Quirky Bookworm's Best of 2011 (Part 3 of 3!)

I made it! Here's part three of my best of 2011 list. Be sure to check out parts one and two if you haven't read them yet. I'm not giving the books a set ranking, just rating them superlative style to make my decision-making process easier.

Most Like to Give You a Cavity: Cakespy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar Filled Life by Jessie Oleson. I have the world's worst sweet tooth. Or so I thought. But then I met this cookbook -- and realized there's someone out there with an even sweeter tooth! Jessie Oleson has compiled recipes that are a sugar lover's dream come true. I made S'moreos, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cinnamon Rolls, and Birthday Cake French Toast from this book, and they were all decadently delicious. Check out my full review here.



Best Cross-Genre Mix: The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. This book was an amazing amalgamation of mystery and history, which happen to be my two favorite genres. Inspector Grant, recuperating in the hospital, is unable to investigate current cases, so he turns his gaze on Richard III -- reviled through the centuries as the killer of the two princes in the Tower. This is a fascinating book; check out a longer review of it that I wrote back in October.



Fastest Read: The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. I completely fell in love with these books in October. They tell the story of Fitz, royal bastard and apprentice assassin, who is sworn to defend his family, the Farseer Kings. The Farseers had ruled the Six Duchies peaceably for generations, but now the Duchies are under attack by deadly Red Ship Raiders. Fitz must use his wits and his magic to defend his country and his family. I was obsessed with these books--even though they're long I read them lickedy-split --and I wholeheartedly recommend them. I think book two, Royal Assassin, was my least favorite, but I'd still give even that one a 4 out of 5.



Possibly Best Presidential Bio: First Family by Joseph Ellis.  I'm torn between this one and Team of Rivals. But I think this one gets a slight edge because (as I've mentioned) I heart Abigail Adams. Ellis does a great job of showing the comfortable, yet intense, relationship between John and Abigail, told through the more than 1200 letters which survive from their correspondence.



Best Historical Mystery: The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear. I randomly grabbed the audiobook version of Maisie Dobbs #6, and thus was introduced to a lovely new series. I really liked Among the Mad, but I enjoyed book #7 (The Mapping of Love and Death) even more. In this book Maisie is asked to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of an American cartographer during WWI. Although it's been almost 15 years since the war ended, Maisie (along with the rest of British society) is still struggling to cope with how drastically the world has changed.



Most Surprising Addition to the List: The Magician King by Lev Grossman. I had already written this whole post, sans The Magician King, because I'd finished The Magicians and didn't love it. But mostly based on Kim's review of The Magician King I felt compelled to continue -- and fell hard for this book, finishing it this morning. It's basically like Narnia meets Harry Potter meets The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Quentin (a former student of the magical college Brakebills in upstate New York) is now a King of Fillory, a land much like Narnia. But instead of being goody-two-shoes British children like the Pevenseys, Quentin and his fellow Brakebills alums/kings/queens cuss, sleep around, and drink too much. Perennially unsatisfied with his life, Quentin decides that he needs a quest, and sets out to find one. I don't want to say too much and give it away, and you definitely need to read The Magicians first, but this book is completely bewitching. Longer reviews of these books will definitely be coming soon!


Best Book That Didn't Make the List: The Darkening Field by William Ryan. This book won't be published till 1/3/12, so I don't feel like I can officially put it on this list... But it's an irresistible mystery set in 1930s Soviet Russia -- similar and yet so different to the setting of the Maisie Dobbs books. Captain Alexei Korolev is investigating the death of a young film production assistant. The characters are more afraid of Korolev's investigation (since he represents the power of the Soviet state) than they are of a murderer going free. I was sent an advance copy of this book by Shelf Awareness, but I'm definitely going to go back and read the first book in the series!

Whew! I'm officially done nominating my contenders for best books of the year. Now I'll look through the books mentioned in all three parts, and then choose my official Best Fiction and Best Nonfiction of 2011!

What are some of the best books you've read this year? 

Have you read any of these ones?

Quirky Bookworm's Best of 2011 (Part 2 of 3. I think.)

