Love this!  What's first on your list?  This month I'm reading "Living an Exceptional Life" by CJ Calvert.  Hope you'll keep us posted Dawn.  

http://www.goodreads.com/

I've already read 6 books in 2011.

1.  The Babysitter's Club:  The Summer Before by Ann M. Martin.  This is a book my sister gave me for my Birthday.  Ann M. Martin wrote it in 2010.  It was a fun read - it was written in the same style as the books I read when I was younger.

2.  Room by Emma Donoghue.  Excellent book.  I read it very quickly and loved it so much that my husband decided to read it too.  "Jack and Ma live in a locked room that measures eleven foot by eleven.  When he turns five, he starts to ask questions, and his mother reveals to him that there is a world outside. Told entirely in Jack’s voice, ROOM is no horror story or tearjerker, but a celebration of resilience and the love between parent and child."

3.  Annabel by Kathleen Winter.  "In 1968, in remote coastal Labrador , a mysterious child is born who appears to be neither fully boy nor girl. The parents, Jacinta and Treadway, and a trusted neighbour, Thomasina, make a difficult decision: to raise the child as a boy. But as Wayne grows to adulthood within the hyper-masculine hunting culture of his father, his shadow-self -- a girl he thinks of as Annabel -- is never entirely extinguished. Haunting, sweeping in scope, and stylistically reminiscent of Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex , Annabel is a compelling debut novel about one person's struggle to discover the truth in a culture that shuns contradiction."

4.  The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.  "Every so often a love story so captures our hearts that it becomes more than a story-it becomes an experience to remember forever. The Notebook is such a book. It is a celebration of how passion can be ageless and timeless, a tale that moves us to laughter and tears and makes us believe in true love all over again... At thirty-one, Noah Calhoun, back in coastal North Carolina after World War II, is haunted by images of the girl he lost more than a decade earlier. At twenty-nine, socialite Allie Nelson is about to marry a wealthy lawyer, but she cannot stop thinking about the boy who long ago stole her heart. Thus begins the story of a love so enduring and deep it can turn tragedy into triumph, and may even have the power to create a miracle"

5.  Life's A Beach by Claire Cook.  "From the bestselling author of "Must Love Dogs" comes the story of two grown-up sisters who fight like cats and dogs--but call each other at least twice a day."

6.  Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  "The publishers of Chris Cleave's new novel "don't want to spoil" the story by revealing too much about it, and there's good reason not to tell too much about the plot's pivot point. All you should know going in to Little Bee is that what happens on the beach is brutal, and that it braids the fates of a 16-year-old Nigerian orphan (who calls herself Little Bee) and a well-off British couple--journalists trying to repair their strained marriage with a free holiday--who should have stayed behind their resort's walls. The tide of that event carries Little Bee back to their world, which she claims she couldn't explain to the girls from her village because they'd have no context for its abundance and calm. But she shows us the infinite rifts in a globalized world, where any distance can be crossed in a day--with the right papers--and "no one likes each other, but everyone likes U2." Where you have to give up the safety you'd assumed as your birthright if you decide to save the girl gazing at you through razor wire, left to the wolves of a failing state. --Mari Malcolm"

Next up is The Husband by Dean Koontz.

Thanks for the link, Andrea. I'll check it out!  I just read the description for "Living an Exceptional Life" - it looks great!

Also on my list to read are Getting Things Done by David Allen, and Blink by Malcom Gladwell.

 Fantastic.  This makes me want to run out right now and pick up 'Room' and 'Little Bee.'  I read 'Outliers' by Gladwell in December.  Very interesting stuff.  Let me know how you're finding Dean Koontzs' 'The Husband.'  I tried to read 'Intensity' and couldn't handle it.  It truly was far too intense for me.  My stress level was through the roof for that poor girl in the back of the van and after reading I just couldn't sleep.  Crazy stuff.    

Thanks for taking the time to post the outlines and your comments.  I'm excited to get reading again.  Hope you'll keep us posted as you get through your list.

Dawn - congrats on your goal. I am doing a similar one...but my goal is 50 in 2011! I know, a little bit of an overacheiver...lol. I have read some fabulous books so far this year, including The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, and now I am reading The Hunger Games trilogy...so good - I can not put them down, staying up into the night reading them! They are about a girl who has to go to the capital of their country and participate in the "Hunger Games", where 2 people from each of the districts (similar to provinces) come together and they have to compete in these games, till death...

I am not doing justice to this series...but lets just say, 6 people recommended it for me to read over the past few months!

Happy reading.

Ok, I've got a $50 gift card to Chapters, I'm going to go get those this weekend!!  I love it when I'm reading something I can't put down.  Thanks for the tip off Heather!

Thank you for the notes!  Wow Heather, 50 books!  I'll pop over to your page and check out what you're going to be reading this year.  The Hunger Games sounds really interesting.  I'm going to see if the library has the trilogy.

