If it didn’t Bring you Joy,
Just Leave it Behind.

Let’s Ring in the New Year
With Good Things in Mind.

Let Every Bad Memory Go
That Brought Heartache and Pain.

And let’s Turn a New Leaf
With the Smell of New Rain.

Let’s Forget Past Mistakes
Making Amends for This Year.

Sending You These Greetings
To Bring you Hope and Cheer

Happy New Year!

I read fewer books this year than last year but if you count all the graphic novels I read I would be up by maybe twenty titles. I read most of the Superman/Batman books, Brightest Day, the Supergirl titles and of course my usual Bat-Family books. I will be reading graphic novels probably till the end of the year and maybe I’ll even start liking the Fables series that Older Brother, Phish and Bookatron all follow.

So why don’t I blog about the graphic novels I’ve read? I guess because I go through them quickly and most of the graphic novels I read aren’t that interesting or easy to follow unless you’ve  invested in the story line for many years. One of my resolution for 2012 will be to read more non-superhero graphic novels – Michael on BOTNS has recommended some great titles – and to blog about graphic novels in general.

One thing I am proud of this year is that I read more non-fiction than ever. Ok, four books is not a lot in the grand scheme of things but it’s a lot for me. Another goal for the New Year is to expand my non-fiction reading to histories and biographies.

As always, there were books that I finished that I didn’t get to review individually so here they are in no particular order:

Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas

This is the first in the Victorian series featuring detective Cyrus Barker and his apprentice, Thomas Llewelyn. As historical mysteries go, this was just an ok read for me. I didn’t get into the character of Cyrus Barker the same way I did with John Fielding or Charles Lenox. This book was different from the usual historical mysteries that I read, darker, grittier even. I’m not sure if that style is for me. Still, I’ll read the next book before deciding if I’ll follow the series or not.

Missing Joseph and Playing for the Ashes by Elizabeth George

Two more Inspector Lynley mysteries as they are such addicting reads.

These two mysteries are written in different styles. A lot of Missing Joseph is told from the main suspect’s point of view while Playing for the Ashes has a more mixed point of view. But both mysteries stress what I guess is Lynley’s main belief about murders – that it’s usually committed out of grief or despair or anger or love. Very rarely is it committed out of malice. It is this belief that makes Lynley such a compassionate detective and the books always worth reading.

Where Serpents Sleep and What Remains of Heaven by C.S. Harris

After Why Mermaids Sing I said that I would stop reading this series if Harris continued to write the character of Sebastian as a love-sick fool. Harris’ books have always been a mix of Regency mystery, intrigue and romance and I will definitely be reading more now that she has changed her mix of characters. Sebastian is much more suited for Hero as she is for him though she doesn’t know it yet.

Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer

This book was BAD.

Runaway Jury by John Grisham

I had this book for about 15 years before I finally got around to reading it. I can’t believe I waited so long. This is vintage Grisham, Grisham at this best, Grisham before he started writing just to turn out a book a year.

Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

Yet another book I misjudged this year. I don’t know what I was thinking when I said I wanted to read this book but I know it was not horror. But what kept me up at night wasn’t the man-eating Anthropophagus but the darkness of the humans that populate the story. This is not a series I want to revisit anytime soon.

Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva

Daniel Silva was another writer who redeemed himself in my eyes this year. He took Gabriel Allon back to his roots – paintings and Nazis. He’s still rehashing plots and characters from older books but this has to be the best Allon adventure of the last two years.

Pacific Rims by Rafe Bartholomew

Rafe Bartholomew came to the Philippines on a Fulbright scholarship to study why basketball, a sport whose principle requirement is height, has hold on a country whose average male citizen stands 5’7.

Honest and humorous without being condescending, I enjoyed this historical, cultural, anthropological study of a sport and a country I love.

Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier

Tracey Chevalier’s story of the girl behind the famous painting is one of my favorite books of the year. The story is elegant in its simplicity, not unlike the Vermeer that is its inspiration.

Run by Ann Patchett

Run is not Bel Canto. I found the narrative to be muddled and some plot points unnecessary. But in spite of that I could not put it down. I was wrapped up in the world of Doyle, Tip, Teddy, Sullivan and Kenya as soon as their world’s collided.

That’s all for 2011. Looking forward to a great 2012!

I didn’t start out as a fan of Artemis Fowl II. I remember reading the first book and wondering how in the world it became popular when the main character was a horrible brat. I think the main reason I read the second book was Butler and to some extent Holly and Commander Root. It was definitely not because of Artemis. But after the second book I was a fan, of the series and of Artemis. The stories are exciting and funny and the characters have become old friends.

I don’t think Artemis would ever describe himself as comforting but that’s what these books were to me these past few days.

I didn’t think I was going to like this book. As someone used to fast-paced mysteries the first few chapters of this book had me worried. Here was a gentleman detective with a delicate constitution, unused to discomfort and nearly useless in a fight. But Charles Lennox makes up for his lack of physicality with the agility of his mind resulting in a mystery with a solution that was completely unexpected as well as a crime within a crime.

This book will leave you wanting more of Finch’s eccentrically affable detective.

While not as exciting or funny as the original series or Lost Hero, Son of Neptune is still an entertaining read. Hazel and Frank’s characters are not as well-developed as Jason, Piper and Leo and that could be because they were on a quest with Percy. Since Percy is the reason I follow this series, even knowing in advance that the book would be told from three points of view, I was still disappointed that he only had 1/3 of the story. I miss his first person narration.

But really, my complaints are minor. I can’t wait till next year when the two camps finally come together. It’s inevitable that Annabeth is one of the seven demigods, but part of me is hoping that she isn’t. She’s the odd one in this series so it will be interesting to see how Rick Riordan fits her into the story.

New York Times

This was another one of those books were I was expecting something and got something totally different. I don’t know why I jumped to the conclusion that this book was about Native American folklore and that Pendergast dies in the end. How in the world did that idea pop into my head?

While this isn’t my favorite of the Pendergast books it was still an enjoyable read. This maybe the one book in the series so far (at least of the books that I’ve read) where the crime did not involve any scientific, evolutionary, mystical or other worldly aspect no matter how it looks from back of the book. Whether that’s good or bad is for Pendergast fans to decide. I just thought it was smart of the authors to surprise their readers with an unexpected change of pace.

Toujours Provence

Peter Mayle manages to make the everyday happenings of his life in Provence entertaining to someone who has never been there. He spends a lot of time describing the French countryside and food and wine and more food but does so with wit, humor and affection for his adopted home. But more than Mayle’s adventures, gastronomic or otherwise, it is the writing that is the heart of this book. I will go anywhere Peter Mayle takes me.

This is an interesting question for me since most of the books I read are parts of a series.

I think the most recent stand-alone book I’ve read that I really wish had a sequel is Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. I want to know what happens after Dash and Lily finally meet. Does each live up to the others expectation of the person behind the words in the red notebook? But as much as I want a sequel to this book, it’s probably best that there isn’t one.

To walk the rounds of the bookshops, dipping in as curiosity dictates, should be an afternoon’s entertainment. Feel no shyness or compunction in taking it. Bookshops exist to provide it; and the booksellers welcome it, knowing how it will end.” John Maynard Keynes