2011 Book List

I look forward to this post all year. Last year, with the help of Goodreads, I challenged myself to read 50 books/graphic novels. I also set myself "The Rule" that everything read this year had to be new. Well, new to me. I couldn't re-read anything (with the exception of Salem's Lot. I read that every year and I don't see that changing anytime soon). I'll be honest, there were moments where I did not think I would make it. My spare time on the Road was spent knitting rather than reading. But I did it! So here it is; The 2011 Book List:

1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
2. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
3. The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula by Eric Nazum
4. How to Fit a Car Seat on a Camel: and other misadventures traveling with kids by Sarah Franklin (While this wasn't a phenomenal book, it gave a lot of confidence that our Road Trip would be possible with Oz being so young).
5. Room by Emma Donoghue
6. James and the Giant Peach by Ronal Dahl
7. America Unchained by Dave Gorman
8. Batman: Terror by Doug Moench
9. The Walking Dead: Days Gone By by Robert Kirkman - This series is absolutely incredible. It never ceases to shock. Absolutely fantastic.
10. The Walking Dead: Miles Behind Us
11. The Fry Chronicles by Stephen Fry
12. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
13. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
14. It's Only a Movie by Mark Kermode
15. The Walking Dead: Safety Behind Bars
16. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua - It was the book that every mother loved to hate this year. Despite many bloggers claims, this is far from a how-to manual of Chinese Mothering. Instead I found Chua to be painfully honest about her short comings as a mother and how every child can not be parented the same.
17. The Walking Dead: The Heart's Desire
18. The Walking Dead: The Best Defense
19. Women for Afghan Women: Shattering Myths and Claiming the Future by Sunita Mehta
20. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
21. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
22. Th Lost Continent by Bill Bryson
23. Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Year Later... by Francine Pascal
24. Hippo Eats Dwarf by Alex Boese
25. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
26. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
27. A Tale of the Batman: Gotham by Gaslight by Brian Augustyn
28. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Absolutely phenomenal. Without a doubt, the book/series of the year for me.
29. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich- I think this should be required reading.
30. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
31. Bossypants by Tina Fey
32. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
33. My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands by Chelsea Handler- Yeah, I didn't think this was very funny considering all the hype about how hilarious Handler is.
34. The Walking Dead: This Sorrowful Life
35. House Rules by Jodi Picoult- I thought the ending to this was such a cop out. I don't know if I will be picking up any more Picoult for awhile.
36. Batman: Gotham After Midnight by Steve Niles
37. The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women by Jessica Valenti
38. Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? by Neil Gaiman
39. Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi
40. Batman: Joker's Asylum Vol 2 by Landry Q. Walker
41. Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg
42. The Walking Dead: The Calm Before
43. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
44. Salem's Lot by Stephen King
45. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
46. Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman- RAGE
47. Tinsel: A search for America's Christmas Present by Hank Stuever
48. Midwives by Christ Bohjalian
49. The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told by Mike Gold
50. Walking Dead: Made to Suffer

Looking back, I am also really impressed with how much I used the Library this year.

SO now we plan for 2012. This year the goal is 55 books and I am committing myself to series and non-fiction. What what all did you read? Discover any new favorites?