GirlReaction Reads: Favorites of 2011

I read 113 books in 2011 which is higher than my 85-book average for the past 6 years (see more stats here) but pretty much par for the course. Also I don’t usually include textbooks and articles on my reading lists but this year I did include all the children’s and YA fiction I read for a class I took this fall because, after all, it was fiction! 🙂 It wasn’t a class that counted toward my degree, just an elective I had been wanting to take. Only crazy people take an extra class during student teaching though; I can’t say I really recommend it!

I read more non-fiction than usual (a lot of memoirs!) but no short stories at all. What? (I did start 2012 off with some though!)

It’s always hard to pin these things down, but…

My top six very favorite books read during 2011 were (not in any order) “Wonderstruck” by Brian Selznick, Love Is the Higher Law, by David Levithan, “State of Wonder” by Ann Patchett, “36 Arguments for the Existence of God”, by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein (that’s fiction, despite its non-fiction-like sounding title), “Mother’s Milk” by Edward St. Aubyn and “Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter” by Tom Franklin.

I also really really loved two of the last books I read in December: “A Discovery of Witches” by Deborah Harkness (not at all Twilight for adults, as I keep seeing it called–the quirks of the publishing industry’s advertising could really drive one to madness, couldn’t they?) and “Falling Together” by Marisa de los Santos.

I do read a ton of both adult and YA fantasy/sci fi, as you might know heh, and my favorites in 2011 were “Divergent” by Veronica Roth, “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss, “Aftertime” by Sophie Littlefield, “Across the Universe” by Beth Revis and “Hunger” by Jackie Morse Kessler.

Other YA, but not fantasy, or not really, books I loved were “Ninth Ward” by Jewell Parker Rhodes, and both “Okay for Now” and “The Wednesday Wars” by Gary D. Schmidt. And I particularly loved a novel in verse “Inside Out & Back Again” by Thanhha Lai.

I enjoyed Rosanne Cash and Keith Richards‘ memoirs, I loved both the fiction and non-fiction I read by David H. Hackworth, widely known as one of America’s most decorated soldiers (now deceased), I would recommend absolutely any and everything (romance and memoir) written by my good friend Rachael Herron and if you want to revisit my favorite fantasy books of all time as I did this year I recommend The Tornor Chronicles by Elizabeth A. Lynn (book 1 is “Watchtower”) and The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander (book 1 is “The Book of Three”).

I read a LOT of stuff I loved this year, a lot of stuff that was good and fun and only a very few things I wish I hadn’t wasted time on and most of those wouldn’t wind up appearing on the read list anyway! 🙂 I grew out of that whole “I HAVE to finish every book I start!” baloney in my late 30s. There just isn’t time for bad books. And there are SO many good ones out there!!

Books Read in 2011

date refers to date finished; i.e., just b/c I finished two books in a given day doesn’t mean I read two entire books that day!

