Mid-Year Wrap-Up 2011

It's hard to believe it is halfway through the year all ready! Normally I do not do a mid-year wrap-up, but I felt inspired to do so this morning. Since I don't normally do it, I am not sure of a format. I will just see what happens!

I started off the year a bit infatuated with my eReader. I was using it to read classics and actually managed to finally read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charlotte Bronte, H.G. Wells, etc. I was planning to continue this trend into the entire year, but by February I was back to my regular reading. In February I discovered that I was not a huge fan of non-fiction books read as e-books. Then, I essentially stopped using my eReader for a couple months. I only recently started using it again. I am a bit disgruntled with it. I was flipping through looking for a book I wanted to read and all the books I have finished appear to have been marked as unread. I assume this happened when my computer broke and I had to reinstall the software for it. I have been using my eReader lately, but I am finding myself annoyed with it.

This year has been a bit all over the place anyway. I started out the year reading a lot, but have slowed down as of late. I have been trying to read off my TBR pile a lot more than I have in the last couple years. It's been fun. I have been just piling the books I have read in a pile and it has gotten rather large. It feels like an accomplishment and makes me happy. Lately I have returned to reading epic fantasy (or secondary world fantasy as Memory calls it). This used to be my genre of choice, but because of reading so much from the library I have been neglecting it of late. I am very happy to be reconnecting with authors like Robin Hobb and reading for the first time authors like George R.R. Martin. I also have been rereading! I read The Time Traveler's Wife last month and am also making my way through Outlander by Diana Gabaldon for the second time.

New to Me Authors

I read a lot of authors that I have been meaning to get to for years! Jo Walton, for example, who I own several books from and only just read her for the first time. Laura Miller, whose book I have owned since it came out and just now got around to reading. Then, there are the classic authors I have gotten around to. I need to get back to reading classics!

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (The Yellow Wallpaper)
Paolo Bacigalupi (Ship Breaker)
Jo Walton (Among Others)
Kiersten White (Paranormalcy)
Laura Miller (The Magician's Book)
Kate Lord Brown (The Beauty Chorus)
Julie Kagawa (Winter's Passage)
N.K. Jeminsin (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms)
Jen Sookfong Lee (Shelter)
Mary Robinette Kowal (First Flight)
Rachel Swirsky (Eros, Philia, Agape)
Charles Stross (Overtime)
Jackson Pearce (Sisters Red)
Katherine Langrish (The Shadow Hunt)
Deborah Harkness (A Discovery of Witches)
Doug TenNapel (Ghostopolis)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, A Study in Scarlet, and The Sign of Four)
Jean Webster (Daddy-Long-Legs and Dear Enemy)
H.G. Wells (The Invisible Man)
Chris Priestley (Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror)
Sam Wasson (Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman)
Gail Z. Martin (The Sworn)
Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre)
Graham Moore (The Sherlockian)
Erin Bow (Plain Kate)
Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth)
Barry Deutsch (Hereville: How Mika Got Her Sword)
Steve Kluger (My Most Excellent Year)
Beth Revis (Across the Universe)
Terry Morre (The Complete Strangers in Paradise)
Haruki Murakami (Norwegian Wood)
Joss Whedon (Serenity: Those Left Behind and Float Out)
Susan Hill (The Man in the Picture)
Felicia Day (The Guild)
Elizabeth Gaskell (North and South)
Giles Whittell (Spitfire Women of World War II)

Series Talk

I started some of these series forever ago and am only just now getting around to finishing them. A prime example is The Tawny Man Trilogy. I read book two in that trilogy in 2007 because I love the trilogy and didn't want to see it end. If you read through the list below that I am finished about as many series as I recently have started... I say 'Caught up' a lot like it is a big deal, but a lot of those are debate trilogies/series, so I am not sure I can say it is a good thing!

