My goals at the beginning of this year were to:
So...how did I do? Well, I ended up reading 226 books in the year, so I exceeded this target quite easily. In 2005 I read 168 books so that is quite a jump for me.
I didn't do so well on the second challenge - I ended up reading only 10 books that I already owned as at 1 January 2006.
I think I did okay at maintaining my blog, although as you may have already noted me saying...I am a bit behind in my reviews at the moment!!!
As for reading across a variety of genres, I actually think that my reading habits changed quite significantly over the last 6 months in particular. In June I picked up the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series of books, and since then I have been reading vampire and other paranormal stories quite a lot - really surprising to me. I have also read a lot more fantasy this year than I would ever have thought I would read! I think 86 new authors in a year is a pretty good effort.
There were only five books that I marked as 5/5 reads. There were certainly lots more that were 4.5/5 reads, and some that stick in the mind even though they may have been graded as less than that. The five books with top marks were:
Donnelly, Jennifer - The Winter Rose. This was the sequel to The Tea Rose, and was a much better book in my opinion.
Setterfield, Diane - The Thirteenth Tale - Moody and gothic, improbable but still an engrossing read.
Snyder, Maria V - Poison Study - It was a complete surprise to me how much I enjoyed this book!
Bishop, Anne - Queen of the Darkness. It took me just about all of the first book in this series to understand the world, but once I was there I was completely hooked. This is one example of a book that I wouldn't have read if I hadn't of seen positive reviews of it out in blogland.
Keyes, Marian - Anybody Out There? - This was the last book I read for the year and I thought it was so good!! Haven't got around to writing a review, and may in the end not write a complete one, but seriously, this is an excellent, excellent book! I am so glad that I finally read all of the Walsh sisters books, and I can't wait for the last of them.
I'll be back with a more in depth analysis of my reads in the next couple of days! Can't wait can you??
Read 200 books
Of those 200 at least 25 books needed to be books that I already owned
Maintain my blog
and to read across a variety of
genres.
So...how did I do? Well, I ended up reading 226 books in the year, so I exceeded this target quite easily. In 2005 I read 168 books so that is quite a jump for me.
I didn't do so well on the second challenge - I ended up reading only 10 books that I already owned as at 1 January 2006.
I think I did okay at maintaining my blog, although as you may have already noted me saying...I am a bit behind in my reviews at the moment!!!
As for reading across a variety of genres, I actually think that my reading habits changed quite significantly over the last 6 months in particular. In June I picked up the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series of books, and since then I have been reading vampire and other paranormal stories quite a lot - really surprising to me. I have also read a lot more fantasy this year than I would ever have thought I would read! I think 86 new authors in a year is a pretty good effort.
There were only five books that I marked as 5/5 reads. There were certainly lots more that were 4.5/5 reads, and some that stick in the mind even though they may have been graded as less than that. The five books with top marks were:
Donnelly, Jennifer - The Winter Rose. This was the sequel to The Tea Rose, and was a much better book in my opinion.
Setterfield, Diane - The Thirteenth Tale - Moody and gothic, improbable but still an engrossing read.
Snyder, Maria V - Poison Study - It was a complete surprise to me how much I enjoyed this book!
Bishop, Anne - Queen of the Darkness. It took me just about all of the first book in this series to understand the world, but once I was there I was completely hooked. This is one example of a book that I wouldn't have read if I hadn't of seen positive reviews of it out in blogland.
Keyes, Marian - Anybody Out There? - This was the last book I read for the year and I thought it was so good!! Haven't got around to writing a review, and may in the end not write a complete one, but seriously, this is an excellent, excellent book! I am so glad that I finally read all of the Walsh sisters books, and I can't wait for the last of them.
I'll be back with a more in depth analysis of my reads in the next couple of days! Can't wait can you??
Wow! That's a lot of books! Congratulations on overshooting your numeric goal.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great list of your best five. The Thirteenth Tale was one of my favorites this year too. I really enjoyed Anne Bishop's books, and your experience with the first book practically mirrors my own when I read it.
Happy reading this New Year!
226 books. That's amazing. And you managed to blog about a lot of them! I'll put the Donnelly books on my list, they sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteLazy Cow, they are definitely worth getting hold of!!
Happy New Year Marg!
ReplyDeleteYour reading goals far out strip mine but I get tense if I set anything up too snug. I won't do a book count setting because I start to get antsy and think - alright already, when is this book going to end so I can read book number 162! ;) My reading was way off this year and I plan to blog on it and get it all out and off.
I have declared January the month of Cindy - told my family and friends to not bug me - I'm reading!! Now that Bob has built me my Book Room I finally have a time and place to just relax and unwind!
So I have to ask, the 5 books, are they romances? I know that Anne Bishop is an author I want to read (to quote you from above) and The Thirteenth Tale is a book with an awesome cover. I'll have to back track and see your reviews.
Also, I have read Marian Keyes and although I do find her funny and her characters compelling I sometimes just want to kick the women because they are too slow to see the change they need to make. On that note, I wouldn't mind an more in depth review - what worked and didn't for you with the book. Only if you have time though!
Okay, now I have to comment on the next post ;)
Cindy
S
A month of Cindy sounds fantastic!!
ReplyDeleteI will do a review for Anybody Out There soon!!
I got The Thirteenth Tale for Christmas, so I'm looking forward to it. Seems very popular with most serious booklovers.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I just went to my library website to put a request in for the Winter Rose, and realized that it's not out in the states yet! Her website says it'll be published here in Spring 2008. Boo! And she's an American, so wtf? I guess I should read Tea Rose first anyway, huh?
ReplyDeleteI thought it was out this year not next year! And yes, you should read The Tea Rose first.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Marg!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't realized that Jennifer Donnelly wrote a sequel to The Tea Rose, which I enjoyed. The only book I've seen released in the US since is a YA book called A Northern Light. Must go looking for a copy. :sigh: Another book to add to the TBR shelves.