Y’all know I love to read. I go through reading spurts. I’ll stop reading completely and then a couple of months later, I’ll come back with a vengeance and read six books in a month. I love to read!
I meant to do this post back in January to update you on what I read in 2011. Some of my favorite book suggestions have come from so many of you. But I’ve also included recents reads from this year.
If you want to see previous reads, check out my post from my 2009 bookshelf and 2010 bookshelf. You can also follow me on GoodReads! (ErinCarroll)
So this is what I read in 2011 and what I’ve read so far in 2012. I’ve divided it all up into categories.
Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond- This was part of our blogging book club. I really, really enjoyed this book. Even if it was slightly embellished, I thought it was funny and such a great love story.
Night Road by Kristin Hannah- I really like Kristin Hannah’s books. She wrote Winter Garden and Firefly Lane, which I loved! Night Road was a really great story. It was sad, at times, and often frustrating. But I loved the characters and couldn’t put it down.
Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God by Sheila Walsh- I really enjoyed how Sheila took stories of characters in the Bible who struggled with faith and then applied those stories to her own life. This was a great book.
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp- Wow. This is such an eye-opening book. I highly recommend it.
Crazy Love by Francis Chan- Another book that I highly recommend. I need to read this book every year.
Radical by David Platt- See a trend here? I loved this one, too.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls- This is a must-read for everyone. Her story is incredible and almost unbelievable. But it’s true and it will stick with you.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein- Oh my gosh. Totally a dog book that made me cry. But it’s one of my all-time favorites. The dog, Enzo, narrates this story and it is incredibly touching.
The House on First Street by Julia Reed- This book is about New Orleans in the months before Katrina and immediately after Katrina. I loved the beginning of this book. I loved hearing about so many places in New Orleans that I know so well. But it got slow around the middle.
Ape House by Sara Gruen- Eh. Sara Gruen wrote Water for Elephants so I thought I’d love this book. I liked a lot about it and there was some fun suspense. I liked the characters. But it was a little bit out there for me.
The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks- I have read every single Nicholas Sparks book. Some of them are just so-so and I end up loving others. The Best of Me was kind of “meh.” I don’t want to say much because then I’ll inevitably give something away. It was a touching story about high school sweethearts who are reunited.
Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks- My favorite Nicholas Sparks books are the ones with a good amount of suspense mixed with romance. Safe Haven had that perfect mix for me. (The Lucky One is my favorite Sparks book)
Divergent by Veronica Roth- If you liked The Hunger Games you will love Divergent. It’s full of action and just moves so quickly. I don’t typically love futuristic books like this (and Hunger Games) but I couldn’t put this book down. I’m so happy that there are two more books!
Insurgent by Veronica Roth- This is what I’m reading right now, and so far I love it! I am trying to read as quickly as possible while still planning Hayes’s party for this weekend!
Next up….
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
Okay, so what have y’all been reading? Please give me suggestions. I need books to suck me in within 50 pages or I can’t commit. Help me build my bookshelf for 2012, please!
I felt the same about Ape House; let down after Water for Elephants was so awesome. I also felt the same about Glass Castle and Divergent. I am way too sensitive for Racing in the Rain – I was upset the whole book and hugging my dogs like a loony toon. I really enjoyed the White Queen by Phillipa Gregory. She also wrote The Other Boleyn Girl so if you have any interest in historical fiction, it’s a great read. LOVE book posts. I’m finishing up the final Hunger Games then on to Divergent #2!!
Totally agree with you about Ape House. Kind of a let down since I loved Water for Elephants so much. I love your recommendations and will have to refer to this list once I get through all the baby books that I’m reading right now!
Thank you for this post!! I’ve been looking to make a summer reading list and these all look great! I would recommend the Fallen Series by Lauren Kate. It’s purely for leisure reading. They hook you in pretty quick.
