2007: A Year in Review

I love books! I love reading! I want to climb a tree and sing out while swinging from the branches. Okay, so not really. Wouldn't that be quite a sight to see? The sentiment is there, however. It has been a wondrous reading year, full of adventure, eye opening experiences, laughter, tears, and comforting embraces. I traveled the world, stepped back in time, and rode along side some of the most amazing characters, sharing in their pain and sorrows as well as rejoicing in their happy moments. I grew as a person this year, deepened my understanding of the world around me, and had a lot of fun while doing it.

All of you have made this an even more wonderful year, sharing a bit of your life with me and me with you. You have enhanced my reading experience and given me an extra dose of confidence. I am eternally grateful. I look forward to another year of great reading and having you by my side.


These first two books, numbers 9 and 10 were difficult to choose. There were quite a few contenders for these last two spots, and certainly many are deserving. In the end, I decided to pick two mysteries that knocked my socks off this year, both of which have me clamoring for more.

10. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris ~ A cozy with teeth, what more can I ask for? (4 Stars)

9. Sacred Cows by Karen E. Olson ~ A perfect start to a good series, not to mention a protagonist after my own heart. (4 Stars)

8. The Ghost Writer by John Harwood ~ A haunting and complex story that captivated me throughout. (4.5 Stars)

7. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ~ Poignant and powerful; not easy to forget. (4.5 Stars)

6. Atonement by Ian McEwan ~ Beautiful writing that held me entranced, and, oh, how I loved the ending! (4.5 Stars)



5. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (5 Stars)

4. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert (5 Stars)

3. Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala (5 Stars)

2. The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald (5 Stars)

1. Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos (5 Stars)



My top five favorites this year touched me in many different ways. With all five of these novels the characters were able to find their way under my skin and their stories carried me deep into the pages, mesmerizing me long after I closed the book. Moloka'i and The Way the Crow Flies reached into my past and reminded me of long ago years. Anna Karenina settles comfortably in its 5th place spot. However, the next three were much harder to settle down. Each of those stories were quite powerful and moving in their own ways, tackling difficult subject matter, bringing up a multitude of emotions in me, and sticking to me even now. In the end, Broken For You resonated the loudest with me: its voice, its beauty, the eccentric characters, the lessons learned, and the story itself. I finished the book with a breathless, "Wow."

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Longest Book Read ~ I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (894 pgs)

Shortest Book Read ~ Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala (142 pgs)

Best New Series ~ Karen E. Olson's Annie Seymour, Crime Reporter Series

New To Me Series I Definitely Plan to Continue ~
Elvis Cole Mystery Series by Robert Crais
Gardella Vampire Chronicles by Colleen Gleason
Lily Bard, Housecleaner, Mystery Series by Charlaine Harris
Erlendur Sveinsson, detective inspector, Mystery Series by Arnaldur Indridason
Annie Seymour, Crime Reporter Series by Karen E. Olson
Dan Banks, Eastvale detective chief inspector, Mystery Series by Peter Robinson
Theda Krakow, a cat-loving, freelance writer, Mystery Series by Clea Simon

Best Nonfiction Book ~ Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak by Jean Hatzfeld

Best Fantasy Novel ~ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

New To Me Authors Most Likely to Become Long-Term Favorites ~
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Kate Atkinson
Robert Crais
Kim Edwards
Neil Gaiman
John Harwood
Arnaldur Indridason
Uzodinma Iweala
Stephanie Kallos
Jhumpa Lahiri
Ann-Marie MacDonald
Karen E. Olson
Peter Robinson
Clea Simon
Leo Tolstoy

Place I'd Most Like to Settle ~ Appleton (Silver Bough by Lisa Tuttle)

Sobfest Book of the Year ~ When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

Most Disappointing Book ~ Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich

2007 Reading Trends ~

Total Books Read ~ 89
Total Authors read ~ 78

Total New To Me Authors Read ~ 59

Books Read by Genre ~
35 Fiction
35 Crime/Suspense/Thrillers/Mysteries
11 Fantasy
7 Nonfiction
1 Science Fiction
1 Novel-in-Verse (also listed under fantasy)

Authors Read by Gender ~
43 Females
35 Males

Books Read by Authors' Gender ~
51 Females
38 Males

Authors by Nationality ~
56 Americans
9 British
2 Canadians
1 Australian
1 Austrian
1 French
1 Icelandic
1 Indian
1 Irish
1 Nigerian
1 Rhodesian
1 Russian
1 Scotish
1 Swedish

