# Until Dec 21st...Kindleboards end of the year holiday giveaway discussion!



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Watch this space...I'll be posting details tomorrow for the Kindleboards end of the year holiday giveaway.

Yes, KBoarders, you have to _do_ something to enter. I'll be running this one, this time (not Harvey) and I've been busy dreaming up rules...  

December 1st! Be there or be square.

Leslie
Global Mod and Maven for the end of the year holiday giveaway


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## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

Ohhh an end of the year giveaway!  Can't wait to see what it could be!


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Sounds like fun, Leslie.  Thank you.
deb


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Leslie said:


> ...Be there or be square....


Can I be there while still being square? (Or in geek-speak, that's not a Boolean exclusive or [XOR] condition, is it?)


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Looking forward to it.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

What fun!  Can hardly wait for the rules and regs


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## Sporadic (May 1, 2009)

Nice. 

Giveaways are always fun.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Let's hope it's not something similar to the Easter Egg Hunt!


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## suicidepact (May 17, 2009)

Can we be there and still be square if we so choose? Thank you by the way, can't wait.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

CegAbq said:


> Let's hope it's not something similar to the Easter Egg Hunt!


Ahh....come on, you know that was fun! 
deb


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## sem (Oct 27, 2008)

No, please - no egg hunts and no posting pictures or links - can't do it and don't have time to learn!

But I will be here and I may be []


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## ladyknight33 (Feb 2, 2009)

Wooo Hoooo what a way to end the year. Thanks Leslie.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I don't think I'm square (not sure, though), but I am a confirmed Gleek.  Do I qualify?


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I don't think I'm square (not sure, though), but I am a confirmed Gleek. Do I qualify?


Most definitely


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Actually, this contest will appeal to the readers in the group....do we have any of those here? Hmmmm?

L


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Actually, this contest will appeal to the readers in the group....do we have any of those here? Hmmmm?
> 
> L


Oh, maybe three or four ... THOUSAND!!!


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## PaulGuy (Jul 9, 2009)

A nook!?


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## B-Kay 1325 (Dec 29, 2008)

Kindle Boards contests have all been great fun (even the Easter Egg hunt) and I am sure this one will be as well.
Hum, readers huh?


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

It is lunchtime on December here in little old Australia!!


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## ellesu (Feb 19, 2009)

I can't wait.  ....At least I *think* I can't wait.  That Easter Egg Hunt was doozy!


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## MeganW (Dec 28, 2008)

Can't wait to see what you've dreamed up, Leslie!


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## Maxx (Feb 24, 2009)

I liked the Easter Egg Hunt, I won a prize   Leslie, bring it on!!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Maxx said:


> I liked the Easter Egg Hunt, I won a prize  Leslie, bring it on!!


I just brought it on. Have it at it, everyone! I am looking forward to your entries! Enjoy...

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,16179.0.html


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

If anyone has questions about the contest, please post them here and I will answer. Let's try to keep the other thread "clean" with everyones' top ten lists.

Thanks,

L


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

I read a lot of series.  Can I consider a single trilogy read in 2009 as one line item?


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Jesslyn said:


> I read a lot of series. Can I consider a single trilogy read in 2009 as one line item?


Sorry, no, that would have to be three books.


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## cagnes (Oct 13, 2009)

Great giveaway, but I'm sure it leaves many new Kindle owners out of the running. While I'm sure most have read at least 10 books in 2009, they may not have read that many on Kindle yet.

I'll have to check my stats, I'm hoping that I've read 10 on my kindle!


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Sorry, no, that would have to be three books.


Hmmm, that was going to be my question. I'll just have to scroll through my content manager and see what's there.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

cagnes said:


> Great giveaway, but I'm sure it leaves many new Kindle owners out of the running. While I'm sure most have read at least 10 books in 2009, they may not have read that many on Kindle yet.
> 
> I'll have to check my stats, I'm hoping that I've read 10 on my kindle!


People have three weeks to post their lists...you can read another book or two quick in the next 20 days.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Hmmm, that was going to be my question. I'll just have to scroll through my content manager and see what's there.


That is what I did Gertie. Then I also spent about an hour going through my old posts in my profile to see what books I had commented on, Coming up with a Top 10 was hard and then, except for my #1, it was more difficult to rank them. I wanted to add about five more books as "Honorable Mentions" or something (including yours, of course)!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

crebel said:


> That is what I did Gertie. Then I also spent about an hour going through my old posts in my profile to see what books I had commented on, Coming up with a Top 10 was hard and then, except for my #1, it was more difficult to rank them. I wanted to add about five more books as "Honorable Mentions" or something (including yours, of course)!


That was my idea, to get people to think a little bit about what they read over the year. Numbers one through four were easy for me but I had a harder time ranking the others. And, amazingly, number 10 was a book I just finished yesterday, which bumped my original number ten off the list.

Chris -- I am ecstatic over your number six choice!


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## Silver (Dec 30, 2008)

Leslie, I had added "Lord of the Rings" to my list since I got it in one volume as a single download.  When I read your answer about trilogies being three entries I changed my list to show only "Fellowship".  Is that right?