  • Enclave, by Ann Aguirre (12/27)
  • The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano, by Margarita Engle (12/27) (biography) (poetry)
  • Someday Soon, by Joan Wolf (12/26)
  • No Dark Place, by Joan Wolf (12/26) (re-read)
  • Life, by Keith Richards (12/25) (memoir)
  • Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts: The Hopeless to Hardcore Transformation of U.S. Army, 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry, Vietnam, by David H. Hackworth (12/24) (memoir)
  • Foiled, by Jane Yolen (12/20) (graphic novel)
  • To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel, by Siena Cherson (12/20) (memoir) (graphic novel)
  • One Day, by David Nicholls (12/19)
  • Inside Out & Back Again, by Thanhha Lai (12/18)
  • Falling Together, by Marisa de los Santos (12/17)
  • A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness (12/16)
  • The Black Cauldron, by Lloyd Alexander (12/10)
  • Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery (12/6) (re-read) (audio)
  • Three Cups of Deceit, by Jon Krakauer (11/11)
  • A Life in Stitches, by Rachael Herron (11/10)
  • Invitation to the Game, by Monica Hughes (11/10)
  • The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt (11/8)
  • Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine (11/8)
  • When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead (11/7)
  • Love Is the Higher Law, by David Levithan (11/6)
  • Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow, by Susan Campbell Bertoletti (11/6)
  • Charles and Emma; the Darwins’ Leap of Faith, by Deborah Heiligman (11/6)
  • Honeybee, by Naomi Shihab Nye (10/30) (poetry)
  • The Ocean Between Us, by Susan Wiggs (10/30)
  • Life as We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer (10/28)
  • The Demon Trapper’s Daughter, by Jana Oliver (10/23)
  • The Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander (10/23)(re-read)
  • Feed, by M.T. Anderson (10/21)
  • Educating Esme, Diary of a Teacher’s First Year, by Esme Raji Codell (10/18)
  • Northlanders Vol 2: The Cross + The Hammer (10/15)
  • Northlanders Vol 1: Sven The Returned, by Brian Wood (10/15)
  • Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Patterson (10/15)
  • Where do you think you’re going, Christopher Columbus? by Jean Fritz, pics by Margot Tomes (10/10)
  • The Good Soldiers, by David Finkel (10/10)
  • Don’t You Know There’s a War On? by Avi (10/9)
  • Ten Birds, by Cybele Young (10/9)
  • The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin (10/9)
  • The Trouble with Thirteen, by Betty Miles (10/8) (re-read)
  • Wonderstruck, by Brian Selznick (10/8)
  • The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick (10/8)
  • Journey Into Mohawk Country, by George O’Connor (10/2)
  • Y: The Last Man — Unmanned, by Brian K. Vaughn (10/1)
  • Okay for Now, by Gary D. Schmidt (9/25)
  • Stitches, by David Small (9/23)
  • The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life, by Ann Patchett (9/22)
  • The Arrival, by Shaun Tan (9/18)
  • Lockdown, by Walter Dean Myers (9/17)
  • Fortune’s Bones: The Manumission Requiem, by Marilyn Nelson (9/15) (poetry)
  • The Patchwork Quilt, by Valerie Flournoy (9/11)
  • The Butter Battle Book, by Dr. Seuss (9/11)
  • Maizon at Blue Hill, by Jacqueline Woodson (9/10)
  • Weed Flower, by Cynthia Kadohata (9/10)
  • The Northern Girl, by Elizabeth A. Lynn (9/x) (re-read)
  • The Dancers of Arun, by Elizabeth A. Lynn (9/x) (re-read)
  • Watchtower, by Elizabeth A. Lynn (9/x) (re-read)
  • The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, by Peter Sis (9/4)
  • Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi (9/4)
  • Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest (9/3)
  • Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes (8/29)
  • Purgatory Chasm, by Steve Ulfelder (8/27)
  • A Summer to Die, by Lois Lowry (8/27) (re-read)
  • Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White (8/26) (re-read)
  • The New Teacher Book, from Rethinking Schools (8/24)
  • The Bone People, by Keri Hulme (8/21)
  • The Geography of Bliss, by Eric Weiner (8/12)
  • Heartless, by Gail Carriger (8/8)
  • Rebirth, by Sophie Littlefield (8/6)
  • The Cradle in the Grave, by Sophie Hannah (8/4)
  • Divergent, by Veronica Roth (8/1)
  • Maybe This Time, by Jennifer Crusie (7/26)
  • Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, by Tom Franklin (6/28)
  • The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss (6/26)
  • The Price of Honor, by Colonel David H. Hackworth (6/19)
  • Just Like Heaven, by Julia Quinn (6/19)
  • The Hunted, by Elmore Leonard (6/19)
  • State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett (6/18)
  • The Hero of Ages, by Brandon Sanderson (6/17)
  • One Bullet Away, the Making of a Marine Officer, by Nathaniel Fick (6/6)
  • Generation Kill, by Evan Wright (6/5)
  • Red Seas Under Red Skies, by Scott Lynch (6/2)
  • Trust No One, by Gregg Hurwitz (5/?)
  • All Clear, by Connie Willis (5/15)
  • Blackout, by Connie Willis (5/14) (re-read)
  • Relentless, by Lauren Dane (5/12)
  • Carry Me Down, by M.J. Hyland (5/12)
  • Blameless, by Gail Carriger (5/11)
  • The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch (5/7)
  • Killbox, by Ann Aguirre (4/28)
  • 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein (4/28)
  • The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson (4/17)
  • Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson (4/14)
  • Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White (4/10) (re-read)
  • Changeless, by Gail Carriger (4/8)
  • The Berrybender Narratives, Book 1: Sin Killer, by Larry McMurtry (4/6)
  • Soulless, by Gail Carriger (4/5)
  • Aftertime, by Sophie Littlefield (3/29)
  • The Night Season, by Chelsea Cain (3/24)
  • Undercover, by Lauren Dane (3/18)
  • Tempest Rising, By Nicole Peeler (3/18)
  • Composed, by Rosanne Cash (3/15)
  • Magic at the Gate, by Devon Monk (3/15)
  • The Dark and Hollow Places, by Carrie Ryan (3/15)
  • How to Knit a Heart Back Home, by Rachael Herron (3/13)
  • Mother’s Milk, by Edward St Aubyn (3/12)
  • River Marked, by Patricia Briggs (3/9)
  • Faith Fox, by Jane Gardam (2/20)
  • Visitation, by Jenny Erpenbeck (2/14)
  • Across the Universe, by Beth Revis (2/1)
  • The Old Devils, by Kingsley Amis (1/27)
  • What the Librarian Did, by Karina Bliss (1/19)
  • The Sentry, a Joe Pike novel, by Robert Crais (1/18)
  • Hunger, by Jackie Morse Kessler (1/5)

