Reading in 2011

2011 was a good reading year for me. According to Goodreads, I read 113 books. In actuality it may have been closer to 120. I'm pretty sure there were a few that fell through the cracks of my laziness in adding them online. In fact, any of you who take a peek at my Shelfari page would be ashamed of me. They think I read 56 books since discovering their site in 2010. However, I am very proud of my reading accomplishments for 2011. I could have done better. I completed the 100 book challenge, but failed miserably at the Stephen King reading challenge. This kind of shocked me not only because I own almost all of his published work, but because I LOVE reading his books. In fact, if I had to choose one book read in 2011 as the one that stuck with me, that I liked the most and that really left an impression, it would be Blaze. You can read my full review here.

I also read a lot of series books last year. There were a few I've been reading for a couple of years but also some that I completed. Those were mostly trilogies or four-book series. If I had to choose one as the very best it would be The Rarest Blooms series by Madeline Hunter. If you like regency romance even a little bit, I can't say enough about this series. It has one of my now all-time favorite characters, Tristan, the Duke of Castleford, in it. The only bad thing was I had to wait until book four (the final book) to get his story. However, each installment was a sensual journey through a fascinating time in history. Even if you aren't a big fan of the period, I'd recommend this series to any romance lover.

In the new-to-me category, my favorite of 2011 has to go to Joe Hill. I discovered he was Stephen King's son some time ago but hadn't picked up any of his books yet. I happened upon Heart-Shaped box and was immediately taken in by the blurb. He is definitely a great voice in the genre and stands on his own as an author regardless of who his father is. If you enjoy horror or any type of thrill-ride while reading, this is a must-read.

Another new to me author that must be mentioned is Dakota Cassidy. Now, I've followed Dakota in online social networks for a while, but I'm sorry to day I didn't pick up any of her books throughout the year. It wasn't until I attended Readers n'ritas and sat at her table (where she gave us all a free book) that I picked up my copy of You Dropped a Blonde on Me. To say it rocked my socks off is a slight understatement. It totally blew me away. I honestly didn't know what to expect but from her online personality I knew it would be funny. It was funny, heartbreaking, entertaining and memorable. All around a great read for anyone interested in chick-lit, romance and a good heartfelt story where the underdog comes out fighting.

Most anticipated release that lived up to its name goes to River Marked by Patricia Briggs. For those of you who haven't yet started the Mercy Thompson series all I can say is, why in the hell not?! This is one that can appeal to almost any reader. It's urban fantasy with just enough romance to satisfy the most die-hard romantic. There's action, suspense and paranormal elements. However, its not graphic in any sense of the word. Patricia Briggs has one of the best storytelling voices I've ever read and I honestly can't say enough about her work.

In the much anticipated, over-hyped and pleasantly surprised category, Laurell K. Hamilton wins the trophy. I had pretty much broken-up with Anita Blake after Flirt. That was a waste of my hard-earned money and some damn good trees. However, Anita has this great buddy named Edward that I can't get enough of and LKH was smart enough to put him in Hit List from page one. You can read my full review here.

So, that was my reading in 2011 in a nutshell. I have high hopes for 2012 as I finish two started last year that I had anticipated reading for quite some time. I'm currently reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Full Dark, No Stars. These are both great so far and the only reason I'm not done yet is because I'm limiting my reading time to get some writing done. After those two I'll be catching up on Lynsay Sands' Argeneau vampire series, finishing Lilith Saintcrow's Jill Kismet series and reading the next installment in Christine Feehan's Sisters of the Heart series. What will you be reading?

2011 100 Book Reading Challenge

Back in January I thought it would be fun to enroll in a couple of reading challenges. I'd never done one before and thought "What the hell?" 100 books in a year sounded like a lot to me back in January. Then I sat and considered my usual reading habits. Depending on the week, I can easily read a one standard paperback per day. In truth, a 200 book a year challenge may have been more feasible. But then I considered editing deadlines, holidays, vacations and NaNoWriMo, and knew 100 might be pushing it.


Well my blogger friends I am proud to say that this past week I did it! I reached and surpassed my goal of reading 100 books in 2011. In fact, I'm currently reading book number 102. I also have at least three more books lined up and one Stephen King book I've started but not finished. 


So, you may be thinking "That's great, Missy. Maybe now you should stop reading and start writing." Umm, well you would be right. I'll admit my NaNoWriMo word count is a bit pitiful at the moment. However, there is one other thing I have to accomplish in 2011. You see, I also signed up for a Stephen King reading challenge and I'm sorely behind on that one...

How's Your 2011 Reading Going?

At the beginning of the year I thought it would be fun to participate in a couple of reading challenges. You can find the icons with appropriate links at the bottom of my blog page. Since this was my first year I decided to keep it simple and go with two I knew I should be able to pull off with no trouble. One is simply based on the total books read in 2011. My goal this year is fifty books. So far I've read twelve and number thirteen will be devoured in the next couple of days. You can see the full list of what I've read on my Goodreads or Shelfari page, along with a review of each book.

The second challenge was a Stephen King reading challenge. I chose this one because I absolutely love his books, but I've been terribly remiss the past couple of years. The honest truth is that once I started reading paranormal romance I stopped reading horror. It wasn't a conscious decision, more of an accidental habit. I've continued to buy his books as they were released, but they've been gathering dust on my TBR pile. I started with Blaze and absolutely LOVED it! It did a good job of reminding me why Stephen King is one of my favorite authors.In honor of reverting back to my love of the horror genre, I also picked up a copy of Joe Hill's The Heart-Shaped Box. It was absolutely fabulous and I will be picking up his books as I see them now too.

So, how is your 2011 reading going? Are you gearing up for the inevitable summer reading programs? I sure am. I won a $50 Amazon gift card from my local library last summer! Plus there are so many great books coming out in the next few weeks I can barely contain my excitement. It'll be a wonder if I get anything written myself. One of my highly anticipated TBR is the latest release in Madeline Hunter's Rarest Blooms series. It comes out next week! If you see my door is closed then don't knock. I'll be reading...

Have any books you've loved so far this year? Share the recommendations below.