Top Reads of 2012

Here is my top reads that I read for 2012. I have divided them by fiction and non-fiction, other than that they are listed in no particular order.

Non-Fiction:

1. Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke (review)

An encouraging read on why Christians should read and what to read and how to be more intentional in your reading. Excellent!

2. Who Gets the Drumstick? - A Story of a Widow and Widower Who Met, Fell in Love, Married and Lived Happily Ever After by Helen Beardsley

This is the book that inspired the film, Yours, Mine and Ours. As much as I enjoy the film (featuring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda--not the other one), the book was sooo much better. Maybe not as exciting (not so many pranks), but so much more depth to the story. Very pro-life and pro-family. If you can find a copy, get it and read it!

3. Parenting by The Book: Biblical Wisdom for Raising Your Child by John Rosemond (review)

A very practical, no-nonsense, parenting book. Probably one of the best parenting books I've read.

4. My Reading Life by Pat Conroy

This was my second time I've read this book and noticed I have never reviewed it. Shame on me! On the other hand maybe I prefer to keep this little jewel to myself. Pat Conroy's writing is raw and rough, but at the same time he has inspired me to pick up books I didn't think I even ever wanted to read! Now that is a writer.

Fiction:

1. Money in the Bank by P.G. Wodehouse (review)

P.G. Wodehouse--do I need to say more?

2. Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt (review)

Excellent coming of age story. It made me laugh and cry.

3. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (review)

Love a good adventure story? Then highly recommend Swallows and Amazons. This was  a book I read aloud to me kids and they thoroughly enjoyed it.

4. Men of Iron by Howard Pyle (review)

Another read aloud. My kids loved this book!

5. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (review)

It looks like I have a thing for adventure stories and you can't go wrong with The Three Musketeers.

Books Read in 2012

 

It is that time of year that I look back at my reading for the year. Though in past years I have read more I am happy with the amount I did read. So here is the breakdown of what I read:

• Bible - Genesis - Song of Solomon
• Fiction - 109 books with 22 of them being audio books.
• Non-fiction - 50 books with one being an audio book
• Total - 159 books

I was more intentional in my reading this year and for my Reading Goals for 2012 I picked 25 non-fiction books sitting on my shelf that I was determined to read and then decide to pass it on or keep it. I was able to get all of these read and finished that last one on my list December 29. Then in April I signed up for The Classics Club Challenge and this year I read 11 books on my list (two yet to be reviewed).

So here is my final list of what I read. The books which have an asterisk (*) are books I read aloud to my kids.

Fiction (109):

• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll*
• After Many Days - L.M. Montgomery
• At Home in Mitford - Jan Karon (audio)
• The Baron's Governess Bride - Deborah Hale
• Bath Tangle - Georgette Heyer
• The Big Four - Agatha Christie (audio)
• The Black Moth - Georgette Heyer
• The Blythes are Quoted - L.M. Montgomery
• A Bride Sews with Love in Needles, California - Erica Vetsch
• Cameleon - Jillian Kent
• Child of the Mist - Kathleen Morgan
• The Children of the New Forest - Frederick Marryat*
• Chasing Mona Lisa - Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey
• Chasing the Sun - Tracie Peterson
• A Civil Contract - Georgette Heyer (audio)
• The Convenient Marriage - Georgette Heyer (audio)
• Cousin Kate - Georgette Heyer
• The Doctor's Lady - Jody Hedlund
• A Dublin Student Doctor - Patrick Taylor
• Dying to Read - Lorena McCourtney
• An Elephant in the Garden - Michael Morpurgo
• Elegy for Eddie - Jaqueline Winspear (audio)
• Family Grandstand - Carol Ryrie Brink
• Freckles - Gene Stratton Porter
• A Fire Within - Kathleen Morgan
• Five Miles South of Peculiar - Angela Hunt
• Full Moon - P.G. Wodehouse
• The Girl on the Boat - P.G. Wodehouse (audio)
• Gone West - Carola Dunn
• Harvest of Rubies - Tessa Afshar
• Her Royal Spyness - Rhys Bowen
• Housekeeping - Marilynne Robinson
• The Jungle Books - Rudyard Kipling*
• Lassie Come-Home - Eric Knight*
• Love Amid the Ashes - Mesu Andrews
• Love Finds You in Groom Texas - Janice Hanna
• Love on the Line - Deeanna Gist
• In Too Deep - Mary Connealy
• The Maid of Fairbourne Hall - Julie Klassen
• The Man in the Queue - Josephine Tey
• May B. - Caroline Starr Rose
• Miss Match - Erynn Mangum
• Money in the Bank - P.G. Wodehouse
• Murder on the Links - Agatha Christie (audio)
• Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie (audio)
• The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie (audio)
• The Mystery of the Blue Train - Agatha Christie (audio)
• Naughty in Nice - Rhys Bowen
• The Outsider - Ann Gabhart
• Picadilly Jim - P.G. Wodehouse
• Miss Julia to the Rescue - Ann B. Ross
• Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle - Dorothy Gilman (audio)
• Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer - Dorothy Gilman (audio)
• Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief - Dorothy Gilman (audio)
• Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish - Dorothy Gilman (audio)
• Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist - Dorothy Gilman (audio)
• Mrs. Pollifax Pursued - Dorothy Gilman (audio)
• Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer - Dorothy Gilman (audio)
• Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled - Dorothy Gilman (audio)
• Private Peaceful - Michael Morpurgo
• Okay for Now - Gary D. Schmidt
• Ordained Irreverence - McMillian Moody
• Othello - William Shakespeare
• Over the Edge - Mary Connealy
• Peril at End House - Agatha Christie (audio)
• Rain Song - Alice J. Wisler
• Remembering You - Tricia Goyer
• Rilla of Ingleside - L.M. Montgomery
• The River Queen - Gilbert Morris
• Royal Blood - Rhys Bowen
• A Royal Pain - Rhys Bowen
• Royal Flush - Rhys Bowen
• Sam the Sudden - P.G. Wodehouse
• Scout:The Flying Phantom - Piet Prins*
• Scout:The Secret of the Swamp - Piet Prins*
• A Shilling for Candles - Josephine Tey
• The Story of the Amulet - E. Nesbit*
• Summer of Promise - Amanda Cabot
• Singing Sands - Josephine Tey
• Sprig Muslin - Georgette Heyer
• Tanglewood Tales - Nathaniel Hawthorne*
• Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome
• The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas (audio)
• Three Act Tragedy - Agatha Christie (audio)
• Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll*
• The Time In Between - Marie Duenas
• To Love and be Wise - Josephine Tey
• Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth - Tamar Myers
• The Twelve Clues of Christmas - Rhys Bowen
• The Wednesday Wars - Gary D. Schmidt (audio)
• The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek - Jane Myers Perrine
• When All My Dreams Come True - Janelle Mowery
• Wedded to War - Jocelyn Green
• Wings of the Morning - Kathleen Morgan
• Winning the Widows Heart - Sherri Shackelford
• Winter Cottage - Carol Ryrie Brink
• Wish You Were Eyre - Heather Vogel Frederick
• With Every Letter - Sarah Sundin
• Wonderland Creek - Lynn Austin

The Classics Club Fiction:

• The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• False Colour - Georgette Heyer
• A Girl of the Limberlost - Gene Stratton-Porter
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
• Money in the Bank - P.G. Wodehouse
• Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome*
• Swallowdale - Arthur Ransome*
• Strawberry Girl - Lois Lenski
• Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe

Non-Fiction (50):

