Saying Goodbye to 2011

I'm packaging up 2011 into a little box, wrapping it in shiny paper so it doesn't look quite so lackluster, putting a modest bow on top, setting it on the shelf and leaving it be. 2011 was not a stellar year for me, either with reading or my personal life. I'm anxiously looking forward to 2012. I'm moving into a new place of my own. In moving, I've been putting my hands on ALL of my books and I've come to realize that I've got some really fantastic books that I've never read. To that end, and I know I've said this before but given the new situation with moving and not having as much disposable income as I had before, I'm going to try my best to put a moratorium on buying new books, for at least the first of the year. The usual loopholes apply: book signings, eBay special finds, some graphic novels, my Oz collection.

Now for the stats for 2011:
Favorites of 2011
January - Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
February - The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
March - Wither, the Chemical Garden Trilogy, Book 1 by Lauren DeStefano
April Too many good books this month, so I've got THREE top picks for April! - The Four Ms. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton, Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles Book 1 by Kevin Hearne, Delirium by Lauren Oliver
May - Untitled by My Anonymous Cousin
June - Centerpieces by Penelope Przekop
July - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
August - Push by Sapphire
September - The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
October - Hotel Angeline
November - The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
December - Fever, the Chemical Garden Trilogy, Book 2 by Lauren DeStefano

Books Read: 76
Pages Read: 16278

Breakdown per month
JAN - 9 - 1387
FEB - 7 - 1308
MAR - 2 - 550
APR - 11 - 2947
MAY - 1 - 167
JUN - 1 - 179
JUL - 9 - 1756
AUG - 6 - 1070
SEP - 4 - 1442
OCT - 5 - 1470
NOV - 12 - 2122
DEC - 9 - 1880
TTL - 76 - 16278

The silver lining that I had after such a dreadful reading year is that almost every book I read this year I enjoyed. So, if I'm going to read such a small amount of books, at least I got to enjoy every one of them!



As for 2012, I have high hopes. I'm not participating in any challenges this year, as I feel this is always one of the places that I falter the most each and every year. The only "challenge" that I'm participating in is one of my own, and that's reading the entire oeuvre of May Sarton's printed works. This year would have been her centennial birthday, so I thought it was fitting that I read her entire printed works in one year. As I own them all, this shouldn't be too problematic. I'll also be attending the Sarton Centennial Symposium in York, ME in May this year, and am looking forward to that.

Otherwise, I'm just focusing on reading what I've got. I'd like most of my reading this year to come from books on my shelf. So many have been sitting there for so long, neglected and unread, gathering dust, desperate to be read. I must attend to these book needs before I start to give my library a complex!

So, there it is. My 2011 recap and a look forward to 2012. I hope you're looking forward to the new year as much as I am! Happy reading!!

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Fever
Series: The Chemical Garden Trilogy, Book 2
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 341
ISBN: 9781442409071
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Author Website: www.laurendestefano.com
Twitter: @LaurenDeStefano, @SimonTEEN
Format: ARC provided from publisher
Available: 2-21-12
Rating: 5/5 stars

Product Description From Amazon:

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but they’re still in danger. Outside, they find a world even more disquieting than the one they left behind. Determined to get to Manhattan and to find Rhine’s twin brother Rowan, the two press forward, amidst threats of being captured again... or worse.

The road they are on is long and perilous—and in a world where young women only live to age 20 and men die at age 25, time is precious. In this sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price—now that she has more to lose than ever.

I finished Lauren DeStefano's Fever Sunday night. You can expect a proper review closer to release date, but I can say, right now, put this on your radar. And if you haven't read Wither yet, go out and pick it up (the paperback was just released, and from what I understand also includes a teaser of Fever). I'm not going to lie, I wasn't sure what to make of Wither when I read it (check out my review here), but Fever totally sucked me in and wouldn't let me go. I read it in 2 sittings, and for those of you keeping track around here lately, that says something because I haven't been reading much of anything. Lauren DeStefano successfully made me a fan with Fever and I'm really looking forward to the release of book three to see how she wraps everything up.

Highly recommended!

Sunday Salon 4 XII 2011 - setting aside 2011, will be back in 2012

Good morning, fellow Salon Members! It's seems almost ridiculous at this point to be posting a Sunday Salon of this nature. This has been a very challenging year for me personally, and unfortunately From My Bookshelf has had to suffer as a result. I'm not going to go into details, because first and foremost I'm sure many of you honestly don't care, but secondly it was all things happening in my life that need not be anybody else's concern but my own. BUT, I do miss the sense of community that we bloggers have, and I want to become integrated in that again. So, in that spirit, I'm wrapping up 2011 now, putting a pretty bow on it and shelving it. I'm moving into a new home on January 1, 2012, and I'm looking at that as an opportunity to start fresh and new. From My Bookshelf will come back stronger than ever, but for right now, for my peace of mind, I need to just let it be for the next month and not think about it.

I hope those of you still left reading my little blog have a happy and safe holiday season, and as always, happy reading!

Literacy PSA

I saw this on the TV at the doctor's office the other day and thought it was great and wanted to share it here.