Wow, reading over my list I find that it is really YA heavy.  Wonder what that says about me.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Leslie said:


> That was my idea, to get people to think a little bit about what they read over the year. Numbers one through four were easy for me but I had a harder time ranking the others. And, amazingly, number 10 was a book I just finished yesterday, which bumped my original number ten off the list.
> 
> Chris -- I am ecstatic over your number six choice!


It was an honest choice, Leslie. I loved Taming Groomzilla and it was special because it mirrored our circumstances with DD getting married last June. Now, if listing it improves my chances of getting my name drawn, all the better!


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## Tip10 (Apr 16, 2009)

I picked my favorite book of a series to list (but then cheated and noted which series I was including).  Hopefully Leslie won't ding me too badly for it!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I think the way you are listing the books in series works. I guess what I would ask is that you list your favorite book in a series (which is what Tip10 did).

DD also handled it well, listing only 3 of the 4 Twilight books because she said one wasn't her favorite and didn't make the top ten.

~~~

Also, I've added this ADDENDUM to the original post with the guidelines:

*ADDENDUM*: This has come up a few times so I've made a slight modification....

For new (or newish) Kindle owners, who might not have read 10 books on their Kindles yet....yes, you can enter and you can list books you read in paper prior to receiving your Kindle. *BUT....the book must exist in a Kindle edition*. My rationale is that if you owned the Kindle earlier, you would have read the book in a Kindle version.

I hope that is clear and makes our newer Kindle owners feel like they can dive in an join the fun. Let me know if you have questions!

L


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

The best part about this contest  and the anniversary one, is the listing of books.  So many to choose from and I don't have enough on my TBR list   but will probably check a whole bunch of these out!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Anju No. 469 said:


> The best part about this contest  and the anniversary one, is the listing of books. So many to choose from and I don't have enough on my TBR list  but will probably check a whole bunch of these out!


Yes, I've already added a few samples to my Kindle, from the reading lists -- and this is only the first day! LOL

L


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Betsy, thanks for putting AP on your list.  I'm honored.  

It's interesting to see how many KB authors are listed.  We're lucky to have met so many of them here.  We would never have found them otherwise.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Melissaj323, thanks for putting AP second on your list. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it that much.

KTWAC, _To Dance With Kings_ would have been on my list but I read it last year. Loved that book.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Pruning this down to 10 is TOUGH!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Anju No. 469 said:


> Pruning this down to 10 is TOUGH!


Hahaha, you can do it, Dona!


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

As I have only had my kindle for a month (International) I just havent read enough books.  Actually, I have only read 1 - I have been too busy reading this forum, selecting the skin, getting the cover, doing the hacks, removing the hacks, doing the upgrade, re-doing more hacks, - phew, who has had a chance to read a book!  

Ah Leslie, have just seen that you have changed the rules! yay!


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Thanks, Carol.  I appreciate that you have AP on your list.

Erin S, Miss Julia Delivers the Goods nearly made my list.  I love her.  Can't wait until the next book ... April, I think.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I made my list - so many series I had not realized but they all belong there!  Didn't have room to put the Outlander Series, and Max Thompson's books.  Looking back over my list 8 I know of for sure are KINDLEBOARDERS  AUTHORS 

Looking over other's lists I am surprised, not really, by the same books but also by the ones I need to read!  Went to the Archives in Amazon and so many I have not read, so better get busy before I get any more (LOL LOL LOL LOL)


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Oh boy, I have to go back and modify my list. I listed *Three Plums In One*. Basically it was out of laziness. 
I'm going to have to look at them and see which one was the most outstanding.

deb


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

I'm still working on my list. This isn't as easy as you would think. 

Melissa


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Good to see so many Outlander books on the lists.  If HP were Kindleized, I would have an even harder time choosing just 10.  

Mostly, I tried not to put in anything from a series or trilogy because it's hard to choose just one.  Outlander was the exception because the first book was far superior to the ones that followed.  

I keep all my books listed on index cards in a binder by genre, and looking through it was a revelation.  I need to broaden my horizons, and I need to spend more time reading.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Looking at the top 10 reads so far posted, the variation in most lists is quite interesting, from Sci-fi to religious to business oriented to fantasy to whatever - it is all fascinating.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Anju No. 469 said:


> Looking at the top 10 reads so far posted, the variation in most lists is quite interesting, from Sci-fi to religious to business oriented to fantasy to whatever - it is all fascinating.


Reading over the lists, I was tempted to copy them all into a spreadsheet and sort them to see which ones were listed the most. Really, an impossible task.

Thanks for including me on your list. You, too, meljackson.


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

Man, I'm going to have to spend a good 15-20 minutes to come up with a good list.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Well Gertie if you had not written such a good book you wouldn't be there.  BUT 

WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE COMING OUT !!! (yes I am yelling!)


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Anju No. 469 said:


> Well Gertie if you had not written such a good book you wouldn't be there. BUT
