The Twelve Best Books I Read in 2007
A list of the rest of the books I read in 2007:
Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout A- Semicolon review here.
An Abundance of Katharines by John Green. Semicolon review here.
An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy. Semicolon review here.
The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever the Epidemic That Shaped our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby. Semicolon review here.
Annie’s War by Jacqueline Levering Sullivan. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Austenland by Shannon Hale. I first read about this book at Camille’s Book Moot. She refers to a review at Bookshelves of Doom. It was enjoyable chick-lit, nothing serious, for Jane Austen fans only. I can’t imagine anyone else finding the book of interest, but I can imagine especially young single fans of Mr. Darcy/Colin Firth finding the book to be a good way to spend an afternoon.
And Both Were Young by Madeleine L’Engle. I read this one for my Madeleine L’Engle project, but I haven’t gotten around to reviewing it.
Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison. Semicolon review here.
Atonement by Ian McEwan. Semicolon review here.
The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie. C+ Recommended by Jane at Much Ado. Semicolon review here.
Bearwalker by Joseph Bruchac. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Bee Season by Myla Goldberg. Semicolon review here.
Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley. Brown Bear’s review here.
Bird Springs by Carolyn Marsden. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Bittter Bierce—Gratton
Blackthorn Winter by Kathryn Reiss. Semicolon review here.
Blossom Culp and the Sleep of Death by Richard Peck. Semicolon review here.
Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey. A re-read, but I read the first time many years ago. Semicolon review here.
Bread and Roses, Too by Katherine Paterson. I didn’t get around to reviewing this book by one of my favorite Newbery authors. It’s about a strike in the early 1900’s, the early days of labor organizing. The girl who is the main character is afraid that her mother and older sister will be hurt or even killed as they participate in a strike.
The Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street by Sharon G. Flake. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Bury the Chains by Adam Hochschild. Semicolon review here.
Caddy Ever After by Hilary Mckay. Semicolon review here.
Camel Bells by Janne Carlsson. Set in Afghanistan before and during the Russian occupation.
Camel Rider by Prue Mason. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton. Semicolon review here.
Camilla by Madeleine L’Engle. Semicolon review here.
The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin. Recommended by Cindy at Dominion family. I enjoyed this golden era mystery, reminiscent of Agatha, Dorothy, and Josephine. But not as absorbing.
Cassie Was Here by Caroline Hickey. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance by Eleanora E. Tate. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Chess Rumble by G. Neri. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now by Lauren Child. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Clementine Churchill–Soames Recommended by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead. I read most of this biography before I had to return it to the library. Good book, good life.
Code Orange by Carolyn Cooney. Semicolon review here.
Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac. Semicolon mini-review here.
A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler. Recommended by author Charles McCarry.
Come Back to Afghanistan by Said Hyder Akbar. Semicolon review here.
Cracker by Cynthia Kadohata. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi.
Cross-X by Joe Miller. Semicolon review here.
The Cure by Athol Dickson. Semicolon review here.
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. I read this book for the Once Upon a Time Faery Challenge, but I haven’t reviewed it either. Go here for a list of links to all the Once Upon a Time Faery Challenge reviews of fairy tale/fantasy/folk tale ralated books.
The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes. 1924 Newbery Award winner. Semicolon review here. And here’s a review from Sandy D. at The Newbery Project.
Dear Jo by Christina Kilbourne. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Death of a Maid by M.C. Beaton.
Desperate Journey by Jim Murphy B+ Semicolon review here.
Divided Minds by Pamela Spiro Wagner and Carolyn Spiro, M.D. Subtitled: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia.
Do Not Pass Go by Kirkpatrick Hill. Semicolon review here.
A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz A- Winner of the 2007 Cybil Award for Middle School Fiction.
Eclipse by Andrea Cheng. Semicolon review here.
Edna St. Vincent Millay by Carolyn Daffron I read this biography in preparation for a discussion in my American literature class at our homeschool co-op.
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis. Cybils Middle Grade FIction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Enna Burning by Shannon Hale. Semicolon review here.
Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer.
Escape from Egypt by Sonia Levitin. Semicolon review here.
Eyes of the Emperor by Graham Salibury. Semicolon mini-review here.
The Faraway Lurs by Harry Behn. Semicolon review here.
Feed by M.T. Anderson. Semicolon review here.
The Fencing Master by Arturo Perez-Reverte. Interesting suspense novel set in Spain, written by a Spanish author.
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. Semicolon review here.
First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover by Mitali Perkins. Semicolon review here.
The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children’s Books by Kathleen Horning BRecommended by Mindy at propernoun.net. Actually, I skimmed a lot of this book; the information seemed fairly basic and self-explanatory, but maybe if I were new to the world of children’s literature . . .
Gap Creek: The Story of a Marriage by Robert Morgan. Semicolon review here.
The Gates of the Alamo by Stephen Harrigan. Semicolon review here.
The Geographer’s Library by Jon Fasman. B Recommended at Flos Carmeli by Steven. Semicolon review here.
Gentle’s Holler by Kerry Madden. First book in a trilogy about the Weems family who live in a “holler” in the hills of N.C.
The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles by Padraic Colum. Semicolon review here.
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith. Great if you liked the other books in this No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. I did.
Gossamer by Lois Lowry B+ Semicolon review here.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I re-read this one for American literature, too.
