Maw Books

Maw Books – book reviews, book recommendations, book lists, author interviews and more!

Wow, what a year!!! I had no idea that starting this blog would catapult me into reading more books this year than any other year plus a larger variety of books than I’ve read before.  I have loved every minute of it.  From making great friends with all of you, meeting and interacting with  authors, talking books, giving away books!

Here’s what’s happened in 2008:

Fiction

1. Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
2. The Handmaiden and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg
3. The Romantics by Galt Niederhoffer
4. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
5. Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
6. The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
7. The Best Place to Be by Lesley Dorman
8. Capote in Kansas by Kim Powers
9. Janeology by Karen Harrington
10. The Last Beach Bungalow by Jennie Nash
11. When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
12. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
13. The Leper Compound by Paula Nangle
14. The First Hurt, Stories by Rachel Sherman
15. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
16. Saturday by Ian McEwan
17. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
18. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
19. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (and quotes from The Alchemist)
20. The Smart One by Ellen Meister
21. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
22. The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center
23. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
24. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
25. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
26. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
27. Sky Burial by Xinran
28. The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy
29. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
30. Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
31. The Fiction Class by Susan Breen
32. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
33. The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
34. Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee
35. Austenland by Shannon Hale
36. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards
37. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
38. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
39. What is the What by Dave Eggers
40. Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee
41. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
42. Everyman by Philip Roth (seems to be the only book I didn’t review, I remember not caring for it much)
43. The Gift by Richard Paul Evans
44. Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans

Young Adult Fiction

1. Wake by Lisa McMann
2. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
3. Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kristen Miller
4. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
5. The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante
6. Identical by Ellen Hopkins
7. Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles
8. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
9. I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
11. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
12. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
13. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear
14. This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis
15. Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale
16. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
17. Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer
18. Messenger by Lois Lowry
19. The Debs by Susan McBride
20. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
21. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
22. Katarina by Kathryn Winter
23. Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
24. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
25. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
26. If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
27. Behind You by Jacqueline Woodson
28. The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman
29. Madapple by Christina Meldrum
30. The Giver by Lois Lowry
31. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
32. The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
33. Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
34. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
35. Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
36. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
37. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
38. Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
39. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
40. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
41. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
42. My Brother’s Keeper by Patricia McCormick
43. Cut by Patricia McCormick
44. Sold by Patricia McCormick

Juvenile/Middle Grade Fiction

1. The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
2. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
3. A Midnight Clear, Selected Family Christmas Stories from Katherine Paterson
4. The Heaven Shop by Deborah Ellis
5. Quake by Joe Cottonwood
6. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
7. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
8. A Thousand Never Evers by Shauna Burg
9. The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones by Helen Hemphill
10. As if Being 12 3/4 Isn’t Bad Enough My Mother is Running for President by Donna Gephart
11. T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte
12. The Witches by Roald Dahl
13. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Scwartz
14. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
15. The Thirteenth Reality, The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner
16. Journey to Topaz by Yoshiko Uchida
17. What Jamie Saw by Carolyn Coman
18. Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
19. Clementine’s Letter by Sara Pennypacker
20. The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
21. Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli
22. A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck
23. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
24. Second Grade Pig Pals by Kirby Larson
25. Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman
26. Are You There God?  It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
27. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
28. Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann Rodman
29. Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney
30. The Willoughby’s by Lois Lowry
31. Libertad by Alma Fullerton
32. Far World, Water Keep by J. Scott Savage
33. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
34. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
35. The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
36. Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
37. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
38. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
39. Horns & Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson
40. Mud City by Deborah Ellis
41. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
42. Criss Cross by Lynn Rae Perkins
43. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
44. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schiltz
45. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
46. Sirens and Spies by Janet Taylor Lisle
47. Torn Thread by Anne Isaacs
48. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
49. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
50. Parvana’s Journey by Deborah Ellis
51. Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
52. Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
53. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
54. Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
55. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
56. The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
57. Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
58. Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm
59. Rules by Cynthia Lord
60. The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Picture/Board Books

