1. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
2. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
3. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
4. Sourdough by Robin Sloan
5. Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
6. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
7. Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson
8. Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts
9. Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan
10. The Huntress by Kate Quinn
11. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
12. Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
13. The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
14. Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
15. Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren
16. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
17. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
18. Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
19. Blood Magick by Nora Roberts
20. The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
21. The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
22. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
23. Well Met by Jen DeLuca
24. A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
25. The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
26. Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
27. A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
28. Long Bright River by Liz Moore
29. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
30. Beach Read by Emily Henry
31. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
32. So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
33. Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
34. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
35. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen
36. No Judgments by Meg Cabot
37. My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren
38. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
39. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
40. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
41. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
42. Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
43. No Offense by Meg Cabot
44. The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
45. The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
46. Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
47. The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
48. Extraordinary Parenting by Eloise Rickman
49. The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda
50. Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
51. Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
52. In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
53. My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins
54. Dune by Frank Herbert

2020 was a funny year for reading, but I suppose it was a funny year in basically every way possible. In my non-pandemic life, I was usually reading two books at a time: one audiobook during my commute, and a paper or ebook during lunch breaks, weekends, and at bedtimes. I’d set my goal to read 52 books during the year with that in mind. Once the pandemic started, I had a really hard time reading much of anything (understandably). However, I got back into the groove and then some once I realized that if I stuck to very light romance novels and a thriller here and there, it was the PERFECT distraction for the most difficult year in memory. Reading remains my escape, my stress relief, my sanity. I’ve felt for a long time that it really doesn’t matter what you’re reading; if you enjoy reading, who cares if you only ever read one genre. Or fast, or slowly, or only on audio, or if you think ebooks are horrible. Reading is reading and it is ALWAYS a good thing.

I’d normally finish this type of post with my reading goals for the new year, and frankly, it’s hard to set any goals for 2021, knowing that the pandemic is likely to get worse before it gets better. I set my goal to read 52 books again, and I really don’t know if that’s reasonable or not… but I’ll just keep picking out books and we’ll see what happens.

In Previous Years…
Books Read in 2019
Books Read in 2018
Books Read in 2017
Books Read in 2016
Books Read in 2015
Books Read in 2014
Books Read in 2013
Books Read in 2012
Books Read in 2011
Books Read in 2010
Books Read in 2009
Books Read in 2008
Books Read in 2007
Books Read in 2006
Books Read in 2005

1. All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
2. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
4. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
5. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
6. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
7. Good as Gone by Amy Gentry
8. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
9. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
10. Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts
11. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
12. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
13. The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally
14. My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
15. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
16. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
17. The Dispatcher by John Scalzi
18. All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
19. Becoming by Michelle Obama
20. Startup by Doree Shafrir
21. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
22. The River by Peter Heller
23. Circe by Madeline Miller
24. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
25. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny
26. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
27. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
28. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
29. The Magic of Motherhood by Ashlee Gadd
30. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
31. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
32. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
33. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
34. Verity by Colleen Hoover
35. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
36. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
37. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
38. The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
39. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
40. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
41. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
42. Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell
43. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
44. Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
45. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
46. Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
47. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
48. Dark Witch by Nora Roberts
49. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
50. Big Dreams, Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe
51. Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber
52. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
53. Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

In Previous Years…
Books Read in 2018
Books Read in 2017
Books Read in 2016
Books Read in 2015
Books Read in 2014
Books Read in 2013
Books Read in 2012
Books Read in 2011
Books Read in 2010
Books Read in 2009
Books Read in 2008
Books Read in 2007
Books Read in 2006
Books Read in 2005

1. Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
2. Sabriel by Garth Nix
3. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
4. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
5. Chiefs by Stuart Woods
6. Cress by Marissa Meyer
7. The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
8. Winter by Marissa Meyer
9. 11/22/63 by Steven King*
10. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
11. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
12. Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson
13. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
14. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater*
15. The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater*
16. The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
17. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare*
18. Come Sundown by Nora Roberts
19. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
20. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare*
21. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
22. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
23. Clockwork Angel, Cassandra Clare*
24. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
25. Runaways, vol. 1 : Pride and Joy, by Brian K. Vaughn
26. Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell
27. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult*
28. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow*
29. Emma by Jane Austen*
30. Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
31. Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
32. Oh Crap! Potty Training by Jamie Glowacki
33. Heartless by Marissa Meyer*
34. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare*
35. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
36. The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney*
37. Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple*
38. The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman
39. This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel*
40. Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman

Well! My goal was to read 40 books in 2017, and I did exactly that. I went back to work (and to my lengthy commute) in March, and started listening to audiobooks again (marked in my list with a star, 13 in total). Apparently I hadn’t listened to a single audiobook in the three years I was home with the kids!