> 
> WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE COMING OUT !!! (yes I am yelling!)


I'll post some progress in my thread right now.

And thank you to Dot, too. You and several other's listed Mozart's Wife. I think I'll look into that one.


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## dablab (Feb 10, 2009)

This was a really hard task.  My first 3 are very close.  In fact I may need to go back and reorder them again.  Outlander really should by 1 or 2, but so should The Ark, but so should Water for Elephants.  Oh, what do I do.   LOL.  Really, I am pretty set on my top 8.  Some may move up or down.  9 or 10 may be changed depending on what I read yet.  (reading Fireflies in December currently and loving it) and may read another Outlander book yet this month.  Funny thing is that all of my books are from KB authors or authors I had never heard of before coming to KB.  The Kindle has opened a whole new world to me.  It is the best thing about the kindle, and I am forever greatful to KB.  

Dot


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## dablab (Feb 10, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I'll post some progress in my thread right now.
> 
> And thank you to Dot, too. You and several other's listed Mozart's Wife. I think I'll look into that one.


You are very welcome!! You deserved to be on my list, I look forward to reading more of your work.

Dot


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I was thinking about revising my list because I didn't include my favorite author, Susan Howatch.  Only two of her books are Kindlized (  ), but I don't remember whether I read them last year or this.


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

I think the lists will vary.. for instance many of the books on the lists aren't on my list because I read them in previous years, in hard dtb format, so wonderful or not, they don't make my top 10 for 2009 list.  I certainly see many "old friends" and favorites on other lists.

I also see some books I certainly will be reading, but haven't read yet.

Very interesting to read through the lists!


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

I would have had Mozart's wife on my list but I think I read it in 08. I can't be sure so I left it off but it was an awesome book! 

Melissa


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I'll post some progress in my thread right now.
> 
> And thank you to Dot, too. You and several other's listed Mozart's Wife. I think I'll look into that one.


Mozart's Wife was good. I'd recommend it. It didn't make my top ten but given that I've probably read 175 books since Jan 1, 165 are not going to make the list, even if I really enjoyed them.

L


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I was going to include The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett on my list, but there was another book I wanted to include, so there weren't enough slots for it to make it.  It's the only one of the series I've read but I will be reading more of them.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

mlewis78 said:


> I was going to include The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett on my list, but there was another book I wanted to include, so there weren't enough slots for it to make it. It's the only one of the series I've read but I will be reading more of them.


The Light Fantastic is the second half of the story, so you at least have to read that. I really love Rincewind.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Thanks.  I have Light Fantastic but haven't read it yet.  I knew it was the 2nd book but didn't realize that it completes the first book.


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## ladyknight33 (Feb 2, 2009)

It is so hard to whittle the list down to 10.  I normally read romance but KB has open my mind to so many genres. I read the description of Outlander and thought " historical romance and time travel, hmm I will pass on this. Well after continually hearing about it I purchased it back in May 2009. It took me until November 2009 to read it and it will make my top ten. 

I will be looking at everyone's list for new reading material to along with my current 26 page TBR list.   

Leslie,  thank you for this contest.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

Just 10?!?!!
Leslie, you are sadistic.  I've been working on my list for at least half an hour and each time I think I'm finished, I remember another book that HAS to go on the list.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Sadistic? LOL, isn't that a little harsh?

I got the idea for this contest several weeks ago and work off and on on my list for quite a few days. It took awhile to come up with just 10.

I wish there was some way to easily capture the data from everyone's lists and play with it. Just reviewing the posts, I don't think anyone has the same book as their number one choice which is sort of amazing. 

L


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## Tip10 (Apr 16, 2009)

Leslie said:


> I wish there was some way to easily capture the data from everyone's lists and play with it. Just reviewing the posts, I don't think anyone has the same book as their number one choice which is sort of amazing.
> 
> L


Okay this is a real quick and dirty (although I might try to undertake compiling a complete listing of all rankings sometime after the contest closes). These are the number 1's through post # 93:

*1 A Game of Thrones/A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
1 A Game of Thrones/A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
*1 Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger
1 Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife by Peggy Vincent
1 Bag of Bones by Stephen King
1 Beguilement (The Sharing Knife, Book 1 by Lois Mcmaster Bujold
1 Beloved - Toni Morrison
1 BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker
1 Born On A Blue Day By Daniel Tammet
1 Claws by Stacey Cochran
1 Cottonwood Whispers by Jennifer Erin Valent
1 Crazy Love by Francis Chan
1 Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
1 Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris
1 Dracula by Bram Stoker
1 East of Eden by John Steinbeck
1 Genghis:Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden
1 Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
1 Gringos in Paradise by Barry Golson
*1 In Her Name (Omnibus edition) by Michael R. Hicks
1 In Her Name (Omnibus) by Mike Hicks
1 In Her Name, Omnibus edition by Michael Hicks
*1 Isolation by Travis Thrasher
1 Kiss of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
