Books I Read: 2012

In 2012, I found a little more time and managed to read a few more books. This amazing feat (to me!) was accomplished by giving myself two nights a week to leave the house for an hour or two and go to Barnes & Noble to read. I'd sit in the cafe with a steaming cup of hot cinnamon spice tea (one of my favorites) and a good book. Doing this helped me go from three books in 2011 to eighteen in 2012. It just goes to show, it's all about carving out the time and removing distractions.

1. The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz
2. 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. Bitter in the Mouth by Monique Truong
5. The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan
6. Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
7. Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
8. Destined by P.C. Cast
9. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
10. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
11. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
12. Following Ezra by Tom Fields-Meyer
13. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
14. Dragonfly in Amber by Maggie Stiefvater
15. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
16. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
17. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
18. The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen

Several of these books were so, so good. Obviously, I loved The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater (obvious because I read the whole series in a matter of three months). And the Outlander series is fantastic (it's on my list to finish the whole series).

My favorite of these was The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It's the kind of book you get lost in, that you take your time with and chew on the words a little bit. The length and depth of it is the one reason why I've not yet read the sequel, but it is on my short list to be sure.

Bitter in the Mouth was a huge surprise. It was quirky and wonderful and painfully beautiful. Loved. It. Loved.

The most disappointing of the bunch was The Surgeon. I wanted to like the series. Truly I did. But it was one of the worst books I've ever read. I had to drag myself to the end of it just so I could say I gave it a fair shot. Still, it's such a popular series that I've toyed with the idea of reading the next book in the series, just to see if it gets better. Then I remember how many wonderful books are waiting for me...it's definitely not on my short list.