2012

Jaxon loves books.

My rating system
10 - Loved it!! Couldn't put it down!!
9 - Excellent!
8 - Very Good
7 - Good
6 - Above Average
5 - Average
Anything lower - Nah
* DNF - Did Not Finish

January favorite (#8)
JANUARY

1.  Salvage the Bones ~ by Jesmyn Ward, 2011, fiction (Mississippi), 9/10

The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus ~ by Amy-Jill Levine, 2006, religion, DNF

2.  11/22/63 ~ by Stephen King, 2011, fiction (Maine, Texas), 9/10

3.  The Paper Bag Princess: The Story Behind the Story ~ by Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko, 2005 (25th anniversary edition), 9/10

4.  Kindred ~ by Octavia E. Butler, 1979, fiction (Maryland), 9/10

5.  Winston of Churchill: One Bear's Battle Against Global Warming ~ by Jean Davies Okimoto, 2007, children's picture book, 10/10

6.  Together Alone ~ by Barbara Delinsky, 1995, fiction (Massachusetts), 8/10

7.  Because of Winn-Dixie ~ by Kate DiCamilla, 2000, middle grade fiction (Florida), 8/10

8.  Zeitoun ~ by Dave Eggers, 2009, history (Louisiana), 10/10

February favorite (#19)
FEBRUARY

9.  Room ~ by Emma Donoghue, 2010, fiction, 9/10

10.  Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China ~ by Ed Young, 1989, children's fairy tale (China), 8/10

11.   Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Richest Queen in Medieval Europe ~ by David Hilliam, 2005, YA biography, 7/10

12.  A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver ~ by E. L. Konigsburg, 1973, YA fiction, 9/10

13.  The House on Olive Street ~ by Robyn Carr, 1999, fiction, 9/10

14.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian ~ by Sherman Alexie, 2001, YA fiction (Washington state), 9/10

15.  Defending Jacob ~ by William Landay, 2012, fiction (Massachusetts), 8/10

16.  Ninety Minutes in Heaven:  A True Story of Death and Life ~ by Don Piper, 2004, memoir, 7/10

17.  Ninth Ward ~ by Jewell Parker Rhodes, 2010, YA fiction (Louisiana), 9/10

18.  Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs ~ by James Rumford, 2000, children's biography, 7/10

19.  Deadline ~ by Chris Crutcher, 2007, YA fiction (Idaho), 10/10

March favorite (#27)
MARCH

20.  A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty ~ by Joshilyn Jackson, 2012, fiction (Mississippi), 8/10

21.  The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem ~ by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, 2006, religion, 9/10

22.  Betsy Red Hoodie ~ by Gail Carson Levine, 2010, children's, 7/10

23.  Happily Ever After ~ by Anna Quindlen, 1997, children's, 8/10

24.  Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived ~ by Rob Bell, 2011, religion, 9/10

25.  Between a Rock and a Hot Place: Why Fifty is the New Fifty ~ by Tracey Jackson, 2011, psychology/aging, 7/10

26.  Ashfall ~ by Mike Mullin, 2011, YA fiction (Iowa, Illinois), 9/10

27.  Lone Wolf ~ by Jodi Picoult, 2012, fiction, 10/10

28.  Miss Rumphius ~ by Barbara Cooney, 1982, children's, 10/10

29.  Before I Go to Sleep ~ by S. J. Watson, 2011, fiction, 9/10

April favorite (#44)
APRIL

30.  Girl Meets God ~ by Lauren F. Winner, 2002, memoir, 8/10

31.  Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis ~ by Lauren F. Winner, 2012, memoir, 8/10

32.  Island Boy ~ by Barbara Cooney, 1988, children's, 8/10

33.  Hattie and the Wild Waves: A Story from Brooklyn ~ by Barbara Cooney, 1990, children's, 9/10

34.  Kali's Song ~ by Jeanette Winter, 2012, children's, 9/10

35.  Mrs. Peachtree and the Eighth Avenue Cat ~ by Erica Silverman, illustrations by Ellen Beier, 1994, children's, 9/10

36.  Little Bo: The Story of Bonnie Boadicea ~ by Julie Andrews Edwards, illustrated by Henry Cole, 1999, children's, 10/10