1 La Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
1 Last Child by John Hart
1 Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
1 Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin
1 Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
1 Mortal Danger by Ann Rule
1 Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
*1 Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
1 Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
*1 Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
1 People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
*1 Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
1 Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
*1 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
1 Princess Bride by William Goldman (one of the funniest books I've ever read!)
1 Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (reading this one now)
1 Reparation in Blood by Ariel Tachna
1 Retirement Homes Are Murder by Mike Befeler
1 Salem's Lot by Stephen King
1 Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas
*1 Spinning Forward by Terri Dulong
1 Spinning Forward by Terri Dulong
*1 Sweetsmoke by David Fuller
1 The Adamas Blueprint - Boyd Morrison
1 The Book of Lost Things: A Novel by John Connolly
*1 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
1 The Book Thief, Markus Zusck.
*1 The Brothers Bishop by Bart Yates
1 The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon
1 The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff
1 The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
1 The Girl who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson
1 The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
1 The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
1 The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins
*1 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
1 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-Annie Barrows
*1 The Help by Kathryn Stockett
1 The Host by Stephenie Meyer
*1 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
1 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
1 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins*
1 The Lion's Game by Nelson DeMille
1 The lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
1 The One Year Bible NLT - published by Tyndale
*1 The Palmyra Impact by Boyd Morrison
1 The Palmyra Impact by H. Boyd Morrison
1 The Palmyra Impact, by Boyd Morrison*
*1 The Road by Cormac McCarthy
1 The Road - Cormac McCarthy*
1 The Shack by William P. Young
1 The Shining by Stephen King
1 The Silent Man by Alex Berenson
1 The Sunne in Splendour - Sharon Kay Penman
1 The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly.
1 The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
1 Transgressions by Erastes
1 Traveling with Pomegranates by Ann Kidd Taylor
1 Turn Coat by Jim Butcher
1 Water for Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen
1 White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison
1 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Note that we do have some repeats but remarkably very few


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Sadistic? LOL, isn't that a little harsh?
> 
> I got the idea for this contest several weeks ago and work off and on on my list for quite a few days. It took awhile to come up with just 10.


Well, maybe I should have added a smiley   
If you worked on your list quite a few days, I don't feel so bad. I'll keep plugging along. It would really have been sadistic if you had a very short deadline.
A


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

These lists don't have to be perfect!  I knew going in that since it wouldn't include DTB's it wouldn't be absolutely best reading of the year.  It's an estimation.  Don't let perfectionism raise it's ugly head, people.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

ladyknight33 said:


> It is so hard to whittle the list down to 10. I normally read romance but KB has open my mind to so many genres. I read the description of Outlander and thought " historical romance and time travel, hmm I will pass on this. Well after continually hearing about it I purchased it back in May 2009. It took me until November 2009 to read it and it will make my top ten.


Too bad you didn't read it back in May. You could have joined our Outlander book club. We read and discussed all six books in time for the latest in the series to be released in September.

It's now been a year since I read it and I always read it once a year.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I didn't have any 1's, I could not rank my books, they were all pretty wonderful.  That was an awesome list tho, how did you do that?  I was thinking of cutting and pasting into a "table" in word and seeing how many dups were out there.


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## Tip10 (Apr 16, 2009)

Anju No. 469 said:


> I didn't have any 1's, I could not rank my books, they were all pretty wonderful. That was an awesome list tho, how did you do that? I was thinking of cutting and pasting into a "table" in word and seeing how many dups were out there.


I'll assume this is directed my way -- all I did was cut and Paste Special (text only) into Excel for each of the pages of posts (note I did whole pages of posts instead of everybody's lists individually -- the sorts at the end cut everything else away)-- this dumps everything in as text.

Then I ran a few find and replaces
replace 1. with 1, 2. with 2, etc
replace 1) with 1, 2) with 2, etc.
replace {space}1 with 1 (without the leading space), etc.
replace 1{doublespace} with 1{space}, etc.
(I was basically trying to force everybody's list into a 1{space}title; 2{space}title type scheme)

Did a sort ascending on the column and all the books flowed to the top and I cut the #1's off and posted them.

I said it was a quick and dirty because I didn't allow for folks who did not number their lists, etc. and didn't go looking for them.

Folks PLEASE DO NUMBER your lists -- (my plea would be for you to go back and edit them to number them if you didn't). And it would help out if everybody would use the 1{space}title 2{space}title type scheme to number them although that's far less important than numbering -- if they are numbered I can deal with the rest easy enough.

I plan on spending a couple of days after the contest is over seeing if I can do something similar without spending a great deal of time on it (or losing a great deal of hair over it) and see if I can come up with some sort of compiled list. We'll see. May be able to get to it may not.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I'll number my list when I finalize, but for now it's a work in progress.