It felt good to get back into a place where I’m reading a LOT. I always feel more like myself in the years of voracious reading. And this year, one of the hardest years I can ever remember, I absolutely wouldn’t have survived without books. Between the audiobooks to prevent my mind from cycling during the long hours in the car, inspiring stories of people overcoming crazy obstacles, funny stories about impossible things, mysteries and magic… yeah. In 2017, I finally got a Kindle, because reading on my iPad/phone was bothering my eyes too much, and I am absolutely looooving it. I’ve been slowly amassing a collection of kindle books when there are sales, which is, of course, expanding my already infinite “to read” list by leaps and bounds.

But I read a few really outstanding books this year – my absolute favorite was This Is How It Always Is, which was so full of wonderful quotes about life and parenthood that I want to buy a copy to underline it all. Everything I Never Told you was heartbreaking and tore me apart but I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks afterwards. I loved Turtles All the Way Down, and I’m SO glad that I read the biography of Alexander Hamilton (which was great on audio, too).

My goal for 2018 is to read 43 books – more than my average but not an unattainable goal, either. Last year, I resolved to finish the series I’ve loved in the past (Justin Cronin’s The Passage series and Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad)… neither of which I got to. So those are definitely on my 2018 list. I’d like to read one classic I haven’t read before. If you’re reading this, tell me a book you think I should read this year!

In Previous Years…
Books Read in 2016
Books Read in 2015
Books Read in 2014
Books Read in 2013
Books Read in 2012
Books Read in 2011
Books Read in 2010
Books Read in 2009
Books Read in 2008
Books Read in 2007
Books Read in 2006
Books Read in 2005

1. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
2. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy
3. The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancy
4. The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
5. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
6. On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle
7. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
8. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
9. Montana Sky by Nora Roberts
10. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
11. Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich
12. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
13. Through the Grinder by Cleo Coyle
14. Wonderfully Dysfunctional by Buffi Neal
15. The Happiest Toddler on the Block by Harvey Karp
16. The Passage by Justin Cronin
17. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
18. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling
19. The Last Child by John Hart
20. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
21. Leave Me by Gayle Forman
22. The Vacationers by Emma Straub
23. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
24. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
25. The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
26. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
27. 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
28. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
29. My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins
30. Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich

2016 was a really good year for reading. I wasn’t sure at the end of last year how reading would fall into my life as a mom of two, and I’m really glad that I found a way to make it work. I was hopeful in setting my 2016 reading goal at 30 books, and although I had to read 5 books in December to get there, I’m really pleased to report that I accomplished it (with a few days to spare, even!)

I still stand by my preference for reading during naptime; reading is one of the things that really makes me feel like myself, and while there’s ALWAYS something else I should be doing, taking a little time (when I can) to sit with my coffee and a book is never something I regret. I’ve been struggling with a lot of my other hobbies (photography, scrapbooking, hell anything crafty whatsoever) this year, and in 2016, reading was the one thing I returned to. I probably say it every time I write this year-end post, but reading a lot of books is a big part of my self-identity, and it helps to remember that when I start to feel a little bit lost. (Two and a half years into this stay at home mom life, and I’m still trying to figure it out in so many ways. It’s too bad I don’t have a blog where I could write about it 😉 )

I read some really good books this year! And some other books I really didn’t care for. I started a few new series, including the Stephanie Plum series, which I never read way back in the day, and those have been great when I need something fun and quick that I can just finish. I started a few new YA series that I’m looking forward to finishing (The Raven Cycle and the Lunar Chronicles), and I read way more adult fiction than I EVER do…. wondering the whole time if adult fiction is so dark and/or depressing and/or full of affairs and awful people, if I’m really missing anything at all by largely avoiding the genre.

My favorite books of 2016 were by far The Nightingale (if you haven’t read this, you really should), Big Little Lies (late to the game on this but it was different and interesting), My True Love Gave to Me (such a sweet collection of YA holiday-themed stories; I’ll definitely come back to this year after year), and Cinder. Some of the adult novels (The Vacationers, Leave Me, Fates and Furies) were super well written but full of characters I disliked, and therefore I have trouble recommending them.

