2013 in reading
I thought New Year's Eve was an appropriate time for a retrospective of my 2013 reading. Although I usually end up with about 150 books a year, I didn't keep track by numbers this year, instead by memories. I tend to read so fast and so much that sometimes, unless the book is really memorable, I can't tell you what I'm reading. This year was a bit different for that.
I had a banner reading summer. I got on a novel and historical fiction kick, and found some really great books, reading out of my usual "comfort zone" of cozies. Three of the standouts were Left Drowning by Jessica Park, The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna Van Praag, and City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte. Not that there weren't standouts in cozies, too, there definitely were, but the non-cozies were what stuck in my head.
They were all very different, and all excellent.
I also started really trying to write reviews in 2013. I hate writing reviews. I know authors love it when you do, though. Look at the near-celebrity status of Dru Ann L Love in the cozy community if you don't believe me. Her review blog gets thousands of hits, she does guest columns on the cozy blogs, and is universally loved by all the cozy authors and fans. It's well deserved, Dru Ann's a great person and writes a killer review, plus that, she keeps it positive and is just a sweetheart. But I digress - I hate writing reviews. But becoming a librarian and signing up for NetGalley and Edelweiss sort of forced me into it. I like to think I'm getting better at it, but who knows? After the Goodreads debacle this fall, I sort of stay over here at Booklikes and mind my own business, so I'm thinking my reviews aren't getting a ton of exposure.
My TBR (especially for ebooks) is overflowing more than ever - it apparently is a side effect of being in a library all day around all those books - and my physical shelves will soon be overflowing as well. If 2014 keeps the momentum going, I'll run out of shelf space!
Unfortunately, despite the fact that I've been acquiring books at a rather alarming rate lately, both ebooks and physical ones, I'm currently in a bit of a reading slump. I'm blaming it on the holidays and just being busy; and so tired that when I do sit down with a book, I go almost straight to sleep. i'm hoping that once the holidays are over, and winter socks me in, I'll have more time and inclination to read some of my backlog and find some more memorable stories to inspire me.
