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February/March Reading Results

02 Apr

Yes, I fell behind in posting my summaries, as well as my reviews!  I’m not behind in my reading, however :-) .

FebruaryNook Books

  1. The Girl Who Fell to Earth by Sophia Al-Maria
  2. Minefields of the Heart: A Mother’s Stories of a Son at War by Sue Diaz
  3. Blameless (Parasol Protectorate #3) by Gail Carriger
  4. Changeless (Parasol Protectorate #2) by Gail Carriger
  5. Just One Day (Just One Day #1) by Gayle Forman
  6. Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (reread)
  7. The Long Way Home (Chesapeake Diaries #6) by Mariah Stewart

Print Books

  1. The Wanderer (Thunder Point #1) by Robyn Carr
  2. The Missing File by D.A. Mishani

MarchAudio Books

  1. The Beautiful Mystery (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #8) by Louise Penny
  2. Last to Die (Rizzoli & Isles #10) by Tess Gerritsen
  3. Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
  4. Beautiful Sacrifice by Elizabeth Lowell
  5. The Rope (Anna Pigeon 0) by Nevada Barr
  6. Lady Fortescue Steps Out: Being the First Vol. of the Poor Relation (The Poor Relation #1) by Marion Chesney
  7. Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows #1) by Kim Harrison
  8. Missing (The Secrets of Crittenden County #1) by Shelley Shepard Gray
  9. Hidden Summit (Virgin River #17) by Robyn Carr
  10. The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life That Follows by Brian Castner
  11. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
  12. Redshirts by John Scalzi (reread)
  13. Naughty in Nice (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries #5) by Rhys Bowen
  14. The Last Boyfriend (Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy #2) by Nora Roberts
  15. The Diamond Throne (The Elenium #1) by David Eddings
  16. Four Day Planet (Federation) by H. Beam Piper
  17. What’s a Ghoul to Do? (Ghost Hunter Mystery #1) by Victoria Laurie

The best book I read during this time was Tell the Wolves I’m Home. Although I got through a lot of books in February (and I started and abandoned quite a few more)  nothing I read during that time (other than rereads) qualified as a best read, although quite a few were enjoyable.

My totals for the year are now at 38 books read: 10 Nook books, 3 print books, and 25 audio books.

Thank you again to Venice Tretiak.for the darling kitten monthly graphics :-) .

Have a great April, everyone!

 

 
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Posted by on April 2, 2013 in books, summary

 

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2012 in review

07 Jan

20132012 was a good reading year for me, particularly the first half of the year.

Depending on how you count it, I read 156 or 160 books in 2012.  I read 156 distinct books, but I reread some of them, putting my total count at 160.  (That’s not counting books I didn’t finish for whatever reason– there are at least 3 where I made it to the halfway point before abandoning them.)

I went through to pick my top books I read during the year. I came up with a 16 of them I wanted to recognize– a top 10 list and 5 more I didn’t want to leave off :-) .

The list is:

  1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
  2. The Rook by Daniel O’Malley
  3. The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani
  4. Bury Your Dead/A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
  5. Wonders of the Invisible World by Patricia McKillip
  6. Spy Mom by Beth McMullen
  7. Wallflower in Bloom by Claire Cook
  8. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
  9. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
  10. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
  11. Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King
  12. The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel
  13. How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue
  14. The Garden Intrigue by Lauren Willig
  15. How it all Began by Penelope Lively

The books on the list are fairly recently published– 11 from 2012, 4 from 2011, and 1 that I snuck in combined with another book, from 2010.  Only 45 of the books I read were published in 2012, so that’s pretty impressive.  I also read 40 books from 2011, 10 from 2010 and 47 from 2000-20009.  8 were from the 1990s, 3 from the 1980s, and then I had books from 1961, 1953, 1929 and 1595 (Romeo and Juliet).

Of the books on my list, I read 11 of them  before July 2012.  I liked most of the books I read during the year, but not many got past that level in the second half. This indicates that I need to start thinking harder about how I’m picking my books again.   I’ll set that as my first goal going forward to 2013.  I don’t know what form that will take, but I want to read more books I’m going to love, not just like.

My other goal is to get back to writing one review per week.  That won’t be everything– I’m planning to read around 150 books again this year, with an increasing number of them as audiobooks, but it is a number I think I can sustain.

Happy New Year everyone!  May 2013 bring you many books that you love.

