The Book Of Love* - Part XII

This is my last Book List post for the year. It has been a year of ups and downs reading wise, but with an average of 4 books a month, I am pretty pleased with my efforts. I began this project with a view to seeing how much I was reading. It has been a lovely thing to do and I think I will continue next year. 

So ... the final list for 2011...

46. Flight Lessons - Patricia Gaffney

source - google images

47. Light On Snow - Anita Shreve

 source - google images

48. I'll Walk Alone - Mary Higgins Clark

  source - google images

 I have not enjoyed all the books I've read, but I do so enjoy reading that it is not really important.

I am excited to see what the new year brings. I think it unlikely I will be able to reach these dizzy heights with my reading, but let's see shall we. Thanks for reading along.

 The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures and instructions for dancing
But I
I love it when you read to me
And you
You can read me anything
The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from
Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb
But I
I love it when you sing to me
And you
You can sing me anything
The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know
But I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
And I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
And I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
You ought to give me wedding rings

*The Book Of Love - Peter Gabriel

The Book of Love* - Part XI

 It was a very lean reading month!

  The second month this year with one lonely book!

45. The Secret Cure - Sue Woolfe

 

source - google images

And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
You ought to give me wedding rings

*The Book of Love - Peter Gabriel

The Book Of Love* - Part X - Blogtoberfest: jour trente-et-un

41. The Saving Graces - Patricia Gaffney

 sourced at Google Images

42. There But For The - Ali Smith

 sourced at Google Images

43. Maximum Impact - Jack Henderson

 sourced at Google Images

44. Dark Lady - Richard North Patterson

 sourced at Google Images

And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
And I
I love it when you give me things

*The Book of Love - Peter Gabriel

The Book Of Love* - Part IX

37. Run For Your Life - James Patterson (and Michael Ledwidge)

Sourced from Google Images 

38. The Past and Other Lives - Maggie Joel

Sourced from Google Images 

39. The Hidden Child - Camilla Lackberg

Sourced from Google Images 

40. Trail of The Dead - Jon Evans

Sourced from Google Images

And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
And I
I love it when you give me things

*The Book Of Love - Peter Gabriel

The Book of Love* - Part VIII

And the next installment goes like this

33. Sail - James Patterson (& Howard Roughan)

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34. The Slap - Christos Tsiolkas

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35. The Holy Thief - William Ryan

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36. Cross Country - James Patterson

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But I
I love it when you give me things

*The Book of Love - Peter Gabriel

The Book of Love* - Part VII

28. Cross - James Patterson

sourced at Google images

29. The Song Reader - Lisa Tucker

 sourced at Google images

 30. The Killing Place - Tess Gerritsen

sourced at Google images

 31. The Common Lawyer - Mark Giminez

sourced at Google images

32. If Looks Could Kill - Beverly Barton

sourced at Google images

 

 It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know

*The Book of Love - Peter Gabriel

The Book of Love* - Part VI

A bit late for last month, but here it is. Once again, it's the end of a very eventful month, and as usual I am keeping track of the books I am reading this year. My book List continues...

22. The Silent Sea - Clive Cussler

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23. Exposure - A Journey - Joel Magarey

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24. Bare Bones - Kathy Reichs

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25. 9th Judgement - James Patterson (with Maxine Paetro)

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I love a bit of Women's Murder club action when I have not been well. These books are pretty formula, but I like them with some twists and turns and lots of action. Another fun read!

26. Sing You Home - Jodi Picoult

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I have been waiting to read this book for a few months. There has been a lot of buzz about it in the music therapy community, as the main character in this novel is a music therapist. I finally bit the bullet and bought the book. If you've been following along with my book reading, you will know I have been reading a lot of Jodi Picoult this year thanks to my mother in law, who loaned me three of them earlier in the year. So while I have been unwell this month, I have gone back to the easy read books, and found this a quite nice depiction of a music therapist's work (when it was described).

27. I thought It was Just Me (but it isn't) - Brene Brown

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There's been some good learning in this one for me!

 The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago

*The Book Of Love - Peter Gabriel

The Book of Love* - Part V

 My book list continues with a very lean month indeed!

This month we have moved house and I lost my job, so I have had a lot of other things to occupy my time other than reading. I have also been doing a bit of reading for my PhD, but I decided not to add those things to my book list early on because I thought it would just confuse the issue. (I am tempted to add some of those books this month however, but I will resist.)

21. House Rules - Jodi Picoult

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I find Jodi Picoult to be an easy read when things are stressful and there has also been a lot of press among the music therapy community about her latest book Sing You Home, which has a character that is a music therapist.

But I
I love it when you sing to me
And you
You can sing me anything

*The Book Of Love - Peter Gabriel

The Book of Love* - Part IV

I have been joining in with somewhere along a winding path to count the number of books I read in a year. I recently tried to link back to the book list at the above blog via the blog button and then by going straight to the blog. It appears the blog has been closed.

I am enjoying myself however and will continue to record what I am reading each month. I have also put a list on my side bar.