The Tawny Man Trilogy: 3/3 - FINISHED!
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants Series: 5/5 - FINISHED!
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making Series? - 1/1 - CAUGHT UP!
Newford Series: 11/24 - Approximately
Nightschool Series: 2/4
The Hunchback Assignments: 3/3 - CAUGHT UP!
Paranormalcy Trilogy: 1/1 - CAUGHT UP!
Forest of Hands and Teeth Trilogy: 3/3 - FINISHED!
The Orphan's Tale duology: 2/2 - FINISHED!
Chaos Walking Trilogy: 3/3 - FINISHED!
Princess of the Midnight Ball Series: 2/2 - CAUGHT UP! (Anyone know what this really called?)
Fables Series: 15/15 - CAUGHT UP!
A Discovery of Witches Trilogy: 1/1 - CAUGHT UP!
Chobits Series: 7/8 - Only one more to go!
Serenity Series: 3/3 - CAUGHT UP!
Sherlock Holmes Series: 3/9
Daddy-Long Legs Series: 2/2 COMPLETED!
Bone Series: 11/11 CAUGHT UP! (Includes Rose and Tall Tales)
The Fallen Kings Cycle: 1/1 CAUGHT UP!
Sianim Series: 2/4
Maisie Dobbs Series: 8/8 CAUGHT UP!
Sweet Tooth Series: 1/2
Across the Universe Trilogy: 1/1 CAUGHT UP!
Mercedes Thompson Series: 6/6 CAUGHT UP!
One Piece Series: 4/54
Essex County Trilogy: 3/3 FINISHED!
Horatio Lyle Series: 2/4
The Worlds of Chrestomanci Series: 1/5
In Death Series: 12/32
The Guild Series: 4/4 COMPLETED!
Jack of Fables Series: 8/8 CAUGHT UP!
Sevenwaters Series: 1/5
Regency Draculia Series: 1/3
Scott Pilgrim Series: 2/6
"New" Bone Series: 1/1 CAUGHT UP!

The Source

The actual amount that I have read from my TBR pile may not seem like a lot, but it is more than I have read from my TBR pile in the last couple years. I also only recently have a bookcase the same place as me, so it is a recent development actually paying attention to my TBR pile and reading from it as much as possible. Then, my reading level decreased, so hopefully July will be a good month for cleaning things up a bit.

Library: 51

Borrowed from Friend: 23

eReader: 21

Personal: 36

What I Read

JANUARY
1. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Completed January 1, 2011)
2. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Completed January 1, 2011)
3. The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Completed January 3, 2011)
4. Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster (Completed January 4, 2011)
5. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger (Completed January 4, 2011)
6. Bone: Tall Tales by Jeff Smith & Tom Sniegoski (Completed January 4, 2011)
7. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (Completed January 5, 2011) - Sci-Fi Experience
8. Fables - Volume 14: Witches by Bill Willingham & company (Completed January 7, 2011)
9. Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley (Completed January 8, 2011)
10. Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson (Completed January 9, 2011)
11. The Fallen Kings Cycle Book 1: The Sworn by Gail Z. Martin (Completed January 10, 2011)
12. Muppet Robin Hood by Tim Beedle & Company (Completed January 11, 2011)
13. Masques by Patricia Briggs (Sianim Series, Book 1) (Completed January 12, 2011)
14. Wolfsbane by Patricia Briggs (Sianim Series, Book 2) (Completed January 14, 2011)
15. Dear Enemy by Jean Webster (Completed January 17, 2011)
16. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (Completed January 20, 2011)
17. Nightschool: The Weirn Books - Volume 1 by Svetlana Chmakova (Completed January 21, 2011)
18. Muppet Peter Pan by Grace Randolph & Company (Completed January 21, 2011)
19. Muppet King Arthur by Paul Benjamin, Patrick Storck, & Company (Completed January 21, 2011)
20. The Muppet Show Comic Book: The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson by Roger Landridge & Company (Completed January 21, 2011)
21. The Muppet Show Comic Book: Family Reunion by Roger Langridge (Completed January 22, 2011)
22. A Lesson In Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs Series, Book 8) (Competed January 23, 2011)
23. The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (Completed January 26, 2011)
24. Witness in Death by J.D. Robb (In Death Series, Book 10) (Completed January 28, 2011)
25. Plain Kate by Erin Bow (Completed January 29, 2011)
26. Chobits Volume 5 by Clamp (Completed January 29, 2011)

