January 2012 Reading Wrap-Up

Feb 012012

So, the pregnancy reading slowdown continues. It doesn’t look quite as bad as it might otherwise have been, because I read a LOT of short, light books this month. The average length of the books I read, excluding audios, is under 300 pages and almost a quarter of what I read in print was Agatha Christie, which I love, but it isn’t exactly deep and complex. Counting all the Christie I finished 11 books in print/ebook for a total of about 3200 pages and 5 audiobooks for a total of 48 hours.

I did read a couple of really terrific books coming out in February and March, so KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED for my reviews of A Good American and Elegy for Eddie.

What I Reviewed:

Audiobooks
A First-Rate Madness by Nassir Ghaemi, narrated by Sean Runnette
Crossed by Ally Condie, narrated by Kate Simses and Jack Riccobono
The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney, narrated by Dan Stevens

Fiction
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron
Come in and Cover Me by Gin Phillips

Young Adult/Middle Grades Fiction
Among Others by Jo Walton
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Historical Fiction
The Bungalow by Sarah Jio
The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau
The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak

Mystery
Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy
The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie
Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy

Nonfiction
The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch
The Sparkpeople Cookbook by Meg Galvin
The History of the World According to Facebook by Wylie Overstreet

Saturday Story Spotlight
My Fire Engine

Other Posts:
An Announcement
D.E.A.R. – My To Be Listened List (Sound Bytes)
Empress Elizabeth – Guest Post by Eva Stachniak, author of The Winter Palace
BOOK CLUB – Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron

Pick of the Month:

November 2011 Reading Wrap-Up

Dec 042011

November really went off the rails, reading-wise. I finished only 14 books this month, versus 24 finished in October. There were lots of reasons for this, the biggest being the point in time where my entire family got sick, including the part where both my toddler and I were sick and my husband was traveling. And then there was the fact that some of the books I read were big enough they should probably have counted for two; in fact my page count for October was only about 1,000 pages higher (6,000+ versus 5,000+), so perhaps I didn’t slow down as much as I thought, perhaps I just read far more chunksters in a month than I usually do. The amazing but long Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie took nearly two weeks to read, because it was so rich and fantastic that I had to savor it – of course I was reading other things at the same time, since it was also too large to lug all over the place with me.

Despite the lower than normal title count, this was a great month in terms of quality, although interestingly only a very few of the books I read this month were actually reviewed this month, as you can tell if you look down below my “reviewed” section to the “read” section, where reside 10 of the 14 books I read. Ah, well, some real gems coming down the pike!

What I Reviewed:

Audiobooks
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma, narrated by
The History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage, narrated by Sean Runnette
The Orchard by Theresa Weir, narrated by Ellen Archer

Fiction
The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston
The Taste of Salt by Martha Southgate

Young Adult Fiction
You Are My Only by Beth Kephart
Populazzi by Elise Allen

Mystery
The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White

Historical Fiction
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

Nonfiction
Why Read Moby-Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick
Agatha Christie Murder in the Making by John Curran
Catherine the Great: A Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie

Saturday Story Spotlight
Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
Over the River: A Turkey’s Tale by Derek Anderson

Other Posts:
BOOK CLUB – The Taste of Salt by Martha Southgate
The Heroine’s Bookshelf Now Available in Paperback!
D.E.A.R. – Winter Break Reading

Pick of the Month:

Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie

This choice will come at no surprise at all to those who read my review.

October 2011 Reading Wrap-Up

Nov 062011

So, this was basically a super-awesome reading month for me. Despite being crazy busy I finished 24 books, six of which were audiobooks. That was a total of 50 hours of listening and just over 6,000 pages of print and ebooks. I also hit a total of 200 books read this year around the end of the month, so that was a pretty big deal.

What I Reviewed:

Audiobooks
Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber
The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey, narrated by Adjoa Andoh
Very Bad Men by Harry Dolan, narrated by Erik Davies
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaum, narrated by Tara Sands

Fiction
Little Gale Gumbo by Erika Marks
S is for Silence by Sue Grafton
Damascus by Joshua Mohr
Practical Jean by Trevor Cole
The Marriage Artist by Andrew Winer
The Wondering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad
Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant

Speculative Fiction
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
Zone One by Colson Whitehead

Historical Fiction
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin
The Maid by Kimberly Cutter
Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman

Nonfiction
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn
Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind by Ellen F. Brown and John Wiley, Jr.

Saturday Story Spotlight
Five Little Pumpkins
Whooo’s That?
Halloween Dogs
Where’s Baby’s Pumpkin?

