1. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
2. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness D’Orczy
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
4. Blackout by Connie Willis
5. The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
6. Carolina Moon by Nora Roberts
7. Vision in White by Nora Roberts
8. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
9. Three Fates by Nora Roberts
10. Room by Emma Donoghue
11. All Clear by Connie Willis
12. Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts
13. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
14. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
15. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
16. The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond
17. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
18. The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie
19. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
20. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
21. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
22. Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts
23. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
24. The Giver by Lois Lowry
25. One Day by David Nicholls
26. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
27. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
28. A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
29. Fallen by Lauren Kate
30. Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
31. Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts
32. Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
33. Where She Went by Gayle Forman
34. Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
35. Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
36. A Feast For Crows by George R. R. Martin
37. A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
38. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
39. Bumped by Megan McCafferty
40. Drought by Pam Bachorz
41. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
42. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
43. Ape House by Sara Gruen
44. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
45. Bossypants by Tina Fey
46. Gossamer by Lois Lowry
47. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
48. Moneyball by Michael Lewis
49. The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye
50. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
51. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
52. The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout

Well I certainly came down to the wire with my books this year. Looking back at 2010’s list, I really didn’t remember that I read so much last year. 52 books as a goal was a perfectly reasonable one for me, until my new-job-related exhaustion meant I pretty much didn’t read at all from the middle of September through the beginning of November. When I started my new job, I was 18 books ahead of schedule, and by early October, I was already behind. I rounded out the year with a lot of audiobooks, which both helped me feel like I was reading again, and also helped my progress toward my goal. The funny thing is that I don’t really think not being a librarian or being in a library every day really affected my reading progress, more getting used to a new routine, and not reading at lunch made a pretty big impact.

But what were my favorite books of the year? I was SO excited for A Dance with Dragons, and even though I was afraid to keep reading for fear of my favorite characters meeting untimely ends, the book was fantastic and although it was a bit slow at times, it lived up to my (high) expectations. The Bosspyants audiobook was amazing. I read a lot of YA as predicted, but my far and away favorites were Across the Universe and If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman. Gossamer was also so charming that I still think about it a few months after finishing it.

Another part of my goal (that I admittedly forgot about until I re-read last year’s post just now) was to read two classics that I hadn’t read before. And imagine that, I actually accomplished it despite forgetting about it. I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time this year (… I know. Especially since Jane Eyre is my very favorite, so it’s not like I’m afraid of books from that era.) and loved it so much more than I expected to. And I also read A Brave New World, which was only one of two books I was assigned to read in high school but didn’t actually read (the other being Crime and Punishment, which I started but just didn’t finish), a big deal for this book-loving rule-follower. I still think there are way, way too many classics that I haven’t read, and I’d really like to fix that.

So what will my 2012 reading goal be? I toyed with not having a goal at all, but I don’t know if that’s really in me. I should probably make my goal a bit lower, just because I haven’t been reading as much as I used to… but I don’t LIKE not reading as much. So my official 2012 reading goal is to read 45 books, with the full intention to completely crush that goal. I will also read at least three more classics that are new to me, including another by Jane Austen.

In Previous Years…
Books Read in 2010
Books Read in 2009
Books Read in 2008
Books Read in 2007
Books Read in 2006
Books Read in 2005