Fifty Books in 2012

I read 50 books last year. For some of my friends (Kim), that's not a feat at all, but looking back at my Goodreads for the two years prior to 2012, I averaged about 35 books a year. Fifteen more books than my usual is nothing to scoff at, and besides that, Michael made me read all of those 800 page books last year, which should really count for three books a piece, so in my opinion, I read closer to 60 books.

Six of the books I read last year were by Margaret Atwood. It was very interesting to read so many books by the same author back to back. I felt like I really got to know her as a writer - both her strengths and her weaknesses.

• Cat's Eye: ***  
• The Blind Assassin: *****
• The Handmaid's Tale: *****
• The Penelopiad: ***
• The Robber Bride: *** 
• Alias Grace: *** 

If you liked The Hunger Games series, you should read the Gregor series by the same author. Similar themes but younger characters and less of an anti-climactic ending.

• Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane: **** 
• Gregor and the Marks of Secret: ****
  
• Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods: ****
• Gregor and the Code of Claw: ****

Here are those books recommended by Michael. They were pretty good honestly. Just long.

• A Game of Thrones: ****
• A Clash of Kings: ****
• A Storm of Swords: ***
• A Feast for Crows: ***

Six of the books were re-reads. Re-reading a book is always fascinating to me; it's funny how the phase of life you're in when you read a book can have such an influence on how you feel about the book. For example, the first time I read The Handmaid's Tale, I was either in late high school or early college, and somehow between now and then, I had completely forgotten that the narrator had a daughter. I remembered in very great detail nearly all of the rest of the novel, but apparently when I was a teenager, the fact that she had a daughter did not seem important enough to remember. (It's actually a hugely important part of the book.)

• The Handmaid's Tale: ***** 
• About a Boy:  *****
• High Fidelity: *****
• The Cheerleader: ****
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: *****
• Tending to Virginia: ***

I try to read a few non-fiction books every year.

• The Omnivore's Dilemma: *****
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: ****
• The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: *** 
• Feminine Mystique: ***
• How We Decide: ****
• The Introvert Advantage: ***
• ChiRunning: *** 

This book I adored: The Kneebone Boy: *****

This book I hated:  Blindness: **

And the rest: 

• The False Friend: *** 
• Half Broke Horses: ***  
• The Basic Eight: *** 
• Loving Frank: *** 
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: ****
• Candor: *** 
• The Lightning Thief: *** 
• Girl in Translation: **** 
• The Art of Hearing Heartbeats: *** 
• Among the Free: ***  
• Winter Garden: *** 
• The Stolen Child: *** 
• Mindless Eating: *** 
• Secret Daughter: **** 
• Mockingbird: *** 
• Housekeeping: *** 
• Sarah's Key: ** 
• The Adoration of Jenna Fox: **** 
• Traffic: *** 
• The People of Sparks: **** 
• The Diamond of Darkhold: *** 
• The Maze Runner: ***