Books Read by Rating ~
5 - Outstanding/5 Stars
3 Very Good +/4.5 Stars
36 Very Good/4 Stars
10 Good +/3.5 Stars
31 Good/3 Stars
4 Fair/2 Stars

Total Books I was Unable to Read to Completion ~ 1

Book Size ~
9 Pint Size Books (200 pgs and Under)
51 Intermediate Books (201-350 pgs)
23 Substantial Books (351-500 pgs)
6 Doorstop Books (501+ pgs)

Books Read by Type ~
19 Hardback Books
52 Trade Paperback Books (18 Advanced Reader's Editions, ARE)
18 Mass Paperback Books

Books Read by Year of Publication ~
61 in the 2000's (23 books published in 2007; 4 books set to be published in 2008)
12 in the 1990's
2 in the 1980's
2 in the 1970's
2 in the 1950's
1 each in 1900's, 1910, 1920's, 1930's, 1940's, 1960's
4 in the 1800's

Books Read by Narrative Voice ~
32 1st Person
38 3rd Person
6 Both
3 Nonspecific Voice

Reading Challenges Participated in ~ 18
Reading Challenges Completed ~ 15
Reading Challenges Carrying Over Into New Year ~ 2

That sums up my reading year. It was a great year overall, and I am looking forward to seeing where my books take me in 2008.

Have a very Happy New Year everyone!

Best wishes in the New Year.

Books Read in 2007

(Archive of books read in 2007--updated monthly)

January 2007
1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1877) - Fiction - 838 pgs - Outstanding
2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953) - Science Fiction - 179 pgs - Good
3. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (2004) - Fiction - 311 pgs - Very Good
4. Silver Bough by Lisa Tuttle (2006) - Fantasy - 337 pgs - Good +
5. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1955) - Fiction - 453 pgs - Very Good

February 2007
6. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayer (1923) - Mystery - 212 pgs - Good
7. Emma by Jane Austen (1816) - Fiction - 328 pgs - Very Good
8. Trouble by Jesse Kellerman (2007) - Suspense/Thriller - 352 pgs - Fair
9. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1930) - Mystery - 217 pgs - Very Good
10. The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald (2003) - Fiction - 820 pgs -Outstanding
11. Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich (2007) - Mystery - 164 pgs - Fair

March 2007
12. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (2003) - Fiction - 291 pgs - Good
13. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (2005) - Fiction - 401 pgs - Very Good
14. Dust Covered Dreams by E.A. Graham (2006) - Fiction - 249 pgs - Good
15. Wickett's Remedy by Myla Goldberg (2005) - Fiction - 326 pgs - Good
16. The Hindi-Bindi Club by Monica Pradhan (2007) - Fiction - 432 pgs - Good

April 2007
17. The Angel of Forgetfulness by Steve Stern (2005) - Fiction - 404 pgs - 2 Stars
18. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (1968) - Fantasy - 198 pgs - 3 Stars
19. April Witch by Majgull Axelsson (1997) - Fiction - 408 pgs - 4 Stars
20. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (1998) - Fiction - 894 pgs - 4 Stars
21. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (2001) - Fantasy - 592 pgs - 4 Stars
22. Dead Birds Don't Sing by Brenda M. Boldin (2005) - Mystery - 226 pgs - 3 Stars
23. As Dead As It Gets by Cady Kalian (2006) - Mystery - 349 pgs- 3.5 Stars

May 2007
24. Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock (1984) - Fantasy - 232 pgs - 3 Stars
25. The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason (2007) - Fantasy - 347 pgs - 3 Stars
26. Atonement Ian McEwan (2001) - Fiction - 351 pgs - 4.5 Stars
27. The Nazi Officer's Wife by Edith Hahn Beer (1999) - Nonfiction - 305 pgs - 4 Stars
28. Field of Fire James O. Born (2007) - Mystery - 340 pgs - 3 Stars