And I can't put First Contact on it because I technically didn't read it on my kindle!


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

So, I see I'm not the only one geeking out on the lists .... good. I took everything that was posted as of 9am central time on Dec 4 (840 items) and crunched around the numbers. First, there are 463 authors listed and the 84 authors had more than one book listed ... Here are the top 12:
*
Author Total*
Stephen King 9
Jim Butcher 9
Nora Roberts 6
J.D. Robb 6
Diana Gabaldon 6
Terry Pratchett 5
Stephenie Meyer 5
Charlaine Harris 5
Michael Connelly 4
Lois Mcmaster Bujold 4
Karen Kingsbury 4
Janet Evanovich 4

I was going to list more but It was looking too sketchy .... Of the 463 books, I assumed that some picked their Ttop 10 and listed them in no particular order (As did I), so I counted each listing as a single vote for a book and did not weight them. The top books with 5 listings or more are:

Diana Gabaldon Outlander 15
Kathryn Stockett The Help 11
Michael Hicks In Her Name, Omnibus edition 9
Boyd Morrison The Ark 8
Boyd Morrison The Palmyra Impact 8
Annie Barrows The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society	7
Charlaine Harris Dead Until Dark 6
Charlie Carillo Raising Jake 6
Boyd Morrison The Adamas Blueprint 5
Steig Larsson The Girl who Played with Fire 5
Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games 5
Terri Dulong Spinning Forward 5
Vince Flynn Pursuit of Honor 5


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Thank you, my geeky friends, for your number crunching and list mashing. I appreciate it! This was the sort of stuff I was curious about but couldn't figure out how to generate the info in an effective and time efficient way. 

We had 840 items in 4 days -- 84 posts with items -- and people can post for 17 more days (through Dec 21st). I wonder how many posts total we will have by then? It would be fun to take the date we have now and see if we can predict the total number (based on frequency of posts, number of members here, number of members who post regularly) and then see how close we are when we actually get to the deadline.

L


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

> Of the 463 books, I assumed that some picked their Ttop 10 and listed them in no particular order (As did I), so I counted each listing as a single vote for a book and did not weight them.


Although the rules did say to list the books in order with 1 as the favorite and ranking down from there.

L


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Leslie said:


> Although the rules did say to list the books in order with 1 as the favorite and ranking down from there.
> 
> L


Leslie,

Will I get in trouble if I start at 10 and work down to 1?


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

scarlet said:


> Leslie,
> 
> Will I get in trouble if I start at 10 and work down to 1?


Does anyone get in trouble around here? LOL

Start at 10, work down, then flip your list so 1 is at the top.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I was thinking about revising my list because I didn't include my favorite author, Susan Howatch. Only two of her books are Kindlized (  ), but I don't remember whether I read them last year or this.


If you haven't opened the books on your Kindle since you read them, you could connect your Kindle to your computer and look at the Date Modified of the .mbp file for each book. The date on that file is the date/time the file was last modified which is normally when you last exited from the book. That would let you know if you read them this year or last.

If you regularly backup the files from your Kindle and save the backups in dated files, then you can check the backups without reconnecting the Kindle to the computer.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Leslie said:


> Does anyone get in trouble around here? LOL
> 
> Start at 10, work down, then flip your list so 1 is at the top.


Well, I seem to get myself into almost trouble sometimes (keep your babies away from me)....

But I don't want to flip the list. Okay, I'll type it my way and if some moderator goes in and flips it, I won't know.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Leslie said:


> Although the rules did say to list the books in order with 1 as the favorite and ranking down from there.
> 
> L


See, now you're going to make we rank mine but then go through and do a weighted review .... more number crunching ...


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Annalog said:


> If you haven't opened the books on your Kindle since you read them, you could connect your Kindle to your computer and look at the Date Modified of the .mbp file for each book. The date on that file is the date/time the file was last modified which is normally when you last exited from the book. That would let you know if you read them this year or last.
> 
> If you regularly backup the files from your Kindle and save the backups in dated files, then you can check the backups without reconnecting the Kindle to the computer.


I did it an easier way. I checked Amazon to see when I bought them and it was December 30, 2008. I know I didn't read them right away, so it was def 2009. But thanks for the tip. That's good info.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Geoffrey said:


> See, now you're going to make we rank mine but then go through and do a weighted review .... more number crunching ...


You love it...it's sexy...give me the beta baby....


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

BUT BUT BUT all of mine were No. 1's


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## ladyknight33 (Feb 2, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Too bad you didn't read it back in May. You could have joined our Outlander book club. We read and discussed all six books in time for the latest in the series to be released in September.
> 
> It's now been a year since I read it and I always read it once a year.


I cant remember what I was reading back in May. I think Iwas still enamored with my K2 that I was spending lots of time here and buying buying buyng. I know that I was enabled because I had DG in March and my Oberon in April .

I have gone back and looked a the discussion questions. I must have had a brain freeze one day because I was 6% into A Breath of Snow when I figured I hadnt read The Fiery Cross  oh well I am almost done and read to buy Echo in the Bone.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

ladyknight33 said:


