2008 A Year of Reading

This year was a personal all time high number for my reading.

However, I will admit, that until last year I never kept a list to know what or how many books I read.  But until last year I can tell you it was maybe a book or two a month at most. 

It wasn't that I didn't want to read more, I was just unable to.  I was pretty busy taking care of my disabled brother. And when I wasn't doing that I was (for 3 yrs) writing  my own fantasy story.  Now, I can't write anything publish worthy, but there was this story inside me fighting to get out.. and so I wrote.  Then I edited. and edited. and edited. (sigh)

Then about two years ago I went and discovered Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings .  I met all sorts of people who enjoyed reading!    When First I discovered Carl he was holding a challenge to read Fantasy Books.  Fantasy books were "my thing!"   So, I began clicking on the link left and reading all the reviews by so many nice people.

And my wishlist began to grow.

...and grow.

And my TBR pile, which up until then was maybe 3 books, began to grow.

...and grow.

...and grow.

...and grow.

I wound up with a list of at least 50 (more actually) blogs that I'd visit everyday and read their reviews.  And when they didn't have reviews, I read their blogs then too!

I "adopted" a son!

I made a good friend, across the pond.

I made more friends and lots of people who's blogs I really enjoy!

Last year was the first year I kept a tally of the books I read.  I believe it was 72.  That alone blew me away.  72!!  I was shocked!

There were many people who read many more books than I did, but that's ok.. I am very happy at the amount I do read.  I'm not a speed reader and I don't push myself to read more.. I just read because I enjoy the books. 

This year I surpassed the 72 and read 101 books!  I am once again amazed!

Most are Fantasy Fiction, but not all.  I also enjoy a biography or autobiography now and then, and enjoy reading about the early days of making motion pictures and the stars of that era, and I learned that I like some Gothic mystery along the way.

I did something else this year that I promised myself I would do and that was to reread some of my favorite books, which I did! 23 of the 100 books were books that I reread this year.  I still have some more old favorites that I plan to reread this year, but probably not as many as last year.

Of the new books  (I have to say that because of course I'd choose all the reread books.. duh, that's why I reread them because I really like them!) I read this year there are some that really stand out.  This doesn't mean they are for everyone, but they were good for me, and I know one day they will be books I will reread again.

Some of them are (in no specific order):

1- James A Owens books: Here There Be Dragons, The Search for the Red Dragon and the Indigo King.

2- Johathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy: Amulet of Samarkland, The Golems Eye, and Ptolemy's Gate.

3- Laurie R. King's Mary Russell books: The Beekeeper's Apprentice,  Oh, Jerusalem, Monstrous Regiment of Women,  Letter of Mary,  The Moor, Justice Hall, The Game,and Locked Rooms.

4- Diane Setterfield: The Thirteenth Tale

5- Simon Louvish: Stan & Ollie

6- Laura Amy Schlitz: A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama 

7- Clare B Dunkle trilogy: The Hollow Kingdom, Close Kin and In the Coils of the Snake.

8- Elizabeth Kostova: The Historian

9- Cornelia Funke's Trilogy: Inkheart, Inkspell and Inkdeath

10- L.M. Montgomery: Anne of Green Gables

Of these I think my favorite came as a real surprise to me...  it would be Stan & Ollie by Simon Louvish. I still can't quite get that book out of my mind.  Running close to being a tie for first place would be Johathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy.  Also, I would add The Thirteenth Tale which I reread this year and enjoyed every bit as much as the first time I read it.

The one (or two) books I'd put on the worst read list are: On the Edge of the Dark Sea by Andrew Peterson and Runemarks by Joanne Harris.

Of all my read only 6  were nonfiction.

42 were written by women!  Wow, I never choose a book by the sex of the author, but a big part of this was because I reread several McCaffrey/ Pern books and more Laurie R King, Mary Russell books.. oh and Cornelia Funke.  They pretty much took over the bulk of my reading this year.  I have a few more Pern books to reread this year and sometime this year Laurie R King comes out with yet another Mary Russell book!!

The only books I read by both a man and woman authors were my rereads from Dragonlance... 6 books by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

So there you have it... that's my year of reading.

and now on to 2009!..