FEBRUARY
27. Judgment in Death by J.D. Robb (In Death Series, Book 11) (Completed January 31, 2011)
28. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (Completed February 5, 2011)
29. Serenity: Those Left Behind by Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, and Will Conrad (Completed February 9, 2011)
30. Serenity: Float Out by Patton Oswalt, Patric Reynolds, and Joss Whedon (Completed February 9, 2011)
31. The Muppet Show Comic Book: On the Road by Roger Landridge & Company (Completed February 9, 2011)
32. The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill (Completed February 10, 2011)
33. The Guild Issue 1 by Felicia Day & Jim Rugg (Completed February 10, 2011)
34. The Guild Issue 2 by Felicia Day & Jim Rugg (Completed February 10, 2011)
35. The Guild Issue 3 by Felicia Day & Jim Rugg (Completed February 10, 2011)
36. The Guild: Vork by Felicia Day, Jeff Lewis, & Company (Completed Feburary 10, 2011)
37. Muppet Snow White by Jesse Blaze Snider, Patrick Storck, & Company (Completed February 10, 2011)
38. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (Completed February 10, 2011)
39. A Fine and Terrible Place by Peter S. Beagle (Completed February 10, 2011)
40. Jack of Fables Volume 8: The Fulminate Blade by Bill Willingham & Company (Completed February 11, 2011)
41. Nightlight: A Parody by The Harvard Lampoon (Completed February 12, 2011)
42. Daughter of the Forest (Book One of The Sevenwaters Trilogy) by Juliet Marillier (Completed January 15, 2011)
43. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (Completed January 15, 2011)
44. The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason (Regency Draculia, Book 1) (Completed January 19, 2011)
45. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Volume 2 by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Completed January 19, 2011)
46. Bone: Quest for the Spark by Jeff Smith and Tom Sniegoski (Book 1) (Completed February 23, 2011)
47. Chobits Volume 6 by Clamp (Completed February 23, 2011)
48. Spitfire Women of World War II by Giles Whittell (Completed February 26, 2011)
49. The Muppet Show Comic Book: Muppet Mash by Roger Landridge & Company (Completed February 28, 2011)

MARCH
50. Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan (Completed March 4, 2011)
51. Supernatural: Beginning's End - Volume 1 by Andrew Dabb, Daniel Loflin, & Company (Completed March 5, 2011)
52. Supernatural: Beginning's End - Volume 2 by Andrew Dabb, Daniel Loflin, & Company (Completed March 5, 2011)
53. Supernatural: Beginning's End - Volume 3 by Andrew Dabb, Daniel Loflin, & Company (Completed March 5, 2011)
54. Supernatural: Beginning's End - Volume 4 by Andrew Dabb, Daniel Loflin, & Company (Completed March 5, 2011)
55. Supernatural: Beginning's End - Volume 5 by Andrew Dabb, Daniel Loflin, & Company (Completed March 5, 2011)
56. Supernatural: Beginning's End - Voume 6 by Andrew Dabb, Daniel Loflin, & Company (Completed March 5, 2011)
57. Rock 'n' Roll Comics: The Runaways by Spike Steffenhagen, Jay Allen Sanford, & Company (Completed March 5, 2011)
58. Dr. Horrible and Other Horrible Stories by Zack Whedon & Company (Completed March 5, 2011)
59. Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (Completed March 6, 2011)
60. Sweet Tooth - Volume 1: Out of the Deep Woods by Jeff Lemire (Completed March 9, 2011)
61. Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch (Completed March 9, 2011)
62. My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger (Completed March 11, 2011)
63. Across the Universe (Across the Universe, Book 1) by Beth Revis (Completed March 11, 2011)
64. River Marked by Patricia Briggs (Mercedes Thompson Series, Book 6 (Completed March 12, 2011)
65. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (Completed March 14, 2011)
66. Once Piece Volume 4 - The Black Cat Pirates by Eiichiro Oda (Completed March 15, 2011)
67. The Complete Strangers in Paradise Volume 1 by Terry Moore (Completed March 15, 2011)
68. True Blood Volume 1 by Alan Ball, David Tischman, Mariah Huehner, & David Messina (Completed March 20, 2011)
69. True Blood Volume 2 by Alan Ball, David Tischman, Mariah Huehner, & David Messina (Completed March 20, 2011)
70. True Blood Volume 3 by Alan Ball, David Tischman, Mariah Huehner, & David Messina (Completed March 20, 2011)
71. True Blood Volume 4 by Alan Ball, David Tischman, Mariah Huehner, & David Messina (Completed March 20, 2011)
72. True Blood Volume 5 by Alan Ball, David Tischman, Mariah Huehner, & David Messina (Completed March 20, 2011)
73. True Blood Volume 6 by Alan Ball, David Tischman, Mariah Huehner, & David Messina (Completed March 20, 2011)
74. Collected Essex County by Jeff Lemire (Completed March 21, 2011)
75. The Obsidian Dagger: Being the Further Extraordinary Adventures of Horatio Lyle by Catherine Webb (Book 2) (Completed March 23, 2011)
76. The Worlds of Chrestomanci: Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones (Book 1) (Completed March 28, 2011)
77. The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan (Completed March 29, 2011)
78. By the Time You Read This, I'll be Dead by Julie Anne Peters (Completed March 30, 2011)

