February Reads

In February I read three books.

I read...

Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson - 4 stars - I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It was interesting, entertaining and surprising. I loved Sarah, the main character and loved the insights she had into the time she was living in. I am definitely looking forward to reading more in this series. #1 of my 10 authors to try this year.

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale - 5 stars - I loved the heroine of the book. Charlotte was such fun and it was great to watch her grow throughout the book. This book made me laugh out loud at points and sigh at romantic moments. I loved the characters who were brought back from the first book and really hope she writes more. I was sick part of the time I was reading this book and it was so good it made me forget how terrible I felt. A wonderful Christmas present from my husband and definitely a favorite.

Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine - 5 stars - An amazing a heart wrenching story. Even knowing the facts of the holocaust I am still always horrified at the loss of life. I am so glad Hana's story is being told.  Read with my girls, Addison & Hannah.

That's four new authors for me so far this year.  One new author (Victoria Thompson) read that I chose ahead of time.

January 2013

In January I read two books.

I read...

What's a Ghoul to Do? by Victoria Laurie - 3 stars - A fun, entertaining read. The plot kept me guessing. A good start to a series.  I got to see Victoria Laurie in person in December.  She was fun and interesting.

Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews - 4 stars - A fun book by a new to me author.  Will definitely be reading more by her.  There were some really funny moments in this book along with some aw sweet ones.  All in all a good, fun read.

That's two new authors for me this year so far.  I haven't read any of the new authors I chose ahead of time yet.

My Reading Goals for the Year 2011 Recap and Reading Goals for 2012

My reading goals for 2012 were:

1. Read 45 books - Done
2. Read mostly from my 2012 boxes of books (Picked out ahead of time) - Kinda
3. Finish all books carried over  - Done
4. Read a lot from series I have already started - Done I read a ton of the Aunt Dimity series.
5. Try some new authors I already have books by from a list of authors and books I chose. The only two I read were Robyn Carr and Wendy Corsi Staub (and not the book I had picked out either.)  So not so good on this one but I enjoyed the two I did read.

2012 was an interesting year for me reading wise.  It was a tough year for me personally and I think that showed in my reading as my reading was a bit sporadic at times.

Over all I read books by 32 different authors (2 I didn't finish), including 18 new to me authors.  I fell in love with Robyn Carr & M.C. Beaton's books, discovered Shannon Hale, Susan Beth Pfeffer, Ally Condie and Tara Altebrando.  I feel like I read some really good books this year, ones that will stick with me and that I'll remember.

Going forward my reading goals for 2013 are:

1. Read 46 books
2. Finish all books carried over (There were three but I finished one last night, so down to two.)
3. Try some new authors I already have books by.  The authors I have chosen are :

Cassandra Clare
Rhys Bowen
Sarah Dessen
Meg Cabot
Harlan Coben 
Sarah Vowell
Carolyn Haines
Robin Jones Gunn
Heather Webber
Victoria Thompson

Richard and I both got new chairs for our library for Christmas and it has made the room so wonderful to read in.  I really want to have fun reading this year, finding some new authors I love and just enjoying the world of books.  Happy Reading everyone!

December Reads

In December I read three books.

I read.....

Death of a Cad by M.C. Beaton - 4 stars - I just love this series. I had no idea who the killer or why was till Hamish explained it all. I love a mystery that keeps me guessing.

When Christmas Comes Again: The World War I Diary of Simone Spencer, New York City to the Western Front, 1917 by Beth Seidel Levine - 3 stars - An interesting read about a time I don't know much about. I know surprisingly little about WWI and knew nothing about the Signal Corps before reading this book. This book was well written and interesting.

Believing (Lily Dale #2) by Wendy Corsi Staub - 4 stars - I really liked this book, though the middle part went a bit slow. The story line with her moms past is really interesting and I can't wait to see what happens in the next two books.

November Reads

In November I read four books.

I read.....

The Bathtub Reader: An Amusing Miscellany for the Discerning Mademoiselle by Carrie Bell & Amy Helmes - 4 stars - A fun, light read. I loved some of the info I got from this book. A perfect car book.

Crossed by Ally Condie - 4 stars - I didn't love it as much as Matched but it was still a really good book. It made me sad, made me think and mostly made me want to know what's going to happen in the end. I am going to a reading by the author this month to get the last book in the trilogy and I am really looking forward to it.

On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle - 3 stars - A cute, fun mystery. She went on a bit too much about coffee tips (how to store beans, how to make espresso, ect.) & there was one plot point I thought was glaringly obvious but those are the only negatives. I didn't guess who the bad guy was and that's always a plus in my book. I would definitely read more in this series.

Austenland by Shannon Hale - 5 stars - I just loved this book. It was fun, romantic and creative. I really liked that the main character had issues with men but wasn't an air headed pushover (my biggest complaint with so much of chick lit heroines.) There were some great lines in this book and I was thrilled to read they have made a movie (It hasn't come out yet) and a sequel to the book came out last year. Austenland was definitely a great read.

October Reads

In October I read six books.

I read.....

Do You Want To Know A Secret? by Mary Jane Clark - 4 stars - Well written and surprising. I never guessed who the murderer was. I really like MJC's style.  It's been years since I read any of this series and I had forgotten how much I enjoy it.  Extra cool that part of it was in Houston too.

Do You Promise Not To Tell? by Mary Jane Clark - 3 stars - A good read (though there were a crazy amount of characters to keep up with) that kept me guessing all the way through.

Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues by Nick Bantock - 3 stars - Oh so odd yet so intriguing!  I read the first of these years ago and was thrilled when I recently found this one.

Aunt Dimity and the Duke by Nancy Atherton - 3 stars - Sweet, funny and a lovely mystery.  It was fun to see how some of the characters in the series met.