1. The Lump of Coal by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist
2. A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe, illustrated by Michael Glenn Monroe
3. Room for a Little One, A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Jason Cockcroft
4. Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibauoulline
5. The Light of Christmas by Richard Paul Evans, illustrated by Daniel Craig
6. Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt, illustrated by Loren Long
7. A Very Marley Christmas by John Grogan
8. Santa Claus, The Worlds Number One Toy Expert by Marla Frazee
9. Mrs. Claus Explains it All (At Last) Answers to Questions Real Kids Ask! by Elisabeth Claus
10. Amadi’s Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot
11. The Raucous Royals by Carlyn Beccia (Non-Fiction)
12. This is the Feast by Diane Z. Shore (Non-Fiction)
13. There’s No Such Thing as Ghosts by Emmanuelle Eeckhout
14. Board Books by Leslie Patricelli
15. The Two Bobbies:  A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery
16. The Magic Kerchief by Kirby Larson
17. Walk On!  A Guide for Babies of All Ages by Marla Frazee

Non-Fiction

1. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families:  Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch
2. Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast
3. I Am a Mother by Jane Clayson Johnson
4. Cheap Psychological Tricks for Parents by Perry W. Buffington
5. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Young Adult)
6. Hana’s Suitcase by Karen Levine (Middle Grade)
7. The Sudan Project: Rebuilding with the People of Darfur, A Young Person’s Guide by Melissa Leembrugeen (Middle Grade)
8. The Devil Came on Horseback:  Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle
9. Darfur Diaries:  Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe
10. Genocide in Darfur by Janey Levy (Young Adult)

Memoir

1. Stolen Innocence:  My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs by Elissa Wall
2. Apples and Oranges, My Brother and Me, Lost and Found by Marie Brenner
3. The Road of Lost Innocence, The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine by Somaly Mam
4. Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir with Damien Lewis
5. Of Beetles and Angels, One Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom (Middle Grade)
6. The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
7. Shattered Dreams:  My Life as a Polygamist’s Wife by Irene Spencer
8. Escape by Carolyn Jessop
9. Admit One:  A Journey Into Film by Emmett James
10. Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway
11. Slave:  My True Story by Mende Nazer & Damiel Lewis
12. We Are On Our Own by Miriam Katin
13. I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson (young adult)
14. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
15. The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
16. Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat
17. Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
18. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Abandoned Books

1. Keeper and Kid by Edward Hardy
2. X-Indian Chronicles by Thomas Yeahpau

Author Interviews/Guest Posts

1. Carlyn Beccia, author of The Raucous Royals
2. Diane Z. Shore, author of This is the Feast
3. Donna Gephart, author of As If Being 12 3/4 Isn’t Bad Enough, My Mother is Running for President
4. Guest Post:  Jennie Nash, author of The Last Beach Bungalow
5. Shana Burg, author of A Thousand Never Evers
6. David Ebershoff, author of The 19th Wife
7. Guest Post:  Karen Harrington, author of Janeology
8. Shannon Hale, Newbery Medal author
9. James Dashner, author of The 13th Reality
10. Guest Post:  Dennis Burke, Co-Author of The Translator, A Tribesman Memoir of Survival in Darfur
11. Kirby Larson, Newbery Honor Author of Hattie Big Sky
12. Leslie Patricelli, Children’s Author and Illustrator
13. Susan McBride, Author of the Debs
14. Christina Meldrum, Author of Madapple
15. Cynthia Lord, Newbery Honor Author of Rules
16. Sara Zarr, author of Sweethearts and Story of a Girl
17. J. Scott Savage, author of Far World, Water Keep
    
18. Mary Ann Rodman, author of Jimmy’s Stars
19. Katherine Center, author of The Bright Side of Disaster
20. Melissa Leembruggen, author of The Sudan Project: Rebuilding with the People of Darfur, a Young Person’s Guide

Author Panels/Events

1. Book reading with David Ebershoff, author of The 19th Wife
2. Rapunzel’s Roundup with Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, Nathan Hale and Utah authors
3. Provo Children’s Festival with Shannon Hale, Sara Zarr and many other Utah authors
4. Stephenie Meyer book signing

