As you all know, I was a graduate student up through August. After a really short break for the holidays, I started my spring semester of school in early January. It didn't seem possible, but spring semester was even busier than fall semester. January and February were mostly filled with work and Downton Abbey nights with my girlfriends form school. In March I visited Washington D.C. for my spring break. I chose that particular location because my brother lives there and I got to see some friends from college. I also made arrangements to have lunch with and of , both of whom are incredibly nice in person. We ate Italian food which was delicious.
April was a blur of finishing up in the semester and a different friend from college visiting for nearly a week. In early May I got another week off of school before summer semester. I traveled back to Minnesota to spend it at home and arrived late on a Sunday night, and unfortunately learned the next morning that my maternal grandmother passed away. She was nearly 91 and it was her time, but it was still sad to lose her. It was nice to spend an all too short weekend in Maine attending her funeral and celebrating her life. I had a few other personal problems during that time as well, which explains why I had only 7 posts in May and 2 in June.
Summer semester started in mid-May and as I'm sure you've guessed, it was even busier than spring semester. I had the good fortune to intern in the Children's Department of a library near me school and had a fantastic experience. My internship lasted through the beginning of August.
In June I experienced a big bookish event: going to ALA! In addition to attending sessions and panels, I also got to meet a lot of other awesome bloggers such as , , , and and authors include , , , , and Daniel Handler. That doesn't cover all of the authors and bloggers I met and saw, but you can read my full recap here.
July was insane since I finished school. I barely slept. I graduated in early August and moved back to Minnesota at the end of the month. This meant that in August I got to take a short vacation with the girlfriends from graduate school and attend a Renaissance Fair with them.
I arrived home at the very end of August and, about a week later, traveled out to New England again, this time to scatter my grandmother's ashes at the top of Mount Washington. We also scattered my grandfather's there when he passed away in 2005. We drove up the mountain, but I would love to hike it some day in their honor.
On a happier note, Andrea Cremer had a tour stop for Rift in Saint Paul in September. It was great to see Andrea again, although I have not yet had the chance to read Rift. October brought two great bookish events: one I met where I went to see John and Carole Barrowman signing copies of their book . The last bookish event of the year for me and the highlight of November was seeing the Get Real! tour where I met , , , and saw , who I'd met at ALA. The event was on election night, so it wasn't crowded and therefore quite laid back. It also took my mind off the anxiety of the election.
December has been a busy month and has brought good news! After a long search process, I found out that I'll be starting a full-time job as a Youth Librarian at a public library in Iowa. I start work in early January and will be moving later this week. I'm taking a break from frantic packing in order to write this post.
I think 2013 is going to be a great year. As you all know, I stopped participating in reading challenges a year ago. Once again, I'm challenging myself to read 100 books, like in 2012. I'm going with 100 again because 2013 involves so much personal change. I'd like to post more discussion posts on the blog in 2012, so we'll see how that goes.
Here's the final list of what I read in 2012. I hope you all have a great time ringing in the New Year, and let me know how your year in books was!