Duff at the Movies 2011

  • Young Adult (12/26)
  • Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (12/23)
  • Martha Marcy May Marlene (11/26)
  • Take Shelter (10/22)
  • Haunters (10/15)
  • Our Idiot Brother (9/4)
  • The Guard (8/5)
  • Cowboys & Aliens (8/3)
  • Harry Potter 8: Deathly Hallows 2 (7/24)
  • Super 8 (7/6)
  • Buck (7/4)
  • Beginners (6/22)
  • Hanna (6/9)
  • Midnight in Paris (6/5)
  • Tree of Life (6/4)
  • Incendies (en français) (5/26)
  • Thor (5/25)
  • Cave of Forgotten Dreams (3D)(5/13)
  • Hesher (5/11)
  • Bridesmaids (5/10)
  • Certified Copy (4/?)
  • Red State (3/8)
  • Cedar Rapids (3/6)
  • No Strings Attached (2/20)
  • The Company Men (2/6)
  • The Mechanic (2/4)
  • The Tourist (1/16)
  • Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (1/11)
  • Blue Valentine (1/7)
  • The King’s Speech (1/6)
  • The Fighter (1/5)
  • The Green Hornet (3D) (1/4)
  • Black Swan (1/2)
  • True Grit (1/2)
  • Somewhere (1/1)

Duff Does Live Music 2011

  • Alabama Shakes (12/17)
  • Bon Iver (5th x) (7/23)
  • Iron & Wine (6/6)
  • The Head and the Heart (6/6)
  • Arcade Fire (4th x) (4/22)
  • The National (3rd x) (4/22)
  • Sharon Von Etten (4/9)
  • In Tall Buildings (4/9)
  • Greg Laswell (3/3)
  • HelloGoodbye (2/17)
  • The Avett Brothers (2nd x) (1/29)
  • David Mayfield Parade (1/29)

Books Read in 2010

date refers to date finished; i.e., just b/c I finished two books in a given day doesn’t mean I read two entire books that day!