I'm continuing my round-up of the best books I read in 2011. If you missed part one or three, you can catch up here and here. I'm ranking them superlative style because an absolute ranking is too hard, it stresses me out!


Guiltiest Pleasure -- Where Shadows Dance by C.S. Harris. It's the sort of admission that will make highbrow fiction readers look down their noses at me, but I really love the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series by C.S. Harris. As usual, Sebastian, also known as Viscount Devlin, is still putting his logic, wit, and combat skills to use as he tries to uncover a killer in 1800s London. This time the dead man happened to be a diplomat, and as Devlin investigates he's drawn into the world of politics that his father (the Earl of Hendon) loves, and Devlin himself detests. To further complicate the situation; Devlin is engaged, and his fiancee's father, a powerful diplomat, may know more about the crime than he's admitting. Read my full review of the first book in the series here, and be sure to check them all out, they're historically accurate, engaging, romantic, and fun.

Best Graphic Novel -- V for Vendetta by Alan Moore. I shocked and appalled poor Noel by saying that I liked the movie better than the graphic novel version, but I still quite liked V for Vendetta. It's a gripping story-- set in a dystopic London where the government is all-seeing and all-controlling. A young girl named Evie is rescued from almost certain rape by a mysterious 'V' -- who wears a Guy Fawkes mask and talks in riddles. V is also a terrorist, trying to bring down the repressive regime, and the novel depicts the reactions of both people within the government, and those who have been oppressed, to V's attacks. V is gearing up for a big event on Guy Fawkes' Day, and Evie has to decide if she's going to help him or not.


Possibly Best Presidential Biography -- Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I really really really liked this book. I liked seeing Lincoln from a political perspective, and enjoyed reading about his sagacity in his decisions as president. I reviewed Team of Rivals as part of my 'History by Three' post about the Civil War, and I can't recommend this book enough! Although, be warned, I totally cried like a baby when Lincoln's son Willie died. And the sense of impending doom -- since you know that Lincoln is about to be assassinated -- makes the latter part of the book a bit hard to read. I can't help but wonder how different Reconstruction would have been (and how different North/South relations still might be) if Lincoln hadn't been killed.

Most Memorable Historical Fiction: Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. I've loved all of Geraldine Brooks's books (especially People of the Book) -- and I was so excited to read this one. I was on the waiting list at the library for about three months, and happily it lived up to my expectations. The story of Bethia Mayfield and her Native American friend Caleb, set in 1660s Massachusetts, is engrossing and beautiful. It's based on one small true fact -- but Brooks takes that fact and twists it into a lovely and unforgettable read. I reviewed Caleb's Crossing as part of my 'History by Three' post about Colonial New England. Read that review here.


Most Intriguing Use of Cannibalism -- Arctic Obsession by Alexis Troubetzkoy. I was surprised how much I liked this book actually. Shelf Awareness sent me a copy to review, and I thought, well, I like history usually, I'll give it a shot. And then I couldn't put the silly thing down. It's very readable and tells the fascinating history of Arctic exploration over the centuries. It's absolutely unbelievable how people survived for months (or even years) in frigid conditions without modern things like fleece-lined jackets and warm tents and whatnot. The end gets a bit over-the-top environmentalish for me, but admittedly the Arctic is in serious danger, so I understand why Troubetzkoy included it. I just wanted more stories about cannibalism! I first reviewed this book back on December 6th, click here to read the longer review.

Whew! I'm getting better at this decision making! How about you? What are some of the best books you read in 2011?

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Photo found here.

And the angel said to them,
"Fear not, for behold, 

I bring you good news of great joy 

that will be for all the people. 

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, 

who is Christ the Lord. 

Luke 2:10-11

Merry Christmas!

I'll be taking a few days off blogging to focus on family and fun. See you later in the week! And, in the meantime, if you're looking for a great book, why don't you check out some of my all-time favorites or some oldies but goodies? I hope that you have a wonderful holiday.

Eight Reasons I Didn't Like the Kindle

Three weeks ago I ordered a Kindle Touch. After some deliberation, I returned it last week. Here's my review of it, in eight semi-succinct points.

