Category Archives: Reads

At the beginning of the year, I challenged myself to read 50 books. I didn’t quite hit that goal but I got close – last night I started my 48th book of the year (although I haven’t quite finished book 47). My book list for the year was pretty wide ranging as far as genres go. Romance to historical fiction to dystopian fiction(my favorite of the bunch) to paranormal to contemporary to chick lit. I was all over the place.

My favorite books of the year were:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- I blasted through this trilogy in less than two weeks. Seriously, if you haven’t read this book or any in this genre before, you are doing yourself a great disservice. Hands down, this was my absolute favorite of the year. Its been made into a movie that is due out in March. Guess what my serious first post-baby outing is going to be?

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley- An epically long book but a worthwhile read. This book has me more curious than ever about the legends of Avalon, Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Shiver by Maggie Steifvater – I think Amazon recommended this to me based on the fact that I’d read the Twilight trilogy. Don’t hate on me, but I enjoyed this so much better. Maggie Steifvater’s writing is beautiful. Read this book!

Divergent by Veronica Roth – The dystopian fiction genre really sucked me in this year. Divergent is another that was high on my list. Great writing, lots of action. I’m waiting impatiently for the sequel.

Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn – In my opinion, anything depicting Ancient Rome is worth reading. I loved that this book was written from various character viewpoints rather than the all-seeing narrator. Another one to add to your must-read list.

For 2012, I’m cutting myself down to a realistic expectation of reading 30 books. We’ll see just how realistic that number is when I’ve got a newborn strapped to my chest while trying to keep up with a seven-year old. Maybe reading will be my lock-myself-in-the-bathroom-to-get-some-peace time. I’m also toying around with the idea of trying to round up reader friends who would be interested in starting a book club. Maybe having some accountability and people to chat about my reads with will keep me motivated despite the sleep deprivation.

**PSA** For those of you who haven’t made the switch over to an e-reader yet:

I to was one of those people who stood back and snottily said “I like the way real books smell. I like the way they feel. I will never own an ereader.”

Then my Nana bought a Nook for me for my birthday. And I love it. There is something wonderful about being able to have every book you’ve read recently or plan to read readily available at the touch of a finger. And if you are a book hoarder like I was, owning an ereader will help you purge those books you’ve been stacking against the footboard of your bed. You’ll discover all kinds of new floor space.

I spent an hour last night reading through book descriptions and picking my first reads for 2012. Have you started planning your 2012 TBR list? Comment below with some of your top picks.