruse it now, you can always download the PDF version thereof: Books Read 2011

Oh, and if you want me to recommend any of the books on the list or highlight some of the ones I enjoyed the most, you only need to ask. Happy reading!!

BOOKS I’VE READ THIS YEAR:

* Kiss of Evil – Richard Montanari

* Twilight Hour – Carol Smith

* The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

* The Night Ferry – Michael Robotham

* The Uninhabited House – Mrs. J.H. Riddell

* The Haunted Bookshop – Christopher Morley

* The Mating – Nicky Charles

* The Colorado Kid – Stephen King

* 100 Quotes to make you think! – Wolfgang Riebe

* The Keeping – Nicky Charles

* The Princess and the Penis – R.J. Silver

* Soul Identity – Dennis Batchelder

* The Tenth Chamber – Glenn Cooper

* Soul Intent – Dennis Batchelder

* The Demon Girl (Rae Wilder #1) – Penelope Fletcher

* The Hunger Games (Hunger Games Series #1) – Suzanne Collins

* Catching Fire (Hunger Games Series #2) – Suzanne Collins

* Mockingjay (Hunger Games Series #3) – Suzanne Collins

* Freedom Incorporated – Peter Tylee

* Out the Door – Troy Blackford [got to read the manuscript J]

* Under the Wall – Troy Blackford

* Just After Sunset – Stephen King

* Gerald’s Game – Stephen King

* Cycle of the Werewolf – Stephen King

* The Plant – Stephen King

* The Gunslinger (Dark Tower #1) – Stephen King

* The Drawing of the Three (Dark Tower #2) – Stephen King

* Classical Mythology – Geddes & Grosset

* Bond with Me – Anne Marsh

* The Whole Truth – David Baldacci

* The Taking – Nicky Charles

* Our Tragic Universe – Scarlett Thomas

* Hide in Plain Sight (Three Sisters Inn #1) – Marta Perry

* The Variant Effect – G. Wells Taylor

* Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander – J.K. Rowling

* Black Silk – Jan Gordon

* The Defector – Mark Chisnell

* Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King – Lisa Rogak

* Alinora – Kara Lockley

* Night Shift – Stephen King

* Kiss Me Deadly – Michele Hauf

* The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians #1) – Rick Riordan

* The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson & the Olympians #2) – Rick Riordan

* The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson & the Olympians #3) – Rick Riordan

* The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson & the Olympians #4) – Rick Riordan

* Skipping Christmas – John Grisham

* The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson & the Olympians #5) – Rick Riordan

* The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus #1) – Rick Riordan

* The Healer’s Apprentice – Melanie Dickerson

* The Glades – Clifton Campbell

* To be Loved – Ian Woodhead

* Twisted Imaginings Vol. 1 – Garry Charles

* Twisted Imaginings Vol. 2 – Garry Charles

* Twisted Imaginings Vol. 3 – Garry Charles

* Twisted Imaginings Vol. 4 – Garry Charles

* Of Mice and Murderers – John Stockmyer

* Darkness Under the Sun- Dean Koontz

* A Christmas to Die For – Marta Perry

* Buried Sins – Marta Perry

* Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen series #1) – Joanne Fluke

* Strawberry Shortcake Murder (Hannah Swensen series #2) – Joanne Fluke

* Bleachers – John Grisham

* Blueberry Muffin Murder (Hannah Swensen series #3) – Joanne Fluke

* Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen series #4) – Joanne Fluke

* Fudge Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen series #5) – Joanne Fluke

* Formland – Troy Blackford [got to read the manuscript J]

* The Night Season – Chelsea Cain

* Sugar Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen series #6) – Joanne Fluke

* Peach Cobbler Murder (Hannah Swensen series #7) – Joanne Fluke

* City of Masks – Mike Reeves-McMillan

* Cherry Cheesecake Murder (Hannah Swensen series #8) – Joanne Fluke

* Key Lime Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen series #9) – Joanne Fluke

* Candy Cane Murder – Joanne Fluke

* Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen series #10) – Joanne Fluke

* Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen series #11) – Joanne Fluke

* Plum Pudding Murder (Hannah Swensen series #12) – Joanne Fluke

* Apple Turnover Murder (Hannah Swensen series #13) – Joanne Fluke

* Gingerbread Cookie Murder – Joanne Fluke

* Devil’s Food Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen series #14) – Joanne Fluke

