Almost 100

I didn't read the 100 books that I thought I could this past year, but I came very close.  I was 5 short at 95.  I'm not going to list them all here.  Most of them have been listed in the Last 10 Books Read sidebar through the year.  And all the Agatha Christie books, all 48, have their separate listings under the Agatha Christie posts here and here.

What I will give you are my favorites from the list.

The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan.  A historical fiction that takes place at the Niagra Falls.  A rather sad story but worth the read.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. This one is set in present day England and gives you a picture of small town life and prejudices.

Happy Days by H. L. Mencken.  After a visit to Mencken's Baltimore home both Dan and I were interested in reading about his life.  I didn't get any farther than this first book which was a wonderful picture of life in Baltimore long ago.

Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout by Philip Connors.  I always thought being a fire ranger manning a tower would be fun.  Not so after reading this one.  Not too many of these jobs left.

The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller.  What a mystery.  This one I'll have to reread one day.

10 1/2 Things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said by Charles Wheelan.  Dan checked this one out and after he read it he passed it on to me.  I had to go out and buy a copy it was that good.  Sarah read it too as did my book club (at my recommendation).  We had a special connection to the book since the speech was given at Dartmouth College where both daughters went.

The Unconquered - In Search of the Amazon's Last Uncontacted Tribes by Scott Wallace.  If you read "The River of Doubt" about Teddy Roosevelt's trip in the Amazon, you must read this modern day version of such an expedition.

The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler.  I don't always like Tyler's books but this one for book club was very good.  We even went on a ghost walk in Ellicott City to celebrate our reading of the book.

Finding Casey by Jo-Ann Mapson.  I usually like to stick to historical fiction and steer away from present day, but this one was an exception and an excellent read.

If you have some book recommendations for me, please leave a comment.  I plan to get back to Agatha Christie later this year but for now I've started my 2013 list with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb.  I have another book to start and finish before Wednesday night's book club gathering! I better get reading.