1. Blue Light [fiction]- Walter Mosley
2. Titus Alone [fiction]- Mervyn Peake
3. "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" [non-fiction]- Beverly Tatum
4. Never Let Me Go [fiction]- Kazuo Ishiguro
5. The Jehovah Contract [fiction]- Victor Koman
6. When the Phone Rings, My Bed Shakes: The Memoirs of a Deaf Doctor [non-fiction/memoir]- Philip Zazove
7. The Foreign Student [fiction]- Susan Choi
8. V for Vendetta [fiction/graphic novel]- Alan Moore and David Lloyd
9. City at the End of Time [fiction]- Greg Bear (unabridged audiobook)
10. Figuring: The Joy of Numbers [non-fiction]- Shakuntala Devi
11. Towing Jehovah [fiction]- James Morrow.
12. Black Apollo of Science: The Life of Ernest Everett Just [non-fiction]- Keith R. Manning
13. The Finster Effect [fiction]- Wednesday Lee Friday
14. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America [non-fiction]- Ronald Takaki
15. The autobiography of my mother [fiction]- Jamaica Kincaid
16. Death du Jour [fiction]- Kathy Reichs (unabridged audiobook)
17. What Is My Cat Thinking?: The Essential Guide to Understanding Pet Behavior [non-fiction]- Gwen Bailey
18. God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything [non-fiction]- Christopher Hitchens (unabridged audiobook)
19. History of the Philippines: From Indios Bravos to Filipinos [non-fiction]- Luis Francia
20. Feynman [non-fiction/graphic memoir]- Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick.
21. The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson & the Olympians series) [fiction]- Rick Riordan (unabridged audiobook)
22. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World [fiction]- Haruki Murakami
23. Slowing Down to the Speed of Life [non-fiction]- Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey
24. Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors [non-fiction]- Lizzie Collingham
25. Frankenstein [fiction]- Mary Shelley (unabridged audiobook)
26. Empty Cradle: The Untimely Death of Corey Sanderson [fiction]- Emmy Jackson
27. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil [non-fictioni]- John Berendt
28. Lucky [non-fiction/memoir]- Alice Sebold
29. Soon I Will Be Invincible [fiction]- Austin Grossman
30. For a Few Demons More (Book 5 of "The Hollows" series) [fiction]- Kim Harrison (unabridged audiobook)
31. American Gods [fiction]- Neil Gaiman
32. The Kitchen God's Wife [fiction]- Amy Tan
33. Bluebeard: The Life and Times of Gilles de Rais [non-fiction]- Leonard Wolf
34. Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of Critic in Disguise [non-fiction]- Ruth Reichl
35. The Accidental Time Machine [fiction]- Joe Haldeman
36. A Discovery of Witches [fiction]- Deborah Harkness
37. The Kite Runner [fiction]- Khaled Husseini
38. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West [non-fiction]- Dee Brown
39. The Outlaw Demon Wails [fiction]- Kim Harrison (unabridged audiobook)
40. Redemption in Indigo- [fiction]- Karen Lord
41. Talk Dirty to Me: An Intimate Philosophy of Sex [non-fiction]- Sallie Tisdale
42. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking [non-fiction]- Malcolm Gladwell
43. Act of Grace [fiction]- Karen Simpson
44. The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York [non-fiction]- Deborah Blum
45. Waist-High in the World: A Life Among the Nondisabled [non-fiction/memoir]- Nancy Mairs
46. Crime and Punishment [fiction]- Fyodor Dostoevsky (unabridged audiobook)
47. Microserfs [fiction]- Douglas Coupland
48. Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table [non-fiction]- Ruth Reichl
49. Blindsight [fiction]- Peter Watts
50. My Sister's Keeper [fiction]- Jodi Picoult
2. Titus Alone [fiction]- Mervyn Peake
3. "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" [non-fiction]- Beverly Tatum
4. Never Let Me Go [fiction]- Kazuo Ishiguro
5. The Jehovah Contract [fiction]- Victor Koman
6. When the Phone Rings, My Bed Shakes: The Memoirs of a Deaf Doctor [non-fiction/memoir]- Philip Zazove
7. The Foreign Student [fiction]- Susan Choi
8. V for Vendetta [fiction/graphic novel]- Alan Moore and David Lloyd
9. City at the End of Time [fiction]- Greg Bear (unabridged audiobook)
10. Figuring: The Joy of Numbers [non-fiction]- Shakuntala Devi
11. Towing Jehovah [fiction]- James Morrow.
12. Black Apollo of Science: The Life of Ernest Everett Just [non-fiction]- Keith R. Manning
13. The Finster Effect [fiction]- Wednesday Lee Friday
14. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America [non-fiction]- Ronald Takaki
15. The autobiography of my mother [fiction]- Jamaica Kincaid
16. Death du Jour [fiction]- Kathy Reichs (unabridged audiobook)
17. What Is My Cat Thinking?: The Essential Guide to Understanding Pet Behavior [non-fiction]- Gwen Bailey
18. God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything [non-fiction]- Christopher Hitchens (unabridged audiobook)
