The 2010 List

Well.  I completed part of my goal.  I read more than 200 books, fiction and non-fiction.  The blogging part was an epic fail.  I discover I'm proud of the success and okay with the fail.  The success feels good like all successes do.  The fail means I have a new goal for 2011, and this one will be more about quality reading and writing than quantity. 

Here's my list of 210 books I read - or reread - in 2010. 

1 Kings - Old Testament

1 Maccabees - Old Testament

1 Samuel - Old Testament

2 Kings - Old Testament

2 Samuel - Old Testament

6th Target, The - Patterson, James

8th Confession, The - Patterson, James

90 Minutes in Heaven - Piper, Don with Cecil Murphey

Accidental Wedding, The - Gracie, Anne

Acts of the Apostles - New Testament

Affair - Quick, Amanda

Again the Magic - Kleypas, Lisa

American Patriot's Almanac, The - Bennett, William J and John TE Cribb

Angel Experiment, The - Patterson, James

Angel Falls - Hannah, Kristin

Anyway, the Paradoxical Commandments - Keith, Kent

Art of the St John's Bible - Sink, Susan

At Last Comes Love - Balogh, Mary

Believe - Alexander, Victoria

Big Jack - Robb, J D

Bittersweet Rain - Brown, Sandra

Black Notice - Cornwell, Patricia

Blonde with a Wand - Thompson, Vicki Lewis

Breath of Snow and Fire - Gabaldon, Diana

Bridal Quest, The - Mikels, Jennifer

Bride With No Name - Ferrarella, Marie

Captive Heart, The - Small, Beatrice

Cattus Petasatus - Seuss, Doctore

Ceremony in Death - Robb, J D

Certain Girls - Weiner, Jennifer

Change in Altitude, A - Shreve, Anita

Charmed and Enchanted - Roberts, Nora

Chasing Harry Winston - Weisberger, Lauren

Christmas Brides, The - Miller, Linda Lael

Chronicles of the Crusades - Joinville and Villehardouin

City of Bones - Clare, Cassandra

Cleopatra's Daughter - Moran, Michelle

Courtesan's Scandal, A - London, Julia

Cross - Patterson, James

Crusader Gold - Gibbins, David

Crusades, The - Allen, SJ and Emilie Amt, editors

Dancing in the Moonlight - Thayne, RaeAnne

Dark is Rising, The - Cooper, Susan

Dark Surrender - Blayne, Diana

Darkness More Than Night, A - Connelly, Michael

DaVinci Code, The - Brown, Dan

Days of Gold - Deveraux, Jude

Dead Sea Scrolls, The - Science Museum of Minnesota

Deep Magic - Nash, Joy

Divine Mercy, The - Devotion

Dragon Heir, The - Chima, Cinda Williams

Dragonfly in Amber - Gabaldon, Diana

Drum's of Autumn, The - Gabaldon, Diana

Early Dawn - Michaels, Fern

Echo in the Bone, An - Gabaldon, Diana

Elusive Bride, The - Laurens, Stephanie

Enemy's Daughter, The - Turner, Linda

Entranced - Roberts, Nora

Eragon - Paolini, Christopher

Eventide - Haruf, Kent