APRIL
79. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (Completed April 3, 2011)
80. The Shadow Hunt by Katherine Langrish (Completed April 6, 2011)
81. Terribly Twisted Tales Edited by Jean Rabe & Martin H. Greenberg (Completed April 6, 2011)
82. Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint (Completed April 11, 2011)
83. L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Eric Shanower & Skottie Young (Completed April 12, 2011)
84. Fables Volume 15: Rose Red by Bill Willingham & Company (Completed April 15, 2011)
85. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (Completed April 16, 2011)
86. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (Completed April 21, 2011)
87. Far and Away: A Prize Every Time by Neil Peart (Completed April 23, 2011)
88. Ursula by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba (Completed April 23, 2011)
89. Chobits Volume 7 by Clamp (Completed April 23, 2011)
90. Serenity Volume 2: Better Days by Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, & Will Conrad (Completed April 23, 2011)
91. Serenity Volume 3: The Shepherd's Tale by Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, & Chris Samnee (Completed April 23, 2011)
92. Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones (Completed April 25, 2011)
93. Trickster - Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection edited by Matt Dembicki (Completed April 25, 2011)
94. Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel (Completed April 26, 2011)


MAY
95. Muse and Reverie by Charles de Lint (Completed May 2, 2011)
96. Nightschool: The Weirn Books Volume 2 by Svetlana Chmakova (Completed May 2, 2011)
97. Widdershins by Charles de Lint (Completed May 5, 2011)
98. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (Completed May 7, 2011)
99. Among Others by Jo Walton (Completed May 7, 2011)
100. Empire of Ruins: The Hunchback Assignments III by Arthur Slade (Completed May 8, 2011)
101. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (Paranormalcy, Book 1) (Completed May 9, 2011)
102. Dragon Seer by Janet McNaughton (Completed May 10, 2011)
103. The Dark and Hollow Places (Forest of Hands and Teeth Trilogy, Book 3) by Carrie Ryan (Completed May 11, 2011)
104. The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia by Laura Miller (Completed May 12, 2011)
105. The Return of the Shadow: The History of the Lord of the Rings - Part 1 by J.R.R. Tolkien and Christoper Tolkien (Completed May 13, 2011)
106. The Beauty Chorus by Kate Lord Brown (Completed May 14, 2011)
107. The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley (Completed May 15, 2011)
108. Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon (Completed May 18, 2011)
109. The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice by Catherynne M. Valente (Completed May 20, 2011)
110. Chaos Walking - Book Three: Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (Completed May 23, 2011)
111. The New World by Patrick Ness (Chaos Walking Prequel) by Patrick Ness (Completed May 23, 2011)
112. Hare Moon by Carrie Ryan (Completed May 24, 2011)
113. Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa (Completed May 24, 2011)
114. Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George (Completed May 25, 2011)
115. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (Completed May 25, 2011)
116. Dead Time by Christy Ann Conlin (Completed May 26, 2011)
117. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms: Book One of the Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin (Completed May 26, 2011)
118. Shelter by Jen Sookfong Lee (Completed May 26, 2011)
119. Promises to Keep by Charles de Lint (Completed May 27, 2011)
120. First Flight by Mary Robinette Kowal (Completed May 30, 2011)
121. Eros, Philia, Agape by Rachel Swirsky (Completed May 30, 2011)
122. Overtime by Charles Stross (Completed May 31, 2011)
123. A Memory of Wind by Rachel Swirsky (Completed May 31, 2011)