37.  Last Tree in the City ~ by Peter Carnavas, 2010, children's, 8/10

38.  Patience, Princess Catherine ~ by Carolyn Meyer, 2004, YA fiction (England), 9/10

39.  Mary, Bloody Mary ~ by Carolyn Meyer, 1999, YA fiction (England), 9/10

40.  Catalyst ~ by Laurie Halse Anderson, 2002, YA fiction, 9/10

41.  I Could Tell You Stories: Sojourns in the Land of Memory ~ by Patricia Hampl, 1999, memoir writing, 8/10

42.  God Is No Laughing Matter: An Artist's Observations and Objections on the Spiritual Path ~ by Julia Cameron, 2000, religion, 8/10

43.  The Age of Grief ~ by Jane Smiley, 1987, fiction, 7/10

44.  The Breath of God ~ by Jeffrey Small, 2011, fiction (Bhutan, India, USA), 9.5/10

45.  Timothy Tugbottom Says No! ~ by Anne Tyler, illustrated by Mitra Modarressi, 2005, children's, 7/10

46.  Into the Tangle of Friendship: A Memoir of the Things That Matter ~ by Beth Kephart, 2000, memoir,  8/10

May favorite (#60)
MAY

47.  Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings ~ edited by Marcus Borg, 1997, religion, 7/10

48.  Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant ~ by Anne Tyler, 1982, fiction (Maryland), 8/10

49.  The Beginner's Goodbye ~ by Anne Tyler, 2012, fiction (Maryland), 8/10

50.  Eleanor, Quiet No More: The Life of Eleanor Roosevelt ~ by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Gary Kelley, 2009, children's biography, 9/10

51.  We the Children (Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School series #1) ~ by Andrew Clements, 2010, children's, 10/10

52.  Fear Itself (Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School series #2) ~ by Andrew Clements, 2011, children's, 9/10

53.  One Hand Clapping: Zen Stories for All Ages ~ by Rafe Martin, illustrated by Junko Morimoto, 1995, YA religion, 9/10

54.  Close to Famous ~ by Joan Bauer, 2011, YA fiction (West Virginia), 8/10

55.  The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed  the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels ~ by Thomas Cahill, 1998, history (Middle East), 9/10

56.  The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade ~ by Ann Fessler, 2006, history, 9/10

57.  Dead Asleep ~ by Jennifer B. White, 2011, fiction (Massachusetts), 9/10

58.  Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back ~ by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent, 2010, memoir, 7/10

59.  The Lady and the Unicorn ~ by Tracy Chevalier, 2004, fiction (France and Belgium), 9/10

60.  Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story ~ by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor, 2009, memoir (Greece, Turkey, South Carolina, France), 9/10

June favorite (#68)
JUNE

61.  The Happy Room ~ by Catherine Palmer, 2002, fiction (Missouri, Kenya), 8/10

62.  Nop's Trials ~ by Donald McCaig, 1984, fiction (Virginia), 9/10

63.  Murder and the First Lady ~ by Elliott Roosevelt, 1984, mystery (District of Columbia), 8/10

64.   I Always, ALWAYS Get My Way ~ by Thad Krasnesky, illustrated by David Parkins, 2009, children's, 10/10

65.  That Cat Can't Stay ~ by Thad Krasnesky, illustrated by David Parkins, children's, 10/10

66.  Carla's Sandwich ~ by Debbie Herman, illustrated by Sheila Bailey, children's, 10/10

67.  The Only One Club ~ by Jane Naliboff, illustrated by Jeff Hopkins, 2004, children's, 10/10

68.  Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus ~ by Robin R. Meyers, 2009, religion, 10/10

69.  Victricia Malicia: Book-Loving Buccaneer ~ by Carrie L. Clickard, illustrated by Mark Meyers, 2012, children's, 9/10

July favorite (#72)
JULY

70.  Ten Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You (But Can't, Because He Needs the Job) ~ by Oliver "Buzz" Thomas, 2007, religion, 9/10

71.  Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening ~ by Diana Butler Bass, 2012, religion, 9/10