Author Recipes

1. Whoopie Pies by Cynthia Lord (photos here)
2. Succory Porridge by Caryln Beccia
3. Sweet Potato Casserole by Diane Z. Shore
4. Pumpkin Pie by ME!
5. Mexican Tomato Lime Soup by Katherine Center (photos here)
6. Mrs. Perez’s DROP-DEAD Delicious Lemon Squares by Donna Gephart
7. Butter Bean Cookies by Shana Burg
8. Zuchinni Soup by Shannon Hale
9. Espresso and Cardamom Rub for beef, pork and chicken thighs and legs by Leslie Patricelli
10. Lemon Linguine by Kirby Larson
11. Blueberry Pancakes by Christina Meldrum
    
12. Tomato-Mozarella Pesto Sandwich by Susan McBride
    
13. Strawberry Soup by J. Scott Savage
14. Breakfast Smoothie by Sara Zarr
15. Tomato Aspic by Mary Ann Rodman
16. Chocolate Cake by Mary Ann Rodman

Book Lists

1. 2008 National Book Award winners
2. Halloween books for children
3. Dinosaur books for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers
4. Recommendations for children headed to the hospital or doctor
5. A few birthday books for kids
6. Chinese New Year Books for children
7. Snowy day books for children
8. Rwanda genocide book recommendations
9. Darfur genocide book recommendations
10. Genocide book recommendations
11. My favorite gardening books
12. The weekly New York Times Bestseller lists
13. Children’s books about the body

Top Ten Most Viewed Posts of the Year

1. Read the First Chapter of Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn
2. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
3. Win All of Stephenie Meyer’s Books
4. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
5. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
6. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
8. Stephenie Meyer’s New Book Release Date Announced
9. Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun on Hold Indefinitely After Illegal Copy Distribution
10. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

Most Commented Posts of the Year

(excluding the SM contest post with 1,237 comment and 100th post giveaway.  I had to do 15 to show that there’s more than SM around here)

1. Twilight Movie Trailer (You Know You Want to Watch It) – 425 comments
2. The Host by Stephenie Meyer – 424 comments
3. Cover for Stephenie Meyer Breaking Dawn Revealed – 411 comments
4. My Evening With Stephenie Meyer – 326 comments
5. Watch the First Completed Scene of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight – 325 comments
6. The Big Announcement is Here, Blogging and Reading for Darfur – 127 comments
7. Tell Me Your Thoughts About the Twilight Movie – 93 comments
8. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer - 92 comments
9. Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun on Hold After Illegal Copy Distribution – 92 comments
10. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert – 80 comments
11. Read the First Chapter of Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn – 67 comments
12. There’s a Mouse in Our House and He Brings Us *gasp* Books! - 52 comments
13. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne – 51 comments
14. How Come Good Literature Has to Be Ruined by Bad Sex – 49 comments
15. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis – 48 comments

Some of My Other Favorite Posts of the Year

It was hard to choose just these few, from those posts not already listed above.  I had a lot of favorites this year.  I’m sure I’m missing some of my favorites.

• A Merry Christmas Video Message From My Family to Yours
• Literary Themed Christmas Trees
• Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (simply because I got brave enough to reveal my bra size!)
• Katherine Center Wasn’t Kidding!  Yummiest Soup Ever!
• Did You Know My Husband Published a Book?
• Recent Book Acquisitions from Huge Library Book Sale
• A Peek at My Bookshelves
• Walk On!  A Guide for Babies of All Ages
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and a Confession
• Is Your Book Club This Fun?
• Any of my keyword posts

My Favorite Books This Year:

Geez.  This is like asking me to choose my favorite child.  I read a TON of great books this year.  But some of the ones that stand out are:

1. The Road of Lost Innocence, The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine by Somaly Mam
2. Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir with Damien Lewis
3. Slave:  My True Story by Mende Nazer & Damiel Lewis
4. The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
5. Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
6. Escape by Carolyn Jessop
7. The Devil Came on Horseback:  Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
9. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
10. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
11. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
12. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
13. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
14. Sold by Patricia McCormick
15. Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann Rodman
16. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
17. A Thousand Never Evers by Shauna Burg
18. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

. . . I could go on and on.  I just can’t do it.  I loved so many this year.

Top Ten Commenters:

Thank you so much for you continued dedication to my blog.  You keep coming back again and again!  I never cease to be amazed.  Thanks!

