100 Books in 2010

I've finished 100 books! It felt like it was going to be close in November when I had 20 more books to go in two months but I did it for a grand total of 34,777 pages, according to Goodreads! Some of my books were a bit of "filler" to get me to the end, probably because I read some big ones at the beginning of the year. The top genres (in order, though some books overlap) were: fiction, series, mystery, medieval, escapist, historical fiction, ya fiction, thriller, and audio.

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2. The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne

3. The Wreath by Sigrid Undset

4. The Wife by Sigrid Undset

5. The Book of Margery Kempe

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

7. Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne

8. The Cross by Sigrid Undset

9. Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti

10. The Discarded Image by C. S. Lewis

11. Nothing is Quite Forgotten in Brooklyn by Alice Mattison

12. Washington Square by Henry James

13. An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell

14. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

15. The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

16. Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope

17. Hot Water by P. G. Wodehouse

18. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

19. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

20. East Wind: West Wind by Pearl S. Buck

21. Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell

22. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara Tuchman

23. The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling

24. My Life in France by Julia Child

25. Lives 2 by Plutarch

26. The History of the Ancient World by Susan Wise Bauer

27. Morality Play by Barry Unsworth

28. Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

29. Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell

30. The Heretic's Apprentice by Ellis Peters

31. The Potter's Field by Ellis Peters

32. Dr. Thorne by Anthony Trollope

33. The Summer of the Danes by Ellis Peters

34. Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant

35. The Associate by John Grisham

36. Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi

37. Scientific Progress Goes "Boink" by Bill Watterson

38. Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie

39. The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie

40. Aunt Dimity, Vampire Hunter by Nancy Atherton

41. Zapped by Carol Higgins Clark

42. The Apostate's Tale by Margaret Frazer

43. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

44. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffnegger

45. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowlin

46. Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope

47. Three by Flannery O'Connor

48. The Maiden's Tale by Margaret Frazer

49. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

50. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters

51. Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark

52. The Brethren by John Grisham

53. The Clicking of Cuthbert by P. G. Wodehouse

54. The Girl on the Boat by P. G. Wodehouse

55. The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope

56. The Naming by Alison Croggon

57. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

58. So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger

59. The Reeve's Tale by Margaret Frazer

60. The Riddle by Alison Croggon

61. One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters

62. The Valley of Vision by Arthur G. Bennett

63. Runaway by Alice Munro

64. The Squire's Tale by Margaret Frazer

65. A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George

66. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

67. The Unvarnished New Testament by Andy Gaus

68. The Crow by Alison Croggon

69. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

70. Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon

71. Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

72. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

73. The Clerk's Tale by Margaret Frazer

74. The History of the Medieval World by Susan Wise Bauer

75. The Mating Season by P. G. Wodehouse

76. Summer Lightning by P. G. Wodehouse

77. The Singing by Alison Croggon

78. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

79. How to Really Love Your Angry Child by D. Ross Campbell

80. Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life by Richard Meryman

81. Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George

82. Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters

83. River Teeth by David James Duncan

84. The Bastard's Tale by Margaret Frazer

85. Little Bee by Chris Cleave

86. No Talking by Andrew Clements

87. Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

88. Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic

89. The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro

90. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

91. Dream Visions and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer

92. March by Geraldine Brooks

93. Miracles by C. S. Lewis

94. St. Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters

95. Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

96. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

97. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

98. Well-Schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George

99. Country Wives by Rebecca Shaw

100. America for Sale by Jerome R. Corsi

Another Medieval Book/First Chunkster

I've (finally) finished reading A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara Tuchman. Here's my review from Goodreads:

Tuchman disabused me of several misconceptions about the Middle Ages--most learned people thought the earth was round, noblewomen were more educated than noblemen, and chivalry was not all it was cracked up to be. In fact, she demonstrates how chivalry ultimately cost France autonomy and allowed the Turks to remain in Europe, leading to the fall of Constantinople. Also very interesting read for all the details of everyday life, though quite dismal at times.

February Book Reviews

Here are the books I've read in February, with brief reviews. I've skipped a few that I reviewed earlier in the month for the Tournament of Reading.

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Once again, a very satisfying, fun read, though sad, of course.

7. Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne: This one was still fun but not quite as fun, for whatever reason. Plus it seemed way too name-droppy--all the tv shows and stores in NYC (Duane Reade, for crying out loud!). Maybe the other one was like that too and I didn't realize since I've never lived in London. And also, could there be just a little less talk about shopping?

8. The Cross by Sigrid Undset

9. Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti: It was funny and insightful at times but not that exciting/memorable. It does make me wonder what's up with my Scandinavian bent recently. I didn't even know it was Swedish until I got it home from the library.

10. The Discarded Image by C. S. Lewis

11. Nothing is Quite Forgotten in Brooklyn by Alice Mattison: Pretty interesting--about mothers and daughters and friendship. I mostly liked that it switched back and forth between two different years but sometimes the clues that we were in a different time felt a little forced. A little too much of dropping in the newspaper headlines, etc. But it was an interesting piecing together of family history.

12. Washington Square by Henry James: eptively simple and brief, this novel about an heiress and a fortune-hunter surpassed my expectations. James conveyed with feeling how difficult it was emotionally for Catherine to disobey her father and how much her father had underestimated her as a person.

13. An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell: Fun, a quick read. Seems to fit into whatever mold there is for British chicklit--mentions TV shows, check. mentions movie stars, check. mentions shopping, check. funny and filled with Britishisms, check. Not that I won't read more by the same author when I'm next in the mood.

14. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl: Great fun and it made me hungry! It was a nice peek into the restaurant world again, though I'm sure so much has changed. The Windows on the World chapter felt a little creepy. I'm sure she had to make a decision about whether or not to address 9/11 and since her memoir took place prior to 2001, it makes sense that she didn't say anything about it but it was one of the ghosts, like in the last chapter.