Here are the books I read in 2011. I didn't make it to a hundred books, but it's still a good list. Time to get started on the books for 2012.
As always, the rating on the books are simply my impression. Your mileage may vary.
75. **** The High Graders by Louis L'Amour. No one wrote a Western than L'Amour. A fast paced and twisty tale. Recommended.
74. *** Practical Genius by Gina Amaro Rudan.
73. **** Out There by Howard Blum. A dated but interesting look at UFOs. Blum was among the first respected reporters who examined UFOs seriously.
72. *** The Treasured One by David & Leigh Eddings.
71. *** Tribes by Seth Godin.
70. *** Hearts of Smoke and Steam by Andrew P. Mayer.
69. **** The Toaster Project by Thomas Thwaites. Fun and interesting story as the author attempts to build a cheap toaster from scratch. Informative and at times sobering.
68. **** Just My Type by Simon Garfield. This book about fonts is a bit technical, but still a lot of fun of you're interested in publishing and how fonts have influenced and been influenced by historical events.
67. *** The Christmas Almanac edited by Natasha Tabori Fried & Lena Tabori.
66. ** Get Noticed by Sheree Clark and Kristin Lennert.
65. ** DeathDay by William C. Dietz.
64. *** How To Get Organized Without Resorting To Arson by Liz Franklin.
63. **** The Falling Machine by Andrew P. Mayer. One of the better steampunk novels I've read recently. A good first book of a series, although it doesn't cover much new territory. I'm curious to see how the story develops.
62. *** Forbidden by Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee.
61. *** Hellhole by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson..
60. *** Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon by Mark Hodder.
59. *** The Elder Gods by David and Leigh Eddings.
58. *** And Furthermore by Judi Dench as told to John Miller.
57. **** The Hands of Lyr by Andre Norton. Somehow I missed reading this book during my Andre Norton fanboy days. Glad to read it now. Andre is at the top of her form, and while it ends a bit abruptly, it's still an excellent fantasy from the late Grandmaster.
56. **** The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz. The first Sherlock Holmes novel authorized by the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate is quite good. The mystery is a bit transparent, but the characterizations of Sherlock and Watson ring true. I hope there are more in this rebirth of the world's greatest detective.
55. **** The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson. Never had heard of or read any of the Mistborn novels until now. Excellent steampunk adventure. A bit confusing at first because the author apparently thought every reader had read the previous trilogy, but things became clear as I read further. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
54. *** The Hollow Earth by Rudy Rucker.
53. *** Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong.
52. *** This Book Is Overdue by Marilyn Johnson.
51. ** The Last Centurion by John Ringo.
50. *** The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer.
49. *** More Natural Cures Revealed by Kevin Trudeau.
48. *** Thrive by Dan Buettner.
47. *** The Life You Want by Bob Greene, Ann Kearney-Cooke and Janis Jibrin.
46. **** The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Fascinating and sad story of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were taken without her knowledge and used in science in a myriad of ways.
45. **** Spider Web by Earlene Fowler. The latest entry in the Benni Harper series. There's not really that much of a mystery in this book, but you'll enjoyed reading about Benni and her fascinating and funny family and friends.
44. **** Firebird by Jack McDevitt. McDevitt can't write a bad book. In this exciting SF, series regular Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath investigate the mysterious disappearance of a renowned physicist who investigated the fringe of science. Recommended.
43. *** Pumped for Murder by Elaine Viets.
42. **** One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde. Fforde delivers huge changes to Bookworld in the fifth of the Thursday Next series. Clever and witty, but you really need to read the other four books in the series to fully enjoy it. By the way, Thursday Next is the heroine's name.
41. **** Mystery in the Minster by Susanna Gregory. The 17th entry in the Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew, this medieval mystery kept me guessing. Gregory knits all the threads together by the end. I'm looking forward to the next one. I hate that I have to wait until next year.
40. **** Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. Not the strongest entry in the long-running Dresden Files series but still good, it does have the distinction of starting with our hero being dead. Takes a lot to write a character out of that situation.
39. **** The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth. A fairly straightforward techo-thriller. Think Clive Cussler with vampires. What it does, it does well.
38. *** The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman.
37. *** 90 Days to Your Novel by Sarah Domet.
36. **** Visions by Michio Kaku. Written in 1997, this book looks to the future. While interesting and lively, it's somewhat dated. But what's sad is how many of these future visions are yet to come true.
