It's almost hard to believe half of the year is gone by already. My reading goal is to surpass last year's total of 213 books read by at least one book. End of June are best and worst listed.
Challenges begun and status:
WWII challenge 3/6 read
Chick Lit Challenge 9/10 (2 not reviewed)
Cozy Mystery Challenge 6/6 read ~ completed
January 5,372 pages read
I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson 3*** 337 pp
Night of Many Dreams by Gail Tsukiyama 3*** 275 pp
Scot On The Rocks by Brenda Janowitz 4 ***** 295 pp
Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani 4.5 **** 263 pp
The Christmas Edition by Robin Shope 4**** 236 pp
Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons 4**** 358 pp
The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes by Marlane Kennedy 4**** 240 pp
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks 4**** 372 pp
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford 5***** 290 pp
Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson 3 *** 309 pp
The Good Sister by Diana Diamond 4**** 296 pp
Collision of Angels by Michael Carver 2.5** 438 pp
Firefly lane by Kristin Hannah 4**** 479 pp
Good-Bye and Amen by Beth Gutcheon 3 *** 279 pp
The Kiss Murder by Mehmet Murat Somer 2.5** 256 pp
Little Skink's Tail by Janet Halfmann 5***** 32 pp
Faithful unto Death by Caroline Graham 5 ***** 311 pp
Delicate Edible Birds by Lauren Groff 2** 306 pp
February 5136 pages read
Rococo by Adriana Trigiani 4**** 272 pp
Vineyard Chill by Philip Craig 4**** 256
Death by Latte by Linda Gerber 3*** 224 pp
Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper 3.5 *** 384 pp
The Help by Kathryn Stockett 5***** 464 pp
The Pre-Nup by Beth Kendrick 4**** 304 pp
Waggitt Again by Peter Howe 3*** 304 pp
A Fool and His Honey by Charlaine Harris 4**** 272 pp
Big Cherry Holler by Adriana Trigiani 4**** 304 pp
The Language of Threads by Gail Tsukiyama 4.5**** 288 pp
Death of a Witch by M.C.Beaton 4**** 256 pp
Irreplaceable by Stephen Lovely 4**** 352 pp
Death by Pantyhose by Laura Levine 4**** 256 pp
Unpolished Gem by Alice Pung 3*** 304 pp
The Italian Lover by Robert Hellenga 4**** 368 pp
Dating Da Vinci by Malena Lott 3*** 288 pp
Death by Bikini by Linda Gerber3*** 240 pp
March 4918 pages read
The Suburban Dragon by Garasamo Maccagnone 5***** 50 pp
To My Senses by Alexandrea Weis 3*** 336 pp
Dead Man Docking by Mary Daheim 3*** 320 pp
Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs 4**** 384 pp
Sonata for Miriam by Linda Olsson 4**** 304 pp
Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly 5***** 576 pp
Oolong Dead by Laura Childs 5***** 336 pp
MacKenzie Blue by Tina Wells 4**** 224 pp
Life Sentences by Laura Lippman3*** 352 pp
Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean 5***** 432 pp
Murder at Madingley Grange by Caroline Graham 4***** 292 pp
A Recipe 4 Robbery by Marybeth Kelsey 4**** 288 pp
Third Strike by Philip Craig & William Tapply 5***** 336 pp
Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry 3*** 288 pp
Sweet Waters: An Otter Bay Novel by Julie Carobini 3***400 pp
April 5444 pages read
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe 5***** 384 pp
Stiffs and Swine by J.B. Stanley 4**** 288 pp
The Battered Body by J.B. Stanley 4**** 312 pp
The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society by Beth Pattillo 4**** 352 pp
Steamed by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant 2** 320 pp
The Local News by Miriam Gershow 3*** 368 pp
The Towering World of Jimmy Choo by Lauren Goldstein Crowe and Sagra Maceira De Rosen 2** 240 pp
The Witch's Grave by Shirley Damsgaard 4**** 272 pp
A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick 4**** 400pp
The Big Dig by Linda Barnes 4**** 352 pp
Dare to Die by Carolyn Hart 5***** 304 pp
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Janet Halfmann 4**** 32 pp
Plot Counter-Plot by Anna Clarke 3*** 192 pp
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton 5***** 560 pp
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See 4**** 336 pp
The Walking People by Mary Beth Keane **** 416 pp
Tender Graces by Kathryn Magendie 4.5 ***** 316 pp
May 7542 pages read
Letter from Home by Carolyn Hart 4**** 272 pp
Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell 4**** 288 pp
A Murderous Innocence by Susan Oleksiw 3.5*** 263 pp
Cream Puff Murder by Joanne Fluke 3*** 288 pp
The Tree of Death by Marcia Muller 3.5*** 208 pp
Cut, Crop & Die by Joanna Campbell Slan 4.5**** 336 pp
Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah 4**** 432 pp
Paper, Scissors, Death by Joanna Campbell Slan 4.5**** 336 pp
A Highland Christmas by M.C. Beaton 4**** 160 pp
Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer 4.5**** 640 pp
Fault Line by Barry Eisler 4.5 **** 320 pp
Mating Rituals of the North American Wasp by Lauren Lipton 4**** 368 pp Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch 2** 272 pp
It Happened in Italy by Elizabeth Bettina 4**** 384 pp
Mounting Fears by Stuart Woods 4**** 304 pp
Murder Under Blue Skies by Willard Scott & Bill Crider 3*** 368 pp
Desert Sinner by Ralph McInerney 3*** 250 pp
Saints in Limbo by River Jordan 4.5***** 352 pp
High Water by Lynn Hightower 3*** 336 pp