> I cant remember what I was reading back in May. I think Iwas still enamored with my K2 that I was spending lots of time here and buying buying buyng. I know that I was enabled because I had DG in March and my Oberon in April .
> 
> I have gone back and looked a the discussion questions. I must have had a brain freeze one day because I was 6% into A Breath of Snow when I figured I hadnt read The Fiery Cross  oh well I am almost done and read to buy Echo in the Bone.


I think you read *Taming Groomzilla* back in August, as I recall, and liked it very much. 

Didn't you read *The Boy I Love* and *Paper Moon* (Marion Husband) too? I know someone read both on my recommendation and liked them very much.

L


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

dablab said:


> This was a really hard task. My first 3 are very close. In fact I may need to go back and reorder them again. Outlander really should by 1 or 2, but so should The Ark, but so should Water for Elephants. Oh, what do I do.
> 
> Dot


*Water for Elephants* would probably be 1 or 2 on my list, except I read it in paperback before I got my Kindle. 
deb


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## Tip10 (Apr 16, 2009)

scarlet said:


> Well, I seem to get myself into almost trouble sometimes (keep your babies away from me)....
> 
> But I don't want to flip the list. Okay, I'll type it my way and if some moderator goes in and flips it, I won't know.


Sure Scarlet be contrary -- just be careful some moderator doesn't disqualify your for not following the rules!        

I'm just kidding of course, I think -- Leslie would never do such a thing -- would she.   

As for me I'm happy so long as you number them -- keeps me from having to go back in and number them if I decide to crunch them (of course I could ignore them but what fun would that be!)


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Tip10 said:


> Sure Scarlet be contrary -- just be careful some moderator doesn't disqualify your for not following the rules!
> 
> I'm just kidding of course, I think -- Leslie would never do such a thing -- would she.
> 
> As for me I'm happy so long as you number them -- keeps me from having to go back in and number them if I decide to crunch them (of course I could ignore them but what fun would that be!)


Yeah, that's me, "contrary"! But I prefer "subversive" or "mildly anarchistic". I'm the minion to an evil overlord, what can I say...


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I might flip, but I doubt I would go so far as disqualify....

Tip, I've been adding numbers when they aren't there and have also been adding bold when it is missing.

L


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Leslie said:


> You love it...it's sexy...give me the beta baby....


I've so geeked out today. While watching Discovery channel I took all the rankings, stuck 'em into Excel, cleaned them up and crunched the hell out of them ... (I didn't like how I did it the first time) ... now I'm just playing with weighted rankings .... My partner thinks I've gone insane.

I'm gonna post some numbers later and put my numbers out into the Ether so others can play as well ... and I think I have it simplified to be able to track updates .... but first some dinner and maybe a nice read ....


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Geoffrey said:


> I've so geeked out today. While watching Discovery channel I took all the rankings, stuck 'em into Excel, cleaned them up and crunched the hell out of them ... (I didn't like how I did it the first time) ... now I'm just playing with weighted rankings .... *My partner thinks I've gone insane. *


It could be worse. At least this little addiction/obsession doesn't cost any money.

Looking forward to having data I might be able to play with, too. Thanks!

L


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I modified my list.  You said we could do that, right, Leslie?  Just changed my #10.


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## ladyknight33 (Feb 2, 2009)

Leslie said:


> I think you read *Taming Groomzilla* back in August, as I recall, and liked it very much.
> 
> Didn't you read *The Boy I Love* and *Paper Moon* (Marion Husband) too? I know someone read both on my recommendation and liked them very much.
> 
> L


Yes I LOVED Taming Groomzilla. It is on the list too. I downloaded Paper Moon and The Boy I Love. Still on the TBR list. I need to read more buy less.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I modified my list. You said we could do that, right, Leslie? Just changed my #10.


I'm glad you did for purely selfish reasons .... I thought I had my data refresh function all set and you helped me identify a teeny tiny little oversight .....  OK. I'm done geeking out on book data for tonight.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Geoffrey said:


> I'm glad you did for purely selfish reasons .... I thought I had my data refresh function all set and you helped me identify a teeny tiny little oversight .....  OK. I'm done geeking out on book data for tonight.


Glad to be of help, even if only inadvertently.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Not sure how much publicity Australian authors receive in the US, but I have included Colleen McCullough in the list as she is published now on kindle.  If you want to learn a little about Australia and the outback, mixed in with a bit of scandal about the Catholic Church, then the Thorn Birds is a rollicking great read.  Another Australian Favourite is Tim Winton (Cloudstreet a particular favourite) and also Bryce Courtney - his books are so vivid that his images live with me and sometimes haunt me for days - Tandia and the Power of One and the like.  But I dont think the latter two are on kindle which is a shame as I would have included Courtney as my all time favourite (if haunting) author.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

When Cleaning up data, I relisted books and authors so each were listed the same way and could be grouped more easily. I also removed all extraneous comments. I'm still finding differences and correcting them as I go along, but I think I have found most variations of the same books....

I did a simple 10pt weight system for each person's top books where #1 = 10pts and #10 = 1pt. Here are the top ten authors and novels by my points calculation:

*Authors*
Diana Gabaldon
Boyd Morrison
Stephen King
Michael R. Hicks
J.D. Robb
Jim Butcher
Kathryn Stockett
Stieg Larsson
Stephenie Meyer
Charlaine Harris

*Novels*
Outlander
In her Name, Omnibus Edition
The Help
The Ark
The Palmyra Impact
The Hunger Games
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Kindred in Death