* The Night Before – Lisa Jackson

* The Morning After – Lisa Jackson

* The Rosary Girls – Richard Montanari

* Case Histories – Kate Atkinson

* The Wasp Factory – Iain M. Banks

* The Skin Gods – Richard Montanari

* Feline Philosophy: Life Lessons from your Cat – Mike Hatt

* Merciless (UK title Broken Angels) – Richard Montanari

* The Secret History – Donna Tartt

* Badlands (UK title Play Dead) – Richard Montanari

* The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath

* The Echo Man – Richard Montanari

* The Perfect Husband – Lisa Gardner

* The Third Victim – Lisa Gardner

* The Next Accident – Lisa Gardner

* A Match for Melissa – Kathryn Kirkwood

* A Season for Samantha – Kathryn Kirkwood

* The Baker Street Letters – Michael Robertson

* 7 Simple Steps to Unclutter Your Life – Donna Smallin

* Mile 81 – Stephen King

* The Brothers of Baker Street – Michael Robertson

* The Killing Hour – Lisa Gardner

* Say Goodbye – Lisa Gardner

* Gone – Lisa Gardner

* Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen

* Scotland: A very peculiar history, Volume 1 – Fiona Macdonald

* The cat who could read backwards (Cat Who… #1) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking trilogy, #1) – Patrick Ness

* The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking trilogy, #2) – Patrick Ness

* Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking trilogy, #3) – Patrick Ness

* The cat who ate Danish Modern (Cat Who… #2) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* The Maze Runner (Maze Runner #1) – James Dashner

* The cat who turned on and off (Cat Who… #3) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* The cat who saw red (Cat Who… #4) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner #2) – James Dashner

* The cat who played Brahms (Cat Who… #5) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* The cat who played post office (Cat Who… #6) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* The cat who knew Shakespeare (Cat Who… #7) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus #2) – Rick Riordan

* Uglies (Uglies #1) – Scott Westerfeld

* The Death Cure (Maze Runner #3) – James Dashner

* Pretties (Uglies #2) – Scott Westerfeld

* Joanne Fluke’s Lake Eden Cookbook: Hannah Swensen’s recipes from The Cookie Jar – Joanne Fluke

* Specials (Uglies #3) – Scott Westerfeld

* Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1) – Jim Butcher

* The Demigod Files: A Percy Jackson & the Olympians Guide – Rick Riordan

* The cat who sniffed glue (Cat Who… #8) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* 20^th Century Ghosts – Joe Hill

* The cat who went underground (Cat Who… #9) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness

* The cat who talked to ghosts (Cat Who… #10) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* An Awesome Book! – Dallas Clayton

* An Awesome Book of Thanks! – Dallas Clayton

* The cat who lived high (Cat Who… #11) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* The cat who knew a cardinal (Cat Who… #12) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* 11.22.63 – Stephen King

* The cat who moved a mountain (Cat Who… #13) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* The cat who wasn’t there (Cat Who… #14) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* The cat who went into the closet (Cat Who… #15) – Lilian Jackson Braun

* The House of Silk – Anthony Horowitz

* Divergent (Divergent, #1) – Veronica Roth

* Demon Day (Rae Wilder #2) – Penelope Fletcher

* Legend (Legend #1) – Marie Lu

* The Merchant’s Daughter – Melanie Dickerson

* Little Critter’s the Night Before Christmas – Mercer Mayer

* Fool Moon (The Dresden Files #2) – Jim Butcher

Busy times

Good morning you happy little campers you!

It’s hard to believe that it’s Fried-day again… and in one month’s time, it’ll be Christmas!

Things are pretty busy here at work, and up until the end of February/ beginning of March, their only going to get exponentially busier! It’s exciting to see a book through from the planning stage right until the end, but the deadline we’re working with is crazy (nature of the industry). On the plus side, it’s allowing me to build on my efficiency and prove to the company what an asset I am *hint-hint* Still, after long days and weeks of juggling 20 different things and having to put up with the Department of Education’s undecidedness, it’s enough to spur on the madness (I was going to say it’ll drive you mad, but we’re all mad here). You know there’s no hope for you when you send your line manager an e-mail saying “We should all put on our thinking CAPS (yes, pun intended) about this”… CAPS being the new curriculum document that is in a limbo state of Final-final-final-final-final (but not actually yet final) version *sigh*