I really liked Ape House. You definitely can’t go into it looking for another Water for Elephants, though. Totally different. Here are the things I’ve read:
http://laurenandeddie.blogspot.com/search/label/Books
I loved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and think you will too! It is such a good southern story. I’m going to re-read Divergent and then start Insurgent. Can’t wait to start the series (again)!
I am embarassed to admit that I read all three Fifty Shades of Grey books in five days. I calculated it out and it was about 2,300 pages in five days. They were so adicting!!! I’m starting a book club and have been trying to gather a list of books to consider. Thanks for this post!!
I liked Saving CeeCee Honeycutt! It was sweet and Southern. I am having the hardest time getting into 50 Shades of Grey though. It’s not the “embarassing” parts..it’s just not grabbing me.
You and I share the same commitment standards with books – 50 page rule. LOVED the Fifty trilogy. Still a bit lost now that I’ve finished. Will be starting on Insurgent in the next few days…though I think I need a bit of a refresher on Divergent first as I have read so much since. Happy reading!
Looks like we read the same stuff! I’m on 50 shades series now and plan on Divergent series next. Curious to know what you think of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. I really loved Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls too. And have you read Unbroken by Hillenbrand? My favorite of 2011 by far!
I too go through reading spurts–too funny! I read “Saving CeeCee Honeycutt” last year & loved it! I hope you do too! I’m currently reading “The Paris Wife” and it’s so very good–some nights I just can’t put it down. I would also recommend “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir)” and ““Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food.” I’ve struggled with my weight for years & finally have it under control thanks to WW & my new outlook on food through this book. Thanks for the other recommendations-I’ll be sure to put them on my list (especially the “Fifty Shades” trilogy…I may see if I can hold out for those during our beach trip this summer). Happy reading, Erin! 🙂
Based on your previous read these are my recommendations for YOU:
These Is My Words by Nancy Turner-What a book!! 3 books in the series.
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Matched by Ally Condie- another really good dystopian novel like Divergent. 2 books in the series are out.
Have you read any Sophie Kinsella? I personally think you’d LOVE Confessions of Shopaholic.
I hope you’ll try one of these!! If you do, you must tell me what you think!
We have very simmer taste in books!! I love to read too and actually did a post today on what I plan to read throughout the summer…check it out of you want!
http://www.riccialexis.blogspot.com
So far this year I’ve read the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Really easy reads and I found them pretty funny. I also read the Memory Keepers Daughter which I loved. I’m a huge Kristin Hannah fan and I read her newest book Home Front and LOVED it. I just finished the Fifty Shades books and couldn’t agree with you more about wanting ten more! I’m halfway through Bloom by Kelle Hampton right now and am loving it.
My to-read list is Diveregent & Insurgent, Deadlocked (a sookie stackhouse book) & City of the Lost Souls (fourth book in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Claire)
I recently joined GoodReads too for some serious summer reading while I have some time off from grad school. I love it!
One of the BEST books I’ve read lately is A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison. It’s a suspense novel about the lives of two young girls who are abducted into the gruesome world of sex trafficking and the young lawyer who tries to save them. I can’t say enough about this book- amazing! Some older faves are Lamb by Christopher Moore, a comedic take on the life of Jesus from the viewpoint of his childhood best friend, Echoes by Danielle Steel, a romance set during the Holocaust and Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert, which is kind of the sequel to Eat Pray Love.
Thanks for your book recommendations, hope mine were helpful!
Thanks so much for this post! I read the Hunger Games just the other week. I finished all three books within three days. I started the first one in bed at 11pm and couldn’t stop reading until 4am. I loved the series (not so much the ending though) and am now looking for something new to get into. 50 shades looks interesting and if you say Divergent is good I’ll give that a go.
Sorry, I have no tips for you. I go from reading Austen or Bronte one month to reading teen fiction like Twilight or the Hunger Games the next. I don’t read much in between 🙂
My book club is reading The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman for May. I really enjoyed it. If you liked Sarah’s Key you will also like this. If you haven’t read Sarah’s Key I also recommend that. I also enjoyed The Paris Wife. Have you read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern? It is also a great love story!
