Books Read in 2012

This was another great year of books!  I read an eclectic selection of books once again this year, with the most frequently read genres being: dystopian, fantasy, and historical fiction.  I read several classics as well, which I wanted to do this year.  Next year I plan to read even more non-fiction and classic books, especially since I am done with school classes now and want to challenge myself and continue to be a life long learner.

I came up with a great idea towards the end of the year.  While working at the library I kept seeing all kinds of books on CD and realized that would be a great way for me to read books, especially since I am allowed to listen to my iPod at work.  I started doing that towards the end of the year and I got through the books really quickly.  Sadly, my iPod died right when I was getting so excited about the idea.  I got a new iPod for Christmas though and am excited to go back to listening to books on CD next year.

In addition to all the reading I do for enjoyment throughout the year, I also had to do a lot of reading for school and read scriptures for church.  I only included on this list books I read from beginning to end though, so if I didn't read the entire textbook I didn't include it.  I certainly read a whole lot of words though, when you think about all the things I read in addition to the books on this list.  

Here is my list of books read in 2012, in chronological order of when I read them.  I do not necessarily recommend all the books on this list, although I did really enjoy most of them.

1.  The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
2.  Paint Me True by E.M. Tippetts
3.  The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
4.  The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
5.  Supernaturally by Kiersten White
6.  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
7.  The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
8.  Inside Out by Maria Synder
9.  Across the Universe by Beth Revis
10.  Outside In by Maria Snyder
11.  Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
12.  Devil's Food Cake by Josi Kilpack
13.  Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
14.  Austenland by Shannon Hale
15.  Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett
16.  Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
17.  Someone Else's Fairytale by E.M. Tippetts
18.  Everneath by Brodi Ashton
19.  The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
20.  The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen
21.  The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
22.  Passage on the Titanic by Anita Stansfield
23.  Divergent by Veronica Roth (reread)
24.  Insurgent by Veronica Roth
25.  Mother Had a Secret by Tiffany Fletcher
26.  The Night Circus by Erin Morgonstern
27.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (reread while reading it to Samuel)
28.  The Selection by Kiera Cass
29.  The Road to Grace by Richard Paul Evans
30.  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (reread from many years ago)
31.  Cinder by Marissa Meyer
32.  Once Upon a Time: a collection of classic fairy tales by the Grimm Brothers
33.  Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
34.  Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
35.  Key Lime Pie by Josi Kilpack
36.  The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze
37.  Blackberry Crumble by Josi Kilpack
38.  Hidden by Lauren Skidmore
39. World Mythology by Ray Willis (for school)
40.  The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
41.  Warp and Weave collection of stories printed by UVU (for school)
42.  Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith
43.  Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
44.  Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
45.  The World of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes
46.  Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater
47.  Endlessly by Kiersten White
48.  Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
49.  The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (Listened to the audiobook version)
50.  The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (Listened to the audiobook version)
51.  Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (Listened to the audiobook version)
52.  Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (Listened to the audiobook version)
53.  Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (abridged)
54.  Reached by Ally Condie
55.  The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
56.  A Winter Dream by Richard Paul Evans
57.  Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien (Listened to the audiobook version)


Below are pictures of some of my favorite books read this year.  They are listed in the order that I read them, not the order of preference.  If I had to choose my all time favorite book from the year it would have to be Les Miserables.















I kept track of the books Samuel read this year as well.  He read the exact same number as last year, so I guess that means he is consistent :).

Samuel's books:
1.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2.  Every Patient Tells a Story by Lisa Sanders
3.  SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commanders in Vietnam by John Plaster
4.  Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
5.  Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Hope you all read some great books this year as well!

Anniversary

One year ago today I married Samuel.  I can't believe how fast the time passed!  In the past year we have...

Had many adventures...

Gone on several fun trips...

Spent some great time with our families...

Experienced some fun new things...

 

(Disclaimer: Samuel has been fishing many times in his life, but last summer was my first time doing the whole process of catching a fish, gutting it, and then eating it).

It has been a great year and I am excited for the years to come!

Through the Ages

Recently I have been thinking about all the post 1900 time periods in America and how they each have their own distinct culture, history, fashion, music, media. They are pretty distinctly different too, they each have basically their own personality. There is the 20's with the jazz age, flappers, and push for liberation... the 50's with the poodle skirts, diners, and rock n' roll... the 70's with the hippie culture and clothing... the 80's with the bright colors, pop and techno music, and spandex... and so much more between. I have found that many girls have a particular time period that they relate with most. I have friends that are all about the 50's culture, the 70's influenced style and colors, or bright colors and fun music of the 80's. And styles always cycle over time so we always see fashion influenced by the different time periods. Recently I have been thinking about which time period I most relate to since I don't really relate as much to the most prominent ones even though I think each era has some really cool, unique things to offer. Well I have finally figured it out: the 1940's! There are so many things that I like about the 1940's although I have discovered most of them in the more recent years of my life. As a teenager I didn't really like a ton of 'old' movies or music. Maybe it just had something to do with being a teenager, but I have found more recently that there are actually a lot that I like. Some of my favorite movies from the 40's:


I have also found that I really like the music of crooners like Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby:


I also like the classic style fashion of the time period with women in dresses and guys wearing suits (not that I am complaining about wearing pants now, I am completely okay with that).

I've got to say I really like the fedora too

My favorite time period of all time is still definitely the Medieval age (I will always love the castles, royalty, knights, and more!) but the 1940's is my favorite of the modern ages.

Creation Appreciation

This weekend a couple different things made me think about the creation and how I took it for granted a lot of the time- some aspects more than others. I went to the Bean Museum for the first time with Samuel Friday night and it was really cool to see all of the taxidermy animals. Samuel's child like excitement for all the animals made me see how truly amazing animals are and that were given a day in the creation. It made me think back to my childhood and all of the animals that I liked, as well as the other aspects of the creation I really enjoy as well.

As a child my favorite animals were the polar bear and the cheetah:



Then a little later in my childhood I became obsessed with monkeys(which I still really like)



Samuel's favorite animal is the penguin:


He also really likes wolves and says that if he were an animal he would be a wolf:


Of all the plants that were created, I would have to say my favorite are the lily and big, strong trees. Especially ones you can build tree forts in or hang swings from :)



There are many different landscapes that I love, including the rolling hills, snow covered land, and the mountains


Water bodies such as the ocean are always a beautiful sight as well. Water in general is a beautiful thing in the way that moves, reflects light, etc



There are many beautiful forms of light as well, my favorite being the sunset

And of course, I am also grateful for the creation of man which is also a pretty beautiful and amazing thing.