Other Posts:
School of Night by Louis Bayard
D.E.A.R. Fall Books

Pick of the Month:

September 2011 Reading Wrap-Up

Oct 022011

So I picked up the pace a little this month, as compared to August. I finished 15 print/ebooks for a total of nearly 5,000 pages read and listened to 5 audiobooks, totaling over 70 hours of listening. What stands out most this month is, I think, the really interesting nonfiction I read. I actually finished 5 nonfiction titles, three of which were reviewed this month (I completed An Accidental Mother over the summer and just reviewed it this month). All were very interesting and though-provoking. I am remembering why I love nonfiction so much!

Here’s hoping that October results in even more books read, although my weekends are scarily packed.

What I Reviewed:

Audiobooks
A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz, narrated by
Plugged by Eoin Colfer, narrated by John Keating
The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta, narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos, narrated by Jack Gantos
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, narrated by Wil Wheaton

Fiction
Making Waves by Tawna Fenske
The Book of Life by Stuart Nadler
Q: A (Timeless) Love Story by Evan Mandery
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
If Jack’s In Love by Stephen Wetta

Mystery
Skating Over the Line by Joelle Charbonneau

Young Adult/Middle Grades Fiction
Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Historical Fiction
The True Memoirs of Little K by Adrienne Sharp
The Twelfth Enchantment by David Liss

Nonfiction
An Accidental Mother by Anne Kindred
The Women of the Cousins’ War by Philippa Gregory
Never the Hope Itself by Gerry Hadden
Paradise Lust: Searching for the Garden of Eden by Brook Wilensky-Lanford

Saturday Story Spotlight
Dot by Patricia Intriago
The Danny Books by Mia Coulton
Teach Your Buffalo to Play the Drums by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Daniel Jennewein

Other Posts:
A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny – Audiobook Spotlight
If You Like, Try
The Evolution of My Reading Habits
BOOK CLUB – The True Memoirs of Little K by Adrienne Sharp

Pick of the Month:

Well, there an audiobook being chosen as Pick of the Month for the second month in a row! Ready Player One by Ernest Cline won the honors by having both a rip-roaring good story, and a fantastic audio production, narrated by none other than Wil Wheaton.

Other Books Finished, Watch for Reviews:

Audiobook
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma, narrated by James Langton
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaum, narrated by Tara Sands
Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber, narrated by Tamara Marston

Fiction
Practical Jean by Trevor Cole
Little Gale Gumbo by Erika Marks
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

Historical Fiction
The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

Nonfiction
Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind by Ellen F. Brown and John Wiley, Jr.
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn

Note: Some of these books were provided to me for review.

August 2011 Reading Wrap-Up

Sep 042011

For some reason I don’t entirely understand, August was a really productive audiobook month for me but not a terribly productive print/ebook month. I listened to six audiobook titles for a total of 60 hours, but I only finished 12 books and a little over 3,500 pages. A small part of the issue is the fact that I’m participating in the Gone With the Wind readathon and reading Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind concurrently, so all of those pages have yet to be counted since I haven’t actually finished either book yet. I have high hopes to read a ton in September.

What I Reviewed:

Audiobooks
The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson, narrated by Jon Ronson
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale
The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai, narrated by Emily Bauer
The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson, narrated by Kristine Ryan and Gerianne Raphael

Fiction
This Burns My Heart by Samuel Park
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Domestic Violets by Matthew Normal
Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
One Day by David Nicholls
Agoraphobics in Love by Lisa Tucker (short story)
Madame Bovary’s Daughter by Linda Urbach
By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham
Embassytown by China Mieville

Young Adult/Middle Grades Fiction
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Historical Fiction
The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliviera

Nonfiction
Sex on Six Legs by Marlene Zuk

Saturday Story Spotlight
Let’s Read Together with Elmo and Friends
Who Has These Feet?

Other Posts:
Interview with David Nicholls, author of One Day
Tuscan Market & Wine Bar Book Club with Gregg Hurwitz
Cool Down with Agatha Christie – Ordeal by Innocence

Pick of the Month:

The Lantern is beautifully written, but also chosen largely for the amazing audio production, which added so much to Lawrenson’s lovely book and is the only was I could figure out to decide between The Lantern, This Burns My Heart, Girls in White Dresses, and Domestic Violets.

July 2011 Reading Wrap-Up

Jul 312011

So I had a good reading month, thanks largely to the week where my husband was away and it was too hot to do anything besides lay around and read after Daniel went to bed. I finished listened to 6 audiobooks for almost 60 hours (commutes, plus hours each night just trying to cool off to even be able to turn pages), and read over 4600 pages in 14 books. Below you will find the books I reviewed this month, followed by my pick of the month and the other books read this month and not yet reviewed.