  • The Girls with Games of Blood, by Alex Bledsoe (12/29)
  • Vampire Academy 6: Last Sacrifice, by Richelle Mead (12/29)
  • Vampire Academy 5: Spirit Bound, by Richelle Mead (12/28)
  • Vampire Academy 4: Blood Promise, by Richelle Mead (12/27)
  • King Hereafter, by Dorothy Dunnett (12/26) (re-read)
  • Vampire Academy 3: Shadow Kiss, by Richelle Mead (12/22)
  • Vampire Academy 2: Frostbite, by Richelle Mead (12/20)
  • Hounded to Death, by Rita Mae Brown (12/19)
  • The Tell-Tale Horse, by Rita Mae Brown (12/16)
  • Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead (12/16)
  • Doors Open, by Ian Rankin (12/15)
  • The Dead-Tossed Waves, by Carrie Ryan (12/10)
  • Worth Dying For: A Reacher Novel, by Lee Child (12/8)
  • Halo, by Alexandra Adornetto (12/6)
  • The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E. Pearson (12/5)
  • Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen (11/28)
  • Skymaze, by Gillian Rubinstein (11/26)
  • How to Ditch Your Personal Fairy, by Justine Larbalestier (11/25)
  • Ice Song, by Kirsten Imani Kasai (11/23)
  • Space Demons, by Gillian Rubinstein (11/11)
  • Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, by Sarah MacLean (11/9)
  • Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time, Bk 13), by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson (11/7)
  • Eleven, by Patricia Reilly Giff (11/5)
  • Locomotion, by Jacqueline Woodson (11/4)
  • The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger (10/28)
  • The Skin I’m In, by Sharon G. Flake (10/28)
  • Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices, bk 1), by Cassandra Clare (10/16)
  • Stormrider, by David Gemmell (10/6)
  • Ravenheart, by David Gemmell (10/2)
  • The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell (9/29)
  • Linger, by Maggie Stiefvater (9/21)
  • Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater (9/20)
  • Faithful Place, by Tana French (9/11)
  • A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan (9/10)
  • The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman (9/5) (re-read)
  • The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman (9/3) (re-read)
  • The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman (9/1) (re-read)
  • Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins (8/27)
  • White Teacher, by Vivian Gussin Paley (8/25)
  • Memory in Death, by Nora Roberts writing as J.D.Robb (8/21)
  • Within the Frame; The Journey of Photographic Vision, by David duChemin (8/11)
  • The Eye of the Storm, by Jack Higgins (8/6)
  • Midnight Falcon, by David Gemmell (8/4)
  • Slut Lullabies, by Gina Frangello (7/31)(stories)
  • Curse of the Wolf Girl, by Martin Millar (7/30)
  • Sword in the Storm, by David Gemmell (7/23)
  • The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger (7/5)(re-read)
  • I Shall Not Want, by Julia Spencer-Fleming (7/5)
  • All Mortal Flesh, by Julia Spencer-Fleming (7/5)
  • To Darkness and to Death, by Julia Spencer-Fleming (7/4)
  • Out of the Deep I Cry, by Julia Spencer-Fleming (7/4)
  • A Fountain Filled with Blood, by Julia Spencer-Fleming (7/3)
  • In the Bleak Midwinter, by Julia Spencer-Fleming (7/3)
  • Still Missing, by Chevy Stevens (6/20)
  • Dead in the Family, by Charlaine Harris (6/15)
  • A Distant Magic, by Mary Jo Putney (6/6)
  • The Hidden City, by Michelle West (6/4)
  • The Photogenic Soprano, by Dorothy Dunnett (5/27)
  • The Fool’s Progress, by Edward Abbey (5/24)
  • 61 Hours, by Lee Child (5/19)
  • Magic on the Storm, by Devon Monk (5/4)
  • Possession, by A.S. Byatt (4/30) (re-read)
  • Silver Borne, a Mercy Thompson novel, by Patricia Briggs (4/30)
  • I Won’t Learn from You, by Herbert Kohl (4/17)
  • Death at an Early Age, by Jonathan Kozol (4/17)
  • Letters to a Young Teacher, by Jonathan Kozol (4/12)
  • What’s Bred in the Bone, by Robertson Davies (4/10) (re-read)
  • Inside Mrs. B.’s Classroom, by Leslie Baldacci (3/30)
  • The Delicacy and Strength of Lace, by Leslie Marmon Silko & James Wright (3/23) (letters)
  • The Ugliest House in the World, by Peter Ho Davies (3/21)
  • The Walls of the Universe, by Paul Melko (3/15)
  • Blackout, by Connie Willis (3/9)
  • The Rebel Angels, by Robertson Davies (3/5) (re-read)
  • How to Knit a Love Song, by Rachael Herron (3/3)
  • Black and White, by Jackie Kessler & Caitlin Kittredge (2/26)
  • The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (2/11) (re-read)
  • Wizard’s First Rule (Sword of Truth 1), by Terry Goodkind (2/10) (re-read)
  • The First Rule; a Joe Pike Novel, by Robert Crais (2/4)
  • The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (1/31)
  • Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson (1/28)
  • Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde (1/28)
  • Man Walks Into a Room, by Nicole Krauss (1/22)
  • The Prophecy of the Sisters, by Michelle Zink (1/15)
  • A Study in Scarlet, by Arthur Conan Doyle (1/15) (re-read)
  • Lonely Werewolf Girl, by Martin Millar (1/13)
  • This Is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper (1/3)
  • Night Child, by Jes Battis (1/3)