The Girl who Played with Fire
Raising Jake

Here is a link to my data. Its updated as of 12-6 @ 6:30 Central Time. If you want to play, feel free to dig in.

2009 Favourite Books


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

How totally awesome - thanks for sharing, I'm gonna go play after breakfast!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Pushka said:


> Not sure how much publicity Australian authors receive in the US, but I have included Colleen McCullough in the list as she is published now on kindle. If you want to learn a little about Australia and the outback, mixed in with a bit of scandal about the Catholic Church, then the Thorn Birds is a rollicking great read. Another Australian Favourite is Tim Winton (Cloudstreet a particular favourite) and also Bryce Courtney - his books are so vivid that his images live with me and sometimes haunt me for days - Tandia and the Power of One and the like. But I dont think the latter two are on kindle which is a shame as I would have included Courtney as my all time favourite (if haunting) author.


Speaking of Australian authors and books, I read this a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it:











It takes place (mostly) in Australia and Tasmania. Sean Kennedy is Australian -- not sure about Catt Ford. It is a great story. I'd put it as number 11 on my list for the year.

L


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Pushka said:


> Not sure how much publicity Australian authors receive in the US, but I have included Colleen McCullough in the list as she is published now on kindle. If you want to learn a little about Australia and the outback, mixed in with a bit of scandal about the Catholic Church, then the Thorn Birds is a rollicking great read. Another Australian Favourite is Tim Winton (Cloudstreet a particular favourite) and also Bryce Courtney - his books are so vivid that his images live with me and sometimes haunt me for days - Tandia and the Power of One and the like. But I dont think the latter two are on kindle which is a shame as I would have included Courtney as my all time favourite (if haunting) author.


I read The Thornbirds many years ago and enjoyed it very much. You know they made a mini-series out of it with Richard Chamberlain (king of the mini-series).

My favorite vacation was in Australia. Friendliest people I've ever met.


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## DD (Nov 9, 2008)

I edited my list in the giveaway thread to make "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak #1.  I just finished it and I think I haven't been this moved by a book since "The Diary of Anne Frank" when I was a kid.


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## bkworm8it (Nov 17, 2008)

Well, school has cut into my reading time and a few of the books I would have liked to have mentioned were listened to on tape to and from school  I also have to admit it was hard rating some of the indie authors here in my top 10. I switched their order several times so I guess my top 2-5 are really in no certain order and can change on my wim of the day LOL.

Love seeing what others have put down so I can add to me reading list for those breaks during school!

Theresam


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I read The Thornbirds many years ago and enjoyed it very much. You know they made a mini-series out of it with Richard Chamberlain (king of the mini-series).
> 
> My favorite vacation was in Australia. Friendliest people I've ever met.


Ah yes, of course! Rachel Ward was the co-star. I always though Richard was a bit wimpy for that role - I envisaged a far more masculine priest than he - now, oh my God, HUGH HUGH HUGH - but not Nic, please not Nic.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Pushka said:


> Ah yes, of course! Rachel Ward was the co-star. I always though Richard was a bit wimpy for that role - I envisaged a far more masculine priest than he - now, oh my God, HUGH HUGH HUGH - but not Nic, please not Nic.


I thought the priest was kind of wimpy. He lived a double life and had a hard time fully committing to either one. It's been a long time since I read it, but that's what I remember.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I've loved Thorn Birds for as long back as I can remember. Another favorite of mine from the same author is Tim (not available for Kindle, but in my opinion, one of her best books).


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

That is good to hear that so many people know her work.  I prefer it when she sticks to Australian themes - I didnt enjoy her ventures into Egypt at all.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Pushka said:


> That is good to hear that so many people know her work. I prefer it when she sticks to Australian themes - I didnt enjoy her ventures into Egypt at all.


Didn't she also do one about Rome and Ceasar's rise to power? Yes, here it is:

The First Man in Rome

I saw a couple of others while I was looking this up. One on Antony and Cleopatra and the other on Ceasar and Cleopatra.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

luvmy4brats said:


> I've loved Thorn Birds for as long back as I can remember. Another favorite of mine from the same author is Tim (not available for Kindle, but in my opinion, one of her best books).


Tim was very good. It's been a long time since I read that...the movie was good. It starred what's his name, back when he was still handsome....the Lethal Weapon guy...um, um...ah! Mel Gibson.

L


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Ah, Mel Gibson, my mother was good friends with his (now ex) mother and father in law.  Mel and his family would often walk through the local department stores with all their kids in tow.  People would look and then think, Nah, can't be THE Mel Gibson so they would just leave him alone to do his shopping.  They forget that Robyn was a local girl and her parents still lived here.  Mel was very good to them and every year he would pay for them to fly back to the US.


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

Pushka said:


> Ah, Mel Gibson, my mother was good friends with his (now ex) mother and father in law. Mel and his family would often walk through the local department stores with all their kids in tow. People would look and then think, Nah, can't be THE Mel Gibson so they would just leave him alone to do his shopping. They forget that Robyn was a local girl and her parents still lived here. Mel was very good to them and every year he would pay for them to fly back to the US.


that's an awesome story. Does Mel talk with Australian or US accent when he is in Australia?


