2007 Reading Wrap-up

2007 was the first year that I kept track of all the books I read and listened to on audio. I used librarything to index my books and although it is not perfect for now it is the social cataloging site I like best. I don't review the books I've read (I did think about it but I have no patience for analyzing why I do or don't like a book - I just know if I do). So without further ado, here is my list in alphabetical order:


1. The Abortionist's Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde
2. The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
3. The Accidental (audio) by Ali Smith
4. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
5. Arba'a Batim Ve'gagua (ארבעה בתים וגעגוע) by Eshkol Nevo
6. Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child
7. Beautiful Lies: A Novel by Lisa Unger
8. Brick Lane by Monica Ali
9. The Case of the Missing Books: A Mobile Library Mystery by Ian Sansom
10. The Cleaner by Brett Battles
11. The Cold Moon: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel by Jeffery Deaver
12. Corelli's Mandolin: A Novel (audio) by Louis De Bernieres
13. The Corrections (audio) by Jonathan Franzen
14. Cross by James Patterson
15. Death Row by William Bernhardt
16. The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman
17. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
18. The Echo Maker: A Novel by Richard Powers
19. Echo Park by Michael Connelly
20. Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder by David Weinberger
21. Fragile Innocence: A Father's Memoir of His Daughter's Courageous Journey by James Jr Reston
22. Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
23. The Garden of Ruth by Eva Etzioni-Halevy
24. The God of Animals: A Novel by Aryn Kyle
25. Good Grief (audio) by Lolly Winston
26. Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston
27. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
28. The History of Love: A Novel by Nicole Krauss
29. How to be Lost: A Novel (audio) by Amanda Eyre Ward
30. I Know This Much Is True (audio) by Wally Lamb
31. Invisible Prey by John Sanford
32. Judge and Jury by James Patterson
33. The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle
34. Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name: A Novel by Vendela Vida
35. Little Children: A Novel (audio) by Tom Perrotta
36. Little Women (audio) by Louisa May Alcott
37. Lost and Found: A Novel by Carolyn Parkhurst
38. Lucy Crocker 2.0: A Novel by Caroline Preston
39. Magical Thinking: True Stories (audio) by Augusten Burroughs
40. Mask Market by Andrew Vachss
41. A Match Made in Heaven: American Jews, Christian Zionists, and One Man's Exploration of the Weird and Wonderful Judeo-Evangelical Alliance by Ze'ev Chafets
42. Matrimony by Joshua Henkin
43. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
44. The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander
45. Mountains Beyond Mountains: Healing the World: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer by Tracy Kidder
46. My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman
47. Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks
48. Nineteen Minutes: A Novel by Jodi Picoult
49. On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, David Kessler
50. One Shot by Lee Child
51. The Overlook by Michael Connelly
52. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
53. Promise Me by Harlan Coben
54. The Road (audio) by Cormac McCarthy
55. Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers by Elizabeth Edwards
56. The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer
57. Shvuat Rachel (שבועת רחל) by Michal Shalev
58. Simple Genius by David Baldacci
59. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
60. Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver
61. The Slow Moon: A Novel by Elizabeth Cox
62. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel by Lisa See
63. Songs Without Words by Ann Packer
64. The Spellman Files: A Novel by Lisa Lutz
65. Swimming across the Hudson by Joshua Henkin
66. Swimming Toward the Light by Angela Tehaan Leone
67. T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
68. The Teahouse Fire (audio) by Ellis Avery
69. Terminal by Andrew Vachss
70. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
71. Three Junes by Julia Glass
72. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
73. Waiting for Daisy: A Tale of Two Continents, Three Religions, Five Infertility Doctors, an Oscar, an Atomic Bomb, a Romantic Quest, and One Woman's Quest to Become a Mother by Peggy Orenstein
74. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
75. We Need to Talk About Kevin: A Novel by Lionel Shriver
76. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
77. The Whole World Over: A Novel by Julia Glass
78. Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille
79. Without Fail by Lee Child
80. The Woods by Harlan Coben
81. The World to Come by Dara Horn
82. The Worst Thing I've Done: A Novel by Ursula Hegi
83. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

Of the 83 books I consumed in 2007, there were 11 authors I read more than one of his/her works, 11 were audiobooks, 10 were non-fiction, two were in Hebrew, two won Pulitzer prizes (one of which I hated: The Road), and one I both read and listened to (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows).

Among my favorites were Corelli's Mandolin, Good Grief, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, How to be Lost, I know this much is True, The Kindness of Strangers, Lost and Found, Mountains beyond Mountains, Nine Parts of Desire, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Three Junes, and Water for Elephants. Books I thoroughly disliked were The Accidental, Brick Lane, The Corrections, The Echo Maker, The Road, Swimming Toward the Light, and We need to talk about Kevin. I found the Yiddish Policemen's Union disappointing after all it's hype.

I have a pile of books waiting to be read in 2008, and two that I started this weekend that I'll finish in 2008 so I guess my list will continue to grow. And if I haven't convinced you to pick up a book or two this year, maybe the following quotes will:
The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. ~Mark Twain, attributed
TV. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six. Open your child's imagination. Open a book. ~Author Unknown
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. Dr. Seuss