My literary year in review...

My goal this past year was to read 100 books, and I managed to do it!  When the clock struck midnight last night, I had read 101 books in 2010!  I read 69 in 2008 and 76 in 2009, so this was a big jump for me.  I credit some of my success to my NOOK (I have noticed that B&N has changed their capitalization on their e-reader from nook to NOOK), as it makes it easy to read in many, many places, and especially while exercising on the cardio equipment at the gym.  For record keeping purposes, I will put a * next to the books I read on my NOOK this year.

January:
1.  The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie
2.  Mania by Craig Larsen*
3.  An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
4.  Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr*
5.  Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers*
6.  Spellbound by Nora Roberts*
7.  Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline*
8.  Kelly's Chance by Wanda E. Brunstetter
9.  Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty*

February:
10.  Friday Nights Lights by H.G. Bissinger
11.  Three Fates by Nora Roberts*
12.  Angel's Peak by Robyn Carr*
13.  Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky*
14.  Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick
15.  Roses by Leila Meachan*
16.  The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister*
17.  The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell*
18.  Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen*
19.  Bittersweet Rain by Sandra Brown*
20.  The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks*

March:
21.  Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins*
22.  The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins*
23.  Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins*
24.  Too Good to Be True by Kristan Higgins*
25.  Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie*
26.  The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie*
27.  Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie*
28.  What the Lady Wants by Jennifer Crusie*
29.  The Summer Hideaway by Susan Wiggs
30.  McKettricks of Texas: Tate by Linda Lael Miller
31.  Moonlight Road by Robyn Carr
32.  Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie*
33.  Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb
34.  Fools Rush In by Kristan Higgins
35.  Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie

April:
36.  McKettrick's Luck by Linda Lael Miller
37.  McKettrick's Pride by Linda Lael Miller
38.  McKettrick's Heart by Linda Lael Miller
39.  The McKettrick Way by Linda Lael Miller
40.  Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie*
41.  Montana Creeds: Logan by Linda Lael Miller
42.  Montana Creeds: Dylan by Linda Lael Miller
43.  Montana Creeds: Tyler by Linda Lael Miller
44.  A Stone Creek Christmas by Linda Lael Miller
45.  Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt*

May:
46.  Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts
47.  How to Knit a Love Song by Rachel Herron
48.  The 9th Judgment by James Patterson
49.  Sierra's Homecoming by Linda Lael Miller
50.  Spinning Forward by Terri DuLong*
51.  The McKettrick's of Texas: Garrett by Linda Lael Miller

June:
52.  The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell*
53.  Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber*
54.  Hannah's List by Debbie Macomber
55.  That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
56.  Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

July:
57.  The House on Olive Street by Robyn Carr
58.  The McKettrick's of Texas: Austin by Linda Lael Miller
59.  A Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr*
60.  Beaches by Iris Rainer Dart*
61.  Sheltering Hearts by Robyn Carr*

August:
62.  The Beach House by Georgian Bockoven
63.  Columbine by Dave Cullen
64.  A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand*
65.  Family Ties by Danielle Steel
66.  All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins*
67.  Smitten by Janet Evanovich*
68.  Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer*
69.  Getting Rid of Bradley by Jennifer Crusie*
70.  Charlie All Night by Jennifer Crusie*
71.  Private by James Patterson*
72.  Life's a Beach by Claire Cook*
73.  Seven-Year Switch by Claire Cook

September:
74.  Summer Shift by Lynn Kiele Bonasia
75.  Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger*
76.  Every Last One by Anna Quindlen*
77.  Last Light Over Carolina by Mary Alice Monroe*

October:
78.  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
79.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
80.  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
81.  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

November:
82.  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
83.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
84.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
85.  Some Assembly Required by Lynn Kiele Bonasia
86.  At Home in Stone Creek by Linda Lael Miller*
87.  Beach Road by James Patterson*
88.  The Book Club by Mary Alice Monroe*
89.  Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts*
90.  The Hollow by Nora Roberts*
91.  Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn*
92.  Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts
93.  The Beach House by James Patterson

December:
94.  Summer House by Nancy Thayer*
95.  Big Girl by Danielle Steele*
96.  Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins*
97.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
98.  For One More Day by Mitch Albom
99.  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins*
100.  Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins*
101.  Trust Me on This by Jennifer Crusie*

WHEW!  That took a long time to type out!

If you notice, there were some patterns that emerged in my reading.  In March, I discovered Kristan Higgins because her books were on the list of low-priced NOOKbooks.  Obviously, I liked what I read because I read everything of hers that I could get my hands on!  I also read a lot of Jennifer Crusie's books that month and through the rest of the year.  April pretty much belonged to Linda Lael Miller and two of her (interrelated) contemporary series.  I loved both of them and hope that she continues them!

I also read two great series this year.  After YEARS of being told I should do so, I finally read the Harry Potter series this year.  And I loved it, as everyone who recommended it knew I would!  I read the entire seven-book series in two weeks.  It was that good.  I also read the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins on the advice of my online book club and devoured those books!  They were AMAZING!

Obviously, the NOOK has really changed reading for me.  And a huge part of my NOOK experience is the ability to borrow e-books from the Free Library of Philadelphia using Overdrive.  I was able to get a free card to the FLP because my local library is part of the ACCESS PA library partnership.  Out-of-state residents can get a card for $15 per year, and I would definitely pay that amount for a card.  The selection is great, and it's easy to get e-books from them!  I read 56 e-books this year, and I got more than half of them from the FLP.  So that was awesome!

I just ordered an iPad, so I am interested to see what that does to my reading in 2011!  The biggest thing I think it will do is allow me to compare prices among different e-book stores.  The "big three" (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders) have apps for the iPad that allows you to read their books on it.  And Apple has the iBooks store and app that is another option for books.  I still plan to use my NOOK heavily (especially since I have purchased Diana Gabaldon's entire Outlander series for my NOOK), but I will also dabble in iPad reading if it allows me to save some money on books.

The best stand-alone book I read this year was The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. I loved the setting, the characters, the story...pretty much everything about the book.  And the worst book I read this year, by FAR, was Big Girl by Danielle Steel.  In fact, I think I am done with Danielle Steel for a long time and perhaps forever because of that book.

In 2011, I have joined a "111 in '11" challenge with my online book club.  The first book I plan to read is the third in a Nora Roberts trilogy (the Sign of Seven trilogy) that I started last year.  I was on the wait list to get the e-book from the FLP, and it was arrived, so I can't wait to read it!

Happy New Year, everyone!