 
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Posted by on January 7, 2013 in blogging, books, summary

 

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December summary

01 Jan

Calendar-decemberI’m working on my look back at 2012, but I wanted to get a quick glance at December.  I really wanted to get in a Christmas mood, so I tried all the holiday related audiobooks I could download from my local library, the sappier the better!  In the reading I did, Robyn Carr wins as master of the genre, with A Virgin River Christmas having the best characters, the best romance, and a darn good sappy story.

Audio Books

  1. Heartsick (Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell #1) by Chelsea Cain
  2. The Look of Love: A Piper Donovan Mystery (Wedding Cake Mystery #2) by Mary Jane Clark
  3. Let It Be Love (Effingtons #11) by Victoria Alexander
  4. Mrs. Miracle (Angelic Intervention #1) by Debbie Macomber
  5. A Cedar Cove Christmas (Cedar Cove #8.5) by Debbie Macomber
  6. A Christmas Journey (Christmas Stories #1) by Anne Perry
  7. A Virgin River Christmas (Virgin River #4) by Robyn Carr
  8. Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6) by Jim Butcher
  9. Notorious Nineteen (Stephanie Plum #19) by Janet Evanovich
  10. The Proposal (The Survivors’ Club #1) by Mary Balogh
  11. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Print Books

  1. Cascade by Maryanne O’Hara
  2. Love is Not Constantly Wondering if You Are Making the Biggest Mistake of Your Life by Anonymous

Nook Books

  1. Reached (Matched #3) by Ally Condie
  2. The Retribution (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #7) by Val McDermid
 
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Posted by on January 1, 2013 in books, summary

 

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November update

02 Dec

Calendar-November2

November is a month for being thankful, and I have a lot to be thankful for– my family, health that may not be perfect, but could  be much worse, a stable life, and lots of time to read. I’m also thankful for on-line friends and kittens I can watch over the Internet.

I did get quite a bit of reading done in November, although perhaps not quite as much as the book count suggests– there are some very short books in there!

I realized one of the reasons that I haven’t been reading as many print books is that I’m getting older, and my eyes are having trouble at times with the print in books.  Getting a second pair of reading glasses, so that one stays in my purse and one stays by my bed, has helped a lot with that.

So, on to the books read:

Paper books

  1. Double-Booked for Death (Black Cat Bookshop Mystery #1) by Ali Brandon
  2. Elegy for Eddie (Maisie Dobbs #9) by Jacqueline Winspear
  3. What the Zhang Boys Know by Clifford Garstang

Nook books

  1. A Novel Way to Die (Black Cat Bookshop Mystery #2) by Ali Brandon
  2. Among the Mad (Maisie Dobbs #6) by Jacqueline Winspear

Audio books

  1. How It All Began by Penelope Lively
  2. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University by Kevin Roose
  3. Tonight I Said Goodbye (Lincoln Perry #1) by Michael Koryta
  4. Shadow Puppets (Shadow Saga #3) by Orson Scott Card
  5. Black River by Dean Koontz
  6. Son (The Giver Quartet #4) by Lois Lowry
  7. Messenger (The Giver Quartet #3) by Lois Lowry
  8. Gathering Blue (The Giver Quartet #2) by Lois Lowry
  9. The Giver (The Giver Quartet #1) by Lois Lowry
  10. Redwood Bend (Virgin River #18) by Robyn Carr
  11. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

This brings my yearly totals to 145 books read: 38 paper books, 23 Nook books, and 84 audio books.  There shouldn’t be a problem reaching to 150 for the year :-) .

The best books of the month were Between Shades of Gray and How It All Began, followed by Elegy for Eddie.

 
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Posted by on December 2, 2012 in books, summary

 

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October Reading

06 Nov

I’m on track for my 150 book goal this year!  My reviews are running a bit behind, but I’m still getting a few out each month.

Print Books

  1. Wonders of the Invisible World by Patricia A. McKillip (review coming soon)
  2. Something Missing by Matthew Dicks
  3. Murder Most Austen (An Elizabeth Parker Mystery #4) by Tracy Kiely

Nook Books

  1. Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio
    (review coming soon)

Audio Books

  1. Heat Rises (Nikki Heat #3) by Richard Castle
  2. Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) by Patricia Briggs
  3. Dodger by Terry Pratchett
  4. MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search For A New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche
  5. Devil’s Food Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen #14) by Joanne Fluke
  6. Murder in the Sentier (Aimee Leduc Investigations #3) by Cara Black
  7. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
  8. Royal Blood (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries #4) by Rhys Bowen
  9. Death Masks (The Dresden Files #5) by Jim Butcher
  10. The Gathering (Darkness Rising #1) by Kelley Armstrong

My favorite books of the month were Wonders of the Invisible World and Something Missing.

