Can you believe that half of 2009 has already passed? I always like to post summaries of my reading habits and what better time than at the halfway mark. At the beginning of the year I set new reading goals. This year I wanted to be able to read a minimum of 12 books a month and was hoping for 150 total for the year.
Am I on target, so far?
Drumroll please....
YES!! I have read 82 books, which is 7 more than the goal I set forth. Of those 82 books, 25 of them have been published this year. I was hoping to have read a larger percentage of books written this year - about half actually.
Here is a listing of those 25 books in the order of best to worst:
1.
Men of the Otherworld, Armstrong (Urban Fantasy)
A2.
Hard and Fast, McCarthy (Contemporary)
A3.
Bone Crossed, Briggs (Urban Fantasy)
A4.
Dark of Night, Brockmann (Romantic Suspense)
A5.
To Beguile a Beast, Hoyt (Historical)
B+6.
Kiss of a Demon King, Cole (Paranormal)
B+7.
Scandal, Jewel (Historical)
B+8.
Sunset Bay, Mallory (Contemporary)
B+9.
Dark Victory, Joyce (Time-Travel)
B+10.
Smooth Talking Stranger, Kleypas (Contemporary)
B11.
The Sins of Lord Easterbrook, Hunter (Historical)
B12.
Dayhunter, Drake (Urban Fantasy)
B13.
Deeper, Hart (Erotic)
B-14.
An Offer You Can't Refuse, Mansell (Contemporary)
B15.
Stranger, Hart (Erotic)
B-16.
True Love and Other Disasters, Gibson (Contemporary)
B-17.
Lone Star Surrender, Jones (Contemporary)
B-18.
Wicked Game, Jackson and Bush (Romantic Suspense)
C+19.
Under Her Skin, Mallery (Contemporary)
B-20.
Lover Revenged, Ward (Paranormal)
C+21.
Dawnkeepers, Andersen (Paranormal)
C+22.
Danger in a Red Dress, Dodd (Romantic Suspense)
C-23.
Cry for Passion, Schone (Historical/Erotic)
C24.
Red Kiss, Knight (Paranormal)
D25.
Witch Heart, Bast (Paranormal)
DNFTop Five Reads for 2009.1.
Men of the Otherworld completely blew me away. I am not a fan of anthologies at all, but this one did not read like a typical one because the stories flowed smoothly from one to the next. Since the stories were about Clay and Jeremy it was even better. Finally, fans of the series get the background on how Jeremy came to adopt Clay into his family. You can learn more about this series
here.
2.
Hard and Fast is a perfect example of why I love contemporary romance. I read this book in a day and was laughing out loud while reading it. Imogen and Ty just cracked me up. I am a sucker for opposites attract and witty dialogue and this book had it in spades. It was sexy and sweet all at the same time and I loved every minute of it.
3.
Bone Crossed is another excellent addition to the Mercy Thompson series, which is quickly becoming one of my favorites! Mercy along with her diverse crew of supernatural friends are still learning the ropes now that they have been "outed" to the human world. Mercy continues to engage readers with her friendly, down-to-earth manner. Readers can't help but fall in love with her. Get more information about this series
here.
4.
Dark of Night while not Brockmann's best work, still pulls out all the stops with the 14th book in the Troubleshooter Series. Many fans were sceptical of whether or not Brockmann would be able to pull off a satisfactory ending to the triangle between Sophia, Dave and Decker. My only answer to that is readers just need to trust Suz! She delivers - no doubt about it. Everything a reader could ask for in a romance is in this book. Brockmann will make you laugh, she will make you cry and she will make you feel every emotion in between. More information on this series can be found
here.
5.
To Beguile a Beast is a clever adaptation of the popular theme of Beauty and the Beast. The story itself is mostly character driven. While not providing a lot of action, Helen and Alistair's romantic journey is more than enough to hold a reader's interest. Hoyt pens a sharp, witty tale that is sure to capture the hearts of many. More information on this series can be found
here.
How about you - agree, disagree? What are your top reads for 2009?
