Thursday, January 8, 2015

Thorsday Book Review: A 2014 Reading Recap

I read a lot in 2014.  Some of it was due to my dearly beloved's illness (I couldn't sleep 16 hours a day, after all), and some due to just "I want to read."  About half of these books were Kindle books, many were from the shelves on my house - used book sale finds, recent or long ago, and one was a gift from the ever delightful Pam at Sidewalk Shoes!  (OK, I won it in her drawing, but that counts as a gift).  Of course, there were a number of books I gave as gifts, and I "had" to read those, as well; we wouldn't want to give anyone a dud, would we?


So, in approximate order of reading, my 2014 reading list:

1. George Washington's Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade and Dan Yaeger 5/5
2. The Ming Storytekkers by Laura Rahme 3/5
3. Titanic Deception by John & Toni Rakestraw 3/5
4. Tolstoy Lied by Rachel Kaplish 3/5
5. The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton 2/5
6. The Financier by Theodore Dreiser 4/5
7. The Secessionist by John Frye 4/5
8. Murder on the Rocks by Karen MacInerny 4/5
9. The Barker's Dozen by Robert Warr 5/5
10. Scent of Gardenia by Dick C. Waters 3/5
11. 64 by Patrick Hurley 3/5
12. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 5/5
13. A Thistle in the Mist by Megan Denby 4/5
14. The Mystery Box by Eva Pohler 3/5
15. Play Him Again by Jeffrey M. Stone 5/5
16. An American Outlaw by John Stonehouse 4/5
17. The Vengeance by Patrick Hurley 4/5
18. Enemy in the Room by Parke4r Hudson 5/5
19. The Story of the Human Body by Daniel E. Leiberman 4/5
20. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton 3/5
21. Famous by Kate Langdon 4/5
22. Ceremony of the Innocent by Taylor Caldwell 2/5
23. A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia Savage McAlester 5/5
24. Tangled Roots by Angela Henry 4/5
25. Cold Mountain by Charles Frasier 5/5
26. Dead End Job by Ingrid Reinke 4/5
27. Murder on the Mind by L. L. Bartlett 3/5
28. The Assassination by Patrick Hurley 3/5
29. ...And Ladies of the Club... by Helen Hooven Santmeyer 5/5
30. Tender Deceit by H. Y. Hanna 5/5
31. The Housewife by Patrick Hurley 3/5
32. The Redemption by Patrick Hurley 3/5
33. Tin City Tinder by David MacInnis Gill 4/5
34. A Dignified Exit by John Asher 5/5
35. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald 2/5
36. A Hardboiled Murder: An Aggie Underhill Mystery by Michelle Ann Hollister 4/5
37. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 5/5
38. The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst 1/5
39. Shane by Jack Schaefer40. The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teichholz 5/5
40. Death Waltz in Vienna by Thomas Ochittree 3/5
41. The Company You Keep by Angela Henry 4/5
42. Little Girl Gone by Brett Battles 5/5
43. Apron Strings by Mary Morony 4/5
44. Jet - Ops Files by Russell Blake 3/5
45. Chasing the Sun by Natalia Sylvester 4/5
46. Noble Intentions by L. T. Ryan 4/5
47. Factory Man by Beth Macy 5/5
48. A Pedigree to Die For by Laurien Berenson 4/5
49. Tender Treachery by H. Y. Hanna 5/5
50. The Bridges of Madison County 5/5
51. The Yellow Room by Mary Roberts Rhinehart 5/5
52. Daughter of the Bamboo Forest by Sheng-Shih Lan 3/5
53. Jet by Russell Blake 4/5
54. Above the Bridge by Deborah Garner 4/5
55. Illuminated by Matt Bromleewe 3/5
56. The Mine by John A. Heldt 4/5
57. Playing Santa by H. Y. Hanna 5/5
58. Playing for Love by H. Y. Hanna 5/5
59. Playing to Win by H. Y. Hanna 5/5
60. Fallen Angel by Tracy Chevalier 3/5
61. Savannah Project by Chuck Barrett 3/5
62. Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell 4/5
63. The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Donna Andrews 5/5
(Yes, books are everywhere in my house!)
So, there you have it: a year's worth of reading.   How was your year in reading?

10 comments:

grace said...

that's majorly impressive, marjie! i'm ashamed to say that i can probably count the number of books i read on one hand... :/

Lapdog Creations said...

That is quite an impressive feat!

pam said...

You beat me by 8 books!!!

~~louise~~ said...

You beat me by 63 books Marjie. I'm not counting cookbooks though:)

Very impressive indeed. Kudos to you and of course all those books too:)

Anonymous said...

Always enjoy your Thorsdays.

I really don't have an accurate count because there's a sizable percentage I toss without finishing. Pretty sure your way of reading is more methodical than mine; I'll have six open at a time, but of the six, will maybe like two or three enough to read start to finish. Not a matter of plot, but style. What I've found particularly irritating this year -- the writers who riff on the Jane Austen characters without any of her wit and grace.

Nellie said...

I really didn't count the books I read in 2014, with the exception of those on the United Methodist Women Reading List, and I read 20 of those for Plan IV credit. I read others as well, though didn't really keep up with all of them. There are some that I have read in the past on your list, though.

Angela said...

Wow! That's impressive! I've only read about 7 titles on your list, but And Ladies of the Club is the longest book I've ever read (I think). You are inspiring me to keep my own list for 2015:)

Mickle in NZ said...

A house isn't a home without books!

Hope you have a good weekend, Michelle xxx

Sue said...

Good job! My list isn't as long but I need to take an afternoon now and then to just read. Lately I've been mostly reading at bedtime and I don't make as much progress.

Dexter said...

Well, I have 83 posts in 2014, but some of those were movies and there were several one star (cannot finish) duds. Thanks for the summary. Found a few more things to add to my list.

Mango Momma