So! What will my goal for 2017 be? To be honest, I sort of want to go big and set my goal at 52 to have something to work toward… but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I don’t have THAT much time on my hands. My average is 40 books, so I think I’ll aim to read that many, and maybe even a few more. I’d like to finish some of the series I’ve started (including the 3rd novel in Justin Cronin’s the Passage series and the next by Tana French), and look for some of the other books written by authors I enjoyed this year (Liane Moriarty, Kristin Hannah). It’s been a while since I’ve re-read Harry Potter… it’s been a while since I’ve read a classic… but we’ll see. Happy reading!

In Previous Years…
Books Read in 2015
Books Read in 2014
Books Read in 2013
Books Read in 2012
Books Read in 2011
Books Read in 2010
Books Read in 2009
Books Read in 2008
Books Read in 2007
Books Read in 2006
Books Read in 2005

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
2. Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
3. Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
4. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
5. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
6. Dance upon the Air by Nora Roberts
7. Heaven and Earth by Nora Roberts
8. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
9. Face the Fire by Nora Roberts
10. Great with Child by Beth Ann Fennelly
11. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
12. Breastfeeding Made Simple by Nancy Mohrbacher
13. The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry
15. The Search by Nora Roberts
16. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
17. Me Before You by JoJo Moyes
18. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
19. Coincidence by J.W. Ironmonger

I’m not sure whether to say that I read more or less than I expected I would in 2014. I certainly didn’t make my original goal of reading 30 books (although even when I chose that I knew it was totally arbitrary and quite possibly unattainable). I was keeping up a pretty standard pace of consumption before Ben was born, with audiobooks on my commute and regular books at lunch and at home. Once he showed up, of course, I pretty much stopped reading entirely for a while there. I don’t really understand how people read during middle of the night baby wakeups; I found I was too tired to concentrate on an actual book, but that if I could stay awake enough to read, then I’d be TOO awake to fall back asleep once Ben was asleep again. And now, I’m trying to read before bed like I used to, and after a few nights of reading until 1am and still having to be up with Ben at 5 or 6, really regretting it. But I feel like I’m back in a reading phase (and over the years of documenting what I’ve read, I know that I definitely go through phases in which I just don’t read at all for months), and I’m glad for that.

My favorite books in 2014 were definitely Attachments (omg I ADORED this book. I loved Eleanor and Park, which I read last year, but I was legitimately sad when Attachments was over. I just loved it.), Coincidence (which I finished on New Years Eve; very interesting and different. I really enjoy books whose timelines jump forward and back through time), and the Coldest Girl in Coldtown (which, based on my goodreads friends’ reviews, I expected not to like much, but I listened to this on audio and was pleasantly surprised).

I’m not sure how to approach a reading goal for 2015, to be honest. I’d like to think I’ll be back up to my average of 40 or so books, but life with Ben changes every time I feel like I’ve got things under control, so I really have no idea. But I’d really like to read more (and god knows I sure could use a little less mindless internet scrolling on my phone and a little less daytime tv). I’ve set a goal to read every day, even if it’s just a few lines or pages, or a book with Ben. I’d like to get to all those ebooks I bought just before we went to the hospital to have Ben (seriously, I loaded up the iPad thinking I’d read during labor. Isn’t that adorable? Reading during contractions. Haaaaaaaaa). Overall, I’m setting my reading goal at 30 books. I’m hoping I’ll beat it, but we’ll see.

In Previous Years…
Books Read in 2012
Books Read in 2011
Books Read in 2010
Books Read in 2009
Books Read in 2008
Books Read in 2007
Books Read in 2006
Books Read in 2005