• 7 Tools for Cultivating Your Child's Potential - Zan Tyler
• Back to the Basics - Barbara Frank
• Beyond the Chore Chart - Kimberly Eddy
• Beyond Survival - Diana Waring
• Boundaries - Henry Cloud & John Townsend
• Cleaning House - Kay Wills Wyma
• Confessions of a Prayer Slacker - Diane Moody
• The Core - Leigh Bortins
• Creating Space: The Case for Everyday Creativity - Ed Cyzewski
• Deconstructing Penguins - Lawrence & Nancy Goldstone
• Educating the WholeHearted Child - Sally & Clay Clarkson
• Fine & Pleasant Misery - Patrick McManus
• Get Organized - Colette Leigh
• The Girl's Still Got It - Liz Higgs Curtis
• God's Priorities for Today's Woman - Lisa Hughes
• The Guilt-Free Prayer Journal for Moms - Jeannie St. John Taylor
• James Herriot's Yorkshire - James Herriot
• The Learning Coach Approach - Linda Dobson
• Letter from New York - Helene Hanff
• Life Artist - Ali Edwards
• Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books - Tony Reinkele
• A Mother's Rule of Life - Holly Pierlot
• The Money Savings Mom's Budget - Crystal Paine
• My Reading Life - Pat Conroy (audio)
• The Organized Heart - Staci Eastin
• Our Hearts Were Young and Gay - Cornelia Otis Skinner & Emily Kimbrough
• Parenting by the Book - John Rosemond
• Passionate Housewives Desperate for God - Jennie Chancey & Stacy MacDonald
• Personality Plus for Parents - Florence Littauer
• The Personal Organizing Workbook - Meryl Starr
• The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier - Ree Drummond
• Playful Learning - Mariah Bruehl
• A Praying Life - Paul Miller
• Professionalizing Motherhood - Jill Savage
• Reaping the Harvest - Diana Waring
• The Resolution for Women - Pricilla Shirer
• Revolutionary Parenting - George Barna
• Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family - Mary Oystn
• Secrets of the Woods - William Long
• Simplify - Joshua Becker
• That's Life - Nic Howard
• Tell Your Time - Amy Lynn Andrews
• Uncovering the Logic of English - Denise Eide
• Who Gets the Drumstick? - Helen Beardsley
• The Writer's Jungle - Julie Bogart
• The Write Start - Jennifer Hallisey
• The Year of Learning Dangerously - Quinn Cummings
• Your Child's Growing Mind - Jane Healy

The Classics Club Non-Fiction:

• Lark Rise to Candleford - Flora Thompson
• A Philosophy of Education - Charlotte Mason

What's On Your Nightstand - December

 

I didn't think that I would have much reading accomplished in December, but I guess I was wrong. My parents came for Christmas and I also spent quite a bit of time sewing (thus all the audio books).Right now I'm really focusing on getting a couple other books read before the end of this year so I haven't really thought through what I want to read in January, so my list may end up being very tentative for January.

My Nightstand for January:

 

 

From my November nightstand I read:
Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer (This was an okay read by Georgette Heyer. I've read better.)

Revolutionary Parenting: What the Research Shows Really Works by George Barna (This came highly recommended to me. There were a few worthy points, but for the most part it was just an okay read when I wasn't disagreeing.)

I am currently reading:
A Philosophy of Education by Charlotte Mason (I am trying to get this finished before 2012 is finished. This is a hefty piece of work that is making my mind work too hard!)

I also read:
Full Moon by P.G. Wodehouse (A Blandings novel. Wodehouse always makes me laugh and comes up with the craziest plot lines.)

The Matchmakers of Butternut Creek by Jane Myers Perrine (This a book I discovered on the new shelf at the library. I took a chance on it since I really enjoy reading about the Harvey Girls. I enjoyed this more than I thought. It also dealt with World War I soldiers and the Spanish Influenza.)

Naughty In Nice (A Royal Spyness Mystery) by Rhys Bowen (Reading through this series)

Wish You Were Eyre (Mother Daughter Book Club) by Heather Vogel Frederick (The last book in the Mother Daughter Book Club series. This time the focus in on Jane Eyre and the girls all have new experiences and have to practice "getting their Jane on." I have enjoyed this series, but felt this book was a little lacking compared to the earlier books.)

Cleaning House: A Mom's Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement by Kay Wills Wyma (review)

The Guilt-Free Prayer Journal for Moms by Jeannie St. John Taylor (A handy book I used during my devotional time. Its focus is on praying for your children.)

I listened to:
The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer (I absolutely loved this book. This story was set during the Regency Period and was a lot of fun, though there were a few times I wanted to plug my ears since I couldn't stand the suspense.)

Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Piorot Mystery by Agatha Christie (Piorot solves a murder on the Orient Express. The murderer is a surprise. I am discovering I enjoy the books that Hastings does not appear in.)

Peril at End House: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie (Piorot and Hastings work together to solve a murder at End House. This was an okay read.)

Three Act Tragedy: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) by Agatha Christie (I would have to say this has been my least liked Poirot Mystery so far. Very different and a sad ending.)

See what others have read over at 5 Minutes for Books.