What I Reviewed:

Audiobooks
The Alice Behind Wonderland by Simon Winchester, narrated by Simon Winchester
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, narrated by Hope Davis
Snakewoman of Little Egypt by Robert Hellenga, narrated by Colleen Marlo (?)
The Sweet Relief of Missing Children by Sarah Braunstein, narrated by Xe Sands
Apollo’s Angels by Jennifer Homans, narrated by Kirsten Potter

Fiction
The White Devil by Justin Evans
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister
Tethered by Amy MacKinnon

Mystery
The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie
Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay

Historical Fiction
Incognito by Gregory Murphy
The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson

Young Adult Fiction
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Words by Heart by Ouida Sebestyen

Nonfiction/Memoir
Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch

Saturday Story Spotlight
The Alphabet Book by P.D. Eastman
Melvin and the Boy by Lauren Castillo
Jack and the Beanstalk by Nina Crews
The Lost and Found Pony by Tracy Dockray
Curious George and the Pizza by Margaret and A.H. Rey

Other Posts:
Authors Helping Authors, an Interview with Authors Kim Wright and Sarah Pekkanen
Cool Down with Agatha Christie – And Then There Were None Discussion
BOOK CLUB – The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson

Me, Elsewhere:
Book Blogger Q&A on The Book Base
Gone With the Chunksters on The Heroine’s Bookshelf
Working With Book Bloggers on Blurb is a Verb
Whats Old is New Episode 13: Interview with Nina Sankovitch, author of Tolstoy and the Purple Chair
What’s Old is New Episode 14 – Season 1 Wrap Up

Pick of the Month:

Tethered1 picture

Tethered by Amy MacKinnon

June 2011 Reading Wrap-Up

Jul 032011

June was a big month at Devourer of Books, with the entire week of June 6-10 devoted to Audiobook Week. Vacation saved me, though, Iand I still managed to finish 18 books, including 4 audiobooks, for a total of 3900 pages read and over 34 hours listened.

Below is a list of my posts from this past month, including a pick of the month, followed by a list of the other books I read in June.

What I Reviewed:

Audiobooks
Faith by Jennifer Haigh, narrated by Therese Plummer
Trespass by Rose Tremain, narrated by Juliet Stevenson
Sweet Jiminy by Kristin Gore, narrated by Hillary Huber
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, narrated by Emily Janice Card and Emma Bering
A Covert Affair by Jennet Connant, narrated by Jan Maxwell
Matched by Ally Condie, narrated by Kate Simses
Bossypants by Tina Fey, narrated by Tina Fey

Fiction
The First Husband by Laura Dave
The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly
The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair
The Art of Forgetting by Camille Noe Pagan
Things We Didn’t Say by Kristina Riggle

Mystery
Grace Interrupted by Julie Hyzy
Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie

Zombies
Flip This Zombie by Jesse Petersen
Eat Slay Love by Jesse Petersen
Deadline by Mira Grant

Historical Fiction
Vlad: The Last Confession by C.C. Humphreys

Nonfiction
The Statues That Walked by Carl Lipo

Saturday Story Spotlight
Where’s Baby’s Birthday Cake by Karen Katz
A to Z by Sandra Boynton

Other Posts:
Cool Down with Agatha Christie – Endless Night discussion
2010-2011 My Audiobook Year – Audiobook Week Discussion
Sound Effects in Audiobooks – Audiobook Week Discussion
Audiobook Week Mid-Week Meme
Audiobooks for the Uninitiated – Audiobook Week Discussion
Audiobook Resources – Audiobook Week Discussion

Pick of the Month:

Faith by Jennifer Haigh, narrated by Therese Plummer

May 2011 Reading Wrap-Up

Jun 052011

May started off really, really slowly as far as my reading went, but I sort of went full throttle at the end of the month and ended up having an amazing month. I finished 22 books including 5600 pages of print and 41 hours of audio. I’m still amazed I read that many books, particularly because the beginning of the month was like molasses, but I finished a book each day from the 13th to the 30th.

I will first be listing the books reviewed over the last month, and will include unreviewed books below, so you can see what will be coming up!