Further Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes - 3 stars - Some great essays, odd short stories and intriguing glimpses of Marian Keyes real life.  I kept this book in my foster cats room and read it off and on. Hannah and Addison enjoyed it immensely and are now Marian Keyes fans. :)

Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton - 5 stars - How is it possible I gave never read anything by M.C. Beaton before? I loved this book! It was charming and funny and kept me guessing. I loved Hamish Macbeth. I was certain I knew who the killer was from early on and was totally wrong. I can't wait to read more in the series.  (I read Hamish in Robert Carlyle's voice the whole way through the book.)

I also tried to read Fireside by Susan Wiggs this month and decided she was definitely not for me.

The read-a-thon helped me finish up some books and got me going towards my goal.

End of Event Meme

Which hour was most daunting for you?
Hour Eighteen  The later it got the harder it got for me to concentrate.

Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Anything by Nancy Atherton or Mary Jane Clark
Nancy Atherton rights charming mysteries with eccentric, quirky characters.  MJC rights mysteries revolving about a huge news team.  (She also writes another series about a wedding cake decorater but I haven't read those yet.)

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Post some easier challenges that take less time for the people who want to read but also want to take part.

What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Just about everything.  The hosts for the hourly updates were wonderful!  I really enjoyed it.  For myself I like taking a pic with my phone every hour to have it to look back on.  I also love doing this with my husband and best friend.

How many books did you read?
I finished two and read from two others as well.

What were the names of the books you read?
Do You Promise Not To Tell? by Mary Jane Clark - Finished
Sabine's Notebook by Nick Pantock - Started and Finished
Aunt Dimity and The Duke by Nancy Atherton - Started and got a good ways into.
Lily Dale: Believing by Wendy Corsi Staub - Started and read the prologue and a tiny bit of the first chapter.

Which book did you enjoy most?
Do You Promise Not To Tell? and Aunt Dimity and The Duke

Which did you enjoy least?
I liked them all.

If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
Pace yourself, give yourself time to enjoy others blogs and make personal comments that show you have read at least some of their RAT posts.

How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Most definitely!  I look forward to the RATs all year!  I will be reading and cheering.

End of Hour Twenty One

This hour I read:

Aunt Dimity and The Duke by Nancy Atherton - 12 pages

I read for 15 minutes

Total pages read: 265

Total minutes read: 484

Books Finished: 2

I read in the bathtub and on the bed.  I desperately wanted to read more as this book is so good but I was too tired.

End of Hour Twenty

I am heading to a bath and bed.  I may read a bit more but not much and will update any I read tomorrow.  Good Night All!

End of Hour Nineteen

I spent the hour cheering and I made an awesome goal.  I made it through all the readers on my cheer team!  That was a total of 46 different blogs or twitter feeds.  If the person was reading and I was able to comment on their blog/twitter account I did.  Woohoo!

End of Hour Eighteen

This hour I read:

Aunt Dimity and The Duke by Nancy Atherton - 8 pages

I read for 41 minutes

Total pages read: 253

Total minutes read: 469

Books Finished: 2

Not sure how much I really read this hour as I went and got in my jammies, had a snack, ect.  I am slowing way down....

End of Hour Seventeen

More cheering this hour.  I made it to 8 blogs this time.  I am definitely having trouble concentrating but may try a snack to see if that helps.

End of Hour Sixteen

This hour I read:

Aunt Dimity and The Duke by Nancy Atherton - 8 pages

I read for 14 minutes

Total pages read: 245

Total minutes read: 428

Books Finished: 2

Lots of distractions this hour as the kiddos were getting restless, wanting their dinner.  I am getting sleepy as well.  Gotta get awake!

End of Hour Fifteen

I was cheering this hour and made it to 14 blogs.  I love seeing what other people are reading.

Mid-Event Survey

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?
Yep, and my shoulder is hurting.

2) What have you finished reading?
Do You Promise Not To Tell? by Mary Jane Clark
Sabine's Notebook by Nick Pantock

3) What is your favorite read so far?
Do You Promise Not To Tell? by Mary Jane Clark

4) What about your favorite snacks?
Combos and Reeses Pieces

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!
I am just starting to do some serious cheering now.  But I did find Recreation Reading highly amusing.

End of Hour Fourteen

This hour I read:

Lily Dale: Believing by Wendy Corsi Staub - 8 pages

I read for 14 minutes

Total pages read: 237

Total minutes read: 393

Books Finished: 2

Had to make a stop at Sonic on the way home from dinner to get a Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper and get some caffeine.

End of Hour Thirteen

This hour I read:

Aunt Dimity and The Duke by Nancy Atherton - 23 pages

I read for 53 minutes

Total pages read: 229

Total minutes read: 379

Books Finished: 2

End of Hour Twelve

This hour I read:

Aunt Dimity and The Duke by Nancy Atherton - 4 pages

I read for 10 minutes

Total pages read: 206

Total minutes read: 326

Books Finished: 2

End of Hour Eleven

This hour I read:

Aunt Dimity and The Duke by Nancy Atherton - 23 pages

I read for 39 minutes

Total pages read: 202

Total minutes read: 316

Books Finished: 2

Nancy and I started reading our chosen book to read together this hour.  So far it's pretty good.  This next hour we're heading to Panera for dinner but as it's our usual reading spot on Friday nights we'll be getting some reading done!

End of Hour Ten

This hour I read:

Sabine's Notebook by Nick Pantock - 44 pages - Finished It!

I read for 36 minutes

Total pages read: 202

Total minutes read: 277

Books Finished: 2

I started and finished Sabine's Notebook this hour.  I read the first in this series a few years ago.  They are so odd, full of art and handwritten letters.  Definitely unique.