1. I didn't love it. It seemed ok. But if I'm going to spend $99 on something, it'd better be freakin' amazing.
2. Unlike the advertising, it's a little too big to comfortably hold in one hand. It's not really much easier to hold than a 'real' book.
3. I think if I did use an e-reader I'd actually want something backlit.
4. In related news to #1 and #3, I realized there's a free Kindle app, and I can read books on my iPhone in a pinch. Why spend $99 to have another device cluttering things up?  
5. We are definitely not in the traveling mode of life (I've managed to leave Arizona once, for 4 days, in the last 2 years), so bulky real books are fine. 
6. The convenience of getting library books on your Kindle is irrelevant to me, because the 'li-bree' is one of Eleanor's favorite places, and we go about twice a week. 
7. I didn't like the tap to turn pages. I prefer a swiping motion. 
8. The Kindle is proprietary, so all books I'd buy would have to be purchased on Amazon, which I don't love because it undermines local bookstores. 

So I'm going to remain e-reader-less for now. Do you have an e-reader? Do you like it?

Quirky Bookworm's Best of 2011 (Part 1 of...?)

I've read 124 books so far this year. I'm going to attempt to sum up my favorites, although this may be brutally difficult. A numeric ranking was too hard, so I'm doing it superlative style. I think there will be three posts with my overall favorites, and then one final post with my best fiction and best nonfiction pick for the year. Unless the stress of narrowing them down drives me to despair first.

With no further ado, here are the first batch of nominations for the best books I read in 2011.


Most Addicting: The Hunger Games trilogy. I started book one while at my grandparents' condo in January. I finished it about three hours later. The moment we got home I checked the library website, and there were more than 200 holds on each of the later two books. Cue sadness and despair. But then I queried Facebook, and luckily had a co-worker willing to bring them to me at work the next Monday, huzzah! I don't really think you need a review, because you've probably heard about The Hunger Games a million times already, but Kerry at Entomology of a Bookworm summed it up almost the same way I would have.



Best Re-Read: the Anne of Green Gables series. See, look how I'm cheating already. Three Hunger Games books and eight Anne books, for my first two nominations. But I haven't read these books in at least a decade, and I really enjoyed them -- particularly Anne of the Island and Rilla of Ingleside. I love L.M. Montgomery's way with words, and how vividly she brings turn-of-the-century Prince Edward Island to life. Reading the whole series gave me new appreciation for her ingenuity, because even the vast numbers of minor characters are well-sketched, and she rarely repeats character traits. As a mom I also appreciated the later books in the series more than I used to--the exploits of Anne's six children in Anne of Ingleside and Rainbow Valley are lots of fun.



Best Memoir: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I avoided this book for way too long based on the hype. (Yes, I am the kid that refused to read the Babysitter's Club books just because everyone else was. And I'm still avoiding The Help.) But, I'm so glad that I did read The Glass Castle. Jeannette Walls shares in gut-wrenching detail the story of her upbringing with her brilliant, itinerant, alcoholic father, and absent-minded, artistic mother. They lived in awful poverty, and yet in a way she had a beautiful childhood. It boggles my mind that anyone could let their children struggle through life like that simply because they weren't inclined to work a 9-5 job, but Walls does an excellent job of portraying the nuances of her parents, so that you don't hate them in spite of everything.




Most Likely to Make Me Clean My House: Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider. This book is a great guide to de-cluttering, retraining your brain to think in minimalist fashion, and just generally simplifying your life and possessions. It has inspired me to glean through collections of books, CDs, and toys, and get rid of many things. Read my full review here.





Best Use of the Transcontinental Railroad: The Man From Beijing by Henning Mankell. I was kind of annoyed with how Mankell ended the Wallander series (after reading 10 books starring Kurt Wallander I was invested enough that I wanted a happier ending), but luckily I decided to give The Man From Beijing a chance. A village in northern Sweden is the scene of a terrible atrocity: nineteen people are brutally murdered. Judge Birgitta Roslin is shocked to find out that her adoptive grandparents, the Andréns, are among the dead. Soon she finds out that an Andrén family living in Nevada has also been wiped out. Is there a link? Birgitta's journey will uncover secrets in Sweden, China, and Mozambique, and lead her back 150 years in time to the building of the Transcontinental Railroad in the western US. The scope of this novel is impressive, and Mankell weaves the many complicated threads together brilliantly. I might have to do a longer review later, because I liked this book so much.