A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh. I’m just not sure Eeeevelyn and I are on the same wave length. Both of the books I’ve read by Waugh just seem a little . . . off, somehow. Maybe it’s me.
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson.
The Hawk and the Dove by Penelope Wilcock. Re-read.
Henderson’s Spear by Ronald Wright. Semicolon review here.
Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck.
Hershey by Michael D’Antonio. Chocolatey, Semicolon review here.
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron. Semicolon review here.
A Highland Christmas by M.C. Beaton. Semicolon review here.
Home Fires Burning by Penelope J. Stokes.
Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate. Cybils Middle Grade fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. Semicolon review here.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Semicolon review here.
If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko.
In Search of Eden by Linda Nichols.
Inklings by Melanie Jeschke.
Isle of Swords by Thomas Wayne Batson. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Jeeves in the Offing by P.G. Wodehouse. Semicolon review here.
Judgement on Deltchev by Eric Ambler.
Katherine by Anya Seton. Recommended by Heather at Matted Spam.
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. Semicolon review here.
Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller. Finalist for the 2007 Cybil Award for Middle Grade Fiction.
Kiki Strike: The Empress’s Tomb by Kirsten Miller. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Semicolon review here.
The Lemonade War by Jaqueline Davies. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Leave It to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse. Semicolon review here.
Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza. Semicolon review here.
Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
The Liar’s Diary by Patry Francis. Semicolon review here.
London Calling by Edward Bloor.
Louisiana’s Song by Kerry Madden. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Loving Will Shakespeare by Carolyn Meyer. Semicolon review here.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks.
The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Karen Cushman. Semicolon review here.
Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Pieces by Katy Kelly. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Marie, Dancing by Carolyn Meyer. Semicolon review here.
Marika by Andrea Cheng. Semicolon review here.
Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin. Semicolon review here.
Men of Salt: Crossing the Sahara on the Caravan of White Gold by Michael Benanav. Semicolon review here.
Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce. I read this one because I liked Framed, another finalist for the Cybil Award for Middle Grade Fiction.
Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
My Last Best Friend by Julie Bowe. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Nazi Officer’s Wife–Beer Recommended by Cindy at Dominion family.
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. Semicolon review here.
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Semicolon review here.
Night by Elie Wiesel. Semicolon comments here.
No Talking! by Andrew Clements. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
North by Donna Jo Napoli. Semicolon review here.
Odd Thomas–Koontz Recommended by Joy (Thoughts of Joy) Also recommended by Amy Sleepy Reader.
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. Semicolon review here. I read this book because I like Dickens and for my LOST reading project.
Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Passage of Arms by Eric Ambler.
Perch, Mrs Sackets, and Crow’s Nest by Karen Pavlicin. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Penina Levine is a Hard Boiled Egg by Rebecca O’Connell. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Penny From Heaven–Holm B Recommended by Jen Robinson. And by Miss Erin. Penny From Heaven was named a Newbery Honor Book for 2006. I thought it was solid, but not great.
A Place in the Sun by Jill Rubalcaba. Semicolon review here.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Semicolon review here.
Portrait of Jenny by Robert Nathan. Semicolon review here.
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. I only read about half of this book before I realized that I was tired of all the people in the book. Question I wrote in my journal for the month: Will I grow to at least like the characters in this book if I keep reading or will I grow more and more tired of them? I didn’t finish because I decided the latter feeling was more likely.
The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. I read this play for my American literature class at homeschool co-op.
Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells. Semicolon review here.
Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins. Semicolon review here.
The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley MM Blume. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes. Semicolon review here.
Runaround by Helen Hemphill. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Seeing Sky-Blue Pink by Candice Ransom. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
The Severed Wasp by Madeleine L’Engle. Semicolon review here.
Shadow Hawk by Andre Norton. Semicolon review here.
Sheep and Goat by Marleen Westera. I read this one myself and then with the two youngest urchins. I liked the story about a pair of crochety friends who share a meadow, but I found two places in the book where it was edited poorly. Obviously wrong words should not be allowed to get through the publishing process and into print.
The Small Rain by Madeleine L’Engle. Semicolon review here
The Social Experiments of Dorie Dilts: Dumped by Popular Demand by PG Kain. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Song of the Magdalene by Donna Jo Napoli. Semicolon review here.
Sovereign by C.J. Sansom. Semicolon review here.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Semicolon review here.
Spelldown by Karen Luddy. Semicolon review here.
The Story of Jonas by Maurine Dahlberg. Semicolon review here.
Summer of Light by Dale Cramer. Interview with Dale Cramer.
Surviving Antartica: Reality TV 2083 by Andrea White It wasn’t until I reached the end of this book that I realized that its author is the wife of the mayor of Houston. How many of you have a mayor whose wife writes YA fiction? Decent, well-written YA fiction.
Tall TalesThat Girl Lucy Moon by Amy Timberlake.
The Theft and the Miracle by Rebecca Wade. Semicolon review here.
The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
Three Houses by Angela Thirkell. Semicolon review here.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John LeCarre B Semicolon review here.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Re-read for the American literature class I’m teaching at our homeschool co-op.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Read for my Lost Reading Project. Semicolon review here.
Way Down Deep by Ruth White. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee. Semicolon review here.
When Heaven Fell by Carolyn Marsden. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy. Cybils Middle Grade Fiction nominee.
A Winter’s Love by Madeleine L’Engle. Semicolon review here.
Writing Down the Bones–Goldberg
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