Now that I’ve finished writing up the nearly 50 books I read last year, which were amongst the best? I offer my top ten list — five books aimed at adults and five aimed at young adults — for 2006 below. The links take you to my original book reviews.

1. The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan — This book really was the most riveting, creative, wonderful book I read all year. The protagonist is an everyday kid, the sort you’d be annoyed by in any average venue, until he finds out that he could possibly be extraordinary. Which is where any good epic takes off. I so look forward to reading future volumes in this series.
2. The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss — The best books sometimes happen into your life accidentally. This story of many kinds of love came into mine at an airport convenience store. Who would have expected something so great from the O.C. airport?
3. The Big Over Easy, by Jasper Fforde — Favorite authors just cannot be ignored when they write new books. And Jasper has yet to write a book that disappoints. This tale departed from Thursday Next’s series to take on the story of Detective Jack Spratt with equal excitement and cleverness. Rudi gave me the follow-up, The Fourth Bear, for Christmas and I’m eager to tear into it very, very soon.
4. Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke — Admit it; the saying is often wrong. You frequently can judge a book by its cover. And this new favorite author’s work hopped into my hands almost exclusively based on its cover. (Mind you, I’d been attracted to her covers before this one demanded to come home with me.) A terrific read for book lovers everywhere. Read it before the movie comes out.
5. Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg — Old friends often have great recommendations for what you should pick up next. When two old friends independently refer you to the same book, it’s time to put down your current read and find out what’s going to make your literary taste buds water. Thanks Eri and Rebs for encouraging me to seek out Fannie’s latest wonder. It’s unusual for a book to have you grinning for the duration, but this one succeeded at doing just that.
6. Arthur and George, by Julian Barnes — Book awards cannot be totally ignored. This work of historical fiction, which appeared on many short lists last year, was a bit of a downer, but it kept me reading until the very end and left me wondering about the final chapters’ events. It’s hard to ask for more than that from an author.
7. Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson — This account of the origins of the inhabitants of Never Never Land was on my list for a long time before it and I ended up at the same place at the same time. And then it kept me up late kicking my brain into wakefulness with questions of what would happen next.
8. Fly by Night, by Frances Hardinge — While covers are important, sometimes cover blurbs are, too. A freebie advance reader copy of this book found its way home with me last year from one of my book conferences via Rudi’s sharp eye for colorful descriptions. Whoever wrote the book’s blurb is to be congratulated. The author’s sense of place stayed with me, as did her use of language, so I’m grateful that the blurb lived up to the reading.
9. Wicked, by Gregoire Maguire — This adaptation of the Oz mythology had long sat on my list of books to check out at some point. When the long-awaited sequel came out, it seemed imperative to read the original. A friend and I read it together and I’d say we both enjoyed it. I wish the book had been a little longer in order to let the end of the story not feel so rushed, but I still think it merits appearing on my top ten list for the year.
10. The Safe-Keeper’s Secret, by Sharon Shinn — Tears are a real tribute to an author’s ability to make you care about her characters. And I wept on public transportation for the characters in Shinn’s novel. I look forward to seeing how their story plays out in future stories.

Reading a lot can be a sign of depression setting in for me. Reading nothing at all is a gigantic neon sign that the depression has settled in, made itself at home, and is inviting guests over for loud raucus parties. The first two titles were read back in October. NOTHING was finished in November, although I dabbled in a couple of books. And the last two were read on December 30th after a trip to the library. Two books in one day — seems like a good sign, don’t you think?

Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg
From the jacket: “Life is the strangest thing. One minute, Mrs. Elner Shimfissle is up in her tree, picking figs, and the next things she knows she is off on an adventure she never dreamed of, running into people she never in a million years expected to meet. Meanwhile, back home, Elner’s nervous, high-strung niece Norma faints and winds up in bed with a cold rag on her head; Elner’s neighbor Vergena rushes immediately to the Bible; her truck driver friend, Luther Griggs, whom Elner has known since he was a boy, runs his eighteen-wheeler into a ditch — and the entire town is thrown for a loop and left wondering, ‘What is life all about, anyway?’ Except for Tot Whooten,who owns Tot’s Tell It Like It Is beauty shop. Her main concern is that the world might come to an end before she can collect her social security.”
Why this book? Eri and Rebs both recommended it to me — separately. And when two people who have known you so well so long recommend a book by an author you already enjoy, don’t pass go, don’t collect $200. Just head to the library or the bookstore and pick it up immediately.
My take: Wow. My face ached from smiling so hard. If you want a book that makes you feel good about life (and death), this is it. This is a modern It’s a Wonderful Life without the suicidal thoughts. Go get it, now. Hurry!
Pages: 365