Phew! This is harder than it looks people! What are some of your favorite books from this year? Don't miss parts two and three of my nominations for best of 2011!

Maisie Dobbs

I've always been tempted to read the Maisie Dobbs books by Jacqueline Winspear, mostly because they have pretty covers. I finally got around to them a few weeks ago when I grabbed Among the Mad, book six in the series, on audio book at the library.

Read by Orlagh Cassidy, the audio version brings thoughtful, precise, caring Maisie Dobb to life. Set at Christmas/New Year's of 1931, the story opens as Maisie, private investigator and psychologist, and her assistant Billy, are injured when a man commits suicide by blowing himself up on Christmas Eve. Her contacts at Scotland Yard hear of her proximity to the bomb, and so when a letter arrives threatening more attacks, they bring her in.

Among the Mad is an apt title on several levels, because the case sends Maisie into the world of the mad -- hunting through the records of shell-shocked and mentally unstable veterans of World War One. She also deals with the mental instability of her old friend Priscilla, who is struggling with debilitating fear about her sons, and Billy's wife Doreen, who has never recovered from the loss of their daughter. The holidays seem to bring out this sense of dread and loss in many who are already slightly mentally unstable, says Maisie's friend, a doctor at a mental hospital.

At first Scotland Yard is apt to blow off the letter, until the letter-writer proves his point by killing with one of the gases used in the trenches during the war. No longer just a disaffected soldier, he has become a true threat, and Maisie and Scotland Yard must work quickly to find him. Using her trademark empathy and awareness of others, as well as her intuitive sense of what is pertinent and what is not, Maisie hopes she can narrow her search to the proper man before it's too late.

I like the slow, thoughtful, and yet perspicacious way Maisie approached the case. She's really a unique character -- an independent, modern woman, set in an earlier time, who uses "templates" (essentially profiling) to search for the proper man in this case. Maisie's concern for others, rational thought process, and intelligent attention to tiny details make her a formidable investigator indeed.

Rating: 4.2 out of 5
Should I recommend this to my grandma? Yes! Actually, I think I might buy one of these books for my grandma for her birthday! Shh, don't tell her.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

A Quirky Bookworm's Gift Guide (Part 3)

First things first, the winner of last Sunday's giveaway is: commenter #8, Angi Christiansen who still needs a gift for her husband. Maybe he'll like A Good Hanging, the prize she won? Congratulations Angi, and thanks to everyone who entered!

(Did you miss parts one and two of my gift guide? Catch up here and here.)
Now, onto the gift-giving!

Got that impossible-to-buy for person haunting you? Tired of buying them things you're pretty sure that they just return?

How about an edible gift? Cookies are always loved, or people go crazy for homemade peppermint bark. My friend Meghan made white chocolate and peppermint covered Oreos -- incredibly easy, but also pretty and delicious. In past years I've given these addicting crackers and molasses cookies as gifts and my recipe for gingerbread is easy-peasy and always well-received.

Or, if baking is not your favorite thing to do, you could buy them Miette: Recipes from San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop, and let them bake their own food!

Meg Ray, the chef and owner of the pastry shop Miette, has gathered the secrets of her many delectable baked goods into this eponymous cookbook. Every detail of Miette--from its scalloped pages to its pastel colors to its beautiful photographs of luscious baked goods--will charm experienced and novice bakers alike.

Ray explains how to make items as diverse as Lemon Debutante Cake, Chocolate Truffle Tarts and Caramel Corn. Some of the recipes are complicated, with several pages of detailed instructions, while others are simple and require only a few ingredients. The results, though, are all beautiful, combining irresistible flavors with Miette's trademark dainty charm. Each recipe offers both measurements and weights for the ingredients, and a short note explaining how it was developed, allowing the reader to glimpse the behind the scenes work at the pastry shop, and providing alternate options for precise, careful baking to re-create its most popular recipes.*


Looking for that perfect little something for the bibliophile in your life?

