My 2014 - 2015 Reading Year Wrap Up

This is just going to be talking about books. And maybe some math. If that's not your thing, come back next week when I hope to have a little more sewing/quilting/crafting progress to share. 

Some background:
In October of 2010, prompted by a very disappointing surprise cliff-hanger ending to a book I'd enjoyed up until that part, I started keeping track of the books I completed reading throughout that year. What I had intended to be a fairly simple list of title, author, and a short note or reaction quickly turned into a series of spoiler-filled summaries, and paragraphs of reactions. Later I started rating books on a 1-5 scale mostly based off my enjoyment and feelings immediately upon finishing the book. 

In the year between October 15, 2013 and October 14, 2014 I completed reading 74 books - which was about 22,380 pages (not including pages of sources, citations, previews for other books, or the pages of the 6 graphic novels I read). 

Of those 74 books: 

• 51 would probably be considered Young Adult
• 5 would probably be categorized as Romance (only)
• 3 were fairy tale retellings (a record low for me) 
• 9 were non-fiction
• 6 were graphic novels
• 3 were rereads from previous years  

Mathematically, I averaged just over 6 books per month.
The highest finishes by month happened in: February (8) then November/December/January/March/September (7 each).
The lowest finishes by month happened in: June and July (3 each)

My average rating was: 3.3 (mathematically, since I only rate in .5 increments). This is slightly lower than in the past. This year I did not rate anything as 5, but I had two 4.5 ratings: Marissa Meyer's "Cress" and Rainbow Rowell's "Landline." I did have one 1 rating, Jane Feather's "Trapped at the Altar," and as usual, I did not keep track of my 'did not finish' pile. I plan to keep better track of those in the coming year as it might be as useful to know. 

Looking back on the year, I'd say the standout titles were:

• "Cress" Marissa Meyer
• "Landline" Rainbow Rowell
• "Mastiff" Tamora Pierce
• "Flapper" Joshua Zeitz
• "Howl's Moving Castle" Diana Wynne Jones
• "Parenting Beyond Pink & Blue" Christia Spears Brown PhD
• "Trickster's Queen" Tamora Pierce

This list isn't necessarily the books I gave the highest ratings -- though this year it comes close -- but instead is comprised of the books I find myself still thinking about even months or longer after having finished them. I think that's probably a better determination of what's really caught my attention and gave me something to think on than a ranking I give immediately after reading. In all fairness, I continue to be absolutely haunted by one of my 2012-2013 standouts, "The Summer Prince" by Alaya Dawn Johnson, which I still think about on a monthly, sometimes weekly basis. 

Since I'm finding more time for reading than for sitting down and completing my thoughts, I've actually already finished a book for my 'new' year. I do still have two 'in progress' books I'm still working on -- one of which I'd really like to mark as a 'did not finish' and walk away from, but I also hate to 'waste' all those hours and not get to mark it as 'read' on my personal list or goodreads account.

I did not accomplish my goal of finishing the Game of Thrones series. In fact, I'm not sure I read any of it. I really need to do that in the coming month or two, especially since those books are on loan from a friend. Other goals for the coming year include tracking my 'did not finish' books, and hopefully hitting 80+ books in 2014-2015. I'm hopeful, but also realize I have a number of things on my plate that keep me from reading, and a lot more quilts needing finished than ever before (or perhaps I should say bigger, more time consuming quilts). I'm also working a record number of hours, all of which makes reading any more harder. 

As usual, this is probably far more interesting to me than anyone else, but I always look forward to getting to spend a few minutes wrapping up a years worth of reading. I may have started this whole process with the idea of keeping track of what I read - and which authors are worth going back to - but I've found the entire thing has improved my enjoyment of reading as a whole. I can't say I'm a better reader now than I was before, but spending an average of an hour thinking about each book while I recap it and react to it has made me more aware and more selective about what I find worth talking about or suggesting to others.  

Anyway - here's to a new reading year, and to all the books on my 'coming soon' list that are that much closer to falling into my eager hands! 

Doing Some Homework Over the Weekend

"Fresh Quilting"
"Modern Holiday"
"Shape Workshop for Quilters"
"Patchwork Please!"

Also, taking a walk -a very short one.

My 2012-2013 Reading List Wrap-Up

This is just going to be talking about books. And maybe some math. If that's not your thing, come back later in the week when I hope to have a little more sewing/quilting/crafting progress to share. 