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, by Gideon Defoe
From the book jacket: “Not since Moby-Dick. … No, not since Treasure Island. … Actually, not since Jonah and the Whale has there been a sea saga to rival [this one], featuring the greatest seafaring hero of all time, the immortal Pirate Captain, who, although he lives for months at a time at sea, somehow manages to keep his beard silky and in good contdition. Worried that his pirates are growing bored with a life of winking at pretty native ladies and trying to stick enough jellyfish together to make a bouncy castle, the Pirate Captain decides it’s high time to spearhead an adventure. While searching for some major pirate booty, he mistakenly attacks the young Charles Darwin’s Beagle and then leads his ragtag crew from the exotic Galapagos Islands to the fog-filled streets of Victorian London. There they encounter grisly murder, vanishing ladies, radioactive elephants, and the Holy Ghost itself. And that’s not even the half of it.”
Why this book? It was on sale, came in a clever two books-for-one packaging, and got a good review from NPR.
My take: Not as good as I’d hoped. Defoe might be one of those authors who is taking postmodernism to new and ridiculously annoying levels. Or he could be poking fun at our pre-established literary stereotypes. But I tired of the characters far faster than I wanted. But I did appreciate some of his jokes and references and anachronisms, especially when it came to the pirate who ate Starburst instead of citrus fruits — and who ultimately died of scurvy.
Pages: 101

A Highland Christmas, by M.C. Beaton
From the book jacket: “In the dark, wintry highlands of Lochdubh, Scotland, the spirit of Old St. Nick is about as welcome as a flat tire on a deserted road. … Now it’s up to Hamish to make things right. He has to protect an unhappy girl, unlock the secrets of a frightened old woman, and retrieve some stolen holiday goods. And he had better do it quickly, for the church bells will soon toll, and all of Lochdubh will be forced to face another dreary winter. …”
Why this book? I’ve said it before, the Hamish Macbeth series of books is comfort food to me. And I needed comfort — and a little more Christmas in my life.
My take: We were going for mashed potatoes here, not spinach. And it seems to have served its appointed purpose because here I am talking about books again, right?
Pages: 129

The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog, by Dave Barry
From the book jacket: “The year is 1960, and as it is every year, the Christmas pageant at St. John’s Episcopal Church, directed by Mrs. Elkins, who used to be in The Theater in New York, and who is tall and skinny with hair the color of the orange part of a candy corn, is a very big deal. Doug is a shepherd this year, which is better than being a Three King, because, for one thing, you get to carry a stick. There are problems everywhere, however. His fellow shepherds are hacking around, which makes Mrs. Elkins yell at all of them; the girl he likes is playing Mary opposite a Joseph who is depressingly smart and athletic and cute; the family dog is doing very poorly, and they have no idea what they’re going to tell Doug’s little sister, Becky, who’s playing one of the Host of Angels and who loves the dog more than anything; and his dad’s just gotten a flat tire, which means they might not even get to the pageant at all.”
Why this book? More of the desired Christmas fix. And I always enjoy Barry’s columns.
My take: Short but sweet. I’m glad I got it from the library rather than the bookstore, though, because short it was. Sort of a real-life The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Kind of.
Pages: 117

Total number of books read during 2006: 47
Total page count from those books (give or take a few pages): 12,568

That’s it. Stay tuned tomorrow for 2006’s Best of Books post. There are some great ones in there….

So in browsing Kat and Paula‘s blogs, I learned about the From the Stacks Reading Challenge, being sponsored by Overdue Books. The idea is, between Nov. 1 and Jan. 30, to read five books that have been languishing in your collection collecting dust.

Readers and knitters alike enjoy adding to their stash, so the hardest part of the challenge is merely winnowing the list down to five. I personally am a huge fan of buying books at library book sales, particularly those that let you fill up a whole bag for $1.

I already convinced Jenn to join, so I guess I’d better get my butt in gear and post my own list:

1. King Lear, by William Shakespeare. I know, I know. It’s shameful that an English major managed to receive a B.A. without reading this classic. But I did read A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley’s feminist retelling of the story, so my degree isn’t totally without merit. But this is my greatest English major guilt, so it’s time to assuage it.
2. Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe. Nope. Never read this one either. (For the record, while I was assigned Defoe’s Moll Flanders in college, I didn’t finish it. I don’t remember caring for it much, so my guess is that I sold it back to the college bookstore after the semester ended.)
3. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. I meant to read it this summer but instead found other things more immediately compelling. (It may have something to do with the fact that our copy of the book is in a mostly-complete compendium of Adams’ work, which is tough to carry with me on the Metro.)
4. Silas Marner, by George Eliot. I’ve tried to read it before and just haven’t managed to get past a certain point. It’s such a short book that I really don’t think it should be as hard as I’ve made it out to be.
5. White Teeth, by Zadie Smith. This is another book that I’ve begun and put down a couple times over the past five years. It’s considered a modern classic, so I think it’s time to finish it off.