If you like Hunger Games and Divergent, I recommend the Matched series by Ally Condie. Only 2 books (Matched & Crossed) are out now…I think the third comes out this fall.
Two that I really want to read this year that I never got around to reading last year: Room and Bossy Pants.
Thank you for all the recommendations! I’m reading a few books all at once, which I hate, but I can’t decide between them… Anyway have you read Bossy Pants? Its really funny–especially if you like Tina Fey!
Best,
Colleen @ Meet the Sullivans
I didn’t think Insurgent was out yet! I loved Divergent and can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel!
I just finished Stephen King’s 11/22/63, and although it’s very different from what I usually read, it was great. It’s not a horror-type story; it’s actually got a sweet romance sub-plot along with the time-traveling. I’d also recommend anything by Sarah Addison Allen. She’s written 4 titles so far: The Sugar Queen, Garden Spells, The Peach Keeper, and The Girl Who Chased the Moon. They’ve got a bit of a magic element in them, but they’re nice reads. We seem to have similar tastes 🙂
Thanks for the recommendations in this post!
I love Nicholas Sparks & The Art of Racing in the Rain. Some favorites that I’ve read this year are: Room (about a 5 year old boy and his mom who have been locked away in a room for the little boy’s entire life); Delirium (a dystopian novel about a society where it is against the law to love — there’s another book in the series but I’m on the wait list for that one!); Maze Runner Trilogy (another dystopian series — not as good as Hunger Games, but super interesting and it hooked me in). Some “older” favorites are: The Book Thief, The Help, The Secret Life of Bees, The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Our book club is reading Fifty Shades of Gray this month, and I’m not starting it until Friday evening. I’ve blocked the entire weekend, because I really don’t want to start it when I have something else to do… and this is my first free weekend in a while.
One book I recommend to everyone is My Year With Eleanor. It’s a great memoir. I also really loved Bossypants. If you liked Julie and Julie, Cleaving is really good, but I also know you’re not a fan of books that involve infidelity. Still, it’s really well written. Girls in White Dresses was also a good one, and an easy read. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress was also pretty hilarious.
This summer I’m really looking forward to reading the latest by Emily Giffin, and I have These Girls and The Song Remains the Same in my stack currently. It’s bound to be a great summer for women’s fiction.
Oh, and have you read The Help?
JUST KIDDING.
Loved Night Road and Safe Haven! Recommendations? The Story of a Marriage, anything but Joshlyn Jackson, Winter Bloom by Tara Heavey, and I second The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes
My favorite book of 2012: 7 (Jen Hatmaker). I read multiple books a year, and I’m pretty sure it’ll remain at the top. I think my favorite books in 2011 were Unbroken (Laura Hillenbrand) and Half-Broke Horses (Jeanette Walls). I think I’m one of two people who didn’t like One Thousand Gifts. I loved the premise, but her writing is way too flowery/poetic for me. Also, I LOVE Shauna Niequist’s books: Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet.
Unbroken is a must. I feel as strongly about that as The Glass Castle. Her second book (Half Broke Horses) is really good. I am really enjoying The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and have Operating Instructions (memoir on raising a boy) next up on my list. Surprised you haven’t done Bloom.
Thank you so much for this post! I started the Shades trilogy last week and literally could not put the books down. I loved the love story. I was so embarrassed with the steamy parts at first, but it reminded me how wonderful it is to fall in love with your husband! I’m going to check out the other books you’ve recommended. Now how to discuss the 50 shades in my jl book club…
I am about finished with the 3rd book in 50 Shades. I don’t know what I’m going to read after this because nothing even seems close to this good! I think I need a Goodreads accounts though too.
