I like to keep track of things during the year and two of my major non-cooking hobbies are movies and books – both of which lend themselves to list making. I keep lists of these things throughout the year so I can see what I’ve seen and read and I figured I’d share those lists here as a Fun Thing To Do at the end of the year. I know it’s not quite the end of the year, but it’s unlikely that I’ll finish another book or see another movie. If you’re curious about the books, click the link to read more!
Books
I love to read. I used to read quite a lot but, as time went on and life got more complex, I sort of lost the habit of reading. I still loved to read, I just didn’t make much time for it anymore. At the beginning of 2011, I vowed to change this. I bought myself a Kindle and joined goodreads. (Feel free to add me if you are also a goodreads user!) I initially set myself a goal of reading 50 books but, when I reached that goal halfway through the year, I upped it to 100. I am very pleased to say that I reached my goal and then some! Having a Kindle has been amazing – I take it with me everywhere and can read anywhere due to its portability. In addition, I don’t have to worry about finding shelf space in shelves that are already overflowing! (We have no more wall space for shelves, so buying more is not an option. Plus, I need the room for cookbooks!)
Partway through the year I decided to reread all of Stephen King’s books in publication order which is why the list is pretty King heavy. I am taking breaks as needed/wanted, but I’ve been making great progress so far.
Books I especially enjoyed are in bold. (It’s so hard to pick favorites.)
1 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2 Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3 The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
4 Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
5 Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
6 Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
7 I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
8 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
9 Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist
10 The Help by Kathryn Stockett
11 Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
12 Fallen Hearts by V.C. Andrews
13 Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
14 Lord of the Flies by William Golding
15 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
16 Parasite Eve by Hideaki Sena
17 Clementine by Cherie Priest
18 Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
19 Uglies by Scott Westerfield
20 Pretties by Scott Westerfield
21 Specials by Scott Westerfield
22 Extras by Scott Westerfield
23 Bogus to Bubbly An Insider’s Guide to the World of Uglies by Scott Westerfield
24 We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
25 Beastly by Alex Finn
26 XVI by Julia Karr
28 Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black
28 Ravenous: A Food Lover’s Journey from Obsession to Freedom by Dayna Macy
29 Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
30 Valiant by Holly Black
31 Limitless: A Novel by Alan Glynn
32 John Dies at the End by David Wong
33 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
34 The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
35 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
36 1984 by George Orwell
37 Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
38 33 A. D. by David McAfee
39 Ironside by Holly Black
40 The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch
41 Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
42 Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh
43 The God Engines by John Scalzi
44 Brave New Worlds by John Joseph Adams
45 Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
46 The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
47 The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
48 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
49 The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan
50 The Battle of the Labyrinty by Rick Riordan
51 Waiting by Debra Ginsberg
52 The New World by Patrick Ness
53 The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
54 The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
55 The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
56 Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
57 The City & The City by China Mieville
58 Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned by Brian K. Vaughan
59 Flashback by Dan Simmons
60 Y: The Last Man, Vol. 10: Whys and Wherefores by Brian K. Vaughan
61 Y: The Last Man, Vol. 2: Cycles by Brian K. Vaughan
62 Y: The Last Man, Vol. 3: One Small Step by Brian K. Vaughan
63 Y: The Last Man, Vol. 4: Safeword by Brian K. Vaughan
64 Y: The Last Man, Vol. 5: Ring of Truth by Brian K. Vaughan
65 Y: The Last Man, Vol. 6: Girl on Girl by Brian K. Vaughan
66 Y: The Last Man, Vol. 7: Paper Dolls by Brian K. Vaughan
67 Y: The Last Man, Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons by Brian K. Vaughan
68 Y: The Last Man, Vol. 9: Motherland by Brian K. Vaughan
69 Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
70 Bioshock: Rapture by John Shirley
71 Among the Imposters by Margaret Peterson Haddix
72 Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix
73 Amon the Barons by Margaret Peterson Haddix
74 Among the Brave by Margaret Peterson Haddix
75 Among the Enemy by Margaret Peterson Haddix
76 Among the Free by Margaret Peterson Haddix
77 Best Food Writing 2002 by Holly Hughes
78 Out of Mormonism: A Woman’s True Story by Judy Robertson
79 Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture by Shannon Hayes
80 Fantasy Magazine, September 2011 by Carrie Vaughn
81 Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit by Barry Estabrook
82 The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks
83 Perfect Shadow: A Night Angel Novella by Brent Weeks
84 Icebound by Dean Koontz
85 The Vision by Dean Koontz
86 The Face of Fear by Dean Koontz
87 Abarat by Clive Barker
88 Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker
89 Mile 81 by Stephen King
90 When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
91 Absolute Midnight by Clive Barker
92 Demon Seed by Dean Koontz
93 Frozen by Robin Wasserman
94 Shattered by Robin Wasserman
95 Wired by Robin Wasserman
96 Carrie by Stephen King
97 Salem’s Lot: Illustrated Edition by Stephen King
98 The Haunting by Shirley Jackson
99 The Shining by Stephen King
100 Rage by Stephen King
101 Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style by Tim Gunn
102 Night Shift by Stephen King
103 Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons for Making It Work by Tim Gunn
104 11/22/63 by Stephen King
105 The Maze Runner by James Dashner
106 The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
107 The Death Cure by James Dashner
108 Selection Event by Wayne Wightman
109 Metagame by Sam Landstrom
110 Every Thing on It by Shel Silverstein
111 Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill
112 Head Games by Joe Hill
113 The Stand by Stephen King
114 The Long Walk by Stephen King
115 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
116 A Flight of Angels by Holly Black
117 The Dead Zone by Stephen King
118 The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss
119 A Christmas Tree for Pyn by Olivier Dunrea
120 Mouse & Lion by Rand Burkert
121 Firestarter by Stephen King
122 Roadwork by Stephen King