My total for books read for the year stands at 128 books:  34 print books, 21 Nook books and 73 Audio books.  I seem to be moving more and more to audio books, as I’m accepting less review books.  I think I enjoy playing computer games and watching the Kitten Cam while reading :-) .

 

 
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Posted by on November 6, 2012 in books, summary

 

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September Wrapup

04 Oct

Happy October!

My books read last month:

Print Books

  1. Blue Skies by Robyn Carr
  2. The Salt God’s Daughter by Ilie Ruby
  3. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (edited this post to add this,not reflected in the totals below)
     

Nook Books

  1. The Lighthouse Road by Peter Geye

Audio Books

  1. Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress #1) by Jeaniene Frost
  2. Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen
  3. How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway
  4. High Noon by Nora Roberts
  5. Royal Flush (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries #3) by Rhys Bowen
  6. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
  7. Cast in Shadow (Chronicles of Elantra #1) by Michelle Sagara West
  8. The Ugly Duchess (Fairy Tales #4) by Eloisa James
  9. Irresistible Forces (Steele Series #5) by Brenda Jackson

Wow, this was an audiobook heavy month!

The best book I read this month was The Salt God’s Daughter.  How to Be an American Housewife and Lighthouse Road were both also very good.  The Gathering and Royal Flush were both highly enjoyable.  I confirmed that I simply do not love Booker Prize winning books with The Sense of an Ending..

My total for books read for the year stands at 114 books:  31 print books, 20 Nook books and 63 Audio books.  I’m close to on track for making 150 books this year. (I updated these numbers to reflect that I missed listing A Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr when I read it in August).

How was your September?  What are you looking forward to reading in October?

 
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Posted by on October 4, 2012 in books, summary

 

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August Wrap-up

03 Sep

August.

A month spent watching Olympics.

My daughter getting injured, starting a new sport and starting high school.

Me trying to adjust to a new MP3 player since my beloved Creative Zen player died.

With dueling kitten cams to watch (one set of kittens is now adopted out, so I’m back to only one litter)

Through that, I did still get some books read.

Print Books

  1. The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy
  2. 12.21: A Novel by Dustin Thomason
  3. 1222 (Hanne Wilhelmsen #8) by Anne Holt
  4. The Prophet by Michael Koryta

Nook  Books

  1. Breakup (Kate Shugak #7) by Dana Stabenow

Audio Books

  1. The Submission: A Novel by Amy Waldman
  2. Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder #1) by Linda Castillo
  3. Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu
  4. Summer Knight (The Dresden Files #4) by Jim Butcher
  5. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
  6. Crewel World (A Needlecraft Mystery #1) by Monica Ferris
  7. A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty: A Novel by Joshilyn Jackson

This brings my yearly totals to 101 books read:  29 paper books, 19 Nook books and 53 audio books.  I’ve now reached my basic target of 100 books for the year, but I’m lagging just a little beyond the pace for my expanded goal of 150 books for the year, and significantly behind last year’s 122 books read at this point.  This is not a point of concern, merely of interest.

My top reads for the month (which stand a chance of making my list of top books of the year) were The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy and The Submission by Amy Waldman. Both of these would make excellent Book Club discussion books (and The Sumission did!). Overall, it was an enjoyable set of books this month, with only one significant disappointment– Catch-22 reads much better at age 20-something than 40-something, my book club all agree.

For September, I know I’m reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes for my book clubs, and The Salt God’s Daughter by Ilie Ruby for review.

How was your August?  What are you looking forward to reading in September?

 
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Posted by on September 3, 2012 in books, summary

 

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July Wrap Up

04 Aug

The on-line kittens are still taking away from my reading time, but I’m back to listening to books while hanging out with them (and the folks I’ve met while watching. Ultimate kitten cuteness is available for your viewing with the Scientist Kittens!