What I Reviewed:

Audiobooks
The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor, narrated by John Telfer

Fiction
Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen
How to be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway
The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips
The Arrivals by Meg Mitchell Moore
If Sons, Then Heirs by Lorene Cary

Mystery
Murder Under Cover by Kate Carlisle
Grace Under Pressure by Julie Hyzy
Towards Zero by Agatha Christie

Historical Fiction
March by Geraldine Brooks
The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene
Doc by Mary Doria Russell

Nonfiction
How Shakespeare Changed Everything by Stephen March
The Convert by Deborah Baker
Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart

Saturday Story Spotlight
Have You Seen My Cat? by Eric Carle
Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton
Tumford the Terrible by Nancy Tillman

Other Posts:
A Rose by Any Other Name
Oh, D.E.A.R. – Upcoming Books
Getting Excited About Audiobook Week – Audies Winners
Audiobook Week 2011 Info and Discussion Topics
Cool Down with Agatha Christie – Standalone Readalong
High School Book Drive Wrap-up

Pick of the Month:

thearrivals picture

The Arrivals by Meg Mitchell Moore

I had trouble choosing just one this month, Doc by Maria Doria Russell and The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips were incredibly strong contenders as well

April 2011 Reading Wrap-Up

May 012011

I’m changing up the format of my monthly wrap-ups a bit for 2011. Instead of listing everything I read and linking to what has been reviewed, I will first be listing the books reviewed over the last month, and will include unreviewed books below, so you can see what will be coming up!

Wait, it is MAY already? Really? *sigh*

April was a decent month, but nothing spectacular. I finished 15 books, including 2 audio, for about 4100 pages and about 24 hours of audio. All of these numbers are WAY down from my March totals, but I was also sick pretty much all month, and spent a good amount of time playing games on my phone or staring at the computer while watching tv on dvd.

What I Reviewed:

Audiobooks
The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger, narrated by Rosalyn Landor

Fiction
The Violets of March by Sarah Jio
Galore by Michael Crummey
The Coffins of Little Hope by Timothy Schaffert
Safe from the Sea by Peter Geye
Mothers and Daughters by Rae Meadows
The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry
Friendship Bread by Darien Gee
The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer

Mystery
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
Head You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward
A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear
The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear

Historical Fiction
Captivity by Deborah Noyes
The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen

Saturday Story Spotlight
Bring On the Birds by Susan Stockdale
Good Night, Baby by Denise Lewis Patrick, illustrated by Barbara Lanz
Spot’s First Easter by Eric Hill

Other Posts:
Audiobook Week approaches!
High School Book Drive: Announcement/Reminder
BOOK CLUB – Galore by Michael Crummey
Oh, D.E.A.R. – Unbridled Books Oh, D.E.A.R. – Series

Pick of the Month:

For pure awesome hilarity, Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward is a must-read.

March 2011 Reading Wrap-Up

Apr 032011

March was a really fabulous reading month. I finished 22 books, including 18 in print and 4 in audio, for a total of almost 5700 pages and close to 60 hours of audio. I started a few of these in February and just finished in March, but overall a really great reading month. You’re in for some very enthusiastic reviews in April, because some of those unreviewed books below were fabulous.

What I Reviewed:

Audiobooks
Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell, narrated by Sarah Vowell, John Slattery, Paul Rudd, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, John Hodgeman, Catherine Keener, Keanu Reeves, Maya Rudolph

Fiction
Christian Lacroix and the Tale of Sleeping Beauty by Camilla Morton
Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon
Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
Picking Bones from Ash by Marie Mockett
The Atlas of Love by Laurie Frankel
The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht

Mystery
Learning to Swim by Sara J Henry
Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear
An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear
Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy
The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman

Historical Fiction
The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead by Paul Elwork
Sins of the House of Borgia by Sarah Bower
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Nonfiction
Madre: Perilous Journeys with a Spanish Noun by Liza Bakewell
Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution by Holly Tucker
The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
She Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth by Helen Castor

Saturday Story Spotlight
Will You Wear a Blue Hat? by Scholastic
Touch and Feel Baby Animals by DK Publishing
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Three Hens and a Peacock by Lester A. Laminack, illustrated by Henry Cole

Other Posts/Guest Posts:
“The Blood of a Lamb” by Holly Tucker, author of Blood Work

Pick of the Month:

Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear

I’m choosing Among the Mad partly on its own merit, and partly as a representative of its series. I am absolutely loving the Maisie Dobbs books, and I am so happy that I was encouraged to join the readalong that Book Club Girl is hosting. I can’t believe I’m nearly caught up on the series, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do for the next year while waiting for the next book. Among the Mad was a particularly good entry in the series, though, I could barely put it down.

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Other Books Read, Watch for Reviews:

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