Exile, The - Gabaldon, Diana

Expectant Secretary, The - Wilson, Leanna

Ezra - Old Testament

Family Tree - Delinsky, Barbara

Fateful Choice, A - Lee, Rachel

Feast for Crows, A - Martin, George RR

Fiery Cross, The - Gabaldon, Diana

First Comes Marriage - Balogh, Mary

Five Love Languages, The - Chapman, Gary

Flannery, A Life - Gooch, Brad

Food at the Time of the Bible - Vamosh, Miriam Feinberg

Four Seasons of Marriage - Chapman, Gary

Girlfriends' Getaway - Laing, Kathleen and Elizabeth Butterfield

Glory in Death - Robb, J D

Good Man is Hard to Find - O'Connor, Flannery

Grand Opening - Hassler, Jon

Haley's Cabin - Rainey, Anne

Handful of Gold, A - Balogh, Mary

Healing a Broken Heart - W, Kathleen

Help, The - Stockett, Kathryn

Hired Bride - Merritt, Jackie

His Lady Mistress - Rolls, Elizabeth

His Majesty's Dragon - Novik, Naomi

Höflich und Fair, Comenius - Kaiser, Lothar

Holiday Grind - Coyle, Cleo

Holiday in Death - Robb, J D

Homespun Bride - Hart, Jillian

Hot Rocks - Roberts, Nora

House Rules - Picoult, Jodi

Household Guide to Dying, The - Adelaide, Debra

How to Meditate - McDonald, Kathleen

How to Talk Minnesotan - Mohr, Howard

Immortal in Death - Robb, J D

Inkspell - Funke, Cornelia

Innocent Man, The - Grisham, John

Interlude in Death - Robb, J D

Irish Country Girl, An - Taylor, Patrick

Irresistible Forces - Jackson, Brenda

Joshua - Old Testament

Journey to the Well - Taylor, Diana Wallis

Judges - Old Testament

Julie and Julia - Powell, Julie

Kindergeschicten - Bichsel, Peter

Kitchen House, The - Grissom, Kathleen

Knight of Pleasure - Mallory, Margaret

Knight's Vow, A - Townsend, Lindsay

Lady Never Tells, A - Camp, Candace

Last Song, The - Sparks, Nicholas

Lavender Morning - Deveraux, Jude

Least Likely Bride, The - Feather, Jane

Legacy of the Force Betrayal - Allston, Aaron

Letter to my Daughter - Angelou, Maya

Lost Tomb, The - Biggins, David

Love in the Afternoon - Kleypas, Lisa

Luke - New Testament

Mackenzie's Heroes - Howard, Linda

Maiden's Hand, The - Wiggs, Susan

Marry in Haste - Smith, Karen Rose

Mary Mary - Patterson, James

Meditating with Mandalas - Fontana, David

Message in the Bottle, The - Percy, Walker

Midnight in Death - Robb, J D

Mini Shopaholic - Kinsella, Sophie

Minneapolis St Paul, A Photo Tour of the Twin Cities - Felsen, Gregg

Mistress of the Monarchy - Weir, Alison

Murderer's Daughters, The - Meyers, Randy Susan

Mystery on the Great Lakes, The - Marsh, Carole

Naked in Death - Robb, J D

Nanny Returns - McLaughlin, Emma and Nicola Kraus

Nehemiah - Old Testament

New History of the Crusades, The - Madden, Thomas F.