This endeavor will be made more challenging by the fact that I’m not doing a whole lot of reading during November or December as NaNoWriMo and holiday knitting are going to take up a lot of my time over the next six weeks.

I have a post-Election hangover (not at all related to extreme jubilation, immense amounts of candy corn, and a post 3 a.m. bedtime, I’m sure), so I’m going with a meme today.

Via Book Moot:

Do this…
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next four sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig around for that “cool” or “intellectual” book on your shelves. (I know you were thinking about it.) Just pick up whatever is closest.

Even in the feeble streetlights, I could see, up and through that glorious haze, that I had never seen that woman before in my life. “Ain’t you Bertha’s boy? Got a brother name Freddy that married Dolley and Pritchard’s girl? You Bertha’s boy what went to Korea? Ain’t yall’s pastor Reverend Dr. Miller over at Shiloh Baptist?”

Taken from the title story of All Aunt Hagar’s Children: Stories, by Edward P. Jones. Jones is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who lives and places his stories in D.C.

If you feel like playing, please do.

I don’t know how some people do it. They post every day and they include photos. How do you do it? I love how the photos look, but boy do I find prepping them tedious!

I’ve been sitting on a number of updates just because I couldn’t face the photo tweaking that accompanied them.

But laziness aside, I need to get this post out of draft format and move along. So here you go….

(more…)

I am late, late, late in posting about September reads. And really I have no excuses. Just laziness. And the fact that I can’t read, knit, watch baseball, and type simultaneously…

The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis

From the book jacket: “How a talking horse and a boy prince saved Narnia from invasion”

Why this book? The next book in the Narnia series.

My take: It becomes harder and harder to ignore Lewis’ biases as the books go on. In this one, he doesn’t like people of Middle Eastern descent. There’s a reason why the first one is so well known and the rest aren’t read as frequently. And I can see why I lost interest in them before this point when I was growing up.

Putting that aside for the moment, however, it was a stronger story than The Silver Chair, which preceded it in the series.

Pages: 217

The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan

From the book jacket: “Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school . . . again. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to stay out of trouble. But can he really stand by and watch while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend? Or not defend himself against his pre-algebra teacher when she turns into a monster and tries to kill him? Of course, no one believes Percy about the monster incident; he’s not even sure he believes it himself. Until the Minotaur chases him to summer camp….”

Why this book? I’d read great things about it all over the place, but particularly and repeatedly from Camille at Book Moot.

My take: Percy Jackson is a compelling Everyboy kind of character. He’s always in trouble. He and his step-father don’t get along. He doesn’t get good grades. He suffers from ADD. And then, after surviving a couple of harrowing attacks, he finds out (as every child hopes to one day) that he is more extraordinary than he ever could have hoped. And his real adventures begin.

Compelling, exciting, and both character- and plot-driven — exactly what a young adult novel should be. Exactly what any novel should be. I couldn’t put it down and can’t wait to read the next one. It deserved every bit of praise it received — and then some. Definitely a top-10 book for the year.

Pages: 377

The Magicians of Caprona, by Diana Wynne Jones

From the book jacket: “Tonino Montana often wished he had been born with an instinct for magic like his brother Paolo. Paolo had no trouble learning spells, or ordinary lessons for that matter, but Tonino was dismally slow at both…. Not that his family minded in the leeast; they had too many other worries anyway, because lately none of their spells seemed to have the old power. Something — or someone — was definitely sapping the strength of even the mighty charms set to defend the city, and if they gave, there would almost certainly be war.”

Why this book? Jenn suggested I might like the earlier books in this series. Since the library didn’t have them, I chose this one instead.

My take: How do the apparently non-magical function in a magical world? The answer would seem to be through strength of character and observances, although it’s never as simple as that, of course.

The book features warring magical clans, communicative cats, and an overabundance of Punch and Judy. If any of that sounds interesting, I’d recommend the book. And I was sufficiently intrigued by the wizard Chrestomanci, that I will seek out the other books featuring him that Jenn recomended.

Pages: 269

Knitting Rules! The Yarn Harlot’s Bag of Knitting Tricks, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

From the book jacket: “The Yarn Harlot spills her bag of knitting tricks. Essential survival skills, insider secrets, and undercover revelations for yarn enthusiasts of all levels and persuasions…”

Why this book? I read Stephanie’s blog every day and heartily enjoy her trials and tribulations in the knitting universe. I saw her last month and picked up a copy of the book for her to sign for me.

My take: Her book is just like her blog — witty, entertaining, and real. She relates funny stories, offers up basic “recipes” for how to create scarves, hats, shawls, and socks, and provides incentive for taking on that next scary project. And she makes you laugh while you’re reading, which is key.

Pages: 224

Total pages for the month of September: 1087