Here we are at the closing of the year, so I thought I’d bring to the blog page that reading log I’ve been keeping all year, up in the pages tabs.
Not sure if I’ll be keeping a public one next year. There will be some exciting additions to the pages here on the website/blog as the release date for Burning Sky, my debut novel, approaches next year. Which means some of those pages will have to make room. But it’s for a good cause, don’t you think?
There’s so much I can’t wait to share with you! Like… the cover. I’ve had a sneak peek at an early version of the design, which left me so happy I danced around the room for a bit.
So here are the books I’ve read thus far in 2012. There’s still a couple of weeks to add a few more to the list, but with the busy holidays upon us, who can say how far I’ll get. I’d like to round it off to an even 80 (22 books more than I read last year) if I can. A worthy End Year’s Resolution!
I’m sure to add at least one more, the book I’m nearly finished reading now, Fairer Than Morning, by Rosslyn Elliot, the first in her series about the Hanby family of Ohio. I’m very much enjoying it.
Do you see any books you read this year on my list? Any of them turn out to be favorites?
Update: Made it to 80 81!
Books I’ve read in 2012:
Fiction
1. The Art of Romance, by Kaye Dacus
2. Turnabout’s Fair Play, by Kaye Dacus
3. A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters (audio)
4. The Apothecary’s Daughter, by Julie Klassen
5. Love’s Sacred Song, by Mesu Andrews
6. The Confession, by John Grisham (audio)
7. The Loom, by Shella Gillus
8. A Town Like Alice, by Nevil Shute (audio)
9. The Messenger, by Siri Mitchell
10. River of Danger, by Denise Williamson YA
11. Summer of the Danes, by Ellis Peters (audio)
12. Flame-Colored Taffeta, by Rosemary Sutcliff YA
13. The Hinterlands: A Mountain Tale in Three Parts, by Robert Morgan
14. To Die For, by Sandra Byrd,
15. The Double Comfort Safari Club, by Alexander McCall Smith (audio)
16. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte(audio)
17. Prize of My Heart, by Lisa Norato
18. The Forgotten Affairs of Youth, by Alexander McCall Smith (audio)
19. The Fiddler, by Beverly Lewis
20. The Charming Quirks of Others, by Alexander McCall Smith (audio)
21. A Love Forbidden, by Kathleen Morgan
22. Looking For The King, an Inklings novel, by David C. Downing
23. The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield (audio)
24. The Sunday Philosophy Club, by Alexander McCall Smith (audio)
25. Walks Alone, by Sandi Rog (ebook)
26. From Sea to Shining Sea, by James Alexander Thom
27. To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis (audio)
28. Bourne, by Lisa T. Bergren (ebook) YA
29. Tributary, by Lisa T. Bergren (ebook) YA
30. The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday, by Alexander McCall Smith (audio)
31. Wildflowers From Winter by Katie Ganshert
32. Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith (audio)
33. Reservation Road by John Burnham Schwartz
34. The Right Attitude To Rain by Alexander McCall Smith (audio)
35. Blackout by Connie Willis (audio)
36. Death Comes To Pemberley, by P. D. James (audio)
37. Lying on Sunday, by Sharon K. Souza
38. Pearl in the Sand, by Tessa Afshar (ebook)
39. The Shadowy Horses, by Susanna Kearsley
40. The Shadow Catcher’s Daughter, by Carla Olson Gade
41. All Clear, by Connie Willis (audio)
42. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party, by Alexander McCall Smith (audio)
43. Precious Bones, by Mika Ashley-Hollinger YA
44. Short-Straw Bride, by Karen Witemeyer (ebook)
45. The Red Heart, by James Alexander Thom
46. Be Still My Soul, by Joanne Bischof
47. Standing in the Light, the Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan, by Mary Pope Osborne YA
48. A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows, by Diana Gabaldon (ebook)
49. La’s Orchestra Saves The World, by Alexander McCall Smith (audio)
update: 50. Fairer Than Morning, by Rosslyn Elliott
Nonfiction (I read the entire book or a significant portion of it for research)
