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Weird. I commented and it duplicated the comment, so I deleted one and now they're both gone! Anyhoo, Happy New Year!

It seems to be a Blogger quirk in with this template. I could see it in my inbox, though!

I understand what you mean about Goodreads... I have the same difficulty balancing my need to be interior. I actually started my Goodreads account when I started falling behind in my reading journal--it was easier to type while nursing a baby than to write in a little notebook! But since I don't want to make all my reflections public, keeping track of those reactions has suffered. I'm not sure how I'll resolve this, but I'm glad you've reminded me to think about it.
I HAVE found several books I loved through your goodreads reviews, though, so do keep recommending ones you liked here, please!
I hope you have a beautiful and very blessed new year, Caroline!

I'm glad others can relate to the Goodreads dilemma. It's wonderful to keep a record of what I'm reading and so good to get recommendations from others/see what they've picked up. It's the public nature of it all that has gotten to me. And truthfully, who goes and looks at my list of books? Probably very few people (though some do look at my currently reading list, according to my blog stats). I really think my decision to share some but not all of what I'm doing will help me to feel my reading is my own again.

I will continue to check in there. Promise. Happy New Year to you, too, friend.

I think that's interesting, Caroline, and I totally understand! At times I feel overwhelmed by social media, even though it keeps me current and connected. Good luck with your reading goals, and enjoy some private time!

Great list! Believe it or not there's only ONE book on both our lists (IVAN!) but many on your list are on my TBR, a few I already own. A MONSTER CALLS, THE GREAT UNEXPECTED, WHERE THINGS COME BACK and I just got STARTERS from the library!

I enjoyed reading your list and seeing how you'd like to change/expand your reading next year. I'd love to hear what you think of the four you mention here. Loved all.

Next year I'm keeping up with my list. This is impressive!

I love keeping records. Believe it or not, I still answer "What have you read lately?" with "Uh..."

Great list, Caroline, thanks for sharing. My 2012 list is going up on Monday, if I can get it together.

Yesterday I read a book that I heard about on another blog (can't remember where now) so I got it from the library - and it's been sitting here. I almost took it back because I have 45 books sitting here to be read from the past year, but decided I'd at least give a few pages a try. Could not put it down. Now it's haunting me. I think you might like it and I'm dying to talk to someone about it. It's probably the first "end of the world" book for children ever written - in 1973 by Newbery Author, Robert C. O'Brian of "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" fame - which is such a great book! This was his last book, barely finished right before he died. It's stunning and could have been written in 2012. Z IS FOR ZACHARIAH. But it's not about a boy, it's about a girl after a nuclear holocaust and how she survives. So you got survival - check! And a girl who wants to be a teacher - check! And written in diary form - check! Intense suspense when a stranger shows up - check! Have I whet your appetite yet? :-) I think it will be one of my favorite MG's of 2012 now. And to think I almost sent it back to the library.

You have SOLD me, girl. MUST read this. I adored Mrs. Frisby. And this one has everything I love. Thanks for the recommendation!! xo

I'm impressed by your list. I read a book approximately every three days. Right now I am reading ADULT ROMANCE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT i'M REVISING. (drat the caps lock!) We had completly different reading lists, but I'll bet we both had fun. Susan at Pen and Ink

"We had completly different reading lists, but I'll bet we both had fun." Exactly!

You'll have to let me know any good picture books you come across. I always love finding new books to read Jack!

Will do! xo

Ooh... a nice full nightstand! Me, I'm on a MG and YA time travel kick right now. My list for the next few weeks includes: Tom's Midnight Garden, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Charlotte Sometimes, Fog Magic (a reread of one of my favorite books as a kid), and A Time for Andrew (one I can't believe I missed as a kid, since I read many of Mary Downing Hahn's books).

I read Fog Magic for the first time a few years ago. Miss Peregrine is on my shelf downstairs...soon to move to the nightstand.

I have Glory B too but my nightstand is so much messier!

I might have straightened a little. :)

I read MISS PEREGRINE a few weeks ago and loved it! How unique and unusual, as well as all the old photographs inside.

I just finished GRAVE MERCY yesterday - wow, love, love, love! Middle Ages historical, romance, danger, political intrigue and a very unusual main character - a follower and assassin of Mortain aka "Death".

(Hey, can I borrow A Breath of Eyre?) ;-)

Just picked up SISTER yesterday at the library but I'm VERY BEHIND on my First Pass Pages proofreading and they're due Monday so I can't start it until next week. I'll be working non-stop all weekend to make my deadline.

You may recognize a book or two of yours on my nightstand. I've read HOUND DOG TRUE but haven't cracked PIE yet. The plan was to have both done by Tuesday...not gonna happen. I'm happy to lend you EYRE...if I can borrow GRAVE MERCY! And don't forget I'm bringing you OPAL, too.

Sounds good! Schmooze here we come . . . hey, how are you going to run the panel? How much time do you want me to take, what exactly to talk about, etc?? You can email if you want. ;-)

I've only read one novel in verse and really enjoyed it. So now I'm excited to read yours.

There are some novels in verse that I adore, and some that...well, I don't dislike so much as feel ambivalent toward--like in any genre!
The only reason verse novels sometimes frustrate me is if their story and characters don't merit telling it in that style; it sometimes feels as if the author is cheating by attaching a gimmick to his/her book that it doesn't need. When the use is justified--and I love how your reviewer explained the obvious justification in your book!--then I am a firm fan, advocate...basically a won't-stop-talking-about-how-much-I-love-this-book person. :)

I have only read a few novels in verse and from those experiences it's not something I would pick up. I love the details in traditional novels that paint the picture. I want to know what the character looks like, sounds like and feel like I can play the book in my head like a movie. I have found that listening to a verse on audio works for me. For example I tried to read Crank, but it wasn't working for me so I listened to it on audio and loved it. I think if there is a verse novel that really draws my attention I would listen to it on audio.

These are really great comments, all.

Like Faith, I agree that just like any genre, there will be books that you like and books that you won't. Cari, I'm with you! I think the best way to experience poetry is to see, hear, and say it. As I used to tell my students, poetry is meant to be seen and heard. Listening to verse novels (or reading them aloud) is a great way to fully experience the story and the form.

Natalie, thank you. I'm excited for you to read it, too!

I've never read modern fiction in verse, but I find it interesting that nowadays it turns some readers off, when verse used to be the almost-exclusive format for storytelling. Since ancient times, when there was a story people wanted to remember, it was put in song, hence the phrase we still use: "unsung heroes." The idea of prose stories is only a few hundred years old, which sounds pretty old, but isn't in terms of human history. I'm interested to see how you handle modern expectations of description and dialog in what's really a very ancient tradition.

I've only read OUT OF THE DUST by Karen Hesse. Though I though it was wonderful, I haven't sought out any other novels in verse. But I'm excited for MAY B!

You already know I adore verse novels. Well, of course, not all verse novels (there was one I started and had to stop reading halfway through because it was driving me crazy), but some of my favorite books are verse novels, including MAY B. And I'm not just saying that for brownie points. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've never read a verse novel, but, if there's a good reason for it, as it seems from that comment there might be, I'd certainly try one.

I’ve thought a bit about this since reading David’s original post. Most children don’t really get to pick what they read. It is the teachers and parents, or just the parents for the early years. Even in later years, the kids that don’t like to read (like my boys ) read only what is required by their teachers. So are we ultimately writing for the adults or for the few kids who really like reading? (That was me, 10 books at a time from the library.) With more and more children reading online, can we write more for the kids and less for their adult censors?