A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore 3.5 *** 432 pp
September by Rosamund Pilcher 4**** 613 pp
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich 5***** 320 pp
June 5064 pages read
Deception by Christiane Heggan 4**** 378 pp
Sister Chicks in Wooden Shoes by Robin Jones Gunn 2.5** 288 pp
Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin 3.5*** 352 pp
The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian 4**** 288 pp
Worshipful Lucia by E.F. Benson 4.5**** 175 pp
Only You by Deborah Grace Staley 4 **** 208 pp
The Captain's Bride by Lisa Tawn Bergren 4.5**** 400 pp
Tomorrow's Treasure by Linda Lee Chaikin 4**** 392 pp
The Night Gardener by George Pelicanos 4**** 372 pp
The Dixie Divas by Virginia Brown 4.5**** 308 pp
The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha 5 *****353 pp
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater (audio) 2 hours
The Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford 3.5*** 350 pp
Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs 4**** 544 pp
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson 4.5**** 336 pp
Trouble for Lucia by E.F. Benson 4.5**** 176 pp
The Wackiest, Wildest, Wierdest Animals in the World by Jack Hanna 4 **** 32 pp
Midnight Sun by Lisa Tawn Bergren 4**** 384 pp
A Man to Call My Own by Johanna Lindsey 4**** 442 pp
Corpse Pose by Diana Killian 4**** 276 pp
A Killer Collection by J.B. Stanley 4**** 202 pp
6 month totals: 110 books / 34,668 pages read
There have been some amazing books published this year but the best four that I read are:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly
The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Probably the worst three I have read are:
Delicate Edible Birds by Lauren Groff
Steamed by Susan Conant and Jessica Conant-Park
Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch
The absolute worst book I started and gave up half way was Blonde Roots by Bernardine Evaristo. It's not on the read list because I absolutely could not finish it.
What has been your best and worst of this year so far?
Wow, you're doing great!
ReplyDeleteHoly mackerel! You are a reading machine!
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm impressed. You must be good at accounting. I have no idea how many books I've read, as I don't review them all or keep a record. But I'm gonna, now!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy you enjoyed The Crying Tree. It means a great deal to me when people can see the story for what it is, and learn to love the characters and their struggles as I have.
ReplyDeletemy you are ambitious :)
ReplyDeleteas I discussed in my Musing Monday post today, I refused to figure out any numbers or stats as regard to my reading. I have decided I have no reading goals at all...and am quite happy with it!...lol
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm totally impressed. At the same point in the year, I'm only at 32 books! And with all the books you've read, your top 4 and worst 4 seem more "worthwhile." You have more to compare to! I've heard nothing but good stuff about both The Help and The Forgotten Garden, both are on my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of books! Care to share some of those spare hours?
ReplyDeleteL. Diane Wolfe
www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
www.spunkonastick.net
www.thecircleoffriends.net
Of course it helps that I am retired and don't care too much about tv and live in Podunk Fl where there isn't a lot to do anyway. I'd rather read than dust and vacuum!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, you are doing fantastic. I'm coming back when I have a bit more time to check out some reviews and get a few more recommendations...not that I need to add to Mt TBR but hey I'd hate to miss something truly awesome!
ReplyDeleteOh Kaye, there are so many wonderful books on your list I don't know where to start! The Help is one of my faves too and I really want to read Galway Bay and The Crying Tree! You put me to shame with you 100+ books read! Even though I'm home now I still struggle for reading time. I always get such great recommendations from you!
ReplyDeleteYou know that I can relate to the Podunk Fl comment - I'm in the next county over!!
Wow, you're doing awesome! I have a ton of blog housekeeping to do just to figure out where I'm at. lol.
ReplyDeleteVery impressive! A lofty goal. Keep up the great reading :)
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, you've read A LOT of books!!
ReplyDeleteYou've done amazingly well in the first half of the year!
ReplyDeleteYou have been nominated for an award. Go here:
ReplyDeletehttp://yankeeromancereviewers.blogspot.com/2009/07/weve-been-awarded.html
huggs,
Terra
Congrats on all of your reading! I would love to be able to read that much! The Help and Galway Bay are two of my faves this year too. I thought Delicate Edible birds was pretty good, but I totally agree with you that Blonde Roots was hard to read.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad you didn't like Delicate Edible Birds. I thought it was really good.
ReplyDeleteFANTASTIC WRAP up... I am so inspired.
ReplyDelete