Better late than never. Remember how I used to blog and make OCD-worthy lists and collages of all I’d read? I still make lists, but collages these days, while never extinct, are few and far between.
2011 was a slim yet memorable reading year. I discovered Lisa Kleypas and dedicated the entire spring to reading her backlists. And new author crush: Stephanie Perkins! I plan to write an entire blog post on how much I swooned during the reading of Lola and the Boy Next Door.
The Wild Rose, the final installment of Jennifer Donnelly’s Rose Trilogy came out in August covered in awesome sauce. There were Lawrence of Arabia and motorcar chases, dude.
In between, there were many ‘Did Not Finished’ books. I’m a notorious abandon-er of books (known to abandon on the last few pages!), so I don’t count something as ‘Read’ unless I read or liberally skimmed every. single. word.
Oh, and I read The Witch of Blackbird Pond again. It’s a sickness. This is re-read #12.
Jan. 2011
Room by Emma Donoghue
Feb 2011
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (re-read)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (re-read)
March 2011
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Re-read).
Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas
Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas
April 2011
Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas
It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas
After the Night by Linda Howard
Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas
May 2011
Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas
Seduce Me At Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas
Tempt Me At Twilight by Lisa Kleypas
Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas
June 2009
Intensity by Dean Koontz
The Lost City of Z by David Grann (liberal skimming)
July 2011
A Shore Thing by Snooki
Jane by April Lindner
August 2011
The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (liberal skimming)
September 2011
Fury by Elizabeth Miles
October 2011
Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur
If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Dec 2011
Legend by Marie Lu
The Lit Connection 
David Grann wrote two (possibly three—yes, three) of my favorite New Yorkers pieces in the last three years. I was curious about his book, though you’ve merely skimmed it (liberally!). I also posted a books read list, and though we seem to have had slightly divergent reading lists, I am currently reading Tender is the Night.
It’s not that I didn’t like The Lost City of Z, I just wasn’t in the mood at the time. Hence, the liberal skimming. It should be mentioned that I purchased the book as a gift for someone else.
Btw, I perused your reading list. We have VASTLY different tastes! I became ‘classic/literary’-ed out after college when I discovered Young Adult, though I’ve always read romance novels in middle school and high school.
P.S. How are you doing? Can I call you Professor yet?
I’ll take those comments in reverse…
I’m doing pretty well and am enjoying living in a big house in West Philly. There’s never enough time to do everything one wants, like clean and repair one’s new-old typewriter. I am not a ‘professor’ in the technical (i.e. important sense) of the word (meaning, I don’t have the money, prestige, job security, or title), though I teach classes, including a graduate seminar at an art college here in Philadelphia. I’m currently working on my proposal and probably about two years out from being totally finished.
In terms of taste, you MAY be right–I haven’t read any Kleypas. I have more of a tolerance, maybe even a liking, for the non-classic/literary with films, but I wouldn’t say all of my reading falls under the banner of Literature, big-L. A lot of it is non-fiction “intellectual kitsch,” as they say. I try to avoid classics that make me work too hard, too.
I didn’t think ‘liberal skimming’ meant ‘didn’t like’, but I was curious if it was good, even from a lib skim point of view.
Good luck with the novel submission. Important question: Are you going to publish under your own name?
From a liberal skimming POV, I highly recommend The Lost City of Z. I picked it up because I was in search of a tale about an obsessive quest, which, incidentally, my YA novel is about. If you like Aguirre, Wrath of God (which I know you do!), you’ll like this book. My book was actually inspired by watching Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo, so you can imagine my main character is pretty intense and Captain Ahab-y.
And yes, I plan to publish under my own name! You are obliged to read my book (in the hopefully not-too-distant future). It will be your first YA novel and I promise there are no vampires.
Deal.