Friday, January 14, 2011

Book Suggestions for 2011...Help!

Last year I set a goal to read 100 books. I fell short with a total around 70 (I know I’m missing about five, but I can’t remember them now so I won't count them). Some of them were rereads like, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Lord of the Rings and a few of J.D. Robb’s In Death series. Some were classics that I’d never read but will now be a part of my favorite lists, like Pride and Prejudiced, and Sense and Sensibility.

I discovered some fantastic YA novels that weren’t in my genre, like Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It’s been a long time since a book has made me cry tears of joy, but that book did it. Will Grayson, Will Grayson was my favorite book for 2010. The characters stayed with me for weeks after reading that book, so much so, that I bought it after borrowing it from the library.

This year, I’m going to keep my goal of 100 books for 2011. Now that I know it’s MY responsibility to keep track of the books I check out of the library—thought they had an archive, but they don’t—I’ll a keep better list and won’t forget any.

I just finished What I Saw and How I Lied. I didn’t know what to expect, but I really liked it. For this coming year, I want to read more books in my genre—YA, paranormal, urban fantasy, and dystopian. I really want to read more Steampunk and sci-fi too. I like character driven over plot driven and a little romance isn’t bad either.

I welcome suggestions, actually, I’m begging for them. So if you have anything you want to recommend, leave them in the comments for me. Many thanks!

11 comments:

Stina said...

I'm really bad for writing down the books I've read. That would be a smart thing to do since I borrow a lot from the library (as well as buy books).

Tere Kirkland said...

I write a list of books I've read on my blog. Last year, my favorites were Shipbreaker and Paranormalcy. I'm reading Across the Universe right now.

I really need to read more of my paper books, but I keep deferring to the ones on my nook out of convenience. Funny how that works since I used to think I'd never be able to give up paper books, but some of them are really heavy, lol!

Good luck!

Joanne R. Fritz said...

Believe me, it really helps to write down what books you've read. I post them on my blog, but first I write the titles & authors and the date I finished reading each title in a simple notebook (sometimes the old-fashioned way works best). And I managed to read 105 books in 2010.

When you have it written right there in front of you, it's easier to reach your goal, whatever it may be.

One of my favorite YA books of last year was PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ and I'm giving away a copy on my blog, if you're interested in entering.

Or if you prefer to read paranormal right now, I second Tere's suggestion of PARANORMALCY. It's adorable. UNEARTHLY is really cool too (it just pubbed). For Steampunk, read LEVIATHAN or PLAIN KATE (some people call it Steampunk; I'm not sure that's how I'd categorize it but it's beautifully written).

Karen Denise said...

Stina, I have to make a list, otherwise I'll never remember until I'm about to pick the book up again. Plus, I just like having a tally-lol.

Ohh, Shipbreaker, Paranormalcy and Across the Universe are going on my list of ones to check out. Thanks, Tere! I'm one of those who don't want to give up my paper books, but maybe I'll give these ebooks a try...we'll see. :-/

Wow, Joanne! Awesome suggestions. I thought for sure people would rec books I've already read, so this is cool. I have a list on my library account of books To Read and all of these suggestions are going on that list! Oh, and I'll be heading over to your blog to enter the contest--Thanks!

BK Mattingly said...

I'd recommend GRACELING by Cashore, and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis if you haven't read them yet.

Karen Denise said...

Thanks, Bethany. I have Graceling, but I haven't read it yet. I've read Narnia, but there's no harm in reading it again!

Stephanie said...

I'm sure you've already read them, but I read the Uglies series last year, by Scot Westerfeld, and really loved them! :) The Duff by Kody Keplinger was great too!! As far as romance, I absolutely loved the Queen of Babble series by Meg Cabot, but I would classify that as more women's fiction.

And, of course, there is always my book: A Bitch Named Karma!! :) It's also women's fiction/contemporary romance!

Melissa said...

I'm keeping track of the books I've read this year by keeping my blog updated and I have a page now that's dedicated to what I read in one long list so I can easily reference it.

Karen Denise said...

Cool Stephanie, I've added The Duff to my list, thanks! I've read Uglies and Pretties, but I've got to get the rest of them. I have to look into the Queen of Babble series. All great suggestions, thanks!

Melissa, I'm keeping track of the books I'm reading along the side of my blog. I have to make a backup list on paper. I'll have to check out your list and see what I can poach from there. Thanks!

Jai Joshi said...

My list is so long I don't even have the courage to count it. I just keep reading when I can and think about reading when I can't.

Jai

Karen Denise said...

Cool, Jai! But that's why I list year to year. If I tried to keep a continuous list, it would be way too long.