For the Record: November 2011

I'm SO not ready for those BEST OF 2011 posts to pop up, much less compose them.  How is it that November is already over??  I was away from home most of the month, so it was an odd one, that's for sure.  I did get some fun reading done, although I haven't really talked about any of the books yet. Working on that.

The end of November also means that there is one month left to nominate books for the 2011 Indie Lit Awards. Which MEANS...it isn't too late to nominate some great literary titles! You all need to be on that like a rat on a cheeto.  :)

10 Books Read in November: (122 books year-to-date) (titles link to my review)
1 for Book Club:
  - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox -O'Farrell (what a fabulous surprise this book was! --4)
1 Read-Aloud for my kiddos:
  - The Trumpet of the Swan  -White (Love this book! --4)
1 ARC:
  - The Western Lit Survival Kit -Newman (for LibraryThing, A funny guide to the classics.  --4)
5 Recommendations:
  - The Westing Game -Raskin (from my 12 year-old son. Lotsa characters, but fun read.  --3)
  - Nothing But the Truth -Avi (also from my son.  Good discussion book.  --3)
  - The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets -Rice (blogger rec, not sure who...need to keep track of that!  --4)
  - The Marriage Plot -Eugenides (a Powell's Indiespensable selection, and my 1st Eugenides.  --4)
  - Remember Me -Bedford (really really terrible, shouldn't have read it.  --1)
2 Just Because:
  - After the Quake -Murakami (I was entranced by The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle when my book club read it a couple of years back, this collection of short stories wasn't quite as wonderful for me.  --3.5)
  - On Canaan's Side -Barry (Not as incredible as A Long Long Way, but still up there.  --4.5)



1 DNF: No Country For Old Men (Cormac McCarthy)
I feel a little terrible admitting I didn't finish this book.  I thought The Road was quite well written, and this seemed to have a similar style.  The names of the characters and the guns confused me, so I couldn't keep anything straight or vivid in my mind.  I kept feeling that the movie would have been so much better.  Think I'll watch it instead of reading it.  Someday.


3 Current Reads:
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (read-along with Wallace @ Unputdownables.  Over halfway through and love love loving it.)
- Possession by A.S. Byatt (I've been meaning to read this for a long time.  I'm not very far in, but planning on finishing it in December.)
- Up Stairs and Down Stairs by Jeremy Musson (Can't wait to really dive into this one!)


On My Nightstand:
- Some Short Stories by Flannery O'Connnor (I read another in October, but still have 8 of 31 stories left to read--want to finish this before the end of the year!)
- Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (ARC from LibraryThing)




Before the End of the Year:
I'm planning on taking it pretty easy for the rest of the year.  If I can finish the 5 books shown above, I'll be more than happy.  I'm itching to read another Willa Cather book, so re-reading Song of the Lark will be the next item on the list if I end up with more time to read.

Other than that, it's all planning for 2012. One of my favorite things: making lists, plans, and goals!  Apart from reading goals, I'm thinking of shaking up how I blog, introducing a new feature or two.  I'm hoping to streamline my posts a bit, we'll see what I come up with.