Book Your Ticket

I knew a read a lot, but documenting my year in books has been a real eye-opener for me. First, here's my December list, followed by links back to my monthly lists for 2010:

December – 19/181

Kay Thompson ­– From Funny Face to Eloise, Sam Irvin*

Home at Rose Cottage, Sherryl Woods*

Writers Gone Wild: The Feuds, Frolics, and Follies of Literature’s Great Adventurers, Drunkards, Lovers, Inoclasts, and Misanthropes, Bill Peschel*

Mary Ann in Autumn: A Tales of the City Novel, Armisted Maupin[1]*

Invisible: An Ivy Malone Mystery, Lorena McCourtney*

Return to Rose Cottage, Sherryl Woods*

The Hangman’s Daughter, Oliver Pötzsch[2]*

Call Me Mrs. Miracle, Debbie Macomber[3]*

How I Learned to Love the Walrus, Beth Orsoff*

A Dog Named Slugger, Leigh Brill*

Zero Game, Brad Meltzer[4]*

A Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired the Hilarious Classic Film, Jean Shepherd*

How to Disappear: Erase Your Digital Footprint, Leave False Trails, and Vanish Without a Trace, Frank M. Ahearn[5]*

The Matchmakers, Jennifer Colgan*

Skitty (Shipscat), Mercedes Lackey[6]*

A Better Mousetrap, Mercedes Lackey[7]*

A Tale of Two Skitties, Mercedes Lackey[8]*

Saint Training, Elizabeth Fixmer*

Millie’s Fling, Jill Mansell*

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[1] I adored the original Tales of the City series, so this was like meeting a cherished old friend after an absence of many years -- perfectly lovely.

[2] Fascinating fictional mystery set in 17^th century Bavaria, based on the actual history of the author’s ancestors – the Kuisl family, who were executioners for centuries in that area.

[3] I generally like Macomber’s books, especially her Christmas angels series. This, however, was a direct rip-off of Miracle on 34^th Street. I’m disappointed, quite frankly.

[4] Think John Grisham’s Pelican Brief goes to Congress. Just okay, okay?

[5] First lesson? It’s a bad idea to buy this book with anything other than cash. That’s fine with me, as I was more interested in how this is possible from a writer’s point of view.

[6] Novella.

[7] Novella.

[8] Novella.

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January, February, March, April, May, June,

July, August, September, October, November

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My Top 10 Books for 2010

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Inspired by Professor Bainbridge's look back at his Amazon purchases for 2010, I did a little analysis of my own reading habits.

Of those 181 books, there were only 133 authors. I'm likely to look for more of an author's work if I like the first of their books I read.

160 of those 181 books were read on Kindle. Most of those 21 books in hard copy were either out of print books or remaindered books I found on a sale table. I'm more than willing to wait for a new book to come out on Kindle.

23 Genres read include Biography (21), Business (1), Cartoons (1), Chick Lit (11), Children's (2), Classics (8), Cozies (6), Fantasy (8), Fiction (33), History (2), Humor (1), Mysteries (12), Romance (17), Romance/Humor (10), Science (1), Science Fiction (5), Social Issues (2), Spirituality (1), Suspense (9), Technical (2), Thriller (8), Young Adult (3) and Zany/Capers (7).

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Teed up on my Kindle for 2011?

Traitor's Wife, Susan Higginbotham

The Year She Fell, Alicia Rasley

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, Laura Hillenbrand

Diary of Samuel Pepys, Samuel Pepys

Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know, Hamilton Wright Mabie

Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1, Mark Twain, et al.

The Mountain of Marvels: A Celtic Tale of Magic, Retold from The Maginogion, Aaron Shepard.

What's on your reading list for 2011?