Wednesday, January 02, 2013

2012 Reading 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. I am happy to report that 2012 found me reading more and giving up on less books than I did in 2011.  I read 46 books and gave up on 3.  My goal was to read 55 books in 2012 and I reached 89% of my goal.

Goal for 2013:  50 books

The biggest change to my reading tastes in 2012 was the addition of Christian fiction and Inspirational romance and the drastic drop in Young Adult.  Historical romance, Romantic Suspense and Memoirs also made an appearance back into my reading year.  I chose to classify the historical romance as I did instead of Erotica because of the time period and setting.  The romance also felt like the primary story instead of just sex, which is how I articulate what the Erotica genre primarily focuses on.   The In Death series by J.D. Robb dominated my reading in 2012 over any other series, which does not surprise me. 

The interesting part of 2012 was the arrival of so many new to me authors than in years past.  In comparison to 2011, Mystery / Suspense / Thriller rose by more than half.  Chick-Lit was slightly down, Cozy Mystery and Paranormal Romance dropped by half.  Contemporary Romance and Other Fiction remained the same. Young Adult is a hard one this year.  The titles I read could also be classified under Chick-Lit and Paranormal Romance, but the protagonists in the stories were young adult so that’s how I classified them.  Unfortunately, Young Adult dropped 84% for me this year.  Here's how 2012 stacked up:

Chick-Lit: 7
Christian Fiction: 1
Contemporary Romance: 3
Cozy Mystery: 2
Historical Romance: 1
Inspirational Romance: 1
Memoir / Biography: 2
Mystery / Suspense / Thriller: 17
Paranormal Romance: 6
Romantic Suspense: 2
Urban Fantasy: 3
Young Adult: 2
Other Fiction / Literature: 2

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 2012
Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Lauren Barnholdt
Sarah Rees Brennan
Elizabeth Delisi
Rachel Firasek
Gillian Flynn
Patty Froese
Ian Fox
Michele Hauf
Lucy Kevin
Mindy Klasky
Justine Larbalestier
H.P. Mallory
Jill Mansell
Anne Marsh
Stephanie McAfee
Andrew Morton
J.J. Murphy
Ariella Papa
Jesse Petersen
Jennifer Rardin
Jess Riley
Kemberlee Shortland
Sean Slater
Garth Stein
Scarlett Valentine
Wm. Paul Young

Authors Read Multiple Times In 2012
James Patterson
J.D. Robb
Karen Rose
Kemberlee Shortland

My selection for the best reads of 2012 in the order they were read are:

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young
William and Catherine: A Royal Wedding by Andrew Morton
The Survivor by Sean Slater
Married With Zombies by Jesse Petersen
Fantasy In Death by J.D. Robb
Indulgence In Death by J.D. Robb
Possession In Death by J.D. Robb
Count To Ten by Karen Rose
This Side Of The Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Treachery In Death by J.D. Robb
New York To Dallas by J.D. Robb
The Art Of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein
Chaos In Death by J.D. Robb
Rhythm Of My Heart by Kemberlee Shortland
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison
Die For Me by Karen Rose
Celebrity In Death by J.D. Robb
Hold Tight by Harlan Coben

Here's hoping 2013 will be a more productive year!

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I am not a professional reviewer, but I love to read and share my opinions on my reading with others who are interested. I work full time but my ideal perfect day would be to curl up with a good book. The majority of the books I review here are from my private collection and my reviews are provided purely for entertainment purposes. I receive no compensation whatsoever for sharing my thoughts and review on any book. If you would like me to review your book, please email me at sharalsbooks@yahoo.com Happy Reading! :o)