2012: What I Read

A few years ago, I got into the habit of writing down what I read. It started in a book journal (which I loved, but found was silly because there were all kinds of sections in it that I did not use), then I moved on to a coil notebook, and finally, a list on my computer. Obviously using my computer is the most environmentally friendly option and does not take up a lot of space :). Also, an idea from a friend, I started making a "goal" for myself of how many books I want to read per year.

For 2012, I set a goal of 220 books to read (I know, this sounds crazy, right? Well, in 2011 I read 192 books, so I figured 220 would be easy.) Not only did I set a goal of how many books to read in a year, but I have also been working on reading the books that I own that have yet to be read. So, of the 220, I wanted 160 of those to be ones that I owned that had not been read yet (wondering how many unread books I own????)

Flash forward to 2013. I have looked over my list of books that I read in 2012 and, well, I did not reach my goals. Normally I would be a little disappointed by this, but I have realized how unrealistic these goals were. I am happy with the reading I DID do in 2012, although I would still like to focus a little more on my own books that I have not read (I get distracted by new stuff haha.) My final tally for 2012 was 149 books read, 92 of those being my own unread books. I did 10 re-reads this year (I'm a big fan of re-reading books you love - check out http://tammy-for-the-love-of-reading.blogspot.ca/2012/08/summer-sisters-by-judy-blume.html to see how I feel about re-reading) and I also did not complete 6 books because I was REALLY not enjoying them (a new rule of mine: if I dread picking it up, I'm not going to read it. There are too many books and too little time to spend on ones that I am not enjoying.)

I compiled a list of the books I read in 2012 and organized them by genre. It was really interesting to see where my focus was for 2012 (especially since I am no longer working at Chapters! haha.)

