Oh, 2015.
I had great expectations for the reading year. Sadly I was in the funk for the majority of it.
The reading goals I set for 2015:
1. Read more sub-genres
2. Read more new authors
3. Read 200 books
4. Complete the 26 Books in 2015 challenge
I did read 200 books in 2016 (just), but I wasn’t able to meet any of my other goals. I read very few new-t0-me authors and hardly any variety of sub-genres. I did read 24 of the 26 Books in 2015 Challenge, but that still leaves me 2 shy of the goal. In short, I had a sad, sorry reading year.
Because GR doesn’t count a book toward the challenge unless I mark the date read, and because I re-read books multiple times, the number of books on my 200 Books shelf isn’t accurate.
200 Books in 2016 (160)
January (14)
February (23)
March (18)
April (12)
May (21)
June (18)
July (7)
August (16)
September (12)
October (24)
November (21)
December (14)
Adding the months together, I come up with 200 books read in 2015, which was my goal exactly. The truth is I probably read more than that, but I don’t count partial re-reads or books I read more than once in a month (which is something I do quite often).
Breaking that down:
Contemporary (76)
Fantasy (52)
Sci-Fi (3)
Historical (18)
Paranormal (46)
Romantic Suspense (5)
I read a lot more Fantasy/PNR than I normally do, but as you can see I didn’t read much variety. Those number aren’t 100% accurate because sometimes I shelve a book PNR and Fantasy and Sci-Fi (or some variation thereof).
New Adult (23)
New-to-Me Authors (15)
Novellas (22)
I wanted to read at least 2 new-to-me authors per month, and I fell far short of that. I just barely averaged 1 per month. I definitely want to work on that in 2016. The two new-to-me authors that stand out the most are Ilona Andrews (yes, I finally read the Kate Daniels series) and Whitney Garcia Williams (I’ve only read the one book by her so far, but I really loved it).
Read in 2015 (94)
Re-read in 2015 (79)
Though it says I read more than I re-read, I know that isn’t true. As I said, I don’t log books I read more than once in a month or partial re-reads. If I had, my re-reads for the year would probably be double what they are now.
I meant to keep track of which books I re-read the most. I’ll make a better effort do that this year. I know I re-read Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh multiple times, and Kristen Ashley continues to be my most re-read author, period.
I read two five-star reads this year: November 9 by Colleen Hoover and Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh. The Hoover was such an emotional ride, I couldn’t set it down. The Singh was the perfect trifecta of goodness: Hero, Heroine and Story. I adored it.
Here’s a breakdown of my most and least favorite reads each month.
January
My favorite read of the month was probably Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh. Though I’ve been enjoying the series as a whole, Branded by Fire stands out because of Mercy. I heart her. (This is, of course, excluding re-reads since we all know Judd is the bestest ever).
My least favorite read was probably Wild and Free by Kristen Ashley. That book was just boring. The secondary romance added a little spark, which is why I graded it a 2.5, but the main romance and plot were a snoozefest.
February
My favorite reads of the month, excluding re-reads, were Heart of Obsidian and Shield of Winter by Nalini Singh, though I really liked all the Psy/Changeling books I read. Honorable mention goes to Midnight’s Kiss by Thea Harrison. I really liked Julian and Melly.
My least favorite read was Mate Bond by Jennifer Ashley. I liked the romance, but the suspense plot didn’t work for me.
March
I actually read some really great books this month. Suddenly One Summer by Julie James was great and so was Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh (of course, Heart of Obsidian is still my favorite Psy/Changeling book, but don’t tell Aden I said that). The Deal by Elle Kennedy was fabulous. I absolutely loved the story. Still the One by Jill Shalvis was good, too.
My least favorite reads were The Alpha Meets His Match by Georgette St. Clair and Waking the Beast by Lacey Thorn. The St. Clair had an interesting premise, but it lacked in execution. It could have benefited from a good editor. The Thorn really needed to be longer. It felt half-told.
April
My favorite reads of the month were Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley and The Mistake by Elle Kennedy. My least favorite was Beastly by Alex Flinn.
May
My favorite (new) read of the month was The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan. I adored Gray and Ivy. Great read. I also really loved Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley. Joker was a total surprise (in a good way) and I loved the heroine.
My least favorite read was probably Cat’s Lair by Christine Feehan. It isn’t the one I would rate the lowest grade-wise, but it was the biggest disappointment. I usually love her heroes, but I felt like this one was more asshole than alpha. Total bummer. I didn’t love Bound in Darkness by Cynthia Eden or Seven Years by Dannika Dark, either, but I liked them enough to continue reading the series, so I guess that says something.
June
Excluding re-reads, my favorite reads of the month were Archangel’s Enigma, Back to You and Sweet. My least favorite read was probably Ruby Shadows by Evangeline Anderson. The bones of the story were pretty good, but that book needed editing like whoa. Plus, the heroine made questionable choices considering she was literally in hell for most of the book.
July
My favorite read of the month was Archangel’s Enigma. I’ve been dying to find out more about Nassir and Singh didn’t disappoint. I loved him. His heroine was pretty great, too. I adore this series.
My least favorite read was Night’s Surrender by Amanda Ashley. I didn’t dislike the book, I just read so few my options were limited.
August
I didn’t really have a least favorite book this month, since all my reads were old favorites. I will say The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and The Duke’s Perfect Wife are my favorites from the Mackenzie & McBrides series by Ashley.
September
My favorite reads of the month were Rock Redemption by Nalini Singh and The Legend of Lyon Redmond by Julie Anne Long. Have we been waiting a million years for that book, or what? Okay, a million is an exaggeration, but it’s been nigh on a decade for real, right? I’m glad it lived up to the hype. I really liked Lyon and Olivia (yes, even Olivia).
My least favorite read of the month was probably Walk Through Fire. I didn’t dislike it, necessarily, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as some of the others in the series.
October
I did a lot of re-reading in October, but I think my favorite new read of the month was November 9 by Colleen Hoover, followed by The Game Plan by Kristen Callihan. November 9 wrecked me. Just totally wrecked me. I really loved Dex and Fiona in The Game Plan.
My least favorite read of the month was Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz. I liked the romance, but the bumbling mystery plot was such a mess it totally killed the book for me.
November
In November I binge-read the Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews. It started out slow but really picked up as the series wore on. I really like the world and the characters. I’m excited to continue, though I am taking a break now. I don’t want to burnout on the series.
My favorite read of the series so far is probably Magic Rises. My least favorite is Magic Bites.
December
Of the six new books I read, Fire Touched and The Score were my favorites. I was so angry at Adam at the end of Night Broken, but by the 1/4 mark of Fire Touched I was no longer mad at him. I didn’t expect to love Dean as much as I did in The Score. Kennedy has done such a fabulous job with that series.
My least favorite read was Soul of Smoke. I really liked the world, but the heroine drove me batty.
There’s my reading year in review. What did yours look like?
Did you complete any challenges you signed up for, or meet your reading goal?