December's List and Bookie Awards!

50. The Barber Who Wanted to Pray, RC Sproul. 40pp
This was really sweet. The pictures border on being a little too cartoony for my usual taste but I still like them: very detailed, very rich colours. I like that this is a true story and that it has such a positive lesson, making a richer prayer life something to be grasped. It even got me thinking as an adult and I look forward to incorporating these lessons into my own prayer life as well.

51. William and His Twenty-Two, Mabel R Miller. 159pp
This is a small piece of Adventist history, written for children about 9-13ish. A LOT of names to try to keep straight (the 22 refers to the 22 children of this William, not a gun). Very interesting and fun stories.

52. Moses the Kitten, James Herriot. 32pp
Haven't read this for years, but Carpenters had it and so I revisited it. *squish*

53. Only One Woof, James Herriot. 32pp
I'm sure I probably read this as a child, but it sparks only very vague memories.

54. Hergé, Son of Tintin, Benoit Peeters, 424pp
A fascinating look into the life of the man behind Tintin. Not a particularly admirable man, I must say, in most regards, although his talent is undeniable. It was interesting to read Peeters' analyses of the various Tintin adventures and get some insights into what inspired them. I had no idea that so many of the earlier ones especially were triggered by real world events at the time - you kind of lose that immediacy when you don't read it when it's written, I guess. There are a number of Tintin adventures I'm just not comfortable with and never really have been, but thankfully there are still some good ones too.

55. Depression, the Way Out, Neil Nedley. 265pp
A most helpful and encouraging read, with solid science and common sense teaching one how to deal with anxiety and depression by implementing lifestyle changes. I would recommend this as a read for anybody who deals with depression either in oneself or a loved one, because it's practical and the method targets the causes of the disease rather than just masking symptoms.

<lj-cut text="And now for the Awards">
Month with most pages read:
May, with 1862 pages

Most Helpful Self-Help Book:
Depression, the Way Out

Book I Read Yet Again, Totalling 4 Times in 4 Years:
The Great Controversy

Best non-marathon reread:
A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson

Most Intriguing Non-Fiction:
Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things

Book I Was Sure I'd Hate and Ended Up Loving:
All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot

Best Fiction:
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Best Children's Book Previously Unread:
Cornelli, Johanna Spyri

Stupidest Book:
I Am What I Ate...and I'm Frightened!!!

Most Egotistical Piece of Egotism:
Labour of Love

Best Book About China:
River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze

Best Memoir:
Arms Wide Open: A Midwife's Journey

Book Most Likely To Provoke Controversy When Read In a Public Space:
The Great Controversy? (And yes, Marie, I stole that award title from you)

Best Book Chosen Randomly Because the Title Made Me Snort:
The Good Old Days, They Were Terrible! Otto L Bettman

Most Fascinating Excursion Into the Past:
At Home, Bill Bryson

Author I Read Most:
Ellen G White (GC plus Testimonies 1-5)</lj-cut>

Year-to-date totals:
Page count for December: 952
Total page count for 2011: 13,111
Nonfiction: 29
Fiction: 5
Juvenile fiction: 13
Juvenile nonfiction: 8
Rereads: 4