Genre	Title
Teen Fiction	Bright Young Things - Anna Godberson
	Eternal – Gillian Shields
	Eve – Ana Carey
	Spells – Aprilynne Pike
	Uncommon Criminals – Ally Carter
	Illusions – Aprilynne Pike
	Beautiful Days – Anna Godberson
	A Northern Light – Jennifer Donnelly
	The Scorpio Races – Maggie Stiefvater
	The Gathering Storm – Robin Bridges
	Matched – Ally Condie
	The Pledge – Kimberly Derting
	Passion – Lauren Kate
	Captivate – Carrie Jones
	The Immortal Realm – Frewin Jones
	Darkness Falls – Cate Tiernan
	Sweetly – Jackson Pearce
	The Enchanted Quest – Frewin Jones
	The Charmed Return – Frewin Jones
	Balthazar – Claudia Gray
	Entice – Carrie Jones
	Waiting for You – Susan Colasanti
	The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
	The Darkest Powers Trilogy Omnibus – Kelley Armstrong
	Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins
	Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins
	Legend – Mary Lu
	A Temptation of Angels – Michelle Zink
	Destined – Aprilynne Pike
	Sweep Vol II – Cate Tiernan
	Sweep Vol III – Cate Tiernan
	Sweep Vol IV – Cate Tiernan
	Sweep Vol V – Cate Tiernan
	Balefire Omnibus – Cate Tiernan
	Switched – Amanda Hocking
	Torn – Amanda Hocking
	Ascend – Amanda Hocking
	Rebel Heart – Moira Young
	The Kill Order – James Dashner
	The Face on the Milk Carton – Caroline B. Cooney
	Once – Ana Carey
	Crossed – Ally Condie
	Diva – Jillian Larkin
	The Bridge – Jane Higgins
	Beta – Rachel Cohn
Science Fiction	Fool Moon – Jim Butcher
	Grave Peril – Jim Butcher
General Fiction	Tell It to the Trees - Anita Rau Badami
	Web of Angels – Lilian Nattel
	There’s Cake in My Future - Kim Gruenenfelder
	Submarine – Joe Dunthore
	Barefoot – Elin Hilderbrand
	The Violets of March – Sarah Jio
	Lucky’s Lady – Tami Hoag
	The Bungalow – Sarah Jio
	Nantucket Nights – Elin Hilderbrand
	The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti - Annie Vanderbilt
	The Reinvention of Love – Helen Humphreys
	The Far Side of the Sky – Daniel Kalla
	The Little Giant of Aberdeen County – Tiffany Baker
	The Girls – Lori Lansens
	The Island – Elin Hilderbrand
	Summer Affair – Elin Hilderbrand
	Summer Sisters – Judy Blume
	The Friday Night Knitting Club – Kate Jacobs
	The Last Summer (of You and Me) – Ann Brashares
	Sisterhood Everlasting – Ann Brashares
	Where We Belong – Emily Giffen
	The Emperor of Paris – C.S. Richardson
	Blackberry Winter – Sarah Jio
	The Red House – Mark Haddon
	Christmas at Tiffany`s – Karen Swan
	Last Christmas – Julia Williams
	Love Anthony – Lisa Genova
	The Society of S – Susan Hubbard
	The Year of Disappearances – Susan Hubbard
9-12 Fiction	The Battle For Skandia (RA) – John Flannagan
	The Sorcerer of the North (RA) – John Flannagan
	The Siege of Mackindaw (RA) – John Flannagan
	Erak’s Ransom (RA) – John Flannagan
	The Kings of Clonmel (RA) – John Flannagan
	Swordbird – Nancy Yi Fan
	Halt’s Peril (RA) – John Flannagan
	The Emperor of Nihon-Ja (RA) – John Flannagan
	Black Heart (Vampirates) – Justin Somper
	The Immortal Fire – Anne Ursu
	The Lost Stories (RA) – John Flannagan
	The Door in the Forest - Roderick Townley
	Empire of the Night (Vampirates) – Justin Somper
	Immortal War (Vampirates) – Justin Somper
	Trundle’s Quest – Alan Frewin Jones
	Flyte – Angie Sage
	The E.L. Konigsburg Collection – E.L. Konigsburg
	The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey – Trenton Lee Stewart
	Thirteenth Child – Patricia C. Wrede
	The Amulet of Samarkand – Jonathan Stroud
	First Hero – Adam Blade
	The Fathomless Fire – Thomas Wharton
	Ingo – Helen Dunmore
	The Tide Knot – Helen Dunmore
	The Monster – Garth Nix
	The Name of This Book is Secret – Pseudonymous Bosch
Mystery	Fearless Fourteen – Janet Evanovich
	The Murder Stone – Louise Penny
	No Rest For the Wiccan – Madelyn Alt
	Finger Lickin’ Dead – Riley Adams
	Where There’s a Witch – Madelyn Alt
	Night of the Living Deed – E.J. Cooperman
	Finger Lickin’ Fifteen – Janet Evanovich
	The Angel of the Opera – Sam Siciliano
	French Pressed – Cleo Coyle
	An Uninvited Ghost – E.J. Cooperman
	Clobbered by Camembert – Avery Aames
	A Killer Plot – Ellery Adams
	Espresso Shot – Cleo Coyle
	Town in a Blueberry Jam – B.B. Haywood
	The Lies that Bind – Kate Carlisle
	A Deadly Cliche – Ellery Adams
	The Last Word – Ellery Adams
	A Sheetcake Named Desire – Jacklyn Brady
	Dyer Consequences – Maggie Sefton
	What’s a Ghoul to do? – Victoria Laurie
	Curiosity Thrilled the Cat – Sofie Kelly
	Indulgence in Death – J.D. Robb
	Treachery in Death – J.D. Robb
	Sizzling Sixteen – Janet Evanovich
	A Witch in Time – Madelyn Alt
	Demons are a Ghouls Best Friend – Victoria Laurie
	Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun – Victoria Laurie
	Driven to Ink – Karen E. Olsen
	Smokin’ Seventeen – Janet Evanovich
	Holiday Grind – Cleo Coyle
	Buzz Off – Hannah Reed
	Mind Your Own Beeswax – Hannah Reed
	Written in Stone – Ellery Adams
	Home for a Spell – Madelyn Alt
Non-Fiction	The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt – William Nothdurft
	Heaven is For Real – Todd Burpo
	The Rescue of Belle and Sundance – Birgit Stutz
	Mistaken Identity – Don & Susie Van Ryn
	The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot
Classics	Journey to the Centre of the Earth – Jules Verne
	Anne of Avonlea – Lucy Maud Montgomery
Fantasy	Soulless – Gail Carriger
	Changeless – Gail Carriger
	Arrows Flight – Mercedes Lackey
	Arrows Fall – Mercedes Lackey
Romance	Bloodfever – Karen Marie Moning
6-8 Fiction	Rosetta’s Dress Mess - Disney

Here's the thing about reading: people read because they love it. If it's not something you're passionate about and do not enjoy doing, why do it? I love reading. I love learning something new (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks), checking out something old (Journey to the Centre of the Earth), re-visiting a favourite (The Friday Night Knitting Club) or randomly picking something new (Beta.) There are many different reasons I choose to read and the books I choose depend on the mood I'm in at the time. I hope, like me, you have a passion in your heart for reading and that you will continue to read. I don't think it matters if it's a magazine, graphic novel, or a best-selling novel, reading is reading. Spend time doing something you love.

Happy Reading!!!!!!