Duff Does Live Music 2010

  • Purple Apple (2nd x)(12/18)
  • Catherine Feeny (9/10)
  • Imelda de La Cruz (9/10)
  • Arcade Fire (3rd x)(Lollapalooza)(8/8)
  • MGMT (Lollapalooza)(8/8)
  • The National (2nd x)(Lollapalooza)(8/8)
  • Mumford & Sons (2nd x) (Lollapalooza)(8/8)
  • Empty Orchestra (2nd x)(5/22)
  • Frightened Rabbit (5/8)
  • OK Go (4th x) (4/17)
  • The Magnetic Fields (3/7)
  • Purple Apple (1/18)

Duff at the Movies 2010

  • Rare Exports (Finnish) (12/14)
  • Fair Game (12/3)
  • Unstoppable (11/27)
  • The Town (9/18)
  • The American (8/10)
  • Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 (en français) (9/8)
  • Mesrine: Killer Instinct (en français) (9/5)
  • Salt (8/14)
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (8/9)
  • The Kids Are Allright (8/6)
  • Knight & Day (7/25)
  • Inception (7/24)
  • Winter’s Bone (7/5)
  • Robin Hood (5/30)
  • Iron Man 2 (5/13)
  • Clash of the Titans (5/1)
  • Kick Ass (4/23)
  • The Ghost Writer (4/12)
  • Cop Out (3/21)
  • A Single Man (2/12)
  • Sherlock Holmes (1/15)
  • Daybreakers (1/4)

Books Read in 2009

date refers to date finished only; some books get started, and then set down for ages. i.e., just b/c I finished two books in a given day doesn’t mean I read two entire books that day!

