Books read in 2012

For the last 12 years I have been writing down the books I have read.  For the record, I have read 386 books since July, 2000.  Reading is one of the favorite pastimes, as evidenced by the amount of reading that I do and the long list of books that I want to read - either books that I own or that the library has.  This was a slightly different year because I was out of the country for four months, but I was still able to do a fair bit of reading while I was in Nicaragua.  Past students and leaders have left a decent shelf of fiction books to help pass some of the longer days. 

As part of my Christmas vacation from work, I designated a Reading Day.  On Wednesday (12/26) I didn't do anything other than read.  I gave myself permission not to cook, clean, or other tasks that needed to be done.  I was able to finish two books that day, read one children's books, and read through a lot of  newsletters and magazines that had been stacking up over the holidays. The discouraging part is that I was able to get what felt like a small amount read in the whole scheme of things - there is so much more I want to read! 

Here are the books I read in 2012 (assuming I don't finish any in the next three days - not likely):

1.  The Inner Voice of Love - Henri Nouwen
2. Godward - Ted Koontz
3. Nicaragua:  Living in the Shadow of the Eagle - Thomas Walker & Christine Wade
4. Explosive Eighteen - Janet Evanovich
5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Sklott
6. Great Possessions: An Amish Farmer's Journal - David Kline
7. The Scent of Cherry Blossoms - Cindy Woodsmall
8. Priced to Move - Ginny Aiken
9. Within Reach: My Everest Story - Mark Pfetzer
10. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society - Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
11. The Cat Who Played Brahms - Lillian Jackson Braun
12. Midwives - Chris Bohjalian
13. Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen
14. Unfinished Revolution: Daniel Ortega & Nicaragua's Struggle for Liberation - Kenneth Morris
15. Blue Moon Bay - Lisa Wingate
16. Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea - Sergio Ramirez
17. The Private Patient - PD James
18. Prize of My Heart - Lisa Norato
19. A Stolen Life - Jaycee Dugard
20. The Spellmans Strike Again - Lisa Lutz
21.  One and the Same: My Life as an Identical Twin - Abigail Pogrebin
22. Trail of the Spellmans - Lisa Lutz
23. Be Still My Soul - Joanne Bischof
24. The Double Comfort Safari Club - Alexander McCall Smith
25. Breakfast with Buddha - Ronald Merullo
26. Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope - Gabrielle Giffords & Mark Kelly
27. If You Lived Here, I'd Know You By Name - Heather Lende
28. The Cloister Walk - Kathleen Norris
29. Soul Care: Christian Faith & Academic Administration - Harold Heie & Mark Sargent
30.  A Place Called Home - Lori Wick
31. Think Fair Trade First - Ingrid Hess
32. Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-friendly Life - Ed Begley, Jr.
33. The Five Love Languages for Singles - Gary Chapman

Best book I read this year = The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Worst book I read this year = Priced to Move

I think I'll go read now!  You should too!