Some background:
In October of 2010, prompted by a very disappointing surprise cliff-hanger ending to a book I'd enjoyed up until that part, I started keeping track of the books I completed reading throughout that year. What I had intended to be a fairly simple list of title, author, and a short note or reaction quickly turned into a series of spoiler-filled summaries, and paragraphs of reactions. Later I started rating books on a 1-5 scale mostly based off my enjoyment and feelings immediately upon finishing the book. 

In the year between October 15, 2012 and October 14, 2013 I completed reading 85 books - which was about 28,767 pages (not including pages of sources, citations, or previews for other books). 

Of those 85 books: 

• 43 would probably be considered Young Adult
• 7 would probably be categorized as Romance (only)
• 10 featured zombies or the equivalent undead type creatures
• 7 were fairy tale retellings 
• 4 were non-fiction
• 4 were graphic novels
• 4 were repeats from previous years (all from the 2010-2011 year actually)
• 12 were written, co-written, or edited by Mercedes Lackey (and none of them were re-reads since I started tracking in October of 2010). 
• 5 were written by Cherie Priest
• I also read multiple books from Julia Quinn, Robin LaFevers, Cassandra Clare, Kendare Blake, Jonathan Maberry, and Julie Campbell. 

Mathematically, I averaged just over 7 books per month.
The highest finishes by month happened in: January and February (9 each), March and April (8 each), and July (10). It's no surprise to me that these were the months where I spent the most time traveling or otherwise with less access to sewing machines and internet. 
The lowest finishes by month happened in: October (1 in the 2012 half month, 4 in the 2013 half month). 

My average rating was 3.5 - and despite giving out four 5 ratings, this year I didn't give any 1's. 

Looking back on the year, I'd say the standout titles were:

• "The Summer Prince" by Alaya Dawn Johnson
• "Bible, Gender, Sexuality" by James V Brownson
• "Scarlet" by Marissa Meyer
• "Vessel" by Sarah Beth Durst
• "Fire & Ash" by Jonathan Maberry
• "Below Stairs" by Margaret Powell
• "The Next Best Thing" by Jennifer Weiner
• "The She-Hulk Diaries" by Marta Acosta
• "Dark Triumph" by Robin LaFevers

This list doesn't include all the books I gave a '5' rating, but is mostly made up of the titles I find myself still thinking about even months after reading. I think that's probably a better determination of what's really caught my attention and gave me something to think on than a ranking I give immediately after reading. 

I have several books 'in progress' that I'm hoping to wrap up relatively soon. October being a half-month is a little bit of a motivator to get some of these finished at last. These include the third book in the Game of Thrones series (which I've been working on all year), three books that I'm reading aloud with my husband, and at least three more books I've started for my own enjoyment! 

As usual, this is probably far more interesting to me than anyone else, but I always look forward to getting to spend a few minutes wrapping up a years worth of reading. I may have started this whole process with the idea of keeping track of what I read - and which authors are worth going back to - but I've found the entire thing has improved my enjoyment of reading as a whole. I can't say I'm a better reader now than I was before, but spending an average of an hour thinking about each book while I recap it and react to it has made me more aware and more selective about what I find worth talking about or suggesting to others.  

Although I don't plan to change much going forward into my 2013-2014 reading year, I am going to push myself to finish more books this year. Not to have more books read at the end of the year, but to push a little harder to finish books I start but find difficult, dull, or want out of for any other reason. While this freedom to quit made for more fun and relaxing reading overall for the last couple years, in this coming year I'd like to get back to pushing myself a bit more to finish things that don't immediately seem worth the effort. 

Anyway - here's to a new reading year, and to all the books on my 'coming soon' list that are that much closer to falling into my eager hands! 

Winning!

I am not lucky. I have never in my life won anything in a contest. These days I rarely even bother to click through and go to the trouble of entering one, not even for a chance at adorable fabric. When I saw something go by my facebook feed about a contest to win a package from one of my favorite authors (the incredible Marissa Meyer), I didn't bother clicking on it to even see how to enter.

So it came as a total surprise to me when I got an email telling me I'd won. After double checking just to make sure this wasn't a very cleverly targeted scam, I responded, and look what arrived today!

Look at the beauty!

(There's an adorable hoodie too, still in the box at the moment, since it's about 80 degrees in the house.)

And although this prize came to me completely free - it's going to work out for everyone involved. There's no way I can own only book two of a four part series. So, I'm off to buy a copy of book number one (hardbound if I can find one, because I like things to match). And in a year, and again in another, I'll be lining up to get coordinating copies of books three and four.