June 2007
29. The Inhabited World by David Long (2006) - Fiction - 277 pgs - 3.5 Stars
30. The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey (1995) - Fantasy - 433 pgs - 4 Stars
31. Rainbow's End: A Memoir of Childhood, War, and an African Farm by Lauren St John (2006) - Nonficion - 269 pgs - 4 Stars
32. Dreaming in Libro: How a Good Dog Tamed a Bad Woman by Louise Bernikow (2007) - Nonfiction - 217 pgs - 3 Stars
33. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2006) - Fiction - 453 pgs - 4.5 Stars
34. Forgive Me by Amanda Eyre Ward (2007) - Fiction - 238 pgs - 4 Stars
35. Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak by Jean Hatzfeld (2003) - Nonfiction - 253 pgs - 4 Stars
36. Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala (2005) - 142 pgs - 5 Stars
37. Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich (2007) - Mystery - 310 pgs - 3 Stars
38. Sula by Toni Morrison (1973) - Fiction - 174 pgs - 4 Stars
39. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris (2005) - Mystery - 214 pgs - 4 Stars
40. The Pumpkin Seed Massacre by Susan Slater (1999) - Mystery - 252 pgs - 3 Stars
41. The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais (1987) - Mystery - 201 pgs - 4 Stars

July 2007
42. Septembers in Shiraz by Dalia Sofer (2007) - Fiction - 338 pgs - 3.5 Stars
43. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (1901) - Mystery - 173 pgs - 4 Stars
44. When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin (2006) - Fiction - 336 pgs - 4 Stars
45. Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong (2007) - Suspense/Thriller - 480 pgs - 4 Stars
46. The Ghost Writer by John Harwood (2004) - Fiction - 369 pgs - 4.5 Stars
47. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (2007) - Fantasy - 759 pgs - 4 Stars
48. February Flowers by Fan Wu (2007) - Fiction - 244 pgs - 3 Stars
49. Death's Acre by Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson (2003) - Nonfiction - 304 pgs - 3.5 Stars
50. Stardust by Neil Gaiman (1999) - Fantasy - 250 pgs - 4 Stars
51. Sacred Cows by Karen E. Olson (2005) - Mystery - 304 pgs - 4 Stars

August 2007
52. A Few Good Murders by Cady Kalian (2007) - Mystery - 287 pgs - 3 Stars
53. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert (2003) - Fiction - 389 pgs - 5 Stars
54. The Society by Michael Palmer (2004) - Mystery - 351 pgs - 3 Stars
55. A Garden of Vipers by Jack Kerley (2006) - Suspense/Thriller - 375 pgs - 4 Stars
56. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (1996) - Nonfiction - 207 pgs - 3 Stars

September 2007
57. New England White by Stephen L. Carter (2007) - Fiction - 551 pgs - 3.5 Stars
58. Persuasion by Jane Austen (1817) - Fiction - 188 pgs - 4 Stars
59. Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos (2004) - Fiction - 371 pgs - 5 Stars
60.Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach(2005) - Nonfiction - 311 pgs - 3 Stars
61. Brain Dead by Eileen Dreyer(1997) - Mystery - 406 pgs - 3 Stars
62. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1891) - Fiction - 165 pgs - 2 Stars
63. Life Support by Tess Gerritsen (1997) - Suspense/Thriller - 372 pgs - 3 Stars
64. Missing Witness by Gordon Campbell (2007) - Supsense/Thriller - 431 pgs - 3.5 Stars
65. The Collection by Gioia Diliberto (2007) - Fiction - 275 pgs - 3 Stars

October 2007
66. An Accidental American by Alex Carr (2007) - Suspense/Thriller - 228 pgs - 4 Stars
67. The Art Thief by Noah Charney (2007) - Mystery - 290 pgs - 3 Stars
68. Secondhand Smoke by Karen E. Olson (2006) - Mystery - 259 pgs - 4 Stars
69. Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson (2008) - Mystery - 372 pgs - 4 Stars
70. Day of the Dead by Karen E. Olson (2007) - Mystery - 300 pgs - 4 Stars

November 2007
71. A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon (2006) - Fiction - 354 pgs - 3 Stars
72. Pursuit by Thomas Perry (2001) - Suspense/Thriller - 370 pgs - 3 Stars
73. The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold (2007) - Fiction - 291 pgs - 4 Stars
74. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1977) - Fiction - 191 pgs - 4 Stars
75. The Keeper by Greg Rucka (1996) - Suspense/Thriller - 332 pgs - 3 Stars
76. Mew is for Murder by Clea Simon (2005) - Mystery - 223 pgs - 4 Stars
77. Jar City by Arnaldur Iridiđason (2000) - Mystery - 275 pgs - 4 Stars
78. Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Iridiđason (2002) - Mystery - 280 pgs - 4 Stars
79. The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes (2008) - Fantasy - 353 pgs - 3 Stars