19. History of the Philippines: From Indios Bravos to Filipinos [non-fiction]- Luis Francia
20. Feynman [non-fiction/graphic memoir]- Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick.
21. The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson & the Olympians series) [fiction]- Rick Riordan (unabridged audiobook)
22. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World [fiction]- Haruki Murakami
23. Slowing Down to the Speed of Life [non-fiction]- Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey
24. Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors [non-fiction]- Lizzie Collingham
25. Frankenstein [fiction]- Mary Shelley (unabridged audiobook)
26. Empty Cradle: The Untimely Death of Corey Sanderson [fiction]- Emmy Jackson
27. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil [non-fictioni]- John Berendt
28. Lucky [non-fiction/memoir]- Alice Sebold
29. Soon I Will Be Invincible [fiction]- Austin Grossman
30. For a Few Demons More (Book 5 of "The Hollows" series) [fiction]- Kim Harrison (unabridged audiobook)
31. American Gods [fiction]- Neil Gaiman
32. The Kitchen God's Wife [fiction]- Amy Tan
33. Bluebeard: The Life and Times of Gilles de Rais [non-fiction]- Leonard Wolf
34. Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of Critic in Disguise [non-fiction]- Ruth Reichl
35. The Accidental Time Machine [fiction]- Joe Haldeman
36. A Discovery of Witches [fiction]- Deborah Harkness
37. The Kite Runner [fiction]- Khaled Husseini
38. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West [non-fiction]- Dee Brown
39. The Outlaw Demon Wails [fiction]- Kim Harrison (unabridged audiobook)
40. Redemption in Indigo- [fiction]- Karen Lord
41. Talk Dirty to Me: An Intimate Philosophy of Sex [non-fiction]- Sallie Tisdale
42. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking [non-fiction]- Malcolm Gladwell
43. Act of Grace [fiction]- Karen Simpson
44. The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York [non-fiction]- Deborah Blum
45. Waist-High in the World: A Life Among the Nondisabled [non-fiction/memoir]- Nancy Mairs
46. Crime and Punishment [fiction]- Fyodor Dostoevsky (unabridged audiobook)
47. Microserfs [fiction]- Douglas Coupland
48. Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table [non-fiction]- Ruth Reichl
49. Blindsight [fiction]- Peter Watts
50. My Sister's Keeper [fiction]- Jodi Picoult
Goal assessment:
My reading goals for 2012, beyond getting to at least 50 books, were
1. Non-fiction reading to comprise at least 1/3 of my titles.
Easily accomplished: My non-fiction reads were 21 out of 51 books (i.e. more than 40 percent).
2. Read diversely, with three mini-goals:
a. Close to 50/50 in gender balance for authors
24 female authors out of 51 books is close enough!
b.Include a few books by GLBT authors and disabled authors
I only read one book that I know is by a GLBT author (bisexual female author); I read two books by authors with disabilities. OK, but I could have done better.
c. Read 12 books by people of color.
Accomplished. Even with an extremely narrow definition of POC, I read 13 books by POC. If you use a looser definition, it was more like 15 or 16.
More analysis:
1. I didn't have any goals for re-read, but 3 out of 51 were re-reads this year.
2. My 3 favorite fiction reads of 2012 were "City at the End of Time," "The Kite Runner" and "Soon I Will Be Invincible."
3. This was a great year for non-ficiton. There were so many I enjoyed it was hard to narrow it down to a top 3, but I'll say that my 3 favorite non-fiction reads of 2012 were "Feynman" (graphic memoir), "Curry: A talke of cooks and conquerers," and "The Posioners Handbook." I also enjoyed both Ruth Reichl books I read this year, as well as "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."
My reading goals for 2012, beyond getting to at least 50 books, were
1. Non-fiction reading to comprise at least 1/3 of my titles.
Easily accomplished: My non-fiction reads were 21 out of 51 books (i.e. more than 40 percent).
2. Read diversely, with three mini-goals:
a. Close to 50/50 in gender balance for authors
24 female authors out of 51 books is close enough!
b.Include a few books by GLBT authors and disabled authors
I only read one book that I know is by a GLBT author (bisexual female author); I read two books by authors with disabilities. OK, but I could have done better.
c. Read 12 books by people of color.
Accomplished. Even with an extremely narrow definition of POC, I read 13 books by POC. If you use a looser definition, it was more like 15 or 16.
More analysis:
1. I didn't have any goals for re-read, but 3 out of 51 were re-reads this year.
2. My 3 favorite fiction reads of 2012 were "City at the End of Time," "The Kite Runner" and "Soon I Will Be Invincible."
3. This was a great year for non-ficiton. There were so many I enjoyed it was hard to narrow it down to a top 3, but I'll say that my 3 favorite non-fiction reads of 2012 were "Feynman" (graphic memoir), "Curry: A talke of cooks and conquerers," and "The Posioners Handbook." I also enjoyed both Ruth Reichl books I read this year, as well as "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."