15. The Weight of Silence - Heather Gudenkauf

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16. Golden Buddha - Clive Cussler

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17. Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott

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This was a great little book and very inspiring and quick and easy to read. It made writing a novel seem easy! I know it isn't, but I thought I could do it if I really wanted to. I found heaps of things that I can apply to writing my thesis, and am putting them into practice already. I highly recommend this book to those that are writing no matter what it is. I have had the kernel of an idea for a children's book for a few years, and it also helped to flesh this out a little - even if I should be writing my thesis, not a children's book!

18. The Brain that Changes Itself - Norman Doidge

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I had started this book last year, but I didn't get very far. It is a really interesting book about brain processes, and how we can always build new pathways. I knew that it was possible to build different neural pathways having worked in brain injury rehabilitation as a music therapist, and knowing that  music is a medium that can assist the brain to do this.

19. The Innocent Man - John Grisham

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This is John Grisham's first true crime novel. It is well written and an interesting account of the events that happened in a little town called Ada in Oklahoma, in the 1980's.

20. Today's Best Non Fiction -  Readers Digest

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This is a book of 5 non fiction stories

• The Railway Man - Eric Lomax. This story is about a young man who loved trains and was a POW during the second world war. The story described his torture and life following.
• A Plague of Caterpillars - Nigel Barley. This story describes the circumcision ritual of the Dowayo people in Cameroon.
• Katharine Hepburn - Barbara Leaming. An interesting biography that examines Katharine Hepburn's life from the perspective of her family.
• The Romanovs - Robert K. Massie. Describes the end of the Romanov family
• Raising Lazarus - Robert Pensack, MD & Dwight Williams. This is a first hand experience of a heart attack and the aftermath.

Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb

*The Book of Love - Peter Gabriel

The Book of Love* - Part III

I am joining in with somewhere along a winding path to count the number of books I read in a year.
It has been a quiet reading month this month, so I haven't made a massive addition to my total.

12. A Woman's Life - Rachel Billington

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13. Cold Blood - Lynda La Plante

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14. Point of Origin - Patricia Cornwall

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The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from

*The Book of Love - Peter Gabriel

The Book of Love* - Part II

I am joining in with somewhere along a winding path to count the number of books I read in a year.

6. Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay

 sourced at google images

I LOVED this book. It was a beautiful story, beautifully told. There are 2 intertwining stories that are told in alternating chapters. One of the characters is a journalist who is investigating something that happened in 1942 called the Vel' d'Hiv', in order to commemorate the 60th anniversary. The other character was a child at the time of the Vel' d'Hiv', and the story is about what happens to her and her life. The point at which the two stories come together is really well done. I read it in a day, and found it compelling.

7. Last Chance to See - Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine

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I was inspired to read this book, which was written in 1988, after seeing a series of documentaries on TV last year, by the same name. The book is about a journey to see a number of endangered animals in their natural environment, and the efforts that are being undertaken to conserve them. The Doco was a revisiting of these animals to see where they are up to now. Loved the doco, loved the book.

8. Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less - Jeffrey Archer

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I was encouraged to read this one by my M-I-L. She proclaimed it to be the best book she had ever read. I was sceptical - of course - and found it a little difficult to get into at first. When the scene had been set and the plot really got going, I was hooked. This is the story of 4 men who get duped out of some money, and the very clever way they get the money back.

9. Stolen - Tess Gerritsen

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 10. Candelo - Georgia Blaine

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11. Third Strike - Zoe Sharp

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But I
I love it when you read to me
And you
You can read me anything

*The Book of Love - Peter Gabriel

The Book of Love* - Part I

This year I am joining in with somewhere along a winding path to count the number of books I read in a year. I am very excited because I have never counted before, but often wondered. I estimate that last year, I would have read at least 50 books.

My plan is that at the end of every month, I will tell you how many books I have read, as well as maybe a little bit about them. The kinds of books I enjoy reading are crime novels, true crime, biography, autobiography, fiction, non-fiction, really most things. I have an eclectic taste in books - as well as in music - just by the way!

I have raced out of the blocks this month, with 5 books under my belt. Of course I do not believe this pace will be consistent during the year, and I did have a few weeks off at the beginning of the year in which I indulged my passion for reading.

All of the books I have read this year so far, have been borrowed. Some from my mother in law and some from my brother. Recycling books is one of my favourite things to do. At my work we have set up a book swap shelf in our office. Here we bring in books we have read and share them around. This has fueled a lot of my reading last year, and is heaps cheaper than buying new books all the time. It is also more time efficient than going to the library. Why don't you try it?

Here we go...

1. Vanishing Acts - Jodi Picoult

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2. Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult

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Jodi Picoult is a great holiday read, easy, with not too much brain involvement and quite formula, I find. Regardless of this, I find the stories can be compelling at times if I don't think too much.

3. Blindsighted - Karin Slaughter

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4. White Crosses - Larry Watson

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5. On Green Dolphin Street - Sebastian Faulks

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I love mystery novels, and Karin Slaughter is not bad. Some of her stuff can be quite graphic, but I enjoyed the twists and turns in this one.

I'm now off to pick what's next as I finished On Green Dolphin Street yesterday, and have not yet chosen what's next. Read on, I say.

The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures and instructions for dancing

*The Book of Love - Peter Gabriel