December 2007
80. Dervishes by Beth Helms (2008) - Fiction - 314 pgs - 3 Stars
81. Cattery Row by Clea Simon (2006) - Mystery - 227 pgs - 4 Stars
82. Cries and Whiskers by Clea Simon (2007) - Mystery - 251 pgs - 4 Stars
83. Song of the Cuckoo Bird by Amulya Malladi (2006) - Fiction - 372 pgs - 3.5 Stars
84. In A Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes (1947) - Suspense/Thriller - 250 pgs - 3.5 Stars
85. The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley (1919) - Mystery - 289 pgs - 4 Stars
86. The Mysteries by Lisa Tuttle (2005) - Fantasy - 321 pgs - 3.5 Stars
87. Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow (2008) - Fantasy - 311 pgs - 4 Stars
88. The Worst Thing I've Done by Ursula Hegi (2007) - 260 pgs - 3 Stars
89. Finder by Greg Rucka (1998) - 320 pgs - 3 Stars

The Short Story Reading Challenge

It is often said that the best presents come in small packages. For those of us who are fans of bookstore gift cards, you know this to be true. When it comes to reading, I am partial to full length books, I admit. There is more room for an author to introduce the characters and plot, set the stage and move through the paces, time enough for me to settle in for a long ride. Short stories are over so quickly and frequently leave me feeling unsatisfied. However, short stories are good in a pinch, when time is short or as an in between filler when I need a rest between novels. Still, when a short story is done right, it can hold just as much magic and sway as a full length novel.

Despite my leanings toward the longer books, I do collect and read short story collections now and again, although not nearly as often as I might like because, well, my preference for the longer book tends to kick in.

Kate is hosting The Short Story Reading Challenge (with quite an irresistible button), offering participants several different avenues of short story reading for the challenge. For a description of each of the five options, visit the The Short Story Reading Challenge Blog. I thought I would take her up on this challenge, push myself to read more short stories this year and further open the literary door a little wider.

For this particular challenge, I am going to go with Option 5, in which I tailor the challenge to meet my own reading needs. My choices include three anthologies that touch upon the Indian culture and people, both in India and in the United States.

Love and Longing in Bombay by Vikram Chandra
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Breathless in Bombay by Murzban F. Shroff

The Worst Thing I've Done by Ursula Hegi

The Worst Thing I’ve Done by Ursula Hegi
Touchstone, 2007 (ARE)
Fiction; 260 pgs

Completed: 12/28/2007
Rating: (Good)

First Sentence: Tonight, Annie is driving from North Sea to Montauk and back to North Sea as she has every night since Mason killed himself.

Reason for Reading: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book quite unexpectedly. Ursula Hegi wrote one of my all-time favorite novels, and I have enjoyed two others by her as well. I was quite thrilled get the opportunity to read her latest.

Comments: Sometimes even the closest of friendships carry the darkest of secrets. Annie, Mason, and Jake have been friends since childhood, with Annie as the glue that holds the friends together. Mason’s suicide devastates the two remaining friends who struggle with their grief and guilt. Annie and Jake know what finally pushed their friend over the edge, and they both blame themselves for having a part in it.

Mason and Annie were married on the day Annie’s parents died in a car crash, leaving behind a newborn baby, Opal, making the newlyweds an instant family of three. The three friends pull together to get through their grief at the loss of Annie and Opal’s parents and to create a stable and good life for the young Opal.

With Mason’s death eight years later, Annie must go on for Opal’s sake. She works through her grief as she struggles to help her sister through hers. The friendship between the once three best friends is hanging by a thread just barely for the two that remain alive.

Ursula Hegi’s novel takes the reader into the hearts and minds of the three friends and their little charge, Opal. We are also introduced to Aunt Stormy, a close family friend of Annie’s mother who stands by Annie and Opal through the worst of it. The perfect friendship was not so perfect after all, and as the story unfolds, the characters are unmasked through their grief and suffering.