JUNE
124. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Completed June 3, 2011)
125. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (Completed June 4, 2011)
126. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (Completed June 7, 2011)
127. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants: Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares (Completed June 8, 2011)
128. Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb (The Tawny Man Trilogy, Book 3) (Completed June 19, 2011)
129. The Very Best of Charles de Lint (Completed June 19, 2011)
130. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (Completed June 23, 2011)
131. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Completed June 28, 2011)

Favourite Reads:

Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb - A wonderful conclusion to a beloved trilogy. It made me want more from Robin Hobb, so I have gone back and started her first trilogy!

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly - I still haven't read an adult book by her, but her young adult books have both been great.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - It says good things when you can read a book over and over again and still feel it belongs on your list of favourites!!

Widdershins by Charles de Lint - My favourite read by de Lint so far this year.

Among Others by Jo Walton - This book was so nerdy and wonderful. I love books about books and you don't see one dedicated to science-fiction very often!

The Beauty Chorus by Kate Lord Brown - A fantastic historical fiction debut!

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley - Another fantastic book by a fantastic author!

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness - I may not be a huge fan of his trilogy, but seriously people, you have to read this!

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - For some reason I loved this book even though I am getting tired of paranormal stuff... It just clicked with me and I am excited for book 2!

The Sworn by Gail Z. Martin - I loved this book! I need to get around to her other series since this is technically a spin-off series.

River Marked by Patricia Briggs - My favourite Patricia Briggs to date.

Spitfire Women of World War II by Giles Whittell - An excellent non-fiction book!

Daughter of the Forest (Book One of The Sevenwaters Trilogy) by Juliet Marillier - A fairy tale retelling at its very best.

Books Added to the TBR Pile

This is a bad list. Some months I included review copies, but other months I didn't. I should have been consistent... This is way too many books! At least I have read some of them all ready!

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Mr Rosenblum's List by Natasha Solomons
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (Read)
Promises to Keep by Charles de Lint (Read)
Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (Read)
Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine
The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington by Jennet Conant
Among Others by Jo Walton (Read)
The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan (Read)
Fables Volume 15: Rose Red by Bill Willingham (Read)
The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley (Read)
The Very Best of Charles de Lint (Read)
Far and Away: A Prize Every Time by Neil Peart (Read)
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Women Writers Explore Their Favorite Fairy Tales edited by Kate Bernheimer
The Poison Throne by Celine Kiernan
The Ghost in Love by Jonathoan Carroll
My Reading Life by Pat Conroy
Spitfire Women of World War II by Giles Whittell (Read)
When Demons Walk by Patricia Briggs
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (Read)
Passion by Jude Morgan
Star Trek Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game by David Mack
Star Trek Typhon Pact: Seize the Fire by Michael Z. Martin
Star Trek Typhon Pact: Rough Beasts of Empire by David R. George III
The Hundred Thousands Kingdom by N.K. Jemisin (Read)
Masques by Patricia Briggs (Read)
Wolfsbane by Patricia Briggs (Read)
Troublesome Young Men by Lynne Olson
Singled Out by Virginia Nicholson
Bluestockings by Jane Robinson
Terribly Twisted Tales edited by Martin Greenberg (Read)
The Museum Called Canada by Charlotte Gray
River Marked by Patricia Briggs (Read)
The Unwritten Volume 3: Dead Man's Knock by Mike Carey
The Killing Way by Tony Hays (and two sequels)
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Wise Mans Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (Read)
An Embarrassment of Riches by Chelsea Quinn Yarbo
Empire of Runes by Arthur Slade (Read)
Kraken by China Mievelle
The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (Read)