2011 In Review

Another year has come and gone and the best part of the reading year is upon me as I get to look back and evaluate what I read and how my stats measured up. Once again, 2011 found me reading less than I did in 2010. I read 45 books and gave up on 9. Though I did not meet my reading goal, on the upside, I gave up on less books in 2011.

2011 also brought some changes in my reading tastes. Chick-Lit dropped by more than half from 2010 which surprised me quite a bit as it is one of my favorite genres. Cozy mysteries also dropped by more than half and mysteries/suspense/thrillers also dropped. Paranormal romance was up in 2011 by half while the young adult quadrupled and other fiction remained the same. The urban fantasy title could be considered paranormal romance or science fiction too, so again a lot of books cross genre lines and it isn’t always clear which genre some books fall under. Here's how 2011 stacked up:

Chick-Lit: 8
Contemporary Romance: 3
Cozy Mystery: 5
Mystery / Suspense / Thriller: 11
Paranormal Romance: 12
Young Adult: 12
Other Fiction / Literature: 2
Urban Fantasy: 1

A big shout out to the authors who were new to me and the authors that made multiple appearances in my reading year:

New To Me Authors In 2011
Theresa Alan
Amanda Ashby
P.C. Cast
Johanna Edwards
Valerie Frankel
Leslie Langtry
Mari Mancusi
Wendy Markham
Rhonda Pollero
Michelle Rowen
Kathryn Stockett

Authors Read Multiple Times In 2011
Janet Evanovich
Jeaniene Frost
Julie Kenner
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Victoria Laurie
J.D. Robb
Karen Rose
J.K. Rowling

My selections for the best reads of 2011 in the order they were read are:
Deeper Than The Dead by Tami Hoag
First Drop Of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost
Your Big Break by Johanna Edwards
Have You Seen Her? By Karen Rose
Death Perception by Victoria Laurie
Slightly Single by Wendy Markham
At Grave’s End by Jeaniene Frost
The Postcard Killers by James Patterson
I’m Watching You by Karen Rose
Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Nothing To Fear by Karen Rose
The Confession by John Grisham
No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Boys That Bite by Mari Mancusi
You Can’t Hide by Karen Rose
I Only Have Fangs For You by Kathy Love
Knock Off by Rhonda Pollero
Destined For An Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Eternal Kiss Of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost
Kindred In Death by J.D. Robb
Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
Missing In Death by J.D. Robb
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Here's hoping 2012 will be a more productive year!