Today, for your viewing pleasure, I’ll be sharing a few pictures of what has been keeping me busy/ amusing me during the last two weeks. My Significant Other has already tried to outright bribe me into letting us test drive a car (that he isn’t going to buy, according to him) tomorrow morning. I told him that he doesn’t need to bribe me, that we’re in a partnership… but perhaps I should let him sweat a bit. He’ll have to find something pretty darn good to coax me with

Have a superb day and gloooorious weekend, dearest readers! I’ve already been commissioned to bake cookies & cake for our Monday meeting (i.e. work), so that’s a bit of ‘fun’ lined up for my Sunday.

This is a picture from one of our Foundation Phase (i.e. Gr 1 - 3) books. My Significant Other always says he wants a fat cat, which is why I couldn't resist sharing this picture with him

From an illustrated school dictionary. My S.O. complains that he's (getting) fat, which is why this pic's so funny to me. Here's hoping he doesn't become so rotund & 'grumpy'... Oh, wait, too late for the 'grumpies'!!

The new Stephen King novel (aaaah!!) - had to wait nearly a week before it was available in SA, but it was worth it

Look how happy I am! Long live Stephen King <3

We went to visit my S.O.'s uncle & aunt, where we met their new kitty, La Scala. Cutie!

After weeks of sitting with a computer that would spontaneously freeze & switch off, they FINALLY got me a new one: box, screen, keyboard & mouse... The screen is bigger, plus it has Windows7 on. Nice

In times of stress, keep calm & eat a cupcake! I baked these myself

Dinosaur cake for my brother-in-law's birthday... & no, its name is NOT Barney

Smudgy and I have been having nice cuddly times/ moments of affection this week. Fills my heart with joy & love <3

I've been watching a LOT of Nyan Cat videos on YouTube this week - sad, I know... Need to get myself this scarf!

Putting the happy in my day

It’s heeeeeere!!

After months of anxious waiting, it has finally arrived: the latest Stephen King novel hits shelves today!

Since I find myself not situated in the US or UK, I’ve readied myself for the fact that I shall have to wait at least a day or two (or ten, with my luck) before I can lay my hands on one of these glorious tomes… but still, the excitement is there

Stephen King is always my pick-me-up. I have my Significant Other (aka The Husband), who is the light of my life, the wind in my sails, the blood and oxygen that keeps my heart pumping, and all those lovely clichés (all of which I truly mean! *love you Sweetheart*), but luckily he knows my devotion to the works of my favourite author as one of his ‘Dear Readers’.

As ‘fate’ would have it, I even wrote a blog post about this last year… almost a full year to the date, if you can believe that! At the time I had been feeling ‘off’ (check), suffering from my usual bout of bad headaches (check) and feeling nauseous/ light-headed/ dizzy/ listless (that is affirmative). Once again the famed Master Writer has come along to save the day – to make me forget about how icky I feel and helping me to escape into the wonderful world of words, what-if wishes and well-plotted suspense. At that occasion FULL DARK, NO STARS had just been released… and, now that I think of it, it was most likely also released on the 8^th of November or thereabouts, since I had to wait just over a week before it was in stores here.

Next year March/ April (in time for my birthday, hurray!) we have THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE to look forward to for all you DARK TOWER fans, and closer to the end of the year – probably in November, if you ask me, why not stick with the trend? – we can expect DR SLEEP (the much anticipated follow-up to THE SHINING!) Oh mortality, how fleeting you are, that you already make me wish that death never goes a-knocking on Master King’s door…

Okay, weird little sort-of worshipping rant aside, the latest novel is called 11/22/63 and takes a look at the Kennedy assassination. It’s another wonderful ‘what if’: what if you could go back in time and stop those three shots from ringing out, stop death and confusion and all that was still to come, putting the world onto an alternate course of history? Well, fellow readers, we shall see…

Now if only I could get my Significant Other to phone the bookstore and find out when they’re expecting the much anticipated novels *hint-hint, grovel, blatant plea, sad kitty eyes*

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UPDATE: How wonderful is my older sister Libby? After reading my blog entry, she phoned the book store and enquired as to when they expect to have the book in stock, to which they answered Friday. Thank you sooo much, sis! xxx