I never came to like Mason or even really sympathize with him as a character. He was selfish and manipulative. He acted out his insecurities his entire life, playing the victim or wounded one to gain sympathy and attention. I never did see exactly why it was that Annie and Jake were so protective of him or why they were drawn to him. They both loved him in their own ways and at the same time despised him.

Setting that aside, the grief and internal struggle of having lost someone to suicide described in the book is very real. The process of working through the grief and anger, coming to terms with the past and grabbing hold of the present, and moving forward is very much alive in Ursula Hegi’s latest novel.

The story itself is convoluted and not overly exciting. There are no surprises, even as the more secretive aspects of the story come to light. Yet Ursula Hegi’s beautiful writing brings to life the essence of the story and carries it from beginning to end. This is not the author's best effort, but I am still glad I took the time to read it.

Favorite Parts: Annie found solace in her art. She so easily got lost in a project, letting it take over and come alive on the canvas. I could tell that she was most at home when she was creating and living through her collages.

Taking out the kayak and floating along the water, seeing the wild life, the birds and jellyfish. Amidst all the turmoil, the moments on the water were the most peaceful and healing. I would not have minded joining along for the ride.

The Year in Reading Challenges: 2007

This was the year I discovered reading challenges. I came out by the skin of my teeth in a few of them, and ended up calling it quits on one. This next year I will not be involved with quite so many, but I am participating in a few. You did not really expect me to go cold turkey did you? Maybe in 2009.

I learned something about myself the more involved with challenges I became. I always considered myself a moody reader, and yet, I really do not think I am. Not completely. I do go through phases and prefer to read one book over another depending on my mood, but following a list was not as difficult as I thought it would be. It helped that all of the challenges allowed for some freedom on selecting which book to read when. In addition, I found it easier to choose the next book I would read. Less pondering over the many options, holding little drawings where my animals or husband were asked for assistance to choose, or whittling away valuable reading time because I could not make up my mind.

My main goal with the challenges was to read books that had been forced to wait their turn long enough. These were all books I wanted to read long before I caught the Challenge Fever. For a couple of the challenges I did have to break my rule of only reading books I already owned, but I reasoned that it was for a good cause. Even in those instances, the books I selected were ones I wanted to read, not because I should read them out of any obligation.

Over a plate of spaghetti with brown butter and mizithra cheese, Anjin and I discussed my reading plans for the new year. Balance is key. The real challenge will be in not overcommitting myself and balancing my reading so that I will be able not only to read my challenge books, but also to continue with my review books and spontaneous selections with little stress or worry that time is running out.

The truth is I do not mind a little pressure. Even when I felt like the deadlines were looming over my head, and I might not make it as far as I wanted to go, I was still having fun along the way. The reading challenges are all for fun. There is no compensation other than my own personal feeling of accomplishment in the end, and if I do not quite make the goal, that is okay too. Even making a little headway is progress because I am farther in my reading than I might have been otherwise.

As I look over the challenges I have completed, I have a definite feeling of confidence. I would be lying if I did not feel a sense of relief as well. I am ready to move on and start fresh with new challenges, continue my literary travels and go in new directions. It has been an extraordinary experience. I learned more about myself, read many great books, tried new authors, made new friends, and joined a community of fellow booklovers whose support and wisdom I greatly appreciate and admire. Of all I gained from my year in reading challenges, I most treasure the camaraderie and fellowship.

My thanks go out to the many brave hosts of this year's challenges, including those I did not participate in.

Completed Challenges 2007

Book to Movie Challenge

Chunkster Challenge

Kathrin's Classics Reading Challenge

Medical Mystery Madness Challenge

New York Times Notable Book Challenge

Nonfiction Five Challenge

Once Upon A Time Challenge

Reading Through the Decades Challenge

Southern Reading Challenge

Spring Reading Thing

Summer Mystery Reading Challenge

2007 TBR Challenge

Winter Classics Challenge

2nds Challenge

Valiant Effort 2007

Saturday Review of Books Challenge

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I also took part in a little challenge called Just4thehelluvit Challenge in which challenge-frenzied readers were instructed to read a book, well, just for the hell of it. I ended up reading one book that met this criteria since the start of the challenge. I could have counted a few others because they did not fall into the review book or challenge categories, however, because I planned to read them ahead of time for one reason or another, I did not feel that they qualified.