I’m putting fifty shades on my to read list. Have divergent on my list but just havent gotten to it yet. I tend to go for books in a series since I hate it when I read a book too fast and there’s no more of it! ( which is funny bc 6 months ago, I scoffed at someone who suggested I read a certain book, didn’t think I had time for that. Boy, I was wrong!) just finished the hunger games trilogy again before seeing the movie.
I suggest the fallen series also ( Lauren Kate), matched, and definitely check out amanda hocking’s series. So good!!!(trylle series, vampire series(can’t remember the name- starts a bit slow but gets really good), I really liked richelle mead’s vampire academy series, (6 books, read it twice it was so good (( I know, nuts!,)), and couldnt pu it down either time btw! Its supernatural, romance, serious action, strong female, unpredictable, complex plots, etc,etc)
Thanks for sharing these! I can’t wait to add some to my summer reading list. I’m almost done with the Fifty Shades series and I just can’t get enough. I’ve fell in love with these characters and I never thought I’d like it. Happy reading 🙂
The Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff is a true story and I thought I heard they may be making it into a movie…
The best book by far in 2012 that I have read is DEFENDING JACOB by William Landay. Once I began reading it I could not put it down. I really can’t say enough good things about this book and I think it would be a great movie!! It is a disturbing topic but really makes you think and will stay with you for a long time. Also loved Sarah’s Key, The Accident by Linwood Barclay (love all his books), and loved, loved, loved Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt (such a sweet southern book). You like alot of the same books I do including Night Road, Safe Harbor, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and The Glass Castle. I don’t think I will read Fifty Shades of Grey though as I don’t think I would like it, although I know lots of people do.
agreed – divergent was amazing! bad luck for you that it came out the same week that you have a birthday party to plan though.
since you liked divergent and hunger games, i highly recommend delirium by lauren oliver. its dystopian, there is great character development and always some kind of action happening.
I ultimately ended up being sort of annoyed by The House on First Street. I don’t begrudge her for not having suffered more, but it did seem a little bit “let them eat cake.”
As for recommendations, you might like Wish You Were Here, which is a great romance with some Christian elements. It’s really well done.
I forgot to say that I loved The Glass Castle too. I’ve seen some recommendations on here for Unbroken, which I thought was okay but not nearly as good as some of the reviews suggest. Also, I second the recommendation above for Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet. I loved both those. The author is so wise and had a lovely, relatable style.
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt was a beautiful book!! I loved it and really didn’t want it over with. Hope you enjoy it!!!!
My labradoodle is named Enzo after the dog in The Art of Racing in the Rain. I loved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. A sweet story and an easy read. I like Karen White’s books as well.
I loved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt! Also, I saw someone else recommend The Paris Wife and it was really good. I read Room by Emma Donoghue recently and it sucked me in. Kindof strange at the beginning while you are trying to figure everything out, but really, really good!
Try “house on the corner of bitter and sweet” and “the red tent”. I think you’d like both and “the red tent” will combine your love of Biblical/religious themes and a powerful story of love and womanhood. Happy reading!
Love this post – thanks for all the recommendations!
Every now and then I do a post on what I’m reading..you can see all my “reviews” here: http://floatingalongblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Books
Delirium is so good!!! I’m reading Insurgent now….so good.
I started reading Black heels to tractor wheels when it was up on Ree’s blog, before the book deal, and I was HOOKED. She is such an incredible writer and I just love that story.
I bonded with Molly (Duchess of Fork) over Ceecee Honeycutt, so I echo previous recommendations with that! I average a book a week, and keep a notebook of what I’ve read so that I can keep track and share titles with friends. Recent reads include The Darlings by Christina Algier (on the lighter side) and The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman (which is a bit heavier). I second the suggestions for Sarah Addison Allen and The Night Circus. Email me if you need more titles, and happy reading!
I loved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt! It’s such a lovely story. You’re going to love it.
I just finished the Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, which I loved. Currently reading Paris Wife, which is lovely. I also loved Girl in Translation, such a beautiful and well-written story. The characters are just perfect. And Insurgent is next on my list!