Dec 27 2012

Books I’ve Read in 2012

Total Pages Read: 12,271
Shortest Book: 96 pages
Longest Book: 576 pages
Fiction: 27
Non-Fiction: 6
Poetry: 3
Cookbook: 7

Last Book Read:
43.  Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck.  A collection of short stories from the Swedish writer translated by herself.  From the dark fantastical world that comes from living in rural northern Sweden.  142 pages.  (Finished 27 Dec 12).

Full List below the cut:

Past Lists:
2011 List
2010 List
2009 List
2008 List
2007 List

  1. Binocular Vision by Edith Pearlman.  A collection of short stories set anywhere from Europe around WWII to contemporary United States (mainly around Boston).  373 pages.  (Finished 7 Jan 2012).
  2. The Artist of Disappearance by Anita Desai.  Three novellas of life and expectations in contemporary Indian culture.  156 pages.  (Finished 9 Jan 12).
  3. The Redbreast by Jo Nesbø.  Dectective Harry Hole makes a mistake and gets reassigned to monitor neo-Nazi’s threatening Muslim’s at an upcoming holiday shared by both Norway and Islam.  In the course of his investigation he discovers a plot with roots in WWII and soldiers who had fought alongside the Germans in opposition to the exiled Norwegian government and royal family.  576 pages.  (Finished 13 Jan 2012).
  4. Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More (Home Living Series) by Ashley English.  Basic info on canning & preserving, the equipment needed, some history, and some classic and seasonally influenced recipes.  136 pages.  (Finished 17 Jan 2012).
  5. All-American Poem by Matthew Dickman.  Another of my former classmates’ (and twin brother of Michael from last years list) first collection of poems.  96 pages.  (Finished 17 Jan 2012).
  6. Platform by Michel Houllebecq.  A disintrested civil servant in Paris goes on a tour package vacation to Thailand after the death of his father.  There he meets Valerie, a rising executive in the tourism industry herself.  They end up creating a concept promoting sex tourism that ends up causing a disastrous result.  272 pages. (Finished 21 Jan 12).
  7. Nemesis by Jo Nesbø.  Inspector Harry Hole must try to help solve a bank robbery and a murder (that he is a prime suspect of).  480 pages.  (Finished 24 Jan 12).
  8. The Devil’s Star by Jo Nesbø.  Inspector Harry Hole is about to get fired and gets called out of a drunken binge to work one last case.  This time he must work with his long time nemesis, Tom Waaler.  452 pages.  (Finished 26 Jan 2012).
  9. The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan.  Alive for almost two hundred years, Jake gets the news that he is now the last werewolf on earth.  Two organizations are closing in hoping to be the ones to capture the last of species.  293 pages.  (Finished 31 Jan 12).
  10. Home Dairy with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Cheese, Yogurt, Butter & More (Home Living Series) by Ashley English.  Basic info on making cheese, yogurt, butter and other milk products.  136 pages.  (Finished 1 Feb 2012).
  11. For the Relief of Unbearable Urges: Stories by Nathan Englander.  A collection of stories revolving around Orthodox Jews and their interactions with the world outside their communities.  224 pages.  (Finished 8 Feb 12).
  12. The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market Cookbook by Christopher Hirsheimer and Peggy Knickerbocker.  Part reference guide…part cookbook.  I nice reference to the seasonal goods of California’s markets (even though this is focused on Northern California).  288 pages.  (Finished 9 Feb 12).
  13. The Snowman by Jo Nesbø.  Inspector Hole finds himself tracking down a killer that strikes on the day of the first snow.  400 pages.  (Finished 11 Feb 12).
  14. The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing by Taylor Larimore, Michael LeBoeuf, & Mel Lindauer.  Its a book about investing.  307 pages.  (Finished 16 Feb 12).
  15. Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi.  A business book on why you should build relationships to improve your roles in job.  Or something like  that.  320 pages.  (Finished 29 Feb 12).
  16. Headhunters by Jo Nesbø.  Oslo’s self proclaimed best corporate headhunter also dabbles in art theft.  When he meets the ex-CEO of a GPS tracking company, he get’s a little more than he expected.  256 pages.  (Finished 5 Mar 12).
  17. Blue Nights by Joan Didion.  A mother reflects on the loss of her daughter, aging, & motherhood in this book that partners well with her earlier work A Year of Magical Thinking, that focused on the loss of her husband.  188 pages.  (Finished 6 Mar 12).
  18. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes.  An old man looks back on the suicide of one of his high school friends after receiving an unexpected inheritance from the mother of an ex-girlfriend.  Winner of the 2011 Booker Prize.  163 pages.  (Finished 9 Mar 2012).
  19. What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander.  The latest collection of short stories centered around Jewish lives from the author.  207 pages.  (Finished 19 Mar 12).
  20. The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta.  On Oct 14th, millions of people just disappeared like the Rapture had happened.  But it wasn’t just Christians, but people of other faiths and no faiths at all.  Three years after the Sudden Disappearance, the citizens of Mapleton are all recovering in their different ways.  355 pages.  (Finished 22 Mar 12).
  21. The Leopard by Jo Nesbø.  Former Inspector Harry Hole reluctantly returns to Norway to help solve a new series of gruesome murders.  528 pages.  (Finished 27 Mar 12).