1. Empires Collide: The French and Indian War 1754-1763, by Ruth Sheppard
2. Wilderness Empire, by Allan W. Eckert
3. Crucible of War, by Fred Anderson
4. Redcoat Officer, 1740-1815, by Stuart Reid
5. The Siege of Fort William Henry, by Ben Hughes
6. Massacre At Fort William Henry, David R. Starbuck
7. The British Army in North America 1775-1783, by Robin May
8. Wilderness Empire, by Allan W. Eckert
9. A History of Schenectady During the Revolution, by Willis T. Hanson Jr.
10. Bloody Mohawk, by Richard Berleth
11. The Wilderness War by Allan W. Eckert
12. Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer, by Roy Peter Clark
13. The Oneida Indian Experience, edited by Jack Campisi and Laurence M. Hauptman
14. White Savage, William Johnson and the Invention of America, by Fintan O’Toole
15. People of the Standing Stone, by Karin M. Tiro
16. Save the Cat, by Blake Snyder
17. In the Heart of the Sea, The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick
18. Scottish Emigration to Colonial America, 1607-1785 by David Dobson
19. The Highland Scots of North Carolina, 1732-1776 by Duane Meyer
20. A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland by Samuel Johnson and James Boswell
21. Bonnie Prince Charlie, by Carolly Erickson (audio)
22. University Life in Eighteenth-Century Oxford, by Graham Midgley
23. Forgotten Allies, by Joseph T. Glatthaar & James Kirby Martin
24. The Divided Ground, by Alan Taylor
25. The Iroquois in the American Revolution, by Barbara Graymont
26. In Their Own Words, Native-American Voices from the American Revolution by Alan Fitzpatrick
27. Oneida Iroquois Folklore, Myth, and History by Anthony Wonderley
28. Wired For Story, by Lisa Cron
29. Native Carolinians, The Indians of North Carolina, by Theda Perdue
update 30. Iroquois Diplomacy on the Early American Frontier, by Timothy J. Shannon
update 31. Streams in the Desert, by L.B. Cowman
Wasn't The Apothecary's Daughter fabulous? That one still might be might favorite Klassen, although Girl in the Gatehouse was great too.
Yes. It took me a bit to get hooked, but I'm glad I waited for it. I haven't read the Girl in the Gatehouse, but just downloaded that to my PC Kindle, so it'll make 2013's list. One of the reasons I read more this year is because of that Kindle on the laptop. I ride an stationary bike most days, and now I read off the screen instead of watching a DVD more often than not now. I never liked trying to hold a book while I was riding. It made my shoulders ache.
Hm. I need to use my elliptical. I'll have to try to rig something up. Even reading a Kindle is difficult because of having to turn the page so often.
I keep the laptop on a table just within arm's reach, to turn the page, but you're right. Where's my voice command??? 🙂
Great list! What did you think of Nevil Shute? I've only read On the Beach, but couldn't stand it!
Ooh, what's that Inklings book?
Merry Christmas Deniz!
I enjoyed A Town Like Alice. I think he actually made me cry. I decided to read that after one of my favorite authors, Susanna Kearsley, recommended it as one of her favs. The reader was good for that one, too. Sometimes a good audio reader can make an okay book much better, but ATLA was better than just okay. 🙂
The Inklings book… while I think it's worth reading, and I found it entertaining, some aspects of the story felt a little skimpy. Where it really shines is in the scenes where the main characters interact with the Inklings, most notably Tolkien and Lewis. The writer's love and respect for these men shines through. I felt like I was there with them.
Thanks for the review, Lori! I'm always interested in anything to do with the Inklings.
I see Connie Willis keeps popping up. Have you read The Doomsday Book?
I'd like to get back to reading more. Ten or so years ago, I was averaging three to four novels a month, which was way slower than I used to do before I started writing. Now I look back on that and wish I could reach that number again.
I read The Doomsday Book a few years ago, but of all her books I've read so far, I liked it the least. I found it dark and depressing (though interesting for the historical aspects). I much prefer To Say Nothing of the Dog, and listen to that once a year, on average. Black Out and All Clear were good, but could have used some trimming.
I just got Flame of Resistance in the mail today. That's one I mentioned to you before, by the author of Madman (which I thought was an excellent novel). I may squeeze that in before the end of the year, if it's as engrossing as Madman. I'm already up to 80. 🙂
Did you have a favorite read of 2012?