1.) Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman
2.) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3.) Monster by Walter Dean Myers
4.) Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
5.) The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
6.) Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin
7.) Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
8.) Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman
9.) Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan
10.) Sabriel by Garth Nix
11.) Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
12.) The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
13.) Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
14.) Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
15.) Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
16.) The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
17.) Battle of Jericho by Sharon M. Draper
18.) Tyrell by Coe Booth
19.) What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
20.) Hoop Dreams by Ben Joravsky
21.) The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
22.) Luna by Julie Ann Peters
23.) The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
24.) The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
25.) The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
26.) Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
27.) My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kugler
28.) Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri
29.) Smile by Raina Telgemeier
30.) American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
31.) The Blind Side by Michael Lewis
32.) Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
33.) Fever by Lauren DeStefano
34.) The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
35.) Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
36.) The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
37.) The Maze Runner by James Dashner
38.) Hourglass by Myra McEntire
39.) The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
40.) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
41.) The Hidden Staircase (Nancy Drew #2) by Carolyn Keene
42.) War Horse by Michael Morpugo
43.) The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
44.) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
45.) For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
46.) The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
47.) The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
48.) In Honor by Jessi Kirby
49.) The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
50.) Sickened by Julie Gregory
51.) My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
52.) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
53.) Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch
54.) A Bride's Story, Vol. I by Kaoru Mori
55.) The Lost Saint by Bree Despain
56.) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
57.) Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
58.) Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
59.) Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
60.) The Adventures of Captain Underpants: An Epic Novel by Dav Pilkey
61.) The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
62.) Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
63.) Across the Universe by Beth Revis
64.) The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
65.) Habibi by Craig Thompson
66.) The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
67.) Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams
68.) Something Like Normal by Trish Doller
69.) Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
70.) This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
71.) Purple Daze by Sherry Shahan
72.) Bake Sale by Sara Varon
73.) Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
74.) The Walking Dead: Book One by Robert Kirkman
75.) The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
76.) Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
77.) Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke
78.) Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer
79.) The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes
80.) The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
81.) The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
82.) Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
83.) The Difference Between You and Me by Madeline George
84.) Claudia and Mean Janine: A Graphic Novel (BSC Graphix, #4) by Raina Telgemeier
85.) If I Lie by Corrine Jackson
86.) Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
87.) Pushing the Limits by Kate McGarry
88.) Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst
89.) The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
90.) Purity by Jackson Pearce
91.) The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente
92.) Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
93.) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
94.) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
95.) Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
96.) Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
97.) A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
98.) Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone
99.) Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves100.) Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
101.) The Revenge of Darth Paper by Tom Angleberger
102.) Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill
2.) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3.) Monster by Walter Dean Myers
4.) Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
5.) The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
6.) Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin
7.) Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
8.) Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman
9.) Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan
10.) Sabriel by Garth Nix
11.) Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
12.) The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
13.) Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
14.) Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
15.) Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
16.) The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
17.) Battle of Jericho by Sharon M. Draper
18.) Tyrell by Coe Booth
19.) What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
20.) Hoop Dreams by Ben Joravsky
21.) The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
22.) Luna by Julie Ann Peters
23.) The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
24.) The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
25.) The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
26.) Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
27.) My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kugler
28.) Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri
29.) Smile by Raina Telgemeier
30.) American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
31.) The Blind Side by Michael Lewis
32.) Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
33.) Fever by Lauren DeStefano
34.) The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
35.) Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
36.) The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
37.) The Maze Runner by James Dashner
38.) Hourglass by Myra McEntire
39.) The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
40.) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
41.) The Hidden Staircase (Nancy Drew #2) by Carolyn Keene
42.) War Horse by Michael Morpugo
43.) The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
44.) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
45.) For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
46.) The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
47.) The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
48.) In Honor by Jessi Kirby
49.) The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
50.) Sickened by Julie Gregory
51.) My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
52.) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
53.) Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch
54.) A Bride's Story, Vol. I by Kaoru Mori
55.) The Lost Saint by Bree Despain
56.) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
57.) Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
58.) Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
59.) Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
60.) The Adventures of Captain Underpants: An Epic Novel by Dav Pilkey
61.) The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
62.) Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
63.) Across the Universe by Beth Revis
64.) The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
65.) Habibi by Craig Thompson
66.) The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
67.) Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams
68.) Something Like Normal by Trish Doller
69.) Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
70.) This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
71.) Purple Daze by Sherry Shahan
72.) Bake Sale by Sara Varon
73.) Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
74.) The Walking Dead: Book One by Robert Kirkman
75.) The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
76.) Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
77.) Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke
78.) Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer
79.) The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes
80.) The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
81.) The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
82.) Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
83.) The Difference Between You and Me by Madeline George
84.) Claudia and Mean Janine: A Graphic Novel (BSC Graphix, #4) by Raina Telgemeier
85.) If I Lie by Corrine Jackson
86.) Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
87.) Pushing the Limits by Kate McGarry
88.) Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst
89.) The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
90.) Purity by Jackson Pearce
91.) The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente
92.) Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
93.) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
94.) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
95.) Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
96.) Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
97.) A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
98.) Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone
99.) Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves100.) Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
101.) The Revenge of Darth Paper by Tom Angleberger
102.) Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill
103.) Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Lani Taylor
104.) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
105.) Mistwood by Leah Cypess
106.) The Archived by Victoria Schwab
107.) Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt
108.) Live Through This by Mindi Scott
109.) The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
110.) Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas