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Thursday, January 01, 2009

My 2008 Reading Year in Review

2008 wasn't a great reading year for me. I was too distracted by everything else (TWO kids! a fledgling etsy shop! all you awesome bloggers taking up my free time!) and didn't really focus on books like I wanted to do. In the end I read 41 books, missing my goal by 19.

This post will be my 2008 roundup, I'll post my goals for 2009 in another post. The 2007 version can be found here, 2006 here.

I didn't seem to read a lot of stand out titles this year, but the top five of what I DID read are:
  1. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson,
  2. gods in Alabama by Josilyn Jackson,
  3. Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs,
  4. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audry Niffenegger,
  5. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs. (I love Patricia Briggs.)
Links to my reviews at the end of this post.

41 books read (titles listed at the end)
Of those:
9 adult fiction (including chick-lit)
5 YA fiction (including Meg Cabot, I couldn't decide where she belonged.)
2 romance
3 mystery
8 urban fantasy
14 non-fiction

Published in:
2008-7
2007-7
2006-7
2005-4
2004-3
2003-5
2002-3
2001-2
2000-2
1996-1

NO classics.
17 New to me authors (listed at the end.)
24 by women
13 by men
4 collections of essays
5 of the 12 on my personal TBR list.

So how did I do on my goals?

  • 60 books (5 a month) FAILED
  • 5 books off The Big List. The Big List is an ongoing list of books I “should” have read. These are mostly classics, and since I read 4 of them last year, I figure 5 is doable this year. FAILED
  • 1 book of short stories. FAILED
  • 1 Russian novel. FAILED
  • More by men. (only 14% in 2007) SUCESS
  • More non-fiction of any type. SUCESS
  • Try to read anything published in 2008 IN 2008. MODERATE SUCCESS
  • Complete my personal TBR Challenge list. This list is made of books that were hugely popular last year and that I own, but never got around to reading. FAILED
  • Continue blogging about what I’m reading. SUCESS

Not so good. This years goals will be simpler that's for sure!

The new to me authors were: Stephenie Meyer, Audrey Niffenegger, Shannon Hale, Jim Butcher, Barack Obama, Nick Hornby, Diane Setterfield, Katrina Firlik, Michael Lewis, Lisa See, James Lee Burke, Diablo Cody, Chris Rose, Beth Lisick, Laurie Halse Anderson, Josilyn Jackson, and William Bass & Jon Jefferson.

The full list, with links to reviews (when reviewed):
  1. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
  2. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
  3. 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time edited by
  4. Austenland by Shannon Hale
  5. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
  6. Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, Jennifer O’Connell, editor
  7. Sex and Sensibility, Genevieve Fields, editor
  8. Storm Front by Jim Butcher
  9. Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
  10. In the Midnight Rain by Ruth Wind
  11. Moneyball by Michael Lewis
  12. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
  13. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
  14. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
  15. The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke
  16. Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
  17. Candy Girl by Diablo Cody
  18. Bonk by Mary Roach
  19. Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris
  20. Toddler edited by Jennifer Margulis
  21. 1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose
  22. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
  23. Helping Me Help Myself by Beth Lisick
  24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
  25. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
  26. The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
  27. The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn
  28. gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
  29. Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich
  30. Heat Stroke by Rachel Caine
  31. Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
  32. Death’s Acre by William Bass and Jon Jefferson
  33. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
  34. Another Day in the Frontal Lobe by Katrina Firlik
  35. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
  36. Size 14 is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot
  37. Death Masks by Jim Butcher
  38. Mike, Mike, & Me by Wendy Markham
  39. Complications by Atul Gawande
  40. Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
  41. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
2009 goals to come soon!

15 comments:

  1. I think you did great to read that many books with two small children and a job. Happy New Year!

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  2. I've got some of your top books of the year on my TBR list for 2009. Congratulations on all the books you did read! Happy New Year!

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  3. With all you have going on, I think you did great!! I read Speak last year as well, and thought it was great. I also read the first 2 books in the Patricia Briggs series and loved them. Will have to finish the series this year.

    Happy New Year, Lisa, to you and yours!!

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  4. It still looks like you accomplished a lot of reading in 2008. Have a great new year!

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  5. I don't know how you moms get *any* reading done. You did great!!

    Lezlie

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  6. LOL Yes, there are plenty of distractions to keep us away from reading sometimes. You did a good job anyway though!

    I'm planning to read The Time Traveler's Wife this year (the movie's coming out after all).

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  7. I am doing that 100+ reading challenge because it is so flexible and all books count but I don't do well with challenge typically and then I always feel like a total loser when I have to post about my shortcomings. LOL.

    It is hard with two kids. I can vouch for that. Although it is getting easier for me with the little one now 5-years-old.

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  8. 41 books is still great!! The Time Traveler's Wife is on my all time top list--glad you liked it!

    Happy New Year!

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  9. The Saturday Review at Semicolon this Saturday is dedicated to book lists. You’re invited to share a link to yours on Saturday.

    Speak is a good book. I'll have to take a look at Patricia Briggs since your recommend her so highly.

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  10. I love Patricia Briggs, too! 1 month and a day until her new book!

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  11. I think you did a great job! Little ones demand so much time, and deservedly so. Happy New Year!

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  12. While I read 62 books in 2008 I did with two kids as well BUT no job - so I think your 41 is very impressive. I know how time disappears with two young kids and reading all the book blogs!

    I loved the Polysyllabic Spree and Complications and would like to read something by Barack Obama this year. I am currently dipping into Mary Roach's earlier book, Stiff. I like her writing style :-)

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  13. Hi Lisa!
    Great job on your reading accomplishments in 2008. Even though you didn't necessarily reach your goals, you should still feel great about what you did manage to finish! Good for you!

    p.s. I love Patricia Briggs, too. I just discovered her in 2008. Can't wait to read her upcoming novels!

    Happy Reading in 2009! :)

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  14. I have several of these books on my shelf to read for this year. Speak being one of them. Glad to see its in your top 5. Reading 41 books in a year is nothing to sneeze at. Congrats.

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  15. I wanted to drop by and wish you a Happy New Year. Yes, I know it's the fifth of the month. I'm so sorry. The book challenges have taken over my life right now.

    Anyway, this is going to be a great year in books! :)

    ReplyDelete

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