2013 Reading Wrap

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. Unfortunately, 2013 found me reading less and giving up on more books than I did in 2012. I read 37 books and gave up on 4. My goal was to read 50 books in 2013 and I reached 84% of my goal. At the end of 2013, I had to come to the conclusion that I have been kidding myself and setting myself up for massive disappointment by committing to a goal of 50 or more books. I’m lowering it quite a bit for 2014.

Goal for 2014: 40 books

The biggest change to my reading in 2013 was the addition of Travel, Non-Fiction (both spiritual and humorous) and Self-Help. In addition, 2013 saw me adding several Christmas holiday themed books, which I normally do not do. In 2013, I read less Mystery / Suspense / Thriller and more Chick-Lit. I usually get at least one James Patterson in, but I didn’t this time around. There were several Christmas themed books, but I will classify them under Chick-Lit since the primary genre for them fits there. The Young Adult genre was non-existent for me in 2013. That comes as a surprise as I usually am drawn to their fun and interesting plots. Overall, there wasn’t a lot of deviation from my usual reading tastes or preferences.

I was fortunate to come across many new to me authors in 2013 which is always a joy as well as reading multiple titles by favorite authors. Here's how 2013 stacked up:

Chick-Lit: 12
Contemporary Romance: 2
Cozy Mystery: 1
Historical Romance: 1
Mystery / Suspense / Thriller: 10
Paranormal Romance: 5
Romantic Suspense: 3
Urban Fantasy: 2
Non-Fiction: 2
Self-Help: 1
Travel: 1
Young Adult: 0
Other Fiction / Literature: 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 2013
Mali Apple
J.K. Beck
Alafair Burke
Todd Burpo
Anita Clenney
Michele Gorman
Wendy Holden
Catherine Jinks
Jan King
Chrissie Manby
Christy Nicholas
Tim Sandlin
Sherry Soule
Linda Wisdom
Anya Wylde

Authors Read Multiple Times In 2013
Michele Gorman
J.D. Robb
Nora Roberts
Karen Rose
Kate White
Anya Wylde


My selection for the best reads of 2013 in the order they were read are:

You Don’t Know Jack by Erin McCarthy
When Blood Calls by J.K. Beck
Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo
Dead Connection by Alafair Burke
Haunted by Kelley Armstrong
Scream For Me by Karen Rose
Deadly Legacy by Robin Burcell
Delusion In Death by J.D. Robb
The Witness by Nora Roberts
The Night I Got Lucky by Laura Caldwell
Return To Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux
Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
Everything In Its Time by Dee Davis
The Accidental Virgin by Valerie Frankel
Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost
Fourplay by Jane Moore
Bella Summer Takes A Chance by Michele Gorman
Calculated In Death by J.D. Robb
Christmas Carol by Michele Gorman
The Christmas List by Chrissie Manby
Kill For Me by Karen Rose
Ireland: Mythical, Magical, Mystical: A Guide To Hidden Ireland by Christy Nicholas
So Pretty It Hurts by Kate White
Penelope by Anya Wylde
The Eggnog Chronicles by Carly Alexander
The Racketeer by John Grisham
The Dangers Of Mistletoe by Theresa Alan


Here's hoping 2014 will be a more productive year!