Thursday, July 8, 2010

Halfway There - Top of the Pack



It's July and half of the year has passed. According to Shelfari, I am behind my reading pace of last year. It's true that I haven't been able to read quite as much as I did last year. Real life has a habit of intruding into my reading time.

2009 - 83 books
2010 - 71 books

I am happy to say that I was able to read a higher percentage of books published this year. My goal was to have half the books I read published in this year. That hasn't happened yet, but I still can make my goal.

2009 - 30% of my reading was published in 2009
2010 - 39% of my reading was published in 2010

Other fun facts, I decided to keep track of the number of pages I am reading.

23420 pages so far this year
129 pages per day

Now to the good stuff - my top 5 list of the best books this year (three of which I just read in June).



Urban Fantasy
Book 5 in Mercy Thompson series

Silver Borne is the most romantic book in this series.  Mercy is having to come to terms with her relationship to Adam and what that means in relation to the whole pack.  Mercy is such a likable, down-to-earth character readers can't help but fall in love with her, just like Adam.  Somehow trouble always comes knocking at Mercy's door and not always so politely either.  Mercy's latest adventure will keep the readers coming back for more.


Urban Fantasy
Book 4 in Kate Daniels series

Fans of the Kate Daniels series will celebrate and dance in the street because this series just keeps getting better and better.  Magic Bleeds finally delivers and lives up to romance readers' expectations with the combustible and passionate union between Kate and Curran.  Kate is the perfect combination of grit, determination and vulnerability with a healthy dose of sarcasm.  Magic Bleeds is enchanting.


Contemporary
Loosely related to SEALed with a Kiss and SEALed with a Promise

Fans of marriage of convenience themed romances won't want to miss SEALed with a Ring.  Daughtridge has done it again with her realistic portrayal of military men.  She takes two extraordinary characters, puts them in an ordinary situation that anyone can sympathize with and creates a poignant and emotionally charged romance. 


Historical
not part of a series

A Matter of Class is a shining example of the right way to write a shorter story without compromising character or plot development.  Coming in at just under 200 pages, A Matter of Class packs a big punch.  Using a different approach of two perspectives, one at present day and the other of the past where eventually they meet in the middle, makes this book a very unique reading experience.  Short and sweet, A Matter of Class truly is a gem.



Historical
Book 4 in Hathaway series

Fans of Ms. Kleypas will love this latest installment of the lovable, quirky Hathaway family.  Married by Morning is a charming read and Leo and Catherine sizzle and sparkle with many delightful scenes.  Ms. Kleypas is on top of her game and makes it all seem so effortless. 

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am so excited to see how much reading you have done. Keep it up. I have already bought the Kate Daniels series, and I am looking forward to diving in it asap!

Mollie said...

Wow that's still a lot of books! I had 2 really bad months. In both March and June I only finished ONE, yes, ONE book. :(

I'll have to add some of those books to my TBR pile if they're you're top picks! Thanks for sharing!

Leslie said...

Wow - I never thought to keep track of pages read. That's a lot and an interesting fact. I might try to calculate mine. :)

2 of yours are on my list and had I read Magic Bleeds, I'm guessing that would have made it too.

I'm reading Married by Morning now - I like Leo but haven't warmed up to Marks yet.

Jill D. said...

Firepages - Thanks for stopping by my website. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to read as much as I do, but I still wish I could read more. I hope you visit often.

Mollie - I would be so bummed out if I was only able to read one book in a month. I see you are reading Broken Wing by Judith James (goodreads). I haven't read that one yet, it is on my list.

Leslie - I have no idea what possesed me to keep track of pages, it just popped in my head and so I did. I thought it my be an interesting thing to keep track of and you know me an statistics!

Let me guess, the two books are A Matter of Class and Silver Borne? We have such similar taste in books, isn't it nice to find a book buddy!!??

I hope you warm up to Marks soon. I will be posting my review of Married by Morning soon.

Hilcia said...

Some great reading, Jill. And, some excellent picks! I loved A Matter of Class and Magic Bleeds. Married by Morning is a beautiful book too.

I still haven't read Patricia Briggs... that's a series I've put off reading for a long time.

nath said...

Your work has definitively been in the way of reading :( But hey, you're not far off your reading goals - 12 books/month. You're only 1 book off, so you're still good :d

I definitively need to read A Matter of Class. I finally bought it, but didn't pick it up yet ^_^;

As for reading 2010 releases, it seems that's all I'm doing ^_^;

You know what's funny about your top 5, 3 of them were books you've just recently read....

Jill D. said...

Hilcia - I think I read A Matter of Class based on your review - thank you so much for that.

Why are you putting off Patricia Briggs? You totaly need to get on that, LOL! It's a great series.

Nath - you could have a Matter of Class read in an afternoon, it's really short.

I wish I could read only 2010 release, but I am still catching up on all the past releases that I have managed to miss.