No Rest for the Wiccan - Alt, Madelynn

Not "Just Friends" - Glass, Dr. Shirley

Now and Forever - Steel, Danielle

Olive Kitteridge - Stout, Elizabeth

On the Street Where You Live - Clark, Mary Higgins

Once in a Lifetime - Kelly, Cathy

One Last Dance - Goudge, Eileen

Opposites Attract - Chances - Roberts, Nora

Outlander - Gabaldon, Diana

Pagan Stone, The - Roberts, Nora

Paranoia - Finder, Joseph

Perdido Street Station - Mieville, China

Perfect Wife, The - Alexander, Victoria

Pillars of the Earth - Follett, Ken

Plum Lovin' - Evanovich, Janet

Prize, The - Joyce, Brenda

Queen's Lady, The - Kyle, Barbara

Rachel & Leah, Women of Genesis - Card, Orson Scott

Ranger's Apprentice, Book Eight - Flanagan, John

Ranger's Apprentice, Book Five - Flanagan, John

Ranger's Apprentice, Book Four - Flanagan, John

Ranger's Apprentice, Book One - Flanagan, John

Ranger's Apprentice, Book Seven - Flanagan, John

Ranger's Apprentice, Book Six - Flanagan, John

Ranger's Apprentice, Book Three - Flanagan, John

Ranger's Apprentice, Book Two - Flanagan, John

Rapture in Death - Robb, J D

Ravishing in Red - Hunter, Madeline

Rebekah, Women of Genesis - Card, Orson Scott

Red Mars - Robinson, Kim Stanley

Rescue - Shreve, Anita

Santa Cruise - Clark, Mary Higgins and Carol Higgins Clark

Sarah, Women of Genesis - Card, Orson Scott

Sara's Song - Michaels, Fern

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt - Hoffman, Beth

Saving Faith - Baldacci, David

Savor the Moment - Roberts, Nora

Say Goodbye - Gardner, Lisa

Scandalous - Camp, Candace

Season for Suitors, The - Cornick, Nicola

Second Coming, The - Percy, Walker

Seduce Me at Sunrise - Kleypas, Lisa

Seducing an Angel - Balogh, Mary

Seduction in Death - Robb, J D

Septimus Heap Book Two: Flyte - Sage, Angie

Shack, The - Young, William P.

Shotgun Vows - Southwick, Teresa

Silver Wedding - Binchy, Maeve

Sleeping Arrangements - Wickham, Madeline

Snowbound - Johnson, Janice Kay

Sold to a Laird - Ranney, Karen

Space Between Us, The - Umrigar, Thrity

Spring of the Tiger, The - Holt, Victoria

Start with Me - Seaton, Michael

Stirring Up Strife - Stanley, Jennifer

Stranded with a Spy - Lovelace, Merline

Sweet Captivity - Proctor, Kate

Then Comes Seduction - Balogh, Mary

This Ravaged Heart - Riefe, Barbara

This Wicked Gift - Milan, Courtney

To Love and Protect her - Watson, Margaret

Together Alone - Delinsky, Barbara

Touching Wonder - Blase, John

Trust Me on This - Crusie, Jennifer

Unexplored Paris - Trouilleux, Rodolphe

Unveiled - Cook, Kristina

Vengeance in Death - Robb, J D

Very Special Delivery, A - Goodnight, Linda

Viking in Love - Hill, Sandra

Voyager - Gabaldon, Diana

Walking Twin Cities - Day, Holly and Sherman Wick

Warrior Heir, The - Chima, Cinda Williams

Wedding Game, The - Feather, Jane

Wedding Girl, The - Wickham, Madeline

White Queen, The - Gregory, Philippa

Wicked Appetite - Evanovich, Janet

Will and a Way, A - Roberts, Nora

Winnie-the-Pooh - Milne, A A

Witch & Wizard - Patterson, James and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Wizard Heir, The - Chima, Cinda Williams

Hurray me!

Where Authors and Composers Meet

I've been thinking about a book I read long ago by Walker Percy, The Message in the Bottle, subtitled How Queer Man is, How Queer Language is, and What One Has to Do with the Other.  In his collection of essays, Percy writes about what he sees as the conclusion of the modern age and the dawning of a new, as-yet-unnamed age.

The essays open with rhetorical questions...

Why do people feel bad in an age when they have accumulated the wealth necessary to satisfy their needs? 

Why do people feel bad in an age when they have discovered the technology to make over the world for their own use?

Why have people entered an orgy of war, murder, torture, and self-destruction unparalleled in history?

Why have people done so in the very century when they had hoped to see the dawn of universal peace and harmony?

What do people do when they find themselves living after an age has ended?

How do people undertsand themselves when the theories of the former age no longer work and the theories of the new age are not yet known?

How do people function when everything is upside down, people feeling bad when they should feel good, good when they should feel bad?

Written in 1975, the book addresses a problem artists still consider:  why are people so unhappy in an age when we know better, have better, and achieve better than we have at any time in history.

A Christian music group, Love and Theft, asks the same question Percy does in their song Dancing in Circles.

I don't understand why we do what we do to each other.
According to His word, we're all born sisters and brothers.
But we lie and we steal, we fight and we kill,
Even though we know the way...

All through the ages, we've tried to share this world together.
Turning the pages, pretending we'll live here forever.
But we'll have to face our maker someday,
And reap what we've sown all the way...

And we know how, so why can't we just get it right
I pray someday we'l overcome all the damage we've done
And we'll fly!

Why do we go dancing in circles when we know it never ends?
We come so close to loving each other and then...
We go dancing in circles again.

We ought to be doing better.

Even the artists know it.

And this is the basis for the Lenten show I've written for next Spring.  We know better.