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Monday, January 6, 2014

2013 Wrap Up

So I'm studiously avoiding watching the National Championship because it is very very bad for my stress level and I tend to yell when it's Auburn football time.  This means I now have time for a post I wasn't planning on making till tomorrow - the complete wrap up of 2013 reading!

Number of Books Read - 130

Favorite New to Me Author - Catherine Aird - stumbled on her by accident and so glad I did!  How did I just now discover her?  She's classic British mystery which is quite possibly my favorite type of mystery.

Most Read Author - L.M. Montgomery - big shock considering I spent most of the year rereading every book that she wrote

Favorite Book - I'm not counting the Montgomery's since I already went through them.  My favorite book this year was probably A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg.  It doesn't hurt that all the recipes I've tried from the book so far are really good.  I also reread and re-fell in love with The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  I got this right after I first got my kindle because it was free but not really expecting to like it as much as I did when I was a kid.  I loved it!  I probably enjoyed it more as an adult than I did the thousands of times I read this throughout elementary school.



Least Favorite Book -   I don't have very many 1 star books this year.  Mostly because I got better at just giving up on a book I wasn't enjoying.  There were 3 this year that I read from start to finish mostly because I expected them to get better.  My absolute least favorite was An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James.  I really feel like I should love P.D. James.  She's one of the classic names in British Police Procedural books.   I remember her being a bit dry so I thought this one which features Cordelia Gray instead of Adam Dagliesh might be a bit better.  Unfortunately the only thing I liked about this book was that it was short.



Breakdown by Genre-
Mystery - 39
Young Adult (includes the Montgomery's) - 37
Romance - 27 -
Non-Fiction - 23
General Fiction - 4

Not a bad spread.  I'd like to read more non-fiction books this year but I'm going to be so busy with the Agatha's I'm not making many other goals.  The main thing is to just READ!
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6 comments:

  1. KailanaJanuary 7, 2014 at 11:13 AM

    One day I should reread A Secret Garden. I haven't read it in years.

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    1. Katherine @ Cupcakes and Other RamblingsJanuary 7, 2014 at 12:59 PM

      You should! I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. It's also kind of a nice break to have a heroine who isn't quite as good and wholesome as the Montgomery girls! Especially at the beginning Mary's kind of a whiny brat.

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  2. Literary FelineJanuary 7, 2014 at 11:32 AM

    I have heard good things about A Homemade Life, and am glad to see you enjoyed it!

    I'm sorry you didn't like An Unsuitable Job for a Woman. I haven't read that one. I have enjoyed the P.D. James books I have read (all of two or three). She can be a bit dry, so I understand what you mean in that regard.

    I still haven't read anything by L.M. Montgomery. For shame, I know. :-( One of these days . . . Maybe with my daughter when she's old enough to enjoy the books!

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    1. Katherine @ Cupcakes and Other RamblingsJanuary 7, 2014 at 1:09 PM

      I haven't disliked the P.D. James in the past she's just never been an author I just don't love her books like I feel like I should. I like Dagliesh much better than Gray. I am kind of feeling the need to read a Dagliesh for comparison. I think I've got one knocking around here somewhere that I'll have to hunt up.
      No Montgomery! Definitely for shame :). If you're looking for one to start with my favorite is The Story Girl. It's a full length novel but has lots of stories embedded and is a great read aloud book. I think that was the first one I read to my daughter when she was little.

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  3. LisaJanuary 12, 2014 at 11:14 AM

    Don't you just love when a childhood favorite lives up to your memories?! A Little Princess was one of my all-time favorites and I've been nervous to reread it for fear of it not living up to my expectations. But given that I just read The Secret Garden and really liked it, I think Burnett will live up to my high hopes on a reread, too.

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    1. Katherine PJanuary 12, 2014 at 11:53 AM

      I do! I actually enjoyed The Secret Garden more as an adult I think. I've never read A Little Princess but it's on my (ever growing) list. I reread Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott about 10 years ago and was so disappointed I've been a little nervous about reading old favorites ever since!

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