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

kevindorsey said:


> that's an awesome story. Does Mel talk with Australian or US accent when he is in Australia?


  - to us Aussies he sounds American, to you Yankies (is that an OK word? I would hate to be politically incorrect so apologies and I will amend) he sounds Australian!


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Tim was very good. It's been a long time since I read that...the movie was good. It starred what's his name, back when he was still handsome....the Lethal Weapon guy...um, um...ah! Mel Gibson.
> 
> L


I can't remember if I ever saw the movie.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

luvmy4brats said:


> I can't remember if I ever saw the movie.


My memory (distant) is, as usual, is that the book was better, but I did enjoy the movie due the young handsomeness of Mel Gibson in cut off shorts.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080024/


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Lotta people added themselves to the list and some updated so I re-crunched the numbers (and it gave me a few minutes brain break) .... Here are the Top 15 authors and Titles by Points ...

* By Author*
Diana Gabaldon
Boyd Morrison
Stephen King
Michael R. Hicks
Kathryn Stockett
J.D. Robb
Jim Butcher
Michael Connelly
Stieg Larsson
Charlaine Harris
Stephenie Meyer
Ken Follett
Annie Barrows
Terry Pratchett
Suzanne Collins
*
By Title*
Outlander
The Help
In her Name, Omnibus Edition
The Ark
The Palmyra Impact
The Hunger Games
Raising Jake
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Book Thief
UR
Kindred in Death
The Girl who Played with Fire
Naked in Death
The Adamas Blueprint


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## DD (Nov 9, 2008)

Thank you for compiling this, Geoffrey.  A good list to have.


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## lynninva (Feb 7, 2009)

I finally posted my list.  It was interesting to try to come up with a ranking:  how does a book that I enjoyed just for entertainment value compare with one that challenged me personally?  

When this contest was first announced, I was afraid that I had not read ten complete books on my Kindle.  But once I started putting the list together, I found the list was longer than I expected.  Then it became a challenge to pick just ten.

I've read much more this year with K2 than I have in past years.  And I especially enjoy having the One Year Bible on Kindle; it didn't make the list because I did not read the entire book this year.  But once I get into a good suspense book, I am oblivious to everything & everyone around me. So sometimes I put off starting a new book to avoid being disowned by my family.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I tried to get this up yesterday but the data crunching gods were not my friends ... With 1270 books listed (BTW, one person listed 11 books and one person listed 9 so it's all good. ), here are the top 15 books and authors, ranked by assigned point values, as of Dec. 14 at 11:00 CET ...

*By Author*
Diana Gabaldon
Boyd Morrison
Stephen King
Kathryn Stockett
Stephenie Meyer
Michael R. Hicks
Stieg Larsson
J.D. Robb
Jim Butcher
Ken Follett
Michael Connelly
Charlaine Harris
Markus Zusak
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Suzanne Collins
*
by Title*
Outlander
The Help
In her Name, Omnibus Edition
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Book Thief
The Ark
The Palmyra Impact
The Hunger Games
The Girl who Played with Fire
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Raising Jake
The Road
UR
Kindred in Death
Charybdis

Also, for anyone that wants to play with the data, here is a link to my latest file: Kindleboards Top Books


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## B-Kay 1325 (Dec 29, 2008)

I just posted my "Top 10 List" but there are so many books that I wanted to list that I just listed the ones that jumped off the hand written list I compiled. Missing from the post is Raising Jake, Outlander, The Angel Experiment (the Maximum Ride Series), 92 Pacific Blvd and oh so many more. This has been a lot of fun to reminisce about the books read this year and I realise that I have read more books than I thought. Harvey and Mods you all come up with some great ideas for contests that make us all have to give some thought to and that we all benefit from with the great lists of books and such. Thank you for all you do!!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

B-Kay 1325 said:


> I just posted my "Top 10 List" but there are so many books that I wanted to list that I just listed the ones that jumped off the hand written list I compiled. Missing from the post is Raising Jake, Outlander, The Angel Experiment (the Maximum Ride Series), 92 Pacific Blvd and oh so many more. This has been a lot of fun to reminisce about the books read this year and I realise that I have read more books than I thought. Harvey and Mods you all come up with some great ideas for contests that make us all have to give some thought to and that we all benefit from with the great lists of books and such. Thank you for all you do!!


You have a great list, Brenda, and I particularly like your number 7 choice!


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## B-Kay 1325 (Dec 29, 2008)

Thank you Leslie, as I said I'm sure that the order they are in is pretty random but they are most certainly all at the top of my reading list.  (Number 7 was a very good book and I look forward to your next one).  Brenda


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## ElaineOK (Jun 5, 2009)

1.  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
2.  Jonathan Edwards:  A Life by Geroge M. Marsden
3.  His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
4.  Old Man's War by John Scalzi
5.  Life with God:  Rading the Bible for Spiritual Transformation by Richard J. Foster
6.  The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
7.  My Life in France by Julia Child
8.  Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
9.  Joan:  the Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint by Donald Spoto
10.  The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

Ooops wrong thread.  Fixed that.

Elaine


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

I just realized it is the 21st.. that seemed so far away when this thread started.


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## angelad (Jun 19, 2009)

Seamonkey said:


> I just realized it is the 21st.. that seemed so far away when this thread started.


YUp, December is a very fast month.


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