And here I have to put in a plug for my amazing husband, who completely understands why I can't stand the idea of having only one book in a series - and especially not 'out of order.' Occasionally I can have just the first book and rely on a library for the rest, but just a second or just a third? Not going to happen. It also helps that these books are amazing. He loved "Cinder" (book one) and has been waiting impatiently to get an audio book for "Scarlet." Now that I won't have to hurry to get it back to the library for the next person in line, I can take the time to read it to him. 

And since I'm gushing without filters today, I'm going to say, this is probably the best thing that's come from me joining Pinterest. My first introduction to Marissa Meyer's "Cinder" was through a picture of the cover art, a tiny description, and a release date someone shared on Pinterest. Cue an immediate repin and joining the wait list at the library for a chance at it. Best pin yet.

Seriously, I fully recommend both "Cinder" and "Scarlet." I'm utterly obsessed with fairy tales and retellings of fairy tales, so I'm a bit biased...  but... a cyborg Cinderella, robots, mind control, a prince caught in a political situation that could have ramifications for the entire planet, a deadly plague? What more could you want!? 

So, um... I might just skip turning on the sewing machine tonight in favor of starting my second read through of this (actually, I'm going to start it as soon as I'm done gushing over it here).





I suppose I should say that I was in no way asked to write about these books. I'm just super excited to have a copy of "Scarlet," and a better reason to buy "Cinder" than 'I want it!' Should I ever write a post I get compensated for (unlikely even if it were offered), I will say so clearly.  

Zombies?

I may never sleep again. 

"Flesh & Bone" by Jonathan Maberry, Rot & Ruin Book 3

But I'll be happy about it.

I like fantasy - I just don't really like vampires, werewolves, or zombies. Or being scared.

(My exception to the vampire rule is "Sunshine" by Robin McKinley - but I still have to be in the mood and start that at the beginning of a day off. I cannot read it after dark, even though I've been reading it for years.)

Up until "Rot & Ruin," I'd more or less managed to avoid zombies all together. Everything about that sounded too intense for me. Then, somehow I wound up with this book about zombies. And it was amazing. The amazing comes from Maberry, not zombies as a whole. But put them together? And I'm hooked. Even branching out into other zombie stories.

I read the second book, "Dust & Decay" after Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws last year. Fortunately, most of them were distracted by the baby or the tv and didn't notice me shaking and crying by turns in the dining room.

Yesterday, I picked up "Flesh & Bone" - which the librarian had been kind enough to order at my query.

Today, it's going back. I started it at 9 pm. Despite my usual rule of sunlight makes scary books safer. I finished just after 1. And yes, I jumped every time the heater turned on or the cat moved. But it was totally worth it.

Now to find something to distract me from worrying over the characters until the fourth book comes out...

My 2011-2012 Reading List Wrap Up

This is just going to be talking about books. And maybe some math. If that's not your thing, come back Monday when I'll be back to talking about quilting and baking.

Some background:
In October of 2010, prompted by a very disappointing surprise cliff-hanger ending to a book I'd enjoyed up until that part, I started keeping track of the books I completed reading throughout that year. What I had intended to be a fairly simple list of title, author, and a short note or reaction quickly turned into a series of spoiler-filled summaries, and paragraphs of reactions. In that year, I read 104 unique books (with re-reads of some of the books to bring me to a grand total of 122). Going into the 2011-2012 year, I made one major change and began rating each book on a 1-5 scale.

In the year between October 15, 2011 and October 14, 2012 I completed reading 79 books.

• Of those 79 books: 
• 50 were categorized as Young Adult Fiction
• 26 fall under either fantasy or science fiction
• 22 came from the General Fiction area
• 13 were from the Romance section
• 11 were related to fairy tales or retellings of fairy tales
• 4 were non-fiction
• 2 featured zombies
• 6 were short story collections
• 6 were repeats from my 2010-2011 Year (and all 6 were written by the same author)
• 7 written by Julia Quinn
• 5 written by J. K. Rowling
• 4 written or edited by Mercedes Lackey
• 3 written or edited by Holly Black

Mathematically, I averaged 6.583 books per month.
The highest finishes by month happened in: December (10), April (9), August (8) and November (7)
(Each half of October had 5 finishes, which gives October 10 if treated as one month rather than two half-months)
The lowest finishes by month happened in: May (2) and September (3)

My average rating was 3.31.
I gave one rating of 5, and one rating of 1.