  • The Good Fairies of New York, by Martin Millar (12/30)
  • Marcher, by Chris Beckett (12/28)
  • A Plea for Eros, By Siri Hustvedt (12/27)
  • The Flying Troutmans, by Miriam Toews (12/22)
  • City of Thieves, by David Benioff (12/21)
  • Undiscovered Country, by Lin Enger (12/14)
  • Doubleblind, by Ann Aguirre (12/13)
  • Blue Diablo, by Ann Aguirre (12/6)
  • Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?, by Preston Jones and Greg Graffin (11/29)
  • The Traveler, by John Twelve Hawks (11/25)
  • Normal People Don’t Live Like This, by Dylan Landis (11/21)
  • The English American, by Alison Larkin (11/20)
  • Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins (11/18)
  • Fire, by Kristin Cashore (11/16)
  • Graceling, by Kristin Cashore (11/16)
  • Magic in the Shadows, by Devon Monk (11/8)
  • Toast, by Nigel Slater (11/5)
  • The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, by Stieg Larsson (10/28)
  • Mother of Storms, by John Barnes (10/26)
  • Ravens, by George Dawes Green (10/19)
  • Even Money, by Dick Francis (and Felix Francis) (10/16)
  • Liar, by Justine Larbalestier (10/14)
  • Midnighters 3: Blue Noon, by Scott Westerfeld (10/13)
  • The White Darkness, by Geraldine McCaughrean (10/12)
  • Sweep 15: Night’s Child, by Cate Tiernan (10/10)
  • Midnighters 2: Touching Darkness, by Scott Westerfeld (10/9)
  • Sweep 14: Full Circle, by Cate Tiernan (10/8)
  • Sweep 13: Reckoning, by Cate Tiernan (10/8)
  • Sweep 12: Eclipse, by Cate Tiernan (10/7)
  • Midnighters 1: The Secret Hour, by Scott Westerfeld (9/30)
  • Sweep 11: Origins, by Cate Tiernan (9/29)
  • Sweep 10: Seeker, by Cate Tiernan (9/28)
  • Sweep 9: Strife, by Cate Tiernan (9/26)
  • Sweep 8: Changeling, by Cate Tiernan (9/25)
  • Sweep 7: The Calling, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  • Sweep 6: Spellbound, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  • Sweep 5: Awakening, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  • Sweep 4: Dark Magick, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  • Sweep 3: Blood Witch, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  • Sweep 2: The Coven, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  • Sweep 1: Book of Shadows, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  • A Pair of Blue Eyes, by Thomas Hardy (9/20)
  • Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (9/18)
  • Evil at Heart, by Chelsea Cain (9/11)
  • White Time, by Margo Lanagan (8/31) (stories)
  • Hunting Ground, by Patricia Briggs (8/25)
  • Happy All the Time, by Laurie Colwin (8/24)
  • Cry Wolf, by Patricia Briggs (8/20)
  • Carved in Bone, by Jefferson Bass (8/17)
  • Netherland, by Joseph O’Neill (8/16)
  • Sea Lord, by Virginia Kantra (8/2)
  • Sea Fever, by Virginia Kantra (8/1)
  • Mark of the Demon, by Diana Rowland (7/31)
  • Sea Witch, by Virginia Kantra (7/28)
  • The Death of Sweet Mister, by Daniel Woodrell (7/27)
  • In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan (7/27)
  • Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (7/25)
  • Emerald City, by Jennifer Egan (6/25)
  • 13 Bullets, by David Wellington (6/21)
  • Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi (6/19)
  • Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn (6/12)
  • Motherless Brooklyn, by Jonathan Lethem (6/8)
  • Magic in the Blood, by Devon Monk (6/3)
  • Gone Tomorrow: A Reacher Novel, by Lee Child (6/1)
  • Dead and Gone, by Charlaine Harris (5/31)
  • All Summer, by Claire Kilroy (5/28)
  • Dracula, by Bram Stoker (5/21) (re-read)
  • Wanderlust, by Ann Aguirre (5/21)
  • Grimspace, by Ann Aguirre (5/18)
  • From Dead to Worse, by Charlaine Harris (5/11)
  • All Together Dead, by Charlaine Harris (5/8)
  • Definitely Dead, by Charlaine Harris (5/6)
  • The Dart League King, by Keith Lee Morris (5/4)
  • Dead as a Doornail, by Charlaine Harris (5/1)
  • The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart (4/25)
  • Eureka Street, by Robert McLiam Wilson (4/24)
  • Club Dead, by Charlaine Harris (4/23)
  • Living Dead in Dallas, by Charlaine Harris (4/21)
  • Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris (4/14)
  • The Three Evanglists, by Fred Vargas (4/14)
  • Tell No One, by Harlan Coben (4/12)
  • Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson (4/11)
  • Then We Came to the End, by Joshua Ferris (4/8)
  • City of Glass, by Cassandra Clare (4/2)
  • Little Bee, by Chris Cleave (4/1)
  • The Pianist, by Wladyslaw Szpilman (3/28)
  • The Feminists Go Swimming, by Michael Collins (3/28)
  • Circle of the Dead, by Ingrid Black (3/27)
  • City of Refuge, by Tom Piazza (3/25)
  • The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan (3/19)
  • Domestic Violence, by Eavan Boland (3/12) (poetry)
  • Flesh and Bone, by Jefferson Bass (3/9)
  • A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, by Molly Wizenberg (3/8)
  • The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson (3/8)
  • Bone Crossed, by Patricia Briggs (3/7)
  • Antarctica, by Claire Keegan (3/6) (stories)
  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson (3/4) (re-read)
  • For All We Know, by Ciaran Carson (2/26) (poetry)
  • Delicate Edible Birds, by Lauren Groff (2/22) (stories)
  • Dark Hollow, by John Connolly (2/22)
  • Sweetheart, by Chelsea Cain (2/21)
  • Every Dead Thing, by John Connolly (2/19)
  • Lies of Silence, by Brian Moore (2/17)
  • The Devil’s Bones, by Jefferson Bass (2/16)
  • L.A. Outlaws, by T. Jefferson Parker (2/15)
  • The Broom of the System, by David Foster Wallace (2/13)
  • Satan Says, by Sharon Olds (2/11) (poetry)(reread)
  • Stories of Your Life and Others, by Ted Chiang (1/31) (stories)
  • The Partly Cloudy Patriot, by Sarah Vowell (1/28)
  • Tethered, by Amy MacKinnon (1/24)
  • City of Ashes, by Cassandra Clare (1/24)
  • Magic to the Bone, by Devon Monk (1/21)
  • Mainspring, by Jay Lake (1/19)
  • A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens (reread) (1/14)
  • HeartSick, by Chelsea Cain (1/4)
  • Shakespeare Wrote for Money, by Nick Hornby (1/3) (essays)
  • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (1/2)
  • City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare (1/2)