  22. The Angel Esmeralda by Don DeLillo.  A collection of short stories from throughout DeLillo’s career.  208 pages.  (Finished 12 Apr 12).
  23. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides.  It’s the 80s and the recession is looming over soon to be college graduates.  Mitchell loves Madeleine who loves Leonard who well…you’ll need to read the book.  406 pages. (Finished 11 May 12).
  24. Ragnarök: The End of Gods by A.S. Byatt.  Part of The Myths Series.  The story of the Nordic Gods and their downfall.  177 pages.  (Finished 24 May 12).
  25. Rain Dragon by Jon Raymond.  Damon and Amy have had enough of living in Los Angeles and set out to move to the Northwest where they end up working with Rain Dragon, a producer of organic yogurt on a communal farm outside of Portland.  In doing so they must evaluate their dreams both shared and individual.  272 pages.  (Finished 29 May 12).
  26. The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta.  Ruth teaches high school sexuality in a suburban town that has recently seen the influence of a new evangelical church take over.  Tim is her daughter’s soccer coach and a member of that church.  Despite some circumstances developing that put them at opposite sides of a culture war…a friendship develops.  384 pages.  (Finished 6 Jun 12).
  27. Room by Emma Donoghue.  Jack has lived is whole live in Room, an 11 by 11 space that he shares with his Ma.  Inside Room, they have created a world just for the two of them.  The only visitor from Outside is Old Nick, who brings them food and other things they need to survive.  321 pages.  (Finished 30 Jun 12).
  28. Hot Sauce!: Techniques for Making Signature Hot Sauces, with 32 Recipes to Get You Started by Jennifer Trainer Thompson.  A brief overview of the history of hot sauce and then some recipes to make your own (and inspire you to create your own. The latest KCRW Cookbook Club selection. 192 pages.  (Finished 31 Jul 2012).
  29. A General Theory of Love by Thomas Lewis, M.D., Fari Amini, M.D., Richard Lannon, M.D. A look at love from a biological and neuroscientific viewpoint.  288 pages. (Finished 1 Aug 2012).
  30. Hector and the Search for Lost Time by François Lelord.  Hector goes on another journey to discover the secrets of time.  192 pages.  (Finished 6 Aug 12).
  31. Pacific Feast: A Cook’s Guide to West Coast Foraging and Cuisine by Jennifer Hahn.  A book about the native (and some non-native) things you can gather yourself and eat.  Mainly focused on the NW, but many items range down to California.  223 pages. (Finished 15 Aug 2012).
  32. The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards by William J. Broad.  A look at the history of yoga and its relationship with science over the years.  336 pages.  (Finished 23 Sep 12).
  33. Joy the Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes by Joy Wilson. A hundred decedent and mouth watering recipes (lots of chocolate, peanut butter, and bacon). 208 pages. (Finished 24 Sep 2012).
  34. Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks.  The story of a small English village’s decision to close off their village in order to prevent the spread of the plague outside of it.  Based on a real village in England in 1665-66.  308 pages.  (Finished 17 Oct 2012).
  35. Phantom by Jo Nesbø.  Former detective Harry Hole reluctantly returns to Oslo when the son of the woman he loved is arrested in a drug related murder.  As he dives deeper into trying to prove Oleg is not the killer he’ll put his life at risk to find the truth.  378 pages. (Finished 26 Oct 2012).
  36. 50 American Plays by Michael Dickman & Matthew Dickman.  My former classmates at the University of Oregon (and twin brothers) explore each of the fifty states with a short poem inspired by the format of a play.  110 pages. (Finished 2 Nov 2012).
  37. Susan Feniger’s Street Food: irresistibly crispy, creamy, crunchy, spicy, sticky, sweet recipes by Susan Feniger with Kajsa Alger & Liz Lachman.  Recipes inspired by global street food, based on versions from her LA restaurant Street.  A KCRW cookbook club selection. 224 pages. (Finished 6 Nov 2012).
  38. Strong Motion by Jonathan Franzen.  A series of strange things happen in Boston over a spring and summer.  A series of unexplained earthquakes and the resulting death of his grandmother cause family upheaval.  528 pages. (Finished 23 Nov 12).
  39. A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver.  New poems from Mary Oliver. 96 pages. (Finished 27 Nov 2012).
  40. Errantry: Strange Stories by Elizabeth Hand.  A collection of ten odd (and strange) stories.  320 pages. (Finished 7 Dec 12).
  41. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan.  A downsized web designer takes a job at an obscure bookstore and stumbles upon a secret society searching for the secret of eternal life.  288 pages. (Finished 11 Dec 12).
  42. Killing the Messenger: A Story of Radical Faith, Racism’s Backlash, and the Assassination of a Journalist by Thomas Peele.  The story of the assassination of African American journalist Chauncey Bailey in 2007 by members of a Black Muslim splinter group based in Oakland.  464 pages.  (Finished 23 Dec 12).
  43. Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck.  A collection of short stories from the Swedish writer translated by herself.  From the dark fantastical world that comes from living in rural northern Sweden.  142 pages.  (Finished 27 Dec 12).

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