Looking back on the year, I'd say the standout titles were:

• "Cinder" by Marissa Meyer
• "Mistresses: A History of the Other Woman" Elizabeth Abbott
• "Black Heart" by Holly Black (the conclusion to "White Cat" and "Red Glove")
• "Every Day" David Leviathan
• "Forgotten" Cat Patrick
• "Young Warriors: Stories of Strength" edited by Tamora Pierce and Josepha Sherman
• "What to Go Private?" Sarah Darer Littman
• "A Night Like This" Julia Quinn
• "Breaking Beautiful" Jennifer Shaw Wolf
• The Agency Trilogy by Y. S. Lee
• "Dust & Decay" by Jonathan Maberry

In the 2011-2012 year, I didn't force myself to finish books I wasn't enjoying, and I spent a lot more time on other projects (2010-2011 only saw 2 quilt finishes and 1 work in progress, 2011-2012 has 5 finishes and 6 works in progress). Going into the 2012-2013 Year, I expect to continue more or less as I did this year. 

Oh, and just for fun, in 2010-2011, the 104 books (plus 10 audio books) took 126 Microsoft Word pages for the write ups and reactions.
In 2011-2012, the 79 books (plus 18 audio books) currently take 148 Microsoft Word pages for write ups, reactions, and ratings - and I have yet to write up 6 of the audio books). I blame most of that additional length on summaries for the short story collections and the Game of Thrones books. 

Amanda's October 15, 2011 - October 14, 2012 Reading List:

1.       “Sharks & Boys” Kristen Tracy

2.       “Beauty and the Werewolf” Mercedes Lackey

3.       “Dark Mirror” M. J. Putney

4.       “This Girl is Different” JJ Johnson

5.       “Wolves, Boys, and Other Things that Might Kill Me” Kristen Chandler

6.       “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” J.K. Rowling

7.       “Forgotten” Cat Patrick

8.       “Ice” Sarah Beth Durst

9.       “Pregnant Pause” Han Nolan

10.   “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” J. K. Rowling

11.   “Dust & Decay” Jonathan Maberry

12.   “Ruby Red” Kerstin Gier

13.   “Want to Go Private?” Sarah Darer Littman

14.   “The Hunger Games” Suzanne Collins

15.    “Drought” JPam Bachorz

16.    “Terrier: The Legend of Beka Cooper, Book 1” Tamora Pierce

17.   “Fateful” Claudia Gray

18.    “Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd” edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci

19.   “Happily Ever After” Edited by John Klima

20.   “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” JK Rowling

21.    “Alien Secrets” Annette Curtis Klause

22.    “Across the Great Barrier” Patricia Wrede

23.    “Spindle’s End” Robin McKinley

24.    “A Lady of His Own” Stephanie Laurens 

25.    “The Secret of Spring” Piers Anthony, Jo Anne Taeusch

26.    “The Amaranth Enchantment” Julie Berry

27.    “The Name of the Star” Maureen Johnson

28.    “Nicholas Dane” Melvin Burgess

29.    “Wildwood Dancing” Juliet Marillier

30.   “The Poison Eaters and Other Stories” Holly Black

31.   “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” JK Rowling

32.    “The Stars for a Light” Lynn Morris and Gilbert Morris

33.    “Withering Tights” Louise Rennison

34.    “Chime” Franny Billingsley

35.    “Mistresses: A History of the Other Woman” Elizabeth Abbott

36.    “Crossed” Ally Condie

37.    “Cinder” Marissa Meyer

38.    “The Agency: A Spy In the House” Y.S. Lee

39.    “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” JK Rowling

40.    “Huge” Sasha Paley

41.   “The Agency: The Body at the Tower” Y.S. Lee

42.    “Unnatural Issue” Mercedes Lackey

43.   “How they Met, and Other Stories” David Levithan

44.    “My Heart Stood Still” Lynn Kurland

45.    “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” Ransom Riggs

46.    “A Dance Through Time” Lynn Kurland

47.    “Life on Mars” Ed. Jonathan Strahan

48.   “A Practical Wedding” Meg Keene

49.   “The Kingdom of Childhood” Rebecca Coleman

50.    “The More I See You” Lynn Kurland

51.    “Looks” Madeleine George

52.    “Gwenhwyfar” The White Spirit” Mercedes Lackey

53.   “A Night Like This” Julia Quinn

54.    “The Grave Robber’s Apprentice” Allan Stratton

55.    “This is All I Ask” Lynn Kurland

56.    “Breaking Beautiful” Jennifer Shaw Wolf

57.    “Just like Heaven” Julia Quinn (reread from 2010-2011)

