Last year I kept a basic spreadsheet of the books I read for the year, the genres and a few other categories. I did this for my own interest because I wanted to see how many books I read and the breakdown in genres etc.
This is what I learned about my reading habits:
1. I still read mostly paranormal and sci-fi/futuristic titles - this wasn’t a big surprise to me.
2. I read a lot of contemporary titles.
3. Last year I made a return to historicals and romantic suspense - I hadn’t read many books from these genres in 2005/2006. I think this was because I overdosed on them in 2004. I enjoyed the titles I read in 2007 so it looks as if I’m ready to rumble again!
4. I continue to read a lot of new authors.
5. There were 18 books that I started and did not finish reading because of various factors such as boredom, writing style, subject matter. It surprised me that some of these were by big name authors, which goes to prove tastes can be very different.
6. There are several authors who write series that I have stopped reading because the books have started to read the same.
7. Two author series that I have remained loyal to are JD Robb’s In Death series. Some of the In Death books are slightly better than others but I always enjoy the growing relationship between Roarke and Eve along with the secondary characters. The other series is Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum. I know some people are frustrated with the love triangle between Stephanie, Joe and Ranger but not me. Can I say that I’m leaning toward Ranger? Go, Ranger!
8. Another author series that I’m really loving is Patricia Briggs Mercy series. It’s fabulous, and I can’t wait to read the most recent release.
9. I continue to read a mixture of paperback and ebooks. I really like that most of the New York publishers are offering their titles in eformat. Living in New Zealand and being a book junkie can be frustrating. With the cost of freight plus GST added onto our paperback books they’re very expensive. Ebooks are cheap and I get my fix instantly.
10. My favorite epublishers are Ellora’s Cave and Samhain. I find shopping at both of these easy and trouble free. The New York publisher that I tend to buy most is Berkley. They have some awesome releases.
11. I continue to read a mix of erotic and sensual romance.
12. All I want is a good story.
And a couple of non-book related lessons:
1. Make sure mouth is closed while riding my bike because you can bet a bug WILL fly inside. YUCK!!
2. When shopping for jeans go straight to the boot-cut medium rise in a dark color and you will get a fabulous fit. Heck, it only took me 40 odd years to work this out.
3. The little dog might be getting old but man, can she run fast. Watch her carefully at all times.
So, those are the things I learned during 2007. Did you learn anything interesting?
Definitely on the dark rinse jeans, and boot cut!!! LOOOVE them :)
I’ve never been a series reader, where the same character shows up in each book. For some reason I can’t get into them. I want closer at the end of each story! LOL.
You do a lot of reading, that’s fabulous. And I wince when I think about the shipping of books to NZ. I’m glad ebooks are coming out swinging!
by Shelli Stevens January 8th, 2008 at 1:36 pmI also love the Robb and Evanovitch series.
by Estella January 8th, 2008 at 2:32 pmNo matter how fast I read(about 250 books last year) there are more out there I want to read.
This has made me think, dang it, Shelley, LOL! I love reading about your habits, I think I might need to dwell upon this further . . . hmm . . .
Red *thinking, with a headache* LOL
HAPPY NEW YEAR, SHELL!
by Red January 8th, 2008 at 2:33 pmI enjoyed both the Evanvitch and Robb series too (in spite of the occasional technical improbability in the latter), but my reading was more (small “c”) catholic and included revisiting some old favorites from my youth as well as new works, such as
the biography of an autistic woman “Thinking in Pictures”. Lawrence Durrel’s “Alexandra Quartet” “Goodbye Cobber. God bless you” (the charge of the the Light Horse Regiment at the Nek on Gallipoli that became the film, “1915″) and “Never have your dog stuffed”, Alan Alda’s biography.
What did I learn?
Seventy is just a number.
I’m ready for the next step.
Five grandchildren keep you busy.
by Amy Gallow January 8th, 2008 at 4:19 pmShelli - yeah, yay for bootcut jeans!!
Estella - I have to agree. There are loads of great books out there to read. 250 is a very big number BTW!
Red - How are you? I hope that headache disappears soon.
Amy - Yes, age is just a number. Indulge the inner child and enjoy life. Five grandchildren would keep you very busy!
I’ve been enjoying the MASH reruns on TV here. Alan Alda’s character is a scream. Marjorie Jones who writes for Medallion Press has written two books set in Australia that might interest you. They’re called The Lighthorseman and The Flyer and are romances.
by Shelley Munro January 8th, 2008 at 4:44 pmI also love the Ward books. I never tire of them!
by Lillian Feisty January 8th, 2008 at 5:04 pmI’d forgotten about JR Ward. I “discovered” her during 2007 and read all the stories back to back. I didn’t enjoy the last book as much as the others but I’m looking forward to the next one nevertheless. Her male characters and the way they interact is what keeps me coming back rather than the romance.
by Shelley Munro January 8th, 2008 at 5:16 pmJR Ward was a discovery of mine this year too. I’ve never read Nora, but the In Death series really sounds like it would be right up my alley. I think I’m going to have to break down and pick the first one up.
I’m also reading a lot of new authors these days, and I have to say it’s the best thing I’ve done for myself. I’ve found some great new addictions.
by Christine d'Abo January 8th, 2008 at 6:20 pmMorelli all the way for me!!
by amanda ashby January 9th, 2008 at 4:13 pmI can so relate to #12. All I want is a good story, too.
LOL! Someone rode their bike with mouth open? Uggh!
And I love that the doggy has a lot of spunk in her yet. Go, doggy, go!
Best,
by Paz January 9th, 2008 at 8:55 pmPaz
Every year I learn to trust less.
by Connie January 12th, 2008 at 7:37 pm