2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
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Booklist Queen's 2026 Reading Challenge
2026 52 Club Reading Challenge
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2026 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge
2026 Mount TBR Reading Challenge
2026 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge
Shelf Reflection Candy Reading Challenge for Kids (and Adults)
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Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo
2026 Southern Literary Reading Challenge
2026 Reading Challenge (by Linz the Bookworm)
2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge
European Reading Challenge 2026
2017 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge (retired challenge - doing old boards for fun)
2026 Reading Challenge Addict Reading Challenge
The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge
The Life Skills Reading Challenge
2011: A Review
As for 2011, I - once again - did not reach my goal of reading 200 books. I came close. I ended up finishing 186, one more than last year. So, I'm just going to roll over the goal one more time and aim for 200 in 2012 because, darn it, I know I can do it.
Of the 186 books I read this year:
- 171 (92%) were fiction and 15 (8%) were non-fiction.
- 56 (30%) were adult books, 89 (48%) were YA and 41 (22%) were children's/middle grade (I don't count picture books in my yearly total)
- 61 (33%) were written by males, 119 (64%) by females, 2 (1%) by female/female teams, 3 (2%) by male/female teams and 1 (.5%) by a male/male team.
- 120 (65%) were sent to me for review, 43 (23%) were library books and 23 (12%) came from my personal collection.
- 30 (16%) were written by LDS authors.
- 167 (90%) were written by American authors (9 of whom are African-American), 12 (6%) by U.K. authors, 4 (2%) by Canadian authors, 2 (1%) by Australian authors and 1 (.5) by a German author.
- Oh! Because I was doing the 50 States Challenge, I kept track of the states in which the books I read were set. In case you're interested, here's the Top 5: New York (12 books), Massachusetts (7), California (6), and Louisiana, Washington, and Utah tied with 4 books each. Kind of interesting, no?
Challenges at which I failed miserably:
- The Contemps Reading Challenge
- 2011 Dystopia Challenge
- 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge
- 2011 Stephen King Challenge
- 2011 Page to Screen Reading Challenge
Challenges at which I did okay:
Challenges at which I totally rocked:
Books I read in 2011 (beginning with the most recent - asterisks denote favorites):
186. Some Assembly Required by Anne and Sam Lamott
185. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott
184. Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George*
183. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern*
182. The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty
181. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
180. Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett
179. In the Dark Street Shineth by David McCullough
178. Edge of Evil by J.A. Jance
177. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens*
176. The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
175. Glass by Ellen Hopkins
174. The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine*
173. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
172. Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay
171. It All Started With Autumn Jones by Jack Weyland
170. Our Best Bites: Mormon Moms in the Kitchen by Sara Wells and Kate Jones*
169. The Big Game of Everything by Chris Lynch
168. Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman
167. Bleed by Laurie Faria Stolarz
166. I Survived: The Shark Attacks of 1916 by Lauren Tarshis
165. Small As An Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
164. The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
163. Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor
162. The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf*
161. Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
160. Gone by Lisa McMann
159. Fade by Lisa McMann
158. Feed by M.T. Anderson
157. After the Snow by S.D. Crockett
156. Titanic, Book Three: S.O.S. by Gordon Korman
155. Titanic, Book Two: Collision Course by Gordon Korman
154. Titanic, Book One: Unsinkable by Gordon Korman
153. You Are My Only by Beth Kephart
152. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
151. The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer
150. Dear America: Voyage On the Great Titanic by Ellen Emerson White
149. Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
148. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
147. Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
146. Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
145. The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo
144. 8th Grade Super Zero by Olugbemisola Rhuday Perkovich*
143. Circle Nine by Anne Heltzel
142. Dark Eden by Patrick Carman
141. Friend Is Not A Verb by Daniel Ehrenhaft
140. Lake Eden Cookbook by Joanne Fluke*
139. The Secret Journeys of Jack London: The Wild by Christopher Golden & Tim Lebbon
138. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
137. No Passengers Beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko
136. Pumpkin Roll by Josi S. Kilpack
135. Swindle by Gordon Korman
134. Circle of Secrets by Kimberley Griffiths Little*
133. English Trifle by Josi S. Kilpack
132. Your Happily Ever After by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
131. Under the Jolly Roger by L.A. Meyer*
130. First Day On Earth by Cecil Castellucci
129. PIE by Sarah Weeks
128. Standing Against the Wind by Traci L. Jones*
127. My Fake Boyfriend Is Better Than Yours by Kristina Springer
126. Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker
125. Eve by Anna Carey
124. Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
123. Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
122. Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones
