2010 in Review

I feel this has been another good book reading year. By numbers it looks like I read a few less than last year, though I have to add in a few that I finished over vacation. Some of my favorite authors had new books out this year. I enjoyed Allende's Island Beneath the Sea, Chevalier's Remarkable Creatures, Kostova's Swan Thieves (OK, only her 2nd book), Sue Monk Kidd's Traveling with Pomegranates, Larsson's Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Mankell's Man from Beijing. The last two are Swedish authors I have been reading, though Larrson has died and will be writing no more. I didn't overdo it with Nora Roberts - just six this year including the two J.D. Robb books, and a few Janet Evanovich. Baldacci continues to be one of my favorite thriller authors, tough I thought Deliver us From Evil was too gruesome. I found a few new authors I liked - Julie Orringer's Invisible Bridge (Hungarian Jews in WWII), Jean Kwok's Girl in Translation, and Helen Simonson's Major Pettigrew's Last Stand wasn't bad either. The last two were about immigrants - Chinese in New York, Pakistani people in Britain. I kept reading young adult and a few children's books. Neil Gaimon still a favorite, discovered Rick Riordan's series based on Greek gods, Unwind by Neal Shusterman was interesting. Read very few non fiction books (those for work don't get into this list). When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 6o the Present helped me put myself into the chronology of the women's movement. It looks like I only read one classic - by Somerset Maugham. I hope to devote more time to rereading, or reading for the first time, some of the classics. Got to work on the BBC 100 best books list.

Reader Goddaughter

Since my son does not read, it is good to have a goddaughter that does. She is twelve and had her nose in a book most of the time she was visiting us with her family. She started reading one of her gift books almost as soon as she opened her gift. Last night her family stopped by again on their way back home from Wisconsin, and I found her curled up in my favorite reading chair, reading Mercedes Lackey's book that I had left out for her. It seemed totally appropriate for her, with all those strong women characters, and I liked to see her chuckling in places. When I asked her how she liked Princess Andromeda, she said that her name was from Greek mythology, which they had just been studying. This book is ideal for a reader, so she understands the references to various tales and other writings. When we went to bed, she was about halfway done with the 393 page book, but she said she would stay up to finish it - it would only take her an hour or so. So... my godchild not only loves books, but even reads faster than me! Librarians really need godchildren like this.