2006 Year in Books

I read only 23 books in 2006. That's more than I read in 2005, but not as many as I wanted to read. Here's the rundown:



I read this for book club, and it was just okay.



We got an advance reader's copy of this at work, and I was excited to see a book about a kid with two moms. I ended up disliking some of the characters, though, which frustrated me.



Prep got mixed reviews, and I agree with those who felt the main character, Lee, didn't change or grow very much. I mostly enjoyed the book despite Lee's flaws, though.



Another book club selection. I enjoyed this book. I felt for Grady even though his predicament was all his own doing.



I forget the answer to the title question, but I found this book entertaining. It wasn't just another boring health book.



I read a different edition of this book. The cover has Encyclopedia Brown pictured wrong! Doesn't he have reddish-brown hair? It certainly isn't that dark. I had a bunch of Encyclopedia Brown books as a kid, and I found this one at a garage sale. When I was at my dad's last weekend, I found my old copies, so more Encyclopedia Brown may be on my reading list for 2007. He's still a good detective.



Steph picked this book up at a book sale; I read it one day when we were sitting around her house. It was a fun way to spend a couple hours on a lazy Saturday afternoon.



I bought this book for my not-exactly-a-niece Raven, who's 14, and I felt I should take a look to see what it was like. It's a good thing I did, because after I gave it to her, she called me to ask what some of the British words meant.



Yet another book club book. I thought it could have ended sooner. It was interesting to read a classic science fiction novel.



I like memoir-type books in which people talk about their daily lives. Karol Griffin has a very different life from mine. I enjoyed learning about the world of a tattoo artist.



I loved these essays, especially one in which the author and a friend made a contraption to remove stray plastic bags from trees.



One of my favorite books from sophomore English. We read The Great Gatsby for book club, and I enjoyed it almost as much nineteen (!) years later. I loved it for its social commentary.



I picked Amalee up at the library because I was interested to see what kind of book Dar Williams would write. I like her music.



Steph bought Geography Club because it is about a gay kid in high school. I wasn't out in high school, so it's interesting to read about kids who are.



I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I read this book. I got it at the library sale for Michelle because we used to watch General Hospital.



Another book club selection. It was a fun read; I borrowed his earlier book Jennifer Government from my mom, and maybe I'll get to it this year.



Jim Henson rocks.



I liked the premise, but I couldn't relate to the author very well.



I wasn't young enough, fabulous enough, or broke enough for this book. I already knew most of the stuff she covered -- I think I need a different Suze Orman book.



This book was a little unsettling. Freyer had friends over to tag items they thought were representative of his life, and he sold them on eBay. I liked the stories behind the items and the description of his process, but I was sad that he sold many of his photos and other items that were really meaningful to him.



This book didn't work for me. The dialogue wasn't realistic and the story seemed a little forced.



Adding to my collection of skating books...



Definitely one of my favorite books of the year. I loved reading about the author's relationship with the encyclopedia and with knowledge in general.

I hope to read a little more in 2007. I've already started two books, and Steph and I are reading a story each night from a book of 365 bedtime stories. This year I also need to buy fewer books and clear out a few more of the books I don't want to keep.