1. In the Woods by Tana French
2. A Practical Wedding by Meg Keene
3. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
4. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
5. The Fault in our Stars by John Green
6. The Passage by Justin Cronin
7. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
8. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
9. Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
10. The Twelve by Justin Cronin
11. What to Expect Before You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
12. Divergent by Veronica Roth
13. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
14. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
15. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
16. When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman
17. The Likeness by Tana French
18. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
19. Wool by Hugh Howey
20. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
21. The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey
22. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
23. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
24. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
25. Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
26. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
27. A Million Suns by Beth Revis
28. Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
29. Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts
30. The Magician King by Lev Grossman
31. The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen
32. Black Rose by Nora Roberts
33. Red Lily by Nora Roberts
34. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
35. White Cat by Holly Black
36. Birthright by Caragh O’Brien
37. The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen
38. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
39. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
40. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
41. Faithful Place by Tana French
42. Virals by Kathy Reichs
43. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Looking back on the books I’ve read this year is something I really enjoy, even though it’s hard to believe we’re here already. My reading goal for 2013 was to read 39 books (my average number of books read since I started keeping track back in 2005). I’m happy to say that I squeaked past that goal with 43, largely aided by a week of intense reading on our honeymoon in June, and a hefty audiobook consumption once I went back to a very lengthy commute in September. I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t have come close if it hadn’t been for the audiobooks this fall. My side goals were to read one classic that’s new to me (I didn’t do this or even remember it was on my list, honestly) and five novels meant for adults that weren’t mass market fiction. I’m surprised and kinda jazzed to report that I read nine adult fiction books AND two nonfiction books. Reading YA is definitely my favorite (with a healthy dose of romance novels for good measure), and I’m okay with that. But the adult novels I’ve read this year were some of my favorite books of the year. I listened to eight audiobooks (Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane was spectacular – read by Gaiman himself. Kathy Reichs’ Virals wasn’t really a super awesome story, but Cristin Milioti’s narration was some of the best I’ve ever heard). I also re-read three books (The Passage, Across the Universe, and Delirium) as refreshers before reading sequels, which I generally like to do.

The books that I read in 2013 that I would recommend most highly are some pretty amazing books: all three of Tana French’s books were so refreshing and dark and un-put-downable; The Age of Miracles was a YA novel that tells the story of what happens during an epic natural disaster; The Passage and The Twelve are truly epic doorstops of books but so very, very gripping; Eleanor & Park was a super charming, sad love story; The Fault in Our Stars was just unforgettable.

I’m not sure it’s very smart for me to set a reading goal for 2014, what with the whole baby showing up in late May business. I think it’d be short-sighted of me to expect that my reading habits will remain unchanged once a newborn is in the picture. But I also can’t see myself NOT reading. (Feel free to remind me of this as you laugh at me this summer.) So! My goal for 2014 will be to read 30 books. We’ll reconvene a year from now to see how crazy that notion is.

In Previous Years…
Books Read in 2012
Books Read in 2011
Books Read in 2010
Books Read in 2009
Books Read in 2008
Books Read in 2007
Books Read in 2006
Books Read in 2005

1. Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism by Barbara Emmerich
2. Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando
3. The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern*
4. Divergent by Veronica Roth
5. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
6. Sarah’s Key by Tatiana deRosnay*
7. Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse*
8. Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
9. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer*
10. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer*
11. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown*
12. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer*
13. An Off Year by Claire Zulkey
14. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer*
15. At Home by Bill Bryson*
16. Birthright by Nora Roberts
17. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach*
18. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
19. My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
20. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
21. Every Day by David Leviathan

Well. Let’s just start off by saying I didn’t even come CLOSE to hitting my goal of reading 45 books (and three classics) during 2012. I know that reading almost two books a month is a perfectly acceptable amount of reading to do in a year. Especially a year in which I had a two+ hour daily commute for 8 months, and oh yeah that whole planning a wedding business. (Having a tv in the bedroom during 2012 also really cut into my before-bed reading time.) In the 8 years that I’ve been keeping track of my reading each year here on the blog, I’ve read 23 books, 24 books, 51 books, 44 books, 40 books, 57(!) books, 52 books, and 21 books. My average, then, is 39, but I’ve read a total of 312 books since the beginning of 2005. In these 8 years, I’ve read the Harry Potter series and the Game of Thrones series all the way through twice each (and I actually thought those numbers would be higher, to be honest).

Even though there are good reasons, I can’t also say that I’m not disappointed in my reading this year. Almost half of the books were audiobooks, and it’s not like I’m proud to have finally read all of the Twilight books (even if they kept me engaged during my long commutes for many, many weeks). The best books of the year were by FAR Night Circus and Divergent, which I’d recommend so highly. I really loved the Art of Fielding, too, and Gone Girl was good if a little … bleak for my taste.

Still, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have a reading goal for 2013. I definitely want to get back to reading like a fiend, even if it’ll take a little adjusting. My goal is to get back up to my average, and read 39 books. I will read at least one classic that’s new to me, and at least 5 novels meant for adults (as opposed to YA, and mass market fiction like Nora Roberts definitely doesn’t count). Here’s to the new year, and lots of new books!

In Previous Years…
Books Read in 2011
Books Read in 2010
Books Read in 2009
Books Read in 2008
Books Read in 2007
Books Read in 2006
Books Read in 2005

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