2010 Book Review

A new year means time for a new booklist! I didn't get to read quite as much as I'd hoped in 2010, but hey....it's not easy to find time for that with 4 kids. And by the time they're in bed, I'm so pooped I'm not always up for it. To be honest, I didn't even keep up with my online bookclub, but I did start a real live one with friends in my area! I much prefer live interaction. Hello... are you really out there? But, anyway, here's a rundown of what I did manage to read; each title will be accompanied by a rating out of 5 stars. Keep in mind, the really terrible ones never even manage to make the list. I'm not one to waste my time on something I consider - well, for lack of a nicer term - worthless. Without further adieu.....the 2010 list:

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-***** An absolutely delightful read. Finally something that proves that not everything written in the last 50 or so years is trashy; and that a dark time in history can be addressed without being graphic or "shocking". Do you think me prudish? That's okay. I can handle it. I have to admit, I am a sucker for historical fiction, WWII times especially.
  
• Three Cups of Tea-*** I really, really did want to give this book 5 stars. Truly a great, moving true story about a man who has worked to build schools in remote villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Awesome subject, horrible writing. I hate to say it, but there it is. The "voice" of the story was confusing. Sometimes it was 1st person, sometimes 3rd, sometimes it felt like a brief newsclipping. It was disjointed and really took away from the subject matter. I would love for better author to get their hands on this story and do it justice.
• Book of a Thousand Days-*** Intended for juvenile audience; a fairytale type of story. It was good brain candy, but to be honest, just didn't really light my fire. To be fair, juvenile fiction has never been my favorite. Certainly not a bad read, but I wouldn't put it on a "must read" list.
• The Second Comforter:Conversing with the Lord through the veil-*****WOW. Enlightening. I had to take breaks in between chapters to digest what I was reading, but I loved this book. Will read it again I'm sure.
• A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family-***** Great practical advice on how to handle a large family efficiently. Honestly the suggestions could be applied to a family of any size, so don't think you have to be aiming for anything out of the ordinary! I follow a blog written by the author of this book, which was what got me interested in the first place. She is raising a large family by today's standards and homeschools her children. See my interest? To get a taste of what she's about, check her out here.
• The Backyard Homestead-**** I quickly found that this wasn't a read cover to cover sort of book, but more of a manual on all things "homestead" from growing your own food to canning it, etc. Some of it wasn't quite as step-by-step as I'd hoped. The book assumes you have a basic level of gardening knowledge, which I didn't. Not a "dummies" level book, but a lot of good info and a great resource to have on hand.
• A Town Like Alice-**** Again, historical fiction. With some romance to boot!
• Jane Eyre-**** Definitely a well-written book with a crazy twist in the middle that left me raising my eyebrows a bit. I'll admit I was wondering if this book may have been considered a "novel" back in the day. The content surprised me a bit for having been written so long ago. Nothing bad, just a bit strange. I think the strangeness of it all threw me off a bit, and that's what kept this book from getting a 5th star, (sorry Ash!); I am giving it another go right now though.
• Eat to Live-***** If you dislike my vegetarian lifestyle, you have this book to blame. Read it before you judge me and see if it doesn't make sense though. Really. Trust me. And I only wished I lived up to what it teaches completely because I do believe in it. Baby steps!
• Disease Proof Your Child:Feeding kids right-*****By the author of ETL, with a spin on why this lifestyle is important for kids. Also geared more towards those not necessarily looking for weight loss, but an overall healthy lifestyle. If ETL scared you off, try this approach to the same exact thing.
• The Westing Game-** Sorry, I don't remember liking this as well as I did when I was a kid. Really, I just don't love juvenile fiction! The characters were hardly developed, the scenes were short and choppy like a soap opera, (another of my dislikes) and it just felt rushed. Like it was written specifically for someone who didn't want to invest a lot of time in the story. Which I guess it probably was.
• The Hunger Games Series-*** I'm going to lump these all together although I might rate them each a little different separately. I did honestly enjoy #1. The first piece of juvenile fiction I've read lately that didn't feel like a blatant ripoff of something else. Not to point fingers, but isn't Percy Jackson remarkably similar to someone else we all know and love, (cough, cough, HARRY!!)? I did wonder if the subject matter was a little heavy for juvenile lit, but I don't think it's bad to introduce uncomfortable/hard ideas to our children if done appropriately. #2, was a ripoff of #1, though. I was reading the same book all over again. And #3? Was she on a deadline to finish or what? All this drama and buildup for an overly rushed ending that left me highly unsatisfied. Will not read this series again.
• At Home in Mitford-*** The first in a series; a delightful read proving again that not everything recently written is trashy, and some authors will even willingly allow God into their novels! I will say though, it was pure brain candy. It didn't make me think at all, something I really value in a true good read. It didn't leave me dying to read the rest of the series. And as of yet, I haven't.
• Steady Days:A journey toward intentional professional motherhood-** Honestly I didn't even finish it. It probably shouldn't have made the list, except for that it wasn't HORRIBLE. Good info, but it felt like a compilation of everyone else's work. The same parenting advice you hear over and over, and in brief synopsis. Not even expounded on as it could have done extensively. I was disappointed.
• The Blue Castle-**** Again, a delightful read. Pure brain candy, but of the Anne variety. If you're a kindred spirit you'll know what I mean. ;) The ending is a bit too over the top in the happily ever after sort of way, but it was still enjoyable.

So what did you read this year? Faves/least faves? Any must reads for 2011 I should know about? I'm dying to know! I don't have much on my to-read list yet!