72.  So Far Away ~ by Meg Mitchell Moore, 2012, fiction (Massachusetts), 10/10

73.  Embracing an Adult Faith: Marcus Borg on What it Means to Be Christian ~ by Marcus J. Borg, 2010, religion, 8/10

August favorite (#74)
AUGUST

74.   Speaking Christian: Why Christian Words Have Lost Their Meaning and Power — and How They Can Be Restored ~ by Marcus J. Borg, 2011, religion, 10/10

75.  The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why ~ by Phyllis Tickle, 2008, religion, 9/10

76.  The Underground Church: Reclaiming the Subversive Way of Jesus ~ by Robin R. Meyers, 2012, religion, 9/10

77.  Proverbs of Ashes: Violence, Redemptive Suffering, and the Search for What Saves Us ~ by Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker, 2001, religion, 9/10

78.  A Christianity Worth Believing: Hope-Filled, Open-Armed, Alive-and-Well Faith for the Left Out, Left Behind, and Let Down in Us All ~ by Doug Pagitt, 2008, religion, 9/10

79.  If the Church Were Christian: Rediscovering the Values of Jesus ~ by Philip Gulley, 2010, religion, 9/10

80.  Eternal Life: A New Vision: Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell ~ by John Shelby Spong, 2009, religion, 9/10

September favorite (#85)
SEPTEMBER

81.  Word After Word After Word~ by Patricia MacLachlan, 2010, children's chapter book, 9/10

82.  Grandfather's Dance ~ by Patricia MacLachlan, 2006, children's chapter book, 8/10

83.  Making the World ~ by Douglas Wood, illustrated by Yoshi and Hibiki Miyazaki, 1998, children's, 9/10

84.  Northwoods Cradle Song: From a Menominee Lullaby ~ by Doublas Wood, illustrated by Lisa Desimini, 1996, children's, 8/10

85.  Grandad's Prayers of the Earth ~ by Douglas Wood, illustrated by P. J. Lynch, 1999, children's, 10/10

86.  Miss Little's Gift ~ by Douglas Wood, illustrated by Jim Burke, 2009, children's, 9/10

87.  The Secret of Saying Thanks ~ by Douglas Wood, illustrated by Greg Shed, 2005, children's, 8/10

88.  A Quiet Place ~ by Douglas Wood, illustrated by Dan Andreasen, 2002, children's, 9/10

89.  No One But You ~ by Douglas Wood, illustrated by P. J. Lynch, 2011, children's, 9/10

90.  God, Can You Hear Me? ~ by Justine Simmons, paintings by Robert Papp, 2007, children's, 8/10

October favorite (#91)
OCTOBER

91.  Toes ~ by Tor Seidler, 2004, chapter book, 10/10

92.  I Never Saw Paris: A Novel of the Afterlife ~ by Harry I. Freund, 2007, fiction, 9/10

NOVEMBER

93.  Between the Lines ~ by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer, 2012, YA fiction, 8/10

94.  The Light Between Oceans ~ by M. L. Stedman, 2012, fiction (Australia), 9/10

November favorite (#95)
95.  Flight Behavior ~ by Barbara Kingsolver, 2012, fiction (Tennessee), 9/10

96.  A Year Without Autumn ~ by Liz Kessler, 2011, MG (middle grade) fiction, 7/10

97.  Puff the Magic Dragon (with 4-song CD) ~ by Peter Yarrow and Leonard Lipton, illustrated by Eric Puybaret, 2007, children's, 9/10

DECEMBER

98.  As Texas Goes...: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda ~ by Gail Collins, 2012, politics, 8/10

December favorite (#101)
99.  Nightmare Mountain ~ by Peg Kehert, 1989, YA fiction (Washington), 9/10

100.  The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World ~ by E.  L. Konigsburg, 2007, YA fiction (Florida), 7/10

101.  Jim and Casper Go to Church: Frank Conversation about Faith, Churches, and Well-Meaning Christians ~ by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper, 2007, religion, 9/10

102.  Humanism for Parents: Parenting without Religion ~ by Sean P. Curley, 2007, philosophy, 8/10