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By Lonnie Cruse
How many books did you read last year? Did you keep count? Keep a list?
MY ANSWERS: I USED to keep a list but didn't this year. It's pretty easy to check what I read on my Kindle because Amazon keeps a list of books I download. Don't know how many paperback or hardback books I read. I know I read a lot. Hope to read more this year.
What are your answers?
What was your fave new read for 2009? Did you pick up any new books by the same author based on that experience?
MY ANSWERS: My fave was PRAYERS FOR SALE By Sandra Dallas. Yes, I picked up her entire set of books (I say "set" not "series" because each of her books stands alone, she doesn't repeat characters or settings) because I love her writing. She's not a mystery author, however.
In the mystery genre, my fave was anything by Donna Andrews, particularly the two I read in '09 that I hadn't collected before, I have a third on my TBR pile, and I'm nagging her on the Internet to write faster. She actually wrote an e-mail response to me saying she's typing as fast as she can. Gotta love that woman.
Did you re-read any books last year? Will you do any re-reads this year?
MY ANSWER: Yes, I re-read some Agatha Christies. They are my comfort read and while I have them all in an air-tight box in the shed (yes, I know I should be ashamed to leave her in the shed) I'm also downloading them to my Kindle from Amazon because they are cheap and I love re-reading Christie. I also re-read WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson (for the third time!) I'm not much into re-reading because I have soooo many interesting looking books in the house, on shelves and downloaded to my Kindle, that I can not possibly live long enough to read them all. I gotta keep plugging away on that TBR pile. But every now and then I need to re-visit an old fave.
What are your answers?
If you hope to read more this year than you did last year, given that you'll have the same amount of days, hours, and minutes as you had then, how will you pull it off?
MY ANSWER: I plan to MAKE the time. I've learned that if I leave anything until I "have" the time, it never happens. I have to MAKE the time, time for family, time for friends, time for writing, time for researching, time for crafts, and time for reading. Using my Kindle, carrying a book with me, reading before I go to sleep, taking time to slip off to the sun porch and stretch out and read . . . those are all part of the plan.
What are your answers?
I hope that all of us find more time to read more books this year, and better books than ever before. I hope libraries find funding to stay alive and provide all of us with much needed services, and I hope all of us remember to support our local libraries. I hope the publishing industry comes to grips with some of the outdated practices of printing and publishing books and embraces instead some newer ways of publishing that save paper (think trees) and costs less. I hope that more and more publishers convert their books to e-books at cheaper prices so Kindle owners (and owners of other e-readers) can afford them. I hope that more new writers find their way into print and that my favorite authors STAY in print, with new books for me to devour. Last of all, I hope your reading experience is even better and more fulfilling for you than any year in the past. And I hope that you will keep reading PDD and sharing your thoughts with us.
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7 comments:
127 that I finished (a few not finished that I don't count) and yes I kept a list.
Hard question to answer - I had a top 10 but to pick one...It's a real toss up between Tom Rob Smith's CHILD 44, Johan Theorin's ECHOES FROM THE DEAD or Malla Nunn's A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE. I've bought All three were debut authors (or debut in English translation) but Smith and Theorin have new books both of which I've bought already.
Like you I re-read a few Christies (in audio format though). I also re-read my favourite Douglas Adams book each year.
I hope to read around the same amount this year - more if I can I guess as I have so many books in my TBR pile. I really don't know where I'll find the time - more audio books as I walk, drive and do housework. And less TV (becoming easier and easier as there never appears to be much on that interests me). Just over half the books I read last year were by new to me authors and I hope to do the same again this year as I do like to support new authors as well as catch up with my old favourites.
1. I've read 272 book and yes I keep a count with an excel spreadsheet.
2. It's hard because I read so many books to pick out my favorite book in 2009. But if I have to pick, it would be anything by J.D. Robb.
3. Yes, I do re-read some of my books especially when I don't have any new to read books on my shelf.
4. I always find time to read, my goal is to read more books than I did the previous year, especially new-to-me authors.
My favorite new author discovered in 2009 was Ariana Franklin, author of the Mistress of the Art of Death series and the spectacular thriller City of Shadows. Among other merits, she writes terrific characters. My most enjoyable re-reads were out of genre: all the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon and all the Wilderness books by Sara Donati in order, building up to the new ones, which I read in January.
I've never kept a list, so I don't know how many books I read last year, but I know it was a lot! I decided to try keeping a list this year just for fun, and so far I've got 9 on there.
I don't really have a top pick, but certainly did enjoy "Prayers For Sale".
So far this year I haven't re-read anything, but I probably will.
Some new to me authors were J.B. Stanley and Robert Crais. Both really good writers.
Good luck to everyone and have a great year of reading!
My reading list for 2009 is pathetic -- 75 books, probably the smallest number since I started keeping records years ago. And I don't actually sit down and read nearly enough books -- I turn to recorded books so I can be doing something else at the same time. This year I want to spend more time reading.
A couple of the best books I read last year are The Last Child by John Hart and The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny. Both these books are going to win a ton of awards. My favorite book of all, not a mystery, was The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
I read 60 books last year, 5 a month. I thought that was pretty good but see the totals here and wonder what I was doing wasting time where I could have been reading.
Yes, I keep a list--so I can recommend books to friends and also not take books out of the library twice.
I found many authors whose books I liked: Stieg Larsson, Louise Ure, Kjell Eriksson, Elizabeth Zelvin, John Hart, Sandra Parshall, the Harry Bosch novels by Michael Connelly, Attica Locke, and revisited Maj Sjowall/Per Wahloo.
Great finds were: Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridasson whose 5 books at the library I raced through and Canadian author L.R. (Laurali Rose) Wright--two books of hers have been re-released by Felony and Mayhem. The Age of Dreaming by Nina Revoyr was also quite a book.
I'd like to read more but it takes time to get books from the library. My branch has only a shocking one bookshelf full of mysteries so one has to reserve books and wait for them.
An fyi: Just read "The Crossing Places," by British author Elly Griffiths. Coincidentally, Marilyn Stasio reviews it in this week's Crime column in the NYTBR.
It was very good.
In 2009, I read 120 books. My favorite was THE BOOK OF UNHOLY MISCHIEF by Elle Newmark. I don't have time to reread -- maybe sometime down the road. But I am starting to keep books for that purpose. My stated reading goal for 2010 isn't focusing on a number, but rather to read the big books in my TBR and continue in the many many series I'm working on. :)
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