35. **** The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson. This small book continues to help people attain more in their spiritual life and started a whole movement based on it.
34. **** The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. The ultimate think-better/feel-better book that continues to impress and inspire people. Helpful.
33. **** The Well-Fed Writer: Back for Seconds by Peter Bowerman. Updated version of The Well-Fed Writer with expanded sections on marketing, promotion, and cold-calling.
32. **** The Well-Fed Writer by Peter Bowerman. Another well-written and informative book about writing nonfiction articles. A bit dated, but good reading.
31. **** How to Write & Sell Simple Information for Fun and Profit by Robert W. Bly with Fred Gleeck. Informative and entertaining book about writing short nonfiction articles. Not as detailed as I hoped, but worth reading for anyone interested in selling articles.
30. **** The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder. Another steampunk entry with a decidedly mystical bend. Not sure whether the author can control all the events he has in motion in this series, but it's fun, fast, and fascinating to watch him try.
29. **** A Matter of Trust by Sherrilyn Polf. A moving and lyrical romance set just before the outbreak of WWII. The first in a series -- The Engineers of Flight -- that will make you want to read more.
28. **** My Heart Will Always Cry by Janell Haworth Desmond. A heart-breaking and devastating journey as the author survives her son's suicide and learns to live with hope and healing.
27. **** Jack London: Writer of Adventure by Martha Rhynes. A lively and interesting biography of the famous writer and his infamous escapades. Well worth your time even if you don't like biographies.
26. **** The Summer of the Frogs by Tressa Green. The diary of a psychotic woman seen through her eyes. Fascinating and frightening. It's a book you will think long and hard about.
25. **** Snuff by Terry Pratchett. Discworld remains one of fantasy's most amazing and wonderful creations. In this wisely funny novel, Commander Sam Vines takes a vacation that promptly involves him in murder, conspiracy, goblins, and lords behaving badly. Always entertaining with a subtle message about the rights of all freed creatures. Recommended.
24. **** Ganymede by Cherie Priest. Another entry in the steampunk and zombie stories of The Clockwork Century. Less suspenseful and less focused than the previous two books, it's still worth a read.
23. *** The Beginning of Infinity by David Deautsch.
22. *** Eat by Ian Smith.
21. ***** The Wild Life of Our Bodies by Rob Dunn. A fascinating look at the bugs, parasites, and other crawlies in our body that may help us more than they harm us.
20. **** I'll Mature When I'm Dead by Dave Barry. A new collection of funny essays from the master humorist.
19. *** I'm Over All That by Shirley MacLaine.
18. *** Ageless Memory by Harry Lorayne.
17. ** The Path of Energy by Synthia Andrews.
16. **** The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. A one year project by a woman in an attempt to make her life happier. Excellent suggestions.
15. *** 20 Years Younger by Bob Greene.
14. *** Your Creative Brain by Shelley Carson.
13. *** The Vitamin D Solution by Dr. M.F. Holick.
12. *** Don't Look Down by Jennifer Cruise.
11. **** Dreadnought by Cherie Priest. A steampunk/zombie novel that reads fast and fills your mind with images of a alternative world of terrible realities and strange vistas. Recommended.
10. *** The Portable Crafter: Cardmarking by Peggy Jo Ackley.
9. *** Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris.
8. *** Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon.
7. * Curation Nation by Steven Rosenbaum.
6. **** Hiss of Death by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown. Another excellent entry in the Mrs. Murphy mysteries. I wish the Browns would write more and write faster. Recommended.
5. **** 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne as retold by JacQueline Morley and illustrated by Li Sidong. This graphic novel does a good job with Verne's story. Excellent for teenagers and older children. Recommended.
4. ** Mrs. Pargeter's Point of Honor by Simon Brett.
3. **** Wake by Robert J. Sawyer. A great science fiction tale that manages to be informative without ever being boring. Sawyer is our generation's Issac Asimov -- and may be the better writer. Recommended.
2. **** Composed by Rosanne Cash. I usually avoid celebrity memoirs because I learn things I didn't want to know. This memoir, however, is lovely and lyrical with absorbing life lessons that apply to all of us. Recommended.
1. **** The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs. Funny and fascinating collection of "experiments" to which Jacobs subjected himself -- and his long suffering wife. Recommended.
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