Duff at the Movies 2009

  • An Education (12/27)
  • Crazy Heart (12/26)
  • The Young Victoria (12/24)
  • The Fantastic Mr. Fox (12/23)
  • Avatar (12/18)
  • New Moon (12/15)
  • Up in the Air (12/3)
  • Zombieland (10/25)
  • Fish Tank (Chicago Film Festival) (10/15)
  • Girls on the Wall (documentary) (Chicago Film Festival) (10/11)
  • Love and Savagery (Chicago Film Festival) (10/10)
  • SPY(IES) (ESPION(S) en francais) (Chicago Film Festival) (10/10)
  • Whip It! (10/3)
  • Inglourious Basterds (8/23)
  • Thirst (8/22)
  • Julie & Julia (8/19)
  • District 9 (8/12)
  • Ponyo (the whole thing this time!) (8/10)
  • Ponyo (first 1.5 hrs.) (8/6)
  • Paper Heart (7/16)
  • Hurt Locker (7/15)
  • 500 Days of Summer (7/7)
  • Public Enemies (7/4)
  • Hump Day (6/29)
  • Moon (6/15)
  • Away We Go (6/4)
  • State of Play (5/24)
  • Terminator: Salvation (5/23)
  • Star Trek (5/11)
  • Gigantic (4/10)
  • Sunshine Cleaning (4/4)
  • Gran Torino (4/2)
  • Duplicity (3/22)
  • Push (3/14)
  • The Reader (3/4)
  • The Class (en francais: Entre Les Murs) (2/28)
  • The Wrestler (2/1)
  • Coraline (1/15)
  • Slumdog Millionaire (1/2)

Duff Does Live Music 2009

  • Purple Apple (12/19)
  • Joseph Arthur (11/27)
  • The Horse’s Ha (11/27)
  • Depeche Mode (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
  • Of Montreal (2nd x) (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
  • Fleet Foxes (2nd x) (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
  • Ben Folds (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
  • Bon Iver (4th x) (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
  • White Lies (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
  • The Knux (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
  • Empty Orchestra!!! (7/8)
  • Metric (6/14)
  • Telekinesis (6/7)
  • Prairie Cartel (2nd x)(2/13)
  • Griffin House (3rd x)(2/8)