1. Jenn M. from Knowledge Tree Day Care Center
2. Trish from Trish’s Reading Nook
3. Ginger (whom I miss! – where are you?!)
4. Jeanette from A Comfy Chair and a Good Book
5. Becky from Becky’s Book Reviews
6. Ladytink_534 from The Movieholic and Bibliophile’s Blog
7. amy BTW M from Amy’s Haiku Haven
8. Jen from Devourer of Books
9. Kathleen from Kathleen’s Book Reviews
10. Jeane from Dog Ear Diary

Random

• Shortest book title: T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte
• Longest book title (without subtitle): As if Being 12 3/4 Isn’t Bad Enough My Mother is Running for President by Donna Gephart
• New to me authors: I lost count after 100
• Fiction/Non-fiction ratio: 165 fiction to 28 non-fiction
• Most read author this year: Lois Lowry
• Utah authors read this year:  Ann Dee Ellis, J. Scott Savage, James Dashner, Sara Zarr, Shannon Hale, and Richard Paul Evans.
• Re-reads: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Scwartz, Are You There God?  It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume, How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
• Read my own books: 67, give or take
• Library books: 48, give or take
• Review copies: 26
• Number of blog tours participated in: 15
• Number of author interviews/guest posts: 20
• Pages read: no idea, I’d love to keep track in 2009
• New to me genres: graphic memoirs/novels, free verse novel, paranormal romance
• Most read topics this year: Africa, Darfur, polygamy, Japanese internment camps, Holocaust, and Newbery books.
  

Some Stats

• Since January 1st: 175,00 visits from 171 countries.  I’ve come a long way!  On January 1st, I think I had two visitors.  Basically, nobody read this blog.  I was just two months old.  Thanks for making me feel like I’m not talking to myself!
• Top 5 Countries: United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Italy
• Least 5 Countries: Lesotho, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Solomon Islands, Mongolia
• Top Five Traffic Sources (from 1,360): Google search, Yahoo search, Direct, Google (referral), Twilight Lexicon Blog
• Top Five Referrals: Google.com, Twilight Lexicon Blog, Blogosfere Cultura, His Golden Eyes, Google Images
• Top Five Keywords: The Book Thief, Eat Pray Love, Eat Pray Love quotes, A Thousand Splendid Suns quotes, first chapter of Breaking Dawn
• 705 blogs in my Google Reader. Need to control this way better in 2009.  I don’t read them all but I like to have them there when I do searches.
• 8,722 comments - I get giddy every time I see a comment come in.  Thank you for making all of this worthwhile!
• 421 posts – no way I wrote that many posts.  Crazy.

Items of Note

• I gave away roughly 2 gift certificates, 44 Stephenie Meyer books plus 104 more books for a total of about 150 books this year!  I love sharing books with you!
• Thank you for voting the Maw Books Blog as the Most Altruistic and Most Extravagant Giveaways for Book Blogger Appreciation Week, as well as many other awards sent my way.  Thanks!
• Getting to know how awesome this community is, was one of the best things about this past year.
• Perhaps the most important thing I’ve done this year was the reading and blogging for Darfur awareness and fundraising campaign.  I’m thrilled that I was able to do something that was bigger than myself and was able to use this forum to make a difference.  It’s perhaps what I’ve felt like was the most important thing I did this year.

And the most important thing!

You, you, you!!  I have a confession.  When I started this book blog, I had never read a book blog before.  I hadn’t ever seen one.  Weird, that I was starting one then, huh?  So basically,  I had no clue what I was doing!  With your help, I’ve come a long way.  This community of book lovers is unlike anything I have ever experienced online before.  Thank you for making a stay at home mom feel like she has something to say!  I love you guys – here’s looking forward to more fun together in 2009!

Hey you! Yes. You! I've noticed that you've stopped by to visit a few times! But I don't know who you are. Why don't you take a moment and introduce yourself. Don't be scared. I try not to bite. I know you're a lurker but I'd love to hear your thoughts about what's been bringing you here. And if you haven't done so already, don't forget to never miss a post by subscribing to my feed or receiving updates by email. Thanks for visiting!