Meanwhile, what I’ve been reading:

Paper Books

  1. Trail of the Spellmans (The Spellmans #5) by Lisa Lutz
  2. The Future of Us by Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler
  3. Cottage by the Sea by Robin Jones Gunn

Nook Books

  1. Soulless (Parasol Protectorate #1) by Gail Carriger
  2. Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy #2) by Deborah Harkness

Audio Books

  1. Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth *
  2. Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth *
  3. How to Marry a Duke (How To Series #1) by Vicky Dreiling
  4. An Incomplete Revenge (Maisie Dobbs #5) by Jacqueline Winspear
  5. The Duke Is Mine (Fairy Tales #3) by Eloisa James
  6. A Question of Blood (Inspector Rebus #14) by Ian Rankin
  7. The Witness by Nora Roberts
  8. Trouble in High Heels (Fortune Hunter #1) by Christina Dodd

* re-read

This brings my yearly totals to 89 books read:  25 paper books, 18 Nook books and 46 audio books.  I’m on track to pass 100 books read in August– even with the Olympics cutting into reading time!

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any real highlights this month (I don’t count re-reads– both Insurgent and Divergent were flagged the first time I read them)..  I liked most of the books.I read, but none of them are likely to make my top books of the year.  Hopefully I’ll get something that really gets to me this month.

My August reading will include The Submission by Amy Waldman and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller for book clubs, The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy and 12.21 by Dustin Thomason are both scheduled for tours.

I hope you had a good reading month in July, and I hope your August is even better!

 
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Posted by on August 4, 2012 in books, summary

 

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June Wrap Up

03 Jul

June CalendarSummer is here, and you know what that means?  No time to read!

My reading was down significantly this month, and only partially due to the arrival of warm weather and no school for my daughter.  My total book count is down compared to the earlier months this year, and even that is heavily frontloaded in the month.

Paper Books

  1. A Night Like This (Smythe-Smith Quartet #2) by Julia Quinn
  2. Grace Among Thieves (Manor House Mystery #3) by Julie Hyzy
  3. Spy Mom (Sally Sin #2) by Beth McMullen
  4. Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe

Audio Books

  1. The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel by Anthony Horowitz
  2. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
  3. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
  4. The Gods of Gotham (Timothy Wilde #1) by Lyndsay Faye
  5. Very Valentine (Valentine #1) by Adriana Trigiani

My top reads for the month were the ones I was most looking forward to– they didn’t disappoint.  Spy Mom, followed by Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, and Very Valentine.

This month’s reads bring my yearly totals to 76 books read:  22 paper, 38 audio and (still) 16 Nook books.  I’m on track to make 150 books read this year, but only if my pace picks back up from this month.  I’ve been spending time watching kittens on-line and chatting with new kitten cam friends.  I’ve also been struggling with reading one PDF format ARC on my Nook.  I’m loving the book, but the logistical issues are really slowing me down.

I’m still holding at one review a week, and I’ll plan to keep up that pace.

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far!

 
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Posted by on July 3, 2012 in books, summary

 

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May Wrap-Up

01 Jun

May was a good reading month, with lots of books read, and some really good ones in there as well. I’m accepting that I’m writing one review per week, and maintaining that well for now.

Print Books

  1. Wallflower in Bloom by Claire Cook (review scheduled June 5)
  2. Guilt by Degrees (Rachel Knight #2) by Marcia Clark
  3. The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel
  4. How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue

Nook Books

  1. Night Swim by Jessica Keener
  2. Garment of Shadows (Mary Russell #12) by Laurie R. King
  3. Millie’s Fling by Jill Mansell
  4. Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth
  5. A Gentleman Says “I Do” (The Rogues’ Dynasty #5) by Amelia Grey

Audio Books

  1. Bell, Book, and Scandal (Jane Jeffry #14) by Jill Churchill
  2. Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
  3. Reliquary (Pendergast #2) by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
  4. The Magician’s Guild (Black Magician Trilogy #1) by Trudi Canavan
  5. Grave Peril (The Dresden Files #3) by Jim Butcher

That brings me to 14 books for the month, and 67 books read this year: 18 paper books, 16 Nook books, and 33 audio books.  The outstanding books were Wallflower in Bloom, The Lola Quartet, How to Eat a Cupcake and Insurgent.

I have some books that I’m really looking forward to reading in June.  These include Spy Mom by Beth McMullen, the followup book to my favorite read of last year, Original Sin; and Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess), which I’m reading for book club.  For my other book club, I need to finish reading the Steve Jobs biography for this month’s discussion and then pick up The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Caroline Mackler for July.

How was your May reading?  Do you have any summer reading you are particularly looking forward to?

 
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Posted by on June 1, 2012 in books, summary

 

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