121. From Bad to Cursed by Katie Alender
120. Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs
119. Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick*
118. Girl Parts by John M. Cusick
117. Variant by Robison Wells
116. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
115. Everything I Was by Corinne Demas
114. The Entitlement Trap by Richard and Linda Eyre
113. The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
112. Silhouetted by the Blue by Traci L. Jones
111. Frost by Marianna Baer
110. Flyaway by Lucy Christopher
109. Bluefish by Pat Schmatz
108. Good Graces by Lesley Kagen*
107. Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien
106. Bloody Jack: The Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L.A. Meyer*
105. Rip Tide by Kat Falls
104. Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams
103. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer*
102. To Die For by Sandra Byrd
101. Your Child's Writing Life: How to Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Skill at Every Age by Pam Allyn
100. Dear America: The Diary of Deliverance Trembley, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials; I Walk in Dread by Lisa Rowe Fraustino
99. Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer
98. Fathermothergod by Lucia Greenhouse
97. Nerd Girls: Rise of the Dorkasaurus by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
96. The Third by Abel Keogh
95. Rachel Spinelli Punched Me in the Face by Paul Acampora*
94. All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin*
93. Scat by Carl Hiassen
92. Sharks & Boys by Kristen Tracy
91. Storm Runners by Roland Smith
90. The Agency: The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee*
89. Flashback by Dan Simmons
88. The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee*
87. Putting Makeup on Dead People by Jen Violi
86. Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari
85. Things We Didn't Say by Kristina Riggle
84. Dear America: The Diary of Dawnie Rae Johnson: With the Might of Angels by Andrea Davis Pinkney
83. Plague by Michael Grant*
82. No Biking in the House Without A Helmet by Melissa Fay Greene
81. Beside Still Waters by Tricia Goyer
80. Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan
79. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
78. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs*
77. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
76. Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
75. Season of Secrets by Sally Nicholls
74. Draw the Dark by Ilsa J. Bick*
73. Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
72. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
71. Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
70. Cayman Summer by Angela Morrison
69. Divergent by Veronica Roth*
68. Council of Dads by Bruce Feiler
67. Unbroken Connection by Angela Morrison
66. Wishful Thinking by Alexandra Bullen
65. Faith by Jennifer Haigh
64. Don't Breathe A Word by Jennifer McMahon
63. The Beach Trees by Karen White
62. Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
61. Savannah Grey by Cliff McNish
60. The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker
59. Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon
58. The Ninth Wife by Amy Stolls
57. Wither by Lauren Destefano
56. Husband and Wife by Leah Stewart
55. Skinny by Diana Spechler
54. Journey of Honor by Jaclyn M. Hawkes
53. The First-Timer's Cookbook by Shawn Bucher
52. Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler
51. Wrecker by Summer Wood
50. What Can(t) Wait by Ashley Hope Perez
49. Enclave by Ann Aguirre
48. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda*
47. Imprints by Rachel Ann Nunes
46. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
45. Blood & Flowers by Penny Blubaugh
44. The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little*
43. NERDS by Michael Buckley
42. What Would Your Character Do? by Eric Maisel, PhD & Ann Maisel
41. Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
40. Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank
39. Unwind by Neal Shusterman*
38. Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith*
37. Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell
36. Mr. Monster by Dan Wells
35. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine*
34. GEAS by Robin Weeks* (my friend's work-in-progress)
33. The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas
32. Exodus by Julie Bertagna*
31. Everlost by Neal Shusterman*
30. Father of Lies by Ann Turner
29. Wolves, Boys & Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler
28. The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey From White to Black by Daniel J. Sharfstein
27. Compromised by Heidi Ayarbe
26. Missing In Action by Dean Hughes
25. Hush by Kate White
24. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
23. The Forbidden Sea by Sheila Nielson
22. Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick
21. Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum
20. The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia
19. The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern*
18. Dear America: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl by Patricia McKissack
17. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
16. When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewaldt
15. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness*
14. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness*
13. The Rogue Shop by Michael Knudsen
12. The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner
11. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness*
10. Vesper by Jeff Sampson
9. Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon*
8. X-Isle by Steve Augarde
7. Trapped by Michael Northrop
6. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
5. The Danger Box by Blue Balliet
4. Bruiser by Neal Shusterman*
3. Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
2. No Such Thing As Dragons by Philip Reeve
1. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
Just Go Read The Book. You Can Thank Me Later.
(Image from Barnes & Noble)"Of course, that was then and this was the end of the world" (265).
So, here's the thing: The best zombie apocalypse book I've read to date isn't even really about zombies. I mean, it is. They're definitely there in all their blank-eyed, foot-dragging, gut-slurping glory. It's just that there's so much more to Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick that you kind of forget about the zombies. How to explain this epic novel, the first in what promises to be a most excellent trilogy? Well, it's like dumping all your favorite dystopian stories into a blender, selecting the finest mix-ins (vivid prose, intriguing characters, heartpounding suspense, etc.), hitting puree, and pouring out the perfect blend of dystopian goodness. Yep, that's Ashes.
The story begins in Michigan's Waucamaw Wilderness, where 17-year-old Alex Adair is hiking in the woods. She's toting camping gear, her father's Glock, and a black case that holds all that remains of her parents. The tent and sleeping bag are necessities for the days-long hike to Lake Superior, where she plans to spread the ashes. And the pistol? Well, that's just in case. Just in case she finally finds the guts to blow the cancerous, inoperable tumor out of her head once and for all.
Before Alex has time to make it anywhere near the lake, it happens. An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) lasers the Earth. A flock of birds drops out of the sky, dead. A terrified doe bolts off the edge of a cliff. The kindly, old hiker Alex had just been talking to collapses and doesn't get up. Alex is alive, but ... changed. The haze in her head, a constant reminder of the cancer inside her, is gone, replaced by a weird sense she doesn't understand and can't explain. She doesn't have time to worry about it, either, because the world's gone crazy in the most inexplicable way possible and now she's fighting for her life on a remote mountain in the middle of nowhere. To make matters worse, she's now got 9-year-old Ellie to take care of. And precious few supplies. When they meet up with Tom Eden, a 20-year-old soldier on leave from an assignment in Afghanistan, the makeshift family has to find someplace to hide. The forest is crawling with wolves, coyotes, and something much more sinister. Something that looks human, but isn't. Not by a long shot.
While the trio hides out in the woods, they try to make sense of what's happening in the outside world. Widespread damage, they know that. Millions of deaths, they know that, too. Then there are the teenagers, who didn't die, not exactly, but changed into rabid zombies. Why Alex and Tom were spared they don't know. The hunt for answers takes them out of the mountains, into what was once civilized society. Now, it's more like a war zone. All the rules of safe, normal life have flown out the window. Everything has changed.
Desperate for food, shelter and medical help, Alex heads for the nearest settlement of survivors. No matter how crazy the world's gone, it's human nature to take in the helpless. No matter what she's seen, she has faith in people's innate goodness. No matter what, she has to get help. The heavily-guarded village of Rule offers that, but not without some strings attached. Alex will do anything to keep Ellie and Tom alive - even if it means living by strict, unfathomable laws. But the longer she stays in the town, the more unsettled she grows. Something's very wrong in Rule. Only one question remains: Will she survive longer in Rule or outside of it?
Grrr. My measly summary doesn't even come close to describing Ashes with any kind of accuracy. The book's hard to classify since it's part surival story, part sci fi adventure, part horror story, part psychological thriller, and 100% post-apocalyptic, dystopian awesomeness. Mostly, though, it's the story of a tough, courageous girl finding her will to survive in a world devoid of hope. Tense, taut, riveting, engrossing, unputdownable ... Oh, forget it, I give up - just go read the book.
You can thank me later.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of a bunch of dystopian novels - The Passage by Justin Cronin, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, Birthmarked and Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien, the Chaos Walking series [The Knife of Never Letting Go; The Ask and the Answer; Monsters of Men] by Patrick Ness, the Last Survivors series [Life As We Knew It; The Dead & The Gone; This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Wither by Lauren DeStefano, Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, and lots more)
If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language (a couple of F-bombs, plus milder invectives), violence and gore
Too Little Detail Makes for Shaky Dystopian Foundation
(Image from Indiebound) 
Readin'
Beach Thriller by Jamie Day
Listenin'
Hidden Rooms by Kate Michaelson
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2026 Goodreads Reading Challenge
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction
2020 - Middle Grade Fiction