Andrea - so far I'm enjoying The Husband.  I read False Memory years ago and really enjoyed it.

Thanks so much Dawn - writing that one down on my list too.  Man, it's always about the lists with me.  Keep the recommendations coming.  If you haven't read them yet, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns were fantastic, but keep a box of kleenex handy.  I think the Kite Runner gave me the biggest cry since my last heartbreak.

Here are some other ones that may be of interest to you that I read last year...The Book of Negroes, Sarah's Key, The Thirteen Tale, The Stone Carvers, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

My gosh Heather - you're a fountain.  LOVE it!!  I wrote them all down for my next trip to the library. 50 in a year?!!  Incredible.  Dawn, how are you coming along.  I finished up CJ's book - it's fantastic.  Posted the review.  Picking the next ones now - beginning of the month and I've set my activity goal for the month to 230 kms (yikes).  I missed my April goal by 28kms.  Sooooo frustrating.  Looking forward to your next book reviews - both of you.

A short update...

7.  The Husband by Dean Koontz  "Mitch Rafferty considers himself an everyday guy, lucky to have a small landscaping business and a modest home he shares with his beloved wife in L.A. When his wife is kidnapped and the ransom is set at $2 million, he is determined to play the kidnappers' game despite his inability to even envision that huge sum. Narrator Holter Graham enhances the story with his skillful pacing; Mitch springs to life with unexpected determination, tenderness, and unbearable tension. Thanks to Graham's delivery and Koontz's plot, the listener feels astonished along with Mitch as the twisted events unfold. Unfortunately, however, even Graham's capable delivery cannot redeem the disappointing conclusion. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine"

I enjoyed the book!  A page-turner with a few plot twists that kept me wondering what was going to happen next.

8.  Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne  "Browne's follow-up to The Little Lady Agency (2006) finds Melissa Romney-Jones still happily dating handsome Jonathan Riley and running the Little Lady Agency, the business she created to help socially challenged men. When her flatmate Nelson kicks Melissa out of their apartment so it can be renovated, Jonathan invites her to accompany him on an extended business trip to New York. Tempted by the opportunity to experience life in the glamorous city, Melissa agrees, only to be faced with constant reminders that Jonathan's ex-wife, Cindy, resides in the same town. While at a party hosted by friends of Jonathan and Cindy, Melissa runs into Godric Ponsonby, an English actor she knew (and fooled around with) in high school. Godric's agent immediately latches on to Melissa, hoping that Melissa can help tame Godric's bad manners, but Melissa's willingness to help creates friction between her and Jonathan. Lighthearted and full of funny moments, Browne's second novel is sure to charm fans of her first. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association"

This book was given to me by a friend on our trip to Myrtle Beach.  It was a perfect lay-on-the-beach read, comparable to the Sophie Kinsella books. 

Next up, I'm reading The Walking Dead graphic novel series.  So far the hard-cover books 1 - 6 are out and I am finished the first two.  Since each hard cover takes about 2 hours to read, I'll count the 6 books as 1.  The Game of Thrones series is also on the to-read list.

 Thanks so much for your awesome update Dawn.  Wish I could get to my books right now - I've got three on the go that I need to finish up.  I'm the worst for that - start something and then start something else because of the mood I'm in and then start something else too because I get so excited about a recommendation or reading the review.  Crazy.

9. The Walking Dead Book 1
10.  The Walking Dead Book 2
11.  The Walking Dead Book 3
12.  The Walking Dead  Book 4
13.  The Walking Dead Book 5
14. The Walking Dead Book 6

Each book has about 12 graphic novel issues in it. My husband loves comic books and he had bought the Walking Dead series and suggested I try reading them. It was the first time I'd read comic books and I really enjoyed it!   Now we both can't wait for Book 7 to come out in a couple of months.

15.  Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky.  "When Dana and Hugh Clarke's baby is born into their wealthy, white New England seaside community, the baby's unmistakably African-American features puzzle her thoroughly Anglo-looking parents. Hugh's family pedigree extends back to the Mayflower, and his historian father has made a career of tracing the esteemed Clarke family genealogy, which does not include African-Americans. Dana's mother died when Dana was a child, and Dana never knew her father: she matter-of-factly figures that baby Lizzie's features must hark back to her little-known past. Hugh, a lawyer who has always passionately defended his minority clients, finds his liberal beliefs don't run very deep and demands a paternity test to rule out the possibility of infidelity. By the time the Clarkes have uncovered the tangled roots of their family trees, more than one skeleton has been unearthed, and the couple's relationship—not to mention their family loyalty—has been severely tested. Delinsky (Looking for Peyton Place) smoothly challenges characters and readers alike to confront their hidden hypocrisies. Although the dialogue about race at times seems staged and rarely delves beyond a surface level, and although near-perfect Dana and her knitting circle are too idealized to be believable, Delinsky gets the political and personal dynamics right. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved"

I enjoyed this book.  It was a light read but a page-turner with a couple of interesting twists.