The Literary Gift Company has some of the cutest stuff I've ever seen -- jewelry, notebooks, tote bags, mugs, and apparel that are all book themed! I wish I had a jillion dollars to spend there. I have a serious crush on that Agatha Christie typewriter pin.

My grandparents are notoriously hard to buy for, because they have everything they need or want. Are yours the same way?

A few years ago my siblings and I started donating to World Vision in their name. A gift as small as $25 can give a child access to clean water, provide two chickens (and countless eggs) to a family in need, or give a woman in Afghanistan access to maternal care. My husband and I have supported World Vision for years, and every year we give a little bit more to charities like them at Christmas, and a little bit less to ourselves. My grandparents love that we give the gift in their name, and I like knowing that we've made a huge difference in someone's life, rather than just spending dollars in some big box store.

Today's my birthday! We'll celebrate just the three of us this afternoon, and then tonight we're going to look at Christmas lights with friends. What are you doing today? Last minute shopping?

*This review was originally written for Shelf Awareness and appeared there on 11/22/11.

Weekend Links: The Ryan Gosling Edition

• You've probably seen this all over Facebook and Twitter already, but I have to share this tumblr of Ryan Gosling, librarian lover. I'm not a huge Ryan Gosling fan, but it cracks me up.
• Tuesday's Shelf Awareness for Readers had reviews for several books I want to read now! I'm especially interested in Broken Music.
• Already read The Hunger Games and Divergent? Looking for more YA dystopic literature? Jill at Rhapsody in Books has a recommendation for you.
• You've still got a few more hours to enter my giveaway to win an Ian Rankin book! Go leave a comment!
• I was at my mom's house this week -- and in Google Chrome none of the book images load at the top of the blog posts. My mom said she was wondering why I do reviews of books without saying what the title is, ha!

What browser do you use? Do the book cover images show up for you?

A Pile of Severed Feet

I really love Fred Vargas's mysteries, so when Shelf Awareness sent me her latest book to review, I was ecstatic! Part of this review was originally written for them.

The delightfully vague Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg and his pedantic colleague Danglard are in London for a conference. They happen to be present when DCI Radstock, from Scotland Yard, discovers a pile of severed feet in front of Highgate Cemetery. The strange scene is still in their minds when they get back to France and are called to a grisly murder scene.

Although the victim, Pierre Vaudel, wasn’t particularly well liked, it’s unclear why someone would annihilate his body in such gruesome fashion. Adamsberg then finds himself letting the prime suspect go, for reasons he can’t quite explain. Unfortunately for the longsuffering junior officers who report to Adamsberg, he continues to ponder this as the investigation progresses and he amasses old rumors and the seemingly insignificant tidbits of information that flow through his sieve-like mind.

In typical Fred Vargas style, she lets Adamsberg meander down this confused path until a sudden revelation connects the feet to Vaudel, and Adamsberg has a breakthrough, which leads him to Serbia and an ancient secret. The story kicks into high gear then as Danglard realizes that someone high up is protecting the murderer, and trying to frame Adamsberg for the crime. Adamsberg and Danglard must work together to find out who the killer is, and who is framing Adamsberg before it’s too late. An Uncertain Place is another superb mystery by Fred Vargas, which will leave her fans waiting impatiently for the eighth in the series to be translated into English.

Without giving too much away, I have to admit that I was a bit surprised at the direction the book took once Adamsberg was in Serbia. All the rest of Vargas's mysteries have been pretty straightforward procedurals, so I wasn't expecting the paranormal turn this one took. But, I still quite liked it.

It's funny, because I'm sure if I met Adamsberg in real life he'd drive me bonkers, but somehow in literary form he's a very enjoyable character. I think it's the twisty way his mind works -- I enjoy how he pulls all sorts of random trivia into his brain, and then amalgamates it into a cohesive theory and solves the crime.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Should I recommend this to my grandma? As long as she doesn't mind a bit of blood and gore.

Have you read Fred Vargas? Do you mind a little of the paranormal in your mysteries?

P.S. The giveaway is still open! Go leave a comment to enter to win.

This post has some Amazon affiliate links.