Twenty-Six

Well, here is my list of the twenty-six books I read this year.  Like most of my readers, I also read parts of other books that I didn't finish; I didn't include those in this post.  For each of these books I made sure to read any and all prefaces/forwards/conclusions/acknowledgments/etc.  What can I say, I'm a perfectionist. ;)

I split the books up into a few categories.  Some books could go in more than one category, but I figured it would be too time-consuming to make some complex schema to show the various potential groupings of all of these books; hence, the few categories.

Most of the books I read for fun or enrichment, though some books were read just because I thought, as an English teacher, they should be read.  In 2011 I intend to read more Christian books and more Middle Eastern books.  As a sidenote, I'm not saying everyone should read these books, though I highly recommend all of the Christian books.  Some of these books have objectionable content and/or language, so read with a discerning eye; I answer for my decisions, and you answer for yours. :)

Key:
* fun
# favorite
+ career reading

Have fun reading!  Here's to more books in 2011!

Jennica-Ayelet's 2010 Reading List

Agatha Christie

#And Then There Were None - Favorite Agatha Christie murder mystery; probably her most famous.  Recommended by my roommate michelle

Funerals Are Fatal

Sleeping Murder

Murder at the Vicarage

Double Sin and other stories

*#Come, Tell Me How You Live - Really funny book about her time in the Middle East with her archaeologist husband

Middle East

#From Beirut to Jerusalem, Thomas L. Friedman - Long but very interesting book explaining the history of the Middle East as well as the Arab and Israeli mindsets.  One of Friedman's views that I've adopted is that there will be peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians only when they decide that they want peace more than other, outside nations want peace; they won't be pressured into it.  Amos bought this for me at Salvation Army.

Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi - Interesting book about a university teacher in Iran teaching American literature and applying the worldviews of the literature to her culture.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini - A fictional story of two Afghan women and how their worlds collided then coalesced in the 70s to the present in Afghanistan

Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, Suzanne Fisher Staples - Young adult fiction about a family of nomads in Pakistan. Sent to Sherrie

#Crossing Mandelbaum Gate, Kai Bird - An interesting memoir of living in the Middle East first as a diplomat's son and later as a reporter

Sandstorms: Days and Nights in Arabia, Peter Theroux - Insight from a reporter/author living in the Middle East, mainly concerning Saudi Arabia

Christian

Let Me Be a Woman, Elisabeth Elliot - Insight for her daughter Valerie

Quest for Love, Elisabeth Elliot - Thoughts on love and relationships

#Secret Believers, Brother Andrew and Al Janssen - A convicting read on the sacrifices required of believers in the Middle East; prepare to be changed.  Recommended by Amos

Light Force, Brother Andrew and Al Janssen - Insight into the situation of the oft-overlooked Arab believers in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank

#The Prodigal God, Tim Keller - An explanation of the parable in Luke commonly known as the prodigal son.  Keller explains the motivations and reactions of each of the characters in the parable.  I've never heard the parable explained this way, and it was and is very convicting.  I'm sure I'll read it many times in 2011.

Children of the Storm, Natasha Vins - A story of a Christian Russian family who underwent persecution in the USSR

Et Cetera 

+Jacob Have I Loved, Katherine Paterson - Didn't really like this one

+Animal Farm, George Orwell - I thought this one was creepy; apparently my dad thought it was funny!

+The Stranger, Albert Camus - Weird; not worth it

Messenger, Lois Lowry - Interesting final book in a trilogy that includes The Giver and Gathering Blue

100 Pounds of Popcorn, Hazel Krantz - Fun, short book one of my siblings got from the library

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson - Funny Christmas story with a good ending. Borrowed from Danielle

#+The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne - Intriguing tale with a surprising twist and a sad ending (I thought Dimmesdale was wimp at the end, but I think it was part of the style of literature)

The Nazi Officer’s Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust, Edith Hahn Beer and Susan Dworkin - Interesting true story of a Jewish woman who survived the Holocaust; it is crazy what she experienced. Borrowed from my roommate Michelle