 Holy crow - that's a lot of Walking Dead books.  Just finished 'Ten Degrees of Reckoning.'  Incredible story.  Harrowing ordeal.  Couldn't put it down.  Will have to add Family Tree to my list.  Thanks for sharing your review and for your update.  What's next on your list?

Stopped by the library today and went a little nuts.  Two weeks to read seven books.  I'm loving Patricia Cornwell again and anxious to dive into two more.  Have you read any of hers at all?

Next on my list is "Mating Rituals of the North American WASP."  It's a book I picked up while on vacation in PEI to read on the beach.  Not quite finished, but in a few days I should be and will post about it :o)  Good luck getting all of those books read!!!  I have never read Patricia Cornwell - I'll have to see if the library has any of her books.

You'll love them - medical mysteries from a medical examiners' perspective.  Happy reading to you.  Been to PEI twice - it's gorgeous there.  Summer is definitely the best time to go. Thanks for your update.

 Hi Dawn, Just checking your goal to see what you've been reading.  I have many hours of 'reading time' ahead of me over the next six to eight months.  I know this is unrelated, but how did your father's scan go?  Hoping for good news from you.

Wow I did not reach this goal at all!  Here's what I can remember since all those comic books:

15.  What to Expect Before You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff.  This book was great - talked about the importance of preparing for pregnancy before you start trying to get pregnant.  It was very easy to read.

16. Before Your Pregnancy:  A 90-day Guide for  Couples on How to Prepare for a Healthy Conception by Amy Ogle, Lisa Mazzullo and Mary D'Alton.  This book was a bit more difficult to get through than the first one.  I thought it went into way too much detail, when general advice that most people could follow would have been more useful.  Still had some great tips and things to think about.

It's terrible but I can't remember if I read any other books!!

Just remembered that while in PEI in the summer I read:

17.  Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton.  From amazon.ca:  After arguing with her live-in boyfriend about his inability to commit, Peggy Adams flies to a friend's bachelorette party in Las Vegas, and wakes up next to a man she can't remember. Hung-over and miserable, she sneaks out of the sleeping man's hotel room and returns home to New York, where her boyfriend apologizes for the fight and gives her a Tiffany box containing a pre-engagement ring. Not what she expected, but close enough! The next day she receives a phone call from the Las Vegas one-night stand, Luke, claiming she's already married to him¬-and he faxes her the license for proof! Both are ready for an annulment, until Peggy arrives in quaint New Nineveh, CT, where Luke cares for his Great Aunt, and the old woman makes Peggy an offer she can't refuse.

Andrea - so sorry I didn't get back to you about my Dad's scan.  It was another clean scan :o)  Still thinking of you and Frank often and sending positive, healing thoughts.  L&L

 Thanks so much for the update and all the positive energy Dawn.  So happy to read about your dad's success.  Keep up the reading lists too.  Love the outlines and recommendations - it gives me bunch of ideas for waht to add to my own list.  

Hey Dawn, just checking to see what you're reading now.  Starting the new year off with something new?  I'm on book three right now.  'The Help'.  

 Hi Dawn, I'm so happy you're doing the 21-Day Challenge this year.  Is this the goal you'd like us to post on or are you focussing on a different one for the next three weeks.  Let me know so I can support you through the challenge.  

Just checked your list.  Are you doing a similar goal this year?  Did you complete the 24 books last year? 

I posted a goal of 25 books in 2012. 

I'm also looking for people with these goals as I like to get ideas from them. 

I, too, read Room.  Liked it a lot.  It was funny, I heard Little Bee wasn't that good, but the description you have up there makes me want to reconsider...

Andrea - I loved The Help, as you know.  Couldn't put it down...

Hi Andrea - I haven't had a chance to sign up for the 21 day challenge yet. Still thinking of what I want the goal to be - I'll have to decide quickly!

I would like to make another reading goal but am not sure how many books to put for 2012.  I'm starting this year out with The Mother of all Pregnancy Books by Ann Douglas (I guess books 15 and 16 were good after all!  Hah!)

zinful I enjoyed Little Bee - let me know if you give it a chance!  I did not complete the 24 books, I only made it to 17.  

 Hi Dawn,  It looks like you're already up on the board for the 21 Day Challenge so just post your goal so we can start to support you.  Yes, yes, decide quickly becausse every day that goes by is a day you miss out on your points - from yourself and from all of us who'll post for you.  Maybe a new fitness goal for the next three weeks?  Decluttering seems to be a big one this year too.  Let us know.    I'm reading 'The Pianist' right now and can't put it down.  

Thanks Andrea!  I added a goal "work out 5 times a week" for the 21 day challenge.  I'm just not sure how to make that one my 21 day challenge goal :o)

 Hey dawn, Thanks for checking in with me today.  I thought I woudl do the same for you.  I see progress, so that's good!