Book List Update

At some point last January, I sat down and wrote out a book list for the year. I love to read, and always have at least one book going. And my Kindle? Seriously in love.

I have read more books this year than what I have listed. I've tried out a few new authors, and have read a handful of books that weren't really up my alley. I'll get partway through a book, and just feel compelled to finish it just in case it gets better and I start liking it, and before you know it I have invested hours and days into a book that in the end, I didn't like. I've decided now that I will give a book 100 pages. If I'm not interested in reading it after 100 pages, then I feel like I've given it a fair shot and I'm not going to waste anymore time reading a book I'm not really enjoying.

That being said, here's (some of) what I've read so far, and what I'm hoping to read over the next few months.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett finished 1/11/11

Who knew I would enjoy reading a 1000 page book set in England's middle ages about cathedral building? Not me. This book was great, very complex stories and wonderfully written characters. I just watched the miniseries, and though definitely a "Rated R" miniseries, they did a great job staying true to the story.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan finished 1/29/11

I crazy loved this book. It was an easy read, and I think I would benefit from reading this one every year. Brandon has had a "man crush" on Francis Chan for several years now, and he was beyond excited when this book came out.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand finished 1/16/11

I've decided that a really good author, a talented storyteller, can make a reader interested in a topic that they wouldn't normally be interested in. A few years ago I read Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit, and was instantly a fan. Not a fan of horses in particular, but a pretty big fan of Laura Hillenbrand's. I had read rave reviews of Unbroken, but was ready to be disappointed. I chase children and clean up poop all day, why would I want to read a depressing war story? But this book was anything but depressing, and true to form, wonderfully written. I think I read this book in two days, I could not put it down.

Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith finished 1/30/11

I have read several books in his series "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" a few years ago, and picked this one up from the library recently. Set in modern-day Botswana, Africa, about a woman who is a private investigator. Slow in pace and set in a country so completely different to my own, it's a nice departure from the thriller/legal mysteries that I typically read just for fun.

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond finished 3/15/11

Um, loved it. Most of it was not new material, since I absolutely read this series on her blog in one day, but I loved reading it just the same. Perfectly fluffy reading.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (haven't read yet)

World Without End by Ken Follett (sitting on my nightstand, waiting for me)

This is a follow up to Pillars of the Earth, and I have been waiting to finish watching the miniseries before I started this book. I'll probably start on this one in a few weeks, it's another 1000 pager, and it will take me a couple of weeks to read it.

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt

I've heard it's good, and that everyone should read it. I don't know if I actually want to read it, because it seems like a topic and truths that will be difficult to hear, but something I need to hear anyway. Know what I mean?

Dismas Hardy series by John Lescroat

This series was on my original reading list back in January, and I don't know if I'll actually read any of these or not. I'm a little disappointed in the "new to me" authors I have read over the last month or so, and I may save these books until I just have nothing else to read. Has anyone read this author? Are these books any good?

Mystery by Jonathan Kellerman

I read just about everything Kellerman writes, at some point. I may wait until I can find this one at the library, since I usually don't read them twice.

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich (I think it comes out this summer)

Speaking of perfectly fluffy reading, I'm really looking forward to reading the latest installment of this series. Another book I can get through in just a couple of days, it's nice sometimes just to read something just for fun without having to concentrate too hard on complex plot lines or foreign cultures.

I've added a few books to my list also. If anyone has read these, I'd love to hear what you thought about them:

The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch (waiting for me on my Kindle)

The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

What's on your book list? Any must-reads for 2011?