58.   “A City Not Forsaken” Lynn Morris & Gilbert Morris

59.    “How to Marry a Marquis” Julia Quinn (reread from 2010-2011)

60.   “Thank Heaven: a memoir” Leslie Caron

61.   “Young Warriors: Stories of Strength” edited by Tamora Pierce and Josepha Sherman

62.   “Dead Reckoning” Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill

63.    “The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever” Julia Quinn (reread from 2010-2011)

64.   “A Game of Thrones” George R. R. Martin

65.   “The Agency: The Traitor in the Tunnel” Y. S. Lee

66.    “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)” Mindy Kaling

67.    “The Far West” Patricia C Wrede

68.   “On The Way to the Wedding” Julia Quinn

69.   “Brighter than the Sun” Julia Quinn (reread from 2010-2011)

70.   “Toward the Sunrising” Lynn Morris & Gilbert Morris

71.   “The Sword of Truth” Gilbert Morris

72.   “Black Heart” Holly Black

73.    “Purity” Jackson Pearce

74.   “Every Day” David Leviathan

75.   “An Offer from a Gentleman” Julia Quinn (reread from 2010-2011)

76.   “The Viscount Who Loved Me” Julia Quinn (reread from 2010-2011)

77.   “On the Day I Died” Candace Fleming

78.   “A Clash of Kings” George R. R. Martin

79.   “Raven Quest” Sharon Stewart

Amanda's October 2011 - October 2012 Audio book consumption: 

1.       “Wrapped” Jennifer Bradbury

2.        “Leviathan” Scott Westerfield

3.       “Behemoth” Scott Westerfield

4.       “Goliath”  Scott Westerfield

5.       “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” J.K. Rowling

6.       “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” J.K. Rowling

7.       “Phoenix and Ashes” Mercedes Lackey

8.       “Unnatural Issue” Mercedes Lackey

9.       “Fire Rose” Mercedes Lackey

10.   “The Wizard of London” Mercedes Lackey

11.   “The Gates of Sleep” Mercedes Lackey

12.   “Reserved for the Cat” Mercedes Lackey

13.   “Serpent’s Shadow” Mercedes Lackey

14.   “Home from the Sea” Mercedes Lackey

15.   “The Westing Game” Ellen Raskin

16.   “Book of a Thousand Days” Shannon Hale

17.    “White Cat” Holly Black

18.   “Red Glove” Holly Black

·         Of these 18 audio books:

o   9 were repeats from my 2010-2011 Year:

o   Only 3 were new to me:

§  “Leviathan” Scott Westerfield

§  “Behemoth” Scott Westerfield

§  “Goliath”  Scott Westerfield

I think I have a problem...

I've never been one to dedicate myself solely to one book at a time, but between traveling, a rash of holds coming in at the library, and my main sewing machine being down, I think I've gotten a little carried away.

I've started all of these books:

• "The Outlaws of Sherwood" by Robin McKinley - I'm reading this one aloud to my husband (when we're not listening to other audio books) so it's slow progress
• "The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever" by Julia Quinn
• "A Game of Thrones" by George R. R. Martin - A friend (and co-watcher of the show) loaned me his copy last night. 
• "The Agency 3: The Traitor in the Tunnel" by Y.S. Lee
• "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)" by Mindy Kaling 
• "Toward the Sunrising" by Lynn Morris and Gilbert Morris
• "The Far West" by Patricia C Wrede

I'm enjoying each one, but none so much that I cannot switch between books. It helps that prior to gathering them for this photo, two were at the bedside, one was in the car, one was in my purse, one near the bathtub, one at the kitchen table, and one at my desk.

So, with no quilting to distract me (only the whole wide internet), I'm hoping to get several of these finished up in the next few days. Especially since I'm impatient to get to the others on my library card.

• "Bloodhound" by Tamora Pierce
• "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education" by Diane Ravitch 
• "Wench" by Dolen Perkins-Valdez 

None of which I will let myself start until I finish at least three of my 'already started' list.

So, if I'm quiet around here this week, don't worry. I'm probably in Sherwood, London, Winterfell, Reconstruction South Carolina, or an alternate/fantasy West.